Discussion Topic: Diversity in Groups

• Use “Euro-Disney Stumbles” (p. 130) from the textbook (Adams & Galanes, 2018).

Reference

Adams, K. L., & Galanes, G. J. (2018) Communicating in groups applications and skills (10th ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Just do response each posted # 1 to 3 only down below.

Posted 1

Hello Class and Professor,

Diversityis very important especially if you are trying to move your company toanother location. Diversity is all around us, even in our homecountries. When a company like Disney is wanting to incorporate theirbusiness into another culture, they must ensure that they understand thecultural norms of that country before jumping into it. Although Disneythought it would be fine to just jump into business in Europe, theyquickly found that there were differences in business within thecountry. Disney should have spent some time researching andunderstanding the differences of the country. Through extensive researchthe company could have identified the cultural differences and preparedfor those when entering into the business market within Europe. Withintheir research it would have also been important to meet withindividuals with the diverse background. Discussing the cultural normswithin Europe with someone of the European culture could have helped intheir success.

Posted 2

Thereare many culture differences between North Americans and Europeans. Oneparticular rule North Americans do that would catch a funny eye andmaybe even some dirty eyes in some European countries is handlingproduce at the market. This is not the case in some European countriesand some will even give you a plastic glove if you so desperately feelthe need to get handsy with the produce. A European custom that may seemsilly to people in North America is the fact that they don’t rush youat restaurants and you have to ask for the check or bill. This is mostlydue to the fact that tips are not viewed as a requirement in mostEuropean nations, so the waiters and waitress are not working for yourmoney much as they are for your respect toward the restaurant and forthe consumer to have an enjoyable experience.

Thestory suggests that “we tend to assume that individuals from othercultures share our values, behaviors, and communication patterns, butthey don’t necessarily” (Adams & Galanes, 2018). The Disneyexecutives assumed that the clean-cut value that we share in NorthAmerica would be accepted at the Euro-Disney. I think one factor thatcontributed to this not well-thought-out decision by Disney was puttingtheir Disney image ahead of considering culture difference to besuccessful. Disney wanted to protect and maintain their image byfollowing what has worked in the past without careful consideration ofhow they could do that and make the attraction fit into the culture theattraction would be.

Posted 3

This is a great read, there are many things in our country that might seem normal but not be normal to other countries. One thing that really comes to mind when I think of the way Europeans think. Most in the United

States believe that when you go to the beach we should be fully clothed or covered. That is not the case in Europe, there are many beaches that are clothing optional. This is normal to them and think we are silly for being that way.

Europeans tend to have less of a personal space than we do. If someoneis all up in my face trying to talk, it always seems weird. ForEuropeans they believe in talking right in your face. This to someAmericans would be crazy or silly.

This story to me suggest that the marketing team did not do theirresearch before they started the movement to Europe. Knowing the cultureof your projected area, or target market is a must when expanding abusiness and could have been detrimental to the company. They were ableto think quickly and get back on the right track.

I would say that the company thought they were so big, that it wouldnot fail. Sometimes people get complacent and believe nothing canhappen. This is a time where they found out they were wrong. The goodthing is they were able to overcome the issue.