BRAZIL

By: Stephanie Bustamante

Brazils flag & capital

The capital of Brazil is Braslia

Language & Religion

Portuguese is the official language of Brazil
More than 99% of the country speaks
Portuguese
Others include: Spanish, German,
Italian, Japanese, English & dozens
more.
Brazils religion is very diverse. But it holds the
most Catholics than anywhere else in the world.
73.6% to be exact.
Some others include: Protestant &
Pentecostal 15.4%, Spiritualist 1.3%,
Bantu or voodoo 0.3%, and 1.8% other.
7% does not follow any religion.

Tourist attractionChrist the Redeemer

Christ the Redeemer is an icon
of Brazil, and is the famous
statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de
Janeiro.
Located at the peak of 2,300 ft
of Corcovado mountain
It provides a sweeping
panorama of the Guanabara bay
and Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas.
It stands 130 ft tall, including its
31 ft pedestal

Tourist attractionIguau Falls

It is bordered between Brazil & Argentina
275 falls along the Iguazu River
Biggest one is Devils Throat, which is Ushaped & a height of 269 Feet

National
Cuisine
Vatap: a spicy cream of
fish and shrimp dish
cooked in a peanut sauce.
Similar to curry.
Moqueca de Camaro:
a shrimp stew cooked in
coconut milk and palm oil.
You can add veggies such
as peppers and tomatoes.
Its like a clam chowder if
it were cooked in coconut
milk, minus the clams.

Stereotypes
Everyone in Brazil
knows how to play
soccer (or is well at it).

People ask if they can

speak Brazilian. (Which
is not a language. Its
like asking if we know
how to speak
American)

Superstitions

Walking under a ladder

brings bad luck
If you have an unwanted
visitor or someone has
worn out their welcome,
put a broom behind a door
& this visitor will leave

Never put your

purse/handbag on the
ground, because it will set
your money life
backwards
Leaving a pot with rock
salt in corners of your
house scares away bad
luck

Hand gestures
In a marketplace, if a vendor holds his hand out,
fingers extended and flips the thumb back and forth it
merely means, There isnt any left; I dont have
anymore.
When Brazilians bring their hand towards their
mouths and kiss the tips of their fingers, then expand
the fingers in an outward motion, it means that the
meal was delicious.
Making an O.K. symbol with your hand is very
obscene. It is equivalent to the middle finger in
America.
The corna is like the rock on gesture. And it
means your wife is cheating on you. (Often used in
soccer games when disagreeing with the referee).

Business etiquette &

body language
Brazil
Schedule meetings 2-3 weeks
in advance. Dropping by is
not attractive.
Being on time is not
important
Lunches are lengthy to
accommodate less-formal
discussions of business.
Men shake hands, whereas
women kiss each other once
on each cheek
Physical contact is normal &
stand very close
Eye contact is important

U.S.A
Can call for a meeting at
any moment
Appearance is important
Being on time is crucial
No shaking of hands
when greeting someone,
just a hello or how are
you?
No physical contact &
stand very far apart
Eye contact is important

Relationship building in
Business
Brazil

U.S.A

Focus more on individual

than the company

Less relationship
building

Are offered a strong cup

of coffee, water or juice

Focus more on task

than individual

Goal is to build rapport

with the individual or
company

Straight to the point

Rushing out of a meeting

and not having small
talk is rude

Do not stay and chat

after meeting. Tend to
rush out.

Communication styles
in decision making
Brazil
Saying hello & goodbye to
everyone is crucial
First name basis quite quickly
Exchanging business cards is
important
Meetings start with small talk
Significant decisions are
almost always delivered in
person
Eye contact is really
important
Interruptions are common
and shouldnt be seen as
rude

U.S.A
Hellos and goodbyes are
not as important
Usually address a person
by their last name, takes
a long time to start a first
name basis
Significant decisions can
be told in person, e-mail,
or any other form of
communication
Interruptions are rude &
should be avoided

Power structures in
decision making
Brazil
Understanding corporate
structure of who youre
working with is important to
not waste time
Final decisions dont include
multi-leveled people and/or
many people (Hierarchy
important).
Proposals are delivered
through different leveled
people until it reaches the
senior position
Senior positions make final
decision
Decisions are not rushed,
instead they take as much

U.S.A.
More individualistic
Circumvent authority to
maintain independence
More people are allowed
to put input into final
proposals
Senior positions make
ultimate final decision
Decisions are usually
made in a timely
manner.

