College of Health Sciences
Department of Public Health
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
Course name:
Organizational Behavior
Course number:
HCM102
CRN
Assignment title or task:
Based on the understanding developed after learning the
topics of culture and workforce diversity, answer the
questions of the case study given below.
Student Name:
Students ID:
Submission date:
Instructor name:
Grade:
…..out of 10
College of Health Sciences
Department of Public Health
Managing Global and Workforce Diversity
Culture Shock
Warren Oats was a highly successful executive for American Auto Suppliers, a Chicago-based
company that makes original-equipment specialty parts for Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Rather than
retreat before the onslaught of Japanese automakers, AAS decided to counterattack and use its
reputation for quality and dependability to win over customers in Japan. Oats had started in the
company as an engineer and worked his way up to become one of a handful of senior managers
who had a shot at the next open vice-presidential position. He knew he needed to distinguish
himself somehow, so when he was given a chance to lead the AAS attack on the Japanese market,
he jumped at it.
Oats knew he did not have time to learn Japanese, but he had heard that many Japanese executives
speak English, and the company would hire a translator anyway. The toughest part about leaving
the United States was persuading his wife, Carol, to take an eighteen-month leave from her career
as an attorney with a prestigious Chicago law firm. Carol finally persuaded herself that she did not
want to miss an opportunity to learn a new culture. So, armed with all the information they could
gather about Japan from their local library, the Oats headed for Tokyo.
Known as an energetic, aggressive salesperson back home, Warren Oats wasted little time getting
started. As soon as his office had a telephone—and well before all his files had arrived from the
States—Oats made an appointment to meet with executives of one of Japan’s leading automakers.
Oats reasoned that if he was going to overcome the famous Japanese resistance to foreign
companies, he should get started as soon as possible.
Oats felt very uncomfortable at that first meeting. He got the feeling that the Japanese executives
were waiting for something. It seemed that everyone but Oats was in slow motion. The Japanese
did not speak English well and appeared grateful for the presence of the interpreter, but even the
interpreter seemed to take her time in translating each phrase. Frustrated by this seeming lethargy
and beginning to doubt the much-touted Japanese efficiency, Oats got right to the point. He made
an oral presentation of his proposal, waiting patiently for the translation of each sentence. Then he
handed the leader of the Japanese delegation a packet containing the specifics of his proposal, got
up, and left. The translator trailed behind him as if wanting to drag out the process even further.
By the end of their first week, both Oats and his wife were frustrated. Oats’s office phone had not
rung once, which did not make him optimistic about his meeting with another top company the
following week. Carol could scarcely contain her irritation with what she had perceived of the
Japanese way of life. She had been sure that a well-respected U.S. lawyer would have little trouble
securing a job with a Japanese multinational corporation, but the executives she had met with
College of Health Sciences
Department of Public Health
seemed insulted that she was asking them for a job. And the way they treated their secretaries!
After only a week in Japan, both Carol and Warren Oats were ready to go home.
A month later, their perspective had changed radically, and both looked back on those first
meetings with embarrassment. Within that month, they had learned a lot about the Japanese sense
of protocol and attitudes toward women. Warren Oats believed he was beginning to get the knack
of doing business with the Japanese in their manner: establishing a relationship slowly, almost
ritualistically, waiting through a number of meetings before bringing up the real business at hand,
and then doing so circumspectly. It was difficult for Oats to slow his pace, and it made him nervous
to be so indirect, but he was beginning to see some value in the sometimes humbling learning
process he was going through. Perhaps, he thought, he and Carol could become consultants for
other executives who needed to learn the lessons he was beginning to understand.
Case Questions
1. What specific errors did Warren and Carol Oats make during their first week in Japan?
2. If you were talking to a non-Saudi businessperson making a first contact with a Saudi company,
what advice would you give?
College of Health Sciences
Department of Public Health
Instructions
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Assignment submitted without cover sheet will not be considered for grading.
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Fill all required information on assignment cover sheet.
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Strictly follow the APA guidelines in assignment preparation.
Things to consider when writing in APA style:
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The font color must be black.
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The font size is 12.
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The font type is Times New Roman.
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The paragraph must be justified.
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Double line spacing.
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Do not Bold, Italic, or Underline the paragraphs
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Leave a tab space before the first word of each paragraph.
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The following format is about how to write the reference list.
Authors’ names (edited year). Title of resource. Retrieved from http:// (add the link of your reference)
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If you have more than one author write their names in alphabetical order. Write their last names,
add comma, then write the first letter of their first names.
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If the reference has six or more authors, simply provide the last name of the first author with “et
al.” from the first citation to the last. For example: Thomas et al.
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The title of the reference must be ITALIC.

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