EGT1 Task 4
EGT1 TASK 4 “Americas Best Tae Kwon Do expands into South Korea”.
Martial Arts organization teaching men, Women, and Children in the United States desires to open a “Dojang” or “Training Hall” in South Korea offering World Class Martial Arts and Competition training.
A. Cross Cultural Differences: 1- Language barrier. 2- Curriculum validation/certification. 3- Country of Origin of retail goods.
Language Barrier for Americas Best staff. In order to be accepted by local citizens in South Korea it is important to supplement to staff with local, native speaking assistants and staff. Although the current Managers are fluent in Korean, it will be important to hire local dialect persons to add to our staff. This will ensure acceptance, communications, and also preventing miss spoken words that me be taken as offensive if not done with the proper tone. …show more content…
Curriculum Instructor certification.
Since South Korea converted the KTA- Korea TaeKwonDO Association in 1954 into the World TaeKwonDO Federation, the feeling in Korea is all Black Belts must hold certificates from the WTF. This may be just a financial ploy to collect money from those outside Korea, but the perception exists that if you hold a certificate (called a Kukkiwon Certificate) you are then legitimate regardless of what country you received the certificate, since all Kukkiwon certificates originate in Seoul, South Korea. All staff who do not currently hold their given Black Belt rank must be certified by the WTF prior to submitting an application to be an instructor in our Korea Dojang expansion plans. Since no Kukkiwon officers exist in the United States, all certifications will be done by Head Master Ken Aduddell, 6th Degree Black Belt Kukkiwon
holder.
Country of Origin of retail goods. Three primary countries manufacture martial arts apparel (uniforms) and sparring gear. These are Japan, China, and South Korea. While Americans are primarily obsessed by price, and seem to disregard country of origin pride, Korea is the opposite. It will be critical that all uniforms, belts, and sparring gear ONLY come from South Korea manufacturing companies. To offer anything else is potentially offensive, but should these goods come from China or Japan, it would also be a disgrace since both countries attacked Korea in the last century. B. Product
The product of Americas Best TaeKwonDO is martial arts lessons. In America, most adults will not allow themselves to stick with a program, and many areas of the program we currently offer need to accommodate the lack of focus for Adult students, and their ability to justify quitting. Only 1 of 10 Americans (compared to 1 out of 4 Europeans) has attempted to learn martial arts. Of those 33 million, only 10% stay with it beyond 30 days, leaving 3.3 million. Of those 3.3 million only 10% will stay with it another 3-6 months quitting jest as they prepare to test out of novice level. Of the remaining 330,000 who achieve Green belt/beginner Intermediate, only 10% of those will reach beginner advanced, or Brown Belt. We are left with just 33,000 Brown belts, all of which will quit and just 3,300 will achieve probationary, or 1st degree Black belt. In the USA, all but 10% quit after just 30 days at Black belt, higher than any other country in the world. About 330 people are left who continue actual Black belt training, only 10% of those achieve Master level in the USA, just 33 out of 330 million.
Moving into Korea, we must modify our program for the long term goals of students. Parents will require their children attend, and they will attend with them, it will be a family event, training multiple days per week for 6-10 years or more. It will be important to modify our tuition timeline to not appear to be short sighted Americas with no ling term vision, or they may feel we are looking for short term profit, or will not stay through difficult times. The good news is that Korea has been losing the Gold Medals at the Olympics to other countries and is accepting of Americas teaching taekwondo and they have fond respect for the Lopez family of Houston Texas, multiple Gold Medal winners. We will leverage our affiliation with the Amateur Athletic Union with Coach Lopez. We will use this for credibility but not for promoting an American Agency.
B2. Price:
Tuition pricing in America is structured around making it easy to quit, monthly pricing is not as important as not needing to make any commitment. In Korea it will be the opposite. Students will not mind signing non cancel agreements paid in full for 6 years as long as the rates are fair. For Korea the pricing will be a base of $900.00 per year, for 4 classes per week, 2 hours per class, we expect class sizes to be 50-150 per class. In America our current pricing is $200.00 per month, month to month, 2 classes per week, 50 minutes per class.
