On August 2, 2012, it was El dia de la Virgin or in English “Virgin of the Angels”, a national holiday in Costa Rica. During the first half of the day, we met in the conference room of the hotel and Professor Fernandez lectured to the group about Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions. According to Hofstede, there are Five Dimensions of Culture:  Power Distance (PD), Individualism (IND), Masculinity (MAS), Uncertain Avoidance (UAI), and Long Term Orientation (LTO).

During the afternoon, the class had returned back to the conference room and Professor Fernandez showed videos regarding several types of international lessons and multicultural key points.  After each video, we had discussions relating to the difference between the various international cultures.

At the end of the lectures, the class and the Professor walked to a nearby restaurant and ate dinner. After dinner we all returned to hotel and ended the day.  We all had a better understanding of how to plan, run, and conduct business in a foreign country without offending the consumer, both countries, or ourselves.