Global Manager A Briefing Report on living and working in Kobe

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Scenario – 2000 Words
 
Important: The scenario below will lead to 2 separate, though related assignments:
 

  1. PART A – A Briefing Report on living and working in Kobe / Japan
  2. PART B – A Training Programme for the manager assigned to the project

 
You work for an international consulting company (Stalwart Associates), which provides bespoke training to a range of companies involved in international business.  Your company specialises in cross-cultural training and has gained a reputation amongst peers and clients for developing and delivering high-quality training programmes.
 
Your company recently won a contract to prepare a manager from a new client company for a long-term overseas assignment.  The new client is a UK-based maritime engineering company, called “Seagate Marine Construction” (referred to hereafter as “SMC”).  Employing 120 people, and often working with local contractors, SMC design and build underwater gates and locks for marinas and harbours.  They are also involved in the design and construction of hydro-electric schemes.
 
Recently, SMC won a prestigious design and construction contract with the port of Kobe, in Japan.  The assignment to manage this project will begin on Mon 5th Sept 2020, and SMC have identified a manager, Mary Isaac, whom they wish to appoint to the role of Senior Project Manager.  The project is scheduled to last for two years and would see the manager working with a small team of SMC engineers and a larger team of Japanese construction workers.  The role will also involve liaising with a range of stakeholders from the wider Kobe community.
 
Mary put herself forward for the role and is in her mid-forties.  She joined the company six years ago and has performed exceptionally well, earning two promotions in that period.  She is married, to Obi, and has two children, Cynthia (16) and Jude (10).  Since having children, she has worked only in the UK.  However, as an Engineering student, Mary spent a year as an intern in a Swedish engineering company, and, after graduating, she spent two years in Dubai, working for a construction company.  Before joining SMC, she had worked on several short-term overseas projects – all in Europe – the longest being 6 weeks. Mary has never previously visited or worked in Asia.
 
Despite this being her first long-term foreign assignment, SMC believe Mary has the credentials to be a highly successful Project Manager in Kobe.  They now want you to help prepare her – and perhaps her family too – for her Kobe adventure…
 
 
Overview of Task Part A
 
Prepare a ‘Briefing Document’ to be given to Mary as a guide to living and working in Kobe, Japan, which she (and her family) can read in preparation for the Training Programme.
 
It is up to you to decide on the precise contents of this document, asking yourself what information would be useful to someone in her position, and taking into account the supporting material provided.
 
What would Mary (and her family, perhaps?) need to know about Japan and about Kobe to help prepare her for this posting?
 
Regarding the formatting and presentation of your Briefing Document, you are encouraged to be creative.
 
NOTE:
 
Contents (80%): Your Briefing Document should be ‘fit for purpose’ and as authentic as possible, providing Mary and her family with coherent and relevant information about living and working in Japan generally and Kobe specifically.
 
It should evidence a critical appreciation, drawing on appropriate theory and practice, of what a person in her situation would need to know, in order to be able to operate effectively in the specified destination.
 
It may help if you put yourself in Mary’s shoes and think of what you (and perhaps your family) would definitely need to know to settle in well, both in your personal and professional life.
 
Professional Impact (20%): The document should be designed and presented professionally and in a ‘reader-friendly’ manner.  The document should be free of careless errors/typos.  The document should be accompanied by a Harvard Reference List.
 
Focusing with a view to achieve:
 

1.    analyse the impact of national, institutional and cultural differences on management in a global context;
2.    evidence a critical understanding of, and adapt as appropriate, policies, practices and processes that relate to transnational management;
3.    evaluate, and propose solutions to militate against, the challenges and complexities associated with working and managing internationally;
4      demonstrate creativity and initiative, as well as the ability to work with incomplete information and to state assumptions, in response to complex and occasionally ambiguous scenarios and briefs

 
 
Content Indicative
 

  • Introduction
  • Kobe – Key Information
  • Japan – Logistics and Practical Information
  • Japan – Business and Management Culture
  • Any others you may think of
  • Recommendations (implicit / explicit; interim / final)

 

 
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A Training Programme for the manager assigned to the project

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PART B
 
A Training Programme for the manager assigned to the project
 
Word Count 3000 words
 
Scenario:
 
You work for an international consulting company (invent a name), which provides bespoke training to a range of companies involved in international business.  Your company specialises in cross-cultural training and has gained a reputation amongst peers and clients for developing and delivering high-quality training programmes.
 
Your company recently won a contract to prepare a manager from a new client company for a long-term overseas assignment.  The new client is a UK-based maritime engineering company, called “Seagate Marine Construction” (referred to hereafter as “SMC”).  Employing 120 people, and often working with local contractors, SMC design and build underwater gates and locks for marinas and harbours.  They are also involved in the design and construction of hydro-electric schemes.
 
