This month Pearson College London students have been given the opportunity to embrace culture, knowledge and gain networking skills by attending a two week Strategy and Marketing Program + Survival Portuguese in Brazil, São Paulo, with IBS (International Business School).
IBS opened its door to Pearson and other students with an opening ceremony and a welcome breakfast that included famous Brazilian snacks; Pão de queijo, coxinha, traditional Brazilian coffee, brigadeiro, paçoquita. (Sorry, there are no attached picture of it, but I can confirm it was delicious and that everyone should try them). Thank You IBS for the warm reception and the gift bags!
Our first week followed with lectures by Professor Carnier, that led the class on foreign trade within South America, taught us about Brazilian culture, as well the Brazilian consumer behaviour. We also had the opportunity to hear from Professor Ana Palazzo on Agribusiness in Developing Economies. We got to understand the challenges and competitive advantages of developing economies, and even attempt to create ideas to solve those challenges. At the end of the week, we had the fantastic opportunity to visit B3 which is the Brazilian stock exchange. IBS provided us with a tour of B3 and a lecture by Professor Fabio Iwabe that shared the history of B3 and his knowledge of the stock exchange market in Brazil. The programme also included Portuguese lessons, that were taught to Pearson students that did not know the language.
I have been having a great time in the programme, and it has only been the first week. We have been presented the final project task and the groups for the task by Professor Rubens Ortega. The final project must be completed for students to receive the certification of completion of the program. Each group has been assigned a Brazilian company, and must do a presentation with analysis, strategy, and implementation of future developments for the company. I’m quite excited and looking forward to completing my project and see all the other projects.
I leave you now with some pictures of São Paulo. IBS provided an optional visit for students, a brilliant tour of São Paulo. So here are some pictures:
I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about my experience in Brazil so far! Peace out!
Lisandra