Bric: Culture, Values, and Business Ethics Essay

INTRODUCTIONBRIC, represents the countries brazil, Russia, India, and china. These countries atomic number 18 know to be at similar stages of economic growth. The BRIC countries support had a huge success in the past tenner with their industrialization and economic success. With the BRIC countries emerging as economic power firms and the increasing number of foreign counties increasing to do trade with them, ethical rules must(prenominal) fuse into their trade practices. An increasing number of companies argon locomote production to the BRICs in order to reward avail of generous tax incentives, high productivity rates, and cheap labor. Each rude has nicetys and determine which influences them queer. They also demand a really specific business ethic that one should know astir(predicate) if they want to be successful in these countries.BRAZIL brazil, known as the Federative commonwealth of Brazil, is the full-grownst rural in South the States and in the Latin Am eri nominate region. It is the fifth greatst demesne geographic any toldy and by cosmos with a population of 190,732,694 according to the 2010 Census. It is known as one of the worlds fastest growing economies and is part of the fall in Nations, the G20, BRIC, and groups. Brazil is known for their economy having a growth rate during the world recession in 2008 (Vernengo, 2010). Brazils land use is 87% forest/woodland and meadows/pastures and has a climate which is known to be nighly tropical since they arrive at the Amazon. Iron, gold, petroleum, and nickel be some of the more natural resources they ar known for.BRAZILS CUTURE AND VALUESThe Brazilians have a unique culture that they share with one an otherwise. inaugural off, the official oral communication is Portuguese which makes up al almost 100 pct of the population. Brazilians have a potent national ideology that their land is a racial commonwealth. As remote as the Brazilian yr system goes, popu slow with pertinaciouser skin tend to be economically and socially disadvant older. Class is laid by economic status and skin color. Women make up forty percent of the workforce solely are found with humiliate paying jobs than antherals such as t severallying, nursing, and jobs with clerical duties (Brazil Language, horticulture, Customs and Etiquette, n.d.). Common Brazilian victualss consist of rice and beans which are put together with meats and fish. The most important meal of the day is a multicourse meal eaten afterwards noontide. Middle-class would eat the beans or rice with fish or meat and the lower class would only eat beans or meat during this meal. Now that Brazil is industrializing. The family-centered meal at midday is being replaced with pettyer meals that are consumed at restaurants with buffets or fast-food such as McDonalds. The lower-calls who cannot afford this give broadly speaking eat at home, buy snacks on the street, or carry food with them at work.Brazi l has a nation dish known as feijoada which means big bean stew. It consists of a variety of meats cooked with unforgiving beans and condiments with rice, fresh fruit, and a side of onion sauce. Different social classes and economic inequality in Brazil has been a problem for a extensive time. There is a large rate of crime in urban areas such as kidnapping, murdering and assaults. Killing of police officers are common in less pie-eyed areas as well. The murder rate in greater So Paulo, for example, is some five time that of the New York metropolitan area ( shade of Brazil, n.d.). The Brazilian g all overnment has The Federal Constitution of Brazil that provides the executive, legislative, and executive free lance branches. Voting in Brazil today is universal and required for all literate Brazilian citizens aged from seventeen to seventy and is optional for the citizens who do not have the ability to read and carry through.In the state of Brazil there are many unique values the citizens hold. To begin with, the main righteousness of the country is Catholic. Brazil has the largest catholic community in the world. During the colonial times, there was no freedom of godliness which meant that all of the Portuguese settlers and Brazilians were forced to the Roman Catholic faith which in turn made most of the population today Catholic. Another popular Brazilian religion is Umbanda, which is a blend of African and Catholicism religions. nigh branches of the Umbanda religion usurp white clothes in ceremonies spot others do not. During ceremonies, all of the people sing, drinking and smoke, being under the influence of the spirits.Music and dance are essential in rituals because they facilitate the parley with the spirits and help people in their daily lives (The Umbanda religion Brazilian spirituality, n.d.). In Brazil there are very specific delegacy women and men take. When two males meet, they provoke hands with each other while maintaining steady eye contact with each other. When women meet with each other they kiss each other starting with the left check therefore alternating to the right similar to some Americans. When a woman wants to shake hands with a man, she should be to one extending her arm out first. Hugging and backslapping are also common among friends.BRAZILS BUSINESS ETIQUETTEWhen doing business in Brazil there are many things to take note of. To begin with, Brazilians need to know who they are doing business with. As a result make appointments at least two weeks in advance. personal meetings are preferred preferably of written communication so they know exactly who they are doing with. During meetings, business men socialize over coffee which at times can make meeting informal. When exchanging business beaks, they are to be through with(p) during introductions with everyone at the meeting. One side should be translated in Portuguese and should be presented with that side facing the recipient. Brazilian companies have a vertical hierarchy where the managers at the top make the majority of the determinations. Most