Question 1 Based only on the contents from the start of paragraph 1 (pg. 1)"On June 7, 2007"to the end of paragraph 1 (pg. 2)"..continuous improvement."what do you envision the full scope of the CEMEX call might have looked like? On June 7, 2007 Mexico-based CEMEX won a majority stake in Australia's Rinker Group. The $15.3 billion takeover, which came on top of the major acquisition in 2005 of the RMC Corporation - then the world's largest ready-mix concrete company and the single largest purchaser of cement - made CEMEX one of the world's largest supplier of building materials. This growth also rewarded CEMEX's shareholders handsomely through 2007, though its share price had fallen precipitously in 2008 in response to the global downturn and credit crisis coupled with the substantial financial leverage that had accompanied the Rinker acquisition. CEMEX's success over the 15 years from its first international acquisition in 1992 to the Rinker acquisition in 2007 was not only noteworthy for a company based in an emerging economy, but also in an industry where the emergence of a multinational from an emerging economy (EMNE) as a global leader could not be explained by cost arbitrage; given cement's low value to weight ratio little product moves across national boundaries. Much of CEMEX's success could be attributed to how it looked at acquisitions, and the post-merger integration (PMI) process that ensued, as an opportunity to drive change, and as a result, continuously evolve as a corporation. Since it began globalizing its operations in the early 1990s, the company had been praised for its ability to successfully integrate its acquisitions by, at one and the same time, introducing best practices that had been standardized throughout the corporation and making a concerted effort to learn best practices from the acquired company and implement them where appropriate. Known internally as the CEMEX Way, CEMEX standardized business processes, technology, and organizational structure across all countries while simultaneously granting countries certain operational flexibility, enabling them to react more nimbly to local operating environments. In addition, CEMEX was known as an innovator, particularly in operations and marketing, and the CEMEX Way encouraged innovation, particularly if it could be applied throughout the firm. For CEMEX, the resulting innovation and integration process was an ongoing effort as it recognized the value of "continuous improvement.

Question 2

Is there evidence to characterize CEMEX as a high velocity organization? Explain, if not offer examples of situations in which it fell short Question 3

Throughout the case, identify and explain two clear cases where CEMEX managers were confronted with true challenges of Knowledge Asymmetry? Reference for question 1-3 : CEMEX: Globalization "The CEMEX Way" Donald R. Lessard and Cate Reavis

This case was prepared by Cate Reavis from published sources under the supervision of professor Donald R. Lessard. Professor Lessard is the Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management.

Question 4

If 'integration' is a core management activity to address Knowledge Asymmetry, do you believe that the following statement is always correct? (True = Yes, False = No)

When managers integrate information, they are elevated to a permanent state of Knowledge Asymmetry like other professional experts.

Question 5

The driving logic behind asymmetric knowledge, i.e., where one party has greater and typically expert knowledge than the other party, as it applies to management, is that managers are typically required to integrate new information to acquire sufficient knowledge to address an ever-changing landscape of problems.

Does the following situation qualify as a case of Knowledge Asymmetry? (True = Yes, False = No)

Trey, Cassie, and Nkobe have each compiled a different proposal for the direction that they believe the company should take, as the dominant focus for marketing for the coming year. They are about to present their plans to the Chief Marketing Officer. Question 6

The driving logic behind asymmetric knowledge, i.e., where one party has greater and typically expert knowledge than the other party, as it applies to management, is that managers are typically required to integrate new information to acquire sufficient knowledge to address an ever-changing landscape of problems.

Does the following situation qualify as a case of Knowledge Asymmetry? (True = Yes, False = No)

The C-Level team meets to review the presentation to be made at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM). True / false

Question 7

Does the following situation qualify as a case of Knowledge Asymmetry? (True = Yes, False = No)

Ana, Maya, Sam, and Amir are four of the company's best trouble-shooters and conceptualisers and have been asked by the Director of Sales to develop new strategies for midsize companies. true/ false

Question 8

Does the following situation qualify as a case of Knowledge Asymmetry?

James from engineering, Ling from customer service, and Manjeet from sales, meet with Geraldo, the sales manager, to get an update on the sales funnel (projected sales) for the upcoming quarter. TRue/false