Business Communication in Haiti

Symbolism. Residents attach tremendous importance to the expulsion of the French in 1804, an event that made Haiti the first independently black-ruled nation in the world, and only the second country in the Western Hemisphere to achieve independence from imperial Europe. The most noted national symbols are the flag, Henri Christophe's citadel and the statue of the "unknown maroon" ( Maroon inconnu ), a bare-chested revolutionary

Researchers: Jo-Anne, Deanna & Ernie

The name Haiti, means mountainous country

Location and Geography•Part of North America’s continent

•Second largest island in the Caribbean

•Located on the west part of the island, known as the West Indies

•Capital City is Port-au-Prince

•10,714 square miles of land (approximately 27,750 square kilometres)

•Population was 9,801,664 in 2012

Geography Con’t...

• 80 percent

• Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico

• Three-quarters of the terrain is mountainous

• Mild climate

• Devastating earthquakes

• Caribbean hurricane belt

Haiti’s Official Language

•Kreyol

•French

•Kreyol was given official status as the primary official language

•French was relegated to the status of a secondary official language

•5–10% of the population speaks fluent French

Major Industries• Small gold and copper reserves

• Bauxite mine closed in 1983

• Offshore assembly industries mid-1980s, declined in the later 1980s and early 1990s as a result of political unrest

• There is one cement factory, most of the cement used in the country is imported

• There is also a single flour mill

TradeIn the 1800s, the country exported: • wood• sugarcane• cotton• coffee

Imports come predominantly fromthe United States and include:• used clothing• mattresses• automobiles • rice• flour• beans

Cement is imported from Cuba and South

America

Haiti has become a major trans-shipment point for illegal drug

trafficking

Haitian Currency:

• The Gourde (French), Gourd (Kreyol)

• 50 Centimes, 1 Gourde, and 5 Gourdes

• 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500 & 1000 Gourdes

Historical Haitian Currency

Haitian Coins – 1895

One gourde note with the face of Papa Doc (1986)

Historical Currency Con’t...

Current Haitian Bank Notes

Front Back

Message To The Audience...

THE NEXT SLIDE IS VERY GRAPHIC, SO IF YOU HAVE

A WEAK STOMACH... PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LOOK

AWAY!!!

Division of LabourThere is a large degree of informal specialization in both rural and urban

areas. At the highest level are craftsmen known as bosses. They include:• carpenters • masons• electricians• welders• mechanics• tree sawyers

Specialists make most craft items and there are others who castrateanimals and climb coconut trees. Within each trade there are

subdivisions of specialists.

History of Haiti

•Mountainous country

•Military generals, many of them former slaves, expelled the French and took possession of the colony then known as Saint Domingue

•95 percent of the population was of African descent and the remaining 5 percent mulatto and white

•Some wealthy citizens think of themselves as French, but most residents identify themselves as Haitian and there is a strong sense of nationalism

• First independently black-ruled nation in the world

• Second country in the Western Hemisphere to achieve independence

• Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and was the first island in the New World settled by the Spanish

• By 1550, the indigenous culture of the Taino Indians had vanished from the island

• Populated by fortune seekers, castaways, and wayward colonists

• The French used the buccaneers as mercenaries (freebooters) in an unofficial war against the Spanish

• “Jewel of the Antilles," the richest colony in the world

• Following independence, the peasantry developed distinct traditions in cuisine, music, dance, dress, ritual, and religion

• Haitian culture is distinct from African and other New World cultures

• The only ethnic subdivision is that of the Syrians

• Blan ("white")

• 500 000 slaves, 28 000 mulattoes and free blacks and 36 000 white planters, artisans, slave drivers, and small landholders

• 35 000 slaves

• 13 years of war and pestilence followed

• Grands Blancs, Petits Blancs, Mulatres and Noirs (free blacks) fought, plotted, and intrigued

• Political and economic objectives

• From the mayhem emerged some of the greatest black military men in history, including Toussaint Louverture

• European troops were soundly defeated and driven from the island

• Rebel generals declared independence, inaugurating Haiti as the first sovereign "black" country in the modern world

• Fleeting moments of glory

• Western businessmen repeatedly sacked Port-au-Prince

• Haiti was among the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere

Infrastructure• The infrastructure is in a very

poor condition

• United States supplies over ten percent of the country's needs

Gender RolesMen are known to work as:

• Jewellers• Construction workers• General labourers• Mechanics• Chauffeurs• Doctors• Spiritual healers • Herbal practitioners• Teachers• Politicians • Pastors

Women are known to work in:

• Nursing • Teaching• Marketing• Entrepreneurs

Education• Rapidly increasing number of educated citizens have come

from relatively humble rural origins

• These people attend medical and engineering schools and may study at overseas universities

• There is a private university and a small state university in Port-au-Prince, including a medical school

Etiquette• Men usually greet each other with a handshake

• If you are a women and children are expected to greet others with a kiss on the check

• The woman is expected to greet everyone in the group with a kiss on the cheek

• Usually, a girl must kiss the cheek of someone she knows. If the person is male who is around her age, she must greet him with a handshake. A kiss would be considered inappropriate

Business Language

French tends to be the official business language in Haiti as it is typically used by those who reside in higher social classes. However, English is also used.

Business Attire

Business clothing is more formal than in other areas of North America. Shorts are not

generally acceptable work wear but women still usually wear skirts.

Gift Giving• Gift giving is a common way in business to thank people for their assistance and to

demonstrate appreciation for the relationship

• It is nice to bring a small gift from abroad if you are revisiting a business acquaintance

• In case a man is giving a gift to a woman in a business setting, it is necessary to present it as a gift to her from his wife or sister

• Holiday cards are very appropriate

• Gifts are not expected if you are invited to a dinner or social event

• The best present in this case is chocolate or a dessert pastry

• As flowers are really abundant in Haiti, it is better to avoid them as a gift

Business Ethics• Haiti was reduced to a mountain of rubble by an earthquake, hundreds of

thousands have died, families have been separated, almost anything resembling a building had collapsed

• Scam artists decided to set up phony online charities to swindle away relief donations from well-intended, unsuspecting donors

• The media, obsessed with scandal, had convinced the public that it’s too risky to donate to Haitian relief efforts because the money will just end up in the wrong hands

• The amount of criminals stealing children for indentured servitude or worse is so great that the Haitian government had felt compelled to suspend international adoption

• Due to the earthquake it is very difficult to locate information on business ethics still in place