There is no shortage of evidence of cross cultural friction between businesses. In every, cross border alliance there seeds of potential cultural conflict and misunderstanding (Schneider, 2003). Over the last decades globalisation has led to diversification of workplaces within businesses. Today, international managers cooperate with business partners inheriting different national cultures. National culture can be defined as “historically evolved values, attitudes and meanings that are learned and shared by the members of a community and which influence their [...] way of life” (Tayeb, 2003, p.10).
Hence, the crux for every international manager is to understand the differences in the ways employees, suppliers and clients think, feel and act in different business settings (Hofstede, 1997, p.4). International managers, being capable of managing this challenge, possess a set of intercultural competencies, allowing them to turn cultural diversity into a competitive advantage (Browaeys and Price, 2008, p.215).

This information pack provides substantial information about Danish and Brazilian business practices. The subsequent analysis is based upon the theories of the Dutch anthropologists Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars. In particular, Hofstede’s “Uncertainty Avoidance” and Trompenaars’ “Ascription vs. Achievement” have been applied.
2. Theoretical Background
Hofstede and Trompenaar are proponents of the ‘etic’ approach. They hold that culture is linked to people’s values. Furthermore they argue that these values can be transferred into universal cultural characteristics. Underpinned by empirical and experimental evidence, both anthropologists developed their set of bi-polar dimensions. According to Browaeys and Price (2008, p.92) these dimensions serve to differentiate national cultures. Moreover they provide implications on the impact of culture in