Doing things the Latin way

The Latin way is a kind of road, explains Lincoln University agribusiness professor Keith Woodford, but a tortuously winding one, the Dom post reports. Professor Woodford, who has travelled widely through South America and studied its farming systems, sees many opportunities for NZ farmers in Uruguay, Chile and Brazil, but less in Argentina. However, he sounds a note of caution. "The jury's still out on whether going there will be worthwhile." One of the traps for the unwary was the Latin way. "It is not code for corruption, but is subtle and is only recognised when things go wrong." There was the social aspect. "South Americans like to spend more time than we would building a social relationship alongside their business transactions." Latin people tended to be less direct. They would sometimes, out of politeness, not express disagreement, but just not follow through on the action that Kiwis expected.