Internet
penetration
rate & social
network
-Internet usage in Brazil has
risen tremendously in the past
few years.
-139,111,185 users as of June
2016, which is 65% of the
population
-Some of the most commonly
used social networks are
WhatsApp (a text messaging
app that allows communication
between countries at no cost).
-Facebook is the second
highest used App
-The rest are listed in the
graph to the right

INDIVIDUALISM VS. COLLECTIVISM

(has to do with whether peoples selfimage is defined in terms of I or We.)
Brazil ( scored 38)

U.S.A (scored 91)

Look after themselves &

their immediate family

liberty & justice for all

which means equal rights
in all aspects of
government

Loyalty is very important

From birth, everyone is
put into strong, cohesive
groups
Important to build long,
trust-worthy
relationships
Prefer context rich
communication

Hierarchy is convenient
Superiors are accessible &
rely on individuals for their
expertise
Accustomed to working
with strangers
Self-reliant & display
initiative

POWER DISTANCE
(power being defined as the degree to
which a person is able to influence other
peoples ideas & behavior).
Brazil (scored 69)

U.S.A (scored 40)

Hierarchy should be
respected

Everyone is unique,
therefore not equal

Inequalities are
acceptable

Power is distributed
unequally and is
expected by institutions
and organizations

Power holders have

more benefits than the
less powerful
Respecting the elderly is
crucial
One boss takes all of the
responsibility

Inequality remains
because of its followers
and its leaders

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
(the way that a society deals with the
fact that the future can never be known).
Brazil (scored 76)
Strong need for rules &
its legal system
Bureaucratic country, in
which laws and rules
are important
Like to relax- whether
its taking long lunches
or going dancing
Very emotional &
passionate people

U.S.A (scored 46)

Acceptance for new
ideas , innovative
products & willingness
to try something new or
different
Freedom of expression
Do not require rules
Less emotionally
expressive

MASCULINITY VS. FEMININITY

(The fundamental issue here is what motivates
people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or
liking what you do (Feminine)).

Brazil (scored 49)

Society that is focused
on competition,
achievement and
success
But also cares for others
and their quality of life
Value systems starts as
early as elementary
school

U.S.A (scored 62)

Strive to be the best
they can be.
Assessment systems are
commonly used to show
what they can do best
Can-do mentality, which
means there is always a
better way
Live to work for the
monetary value & success

Current
events!

-Largest dinosaur ever

found in Brazil:

25-meter long
Austroposeidon Magnificus
belonged to the Titanosaur
group of herbivores & was 6-8
meters tall
https://www.theguardian.com/s
cience/2016/oct/07/scientists
-announce-discovery-of-larges
t-dinosaur-ever-found-inbrazil
-How Brazilian women
avoid sexism:
Tupperware sales are up 22%
in Brazil because women can
become their own bosses.
The more they sell, the higher
in level they become.
https://www.theguardian.com/
business/2016/oct/01/brazilsexism-work-tupperware-avondirect-

Works Cited
B. (n.d.). Blackboard Learn . Retrieved October 16,
2016, from
http://www.globalroadwarrior.com.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.or
g/#mode=country
Way, B. T. (n.d.). Brazil Internet Usage Stats and
Telecom Market Reports. Retrieved October 16, 2016,
from http://www.internetworldstats.com/sa/br.htm
By supplying you with this information please realise
that culture. (n.d.). Geert Hofstede. Retrieved October
16, 2016, from https://geert-hofstede.com/unitedstates.html
H. (2016). The meaning of gestures: Body language in
Brazil. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
http://hispanic-marketing.com/the-meaning-ofgestures-body-language-in-brazil/