The Global Market Place
Steve Jenkins
DeVry University

Author Note
This paper was prepared for BUSN-115
Taught by Professor T. Lee
The Global Market Place: Week Two Homework Questions The Global Market Place: Week Two Homework Questions

What cultural factors must U.S. sports franchises overcome to increase popularity overseas? When a franchise is looking to expand to an overseas market one of the most important things it must determine is if it is culturally relevant in the country it wishes to expand in. For this question I’ll use the NFL as an example. The NFL has recently announced that they plan to add an expansion team in the UK. Now in England, soccer is the national pastime. The NFL has been testing NFL games in the UK for the last several years to determine if American Football would be culturally accepted in a country where soccer is the majority leader. The NFL in partnership with SKYNET television had also recently signed a long term deal to broadcast NFL games in the UK. This provides a good indication to the NFL on how well a team would do there.

How can a franchise ensure their products are appropriate for the international market? As an example for this question I am going to use McDonalds, as they have global recognition and have an extensive variety of menus tailored for their host country. McDonalds is available in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, South America and North America. McDonalds adapted its menu to fit in culturally within its host country. Japan for example has the following items on its menu that is all available there; Cheese Tsukimi Burger, cheese fondue chicken, and the mega teriyaki burger are just a few examples of these specialty items designed by McDonalds for their host nation. In order for a franchise to work internationally it has to make the customer feel welcomed and familiarity is a great way to achieve this. When an American restaurant has both traditional American food but also offers some of the local flavors as well, it makes the customer more willing to try something new while allowing them to stay within their comfort level. In some countries using beef or pork is not allowed due to religious beliefs and so the franchise would have to adapt to that,