Amazing Amatlán

By: Giana Gallo

Hostel de la Luz - a pretty place but at what price?

According to legend, this small town is the birthplace of the revered Aztec god Quetzalcóatl. Located in between impressive mountains, Amatlán proved to be inhabited by aspiring business people who were proud to share their professional experiences with us.

Upon our arrival to Atekokoli, an alternative medicine practice, we quickly learned about the community living in Amatlán. It is part of the municipality of Tepoztlan, and is the smallest of the four towns involved. All of the land is communal, according to the ways of the town, there is no private property. Unfortunately, citizens are beginning to sell their land to foreigners looking to build weekend homes in the beautiful area. This land, often, happens to be the best quality, and pushes the poor to the outskirts of town.

We also visited Hostel de la Luz, a hotel focused on personal development using a holistic spiritual approach. Designed by a plastic surgeon from Mexico City, Hostel de la Luz is a pricey and luxurious place with an incredible view. When the owners first approached the citizens of Amatlán for approval to start building, they promised to only hire workers from the community and to aid with municipal projects. One of the unique things about Amatlán is that the community works without pay to complete municipal projects, such as, paving a road. As some of us were told by the host families we stayed with, Hostel de la Luz’s loving philosophy does not transpire to their treatment of employees. They are paid poorly paid and receive little benefits. For me, this was unbelievable given the prices of the rooms and services at the hotel. It seemed to me that Hostel de la Luz could easily afford to increase employee salary and help the community more.

Aside from visiting a foreign business prospering in Amatlán, we met with a local businessman by the name of Don Lucio Perez. Excluding hiking in the mountains in pouring rain with my host family, I had the best time hearing about Don Lucio's up and coming wine business. It was exciting to find out about the evolution of his company, Amatlán. I was a little surprised to hear that he wanted to keep it a family business, but then I remembered that many businesses in Mexico are family-owned. He spoke to us about the challenges of acquiring patents and expanding his company with a government that is highly regulative. The small business development program that is funded by the government requires him to pay a monthly tax of over 1,000 pesos – how paradoxical. His experiences demonstrated some of the problems with starting a business in Mexico. Despite hindrances such as these, Don Lucio is doing well and I hope to buy his delicious Milk Punch a grocery store in the United States one day.

Overall, the places we visited in Amatlán were a great contrast with our visits in Mexico City. Don Lucio's talk gave us insight to the emergence of a business, whereas our visits to Boing and Hospira Pharmaceuticals taught us about the organization of established companies. Can't wait to go back and visit my host family!

Our Trip to Mexico City

By: Mara Pederson

Boing co-op representatives meet with CGE´s business students

Last week the CGE’s International Business students were able to visit and observe several different companies in Mexico City. Students spent their days by visiting such places as Hospira Pharmaceuticals, the Historical Center, and the United States Embassy. Throughout these places we visited we were able to compare and contrast how different businesses operated and functioned on a daily basis.

One example of a company that demonstrates a different business approach is the Boing Cooperative. We learned that before Boing became a cooperative it was a successful company. Boing expressed that in 1982 there was a wage increase due to economic conditions, which was not respected and led to difficult times for the business. CGE students learned about the support Boing provided to strikes that occurred between 1982 and 1985 and the effect on the company as a result. The aspects of profit returns and reinvesting were also mentioned. Boing discussed that its first profit returns were given to transportation and eventually to assembly lines.

After the Boing production increased the company started to grow. After 25 years Boing is a cooperative that focuses on the welfare of their workers. Even today, with competition from national companies like Coca Cola, they still focus on the importance of their business morals. Boing refuses to lower the price of their products because they want to maintain their quality, continue to pay fair prices to their suppliers, and maintain a social agreement with co-op workers. Currently there are about 5,000 workers linked directly to the Boing co-op and continue to stand out as a business that only resorts to firing workers as a last resort. Boing is now currently marketing to middle class individuals in the United States and are hopeful for an increase in profitable returns as their production grows.

Compared to other companies, the Boing cooperative stood out as an exceptional company that focused on the well-being and generosity of their workers. The Boing cooperative allows us to view the moral side of business beyond the focus on profits. The trip to the cooperative has taught me different business procedures that are beneficial in the survival of a company and the focus of workers rights, teaching me the importance of a business community in the heart of Mexico.

Intercultural Understanding

By: Mara Pederson


Betty Ramos explains how to overcome cultural differences

The third week of CGE’s International Business program allowed students the opportunity to listen to Mexican – Canadian author Betty Ramos discuss her new book entitled, “The Geo – Context: A Guide to Intercultural Understanding Between Canada, Mexico, and the United States.” Ramos explained a unique way of thinking about different communication styles beyond borders.

While Ramos lived in Canada she experienced a block between her communication style and that of others. Ramos explained that even though she was communicating in English, she was thinking as a Latin American. Ramos discussed that Latin Americans tend to think spirally, not always answering a question or topic directly like individuals from Canada or the United States. Miscommunications can come into play between spiral and linear individuals when their norms do not always meet each other's. For example, an individual who thinks spirally may consider a linear individual to be cold, arrogant, and only concerned with time instead of building personal relationships. Ramos explained that the importance of correctly communicating with individuals is extremely important in order to successfully build lasting relationships, especially in business situations.

