. Guanxi is the system of social networks and influential relationships which facilitate business and other dealings in China. Are there similar emic characteristics in cultures that you are
familiar with? (1 mark)
2. How do the 4 models of culture: Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, Hofstede, Trompenaar and Hampden-Turner, and Project GLOBE help us manage multi-cultural groups when they ‘clash and fuse’ in everyday
life? (1 mark)

Q2)
1. Would members from different cultural backgrounds be willing to ask for clarifications on issues that they cannot interpret? (1 mark)
2. Different time zones can be a challenge in virtual teams. Think of how effective you will be at 10 pm, after the day’s work, when some of your team members are starting their work day. Also,
would members from all cultures be willing to let others know that they would rather meet at another time? (1 mark)
Q3a) (300 words response)
The Incident
(Adapted from: “Double-loop thinking: Seeing two perspectives” in Francesco, A. M. & Gold, B. A. 1998. International Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall: NJ; pg., 586)
You are required to assume the role of Ingrid, a German exchange student at an Australian university. You had asked for a single room in the dormitory. However, due to shortage of space, you have
to share a double room with another exchange student Leilani who comes from Hawaii.

From the start, your relationship with Leilani has not been very amicable. You created rules that divided the space in the room in equal halves. You dislike the fact that you try to keep your half
of the room clean and clutter free but this is not reciprocated by Leilani. Her side of the room displays a lot of artifacts from her culture. Her clothes are not neatly stacked like yours. You
make sure your music does not disturb others but Leilani plays Polynesian rock loudly. Leilani’s friends hang out in the room at odd hours at night and this disturbs you.

One day, when you were away at lectures, Leilani realised that she had to do an assignment rather quickly. She borrowed your dictionary without your permission. She then proceeded to the lawns to
write her assignment and eventually lost your dictionary. This was the last straw for you! Here is what happened when you confronted Leilani:
Leilani: I needed the dictionary just then. Books are to be used, not just looked at. Do you expect them to be ornaments? You are stingy, mean, obsessive, control freak. Well you won’t control me.
Some day you will realise that friends are more important than books.

You: The dictionary was mine! Unlike you, I spend my money on books not junk music. Even if you had a dictionary you wouldn’t know where you kept it, it would be lost under your clutter. You do
what you like and have no respect for other people. You abuse my belongings too. Good fences make good friends and you don’t have my friendship.
Analysis

Use the space below to write down your response:

Analyse your behaviour as well as Leilani’s:

Your behaviour Leilani’s behaviour

Infer from the dialogue what assumptions were made by Leilani about you.

Is this your personal perspective about yourself? If not, list below what you think about yourself in relation to the incident.

What are the values and beliefs behind you expectations from Leilani?

What are your assumptions about Leilani?

Now put yourself in Leilani’s shoes…this is hard to do! Try to understand why Leilani behaves the way she does. What are the values and beliefs behind Leilani’s behaviour and comments about you?
Now that you have analysed Leilani’s values and beliefs, how do you feel about the incident?

How would you approach your relationship with Leilani now (assuming that you do not have the choice to change your accommodation status!)?

Q3b) (300 words response)
Business ethics across boundaries
(Adapted from: “Conscience or the competitive edge?” in Francesco, A. M. & Gold, B. A. 1998. International Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall: NJ; pg., 445)

Sarah is excited about her dream trip. She is finally visiting India. As a child she had heard so much about the fabulous lifestyle her grandparents enjoyed in India during the British Raj. She has
seen photographs of her grandfather with the bejeweled Prince of Jaipur. Her grandmother never stopped lamenting the loss of access to exquisitely embroidered fabric after returning to England!
When the plane touches down, it is still dark in Mumbai. The sun won’t be up for another three hours and she is unable to see much of the cityscape. Despite the warning she had received back home
about long immigration queues, her experience at Mumbai airport was neither complicated nor time consuming. After London’s wet and cold winter, Sarah welcomes the warm and humid weather. She is
received by a chauffeured limousine and driven to the hotel by the bay. This is Sarah’s first opportunity to reside among such opulence; complete with marble statues and extravagant chandeliers! No
wonder her grandparents didn’t like leaving India in the 1940s.

Sarah works for a major UK based clothing retailer. The main purpose of Sarah’s visit was to examine a selection of woven cotton fabrics from the mills around Mumbai. The fabrics she ultimately
chooses in this trip will be used to create next year’s summer youth wear. In the next few days, she is driven around in luxury cars to the offices of various mill owners. She samples beautiful
fabrics and spicy Indian food. She is able to negotiate good prices on a wide range of fabrics. Overall, her trip has been personally and professionally satisfying.

