Cross-Cultural

Communication
TEXAS (USA)
CALIFORNIA (USA)
CANADA

TEXAS

FLAG

SEAL

TEXAS
2nd largest state in
the USA
Total Area:
268, 581 sq. miles
Capital:
Austin
Largest City:
Houston
Largest Metro:
Dallas
Population:
26, 059, 203 (2012)

TEXAS
As of 2010:
68.7 % speak English
(Texan)
27.0% speak Spanish
70.4% White American
11.8% African American
3.8% Asian
10.5% Other Races 70.4
percent
37.6 % of the population is
Hispanic or Latino

TEXAS
Concerns with Religion:
The largest denominations by number of
adherents in 2000 were:
Roman Catholic Church with 4,368,969
Southern Baptist Convention with 3,519,459
United Methodist Church with 1,022,342.

TEXAS
Important Texan Cultures:
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the world's
largest known rodeo:

State-wide celebration held from late-February to early-March

Barbeque cook-offs
Rodeos, livestock competitions, marathons
Carnival rides, auctions
Concert Performances by famous artists

TEXAS

TEXAS
State Fair of Texas

held in Dallas each year between late September through mid

to late October at Fair Park
Football games are played at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park
during the State Fair
is known for its fried food, particularly the corndogs .

TEXAS
Austin: Live Music Capital of the World

Diverse music not limited to Western or Country styles

A lot of music venues to go to
Annual music, film, and general multimedia festivals

TEXAS
Texas and Sports

known for its love of NFL football and is noted for the intensity
with which people follow high school and NCAA football teams
Its official sport is rodeo
Also favors baseball and basketball

TEXAS
Other Texan Qualities:

Socially conservative
Places great importance in land ownership and church belief
Inclined to country, jazz, blues, gospel music
Fond of corn meals, fried food, alcohol and iced tea
Laid-back, hospitable, carefree and jolly folk
Southern slang: Howdy yall!
Common stereotypes include: rednecks, farmers, hillbillies,
inferior to metropolitan citizens
Tobacco usage
Agriculturally-inclined

CALIFORNIA

FLAG

SEAL

CALIFORNIA
3rd largest state in
the USA
Total Area:
163, 696 sq. miles
Capital:
Sacramento
Largest City:
Los Angeles
Largest Metro:
Los Angeles
Population:
38, 041, 030 (2012)

CALIFORNIA
As of 2007:

57.4% English
28.5% Spanish
2.8% Chinese
2.3% Tagalog

CALIFORNIA
Concerns with Religion:
The largest religious denominations by number of
adherents as a percentage of California's population in
2008:
Catholic Church with 31 percent
Evangelical Protestants with 18 percent
Mainline Protestants with 14 percent
Unaffiliated with any religion represented 21 percent

CALIFORNIA
Important Californian Cultures:
California Economy:

Agricultural powerhouse of the USA

Highest economic production in the USA
One of the countrys leading mining states
Number one product is oil
Top fishing operations
Concert Performances by famous artists

CALIFORNIA
California Services:

The service industries of California, like most states, generate the

highest portion of the state's gross state product.
Community, business, and personal services form California's
leading service industry, including private health care, law firms
and engineering companies, hotels and entertainment companies,
and repair shops.
Real estate, finance and insurance form the second-ranking service
industry in California followed by wholesale and retail trade in
food products, medical supplies, motor vehicles and petroleum
products.

CALIFORNIA
More About Californian Culture:

roots in the culture of Spain, the culture of Mexico, and the

culture of the eastern United States
Hispanic Californians have always been among the largest
cultural groups in the state
Liberal kind of Americans
image of Californians as laid-back, tanned beach-goers
is home to Hollywood, the center of the American film
industry, which has given rise to the popular fashion moviestar image and stereotypical life styles such as beach-dwelling
surfers
has a reputation for environmentalism

CALIFORNIA
More About Californian Culture:

Surfing is an extremely popular sport in California

Words like "tubular", "radical", and "gnarly" and the overuse of
the word "like" are associated with Californians
greatly influenced by several other large immigrant
populations, especially those from Latin America and East Asia

CANADA

FLAG

COAT OF
ARMS

CANADA
North American
country
Total Area:
3,854,085 sq. miles
Capital:
Ottawa
Largest City:
Toronto
Population:
35, 158, 300 (2013)

CANADA
As of 2013:
English and French as
national languages
76.7% White
14.2% Asian
4.3% Aboriginal
2.9% Black
1.2% Latin America

