4 Assignments Due This Week On Different Days – Please Note Different Due Dates I’ll Send Supporting attachments upon job acceptance

#1 GlaxoSmithKline Discussion – 300 Word Max – Due 12/4 8 PM EST

Using your Wall Street Journal subscription (article attached), search for and read the article titled “GlaxoSmithKline Found Guilty of Bribery in China” (WSJ, September 19, 2014). Using the Internet search for and read the article titles “GSK in China: Escaping the shadow of a scandal” (Reuters, November 25, 2015) and answer the following questions:

• What led GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to engage in corrupt behavior in China?
• Why the largest-ever corporate fine in China levied against GSK?
• Given the corrective actions that GSK has taken, will it avoid corrupt behavior in the future in China?

#2 – Research Activity: Hofstede’s Dimensions – Due 12/6 5 PM EST

The cultural distance of countries in which your firm operates is one of the many explanations of significant differences that your U.S.-based employees face when travelling to different affiliates worldwide. Typically, an index of cultural distance can be determined by summing the squared differences of country-level scores such as those introduced by Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and then taking the square root of the summation (this is called the Euclidean distance). At the present time, your firm has operations in Turkey, Poland, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Indonesia. Using the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Resource Center based on studies involving cultural dimensions to assess all five countries, determine which affiliates are located in a culture that is least and most similar to the U.S. As there are four main components of each overall cultural distance score, which component(s) can be considered most influential for each country? Your report should be a maximum of 1 page, double-spaced, Word or PDF document. However, you can have unlimited number of exhibits that should be put in an Appendix in the same file. You have the option to substitute the company and countries featured as examples in this research activity with the company and country you selected in your group project (completely optional).

Hint:

Option 1

• Go to the Global Edge website – https://globaledge.msu.edu/
• Search Phrase: “Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Resource Center”
• Resource Name: Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Resource Center
• globalEDGEâ„¢ Category: “Reference: Culture”

Option 2

• Hofstede website – https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/
• Once on the website, select the corresponding countries

Option 3

• Use this Excel file with rankings for all countries

#3 Research Activity Corruption Index Due 12/6 5 PM EST

You work at a pharmaceutical company that is considering entering India, Chile, Canada, China and Turkey. The company is worrying about potential corruption. Using Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) that is a comparative assessment of a country’s integrity performance, find how the above countries rank. Further, identify the five countries with the lowest and the five with the highest CPI scores according to this index. Do you see any trends between CPI scores and the level of economic and social development of a country? Your report should be a maximum of 1 page, double-spaced, Word or PDF document. However, you can have unlimited number of exhibits that should be put in an Appendix in the same file. You have the option to substitute the company and countries featured as examples in this research activity with the company and country you selected in your group project (completely optional).

Hint:

Corruption Perception Index

Go to the Global Edge Reference Desk website–https://globaledge.msu.edu/reference-desk
Search Phrase: “Corruption Perceptions Index”
Resource Name: Transparency International – Corruption Perceptions Index
globalEDGE™ Category: “Research: Rankings”
Transparency International website – https://www.transparency.org/research/cpi
Transparency International Archival Data – https://www.transparency.org/

#4 Case 2 Brief Due 12/7 7 PM EST

Read the following case to prepare for the case brief:

“Blue Ridge Spain” (Course Pack)

Suggested Guidance Questions for Brief Analysis

The following questions are offered as a guideline for your analysis. These do not have to cover all the issues raised by the case. Some of these other issues may be more important in your opinion and you can support them.

Delta, Blue Ridge, Terralumen, Sodegran, Alvarez and Costas are central in this case.

• What are the main issues from each one’s point of view?
• Given these issues, if you were Sodegran, what would you do? Why?
• If you were Costas, what would you do? Why?
• Should Delta Foods insist on the dissolution of Blue Ridge Spain? Why?

Guidelines for case briefs:

• Briefs should not exceed 500 words. In addition, you can append your own explanatory exhibits that summarize your own analysis to support your position. Each exhibit you decide to include must be referred to in your brief with a clear explanation of the exhibit’s contribution. Although you must answer all questions provided with the case, your brief should NOT be written as a homework assignment (e.g. Question 1 then Answer, and so on). Rather you should start with an introductory paragraph where you identify the key issue(s) explaining why this (these) is (are) the key issue(s); then you provide clear recommendations or solutions to the key issue(s) supported by robust analysis. Remember to show alternatives you considered and why you may have rejected these. Case questions might be the key issue(s) or at minimum they direct you to the key issues(s). Use these case questions to help you in identifying the key issue(s) or at minimum they direct you to the key issue(s). Use these case questions to help you in identifying the key issue(s) and support your arguments.

• An excellent brief will:
  • Identify key issues that help you answer specific case questions posted with the case and, if you choose, identified by you.
  • Explain and support your stated positions and the case facts by using concepts/theories learned from your readings, from the lectures, or from your own research. This is very important: Cite all sources you use to support your ideas.
  • Focus on clear answers supported with facts from the case. Make, articulate, and support assumptions as necessary. Don’t summarize the case and/or provide case details that do not pertain specifically to your answers. A case is unlikely to be focused entirely on the material covered in the chapters of the specific week in which it is assigned. Hence, you should broaden your theoretical lens to include all lessons studied up to this point.
  • Evaluate the financial implications of your recommendations (when appropriate to the case).
  • Be well organized. Remember that the substance of your brief should be made clear by its form.