IMGT430

Please read the below case study and answer all related questions

It all started on September 2, 1998 when smoke suddenly filled the cabin of the Swissair
flight 111 as it was on route from New York to Geneva. The pilot swung the troubled
aircraft to sea to dump excess of fuel before landing.

Unfortunately, the plane plunged into the sea before it could reach safety and crashed off
the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, killing all 229 on board. Investigations asked whether the
pilot’s decision to circle and dump the fuel before landing was correct or not.

Swissair officials defended their pilot, noting that the pilot followed the Swissair’s
emergency procedures published by the carrier’s operating manual. The U.S pilots
reported that “Rules are made to be broken” meaning that in such emergency cases, the
pilots should exercise their independent judgment, regardless of what is contained in the
company manual.

However, the Swissair officials countered that the procedures detailed in the manual
reflected the state-of-the-art understanding of what to do in an emergency, and thus its
pilots did the right thing in adhering to the manual The “rules are there to be obeyed”
reflects the viewpoint of Swissair’s officials.

QUESTIONS:
1. Which one of Hofstede’s five dimensions is discussed in this case study? Define the
dimension and explain its two extremes. (25 marks)

2. To which extreme is the Swissair pilot oriented? How is this dimension interrelated with
the other four dimensions of Hofstede? (25 marks)

3. How does this dimension affect the aspects of managing international business in terms
of hierarchies and risk-taking? Do you support the Swissair pilots’ decision? Why? (25
marks)

4. Social orientation plays an important role in determining the job mobility within a
certain society. Do you think that there is an interrelation between this element and
Hofstede’s dimension (Uncertainty Orientation)? (25 marks)