Who you met with and why you consider the person different?
I met with Sofia Mitre. Sofia is a Mexican expatriate. She has lived in the U.S. for the vast majority of her life; however, she constantly travels to and from Mexico to visit family and to accompany her father on business trips. Although we both grew up in Austin, Sofia considers herself a visitor to the U.S. as a citizen of Mexico. She grew up in a household rooted in Mexican heritage while I grew up in a home speaking only English with heritage confined to the Southwest states of the U.S. Predominantly, this is what establishes the cultural difference between me and her.
How would you show respect when doing business?
Sofia explains, in order to show respect when doing business, that there is much larger of an emphasis placed on small chat. It is typical for people to talk about friends and family to a more personal degree when compared to the small talk in the U.S. Additionally, we value our personal space differently than people in Mexico. It is considered normal to stand much closer to one another while engaged in conversation. There is a perceived comfort and trust factor associated with the …show more content…
Sofia states that there may be a few minor differences or exceptions to this generalization that may be specific to various regions in Mexico. I believe that trade between the U.S. and Mexico has partially caused this similarity in ethical views. Also, NAFTA would have only caused these ethical similarities to be enhanced due to the increased trade between our countries. I think that generalized, high-level religious similarities hold stock in what both of our countries believe to be unethical. Most faiths shared by Mexicans and Americans place a very high importance on following religious teachings that preach against theft and for