Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
ON
MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN INDIA
SUBMITTED TO
UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
FOR SEMESTER II
OF
MASTER OF COMMERCE (M.COM- 1)
(BANKING & FINANCE)
BY
(KHUNDONGBAM SURESH SINGH)
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I further state that this work is original and not submitted anywhere else for any
examination
Signature of Student
KH SURESH
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EVALUATION CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the undersigned have assessed and evaluated the project
on MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS
IN INDIA submitted by
Internal Examiner
External Examiner
Head Of The
department
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Class
Division
Roll
number
M.COM
Surname
PART - I
: KHUNDONGBAM
Subject: ECONOMICS
Topic for the Project: MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN INDIA
Marks Awarded
Signature
Documentation
Internal Examiner
(Out Of 10 Marks)
External Examiner
(Out Of 10 Marks)
Presentation
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(Out Of 10 Marks)
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents ................................................................................................ 1
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 7
1. Giant Size: ................................................................................................. 7
2. International Operation: .......................................................................... 7
3. Oligopolistic Structure: ............................................................................ 7
4. Spontaneous Evolution: ........................................................................... 8
5. Collective Transfer of Resources: ........................................................... 8
Benefits of MNC .................................................................................................. 9
Growth of MNC in India:................................................................................... 9
1. Expansion of market territories: - ....................................................... 11
2. Market superiorities: - .......................................................................... 11
3. Financial superiorities: - ........................................................................ 12
4. Technological superiorities: - ............................................................... 12
Role of MNC in India ....................................................................................... 13
Disadvantages of MNCs ................................................................................... 14
The growth of Indian MNCs help country in following ways: - ................. 15
Top MNCs of India ........................................................................................... 15
Introduction TATA ........................................................................................ 17
Indian Multinational resulting in the growth of foreign market: - ............. 23
Economic Reforms in India since 1991 ........................................................... 24
1. Devaluation: ................................................................................................ 25
2. Allowing Foreign Direct Investment ......................................................... 25
3. Financial Sector Reform ............................................................................ 27
4. Reforms in Industrial and Trade Policy ................................................... 28
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Privatization ............................................................................................. 35
11.
Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 38
Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 40
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Introduction
Multinational corporations are business entities that operate in more than one country. The
typical multinational corporation or MNC normally functions with a headquarters that is
based in one country, while other facilities are based in locations in other countries. In some
circles, a multinational corporation is referred to as multinational enterprise (MBE) or a
transnational corporation (TNC).
The exact model for an MNC may vary slightly. One common model is for
the multinational corporation is the positioning of the executive headquarters in one nation,
while production facilities are located in one or more other countries. This model often
allows the company to take advantage of benefits of incorporating in a given locality, while
also being able to produce goods and services in areas where the cost of production is lower.
The multinational corporations have certain characteristics which may be discussed below:
Giant Size:
The most important feature of these MNCs is their gigantic size. Their assets and sales run
into billions of dollars and they also make supernormal profits. According to one definition
an MNC is one with a sales turnover of f 100 million. The MNCs are also super powerful
organizations. In 1971 out of the top ninety producers of wealth, as many as 29 were MNCs,
and the rest, nations. Besides the operations, most of these multinationals are spread in a vast
number of countries. For instance, in 1973 out of a total of (, 000 firms identified nearly 45
per cent had affiliates in more than 20 countries.
International Operation:
A Fundamental feature of a multi-national corporation is that in such a corporation, control
resides in the hands of a single institution. But its interests and operations sprawl across
national boundaries. The Pepsi Cola Company of the U.S operates in 114 countries. An MNC
operates through a parent corporation in the home country. It may assume the form or a
subsidiary in the host country. If it is a branch, it acts for the parent corporation without any
local capital or management assistance. If it is a subsidiary, the majority control is still
exercised by the foreign parent company, although it is incorporated in the host country. The
foreign control may range any-where between the minimum of 51 per cent to the full, 100 per
cent. An MNC thus combines ownership with control. The branches and subsi-diaries of
MNCs operate under the unified control of the parent company.
Oligopolistic Structure:
Through the process of merger and takeover, etc., in course of time an MNC comes to
assume awesome power. This coupled with its giant size makes it oligopolistic in char-acter.
