1 What benefits will Nissan gain if its procurement of parts is combined with Renault’s parts procurement on a global basis? Are there any costs to this change? What problems does Nissan create if it...

1 What benefits will Nissan gain if its procurement of parts is combined with Renault’s parts procurement on a global basis? Are there any costs to this change? What problems does Nissan create if it abandons the keiretsu system for purchasing parts? In what ways might the Internet facilitate this change?

2 Suppose natural attrition fails to allow Nissan to reach its goal of reducing its workforce by 21,000 people. If this occurs, what would you advise Ghosn to do? Should he abandon the planned job cuts? Or should he begin to fire workers and risk violating one of Japan’s strongest cultural norms?