This paper presents three short forum discussion responses covering distinct topics in international business and management. The first critiques Meg Whitman's deregulation and free-trade platform, arguing that removing tariffs and regulatory oversight is more likely to accelerate job outsourcing than to grow California's economy. The second examines the challenges of applying Western management principles in India, where the caste system creates deeply rooted hierarchical expectations, and recommends a gradual, blended approach. The third distinguishes between international, transnational, and multidomestic strategies, concluding that a multidomestic approach is best suited for introducing a niche product — biodegradable toilet paper — to the German market.
As a former heavy-hitter in the business world, Republican Californian gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman repeatedly stressed the need for deregulation of business in order to increase international trade and create more jobs in the state. She claimed, in what is a fairly typical Republican line, that regulation inhibits growth and therefore limits jobs. She also believed that free international trade — that is, trade that avoids constraints such as taxes, tariffs, and government oversight of business operations — would be a major boost to both the state's and the country's economies.
She failed to account for the fact that deregulation and increased international trade without taxes or tariffs would likely move many more jobs overseas, simply accelerating a trend that has already occurred on a massive scale over the past several decades. How this would help the Californian job market remains a mystery. International trade between companies in California and those in other countries would certainly help boost the economy, but making it even easier for companies to move out of the state and out of the country would not have the same effect.
The Indian caste system would make management a very different proposition than it is in the United States. Attempting to suddenly implement a management approach that stresses the democratization of power and individual mobility would likely not be received in the expected manner, and could produce many negative repercussions — including deep feelings of resentment, discomfort, and even a sense of immorality among employees accustomed to rigid social hierarchies.
At the same time, the caste system is directly counter to the ethics of businesses in the United States and the Western world as a whole, and stands in direct opposition to both current ethical efforts and existing legislation within India itself. For these reasons, a mixture of management styles would be necessary in order to transition from an organizational culture that enforces strict hierarchies based on accidents of birth to one that allows for individual advancement and achievement based solely on merit.
Neither a wholly "Indian" nor a wholly "American" style of management would be acceptable in the company at first. Beginning with more of an "Indian" style — while making clear that certain changes will be implemented — and then introducing those changes fairly and gradually over time would lead to an effective transition toward more democratic management practices.
"Multidomestic strategy for entering the German market"
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