Business Brazilian Style

Brazil might be an absolutely brilliant destination for a holiday, but it’s also a great place for providing budding business innovators with an insight into the realities of operating in a foreign economy.

That’s why 16 of the Business School’s Master’s students have just spent two-weeks in Sao Paulo participating in our Doing Business in Brazil International Business Project. Designed to foster an understanding of the country’s corporate, cultural, economic, political and social frameworks, the program provided students with the chance to engage in action-based projects on behalf of five Australian companies who are looking to expand into the world’s seventh largest economy.

It was as exciting as it was challenging. That’s because there are so many barriers to doing business successfully in a country like Brazil. Indeed, the nuances of the prevailing social and regulatory environments, the competitive dynamics of the local marketplace, and the ways in which Brazilian companies operate are just some of the issues that demand a high level of understanding. After a crash course in these essentials from our project partners at the Fundacao Getulio Vargas School of Business Administration, the students got on with the job of exploring the Brazilian market for potential opportunities for Australian products ranging from wine to boats to street wear.

With none of our students ever having been to Brazil before, they all revelled in the chance to apply their Master’s coursework to a real project in a real business situation. They also made the most of the amazing opportunity to develop their strategic and operational thinking skills while also establishing important foundations for possible future leadership roles. At the conclusion of the two-weeks, the students compiled a group project report and made a slideshow presentation to a panel of top Brazilian academics and business representatives. All were impressed with the high level of the presentations and felt that the students had done a great job.

Author: Professor Sid Gray - group leader and academic adviser