International Business 1

Running Head: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

International Business Communications

MGM316-1402A-04
Phase 1 Individual Project
Asefaw Indrias
By Kristopher Jones
4/14/2014

International Business 2
Companies that strive for globalized success must be conscious of the numerous differences
that exist in the economic, political, social, educational, family, and religious systems which
comprise the cultural structure on individual countries. What one country recognizes in a positive
aspect another country may recognize in a totally negative perspective. For example, in America,
the color red signifies stop or danger, but the Chinese identify it as good fortune and to the
Turkish it represents death. Being aware of these differences and implementing steps that will
adhere to those differences can be a significant factor in the acceptance and success of an
international company. Businesses within the food industry experience even greater difficult
conducting business internationally because the variations in location, people, beliefs, and etc.
will generally entail dissimilarities in the foods that are desired and the manner in which they are
prepared, so these businesses have to undergo more extensive measures to understand the culture
of the country they wish to operate in so as to appeal to their target consumer base and achieve
the profitability that they desire. Throughout this presentation, in relation to opening fast-food
branches in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Mexico and China, I will discuss what to consider
regarding the different social and religious values and cultures of these countries that impact how
they prepare and eat their food. In addition, I will describe the social behaviors that should be
considered, any ethical standards or training that may be required, as well as whether these
countries possess attitudes based on individualistic or collective ideals. Furthermore, I will define
the type of cultural shock that top managers might experience once they arrived in these
countries and state how that affect could be alleviated. Additionally, I will explain how I would
verify the legality of an expeditors practices and whether I would approve a paid transaction
request by an expeditor if such actions were accepted in that country, but unethical in the U.S.
Lastly, I will identify the reasoning behind my decision, the parties that I could consult, and the

International Business 3
factors that should be considered. I hope that this presentation is informative and greater
develops your understanding of international business.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is comprised of seven small territories, which consist of
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al-Qaiwain, and Fujairah, and the
major religion of the country is Islam. Rice, fish, and meat have always been the traditional
foods of the UAE people. The most significant cultural consideration, in relation to food, in the
UAE is that, as Muslims, among other restrictions, they are prohibited from eating pork or meat
prepared with animal byproducts, but, even with these religious limitations, the fast-food
industry as a whole has an escalating market within the country and is expected to increase to
$8.7 billion by 2015 (Arabian Business, 2012). Israel is a middle-eastern country that includes
two distinct nationalities, the Jewish and the Palestinian. The primary religion throughout Israel
is Judaism, and, as Jews, they are restricted by a set of dietary laws known as kashrut or
kosher, which, among other boundaries, inhibits the consumption of shellfish and pork, as well
as the ingestion of both dairy and meat products within the same meal (Becher, M., n.d.). Most
Israelis enjoy hummus, tahini, falafel, pita bread as well as a variety of different vegetables in
their dishes. Mexico is a country that is bordered by the United States to the north and Guatemala
and Belize to the southeast. The most dominate religion in Mexico is Roman Catholic. As
Catholics, the only major food restriction practiced is the elimination of meat on Ash Wednesday,
Good Friday, and Fridays of Lent. Hot peppers, beans, and, corn are the key items of most
Mexican meals. China is a country located in East Asia. A large degree of the Chinese population
claims no religious association and, today, due to a history of famine and a lack of cultural foodbased restrictions, the Chinese indulge in a wide array of diverse cuisine (Wertz, R., 2011).

International Business 4
Although, traditionally, Chinese meals consist of vegetables, fish, or meat accompanied by
noodles, rice, or stemmed buns.
A collective culture is comprised of a society where group interests are internalized at a
higher capacity, whereas an individualistic culture has greater focus on self-interests and
personal achievement (Al-Issa, A., 2005). When operating in a foreign country, its important to
ascertain the social culture that influences the attitudes and behaviors of the local people so that
youre able to properly manage employees and interact with customers. The people of the UAE
are extremely religious and believe that God should be incorporated in every facet of life. Due to
their level of spirituality, the UAE people strive to continuously demonstrate godliness and faith
in their social attitudes and behavior. In my opinion, since God is such an import element in the
lives of the UAE people, I believe that implementing training and ethical standards that coincide
with their values and beliefs would encourage greater operational performance from the
employees and allow those employees to more effectively interact with the customers. As a result
of their strong cultural influence and long-term group commitment, the UAE society is
collective-based. Israelis are generally compassionate, open, and very direct people. They can
also be loud and some may consider their demeanor as blunt or rude. Since the manner in
which Israelis socialize can be misinterpreted, I believe that enacting cultural awareness training
for Israeli employees and their U.S counterparts would help each group to create a basis of
understanding that would allow for efficient communication and collaboration. Today, the Israeli
culture encompasses predominately collective qualities (MacDonald, K., 2010). They have
strong ideal related to self-actualization, and loyalty is based on personal partialities as well as a
sense of duty and responsibility. In Mexican culture, strong family bonds and personal
relationships are a central aspect in both business and society. Mexicos collective society

