Mexicans & Americans: Cracking the Culture Code - Softcover

Crouch, Ned

Softcover

ISBN 10: 185788342X ISBN 13: 9781857883428

Publisher: John Murray Business Academic, 2004

Synopsis

Whether negotiating a delivery date, launching a local franchise or renting a car in Mexico City, speaking the language and knowing the rules of business are not enough. In any culture where yes can mean noâ??or sometimes maybeâ??even giants like Wal-Mart and IBM can make costly mistakes. Mexicans and Americans gets to the heart of our differences and lays the groundwork for cultural fluency. Here is a humorous and insightful firthand look at how to succeed in working with Mexicansâ??on either side of the border. Steeped in the richness of Mexican culture and history, Ned Crouch helps us understand the most critical elements that determine what works and what doesnâ??t when Mexicans and Americans come together in business: out different views of time and space, and our construction and use of language. He debunks the manana stereotype and offers specific advice on how to cross the cultural divide that separates us.

About this title

From the Publisher

In any situation when such fundamental concepts as time, space, and language are open to various interpretations, conflicts can arise, misunderstandings occur, and social, economic, and political rifts often result. Author Ned Crouch tackles these critical differences between Mexicans and Americans head-on in MEXICANS & AMERICANS: Cracking the Cultural Code.

Steeped in the richness of Mexican culture and history, Ned goes head-to-head against the argument that America should try to recapture its Anglocentric core. He argues, instead, for working together to bridge the gap between Hispanics and Americans. He explores the three most critical elements that determine what works and what doesn’t when Mexicans and Americans come together: our different views of time, of space, and our construction and use of language. He debunks the mañana stereotype. And he shows how the patterns, sounds, and construction of English and Spanish shape cultural attitudes that drive specific behaviors and our differing ideas of hierarchy, authority, class, and gender.

From the Inside Flap

"Thank you, Ned, for a work that helps bridge the narrowing cultural space that still separates our countries. Your solid experience of doing business in Mexico and the United States permeates through these pages."
—Miguel Leaman, Mexican Trade Commissioner, Chicago

From Guadalajara to Indianapolis, real business examples and dozens of personal dialogues—from waiters and cab drivers to lawyers, engineers and CEOs—demonstrate common Mexican and American mindsets. Ned Crouch draws on a lifetime of experience to show how Mexicans and American gringos can engage each other and survive the experience...in fact, be enriched by it!

"Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, Ned Crouch adds a new perspective to thinking about cultural differences. Mexicans & Americans is insightful, entertaining, and very helpful."—Joseph A. Cook, Senior Consultant, RHR International

Edition details

• Publisher: John Murray Business Academic
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 185788342X
• ISBN 13: 9781857883428
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 228