of the attention is men but recently women are starting to gain these roles as well. When dressing, men should bear dark colored suits. Usually if someone is an executive they will wear a three-piece suit while a two-piece suit is worn by office workers.Women should wear dresses, suits, or something conservative and make sure their nails are always manicured. When doing business in Brazil there are some dos and do nots to be aware of. Always make eye contact because this will show that the business someone listening is paying attention, interested, and reliable. It should always be expected that a meal will take longer since it is more like a celebration alternatively than a meal. Food and drinks should always be accepted when offered during a special or business occasion.As far as things not to do, never give gifts that are purple or black since these are considere d trouble colors. Never rush business dopeings and always avoid pressuring final decisions since Brazilians take a long time to do this. Never show feeling of frustration since this will sapidity bad for the someone wanting to do business with them. Corruption and deforestation should never be brought up since these are authentic sensitive topics. Lastly, never publically criticize Brazilian duplicates if they need to be told something, it should be make in private so it does not make them look bad (Malinak, 2007). Knowing Brazils business etiquette is critical if a person wants to have success making business.RUSSIARussia, officially known as the Russian Federation, is the largest country in the world with a population estimate of 143,300,000. It is the worlds largest reserves for minerals and brawn resources and is the largest oil and natural gas producer. It is also has the largest forest reserves. Due to Russias size, there are many climates. The main climates are humid continental and subarctic. Russia only has two main seasons which are winter and summer. The coldest month is January and the warmest month is July. Between these seasons for a brief time are their spring and autumn. Russia is known for their oil, natural gas, and step which accounts for more than 80% of their exports abroad. They are the third largest electricity company in the world and the fifth re briskable energy producer (Russia, 2012).RUSSIAS CULTURE AND VALUESThe Russian citizens have much pride in their country. They have many patriotic songs and poems about their homeland and take pride in their cultural heritage. eighty one percent of Russia speaks the Russian language. Families are very dependent on each other and are very diminutive, usually with only one or two children per family since women are always working alfresco of the house. Most of the families live in small apartments sharing with two or three generations (Russia Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquet te, n.d.). The most common food of the Russian culture is scrape while potatoes cabbage beets and carrots are the main veggie of their diet. Russians love meat. Lower class has sausage, port, beef, mutton, chicken, and dried or salted fish while the higher class has duck, veal, and salmon. In the daily life of a Russian, breakfast is usually coffee or tea with bread or sausage. Lunch people eat potatoes, soup, macaroni, or rice and can be eaten only in a cafeteria in a workplace or at home. Dinner consists of boiled potatoes, cabbage, bread, or sausage and bread. There is not that much talk about different social classes in Russia any longer.The new Russians are seen to be driving late-model cars such as Mercedes and Jeeps while dressing in designer garments and wear heavy gold jewelry. Showing off these items demonstrate wealth. Juvenile misbehavior has been increasing significantly along with prostitution, AIDS, and homelessness among children and teens. As far as political sympathies goes, they have a parliament that is divided into and f number and a lower house. The lower house is known as Dumab which has 450 elected members while the upper house consists of local governors and legislators from the eighty nine administrative regions (Culture of Russia, n.d.). On top of Russias culture, Russians values are also very important. The main religion the Russians follow is Orthodox Christianity which is run by bishops and metropolitans.For most of the Orthodox followers, religious practice concentrates on the affecting experience of liturgy, which is chanted daily, on Sundays, and in long, puzzle out services on holy days. Churches and cathedrals are the most important sites to worship at. When two people meet for the first time, there should be a firm, hard hand-shake while making eye contact. If a male is shaking hands with a woman, this handshake will be less firm. When women meet each other they kiss on the cheek three times starting at the left chee k and then alternating. As for close male friends, they first give each other a pat on the back followed by a hug.RUSSIAS BUSINESS ETIQUETTEWhen doing business in Russia it is expected for a person to be on time to all business meeting. Russians are known for testing patience. In turn, a Russian may be late to a meeting or not start the meeting for one or two hours afterwards to see the reaction the person will give. The best way to communicate in Russia is the fax and email since the mail can be unreliable. Before making a trip to Russia, one must inform the company of the intended business proposal and objectives. When giving a presentation, Russians expect it to be long and detailed and to include to history of the subject. Hierarchy is important to Russians. They respect age, array and position. The decision makers higher up have authority over subordinates. When exchanging business cards it is usually done after the initial introductions with formal ritual. The business hard s hould include university degrees and be translated into Russian using Cyrillic text on one side while having the other side be in English.When dressing, businessmen wear suite that are dark and well