Instructions are highlighted in yellow…….The case is in a separate attachment-Quality Compliance at the Hawthorne Arms
Select Case 1, 2, or 8 in the back of the textbook. After you have read the case, select at least one of the questions presented at the end.-If you select only one question, then you will need to elaborate with more examples and perspectives than if you select more than one, but the choice is yours. Fair warning: It is possible to fall into the trap of repeating oneself. To avoid that threat, think in advance of the different perspectives that you wish to explore.
If you select more than one question, each answer will naturally be shorter. This may be a good approach if you discern that the questions lack strong potential to elicit in-depth answers.
Remember to reply to the contributions of two other students in this exercise. This is a rule that we are only observing in the case analyses, given the relative complexity of the cases, compared to the chapter discussion questions. Always add value, from the textbook, news, personal experience, or all three. Indicate the case and question at the beginning, but avoid restating the question in your answer. In this respect, use the same method as in the chapter discussion questions, described in the Week 2 forum.
Write at least 500 words (no minimum for replies, but do add value). Quoted passages do not contribute to the word count (so you will need to write more if you insert any quoted material). Post-edit your work carefully to catch errors. Avoid plagiarism at all cost.
———
Note on anomalous questions. Some questions will require you to work around selected details to fit the requisite discussion format. For example, Question 2 in Case 1 asks how your proposal will solve certain problems noted in answer to the previous question. If you have not actually answered Question 1, then you will have to assert one or more problems from the case, a proposed solution, and then an explanation of how your proposal may help. Question 3 is similar, in that you will need to identify a problem and a solution, followed by an argument about the budget.
In addition: Read the 2 highlighted cases below make a reply to each:
1.) Case 2 – Question 1
Although Alistair was expecting to hire a Project Engineer rather than a Quality Compliance Manager, the methods used to make the decision should be similar. The main difference in the Quality Compliance Manager position is that it is in a joint venture with a Hungarian government backed firm. International Joint Ventures (IJV) makes HRM practices more complicated because HRM practices and strategies are required for each IJV entity (Dowling, Festing, & Engle, 2013). HRM must address IJV in four stages, in which, each stage has an impact on the next. It is important for HRM to very thorough with each stage and communication through each stage is vital. To be successful, HRM must combine the IJV strategy along with the recruitment, selection, training, and development processes (Dowling et al., 2013).
In light of the needs of the company and the new Quality Compliance Manager position, Alistair should choose the first candidate, Marie Erten-Loiseau. The fact that the job requires travel to France and Germany is a positive for Marie because she was born in France and was educated in France and Germany. The familiarity of these locations will help her as she meets with new business partners because she will have a good understanding of the policy and procedures required for companies in these two countries. Dowling et al., (2013), points out that the manager needs to be able to assess the desires of the stakeholders and be able to implement strategies based on their desires. Another reason for choosing Marie is that she has the most experience and has worked with Trianon for 13 years. The experience she has with the company is invaluable because she knows the goals of the company and strategies for implementing those goals. The last reason for choosing Marie is that she has been successful in her previous positions. She has lead two projects in two different countries and both were successful. This shows that she is able to adapt to the different practices of each country.
There are many factors that Alistair should take into consideration to determine the correct choice for the Quality Compliance Manager position. The major factors that require consideration are the specificities of the entire situation, the reason for the assignment, and type of assignment. The four main specificities include context specificities, firm specific variables, local unit specificities, and IHRM practices (Dowling et al., 2013). The context specificities would include the differences in cultures between the assignment in Hungary and the base location for the Trianon, Marseilles. The firm specific variable includes any changes in the way operations in Hungary are conducted, whether it is strategy or HRM policies. The local unit specificities include the role of the joint venture in relation to Trianon and how this joint venture will fit into the long-term plan of the company. The company hopes that it will provide a good working relationship with the state supported airline, which will lead to more business in the future. The IHRM practices determine the employees that are hired and the training that is available to the employees. The reason for the assignment also is a major factor in determining the correct candidate. In the situation of Trianon, a joint venture with a Hungarian government back firm created a position that needed filling. The Quality Compliance Manager position allows Trianon to manage the joint venture operation, make sure it is successful, and build a strong relationship with Malev. The last major factor is the type of assignment. The Quality Compliance Manager assignment is long-term assignment because it is 3 years in duration. The joint venture is the first that the company has been involved in outside the UK so there is less familiarity on the administrative/compliance side. The candidate must act as an agent of direct control (Dowling et al., 2013) by assuring that compliance policies are followed and company strategy is implemented. Assessing whether a male or female would be the best fit for the position is also a factor that deserves consideration. The low number of female expatriates led Jessens, Cappellen, &Zanoni (2006) to research the following three myths: women have no desire to be in positions of authority in a foreign country, companies do not desire to place females in positions of authority while a foreign country, and women would be ineffective because of the views towards women in foreign countries. The research indicated that female expatriates do have conflict that arises related to their gender but the successful ones were able to turn the conflicts around based on the qualities that these women possess (Jessens et al., 2006). With all of these factors considered, I believe Marie Erten-Loiseau is the best candidate for the Quality Compliance Manager.
