Posted: June 7th, 2015

U.S. corporation that manufactures rubber tires

Your team is a large U.S. corporation that manufactures rubber tires, and you want to begin manufacturing and distribution in another country. As a team, choose a country in which you would like to start a manufacturing plant. Each individual team member should pick out a role as chairman, vice-chairman, secretary, and treasurer. If there are more than 4 people on your team, double up on titles, but each team member should still submit an individual project.
Chairman: Research and write on the following issues:
•    Discuss the macro environment of the country.
•    What is the company strategy there?
•    What will be your structure and controls?
•    How will you be socially and economically responsible?
•    How would you implement your strategy?
•    What would be the role of management?
•    What is the mode of entry you are going to use, and why?
•    You are also thinking of how you are going to implement the rewards program.
•    What do you think would motivate the workers?
•    How would you design the right culturally appropriate program?
•    What kind of leadership would work in this country?
Vice-chairman: Research and write on the following issues:
•    What are the political, cultural, environmental, and economic risks of doing business there?
•    If you do decide to do business there, how would you staff the operation?
•    What kind of approach would you take?
•    What type of concerns would you have?
•    What do you need to consider when you recruit, evaluate, train, and deal with labor relations issues?
•    How would you select the manager?
•    What are some of the issues to consider regarding the expatriate?
•    What if it does not work out?
Secretary: Research and write on the following issues:
•    What are some of the legal issues you would have to deal with as a company if you decide to expand there?
•    What sort of international orientation would you consider?
•    What are some of the opportunities and strengths of doing business there?
•    What are some of the cross-cultural issues you are going to have to deal with?
•    How are they different from in the United States?
•    What are some of the protocols and etiquette issues you must incorporate into your business behavior?
•    How are you going to deal with management issues such as assertiveness, conflict resolution, and team building?
•    What should you practice to be successful?
Treasurer: Research and write on the following issues:
•    What competitive advantage does this country have?
•    What are some of the foreign trade issues you will have to deal with?
•    What are the determinants to foreign entry there, and how would you enter there?
•    You will be embarking on the international negotiation.
•    What are the 5 stages of negotiation, and how are you going to prepare for them?
•    What cultural differences do you need to be sensitive to in the process?
•    What would be some of the political, legal, economic, and ideological issues that may come up?
•    How would you manage conflict if it should come up in the negotiations?
•    What decision-making process would work better with the different cultures?
•    Inductive or deductive reasoning?
•    Is it a personal issue or a cultural issue?