International growth places particular stress on the resources of small firms.

Form small groups. Imagine you are the management team of a small project company operating in the highly competitive international construction industry.

You have just been advised that your company’s tender for part of an airport runway extension and facilities in a South-East Asian country has been successful.

Although you are very pleased to have won such a prestigious contract, you are now faced with a dilemma. The project will require sending at least six key specialist staff, for varying periods of time, into the foreign location. Your employees are working on other projects and only three will be available for the new venture, assuming that the current projects run to schedule. Should you accept the new project? If so, how will you handle the staffing situation?