Guide for the professor for the case analysis: Sarah James in Mexico by William A. Andrews, from the Richard Ivey School of Business, from the University of Western Ontario.

1. L . C . B R A V O
U L A C I T
S A N J O S E , C O S T A R I C A 2 0 1 3
E M A I L : L B R A V O @ B R A V O . C R
L I N K E D I N :
C R . L I N K E D I N . C O M / I N / L C B R A V O /

2. WHAT IS THE CASE ABOUT?

3. HOEFSTEDE SCORES FOR MEXICO AND USA
• POWER DISTANCE (Mexico 81 – USA 40)
• INDIVIDUALISM (Mexico 30 – USA 91)
• MASCULINITY (Mexico 69 – USA 62)
• UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE (Mexico 82 –
USA 46)

4. SHOULD SARAH HAVE MODERATED HER DIET
TO ACCOMODATE HER HOST FAMILY?
- What are your non-negotiables?

5. HOW WOULD YOU ADVISE SARAH IF YOU WERE
DEBRIEFING HER REGARDING HER HOST
FAMILIY ISSUES:
- The vegetarian problem?
- The transportation problem?
- The extra money problem?

6. WHAT SHOULD PROFESSOR MCGILL DO?
- What should he communicate to
Jimenez at INI?
- What should he say to Sarah?

7. WAS THIS A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE FOR
SARAH? EXPLAIN
- What should he communicate to
Jimenez at INI?
- What should he say to Sarah?

8. EPILOGUE
- Sarah graduated from PLU and settled into a job in
Tampa, Florida, with virtually no international exposure.
- PLU decided to adapt its application to help students
identify areas where they might face cross-cultural
challenges.
- PLU included a 6 hour pre-departure training.
- MCGill sent a glowing letter to Jimenez.
- The host family never corresponded about the events
and McGill never had the opporunity to debrief with
Sarah, as she graduates shortly after returning.

9. LESSONS LEARNED
1. Illustrate what cross-cultural adaptation entails.
2. Illustrate how particular features of Mexican culture
contributed to Sara´s failure to adapt to her living
situation.
3. Allow students to identify their personal “non-
negotiables” that might inhibit their own cross-cultural
adjustment.
4. Give students exposure to making organizational
decisions to resolve cultural misunderstandings.