I chose the 8 components of culture because I found it intriguing how many different aspects contribute to a person’s culture and how businesses must carefully account for or adapt to these cultural differences since the course is focused on international business. I work for a large National grocery retailer and am aware of how my company must account for local cultural differences but am interested to explore that on a more global scale.

Culture is made of many components including aesthetics, values, customs, social structure, religion, communication, education and physical environment. These aspects combine to form a person’s culture and shape how they live their daily life. I wanted to tie together how businesses embrace components of culture and find success abroad. One business that has and that I found intriguing in my research was McDonalds. McDonalds has become such an easily recognizable name here in the US that you would think they could easily find success abroad but they as a company had to overcome their reputation for quick on the go food and the “big mac”. According to Journal of Business Case Studies McDonalds operated on a “think global act local” mindset where they franchise their locations on a local level and give full autonomy to that franchise including all internal design choices, sourcing, menu choices and hiring process(3, p58). Allowing design to be part of the franchise choices ensures better possibility of meeting the aesthetic needs of consumers. In France it is customary to take your time when dining out and thus dining rooms of McDonald’s reflect that utilizing works of art and unconventional furniture (2). Other examples of how McDonalds has adapted to cultural customs can be seen in India where McDonalds launched the Aloo Tikki burger made to suit the needs of vegetarians and those opposed to eating beef for religious reasons which is common in India (1) and by incorporating more salads on the menu for those in France that are health conscious and against GMO product (1). In China where there is a one child limit McDonald’s adapted how they marketed to families targeting adults rather than appealing to children to adapt to the social and political environment (2).

I’m hoping that this post has served to foster a deeper understanding of real-world examples of some the 8 components of culture and how businesses have adapted and embraced different cultures.

Kannan, S (2014) How McDonald’s Conquered India. Up to Date. Retrieved August 25, 2021 How McDonald's conquered India - BBC News

Pavlova, R (2019) Globalization of American Fast-Food Chains: The Pinnacle of Effective Management and Adaptability. Retrieved August 25, 2021 Globalization of American Fast-Food Chains: the Pinnacle of Effective Management and Adaptability – The Yale Globalist

Mutjaba, B (2007). McDonald’s Success Strategy and Global Expansion Through Customer Loyalty and Brand Loyalty. Journal of Business Case Studies, Vol.3(Issue 3), 53-66. DOI: 10.19030/jbvd.v3i3.4857

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