Group 3: Flora, Mark, Tom, Larry, Peter
July 2012
Content 1. Case Introduction 2. Questions and Answers 3. Summary 4. Take away
1. Case Introduction
1.1Background:
International Business Machines, abbreviated IBM, is a multinational computer technology and IT consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating back to the 19th century. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software (with a focus on the latter), and offers infrastructure services, hosting services, and consulting services in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology.
IBM has been well known through most of its recent history as one of the world 's largest computer companies and systems integrators. With over 380,000 employees worldwide, IBM is one of the largest and most profitable information technology employers in the world. The company is doing business in over 170 countries.
The case is focused on the period from 2004 to 2009, when IBM was facing pressures of globalization. The CEO of IBM was focused extensively on making global integration successful and how the new business environment would require globalizing IBM from the “bottom up.” The Corporate Service Corps (CSC) was a concept developed by the Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs (CCCA) group and approved by the top tier management.
Ultimately, the CCCA team decided that the CSC program would span six months – three months of “pre-work” preparation, one month working in-country, and two months of “post-work.” The participants were selected from 54 countries over 5,500 applications and the program was launched in July 2008. Between July and October 2008, the Corporate Service Corps program has sent total 100 participants on over 11 teams to the following countries Ghana (2 teams), Tanzania (2 teams), Romania (2 teams), the