Foot Wear Nternational

Case Summary

Based on case, Footwear is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of footwear. It have more than eighty-three companies in seventy countries and head office acts as a service center also got staffed with specialists drawn from all over the world. Besides required standardization in technology and design of facilities, it also encourages a high degree of decentralization and autonomy in its operations. They use a concept of partnership at the local level has made the company welcome internationally.

Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world. Although that country is fertile but has a tropical monsoon climate and suffer from the ravages of periodic cyclones. In Bangladesh, have 85 percent Moslem of population and Islam was made in 1988. Bangladesh also has had a turbulent history in the twentieth century is include related with Pakistan and India until they got independence. Footwear Bangladesh became active at East Bengal in the 1930s. Until end of 1988, the company in Bangladesh was perceived as offering Footwear enormous potential for growth both through consumer education and competitive pressure. The managing Director of Footwear Bangladesh was John Carlos it is one of only four foreigners working for the company.

Started on June 22, 1989 the incident was happen when John Carlson was shown a copy of Meillat in newspaper with title "Footwear's Unpardonable Audacity", that design on the insole of one model of sandal produced by the company include the Arabic spelling of the words "Allah" .The Story highlighted the fact when the design wan only the insole of the sandal and therefore, next to the bottom of the foot, a sign of great disrespect to Moslems. Following of investigation, the supervisor reported that the design had been based on a set of Chinese temple bells that the designer had purchased in the local market.

Following the conservation Carlson was compared the design to the word Allah, which he had arranged to have written in Arabic. As the day progressed the situation got worse. Carlson was shown a translation of a proclamation that had been circulated by two youth groups calling for demonstrations against Footwear. More than that, calls had been made for charges to be laid against Carlson and four others under section 295 of the criminal code.