Established in 1885, Johnson & Johnson is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, about 40 miles away from New York City. The company is considered as the world's most comprehensive manufacturer of healthcare products, as well as provider of related services. It's products range from baby care, first-aid, and hospital products, to prescription pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and products related to family planning. Johnson & Johnson is a family of companies with 200 operating companies and over 109,000 employees. The company operates in 57 countries and sells products to more than 175 countries.
Explore the site in detail to prepare a two page report indicating your responses to the following questions. When and how did Johnson & Johnson become a global company? Describe which method(s) of global expansion Johnson & Johnson uses (outsourcing, licensing, joint ventures, etc). In your opinion, have the trends toward a global village and a global economy affected the company in any way?
Internet Exercise
Globalization is a reality of our lives. The electronic world has brought us closer. The fall of old regimes, the spread of capitalism and democracy have altered political and economic relationships. But people still cling to their roots and their religion. In The Lexus and the Olive Tree journalist Thomas Friedman captures the old and the new in his title. He drew the title from an experience he had at a Lexus factory where robots were assembling the cars, representative of modern life. His travels all over the world allows him to see how deeply rooted people are still to their own cultures no matter how much electronic technology is introduced. Hence, the world relies on new technology with robots assembling cars, but yet some people still adhere to centuries old practices such as hand planting crops.
Management on an international scale is different than at home. You cannot apply what worked at your home company, steeped in US culture and expect others from various backgrounds and cultures to respond positively. Americans and American companies that go abroad must learn about different cultures and adapt accordingly if they are to succeed.
While no one site can give you all your need to know about other nations, The Journal of Comparative International Management is a good place to start. Available to you at this time are issues from June 1998-2001 with full text. Please go to http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/JCIM/ and click on June 1998. Then please click on The Impact of Culture on the Management Values and Beliefs of Korean Firms. Please read the article, write up an assessment test like you have been taking for your class. Then you can get together in class and make up one large assessment exam that everyone in the class should ace. You might want to give the test to others outside class and help them learn about this nation.
How are Korean management values and beliefs different than yours? Explain.
What did you learn about Korea?
Would you feel comfortable working with international firms? Why or why not?
