Sindelt Flores ’18, a Business major at Marymount Manhattan College and member of the College’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), recently completed a semester abroad at the Umbra Institute, an American study abroad institution in Perugia, Italy. Before leaving Perugia, Flores sat with Umbra staff to talk about her time in Italy, a conversation that emphasized her experience learning Italian while also placing importance on being culturally aware when conducting business.

In an increasingly globalized society, students are often advised to study languages and cultural values and norms, with the Hofestede Analysis being a famous first step toward gaining a cross-cultural understanding in the business classroom. This framework helps future business people learn to handle challenges such as communicating with a host society and providing products/services that are valued by a host culture without losing opportunities or engaging in cultural faux pas. Though Flores did not take a business course during her summer abroad, she studied the Italian language with the goal of gaining insight into Italian culture. Her first-hand experience in Italy gave her the opportunity to observe and participate in the intricacies of Italian culture that could not otherwise be attained studying a textbook.