Melbo Foods Nz - Leadership and Communication Strategies

MELBA FOODS

Leadership and Communication Strategies Proposed for the Impending Expansion into the Indian Market

Report Submitted to the Board by the Human Resources Management Department

Subject: Managing in a Globalized World

Name: Anitha Balasubramanian

Date: 10.02.2017

Table of Contents

1.Executive Summary 

The Human Resources Management (HRM) department of Melba Foods is entrusted with the responsibility of working out staffing and communication strategies for the proposed expansion into the Indian market. The idea of frozen desserts has been enthusiastically explored and put forth by the marketing team and now the human resources team has to analyze the situation and strategies for implementation. This report is to be submitted by the HRM department to the board of Melba Foods, which is actively looking into the expansion of the firm across the globe.

This report scouts the possibilities of staffing from the home country for the host nation’s subsidiary and looks into the effective communication strategies that are studied objectively and descriptively to pose the best option to the firm. The staffing strategy advocated is the ethnocentric approach and the communication strategy proposed deals with the creation of links that reach out from end to end.

2. Introduction 

Melba Foods is a manufacturing firm that deals with frozen desserts and cakes. The company was founded in 1984, and it emerged as the pioneer of frozen desserts in New Zealand (WorkBoot, n.d.) Basically concerned with manufacturing, the company partners with foodservice professionals and outlets to deliver its products. The strong validation for the brand by the customers is constantly being monitored by the company's large sales force, even though there is no direct interaction and thereby is evidenced the presence of a good feedback strategy that is incorporated into the company's employee grooming (MelbaFoods, n.d.). 

In 2006, Melba Foods was acquired by Priestley's Gourmet Delights of Australia, a remarkably similar venture in terms of its origin and product range (FullyLoaded, 2011). The roots of the two companies were not disturbed, but preserved in order to serve the domestic markets and also to expand into the international market. The cross-Tasman business grew with the shared key-customer bases and with the support of its Australian counterpart, the potential markets of China and Hong Kong were explored (Priestley'sGourmetDelights, n.d). Japan was already being marketed, and the potential of the Asian bazaar is opening up.  

The global standards of the practices and the impending expansion plans into the emerging markets of India need a strategic approach to staffing and communication plans. India is as big a market as China with a huge population that is middle class and middle aged, a strong opportunistic scenario for any firm contemplating entering a market. This will enable Melba Foods to obtain a strong foothold in the host country. The facilities and the workforce in India are considered to be strong and world class. The main task of the Human Resources board of the company would be the grooming of employees, adaption to the host nation's cultural theories and adoption of the best practices for setting up the manufacturing and distribution facilities.  

 The key issues that need to be considered for the leadership strategies are the legal working age which differs in the home and host nations, expatriate training, compensation packages, staffing strategies, issues with bribery and corruption, business services, ethical systems and ethnocentrism. When the focus is laid on communication, the areas to examine are transparency of services, cultural literacy, cultural noise, trust, communication proliferation, cross border communication and information sources.

3. Strategies 

3.1 Present State of Proposed New Market 

India, being the host to various foreign investments and domestic entrepreneurial ventures is the bed of great cultural mix. HRM being a strategic function that deals with recruitment, training and development, communication, performance appraisal and labour relations, has been adapted differently by various firms that were involved in venturing into the Indian markets. Expatriation and repatriation have been carefully considered and analyzed. The Indian society is endeavouring to become more flexible when it comes to ease of doing business, New Zealand being the topmost (EconomicTImes, 2016). Hence a culture shock is inevitable when the proposed leadership and communication strategies are to be implemented.