BUS409: the cross-culture practical IESS

Try to be as creative and entrepreneurial as possible.
Case Study: INA FOOD INDUSTRY: A NEW MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY FOR JAPANESE BUSINESSES

Ina Food Industry Co., Ltd was located in Ina, Nagano Prefecture, and is surrounded by high mountains of the Alps of Japan. Among this idyllic setting, Mr. Hiroshi Tsukakoshi, 68, chairman of Ina food, led the company through an incredible 48 years of continuous revenue and profit growth. The company was one of the leading manufacturers of powdered agar, a gelatin traditional product derived from seaweed. In 2005, the news about the medicinal benefits of agar led to a boom in demand, but Tsukakoshi felt that it was an accident and believes that if management was not concerned solely with income, and instead focus on creating sustainable growth, the company will continue to exist for a long time. This, in turn, please, everyone who was directly or indirectly associated with the company. He was confident that Ina Foods was a new model for the Japanese small and medium-sized businesses in the new management philosophy that has brought happiness to employees and the community. He felt he had done a good job so far. Business flourished and pose no immediate problems. But he also felt that he should not just sit back and enjoy their success. There were great opportunities for growth, and he knew the operation must be improved before these options can be targeted.

1. Use effectuation theory to describe the entrepreneurial story of Tsukakoshi? What his bird in hand, affordable loss, lemonade and quilt. (10 points)
2. What were the major contributions made by Tsukakoshi to Ina Foods? (10 points)
3. What is your learning about the critical thinking skills that top management must possess to make important business decisions? (10 points)
4. What did Tuskakoshi do to return to society and his team? (10 points)
5. What were the key learnings from the following exercises? Answer 2 only from the list.

(10 points)

1. • Business Model Canvas
   • Idea generation: Lost in the island.
   • Creative Entrepreneurial Marketing Activity
2. What were the key learning from the session as discussed by Mr. Bob Stringer (“What does it take to build and sustain a winning startup culture? “)

Hint: You can refer to his reading and presentation used in the course. (10 points)

1. Mention the entrepreneurial characteristics that Roxanne Quimby had which led to the foundation of her business, Burts Bees? (5 points)

1. Think of a business idea in which you want to start a business in and state the Gain Creators and Pain Relievers which you can offer to the customers? (5 points)

1. List at least 3 key take away from following guest speaker/faculty sessions: (20 points)
   • Mr. Kamran Ahmed Siddiqui (“Emerging Talent Management Challenges & respective Corporate Business opportunities in Region GCC countries”)
   • Mr. Wahaj Ahmed, Co-founder Retailo (“The world of startups, acquiring VC funds, and scaling up a multinational company”)
   • Mr. Hans Michael Guelich. Stamford University Thailand (“Coaching Culture” Subtitle Do you invite someone to observe you? “)
   • Dr. M Umair Shah, University of Waterloo (“Towards Business Sustainability—The Role of Entrepreneurs and Business Decision-Makers”)
   • Dr. Miles K Davis, President LINFIELD COLLEGE (“Entrepreneurial Behavior: A cultural guide for innovation and growth”).

1. What are the key learnings of this Summer School (IESS 2021) and how can you apply these learnings in your life and future endeavors? (5 points)

11.What do we learn from the case study of Cold Opportunity: Nils Bergvist Story? (5 points)

