10 MBA 6570 Cross Cultural Awareness and Adaptation Introduction The purpose of this project is to provide a resource to the Mississippi World Trade Center regarding international business. As we have learned throughout the course, the Mississippi World Trade Center is a nonprofit organization that offers multiple services for global business activities. We have decided for this project to open a Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant in the country of Qatar. Qatar is located in the Middle East in Southwest Asia, and it occupies the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Although Qatar is an Islamic nation where the majority of the population is Muslim, we believe that an American, Christian based restaurant such as Chick-fil-A can be successful in Qatar with appropriate methodologies. The scenario provided in this project will be driven by Chick-fil-A’s desire for international business development as a means to increase understanding and acceptance of the Middle Eastern culture and the Western culture of the United States. After presenting this project, we hope that there will be a clear understanding of the strong drivers and factors that should be considered for operating a business internationally; especially in a culture contrasting of your own. Differing cultures and country norms can seem very intimidating when expanding a business internationally, but globalization has grown and continues to grow to provide evidence that when executed properly, international trade can be successful. Overview of Topic This project will provide insight to business managers to use as a model as they address issues that could occur during the implementation of opening a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Qatar based on cultural awareness and adaptation to the foreign country. Qatar has a population of over 2,000,000 and is located in the Middle East with its peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia. Its capital is Doha. With an arid and mild climate, Qatar has pleasant winters and very hot and humid summers throughout the year. Its most common natural resource is oil. Qatar received its independence in 1971 and had a total monarchy governmental structure. The most common religious practice is Muslim (Central Intelligence Agency, 2016). Management of employees in the country has its challenges; however, when managing a workforce in another country, one must consider additional aspects that he/she may not encounter in their countries of origin. Implementing a consistent culture that also accommodates the local differences is among the most critical competencies for success. For instance, to successfully launch a Chick-fil-A restaurant internationally from the United States to Qatar, a U.S. manager would need to become familiar with the local laws and traditions, and possess vast knowledge about the country [Qatar] (Vance & Paik, 2010). ...

1. 10
MBA 6570
Cross Cultural Awareness and Adaptation
Introduction
The purpose of this project is to provide a resource to
the Mississippi World Trade Center regarding international
business. As we have learned throughout the course, the
Mississippi World Trade Center is a nonprofit organization that
offers multiple services for global business activities. We have
decided for this project to open a Chick-fil-A fast food
restaurant in the country of Qatar. Qatar is located in the

2. Middle East in Southwest Asia, and it occupies the small Qatar
Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
Although Qatar is an Islamic nation where the majority of the
population is Muslim, we believe that an American, Christian
based restaurant such as Chick-fil-A can be successful in Qatar
with appropriate methodologies. The scenario provided in this
project will be driven by Chick-fil-A’s desire for international
business development as a means to increase understanding and
acceptance of the Middle Eastern culture and the Western
culture of the United States.
After presenting this project, we hope that there will be
a clear understanding of the strong drivers and factors that
should be considered for operating a business internationally;
especially in a culture contrasting of your own. Differing
cultures and country norms can seem very intimidating when
expanding a business internationally, but globalization has
grown and continues to grow to provide evidence that when
executed properly, international trade can be successful.
Overview of Topic
This project will provide insight to business managers
to use as a model as they address issues that could occur during
the implementation of opening a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Qatar
based on cultural awareness and adaptation to the foreign
country. Qatar has a population of over 2,000,000 and is
located in the Middle East with its peninsula bordering the
Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia. Its capital is Doha. With an arid
and mild climate, Qatar has pleasant winters and very hot and
humid summers throughout the year. Its most common natural
resource is oil. Qatar received its independence in 1971 and
had a total monarchy governmental structure. The most common
religious practice is Muslim (Central Intelligence Agency,
2016).

