Running Head: Cultural Analysis
Cultural Analysis
Introduction
Allstar Brands Inc. is a US-based consumer products company founded in 1924
that sells a variety of products such as prescription and non-prescription drugs, as well
as consumer products and competes with a multitude of smaller and larger firms
depending on the product market making it worth $8.9 billion dollars due to a large
offering of leading brands under various product categories. Allstar Brands Inc. has
recently organized itself into a global product management structure with three major
divisions: Ethical Drugs, Consumer Healthcare, and Consumer Products. Each division
has its own brand and category managers which is responsible for international
operations and has a certain amount of autonomy in the selection of products and
categories for international markets. (Lawrence Feick, Martin Roth, Stuart James (20002009) Country Manager: The International Marketing Simulation)
Allsmile, one of the company’s highest recognition brands in the United States is
a key asset of Allstar Brand Inc. It is the ideal brand to use to gain entry into the Latin
American markets with these countries being considered Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Besides the original Allsmile, there are also three line
extensions: Allsmile Whitening, Allsmile Tartar Control and Allsmile Kids. (Lawrence
Feick, Martin Roth, Stuart James (2000-2009) Country Manager: The International
Marketing Simulation)
Brazil is being researched as it offers one of the lowest costs (sale force
expenses, fixed costs, administrative and unit costs) amongst the countries to be
considered. It is ideal as it is a hub of Latin America and would allow for cheaper
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transport and distribution routes as it neighbors the other countries in contention. The
major selling point of Brazil is that it offers the most sales volume and growth making it
attractive for market entry. (Lawrence Feick, Martin Roth, Stuart James (2000-2009)
Country Manager: The International Marketing Simulation)
Geography of Brazil
(Map of Brazil (no date) Lonely Planet)
Brazil is the ideal country in which to enter as it is the largest country in Latin
America out of the countries that were considered among Argentina, Chile, Mexico,
Peru and Venezuela. As illustrated in the map above, Brazil borders the countries under
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consideration with the exception of Mexico allowing for relative ease in transporting
goods to other markets in an efficient manner. (Lonely Planet. (n.d.). Map of Brazil [Map])
Brazil has a total square area of 3, 287, 612 square miles of which 3, 266, 199 square
miles is land, due to this it is also the fifth largest country in the world. The coastline stretches
for 4, 655 miles, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are two of the largest cities in the world with rich
culture and heritage as well as an establish infrastructure and modern amenities. Its position
indicates that the weather can be categorized as being tropical and sub-tropical. The capital of
Brazil is Brasilia. The official language in Brazil is Portuguese. (Brazil Geography Introduction
(2011) www.brazil.org.za)
Social Institutions
Brazil has a structured social order that has been nurtured by its religious and family ties.
The Brazilian population is comprised of 199, 321, 413 million people and of which, 73.6% of
the population are Roman Catholic making it the dominant religion in Brazil. Brazilians
perceive themselves as very religious but only attend mass for special occasions e.g. Easter,
Christmas and then Lenten season. (CIA – The World Factbook Brazil (no date) Central
Intelligence Agency)
Families are large and typically grow even further with the inclusion of extended family.
Family unity is paramount as consistent activities and bonding are used to strengthen these ties
which combined with religion cultivates the culture of Brazil and shapes its beliefs, perception,
attitudes, etc. Children typically live at home until they are married.
To conduct business in Brazil, it is acceptable to kiss, bow or shake hands. Brazilians
perceive themselves as Americans not South American and as a low-context culture forceful or
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abrupt attitudes are offensive and punctuality is not an important aspect for them. (Brazil-Social
Institutions (no date) Tangient LLC)
Education
Brazil’s education system is divided into three different levels; fundamental, intermediate
and tertiary (undergraduate and graduate are included in the tertiary level). Pre-school can be
categorized under the fundamental level as it offers assistance to children under 7 years old.
