Steve Janowski
JAMAICA
Capital and Flag
• The Capital of Jamaica is Kingston
Language and Religion
• The official language of Jamaica is English.
• The National Language is Jamaican Patois. Which is an English based
language infused with Jamaican and Creole slang.
• The main religion of Jamaica is Christianity.
• There are also other smaller religions Like
Pentecostal and Church of god
Chukka Caribbean Adventure's 4X4 Off-Road
Adventure
• The locals take you around in a 4x4 off road truck and take you on a
safai/tour.
• The 4x4 truck can take you to places that no other vehicle can and you will
see beautiful sites and animals.
• Finish with a beautiful walk through of Tropical foliage and all the hidden
surprises mother nature has to hide
• Lasts 4 hours long!
Dolphin Cove
• Dolphin Cove is a giant marine park.
• It allows the tourist to swim with the dolphins and other marine life in their
natural environment.
• Included are mini-boat rides, glass-bottom kayaking, snorkeling with
stingrays, watching Shark Shows and access to the beach.
National Cuisine
• Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, flavors, spices
and influences from the indigenous people on the island of Jamaica, and the
Spanish, British, Africans, Indian and Chinese who have inhabited the island.
• Popular Jamaican dishes include curry goat, fried dumplings, ackee and salt
fish (cod) – the national dish of Jamaica – fried plantain
Stereotypes
• First major stereotype is that all Jamaicans practice voodoo. Jamaicans
understand what comes around goes around but voodoo is not a legitimate
part of there culture.
• The second major stereotype is that all Jamaicans smoke weed. Actually a
small percentage smokes weed in Jamaica and it is in fact very illegal to
smoke weed in Jamaica.
Superstitions
• Black Moth- If a black moth is lingering around an individual then it is
believed that someone in there family has died and then come back as the
black moth to notify them
• Saying goodbye to the dead- In order for the dead to Stay in eternal slumber
and not haunt you everyone inthe family must say goodbye. Children must be
passed Over without dropping any tears on the coffin otherwise they will be
haunted
Gestures
• The most common greeting is the handshake with direct eye contact, and a
warm smile.
• Once a friendship has been established, women may hug and kiss on each
cheek, starting with the right.
• Men often pat each other's shoulder or arm during the greeting process or
while conversing.
Business Culture - etiquette and body language
• A man may touch the arm or shoulder of another man, or even finger his
lapel while speaking.
• They will politely tell you what they think, even if they disagree with what
you have said.
• Jamaicans stand very close when conversing.
Business Culture-Relationship Building
• Do not appear overly familiar at the initial greeting.
• Although it is not imperative that you be introduced by a third-party, such
introductions can speed up the time it takes to develop the personal
relationship so necessary to conducting business successfully.
• Status is respected in Jamaica. It is quite common to hear someone referred
to as "bossman" or "bosswoman" when the person addressing them is not an
employee
Business Culture - communication styles in
decision making
• Bargaining is customary and expected. Do not give your best offer at the
beginning of negotiations.
• Meetings will have a friendly tone even though they can be somewhat formal.
• Expect some small talk before business is discussed. Let your Jamaican
colleagues decide when it is time to speak about business.
Business Culture - power structures in decision
making
• Relationships are viewed as more important than rules.
• Business is hierarchical. The person with the most authority makes decisions.
• Hierarchy is important, although not always apparent. Defer to the person
with the most authority, as they are most likely the decision maker.
• Jamaicans are direct and say what they mean. They appreciate brevity and are
not impressed by too much detail.
Body Language similarities
• The main thing that sticks out to me with this is that the Jamaican people will
be touching your arm or shoulder and finger his lapel.
• American people would be distraught if someone did that to them hear.
They would say get off and most likely make a remark about being gay.
• Also standing very close, American people would most likely do that.
Americans like to keep a goo distance between them.
Communication Skills Similarities
• Everything that I listed for their business communication skills seemed like it
was very similar to our communication skills
• One thing that I did notice is that they will have more of a friendly tone
rather than a formal business tone. I have never been to an interview,
meeting, or review where it was friendly. For me it was all business so they
may differ in that sense.
Power Structures Similarities
• Business to them is a Hierarchy which in the USA is exactly the same.
Everyone has a boss and it’s a natural Hierarchy.
• With the Jamaicans though. If you don’t already know who the boss is you
probably not be able to figure it out because they are very apparent unlike
Americans.
• Jamaicans seem to be more on the friendly side when it comes to business.
They hold friendship above rules which Americans would have none of that.
Internet Penetration
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2,930,050 population (2014) - Area: 10,991 sq km
1,581,100 Internet users on June 30, 2010, 54.7%
5.42 Mbps Broadband download speed on March, 2014
So as you can see the internet penetration for Jamaica is not bad at all. More
than half the population has internet and they have pretty good speeds. I
only get 3mbps download/upload speed at home they have 5.5 mbps
Masculinity Vs. Femininity
• Jamaica is actually a masculine country, they score a 68 on a scale out of 100. Over 50 being
masculine and 50 and under being feminine.
• In Jamaica they feel that Men must avoid doing anything that appears feminine in all areas of
their lives, including career, interests, emotional vulnerability, and sexuality.