3. Management of employees in the country has its
challenges; however, when managing a workforce in another
country, one must consider additional aspects that he/she may
not encounter in their countries of origin. Implementing a
consistent culture that also accommodates the local differences
is among the most critical competencies for success. For
instance, to successfully launch a Chick-fil-A restaurant
internationally from the United States to Qatar, a U.S. manager
would need to become familiar with the local laws and
traditions, and possess vast knowledge about the country
[Qatar] (Vance & Paik, 2010). Violations of laws and traditions
can result in potential fines and penalties. Other factors would
also need to be considered such as the Arabic language, how
local business conducts their international operations, cultural
characteristics, etc. For instance, to conduct business in Qatar,
it would be mandatory for the U.S. manager to use a local agent
in Qatar. If the U.S. manager is not well versed in the Arabic
language, this will be greatly beneficial to him/her. Qatar is a
nation with a relationship-focus culture, meaning that its
citizens regard strong relationships as a sign of trust, even in
business interactions. Given this cultural characteristic, the
U.S. manager should be prepared for multiple meetings and
trips to the country until the Qatari are comfortable with the
level of trust between the parties involved in the business
negotiations.
In the United States, Chick fil A’s founder, Truett
Cathry, states that "All franchised Chick-fil-A operators and
their restaurant employees should have an opportunity to rest,
spend time with family and friends, and worship if they choose
to do so. That is why all Chick-fil-A Restaurants are closed on
Sundays. It is part of our recipe for success." The day of rest in
Qatar is typically Friday; and if “Chick fil A: Qatar” decides to
be in operation on this day, it would be required to acknowledge
the time of prayer at 12:00 noon which usually lasts for an hour

4. and a half. Also, Chick-fil-A: Qatar would be required not to
schedule an employee to work two or more Fridays in a row.
Since the Islamic religion is so prevalent in Qatar, businesses in
the country recognize and respect the custom of five prayers per
day for their employees. This Islamic prayer schedule is an
aspect that needs to be considered by the U.S. manager when
scheduling and training his/her employees. Last, but not least,
the U.S. manager would need to be aware of the typical work
hours in Qatar as well, which is 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 4 p.m. to
8 p.m. (“Qatar at a Glimpse,” 2016).
Scenario
John has been a manager at one of Chick-Fil-A’s restaurants for
ten years. He started working part time for the company when
he was in high school and throughout his college years. Once
he graduated from college, he was offered a franchise
opportunity of operating one of Chick-Fil-A’s restaurants.
Within a few years, he had worked his way up to a corporate
position as an Operations Research Analyst. He is a reputable
and admired employee of Chick-Fil-A; therefore, it was an easy
decision for upper management to choose him in their new,
international endeavor.
This new project of Chick-Fil-A’s consists of opening a
restaurant in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. Chick-Fil- A
feels that this connection with Qatar can be used as a means of
enhancing the relationship between the Middle Eastern culture
and the Western culture of the United States and believes that
they can be successful in other countries. John and Chick-Fil-A
know that this will be a challenging adventure in many ways,
but they are confident that it will be a profitable experience.

5. In making arrangements for his first trip to Qatar, John
has done as much research as possible regarding the following
concerns he has to help prepare him for this expedition:
• Local laws and traditions of Qatar
• Arabic language
• Islamic religion
• Typical business behavior (locally and in association with
new, international business)
• Typical business and restaurant hours of operation
• Cultural characteristic
• Length of time required staying in Qatar
One of John’s biggest concerns is the fact that he is a practicing
Christian. While he respects other individuals’ religious
decisions, he is perplexed about how this may affect him as a
manager in an Islamic nation.
In a scenario such as this, there are several questions
that should be considered for the purpose of aiding a deeper and
clearer understanding of the level of cross-cultural awareness
and adaptation. It is necessary to ensure that all the participants
are in concord concerning the goal of this international
endeavor and how it will be implemented. Considering the fact
that John is a practicing Christian coming from the United
States, and the new commercial venture is being opened in
Qatar (a predominantly Muslim country) all the participants will
have to take into consideration a number of factors that will in
essence help to provide insight into the level of adaptation that
will be necessary.

