Posted: December 14th, 2015

Clever Clogs International

Comparison exercise exploring theory and empirical evidence and relating this to a practical critical incidents in cross-cultural settings.

Scenario “Clever Clogs International” You work for an international company, which provides management advice to a number of multinational organisations, such as Al Jazeera, Google, Shell International and a new FINANCE company called Clever Clogs International. Your company has been invited to tender for a contract to deliver cross-cultural training to this major new client Clever Clogs International. The client is expanding its international activities and needs to send a manager from Lebanon to Amsterdam, The Netherlands for a 2-year assignment. Clever Clogs aims to change the way the banking system works to avoid another economic crash. The manager to be transferred is female, Muslim and in her mid-thirties. She joined the company four years ago and has performed exceptionally well, earning two promotions in that period. Company evaluations (which you have been permitted to read) indicate that she has the right skills-set and that she would be an ideal candidate for this assignment. However, no formal training has been carried out, and this would be her first international work assignment. Your company has been invited by the client to deliver a cross-cultural briefing report to this new manager from Clever Clogs International. You MUST make reference to the industry of Clever Clogs International in each section. As a final year student, the relevance to management in practice must be made clear (answer the ‘So What?’ question by using practical examples from the news).
The report should include the following sections but make sure you guide the reader and link (sub)sections through an organised structure.

1. a brief introduction of the aim of the report on behalf of Clever Clogs International and of the current state of globalization relevant to an executive in the finance industry. Give a practical example of the current challenges.

2. a brief overview of macro-level facts of The Netherlands (e.g., socio-political environment, economic environment, etc.) that are relevant for an executive to know. You should use reliable sources such as Financial Times, CIA handbook and government websites. ( A table must be provided)

3. a brief value comparison of the country of The Netherlands based on Hofstede’s work in comparison to Lebanon. You should also include a graph as shown in class and ensure that you make the analysis relevant to the reader.

4. a critique of Hofstede’s work in terms of the relevancy of macro-level indices for daily management practice (NOT critique of Hofstede in an academic sense)

5. An analysis of the business and management challenges that an international manager faces, using the reading from this module, integrating appropriate cross-cultural theory and evaluating the challenges the manager is likely to face. For example: “As an international manager, regardless of where one lives or works, it is useful to be aware that decision making is based on XXXX theory (Bloggs, 2013) and cultural variations exist in terms of A, B and C.”
NOTE: Do not continue to use Hofstede here! Use generic, culturally intelligent advice.
You CANNOT use Wikipedia and other non-academic sources, unless they are anecdotal or current affairs. You may also use your practical experience but keep it professional – i.e., frame these into practical anecdotes, not a diary.
Your subheadings must relate to seminar topics  Value differences and Person-Organisation Fit  Decision Making  Negotiation & Communication  Leadership

6. A conclusion (summary) evaluating information presented in section a and b and three key points of advice presented with bullet points (supported by cited credible sources)
Professional delivery Max word count 2000. Over or under 10% allowed. More than that, you are subject to the critique that you cannot focus (over) or read to little (under) and this will affect your grade. Ensure you do a grammar & spell check, use a professional lay out with subheadings, include an accurate reference list incl. at least 5 articles from the reading list.
Marking Criteria Evidence that you have systematically researched the assignment and covered required areas to the expected standard. Comprehensiveness (breadth and depth) of information. Evidence that you have understood key issues and been able to effectively integrate theory and practice. Relevance and balance of contents. Integration and coherence of component parts. Evidence of effective use of a range of relevant resources. Coherence, synthesis and integration of contents. Creativity and innovation.

References should include:

Thomas, D. and Petersen, F. (2014), Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts, 3rd Edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage (Kortext)

Kline, J. (2010), Ethics for International Business: Decision-Making in a Global Political Economy. 2nd Edition, Routledge (electronic copy available from library catalogue)

Brett, J. (2014) Negotiating Globally. 3rd Edition. San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass

Crane, A. and Matten, D. (2010), Business Ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press

Griseri, P. and Seppala, N. (2010), Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, Cengage Learning