Module 1 – Case

Culture and International Human Resource Management

Assignment Overview

Before beginning this assignment, make sure you have thoroughly reviewed the main concepts from this module. This includes the concepts of host, home, and third country nationals as well as ethnocentric, polycentric, and geocentric strategies. Rao (2010) is the main reference for these topics but the tutorial and video will also help as will Newlands and Hooper (2009). Make sure you are also thoroughly familiar with Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and other aspects of national culture. Carpenter and Dunung (2012) as well as Hofstede’s webpage will help with this topic.

Case Assignment

Write a 4- to 5-page paper addressing the following questions:

1. Suppose a British computer company has a top secret manufacturing technology. They are expanded overseas to China and Bangladesh to establish new factories using this secret technology. What kind of staffing policy do you think they should use when hiring managers for their new factories? Should they emphasize parent country nationals in their hiring? Host country nationals? Third country nationals? Explain your reasoning and cite Rao (2010) as part of your answer.
2. An American beverage company is planning an expansion both to France and to India by merging with some local companies in these countries. Based on Hofstede’s measures, which of these mergers would be easier to manage? What type of global selection approach to hiring do you think would be used in France and India—ethnocentric, polycentric, or geocentric? Explain your reasoning, and cite Rao (2010) as part of your answer.
3. Bob Smith is the CEO of an American company. All of his employees, even entry-level employees, call him “Bob” rather than “Mr. Smith.” He has an open-door policy where any employee can stop by his office to share their concerns. While Bob is approachable, he is also quick to reward employee performance through pay raises or bonuses and quick to punish poor performing employees with suspensions or even termination. Now Bob is planning on opening a new branch of his company in South Korea. Which of Bob’s practices may have to change in the Korean office? Refer to Hofstede’s dimensions and to Carpenter and Dunung (2012) as part of your answer.
4. Rick is an American corporate executive who gets assigned to the company’s China branch. His first month in China is really difficult for him. He is frustrated when people don’t know English, is shocked by the non-Western restroom facilities, and can’t handle most of the food served in the restaurants. After a few months he starts to learn the language a bit and makes some friends with some local residents. How does Rick’s first few months differ from the four-step “U-shaped” curve discussed in Rao (2010)? What techniques discussed in Rao (2010) could Rick’s company have used to help prevent his initial culture shock?

Assignment Expectations

• Answer the assignment questions directly.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
• Make sure to use reliable and credible sources as your references. Articles published in established newspapers or business journals/magazines are preferred. If you find articles on the Internet, make sure they are from a credible source.
• Reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC portal.

Module 1 – SLP

Culture and International Human Resource Management

For the Session Long Project for this class, first choose a country interests you other than the United States (you need to learn about another culture other than your home culture for this assignment). You can pick any country you want other than the United States among those included on Hofstede’s webpage:

http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html

You will be looking at a different aspect of doing business in this country in each of your Module 1-4 SLPs. For this first SLP, you will be focusing on the culture of this country and how it differs with the culture of the U.S. You can start by looking at the cultural values of this country as shown on the Hofstede webpage linked above.

Keep in mind that it is controversial to try to quantify national culture, so don’t rely only on Hofstede for this paper. Do some additional research and try to find additional information about the cultural aspects of doing business in your country. Then write a two to three page paper addressing the following issues:

1. Go to the Hofstede webpage and look up the values of individualism, power distance, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance for both your chosen country and for the United States. What are the main differences between national culture in the U.S. and your chosen country? What implications might these differences have on doing business in your country?
2. What other information besides Hofstede have you been able to find about culture in your country?  How do these aspects of culture impact doing business in your country?
3. Overall, does the national culture of your country make it easy or difficult to business? What cultural pitfalls might an American company investing in your country face?

SLP Assignment Expectations

• Answer the assignment questions directly.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
• Make sure to use reliable and credible sources as your references. Articles published in established newspapers or business journals/magazines are preferred. If you find articles on the Internet, make sure they are from a credible source.
• Reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC portal.

Module 1 – Background

Culture and International Human Resource Management

Required Reading

A good place to start are these this short interactive tutorial and video below which will give you a brief introduction to some of the main concepts of human resource management. Pay close attention to the concepts of hiring host country nationals, expatriates (parent country nationals), and third country nationals. Also, pay close attention to the concept of ethnocentric, polycentric, and geocentric human resource management:

International employees. (2014). Pearson Learning Solutions. New York, NY.

Bheobhe. (2015, October 5). International human resource management . University of New South Wales, Australia. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1WzcxtEUps

 

Once you have finished reviewing the tutorials, delve deeper into this topic by reading the following chapter. Pay special attention to the section on ethnocentric, geocentric, and polycentric human resource orientations and also the section on host country nationals (HCNs), parent country nationals (PCNs), and third country nationals (TCNs):

Rao, P. (2010). Unit 6: International human resource management and development. In International business environment. Mumbai, India: Global Media. [Available in Ebrary. Note: For locating textbooks in the main Trident library search engine, it is best to include only the name of the author and the title of the book in the search engine. For example: Rao International business environment.]

Besides international human resource management, this module will also focus on national culture. Geert Hofstede’s concepts of national culture are the most commonly used ones in international business. For a good overview of Hofstede’s dimensions of national culture, check out the video:

Wengryzn, R. [AH Shaalan]. (2015, December 1). Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory [Video file]. Education Portal. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV04Msn-1GY&t=8s

For a more detailed discussion of the role of culture in international business see the following book chapter. One of the coauthors of this book is Dr. Mason Carpenter of the University of Wisconsin, one of the world’s leading experts on international management. Pay special attention to Section 3.2 on Hofstede’s dimensions:

Carpenter, M., & Dunung, S. (2012). Chapter 3: Culture and Business. In Challenges and opportunities in international business. Flatworld Knowledge. Retrieved from http://saylordotorg.github.io/text_international-business/s07-culture-and-business.html

Below are some readings which are optional but can be highly useful in providing additional understanding of the main concepts covered in this module. The Newlands and Hooper (2009) textbook is especially recommended. Hofstede’s webpage will also be very useful for your assignments.

Optional Reading

Newlands, D. J., & Hooper, M. J. (2009). Chapter 12: International human resource management. In The global business handbook: The eight dimensions of international management. Farnham, Surrey, England: Gower. [EBSCO eBook Collection]

Hofstede, G. (2012). National culture dimensions. The Hofstede Centre. Retrieved from http://geert-hofstede.com/national-culture.html

Barrow, C. (2011).  Chapter 7: Human resource management. In The 30 day MBA in international business: Your fast track guide to business success. Philadelphia: Kogan Page. [EBSCO eBook Collection]