So it enjoys a huge amount of profit. This oligopolistic structure has been the cause of a
number of evils of the multinational corporations.
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Spontaneous Evolution:
One thing to be observed in the case of the MNCs is that they have usually grown in a
spontaneous and unconscious manner. Very often they developed through "Creeping
instrumentalism." Many firms become multinationals by accident. Sometimes a firm
established a subsidiary abroad due to wage differen-tials and better opportunity prevailing in
the host country.
Collective Transfer of Resources:
An MNC facilitates multilateral transfer of resources Usually this transfer takes place in the
form of a "package" which includes technical know-how, equipment's and machinery,
materials, finished products, managerial services, and soon, "MNCs are composed of a
complex of widely varied modern technology ranging from production and marketing to
management and financing. B.N. Ganguly has remarked in the case of an MNG "resources
are trans-ferred, but not traded in, according to the traditional norms and practices of
international trade."
Definition of MNC:
A multinational corporation (MNC) or multinational enterprise (MNE) is a corporation that is
registered in more than one country or that has operations in more than one country. It is a
large corporation which both produces and sells goods or services in various countries. It can
also be referred to as an international corporation. They play an important role
in globalization. The first multinational company was the British East India Company,
founded in 1600. The second multinational corporation was the Dutch East India Company,
founded March 20, 1602.
Horizontally integrated multinational corporations manage production establishments
located in different countries to produce similar products. (Example: McDonald's)
Vertically integrated multinational corporations manage production establishment in certain
country/countries to produce products that serve as input to its production establishments in
other country/countries. (Example: Adidas)
Diversified multinational corporations do not manage production establishments located in
different countries that are horizontally, vertically or straight (Example: Microsoft or Siemens
A.G.)
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Benefits of MNC
To Home Country:
1) Facilitate inflow of foreign exchange: - MNCs collect funds from the enterprises of other
countries in the form of fees, royalty, and service charges. This money is taken to the country
of their origin. MNCs make their home countries rich by facilitating inflow of foreign
exchange from other countries.
2) Promote global co-operations: - MNCs provide co-operation to poor or developing
countries to develop their industries. The countries of their origin participate in such
international co-operation, which is beneficial to all countries- rich and poor.
3) Ensure optimum utilization of resources: -MNCs ensure optimum utilization of natural
and other resources available in their home countries. This is possible due to their worldwide
business contacts.
4) Promote bilateral trade relations: -MNCs facilitate bilateral trade relations between their
home countries and the other countries with which they have business relations.
To Host Countries:
1) Raise the rate of investment: - MNCs raise the rate of investment in the host countries and
thereby bring rapid industrial growth accompanied by massive employment opportunities in
different sectors of the economy.
2) Facilitate transfer of technology: -Multinationals act as agents for the transfer of
technology to developing countries and thereby help such countries to modernize their
industries. They remove technological gaps in developing countries by providing technomanagerial skills.
3) Accelerate industrial growth: - multinationals accelerate industrial growth in host countries
through collaborations, joint ventures and establishment of subsidiaries and branches. They
facilitate economic growth through financial, marketing and technological services. MNCs
are rightly called messengers of progress.
4) Promote export and reduce imports: - MNCs help the host countries to reduce the imports
and promote the exports by raising domestic production. Marketing facilities at global level
are provided by MNCs due to their global business contacts.
5) Provide services to professionals: - MNCs provide the services of the skilled professional
managers for managing the activities of the enterprises in which they are involved/interested.
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c) MNCs encounter relatively less problems and difficulties in marketing the products,
d) MNCs adopt more effective advertising and sales promotion techniques, and
e) MNCs enjoy faster transportation and adequate warehousing facilities
3) Financial superiorities: MNCs also enjoy a number of financial advantages over domestic firms. These are: a) Availability of huge financial resources with the MNCs helps them to transform business
environment and circumstances in their favor.
b) MNCs can use the funds more effectively and economically on account of their activities
in numerous countries.
c) MNCs have easy access to international capital markets, and
d) MNCs have easy assessed to international banks and financial institutions.
