Describe the challenges of managing for globalization. Suppose you manage a small café in a large city with a diverse immigrant population. What are some of the challenges you might face in managing for globalization, and how would you rise to the challenges?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Verbal expressions and gestures don't have the same meaning to everyone throughout the world. Not understanding such differences can affect how well organizations manage globally. American firms have been going out into the world in a major way, even as the world has been coming to us—leading to what New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has called, in The World Is Flat, a phenomenon in which globalization has leveled (made "flat") the competitive playing fields between industrial and emerging-market countries.

Answers regarding the globalization challenges of managing an urban café will vary, but here is a possible response:

To be effective, the manager of a small urban café would likely run a demographic analysis of the neighborhood in which the café is located. If it turns out, for example, that the neighborhood is home to a large Dominican and Haitian population, the manager might want to make sure that she offers menu items that are "comfort food" for Dominicans and Haitians. She will want the café to be as welcoming as possible, and the décor should reflect that; perhaps she might even place decals of the Haitian and Dominican flags on the door, or place a blackboard on the sidewalk listing the day's Haitian or Dominican specials. It would also make good business sense for the manager to hire staff who reflect the diverse population of the neighborhood, to make sure that all are welcome. If she hires staff who are originally from Haiti or the Dominican Republic, she might ask for their advice on the best ways to attract customers, including not only the right things to say, but also possible pitfalls she should watch out for.