E-Learning
Local Expert
Need advice or training
We will put you in touch with the leading Cultural Awareness Expert in PortugalBackground To Business in Portugal
Portugal
You really need to do some research and find out which type of business and people you are dealing with
Cultural Compatibility
How compatible are you?
Fill in this online test and we will generate your personalised report.
No other European country has undergone the same amount of dramatic changes which have been seen in Portugal since its 25th April Revolution. The 1974 revolution ended almost 50 years of dictatorship and heralded in the dawn of a new country, keen to shed its colonial past. The country has moved rapidly, from an almost third world status, to become a valued member of the modern European Union. (Although Portugal had a predominantly agricultural infrastructure in 1974, only 12% of the current Portuguese workforce are currently engaged in agricultural activities.)
However, despite the changes that have undoubtedly taken place in the country, Portugal still suffers from a number of inherent difficulties which many observers, both internal and external, see as real brakes on the further development of the economy. The biggest problem faced by the country seems to be the continuing (and seemingly unchanging) burden of a vast and largely inefficient public sector. This public sector issue is often charged with not only producing ongoing Budget difficulties bit also stifling private sector initiatives and vitality.
Private sector business is changing from a tradition of autocratic, family-run business conglomerates dominating the commercial landscape, to a much more varied landscape, where the influence of inward investment from major MNC’s is starting to have a pronounced effect.
The Portuguese business scene is, therefore, in a state of flux with new ideas and business models competing with more traditional approaches and ideas. You really need to do some research and find out which type of business and people you are dealing with — new breed or old breed.
However, despite the changes that have undoubtedly taken place in the country, Portugal still suffers from a number of inherent difficulties which many observers, both internal and external, see as real brakes on the further development of the economy. The biggest problem faced by the country seems to be the continuing (and seemingly unchanging) burden of a vast and largely inefficient public sector. This public sector issue is often charged with not only producing ongoing Budget difficulties bit also stifling private sector initiatives and vitality.
Private sector business is changing from a tradition of autocratic, family-run business conglomerates dominating the commercial landscape, to a much more varied landscape, where the influence of inward investment from major MNC’s is starting to have a pronounced effect.
The Portuguese business scene is, therefore, in a state of flux with new ideas and business models competing with more traditional approaches and ideas. You really need to do some research and find out which type of business and people you are dealing with — new breed or old breed.