4) Technological superiorities: MNCs are technologically prosperous on account of high and sustained spend on R&D.
developing countries on account of their technological backwardness welcome MNCs to their
countries because of the attendant benefits of technology transfer.
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FDI attractiveness
Labor competitiveness
Macro-economic stability
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There are certain advantages that the underdeveloped countries like and the developing
countries like India derive from the foreign MNCs that establishes. They are as under:
Disadvantages of MNCs
Roses do not come without thrones. Disadvantages of having MNCs in a developing country
like India are as under
Competition to SMSI
Economical distress
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The growth of Indian MNCs help country in following ways: 1) MNCs help to increases the investment level & thereby the income & employment
in host country.
2) The transnational corporations have become vehicles for the transfer technology,
especially to developing countries.
3) They also kind a managerial revolution in host countries through professional
management and employment of highly sophisticated management techniques.
4) The MNCs enable that host countries to increases their exports & decreases their
import requirements.
5) They work to equalize cost of factors of production around the world.
6) MNCs provide and efficient means of integrating national economies.
7) The enormous resources of multinational enterprises enable them to have very
efficient research & development systems. Thus, they make a commendable
contribution to inventions & innovations.
8) MNCs also stimulate domestic enterprise because to support their own operations,
the MNCs may encourage & assist domestic suppliers.
9) MNCs help to increase competition & break domestic monopolies.
Top MNCs of India
The country has got many M. N. C.s operating here. Following are names of some of the
most famous multinational companies, who have their headquarters of operational branches
based in the nation:
IBM: IBM India Private Limited, a part of IBM has been operating from this country since
the year 1992. This global company is known for invention and integration of software,
hardware as well as services, which assist forward thinking institutions, enterprises and
people, who build a smart planet. The net income of this company post completion of the
financial year end of 2010 was $14.8 billion with a net profit margin of 14.9 %. With
innovative technology and solutions, this company is making a constant progress in India.
Present in more than 200 cities, this company is making constant progress in global markets
to maintain its leading position.
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Introduction TATA
Resting on the laurels of being India's top automotive manufacturer is not an option or
for Tata Motors, which is looking to increase its footprint in international markets
Recent years have seen a number of foreign automobile enterprises coming to India,
attracted by a growing economy and an expanding market. The reverse Indian auto
companies seeking new frontiers abroad is a trickle, but Tata Motors is working hard to
change the equation.
Tata Motors has come a long way since the 1950s and 1960s, when it needed technical
assistance from Daimler Benz and had just commercial vehicles to power sales. Today, the
company is the country's largest automobile manufacturer and has a passenger vehicle
business that has broken new ground in exemplary fashion. But domestic patronage, hefty
as it may be, is ultimately limiting, particularly with increasing competition. That is why
the exploration of foreign markets is an imperative for ambitious automobile companies
such as Tata Motors.
Besides competition, the automotive business, particularly the commercial vehicle market,
is characterised by its considerably strong link to national economies. Companies looking
to do more than just stay afloat cannot afford to keep their business connected solely to the
fortunes of one country.
Another reason that Tata Motors is looking outwards is cost advantage. Until now Indian
companies, manufacturers in particular, have been protected by high duty structures and a
generally depreciating rupee. But sometime in the near future, if import restrictions are
relaxed or the rupee begins to gain ground, India may not continue to have the low-cost
manufacturing advantage it has enjoyed thus far. In that scenario, a presence in countries
that offer greater cost advantages for manufacturing will pay off.
A third argument for overseas expansion is the fact that the automotive business relies so
much on economies of scale, which translate into price benefits. Tagging along is the
competitiveness factor, where quality and efficiency are directly improved (or should be)
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An independent international effort will call for the company to dig deep into its pockets.
"The automobile business is a resource-intensive one," explains Mr Kadle. "There needs to
be consistent profitability and a proven track record. Businesses have to contribute, on an
ongoing basis, a significant amount of cash for their survival and future growth. You need
this winning combination: a track record of profitability, cost competitiveness, global
sourcing for components/aggregates, effective capital-base management, and the ability to
raise resources from international capital markets at the right time."
