Mexico has the biggest Spanish-speaking population in the world. Business people who visit or want to do business in Mexico must be capable of adapting to Mexican Culture by doing what Mexicans do. One of the most important cultures in Mexico is that personal relationships are the main factors that affect the success of businesses in Mexico. Businesses are carried out through families and people identify themselves with a certain family or class. This is because people in Mexico do business first with people that they relate with and not with other impersonal organizations (McCarty 34). This has the implication that business executives must develop business relations through trust before they succeed in Mexico. Business negotiations never begin at first or second meetings, and serious business discussions happen after the first five minutes over lunch.
Mexicans have also been found to always mix business with leisure where business associates together with their families often meet over the weekend or on vacations at home for meals which help in building the trust needed for long-term business relationships. In addition, the Mexicans unlike other North Americans who live to work, they work to live and have a sense of traditions and time. Mostly punctuality is expected of the subordinates and the family, and societal structure is highly hierarchical in nature with gender roles being more profound and defined. Most Mexicans are Catholics and thus follow the Christian teachings when conducting businesses.
In communication, Mexicans with a facility in language and comfort with public speaking are admired. Public and communication skills are a sign of advanced education and are a requirement for the middle class. You are expected to use titles as well as formal forms of addresses anytime when communicating with others and in business cards. New members are not expected to react negatively to different emotional expressions of the Mexicans but are instead expected to tolerate them. Also, status and clothing are mutually reinforced wherein business formal dressing is used in business meetings.
Works Cited
McCarty, John A., and Patricia M. Hattwick. "Cultural value orientations: A comparison of magazine advertisements from the United States and Mexico." NA-Advances in Consumer Research Volume 19 (1992).
