PDGM 216 Cross Cultural Management

for the Master of International Business in Würzburg

as part of JAP with Christ University

Examiner: Ms. Terri J. Michos

Presentation (Exam Part 2)

Background

A high-technology company has assigned an experienced project manager to initiate, plan, and
execute a project to develop and manufacture a complex new electronic product.

A formal selection process named a major manufacturing company in (a European country) as the
best production facility for the product. This manufacturer combines the necessary experience and
competence with a significant cost advantage over competing vendors. The product’s hardware design
will be done in the US, while the development of the complex system software will mostly take place in
a wholly-owned company subsidiary in Bangalore, India. The European manufacturer has assigned a
number of test and production specialists as members of the project team.

Being under a tight timeline, the project receives much attention from the technology company’s senior
management. Nevertheless, a number of issues start surfacing as the project moves through the
planning and execution phases.

Among them are the discovery that the manufacturer’s quality systems do not meet the project’s
requirements, high staff turnover rates in (the European company) that make it difficult to build and
maintain the required know-how, changing labor regulations by (the European country’s) government
agencies that lead to significant cost overruns, as well as frequent misunderstandings between the
engineering teams in the US, Europe, and India. Making matters worse, European management, upon
learning that the software team in India encountered a delay of several weeks, temporarily reassign
key people to other tasks. The project manager does his best to get all tasks back on schedule, but
with limited success. The first production prototypes from Europe end up being two months late and
failing several critical tests.

After further attempts to get the project back on track failed, it becomes clear that the product would
miss its market opportunity. The company’s senior management decides to stop the project and
terminate the contract with the manufacturer in Europe, who subsequently brings up a legal case in a
European court.

(see next page)

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Instructions

You are a member of a team selected by the senior management to attempt a similar
project between an Indian company and a select European country.

Give a 30 minute presentation illustrating your understanding of the complexities of

cross cultural management, and present your plan to minimize the impact of cultural
differences on the next collaboration, including: cultural perception & assumptions;
global management issues; corporate culture; cross-cultural communication;
motivation & influence and criteria for evaluating cultural competence.

Format: 30 minute presentation per team. Each member must present for 5
minutes. Maximum of 3 slides per person.

Submittal: Paper printout of presentation due at the time of presentation.

Deadline: Wednesday 26 November 9 a.m. IST

Grading: 50 pts (of 100). Each team member will be graded individually, based
on the content of their section and evidence of understanding of course
content & materials.

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