Expanding on the company's globalisation plans, Mr Kadle explains, "Tata Motors does
not plan to be all over the world. Supply will follow demand and the company will need to
address the markets for different vehicles as stand-alone projects. For example, the
compact-sized Indica will be marketed in countries where the company perceives a
substantial market for it, like it did in Europe. The same goes for our commercial vehicles
business."
He adds that China is a distinct possibility for expansion, an opinion that is justified by just
a glance at the dragon's consumption patterns. Right from commodities to automobiles,
annual demands are phenomenal. "China is a big market and, I think, if you want to be a
successful auto company then you may have to have some presence there. But, at the same
time, one must keep in mind that no major auto company, except maybe Volkswagen, has
made serious money in China. One has to be very careful in one's approach to the Chinese
market."
Tata Motors' immediate goal is to achieve a 20 per cent contribution to its overall revenue
from its international businesses by 2006. This seems to be realistic enough following the
Daewoo acquisition, and its own products getting into more than 70 countries. Looking at
successful global auto majors, for whom anywhere from 30 to 50 per cent of their business
accrues from overseas sales, Tata Motors is still a long way off, but Mr Kadle believes that
with its aggressive growth strategy a contribution of around 35 per cent may be achievable
in five-six years. The trickle factor will by then begin to gather force.
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Illustration of Tata steels global strategy with the use of global strategy
framework:
1. Identify business unit: Amongst the various SBU of Tata groups, I have selected
Tata steel company (with special reference to their take over of Corus) as the SBU for
the study of global strategy framework.
2. Evaluate Industry potential for globalization: Market factors pushed for
globalization. The market needs for steel was homogeneous and they had global
customers. Because of homogeneity of needs, the brands and advertising were
transferable. Economic factors were also favourable for globalization. Because of
standardization of core products, the company was able to enjoy economies of scale in
manufacturing. Since the company is ninety nine years old, they also enjoy the benefit
of steep learning curve. Again, the raw material cost in U.K. is high. This can be
offset
by sourcing
from
India,
where
raw
materials
are
comparatively
cheaper.Environmental factors increased the potential for global strategy. Since Corus
had good sales network at various countries, the transportation costs of Tata steel will
be reduced. Again, government policies like easing foreign currency restrictions both
in UK and India were favourable for global strategy. Global moves of competitor i.e.
Mittal acquiring Arcelor also forced the Tata steel to go for global strategy.
3. Evaluate current extent of globalization: The current extent of globalization is
measured under 5 dimensions.
Market participation: Tata steel has sales in various countries like USA, Srilanka,
Nepal, Shanghai etc but it lacked global identity or image.
Product standardization: The basic product was standardized throughout the world.
At final stages the product was customized as per the requirements.
Activity concentration: Tata steels technological and integration, finance, strategy etc
were concentrated only in India whereas the manufacturing activities were dispersed
in India, USA, UK, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia etc. Trading was done in
Bangladesh, Srilanka, Nepal, South Africa, Hong Kong, etc.
Marketing uniformity: The market positioning and marketing mix strategy were
uniform throughout the world.
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4. Identify strategic need for change in the extent of globalization: From the previous
analysis, Tata steel concluded that its extent of globalization was significantly lower
than the industry potential and lower than its competitors global strategy. The Mittal
Arcelor is ranked number one in steel industry in the world whereas the Tata steel
ranked fifty sixth (before acquiring Corus). Furthermore, the industry potential for
Tata steel had a strong need to develop a more global strategy. The next issue was
whether Tata steel would be able to implement such a strategy.
5. Evaluate organisational / internal factors: To internal ability of Tata steel to
implement global strategy is tested under the following factors:
Structure: The head quarter of Tata steel was located in India. The five main
functions such as technological and integration, finance, strategy, corporate relation
and communication and global minerals were centralized. While the production,
selling and distribution was decentralized and the divisions heads were given
autonomy to take decisions.
Culture: Tata steel had a strong Indian national identity than a global identity. But
some SBU of Tata group like Tetley Tea, Taj group of Hotels had created global
identity.
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running a business successfully in India. Hence it had the ability to acquire big steel
company like Corus.
