Communication and the Global World

You are in the role of project manager for a hamburger franchise global expansion project. 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, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). You understand that these cultures are vastly different. They have different business customs, social protocols, and languages. However, they also have a strong relationship with several of your vendors so they may be viable business partners for your expansion project.

To prepare for your project kickoff meeting and 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. Provide a bar graph or table along with a discussion of these comparisons (400-600 words).

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, United Arab Emirates, and Israel) involved in the fast food expansion project to see a comparison of their scores.

Step Three:

Create a bar graph 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 graph on Microsoft Word:

1. Click "Insert" tab
2. Click "Chart" in the Illustrations Group
3. Select “Bar”
4. 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.
5. Click a corner of the border. Drag it down or up to add or remove items from the graph.

Step Four:

Using the United States as a basis for comparison, evaluate each country’s similarities and differences. Use your textbook, muse, live chats and the CTU Library to help identify cultural characteristics that will be important during your first project meeting with each country.