Article Global Business Review 18(4) 1–17 © 2017 IMI SAGE Publications sagepub.in/home.nav DOI: 10.1177/0972150917692402 http://gbr.sagepub.com Exploring Emerging Latin America: Implications for German Companies Using Spain as a Springboard Country Rohit Subhash Prabhudesai 1 Ch V V S N V Prasad 1 Boon Chuan Ang 2 Abstract This article seeks to determine the means by which European companies can make use of Latin European countries as a springboard to emerging markets in Latin America. For the sake of this study, Germany and Spain were used as the European and springboard countries, respectively. Cultural issues experienced by German companies in Asia have made it imperative for them to explore alternative emerging economies, such as Latin American countries. However, Latin America represents an equally risky opportunity through direct market entry owing to the cultural gap across the two regions. Given the interactions between members of the European Union and the cultural similarities between Spain and Latin America, the hypothesis of former being a cultural bridge was tested. The qualitative and quantitative cultural parameters across Germany, Spain and Latin America were compared and results showed that Spanish cultural experience can bridge the German–Latin American cultural gap. Keywords Spanish springboard, German–Latin American business, cultural gap, German business culture, Spanish business culture, European business culture, Latin American business culture Introduction Economic globalization has become a necessity as capitalism-driven economies are embracing foreign direct investment. Companies have transcended national borders, motivated by growing markets, low operating costs and the tendency to follow customers. However, these internationalizing companies need 1 Department of Economics, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani (Goa Campus), Bypass Road, Zuarinagar, Sancoale, Goa, India. 2 Permasteelisa Spa, Department of Human Resources, 61 Richards Avenue, Singapore. Corresponding author: Rohit Subhash Prabhudesai, Department of Economics, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani (Goa Campus), NH 17B Bypass Road, Zuarinagar, Sancoale, Goa 403 726, India. E-mail: p2013413@goa.bits-pilani.ac.in