7. Diagnose scope and direction of required changes: The most important change, the
Tata steel has to do is to encourage the transfer of people between nations. According
to IISI data, the average hourly rate of pay in UK steel was 6 times that of Brazil and
10 times that of India. So by movement of people, the company can reduce the cost
and strengthen its competitive advantage of low cost leadership.
Tata groups in foreign countries should blend into the adopted corporate culture. For better
brand visibility, more Tata companies will have to go abroad and learn to flourish abroad.
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Indian Multinational resulting in the growth of foreign market: India Inc. is flying high. Not only over the Indian sky. Many Indian firms have slowly and
surely embarked on the global path and lead to the emergence of the Indian multinational
companies.
With each passing day, Indian businesses are acquiring companies abroad, becoming worldpopular suppliers and are recruiting staff cutting across nationalities. While an Asian Paint is
painting the world red, Tata is rolling out Indicas from Birmingham and Sundram Fasteners
nails home the fact that the Indian company is an entity to be reckoned with.
Tata Motors sells its passenger-car Indica in the UK through a marketing alliance with
Rover and has acquired a Daewoo Commercial Vehicles unit giving it access to
markets in Korea and China.
Ranbaxy is the ninth largest generics company in the world. An impressive 76 percent
of its revenues come from overseas.
Asian Paints is among the 10 largest decorative paints makers in the world and has
manufacturing facilities across 24 countries.
Small auto components company Bharat Forge is now the world's second largest
forgings maker. It became the world's second largest forgings manufacturer after
acquiring Carl Dan Peddinghaus a German forgings company last year. Its workforce
includes Japanese, German, American and Chinese people. It has 31 customers across
the world and only 31 percent of its turnover comes from India.
About 80 percent of revenues for Tata Consultancy Services come from outside India.
This month, it raised Rs 54.2 billion ($1.17 billion) in Asia's second-biggest tech IPO
this year and India's largest IPO ever.
Infosys has 25,634 employees including 600 from 33 nationalities other than Indian. It has 30
marketing offices across the world and 26
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1. Devaluation:
In 1991, India still had a fixed exchange rate system, where the rupee was pegged to the
value of a basket of currencies of major trading partners. India started having balance of
payments problems since 1985, and by the end of 1990, it found itself in serious economic
trouble. The government was close to default and its foreign exchange reserves had dried up
to the point that India could barely finance three weeks worth of imports. As in 1966, India
faced high inflation and large government budget deficits. This led the government to devalue
the rupee. At the end of 1999, the Indian Rupee was devalued considerably.
Therefore the first steps towards globalization were taken with the announcement of the
devaluation of Indian currency by 18-19 percent against major currencies in the international
foreign exchange market. In fact, this measure was taken in order to resolve the BOP crisis.
Dismantling of the Industrial Licensing Regime: at present, only six industries are
under compulsory licensing mainly on accounting of environmental safety and
strategic considerations. A significantly amended locational policy in tune with the
liberalized licensing policy is in place. No industrial approval is required from the
government for locations not falling within 25 kms of the periphery of cities having a
population of more than one million.
Trade policy reform has also made progress, though the pace has been slower than in
industrial liberalization. Before the reforms, trade policy was characterized by high tariffs and
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The list of industries reserved solely for the public sector -- which used to cover 18
industries, including iron and steel, heavy plant and machinery, telecommunications and
telecom equipment, minerals, oil, mining, air transport services and electricity generation and
distribution -- has been drastically reduced to three: defense aircrafts and warships, atomic
energy generation, and railway transport. Industrial licensing by the central government has
been almost abolished except for a few hazardous and environmentally sensitive industries.
The requirement that investments by large industrial houses needed a separate clearance
under the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act to discourage the concentration
of economic power was abolished and the act itself is to be replaced by a new competition
law which will attempt to regulate anticompetitive behavior in other ways for instance power
generation, transmission and distribution in Mumbai (Tata and reliance power) foreign direct
investment in India increased from US $ 129 million in 1991-92 to US$ 2,214 million in
April 2010. The cumulative amount of FDI equity inflows from August 1991 to April 2010
stood at US$ 134,642 million, according to the data released by the Department of Industrial
Policy and Promotion (DIPP). Today, India provides highest returns on FDI than any other
country in the world. Therefore, India is evolving as one of the 'most favored destination' for
FDI in Asia and the Pacific.
