A powerful and resourceful customer from Saudi Arabia gives an order for aircraft equipment to your global aerospace firm headquartered in Canada. After a couple of months, he wants a special and complicated technical add-on which is outside the project's request scope. His special request comes at a crucial point of time, shortly before the next milestone. In case of delays, penalties are due. Knowing about the propensity (possibility) of having a delay given the customer's special request the international project manager (IPM) - a German national -- replies to the customer: "We cannot and will not consider your request." The customer calls the CEO of the company directly threatening to place his follow-up orders with different companies. The CEO tasks you with solving this problem. You call a meeting of the company's IPM team to brainstorm a solution. During the meeting, another IPM - another Canadian national -- suggests the following idea: What if they offered a slight technical upgrade which was feasible in the given timeframe without any delay and significant cost? It would signal to the customer that the company did value him and aimed to satisfy his wishes. The company could show even more goodwill by offering special discounts for spare parts. This would not cost a lot of money either, especially when compared to the alternative of losing that customer. This course of action is adopted

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Which of the following statementsbestdescribes the main problem(s) that the firm had to deal with at the outset of this case?

The firm had to replace the German IPM with the Canadian IPM as soon as possible.
	There were cultural differences among the German and Canadian IPMs, and the Saudi Arabian customer.
	The firm must find a way to restore satisfaction and trust with the Saudi Arabian customer to ensure that the customer does not take follow up business to rival firms.
	How to help the Saudi Arabian customer realize that his request is outside of the project's scope and would cause project delays and increased costs.
	The German IPM refused to consider the Saudi Arabian customer's request.

Which of the following combinations of the Culture Gap Tool element(s)bestapply to analyzing this case?

Question 47 options:

	Equality-Hierarchy (Power Distance); Individual-Group (Individualism-Collectivism); Masculinity-Femininity; and Long term-Short term Orientation.
	High context - Low context; and Masculinity-Femininity.
	Equality-Hierarchy (Power Distance); Specific-Diffuse; Task-Relationship; and Achievement-Ascription.
	Universal-Circumstantial (Particularism); Embracing Risk-Avoiding Risk (Uncertainty Avoidance); and Sequential-Synchronic.
	Equality-Hierarchy (Power Distance); Embracing Risk-Avoiding Risk (Uncertainty Avoidance); and Sequential-Synchronic

All of the following statements describe the possible limitations of the Culture Gap Tool analysis used in this case EXCEPT:

Question 48 options:

	These individuals may in reality would probably display a blend of the different national cultures and identities depending on education, and work and lived experiences.
	These individuals may in reality behave more in line with the behavioural expectations of the international business community and/or their own professional mindsets based on education, and work and lived experiences.
	The polarization (i.e., national cultural differences) revealed by using the Culture Gap Tool does not necessarily mean that the differences shown below are displayed by all individuals from these national cultures.
	These individuals may not in reality show attitudes and behaviours that are typical of their individual national cultures, depending on education, and work and lived experiences.
	The Culture Gap Tool can only be used to analyze attitudes and behaviours after they have occurred; it cannot and should not be used to predict attitudes and behaviours.

This case reinforces the lesson against ___________ which assumes -- among other things -- that people of other cultures behave, believe, feel, and act the same way as those in the observer's culture.

Question 49 options:

	Pragmatism
	Stereotyping
	Ethnocentrism
	Proxemics
	Relativism

When using the Culture Gap Tool, the analyst should be careful of engaging in ______________, which assumes that all people within a specific national culture behave, believe, feel, and act the same.

Question 50 options:

	Pragmatism
	Relativism
	Stereotyping
	Ethnocentrism
	Proxemics