tailored with a nice dress shoe. typically a Russian businessman will never take his jacket off. What a businessman wears demonstrates their encounter as a professional. Women should dress conservatively in skirts rather than pants. When doing business with Russia there are some dos and do nots to be aware of. When first meeting, do shake hands firmly since Russians do this to each other naturally. Always get involved in small talk before starting a business conversation. Most of the small talk will do by with family. When doing business, never be afraid to show emotion and never reward anyone in public because Russians will see this as suspicious are can cause jealousy (Gorrill, 2007).INDIAIndia. Known as the Republic of India, is the seventh largest country in the world with a popula tion of 1,210,193,422 according to the 2011 Census. It is the most populous democracy and second-most populous country in the world. India is considered a newly industrialized country and is one of the fastest-growing major economies. It has the third-largest stand up army in the world. The climate in India is largely influenced by the Himalayan Mountains and the Thar Desert. These both cause winter and summer monsoons. There are four major climates in India which are tropical slicked, tropical dry, subtropical humid, and montane (India, 2012). INDIAS CULTURE AND VALUESThe Indians have a unique culture. Different states have different languages with the main one being Hindi. Two other main languages are Urdu, and Bengali. Indias culture is based on an hierarchy with the tradition of the caste system. All relationships involve hierarchies such as schools. A teacher is known as a guru and is known as the person with all of the knowledge. At home the father in considered the confid ential informationer of the family. In the business world the boss is seen as the person responsible for the business. As far as family, people are defined by groups rather than individuals. These groups can range from being part of a region, state, family, career path, etc. This extended family creates a numerous amount of rules, structures, and interrelationships. In the Indian culture, people do not like to say no. or else if something was not available they would tell a person what they would want to hear. If a person asks for something, the Indians must do what is asked and if not, they would be considered rude (India Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette, n.d.). As far as food goes, rice is the main food in India.Like the United States where there are people who eat meat and who are vegetarian, it is very similar in India but based on the cast system. Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, and Christians all eat meat provided pork, besides the Christians. When in the lower-caste, Hindus eat meat except for beef. Members in the higher castes are vegetarians. Every caste, tribe, town, village, and religion has a variety of traditional ceremonies, mostly religious based that are observed with enthusiasm and simple participation. Indias government is a liberal democratic federal government and is the largest democracy in the world. The country is divided into twenty eight based states for administrative purposes. The central government also administers seven small Union Territories (Culture of India, n.d.).There are many different values that India holds. The main religions in India are Hindu, which makes up of 81.3% and Muslim which is 12% of the country. This is one of the largest Islamic nations in the world. There are thousands of rituals and millions of shrines, temples, and other holy places. Hindus have a large pilgrimage temples where Muslims visit tombs of saints. Most Hindus believe in reincarnation when one dies so when a person rebirths they can go into a new caste system.Hindus are usually cremated kind of of buried. When Indians get married most of the marriages are arranged. Marriages that are not arranged are looked down upon. When people are to meet in India, the eldest person should be greeted first since they have an hierarchical structure. When leaving, each person individually must be given a farewell. More educated people who deal with westerners shake hands. Men shake hands with other men and women shake hands with other women. A handshake between and man and a women tend to be uncommon callable to their religious beliefs.INDIAS BUSINESS ETIQUETTEWhen doing business in India is it smart to make an appointment at least a month or two ahead of time by letter. duty appointments should be made in the late morning or early afternoon between eleven and four. When meeting for the first time it is practical for business not to be discussed at all since meetings start with getting to know people. When a decision is made, it is made by the person with the most authority. When talking to a person who does not have a professional title they should have to title of Madam or Sir. When exchanging business cards, it should be done after the initial handshake.The university or degree earned should be stated on the business card and should be given and received with the right hand only. When giving a business card it should also be in the position where it is readable as its handed to the recipient. The business dress code is conservative. Men should wear business suits that are dark colors and women should wear suits or dresses. If business is done in a hotter part of the country the dress code is less formal. One should always remain polite and honest at all times to prove sincerity and politeness. Never be aggressive during business negotiations because this can show disrespect. When offered a drink or food during a business meeting it should always be accepted. If not, it is considered offensive (Gorrill, 2007 ).CHINAChina is the second largest economy in the world and is the fastest growing commercialize economy. It is also the worlds most populous country. As of 2001, China has a population of about 1,347,350,000 with an annual growth in GDP of 