answers questions

Introduction

The purpose of this project is to provide a resource to the Mississippi World Trade Center regarding international business. As we have learned throughout the course, the Mississippi World Trade Center is a nonprofit organization that offers multiple services for global business activities. We have decided for this project to open a Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant in the country of Qatar. Qatar is located in the Middle East in Southwest Asia, and it occupies the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

Although Qatar is an Islamic nation where the majority of the population is Muslim, we believe that an American, Christian based restaurant such as Chick-fil-A can be successful in Qatar with appropriate methodologies. The scenario provided in this project will be driven by Chick-fil-A’s desire for international business development as a means to increase understanding and acceptance of the Middle Eastern culture and the Western culture of the United States.

After presenting this project, we hope that there will be a clear understanding of the strong drivers and factors that should be considered for operating a business internationally; especially in a culture contrasting of your own. Differing cultures and country norms can seem very intimidating when expanding a business internationally, but globalization has grown and continues to grow to provide evidence that when executed properly, international trade can be successful.

Overview of Topic

This project will provide insight to business managers to use as a model as they address issues that could occur during the implementation of opening a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Qatar based on cultural awareness and adaptation to the foreign country. Qatar has a population of over 2,000,000 and is located in the Middle East with its peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia. Its capital is Doha. With an arid and mild climate, Qatar has pleasant winters and very hot and humid summers throughout the year. Its most common natural resource is oil. Qatar received its independence in 1971 and had a total monarchy governmental structure. The most common religious practice is Muslim (Central Intelligence Agency, 2016).

Management of employees in the country has its challenges; however, when managing a workforce in another country, one must consider additional aspects that he/she may not encounter in their countries of origin. Implementing a consistent culture that also accommodates the local differences is among the most critical competencies for success. For instance, to successfully launch a Chick-fil-A restaurant internationally from the United States to Qatar, a U.S. manager would need to become familiar with the local laws and traditions, and possess vast knowledge about the country [Qatar] (Vance & Paik, 2010). Violations of laws and traditions can result in potential fines and penalties. Other factors would also need to be considered such as the Arabic language, how local business conducts their international operations, cultural characteristics, etc. For instance, to conduct business in Qatar, it would be mandatory for the U.S. manager to use a local agent in Qatar. If the U.S. manager is not well versed in the Arabic language, this will be greatly beneficial to him/her. Qatar is a nation with a relationship-focus culture, meaning that its citizens regard strong relationships as a sign of trust, even in business interactions. Given this cultural characteristic, the U.S. manager should be prepared for multiple meetings and trips to the country until the Qatari are comfortable with the level of trust between the parties involved in the business negotiations.

In the United States, Chick fil A’s founder, Truett Cathry, states that "All franchised Chick-fil-A operators and their restaurant employees should have an opportunity to rest, spend time with family and friends, and worship if they choose to do so. That is why all Chick-fil-A Restaurants are closed on Sundays. It is part of our recipe for success." The day of rest in Qatar is typically Friday; and if “Chick fil A: Qatar” decides to be in operation on this day, it would be required to acknowledge the time of prayer at 12:00 noon which usually lasts for an hour and a half. Also, Chick-fil-A: Qatar would be required not to schedule an employee to work two or more Fridays in a row. Since the Islamic religion is so prevalent in Qatar, businesses in the country recognize and respect the custom of five prayers per day for their employees. This Islamic prayer schedule is an aspect that needs to be considered by the U.S. manager when scheduling and training his/her employees. Last, but not least, the U.S. manager would need to be aware of the typical work hours in Qatar as well, which is 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (“Qatar at a Glimpse,” 2016).

Scenario

John has been a manager at one of Chick-Fil-A’s restaurants for ten years. He started working part time for the company when he was in high school and throughout his college years. Once he graduated from college, he was offered a franchise opportunity of operating one of Chick-Fil-A’s restaurants. Within a few years, he had worked his way up to a corporate position as an Operations Research Analyst. He is a reputable and admired employee of Chick-Fil-A; therefore, it was an easy decision for upper management to choose him in their new, international endeavor.

