Stereotypes of Latin Americans

A Report on Stereotypes of Latin Americans among

Graduate Students of International Management

Carmen Vega Carney and Matilde Franciulli

This study presents the results of a study conducted among graduate students in international management in a US business school. The study aimed at identifying the students’ prevalent stereotypes of Latin Americans as well as to ascertain whether these differ from conventional stereotypes present in the general population. The conventional stereotypes were identified from those reported in the professional literature and from those present in popular media and advertising (Oboler 1995).

Latin Americans are not identified in this study as Hispanics or Latinos because the targets of this study are business executives who will be dealing primarily with Latin Americans at an international level. Categories such as Latino or Hispanic are generally used to define a particular ethnic group mainly