aru mod004668 international intercultural management centralised in companies and government

Question:
To understand why Disney has faced cross-cultural issues, a basic understanding of the French and Hong Kong cultures is required through applying theoretical frameworks. According to Ogbuigwe (2013, p.41) the Iceberg model of culture highlights that culture comprises of visible elements that are conscious, learned and easily changed, and invisible elements that are unconscious, implicit and difficult to change. Although the model oversimplifies any given culture (Thomas, 2008, p.68), Hall (1976) emphasises that to appreciate a cultures visible aspects, one must understand the invisible aspects by experiencing or researching them.
Distance; the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally (Hofstede, n.d)
France scores high on Power Distance. Children are raised to be emotionally dependent. A fair degree of inequality is accepted and power is not only centralised in companies and government, but also geographically.
Scoring 40 on Power Distance and 91 on Individualism, reflects an emphasis on equal rights in all aspects of society and a sense of hierarchy. Both managers and employees expect to be consulted and information is sharedfrequently. At the same time, communication is informal, direct and participative. People look after themselves and their immediate families only and do not rely (too much)on authorities for support. Furthermore, Americans are accustomed to doing
Hong Kong is a collectivist culture where people act in the interests of the group and not themselves. Ingroup considerations affect hiring and Which they belong. Thus, one is only supposed to take care of oneself and ones family. The French are selfmotivated to be the best in their trade and expect respect for what they do.
France has a somewhat Feminine culture. At face value this may be indicated by its famous welfare system (securit sociale), the 35-hour working week, five weeks of holidays per year and its focus on the quality of life. French culture in terms of the model has however, another unique characteristic; the upper class is Feminine whilst the working class is Masculine.
Hong Kong has a low score on Uncertainty Avoidance. Thus,adherence to laws and rules may be flexible to suit a situation. People are comfortable with ambiguity; the Chinese language is full of ambiguous meanings that can be difficult for Western people to follow. They areadaptable and entrepreneurial.
Americans have a fair degree of acceptance for new ideas, innovative products and a willingness to try something new or different, whether it pertains to technology, business practices or food.
Disney misunderstood how food and wine is almost a way of life in France. As the French are accustomed to eating sit-down meals at set times, French visitors were unimpressed with Disneys fast food/snack services and no alcohol policy. Disney had to adapt to provide additional restaurants with more seats, waiters and a wider food choice, and allow wine to be served with meals. This adaptation not only aimed to make the park more European, but also aimed to increase attendance (Yue, 2009, p.88).
Although food is not considered a way of life in Hong Kong as it is in France, Disney seemingly recognised prior to opening Hong Kong Disneyland that its visitors would include a mix of eastern and western cultures. It therefore ensures that throughout the park an array of Disney themed, Chinese and western dishes are available. For example, dim sum, a traditional Chinese dish, is sold in the shape of Mickey Mouses head (Fung and Lee, 2009, p.201).
In France, it is common culture for owners to take their pet dogs out with them. Whilst Disney did not allow pets toenter the parks, it built an Animal CareCentre within close proximity so that guests can bring and leave their household pets in good care during their stay at Disneyland Paris (Disneyland Paris, 2017).
In an attempt to increase attendance after opening, Disney introduced more elements of the local culture into thepark by dressing characters such asMickey Mouse in traditional Chinese long robes, and greeting visitors to the park with a character representing the Chinese God of Wealth (Fung and Lee, 2009, p.201).

Read less







Calculate Your Essay Price
(550 words)

Approximate price: $22

Calculate the price of your order

550 words
We'll send you the first draft for approval by September 11, 2018 at 10:52 AM
Total price:
$26
The price is based on these factors:
Academic level
Number of pages
Urgency
Basic features
  • Free title page and bibliography
  • Unlimited revisions
  • Plagiarism-free guarantee
  • Money-back guarantee
  • 24/7 support
On-demand options
  • Writer’s samples
  • Part-by-part delivery
  • Overnight delivery
  • Copies of used sources
  • Expert Proofreading
Paper format
  • 275 words per page
  • 12 pt Arial/Times New Roman
  • Double line spacing
  • Any citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard)

Our guarantees

Delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price is not enough anymore.
That’s why we have developed 5 beneficial guarantees that will make your experience with our service enjoyable, easy, and safe.

Money-back guarantee

You have to be 100% sure of the quality of your product to give a money-back guarantee. This describes us perfectly. Make sure that this guarantee is totally transparent.

Read more

Zero-plagiarism guarantee

Each paper is composed from scratch, according to your instructions. It is then checked by our plagiarism-detection software. There is no gap where plagiarism could squeeze in.

Read more

Free-revision policy

Thanks to our free revisions, there is no way for you to be unsatisfied. We will work on your paper until you are completely happy with the result.

Read more

Privacy policy

Your email is safe, as we store it according to international data protection rules. Your bank details are secure, as we use only reliable payment systems.

Read more

Fair-cooperation guarantee

By sending us your money, you buy the service we provide. Check out our terms and conditions if you prefer business talks to be laid out in official language.

Read more

Order your essay today and save 10% with the coupon code: best10