Module 1 discussion
Geert Hofstede and National Culture
Geert Hofstede is over 80 years old but is still a widely
active researcher, consultant, and speaker. His work on cultural dimensions
such as individualism and power distance is still widely taught and used in
evaluating international business decisions.
For this discussion, go to Youtube or Google video search
and find two videos:
One with Geert Hofstede himself speaking or being
interviewed
Another video with Hofstede’s dimensions of individualism,
power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity explained. This doesn’t
have to be one with Hofstede himself appearing, just a video that you think
explains his concepts well.
Share the links with your classmates and discuss how useful
you found the videos. Did they help you understand the materials for this
module? What kind of impression did you have of Hofstede and his ideas?
Module 2 discussion
Gambling with Currency
For this discussion try your hand at gambling in the
currency exchange market. Take an imaginary $10,000 and purchase some foreign
currency at today’s exchange rate, then convert back your foreign currency to
dollars in a few days and calculate your loss or gain. For those of you who are
high rollers you can “put all your eggs in one basket” and buy just one foreign
currency with your $10,000, or for those cautious types you can choose to
diversify and purchase multiple currencies.
Many webpages have foreign exchange rates and exchange rate
calculators. Some of many include xe.com and x-rates.com. If you really want to
get fancy, register at forex.com and get their free currency trading software.
Let your classmates know about your experiences, and share
the details of your calculations. Give an initial update of how much money you
have made or lost in the first week, and post at least one additional update by
the end of the module.
Also, make sure to address the following questions regarding
your experience with currency trading:
How does it compare to other types of gambling you’ve done?
Would you ever invest in currencies using your own money after reviewing the
material in this module and doing some pretend gambling in foreign currencies?
Module 3 discussion
McDonald’s and Adaptation
Almost anywhere in the world you can find a McDonald’s
restaurant. However, the menu may be a bit different depending on where you go
since they do adapt their menu to meet the local tastes of the countries they
operate in. They also use different advertising campaigns in each country.
Go to YouTube and do some searches on “McDonald’s overseas
advertisements” or similar searches and find an example of a funny
advertisement that McDonald’s has done overseas. You may also find some videos
of menu items that you can find at an overseas McDonald’s, or some McDonald’s
advertisements in the country that you are studying for your SLP.
Choose a video or two that you think is the funniest or most
interesting, and share with your classmates. Then explain the advertisement in
the context of why you think McDonald’s has chosen a strategy of product and
advertising adaptation and how effective do you think the foreign
advertisements that you’ve seen have been. In addition to the videos, also make
sure to reference one of the readings from the background materials in your
post.
Module 4 Discussion
Entering India through Outsourcing
In this final discussion I want to take a humorous look at
one form of foreign market entry—outsourcing to India. You can of course find
various articles on this topic, but let’s end the class on a fun note and
instead take a look at the movie Outsourced. The movie was made in 2007 and
directed by John Jeffcoat. In general, students have been able to find the
movie free online but the links change from time to time. At “press time” this
link worked:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=why31NMoEfE
Try to watch at least the first 20 minutes. Does this movie
you an idea of the challenges of entering a foreign market through outsourcing?
Do the cultural differences shown in the movie seem to be consistent with what
you’ve read about in the readings so far in the class? Do you think the
director made at least a somewhat realistic movie about outsourcing to India?
If the link no longer works, see if you can find the movie
online somewhere else. There is also a TV series based on the movie. See if you
can find the first episode. At “press time” this link worked:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/178528
In general, the TV series should be easier to find than the
movie, but it is a lot sillier, so first try to find the movie. If all else
fails, try to find an article about a Westerner working in India. Your
professor might also be able to find an alternative topic for this discussion.
Keep in mind that this movie relates not only to the concept
of foreign-entry mode but also the concept of cross-cultural management and
expatriate culture-shock that you read about in Module 1. So make sure to
include references to any relevant sources from the Module 1 or Module 4
background readings.
For those of you who end up watching the full movie, please
write a review for your classmates to help them decide whether or not they want
to finish the movie (no spoilers in your reviews though…).
Module 4 reflection discussion
Summary and Reflection
Which two modules did you find to have the most direct
application to current job or future career goals? Which two modules do you
think had the least application to your current job or future career goal? For
example, if you are planning a career in human resource management you would
probably find Module 1 to be the most useful.
