Managing People in the Global Economy

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WORKSHOP 2: 3033IBA

Role Play Scenario

FEMALE EXPATRIATES

Susan Smith has recently been appointed as the head of the IHRM section of Boston Global, a

US-based MNC that provides global marketing services. This appointment was based on

Sarah’s extensive experience in the field of IHRM. In this regard, Susan had worked for the

European office of the MNC, based in Brussels, for many years and had extensive experience

and knowledge in relation to the placements of expatriates in countries in Western Europe.

However Susan has never worked in the firm’s Asian or Middle subsidiaries and has little

experience or knowledge of these regions.

Susan initially felt confident about her new position, believing that much of her existing IHRM

experience coupled with her extensive knowledge of the firm’s IHRM policies and practices

would prepare her for her new role. However, Susan has quickly found herself unprepared for

some of the decisions that she has had to make.

Recently a position for an executive expatriate manager has come up at the MNC’s Middle

Eastern subsidiary in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The job is a senior position and requires the

expatriate to manage a team of local HCNs. The job therefore requires extensive interaction

with host country workers and nationals.

After an extensive interviewing program she found that the applicant with the best

qualifications for the position is a woman. The prospective applicant is also single and has no

children. However it is unusual in the host country for female workers to be promoted to higher

level management positions.

After careful consideration of all aspects of this international assignment some members of her

IHRM management team have argued that in this instance it would not be appropriate to

appoint a female executive manager to this position. Rather, they suggest that the firm should

appoint one of the male applicants. The male applicant that they suggest is less qualified for

the position but they feel that he would be a better ‘fit’ for this particular overseas posting.

However, other members of her IHRM management team have argued that despite the lack of

female executives in this country it would not be appropriate to prevent this person from taking

up a senior position simply on the basis of gender.

Susan is quite troubled about this prospective appointment. On the one hand she dislikes the

idea of preventing a woman from undertaking a senior overseas based position. The MNC also

has a far higher percentage of male expatriate employees relative to female expatriates, and

this appointment would help to redress some of this imbalance. However, Sarah also has mixed

feelings about how she herself would feel about undertaking this particular overseas

assignment. She has therefore set up a small task force to consider this issue.

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PRACTICAL EXERCISES

As part of this task force your group has been asked to consider, discuss and report back on

the following issues.

Activity 1

1. Provide a final recommendation on the above appointment? o i.e. who should the firm appoint for this posting?

2. Provide an explanation as to how your group arrived at your decision? o i.e. your group needs to provide logical arguments that support your decision.

Activity 2

1. Draft a policy for the firm to follow on this and similar future international appointments o Issues you may need to consider and/or address include (but are not limited to):

 equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies and practices;  glass ceiling/glass border issues;  cross cultural management issues;  expatriate support;  safety/well-being of expatriate staff;  overall operations of the firm (e.g. including financial repercussions of

expatriate failure).

2. Should this policy form part of the firms International Workforce Planning strategies? Why? Why not?