Koreans will look at price per hour over the long term, wanting the most hours per week at the lowest rate with a long term commitment; Americas want to know how cheaply they can join, and how easily they can quit, more like leasing a car.
B3 Promotion:
In America martial arts lessons are promoted in a disposable product manner, viewed like a 6 pack of Coke. Coupon driven society demands a call to action for a discount. Teachers are held in higher regards in Korea and it would be a disgrace to offer discounts, promotions, or marketing fluff. The Koreans will want endorsements from martial arts organizations and to see community service done by the staff. When they see us in public, they will approach us, but the Koreans will be completely turned off if the go to corner market and see “one month of lessons and a free uniform for 19.99”…..
Word of mouth and grassroots promotion only in Korea.
B4 Place:
52 million people actively practice Tae Kwon Do globally; it is the most popular martial art. Korea in the past has not been accepting of foreign companies opening Dojangs in Korea, but the loss of first place in the last 3 Olympics has changed this. The IOC, International Olympic Committee has removed Baseball, Hockey, and Wrestling as of late. Talk is they will remove Karate, Judo, or Tae Kwon DO.
Koreas national sport is Tae Kwon Do, and they are promising more support and resources. They will do whatever it takes to keep this Olympic Sport status. Allowing Americas Best, a proven Junior Olympic Gold Medal winning organization into Korea and supporting its grassroots movement is a given.
C Ethical Issues: 1) Americas Best will need to be mindful of the image that has been communicated to us from Korea. The Koreans have warned us that Americans are viewed as fat, lazy, and abrasive. The example proven to us is Korean infant adoption, only for America do they have a height and weight scale/range for adopting parents from America.
2) Where the money goes……..It has also been brought to our attention from the WTF that Koreans will need to see a direct line for their tuition to returning to the community. Unlike Americans who will buy a Toyota or Honda and not inquire where the money goes, the Koreans will need to see proof that some of it stays in the community.
Sources: None.
Martial Arts organization teaching men, Women, and Children in the United States desires to open a “Dojang” or “Training Hall” in South Korea offering World Class Martial Arts and Competition training.
A. Cross Cultural Differences: 1- Language barrier. 2- Curriculum validation/certification. 3- Country of Origin of retail goods.
Language Barrier for Americas Best staff. In order to be accepted by local citizens in South Korea it is important to supplement to staff with local, native speaking assistants and staff. Although the current Managers are fluent in Korean, it will be important to hire local dialect persons to add to our staff. This will ensure acceptance, communications, and also preventing miss spoken words that me be taken as offensive if not done with the proper tone. …show more content…
Curriculum Instructor certification.
Since South Korea converted the KTA- Korea TaeKwonDO Association in 1954 into the World TaeKwonDO Federation, the feeling in Korea is all Black Belts must hold certificates from the WTF. This may be just a financial ploy to collect money from those outside Korea, but the perception exists that if you hold a certificate (called a Kukkiwon Certificate) you are then legitimate regardless of what country you received the certificate, since all Kukkiwon certificates originate in Seoul, South Korea. All staff who do not currently hold their given Black Belt rank must be certified by the WTF prior to submitting an application to be an instructor in our Korea Dojang expansion plans. Since no Kukkiwon officers exist in the United States, all certifications will be done by Head Master Ken Aduddell, 6th Degree Black Belt Kukkiwon
holder.
