Question Details

Is there any way to achieve economies of scale 



One of the best methods of learning broad concepts in this text is to put yourself in the place of an
MNC manager or board member, and apply the concepts to make financial decisions. Board members
do not normally make the decisions that are discussed here, but must have the conceptual skills to
monitor the policies that are implemented by the MNC- managers. Thus, they must frequently ask
themselves what they would do if they were making the managerial decisions or setting corporate
polices.
Consider the following business that you could easily create: a business that teaches individuals in a
non-U.S. country to speak English. While this business is very basic, it still requires the same type of
decisions faced by large MNCs. Assume that you initially establish this business in Mexico.
Details of Your Business. You live in the U.S. You invested $60,000 to establish a business of a
language school called EE (Escuela de Engles) in Mexico City, Mexico. You hire local individuals in
Mexico who can speak English and train others how to speak English. You have a small subsidiary in
Mexico, which has an office and an attached classroom that you lease. Clients can come to your
subsidiary for a 1-month structured course in English, taught by your employees. You advertise in the
local newspapers to promote the teaching services offered by your business.
You also serve some individuals from Mexico who have taken English classes and want to come to the
U.S. for a one-week intense course in which they can improve and practice their English and practice
it. All revenue and expenses associated with your business are denominated in Mexican pesos. Most of
the profits from the business in Mexico are sent to you by your subsidiary at the end of each month.
While your expenses are somewhat stable, your revenue varies with the number of clients who sign up
for the English-speaking courses in Mexico.
You only need to know this background so that you can answer the related questions that are asked
about your business throughout the term. Answer each question as if you were serving on the board of
your business or as a manager of the business. The questions in the early chapters force you to assess
the firm- opportunities and exposure, while the later chapters force you to offer your input on
potential strategies that your business may pursue.
1.
Assume that you wanted to expand your Learning English business to other non-U.S. countries where
some individuals may want to speak English.
a. Explain why you might be able to stabilize the profits of your total business in this manner.
Review the motives for direct foreign investment that are identified in this chapter. Which of
these motives are most important?
b. Why would a city such as Montreal be a less desirable site for your business than a city such
as Mexico City?
c. Describe the conditions in which your total business would experience weak effects even if
the business was spread across 3 or 4 countries.
d. What factors affect the probability of these conditions occurring? (In other words, explain
why the conditions could occur in one set of countries, but not another set of countries).
e. What data would you review to assess the probability of these conditions occurring?
f. Consider that the prevailing service you offer is teaching individuals in Mexico to speak
English, and your business has already created some supplemental pamphlets and CDs that
translate common Spanish terms into English. How could you expand your business in a
manner that may allow you to benefit from economies of scale (and perhaps even benefit from
your existing business reputation)? When you attempt to benefit from economies of scale, do
you forgo diversification benefits? Explain.
g. How would you come to a decision on whether to pursue business expansion that capitalizes
on economies of scale even if it would forgo diversification benefits? Do you think economies
of scale would be more important or less important than diversification for your business?
h. Is there any way to achieve economies of scale and yet still achieve diversification benefits?




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