19-19. How well was Paul prepared for his expatriation?The Chicago Food and Beverage Company (CFB Co.) is an American multinational with subsidiaries in North America, Europe, and Asia. Paul Fierman, a 34-year-old American manager, was appointed as the General Director of CFB Co.

Vietnam with a mission to lead the subsidiary and implement the new organizational strategy.

Obtaining this expatriate position had not been difficult for Paul. In 1995, he earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Cornell University. After graduation, Paul took a position as product manager in the marketing department at the New York subsidiary of CFB Co. Three years later, he became a manager for the carbonated nonalcoholic beverages of the Eastern American region. After two years in this position, Paul was put in charge of both carbonated and noncarbonated nonalcoholic drinks in the U.S. market. As a country manager, he was paid an annual base salary of $300,000 and 10 to 15 percent commission on sales. Although Paul was satisfied with his job, he wanted to reorientate his career toward general management positions in the company. Therefore, in 2002 he decided to undertake a full-time Masters in Business Administration studies in international management at Harvard Business School. After completing his MBA, Paul wanted to return to CFB Co., but in order be able to reach the pinnacle of his career, he thought he needed to acquire some international professional experience. The only international experience he had so far was a year spent in Oxford, United Kingdom, as an exchange program student. Paul kept in touch with his former supervisor at his first position within CFB Co., Allan Roger, Marketing Director of the New York subsidiary. Just before graduating from his MBA, Paul called Allan to discuss his potential return to the company