Decision theory- Critical Thinking
Module 12: Critical Thinking
Whom to Hire?
For this assignment, you will apply decision-making to the process of international human resource
management as you determine which of the four final applicants to hire into a global executive position.
You are a member of the management committee of a MNE that conducts business in 23 countries.
While your company’s headquarters is located in the Netherlands, your regional offices are located fairly
evenly throughout the four hemispheres. Primary markets have been in the European Union and North
America; the strongest emerging market is the Pacific Rim. Company executives would like to develop
what they see as a powerful potential market in the Middle East. Sales in all areas except the Pacific Rim
have shown slow growth over the past two years.
At present, your company is seeking to restructure and revitalize its worldwide marketing efforts. To
accomplish this, you have determined that you need to hire a key marketing person to introduce fresh
ideas and a new perspective. There is no one currently in your company who is qualified to do this, and
so you have decided to look outside.
The job title is “Vice President for Global Marketing”; an annual salary of $250,000-$300,000, plus
elaborate benefits, an unlimited expense account, a car, and the use of the corporate jet. The person you
hire will be based at the company’s headquarters in the Netherlands and will travel frequently.
A lengthy search has turned up four people with good potential. It is now up to you to decide whom to
hire. Although all the applicants have expressed a sincere interest in the position, it is possible that they
may change their minds once the job is offered. Therefore, you must rank them in order of preference so
that if your first choice declines the position, you can go on to the second, and so on.
First, read the biographies of each applicant. As you are doing this, rank each of them from 1 to 4, with 1
being your first choice, and explain your reasons for their ranking.
For your essay this week, respond to the following questions using the decisions you have made with
your rankings.
1. The first section of your paper should be an overview of your rankings and reasons for your
decisions.
2. Did your decision include any culturally based biases you may have—for example, feelings,
personality traits, or politics in your rankings?
3. Did you make any observations that you feel would have been fully acceptable in your own
culture, but were not accepted in other cultures? If so, explain.
4. What implications do you believe any of the applicant’s cultural differences would have in
business dealings? In what countries or cultures?
5. What expatriate adjustments for the candidate need to be considered? How will the company
handle these?
6. Explain the decision-making process you used to make your decisions.
Park L.
Park L. is currently senior vice president for marketing at a major South Korean high-technology firm. You
have been told by the head of your Seoul office that his reputation as an expert in international marketing
is outstanding. The market share of his company’s products has consistently increased since he joined
the company just over 15 years ago. His company’s market share is now well ahead of that of competing
producers in the Pacific Rim.
Park graduated from the University of Seoul and has worked his way up through the ranks. He does not
have a graduate degree. In addition to his native tongue, Park is able to carry on a reasonably fluent
conversation in English and has a minimal working knowledge of German and French.
Saya K.
Saya K. is a woman living in Malaysia. She began her teaching career while finishing her DBA (Doctorate
in Business Administration) at the Harvard Business School and published her first book on international
marketing ten months after graduation. Her doctoral dissertation was based on the international
marketing of pharmaceuticals, but she has also done research and published on other areas of
international marketing.
Two months after the publication of her book, Saya went to work in the international marketing
department of a Fortune 500 company, where she stayed for the next ten years. She returned to teaching
when Maura University offered her a full professorship with tenure, and she has been there since that
time. In addition, she has an active consulting practice throughout Southeast Asia. In addition to fluency
in Malay, English, and Japanese, Saya speaks and writes German and Spanish and can converse in
Mandarin.
Peter V.
Peter had worked in a key position in the international marketing division of a US Fortune 100 company
until the company pulled out of his country South Africa eight months ago. Peter has a long list of
accomplishments and is widely recognized as outstanding in his field.
Peter has a PhD in computer science from a leading South African university and an MBA from Purdue’s
Krannert School of Business.
Peter speaks and reads English, Dutch, Afrikaans, and Swahili and can converse in German.
Joe P.
Joe is currently job hunting. His former job as head of marketing for a single-product, high-technology
firm—highly specialized workstations for sophisticated artificial intelligence applications—ended when the
company was bought out by Texas Instruments.
Joe has both his undergraduate and MBA degrees from Stanford University. In addition, he was a
Rhodes Scholar and won a Fulbright scholarship, which he used to support himself while he undertook a
two-year research project on the marketing of high-technology equipment to Third World countries. In
addition to his native English, Joe has a minimal command of French—which he admits he hasn’t used
since his college days.
Your well-written paper should meet the following requirements:
Be 6-8 pages in length, which does not include the title page, abstract, or required reference
page, which are never a part of the content minimum requirements.
Use Saudi Electronic University academic writing standards and APA style guidelines.
Support your submission with course material concepts, principles, and theories from the
textbook and at least two scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles.
Review the grading rubric to see how you will be graded for this assignment.
Answer preview:
word limit:1776