Administration and Development: Relations Between International Corporations and Management Education in Sao Paulo, Brazil*

There are three arguments in favor of close collaboration between international corporations and Brazilian schools of management. First, much of the managerial technology being transmitted in schools of administration has been developed by these companies. If the schools are to remain relevant they must keep abreast of the continuing developments in managerial technique and practice. Second, Brazilian higher education has been in the classical tradition with little focus on the transmission of scientific knowledge and technical skills. Brazilian business schools are having a revolutionary impact on the educational system through their adoption of relatively pragmatic curricula, and close business-academic collaboration would help insure a continuing dynamism in approach. Third, it is among the graduates of schools of business that the international companies can find personnel to staff their rapidly expanding Brazilian operations. The purpose of this research has been to develop an appreciation of the extent to which international corporations—through the transmission of technology and administrative know-how—and Brazilian schools of management—through the training of managers and the adaptation of modern administrative methods to local situations—are mutually reinforcing in their contributions to development.© 1971 JIBS. Journal of International Business Studies (1971) 2, 47–58