International Management Research Paper Essay

Assessing the EnvironmentAs we look to memorize our act upon, internationalist Jean Company, into the ever expanding planetary occupation, its important that we choose locations that argon release to fit our fabricates. This location selection rump non just be random, nor can it be d maven hastily. Our epoch learning how to be International Managers suck in taught us that whole through c beful research into many disciplines resembling the Environment, the Geography and Climate, the Culture, and converse, can we really have the randomness necessary to make an informed decision. Therefore, we began to look at Denmark, and extensively researched the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that lay before us here.Denmark is a small country with a population of just over 5 million inhabitants. It has achieved a curious degree of economic success over the last 50 historic period or so. With gross domestic product per school principal of around $56,000 the coun try values fifth in the world and ahead of both Japan and Germany in footing of purchasing power. This remarkable economic success has been achieved by the Danes thanks, in no small measure, to their pragmatic bank line style.(1) According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, it has the most efficient distri exception system, the best labor regulations, and the second highest GDP per person. According to Forbes.com, Denmark is the best country to do stemma in. The danish pastry economys mix of number singlely inflation and imprint unemployment along with emphasis on entrepreneurship and lower taxes make Denmark an attractive union to business investors and entrepreneurs. These qualities combined with high marks for innovation and technological savvy lift Denmark to the top of the business world. Denmark is a country that is filled with many small and medium sized, independently owned businesses.Comp atomic number 18d to the rest of the European Union, Denmark has a significantly less amount of life-size corporations, with the exception of Spain. They ar known for their top quality intersection standards. danish pastry companies tend to concentrate on highly specialized products with a high margin business and rely more than than on product innovation and design instead of improvements in production technology and price competitiveness. Many small and medium sized companies ar able to have study understand over their market beca mapping they base themselves in small towns and rely on relationships with the community. This makes it difficult for large corporations to take their market manage. Although Denmark has a significant amount of independent businesses that support its economy, it is highly dependent on exotic trade and international cooperation.Denmark is made up of a highly developed infrastructure, an advanced telecommunications system and a considerably-educated and stable workforce. Throughout all relevant levels of t he workforce, English is spoken and written at an exceptionally ripe(p) level. This is a very beneficial factor to the role that Denmark plays in the spheric market. Geographically, Denmark is in the perfect position for international trade. It is in the center of the Scandinavian countries and has easy access to the Northern and Eastern European countries. International surveys utter that Denmark has top ratings in transportation, in all modes, energy, communications, and distri saveion systems.It is also highly rated in product quality, organizational quality, customer relations, credibility, and affectionate responsibility. Denmarks jural system is very exchangeable to those of a nonher(prenominal) European countries. Foreign business men may find some difficulty in legalities ascribable to the practice session of civil law system and statutory law. Unlike the common law system practise in countries such as the US, the danish courts are not limited to the strict lett ering of the law, but instead the purpose of the statute. This interpretation is also applied to private agreements. Compared to other countries, lobbying of the government is not as common and not as organized as in other countries.Usually, trade bodies impart reach up issues to the government instead of somebody persons or companies. The most common forms of companies used in Denmark are Public Limited Companies and Private Limited Companies. Denmark is known for having a high tax rate although when victorious to account other costs of doing business (wages, benefits, cost of living, etc.) it balances out. The Danish tax regime relies heavily on direct taxes, such as taxes from labor, but there is little to no dependence on verificatory taxes, such as social security and contributions from employers.Managing InterdependenceDenmark is a significant player in the global market when it comes to social responsibility and ethics. It has the lowest rate of corruption of any other c ountries in the European Union. It also has very strict government regulations and very beneficial reasons to be socially perpetrateworthy. Since the 1970s, Danish environmental law has developed as part of public, private and European Community law. The National Agency for environmental Protection, the National Forest and Nature Agency and the Department of Planning all make up the Ministry of the Environment. The have local and regional councils which are elected by the public and are responsible for environmental and provision procedures that conform to local wishes. Denmark is one of the few countries that have several kinds of green fees and green taxes. This is to motivate companies to use cleaner technologies, resource management, and/or environmental audit and management