Summary
A young high-flier is sent by the head office of a European chemical company to run the marketing team in the Shanghai office. He ignores local practice and insists on enforcing company rules, upsetting local staff. The manager for China, also an expatriate, who has excellent China experience but is relatively new to the company, is called upon to arbitrate.
Teaching objectives
Discuss head office/subsidiary relationships. Emphasis the need for careful selection and training of expatriate staff. Discuss the balancing of company practice and local circumstances. Illustrate the need for sensitivity to local culture. Discuss how to benefit, not suffer, from staff diversity.
