United States of America

SUBMITTED BY:Namarta Narang

H038

Historical Analysis
The start of the history of the United States is marked with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in

1492
Indigenous people lived in what is now the United States for thousands of years before European

colonists began to arrive, mostly from England, after 1600. The Spanish had small settlements
in Florida and the Southwest, and the French along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast.
In 1776, Congress declared that there was a new, independent nation, the United States of America, not

just a collection of disparate colonies. With large-scale military and financial support from France and
military leadership by General George Washington, the American Patriots rebelled against British rule
and succeeded in the Revolutionary War. The peace treaty of 1783 gave the new nation the land east of
the Mississippi River and confirmed Great Britain's recognition of the United States as a nation.
Congress wrote a new Constitution, which was adopted in 1789. In 1791, a Bill of Rights was added to

guarantee inalienable rights. With Washington as the Union's first president and Alexander Hamilton his
chief political and financial adviser, a strong central government was created

Geographical Analysis
The United States of America is the world's
third largest country in size and nearly the
third largest in terms of population. Located in
North America, the country is bordered on the
west by the Pacific Ocean and on the east by the
Atlantic Ocean. Along the northern border
is Canada and the southern border is Mexico.
There are 50 states and the District of Columbia.

United States has high mountains in the West and

a vast central plain. The lowest point in the
country is in Death Valley which is at -282 feet (86 meters) and the highest peak is Denali (Mt.
McKinley) at 20,320 feet (6,198 meters).

Geographical Analysis
CLIMATE:
West: mostly semi-arid to desert
Mountains: alpine,
Northeast: humid continental
Southeast: humid subtropical
Coast of California: Mediterranean,
Pacific Northwest: cool temperate
oceanic,
Alaska: mostly subarctic,
Hawaii and the territories: tropical

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:
severe water shortages, air pollution resulting in
acid rain in both the US and Canada

NATURAL RESOURCES:
Coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates,
rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold,
iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten,
zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber

Cultural Analysis
Language

More than 300 languages are spoken in the United States. Spanish, Chinese, French and German are
among the most frequently spoken non-English languages. Ninety percent of the U.S. population speaks
and understands at least some English, and most official business is conducted in English.
Religion

About 83 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians, according to an ABC poll. Judaism is
the second most-identified religious affiliation, at about 1.7 percent of the population.
American style

Clothing styles vary by social status, region, occupation and climate. Jeans, sneakers, baseball caps,
cowboy hats and boots are some items of clothing that are closely associated with Americans. Ralph
Lauren, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Victoria Secret are some well-known American brands.
American food

American cuisine has been influenced by Europeans and Native Americans in its early history. Today,
there are a number of foods that are commonly identified as American, such as hamburgers, hot dogs,

Hofstede dimension
Power Distance (PDI) at 40, compared to the world Average of 55
indicates a greater equality between societal levels, including
government, organizations, and even within families.
The high Individualism (IDV) ranking for the United States indicates
a society with a more individualistic attitude and relatively loose
bonds with others. The populace is more self-reliant and looks out
for themselves and their close family members.

The United States was included in the group of countries that

had the Long Term Orientation (LTO) Dimension added. The
LTO is the lowest Dimension for the US at 29, compared to the
world average of 45. This low LTO ranking is indicative of the
societies' belief in meeting its obligations and tends to reflect an
appreciation for cultural traditions.

Masculinity (MAS) with a ranking of 62, compared with a world

average of 50 indicates the country experiences a higher degree of
gender differentiation of roles. The male dominates a significant
portion of the society and power structure. This situation generates a
female population that becomes more assertive and competitive, with
women shifting toward the male role model and away from their
female role.
Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI), with a ranking of 46, compared to the
world average of 64 is indicative of a society that has fewer rules and
does not attempt to control all outcomes and results. It also has a
greater level of tolerance for a variety of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs

General Etiquette and Customs

Business Dress
What is considered appropriate business attire varies by geographic region, day of the week and
industry. People in the East dress more formally, while people in the West are known for being a bit
more casual.
Executives usually dress formally regardless of which part of the country they are in.
Casual Friday is common in many companies. High technology companies often wear casual clothes
every day.

