1. Your company has an office in Spain. You have hired a worker, Ms. Jimenez, for a float term and have renewed her contract twice. Shortly after renewing it for the second time, you discover that she will be giving birth within three months. You send her a notice stating that she is terminated effective in one month (which is two months before her due date). You believe that since she was only on a limited-term contract she cannot expect to be treated like a more permanent employee and given all maternity benefits. Are there any legal concerns here? What impact might this decision have on the advancement of women in employment? How will this affect your hiring practices?
2. Your company is expanding into Europe. You must pick a location for your office and have two locations to consider.
a. How will you make this decision?
b. Will whether the country has adopted the euro have an impact on your decision?
c. Would you be discouraged from locating to a country that has had a poor record of implementing EU directives?
d. Would you consider locating an office in one of the countries that plans to join but has not done so yet?
3. Labco is a small manufacturing company that wants to do more exporting to the EU. It discovers that the Commission is considering a directive that might limit its ability to do business in those countries.
a. What can it do? The president of the company has asked you to research this matter and outline a plan of action.
b. What difference does it make if Labco is a very large, publicly traded corporation?
c. What are your options if the EU implements a directive or regulation that you believe discriminates against you as a foreign business?
4. Imagine that you are a student intern and will be spending this semester on assignment to the vice president of international sales at a toy firm. Up until now, the firm's primary markets have been in the United States and Canada. The toys are designed in the United States and manufactured by vendor firms in China. At a meeting with the vice president's design and marketing staff, he asks about opening new markets in Europe. He explains that in the United States, the design and sale of children's toys are highly regulated by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission. Indeed, some other companies have had their toys removed from store shelves for noncompliance with federal regulations. He feels there must be some consumer safety regulations in effect in Europe that will act as a barrier to his firm's access to European markets. After all, if the regulations are very different from those in the United States, it may be costly to redesign the toys to comply with European standards. After the meeting, the vice president asks you to find answers to the following questions:
a. Are there any standards or technical regulations in effect in Europe that govern the sale of toys? Where can he locate the regulations on the design, manufacture, and marketing of children's toys in Europe? Can you give a specific Web address so that he can look at them himself?
b. Do the toys have to meet different requirements in every European country, or is there a single standard that covers all of Europe?
c. To which toys do the standards apply, and what toys, if any, are exempt?
d. What are the design and manufacturing standards for toys covered by the regulations, and what is the standard for safety? Are there any specific provisions covering the toys' physical or mechanical properties?
e. Do the toys have to be tested in advance for compliance with safety regulations?
f. What are the toy labeling requirements? Is there a certain label or mark that will let consumers know that the toy has been tested for safety?