Executive Summary
In this paper, we are going to explore international issues that can help building successful consulting company ready to working in the international environment and conform to global tendencies. One of the major international issues is international education, which is highly valued in a contemporary business environment.
A number of researches explore different aspects of this issue. All of them come to a conclusion that international education of the employees is very important for companies that want to enter the process of globalization. However, international education is only a first step to the improvement of the company’s activities. Changes should be provided at all levels of the organizational process.
In particular, the firm should not only employee applicants with the international study experience but provide opportunities for all members of the working team develop or improve their cross-cultural communication skills. In this light, the company should take strong and active position towards education of its employees. Thus, the firm should have strong international liaisons with other firms and higher educational establishments.
However, there are also other actions should be taken to achieve the company’s objectives. The analysis of the studies which explore different international issues, we can provide several recommendations that will be valuable for development of the international image of the company and help with achieving its objectives.
These actions include: development of the Personal Development course and maintain liaisons with foreign higher educational establishment, arrangement of the overseas courses for employees, as well as provide employees exchange programs with other consulting firms.
2. Collaboration with higher educational establishments and providing internship for potential applicants who study abroad.
3. Providing quality and properly organized international assignment for employees and managers
4. Explore the experience of larger companies who achieved success on the international level to select criteria for the quality overseas assignments.
5. Collaboration with non-profit organizations in other parts of the world in order to organize social events and motivate employees to take part in the program. 6. Providing social and educational programs for managers and employees of the firm and base these programs on global (international) ethic code.
Introduction
A modern-world tendency for globalization and “elimination” of cultural boundaries in all fields of human activities provides new challenges and demands for developing companies.
This tendency requires from employees of a firm possess more skills, adaptability to changing business environment and cross-cultural communication. In the light of these changes, the Clarendon Street Consultants (CSC) privately-owned American management-consulting firm should explore international issues if Henry Thompson (the founder and owner) wants to contribute to society and world as a whole and make the company more effective, and its staff more professional.
This paper is focus on the strategy of accomplishing these objectives and provides specific recommendations for the firm should deal with international issue. In order to pursue this assignment, we are going to analyze the several studies that deal with the international issues. On the basis of these studies, we will determine the position CSC should take and develop several strategies that will be valuable to pursue the firm’s goals.
Discussion
One of the studies on the subject was produced in 2009 at the Institute of International Relations (IIE). In the article “The Value of International Education to U. S. Business and Industry Leaders: Key Findings from a Survey of CEOs”, the authors explored the benefits of the study abroad experience in new recruits.
The main argument of the article is that “individuals with personal experience studying abroad are more likely to place a higher value on the study abroad experience of a potential employee” (“The Value of International Education” n. p.) The authors provided the idea that international education is of a great importance in terms of developing new skills through the experience of the study abroad.
The authors claim that cultural and foreign language knowledge, ability to communicate in the intercultural surroundings and high level of adaptability to changing environment are highly appreciated skills that can be “effectively applied to meet the needs of companies and non-governmental organizations” (“The Value of International Education” n. p.). Indeed, the specialists with the experience of study abroad are more accommodated to working in a cross-cultural environment.
Consequently, they can provide a valuable contribution to the adjustment of the company’s activities to demands of the international system. A survey shows that regardless the fact that only a small part of the students study abroad each year, 90 % of those who have study abroad experience state that they tend “to place a higher value on international education” (“The Value of International Education” n. p.).
Employees with an international experience have higher level abilities of working in the globalized work environment, better understand international system, possess better interpersonal and communication skills and more initiative, enthusiasm and creative. Moreover, they have positive response to changes.
However an international experience is generally viewed very positively, according to some report, “it has no immediate or direct impact on the hiring process” (“The Value of International Education” n. p.), and it can be valued only in case the recruiter has a career-relative skill. The article also provides recommendations on how to better attract students with international experience.
There are other researches that support the idea mentioned in the article and can be regarded as basis for the determining of the CSC position in the light of the international issues.
These researches include the works by Lee Anderson “Schooling and Citizenship in a Global Age: An Exploration of the Meaning and Significance of Global Education”, “Rethinking Ethical Issues in Global Business Environment” by Siringi Elijah Mirwoba, “Global Managers: Developing A Mindset For Global Competitiveness” by Ben L. Kedia and Ananda Mukherji, “Career Issue in International Assignments” by Rosalie L. Tung, and Tsai-Jung Huang, Shu-Cheng Chi, and John S, Lawler.
“The Relationship between Expatriates’ Personality Traits and Their Adjustment to International Assignments” which ideas can also be taken into consideration when developing a program of implementation of global issues to the business development program. Lee Anderson emphasizes a great meaning of global (international) education.
The study is based on the definition of global education and key issues related to it, thus global education “consists of efforts to bring about the changes in the content, in the methods, and in the social context of education in order to better prepare students for citizenship in a global age” (Anderson n. p.).
The study provides that in light of the global changes when “the history, the geography, the economics, the politics, and the sociology of the human condition have become globalized” (Anderson n. p.), it is extremely important to educate students who are ready to working in international society.
In this light, the author provides that methods, content and social context of education should be adjusted to demands of the international community because “the students now in the nation’s schools are becoming citizens within the context of a global era in human history” (Anderson n. p.)
