Designing Written Business Communication Along the Shifting Cultural Continuum: The New Face of Mexico
http://jbt.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/13/1/49
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  peer-reviewed

Tebeaux, Elizabeth
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
1999

Abstract:

The increasing significance of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) to the economy of the United States makes understanding Mexico important. Because the histories and cultures of the US and Mexico differ significantly, the written communication of each country also differs. Rhetorical strategies for written business communication in Mexico reflect the country's bloody, cyclical history and its resulting culture characterized by collectivism, high power distances, fatalism, and emphasis on building trust and relationships. Despite Mexico's economic problems, it is a country in transition. Because of the increasing presence of US business entities in Mexico, communication protocols are changing, as US technology and ways of doing business infuse the traditional Mexican culture. Understanding how to communicate effectively in Mexico requires an understanding of the country's history and culture as well as the changes occurring there. In addition to having a basic grasp of Mexico's history and culture, both old and new, US writers must know where any Mexican company is situated along this changing cultural continuum and how the continuum shapes the design of written business communication.