Green appeal products

University Degree Business and Administrative studies

For your excellence gardening

Table of contents

Page

Executive Summary................................................................................................3

Task 1

Five most important competencies for managing internationally………….….4

Task 2

Primary functions of HRM……………………………………………….7

Key priorities to take four international manager in GAP……………..9

Difference in patterns of career development between in my country and France………………………………………………………………..10

Task 3

Name of two models of strategy…………….….………………………..11

Difference between these two strategy………………………………….11

Most appropriate model in this particular situation in Australia…….13

Task 4

Benefits and challenges of creating and working within the context of a multicultural team………………………………………………………………14

Task 5

Recommendation of five levels of culture to gain a better understanding of my country and culture…………………………………………………………..….18

Task 6

Four strategies for managing cultural differences and chose one of them for GAP which will be the most effective in my country………………………….21

Reference and bibliography…………………………………………………….24

Executive Summery:

GAP is a successful garden ornament company in France and UK. Last couple of years they have been earning the trust of consumers and satisfied them. In a customer survey, GAP’s products are perceived as ‘providing a real addition to the home’.

In this assignment we have described-

The important competencies for managers to manage abroad.

Primary functions of HRM and the key priorities to recruit managers from abroad.

Differences in career development between my country and France.

Models of cultural assumptions and differentiates them and chose the most appropriate one.

Benefits and challenges to have a multicultural team.

Understand and explore five levels of cultural difference to get knowledge of my culture.

Discussion of four strategies to managing cultural differences and chose the most effective one.

Task 1

In your opinion, what are the FIVE most important competencies for managing internationally in your country for these four department managers? You will need to justify your answer as there are more than five competencies needed in managing differences abroad. Also consider the countries of origin of the four managers in your answer.

Managing abroad is challenging and living there with the family in a different culture is difficult. ‘Green Appeal Products’ has signed a contract with a company from my country name ‘khan Brothers’. To establish GAP in my country, the management sent four managers and they are specialist in their own area of work. These managers are experienced as an expatriate before in another country. They will stay next two years with their family in Australia until the new venture established. The managers from UK will look after operations and product design side and French managers will look after marketing/sales and human resource side.

The key competencies as a manager in a foreign country are:

Interpersonal skills
Linguistic ability
Motivation to work and live abroad
Ability to tolerate and cope with uncertainty
Patience and respect
Cultural empathy
Strong sense of self and
Sense of humour

But in my opinion, five of them are most important competencies for the managers:

Interpersonal skills: Interpersonal skills consign the ability to manage within business organisation through social communication and interactions. By sharing knowledge and culture a manager can easily establish a good relationship and trust which will help them to reduce stressful uncertainties surrounding both work and personal life (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003). To succeed in global marketplace, they need specific attitudes and skills that enable effective and wise use of their knowledge and experience. Limited time (2 years) and strong task orientation can interfere with building relationships and trust. Manager should ask for feedback and suggestion to their employee and with that employee feel important and part of the project. By managing people effectively these managers can make this venture profitable and fun place to work.

The culture in Australia is welcoming and easy to adapt. The managers have to self motivated, energetic, enthusiastic in their work. Peoples speak English in Australia and that’s why British managers can easily set their target. They will get the advantage to motivate their employee. French managers might be struggling to adjust with new cultural country but they do know how to speak English. So they can organise themselves by their managing power and passion about work. They have to show their eagerness to communicate and contact with the people.

Motivation to work and live abroad: This is one of the key ingredients to be successful for the project. Managers and their family will live in a foreign country, so it’s important how they adjust themselves in different culture. GAP selected these managers on their interest to know other culture, strong home record of managing and motivating people and ready to take a new challenge (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003). They have to be confident, self motivated and strong ability to handle stress which will inspire them to finish the job successfully.

Ability to tolerate and cope with uncertainty: According to Schneider and Barsoux (2003), managers need to strong ability to cope with uncertainty and ambiguity to control any unexpected situation. The behaviour and reactions from local employee are unpredictable and as international manager they have to deal with mixed group of individuals at the same time. So they have to be flexible and it could be in decision making as well. Because GAP is a team oriented company.

Cultural empathy: Schneider and Barsoux (2003) states that respecting the behaviour and ideas of others requires empathy. Some managers easily understand and appreciate the feeling and experience of others. GAP’s managers have to understand the culture, peoples belief and importance others opinion. By respecting the culture they can also know about other company’s strategy and marketing policy. For example- peoples likes Rugby, cricket match in Australia. So it’s easier for the managers to communicate with the local people in the match day.

