Passport #2

Stephanie Keeney Passport #2 1. What cross-cultural problems might Charles encounter in discussing this situation with Geoff and Detlef? a. I think one of the main cross-cultural problems Charles may encounter is how South Africans “expect less differentiation between those with power and those without” (ROLLS Fact Sheet – South Africa). He expects everyone to be on the same playing field – collectively coming to conclusions. His main issue will be keeping his emotions out of the discussions, and focusing on the task at hand. b. Another issue that may come up is the fact that UK managers tend to earn the respect of their employees by “being efficient, interested in their workers, and open to employees’ ideas and problems.” Clearly this is not happening between Charles and Geoff since according to the text, Charles has been trying to “discuss the issue of unrealistic delivery dates with the sales manager, Geoff” (150). 2. What ethical issues might he need to bring up? a. The main ethical issue that needs to be brought up is honesty. QSI is telling its customers that their product(s) will be there on a certain date, but clearly these due dates are not being met. A company cannot survive on dishonesty. 3. What stakeholders are impacted by QSI’s actions? a. Investors, employees, customers, suppliers, and the executives/management of the company. 4. Can the three executives ethically meet the demands of all important stakeholders? a. With proper discussion and problem resolution, Charles, Geoff, and Detlef can all meet the demands of the stakeholders. A. How? 1. Creating and maintaining quality customer relations 2. Setting and meeting specific deadlines 3. Working on employee/management satisfaction and resolution 4. Create incentives for meeting deadlines, etc.