On the final day of her visit, she has a bit of time on her hand. One of the mill owners suggest that she visit an up market shop that specializes in Indian artifacts. Instead, Sarah asks if she
could visit one of the factories that produce the garments her company sells. After a long pause, the mill owner tries to dissuade her from seeing a factory. Sarah is adamant and finally she is
taken by one of the employees of the mill to see a factory. Soon, they pass the beautiful sea side buildings and into the not so charming part of the city. She is told the car cannot reach the
factory and she would have to walk. Sarah has to walk through the narrow streets laden with refuge. The factory is part of the illegal constructions of one of the largest shanty towns on earth. She
has to climb a narrow and precarious staircase to reach the factory. She is warned not to stand straight as the ceiling is just five feet high. The room less than 20 by 40 feet and over twenty men
were working on sewing machines over garments her company had ordered a month back. The room is poorly ventilated and light. She is told that the factory operates 24 X 7 with men working 12 hour
shifts. The workers had seasonal contracts and the factory is not open at low volume seasons. The workers are paid by the hour and do not get sick leave or any form of superannuation benefits. She
is told this factory is a typical representation of the industry.

Sarah leaves the factory disconcerted with what she is witnessed. The glamorous India she had grown up hearing about and had witnessed in the majority of her trip seems to have been washed away by
the visit to the factory. Upon returning home, she meets with her line manager and questions whether the company is doing the right thing by negotiating low prices. Would it harm the British public
so much if they paid £15.99 instead of £12.99 for a shirt? Yet, with the additional income, the factory workers in India could have a much better life. Her line manager laughs off her suggestions
and asks her to keep her conscience out of the business. He also suggested that any egalitarian move on the company’s part would only run them out of business without the factory workers not seeing
any part of the additional profit, as the factory owners would probably pocket the profit themselves. Besides, the rest of the industry would continue to engage in negotiating low prices and,
therefore, no industry-wide changes would be possible.

Sarah is disappointed with the pessimistic outlook presented by her manager. Her options are limited. She could wash her hands off what she considered unethical business practices and resign.
Getting another suitable job in the industry was limited though as all companies would have similar cost structures. Alternatively, she could continue to work in the company but refuse to buy from
India. This would mean she may have to pay more for other locations such as Hong Kong (where the working conditions were marginally better) but she would be reprimanded for reducing the company
profit margin. Besides, what would happen to the factory workers in Mumbai? Without the contract from her company, the factory would probably shut down and the workers would not be earning whatever
little they do now!

Analysis

Use the space below to write down your response:
Are perceptions of such ethical dilemmas universal or does culture play a role in it?
From the models of culture you have explored in the course so far, discuss the constructs that might have influenced Sarah’s thinking in this case study.
What should Sarah do? Is there a way she could keep her company happy while creating better working conditions for the workers in India?
Consider the reactions of the factory and mill owners in India if they were asked to create better conditions for their workers as part of a requirement of the contract.
Is there a universal way of addressing such problems in different cultures?
What forms of cultural sensitivities would managers from western companies have to consider in asking their local counterparts (in this case, the factory managers/owners in India) to meet them
halfway in creating better work conditions?
Q4)
Despite our best intentions, non-verbal communication can cause misunderstandings. Discuss ways of clarifying non-verbal aspects of communication by both senders and receivers of communication (2
marks).

Q5)
1. From your personal experiences and from research done on intercultural negotiation styles, discuss some of the unique styles from countries other than China (1 mark).
2. Formal dinners are part of business negotiations in almost all cultures. Based on the cultures you have experience with, discuss how and where these dinners may be held and what behaviour may be
appropriate for hosts and guests (1 mark).

Q6)
1. Workforce diversity is not unique to Australia. Most countries have elements of diversity in the workplace. Consider diversity issues in other countries you know of and the impact these issues
have in the workplace (1 mark).
2. There are several dimensions to diversity: race, gender, age, etc. What role do you think language related diversity plays in the workplace? Most organizations have a functional language which
may be either the language of the majority of the employees or the language of the parent firm (in case of international business). From your experience, suggest some of the challenges
second/foreign language speaking employees of the functional language may face. (1 mark).

Q7)
Expat managers often face barriers to adjustment in expat assignments. But what if expat managers (and their families) like the culture so much that they don’t want to return to their own countries
after the assignment is over? Discuss the impact this might have on organisations based on your personal experiences or the extant literature (2 marks).
Q8)
Some charismatic leadership attributes are culturally contingent: risk taking, ambitious, unique, self-sacrificial and sensitive (Den Hartog et al 1999:250). Based on your experience and the extant
literature, discuss these traits in relation to different cultures you are familiar with (2 marks).

Q9)
1. From academic and professional publications discuss countries (other than India) that have been at the receiving end of offshored business processes (1 mark).
2. Also discuss the variety of work done in BPOs other than voice-to-voice customer service in call centers (1 mark).

Q10)
Keeping the impact of the global financial crisis in mind, consider the needs of employees in different cultures you are familiar with (2 mark).

Q11)
1. Much of cross cultural training is conducted in an organised fashion. But what about informal acquisition of cultural knowledge? Discuss the various ways in which individuals can gain reliable
cultural knowledge informally before or after entering the host culture (2 marks).