Recently, SMC won a prestigious design and construction contract with the port of Kobe, in Japan.  The assignment to manage this project will begin on Mon 5th Sept 2020, and SMC have identified a manager, Mary Isaac, whom they wish to appoint to the role of Senior Project Manager.  The project is scheduled to last for two years and would see the manager working with a small team of SMC engineers and a larger team of Japanese construction workers.  The role will also involve liaising with a range of stakeholders from the wider Kobe community.
 
Mary put herself forward for the role and is in her mid-forties.  She joined the company six years ago and has performed exceptionally well, earning two promotions in that period.  She is married, to Obi, and has two children, Cynthia (16) and Jude (10).  Since having children, she has worked only in the UK.  However, as an Engineering student, Mary spent a year as an intern in a Swedish engineering company, and, after graduating, she spent two years in Dubai, working for a construction company.  Before joining SMC, she had worked on several short-term overseas projects – all in Europe – the longest being 6 weeks. Mary has never previously visited or worked in Asia.
 
Despite this being her first long-term foreign assignment, SMC believe Mary has the credentials to be a highly-successful Project Manager in Kobe.  They now want you to help prepare her – and perhaps her family too – for her Kobe adventure…
 
 
The ability to identify development needs, and design (and deliver) training programmes is central to the role of HR professionals, whether delivering themselves or contracting others to carry out the training.
Furthermore, evidence indicates that effective cross-cultural training (CCT) programmes significantly increase the likelihood of a long-term foreign assignment being successful.
 
This part B tasks is a scenario-based role play, requiring you to design a training programme, following the key stages of CCT design.  It will test your ability to internalise a complex brief, work with incomplete information, state assumptions, and anticipate the needs and expectations of your intended audience(s).  The assignment will also assess your ability to communicate effectively, succinctly and appropriately in written English.
 
Finally, the assignment will provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate professional document design.
 
 
Assignment Tasks
 
Based on the scenario – and following an appropriate model, as identified in the Unit –
(1.) Prepare a detailed outline, to be provided to “Seagate Marine Construction” (SMC), of the cross-cultural training (CCT) programme your company would deliver for Mary, in order to prepare her for her assignment in Kobe, Japan.
 
(2.) Your Assignment should follow
(a) the established stages of CCT development,
(b) demonstrating an understanding of CCT design,
(c) including in respect of key analyses and evaluations,
(d) and applying this to the scenario.
 
(3.) Apply CCT model while designing a CCT programme, following the analyses suggested in the model, use the model introduced in Supporting materials – weeks 18 – 21, especially with particular reference to the Tarique and Caligiuri model.
 
(4.) To design the CCT programme more credibly, you will find it helpful to state some assumptions at/near the beginning of your Assignment, so that everything that follows is more authentic:
 
(5.) Firstly, using the information provided within the scenario, you are advised to state explicitly:
(i) what assumptions you have made in respect of her assumed ‘readiness’ / cultural sensitivity.
(ii) To do so, you are advised to assume (pretend) that you have carried out one or more individual needs analyses and state your hypothetical findings.
 
(6.) Secondly, you should state whether your CCT programme has been developed on the basis that
(i) she will travel to Japan alone or whether her family will accompany her.  This has implications for the training programme.
(ii) Your Assignment should conclude with two sets of recommendations:
 

  1. For Mary (and her family)
  2. For SMC

 
(7.)  Your Assignment should include
(i)  – as an Appendix – a Training Schedule – This is not part of 3000-word counts for the main contents
 
 
 
 
Parameters:
 

  1. The Assignment should be presented in report format, 1.5-spaced, with Times New Roman, 12 font for the main body (12/14 permitted for headings which should be highlighted).
  2. The word limit is 3000 words (plus/minus 10%), excluding direct quotations, the Appendix and Reference List.  Words in tables are included in the word count.
  3. Only one Appendix is permitted: the Training Schedule. Must not exceed 4 pages of A4.
  4. The Assignment must be referenced, following the Harvard Referencing System.
  1. You must include a Reference List, i.e. a list of all resources used to compile the document, presented in the Harvard style.

 
Contents (80%): Your Report should be ‘fit for purpose’ and as authentic as possible (bearing in mind the academic requirements of the brief), providing SMC with a coherent and relevant CCT programme, that is appropriate to the scenario.  It should evidence a critical appreciation of CCT design, drawing on appropriate theory and practice, provide appropriate recommendations, and represent a credible attempt to prepare Mary (and her family, if stated) for the Kobe assignment.
 
Professional Impact (20%): The document should be designed and presented professionally, in an appropriate report format.  The document should be free of careless errors/typos.  The document should be properly referenced and accompanied by a Harvard Reference List.
 
