Disadvantages in Cultural Adaptation
The Walt Disney Company has a serious weakness in its cultural adaptation concerning the various countries in which it operates. For example, the strategies that Hong Kong Disneyland (HKD) has put in place for adaptation to the local culture appear to have failed just like in the Paris outlet (Young & Liu, 2007). However, as opposed to Disneyland Paris, HKD has incorporated a few cultural issues into its operations.
Although HKD has tried to pay some attention to a few aspects of the Chinese culture, it has attracted a lot of negative publicity. This is due to its failure to study the consumption habits and a few other norms of the Chinese population (Young & Liu, 2007). The Lunar New Year Holiday Fiasco, which occurred during the first year of HKD’s operation, is one of the manifestations of the negative publicity the firm has received. Consequently, HKD needs to learn all the important Chinese traditional festivals to avoid any issues in major events.
Adapting to Chinese Culture
To motivate more locals to attend its events, HKD needs to adapt to Chinese culture. The company should invest more resources in research and development concerning Chinese culture. This can enable the management of HKD to know the cultural aspects affecting the company’s operations. Also, the firm should reduce the daily capacity limit of visitors in the park to avoid overcrowding, which has been a major source of negative publicity (Young & Liu, 2007). HKD is reluctant to reduce its daily capacity limit probably because it fears making further losses. Instead of changing the time it opens and encouraging weekday visits, the company should concentrate on delivering efficient and high-quality products. The best alternative advice the company can get is urging it to expand its parks to accommodate more people. HKD can also open additional outlets or branches to avoid overcrowding.
Engaging Local Media
The media can improve or tarnish the reputation of a company depending on the information it relays to the public regarding it. For that reason, Hong Kong Disneyland should try as much as possible to attract positive feedback from local media. This can only happen if the firm puts in place-responsive strategies to address the complaints raised against it by locals and the media. The company needs to improve the working conditions of its employees, especially character performers, to boost their morale (Young & Liu, 2007). Both character and stage performers are vital for the success of HKD and should be paid attractively to increase their productivity and self-esteem.
It should also involve its staff members in making key decisions; this follows claims by the public that HKD’s management policies are discriminatory, as only American workers are consulted during decision-making (Young & Liu, 2007). The company’s management should also comply with the rules and regulations of the relevant local authorities. For example, park officials should work closely with the police and hygiene inspectors to avoid the violation of national laws and local bylaws respectively. Hong Kong Disneyland should improve its marketing strategies to increase positive publicity. Its marketing managers should outsource the help of well-established magazines in the country such as ‘Color Life’ to market new offers, activities, and policies (Young & Liu, 2007). Finally, the company should only publish editorial columns in magazines that give it positive publicity.
Reference
Young, M. N., & Liu, D. (2007). Hong Kong Disneyland. London: Ivey Publishing, 9B07M013.