6. Case Questions
1. What is the significance of establishing a new branch for
Chick-fil-a?
2. How would you rank in order of importance the seven
factors that John is most concerned about? Why is the “number
1” factor on your list the most important?
3. Will the difference of faith be of a significant level that
will affect the execution of work?
4. How will the new customs and language affect the
establishment and running of the new business?
5. Are there any other vital concerns that you feel John should
research before his first visit to Qatar?
Reading List
In any jurisdiction, there are several cultural influences
that are in existence which the inhabitants follow and adhere to
on a regular, consistent basis. On this basis, the manner in
which there is a definitive and distinct identity of a given
physical jurisdiction is expressed through the people residing
there, both in their individual capacity, as well as cumulatively.

7. The work done by the author Nyamwana is, therefore,
influential in highlighting the manner in which an entity was
coming from a different cultural background, seeking to
establish their operations in the new area will be affected
(Nyamwana, 2004).
According to the scholar Yunxia Zhu, in the event that
such an entity is keen on setting up base in this new
environment, there will be the need to have cross-cultural
awareness and adaptation where both sets of individuals
interacting will seek to understand the manner in which the
other side operates culturally, and seek to adapt accordingly
(Yunxia Zhu, 2008). In this way, there will be a significant
level of mutual respect and good faith that will be cultivated as
a result (Shah, 2015).
Facilitation Notes
The scenario activity presents a cultural and language
dilemma in that there is a major difference in spiritual and
cultural beliefs between two sets of individuals, coming from
the United States and entering into Qatar. For the sake of
illustrating the manner in which there will be a form of cross-
cultural awareness and adaption, the scenario will be structured
in a format which will have participants representing the two
different cultures. Also, the scenario will take into account the
need to have individuals that represent the Christian and
Muslim spiritual backgrounds so that there will be full and clear
comprehension of the manner in which integration across
cultural backgrounds should take place. In that regard, there

8. should be a form of development of the scenario where the
cross-cultural awareness will take place, such that there can be
an effective adaptation among the participants.
The facilitator for this Global Management Scenario will be an
MSWTC member.
• Present the class with information from the introduction and
overview of the topic to provide background information in
preparation for the scenario.
• Separate the class into two to four groups depending on the
size of the class.
• Provide the participants with a copy of the scenario, case
questions, and reading a list and advise them that they will
assume the role of a Chick-fil-A manager in the scenario to
answer the questions that follow.
• Ask the participants to discuss the scenario and questions
among themselves.
• After a sufficient amount of time has passed, have the
participants share with the class some of the major points and
findings they discovered during their conversation about the
scenario.
References
Central Intelligence Agency, 2016.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook
Retrieved September 30, 2016http://www.chick-fil-
a.com/Company/Highlights-Fact-Sheets. Retrieved September
30, 2016
Chick-fil-A. (2016). Why we’re closed on Sundays. Retrieved
from
http://www.chick-fil-a.com.
Expat Focus. (n.d.). Qatar-business culture. Retrieved from
http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-qatar-business-culture.
Nyamwana, D. (2004). Cross-Cultural Adaptation African
Students in China. IFE Psychologia, 12(2).
Shah, S. (2015). Perception & Cultural Awareness of
International College Students about India: A Cross-cultural

9. Study. JMMC, 1(1), 69-75.
State of Qatar Ministry of Interior. (2016). Qatar at a glimpse.
Retrieved from
https://www.moi.gov.qa/site/english/aboutqatar/index.html#16.
Vance, M.C., & Paik, Y. (2010). Managing a global workforce:
challenges and opportunities in international human resources
management. M.E. Sharpe.
Yunxia Zhu,. (2008). From cultural adaptation to cross-cultural
discursive competence. Discourse & Communication, 2(2), 185-
204.