Intercultural Competence in France Expansion Case Study

Introduction: Key Cultural Insights for Diversity Hotel & Spa

The ability to understand and respect one another across cultural divides is known as intercultural competence. It includes all of the information and abilities needed for people and groups to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds in a variety of countries. This study emphasizes cultural awareness while examining the necessity of intercultural competency for Diversity Hotel & Spa's French expansion. With a strong foundation in French culture as well as customs, the Assistant General Manager's role is to guarantee that hotel staff receives appropriate training and a smooth transfer. It covers cultural characteristics, the study of the GLOBE Project, the value of cultural intellect, and the difficulties faced by general managers. There are suggestions given for a smooth transfer and prosperous business in the French marketplace.

Main Body: Cultural and Economic Insights on France and the UK

Culture Overview

France offers a distinctive setting for the Diversity Hotel & Spa in London expansion because of its long history as well as diverse culture. It is the responsibility of the Assistant General Manager to guarantee that the hotel staff receives effective training and a seamless transition by having a deep grasp of French traditions as well as culture (Zhang, 2019). The following are important cultural traits and practices: French is the native language and is extremely valued at the global level. Even if business communication is mostly in English, knowing a few simple French words and being kind enough to speak to clients in their tongue will go a long way. French society is renowned for having a hierarchical social as well as corporate structure. It is usual to deal with someone utilizing formal titles such as “Monsieur” or “Madame” until an additional casual rapport is formed. It is essential to show respect for seniors and authority (Goldstein, 2022). Excellent dining is highly valued, and French cuisine is well-known around the world. Since French food will play a significant role in guests' experiences, hotel staff members should be knowledgeable about it, including dish titles and wine pairings. The French have a good equilibrium between work and life as well as cherish their free time. This cultural characteristic affects labor practices, which can vary from those within the UK due to the strict compliance to set hours as well as a 35-hour workweek. Being late for a scheduled meeting is seen as impolite, thus, it is essential to be on time. French people communicate their emotions through nonverbal clues such as gestures as well as facial expressions. It's critical to keep eye contact as well as employ proper body language.

GLOBE Project/Country Analysis

The cultural components of the GLOBE Project may be consulted to learn more about French culture. These factors aid in our examination of French cultural norms as well as values:

• Power distance: France is in the center of the pack, meaning that while hierarchical systems do exist, they are less rigid than in certain other nations (Alam, 2020). Hotel staff must grasp this delicate balance between fostering open conversation and showing regard for authority.
• Uncertainty avoidance: In terms of avoiding ambiguity, France performs mediocrely. Decision-making procedures may be impacted by the degree of ambiguity that is accepted in French society. To handle this, hotel employees need to be adaptive and flexible.
• In-group collectivism: France emphasizes autonomy and personal achievement, which contributes to its poor rating of collectivism in groups (Deardorff, 2020). Hotel staff members should treat each guest with respect for their individuality and tastes while approaching their jobs as a team.
• Gender egalitarianism: Gender equality is highly valued in France, and hotel staff members must follow these ideals by treating all visitors and coworkers equally, regardless of gender.
• Assertiveness: The somewhat aggressive nature of French society suggests that self-assurance and straightforward communication are essential (Eko, 2019). When necessary, hotel employees must be forceful while yet honoring the hierarchical system.

In foreign environments such as France, hotel workers need to possess cultural awareness as well as sensitivity. By matching services to cultural norms as well as preferences, they create a more pleasant and productive work atmosphere, increase visitor happiness, and improve the image of the hotel (Ilie, 2019). When cultural knowledge and sensitivity are neglected, it can lead to misunderstandings, strained connections, bad press, and legal problems. Both operational performance and visitor happiness depend on it.

Get Extra 10% OFF on your WhatsApp order!

use my discount

Cultural and Economic Comparisons Between France and the UK

Graph 1: Cultural Comparison Between France and the UK

Figure 1: Country Comparison France and the UK

The cultural aspects that distinguish and resemble the UK as well as France are shown graphically in Graph 1. There are some notable distinctions, such as France's larger power distance as well as its avoidance of uncertainty, but there are also some parallels, such as a comparatively high gender equality score.

