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Preparado(por((

Diego&Chamaca&Flores&

August&7th,&2015&&

CASE:&CHARLES&MARTIN&IN&
UGANDA&
1.! DESCRIBE& UGANDA& CULTURAL& ATTRIBUTES& THAT& MIGHT&
AFFECT& THE& OPERATIONS& OF& A& FOREIGN& COMPANY& DOING&
BUSINESS&THERE&
Uganda& has& a& very& controversial& history& in& political,& economical,& cultural& and&
historical& terms.& All& this& long& way& has& taken& to& this& country& to& be& a& very& singular&
culture.&When&doing&business&in&Uganda,&firms&have&to&pay&attention&in&a&lot&of&aspects,&
differences&or&attributes&that&will&make&to&do&not&fail&in&this&country.&Some&of&the&most&
important&points&that&we&reviewed&in&the&case&are:&&
A.! Language&Barrier&
i.!

The&oficial&language&of&Uganda&is&English&&even&this&is&still&a&problem&because&
african& english& speakers& have& a& difficult& pronounciation& for& native& and&
learners&english&speakers&&and&in&despite&of&this&fact,&there&are&many&people&
that&speak&only&an&indigenous&language,&mainly&Bantu&or&Nilotic&languages&of&
the&Bugandas.&So,&it&incurs&in&communication&problems&when&doing&business&
and&dealing&contracts&and&it&may&cause&embarrasing&situations.&

B.! Religious&concerns&
i.!

We& noticed& that& religious& concerns& may& cost& a& lot& of& money:& This& is& the&
situation&at&the&very&beggining&of&the&case,&when&HG&(Martin)&had&to&deal&with&
the& government& to& move& 700& villagers& ,& and& it& came& to& a& worse& problem& in&
other&nations&and&a&controversial&situation,&and&Martin&hired&a&speacialist&in&
African&Religions&who&advised&HG&to&work&with&the&religious&caretakers&to&find&
a&solution.&&

C.! Violent&Political&History,&Political&Instability&and&Nepotism&&
i.!

In&the&1970s&and&1980s&Uganda&was&notorious&for&its&human&rights&abuses,&
first&during&the&military&dictatorship&of&Idi&Amin&from1971Z79&and&then&after&
the&return&to&power&of&Milton&Obote,&who&had&been&ousted&by&Amin.&It&causes&
a& lot& of& inestability& in& the& country& that& still& continues& bringing& scars& for& the&
way&of&living&in&the&country.&We&can&see&inestability&in&the&fact&of,&for&instance,&
higher& and& low& discrimination,& lack& of& legal& norms& and& laws,& and& people&
involved&in&corruption.&Political&inestabily&has&not&being&stoped&today&and&still&
the&country&is&stuck&in&economic,&social&and&security&problems.&Nepotism&is&
the&norm.&When&Martin&needed&to&hire&some&staff&ti&was&so&easy&to&hire&a&team,&
because& families& spread& the& voice& among& themselves.& But& we& know& that&
Nepotism&is&not&a&right&way&of&doing&business,&at&least&in&HGs&homeZcountry.&

2.! HOW& WOULD& YOU& DESCRIBE& THE& RESPECTIVE& ATTITUDES& OF&


MARTIN& AND& GREEN:& ETHNOCENTRIC,& POLYCENTRIC& OR&
GEOCENTRIC?& WHAT& FACTORS& DO& YOU& SUSPECT& OF& HAVING&
INFLUENCED&THEIR&RESPECTIVE&ATTITUDES?&
i.!

Green:&Greens&attitude&was&a&geocentric&approach.&This&because&if&we&analyse&
the&way&he&took&and&looked&Martins&way&of&managing&the&business&in&Uganda,&
we& might& notice& that& even& he& was& not& satisfied& with& Martin& & because& he&
preferred&the&home&countrys&way&of&doing&business&or&home&culture&&Green&
took&a&central&position,&accepeting&how&the&things&was&running&(and&having&
dilemmas& like& if& martin& will& continue& in& the& building& process),& and& the&
recognized&that&Martin&was&doing&a&very&good&work,&he&was&being&effective.&&&

ii.!

