Case Analysis

We Googled You

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 Case Analysis: We Googled You

Submitted by: Anmol Raina

2019PGP060 | Section B

Date: November 25, 2019

Under Guidance of Prof. Abha Chatterjee

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Letter of Transmittal

Nov 25, 2019

Prof. Abha Chatterjee

Visiting Faculty

IIM Indore

Dear Madam,

I, Anmol Raina, am pleased to submit the case analysis report of “We Googled You.”

I thank you for giving me the opportunity to work on this case. The case was full of insights
and learning experience. I look forward to your feedback.

Warm regards,

Anmol Raina
2019PGP060
Section B

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Executive Summary
Fred has plans for expanding his company’s business into China and agrees to meet his friend’s
daughter, Mimi, to find whether she’s suited for handling their flagship store in China. While
Fred is impressed by Mimi, his VP HR flags off an event from her past which might be harmful
for company’s PR image in China. While Fred really does not want to let go off Mimi, he is
concerned about the potential impact of her past on his company’s PR image. We recommend
Fred to hire Mimi in a strategy role, away from the public limelight followed by her posting
positive articles about Chinese culture on her blog.

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Table of Contents
Letter of Transmittal ....................................................................................................... 3

Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... 4

Situation Analysis............................................................................................................. 6

Problem Statement........................................................................................................... 6

Alternative Solutions ....................................................................................................... 6

Evaluation Criteria .......................................................................................................... 7

Evaluation of alternatives................................................................................................ 7

Recommendation.............................................................................................................. 8

Implementation plan ........................................................................................................ 9

Contingency Plan ............................................................................................................. 9

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Situation Analysis
Fred Westen, CEO of luxury apparel retailer Hathaway Jones, receives a call from his old
roommate, John Brewster who proposes the idea of his daughter Mimi being a part of the
expansion of Hathaway Jones’ in China.

Mimi Brewster, although an average student, went to Berkeley, same school his father went to
where she graduated magna cum laude in modern Chinese history. After two years’ experience
at management consultancy, she joined Stanford. Post her graduation, she worked at Eleanor
Gaston for four years. With two successful brand relaunches by then, she wanted to work in a
preferably-fast growing market like China.

Mimi’s interview goes well and Fred is impressed by her CV. While Mimi demonstrates her
deep understanding of the Chinese people, she also proposes few ideas for the design of the
new stores in China.

Virginia, VP HR, during a routine Google search finds stories and photos of Mimi participating
in nonviolent but vocal protest against the WTO, including one in front of Chinese Consulate
at San Francisco. As Virginia cautions Fred, he thinks of talking to Mimi face-to-face. Virginia
suggests he should take advice from company’s lawyers considering the situation to fall in a
legal grey area. Although Fred is concerned about Mimi’s past, candidates like her don’t walk-
in every day.

Problem Statement
Should Fred hire Mimi despite his concerns about her history?

Alternative Solutions
1. Fred should take a chance and hire Mimi.
2. Fred should not hire Mimi.
3. Fred should hire Mimi but she should be placed in the back-end Strategy team instead
of front-end services in China.

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Evaluation Criteria

1. Rebuilding the crippling business of Hathaway

The primary objective of expanding into China is to revive the growth slump for
Hathaway Jones. The ideal alternative should help achieve Hathaway their expected
growth figures.

2. Relevance of candidate’s credentials

The credentials of the candidate should be relevant and well suited to lead Hathaway’s
market entry into Chinese market.

3. PR image of the candidate

Candidate’s past image should, preferably, be non-partisan and positive.

Evaluation of alternatives
1. Hire Mimi
a. Rebuilding the business
Mimi, with two successful brand relaunches, has what it takes to enter and grow
in the Chinese market.

b. Relevance of credentials
Mimi’s credentials are precisely aligned with the ideal candidate for this job.
She has graduated magna-cum-laude in modern Chinese history, knows
Mandarin and another dialect while also possessing good business acumen.

c. Candidate’s PR image
Mimi’s involvement in the nonviolent yet vocal protests against China might
get her and the company into trouble if she’s posted in China. It might endorse
company’s reputation in a negative way in the minds of Chinese consumers.

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 2. Not hire Mimi
a. Rebuilding the business
Since Mimi has achieved positive results in turning around businesses in the
past, Hathaway would lose onto a perfect candidate for establishing their
business in China.

b. Relevance of credentials
Fred might not get a better and more suited candidate for the post than Mimi

c. Candidate’s PR image
Since she is not hired, her past would not affect the company’s image in China.

3. Hire Mimi in the Strategy team, not the front-end leadership role
a. Rebuilding the business
Since Mimi would be posted in the strategy team, she could use all her relevant
experience in building a strong market-entry and business strategy for
Hathaway meanwhile ensuring least visibility of her to the Chinese consumers,
regulators and the government.

b. Relevance of credentials
Mimi’s credentials are best suited to develop strategies for Hathaway in relation
to establishing and then expanding their Chinese operations.

c. Candidate’s PR image
Mimi’s PR image would be least likely to get scrutinized by any Chinese
authority or the media. Therefore, it is very less likely for this alternative to hurt
Hathaway’s PR image in China.

Recommendation
I recommend Fred to go ahead in hiring Mimi but she should be put in-charge of Strategy team
for launching the Chinese operations. Meanwhile, Fred should look for another candidate with
good PR to be the face of Hathaway’s Chinese operations.

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Implementation plan
Fred should consult his legal team for advice on how to deliver his decision to Mimi in a way
that puts them in the least amount of legal grey area in relation to the privacy issue of searching
Mimi’s past on Google. Then, he should let Mimi know of her decision and help her in putting
up the Strategy team for Chinese operations. In order to address the unlikely possibility of her
past being brought to light by anyone, he should suggest Mimi to publish a few articles putting
the Chinese culture and their people in positive light.

Contingency Plan
In case Mimi decides to reject Fred’s offer for working in the Strategy team, he should
personally talk to her and try to work towards finding out a middle ground where Mimi is on
board and delivers her valuable inputs for their Chinese business while the company’s PR
image is least likely to be affected.