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Cultural dimensions of doing business internationally
Cultural dimensions of doing business internationally
Cultural dimensions of doing business internationally
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Studying and understanding different cultures of the world, is an integral part of successfully communicating internationally. This paper will examine three case studies evaluating communication styles in France. The focus will be on McDonald’s France, Euro Disney, and Accor. These three cases all involve a lack of effective communication and understanding of French Culture.
French Culture
In order to examine these French communication case studies it is important to understand the French culture. The French are characterized as having a very high level of uncertainty avoidance, but ironically change their minds quite frequently. The French are also very characterized as a very individualistic culture, meaning that everyone is only supposed to take care of themselves and their immediate family. These characteristics will be seen throughout the case studies, especially the uncertainty avoidance factor.
McDonald’s France Case:
McDonalds has opened franchises all over the world, little did they know that breaking into the French market would be such a challenge. McDonalds is a global corporation that is now tailoring its food, and entire dinning experience to fit local cultures.
At first, the French were not very receptive of McDonalds invading their country, and were very reluctant to indulge in the high fat, fast food. Culturally it was different from anything they had ever experienced before. Initially French McDonalds were replicates of American McDonalds, serving the same menu with the same structural layout. The French traditionally enjoy lingering over their meals, and creating a dinning experience as opposed quickly consuming a large amount of food. These factors led to a slow start for McDonalds in France.
The French were also very concerned about the high level of fat contained in the traditional McDonalds menu. This became a huge communication problem, especially when protests started picketing several McDonalds in France.
McDonalds France Solution:
These problems have been handled by having McDonalds France Public Relations Department giving several press conferences, as well as, distributing several press releases. Since the Problem spans the entire country, high level McDonalds executives are communicating with the public. This communication does not end with high level executives; the message has permeated throughout the entire organization. The managers of individual franchises are very proactive to address and resolve the problems McDonalds has been experiencing. They choose to use the several forms of media that are most likely to actually reach the average McDonalds consumer, news paper press releases, press conferences that could be aired on the local news, and a new advertising campaign.
There’s an Igbo and Yoruba proverb that states, “It takes a whole village to raise a child” (cite). This quote explains that a strong support system that is extended to relatives and family friends assists with an individual’s human behavior development and social environment. With African American culture, the relationship with religion entails that we possess a strong spiritual belief. Therefore shows that religion provides a sense of power and purpose greater than self through worship and praise as a substitute for mental and medical assistance in the African-American community. Hispanic cultures beliefs about health and illness The essence of both family and religion contributes similarities within these cultures because it helps with (idek). However, one of the differences of African-American and Hispanic cultures is their verbal and non-verbal communication (). For instance, Hispanics will not make direct eye contact as a sign of respect, uses a medium to high-level gestures, and their intrapersonal distance is less than an arm’s length. Alternatively, African-Americans typically convey themselves directly and lengthy for dialogue, uses frequent and sporadic large gestures, and interpersonal distance extends from appromixely four to twelve feet
Everyone has heard of McDonald’s, but where did this familiar name come from? When people think of American food, it is not uncommon for two golden arches to appear in their minds. This story began with two brothers Dick and Mac McDonald who owned and ran a small restaurant in San Bernardino, California during the 1940s. In 1954 a man named Ray Kroc came across these two brothers while selling multi-mixers and was impressed with the business they were running. The menu was compact, listing options for only a few burgers, fries and beverages, but the restaurant was effective in its operation. Ray Kroc pitched the idea of spreading McDonald’s restaurants across the United States and in 1955 he founded the McDonald’s Corporation. By 1960 he bought the exclusive rights to the name. Kroc was able to expand substantially on this small business so that by 1958 McDonald’s sold its 100 millionth hamburger. (“McDonald’s.com”)
2:00am I woke to the sound of my phone. It must of been important perhaps family member dying; No it was thugs crank calling. 6 o’clock in the morning My voicemail was full of meticulously specific instructions on how I should kill myself, “Mix 1/2 cup of bleach with 1/2 a cup of ammonia.” I wanted to reach out for a friend so I turned on social media only to find a MySpace page with hundreds of likes devoted to a page titled “Andrew R. Anderson should die.” They fraudulently posed as my own parents and siblings. I was virtually raped. As a victim of cyber bullying, I am not alone. School bullying statistics in the United States show that about one in four kids in the U.S. are bullied on a regular basis. (“Student Reports")
According to Royle (1999) McDonald’s is a very large multinational enterprise (MNE) and the largest food service operation in the world. Currently the company has 1.5 million workers with 23,500 stores in over 110 countries with the United Kingdom and Germany amongst the corporation’s six biggest markets, and over 12,000 restaurants in the United States. In 1974 the United Kingdom corporation was established and in 1971 the Germany corporation was established, currently the combined corporation has over 900 restaurants and close to 50,000 employees in each of these countries (Royle, 1999).
