Christopher Stackhouse
February 24, 2014
MGM316-1401B-03
International Business Communications
Phase 1 Individual Project

As I stated in my discussion board not all countries have the same beliefs and values as we do in the United States. When a business wants to expand to another country there is a lot of work that has to be done before doing so, the business cannot just up and move and think that the business will strive without out knowing the beliefs of that country. Before I would expand my business I would have to research the country’s gross domestic product, so that I could know exactly what the economy’s state is. You don’t want to expand a business to a country where the economy is not stable, that is basically setting yourself up for failure. I guarantee that one burger franchise would not turn the economy in that country around. Another thing that must be checked is the laws for that country. For example in some Middle Eastern countries they do not let women hold any type of power of authority in any job position

United Arab Emirates With the United Arab Emirates you would have to understand that more than 96% percent of the people in this country are Muslim, which means that before expanding to that country we would have to understand the Muslim religion. In this country Muslims are prohibited from converting to other religions, so the majority of the workers there will probably be of that religion. Another thing that the company might run into in this country is the religious event called Ramadan, which is fast for the sake of God or Allah. It is a strict policy that Ramadan be enforced in this country, which includes the residents as well as the visitors. In the time of Ramadan this business can expected to take a huge plunge in sales due to the fact that everybody is fasting. The attitudes in this country are individualistic.

Israel In Israel there is no religious preference but the dominate two religious preferences there is Jewish and Muslims. History shows that the two religions do not get along with one another because that the other is the aggressor. In this country Jews are bound to dietary laws called kashrut, which forbid them to eat port and shellfish, as well as eating meat and dairy products in the same meal. During Passover in Israel, the Jews refrain from eating all leavened foods such as bread, pasta, etc. During Passover it could be difficult for the business to gain revenue because of the Jews refraining from eating bread products. The attitudes in this country are collective.

Mexico In Mexico they are very religious and about 95% of the Mexicans are Christians. Religion plays a major part in Mexico as well as fiestas, Mexican holidays, and authentic Mexican food. The problem that I see the company running into in Mexico is that they tend to eat their own country’s food. I really do not see a burger restaurant thriving in a Mexican culture. The economy in most parts of Mexico is very poor which could affect the income of revenue to the company. The attitudes in this country are individualistic.

China In China I could see a burger restaurant doing well in that economy, but some of the ingredients on the menu would probably have to be a bit different. When I went to China I noticed that they have a totally different taste in food than we have in America. I really don’t want to say the specifics, but some things that vendors sell to eat over there on the daily basis I would not dare touch. The attitudes in this country are collective.

If you were to send your top managers to these countries, what type of cultural shock should they expect? How would you help them alleviate this stress? Provide a few examples from each country.

If I were to send my top managers to these countries I would have to get them mentally prepared for the changes that they will face. I would probably have them to go through training for what they should expect in