Martin:& Charles& Martins& attitude& is& clear:& Polycentric.& Martin& was&


autonomous&in&his&job.&He&had&a&creed:&Dont&draw&attention&to&yourself,&and&
above&all,&learn&and&respect&the&culture.&So,&obviously&Martin&did&not&think&
that& his& own& culutre& was& the& right,& but& he& knew& that& all& countries& have&
different&cultures&and&you&have&to&adapt&into&this&cultures.&&

&
Green& was& more& concerned& with& corporateZlevel& issues,& and& Martin& was& more&
concerned&with&to&do&the&assignments&rightly&and&to&be&effective.&&

3.! WHO&WAS&RIGHT,&GREEN&OR&MARTIN,&ABOUT&MARTINS&MORE&
CONTROVERSIAL& ACTIONS& IN& FACILITATING& THE& PROJECT?&
HOW& MIGHT& THINGS& HAVE& TURNED& OUT& IF& MARTIN& HAD& NOT&
BEEN&A&MEMBER&OF&THE&PROJECT&TEAM?&
Martin& was& very& prepared& about& how& to& operate& and& how& to& deal& with& African&
culures.& He& also& had& experience& in& how& doing& business& in& a& foreing& country.&
Martins& more& controverial& actions& when& facilitating& the& project& was& crucial& for&
the&success&of&the&first&phase&of&the&dam&construction.&Without&all&the&negotiations&
that&Marting&made&with&the&Villagers&and&the&Governmet&of&Uganda,&probably&the&
first&phase&would&not&be&successful.&That&is&the&reason&that&HG&chose&to&Martin&
because& they& saw& the& wisdom& of& having& someone& with& both& a& homeZcountry&
corporate& perspective& and& a& knowledge& of& Ugandas& economic& political& and&
cultural&complexity.&That&is&the&reason&that&Martins&controversial&actions&were&
right.&Green,&instead&of&he&did&not&think&just&like&Martin,&he&disagree&with&the&way&
that& Martin& made& & but& he& couldn't& deny& that& Martin's& results& had& been& highly&
satisfactoryZhe'd& finished& every& task& on& time& and& within& budget.& Maybe& all& this&
things& that& the& firm& reached& could& not& have& been& successful& without& Martin& as&
international&manager.&Green&was&more&concerned&&about&the&legal&limits&between&
Martin&was&working,&so&in&that&glance,&green&was&right,&therefore&arguments&can&
be&made&for&the&positions&of&both&Matin&and&Green.&&

2&

4.! IN&THE&NEXT&FACE&OF&THE&PROJECT&CONSTRUCTING&THE&DAM&
ITSELFZ& SHOULD& HG& EMPLOY& SOMEONE& WHOSE& MAIN&
FUNCTION& IS& THAT& OF& LIAISON& BETWEEN& ITS& CORPORATE&
CULTURE& AND& THE&CULTURE& OF& ITS& HOST& COUNTRY?& IF& SO,& IS&
MARTIN&THE&RIGHT&PERSON&FOR&THE&JOB?&

I& think& that& the& company& should& employ& someone& whose& main& function& is& that& of&
liaison&between&HGs&corporate&culture&and&the&culture&of&Uganda.&Environments&are&
not&still,&rather&they&are&dynamic&and&everZchanging.&Therefore&to&have&a&international&
manager&in&charge&of&the&culture&of&the&host&and&homeZcountry&is&crucial&and&a&very&
important&factor&that&will&be&trascendental&to&keep&the&firm&going.&&

If&the&company&employ&someone&else,&they&will&have&the&same&problem&than&before.&
Marint& is& the& right& person& for& the& job& because& he& is& really& prepared& academically,&
theoretically&and&he&is&passionate&about&African&Culture.&Martin&has&shown&that&he&is&
the&right&person&for&the&Job,&he&showed&a&big&acquaintance&about&how&to&deal&and&trade&
in& an& african& country& like& Uganda.& However,& Martin& or& whoever,& have& to& show& an&
appropiate&combination&of&knowledge&about&the&culture&of&the&host&and&homeZcountry&
and&to&apply&a&fair&way&of&operation,&for&both&the&own&company&and&the&environment&
where& the& company& is& working.& & For& that& reason,& HG& have& to& create& and& stablish&
policies& that& show& HomeZcountry& laws& and& about& the& way& of& doing& things& in& the&
company,& to& put& limits.& So& internatinal& managers& can& understand& better& how& the&
company&works&abroad.&&

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