Effective risk management (against calamities such as political unrest, violent crime, health problems, ransom kidnapping, automobile accidents, building fires, and the like) is correlated with intelligent decision-making. Sending off employees to a foreign country might expose them to the risk of contracting diseases they had never before imagined, or to completely different laws and traditions—or even to a place where bombings are an everyday occurrence. MNCs must first take steps to properly educate and prepare their employees for new foreign environments. MNCs’ duty of care over their employees might also extend to incidents that occur outside of working hours. For example, foreign journalists on a media trip to Rio de Janeiro were robbed at around 2:00 a.m. on their walk back to their hotel from dinner at an Ipanema restaurant (Rebello & Segalla, 2014). This tragedy may have been prevented if the victims had been provided pre-departure security awareness training—guidance that can be taught in a matter of hours.
This paper provides travel advice for those planning to visit Brazil. With a primary focus on business travelers and expatriates who will travel to Brazil during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, this document guides them through pre-travel preparation and possible travel emergencies they might face. It illustrates examples of challenging situations travelers might encounter during their trip, along with how to effectively manage them. This paper also covers some of the best of each of Brazil’s regions, with an emphasis on Brazil’s World Cup host cities. In summary, this paper provides information and advice that should result in a stress-free, safe and enjoyable stay in Brazil.
Co-Authored By Stephen Barth