You are an expatriate manager at a manufacturing facility in Asia on your first assignment abroad. You are aware of increasing concern among your employees (mostly young women) about wages that barely permit them to live at subsistence level. The plant is not unionized, and you know that your superiors in your home country are not particularly supportive of efforts to organize workers. In fact, despite the calm demeanor when the subject of unions is raised, you believe that upper management in the home country could react severely if workers unionized. Headquarters would likely shift production elsewhere, close the plant, and transfer you elsewhere.

a) Can you propose anything that might improve conditions for workers that would also get the approval of upper management?

b) If you attempted what you proposed above but then failed, would you encourage workers to unionize? Explain.