Assignment:
You will use Hofstede's characteristics to differentiate international and domestic business operations. The exercise will help identify the key characteristics that drive business decisions on an international and domestic level.
Part 1: Pick three individual countries, one in the Middle East, one in Asia, and one in Europe. Apply Hofstede's characteristics to each one, and state if the characteristic is low, medium, or high in each country. Also, explain why each country deserves that description.
Part 2: Given your descriptions, explain which country is most like the United States and which country is most unlike the U.S.
Your response must be a minimum of three pages in length.
Q1: Why do you think the world's largest theme park operator, the Walt Disney Co., was motivated to establish parks in Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong? What particular market characteristics of each of those sites were especially attractive in your opinion? Should Disney establish additional foreign parks, and if so, when, where, why, and how?
Your response should be at least 300 words in length.
Q2: In your opinion, what role does culture play in international expansion by a corporation?