 
FEEDBACK (section weightings are indicative)
 

Assumptions and Needs Analyses [20] Not covered Weak Satisfactory Good Excellent
         
 
 		  

 

Goal Setting & Evaluation [20] Not covered Weak Satisfactory Good Excellent
         
 
 

 

Delivery of CCT Programme [30] Not covered Weak Satisfactory Good Excellent
         
   
 

 

Recommendations [10] Not covered Weak Satisfactory Good Excellent
         
 
 

 

Overall professional impact of the report [20] Very poor Poor Satisfactory Good Excellent
         
 
 

 
 
Supporting Notes Relating to Reading Chapters
Read the attached chapter by Neil Goodman, ‘Cross-Cultural Training for the Global Executive’, which is taken from Brislin and Yoshida.  This is a little dated now, but it’s a nice summary of some of the key issues, with lots of practical examples.  It should also be a ‘confidence-booster’ for you, as you begin to realise how much you have learned.
Read Chapter 12 of Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt (eBook).  This is a really useful book and worth spending some time on.  This particular chapter considers the issues relating to ‘compensation’, i.e. rewarding and recognising staff undertaking foreign assignments, as well as performance management in such environments.
Read Chapter 11 of Briscoe and Schuler.  This is another very good chapter on ‘compensation’, with some added content on benefits and tax issues.
In relation to both ‘culture shock’ and developing intercultural sensitivity, you may find Dr Milton Bennett’s work of interest: Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
Read Chapter 11 of Harzing and van Ruysseveldt, written by Ibraiz Tarique and Paula Caligiuri, which looks at the training and development of international staff.  This is very important for the Assignment.
Read Chapter 10 of Briscoe and Schuler, which examines training and management development in the global enterprise.
Chapter 9 of French looks specifically at the development of intercultural competencies, as well as some of the ethical challenges related to working and managing across cultures.
‘T.S. Joins Prestige’ is a very short Case Study, which considers what may or may not be considered ‘reasonable’ when trying to meet the demands of expatriates.  When I run this in class, it provokes a lot of interesting debate.
Read Chapter 7 of Sparrow et al, entitled ‘Managing International Mobility’, which provides a very helpful summary of many of the issues we have been looking at.
Chapter 9 of Tayeb is interesting, in that it examines expatriation from both the parent company’s and foreign subsidiary’s perspectives.  It also considers some of the implications expatriated families.
Chapter 13 of Harzing and van Ruysseveldt looks specifically at knowledge management in the context of repatriation – how do we capture and disseminate what expats have learned?
A website I have previously recommended, which I find very helpful when thinking about living and working abroad is Expatica  – http://www.expatica.com/  This site provides lots of practical guidance and has been expanded in recent years, so that there are now 11 ‘host’ sites.  Another site you might find of interest is: www.numbeo.com
 
Web-based resources

  1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/country_profiles/default.stm:A BBC resource.  Very up-to-date.
  2. http://www.doingbusinessguide.co.uk/the-guides/: The UK DTI’s official guides to exporting.
  3. http://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/culture-for-business-and-management/doing-business-in/index.php: ‘Communicaid’ are an international culture and communication skills consultancy.  Some useful information for free via their website.
  4. http://www.culture-at-work.com/index.html: This small commercial site has some useful contents, particularly in the section entitled ‘Culture at Work’.
  5. http://www.culturosity.com/index.html: An interesting site, but with limited content-control.
  6. http://europa.eu/index_en.htm: One of the official EU web sites.  Very dense and somewhat politicised (and politically-correct), but there are some hidden gems.
  7. http://www.executiveplanet.com/index.php?title=Main_Page: A good ‘hints and tips’ site.
  8. http://www.export.gov/: The US Government site for supporting overseas trade, development and investment.  US-centric and not easy to navigate, but comprehensive and up-to-date.
  9. http://globaledge.msu.edu/: Michigan State University’s ‘knowledge web-portal’, connecting international business professionals worldwide to information, insights and resources.
  10. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/: Another good commercial site, with helpful hints and tips.
  11. http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries.html: The UK equivalent of Export.gov – the official site for UK export advice. This link takes you to the section with overviews of countries.
  12. http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/: This is actually the site of an e-publishing company.  The number of countries is quite small, but the information is very useful.
  13. http://www.wto.org/: This site, understandably, is huge and rather difficult to navigate.  Recommend you start on the left-hand menu, ‘Information for Students’.
  14. http://hdr.undp.org/en/: The UN’s ‘Human Development Reports’ site has some interesting areas, including ‘Country Profiles’.
  15. http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings: Ranks countries on ‘Ease of Doing Business’ there.
  16. http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/gcb/2010: The main feature of Transparency International’s site is the ‘Global Corruption Barometer’.

