Guatemala: Analysis and Recommendations for International Business Integration

MG

29 January 2016

Guatemala: Analysis and Recommendations for International Business Integration

Morgan Goetz

Professor Fox

BSNS 3120

29 January 2016

Executive Summary

Through extensive research through the mediums of written works and personal experience, I have come to the conclusion that our business would be well-suited to an expansion into the country of Guatemala. The attitude of the people is in favor of American companies and political situation is better than it has been in years and still improving. While there are some problems to be addressed, especially concerning education, the workforce is in need of the jobs we can supply. It is my opinion that it would be remiss of this organization to ignore the opportunities that can be found in abundance in Guatemala, and I have compiled a short report of the findings that lead me to this viewpoint.

The People of Guatemala

The culture of Guatemala has two distinct major influences: the influence of the indigenous people of the area, Indígena, and that of Europeans who settled the area both originally and later on in history. Twenty two native languages have been identified in Guatemala with varying popularity as well as the official national language which is Spanish. Ki'che', Kaqchikel, Kekchi, and Mam are the most widely spoken of the native languages and there has been some talk of making the use of these languages available in certain legal/official proceedings. While both English and Spanish are prevalently used in business settings, there are citizens of the country who speak neither, which is something to be aware of when considering our industry’s target market and ways to reach them (González).

While gathering information within the country, I noticed that many signs had English words. Street vendors typically knew enough English to get by in a conversation and many people spoke English fluently in the city of Antigua. As we travelled further from big cities into the smaller towns surrounding Lake Atitlán, there was more often a need for a translator and we encountered some people who spoke native languages. One of these individuals was a local shaman or medicine woman. From her I learned that many in Guatemala still believe in and trust the traditions and superstitions of the old Maya culture. The people will decide to come to the shaman for healing when modern medicine has failed them. We also witnessed gift offerings being brought to the crypt of the cathedral in Antigua as caves both man-made and natural are very