EXTEC is one of the leading smartphone manufacturers in Canada. Its expansion plan to set up an infrastructure in Malaysia is a major step towards its goal of becoming a global brand since it will be able to tap the growing Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market. According to McKinsey Research, the number of consuming households in ASEAN will double from its 2010 level in 2025, majority of which will belong to the consuming middle class (see Figure 1). EXTEC's expansion also coincides with the onset of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) which aims to provide a single market and production base among its member nations: Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, Myanmar and Laos PDR. The integration promises to make the exchange of goods and services seamless across the region composed of over 600 million people.
While it offers numerous opportunities, EXTEC's plan of expansion also poses challenges, especially in the aspect of human resource. This can be broken down into four key areas (see Figure 2), all of which have been observed in other global companies. This guide recommends methods on how each challenge can be addressed based on existing literature and current practices across similar, multinational companies (MNCs).
1.2 Global Human Capital .
In a report published by Deloitte entitled "Global Human Capital Trends 2015," it was shown that respondents view Culture & Engagement as the most pressing issue among organisations. The Digital Age has shifted the power from employers to employees, prompting organisations to overhaul and constantly enhance their human resource programs to attract and retain workers. Coming at a close second is Leadership, which has been among the top concern for the past years. The perennial issue calls for organisations to invest more on leadership and create a leadership pipeline that will encompass all levels of the organisation.