Internal Issues Currently Existing In Midwest Education (Essay Sample)

Introduction
Midwest Education, Inc. is a prominent educational goods distributor in the United States and is headquartered in Midwest. Midwest Education inc. was founded in 1975 by Henry and Mary Dalton. A new wave of developing technology was starting to change how people learned and communicated. The founders identified a big market for learning tools and systems in science, technology, and business schools. The company's core mission is to provide high-quality products by incorporating the most cost-effective and innovative ways available. It comprises several departments, including the production department, Creative department, Transportation department, Service department, Maintenance department, and central departments. The founders are now semi-retired, although they are all significant stockholders in the company. When they moved into semi-retirement, they chose Judith Lund as CEO. The firm began with roughly five people and has steadily grown to 416 employees across its three major divisions, with plans to expand into Northern Europe, specifically Finland. This report, therefore, aims to establish whether it is a viable choice to expand to Finland. This will be achieved by firstly devising ways of tackling some of the human resource dilemmas’ it is currently exposed to.
Internal Issues Currently Existing
1. Personnel problems
The current project manager, David Smith, is having trouble filling a plant manager position for the facility in Northern Europe. Three candidates have shown interest in the post. David recognizes that the manager must have a clear understanding of how to produce instructional, educational materials for the Scandinavian market must be able to make long-term goals, decide on new interests, and ensure that the subsidiary strategies align with the mission objectives of the parent company. Therefore, choosing the correct individual is critical for the firm since this person will play a key role in ensuring that the company's entry into the new market is well-founded from the start.
2. Concerns about compensation strategies
The next issue is deciding on a remuneration plan for expatriate managers. Three American supervisors will be sent by Midwest Education to manage the R&D, manufacturing, and administration divisions. Because all three workers have families and children ranging in age from one to ten years old, Smith should choose the best extra remuneration to provide to them. As he does this, he should consider that the Living expenditures in Finland are more significant than in the United States.
Probable Solutions
1. A solution to the problem of understaffing
It would be fantastic to select the right applicant by simply filling out a qualification checklist or merely comparing the positives and negatives of each recruit. Conversely, recruiting judgments are more complicated and subjective since there is no ideal candidate. Nonetheless, given the long-term implications of the appointment on the company's performance and culture and weighing the benefits and drawbacks of David Smith's three probable candidates, Karin Johansson is the best choice. This is because she has similar experience considering she previously worked in the high-tech sector in Northern Europe. Additionally, she is young and has plenty of time to study new things, including the Finnish language, which parallels the languages she already knows. Her suitability is also supported by the fact that she is single and has no plans to marry or have children in the near future; hence she has more time to plan and satisfy the company's demands. Being a member of the Scandinavian Community, she may quickly get a work visa, thus alleviating the procedural issues related to Visa acquisition.
2. Resolving concerns with the compensation plan
To resolve the compensation plan concerns, Smith should construct two compensation plans and choose the most suitable for Midwest. Each of the three workers has a family, and their children range in age from one to ten years old; moreover, one family has one kid, while the other two families each have two children making the total number of family members is 11 with five children. Each of the three workers now earns a basic pay of $60,000. David Smith, the project manager, earns around $150,000 in additional remuneration each year plus the basic wage. The new supervisors' remuneration budget is shown in the tables below.
Alternative A
The benefits of this first open include maintaining a similar standard of living to the home country and reimbursement of educational expenses. It draws a low premium, and supervisors and their families may return home at their own cost. The disadvantages include that the education allowance is 39% and the housing allowance is 40%, which is over 80% of the annual budget for additional pay.
Alternative B
Alternative B is beneficial because education expenses can be reimbursed. After all, some children are young and do not require schooling. Also, Supervisors and their families can return home once a year, giving them more budget control. Conversely, the drawback is that it does not cover tuition fees, making it a significant disadvantage to the employee.
Conclusion
The assistance offered to the employees and their families is crucial in allocating funds for adjustment. Housing, cost of living, and educ