You are a consultant hired by a large North American company to help it devise a new policy for handling criminal

violations in its foreign operations. In the past, the firm

reported crimes to local police, believing it was best to let

local officials handle theft and other violations rather than

impose a system of justice from the home office. However, the firm is rethinking

its procedures after a recent case of petty theft in Asia. The country's North

American managing director told police that she suspected an employee was

stealing small amounts of company property of minimal value. Local law

enforcement officers arrested the employee and took him to the police station

where he was interrogated using local procedures. The worker confessed. The

police then took the employee outside and shot him dead. The country manager

was devastated by this turn of events.

Questions:

What changes would you suggest in how the company handles criminal violations in other cultures? Who should be involved in developing and implementing the new policy?