As many of you know, there are a number of ways to approach risk analysis, but the dominant model in most MBA programs falls under the category of “rational” models. In these models, risk analysis ... read more

I recently spent ten days in California working with one of my clients to develop marketing strategies that would reach the increasingly important Mexican (and overall Hispanic) market of this importan... read more

Globalization and geography have made Mexico the darling of the international business community. Companies themselves, however, keep on coming to Mexico, because the mention of the country means business and opportunities. It’s also a synonym for success in the global economy. read more

I have argued before that discrimination in the workplace is not only ethically wrong, but inefficient for the organization, since great candidates are often not considered for hiring. More specificall... read more

Back Issues: 1999 - January 1998 - January - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - ... read more

CONTENTS: SEVERE FLOODS ALONG GULF COAST COFFEE HARVEST LOWER TRADE DEFICIT BILLION-DOLLAR COPPER DEAL? INFLATION CONTINUES DOWNWARD BASF CONTINUES TO EXPAND MAKE-O... read more

It is surprising how different norms on the proper greeting method in the business world affect people so strongly. This is especially true when we contrast U.S. and Mexican preferences. Some people wi... read more

Brazil's forced devaluation of the real in January, sent the peso plummeting from 9.87 pesos per US$1 to 10.25 pesos in just one week. In previous attacks on the currency in some emerging market countr... read more

Discrimination is an important moral concern for all of us. In the business world, the issue of discrimination goes beyond moral grounds. Although businesses’ main concern is profits, discrimination... read more

These days it seems every company is adopting a team approach to doing business. While the concept is relatively new in the Western world, it is an old practice in Japan. But team-building, which requi... read more

A reality of any manager's life is attending and calling staff meetings. Another reality is that most managers complain staff meetings are a "waste of time." When meetings involve Mexican and Anglo-Am... read more

Anyone who has ever worked in Mexico realizes that one of the biggest differences between doing business in this country and its two Nafta partners concerns information. Whereas in the U.S. and Canada ... read more

I received various emails on my recent column dealing with management standardization. Many people were concerned that my column suggested that standard procedures are not necessarily the best way to m... read more

More often than not, when foreigners simply refuse to engage in the human aspects of the working world, they tend to see the more negative aspect of the Mexican experience. When I talk with non-Mexica... read more

Both friends and enemies of Nafta predicted the treaty would bring increased investment crossing national borders, and in the case of Mexico, a significant new presence of U.S and Canadian firms. This ... read more

"The problem in Mexico is that workers, and generally speaking all people, resist change." This was the opinion expressed to me recently by a successful (at least, rich) entrepreneur in Mexico City. Be... read more

I've discussed cultural differences and clarity in Mexico's business world. But dealing with Mexican realities is not the only challenge faced by U.S. executives on Mexican assignments. Inevitably, as ... read more

Four years ago, if you had asked people in the transportation industry about their logistics, you would have been greeted with blank stares. Times are changing, though, and now even the word "logistics... read more

It has been several years since I last wrote about the business climate in the Yucatan. Many changes have taken place in Mexico and the Yucatan since then. First, there was the historic election i... read more

Over the Columbus Day weekend, I was in Mexico City, attending and speaking at a conference marking the founding of the Mexican chapter of the Internet Society. That was a potentially historic event i... read more

In recent time, we have all been inundated with news about the financial crisis. I don't know anyone who has not been affected by the devaluation, the increase in interest rates, and the uncertaint... read more

IntroductionMexico is Canada's most important trading partner in Latin America. Trade between the two countries was worth more than CDN $5 billion in 1994 and has grown significantly since the mid 1980... read more

Critics said it would never work. Supporters augured prosperity for all. Today, five years after the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect, perhaps neither forecast was entirely on the mark, ... read more