The Entry Process of Higher Education Institutions in Brazil: The Case of Laureate International Universities

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the entry process of higher education institutions in Brazil, in particular, the case of Laureate International Universities. To do so, Cultural, Administrative, Economic and Geographic distances – CAGE Framework – were used and which of these distances has more importance in this entry process. A single case study was carried on. Data were collected from interviews, newspapers, and documents. Content analysis was done by grouping convergent ideas on dendrograms (trees words) which were evaluated 17 key terms to elucidate this research. The survey showed that in the case of Laureate international universities the cultural, administrative, geographic and economic distances influenced the entry process partially. Regarding all distances, Cultural distance is the most important aspect of the language and religion which imposes very different norms and behavior for conducting business and personal relationship. A second distance that has an impact is Administrative, concerning with currency instability as inflation, and for Economic distance, infrastructure differences are the most important point.