1) “What do you think is the most difficult challenge for U.S. businesses that want to do business

Well the main barriers for American businesses in Hungary (my country) are language and culture. Specifically problems getting mid to high level managers with a good grasp of Hungarian and English. It is not because of a lack of available staff but simply because many American businesses don'r recognize language skills as deserving of higher pay scales with the result that no good managers are willing to work for American wages when they can earn from 20 to 200% more working for other non American companies. American companies also have a reputation as "fast and loose" companies unwilling to make long term investement. They also have a reputation for being "culturally blind", whether this is deserved or not is debatable but it is known that many Americans coming to eastern Europe have a tendency to look down on business models in eastern Europe. This may stem from an inability to apply small scale practises and instead attempting to dominate market sectors. In Hungary people can be very fickle, they trust what works and it takes time to build up a consumer base. The prominent American Businesses such as McDonalds, KFC, Subway are nowhere near as successful in Hungary as in other western European countries simply because they have not adapted to cultural needs, assume that they are a "luxury" food outlet and treat customers accordingly demanding high prices without devlivering on the same standards of quality those prices would normally command. It is not that people cannot afford them but rather that they are are well aware of what good food is and know that they are not getting it. My local city, Szombathely with a population of 30,000 people has one McDonalds which seems to only cater for teens who buy a coke between them and then sit for 3 hours chatting or people looking for a grease fix between work and pub. There are at least 30 "hungarian" pizza restaurants not one of which is "American" though because they all "understand" hungarians. McDonalds could easily be more successful than it is but becasue they are hamstrung by American corporate practices they cannot adapt to the market.

Hope that helps, call me Miklos Bábo, from Hungary as you said you needed a name and feel free to ask me another question if you need anything else, good luck with your project.