Ramos intertwined communication styles with business procedures that aid in the development of partnerships between Latin America and the United States. While discussing communication styles, Ramos also focused on the essence of respect along with similarities and differences that occur depending on the locations of Latin America, Canada, and the United States. Ramos discussed the ties of similarity between Latin Americans and Canadians in terms of viewpoints toward the United States. Interesting aspects between Ramos's real world experiences allowed us to dive into the twenty-first century intercultural communication styles essential for partnerships in Latin America.

Through discussions in class of cultural differences regarding respectable business procedures, we have been able to learn why Latin American business interactions are the way they are. For example, to this day Mexican businesses still dislike compromising because of feelings stemming from defeat from conquest. Ramos states, "It's either winning or losing in Mexico, where compromising in the United States is viewed as a positive aspect."

Class discussions about interculturalism, along with Betty Ramos's personal experiences, have made me more aware of communication styles in the workplace and their importance for corporations. The skills I have learned this week have broadened my understanding of different intercultural communication styles. Thanks to the discussions on intercultural understanding, I now have the ability to use successful tactics in the workplace throughout Latin America.

CGE Students Visit Local University

By: Stephanie Jackson

Last week, CGE’s International Business students had the opportunity to spend a day with some local students at the Universidad Politécnica del Estado de Morelos. The Universidad students are studying administration as part of a three-year degree program, and the CGE students enjoyed being able to learn about the differences between the two programs of study (while practicing their Spanish)! Because CGE runs most of its own classes on-site, it was a chance for the students to see what a university campus looks like here in Mexico, and experience a taste of how it works.

After an introduction to the university, its programs, and its mission, all students traveled together to visit a small local school (la Escuela Conafe de Loma Bonita) that the university supports through various fundraising techniques. The school is being privately-run by a group of locals who sought to fix the overcrowding problem present in other schools in the area. Without many resources, and with many of their services relying on volunteer help, the school is now serving many local children in their education. With the help of the university, they are in the process of building another school room, which the CGE students were able to tour.


The group visits la Escuela Conafe de Loma Bonita

Before returning to the university, the group visited a local water park, el Balneario Ejidal El Texcal, currently owned by a co-op and in the process of restoring its facilities. Students were able to speak with the owners and tour the property, as well as discuss the possibility of creating one or more business internships for CGE students with the co-op.

After the visits concluded, the students returned to the university together for a group lunch and farewell, where email addresses and phone numbers were exchanged. Plans are already underway to create language partners between the students, to allow everyone to practice their foreign language skills (either English or Spanish), and get to know each other in a more informal environment! An understanding and appreciation of local culture is always an important aspect of study abroad, and this exchange has provided the students with many ways to achieve that.

Economy and Gender Roles of Mexico

By: Giana Gallo

The second week of the International Business Program provided students with the history of Mexico from an economic and gender perspective. Maestra Lilia Venegas lectured on “Recent Political History with a Gender Perspective” followed by Maestro Salvador Guzman Zapata's talk on “A Recent Economic History."

Venegas began her lecture by describing the conditions and expectations of women before the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Women lived in a “hegemonic and conservative culture, in which they needed to get permission and a male escort to work.” Even after the war, for which many women fought and helped by sending messages, they had trouble receiving pensions for their services. The stereotypical figure of “Adelita”, a wife who follows her husband and cooks for him, was considered the ideal and is the most well-known role for women during the revolution. Venegas explained how Mexican history has had a divergent impact on half of the population.

She also highlighted the effects of the machismo attitude on women in the political arena in her lecture by speaking about the struggle for women's suffrage in Mexico. President Lazaro Cardenas, demonstrated his machismo when he refused to publish in a federal newspaper the women's right to vote in 1938, which was the ordinary custom with new laws. It was not until 1953 that women in Mexico received the right to vote.

Maestro Guzman giving students a timeline of Mexico's economic history

In his talk on “Recent Economical History”, Maestro Salvador Guzman Zapata spoke about the different economies that Mexico has seen and how they have left a lasting effect on the country. Beginning with the semi-feudal system instituted by the Spanish in 1521, the economy later evolved into a hacienda system under President Porforio Diaz in the late 1800's. When negotiating with businesses in Mexico, it is important to be aware of the strong sense of self-preservation that has resulted from the oppression of conquests and dictatorships that Mexicans have had to endure. Mexico nationalized its oil and petroleum companies in 1940's, only to suffer greatly in the international oil crisis in 1976. Today, due to its great foreign debt, Mexico has been forced to adopt the neo-liberal economic model designed by the International Monetary Fund.

Guzman also spoke about an incident in Tepoztlan, Mexico, where an American investor failed to take Mexican culture into account. The intended space for the proposed 500 million dollar project, a golf course designed by pro-golfer Jack Nicklaus, was to be built over an archaeological site. Local government approved the project, but when the public received the news, protests ensued. After weeks of public outcry, which included the holding of six hostages, the investment project was abandoned. Though this is an extreme example, it serves as a reminder that problems can arise when a foreign investor does not take into account all of the shareholders. Investors should have researched the area beforehand and should have adhered to the cultural obligations that arose.

Both speakers equipped me, as a student in International Business, with information that will be highly useful in my future career. Understanding the roots of a country's corporate culture is extremely important to success in the business sector. I believe these talks aided in my understanding of Mexican history so that one day I might be able to start a business or establish prosperous partnership here.