DOING BUSINESS IN INDIA

Doing business in India in the 21st century is on one hand not so much different than doing
business in any other emerging or industrialized country. On the other hand doing business in
India is a unique undertaking if one expect optimum outcome in a reasonable time.

Why this is the case?

India is a country with a distinct philosophy, ideology and ethos. India was under outside
threats from the 11th century when her trades and economy were at her peak- The best in the
world. People of India lived under outside rulers for 750 years until her independence in the
mid 20th century. Ironically all those influences did not affect much of her core ideology and
identity. One’s ideology and identity makes the character and personality of the country.
Though India externally seems to be reasonably comparable with the western world, India
remains an interesting and mystic society – understanding India require serious learning and
dedication.

In Max Muller words:

“If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its
choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found
solutions, I should point to India.”
-Max Mueller, German Scholar, 1823-1900

Successfully doing business in India requires an array of complex skills and sound
understanding of the nation and its people compared to the knowledge needed to do business in
most other emerging and western countries. Followings are a few key areas one might build
competence in:

(1) Origins of India: Historical and Contemporary India

(2) Culture of India: Society, Spirituality, Belief-systems, Rituals and Customs
(3) Economics, Business and Politics of India
(4) India as an Emerging Market: A two Market system
a. Commercial Center Markets (Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad,
Mumbai, and New Delhi)
b. Rural India- Market
(5) Work-force and human resource management in India
(6) Management Style
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 (7) Communication, Negotiation and Deal –sealing in India
(8) Education and Educational Institutions in India
(9) Living in India – the Infrastructure and Public Services

WHAT IS INDIA

India is not simply a geographic location. It is a concept that is continuously shedding, shaping
and reshaping like an epidermis-outer layer of an organism. India is alive with both
multiplicity and continuity. It is an unusual blend of cultures, religions, races and languages.
The nation's identity and social structure remain protected by a rich cultural heritage that dates
back at least 10,000 years, making India one of the oldest formal social-systems in the world.

Recent genome analysis: Indian is the mother of all Asians. The ancestors of
the contemporary population of China, Japan and other East Asian countries
migrated from India, according to a research study conducted by a team of
scientists from 10 Asian countries. India, China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand were all part of this
scientific study and analysis.

ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING MARKETS

The Indian market with its over 1.1 billion populations, presents attractive and diverse
opportunities for international companies that have appropriate and suitable products, services,
and commitment. India’s requirements for equipments and services for major sectors such as
energy, environmental, healthcare, education, research, high-tech, infrastructure,
transportation, and defense will exceed tens of billions of dollars as the Indian economy further
expands internally and globally. India’s middle class is estimated to be as large as the entire
population of the United States. India’s GDP grew at the rate of 8.7% in 2007-08, and it has
potential for a sustained growth of 7-10% for the next ten years.

India as an emerging Market

SOME FACTS AND FIGURES OF INDIA

Official Name: Republic of India

Independence: 15 August 1947 (from British)

Government type: Federal Republic

Capital: New Delhi, Financial Center: Mumbai
Legal system: Based on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative acts;
Currency: Indian Rupee (Rs)
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GDP: $1.16 trillion, Per Capita (PPP): $4,139 (2007-08)
Geography: India has vast open ocean-fronts (east, south and the west) and on the north it has
Himalayan mountain range.

• Location South Asia bordering the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of
Bengal to the east. India shares land boundaries with Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Burma, China, Nepal, and Pakistan
• Area 3,287,590 sq km

Population
Total - 1,129,866,154 (July 2007), Urban population (% of total) - 28.4

Age structure:
• 0-14 years: 34% (male 189,487,322; female 174,123,490)
• 15-59 years:56.9% (male 303,400,561; female 282,238,162)
• 60 years and over: 7.5% (male 37,768,327; female 38,853,994) (2001 census)

Population growth rate: 1.60% (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: Total population: 68.59 years (2007)
Male: 66 years (2007), Female: 71 years (2007 est.)

Literacy (2001census): Definition of Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 64.8%
Male: 75.3% Female: 53.7%

Religions
Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 2%, Buddhist 0.8%, Jain 0.4%, other 0.6%

Languages
India's 1.1-billion people speak more than 6,500 languages and dialects, according to the 2001
census. However, many of the spoken languages and dialects are in the verge of extinction due
to low population and none or little use for livelihood.

The major official language of the India is Hindi that is the primarily used by over 300,000,000
people. Other most common regional official languages are: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil,
Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, and Sindhi.

Though English has associate status, it is the most important language for academic, political,
and business communication. English has become a "lingua franca" and is the accepted
language for commerce and government works.

~~ Ryan Baidya, PhD, MBA

California Takshila University

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