ABSTRACT
Many business travelers comment that they find the HSBC advertisement in airport boarding bridges inspiring. For example, “In the future, there will be no markets left waiting to emerge.” The advertisements provide a unique perspective on today's economy, which is becoming more and more global. Many North American companies have expanded their operations to many different parts of the world; some have experienced more success than others. In this chapter, we use a case study approach to discuss cultural considerations that arise when organizations compete in the global talent market. The cases come from our years of experience working in subsidiaries of multinational companies (MNCs), or at the headquarters of MNCs 1 providing support to international operations, on international assignment or consulting MNCs. While most managers and HR professionals know that business is done in different ways in other parts of the world, the way these differences manifest themselves can be very surprising. Here is a revealing story.