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The general policy and facilities for foreign direct investment as available to foreign
investors/ Companies are fully applicable to NRIs as well. In addition, Government has
extended some concessions especially for NRIs and overseas corporate bodies having more
than 60% stake by NRIs
In the banking, capital markets, and insurance sectors, including the deregulation of interest
rates, strong regulation and supervisory systems, and the introduction of foreign/private
sector competition.
3. Financial Sector Reform
Indias reform program included wide-ranging reforms in the banking system and the capital
Markets relatively early in the process with reforms in insurance introduced at a later stage.
Banking sector reforms included:
a. measures for liberalization, like dismantling the complex system of interest
rate controls, eliminating prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India for large
loans, and reducing the statutory requirements to invest in government
securities;
b. measures designed to increase financial soundness, like introducing capital
adequacy requirements and other prudential norms for banks and
strengthening banking supervision;
c. Measures for increasing competition like more liberal licensing of private
banks and freer expansion by foreign banks. These steps have produced some
positive outcomes. There has been a sharp reduction in the share of nonperforming assets in the portfolio and more than 90 percent of the banks now
meet the new capital adequacy standards. However, these figures may
overstate the improvement because domestic standards for classifying assets
as non-performing are less stringent than international standards. Indias
banking reforms differ from those in other developing countries in one
important respect and that is the policy towards public sector banks which
dominate the banking system. The government has announced its intention to
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reduce its equity share to 33-1/3 percent, but this is to be done while retaining
government control. Improvements in the efficiency of the banking system
will therefore depend on the ability to increase the efficiency of public sector
banks.
The above factors are some of the important factors which have robust the growth of Indian
mncs
India was a latecomer to economic reforms, embarking on the process in earnest only in
1991, in the wake of an exceptionally severe balance of payments crisis. The need for a
policy shift had become evident much earlier, as many countries in East Asia achieved high
growth and poverty reduction through policies which emphasized greater export orientation
and encouragement of the private sector. India took some steps in this direction in the 1980s,
but it was not until 1991 that the government signaled a systemic shift to a more open
economy with greater reliance upon market forces, a larger role for the private sector
including foreign investment, and a restructuring of the role of government.
Indias economic performance in the post-reforms period has many positive features. The
average growth rate in the ten year period from 1992-93 to 2001-02 was around 6.0 percent,
as shown in Table 1, which puts India among the fastest growing developing countries in the
1990s. This growth record is only slightly better than the annual average of 5.7 percent in the
1980s, but it can be argued that the 1980s growth was unsustainable, fuelled by a buildup of
external debt which culminated in the crisis of 1991. In sharp contrast, growth in the 1990s
was accompanied by remarkable external stability despite the East Asian crisis. Poverty also
declined significantly in the post-reform period, and at a faster rate than in the 1980s
according to some studies (as Ravalli on and Datt discuss in this issue).
4. Reforms in Industrial and Trade Policy
Reforms in industrial and trade policy were a central focus of much of Indias reform effort in
the early stages. Industrial policy prior to the reforms was characterized by multiple controls
over private investment which limited the areas in which private investors were allowed to
operate, and often also determined the scale of operations, the location of new investment,
and even the technology to be used. The industrial structure that evolved under this regime
was highly inefficient and needed to be supported by a highly protective trade policy, often
providing tailor-made protection to each sector of industry. The costs imposed by these
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policies had been extensively studied (for example, Bhagwati and Desai, 1965; Bhagwati and
Srinivasan, 1971; Ahluwalia, 1985) and by 1991 a broad consensus had emerged on the need
for greater liberalization and openness. A great deal has been achieved at the end of ten years
of gradualist reforms.
