Assignment - IB

International Business Assignment
Amanda Tremblay at Citrine Software Solutions
Overview of the case

Amanda Tremblay, a recent MBA with a technical background who was recruited by
Citrine Software Solutions (CSS). CSS, based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, develops,
implements, and supports software-as-a-service (SaaS) products for human resource
management and associated business processes. Soon after joining, Tremblay
distinguishes herself through her work on a project that analysed the possibility
of accessing a lower-priced market segment through product standardization, and
another study exploring opportunities in Southeast Asia by establishing an initial
position in Vietnam. Tremblay is then sent to Hanoi to launch a Vietnamese
subsidiary and implement the product and pricing strategies as recommended in her
study. By offering basic software free of costly customization and by selling it on
a "pay-per-product-feature" subscription basis, CSS expects to be more competitive
in this price-sensitive market. Tremblay's mentor in top management makes it clear
that if this strategy succeeds, CSS intends to use this market-entry approach in
other Southeast Asian countries.

PROBLEM
Amanda’s primary problem is her entry strategy does not seem to be appropriate for
the Vietnam market and requires some customizations.
The major questions that are to be addressed here are,
• Was it wise or is it feasible to push back against the proposed relocation of
local data centres?
• What was the best way to address the internal consultant problem threatening
customer support?

ANALYSIS
Employee selection is main part in the business.
Employee selection is an important process for any organization, but particularly
for small businesses that can be challenged to compete with larger employers.
While, small businesses need capable and competent employees to help them develop
and deliver high quality products and services. Using some simple best practice
steps in the selection process can help small businesses find, recruit and retain
high calibre employees. Effective employee selection involves matching the
requirements of a job to the skills of job applicants. The better organizations can
clarify the specific job-related criteria required in job candidates, the more
likely they will be to find qualified, competent employees and avoid potential
claims of discrimination or hiring based on reasons other than job competencies.
While this seems straightforward enough, the process represents challenges.
Business owners and hiring managers may not have the human resources background
necessary to translate job duties into specific hiring criteria.

Who is a Frontline leaders?
As a leader on the frontline, you need to be able to communicate well with your
manager, but also with your direct reports, customers, and stakeholders. Effective
communication requires both empathy and assertiveness, especially when managing
diverse teams.
Strategy communications should always be accompanied by metrics, which help
frontline employees take ownership over their roles in the execution.

Why the Focus on the frontline managers?
From our perspective, the most difficult thing about corporate strategy is
consistent execution across an organization. When push comes to shove, the people
most responsible for a company’s ability to execute their strategic plans are the
managers on the frontline who must get the work done through their teams.
Typically making up more than half of an organization’s leadership and supervising
more than three-quarters of the workforce, frontline managers hold the keys to
bringing a strategy to life.

The 5 Biggest Challenges to Strategy Implementation,
Every company needs a strategic plan. A bird’s eye view plan – make, sell, profit
this is good enough to get any company up and running, but in order to innovate,
grow, and develop, a company must narrow its vision.
A strategic plan helps companies slough off the things they aren’t good at doing so
they can better focus on the things that they are. A strategic plan also lays the
groundwork for improving those things that need a little (or a lot of) work. The
right vision shows company leaders where to dedicate time, human capital, and
budgetary resources.
1. Weak Strategy
2. Ineffective training
3. Lack of resources
4. Lack of communication
5. Lack of follow through
Here in this particular case, we can see cross-cultural differences between the
managers who are working in the company. This also impacts on managing business
relationships. As companies continue to expand across borders and the global
marketplace becomes increasingly more accessible for small and large businesses.
Multinational and cross-cultural teams are likewise becoming ever more common,
meaning businesses can benefit from an increasingly diverse knowledge base and new,
insightful approaches to business problems. However, along with the benefits of
insight and expertise, global organizations also face potential stumbling blocks
when it comes to culture and international business.

Recognizing and understanding how culture affects international business in three
core areas: communication, workplace etiquette, and organizational hierarchy can
help you to avoid misunderstandings with colleagues and clients from abroad and
excel in a globalized business environment.
Vietnam is the best market to enter as there are 2 big competitors competing in the
Vietnam. Communication barrier is seen as a major drawback between the managers and
the Amanda. As we seen in the case, managers found some fault with the accent of
Amanda during the meetings. Cross culture practice must be taken care as to
understand the business trends and understanding of the customer expectations.
Amanda should stick to her original business plan. They should give more teachings
about the internal consultant problem to avoid the customer problems

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International Business Assignment

Amanda Tremblay at Citrine Software Solutions

Overview of the case

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