Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 The Modern Firm in Theory and Practice Nick Bloom Lecture 7: Culture and Globalization 1

Nick Bloom, 149, Lincoln Venturing Abroad Targets management practices Cemex

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Case introduction 3

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 What made Lincoln so unusual in the US context? 4

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 What challenges did Lincoln face in trying to take its system abroad? 5

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Is Lincoln’s system a good approach for other US (manufacturing) firms to follow 6

Nick Bloom, 149, Lincoln Venturing Abroad Targets management practices Cemex

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Score(1): Goals are based purely on accounting figures (with no clear connection to shareholder value). (3): Corporate goals are based on shareholder value but are not clearly communicated down to individuals (5): Corporate goals focus on shareholder value. They increase in specificity as they cascade through business units ultimately defining individual performance expectations. (9) Target interconnection

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Target interconnection (9): all countries, manufacturing 9 All countries, manufacturing firms (100 to 5000 employees), 9813 observations Average 3.01

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Score(1): Top management's main focus is on short term targets. (3): There are short and long-term goals for all levels of the organization. As they are set independently, they are not necessarily linked to each other (5): Long term goals are translated into specific short term targets so that short term targets become a "staircase" to reach long term goals (10) Target time horizon

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Target time horizon (10): all countries, manufacturing 11 All countries, manufacturing firms (100 to 5000 employees), 9814 observations Average 2.99

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Score(1): Goals are either too easy or impossible to achieve; managers provide low estimates to ensure easy goals (3): In most areas, top management pushes for aggressive goals based on solid economic rationale. There are a few "sacred cows" that are not held to the same rigorous standard (5): Goals are genuinely demanding for all divisions. They are grounded in solid, solid economic rationale (11) Targets are stretching

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Targets are stretching (11): all countries, manufacturing 13 All countries, manufacturing firms (100 to 5000 employees), 9819 observations Average 3.00

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Score(1): Performance measures are complex and not clearly understood. Individual performance is not made public (3): Performance measures are well defined and communicated; performance is public in all levels but comparisons are discouraged (5): Performance measures are well defined, strongly communicated and reinforced at all reviews; performance and rankings are made public to induce competition (12) Performance clarity

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Performance clarity (12): all countries, manufacturing 15 All countries, manufacturing firms (100 to 5000 employees), 9821 observations Average 2.67

Nick Bloom, 149, Lincoln Venturing Abroad Targets management practices Cemex

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Some typical cement plants – capital intensive Suwanee, Georgia Sumterville, Florida

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Another cement plant (RMC’s Rugby plant) As an example, he pointed to RMC’s Rugby plant in England. This facility had become notorious for its inefficiency and was importing sizable quantities of cement from competitors to keep pace with its ready-mix demand prior to the CEMEX deal. Within just three months, CEMEX was able to improve operational efficiency (as measured by kiln utilization) from 74 to 90 percent and reduced significantly the plant’s need to import cement.

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Cemex stock has done OK, but not great Nick starts teaching case in Econ 149 Lafarge S&P

Nick Bloom, 149,

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Cemex top 4 outside China (in 2011)

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 China dominates global cement production

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 “No other industrial workers in the country can point to contracts that impinge on and restrict the rights of management as much as cement contracts do.” President of the Cement, Lime and Gypsum Workers Union, in 1978 from VOICE (the monthly union magazine) Cement (in the US) also a history of labor issues

Nick Bloom, 149, Q1) Why are global companies emerging in the cement business? What is the advantage of being global in this business?

Nick Bloom, 149, Q2) How does the theory of the firm help us understand the Cemex case? How does this case call the theory into question?

Nick Bloom, 149, Q3) After gaining scale in Mexico, Cemex enters Spain. Why did many doubt Cemex’s ability to add value to the Spanish acquisitions? What did Cemex find out about itself in this process?

Nick Bloom, 149, Q4) What do you make of Cemex’s acquisitions? Should it enter China and India?

Nick Bloom, 149, 2015 Concrete rider (from New Zealand)

Nick Bloom, 149, Wrap up 1)Managing international expansions is hard: need experience 2)Challenges around variations in Regulations Unions and working norms Culture and language 3) Successful example from Cemex focused around starting locally (culturally near – e.g. Spanish speaking) and expanding 4) Lincoln initially struggled with a too rapid expansion