China Computer Crisis

Case Study: Canada-China Computer Crisis

1) Why did Yulan threaten to take the source code back to China?

Yulan SUN was the first Chinese visitor from the CIDA program, and she was hired by Software Services, Ltd for a one year program. During the year at the company she had been asked to work with Paul Horn’s team on a Scheduling Program. She had worked a lot on this project along with the other tasks that she had to do, and she brought an impressive help on the program. However, due to the important amount of work and deadlines, she showed emotion under all this pressure. John Stevens decided then to end her work on the scheduling project and release the pressure. But as an answer to this decision, she erased the original program she made, and kept a copy for her, as she thought it was her work that was taken away.

As an explanation of her reaction, we have to understand Yulan’s culture as she was raised in China all her life, and then put in a Canadian environment that she didn’t know. Moreover, the people working with her in the company also have not been working with Chinese before the CIDA program started. So it is a new experience for both parts (Yulan and John/Paul). From Yulan’s perspective, when John decided to end her work on the project after she showed emotion under the pressure, it has been seen for her as“mistrust” from the company in the work she was giving, even though she was committed to her work. So she reacted aggressively from this decision.

Also, the bad relationship that she had with Paul Horn due to communication problems, is the reason why she doesn’t want to talk to him after erasing the program. Chinese people being relationship oriented, Paul didn’t work on building a relationship with Yulan and he is now making her “loose her face” when he sent her a letter asking her to give the program back in a very direct way. Maybe Yulan even perceived him as being hierarchically under her as John is the one who asked her to work with him,...