“United Cereal: Lora Brill’s Eurobrand Challenge” case analysis

Question 1. As Lora Brill, United Cereal European VP, would you authorize Jean-Luc Michel’s request to launch of Healthy Berry Crunch in France? Be sure to analyze both sides: Launch and Delay Launch (summarize in a table format and then discuss).

Question 2. Does United Cereal represent an example of centralized or decentralized international management?

Question 3. What do you think of Brill’s Eurobrand proposals? Should she authorize the launch of Healthy Berry Crunch as the Eurobrand? What concerns do you have? How do you resolve them? Be sure to analyze both sides: Launch and Delay Launch (summarize in a table format and then discuss).

Question 4.a. How might …show more content…

- Expanding responsibilities of country managers with a lot of cross-country interaction will bring UC employees much closer and make it a true European entity, also enabling them to learn more about other aspects of business.

However, Brill’s proposed new organizational structure is quite complex and doesn’t suit to any traditional structures’ form strictly. For example, it does look like matrix structure. However, when each of the Division VPs is also responsible for each of those product groups, this looks like a product team structure. In addition, there are some criticisms and concerns, such as whether the CMs might see this as a challenge to their local authority or whether teams with more than dozen members could function effectively.

I would see this proposal as a good alternative for UC to support effective implementation of Euroband. Based on the fact with the “fruit juice failure” that resulted from only having one person in charge of the frozen juice product launch, creating such teams would definitely help the company succeed in the European market.

Answer 4.c. Although Lora’s proposal structure is appropriate in some sense for both UC’s generic and