Exploring Emerging Latin America: Implications for German Companies Using Spain as a Springboard Country

Abstract

This article seeks to determine the means by which European companies can make use of Latin European countries as a springboard to emerging markets in Latin America. For the sake of this study, Germany and Spain were used as the European and springboard countries, respectively. Cultural issues experienced by German companies in Asia have made it imperative for them to explore alternative emerging economies, such as Latin American countries. However, Latin America represents an equally risky opportunity through direct market entry owing to the cultural gap across the two regions. Given the interactions between members of the European Union and the cultural similarities between Spain and Latin America, the hypothesis of former being a cultural bridge was tested. The qualitative and quantitative cultural parameters across Germany, Spain and Latin America were compared and results showed that Spanish cultural experience can bridge the German–Latin American cultural gap.