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This series of eight short two-part cases ("caselets") is written to highlight some of the most challenging and potentially destabilising moments in everyday work life in the Asian context. With globalisation, many Asian organisations are becoming increasingly diverse. Managers and employees often have to deal with tensions arising from workplace diversity. At some point in most people's career, they will inevitably encounter these difficult situations either as seen by the protagonists of the cases or as the bosses who have to manage the protagonist; or might be friends, colleagues or family members of the protagonist. It is hence important that these situations can be managed from different perspectives.

In Part C, Matthew identifies a plot of land to develop the hotel and raises a significant part of the capital required from his friends and acquaintances. He and his wife also start a side business to bring in some financial respite, while Matthew continues to raise capital for his dream project - building a hotel in Vietnam.

In Part B, Matthew quits E&Y and to gain experience first works at a Vietnamese hotel as a bell boy for three months and then at a hotel in Singapore as a management trainee for another three months. This gives him confidence about the hotel business but the financial pressure of not having a stable job is getting tougher by the day. He faces the dilemma of whether or not to return to the corporate world.

This case study set in 2013 discusses the critical career decisions that Matthew Tan, a young university graduate from National University of Singapore, has to make. The case is in three parts. In Part A, Matthew inspired by his childhood experiences is toying with the idea of leaving his job at Ernst & Young (E &Y) and opening a hotel that would help under-privileged youths. It is a risky decision as he has no experience in the hotel business and no capital to start it with.

While a master chef or painter may welcome the freedom and flexibility associated with an enlarged set of options, does the average person benefit from more choice during problem solving? The authors show how the increased complexity inherent in increased options affects people and describe the research that led them to conclude that both individual and situational factors play a role in influencing creativity. They identify two important variables that managers must pay attention to in the quest for creative outcomes.