Memorandum

To: Jose Gomez From: Giselle Aguilera Date: 12/3/2013 Re: Cultural Business Communication Practices of Jamaica

History The island of Jamaica was discovered in 1494 by Christopher Columbus. The Spanish settled on the island early in the 16th century but were later replaced in 1665 by African slaves when England seized the island. The English established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. In 1834, the abolition of slavery freed 250,000 slaves and eventually claimed independence from Britain. Jamaica gained full independence in 1962 when they withdrew from the Federation but in 1970 they hit an economic downfall due to rival gangs being involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Today, the island still struggles with violent crime, drug trafficking and poverty; however, many areas still attract tourists which allows their economy to continue being successful. Communications Greetings start with a handshake, direct eye contact and a warm smile. Once friendship has been established, women hug and kiss on each cheek. While conversing, men often pat each others arm or shoulder. Jamaica does not agree with uncertainty because their emotions are hidden and it takes a while for them to get comfortable and open up to someone. Although they keep their emotions hidden, Jamaicans are not afraid to say what they think and expect others to do the same. Jamaica is particular; status is respected and very important in Jamaica. They like to follow a hierarchy and it is therefore very important to show respect to those in positions of authority or in a higher class than you. If you are doing business with Jamaicans you should know that they are monochronic. They are very clock-oriented, time is precious to them, so if you are going to take up their time with a presentation, you better hope they like it and agree with what you are talking about. They take appointments very seriously and will assume that you will call them by telephone a few days in advance to confirm the

CONFIDENTIAL

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meeting because they expect punctuality as well. Bargaining is customary and expected but do not put all your cards on the table at once because a great deal of time spent reviewing details before any contract is drawn up. Jamaica is individualistic because they are argumentative and persuasive; they will not waste your time, they will get their point across as quickly as possible. Jamaica is high context because although they are explicit, they are ineffective and ambiguous. Their information is sometimes interpreted the wrong way due to some of the words that are spelled the same or sound the same in English but have a completely different meaning in Jamaica. Communication through Writing Although Jamaica claims that their main language is English, their language is classified as bad English or slang by many people. In general, everyone that lives in Jamaica can understand and read English and if ever necessary, can speak it pretty well. Only wealthy people who have access to better and higher education can somewhat write in English. The rest of the people write in a unique Jamaican language with their own meanings. As I mentioned above, some words in their writings are spelled the same way as English words, but have a completely different meaning. Jamaica is writer responsible because they like to get straight to the point. They take their business very seriously and do not like to go off topic. When writing to a Jamaican, you should know that they are impatient and do not like to wait; they expect to know what the whole point of your message is within the first sentence. Facts and Statistics Jamaica is located in the Caribbean, south of Cuba. The capital of Jamaica is Kingston. Its population is about 2.712 million people as of 2012. 61.3 percent of the population is Protestant; religion is fundamental to Jamaican life, which can be seen in the references to Biblical events in everyday speech. English is the official language of Jamaica but Creole, a combination of English and some African languages, is spoken in rural areas and is used increasingly in urban areas. The ethnic make-up of Jamaica is as follows: black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, and other 0.1%. Why Jamaica? I chose Jamaica because one of my favorite artists of all time, Bob Marley, was born there. His songs have the power to instantly make me happy after having a bad day or to calm me down after hearing bad news. One of the things that inspires me the most about Bob Marley is that despite the fact that he became very famous around the world, he never forgot his origin, he knew where he was from and he was proud of it. Bob Marley never stopped caring for his fans; he continued to perform his music live until he no longer could due to the severe brain tumor that soon after it

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was diagnosed, ended his life. He was an inspirational musician who touched the hearts of many people. He may be gone, but his music will go on forever.