AJ Brown Ruby Chang Jeff Kalvik Melissa La

Introduction  Language: Portuguese  Ease of doing business  2010 – 124 th in the world  2011 – 127 th in the world  Population: million  Gross National Income Per Capital: $8,070 US  Predominant religion: Catholic

Introduction  Main Export:  Aircraft  Automobile  Textile  Coffee  Soy bean  Orange juice  Main Import:  Machinery  Transport electrical equipment  Chemical product  Oil

Important Dates for Brazil  Carnival  46 days before Easter  Easter  Day of the Dead – November 2 nd  May 1 st – Labour Day

Timing  Most Brazilian cities working hours are 8:30am to 5:00 pm  an hour or 2 for lunch.  Time goes at a slower pace in Brazil.  Schedule appointments 2-3 weeks in advance and confirm once you have arrived.  Leave extra time for meetings since they can go long.  Although most social events will start much later than the official start time, it is good idea to arrive at any business functions on time

Basic Cultural Values  Hierarchical  Status-driven  Vertical Hierarchy  Male domination of management roles

Basic Cultural Values  Relationship Oriented  Get a Brazilian to introduce you  First impressions are important

Basic Cultural Values  Principal Driven  “For friends, everything. For enemies, the law.”  Bargaining Culture  World-famous negotiators

Basic Cultural Values  Dress Codes  Men  Conservative Dark Suits  Two-piece vs. Three-piece  Women  Feminine and elegant  Hair Done Up, Manicures expected  Overdress rather than underdressed

Ways of Thinking  Individualistic VS Collectivistic  Do what is best for the group  Reductionist VS Holistic  Brazil’s National Motto: Ordem e Progresso (Order and Progress)  Sequential VS Circular  They think about all possible outcomes.  Future-oriented

What To Do  Physical Contact  Stand close  Touching is acceptable  Eye contact  Frequent  Staring conveys sincerity and respect  Take business card while maintaining eye contact; look at card; place card in front of you on table  Do wear muted colors  Socialize after meetings

What Not To Do  Speak Spanish. They speak Portuguese.  Rush through meetings  Tipping is option  Don’t tip taxi drivers  Do tip hotel porters  Wear green and yellow together  Yawn or stretch in public  Eat while on public transit

Actions  Good Luck  I Don’t Know  Agreement  Okay sign

Gifting Practices  Not necessary  Can be seen as a sign of bribery  Gift only during social gatherings  No Purple or Black coloured gifts  Don’t give handkerchiefs (grief) and knives (ending relationship)  Give gifts to children

Entertainment Practice  Objective of business meals are to get to know the other party better  Don’t initiate business conversation  Keep the conversation at the social level and if business is to be discussed, wait until the coffee is served

Food and Dining  Coffee  Always accept it when offered  Represents initial contact/personal invitation to a beginning of a relationship  Rejecting drink or food from a Brazilian is seen as being offensive

Food and Dining  Brazilians value dining etiquette  Correct use of utensils  Never use your hands when eating

Food and Dining  Men  Beer is perceived as a Man’s drink  Women  Wine  Alcoholic beverages and spirits  Upon toasting, take a sip to show a gesture of respect

Interpretation of Ethics  Oral statements are not dependable  Brazilian mostly rely on hand shakes and oral agreements  Make sure you get written agreements after  Bribery is common in negotiation  Lying is common in negotiation

Communication  Good Conversation  Soccer  Family  Children  Bad Conversation  Argentina  Politics  Poverty  Religion  Rain Forest  Main communication will be face-to-face.  Men are more credible than women.

Negotiation  The Despachante  Long courting process  Informal  Let Brazilians introduce the basic topic  Means of Persuasion  Patient and questioning  Men have more credibility than women

Negotiation  Terms of Agreement  Brazilians value long term relationship.  Building relationships  Relationships come first, second and third in Brazil. Time spent working on the development of long-term friendly relations is never a waste of resource.

Four Principles  Be Open-minded  Be Adaptable  Be Flexible  Be Patient

Sources  Management Review; Sep66, Vol. 55 Issue 9, p60, 3p Business Kwantlen  Persuasive communication ‬ By James Brian Stiff, Paul A. Mongeau  dividualist_cultures   ulture/doing-business- in/Doing%20Business%20in%20Brazil.pdf   Brazil.html