Country of Origin of retail goods. Three primary countries manufacture martial arts apparel (uniforms) and sparring gear. These are Japan, China, and South Korea. While Americans are primarily obsessed by price, and seem to disregard country of origin pride, Korea is the opposite. It will be critical that all uniforms, belts, and sparring gear ONLY come from South Korea manufacturing companies. To offer anything else is potentially offensive, but should these goods come from China or Japan, it would also be a disgrace since both countries attacked Korea in the last century. B. Product
The product of Americas Best TaeKwonDO is martial arts lessons. In America, most adults will not allow themselves to stick with a program, and many areas of the program we currently offer need to accommodate the lack of focus for Adult students, and their ability to justify quitting. Only 1 of 10 Americans (compared to 1 out of 4 Europeans) has attempted to learn martial arts. Of those 33 million, only 10% stay with it beyond 30 days, leaving 3.3 million. Of those 3.3 million only 10% will stay with it another 3-6 months quitting jest as they prepare to test out of novice level. Of the remaining 330,000 who achieve Green belt/beginner Intermediate, only 10% of those will reach beginner advanced, or Brown Belt. We are left with just 33,000 Brown belts, all of which will quit and just 3,300 will achieve probationary, or 1st degree Black belt. In the USA, all but 10% quit after just 30 days at Black belt, higher than any other country in the world. About 330 people are left who continue actual Black belt training, only 10% of those achieve Master level in the USA, just 33 out of 330 million.
Moving into Korea, we must modify our program for the long term goals of students. Parents will require their children attend, and they will attend with them, it will be a family event, training multiple days per week for 6-10 years or more. It will be important to modify our tuition timeline to not appear to be short sighted Americas with no ling term vision, or they may feel we are looking for short term profit, or will not stay through difficult times. The good news is that Korea has been losing the Gold Medals at the Olympics to other countries and is accepting of Americas teaching taekwondo and they have fond respect for the Lopez family of Houston Texas, multiple Gold Medal winners. We will leverage our affiliation with the Amateur Athletic Union with Coach Lopez. We will use this for credibility but not for promoting an American Agency.
B2. Price:
Tuition pricing in America is structured around making it easy to quit, monthly pricing is not as important as not needing to make any commitment. In Korea it will be the opposite. Students will not mind signing non cancel agreements paid in full for 6 years as long as the rates are fair. For Korea the pricing will be a base of $900.00 per year, for 4 classes per week, 2 hours per class, we expect class sizes to be 50-150 per class. In America our current pricing is $200.00 per month, month to month, 2 classes per week, 50 minutes per class.
Koreans will look at price per hour over the long term, wanting the most hours per week at the lowest rate with a long term commitment; Americas want to know how cheaply they can join, and how easily they can quit, more like leasing a car.
B3 Promotion:
In America martial arts lessons are promoted in a disposable product manner, viewed like a 6 pack of Coke. Coupon driven society demands a call to action for a discount. Teachers are held in higher regards in Korea and it would be a disgrace to offer discounts, promotions, or marketing fluff. The Koreans will want endorsements from martial arts organizations and to see community service done by the staff. When they see us in public, they will approach us, but the Koreans will be completely turned off if the go to corner market and see “one month of lessons and a free uniform for 19.99”…..
Word of mouth and grassroots promotion only in Korea.
B4 Place:
52 million people actively practice Tae Kwon Do globally; it is the most popular martial art. Korea in the past has not been accepting of foreign companies opening Dojangs in Korea, but the loss of first place in the last 3 Olympics has changed this. The IOC, International Olympic Committee has removed Baseball, Hockey, and Wrestling as of late. Talk is they will remove Karate, Judo, or Tae Kwon DO.
Koreas national sport is Tae Kwon Do, and they are promising more support and resources. They will do whatever it takes to keep this Olympic Sport status. Allowing Americas Best, a proven Junior Olympic Gold Medal winning organization into Korea and supporting its grassroots movement is a given.
C Ethical Issues: 1) Americas Best will need to be mindful of the image that has been communicated to us from Korea. The Koreans have warned us that Americans are viewed as fat, lazy, and abrasive. The example proven to us is Korean infant adoption, only for America do they have a height and weight scale/range for adopting parents from America.
2) Where the money goes……..It has also been brought to our attention from the WTF that Koreans will need to see a direct line for their tuition to returning to the community. Unlike Americans who will buy a Toyota or Honda and not inquire where the money goes, the Koreans will need to see proof that some of it stays in the community.
Sources: None.