Dear Jefferson How have you been? I have visited many countries in South America and I with no doubt that Brazil would make a very good colony. To start with, Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world, and also one of the most populous countries.
It has the largest economy in the Latin America region (Barman, 1999). It is also one of the emerging markets alongside China and India and most multinationals that are franchising are finding Brazil as a viable destination to conduct their business. Some macro environmental factors influence the viability of Brazil as a global business hub. These factors include the political atmosphere, the legal systems, business protocol, communication, natural environment, and culture. This country is not as volatile as its South American neighbor. Politically, Brazil is a democracy that has been stable for decades.
The country has a presidential system of governance with the president restricted 2 a maximum of two -four years terms. The Immediate Former president is Inacio Lula da Silva whose eight year term that started in 2002, has seen an exponential growth of the Brazilian economy due to the political and economic policies that have encouraged foreign investment. The Brazilian parliament is a bicameral national congress that consists of the federal senate and the chamber of deputies. There are three political entities in Brazil that are distinct and indissoluble. These include, the states, the federal districts and the municipalities and they are built on the five principles that include citizenship, dignity of human rights, sovereignty, political pluralism and freedom of enterprise.
The Brazilian legal environment is controlled by the Germanic- Roman traditions plus the Civil Law, which prevails above the practices of the common law. The legal system in Brazil is codified; however here are some non-codified ones that play a complimentary function. Interpretative guidelines are set out by court decisions that on the other hand may not be binding on particular cases. Legal jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary through the Brazilian constitution permits the federal senate to execute judgments in some specific cases. However, the Brazilian legal systems are slow in decision-making and sometimes decades go without completion of definitive cases. Brazil has a diverse topography complete with mountains, plains scrublands and highlands.
The world's second largest river, The Amazon, is found in Brazil among many others that all drain into the Atlantic Ocean. There are different ecosystems in Brazil. The heaviest biological biodiversity globally is the Amazon Rainfall in Brazil. The country's variety of natural habitats is reflected in the rich wildlife, which has more than four million species of animals and plants. There are unique animals in the Brazilian natural habitat and these include Ocelots, peccaries, tapirs, opossums, Jaguars, Pumas, deer, and armadillos. However, widespread agriculture and ranching activities are threats to the natural heritage that Brazil has.
Other threats include development, extraction of gas and poaching. Communication is one of the powerful tenets of the unity of Brazil as a nation. The unitary Language of Brazil is Portuguese which is the national language spoken by 100 percent of the population, though there are other languages like the Tupi and Arawak (Calmon, 2000). Communicative technology is well developed in Brazil and the country boasts one of the most expansive and state of the art communication networks in Latin America and this has been one of the factor that have attracted foreign investors into the country because business and communication go hand in hand.
Braazil has a mixture of ethnicities and races creating a rich cultural diversity. There are also several races including the young Mestizos, formed after the Portuguese settlers married the natives and the mulatoes, a race formed from the intermarriage of Portuguese and Africans (Boxer, 2000). Despite the mixture of ethnicities in the Brazilian culture, there exists a class system in the country. There is mild racial discrimination in the country but social discrimination on the basis of economic standards is widely evident in Brazil. There is mild or little interaction between the middle, the upper and the lower classes.
Though the women make 2/5th of the population, they occupy the lower cadre jobs, but there is a law that prohibits female discrimination. Despite the existence of such a regulation, gender inequity is still prevalent in the Brazilian culture.Brazil has very many cities and the business protocol varies according to the cities. There are places where it is easier to do business more than others because of the variations in business protocol.
Looking at the major cities, it is easier to do business in Brasilia more than Rio de Janeiro because of the relaxed regulations in the city. In fact, most global investors prefer Brasilia to Rio Janeiro, not only because of the variations in business protocol, but also because of the strategic positioning of the city. Generally, Brazil is a business friendly nation with relaxed business regulations and this one factor that attracts franchisors into the country. Some of the multinationals that have been favored by the friendly business protocol include Wal-Mart, Coca cola, and Shell. In conclusion, the macro environment in Brazil is very friendly for international business making the country one of the most viable emerging markets. This is why I consider it as one of the most viable colonies.
