Brazil Business Process - Research Paper Example

Brazil Business Process Introduction Brazil is a nation that has greatly been influence by its diverse culture. The country’s culture is a blend between Portuguese, African and native Indian cultures. Brazilian culture is characterized by hospitality and many practices in the country are influenced considerably by Catholicism because catholic is the main religion in the country. Societal diversity in Brazil is further presented in the existence of distinct classes, which typify stratification of the Brazilian society. As such, doing business in Brazil demands that an individual develops clear understanding of the nation’s diverse culture that defines distinctive values as well as attitudes of Brazilians. Close relationship is one of the crucial success elements in doing business in Brazil. This paper explores business practices in Brazil, negotiation process and how business etiquette is influence by the Brazilian culture. Business Practices in Brazil Personal relationships define how Brazilians do business. For someone to do business successfully in Brazil, he or she must first develop close relationship with a Brazilian within the industry in which he or she wants to operate. The Brazilian contact will then create a link with other important people for the prosperity of the business. Brazilians strongly value family relationships. As such, many Brazilians have the tendency of working for one company. This is because Brazilians prefer to engage in business with those whom they know and trust. Therefore, one must be dedicated to allocate long-term resources, like time and money, in building strong relationships in Brazil in order to create a successful business. Also, in many cities in Brazil, work begins at 8:30 am and runs up to 5:00 pm. In between, there is usually an hour or two for lunch break. Businesses usually open at 9:00 am to 7:00pm from Monday to Friday. On Saturday, businesses open at 9:00am and close at 1:00pm. However, giant business enterprises may remain open for relatively longer hours. In most cases, it is crucial to plan business arrangements two or three weeks prior and authenticate the appointments before and on arrival in Brazil. When scheduling time for the appointments, it is usually advisable to have time allowance between the appointments in case they last longer than expected. Brazilians embrace socializing and passing time with one another. This usually happen during mid-morning tea or coffee breaks and lunch periods. Coffee is usually served before or as meetings progress. Brazilians are usually concerned about dressing, which demands that a person must dress smartly and in a conservative manner (Lee 319). In many cases, Brazilian companies tend to have tall organizational structures. Top executives of the companies make most organizational decisions. Top managerial positions tend to be male dominated. However, women are currently gaining access to executive roles in some companies. Brazilian business is also influenced by class differences, which is prevalent in both Brazilian societal and business cultures. Economic status and salaries paid to individuals determine the class to which an individual belongs. There are legislations against discrimination and existing class differences in business are faint. Negotiation Process Attitudes and Styles Relationships form crucial part of negotiation processes in Brazil. Brazilians frequently use distributive as well as contingency bargaining. The buyer is usually perceived to be in a superior position in the negotiation, but both parties (buyer and seller) have the duty to reach a consensus. The main focus is usually on commitments of business partners and long-term benefits (Jain 420). Competitive negotiation style is a common characteristic of Brazilian negotiations and Brazilians are often insistent negotiators. Proposals should reflect benefits to both parties to a negotiation and none of the negotiating members should manifest intent to win over the other in a negative approach. Direct confrontations and conflicts should be avoided during negotiations in Brazil. Brazilian culture encourages a win-win approach to negotiations and Brazilians value long-term business contacts (Steers, Sánchez-Runde and Nardon 340). Positive and determined attitude usually wins a partner’s reverence. One should not openly portray aggressiveness or frustration when negotiating in Brazil. In the event of any dispute during negotiation, a resolution can be reached through personal relationships leverage. Successful negotiators establish close personal relationships and keenly observe negotiations terms (Jain 420). In spite of existence of strong personal relationships, Brazilians are often reluctant to share information openly with their trading partners. They hold the opinion that privileged information gives them an edge over their counterparts during negotiation process. Negotiations in Brazil are usually slow and extended. Brazilians like slow pace and detest those who do things in hurry. Brazilians view impatience as a sign of weakness or rudeness in some occasions. For successful negotiations, a foreign trader should be willing and ready to make many trips in order to attain his or her goals. It takes relatively long time to gather crucial information, build relationships, negotiate and make decisions. Patience and great emotion control in case of negotiation delays are inevitable if a person is to achieve any success (Vries and Blore 18). Brazilians are accustomed to hard bargaining but are not however used to haggling. Negotiations are often characterized by pressure approaches like nibbling or demonstration of intransigence. Silence over negotiations is perceived as a rejection to an offer. Influence of Culture on Brazilian Business Etiquettes Brazilian culture encourages strong personal relationships. This has affected the way in which people conduct business in the country. Brazilians usually want to know people they are doing business with before they can commit themselves. They usually prefer to have face-to-face encounter to written communication. This enables them to get knowledge of the kind of a person that they are engaging with in business. Brazilians put more emphasis on the individuals they deal with more than the company. This is founded on strong personal contacts dimension of the Brazilian culture. Embarrassments are not encouraged in business processes and open criticism should be shunned. Both the criticized and the criticizer lose contact with the public if the criticism happened in public or a meeting. Communication is usually informal and does not follow any particular procedure. Greetings include handshakes and proceeds to embrace as the parties get to know each other well (Vries and Blore 18). Women kiss one another on the cheek and it is generally considered ethical to shake hands on arrival and departure time. One should not wear yellow and green when going for a business deal in Brazil because the colors are for the country’s flag and Brazilians do not wear them (Chaney and Martin 16). Conclusion Brazil is a country that operates under great influence of its diverse culture. For one to succeed in doing business in the country, he or she must be in a position to clear understand the culture of the country. He needs to be familiar with Brazilian business etiquettes and build strong personal relationships. Failure to acknowledge the influence of culture on business processes would be tantamount to collapsed business deals and negotiations. Works Cited Chaney, Lillian H. and Jeanette S. Martin. The essential guide to business etiquette. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2007. Print. Jain, Subhash C. Emerging economies and the transformation of international business: Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs).Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2006. Print. Lee, Catherine. The New Rules of International Negotiation: Building Relationships, Earning Trust, and Creating Influence Around the World: Easyread Edition. US: ReadHowYouWant, 2008. Steers, Richard M., Carlos Sánchez-Runde and Luciara Nardon. Management across cultures: challenges and strategies. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Vries, Alexandra and Shawn Blore. Frommer's Brazil, 5th Ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print. Read More