Culture is the way of living characterized by the norms, values, and beliefs people have towards a certain perspective. There is a variation of cultures depending on the region and the ethnic and background aspects. The first cultural mistake that the Walt Disney Company (WDC) made was to incorporate the American culture in France. Disney management thought having a fairy tale park in Paris would be a lucrative deal by having castles as a common tourist attraction in France (“Disney around the world” 4). The second cultural clash was the design of the park’s interior activities that downsized breakfast service (Matusitz 225). Disney assumed that Europeans would skip breakfast, but that raised clashes since Europeans like croissants and eggs in the morning.
Third, WDC made a mistake in the hiring procedure where they had hired a part-time seasonal workforce in the domestic park. Many employees felt that they had no freedom, and that led to massive resignations. WDC made three changes to address these problems that were encountered (Matusitz 224). First, they used French culture in the park such as fashionable buildings and blended wines. Second, WDC added services such as breakfast where they included items such as croissants and eggs. Regarding the hiring issue, WDC appealed by employing permanent employees to reduce staff turnover. There are several cultural differences between Canadians and Indonesians (Hill 45). First, the Canadian use language from the naturalistic perspective as opposed to Indonesians who have borrowed a style of instructing by language (“Indonesia Cultural Insights” 1). The Indonesian use two official languages: Bahasa and Javanese, while Canadians use English and French as official languages (“Development of Tokyo Disneyland 1983 to 2000” 3). Non-verbal communication varies because in Canada handshake is a way of showing welcoming gestures to visitors and strangers, while in Indonesia firm handshake is considered inappropriate.
Additionally, Canadians use eye contact when talking to one another, however, Indonesians avoid that to show respect. They have politeness when talking or having a discourse as opposed to Canadians who are arrogant and impolite, especially during rage moments (“Indonesia Cultural Insights” 2). For example, Indonesians prefer using words such as ‘please,’ ‘thank you’ and ‘excuse me’ while Canadians rarely apply that while conversing (“Indonesia Cultural Insights” 2). In a business setting, Indonesians would love to be recognized in all transactions, while in Canada, one can have less recognition when engaging in business matters. For example, if an Indonesian business merchant is involved in a business meeting, they would like to be introduced to other members before anyone else (“Indonesia Cultural Insights” 2). Additionally, Indonesian business is more formal than Canadian as they rarely involve middlemen and brokers.
The main theme that WDC should use in Indonesian culture is Balian, a combination of arts, design, and language. The Bali Indonesian culture incorporates the use of vigorous dance, drama, and fine sculpturing. For example, during some parts of the day, WDC should invite artists who have skills in Legong dance so that many domestic tourists would be motivated to come and enjoy the dance and music (Hill 45). The dance should be accompanied by the Balian music that has tonal variation interestingly (Matusitz 224). When Indonesians learn of the inclusion of the dance and musical experience, they would recommend their friends and family members to attend the event hence making it thrive for the benefit of WDC (“Development of Tokyo Disneyland 1983 to 2000” 3). Balian culture includes martial arts performances that talented groups do. Indonesian culture and Asian norms love martial arts to the extent of sacrificing their time to watch the new trends in the activity.
WDC learned that some cultural mistakes such as serving meals and drinks was not done to the required level. The cultural difference between Indonesians and Canadians is majorly based on language and business conduct. For the new park, WDC should utilize Balian culture. The norms according to the culture consist of Legong dance, sculptures such as Dwarapala statue among others. For any firm to penetrate international market effectively, it is important to consider cultural aspects.
Works Cited
Astawa, Putu et al. “Developing A Harmonious Culture-Based Sustainable Event Model in Bali Tourism Village.” Geojournal Of Tourism and Geosites, vol. 25, no. 2, 2019, pp. 446-462.
“Indonesia Cultural Insights 2020”, Government of Canada. Web.
Hill, Charles W. L. “Disney in France” International Business, Competing in the Global Marketplace. Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Matusitz, Jonathan. “Disneyland Paris: A Case Analysis Demonstrating How Glocalization Works.” Journal of Strategic Marketing, vol. 18, no. 3, 2010, pp. 223-237.
“Development of Tokyo Disneyland (1983 to 2000).” OLC Group, Web.
“Disney Around the World”. WDC Encyclopedia, Web.