...ndustry well established in Canada, McDonalds’ traditional competitors have all found their own niche. Their constant changes are more directed at customer satisfaction then keeping inline with their competitors.
McDonald’s was the first company to try to export America’s fast food and changes in eating habits to other nations. McDonald’s has over
Vignali, C. (2001). McDonald’s: “think global, act local”--the marketing mix. British Food Journal, 103(2), pp.97--111.
These business also supplying low quality rubber patty like cheap products and the lack of preparation and clean up crew following along the frozen food and microwaved patties. From the years of 2000 mcdonalds has been fluctuating not also just the fact people think its not unhealthy to eat it once in a while but that fact only works if you actually are exercising daily, but since these years also increasing market’s and productions like commercials and t shirts mcdonalds alone made 263,944 fast food restaurants counting also the spread across foreign country’s. This article presented to me by renee jac on 2/10/2014 on the reality of producing th...
The fast food industry’s giant- McDonald’s has become the best-know fast food brand in the world. It employs advertising, sale promotion, public relations and sport sponsorship to promote McDonald’s as a global image (Vignali, 2001). In communication context, the maxim “brand globally, advertise locally” (Sandler & Shani, 1993) is McDonald’s promotio...
In today’s market, McDonalds faces numerous challenges such as fierce competition, a more health conscious customer, and the continual need for improved customer satisfaction and menu. McDonalds needs to go through some changes in order to remain ahead in the fast-food industry.
Obesity is an ongoing problem in the world. After researching more on the topic, it has become not only a health problem but a controversial issue. Proponents believe that obesity is a disease. The definition of disease, the lifespan effects of obesity, and the genetics of obesity support the claim. Opponents believe that it is not a disease because it is just a result of eating too much and little activity. They believe because the obesity is centered around abnormalities. Obesity should not be considered a disease with support from health factors, statistics, and characteristics of other diseases. After my research, I know obesity can be argued in both directions.
French Business Report Christa M. Hudler Lenoir Community College Abstract In France, women are treated as equals to men; however women in business differ when compared to business men. French business practices are very formal in all aspects. French business wear is similar to that of America; however French business clothing differs slightly for women. Communication with the French is similar to communicating with any other foreign country.
With the products that improve the quality of life popping up every day, it leaves you wondering how these products have become so perfected. A big part of that is in prior animal testing. While animal testing is sometimes highlighted from time to time, it is not commonly thought of when using a product. Highly rated shampoo? It was most likely tested on an animal beforehand. Animal testing in many cases can leave a physical and psychological impact on animals that are irreversible. Animal testing in an experiment is cruelty. Experiments can go wrong if something unexpected happens or there is an error in judgment. After these experiments, the animals may never be the same and that is if they’re not killed after the experiment
Some examples are fried shrimp in Switzerland(Schlossberg) , the McArabia which is chicken , lettuce, tomato, onions and garlic sauce on a pita(Schlossberg), Japan's chicken veggie burger (Schlossberg) and in Croatia a tzatziki wrap which uses beef patties(Schlossberg). These examples are all very country specific and take food that those people are used to eating and just makes them more fast food like. Yet since these food items are coming from McDonalds there is still this familiarity that comes with it. There are still beef patties and items that look like buns and fried foods and soft drinks so that even if a person is from
This is the main cause that led several French farmers to protest against McDonald’s in 1999: According to an article in The Times (London), José Bové, a southern farm activist and leader of the protest became quite a hero with his campaign against American trade sanctions on Rocquefort cheese and other traditional French fare. He was arrested subsequently after leading a squad of farmers that ransacked a McDonald’s site at Millau, in the Aveyron départment. The region had been hit by Washington’s punitive duty on ewe’s cheese, imposed as part of the retaliation for Europe’s ban on hormone-fed American beef. “I am a hostage to global commercialisation” said Mr. Bove at the Montpellier courthouse during his trial. Accordingly so, Guy Kastler, another farmer, said: “We are here to defend the right of people to feed themselves with their own food in their own way against the determination of the United States to impose their way of eating on the whole planet.” (The Times [London], 1998.) Besides this, the farmers also protested against low prices, low-cost industrial methods and genetically modified crops. They feared the increasing domination of big retail distributors like McDonald’s. “José Bové has fulfilled every ecologist's dream: dismantling a McDonalds” [4] said Denis