Managing a business in Brazil

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Managing a business in Brazil

In many ways, Brazil is a great place to live and work in. But when you come here to manage a business you have to prepare yourself for many frustrations and even moments of despair. A lot of what you have learned at business school or from your earlier work experiences seems to be of less value. Not a few managers who are familiar with other Latin American countries or emerging markets come to describe the bureaucracy here as one of the worst they have ever met.

 

Business culture

In business, the person doing the business is more important than the company. Your personality makes more of an impression on Brazilians than the prestige of your company. In order to do business in Brazil, you need to dedicate a long time to set up personal and business relationships. Relationships are more important than legal …

Legal

Legal system in Brazil The legal system provides the structural frame work for doing business. The legal system in Brazil is based upon the Napoleonic Code, or the “Code Napoléon,” originally called the “Code civil des Français,” or the Civil Code of the French, which was brought to Brazil by the Portuguese. Civil code versus …

Mercosul

Mercosur Common Nomenclature (MCN)

MERCOSUR Common Nomenclature The MERCOSUR Common Nomenclature (MCN) was adopted by the countries that integrate the Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay Block to foster international trade growth, make the creation and comparison of statistics easier, in addition to elaborating freight tariffs and providing other relevant information to international trade. ¦ Find your Mercosur Common Nomenclature ¦ What is the Harmonized …

Taxes

Brazil’s tax system is archaic and absurdly complicated. There are many reasons for this. Maybe the most important one is that -in contrast to Europe- the federal states control the indirect taxes (like VAT or sales taxes), while the federal government control the direct taxes (like income taxes for persons and companies). As a result, …