Introduction
There are many challenges to doing business in the U.S. and there are additional challenges that occur when the decision is made to do business in a foreign country. In this paper I will discuss the challenges Steve Kafka will face as he opens his business in the Czech Republic. Per the information given to me in the assignments, Steve Kafka is an American of Czech origin and he a franchisor for Chicago Style Pizza. He has decided to expand his business into the Czech Republic, knowing this is a risky decision. When he first became a franchisor, he had to overcome many difficulties and he expects he will face some of these difficulties again as he opens up his business in the new location in Prague, Czech Republic. Steve was born in the United States and has family and friends in the Czech Republic. Although, he speaks Czech fluently and has visited the country several times, he believes he knows the people and the culture. This paper will examine some of the challenges he may face, the risks that may be involved and factors Steve may want to evaluate as he takes on this new and exciting opportunity.
Discussion
A: Are there major differences and incompatibilities between the U.S .and Czech cultures?
Overall, the Czech culture is remarkably similar to the U.S. culture. Following the breakup of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous countries and has one of the most developed and industrialized economies (www.countrywatch.com.) Czech people generally have upper middle income and are well educated. There are many minor cultural differences between the U.S. and Czech people. In regard to eating, Czechs rarely dine out and when they do meals are served a la carte; empty glasses are quickly refilled, and the customers do not pour their own drinks, beer is commonly consumed with meals (CultureGrams, 2007.)
Dating is usually done in groups and usually consists of movies, dancing or outdoor activities. This is in contrast with the U.S. culture where families dine out often, many accoutrements are served with the meal (i.e. salad and bread) and restaurants offer pitchers of beverages that the customers pour themselves. Typical dates in the U.S. include dinner, or some other meal, at a restaurant followed by a movie or dancing.
Business in US and The Czech Republic The purpose of this document is to present solutions and recommendations for Steve Kafka, an American of Czech origin and a franchisor for Chicago Style Pizza, who has decided to expand his business into the Czech Republic. This document focuses on the major differences and incompatibilities between the U.S. and Czech cultures. The script also shed lights on the business risks and mitigation on Czech culture. The paper also talks about the comparative advantages that exist in the Czech Republic and Hofstedes four primary dimensions for Steve to evaluate the Czech business environment.
Dating is definitely an "American phenomenon." Few other countries carry on this practice with as much fervor as Americans do. Then again, few other countries have the same social conditions as America. Since the turn of the century, there has been a greater freedom between men and women, for example, both attend the same schools with the same classes. Both sexes become accustomed to the other at early ages which is very conducive to the practice of dating (Merrill 61).
I asked Coco Chanel what her definition of traditional dating was and she said, “Doing things old fashioned.” Coco Chanel further explained that traditional dating is keeping things simple. Doing things with someone you see yourself with for a long time possibility getting married to them. “Traditional dating is something basic and innocent that doesn’t need to have sex involved because intimacy is grown through trust and love.” Coco Chanel said this generation is going to have a hard time with traditional dating because no one values sex anymore because it’s something you can get whenever you
Societies have different cultures and people in each culture are grown and raised with a set of norms, values, and beliefs. These shared values and beliefs are learned from their childhood through their adulthood. Culture is not something which everyone is born with, but it is something which everyone learns while growing up. It does not only influence the daily lives, but it also influences the business activities which take place in that particular society. Many of us work with people who have different backgrounds and that makes it important for us to understand the differences between cultures. So, although cultures might look similar, there are differences in many aspects which distinguish them from each other. There are five cultural
A business can either take a step forward or a step back depending on the external and internal influences and how they handle them, they can either flourish or enter stages of degradation and cessation. External and internal influences on a businesses plays a part in the opportunities that arise in the industry the business operates in, otherwise the business may choose to venture out of it’s defined industry depending on the opportunities at hand. Businesses are affected by internal and external influences to a degree where they are either benefiting or suffering from the way they handle opportunities that arise. The five articles depict the problems encountered by businesses no matter their size or industry.
The idea of experience regarding globalization is important, according to various scholars, as globalization only truly matters if people can feel that it has something to do with their lives. People have to sense that they are actually experiencing globalization in order to care about it and find it important enough – which is why I would like to argue that certain of the pieces in the "experiencing globalization" section of the course literature represent the most fundamental and significant ideas in terms of understanding globalization processes. I will first address Lechner’s ‘waves of globalization’ and Levitt’s idea of ‘transnational villagers,’ and afterwards I shall discuss Appadurai’s ‘experience
Dating today differs greatly compared to dating say sixty or even eighty years ago. Dating trends today, such as cohabitation, would be considered insanity or chaos if these patterns were displayed in the 1920’s. Today the majority of persons who date are seeking the outcome of a marriage (although research does not agree with this). Eighty years ago, people dated for fun, pleasure, and recreation (Schwartz 116), and only “popular” people dated (Waller 1937), dating was a rarity, and limited to people in their late teen years or early adulthood. However, today it is quite different from eighty years ago with respect to the purpose of dating, and trends. Dating starts at earlier ages such as 13, and everyone dates, regardless of social standings. What we are going to be looking at is the patterns of dating among heterosexual college students (or non-students) ages eighteen to twenty-four, and how these trends differ from previous dating trends. The research questions as are based on geographical location, ethnicity and race, age, sex, and touches on religion. The geographical location is listed because we are in southern California. This region of the Untied States is full of the most races, including African-American, Asian, Hispanic, South American, Caucasian and many more. This will also ensures that we get a full random sample. The age is there to ensure that we are covering the college age groups, ages eighteen to twenty-four. Sex of course pretty much limits us to male and female. Religion will be mentioned, but is not a major concern as far as the research goes. There will be six major issues discussed. These issues will include: the frequency of dating; how many time...
Steve Kafka, an American of Czech origin and a franchisor for Chicago Style Pizza, has decided to expand his business into the Czech Republic. He knows it is a risky decision; when he became a franchisor, he had to overcome a lot of difficulties. Steve anticipates he will face some of these difficulties again at the new location in Prague, Czech Republic. Although he was born in the United States, he has family and friends in the Czech Republic, speaks Czech fluently, and has visited the country of his origin several times. He knows the people and the culture. In this paper, I will analyze the cross-cultural differences between the United States and Czech Republic, determine comparative advantages in this country, and recommend ways to minimize the risks of establishing a franchise overseas.
On the basis of this project a critical review of the third chapter “Funky Village” of the book “Funky Business” by Jonas Ridderstråle and Kjell Nordström will be made. In addition to that the main arguments of the choosen chapter will be pointed out. After that the research question will be stated out and answered by taking the arguments of the authors into consideration. After reading the book I formulated my own research question which reflects my personal interest on the choosen topic.
... conclusion, to compete with the intense competition in today’s fast-food market, KFC China differentiates the company by being innovative. Three significant innovative strategies are localizing the menu, understanding the Chinese culture, and hiring local management. KFC demonstrates that one size fits all approach in the global market does not always work. Many typical Western approach to foreign expansion is to deliver the same products or services as their original establishment. For instance, Domino’s Pizza, an American restaurant chain, nearly failed in Australia due to the underestimation of the need to adapt their offerings to the local tastes. KFC China offers important lessons for global firms. It is essential to know that to what extend the company should keep the existing business model in emerging markets and to what extend it should be thrown away.
A major challenge of doing business internationally is to adapt effectively to different cultures. Steve Kafka, an American of Czech origin and a franchiser for Chicago Style Pizza has decided to expand his business to Czech Republic. This is a risky decision and Steve anticipates he will face obstacles as he goes about setting up the new pizza outlet at this new location, Prague.
Svensson, G., 2001. 'Globalization' of Business Activities: A 'Global Strategy' Approach, Management Decision, 39(1), pp.6-18.
In recent decades, the process of globalization has accelerated and the world economy has become increasingly interdependent. The rise in the number of businesses that extensively operate in more than one foreign country, which is known as multinational corporations, plays an important role in the ongoing procedure of globalization. The United Nations has reported that multinational corporations hold one-third of world’s productive assets and control 70 percent of world trade (Schermerhorn et al., 2014). As there is a considerable growth in international businesses, worldwide economy is becoming more highly competitive. The global economy not only offers great opportunities for multinational enterprises but also on the other hand, creates many difficulties for them. Therefore, success in the large-scale economy requires a number of elements. One of the major determinants is dependent on global managers. In the operation of organizations, managers may encounter different international management challenges that restrict their business development. These challenges often include issues associated with the host countries, the global workforce diversity management, management across cultures, difficulties in competitive global business environment as well as in the process of global planning and controlling. This essay is going to discuss the above international management challenges in a broad sense and giving illustration in aspects of each challenge.
Dating use to be simple. Two people get to know each other, go on a few dates, and then one day they decide to be boyfriend and girlfriend. However, this doesn't seem to be the case anymore. The term “Dating” is getting used less every day. Dating is a thing of the past because it takes a longer process for two people to determine if they are ready to commit, the term “talking” has replaced the word dating, and because people don't stay fully committed to one person anymore.
“Red is a positive color in Denmark, but represents witchcraft and death in many African countries,” (Understand and heed, 1991, p.1). Simple understandings, such as this one, can make the difference in a business’ success or failure in a foreign country. Various countries have different customs and beliefs that need to be accustomed to when business are to be successful. American businesses especially have difficulties with this concept. “At times in the past, Americans have not had a good track record of being sensitive to cultural distinctions,” (Understand and heed, 1991, p.3). Perhaps this is because America is made up of so many different cultures that American people have become so used to easily adjusting to each other’s differences that they forget that other cultures are not as flexible. Today, more American’s are becoming more sensitive to the differences of other cultures. This sensitivity and understanding has come with a price, after a long string of business failures. It is not until a business fails miserably in another country that they see the adjustments that should have been made in order for their success to be a possibility. With an understanding and sensitivity to the customs and beliefs of other cultures, it is possible for successful businesses that have originated in western cultures to also be successful in foreign countries as well.