Hofstedes Four Dimensions of the UK and Comparison with the UAE - Case Study Example

1.0. Socio-Cultural Analysis UK is a nation with unique customs and traditions and has events running throughout the year. The customs, traditions, manners and habits of the people of UK are very different from that of the usual market served by Camel Cookies. The food style of the country is very different from the Arab countries. Being very multicultural in nature, the food here is extremely varied and every continent throughout the world is represented in UK cuisine. Although UK does not have any traditional food but the different countries within the UK have their own traditional food. UK has a very different climate form the countries marketed by Camel Cookies as the temperature here in summers is much lower than that of the winters of Arab countries. The dress code in UK has to be correct on certain events like working hours or at the formal social occasions. The core values and norms of the people of UK suggest that they are very principled and they generally use small talks in common places. The people are more inclined towards domestic products and reluctant to buy foreign produced goods. Although the scenario has changed over the last 50 years and they have started buying more of foreign goods than usual. The social institutions like family life, educational institutions and class systems have also a great effect on the socio-cultural living of the people of UK and it also reflects in their general life style and food. The business customs in the UK is followed by the usual way of greeting and giving gifts like bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates with no presence of flowers like white lilies and chrysanthemums as they are used in funerals. Also reaching on time and showing good hospitality is favoured in the business circle. 1.1. Hofstede’s Four Dimensions of UK and Comparison with UAE Hofstede’s four dimensions present an understanding and study of the British society and culture and also the difference in business culture with UAE in the following ways: Power Distance: UK’s score in dimension is 35 indicating that rank, status and inequalities between people are relatively low whereas it as high as 80 for UAE where the culture is most likely to follow a caste system and does not allow significant upward mobility of citizens. Individualism: The score for individualism in UK is 89 which highlight the fact that the British culture values and promotes individuality. The score of UAE is 38 representing an opposite direction from that of UK. Uncertainty Avoidance: The score is as low as 35 for UK which is considered quiet low in this dimension proving that the British are open for taking risks and dealing with changes. The uncertainty avoidance score for UAE is 68 showing that the society does not accept changes and are adverse to risks. Masculinity: The UK score is at 66 indicating somewhere in the middle reflecting the fact that British society and culture aims for equality between all sexes, yet there is an existence of gender bias underneath the surface. The score for UAE is at 52 as the woman in the Arab countries are limited to their rights. The four dimensions have shown a great deal of difference in the cultural approach between both the countries requiring some strong steps in the making of marketing strategies to make the venture a profitable one for Camel Cookies in the UK as the differences in business are a reflection of the differences in culture. 2.0. Strategic Planning 2.1. Target Market and Positioning Cookies is something liked by consumers of all age and same is the strategy of Camel Cookies in the UK to target the entire market with special attention towards their selling to small and young age groups. With the company already winning hearts in the Arab countries with delicious tastes and unique flavours putting it ahead of its competitors provides it a good position in the market with a strong image backing its future sales in the UK. The marketing strategy of the product shall be to make it available at all leading stores and retail outlets in the big cities to begin with and then enter the suburban towns. The company shall all open individual stalls and outlets to reach a large number of customers with special focus near areas where the number of children goers is high. With the products and the flavours designed to raise the concept of cookies to a higher advanced level and a wide range using camel milk shall help in attracting more customers with its uniqueness. 2.2. International Competitive Strategy The international competitive strategy of the cookies is to be set in direction with the mission and goal, which is to target maximum sales with the exclusive variety of camel milk cookies. The packaging shall be made more informative providing the nutrition value of the cookies to have more of Vitamin C, which is on the higher side in camel’s milk. Also better competitive strategy shall be in the direction of paying more attention on good advertising modes through all channels. Also quality and time based strategies shall ensure better place in the consumer’s heart and mind and shall increase repetition of the common customers. The company shall look for competitive advantage with similar products at lesser costs and marginally higher prices for the unique items. The entry mode of quality advertisements is very necessary as the people of UK are accustomed to their local or other global cookies in their market and knowing the quality composition and timely delivery of the products can only be ensured through directly reaching the customers. Quality is a very important factor to catch up with the existing competition and also overcoming with time. Time based strategy shall focus on reducing time required to achieve various activities like change in order, develop new product or deliver a product. 2.3. Market Entry Strategy Entry in the foreign market would be in the form of contract manufacturing and also direct manufacturing as the case may be. The company shall also look to employ the process of licensing and franchising to maximise the number of outlets to increase its business at a rapid rate. Joint ventures are less preferred the cookies are better known for its uniqueness and Arab origin which shall be somewhat lost in this process (Werbach, 2009). The entry mode of contracting and franchising has been best suitable for this kind of industry globally and Camel Cookies looks to earn the same benefits of marketing and profit maximising using the tools of market entry strategy. 2.4. International Human Resources Strategy When working internationally every firm is required to understand the logic behind managing cultural diversity for successful integration. The international staffing policy shall be to include the people of UK in its stores to make better understanding of the customers and their demands. The staffs are to be trained and explained the values behind the product and they should be answerable to the customers regarding any question that comes to their mind. Proper recruitment of the right person at the right place is essential for successful running of the stores. A pattern of planned human resources deployment helps a firm to achieve its goals (Becker and Huselid, 2006). The approach of right person at the right place and the selection of local staff are required to make the customers feel more comfortable and easy accessible. Planned HR strategy is required as they are the people who shall deal with the day to day activities and business of the company and shall be the representatives of the company in front of the customers. So a proper and effective deployment shall ensure attainment of goals. The human resource strategy shall be very systematic with proper interviews in the first stage followed by physical performance at illusionary outlets to see the ability of the staff to prepare quality cookies and them manning them to the right position and also answerable for all their activities at any point of time when deemed necessary by the management. With completion of the selection process extensive training shall be carried out. 2.5. Conclusion The environmental assessment of the socio-cultural factors suggests that the cultural differences are very large between both the countries. The customs, lifestyle, traditions, manners and habits, business customs, the social surroundings are very alike for the business people of UAE. With major differences in culture, economic, political and legal issues, Camel Cookies are should look to make some major changes in its business policies to meet the business culture of the UK. Changes in approach towards the strategic planning of the business in the assignment have revealed various ways to counter those problems. One great advantage for the company to open business in UK is that the British are open towards all and the unique concept of Camel Cookies shall attract a large number of customers who think likewise in the is direction and the Hofstede’s model also suggests the same. References Becker, B., & Huselid, M. (2006). Strategic human resources management: Where do we go from 27 here? Journal of Management, 32 (6): 898-925. The Hofstede Centre, Cultural Tools, retrieved on 23-05-14 http://geert-hofstede.com/united-kingdom.html Werbach, A. (2009). Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto. Boston: Harvard Business Press. Read More