I found this entertaining piece in my International Marketing textbook. This is a classic example of two distinct cultures colliding. Cultural awareness and sensitivity is something the text is trying to hammer into my head! The author is unkown.

An American tourist was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The tourist complimented the Mexican on the quality of the fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

    The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."
    The tourist then asked, "Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"
    The Mexican replied, "With this I have enough to support my family's needs."
    The tourist then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
    The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."
    The tourist replied, "I can help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You could leave this small village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City where you could run you ever-expanding enterprise."
    The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this take?"
    The tourist replied, "15 to 20 years."
    "But what then?" asked the Mexican.
    The tourist laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."
    "Millions?... Then what?"
    The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your grandkids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

Share or bookmark this page: