Culture represents the most expansive determiner of human behavior, which affects business and other social aspects. For Dave and Busters to expand to Spain, it should familiarize itself with their culture. Dave and Busters is a full-service restaurant combined with gaming facilities. It has its headquarters in Dallas and over one hundred and forty locations in Canada and the United States. It is a venue for Guest's frequent fun facilitated by the latest and greatest games, ultimate sports-viewing, and food and drinks. The company's motto is "Everybody is somebody." Dave and Busters can expand to Barcelona through cultural analysis, and the products and services will depend on familiarity with Barcelona's culture.
The core of the product
The core of Dave and Busters products and services is to satisfy the most basic need of a customer provided by the restaurant. The restaurant offers a menu of burgers, seafood, dessert, chicken, and pasta, which are offered from early lunch until late in the night. Also, the menu is constantly updated to keep up with the customers' changing needs ( O'Neil,2020) . Dave and Busters also cater for special events, private parties, Sunday brunch and offers full bar service. The products and services also seek to satisfy recreational needs through gaming by offering interactive games and simulators.
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Cultural Universal
Language
The first cultural universal is language. Barcelona uses two languages, Spanish and Catalan. The official language and dominant language is Catalan, and it is used in offices, schools, and businesses ( Ismagilova et al.,2020) . Language as a cultural universal is important in the expansion of Dave and Busters because language differences can be a challenge for marketers, especially in product labels, taglines, Integrated Marketing Campaigns (IMC) campaigns, and the product name labels. The fact that Barcelona has two languages also poses a complexity for the expansion. Therefore while marketing, it is important to consider Spanish, Catalan, and the English language. It is also necessary that during marketing, the marketers familiar with what they converse when they decide on the language to use or not to use.
Customs and Taboos
All cultures have exclusive taboos and customs. Barcelona is not an exception, especially when it comes to their food. Therefore marketers must be aware of these taboos and customs to understand acceptable and not for their marketing program (Woodside, 2017). Dave and Busters should be aware of Barcelona's people's unique eating habits and hours since they eat much later than other countries. Marketers should also be aware of the closing time of businesses in major cities. For instance, in Barcelona, some businesses close between 2 pm and 5 pm.
Values
Values in a society determine suitable or unsuitable elements of the society. Therefore, values are elements of the culture's societal fabric. Values can be expressed individually based on family, religious, moral, and educational influences (Soares,2018). Also, other cultures, such as the culture in Barcelona, tend to be collectivist. This means that Dave and Buster's products and services' success is influenced by a group of people's well-being and attitude. For the products and services to be successful, they must appeal to the people as a whole.
Hofstede’s Classification Application
One of Hofstede’s classifications is individualism/collectivism. It is regarded as the associations individuals have with their culture. Barcelona has a collective culture. For instance, employees are more likely to work together in groups without much supervision from their superiors. Therefore in my marketing, I would ensure that I work closely with the company's employees to avoid giving orders through the business partner. Additionally, since collectivism influences advertising appeals, I would market the products and services of Dave and Busters to the business partner by focusing on the benefits they have on the community.
Power/distance focuses, on the other hand, power/distance focuses on the outcomes of unequal distribution of power and authority in society. It impacts dependency and hierarchy relations in both organizational and family contexts. In Barcelona, hierarchical distance is accepted, whereby powerful people reap benefits that the rest do not. Because their culture believes their bosses' feedback, I would work closely with the business partner to establish a positive attitude about Dave and Busters products and services. By initiating action, the rest will follow. Power and distance will also affect the advertising appeals and information exchange behavior among Barcelonans.
Uncertainty avoidance is the degree to which people feel jeopardized by ambiguity and indistinctness and try to prevent such situations. They require well-defined products and services for prescribed behavior. People of Barcelona have values for almost everything since they do not like to complicate their lives. For instance, they dislike confrontation. They like to have a plan and do not care about ambiguity or the unknown. This is important because the business partner is more likely to accept the marketing pitch and risk Dave and Busters due to the culture's open-mindedness and inclusivity. This classification also affects information exchange about the Dave and Busters products positively.
Masculinity-feminism determines the type of attitude Barcelonans have towards achievement, success, and the quality of life. A masculine country believes in values such as achievement and success, while a feminine one believes in caring for others and the quality of life ( Kristjánsdóttir et al.,2017) . Barcelona has an overall feminist culture, which means that society's dominant values are compassion for others and life quality. Therefore, there will be more innovation about the products and services due to the sex roles. Marketing to the business partner will involve discussions, compromises, consensus, negotiations, collaboration, and benefits.
In conclusion, culture is a complex issue that affects consumer behavior. However, with Hofstede's classification, despite criticism concerning its dimensions and consideration of the cultural universals, it is easier to apply cultural factors for Dave and Buster’s business expansion benefits. This is because the classifications are simple and practical. Therefore, as Dave and Buster’s seek to expand to Barcelona, it must adapt its products and services to local habits and preferences.
References
Ismagilova, A. R., Palutina, O. G., Pupyreva, S. O., & González, J. M. (2020). Linguistic Diversity of Multicultural Cities on the Materials in Barcelona Ergonyms. Utopía y praxis latinoamericana: revista internacional de filosofía iberoamericana y teoría social , 25 (1), 522-529.https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=7411421
Kristjánsdóttir, H., Guðlaugsson, Þ. Ö., Guðmundsdóttir, S., & Aðalsteinsson, G. D. (2017). Hofstede national culture and international trade. Applied Economics , 49 (57), 5792-5801.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2017.1343446
O'Neil, C. (2020). The End of Days at Dave and Busters. The Massachusetts Review , 61 (1), 126-131. 10.1353/mar.2020.0020
Soares, A. M. (2018). Revisiting cultures’ consequences in international marketing studies. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science , 28 (2), 214-220.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21639159.2018.1434807
Woodside, A. G. (Ed.). (2017). The complexity turn: Cultural, management, and marketing applications . Springer. 10.1007/978-3-319-47028-3
