BUS707 Managing Across Cultures: Case study for Task 3 – Take-home exam: Case Study Analysis: Best Bibs and Tucker

Best Bibs and Tucker is an Australian-based company that specialises in wide-brimmed hats and bush clothing. The name is an example of Australian slang for “your best clothes”. Best Bibs and Tucker owns more than 50 re ...

Best Bibs and Tucker is an Australian-based company that specialises in wide-brimmed hats and bush clothing. The name is an example of Australian slang for “your best clothes”. Best Bibs and Tucker owns more than 50 retail-stores throughout Australia and a further 10 in the Japan. It recently acquired a small, but growing retail chain headquartered in China with 30 stores. It exports to 15 countries and have an e-commerce outlet for 5 years now. Best Bibs and Tucker Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Jack Smith was recently replaced by Mr. Francois Dubois (a French national) as part of their organisational and marketing rebranding for international markets. The rebranding of the stores, and change in organisational culture was at first projected for 6 months, but it has been dragging on now for almost 12 months. Mr. Dubois thought that he would be able to draw on local managers in China with the expansion of the 30 new stores broad. He also tried to tap into organisational expertise in Australia by chatting to local managers of local stores. Mr. Dubois together with his immediate management team had planned to send some of their existing Australianbased and Japanese based managers to China to lead this changeover and manage these when they re-open. They thought that this would be the most sensible since they know the products so well and they are familiar with the organisational values. Mr. Dubois had a firm stance on the later recruitment of entry-level staff from the local community and eventually appointing a local manager. So initially the staff consisted of Australian and Japanese managers and Australian employees. Then gradually they were replaced with locals. Workers in Australia is not comfortable with the expansion in China and feel unsure about their job security for the future. The plan with recruitment in the local community was to take staff with little or no previous work experience to offer them the opportunity and to train them in understanding the cultural-specific products and heritage behind the brand. They also want them to develop a deep understanding and appreciation for the organisational values and management style of Best Bibs and Tucker. They also thought that providing opportunities to low or no skill workers locally would help them in building their public profile and show their commitment to local development and involvement. The management teams would initially drive the organisational culture and then gradually train local managers to do the same. Questions Question 1 (25 marks) 1.1 Do you think the staffing approach of Best Bibs and Tucker in their Chinese stores are ethnocentric, polycentric or geocentric? Support your argument with details from the case and by explaining their approach. (10 marks) 1.2 They will have multicultural teams managing and working in the new stores. What are the benefits and disadvantages that Best Bibs and Tucker would likely face? (15 marks) Question 2 (25 marks) 2.1 Describe the product life-cycle of Best Bibs and Tucker by using the Product Life-cycle theory of Vernon. (15 marks) 2.2 Explain how culture can be utilised as a coordination mechanism through this life cycle and transition of the brand. (10 marks) Question 3 (25 marks) 3.1 Discuss the main culture shock issues that the initial workforce might face in relocating to China. (15 marks) 3.2 Discuss the main culture shock issues that the initial workforce might face in returning home. (10 marks) Question 4 (25 marks) 4.1 What are the challenges that global teams will face? (10 marks) 4.2 Explain the concept of a global mindset and how this could be applied in this case? (15 marks)