[First Name Last Name]
1. Describe Ugandan cultural attributes that might affect the operations of a foreign company doing business there.
Uganda has a population of around 25 million people with English as its official language. However, the majority of people are not able to speak English as they are only well-versed in their native indigenous languages. Therefore, language is one of the barriers that many foreign firms face communication barrier. When it comes to religion, around two-third of Ugandan population are Christian with a huge minority of Muslims also. Therefore, a foreign company also needs to be careful in their hiring practice to avoid discrimination.
Moreover, many processes related to starting operations in the country are also slow. Like for instance, it takes ages to install a proper telephone line for office. The income level of Ugandan employees is also very low. Apart from that, nepotism is largely practiced in the country, which is illegal under the employment law in many organizations operating in western countries including U.S. employment law. Ugandan people are also very devoted to their religion, so any foreign company entering the country needs to accept and respect the beliefs, as well as, the culture of the country.
2. How would you describe the respective attitudes of Martin and Green: ethnocentric, polycentric, or geocentric? What factors do you suspect of having influenced their respective attitudes?
The attitude of James Green is ethnocentric in nature; however, Charles Martin’s attitude was inclined towards geocentric approach. Green was although a very talented businessman but he had no prior experience of working in Kenya. He was very much focused towards upholding his own organization’s culture and would like the same culture to prevail everywhere as outlined by HG. On the other hand, Martin’s geocentric approach was the result of his know-how of the African culture. That’s because he studied African studies as his major. Other than that, he also worked for Peace Corps as he was stationed in Kenya. Therefore, he had developed acceptability and respect for the African culture over the time, which was also later witnessed with the level of respect he had shown for Ugandan culture. He was later hired by HG due to his knowledge and experience with Africa's culture, business, and economy.
3. Who was right, Green or Martin, about Martin’s more controversial actions in facilitating the project? How might things have turned out if Martin had not been a member of the project team?
I think they were both right according to their own thinking. Green's worries could not be ignored; however, I would go with Martin for his controversial actions in facilitating the project in Uganda. First of all, Martin’s actions were legal in Uganda. Secondly, if he had not done that, it would have been really difficult for the project to move on. Due to his prior experience of working with the people of that region, he was quick to recognize the need of paying tips to accelerate HG’s requirements for operating in Uganda. He also employed niece of a high-ranking customs officer to speed up the clearances. Likewise, he also should respect by attending the second ceremony held by the tribal. Martin knew that in order to succeed in Uganda, he needs to remain open and flexible to their norms, values and culture. However, there are always some consequences to geocentric approach, which I believe was necessary to survive as an entity in Uganda. Some compromises have been made due to Martin’s actions as HG slipped away a bit from its corporate culture; however, if he had not been a member of the team, the project could have simply been unsuccessful.
4. In the next phase of the project-running, the power plant-should HG employ someone whose main function is that of liaison between its corporate culture and the culture of its host country? If so, is Martin the right person for the job?
I think that Martin can easily handle that as HG itself initially recognized him as a perfect candidate for the project due to the fact that he had the knowledge of Uganda’s cultural, political and economical complexities, as well as, the corporate perspective of his home-country. Even if some specialist is appointed with the task of liaison between both the home and host country cultures, these problems would always remain. We need to understand here that every country has its own way of norms, values and culture. If a foreign organization wants to expand into that region, it must remain flexible and open to its cultural elements. Martin knows this and with all his experience and expertise, I believe that he is the right person for the job.
Works Cited
John Daniels, Lee Radebaugh, Daniel Sullivan. International Business. Prentice Hall, 2015. Web.
