Bushra Siddiqui

IHRM

Analysis of the case ‘’Selecting a manager for the Nigerian facility’’.

It would be best for Victoria Oilfield Equipment to select a manager who is a local citizen of
Nigeria. However the most important criteria would be the expertise of the manager, his
education, experience and knowledge. Any candidate who fulfills this criterion should be
selected as the manager without giving much consideration to the nationality.

Factors favoring each candidate:

 Henry Smith – Smith is young and has been with Victoria for 10 years. He graduated
from Texas A & M and his record at Victoria is exceptional. His education, 10 years’
experience and prior experience in the army favors his selection.
 Juan Lopez – Lopez has previous experience of running an international facility in
Ecuador as well as experience at the company headquarters planning Victoria’s
operations. His experience of leading a foreign operation favors his selection.
 Matthew Ohwueme – He is a Nigerian citizen, this makes him very favorable as he
will be the best versed with the business, its successful operation and ethics in the
country. He also has leadership experience of running Honda dealership in Lagos.

Final Recommendation:

I would recommend Juan Lopez as the best candidate for the position of leading Victoria in
Nigeria. Lopez has experience of around 21 years with Victoria. He is adept with running the
foreign facility at Ecuador. He also has experience at the company headquarters and he was
active in operations planning. This leadership experience gives him a vital edge. As the
Nigerian facility is a start-up, it is important that the manager has job knowledge and
extensive experience. In Victoria’s case Juan Lopez has the most knowledge of the
operations and the oil equipment.

Observations from the case:

 The Nigeria facility is a start-up and thus requires an experienced manager.

However, this may contradict with Victoria’s desire to develop managers with these
international assignments.
 It is suggested that political powers shift periodically in Nigeria. This calls for an
experienced manager who should be proficient in understanding and handling
government affairs.
 Since few Nigerians have experience in technical aspect of drilling, recruiting and
retaining labor for the operations In Nigeria could be challenging.