(a)Forces that exist in the business and cultural environment of the country: Economic, Socioeconomic, Political, Legal, Financial and Labor.

ECONOMIC FORCE:

Economic Indicators | 2013 | 2014 | GNI, PPP | 3,163,865,194,242 | 3,212,749,599,240 | GNI/per capita, PPP | 15,490 | 15,590 | GDP | 2,392,094,501,287 | 2,346,118,175,194 | GDP growth (%) | | 0.1 | Inflation, GDP deflation (%) | | 6.9 | Agriculture/ value added (% of GDP) | 5.6 | 5.6 | Industry/ value added (% of GDP) | 24.4 | 23.4 | Service/ value added (% of GDP) | 70.0 | 71.0 | Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) | 12.0 | 11.5 | Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) | 14.4 | 14.3 |

GDP Forecast

Inflation Forecast

Level of development: Developing
Top industry: Textile, Cement, Shoes, Chemicals

SOCIOECONOMIC FORCE: Socioeconomic indicators | 2013 | 2014 | Total population (million) | 204,259,377 | 206,077,898 | Population growth (%) | | 0.9 | Population density (people per square) | 24.4 | 24.7 | Fertility rate (children born per woman) | 1.8 | 1.79 | Life expectancy (years) | 73.9 | 73.28 |

Income level: upper-middle income
Below Poverty Lines: 8.5% of population
Population distribution:
The population is divided mainly in big cities like Sao Paulo ( 19.924 million); Rio de Janeiro (11.96 million); Belo Horizonte (5.487 million); Porto Alegre (3.933 million); Recife (3.733 million); Brasilia (3.813 million)
Sex ratio:
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years +: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female

Ethnic groups:

Group | Statistics (% of population) | White | 47.7% | Mulatto (mixed white and black) | 43.1% | Black | 7.6% | Asian | 1.1% | Indigenous | 0.4% |

Literacy rate (age 15 and over can read and write)-2015 (est)
Total population: 92.6%
Male: 92.2%
Female: 92.9%

POLITICAL FORCE

Brazil has a multiparty system with several political parties sharing the vote. With the return of democracy, in 1986, and the establishment of the 1988 Constitution, the multiparty political system was set back and several parties were founded.
Of its 32 officially registered parties, Brazil is actually governed by a group of five parties, that dominate the national political landscape:
1) PT- Partido dos Trabalhadores (Worker’s Party)
2) PSBD- Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (Brazilian Social Democracy Party)
3) PMDB- Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party)
4) DEM- Democratas (Democrats)
5) PP- Partido Progrssista (Progressive Party)
Despite having endured centuries of political unrest and discrimination, even slavery, Brazil now enjoys the political rule of a democratic government. This type of rulership means that those in power are elected by the residents of the country, who will vote in formal elections for one of a number of different parties. This gives each individual that is of a voting age an equal opportunity to affect his or her own country.
At present, voting is compulsory for all Brazilian residents that are literate and between the ages of 18 and 69 years. Anyone that is 16, 17 or over 69 years of age, or is illiterate can choose to vote, but is not under obligation to do so. Political Problems:
The levels of bureaucracy and lack of transparency of rules make Brazil a difficult country to do business. The complexity of tax rules is a real shock for investors, and compliance is difficult because there is a lot of over-complication and rules that are not common. The tax system is antiquated and has grown into a monster, with many layers of taxes.
One of the main problems for foreign investors in Brazil is corruption in Brazilian government ministries. For example, Brazilian foreign exchange rules freely allow dividends and capital to be repatriated to investors outside the country, but some restrictions are imposed by certain states, and this is not always well understood.
Despite little risk of political violence, there is concern among foreign companies with personal security and crime. Kidnap and ransom and high crime rates are problems in Brazil. Crime has been reduced in major cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, but it has spread to smaller cities, and crime rates have risen in the north and northeast parts of the country and midsize cities. Law enforcement on the road is poor, and it is easy for thieves to steal cargo, even on major highways
Brazil is a relatively open market for foreign companies, but there are restrictions. There also is potential for increased levels of government intervention in strategic sectors such as oil and gas, including increased taxes and harsher regulation.

LEGAL FORCE:
The Brazilian legal system is based on Civil Law tradition. The Federal Constitution, in force since October 5th, 1988, is the supreme rule of the country and is the characterized by its rigid written form. The Constitution organizes the country as a Federative Republic, formed by the indissoluble union of the states and municipalities and of the Federal District. The 27 federate states have powers to adopt their own Constitutions and laws; their autonomy, however, is limited by the principles established in the Federal Constitution.
The government of Brazil is divided into the 1) executive branch, 2) legislative branch and 3) judicial branch. There are 27 states and more than 5 500 individual municipalities, each of which is run by a mayor. | Main power | Election Process | Election Cycle | Executive Branch | The president leads the executive branch and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian armed forces. The vice president would replace the president and assumes the role of presidency while president is abroad. The cabinet administers assist the president in the exercise of the executive power by administrating a corresponding government ministry. | The president and vice president are elected by the citizens of Brazil by absolute majority vote through a two-round system. | 4 years | Legislative Branch | The federal senate is the upper house of bicameral congress. The chamber of deputies is the lower house. | The federal senate has 81 members who are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies. The chamber of deputies has 513 members who are elected through an open-list proportional representation system. | Federal Senate: 8 years; Chamber of Deputies: 4 years | Judicial Branch | The judiciary is separate from other government entities | Justices are appointer by the president and approved by the federal senate. | Mandatory retirement age of 70 |

