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史蒂夫卡夫卡是以为捷克裔美国商人，也是芝加哥风味披萨的特许权持有人。史蒂夫决定要去捷克共和国拓展自己的生意。他将面临文化方面的挑战，也要解决在国外拓展业务所面临的风险。对比美国和捷克之间的主要差异，将会发现什么才是拓展海外业务所要付出的。认识到捷克拥有哪种独特的相对优势将会有利于史蒂夫利用自己的商业优势。霍夫斯泰特的四个方面的评价将会帮助史蒂夫在文化差异方面评估商业环境，比如截然不同的习俗和礼仪礼节。除此之外，史蒂夫还必须去研究所有的贸易壁垒，评估产品的市场需求，并且考虑自己的产品应该适用哪种成本构成。

美国和捷克的文化差异

捷克共和国已经从过去的共产主义政权发生了巨大改变。由于不再受共产主义的统治，西方文化在欧洲国家变得越来越普遍；但是捷克的文化依然不如美国开放。当首次和某人会面的时候，先有目光接触，然后才紧紧的握手。

Introduction

Steve Kafka is an American business man of Czech origin and a franchisor for Chicago Style Pizza. Steve has determined he would like to extend his business into the Czech Republic. Steve will encounter cultural challenges and will have to overcome risks related to starting up a business in a foreign country. By looking at the major differences and incompatibilities between the U.S and the Czech Republic it will be identified what it will take to get the business to a successful start overseas. Looking at what comparative advantages the Czech Republic has will identify any opportunities for Steve to take advantage of in his business. An evaluation of Hofstede’s four primary dimensions will assist Steve in assessing the business environment for cultural differences in business, and possibly opposing customs and protocols. In addition Steve will have to research any trade barriers, and assess the demand for his product and what type of cost structure he will need to have for his pizza business.

Cultural Differences between the U.S and the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic has changed from when it was a part of the communist regime. Western practices are becoming more common among European countries that are no longer under the reign of communism; however, the culture in the Czech Republic is still more formal than in the United States. When first meeting someone, make eye contact and continue while shaking hands firmly but briefly. “To show respect, one addresses adults by their professional titles (engineer, professor) and last names.”(Culturegrams, 2008). One of the more challenging aspects of starting a foreign business would be getting to know what the workforce in the country is like and to become accustomed to the way the country does business. In Steve’s case the adaptation to a foreign country will entail a sympathetic understanding of cultural variety, insights, labels, and morals (Hodgetts, Luthans, and Doh, 2005). The Czech Republic’s population has developed a reputation as diligent workers and is well known for the skills and discipline of the workforce. The Czech Republic has the second highest secondary level completion rate worldwide, only second to the United Sates. Some cultural differences that would seem relatively minor are a bigger concern to a different culture. The use of utensils is not common when eating pizza in the United Sates, but in the Czech Republic, “When eating, always use utensils. Note that very few items are eaten with the hands. Also, adhere to the European standard of the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand. Avoid the Americanized 'cross over' where one uses the knife only to cut meat, while using the fork in the right hand otherwise. Place your utensils together on one side of the plate when you have finished eating. The best practice is to place your knife and fork together in the 4 o'clock po