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Case Study

Wendy Simpson in China (B) (Overhead case)

By William A. Fischer and Rebecca Chung

18 pages

August 2005

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Reference: IMD-3-1573

The B case describes the company’s choice of options presented in the A case, and the arising governance and operational issues, including: forming the top management team, staff morale, downsizing, corporate branding, building a sales force, new product development, and global manufacturing & technology leadership. Participants are encouraged to share their own experience and thoughts during the discussion. With the supplementary slides on “what happened in reality,” shown in the teaching note, and a video featuring Simpson, the instructor can show participants how these issues were dealt with. Participants will be able to appreciate Simpson’s challenges arising from the cultural differences between the Western and Chinese sides, and the gap between the mindsets and behaviors developed in the Chinese SOE environment and those developed in international businesses. They will also realize how Simpson’s role had expanded in this dynamic China market.

Keywords

Joint Venture, International Business, Growth Management, Change Management, Globalization

Settings

China
1997-2004

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note, Video

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2005 EFMD AWARD WINNER (Emerging Chinese Global Competitors)

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