GUATEMALAJOSSELINE GUTIERREZ

GUATEMALA’S CAPITAL CITY

Guatemala’s capital city is Guatemala City. Guatemala has a population of 10 million people. It is considered to be the most populous country in Central America!

LANGUAGE AND RELIGION

The Primary Language in Guatemala is Spanish with the main religion being Roman Catholicism.

Life expectancy for men is 65 for women 72

NUMERO UNO TOURIST ATTRACTION

•TIKAL

NUMERO DOS TOURIST ATTRACTION

LAGO DE ATITLAN Famous for its natural beauty and colorful Mayan villages

NATIONAL CUISINE

PEPIAN is Guatemala’s national cuisine it is a thick meat and vegetable stew prepared in the

highland town of Antigua.

STEREOTYPES BY AMERICANS OF GUATEMALAN CULTURE

One of the stereotypes are that Guatemalans are shorter than Mexican people or that they are Mexicans.

That all Guatemalans are Mayan

SUPERSTITIONS

One of Guatemala's superstitions are “the evil eye” this superstition means that looking at a child with hate or evilness produces bad luck on the child.

Walking under a ladder is another big superstition. It is considered to be bad luck.

Being a Guatemala myself the people I’ve seen who mostly believe in these superstitions are grandparents/ elders

HAND GESTURES

Greeting female friends with a kiss on the cheek is very common in Guatemala.

Man hugs are common in Guatemala too. Firm handshakes are also common, and eye contact.Raising the voice is considered to be rude or

aggressive and should be avoided.

BUSINESS CULTURE- ETIQUETTE AND BODY LANGUAGE

Social conversations in Guatemala before business is a custom.

Business people in Guatemala are usually punctual.

Shaking hands and saying “mucho gusto” is a very well educated thing to do.

There are gifts usually given in businesses.

A lightweight suit is best for men, for woman it is best to wear a dress, or a skirt and blouse.

BUSINESS CULTURE- RELATIONSHIP BUILDING Speaking softly is a very polite thing to do. It could be considered as a good impression.

Good conversation topics are Guatemalan geography, history, culture.

One of the best things to do is if you want to bring your boss some flowers it is suggested not to bring white flowers, they are reserved for funerals.

In greeting with a handshake it is best to avoid “la mano caliente” (the hot hand) also know as the fig hand gesture. It is considered highly offensive and if it is done to an officer it could take you to jail.

BUSINESS CULTURE- COMMUNICATION STYLES IN DECISION MAKING

Eye contact and a low voice is seen very respectful in making an decision it is shown to have good manners and to be a good listener.

In Guatemala, people usually count on there leaders and managers to make most of the decision making. They believe they have been given the high archery job to show that they have the capacity to make a decision or handle a situation.

Developing relationship with your business team is very important. “Relationships in Guatemala are more important then business documents” (kwitnesssential.co.uk) there is a demonstration of respect towards leaders.

BUSINESS CULTURE- POWER STRUCTURES IN DECISION MAKING

Hierarchy plays a big role if your working in Guatemala.

“It is important to qualify ideas that are raised in a gentle manner, protecting the reputation of those bringing up ideas, so no one is shamed.” (kwitnesssential.co.uk)

SIMILARITIES/DIFFERENCES BETWEEN USA AND GUATEMALA ON BODY LANGUAGE

Ladinos Guatemalans use less personal space and more touching than Americans

Greetings can be more touchy as ladinos female friends greet with a kiss on the cheek while Mayan Guatemalans do not.

In the U.S body language that is very important would be when standing to keep your back straight, shoulders back and head up. Also when sitting down it is good to show a “high-power” pose which is confident sitting, your back should be straight and no knee shaking.

In the U.S keeping your voice down could should some type of authority which this is viewed as respect in Guatemala.

SIMILARITIES/DIFFERENCES BETWEEN USA AND GUATEMALA ON COMMUNICATION STYLES

Facial expression is very important in the business world in America to show that you are listening and paying attention. It is also viewed importantly in Guatemala for example direct eye contact and showing emotions on your face.

Firm hand shakes are impressive in American and for Ladinos Guatemalans but for Mayan Guatemalans it is not. They prefer a limb more light touch handshake. Firm handshakes are avoided.