Sense of humour: Humour is significant in human life and career advancement. It helps a manager in two ways: coping mechanism and relationship building. Managers has to keep in mind these humours are depends on the culture as well. Humour can work proactively to build a relationship in a different situation. As an international manager they will face some unfamiliar environment and uncertainty in Australia but humour helps them to buffer their frustration. It is the key to reinforce the power distance and the tool of diplomacy. It opened the door to more frankness and less ritualized recitations (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003). As team oriented company GAP manager should make their work environment friendly and open to all.

Fig- five important competencies to managing in my country

Task 2

One of the new department managers is an HR manager from France. Before you meet with the managing partner in your country, you want to be aware of the primary functions associated with Human Resources.

a) What in your opinion are the primary functions for human resource management?

Definition: Human Resource Management (HRM) consigns to the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees’ behaviour, attitudes and performance. It ...

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Fig- five important competencies to managing in my country

Task 2

a) What in your opinion are the primary functions for human resource management?

Definition: Human Resource Management (HRM) consigns to the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees’ behaviour, attitudes and performance. It plays a key role in the organisation to reach their goal.

In my opinion, the key functions for HRM are below-

Manpower planning: In the beginning of a company, the HRM department needs to planning for staff levels requires at present and future with the organisation’s present resources and predicted resources. Because overstaffing is wasteful and expensive. Then take an overall view of the organisation to make workforce profile based on their skills, ages etc and provide them any training if necessary.

Recruitment and selection of employees: A company recruit people on the base of a particular job to be done. For every position company want some particular criteria, skills, behaviour and personality. By asking a set of questions or some practical work they doing this. Advertising for job vacancy a company use internal promotions, career officers, agencies for unemployed. And finally before selecting someone they want to see the person’s desire about that position and commitment to stay long time. Because it is expensive to give training new people.

Employee motivation: To maintain good employees and promote them to give of their best while at work requires attention to the financial and psychological rewards offered by the company. Employee need is depends on company’s productivity of the work force. So good personnel policies are desirable. And also wages are the great concern to motivate people.

Employee evaluation: An organisation needs persistently to take a look of its workforce and assess its performance in existing jobs for three reasons- firstly, to improve organisational performance by improving individual contributor. Secondly, by identifying the potential like transfer individuals into jobs where better use can be made of their abilities. And finally giving the employee standard salary/wages based on their quality. In a word evaluation is a scheme formalization of what have done in a period of time.

Industrial relations: Now a day it’s very important for the company to maintain industrial legislation and precedents. HR manager should advice managers about their responsibilities and acting as the employer’s representative to handle any social programme. They can correct any situations which go wrong and give positive feedback.

Compensation and rewards: This policy keeps the employee physically and mentally well. Having schemes of occupational sick pay, sick leave, rehabilitation of injury leave, provision of financial and social support, catering facility, pre-retirement and essential training inspire them to work.

Training and career development: In every job training is necessary for best output and career development. It could be job training, health and safety training etc. By training people get promoted and they can chose their desirable position.

b) Within the HR context, what do you think should be the key priorities with the four new department managers transferring in from their own home countries and for recruiting local employees for operational and labour positions?

GAP has been agreed a partnership with a company from my country (Australia) and operations will start shortly. But part of the agreement they will send two managers from France and two managers from UK. Within the HR context, in my opinion the key priorities to recruit them are—

Strong record at home to getting the job done.
Having couple of years experience with GAP management.
Interested to take challenge in a new culture and environment.
Proven track record of leading and coordinating cross-functional project teams in complex and dynamic settings.
Strong experience in translating strategies in action-oriented initiatives and implementation plan.
Having a clear view of GAP’s product design, marketing, HRM and operation system.
Excellent communication skills (informal) between people of different level of hierarchy.

c) What might be some of the differences in patterns of career development between your country and France where GAP originated? (*Note: IF your country is the same cultural grouping as France, then contrast your country with the ‘Anglo-Dutch’ Model).

Schneider and Barsoux (2003) states national culture has an impact on career development. The preferred paths for advancement, the traits and behaviour required for promotion are different. The differences in patterns of career development in my country are-

Many French managers believe having a “high potential” is the key to career success but in Australia, skills in interpersonal relations and communication are most important to career development.

French managers are task oriented but Australians are people oriented that are why most decision making process are decentralized.

In Australia manager can get a position where he is not technically master like a ‘games man’ but in France it is not possible.

French promotional system of ‘political tournament’ discourages some managers to take overseas assignment but Australians are high fliers. Always ready to take any challenge.

In France educational background got priority to become a manager but here practical experience got priority.

