Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 28

Case study - Essay Example the merger would result in saving about $1.4 billion during the year after the merger due to the prospect of combining operations such as purchasing and distribution. In any merger, there are issues that have to be considered in order to determine if the merger will be successful. The most understated but possibly one of the most important of these factors is the difference in national cultures of both parties. One of the biggest challenges for the Daimler-Chrysler merger would be the distinctions between the German and American work cultures. While both America and Germany rank quite high in terms of the masculinity level of cultural goals in the workplace, they have intrinsic factors in which both nations greatly differ. According to the Dutch sociologist, Geert Hofstede, characteristics that mark cultures as being more male-oriented include ambition, competitiveness, assertiveness and the push for financial success (Abdou and Kliche 2004). Moreover, in the German culture, there tends to be a strong undercurrent of female identified traits such as emphasis on the importance of maintaining good relationships even while committing to being the be st worker one can be. The masculine traits embraced in the American work culture also encourages a greater level of individuality that is lacking in German society which is more supportive of collectivity and creating good relations with co-workers and neighbors. The differences in work culture, which did not seem as such big problems prior to the merger, quickly emerged to be the greatest challenge for Daimler-Chrysler. The main divisions that would have been affected by the merger would be those personnel policy, finance, joint production, and marketing. The Germans and Americans had different views about how to go about engaging in decision-making (Camera and Renjen 2004). The executives at Daimler were accustomed to a bureaucratic structure in which decisions could only be made after a painstaking analysis of the