Product Description

From the workplace to the Mall, Americans and Mexicans come together as co-workers, students, friends, and neighbors. For any American who encounters some of the millions of Mexicans residing in the U.S—as well as travelers to Mexico, retirees contemplating a move, businesspeople looking to build U.S.-Mexico collaboratives—MEXICANS & AMERICANS: Cracking the Cultural Code gets to the very heart of our cultural differences and demonstrates what it takes to build a cultural fluency essential to success, on both sides of the border.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #347526 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
"I wish I had known all this stuff when I was working in Mexico." -- Gary Simon, President of Sigma Group and Former Executive with El Paso Energy

"This should be a textbook worth credit hours...it reads like an adventure novel." -- Peter D. Olsen, Ford Motor Company

"Very well written, both as prose and from the ripening of long experience." -- Doug Stuart, Ph.D.,Training Manager USA, IOR Global Services

"You’ve got a hit on your hands. It should be required reading for all MBAs at Harvard Business School." -- I.C. Bupp, Ph.D., former professor, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and author of Energy Future and Light Water

With U.S. and Mexico business leaders interacting more, both need to better understand subtle and not-so-subtle cultural differences. -- Grand Rapids Press, September 15, 2004

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