“CASE STUDY: The Australian Expatriate
Paddy Ridley an Australian management consultant was visiting with an old client in Los Angeles. As he stood up to show his guest out Paul Escala flipped a business card across the teak desk. Heres an old friend who could use some help. He thinks he should talk to someone about joint venture management. I told him he can learn from you.
Paddy frowned in puzzlement. His expertise lay in analyzing organisational cultures and proposing solutions when the culture was dysfunctional. He advised companies on the dangers of a culture not directed to achieving management goals. The problems were most severe when the workforce were united in defiance of management decisions that they considered arbitrary and contrary to their interests.
But Im not the guy to consult on joint ventures. Paul you know my field of work. But I can recommend your friend some names. And he mentioned a number of colleagues who worked in the field of joint venture management and billed in the same fee bracket. I told him he can learn from you Paul repeated emphatically and refused to be drawn further. Quin is expecting your call.
Two days later Paddy met with Quin Marrow a fellow Australian and CEO of a medium-sized mining company.
Were new to joint venturing and we need all the help we can get said Marrow. Were into a venture now and frankly were having problems.
Quins company mined rare minerals. He had signed a deal with a Peruvian company to mount a six-month exploration and was committed to supplying the project manager. The man posted Ed Allison a long-term employee had been a disaster and that costs the company money.
What selection procedures do you use? Paddy asked Quin.
The best or so we thought. He named a well-reputed local firm of consultants. Enderek trained my human resource people in selection interview techniques. They sold us their psychometric test. The cross-cultural aptitude test. And they were expensive.
They give value for money corrected Paddy. Thats the best selection procedure you can buy.
How did the employee find out about the post?
Ed? We asked for volunteers. We used the internal electronic mail system and hard-copy notices. Everyone was circulated but he was the only one to step forward.
How many were eligible?
Weve got twenty or thirty guys who we consider qualified for a job like this. They all have project experience and theyre engineers. But the others werent interested only Ed.
Why not?
Quin shrugged. Who knows? Each individual has a private life that I know nothing about. And dont want to know.
And none of them showed any interest? How much were you offering?
Quin detailed the package. So far as he could judge from his limited experience of joint venture deals Paddy thought it generous.
They talked it out among themselves and decided not to apply. They say the money isnt good enough. But Eds never been one of the group.
And you had to appoint an insider? You couldnt appoint from the external market?
No it had to be internal. Failing to make an internal appointment would have lost us face. And placed us in breach of contract. We had to go ahead with it. But we wont be caught like that again. Thats why we came to you.
How was Ed qualified?
He took the tests. His score for cross-cultural aptitude was terrible. Enderek said it was the lowest they had ever recorded. They couldnt believe it they asked to retest. But I was not surprised.
Why not?
Even here Ed is not a good communicator. But he has strengths. Hes a brilliant engineer. He has management experience. And hes loyal. We have a fairly rapid turnover higher than the industry average but Ed is a long-timer he stays with the company. So we took the gamble.
How long did he last?
Four weeks. By the end the Peruvians were phoning every day. The final straw was a technology problem. The Peruvians wanted to see the plans of one of our drilling bits and Ed said no. A flat no and all the four-letter words. He should have checked with me first. I had no objections it wasnt our newest technology and I had already promised their CEO. My Research & Development people agreed with me. And Ed knew that. But by then hed decided that he didnt like our partners and wasnt about to do them any favours.
And?
They demanded his recall. I had no option. Finally I told to my senior engineer to take the job at double the money I was paying Ed. The Peruvians have met him and asked for him hes a first-class engineer. But what they dont know is he doesnt know anything about joint-venture management. Theyre going to be disappointed. Then well be in a worse situation than ever.
Is that how you perceive the problem?
Yes whether we like it or not we have to do more joint venture work. We need joint venturing skills. First we have no experience of working abroad. We dont have the expatriate workforce.
An international company does not need to depend on a vast number of expatriate managers. You can build a multinational culture and have very few expatriates said Paddy. But Quin waved him aside.
That means we need a new selection procedure. However good the Enderek process it isnt right for us. Second we need advice on designing a remuneration package for expatriates. A package that brings my staff on line but doesnt bankrupt me. Third we need training in joint venture management. Fourth
Quin broke off and smiled ruefully. You should have stopped me. I know that the one thing consultants hate is being told what advice to give. Paul said that you were the guy to help. How do you see the problem? How can my staff learn about joint ventures?
Paddy was about to protest that he did not normally consult on joint venture issues when he suddenly understood why Paul had recommend him.
Your task:
a) Using your understanding of relevant theory and practice in the areas of human resource planning recruitment and selection reward and retention culture and training prepare a report for senior management identifying the main problems faced by this company and explain why such problems arise in this type of organisation.
(50 marks)
b) Could a better system of appointment have been devised for this post? If so what form would the system take and why?
(20 marks)
c) How would you tackle the problems that exist for both the short and long term?
(20 marks)
REPORT FEEDBACK SHEET
(How your report is going to be marked + advisory notes)
Student name and ID no:
Markers:
Question a) 50/100
Question b) 20/100
Question c) 20/100
Report structure and presentation 10/100
Discussion of the organisational context and diagnosis of the organisational/ human resource problems in the case study organisation
Aspire to being critical. Do not outline any theories in an explicit fashion. Simply apply them to the context of the case.
Show ability to critically evaluate concepts and ideas and to undertake additional reading
Provision of realistic solutions/ recommendations to address the problems identified in the diagnostic/ analysis parts of the report
Your case analysis and recommendations should be well written strongly argued and should display both critical analysis and ability to link theory and practice. Avoid being descriptive overly subjective and present arguments poorly.
Use of Theory/ Literature/ Sources
You should use relevant theories to complete your analysis. Please avoid listing any descriptive content. Report must contain structured critical evaluation.
Overall presentation structure writing clarity referencing and use of secondary research sources
Correct referencing in Harvard style; all sources quoted are included in the reference list
Report format required. Use of a proper executive summary annotated contents & appendices.
Spell-checked and proof-read of work. Clarity to the reader. Writing clarity and flow”

  

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