Video briefing - Doing Business in Brazil & Mexico

Two 10-minute videos from the UKTI provide really useful insights into the opportunities for UK businesses looking to trade with Brazil and Mexico…

There are two videos in this interview series. They contain some superb research material for students preparing for the AQA BUSS4 Emerging Markets theme (Jan 2010), and are also of broad relevance to students looking at the issues involved in trading overseas.

PART ONE

PART TWO

The notes I jotted down during the two videos are here:

BRAZIL

- Not immune to the global economic downturn
- Brazil & Mexico were previously closely tied to the US`Dollar
- Positive expectations of GDP growth for 2009
- Affected by the global recession, but still showing growth

Infrastructure programmes:

- Important investment by the Brazilian govt
- An impediment to growth
- Particularly in transport - ports, roads, rail
- Mexico $50bn per year investment
- PPP model: public / private partnerships - an opportunity for UK firms (British expertise)
- Trade missions have been successful

A Good Place to do Business?

- Outdated impressions of the market?
- Potentially a hurdle - an invisible barrier to trade
- Heavy investment already in Brazil & Mexico by major global manufacturers

Business opportunities in Brazil

- Pursuing its vocation as the country that can “feed the world”
- Opportunity is to provide high value technologies
- Brazil is not a market for “me-too” products
- Attractive sectors: example is oil & gas (North Sea experience provides UK businesses with excellence in deep-sea drilling)