Case #2 - A Cross Cultural Business Problem The Case: Read this case, identify the intercultural communication issues and respond to the questions following the case. You can do this individually or in a small group-of-2 of your choosing. - If you do it as a small group, be sure to work together vs dividing up the case and each person answering their own questions - If you do it as a small group, only one person needs to submit - I will know who is in your group because your names will be on the doc - If you do it individually, but the content is substantially the same to someone else's, you lose marks Submission: due April 15/21. - Cut/paste the questions at the end of the case into a new word doc. (do not submit the entire case study with the questions at the end) - Be sure you fill in your name; be sure you have the correct numbering for the questions. - Answer all questions - Ensure it is single spaced. - Save it as a word doc, submit on time (no lates accepted) A Cross Cultural Business Problem After having had several email exchanges with his Mexican counterpart over several weeks without getting the expected actions and results, Ambroos Jansen was getting a tongue-lashing from his British client, who was furious at the lack of progress. Jansen, in the Rotterdam office of BigFiveFirm, and his colleague in the Mexico City office, Jose Luis Hernandez, were both seasoned veterans, and Jansen couldn't understand the lack of responsiveness. A week earlier, the client, Duncan Jones, had visited his office to express his mounting frustration. But this morning he had called with a stream of verbal abuse. His patience was exhausted. Feeling angry himself, Jansen composed a strongly worded message to Hernandez, and then decided to cool off. A half hour later, he edited it to stick to the facts" while still communicating the appropriate level of urgency. As he clicked to send the message, he hoped that it would finally provoke some action to assuage his client with the reports he had been waiting for Feeling angry himself, Jansen composed a strongly worded message to Hernandez, and then decided to cool off. A half hour later, he edited it to stick to the facts while still communicating the appropriate level of urgency. As he clicked to send the message, he hoped that it would finally provoke some action to assuage his client with the reports he had been waiting for He reread the email, and as he saved it to the mounting record in Jones's file, he thought, I'm going to be happy when this project is over for another year!" Message for Jose Luis Hernandez Subject: IAS 2019 Financial statements From: Ambroos Jansen (Rotterdam) Date: 10/12/20 1:51 pm Dear Jose Luis This morning I had a conversation with Mr. Jones (CFO) and Mr. Parker (Controller) re the finalization of certain 2019 financial statements, Mr. Jones was not in a very good mood He told me that he was very displeased by the fact that the 2019 IAS financial statements of the Mexican subsidiary still has not been finalized. At the moment he holds us responsible for this process. Although he recognizes that local management is responsible for such financial statements, he blames us for not being responsive on this matter and inform him about the process adequately. I believe he also recognizes that we have been instructed by Mr. Whyte (CEO) not to do any handholding, but that should not keep us from monitoring the process and inform him about the progress. He asked me to provide him tomorrow with an update on the status of the IAS report and other reports pending Therefore I would like to get the following information from you today: What has to be done to finalize the Mexican subsidiary's IAS financials: Who has to do it (local management, B&FF Mexico, client headquarters, B&FF Rotterdam), A timetable when things have to be done in order to finalize within a couple of weeks or sooner, A brief overview why it takes so long to prepare and audit the IAS f/s Are there any other reports for 2019 pending local gaap, tax), if so, the above is also applicable for those reports. As of today I would like to receive an update of the status every week. If any major problems arise during the finalization process I would like to be informed immediately. The next status update is due January 12, 2021. Mr. Jones also indicated that in the future all reports (US GAAP, local GAAP and IAS) should be normally finalized within 60 days after the balance sheet date. He will hold local auditors responsible for monitoring this process. Best regards and best wishes for 2021. Ambroos Ambroos Jansen Receives a Reply A little more than an hour later, with his own patience again wearing thin, Ambroos Jansen watched with relief as Jose Luis Hernandez's name popped into his Inbox messages. His smile quickly turned to disbelief, and then horror, as he read to response from Mexico City. Not only was the client's need still unmet, but now he had another problem! Stung by the apparent anger from Hernandez, and totally puzzled as to the cause, he reread the email to make sure he had not misunderstood the message. From: Hernandez, Jose Luis (Mexico City) Sent: Wednesday December 10, 23:11 To: Jansen, Ambroos (Rotterdam) Subject: RE: IAS 2019 financial statements Importance: High Dear Ambross, I am not surprised of the outcome of your meeting with Mr. Jones (CFO). However, I cannot answer your request until I heard from local management. As it was agreed on the last meeting, we were precluded