References
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M., & Engle, A.D. Sr. (2013). International Human Resource Management (6th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning
Janssens, M., Cappellen, T., &Zanoni, P. (2006). Successful female expatriates as agents: Positioning oneself through gender, hierarchy, and culture. Journal of World Business, 1-16. doi:10.1016/j.jwb.2006.01.001
2.) Case 8 – Questions 1 & 4
Multinational firms are often faced with recruiting and staffing decisions that could ultimately enhance or diminish the firm’s ability to be successful in a competitive global market. Perlmutter identified four staffing approaches for MNEs to consider based on the primary attitudes of international executives that would lay the foundation for MNEs during the recruitment and hiring process (Dowling, Festing, & Engle, 2013). At one point or another throughout the MacDougall family journey Lachlan and Lisa have served in one of the four capacities as an ethnocentric, polycentric, geocentric, and regiocentric employee. The ability to encompass all four attitudes that Perlmutter set forth is something that the MacDougall family has managed to do extremely well. The possibility for a multinational firm to recruit a family of this caliber that has been exposed and has an understanding of the positive and negative aspects of each attitude is phenomenal. This would be resourceful for any multinational firm.
The MacDougal family’s exposure to cross-cultural management is also valuable. The diverse cultural background that the family has encountered on their international journey is a rarity. Cultural diversity and cross-cultural management play a critical role in MNEs because it produces a work environment that can transform the workplace into a place of learning and give the firm the availability to create new ideas for a more productive and competitive advantage over other firms (Sultana, Rashid, Mohiuddin, &Mazumder, 2013). This is something that is easy for the MacDougall family to bring to the table with the family’s given history. The expatriate lifestyle that has become second nature to the MacDougall family is beneficial for multinational firms for multifarious reasons Being raised around different cultures and then choosing to work internationally and learn different cultures has attributed to Lachlan’s successful career.
The family’s ability to communicate and blend in socially among diverse cultures is an important aspect for international firms that want to stay competitive and be successful. The family has acclimated fairly easy to all of the places they have been and this is something that can be favorable when firms are recruiting employees. The MacDougall family has an upper-hand in the international marketplace naturally due to previous experiences with other countries and cultures. The exceptional way that the family has managed to conform to a multitude of other cultures and flourish is not an easy task.
Marriage is not easy and many families experience a greater challenge avoiding divorcees when international mobility is involved. Lachlan and Lisa have been able to move together and this is an important aspect to the success of their marriage. Based on the case study they have a common desire to travel and both are successful in their careers. Lisa’s devotion to her husband’s successful career has put some strain on the marriage as she has had times where she felt she did not have her own identity. Military spouses experience this type of stress during long deployments and times that they have to hold the household together on their own. Another example is with employers who are transferred internationally for a short period of time or travel often. Separation of spouses can strain any marriage, but Lisa and Lachlan have been fortunate to avoid separation for any extended length of time.
References
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M., & Engle, A.D.Sr.(2013). International Human Resource Management. (6thed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage
Sultana, M., Rashid, M., Mohiuddin, M. &Mazumder, M. (2013).Cross-cultural management and organizational performance.A Contnet analysis perspective.International Journal of Business and Management, 8(8), 133-146.