Thus, international higher education should be practices in order to prepare high quality and proficient recruiters which will be able to stand the world competition and contribute to the development of the “global mind” within a firm, as well as within an international business environment. Education is one of the components of the “international issue”. Another component that should be taken into consideration is the ethical issue in global business environment. According to Siringi Elijah Mirwoba:
“In the wake of globalization and liberalization policy, business ethics phenomenon in globalised business environment has become a critical issue that has attracted business and management research scholars” (Mirwoba n. p.)
The study provides that global business ethics is one of the foundations of a successful functioning of any organization. Thus, the managers, company’s leaders and employees as well should be aware of what is ethical and what is not from the international perspective.
This provides better introduction of the global business practices into the process of development and “internationalization” of a company. One more important point to be mentioned is the readability of the company’s staff to the international assignments. The research presents that properly organized and prepared international assignments “has a positive impact on the person’s overall career development and subsequent advancement in the organization” (Tung 241).
Finally, the third research under consideration deals with personal psychological characteristics of people who work abroad. The study provided in the article “The relationship between expatriates’ personality traits and their adjustment to international assignments” focuses on “the Big Five personality traits: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience” (Huang, Chi, and Lawler n. p.).
This study has shown that personal traits influence greatly on the adaptability of a person to new cultural environment. In particular, the authors assume that “extroversion and agreeableness are both positively related to interaction adjustment (i.e. relationships with local people)” (Huang, Chi, and Lawler n. p.).
The research is not related to the question under consideration directly, but its findings can be very valuable when working on the strategy of adaptation of the company’s work to the demands of the globalization. The results show that interaction adjustment can be and should be developed in order to prepare employees to working on the global level.
Taking into consideration the results of studies provided earlier in this paper, we can determine the position CSC should take in response to the issue.
Position
The leaders of the company should reorganize work so that every employee was able to develop skills and abilities that would be valuable to contribute to the effectiveness of his/her work and provide quick development of the international consultancy.
In this light, the firm should work out the program, which would enable every worker acquire in-depth knowledge of foreign culture and gain an international experience so that be ready to effective communication and collaboration with people of another cultural background, and have positive response to changes.
In addition, the company should motivate its workers to participate in the enhancement and reorganization of the firm. The motivational factors can include overseas courses, close collaboration with foreign companies and exchange programs and social and financial benefits which employees can get from these programs. In addition, all these actions should be regulated with the international ethic of global issues.
This position makes sense because it fits with demands of the international business environment and takes into consideration different aspects of the development of business based on the international standards. It covers such issues as individual peculiarities of every worker and working team as a whole. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of the motivation and global ethic code. This position involves quality changes as inside of the company, as its outside relations with other governmental and public organizations.
Application
Taking this position as a basis, we can offer a course of action to achieve the firm’s objectives:
1. CSC could develop a Personal Development course and maintain liaisons with foreign higher educational establishment in order to encourage global education and arrange overseas courses for employees, as well as provide employees exchange programs with other consulting firms.
2. CSC could collaborate with higher educational establishments to provide internship for potential applicants who study abroad.
3. CSC could provide quality and properly organized international assignment for employees and managers in order to provide them with the possibility improve their language skills, acquire cultural knowledge and professional experience.
4. Explore the experience of larger companies who achieved success on the international level to select criteria for the quality overseas assignments taking into consideration technical and behavior, social and human factors.
5. CSC could collaborate with non-profit organizations in other parts of the world in order to organize social events and motivate employees take part in the program.
6. Providing social and educational programs for managers and employees, the firm should take into consideration individual and social needs of the employees and base these programs on global (international) ethic code.
Conclusion
Critical thinking is very important in business and other professions. In order to develop it, one should develop the ability to think “globally” in other words, explore international issues. Globalization is a process that involves all layers of society and influences business environment greatly.
In order to be able to face the international competition, organization should be ready to establish liaisons with other countries to become profitable and well-run one. In this light, the organization should explore international issues and implement new strategies of the business development based on the principles of the internationalization. In order to implement its objectives, Clarendon Street Consultants should determine a solid position of further development of the firm in the direction of the internationalization.
In this light, the firm should focus on international liaisons, educational programs and reorganization of the infrastructure of the management. The firm should pay attention to the intercultural education of every employee and future recruiters. This can be achieved through participation in the international student and employee exchange programs, internship overseas and local socio-cultural programs.
In such way, the firm will be able to elevate its status in the world arena and improve professional level of the working team. Implementation of these programs will contribute to the education of employees with international experience that will be able to cross-cultural communication and working in close collaboration with people from other countries. Furthermore, this can result in long-lasting business relations and a successful network with other consulting firms over the world.
Works Cited
Anderson, Lee. “Schooling and Citizenship in a Global Age: An Exploration of the Meaning and Significance of Global Education” Web..
Kedia, Ben L., and Ananda Mukherji. “Global Managers: Developing A Mindset For Global Competitiveness.” Journal of World Business 34.3 (1999): 230-251. Business Source Complete. EBSCO. Web..
Huang, Tsai-Jun, Chi, Shu-Cheng and Lawler, John S. “The relationship between Expatriates’ Personality Traits and Their Adjustment to International Assignments.” The International Journal of Human Resource Management 16.9 (n.d.): 1656. ProQuest: ABI/INFORM Complete (XML Gateway). EBSCO. Web..
Mirwoba, Siringi Elijah. “Rethinking Ethical Issues in Global Business Environment”. Web..
“The Value of International Education to U. S. Business and Industry Leaders: Key Findings from a Survey of CEOs” Web..
Tung, Rosalie L. “Career Issue in International Assignments”. The Academy of Management Executive (1987-1989) 2.3 (1989): 241-244. Web.