umuc amba660 session 2 topic 1 & 2 latest 2017

Session 2

Topic 1 Giving Local Culture its Due?

Discuss: Assume that you are a manager in a multinational corporation that needs to send a team of three to five people to Saudi Arabia for about two weeks to investigate the possibility of selling your products there.

saudiarabia

What advice should you give them to help assure that cultural problems do not impede their success in this task?

Assume your company is from North America or Europe and considering establishing an office in Saudi Arabia. Which additional operating costs might it have to assume because of the Saudi culture?

What industries tend to be particularly subject to cultural differences? Why?

Be specific. Support your views with references to the required course materials. Provide concrete examples of both cultural elements and specific countries!

Topic 2 Balancing Profitability & CSR. Post your MNCs here! Discuss

Topic 2: Balancing Profitability & Corporate Social Responsibility in International Business

csr

Directions

1. Complete the required readings and view the posted videos.

2. Select two multinational corporations where the MNCs are different industries (e.g., manufacturing/Ford and pharmaceutical/Merck). The choice of MNCs is yours. It is first-come, first-served. “Reserve” your two MNCs quickly. Post a response in Discussions to Topic 2. In the “Subject” box/line state the MNCs you selected. You must pick different MNCs.

3. Go to the two MNCs’ websites and locate their most recent CSR reports, also often called corporate citizenship, sustainability, or corporate responsibility reports. To locate the reports: Go to the Global Reporting Initiative's superb database http://database.globalreporting.org/ (38,761 reports from 10,334 organizations), enter organizations name in search box. You may also try http://www.csrwire.com/reports or http://globaledge.msu.edu/industries/.

4. Compare and contrast the information provided by the two companies' reports.

Are there differences between the two reports in terms of the range of issues dealt with and the depth of coverage on specific issues, risk areas (labor, environment, human rights, supplier relationships, bribery, corruption, health, animal testing, etc.)? Do you think these differences can be explained by industry differences or the national origins of the MNCs or by the location of their foreign operations?

Emerging markets present both opportunities (generate profits, create societal value) and risks (pose challenging operating environments) for MNCs. Are there examples in the two reports you chose of the companies going beyond their legal responsibilities to creating shared value, of how they are achieving the perception of being socially responsible by the local communities in the foreign countries where they operate? Be sure to apply Porter’s framework in your analysis.