Throughout this course, you will participate in a project in which you will integrate course topics and apply global business strategies in a realistic international situation. Each week, you will apply your knowledge of international business management concepts, as you build a strategic plan for the acquisition of a manufacturing company in a foreign country by a private U.S. corporation.
Complete the following:
Read the scenario (below, or in the final project document linked on the right).
Pick a country and post your selection to the Discussion Area. The final project document (available at the link on the right) lists some ideas for you. Check the previous postings to ensure yours is a country that has not already been selected. If someone has selected your country, please select another one.
Scenario
Mogan Industrial Company of the United States, Inc. (MICUS) enjoys an excellent reputation as the third largest provider of specialty engineered industrial parts in the U.S. MICUS is the parent company of 26 wholly owned subsidiaries located throughout the U.S. and Canada. The CEO of MICUS, in conjunction with the MICUS board of directors, has decided to increase the corporation's footprint and expand its international operations. The MICUS Board of Directors has decided to explore the possibility of purchasing a corporation and has set up a steering committee to identify global opportunities.
You have been selected to work on the MICUS research team in support of the steering committee for acquisition. You are part of a high performance work team that will focus its research in five separate areas:
Perform a cultural audit of the country.
Conduct a risk assessment of the political-legal environment.
Analyze potential risks and propose risk management strategies.
Research information related to marketing and promotion.
Analyze potential HR-related areas of interest.
The MICUS CEO, Michelle Stonge, has briefed the team and expressed the need for comprehensive research to ensure that the acquisition of a particular company will be right for both organizations. Michelle tells you and the team that acquisitions like this are often unsuccessful because of incompatible cultures, clashes in management styles, poor integration strategies, and inadequate communications. So she has requested that you particularly focus on these areas of inquiry.
The MICUS CEO also informs you and the team that although she understands that this project will take some time, it is imperative that preliminary recommendations be presented within the next six weeks. To meet the guidance of your CEO, you will lead the project team in a presentation of the team's findings within this designated period.