‘Business in Brazil’: history, challenges and opportunities

On Monday, the Business in Brazil conference for Business in Latin America students was given by Josep Buades, director of the foreign office of Acció (Agency for the Competitiveness of Catalan Companies) in Sao Paulo and moderated by Diana Filipescu, professor of International Business. Students were able to learn from an expert about the economic history of the country, as well as the challenges and business opportunities it presents.

Buades began with an overview of the country, explaining general data on population, regions, surface area… He defined Brazil as a country of contradictions, whose inhabitants lead very unequal lifestyles. “It was also called Belindia, since in the 1980s a minority lived by Belgian standards, while a majority led the lifestyle of India.” He also pointed out that the country has undergone many transformations in recent decades, becoming one of the most important food producers and exporters in the world.

After introducing the country in general terms, Buades reviewed Brazil’s economic history, comparing the economic model of Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff with that of Michel Temer and Jair Bolsonaro. He analyzed the evolution of the value of the currency, as well as the exchange rate. He also talked about the political and economic scandals of recent years and evaluated Bolsonaro’s presidency.

He then went on to talk about the effects of Covid-19 on Brazil’s economy, the public policies that have been implemented, and the challenges facing the country. He also left open a series of questions for the students to reflect on, concerning production, consumption, the foreign sector, and public accounts.

As for the challenges, he took the opportunity to delve into Brazil’s problems and how they could be turned into business opportunities to improve the country’s situation, especially in infrastructure, public lighting, urban mobility, sanitation, and waste treatment. He also gave the students a few tips for doing business in Brazil, stressing the importance of getting to know its culture and history in depth.

Finally, he presented the Catalonia Trade & Investment agency, which promotes innovation and internationalization of Catalan companies and start-ups. Finally, a question and answer session was opened so that students could solve their doubts and give their opinion about the presentation.

If you are also interested, find out more about our MSc International Business.