Entertaining:
Business breakfasts and lunches are common and lunches may last two hours.
The person extending the invitation usually pays.
Business is usually not discussed until everyone has ordered their meal.
Socialising occurs more often after business is concluded. Business entertaining is not to develop a
personal relationship.

General Etiquette and Customs

Greetings
The hand shake is the common greeting. Handshakes are firm, brief and confident.
Most people will insist that you call them by their nickname, if they have one.
In formal circumstances, you may want to use titles and surnames as a courtesy until you are invited to
move to a first name basis, which will happen quickly.
Business cards are exchanged without formal ritual.
It is quite common for the recipient to put your card in their wallet, which may then go in the back pocket
of their trousers.

Communication Styles
Americans are direct. They value logic and linear thinking and expect people to speak clearly and in a
straightforward manner. A person from a culture that is more subtle in communication style should try not to
feel insulted by the directness. Americans make the use the telephone to conduct business that would require a
face-to-face meeting in most other countries. They do not insist upon seeing or getting to know the people
with whom they conduct business.

Political Analysis
The executive branch is headed by the President
and is independent of both the legislature and the
judiciary.
Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of
Congress, the Senate and the House of
Representatives.
The judicial branch (or judiciary), composed of
the Supreme Court and lower federal courts,
exercises judicial power (or judiciary).
Barack Obama is the 44th
president of the United
States of America

Joe Biden is the 47th vice

president of the United States
of America

Political
Party : Democratic party

Political Party : Democratic

party

Economic Analysis

The United States is the world's largest national economy, representing 22% of nominal global GDP . The

United States' GDP was estimated to be $17.914 trillion as of Q2 2015. The U.S. dollar is the most used
currency in international transactions and is the world's foremost reserve currency.

The US has abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. It has the

world's ninth-highest per capita GDP (nominal) as of 2013.Americans have the highest
average household and employee income among OECD nations.

Of the world's 500 largest companies, 128 are headquartered in the US.

The United States has one of the world's largest and most influential financial markets. The New York Stock

Exchange is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization

Consumer spending comprises 71% of the US economy in 2013. The United States has the

largest consumer market in the world, with a household final consumption expenditure five times larger
than Japan's. The labor market has attracted immigrants from all over the world and its net migration rate is

Major Exports
Cars 4.4 %

Major Imports
Cars 8.3 %

Largest Trading Partners

Failure of an International Brand in USA

Tescos venture into the US with Fresh & Easy was a failure.
Factors contributing to the failure of Tescos US venture
Entry Strategy
When entering the US market, Tesco planned to enter with small format stores that replicated the
ever-popular Tesco Express stores of the UK.This initial entry strategy failed to account for the
cultural discrepancies that existed between British and American consumers.Europeans make more
frequent grocery trips whereas Americans are used to going for bigger trips less frequently . This
meant that the small-format stores did not meet the demands of the US consumer despite its
popularity in the UK.
Human Resource Management
Fresh & Easy stores, used self-service checkout systems only in an attempt to increase convenience
and limit labour costs. The absence of employees at traditional checkout lanes limited the companys
interaction with the customer, which made it difficult for Fresh & Easy employees to provide a high
level of customer service.

Risk Assessment
The company strategically targeted food deserts, areas positioned far away from large grocery
retailers, in Arizona, California and Nevada (Telegraph). Such locations, however, had been hit hard
by the economic recession and the collapse of the real estate market , thus increasing the inherent risk.
Research into the US grocery industry showed a lack of mid-market specialist retailers. Tesco hoped
to exploit this gap in the market by using small format stores to meet consumer demands (Emerald
Group, 2008). Meeting consumers demands, however, proved a harder challenge than the risk
assessment had envisaged. Tesco soon came to realise that the lack of mid-market specialist stores in
the industry resulted from the US consumers preference to shop big and infrequently at large
supermarkets such as Trader Joes and Costco. In essence the demand for this perceived gap in the
market did not exist and as one article stated aiming directly at this [mid-market specialist] sector
would therefore appear suicidal.

Thank You !!