CANADA
Important Canadian Cultures:
General:

influenced by European culture and traditions, especially

British and French
influenced by American culture because of a shared language,
proximity and migration between the two countries
very progressive, diverse, and multicultural
Known for the maple leaf symbol (and maple syrup to an
extent)
end every sentence with "eh"

CANADA
Social Principles:

publicly funded health care

higher and more progressive taxation
outlawing capital punishment
strong efforts to eliminate poverty; an emphasis on cultural
diversity
strict gun control
legalizing same-sex marriage
Very open-minded citizens

CANADA
Sports:

Winter sport: hockey

Summer sport: lacrosse

CANADA
Communication:

Canadians are generally perceived as very hospitable and nice

Canadians take pride in the fact that all people deserve the
same rights and respect, regardless of their gender, race,
religion, or cultural background
communication style is essentially pragmatic and relies on
common sense
generally a tolerant, polite and extremely community-oriented
people
place a great deal of emphasis on the individual's responsibility
to the community

TX, CA & CANADA

Basic Greetings & Etiquette:
The most common greeting is the handshake that should be firm and
accompanied by direct eye contact and a sincere smile
Wait until invited before using someone's first name although the people
tend to move to a first-name basis rapidly
French Canadian friends may greet each other by lightly kissing on the
cheeks (once on the left cheek and once on the right)
Texans approve of vocal greeting with the Southern/Western lingo such as
Howdy! but do not rely on body language
Californians are pretty much comfortable with any type of greeting as long
as it grants due respect

TX, CA & CANADA

General Workplace Dress Code:
maintain good personal hygiene
Hair had to be a natural color, long hair had to be tied back and beards had
to be covered during practical classes
Nails had to be clean and cut short, without colored nail polish or artificial
nails (clear polish was permitted)
Jewelry other than simple jewelry was prohibited at all times and rings and
arm jewelry were prohibited during practical classes
Dress code standards provided that instructors were to wear clean
uniforms in practical classes and street clothes covered with white lab coats
in theoretical classes and in the presence of students
Jeans, miniskirts, shorts and camisoles were not permitted

TX, CA & CANADA

Business Meetings:
Men may offer their hand to a woman without waiting for her to extend
hers first
Honorific titles and surnames are usually not used
However, academic titles are important in Canada and are used with the
honorific Monsieur or Madame
Business cards are exchanged after the initial introduction
In Canada, have one side of your business card translated into French.
Hand the card so the French side faces the recipient.

TX, CA & CANADA

General Dos and Donts:
DO - understand that USA and Canada are proud of their multiculturalism.
This multiculturalism manifests itself in part in a great acceptance of
differing languages.
DO - understand that Francophone (French-speaking) Canadians can be
very patient with visitors' poor French skills, but it is still best to make the
effort to try to speak French. This is more out of courtesy or respect than
efficiency.
DO - learn a little geography
DO - try and learn the metric system

TX, CA & CANADA

General Dos and Donts:
DO - use the index finger to point at objects, but never at people. If you
need to point at a person in public, wave your whole hand in their general
direction or nod your head toward them
DON'T - throw money or credit cards on the counter for an employee in a
shop, hotel or restaurant as it is considered insulting
DO - queue up in lines in stores, movie theatres, and to board public
transportation. Even without a formal line, expect to be served on a "first
come, first served" basis
DON'T - barge you way into a queue or merge too late into a lane when
there is a lineup Americans and Canadians deeply resent people who
push ahead in line
DON'T - confuse Canadians with Americans

REFERENCES:

http://www.infoplease.com/us-states/texas.html
http://www.texassegp.org/texas-culture-and-way-of-living.php
http://www.historyoftexas.info/culture_and_fact_of_texas.html
David W. Eakins and Tom L. McKnight, "California," World Book Online Americas
Edition, http://www.worldbookonline.com/wbol/wbPage/na/ar/co/087960, August
14, 2001.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Agricultural Statistics Service, "California
State Agriculture Overview, 2004", 3 January 2006,
<http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Ag_Overview/AgOverview_CA.pdf
> (12 January 2006)
"California." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 1 May
2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9111277>.
www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/canada.html
www.canadianculture.com/
www.thecanadaguide.com/manners

Thank you for

listening.
MEMBERS:
ANTONIO, BEA
AWAS, MAY ANN
BIAZON, JONALYN
HONGITAN, SHAYNE
IGOY, ARCEL
PALUAN, JANESSA