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Case Study Of Kelly's Assignment In Japan?

Decent Essays

In the case study “Kelly’s Assignment in Japan”, it is very apparent Kelly’s expatriation was extremely mismanaged. Both her family and company were ill-prepared for the transition.
From the beginning, there was no preparation from Kelly’s company to assist her with the culture and customs of Japan. They failed to provide her with information on proper ways to communicate with her Western counterparts. Additionally, Kelly experienced a language barrier and only had limited Japanese which she self-taught on the flight to Tokyo. Without formal knowledge of Western ways Kelly clashed with Japanese culture when she placed the CEO’s business card in her pocket without looking at it. Had Kelly been informed she would have known to review the business …show more content…

They were unprepared due to lack of time and resources to become accustomed to Japanese ways and are in the irritation and hostility stage. This is apparent on their first day, when they come to realize they have brought too many personal belongings to their small apartment in Tokyo. Kelly’s husband, Joe, is also struggling to find employment. With no contacts in Tokyo and without assistance from Kelly’s organization to help network, Joe becomes concerned if they will be able to continue on one income. As tension rise, Joe, becomes overwhelmed by menial tasks such as grocery shopping and cooking dinner. He’s finding it difficult to operate the small appliances in the apartment along with the inability to understand food packages to prepare food. His emotions quickly start to get the best of him as his frustration rises. The children are also struggling to adapt to their new home in Tokyo. While the school they are attending boast to be bilingual, the majority of the students are Japanese and do not speak English. The children are unhappy and nothing is familiar for them. At school their classes and lunches are vastly different than they were in America. They’re upset with the lack of yard for them to play in and the television programs are in Japanese, which they are unbale to understand. The children bicker with each other and complain about wanting to …show more content…

Kelly’s company put her in an unrealistic situation of requiring an answer within two days of extending her the position abroad. Kelly’s company should not have assumed because she had great success in business relationships in London and Germany, which have similar cultures to the United States, it would have implied she would have been just as successful in Japan. The company lacked in preparing her in the customs and cultural ways of the Japanese, instead only considering the financial compensation as enough motivating factor. The company should have provided training of Japanese for the family, assisted in Joe’s networking in Tokyo to locate a job and should have been readily available for Kelly’s family with any questions and provide timely follow-up. Kelly lacked in doing her due diligence into the Japanese culture and fully understand what it would take to move her family abroad. A little research on her part into Japanese culture, customs and etiquette would have provided her with forethought on how to handle herself in Japanese

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