To become a manager in France people need strong political relation with the company but in Australia, it’s less political and anyone can become manager with the proper leadership quality.

Task 3

There are two specific models of strategy related to cultural assumptions regarding external adaptation, as discussed in the literature-

a) What are the names of these two models?

The names of the two models of strategy related to cultural assumptions regarding external adaptation are-

Controlling model

Adapting model

b) How do these two approaches differ from one another?

The differences between controlling model and adapting model are-

Controlling model:

Controlling model can be characterised as centralised and formalised.

Scanning is focused and in-depth in order obtain the particular information through the department.
Controlling model refers to task oriented.
Planning is strategic and formal. Only top management and experts can make strategic plan.
Information sources are industry reports or consultants which forecasting economic models and structured scenario to analyse. So they focused on quantitative and objective.
Personal experiences are not counting as a source of information.
Top management make the decision based on the information and they are accountable to report to supervisory board. Then it seems political.
Finally culture takes big part of the organisation and the managers always observing the situation and figure out.
Example GAP was autocratic organisation and it was controlled by the top management.

(Source: Schneider S C, 2003 and Barsoux J L, 2003; Managing across Cultures; 2nd Ed; prentice hall)

Adapting model:

Adapting model is decentralised and informal more likely team oriented that’s why responsibility for strategy diffused throughout the organisation.
Scanning through the organisation and less systematic.
Information is gathered from personal sources, friends, colleagues, and field observation.
So information based on qualitative and subjective.
Organisation intense discussion is encouraged involving many people from all level and working as a team.
Strategic decisions are socially constructed.
Under this model environment cannot be known properly and that’s why organisation needs to be flexible to take any decision in negative envisage environmental events.
Considering this model, organisation can make continuous improvement about knowledge, competencies and learning.

(Source: Schneider S C, 2003 and Barsoux J L, 2003; Managing across Cultures; 2nd Ed; prentice hall)

c) Which model do you believe is most appropriate in this particular situation? You will need to justify your choice of model.

GAP is opening a joint venture in Australia and it will follow its regulations there. So the cultural assumptions regarding external adaptation, “Adapting model” would be the most suitable in this particular situation. And the reasons are-

By being a decentralised and formal organisation, every employee got responsibility for GAP’s strategy.

Communications channels are wider and personal relations and interaction to every employee will help them reach organisational goals.

New managers can implement their own management tools as they will get less stress to having a decentralise organisation.

By discussing with local employee, design manager will make some designs which are the Australian wanted.

Surveying the local people and know their desire about GAP’s products, services, management can take proper initiative.

As a new company, their strategy should be flexible and adaptive. Because they has to prepare for the uncertainty.

Australians are participative, efficient and organised in their work so the mangers will be relaxed by their employee.

As a people oriented company, foreign managers’ needs to close the gap by showing less power distance and hierarchical differences with subordinates.

Managers needs to communicate with employee as sometimes do not say what they really think.

People believe socialisation and unions are more important than competition in life. Manager has to socialise with the people not only for the business but also for personal interaction.

Task 4

The manager of GAP in your country has chosen a team made up of members from the UK and France to initiate the company’s expansion into your country. With reference to the literature, what in your opinion are the benefits and challenges of creating and working within the context of a multicultural team? Include both task and process considerations in responding to this Task. In your answer, also consider the characteristics of the British and French national cultures.

Definition: A multicultural team consist of members from three cultures or more. Schneider and Barsoux (2003) states corporations are also pooling their expertise across national boundaries in the hope that this will lead to more successful marketing to different types of customers as well as enhancing local commitment to strategic directions and facilitating implementation.

Building a multicultural team an organisation can get many advantage and disadvantage like argument, disagreement etc. GAP opening a company with joint venture where team member will be from UK and France. By making a team with different nationalities the team will get some benefits and face some challenges which are mentioned as follows:

Benefits:

Multicultural team present advance opportunities for the team members to improve their understanding of international issues, and to be pleased about better the interdependencies between divisions.

This team also grant the opportunity for managers and the organisation to become skilled at how to function efficiently within diverse cultures, clients or employees.

It is designed as an intentional attempt to promote improved decision making and to encourage greater creativeness and innovation. And assumed to get a high quality decision.

The multicultural team provide a greater range of identifying problem perspectives and alternatives by critical analysis.

It helps to develop and practise the skills required in order to be an effective multicultural team member.

A culturally different team can tap a much broader range of values, viewpoints, and experiences than can a homogenous one and also saves lots of money.