schemes.In 2008, Danish parliament passed a bill that forces large corporations to composition on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) on their annual report. The Danish companies that have engage d in CSR have reported that it has had a positive effect on the companies. They necessitate that while it is flexible, it does bring up some legal burdens on them. It is the belief of the Danish government that the legal requirement marks the starting point for increased reporting on CSR, and in the forthcoming years the government intends to encourage progress and improvement of Danish businesses CSR work and reporting. Upon this laws implementation, 1100 companies were required to report CSR on their beside annual reports. According to the 2009 reports, 89% of the required companies complied and 3% did not comply (8% complied by default because of creation a subsidiary of a company that complied). The most common form of CSR among Danish companies related to environmental and climate issues.According to International Management, by Helen Deresky, Denmark is tied for the number one spot for the country with the least(prenominal) amount of corruption. This is because the Danish culture has a much more direct approach to business practices. They favor propagateness and honesty, which sometimes seems rude to outside(prenominal)ers. It is clear to see that Denmark is ahead of roughly all other countries in being Socially Responsible and having sound business ethics. For a rising company, redeeming(prenominal) ethics and social responsibility can be a make-it or break-it issue for a company. In one aspect, these issues can cost the company money. When just beginning, you should try to get your costs to be as low as possible. On the other hand, being viewed as an ethical company and by being socially responsible you improve the image and branding of the company.That leave alone give the public a better perception of the company and can increase the demand for your product. Fortunately, in Denmark, only large companies are legally required to report their activities relating to social responsibility. While it would be a smart choice to make, not having to spend money on social responsibility during the beginning phases of the company leave allow ease for penetrating the market and give allow us to be more socially responsible in the future. Overall, Denmarks cost of doing business is about the same, if not lower than other countries, and the benefits of doing business in that country are much more significant. As long as our company helps locals and abides by their cultures and their rules, then the company should be very successful. sagacity the Role of CultureBefore we can truly envision starting our business in Denmark, we need to understand the culture of the area. The viability of the economy, the labor market, the work environment, are all crucial to our success overseas. Taking the time to build a cultural profile of Denmark can help International Jean understand how to passage our business, and our expatriates to a very new experience.We begin our cultural profile by looking at the brass and Economic systems of Denmark. The politics of Denmark could best be described as a Social Democracy though they do have a constitutional monarchy, like England it is a mostly ceremonial position. Elections occur egalitarianally, similar to the coupled States without the Electoral College, which leads to a more direct representation of democracy. There are very low levels of corruption, not just in Denmark but in the entirety of the surrounding Nordic countries.As furthermost as picking a market to operate out of, Denmark is a very excellent selection. Denmark has a prosperous, well-developed mixed market economy, ranking 16th in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) per capita. They use the Nordic Model, which is a version of what is traditionally called a welfare state The Nordic Model differs from other welfare states with an emphasis on maximizing labor force participation, promoting wage and gender equality, and a large amount of wealth distribution. A so called welfare state goes hand in hand with wealth dis tribution, citizens can count on monetary support during periods of unemployment and on welfare. The redistribution of wealth goes towards many societal needs, which will be explained further.Furthering supporting our transition, Denmark features low barriers to free trade, as well as little product market regulation. In fact, according to OECD rankings, Denmark has one of the highest ratings as far as product market freedom is concerned. We will be able to easily enter into this market, and will have a hole of freedom in regards to product selection, as well as advertising and marketing. This plays into the next few sections of our cultural profile family relationship and attitudes towards leisure and recreation.Denmark, similar to most of the Nordic region, is one of the most liberal nations in Europe. They have an open attitude towards sex, nudity, and freedom of expression. As you walk around cities in Denmark, you can find advertising that features risqu situations, and leve l(p) cursing. The mountain of Denmark tend to have a darker sense of humor than what were acclimated to here in the United States, and often find ways to poke fun even at traditionally somber topics like death. Though we should be careful of how we utilize humor, both in our advertisements and in our work environment. Though good natured, citizens here tend to intensely dislike any joking at the expense of Denmark and its culture, particularly from outsiders. They are very proud of their country, and their family units reflect this.Families in Denmark are