BCOM/275
Peter Grove
June 17, 2013
University of Phoenix
Cultural Differences
The communication methods of the Brazilian culture rely on stern, structured, and organized representation. The system of hierarchy is firmly followed within the workplace, but all relies on clear communication and direction to then individuals. When altering communication and arguments from culture in the United States, it is important to focus on remaining personable, while giving direct and clear communication. Brazilian culture requires individuals of all positions to show authority and respect in a professional environment. Brazilians are tactile this transfers over into their presentation of arguments. They also like to maintain eye contact for long periods of time when conducting business or presenting their arguments. As an American it is wise to remember to adapt to the other culture ways and partake in eye contact or you might not be taking seriously. Brazilians believe if you are reserved that you are unfriendly which could cause harm to both business communication and social interactions. Americans use humor to reduce the seriousness in a room but in Brazil humor using humor in business communication could possibly be interpreted as a not taking the situation serious. Here in America we think punctuality while Brazilians are more relaxed. Brazilians tend to move to a slower pace that carries over into business which has often delayed or cancelled meetings with no prior warnings. Here is America you are expected to give a warning if you are running late or will be cancelling a meeting if not you are considered rude for not considering the other persons time. In America if you are scheduled for a business meeting you can expect the meeting to last 1 hour unless noted that it may take longer. However in Brazil it is common for meeting to last hours because Brazilians love to socialize.
Reference:
Brazilian Management Style Retrieved June 10, 2013 from http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Brazilian-Management-Style.html
Doing Business in Brazil | Brazilian Social and Business Culture. Retrieved June 15, 2013 from http://www.communicaid.com/access/pdf/library/culture/doing-business-in/Doing%20Business%20in%20Brazil.pdf
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
|Country |Preferred Communication Style |Nonverbal Communication Practices |Business Communication Norms |Strategies to Increase Cross-Cultural |…
- 840 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
|Country |Preferred Communication Style |Nonverbal Communication Practices |Business Communication Norms |Strategies to Increase Cross-Cultural |…
- 311 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Brazil is a melting pot, the most authentic melting pot in the entire World. Brazilian culture is a mix of cultures from other parts of the world, it's impossible to talk about Brazilian culture without the influences…
- 260 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Just how different and similar can the Brazilian and American cultures be? Brazil is located below the equator in South America, on the other hand, The United States of America is located above the equator in North America. Because of the difference in location, Brazil speaks Portuguese derived from Latin roots while Americans speak English derived from Germanic roots. Both cultures place emphasis in family. The American culture sees family as less important than a career. Americans have their twenty-four hour day divided to maximize work production, so even if they do have a forty hour week their work comes home with them. Brazilians put family and community first. Work hours are divided into morning and afternoon sessions. This allows for…
- 332 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Brazil is a vast country rich in natural resources and beauty in the continent of South America. Located in the east-central coast of South America, it is the largest country in South America occupying nearly half the continent. Brazil’s topography is vast with its most priceless treasures inarguably being the Amazon Rain Forest. The Amazon River and its components attribute to two fifths of the country with the Amazon Basin making up 40% of the continent of South America (“Brazil”, n.d.). The Portuguese settlers were the first to arrive in Brazil and quickly found they were not alone, discovering the many tribes of natives that called Brazil their home for hundreds and maybe even thousands of years. These Portuguese settlers were not determined to conquer as the Spaniards, but were poor sailors who were seeking items for trade. This made it easy for the settlers to intermarry with the natives as well as the slaves they had brought from Africa, creating the mix of races known in Brazil today (Geographia, 2006). The Portuguese were not the only ones to seek Brazil to escape their situation and they were quickly joined by many immigrants such as French, Dutch, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, African and Arab, with Portuguese remaining the dominant and official language of Brazil. These cultures have blended into one…
- 3774 Words
- 16 Pages
Best Essays -
Brazil’s cultural influences are as important as the United States. Brazil has many influences. Brazil’s culture is influenced by festivals, Brazil’s culture is also influenced by dating and marriage traditions because people have started to be more attached to this particular tradition of different dating and marriage traditions. Another one of Brazil's culture influences is education. Education there in Brazil is not as functional as the United States education. Brazil has a big attachment to traditions, maybe because it keeps the citizens in one piece. Brazil’s culture is influenced by dating, marriage traditions, and education.…