Graph 2: Food Price Comparison Between UK and France (2014)

Figure 2: Food price comparison: United Kingdom (UK) prices compared to France 2014, by food

As Graph 2 stated, the information provided presents an analysis of food costs by food category for the UK vs France in 2013. According to the research, in 2014, the cost of beef was 21 percent greater in France than it was in the UK, yet the cost of alcohol was 36 percent lower in France.

The UK-based hotel of the general manager may operate differently from what the French employees are used to. The General Manager may face the following difficulties and pitfalls:

• Management style discrepancy: Generally speaking, French culture appears to be a bit more hierarchical and regimented than the UK, where management styles are more casual and cooperative (Peng, 2020). To guarantee successful leadership, it might be difficult to strike a balance between these variances.
• Communication differences: The French place a high importance on formal, exact communication. Therefore, language and interpersonal styles might provide difficulties. To meet the requirements of the French workers, the general manager could be forced to alter their communication style.
• Work-life balance: Variations in work-life policies and hours worked may affect employee morale and output (Meleady, 2021). It is critical to preserve company standards while adjusting to the French workplace culture.

Conclusion

The report concludes that the opening of Diversity Hotel & Spa in France highlights the necessity and appreciation of French culture. It can be inferred that language, hierarchy, cuisine, balancing work and life and the significance of nonverbal interaction. The hotel's tactics for leadership, service and staff interactions are shaped by its use of the cultural elements of the GLOBE Project. It offers perspectives on power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, gender equality and assertiveness. The requirement for sensitivity as well as adaptation is highlighted by the cultural variations between the UK and France. These distinctions may help businesses succeed in the varied French market while upholding company standards and improving the visitor experience and workplace harmony.

Recomendations

To guarantee the prosperity of the Diversity Hotel & Spa's France growth, the General Manager had to take into account the subsequent suggestions:

• Put in place a thorough program for cultural sensitivity.
• Get clients to learn some simple French words to show respect for their culture.
• Emphasize the value of cultural awareness, deference to authority and observance of regional traditions in training and day-to-day activities (Li, 2020).
• Create instructional materials on facial expressions as well as eye contact in nonverbal interactions.
• Make sure that, in keeping with French principles, gender equality is promoted in all aspects of the operation of hotels (Braslauskas, 2021).

References

Books and Journals

• Alam, A., 2020. Conceptualization of Cultural Intelligence, Intercultural Sensitivity, Intercultural Competence, and Nomological Network: A Contact Hypothesis Study of Sociology of Education. Movimento-revista de educação, 7(15).
• Braslauskas, J., 2021. Developing intercultural competences and creativity: The foundation for successful intercultural communication. Creativity studies, 14(1), pp.197-217.
• Deardorff, D.K., 2020. Manual for developing intercultural competencies: Story circles (p. 116). Taylor & Francis.
• Eko, B.S. and Putranto, H., 2019. The role of intercultural competence and local wisdom in building intercultural and inter-religious tolerance. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 48(4), pp.341-369.
• Goldstein, S.B., 2022. A systematic review of short-term study abroad research methodology and intercultural competence outcomes. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 87, pp.26-36.
• Ilie, O.A., 2019, June. The intercultural competence. Developing effective intercultural communication skills. In International conference Knowledge-based organization (Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 264-268).
• Li, M., 2020. An examination of two major constructs of cross-cultural competence: Cultural intelligence and intercultural competence. Personality and individual differences, 164, p.110105.
• Meleady, R., Seger, C.R. and Vermue, M., 2021. Evidence of a dynamic association between intergroup contact and intercultural competence. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 24(8), pp.1427-1447.
• Peng, R.Z., Zhu, C. and Wu, W.P., 2020. Visualizing the knowledge domain of intercultural competence research: A bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 74, pp.58-68.
• Zhang, X. and Zhou, M., 2019. Interventions to promote learners' intercultural competence: A meta-analysis. International journal of intercultural relations, 71, pp.31-47.

Online

• Country Comparison France and the UK. 2023. [Online]. Available through: < https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Hofstede-Insights-Country-Comparison-France-and-the-UK-Hofstede-et-al-2010_fig1_341359827>
• Food price comparison: United Kingdom (UK) prices compared to France 2014, by food. 2016. [Online]. Available through: <https://www.statista.com/statistics/282565/food-price-comparison-united-kingdom-uk-to-france-by-food-type/>