February 2005 Feburary 1, 2005 Mexicans invest in U.S.; business cultural differences; racial identification; promoting health care News Between $6.6 and $7.6 billion from Mexico to the U.S.?  That’s the estimated amount that Mexicans have invested in the U.S. each year between 2000 and 2003.  The majority of people in Mexico live in poverty, which means that there is not much growth and opportunity to grow wealth.  Mexicans with money to invest find both growth and opportunity in the U.S. Tips If you have ever traveled for any time to a foreign country, you’ve probably noticed that the way “things” were run was different and maybe even hard to comprehend. That’s cultural difference. Procedures and ways of doing business that are second nature to us in the U.S. may be totally opposite of what the immigrant experienced in their home country. Being aware of the difference can help the manager of Latinos or Latino accounts avoid mistakes. Notes Affluent and well-educated Latinos identify themselves as ‘white’ while those who are younger, poorer and non-English-speaking choose ‘some other race’ when asked to categorize themselves.   Racial identification is somewhat difficult for Latinos who most often identify themselves by nationality. Help Promoting health among Latinos should be a goal of companies employing them.  The Georgia non-profit organization, “Día de la Mujer Latina”, sponsors health “fiestas” in the Metro-Atlanta Area, targeting women who are Spanish-speaking and poor - who face culture and language barriers in healthcare.  They are not likely to be informed about health problems such as breast cancer or know how to access health care.  Check out www.diadelamujerlatina.org and create a “fiesta” in your area.

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