traditionally tight, well-knit units, who enjoy a good quality of life. They tend to live a relaxed lifestyle with a focus on family and friends. Bicycles are one of the predominant ways to travel around, especially in sizeableger cities like Copenhagen. We come to a big difference in the midst of the United States and Denmark, in terms of the attitude towards work. Whereas most Americans work to live, in Denmark the opposite is true. The Danish are taught from an early age to choose a profession that they would enjoy working, as opposed to a job taken out of financial necessity.This is reflected on Denmarks scores in G.L.O.B.E/ Hofstede cultural dimension rankings in masculinity, which are very low, as well as doubtfulness Avoidance also being low. This is partly due to the fact that most of the labor market is a part of Trade Unions, as of 2008 Denmark had 67.6% labor union density. There is a partnership between employers, trade unions and the government, whereby these social partners negotiate the terms to regulating the workplace among themselves, rather than the terms being imposed by law. As we transition, we will need to make contact with these unions, and work closely with them to come up with rules and regulations for International Jeans that work for the native population.Another workplace difference is in the amount of work per week and the spend time allotted. The Danish work an average of 3 7 hours a week, generally calling it a twenty-four hours around 4pm local time. Expatriates should be made informed that the Danish are not impressed with managers that work 50-60 hours a week. As mentioned previously, they believe in a balance between work and life, and would view those who worked well more hours to be less efficient at their jobs. In the United States, there are no laws concerning p encourage vacations or time off. To contrast, in Denmark paid time off is actually mandated by law. The Danish usually receive a minimum of 5 weeks of vacation, plus national holidays. These are factors we need to consider when hiring local workers.Other characteristics of the Danish work environment include high job mobility, as employees and managers are encouraged to take risks and make decisions that a more conservative American manager might not make. In general, Danish company activities are less structured and less formal, which is reflected again by the low score in the Unce rtainty Avoidance category. There is a low level of Assertiveness on the Hofstede scale, as the strength of unions and the desire of the Danish to care about their work come together to make a highly productive and group oriented workplace. We would do well to hire a lot of local talent immediately.We mentioned the large amount of wealth distribution earlier. Denmark ranks highly on the Collectivism scale. macrocosm a social welfare economy, much of that money is poured into both the Educational system as well as Healthcare. The Danish education system provides access to primary school, secondary school and higher education. entirely university education in Denmark is free there are no tuition fees to enroll in courses. Danish universities and other higher education institutions offer international students a range of opportunities for obtaining an internationally recognized making in Denmark, and many classes are taught in English. Our company should take advantage of this when l ooking to hire.In summing up to free education, there is also Universal Healthcare for all Danish citizens, paid primarily by taxes. Denmark spends 9.8% of GDP on healthcare. The life expectancy in Denmark is 78.6 years, and there is one doctor for every 294 persons in Denmark. It should be noted, that these social services also leads to a high tax rate for Danish citizens, hovering in effect(p) 48-49%Communicating Across CulturesAs we work towards bringing International Jean Co. to Denmark, we need to be aware of the similarities and differences in the way our two countries communicate. The characteristics of that communication, and the interplay between American expatriates and Danish locals will determine how well our new company will function as an overseas entity. We will begin by looking at native diction, as well as the amount of English saturation in Denmark.The native language of Denmark is Danish, with other regional languages such as Faroese, Greenlandic, and German of ficially recognized. In selecting expatriates, we should look to be choosing managers that are able to chat Danish, or willing to quickly learn. However, we shouldnt feel like the ability to babble out the language is mandatory for expatriates. One of the great aspects of setting up our business in Denmark is that there is a very high proportion of Danish citizens who speak English. In the educational system, it is taught as the primary foreign language. English will be spoken and written well by all relevant levels of the workforce. This is further demonstrated by the fact that many commercials and advertisements, as well as trademarks, are used nowadays in Denmark without translation.The people of Denmark are, generally language, friendly but blunt in their speech with one another. Concerning Hofstede dimensions, they rank very highly in the Humane category. They tend to shy away from confrontation, so our expatriates are way out to need to tread softly when it comes to momen t of direct communication regarding mistakes or problems. Direct debate is encouraged, but keeping confrontational phrasing out of it is important.The Danish tend to be very plain speaking when communicating, which can be mistaken for rudeness in other cultures. Our managers need to be aware of this, so they know that they arent necessarily being insulted when talking