Comparing Business Approaches for Marketing in the United States, China and Brazil: A Cultural Perspective

Abstract

Relations between the United States and the emerging giants of China and Brazil have become more intertwined in recent years due to rapidly changing global economic and political forces. Such a shifting landscape requires a greater level of understanding of each other's culture in order to successfully engage in trade and diplomacy. National culture determines our world view and to a great extent how we interact with others, how we view our place in the social order and how we do business. This paper was designed to analyze the cultural dimensions in each country using well-known frameworks from anthropology and social psychology. Considering the business environment in each country, the paper explored the three predominant business approaches, 'relationship marketing', guanxi and jeitinho that have evolved and how these approaches may conflict with one another in the international arena and ways to reach convergence in today's globalized business environment.