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WorksheetsL11 Case studies Quiz
Total questions: 15
Worksheet time: 9mins
What criteria drove Amazon's decision of where to produce the different components that go into the Kindle? Were these the right criteria?
The criteria included cost efficiency, supply chain logistics, skilled labor access, and profitability.
Some have argued that the fact that only $40-$50 of the value associated with manufacturing the Kindle goes to U.S. companies is a sign of the decline of American competitiveness. Do you agree with this assessment?
If Amazon had decided to design and manufacture the Kindle and all its components in the United States, what do you think the consequences would have been for Amazon?
Lower production costs and retail prices, reduced sales volume, and potential loss of market share.
What was the strategic advantage to Microsoft of outsourcing Xbox production to Flextronics?
What were the risks associated with outsourcing to Flextronics? Did Microsoft mitigate these risks? Do you think Microsoft would have been better off making the Xbox itself?
Yes, Microsoft faced risks with outsourcing to Flextronics, but they mitigated some of these risks. But making the Xbox in-house is not a smart move.
How did Flextronics' industrial park strategy enable the company to respond to national changes in relative factor costs?
Flextronics' industrial park strategy enabled quick adaptation to national changes in relative factor costs by allowing production shifts to more permanent locations.
How important are Web-based information systems to the relationship between Microsoft and Flextronics? What are the economic advantages of real-time information flows between Microsoft, Flextronics, and Flextronics' own subcontractors?
Web-based information systems are crucial for collaboration and efficiency, providing economic advantages like reduced lead times, improved inventory management, and delayed decision-making through laggard information flows.
Is it right for MMC to hold Ross to the same performance goals as managers of units in other countries? What other approach might it adopt?
No, it is not right for MMC to hold Ross to the same performance goals; a tailored approach that provide him with the best salary would be perfect.
Why had bringing specialists from the United States not worked at MMC? Why did Ross's strategy of sending Chinese employees over to the United States for training produce better results? What are the lessons here?
What changes could the HR department at MMC make to improve its utilization of human capital and facilitate knowledge transfers within the company?
Why do you think John Ross's prior expatriate experience failed to prepare him for the task of managing XCO China?
John Ross's prior expatriate experience did not equip him with the specific skills and cultural understanding. He must learned to drink and sing in order to get the Chinese businesses.
What does the experience of XCO with American expatriates tell you about the problems of working abroad, and the difficulties of using home country employees to transfer valuable knowledge with a multinational firm?
Working abroad presents challenges such as cultural differences and communication barriers. Businessmen must learn under-table skills and the real meaning of "guanxi".
In order to transfer valuable knowledge, why was it apparently more effective to take Chinese employees to the United States, and then transfer them back home, than it was to use U.S. expatriates?
It was more effective because Chinese employees stick together and they work and communicate better as a group.
How might XCO's performance appraisal system be adjusted so that Ross gets credit, if it is deserved, for the difficult work he is doing in China, work that is not reflected in a level of performance at XCO China that matches XCO's operations elsewhere?
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