- 607 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
One obvious difference is the language and the communication. Brazilians speak Portuguese, which contains a large number of indigenous terms, particularly Tupi-Guarani; on the other hand, Americans speak English which contains numerous loan words from European and Native American. In Brazil, the conversation style is very dynamic and often considered very noisy. In the United States; in contrast, people are usually offended by this behavior and consider it to be rude, but in Brazil, no one is offended. Besides, Brazilians tend to look at the person they’re talking to straight in the eyes. Americans; nevertheless, often feel uncomfortable with this attitude.…
- 610 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
For as long as there have been civilizations, people have separated themselves into groups. Most of the time into groups like: the have and the have not’s or us vs them. This has happened in Brazil between the upper and lower class. Brazil is a country with a very small to non-existent middle class, causing a huge gap between the two classes. This huge gap is causing the us versus them mentality or a we/they divide between the upper and lower class, based on a process of social categorization. The central hypothesis of the mentality is that group members of an in-group will seek to find the negative aspects of an out-group, thus enhancing their self-image. The in-group in Brazil is the upper class where as the lower class has been named the…
- 2050 Words
- 9 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Communication is a critical in our everyday life’s, especially in the work place. There are many issues that can impact all employees involve, one that is the number one problem is communication that relates to gender and cultural differences. This can impact from mangers, supervisor, staff and clients. “[Gender of male and female affects communication between employees, many of the time especially in females having favoritism. The communication between the two parties is very often and in email, text, phone, and written form. With the male gender communication is though in -person, phone or written. They each have form of language used to communicate…
- 745 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Brazil is a land of diverse culture and people, due to being part of the former colonial empire belonging to Portugal. It is the only country in South America to have Portuguese as its national language instead of Spanish. Along with this colonization, Brazil would see a huge surge of culture from many immigrant populations that would appear over the centuries. A big part of this culture, however, would be cuisine. Brazil being a land of immigrants and colonist would become the largest country in South America stretching through many different regions of the continent, further diversifying their food culture. With so much food and culture that began to shape from the culture of immigrants of different origins, much Brazilian…
- 1180 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
McLean, J., & Lewis, R.D. (2010). Communicating across Cultures. Manager: British Journal of Administrative Management, (71), 30-31.…
- 1113 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
My subculture is different from the American culture in the sense that it consists of my family. This subculture of mine is different because we hold different values and we hold a wide span of objectives in order to feel in place. Brazil in general is a lot more dangerous and free-spirited when it comes to rules. Our family is accustomed to watching out for each other and is supportive. As a Brazilian-American I feel as if I am very alert of my environment and that I am very thankful for the small things in life. I find beauty in nature and…
- 700 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
“They have no central leadership, no master plan, no fixed structures, and no self-representation as a single entity. Their actions as a group are the result of local contacts and temporary synchronizations. These forms of collective performances are responsible for numerous ongoing cultural, social, and political transformations.” (Fischer-Lichte, 2009:1)…
- 506 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Mark Jones, a Production Manager, has been transferred from the manufacturing plant in his hometown of Chicago to his company's overseas manufacturing plant in Osaka, Japan and I am writing to let you know the differences that Mark will experience in managing front-line plant workers in Japan in contrast to in the United States and also address how cultural differences may play a role in individual differences Mark will experience.…
- 434 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In Brazil what ways would I change an argument due to cultural differences in the country? According to Brazil.org Brazilians are one of the most varied and diverse types of people cause by the different types of nationalities that have inhabited the area over past centuries. This being noted Brazilians are very different from American culture for instance in America many people greet each other by shaking hands, but in Brazil people are more affectionate such as woman greet each other by kissing each other on the cheek as men still use the handshake method.…
- 393 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays