Pre-Departure Impressions

Costa Rica is a country with a rich culture and known for its eco-friendly tourism and business practices. I'm really interested in seeing how American companies like HP adapt their business practices to fit into the Costa Rican culture. I look forward to experiencing their rainforest with such a variety of wildlife as well as the volcano and beach. Not many countries offer such diverse climates, scenery, and terrain. I expect it to be very hot and humid and to use a LOT of bug spray. I am especially interested in learning about their culture, known for its laid back, "pura vida" attitude which differs greatly from the American corporate culture.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Preserving Cajun Culture

Today, we met two groups trying to preserve traditional Costa Rican culture. One of these groups are the Maleku people, an indigenous tribe made up of 650 people that live north of La Fortuna. They make their living by creating artwork made out of plants and trees. They believe that there is an animal spirit inside of every one. They create masks that represent people's animal spirits such as the jaguar or the butterfly. The second group attempting to preserve Costa Rican culture is those working at The Learning Farm. They grow plants native to the area, both for food and medicinal purposes. Some of these plants include citronella, lemongrass, coffee, sour cucumber, sugarcane and cocoa. They also have free range chickens and geese, pigs, and goats. They harvest some eggs from the chickens to use in the kitchen, but leave the remaining eggs to hatch. In addition, they milk their cows and goats every morning. Groups go to The Learning Farm and guides educate their guests about plants...
Read more

Costa Rican Free Zone

The free zone in Costa Rica is a set of tax incentives to attract companies to do business in the country. It creates a mutually beneficial relationship. Corporations invest in the country, provide employment to its citizens, and urbanize the area by creating roadways to businesses and much more. In return, companies are not required to pay any taxes to the Costa Rican government. The companies do not pay taxes on exports or yearly revenues. However, there are requirements and obligations that businesses and corporations must meet that aligns with the country's sustainability goals. Costa Rica has a goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2021. This means they want to have a zero carbon footprint which requires decreasing the country's carbon emissions and using sustainable businesses practices including energy efficient technology and recycling processes. Therefore, many foreign corporations, especially those from the United States, must alter their corporate culture to align wit...
Read more