Software-engineering management: a comparison of methods in Switzerland and the United States

It is argued that despite the increasing interdependence of global economies, there is little cooperative product development done by related international divisions of multinational industrial corporations. The two main obstacles to joint international development are the failure of management to recognize the extent to which sociocultural aspects affect their own decision-making processes and those of their international counterparts and a failure by most managers to deal with them. A case study is presented of a large Swiss electronic-equipment manufacturer with a US subsidiary in the same field. Qualitative and descriptive data from interviews with managers and engineers are reported and related to the sociocultural backdrop in which they make their decisions. Recommendations and areas of further study are also presented.<
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