Euro Disneyland – Cultural Differences Between U.S. and France
Introduction
As we know, Disneyland is very success in U.S. when the first Disneyland built in Anaheim, California on 17 July, 1995. After some debate about the site for a European theme park, Michael Eisner and Jacques Chirac signed a contract for the building of s Disney theme park at Marne-la-Vallee, a region of sunflower and sugar-beet farmland and small villages located twenty miles east of Paris (Janis, F., 1998, P.247). However, the European Disneyland was not as such success as they expected. This essay going to regards the main issues in opening the Euro Disneyland and compare the French cultural with American cultural by using Hofstede’s cultural Dimensions and Trompenaars ‘s cultural dimensions. This essay will then end by gives out some solutions and recommendations for how to overcome those issues.
Issues:
There are several issues showed in this case. Firstly, lack of understanding and appreciation of cultural differences between U.S. and French. For example, different cultures have different definition of personal space, and Disney guests faced problems of people getting too close or pressing around those who left too much space between themselves and the person in front (Luthans, F. and Jonathan, P., p.237). Moreover, Euro Disneyland was designed to mirror the American Disney theme parks back in California and Florida with very few concessions to French culture. Furthermore, Americans adopted an attitude of cultural supremacy. There is an example showed in this case, although there were only 23 U.S. expatriates among the employees, they controlled the show and held most of the top jobs. It is also reflected in food culture. Euro Disneyland is determinedly American in this theme. There was an alcohol ban in the park despite the attitude among the French that wine with a meal is a God-given right (Luthans, F. and Jonathan, P., p.235). Another example is that even the employees unhappy with the rule in Disneyland, the Disney officials insisted
As we know, Disneyland is very success in U.S. when the first Disneyland built in Anaheim, California on 17 July, 1995. After some debate about the site for a European theme park, Michael Eisner and Jacques Chirac signed a contract for the building of s Disney theme park at Marne-la-Vallee, a region of sunflower and sugar-beet farmland and small villages located twenty miles east of Paris (Janis, F., 1998, P.247). However, the European Disneyland was not as such success as they expected. This essay going to regards the main issues in opening the Euro Disneyland and compare the French cultural with American cultural by using Hofstede’s cultural Dimensions and Trompenaars ‘s cultural dimensions. This essay will then end by gives out some solutions and recommendations for how to overcome those issues.
Issues:
There are several issues showed in this case. Firstly, lack of understanding and appreciation of cultural differences between U.S. and French. For example, different cultures have different definition of personal space, and Disney guests faced problems of people getting too close or pressing around those who left too much space between themselves and the person in front (Luthans, F. and Jonathan, P., p.237). Moreover, Euro Disneyland was designed to mirror the American Disney theme parks back in California and Florida with very few concessions to French culture. Furthermore, Americans adopted an attitude of cultural supremacy. There is an example showed in this case, although there were only 23 U.S. expatriates among the employees, they controlled the show and held most of the top jobs. It is also reflected in food culture. Euro Disneyland is determinedly American in this theme. There was an alcohol ban in the park despite the attitude among the French that wine with a meal is a God-given right (Luthans, F. and Jonathan, P., p.235). Another example is that even the employees unhappy with the rule in Disneyland, the Disney officials insisted