Role of cultural adaptation in international retailing

When an individual or a corporation first enters a new environment with diverse culture, it is generally accepted that the cross-cultural communication will create stress for them. Facing such pressure, some choose to remain their own characteristics (standardization), but others choose to be part of the new environment with their own features (adaptation). The question of whether to adapt or to standardize global markets has received great attention during the last four decades. This study aims at analyzing the cultural adaptation strategies of McDonald's and KFC in India.