Ameritech Case Study
AMERITECH IN THE PHILIPPINES: FAILURE TO ADJUST TO FILIPINO CULTURAL NORMS?
Synthesis:
AmeriTech is an American company which decided to outsource their manufacturing division to the Philippines in order to reduce labor cost and restore of their competitive edge due to their rival companies outsourcing from other Asian countries as well. Bill Dawson was assigned as the plant manager and a Filipino DLSU MBA Graduate was hired to be his assistant. The purpose of his assistant was to bridge the gap of culture. However, the assistant is a Manileno while the workforce is Cebuanos; this resulted in another sub-culture gap. Productivity of the plant was decreasing over time and Bill’s decisions are antagonistic in the point of view of the workforce. The result of this is consistent employee turnovers and ever decreasing productivity.
Point of View:
Bill Dawson’s point of view shall be taken. He is the main person in charge of the plant and has all the authority to make actions for the good or the bad of the plant.
Statement of the Problem:
1. What actions must Bill Dawson take in order to achieve satisfactory productivity level?
2. What motivational method should Bill implement to stimulate positive response from his Filipino employees?
Statement of the Objectives:
1. To evaluate his current resources and decide what needs to be changed and reorganized.
2. Develop a motivational system plan that will value employee welfare and inspire them to be more productive.
Areas of Consideration:
1. Filipino Cebuano Culture
As stated in the case, the local employees are not disciplined. It was observed that employees take extended breaks, chat endlessly and engage in non-work activities. These result in a lot of wasted time and low productivity. Most of the employees are females and had not previously worked in a manufacturing environment.
2. AmeriTech Way
The AmeriTech is obsessed with efficiency and quality-oriented production techniques. Needless
Synthesis:
AmeriTech is an American company which decided to outsource their manufacturing division to the Philippines in order to reduce labor cost and restore of their competitive edge due to their rival companies outsourcing from other Asian countries as well. Bill Dawson was assigned as the plant manager and a Filipino DLSU MBA Graduate was hired to be his assistant. The purpose of his assistant was to bridge the gap of culture. However, the assistant is a Manileno while the workforce is Cebuanos; this resulted in another sub-culture gap. Productivity of the plant was decreasing over time and Bill’s decisions are antagonistic in the point of view of the workforce. The result of this is consistent employee turnovers and ever decreasing productivity.
Point of View:
Bill Dawson’s point of view shall be taken. He is the main person in charge of the plant and has all the authority to make actions for the good or the bad of the plant.
Statement of the Problem:
1. What actions must Bill Dawson take in order to achieve satisfactory productivity level?
2. What motivational method should Bill implement to stimulate positive response from his Filipino employees?
Statement of the Objectives:
1. To evaluate his current resources and decide what needs to be changed and reorganized.
2. Develop a motivational system plan that will value employee welfare and inspire them to be more productive.
Areas of Consideration:
1. Filipino Cebuano Culture
As stated in the case, the local employees are not disciplined. It was observed that employees take extended breaks, chat endlessly and engage in non-work activities. These result in a lot of wasted time and low productivity. Most of the employees are females and had not previously worked in a manufacturing environment.
2. AmeriTech Way
The AmeriTech is obsessed with efficiency and quality-oriented production techniques. Needless
References: Dyck, B. & Neubert, M. (2012). Management.: Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd.