Abstract
Cultural challenges are a big part of life. When one decides to create an idea that is not centered in their normal environment, they will have some challenges that they will have to face. This could hinder some people from moving forward with their ideas or dreams. Cultural challenges happens in any environment that is not your own. This only mean that one must make sure that they are familiar with their surroundings and be strong enough to face any adversities that may arise upon them.
This paper will give some insight on cultural challenges that may hinder Mr. Steve Kafka's dream of opening a pizza restaurant in the city of Prague, The Czech Republic. This paper will give a brief background of Mr. Kafka and The Czech Republic so that one could understand some the cultural differences between the United States and The Czech Republic. The paper will summarize the culture of the people of The Czech Republic so that the Americans could know how they operate within their own country.
The Cultural Challenges 3
Introduction
Mr. Steve Kafka is an American citizen of Czech origin that owns a Chicago Style Pizza Company and he wants to expand his business to Prague, The Czech Republic in Europe. He has conquered one challenge which is speaking their language. He faces many more adversities and must overcome them for his business to succeed in The Czech Republic. There are many cultural differences that are present between The United States and The Czech Republic. Steve Kafka must acknowledge what they are and try to avoid any problems while trying to open his business in this country.
The Czech Republic is a nice size country that has become independent as of January 1, 1993. They have a population of 1,168,963 as of 2007(country watch, 2008). The capital is Prague and is under the European Region which the people speak two different languages, Czech and Slovak. The United States, on the other hand, has a population of 301,139,947 as of July, 2007 and is under a constitution based government.
The cultural differences between Czech Republic and The United States come from original historical evolution throughout the centuries. The Czech Republic was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which their civil law system was based under Austro-Hungarian codes. Now, Czech Republic has a free market economy instead of a communist regime. They are influenced by German and Russian customs.
Stephen Boos has worked in the food service industry for over 30 years. He started as a bus person and subsequently trained as a chef’s apprentice. Steve’s mother believed that a college education was something that everyone should receive. She felt that a college degree was a good investment in Steve’s future. In 1976 at his mother’s insistence, Boos moved to Northeastern Ohio to attend Kent State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After graduation, Steve began working for East Park Restaurant as a line cook. Using his education as a foundation, Steve made a point to learn everything he could about running a restaurant, from cutting meat to the bi-weekly food and beverage orders. His versatility, keen business sense, and ability to control costs resulted in Steve’s promotion to General Manager, as role he has held since 1995.
My personal insight of the operations is that Carmine’s located in the Theater District is great place to eat and work. They are making way more money than they are spending, they have managers that are knowledgeable and know how to control cost. Carmine’s is an overall successful business and is an ideal place of employment due to the fact that you can always move up in the company. I really enjoyed writing this paper because I work here and gave me a better insight and opinion of the establishment. The food is great and the people I work alongside are even better, we host some of the funniest and great people from around the world as our guest.
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.
Franza Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in Prague, Austria-Hungary (now known as the Czech Republic). He was a German speaking child in a Jewish society. From a very young age he suffered with many instances of isolationism, tragedy ran rampant in his home with the death of his two younger brothers during birth, and he had a profound relationship with his parents. Franza Kafka referred to his father as a “true Kafka” and his father’s relationship paved the way for many of his writings and ideals. He wrote his novella The Metamorphosis at the peak of the existential movement. Kafka and his father had a very stern relationship. The father was a successful business man while Kafka went from job to job and never found a stable and viable job. Kafka constantly was brought down and condescended by his father, which gave the support for many of his writings including The Metamorphosis. The relationship between Kafka and his father is almost exactly identical to the relationship between Gregor Samsa and his father. In almost all of Kafka’s literature the central character always has to overcome an overbearing and overwhelming...
Franz Kafka, b. Prague, Bohemia (then belonging to Austria), July 3, 1883, d. June 3, 1924, has come to be one of the most influential writers of this century. Virtually unknown during his lifetime, the works of Kafka have since been recognized as symbolizing modern man's anxiety-ridden and grotesque alienation in an unintelligible, hostile, or indifferent world. Kafka came from a middle-class Jewish family and grew up in the shadow of his domineering shopkeeper father, who impressed Kafka as an awesome patriarch. The feeling of impotence, even in his rebellion, was a syndrome that became a pervasive theme in his fiction. Kafka did well in the prestigious German high school in Prague and went on to receive a law degree in 1906. This allowed him to secure a livelihood that gave him time for writing, which he regarded as the essence--both blessing and curse--of his life. He soon found a position in the semipublic Workers' Accident Insurance institution, where he remained a loyal and successful employee until--beginning in 1917-- tuberculosis forced him to take repeated sick leaves and finally, in 1922, to retire. Kafka spent half his time after 1917 in sanatoriums and health resorts, his tuberculosis of the lungs finally spreading to the larynx.
Frank Kafka is considered one of the most influential writers of all time. Helmut Richter would agree with this statement. Richter agreed that Kafka was a very prominent figure in world literature and was amazed by his mechanics and word usage. I feel that his essay is supportive of Kafka’s writing, but also leaves out many important details in its brevity. Richter did not include Kafka’s flaws and tendencies in his essay.
“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.
In the article, Cultural constraints in management theories, Geert Hofstede examines business management around the globe from a cultural perspective. He explains how he believes there are no universal practices when it comes to management and offers examples from the US, Germany, France, Japan, Holland, China and Russia. He demonstrates how business management theories and practices are very much subject to cultural norms and values and by understanding these differences, it can give managers an advantage in global business practices.
Although Steve is of Czech origin and speaks the language, he should still take into consideration language barriers as well as different attitudes and expectations from local partners. His friends living in Czech can help him, but Steve cannot expect them to be around for all his business transactions. For example, to show respect to others in the Czech Republic, one addresses both men and women by their professional titles and last names. People do not use first names until they are well acquainted. This culture is very different from the U.S. and Steve needs to be aware of it in order for him to avoid offending local business partners and customers.
Franz Kafka is known as one of the most prominent writers from the twentieth century. In 1883 he was born in Prague, which was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time. Kafka’s family is of Jewish decent and was a part of the German speaking community, which was hated and distrusted by the Czech speaking majority of Prague (Kafka’s Life). Kafka is known for his intricate style of writing on peculiar subjects. Many of his novels are based on “real world” problems and societies. Kafka often presents a grotesque representation of society through themes of isolation, guilt, and corruption (Kafka’s Life). The Trial is known as one of Kafka’s greatest feats. It follows a man by the name of Josef K and his sudden arrest one morning for an unnamed crime. Josef desperately tries to thwart the arrest against an unjust and secretive court system, but is eventually killed (The Trial, Kafka). The Trial is not only about a man who lives in a corrupt society, but also a critique on society in the real world. Josef K is a man surrounded by corruption; the government that tries him is unjust, the people he meets are tarnished, and even the air that he breathes is thick with fraud. Josef K seems to be the only seemingly guiltless person in his society. However, corruption marginalizes Kafka from society and eventually kills him off.
The word 'culture' is often described in terms of concrete ideas or social artifacts. Gary R. Weaver describes some common conceptions such as "good taste," "art or music," or "something that people in exotic foreign lands had."1 However, culture in the context of international assignments relates to how people perceive the world and the influence this perception has on their actions. It is culture on the interpersonal level. Different cultures can perceive the same thing differently, which leads to miscommunication and misunderstanding when one crosses into another culture not their own.
In the assigned readings, few concepts and ideas have been discussed: Cultural Imperialism, Globalism and Local Cultures, Transnationalism and the Multi-local Corporation and McDonaldization versus Localization. The reading also provided a brief history (the timing) of McDonald’s expands in East Asia and also explained the Rationalization of McDonald’s (i.e. McDonaldization) and it’s Local Sensitivities.
Mr. Thompson, one of the franchisees who started his own McDonalds career in the 1990s speaking of the founder of McDonald 's corporation, Ray Kroc said: “He opened up the door for so many other people to be able to have entrepreneurial careers with McDonald 's” (Lynch). The fast-food culture was not just a square peg in the square hole of that time, but also a life raft to many. The chain was an avenue for so many people to make a living. One in every eight Americans has worked in a fast food restaurant, especially McDonalds. Franchising was an opportunity for others to succeed together with McDonalds and other fast food chains. McDonalds was not the first fast food chain, but it was the first to go ubiquitously nationwide, and globally American. This was not just because it exploited a new cultural reality, but because of its deep-seated value for humanity and diversity. It didn’t cash in but created the culture
The Slovak Republic, or Slovakia, is located in Eastern Europe with a population of 5.4 million people and borders the countries of Poland, Austria, the Ukraine, and the Czech Republic (The World Bank). As originally part of the former nation of Czechoslovakia, the Slovak Republic has only recently begun to write its own history (Abizadeh, p. 171).
Language and culture challenge : There were also language and cultural challenge faced as there were people from different countries who had come together to work on this project.