Multicultural team create a new corporate culture that supports and enhances global team building. And also it directs the team members in the direction of the desired channel, using their culture to unify their team.

Challenges:

The cultural variety makes the group dynamics more complex and creates interpersonal conflict and communication problems.

There is greater potential for frustration and dissatisfaction, which can lead to a higher turnover of team members.

Cultural differences are articulated in diverse opportunity about the principle of the team and how the team is suppose to operate. Some of these opportunities are related to task strategies like how it is structured, who will do that and how the decision will be made.

Building trust is additional complicated by problems communicating across culture. Misunderstandings can frequently happen in situations where trust is low. Disagreement and suspicion may therefore be overstated out of all proportion.

Sometime foreign managers feel they are ignored by the local managers or employee. In any board meeting or discussion with employee they have to use perfect communication channel.

To resolve any conflict multicultural team needs to establish perfect methods. And to make these managers has to face managing conflict.

To form organisation’s methods, sometimes cultural patterns are ignored. So international managers needs to be more flexible.

Member of a multicultural team got diverse role of job. So it is difficult to get clarity and a right sense of direction.

(Source: Schneider S C, 2003 and Barsoux J L, 2003; Managing across Cultures; 2nd Ed; prentice hall)

Characteristics of British and French national culture:

For GAP’s expansion and establishment in Australia four managers are going there from UK and France. So their cultural differences will make them separate which are as follows:

Schneider and Barsoux (2003) states British manager’s views are general perspective and simple. But French managers are serious about organisations rules and regulation.

In a board meeting French managers wants all the agenda together and discuss about that at the same time. On the other hand British cultures represent one agenda more often and take the decision.

In Britain announcing for meetings has fixed start and end time line but in France they got no specific end-time.

In France team leaders are chosen based on their power and political influence with the organisation but experience got the priority by British employers.

British managers are often making decision by group but French managers have complexity believing that a group can make decision.

British managers got the attitude to adopt individual’s interests. And by this they are more connected to promote team spirit and find solutions.

French manager never go for compromise if they already got the solution. Because they believe top level manager can not make any wrong decision (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003).

British managers build trust by being friendly and informal. For that’s why sometimes they arrange meeting in public place like pub, football stadium, etc.

In United Kingdom and France the sophisticated use of language is highly regarded, and taken as a sign of competence (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003).

In British culture manager expects feedback from the employee’s and their boss or share holders. And by over viewing that they can take further decision

French managers are not used to get feedback. For that’s why they are accountable for company’s profit or loss.

French manager give more value on thinking than doing. They spend much more time analysing and planning (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003).

Task 5

There are many ways of understanding and exploring a culture different from our culture of origin. What, in your opinion would be FIVE Levels of Culture that you would recommend to the four managers transferring into your country to gain a better understanding of your culture? In your answer, use brief examples as a way to justify your answer.

Definition:

Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, material group and possessions acquired by a group. Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behaviour acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups.

Giving a definition of culture Ed Schein states that “a set of basic assumptions- shared solutions to universal problems of external adaptation and internal integration- which have evolved over time and are handed down from one generation to the next”

To explore and understand a culture we need to divide them in three levels:

Artefacts and behaviour
Beliefs and values
Assumptions

And these three levels contain several sub-levels. From these sub-levels five of them are most important to the four international managers, which will give them a better understanding of my culture-

Artefacts and behaviour:

Architecture and design: It gives a hint at the fundamental assumptions regarding internal integration like bringing people together and external adaptation refers dominating nature. Towards the inside an organisation the most noticeable artefact is the architecture and the design of the building (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003). Open space office is popular in Australia which is more likely to be partitioned off by half walls. It is in the sense of privacy is established by not being able to see the others. But it is not inevitably signalled in the similar technique. Open door policies are intended to encourage people to interact with people but closed door point to the wish of privacy.

Forms of address: Schneider and Barsoux (2003) states the degree of formality in addressing business relations sends important signals that may not be intended, anything from respect, to friendliness, to disdain. It is a formality to using a last name. As example- addressing business corresponding person by their first name is acceptable in Australia. It is intended to generate a friendly atmosphere for discussion by being informal which is comparatively unwelcome by some of the Latin European country. Because they used to put off first name for family members. By addressing some one by their first or last name help to make relationship easier and giving priority as well.

Dress code: Dress code is one of the important artefacts for a culture and also differs in level of regulation for an organisation (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003). As managers from France and UK, they are well-known about the impotency of dress code. And it is not different in Australia. Because Australian believes dress code signals task orientation. Like rolled up shirt sleeves are considered relaxing which is similar to France culture. There is one more benefit to having a dress code which ends the style war between the colleagues. And it’s manager’s duty to encourage their employees to do that.

