Scenario Analysis

Answer the following questions related to this case:

1. Did AFC have the right to fire Frank and Spenser over something they did in a very discreet manner during their lunch break?

2. Do Frank and Spencer have a legitimate lawsuit based upon sexual discrimination?

3. Is there an issue with employment-at-will?

4. Is there a right to privacy issue?

5. Using deontological, utilitarian and virtue ethics as your guides, define each of these three ethical theories and discuss how you believe the company would act based upon each of these three ethical viewpoints.

Expansion Plans for Scooter Land

Scooter Land had been headquartered and doing business solely in the United States for five years.  They had an excellent reputation for a quality product and demand was at an all-time high. The CEO of the company decided to explore the possibility of expanding into two or three foreign countries. Each foreign facility would include operations, distribution, and sales of the scooters.

The CEO assigned John, the Director of Operations, to be in charge of performing the preliminary work in making the decisions regarding the expansion into other countries. John started by visiting Central America and Africa because of the reported low cost of doing business in these areas. After his visits, however, John rejected these countries because of the dangerous business climates and insufficient disposable income in their marketplaces.

John also performed a detailed analysis of 75 additional countries, hiring an expensive consultant to assist him with the analysis of the extensive amount of information obtained. By the time that John and the consultant finished their analysis, six months had passed and they had spent more than $100,000.

Before completely giving up on the project, the CEO asks you to provide input to John. He feels that the project can be saved if John heads in the right direction. He asks you to first describe five (5) external sources of information that John should have used to collect country information for analysis purposes.  Because you oversee operations, he also asks you to identify and discuss three (3) control instruments that the business might use to govern the international operations.  This is critical to know if the company moves forward with the expansion.

ANSWER

Sources of Market Research

Analysis and data gathering are significant aspects of delivering the correct outcome of a certain investigation or study. The strategy used to gather information should help John outline the best methods effective for a particular nation. The cost and timelines of the process are still essential in knowing the company’s right data gathering method. Information from trade associations should be the first source of data because of the benefits and diverse options on certain investment opportunities and problems. John only needs to evaluate the trade association strategies used to gather information to understand if it is a reliable source to utilize. Government statistics is the second lucrative source of data of a nation. The information from government statistics outlines the population, family expenditure, and citizens’ living standards, among other considerations. This is the second efficient external source of data collection.

Periodicals and newspapers also contain the needed information essential in conducting a detailed market survey. Newspapers such as financial express and economic times mostly have information associated with market reports and business trends, which John can use to evaluate the right steps towards going global. Published surveys of markets are the fourth significant external source of data John should use in this survey. They are typically published by business houses or independent research institutions concerning a given line of products and other items. Trade associations, including export promotion council and chambers of commerce, also produce significant information that can be of immense help to the Scooter Land survey. These associations cover information concerning different aspects of doing business in diverse nations across the globe. Therefore, John should explore these five external sources of information to design the right mechanisms of going international.