International Business Environments and Operations fifteenth edition chapter 2

Question: 2-1: Assume you are a manager in a multinational company that needs to send a team of three to ve people to Saudi Arabia for about two weeks to investigate the feasibility of selling your products there !hat advice should you give them to help assure that cultural problems do not impede their success in this task" Answer: Saudi Answer:  Saudi Arabia is a high context culture; information resides in context, with emphasis on background and basic values. In Saudi Arabia there is less emphasis on legal paperwork and greater focus on personal negotiation. Saudis will not take well to pressure tactics that place them in an uncomfortable position. Confrontation and conict are to be avoided. inall!, understanding Islam, which governs ever! aspect of a "uslim#s life, enhances how and wh! Saudi business people act or behave in a certain manner.

Question: 2-2: Assume your company is from #orth America or $urope and considering the establishment of an o%ce in Saudi Arabia !hat additional operating costs might it have to assume because of the Saudi culture" Answer: "uslim Answer:  "uslim men are called for pra!er $ve times a da!. So, business operations will cease its operation during these periods.

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Question: 2&: 'he (nited States and )rance are more culturally similar to the (* than are 'hailand and *orea+ yet '$S, failed in the former two and has been highly successful in the latter two .ow might you e/plain this di0erence" Answer: %usiness Answer:  %usiness strategies that are successful in &S, rance ' &( would be successful in other parts of the world onl! and onl! if the! have given a local avor)touch. It is important to hire local sta*. rance people don#t like garments st!led in a t!picall! %ritish st!le. &S people focus on read! meals which re+uired greater spending as compared to ordering takeout or cooking from scratch. "ulticultural and iversit! &nderstanding is important and critical for business success. Question:2: n the conte/t of global retailing+ describe what you think is meant by 3utili4ing the skill and scale of the group5 Answer: %usiness Answer:  %usiness strategies that are successful in &S, rance ' &( would be successful in other parts of the world onl! and onl! if the! were adapted to the local market. It is important to hire local sta* in man! of the middle management taking bene$t of their knowledge, and to also adapt product o*ering to local market tastes. Question: 26: !hat is the role of global teams in sharing best practices across a rm7s global operations" !hat advice would you give to make the teams more e0ective" Answer: As teams members came from diverse background, experiences, and perspectives, enabling business to earn greater knowledge of products ' services and most importantl! how to create and deliver values. -hese team members come from diverse cultures; it ma! be dicult for ever! individual to interact with one another. So, I suggest a form of cultural awareness and sensitivit! training to make these teams members more e*ective ' ecient. Question: 28: !hat cultural skill sets are needed needed for individuals from multiple cultures to share best best practices across the global group" Answer: Answer:  -oda! oda! companies companies are are more global and and emplo!ees emplo!ees are more more diverse. diverse. %eing a good communica communicator tor is important. /earning a language can be a good start in improving cultural communication skills, but it is not enough.  0ou  0 ou also need need to pick up on nonverbal nonverbal skills skills because it is an important important part part of getting to know how how other cultures cultures conve! messages. Also, gestures ma! mean completel! di*erent things in di*erent countries. Cross1cultural competence also comes in to pla! in management st!les. or example, participative management ma! not be the best solution to use in some settings. Question: 29: !hat are some things an #$ can do to facilitate knowledge knowledge sharing and global integration across its global business" Answer: Activel! managing organi2ational knowledge can stimulate cultural change and innovation b! encouraging the free ow of ideas. In this complex global business environment, these programs should be designed to help managers embrace change and encourage ideas and insight, which will often lead to innovation. Question: 2;: