Research Paper on:
Multinational Manager Characteristics and Skills

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
this inherently establishes the need for individuals who are capable of managing effectively outside their own home country. Multinational managers need the same skills as all managers but the international  landscape demands additional knowledge, skills and characteristics. Some of these have been identified as having a knowledge about the culture in which one is working, being open to different cultural  norms, being flexible enough to change ones management style to fit the practices in another country, and being aware of ones own biases so as to overcome them. It is  so important to have effective multinational managers that some firms have designed their own training programs to develop a cadre of managers who will be successful in numerous different cultures.  Need For and Characteristics of Multinational Managers A multinational corporation is one that is engaged in direct foreign investment and that owns or controls value added activities in more  than one country. These corporations, by nature, are among the worlds largest firms. Some of the largest multinational corporations based in the United States include IBM, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson;  Archer Daniels Midland; Coca-Cola; General Motors; and Hewlett-Packard (Kahn, 2000). The sheer number of multinational corporations inherently mandates the need for managers who can manage in a multinational environment. More  and more corporations are looking towards becoming global firms in order to expand their business. There are numerous foreign corporations operating in the United States, such as Hitachi, Honda,  Mitsubishi, Nokia and many others. Their home countries are varied. Many of these firms rely on their own nationals to place in management positions but others hire American managers. Managing  in a foreign company in the United States requires familiarity with that countrys practices and philosophies. Caligiuri and Di Santo (2001) commented that "Globally competent managers are critical for the