Journals
Career Development International
Human Resource Development International
Human Resource Management Journal
International Journal of Cross Cultural Management
International Journal of Human Resource Management
Journal of European Industrial Training
Journal of International Business Studies
Journal of Management Development
Personnel Review
 
Newspapers: The Guardian; The Independent; The Telegraph; The Times; The Week.
 
News programmes: Channel 4 News; Newsnight (BBC2); The World (BBC4).

 
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ABF 402 – Issues in Corporate Finance

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FINANCIAL ANALYSIS PROJECT
A comprehensive financial analysis of the company must be conducted. This should include ratio analysis, analysis of common-size financial statements, computation of the self-sustainable growth rate as well as the Altman bankruptcy prediction model’s Z score. The objective of this investigative analysis is to ascertain the possible reasons for differences in this company’s financial performance compared to other companies in the industry over the past five years. This assignment will provide acute insight into the reasons for the differences in financial success.
 
SUGGESTED FORMAT OF GROUP RESEARCH REPORT
 

  1. Executive Summary (should not exceed one page)
  2. Economic Analysis (Analyze the current state and future trend of the economy of the country where the selected company is based. Discuss the likely ramifications of the economic outlook for the future performance of the company)
  3. Detailed industry overview and the likely impact of the trends in the industry environment on the financial performance of the company.
  4. Company profile
  5. Analysis of Operations
  6. Quantitative analysis
  • Ratio Analysis
  • Z-Score Analysis
  • Common-size financial statement analysis
  1. Analysis of
  • Capital Structure
  • Investment Strategy
  • Payout Policy
  1. Qualitative analysis
  • SWOT analysis
  1. Business Strategy
    1. Value Chain Activities of the Company (How is it adding value to its customers?)
    2. Product Portfolio Strategy
      1. What is the product line of the company?
      2. Have any new products been introduced lately?
  • If so, have these new introductions been successful?
  1. Is this an innovative company? Why or why not?
  1. Assessment of growth strategy followed by the company including details of recent M&A deals entered into and any restructuring activities undertaken by the company.
  2. Management Evaluation
    1. Demonstrated capability in managing change, project implementation, innovation, strategy formulation, and succession management
    2. Stability of top management
    3. Track record of CEO
  3. Overall assessment/conclusion (Clearly elucidate the reasons for differences in financial performance)
  4. Bibliography
  5. Appendix (Provide tables, graphs, etc. in this section and reference them in the body of the paper. Provide a list of items included in the appendix)
 
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MN2705 Human Resource Management

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MN2705 Human Resource Management
Essay Questions: Autumn Term 2019
Deadline: Noon, Monday 13 January 2020
 
Please write an essay of not more than 2,000 words on ONE of the following topics:
 

  1. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of approaches to HR Strategy, such as the ‘universalist’ and ‘contingency’ approaches. In doing so, discuss the conditions under which HR strategy may help a firm secure competitive advantage.

 

  1. What do you understand by the term ‘wage-effort bargain’? To what extent does it inform your understanding of the ways in which management controls the workforce and the workforce may resist? Give examples to illustrate your points.

 

  1. Discuss the view that workers no longer require representation at work by a trade union because, in the 21st century, management already fully takes into account the interests of workers when making decisions that affect them.

 

  1. Some discrimination is a function of the HR system, such as recruiting through word of mouth or referral. Using case studies examine the ways in which an organisation might attempt to reduce or eliminate discrimination.

 

  1. For some hi-tech companies “the cultivation of the corporate workspace as a home-away-from-home, of the high-tech worker as a playful, emotionally integrated hipster and the corporate team as a cross between a family and a rock band became commonplace” (Turner, 2009: 77-78). What are the advantages and disadvantages for the firm and individual of making work a total institution?

Turner, F. (2009) ‘Burning Man at Google: a cultural infrastructure for new media production’, New Media & Society, 11(1-2), pp.73-94.
 

  1. “When they [Polish migrants] first started coming I thought they were really keen workers. Superb workers… But then I found once they get in their comfort zone things change. You find they get into the same league as the rest of them” (Night shift production manager) (Baxter-Reid, 2016: 344). What explains why migrant workers acclimatize themselves to the local work norms over time and should we really be surprised by this?

Baxter‐Reid, H., 2016. Buying into the ‘good worker’ rhetoric or being as good as they need to be? The effort bargaining process of new migrant workers. Human Resource Management Journal, 26(3), pp.337-350.
 
Please note that assignments must be fully referenced and contain a full bibliography. Marks are deducted for failure to do so. Extensions are given only in exceptional circumstances, and work received late is subject to a range of penalties.
Your attention is drawn to the penalties for plagiarism outlined in your Student Handbook. If you have any questions about plagiarism, please do not hesitate to ask us.
 
Chris Smith/ Michael Gold
October 2019

 
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