Assignment

You are in the role of project manager for a coffee franchise global expansion project. You plan to expand into three different countries. The magnitude of the project requires you to prepare for the project kickoff meeting and business negotiations with the project team who are potential partners from Mexico, China, and Saudi Arabia. You understand that these cultures are vastly different. They have different business customs, social protocols, and languages, so conducting business with each country requires a customized approach.

To prepare for your first outreach effort with each country, analyze the cultural similarities and differences that exist between the countries and the United States using Geert Hofstede's Six Cultural Dimensions as discussed in class. Note that the three countries are characterized by collectivism while the United States has an individualist culture.

Create a bar graph and/or table that summarizes the key cultural dimension comparison. Then, compare and contrast each country according to your findings. Discuss the implications of the relative cultural dimensions. How might they impact managing the global expansion project? Remember that you are adapting your approach from a United States centric view. (400-600 words).

This assignment lays the foundation for IP4, where you will apply your findings to forming an effective global team.

Step One:

Visit Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions

Step Two:

Create a country comparison using the United States in first dropdown menu box to see the values for the six cultural dimensions. After selecting the United States, a second and a third country can be chosen in the second dropdown menu box. Keep the United States in the first box and then repeat for each country (Mexico, China, and Saudi Arabia) involved in the fast food expansion project to see a comparison of their scores.

Step Three:

Create a bar graph and/or table to highlight how the four countries compare to the United States by using the value scores under the comparison to create the bar chart. How to make a bar chart on Microsoft Word:

Click "Insert" tab

Click "Chart" in the Illustrations Group

Select "Bar"

Click "OK" to insert a chart and a spreadsheet will open alongside your Word document. The spreadsheet contains sample figures surrounded by a blue border. Column "A" contains data labels. The remaining columns contain data.

Click a corner of the border. Drag it down or up to add or remove items from the graph.

Step Four:

Using your findings:

Explain Hofstede's cultural dimensions.

Using the United States as a basis for comparison, evaluate each country's similarities and differences relative to the franchise business deployment.

Discuss the implications for your initial communications within each country. For example, what is the impact of collectivism relative to individualism regarding management communication? Use Intellipath, MUSE, Beyond the Book. Live Chats and the CTU Library to help identify cultural characteristics that will be important during your first project meeting with each country.

For assistance with your assignment, please use your Beyond the Book, Web resources, and all course materials.