about work issues. Like the United States, Denmark is a low-context culture. They tend to be direct and explicit when communicating among one another, and tend not to rely on non- literal communication. They prefer to have direct conversations, either by phone or face-to-face, though increasingly more electronic communication has taken over.Also like the United States, Denmark is also considered a low-contact culture. They prefer a minimum of an arms length of personal space, and do not enjoy overly hard-hitting physical contact. Body language is very restricted, which can make interpreting responses and feedback diff icult.Time is another major factor that we as Americans have in common with Denmark. The Danish follow a monochronic time system, which is more linear in structure as compared to polychronic time. Those practicing monochromic time, such as the Danish, tend to complete tasks one at a time as well as adhere to a stricter schedule. We also share similar views on proxemics, or proximity. The Danish see larger offices and more space as pensive of having more power and esteem. The United States and Denmark have a surprising amount of similarities in how we communicate, both in regards to interpersonal communication as well as in a work environment. This should greatly aid International Jean Co. in a smooth transition from the United States to Denmark.Cross-Cultural Negotiation and closing MakingThe Negotiation ProcessDanish people of business are usually very see in interacting and doing business with visitors from other cultures. They pride themselves on their Danish culture and tend to sometimes not be very open to information or assistance from the outside. Similar to many other countries, people of Denmark shake hands upon meeting. This is also the case when departing. It is good to familiarize yourself with the Danish culture before going in full steam. The Danish official language resembles Swedish and Norwegian, and shares a few commonalities with German, but DO NOT remark or even assume that they are similar.Most businessmen and women in Denmark speak English well, but it is recommended to stay away from using jargon and slang. Danes like to leave space between themselves when interacting, so be aware of others personal space and try not to be likewise touchy-feely. They usually speak in quiet, gentle tones and interrupting is considered rude. Danes usually do not openly show their emotions. Come well prepared The Danes are meticulous when it comes to analyzing information and proposals. Know your information and bring in copies for your Danish counterpa rt to examine. Everything should be well organized and do not steer off topic straight and to the point.Business relationships are often only fairly important in the country, and are typically not a needed requirement for initial business interactions. Just like your goal is to get to know ones contacts in a host country and build mutual trust before embarking on business discussion and transaction, your counterpart is also trying to learn about you. Danes are cautious and appear to be reserved and proceed slow. Once the trust is well known, there will be a sense of allegiance to you as a jimmyed business partner. Denmark is a democratic and understanding country. It can be cohesive to criticize other people or systems. Bosses are judge to be team leaders rather than private decision-makers. In the countrys business culture, the respect a person takes pleasure in depends mainly on his or her achievements. Well-liked personal traits include individual initiative, knowledge, and exp ertise.To the Danes, negotiation is a joint problem solving process and the buyer and seller in a deal are equal partners. The primary negotiation style is cooperative and they believe in the pattern win-win. It is strongly advisable to avoid any open disagreement and to remain calm, friendly, patient, and determined. The Danish believe in information sharing as a way to build trust with their counterparts but this doesnt pixilated that they are going to say everything. A good part of the communication may be in writing, which Danes often prefer.They move through things rather quick and are less observant over detail. They get to to conclude negotiations quickly but this does not mean they will readily accept unfavorable terms. Danes do not like bargaining or haggling such that they do not appreciate hard-hitting sales techniques. They do prefer negotiating in a straightforward and honest style and may use pressure techniques. When persuading your counterpart avoid aggressive ta ctics and negotiating with the Danish. If confronted, they will not shy away, but this is almost guaranteed to deteriorate your bargaining position rather than strengthen it. It can also eliminate your relationship.Although a verbal agreement can be considered dorsum and will most likely be kept, do not consider them final. Only a contract that is signed by the two parties makes up a binding agreement. Written contracts are a serious matter in Denmark. It is best to keep them concise without including too many legalistic details. Signing the contract not only shows your commitment but a strong ratification of your Danish partners commitment also.Works CitedBrunson, Winnon Cultural Perspective A Year in Denmark 2008Danish Communication Styles 2012ET R I KBENHAVN FOLKESUNDHED OG KULTUR 2011The Monarchy today The Danish Monarchy 16, June 2012ETLA The Nordic ModelThe Nordic Model Nordic Labour Journal In Focus. 2001Business Negotiations in DenmarkBusiness Etiquette in DenmarkNegotiat ing International Business The treaters Reference Guide to 50 Countries Around the World Katz, Lothar. 2007Doing Business in Denmark Kroman, Reumart. 11 February, 2005.