Mayan Guatemalans do not use direct eye contact all the time and avoid touching, as for Americans eye contact is a sign of respect towards the speaker.

SIMILARITIES/DIFFERENCES BETWEEN USA AND GUATEMALA ON POWER STRUCTURES

95% of Guatemala believes that inequalities amongst people are a fact of life.

Leaders in Guatemala hold a concentrated amount of power.

America is a country that believes in equality

INTERNET IN GUATEMALA

Internet penetration: According to a Dattabrands study published in June 2012, Internet penetration in Guatemala is at 25.9%.

There is an estimate of 2.2 million users of the internet It has become more common to have access to the

internet. Before it was seen as something “high class”Popular social media in Guatemala would be Facebook

with an estimate of 1.7 million users.

INDIVIDUALISM VERSUS COLLECTIVISM

Individualism means to be independent. Its people who look after themselves and there own family’s.

Collectivism are people who belong in groups to take care of them.

Guatemala has the most collectivism in the world with only a 6 in individualism.

Being apart of a group and gaining each others trust is very important in this country.

LARGE OR SMALL POWER DISTANCE

The power distance in Guatemala is reflected by the fact that not all individuals are treated equally

High level of inequality of wealth

STRONG OR WEAK UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE

Guatemala has a 99% score of uncertainty avoidance.People do a lot of rituals or practice there religion to

try to minimize anxiety.Those who have the power to change things (decision

holders) make their own rules conforming to how emotions are openly expressed during the time of anxiety.

MASCULINITY VERSUS FEMININITY

Although Guatemala is generally a Femininity country meaning there is less competition among men and being in groups to become successful is more looked at then standing outside of a crowd…

Guatemala also has a level of Masculinity. Where competition is involved for achievement and success.

INDIVIDUALISM VERSUS COLLECTIVISM

Guatemala has really low individualism while America has a high percent in individualism. Guatemala belongs more in groups while America is very independent.

America is self-reliant and they take care of themselves.

Guatemala tends to belong in groups and to earn trust from each other is very important.

LARGE OR SMALL POWER DISTANCE

Guatemala’s power distance is filled with a high level of inequality

America’s power distance is filled with a high level equality

Guatemala has a high level of inequality of wealth while the America is very cooperate in interacting across power levels.

STRONG OR WEAK UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCEGuatemala has a strong (high) uncertainty avoidance. They like to have a control over things with a lot of rules.

America has a weak (low) uncertainty avoidance. There is a fair degree to accepting new ideas and have a higher tolerance.

Although what happened in 9/11 in America did create a lot of fear in the future, the government has done efforts to monitor everybody through NSA and more security organizations.

MASCULINITY VERSUS FEMININITY

Guatemala is generally a Femininity country. Leisure time is important for Guatemalans, more important then money and sympathy is valued and encouraged.

America has a higher rank of Masculinity where competition is more encouraged then in Guatemala and money is more important than leisure time.

GUATEMALA CURRENT EVENTS 2015

Thursday 12 March 2015 TWO GUATEMALAN JOURNALISTS SHOT DEAD AND THRID REPORTER IS WOUNDED.

8 February 2015 GUATEMALAN VOLCANO: FUEGO ERUPTION SHOWERS TOWNS IN ASH.

WORKS CITED

Bibliography10 Top Tourist Attractions in Guatemala. (2015, March 15). Retrieved from touropia.com: http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-guatemala/Guillioli, L. (2012, august 6). The Internet’s Impact on Central America and the Caribbean. Retrieved from latinlink.usmediaconsulting.com.kwitnesssential. (2014). Retrieved from kwitnesssential.co.uk.Noll, D. (2014, april 2). Guatemalan Pepian: Please Try This at Home. Retrieved from uncorneredmarket.com.

WORKS CITED

Goman, C. K. (2014, September 18). 10 powerful body language tips. Retrieved from www.amanet.org: http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/10-Powerful-Body-Language-Tips.aspx

Greenslade, R. (2015, March 12). Retrieved from theguardian.com: http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2015/mar/12/two-guatemalan-journalists-shot-dead-and-third-reporter-is-wounded

Guatemala volcano: Fuego eruption showers towns in ash. (2015, February 8). Retrieved from www.bbc.com: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31231744

the hostede centre. (n.d.). Retrieved from geert-hofstede.com: http://geert-hofstede.com/guatemala.html