Ethical Considerations in Global Expansion

In Unit 1 you formed a team and started the process of growing your simulation company. As you saw in the Conscious Capitalism videos, and in this Linda Fisher Thornton video-Leading From A Strong Moral Center, having a strong commitment to your values and ethical stance is critical to business growth, especially as your company grows and you expand into other countries and cultures.

In this Assignment, you will research many facets that will be important to consider as you decide which country(ies) your simulation company should expand into. For example, you will discuss the four principles of Conscious Capitalism. Further, you will discuss the role of government operating as a business. Additionally, you will research three markets for possible expansion, and highlight economic and cultural considerations. Then, with your simulation company’s values as a backdrop, you will recommend and justify country(ies) for expansion of your business.

This Assignment explores the professional skills of;

• Global awareness
• Awareness of ethical issues and responsibilities
• Make ethical decisions and solve problems
• Work effectively in teams

Assignment Goal and Thought Process

Goal: As a Conscious Capitalism based business, how can we use these principles to help us determine which governments (Amsterdam [Holland], Rio de Janerio [Brazil], Bangalore [India] the countries under consideration expansion) would be the best match to ensure successful expansion into this country.

Thought Process

• Business decisions are based on a variety of data points including, sales, profit, cultural match. Your goal as a business leader is to make decisions that have the best chance of success so you will need to incorporate as much data as possible before making your decisions.
• If you were going to be presenting to your management in a real-world situation, and requesting funds to support your expansion plan, you will need all of this data to be seen as credible and win support for your plan.
• The role of government and official policies have an important impact on the growth of their nation(s).
• In your simulation, you will be creating plans to expand to any or all of these 3 areas, Amsterdam, Rio de Janerio, and Bangalore and need to have a foundation for making these choices to augment the traditional sales and profit goals. The 4 principles of Conscious Capitalism can be an additional data source for decision making
• As governmental policies will play a large role in our success when expanding we need to know the following;
  • Can a government operate as a business?
  • How can we view governments through the lens of Conscious Capitalism to help us make our expansion recommendations? While the principles are usually applied to business, can we apply them to governments?
  • What is the culture of each country under consideration for expansion and how many principle(s) of Conscious Capitalism do they follow?
  • How does this information help us make expansion recommendations, if our goal is to expand to countries that have the strongest link to these principles?

Assignment Details and Rubric-
In a 4-6 page APA formatted paper excluding text, diagrams, and other visual/oral aids as appropriate, address the following:

• Section 1- The principles of Conscious Capitalism are usually applied to a business, but to help us make these choices, we will be applying them to the governments of the countries under consideration for growth but first need to answer these questions;
  • What are the four principles of Conscious Capitalism? Describe each of the principles.
  • Should we view government as a business in order to eventually apply the principles of Conscious Capitalism? What information does the research show on this topic? Present a balanced analysis covering the pros and cons of this approach. You will need to use at least 3 scholarly sources to support your thoughts in Section 1 in addition to the readings for this week
  • In general, how would you use the principals of Conscious Capitalism to analyze the possible markets and their governments for expansion goals?
• Section 2 -Research the markets that you can expand into from your home base in NYC (Amsterdam [Holland], Rio de Janerio [Brazil], Bangalore [India]). Do NOT discuss NYC as you are already operating from this location.

• Create a profile for each of the expansion areas (Amsterdam [Holland], Rio de Janerio [Brazil], Bangalore [India]). Include the following information.

• Economic data, i.e., population, Gross National Product (GDP)
• Cultural data; i.e., Hofstede Cultural Dimensions
• Which of the 4 principles of Conscious Capitalism are demonstrated by the government of the country?

• Section 3 – Recommendations for expansion. Using the results of this analysis and knowing the cultural profile your company leadership has already creating, make detailed recommendations for expansion progression. This should include;
  • Include in-depth description of your company, its products, and other relevant information to support the recommendations.
  • The logic that you are using to support your recommendations. This can include the projected sales and profit information, the links to Conscious Capitalism, any other factors which formed your recommendations.

As you work in this Assignment you may want to share your information in the team space so the team can use it in the decision-making process. Remember that differences in opinion are a great tool for discussion and increased effectiveness in decision making.