Beliefs and values:

Criteria for success: The value of work is expressed through people, so the beliefs and values are significantly essential to success. National culture plays a big part in organisations success and it is followed by share holders, customers or employees. Every one needs to be creative and contribute to continual innovation. Continuous improvement of product quality and design can make a big difference to the customers. And technologically it should be upgraded because peoples are obsessed about technology in Australia. Finally everyone needs to believe “if the customers are successful, the company (GAP) will be successful”.

Assumptions:

External adaptation: External adaptation of a culture consist relationship with nature, nature of human activity and nature of truth and reality. Manager needs to avoid uncertainty and risk which is society’s discomfort. They have to give impotency on scheduled, belief and responsibility. Only the manager who assumed that he got control over nature they are more likely to take action and these are based on their thinking and personality. They are more valued regarding the relationship with the people. In the end the solutions to problems of external adaptation are revealed in assumptions regarding control over nature human activity, and how truth is established (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003).

Task 6

There are numerous strategies for managing cultural differences. Pick FOUR of these to discuss, then chose one that you believe would be most effective in Gap’s expansion into your country. Provide a rationale for your choice of strategy.

Every multinational company have different strategies to manage cultural differences. It examines the cultural and organisational complexities which take place for the phase of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and alliances. With having a strategy of cultural differences some organisation ignore it for irrelevant for work, some think as a threat and some take it as an opportunity to have competitive advantage (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003).

For the expansion GAP in my country we are going to discuss about four different strategies to managing cultural differences. These are as follows-

Ignoring cultural differences: “Business is business” is the main theme whenever a company decide to ignore cultural differences. Policies and practices are developed in the home country and readily transferable to the organisation (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003). By ignoring the cultural differences managers needs to be efficient and regulate their work. Having good communication in all levels of the employee it is easier to have a better decision. When people are under an umbrella (organisation) their thinking, and believes should be same to reach organisation’s goals.

Minimizing cultural differences: This strategy refers cultural differences is important but needs to be minimizing its impact to become threat. To making a global corporate culture this strategy having a big impact. Subsidiaries relation with head quarter is polycentric or regiocentric. It means company set up target for its subsidiary to meet and they got authorisation to do as they want to do. Some times regional manager visit the subsidiaries and local managers can consult with them about production and quality. Decision making process is decentralise and top down management system (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003).

Utilising differences: This is the strategy who believes cultural differences are opportunities. Managers from different countries need to have skills of cultural and linguistics to operate throughout the country borders. Strategy for business or the decisions are made by HQ and subsidiary. Because subsidiary knows more about local culture and market demand. National conditions have a big impact on international competitive recompense which inspires innovation (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003). Continuous learning and innovation by HQ and subsidiaries implement new ideas. MNC whoever believes the key to success is local passion, pride and ownership of brands which helps local manager to think global (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003). Because their corporate motto is “think global, act local” which require flexibility, humility and open mind-ness to develop.

Creating culturally strategic alliances: Strategic alliances and joint ventures are recognized for most excellent form of managing diversity. Having alliance, the company act like political federations where they compete for globalisation. But with this companies become independence, avoiding antitrust regulations and retain local identity and keeping political ties (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003). Actually with the alliance two or more companies work together, they make their strategy, culture, and operation plan according to the base company. Within the frame of joint venture or alliance companies needs to rely on local culture, beliefs and artefacts where cultural difference added value to competitive advantage.

Having expatriates from UK and France, GAP is opening its joint venture in my country. To get most out of competitive advantage and benefits I think they needs to “create culturally strategic alliances” through the business. Because having multicultural team they can use cultural differences as an opportunity where others don’t have. Some other strong reasons to make my opinion for GAP’s expansion are-

Decision making process going to be Geocentric. So HQ and subsidiary will make strategic decision.

Having a people oriented corporate culture, every one needs to be innovative and creative.

As after two years the foreign manager will be back, so the local managers and employees require being passionate about learning from these expatriates.

Having diverse cultural working environment, people can contribute their opportunity and reaching their personal goals as well (Schneider 2003; Barsoux 2003).

Following government’s legislation and other procedure GAP will make a strategy and business plan where cultural differences are a great advantage for them.

References and Bibliography:

Book References:

Schneider, S.C. and Barsoux, J.L., 2003. Managing Across Cultures. 2nd ed. England: Pearson Education Limited.

Noe, R.A.; Hollenbeck, J.R.; Gerhart, B. and Wright, P.M., 2006. Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.

Web References: