Scenario - Sharon Cannon
Sharon Cannon was an MBA student in Detroit, Michigan, with a managerial position at the Ford Motor Company plant. She was invited to join a company that had entered into a joint venture with a German firm to manage a Volkswagen plant. Sharon would be under contract for one year, with an option to renew for a total of three years. Her salary would be 350% more than she was currently earning, and she would be given two all-expenses paid vacations each year. The money and the benefits sounded very nice, but Sharon wasn't sure what the best choice would be.
-If she should decide to take the job, she will be most successful in a foreign assignment if she has:
A) culture shock.
B) cultural intelligence.
C) linguistic pluralism.
D) ethnocentrism.
E) geocentrism.

Question

Scenario - Sharon Cannon
 Sharon Cannon was an MBA student in Detroit, Michigan, with a managerial position at the Ford Motor Company plant. She was invited to join a company that had entered into a joint venture with a German firm to manage a Volkswagen plant. Sharon would be under contract for one year, with an option to renew for a total of three years. Her salary would be 350% more than she was currently earning, and she would be given two all-expenses paid vacations each year. The money and the benefits sounded very nice, but Sharon wasn't sure what the best choice would be.
-If she should decide to take the job, she will be most successful in a foreign assignment if she has:
A) culture shock.
B) cultural intelligence.
C) linguistic pluralism.
D) ethnocentrism.
E) geocentrism.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In order for Sharon to be successful in a foreign assignment, she would need cultural intelligence. This means having the ability to understand and adapt to different cultural contexts and values. It would help her navigate the joint venture with the German firm and manage the Volkswagen plant effectively. Culture shock may be a natural initial reaction when moving to a foreign country, but it is not conducive to success in the long term. Linguistic pluralism and geocentrism may be helpful, but they are not as essential as cultural intelligence. Ethnocentrism, on the other hand, can be harmful as it involves judging other cultures based on one's own cultural values and beliefs.