• However, in the 1970s, Jamaica experienced severe economic decline, reducing men's ability to
demonstrate their masculinity through legally attained financial success and achievement.
• Many young Jamaican men resorted to defining their masculinity primarily through
dangerousness and anti-femininity, particularly in the area of sexuality.
• The murder rate in Jamaica is 49 for every 100,000. This discourages country growth and helps its
stay a mainly masculine country
Individualism vs. Collectivism
• In individualist cultures, the independence of the individual takes precedence over the needs of the
group and society as a whole. Individual achievement, personal satisfaction and self-fulfillment are
more highly valued. Conversely, in collectivist cultures, group harmony takes precedence over the
wishes of the individual. Security, duty, obligation and harmony are more important values.
• Whereas many world cultures tend to be predominantly either individualist (e.g. United States) or
collectivist (e.g. Japan) in their value orientations, in Jamaica both appear to be high and about equal in
strength.
• Neither clearly predominates. The highest-ranking values in Jamaica include a mixture of core
'collectivist' values - honoring parents and elders, family security, equality, loyalty, friendship,
responsibility and individualist values - independence, success, ambition, freedom, choosing one's own
goals, etc.
Power Distance Index
• In Geert Hofstede’s report on fifty nations across four cultural dimensions, he found that
Jamaica is an open nation that shares some conventions of Eastern and Western cultures.
For instance, their power distance index was 45 (overall rank of 17).
• Consequently, this meant that “power is decentralized and managers count on the
experience of their team members… Control is disliked and attitude towards managers are
informal and on first name basis” (Hofstede, 2012).
• This behavior also translates into personal interaction among people. Meaning pretty much
that power is important to Jamaican but not as much as friendship. The power is
decentralized so this allows individuals to make an informed, Un-coerced decision
Uncertainty Avoidance Index
• Jamaica also ranked low in the Uncertainty Avoidance Index with a score of 13 and
overall rank of 2 (Hofstede, 1983).
• As reported by Hofstede (2012), this means that “low UAI societies maintain a
more relaxed attitude in which practice counts more than principles and deviance
from the norm is more easily tolerated.” Surely, people communicate in a very
informal fashion where there is little hostility and aggression in terms of following
convention.
• Whereas in the United States touching is usually initiated by more powerful people,
this is not the case in Jamaica.
Masculine vs Feminine Comparison
• In Jamaica they scored a 68 on the Geert scale, In the United States we scores a 62.
So based on this alone the country is very similar
• The Difference here is our views. Jamaica sees it as being bad for them to be seen
doing anything feminine. In America we have the same beleif
• But in this category we are more concerned with competition and who will be
number 1. Who makes more, who does the better job, who the winner is and this is
basically instilled from childhood.
• So while we have a very similar score we have very different beleifs in this category.
Individualism vs Collectivism Comparison
• Jamaica basically sits 50/50 on this one they are pretty much equal
• Where as America sits as a very much individual country
• Everything in Jamaica is done pretty much on a friendly level together. They also
have individualism but they balance each other out and they have a nice
cohesiveness
• In America everyone is for themselves from everyday people to most of the
politicians. If its not goo for you it not good for anyone. So I think Jamaica has the
upper hand here America needs to become more of a 50/50 country for this
category
Power Distance Index Comparison
• Power is important in Jamaica but they rely heavily on open mindedness and
friendship. They make decisions together and not all the time but as a country as a
whole.
• Based on the description they kind of remind me of a hind mind in a way they all
make decisions together.
• America is a very power hungry entity this dimension deals with the fact that all
individuals in societies are not equal, and it expresses the attitude of the culture
toward these power inequalities amongst us. That is the exact definition of America.
• We are the biggest power of the world and i think that gives us a upper hand over
every other country
Uncertainty Avoidance Index Comparison
• In Jamaica they scored very low on this, so to them the practice counts more than there
principles and deviance from the norm is more easily tolerated
• America is the total opposite There is a fair degree of acceptance for new ideas, innovative
products and a willingness to try something new or different, whether it pertains to
technology, business practices or food. Americans tend to be more tolerant of ideas or
opinions from anyone and allow the freedom of expression. At the same time, Americans
do not require a lot of rules and are less emotionally expressive than higher-scoring cultures.
• At the same time, 9/11 has created a lot of fear in the American society culminating in the
efforts of government to monitor everybody through the NSA and other security
organizations
• So I would say that the two countries are opposite and nearly the same in certain aspects
Current Event
• When it comes to gay rights, Jamaicans are not as open minded as it would seem
• in Jamaica vigilantes harass gay people as police look the other way.
• The prime minister, Portia Simpson-Miller, has defended gay people and pledged a parliamentary vote
of conscience on the country’s 19th-century “buggery law”, although this has not taken place.
• Jamaicans has been holding a riot to some degree in the streets protesting gays and gay marriage.
• The president held a speech and said “LGBT can only stand for leprosy, gonorrhea, bacteria and
tuberculosis.” He compared gay people to vermin, and said his government would fight them as it does
malaria-bearing mosquitoes, “if not more aggressively”.
• So this is a big current event in Jamaica and I fear that this debate will live on for a very long time.
APA CITATION
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