Problem: The CEO has asked you and Jane to create a chart that he might use as part of his decision process in deciding what countries in which to locate overseas factories. He also wants an accompanying recommendation summary from an HR perspective.
Prepare a 6-column, 5-row chart for the following countries and parameters: Columns (countries) are:
- Japan
- Mexico
- India
- China
- Italy
- Germany
- Rows (factors to research) for each country are: Average manufacturing wage
- Country's minimum wage
- Typical restrictive work rules where there are unions
- How unions enhance or detract from company results
- Country's unemployment rate
It is unlikely that you will find all of the necessary data in one online database. Instead, you will have to research a number of different ones. In addition, in some cases you may have to make calculations from a "base=100" report to get an actual dollar figure.
For minimum wages, try one of the following sites: Minimum Wages database
List of minimum wages by country
For unemployment percentages try the following site: Unemployment rate (most recent) by country (be sure to note the year of the data)
Your recommendation summary should explain which country you recommend for the future overseas expansion, based solely on the HR in your chart.