from doing any work without first getting approval from the management at the headquarters and we were instructed by local management from not doing anything until they finalized what was required from us. It appears to me to be a Catch 22 game! I believe we (your Firm and ours) should not fall in the game of passing the ball to someone else before getting a clear understanding of what is going on. We have had several meetings without local management where the issue has been raised and were responded that other priorities were established by the headquarters (on my end I thought they tell you everything they have been instructed of locally, unfortunately it does not seem to be the case). In my opinion it looks very easy that you accept from management at the headquarters to hold us accountable from something we are not responsible of, and this does not mean I do not understand the pressure you are receiving from your end. However, we are not the enemy. I am not sending copy of this message to our client because I believe that internal issues have to be primarily dealt of internally without involving our clients in the internal politics. The last is what myself truly believe. Could you tell me how can you accept a deadline from our Firm without first having involved local management? Don't you think they are the first to be involved local management? Don't you think they are the first to be involved on this? I may be wrong but if we are in an international Firm I think we should understand the other side and not just blame someone else of our client's problems. I really do not want to be rude, but you do not let me any option Despite the differences we have had, it has been a pleasure working with you. Best regards and seasons greeting. Jose Luis Hernandez Worried that he had somehow offended Hernandez, Jansen printed off a copy of the email which he had sent the day before, and asked the two partners on either side of his office for their reaction to the message. The audit and tax specialists, one Dutch and the other Belgian, had nearly identical replies. "It seems to me that you got the point across clearly, Ambroos," they said. "You laid out the facts and proposed actions to solve the problem. Why do you ask?" they queried. When he showed them the letter, they too were puzzled. "Jones will no doubt be the next person to send me a message!" he thought. As a frown reflected his increasingly grim mood, Jansen wondered what he should do now. Cut/paste the following material under the stars into a new word doc, fill in your answers, submit by noon. A note, do not cut/paste the whole doc -only the content under the stars. Deductions if this basic instruction is not followed...... Be very sure you keep the same numbering system * * * * * * * * Your name(s): Questions: 1. Identify the people and the four countries involved in this case, (4 points) a. (insert name, insert country) b. (insert name insert country) c.(insert name, insert country) d. (insert name, insert country) 2. Go to the Global Affairs website available in the Week 13 block - what subject areas would be useful and why? (2 points) (Choose at least 4 questions) 3. The context: (10 points) a. Describe why is this an intercultural communication challenge b. Describe why it could affect business for these companies? (10 points) 4. The situation (total 10 points) a. From Mr Jansen's point of view, what was his intention in sending the email? (2 points) b. Is Mr Jansen correct in assuming that the email from Mr Hernandez reflects anger? (2 points) c. Is there anything in Mr Jansen's email that would have upset Mr Hernandez? If so, what? (6 points) 5. The intercultural communication issue(s) (total 15 points): a. Identify the most critical issues in this communication. (5 points) b. Identify the cultural dimensions that impact the most critical issues in this communication. (Identify one taxonomy from Cpt 5, identify the cultural dimension(s) within that model) (5 points) i. What taxonomy are you using? ii. Which dimensions of that taxonomy apply? iii. Explain how those dimensions apply: c. Describe how this most critical issues perceived by the two main people from their cultural perspective (5 points) 3. The context: (10 points) a. Describe why is this an intercultural communication challenge b. Describe why it could affect business for these companies? (10 points) 4. The situation (total 10 points): a. From Mr Jansen's point of view, what was his intention in sending the email? (2 points) b. Is Mr Jansen correct in assuming that the email from Mr Hernandez reflects anger? (2 points) c. Is there anything in Mr Jansen's email that would have upset Mr Hernandez? If so, what? (6 points) 5. The intercultural communication issue(s) (total 15 points) a. Identify the most critical issues in this communication. (5 points) b. Identify the cultural dimensions that impact the most critical issues in this communication. (Identify one taxonomy from Cpt 5, identify the cultural dimension(s) within that model) (5 points) i. What taxonomy are you using? ii. Which dimensions of that taxonomy apply? iii. Explain how those dimensions apply: c. Describe how this most critical issues perceived by the two main people from their cultural perspective (5 points) 6. Going forward (total 10 points): a. Which has more importance - the lack of communication or the inappropriate way of communication? Explain why? (5 points) b. What do you recommend Jansen to do now? (5 points)