TAX SYSTEM:
A total of 90 taxes, duties and contributions are currently charged in Brazil. Taxes in Brazil can be divided into various categories, based on different governmental sphere: * Federal taxes, regulated and collected by the Federal government * State taxes, regulated and collected by each state’s government * Municipality taxes, regulated and collected per each municipality’s government

Brazilian Taxes: Corporate Tax Rate | 34.00% | Personal Income Tax Rate | 27.50% | Sales Tax Rate | 19.00% | Social Security Rate | 39.80% | Social Security Rate For Companies | 28.80% | Social Security Rate For Employees | 11.00% |
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS Property rights When it comes to property rights, it is relatively safe for foreigners to buy land and property in Brazil. The U.S. Constitution is the foundation for the Brazilian constitution, and therefore similar laws are applied to guarantee property rights.
A benefit for both Brazilian and foreign investors is that the real estate registration is well-developed. A piece of real estate can be registered by one organization only, which facilitates business and prevents fraud. Property rights are the legal rights to use an economic property and to earn money and benefits from it. Intellectual property – intangible property
Counterfeiting and piracy is as extensive in Brazil that industries like software and music lose over half their sales because of it. Also Brazilians lose jobs, the government loses tax revenue and counterfeited products are neither safe nor trustworthy for consumers. Brazil is especially known for its counterfeit pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Counterfeited pharmaceuticals are now something common in the country. It is not unusual that counterfeited medications fail to contain everything the original ingredient does, resulting in pure danger for consumers.
Brazil has for long been criticized for its shortage of intellectual property rights protection. One of the reasons might be ineffective patent processing, since the average time spent on approving a patent is seven years. This is a huge disadvantage for anyone interested in launching a new product in Brazil. In addition to this is that if new products can be copied easily, foreign investors will be grudging investing in Brazil.

LABOR FORCE Brazil Labour | Last | Unit | Unemployment Rate | 7.90 | percent | Labor Force Participation Rate | 55.40 | percent | Labour Costs | 99.36 | Index Points | Wages | 2194.51 | BRL/Month | Minimum Wages | 788.00 | BRL/Month | Retirement Age Women | 60.00 | | Retirement Age Men | 65.00 | | Full-time Employment Rate | 55.11 | percent |

Employees’ Wages And Hours
The legislation sets basic labor guarantees that must be followed by any employer, regardless of industry and function. The salário mínimo is the most important one. Although it varies by region, the federal government currently sets the minimum salary at R$788.00 per month, currently.
A close second is the jornada (“workday”), defined as the time the employee is available to the employer, whether performing his function or not. The law provides that it cannot exceed 8 hours per day and 44 hours a week. In any case, employers are free to create a work schedule based on daily, weekly or monthly hours worked. Employees who work in excess of 220 hours in one month (44 hours a week for five weeks) will earn mandatory overtime wages.
Overtime is a major source of labor litigation in Brazil. The law provides that if overtime is earned during the regular workweek, the employee will earn time and a half for those hours. However, if overtime is earned on weekends and holidays, then the employee will earn two times the regularly earned wage. Those who do not earn an hourly wage or a salary, but who work solely on commission are entitled to overtime on top of those commissions earned while working hours in violation of the law.
There are ways to contract around the overtime provisions, but they are usually not given legal effect unless it resulted from a collective bargaining agreement or convention. However, a maximum of 10 hours a day and 44 hours of work per week cannot be surpassed.
In addition to the various adjustments to the hourly rates and salaries based on an employee’s workday hours, Brazilian legislation provides for a thirteenth salary (the décimo terceiro) at the end of each year for every employee and 30 days of vacation (when no more than five unjustified absences occurred).

FINANCIAL FORCE:
Foreign Exchange Rate:
1 Brazilian Real = 0.27 US Dollar
Interest Rate:

Balance of Payment:

Trade Indicators: Brazil Trade | Last | Unit | Balance of Trade | 1996.00 | USD Million | Exports | 16049.00 | USD Million | Imports | 14053.00 | USD Million | Current Account | -3075.70 | USD Million | External Debt | 343221.42 | USD Million | Capital Flows | -2596.90 | USD Million | Foreign Direct Investment | 6036.60 | USD Million | Remittances | 1909.90 | USD Million | Gold Reserves | 67.18 | Tonnes | Crude Oil Production | 2394.00 | BBL/D/1K |