Assignment 1 Shubham

24th Sept, 2020 19DM209

Case Study: The Expat Dilemma Sec ‘B’

PGDM 2019-21

Q: Should Anton bend the rules to keep Ana happy in her foreign assignment?

ANS. So, according to this case there is a conflict of interest in accommodating Anna while keeping
her happy. She has made it clear that she doesn’t want to stay until rules are bent in her favor , It is
quite probable that she will leave the company. While the “rules” Anton would be bypassing are not
made explicit, the case suggests Ana is a valuable asset to Streuvels, the Belgium project, and
worth protecting. Further it is suggested that her success in the three-year international assignment
is important to Streuvels, as it seeks to groom future senior management. Thus, there is an apparent
conflict between the goals of the international rotation, and the rules and procedures under which it
operates.
I believe, Anton should not break the rules to boost Ana's salary in the expectation that she will stay
back and complete her assignment until the salary rises because a salary increase will not address
the primary concern of Oswald's frustration and unhappiness. It is evident in the fact that while
Oswald could probably find another research work to augment the family's revenue, he seems to
have his eyes on going back to a patient role.
Ana further admitted that she could only "persuade Oswald" to remain. Even with more extra cash, I
believe Oswald's frustration will remain, and it could rise too. If that's the scenario, Ana will
undoubtedly be distracted, and she would be less constructive due to a challenging home
environment. At worst, if Oswald departs and takes the children, Ana may decide to leave her
position without preparing a replacement abruptly. Furthermore, placing the expatriates' problems
with higher pay could set a bad precedent for any expatriate to get more money by threatening to
leave early.
As bending the rules will only be temporary patch of relief for Anna, she would further be distracted
with Oswald’s dilemma too and hence will not be able to focus properly on the assignment. Sooner
or later Anna will demand more to stay because it would be meaningless otherwise.

What Anton could do here is to discuss things with Anna and look for a suitable replacement who will
not be impacted by the relocation and give Anna a chance to relocate to south America as it would
mean that she will still get a chance to grow and would still remain a valuable asset in the future.
Anton also could assign her a mentor, perhaps based in Brazil, so that she can fit right into a job in
south America and she will be more ready for a future leadership role.