Discovering Brazil

The main political parties are the Brazilian Democratic Movement party, the Brazilian Social Democracy party, and the Workers party. The Brazilian Constitution is based on the U.S. Constitution; however, due to the legacy of French Positivism, legislation is often formed into constitutional amendments without regard to feasibility of carrying them out. Economy Few countries have undergone as fast an economic transformation as Brazil has in such a short time. Privatization of services and industries in areas like electricity, telephones, iron, and steel have led to significant economic and financial success. Today, many privatized companies invest heavily in their Brazilian subsidiaries. Plano Real Plano Real was a successful economic plan developed and implemented by the former Minister of Economy, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, in 1995. Aiming to reduce inflation that was at a rate of 1,175% per year in 1992, this plan initiated harsh adjustments such as increasing the interest rate, decreasing the internal demand, and currency devaluation to stimulate exports (as of 1999) to increase Brazilian trade commerce. Controlling inflation was an effective strategy initially, but economic recession began to emerge after a couple of years; consumption decreased, industries ceased to grow, and unemployment levels rose. Reducing the economic activity – the main basis of Plano Real – led to unemployment in industrial and agricultural sectors. The delay in implementing the agrarian reform has aggravated the field conflicts. While Brazil’s gross domestic product (GDP) increases slightly each year, it is the third- largest exporter of agricultural products worldwide. The greatest expansion of the agribusiness was in the mid-western region of Brazil, formerly considered non-viable because of poor soil. Today, many farmers use mechanical harvesters controlled by satellite. Production of all soy crops is done mechanically and one-third of sugar-cane production is mechanical as well.  Agriculture Products: Coffee, soybean, cotton, corn, rice, bean, manioc, cocoa, tobacco, orange juice, as well as the raising of cattle, poultry, and swine  Exports: Coffee, soybeans, footwear, motor vehicles, concentrated orange juice, beef, transportation equipment, and steel Business Hours Standard hours apply to most businesses but there is some flexibility. It’s important to become familiar with the hours of each individual business.  Regular Office Work Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 or 9 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m.  Street Shops: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some shops open at 8 a.m. and others stay open up to 7 p.m., or even later. Most street shops close at 1 a.m. on Saturday, and stores are normally closed on Sunday  Shopping Malls: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Some are open on Sunday only in the afternoon and close at 8 p.m.  Banks: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Discovering Brazil