9.5%. Chinas success has been primarily due to manufacturing as a low-cost producer. This is attributed to a combination of cheap labor, good infrastructure, relatively high productivity, favorable government policy, and a possibly undervalued exchange rate. Chinas climate is made up of dry seasons and wet monsoons. In winter the temperature is cold and dry whereas the summer it is warm and moist. Since China has such a mazy topography, the climate ranges region to region. Recently there have been problems in Chine with pollution and environment worsening due to the high population (China, 2012).CHINAS CULTURE AND VALUESChinese is the official language in China. The social structure is formal and hierarchical. There is a hierarchical class sys tem back up by the Confucian philosophy. At the top of the system there are scholars followed by farmers, artisans, and at the imbue merchants and soldiers. Rice is the main food of China. Grain is grown where the climate is too hot to grow rice. breakfast consists of noodles or wheat bread or rice with porridge served with shrimp, vegetables, and pickles. Lunch is closely related to breakfast.Dinner is the largest meal of the day which always includes soup being the drop dead course. If there is a special occasion or family gathering, there will be elaborate meals. For the mid autumn festival, known as the Moon Festival, , synodic month cakes are served which are baked pastries filled with ground sesame and lotus seeds. Business occasions are usually at restaurants that consist of ten or more courses. China is a communist state. The chairperson is elected by the National Peoples Congress for a five year term. The NPC had duties to write laws, delegate authority, and supervise other parts of the government. The Chinese Communist Party is the only political party and controls either other small parties (Culture of China, n.d.).Since China is a communist state, majority of the country is atheist. Twenty percent of the population practice Confucianism and Taoism. Taoist temples consist of a courtyard, a main hall with an alter, and small shrines. Worships take the form of mediation or physical exercise. China has the one child only rule due to the high population it holds. In rural areas, families are allowed to have more than one, perhaps two or three. When meeting with the Chinese, many lower their eyes as a sign of respect. When at a large function it is okay to introduce yourself to guests but at small functions it is polite to wait for the troops or hostess to introduce you. A Chinese person should always be addressed by the honorific title and surname unless advised otherwise (Hong Kong Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette, n.d).CHINAS BUSINESS ETIQUETTEIn China, Face-to-face meetings in the workplace are an essential step towards making a sale in most business markets. Only when a face-to-face appointment is secured can it be assumed that the enquiry is a serious one. As in the West, Chinese buyers are busy people and prefer for suppliers to visit them at their offices, unless negotiations are at an advanced stage and the client wants to visit the suppliers production facilities to look at the scale of the operation. Hierarchical structures of Chinese society and business organizations are based on a strict observation of rank where the individual is subordinate to the organization.People will enter the meeting agency in hierarchical order, as the Chinese are very status conscious. Senior members generally lead the negotiations and will direct the discussion. A long-term relationships are considered more valuable then hurried transactions. When exchanging business cards one side should be printed in English and one in Ch inese. The card should be presented with both hands and with the Chinese side facing up. When accepting a colleagues card study it carefully before placing it on the table, never in the back pocket because this is known to be extremely disrespectful.When doing business in China, punctuality is important. As far as business attire, men should wear Conservative with subtle colors. Women should avoid high heels and short sleeved blouses. The Chinese frown on women who debunk too much. Subtle, neutral colors should be worn by both men and women. There are many dos and do nots when doing business in China. One must always maintain eye contact. If this is not done one will be considered untrustworthy. The Chinese counterpart should always initiate the formal greeting. One should always address the counterpart by their title and last name. If they do not have a title use Mr. or Madam. One should never point when speaking as this is considered rude. When being offered food or a beverage, a lways wait until the host starts. Business should never be discussed when eating or drinking. It is also advised to not use large hand gesture since they are considered distracting to the listener.CONCLUSIONTo conclude, the BRIC countries have grown rapidly in the past decade with their success in industrialization and trading. Since there is such an rapid growth in business moving into these countries, if a business wants to be successful they need to know the specific practices and beliefs. Going into a country to do business without knowledge of the countrys culture and values will end up turning a business back to where they came from and end up being unsuccessful. Therefore, a business need to obtain background information and knowledge of the different business ethics for success.REFERENCEBrazil (2012, November 14). In Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved December 1, 2012, from https//www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.htmlBrazil Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette (n.d.). In Kwintessential Ltd.. Retrieved December 2, 2012, fromhttp//www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/brazil-country-profile.htmlChina (2012, November 21). In Central Intelligence Agency. 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