Total points: 100

Dun and Ready (D&R) Company is a retail firm that started out in the United Kingdom. It recently expanded into Mexico. D&R management are excited about the expansion because they anticipate a large market for their goods in Latin America. They hired Raul to negotiate contracts for getting the necessary permissions to begin building retail stores in Mexico City. Although Raul graduated from Cornell University, he spent his childhood in Mexico and knew the country well. Raul’s manager, Ian Menkin, stressed to Raul the importance of getting the new locations approved as soon as possible so the company could begin building their stores.Unfortunately, Raul ran into some difficulties receiving permissions in the required time frame. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the permissions process took longer than originally thought. When Raul explained to Ian that the building process would likely be delayed due to these problems, Ian was not pleased. “Look, Raul. We have a schedule to keep. The people here at headquarters will not take kindly to any delays.”“But what should I do, Ian?” Raul asked. “Just do whatever it takes to get those permits approved,” Ian said before hanging up the phone.Raul called up Pedro, his main government contact that worked on approving zoning permits. Raul explained the situation, but Pedro would not budge. “I’m sorry, Raul. But I can’t make the process go any faster.”Raul, knowing his job could be on the line, begged Pedro to reconsider. Finally, Pedro agreed to meet with Raul to “talk things through.”Later that day, the two men met. Raul again presented his case. Pedro listened and finally spoke. “I understand your predicament. And although it’s against policy, I believe I can help you get those permits approved. However, I’m going to need 6,000 pesos to complete the job.”Raul was uncomfortable with the idea. Again, he called up Ian in London. Raul explained the situation. “Unfortunately, this is really going to be the only way to get this process done quickly.”Ian was quiet for a little while. Then he spoke. “The money isn’t that important. It only amounts to a little more than £ 300. Go ahead and pay him.” “But Ian, what if anyone at the company finds out?”Ian replied, “It’s our policy to respect the different cultures in which we do business. It is one of our core values. If giving small payments is the only way to get things done quickly, then that’s what we have to do.”Raul agreed and paid Pedro the money. The permits were approved, and the first store was built. The success of the store convinced the company to expand to more locations in the area. Unfortunately, Raul ran into the same problem. Management at D&R wanted their building permits to be approved in a reasonable time period. Raul explained that gaining approval could be a long process in Mexico, but D&R assumed since he had gotten approval quickly once before, he could do it again. Raul was in a bind. So whenever Pedro offered to speed up the process in exchange for a small amount of money, Raul agreed.As a result of Raul’s success, he was promoted and relocated to the United Kingdom to the corporate offices. His pay tripled since from when he had first started. Raul enjoyed London and loved his new job responsibilities. Everything seemed to be going well.Then one day Raul got a frantic call from Ian. “We have a problem. Somehow someone figured out about the payments made to secure building permits in Mexico. They are launching an investigation.”Although Raul was nervous, he could not understand Ian’s panic. “But the payments we made were not extensive. It’s just the way things work in Mexico. You said everything would be fine.”Ian’s voice was sharp. “You fool! It doesn’t matter whether the payments were small! Any type of bribery can be prosecuted under the U.K. Bribery Act. It doesn’t matter whether the bribery took place in Mexico—any company with operations in the U.K. can be held liable.”Raul swallowed. “So what do we do?” he asked. “Listen carefully to what I’m telling you,” Ian said. “I want you to find any documentation that might be incriminating and destroy it. If anyone comes asking, deny any payments. Also, contact the person you made the payments to. Do what it takes to make sure he denies that D&R made any improper payments to him.”Raul hung up the phone. He knew if found out the company could face massive fines. Perhaps he and Ian could get into legal trouble. However, he also knew covering up the bribery would make it worse for everyone if discovered. On the other hand, Raul thought there was a good probability that the payments would not be noticed. He knew that almost all companies have to make these payments to get transactions done in different countries, and many have not been caught.
a) What is an ethical dilemma?b) Identify three (3) ethical issues in this case study.c) Identify (2) pressures that caused the ethical issues to develop.d) Discuss two (2) advantages and one (1) disadvantage of destroying the incriminating documents.e) If Raul was a utilitarian, how would he arrive at the most moral decision to take?f) Discuss three (3) problems in the application of the utilitarian theory.g) According to the deontological theory, what decision would Raul be required to make?
Discuss two (2) criticisms against the deontological theory.
i) If Raul was an ethical egoist, what main principle would influence his decision to destroy the incriminating documents or not to?