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Opts 3
Opts 3
The American fast-food chain McDonald’s is often the target of the anti-globalization
movement. However, it is trying to better its sensitivity to local needs. The French attacked
McDonald’s for its Americanization of French culture. So McDonald’s got rid of its American mascot,
Ronald McDonald, and adopted Asterix, a French cartoon hero, as its local company mascot. It also
serves French-style coffee in its restaurants. To avoid offence in Hindu or Muslim countries,
McDonald’s does not serve beef or pork – the Big Mac has become the vegetarian Maharaja Mac.
Coca-Cola also creates products suited to local markets by producing local versions of the
drink. Even Yahoo, the web portal, uses local teams of people to analyze the content in each of its
international sites.
Large charities, such as Oxfam, also create local solutions for individual countries instead of
simply handing out money. So glocalization is not just about big business – it is a concept that can
help the fight against poverty and inequality around the world.
Bibliography
From: Glocalization: thinking globally, acting locally, by M. Hobbs, & J. S. Keddle, Oxford English
for Careers. Commerce 1 (pg. 38). Oxford University Press 2011.
READING ACTIVITIES – All level students should answer the following questions the best that they
can and then each level they will revise their answers.
A. Look up the 10 highlighted words in the dictionary. Write yourself a note in your
notebook that will help you use it in the future (a definition, synonym, example).
B. In your notebook write your opinion about the following question: “In Mexico there
exists the concept of “Socially Responsible Businesses”. What will you do to contribute to
socially responsible glocalization?”