Role of social institutions, such as family, religion, labor unions, and place of employment

Make certain to use the proper headings on your Team page and write an overview paragraph to explain the purpose of the project and what you discovered during the project. Be prepared to present your findings to the class.

BrazilBrittany Botuarfa and Michael PerretTeam 9

Still an economic country today Brazil continues to pursue industrial

and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America’s leading economic power and a regional leader, one of the first in the area to begin an economic recovery.

Language

Languauge: Portugese(mainly spoken); also Spanish, Italian, English

Most of the business should be conducted in Portuguese. If not, the business executive will have to get an interpreter. Also, Spanish isn’t an alternative to Portuguese: Brazilians, in general, prefer the English as a second business language.

Nonverbal Communication When a Brazilian wants to express appreciation, they pinch

their earlobe between their thumb and forefinger.

When two people are close to each other, they will show it by rubbing two index fingers together.

Sometimes nonverbal communication can be very different than what is expected in other countries. One example is the “O.K.” symbol one can make with their hands. It is regarded as just meaning “O.K.” in the American culture. In Brazil however, this is seen as a very obscene gesture. It is equivalent to giving the middle finger in America. This is seen as one of the rudest gestures you can make in Brazil and should always be avoided.

Etiquette and Customs

Brazilians are outgoing, fun-loving people. Friends and acquaintances are greeted with kisses, more kisses and big hugs.

Meeting Etiquette . Men shake hands when greeting one another, while maintaining steady eye contact.

. Women generally kiss each other, starting with the left and alternating cheeks.

. Hugging and backslapping are common greetings among Brazilian friends.

. If a woman wishes to shake hands with a man, she should extend her hand first.

Gift Giving Etiquette . If invited to a Brazilian's house, bring the hostess flowers or a small gift.

. Orchids are considered a very nice gift, but avoid purple ones.

. Avoid giving anything purple or black as these are mourning colours.

. Handkerchiefs are also associated with funerals, so they do not make good gifts.

. Gifts are opened when received.

Dining Etiquette If you are invited to a Brazilian's house:

. Arrive at least 30 minutes late if the invitation is for dinner.

. Arrive up to an hour late for a party or large gathering.

. Brazilians dress with a flair and judge others on their appearance. Casual dress is more formal than in many other countries. Always dress elegantly and err on the side of over-dressing rather than under- dressing. . If you did not bring a gift to the hostess, flowers the next day are always appreciated.

Business practices Brazil has a wide spread variety of types of jobs

and a substantial amount of work for a range of people in Brazil. The typical length of a work day in Brazil is about 7-8 hour weekday. Different types of business or forms of work include mainly labor work. The ways that they hire people or types of traditions that are to hire people are typical interviews. Practices include great healthcare program to ensure that the employee is covered and insured.

Education

Literacy Rate: age 15 and over can read and write

Education: Expeditures 5.25 of GDP/ School Life Expectancy- 14 yrs

Local governments are responsible for establishing state and education programs following the guidelines and using the funding supplied by the federal government

Social Life, Religion and life. The Brazilians believe that family is the foundation of the

social structure and forms the basis of stability for most people.

The majority of Brazilians are Roman Catholic

People in Brazil are very social many people actually join a labor union to have more right to what they all have to say about employment as a group. People in Brazil are very serious about there religion, most people in Brazil are catholic and are close to the family most of them come from religion based families and never stop believing.

Shopping Practices

Brazil is full of public markets that are full of just about anything your heart and appetite desires under one gorgeous roof. They usually walk around, buy and sample.

FoodBrazil is the country in the world with the most fruit. The choices are unbelievable. Yet, they do have a few fast food restaurants around like KFC, McDonalds, and Subway. Most of the people in Brazil go to the market though.

Major Holidays

New Year's Day (Jan. 1); Epiphany (Jan. 6); Carnival (week preceding Ash Wednesday); Good Friday; Easter; Tiradentes Day (Apr. 21); Labor Day (May 1); Corpus Christi (May 27); Independence Day (Sept. 7); Our Lady of Aparecida Day (Oct. 12); All Souls' Day (Nov. 2); Declaration of the Republic Day (Nov. 15); Christmas (Dec. 25).