International Business 5
emphasizes commitment to hierarchical relationships and considers violating the chain of
hierarchy as a disrespectful act (Associative Learning, n.d.). The applications that would be
particularly significant to success in Mexico involve establishing an environment which supports
relationship-building and strictly outlines organizational roles and hierarchies. Chinese people
are very formal and rely quite heavily on non-verbal communication to convey their position.
Their style of communication stems from their deep-rooted cultural background, and, at times, it
can be notably difficult for those unfamiliar with their culture to accurately comprehend their
disposition. In addition, the Chinese embrace collectivism and have an enduring tradition based
on Confucianism, where being a part of the community or possessing a social identity is
respected (Lollar, X., 1999). A fast-food branch in China would also greatly benefit from cultural
awareness training because it would teach the Chinese employees and their U.S counterparts how
to correspond in a manner that is comprehensive and productive.
The UAE, Israel, Mexico and China all have unique social traits that would be noticeably
unsettling to those unaccustomed to their respective cultures. If top managers went sent to each
of these countries, there are a few major social characteristics that I believe they would find
shocking. In the UAE, religion plays an essential role and mosque can be found throughout its
territories, most of which are forbidden for non-Muslims. Due to the importance of prayer,
people of the UAE also have a mandated call to prayer which takes place every day at sunset. In
Israeli society, straightforwardness and expressiveness are social norms that can be surprising to
Westerns and easily misconstrued as offensive or disrespectful. Additionally, Israelis strictly
observe a religious period known as the Sabbath, and, during that time, events and business
operations will generally cease so locals can spend that time with their families. In Mexican
culture, illnesses can have both natural and supernatural causes, and many Mexicans will

International Business 6
postpone medical treatment for home remedies and/or spiritual treatment. Mexicans are also so
highly devoted to the notion of family that its not unusual for two or three generations of a
family to live together. In China, the people have a tendency to stand close with they speak,
which violates most Americans sense of personal space. Chinese people also generally avoid
saying no and commonly refuse request by saying phrases like its being discussed or it
will be taken under consideration, which can be confusing to those foreign to their dialogue.
The most efficacious method for alleviating the stress associated with visiting any of these
countries is ensuring that each manager attended customized cultural awareness training that
familiarized them with the culture and social commonalities of that respective country, which
would equip them with the knowledge necessary to adequately interact with the local population.
Within every country, there are moral guidelines that govern the actions and behavior of the
people, but those standards can vary depending on the cultural beliefs that exist within that
country. If I were to hire a local expeditor to help accelerate the administrative process involved
in establishing my business within that country, I would likely hire legal counsel as well to
ensure that the actions of my expeditor were within the legal parameters of that country. In
another aspect, if a paid transaction request was acceptable in that particular country, but
immoral in the United States, I would most likely proceed with the transaction. The basis for this
decision centers on the saying when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I believe that a business
consultant firm domestic to that country or one that specializes in operating businesses abroad
would be practical resources for making this decision. In my personal opinion, the only factors to
consider in this decision are the legality and morality of the action, and, if its legal and socially
accepted by those being affected, its not wrong to carry out that action. As mentioned
previously, economic conditions, lifestyles, and cultural values and beliefs can vastly differ from

International Business 7
one country to the next, so understanding and adhering to these variations can have immense
impact on the growth and sustainability that a business can achieve on an international scale.
Throughout this presentation, in relation to opening fast-food branches in the United Arab
Emirates, Israel, Mexico and China, I discussed what to consider regarding the different social
and religious values and cultures of these countries that impact how they prepare and eat their
food. In addition, I described the social behaviors that should be considered, any ethical
standards or training that may be required, as well as whether these countries possess attitudes
based on individualistic or collective ideals. Furthermore, I defined the type of cultural shock
that top managers might experience once they arrived in these countries and stated how that
affect could be alleviated. Additionally, I explained how I would verify the legality of an
expeditors practices and whether I would approve a paid transaction request by an expeditor if
such actions were accepted in that country, but immoral in the U.S. Lastly, I identified the
reasoning behind my decision, the parties that I could consult, and the factors that should be
considered. I hope that this presentation was informative and greater developed your
understanding of international business.

International Business 8
References:
Al-Issa, A. (2005). When the West Teaches the East: Analyzing Intercultural Confliction in the
Classroom. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from
http://www.uri.edu/iaics/content/2005v14n4/11%20Ahmad%20Al-Issa.pdf
Arabian Business (2012). Industry focus: Fast food in the UAE. Retrieved April 11, 2014,
from http://www.arabianbusiness.com/industry-focus-fast-food-in-uae-483500.html?page=0
Associative Learning (n.d.). International Culture. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from
http://www.unice.fr/crookall-cours/iup_cult/_docs/_RUGM_Chapter-05.pdf
Associative Learning (n.d.). Promoting Cultural Sensitivity: Mexico Guide. Retrieved April
13, 2014, from
http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/guidestoolkits/ethnographicguides/Mexico/chapters/cha
pter2.pdf
Becher, M. (n.d.) The Jewish Dietary Laws. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from
http://ohr.edu/explore/explore_judaism/993
Lollar, X. (1999). Have the Chinese People Changed Their Social Behavior?.Retrieved April
13, 2014, from http://www.siue.edu/EASTASIA/lollar_080400.htm
MacDonald, K. (2010). Recent research on Individualism/Collectivism. Retrieved April 13,
2014, from http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/articles/MacDonald-IndividualismCollectivism.html
Wertz, R. (2011). Food and Drink. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from
http://www.ibiblio.org/chineseculture/contents/food/p-food-c01s01.html