Worldwide consulting limited is an italian-based service company with activities in 23 countries. the company operates by embedding a large number of expatriates in foreign subsidiaries, even though the expatriates are not always familiar with the host country to which they are assigned. what is the most important benefit worldwide consulting is most likely to achieve through this practice? an exchange of information and knowledge across subsidiaries facilitated by the expatriates. the presence of expatriate employees enhances the prestige of the foreign subsidiaries and increases client satisfaction. the presence of a large number of expatriates improves employee motivation and reduces employee turnover. having ex-pat employees allows the parent company to keep tighter control of its offshore subsidiaries.

You receive a memo from the vice president of procurement responding to your query. he writes: “it will be very important to maintain product continuity. we have a large base of devoted customers. we want to make sure that the quality and key characteristics of island knight stay the same through this transition. talk to frank, our consulting professional perfumer, for more information about the cologne. seasonal variations in costs are the single most significant factor in our deciding to go with another supplier, so finding a way to limit that should be the top priority. the overall marginal costs and shipping costs are probably somewhat less significant. you may want to talk to cindy, the product manager for island knight, regarding pricing information about the product.” what is the best action to take next?