Children are required to attend school for a minimum of eight (8) years. Education for children
between the ages of 7-14 years is compulsory at the fundamental level and is free. At the
intermediate and tertiary levels, education is free but not compulsory. This encourages citizens
to be well educated and learn skills to contribute to the workforce and encourage foreign
investment in a skilled workforce
Home schooling and private schools are also available in Brazil, however, with as
education is compulsory at 6 years old in order to be allowed to be home schooled, there must be
insufficient educational facilities and an application must be made by parents to the Ministry of
Education and Ministry of Justice which is a lengthy process. Private schools typically follow the
European model which focuses on the arts and humanities studies. Literacy rate throughout
Brazil is 88%. (The School System – Brazil (no date) AngloINFO Limited)
Political System
Brazil is a federal republic with 26 states and a federal district; as such it uses a multiparty democratic political system to elect its President for four year terms, he/she can be reelected for another four year term. Each of the 26 states has its own governor and legislature.
The political system is comprised of executive, legislative and judicial branches. (Doing
Business and Investing in Brazil (January, 2010) Price Waterhouse Cooper)
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Religion and Aesthetics
Brazil is known as the “Land of Contrasts” due to its size and diversity due to its division
into five regions: North, North East, Central-West, Southeast, and South. An economic
distinction is that citizens living in the North are poor and that region is underdeveloped in
contrast the South is more industrialized and wealthier. (Culture of Brazil (no date) Advameg
Inc)
73.6% of the population is Roman Catholic; however, there are unidentified citizens who
are Catholic by tradition not by faith. Other religions are Protestant (15.4%), Spiritualist (1.3%),
Bantu/Voodoo (0.3%), Other (Candoble, Umbanda, etc; 1.8%), Unspecified (0.2%) and no
religion practiced (7.4%) . (CIA – The World Factbook Brazil (no date) Central Intelligence
Agency)
Living Conditions
Housing in urban Brazil is similar to that of the United States, houses typically have two
stories. Even though there has been major development throughout Brazil, housing supply and
living conditions remain inadequate. In large cities, there are slums and in rural areas there isn’t
an infrastructure for amenities such as piped water and electricity. In the mid 90’s there were
nearly 35 million residences. (Brazil – Housing (no date) Encyclopedia of the Nations)
Language
Portuguese is the official and most spoken language in Brazil despite the misconception
that Spanish is spoken there. It was discovered in 1500 by Pedro Alvares Cabrai. Brazil gained
its independence from Portugal in 1822 and slavery was abolished in 1888. Spanish, English,
French, Creole along with various dialects are spoken in Brazil. (Most spoken languages in
Brazil (no date) UNESCO)
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References
Lawrence Feick, Martin Roth, Stuart James (2000-2009) Country Manager: The
International
Marketing
Simulation.
Charlottesville,
Virginia,
USA.
Interpretive
Simulations.Retrieved
from
http://schools.interpretive.com/v0912/redir.php?p=~s_sbj5uoUW55SV_DOZLsa$8jOeC
8TjOV_sbjwZe81$5u5WDV6eqj&doccat=manuals&limit=1
Lonely
Planet.
(n.d.).
Map
of
Brazil
[Map].
Retrieved
from
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/south-america/brazil/
Brazil
Geography
Introduction
(2011)
www.brazil.org.za.
Retrieved
from
http://www.brazil.org.za/brazil-geography-into.html#.UMvLpXfNmSo
CIA – The World Factbook Brazil (no date) Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html
Brazil-Social
Institutions
(no
date)
Tangient
LLC.
Retrieved
from
http://brazil123456.wikispaces.com/Social+Institutions
The
School
System
–
Brazil
(no
date)
AngloINFO
Limited.
Retrieved
from
http://brazil.angloinfo.com/family/schooling-education/school-system/
Doing Business and Investing in Brazil (January, 2010) Price Waterhouse Cooper. Retrieved
from http://www.pwc.com.br/pt/publicacoes/assets/doing-business-10.pdf
Culture of Brazil (no date) Advameg Inc. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/BoCo/Brazil.html
Brazil
–
Housing
(no
date)
Encyclopedia
of
the
Nations.
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Brazil-HOUSING.html
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Retrieved
from
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Most
spoken
languages
in
Brazil
(no
date)
UNESCO.
Retrieved
from
http://www.mongabay.com/indigenous_ethnicities/languages/countries/Brazil.html
Cateora, P. R., Gilly, M. C., & Graham, J. L. (2011). International Marketing (15th ed.).
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
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