This new project of Chick-Fil-A’s consists of opening a restaurant in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. Chick-Fil- A feels that this connection with Qatar can be used as a means of enhancing the relationship between the Middle Eastern culture and the Western culture of the United States and believes that they can be successful in other countries. John and Chick-Fil-A know that this will be a challenging adventure in many ways, but they are confident that it will be a profitable experience.

In making arrangements for his first trip to Qatar, John has done as much research as possible regarding the following concerns he has to help prepare him for this expedition:

• Local laws and traditions of Qatar

• Arabic language

• Islamic religion

• Typical business behavior (locally and in association with new, international business)

• Typical business and restaurant hours of operation

• Cultural characteristic

• Length of time required staying in Qatar

One of John’s biggest concerns is the fact that he is a practicing Christian. While he respects other individuals’ religious decisions, he is perplexed about how this may affect him as a manager in an Islamic nation.

In a scenario such as this, there are several questions that should be considered for the purpose of aiding a deeper and clearer understanding of the level of cross-cultural awareness and adaptation. It is necessary to ensure that all the participants are in concord concerning the goal of this international endeavor and how it will be implemented. Considering the fact that John is a practicing Christian coming from the United States, and the new commercial venture is being opened in Qatar (a predominantly Muslim country) all the participants will have to take into consideration a number of factors that will in essence help to provide insight into the level of adaptation that will be necessary.

Case Questions

1. What is the significance of establishing a new branch for Chick-fil-a?

2. How would you rank in order of importance the seven factors that John is most concerned about? Why is the “number 1” factor on your list the most important?

3. Will the difference of faith be of a significant level that will affect the execution of work?

4. How will the new customs and language affect the establishment and running of the new business?

5. Are there any other vital concerns that you feel John should research before his first visit to Qatar?

Reading List

In any jurisdiction, there are several cultural influences that are in existence which the inhabitants follow and adhere to on a regular, consistent basis. On this basis, the manner in which there is a definitive and distinct identity of a given physical jurisdiction is expressed through the people residing there, both in their individual capacity, as well as cumulatively. The work done by the author Nyamwana is, therefore, influential in highlighting the manner in which an entity was coming from a different cultural background, seeking to establish their operations in the new area will be affected (Nyamwana, 2004).

According to the scholar Yunxia Zhu, in the event that such an entity is keen on setting up base in this new environment, there will be the need to have cross-cultural awareness and adaptation where both sets of individuals interacting will seek to understand the manner in which the other side operates culturally, and seek to adapt accordingly (Yunxia Zhu, 2008). In this way, there will be a significant level of mutual respect and good faith that will be cultivated as a result (Shah, 2015).

Facilitation Notes

The scenario activity presents a cultural and language dilemma in that there is a major difference in spiritual and cultural beliefs between two sets of individuals, coming from the United States and entering into Qatar. For the sake of illustrating the manner in which there will be a form of cross-cultural awareness and adaption, the scenario will be structured in a format which will have participants representing the two different cultures. Also, the scenario will take into account the need to have individuals that represent the Christian and Muslim spiritual backgrounds so that there will be full and clear comprehension of the manner in which integration across cultural backgrounds should take place. In that regard, there should be a form of development of the scenario where the cross-cultural awareness will take place, such that there can be an effective adaptation among the participants.

The facilitator for this Global Management Scenario will be an MSWTC member.

• Present the class with information from the introduction and overview of the topic to provide background information in preparation for the scenario.

• Separate the class into two to four groups depending on the size of the class.

• Provide the participants with a copy of the scenario, case questions, and reading a list and advise them that they will assume the role of a Chick-fil-A manager in the scenario to answer the questions that follow.

• Ask the participants to discuss the scenario and questions among themselves.

• After a sufficient amount of time has passed, have the participants share with the class some of the major points and findings they discovered during their conversation about the scenario.

References