Industrial Policy
Industrial policy has seen the greatest change, with most central government industrial
controls being dismantled. The list of industries reserved solely for the public sector -- which
used to cover 18 industries, including iron and steel, heavy plant and machinery,
telecommunications and telecom equipment, minerals, oil, mining, air transport services and
electricity generation and distribution -- has been drastically reduced to three: defense
aircrafts and warships, atomic energy generation, and railway transport. Industrial licensing
by the central government has been almost abolished except for a few hazardous and
environmentally sensitive industries. The requirement that investments by large industrial
houses needed a separate clearance under the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act
to discourage the concentration of economic power was abolished and the act itself is to be
replaced by a new competition law which will attempt to regulate anticompetitive behavior in
other ways.
5. Trade Policy
Trade policy reform has also made progress, though the pace has been slower than in
industrial liberalization. Before the reforms, trade policy was characterized by high tariffs and
pervasive import restrictions. Imports of manufactured consumer goods were completely
banned. For capital goods, raw materials and intermediates, certain lists of goods were freely
importable, but for most items where domestic substitutes were being produced, imports were
only possible with import licenses. The criteria for issue of licenses were nontransparent;
delays were endemic and corruption unavoidable. The economic reforms sought to phase out
import licensing and also to reduce import duties.
Import licensing was abolished relatively early for capital goods and intermediates which
became freely importable in 1993, simultaneously with the switch to a flexible exchange rate
regime. Import licensing had been traditionally defended on the grounds that it was necessary
to manage the balance of payments, but the shift to a flexible exchange rate enabled the
government to argue that any balance of payments impact would be effectively dealt with
through exchange rate flexibility. Removing quantitative restrictions on imports of capital
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goods and intermediates was relatively easy, because the number of domestic producers was
small and Indian industry welcomed the move as making it more competitive. It was much
more difficult in the case of final consumer goods because the number of domestic producers
affected was very large (partly because much of the consumer goods industry had been
reserved for small scale production). Quantitative restrictions on imports of manufactured
consumer goods and agricultural products were finally removed on April 1, 2001, almost
exactly ten years after the reforms began, and that in part because of a ruling by a World
Trade Organization dispute panel on a complaint brought by the United States.
6. Foreign Direct Investment
Liberalizing foreign direct investment was another important part of Indias reforms, driven
by the belief that this would increase the total volume of investment in the economy, improve
production technology, and increase access to world markets. The policy now allows 100
percent foreign ownership in a large number of industries and majority ownership in all
except banks, insurance companies, telecommunications and airlines. Procedures for
obtaining permission were greatly simplified by listing industries that are eligible for
automatic approval up to specified levels of foreign equity (100 percent, 74 percent and 51
percent). Potential foreign investors investing within these limits only need to register with
the Reserve Bank of India. For investments in other industries, or for a higher share of equity
than is automatically permitted in listed industries, applications are considered by a Foreign
Investment Promotion Board that has established a track record of speedy decisions. In
1993, foreign institutional investors were allowed to purchase shares of listed Indian
companies in the stock market, opening a window for portfolio investment in existing
companies.
These reforms have created a very different competitive environment for Indias industry
than existed in 1991, which has led to significant changes. Indian companies have upgraded
their technology and expanded to more efficient scales of production. They have also
restructured through mergers and acquisitions and refocused their activities to concentrate on
areas of competence. New dynamic firms have displaced older and less dynamic ones: of the
top 100 companies ranked by market capitalization in 1991, about half are no longer in this
group. Foreign investment inflows increased from virtually nothing in 1991 to about 0.5
percent of GDP. Although this figure remains much below the levels of foreign direct
investment in many emerging market countries (not to mention 4 percent of GDP in China),
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the change from the pre-reform situation is impressive. The presence of foreign-owned firms
and their products in the domestic market is evident and has added greatly to the pressure to
improve quality.
These policy changes were expected to generate faster industrial growth and greater
penetration of world markets in industrial products, but performance in this respect has been
disappointing. As shown in Table 1, industrial growth increased sharply in the first five years
after the reforms, but then slowed to an annual rate of 4.5 percent in the next five years.
Export performance has improved, but modestly. The share of exports of goods in GDP
increased from 5.7 percent in 1990-91 to 9.7 percent, but this reflects in part exchange rate
depreciation. Indias share in world exports, which had declined steadily since 1960,
increased slightly from around 0.5 percent in 1990-91 to 0.6 percent in 1999-2000, but much
of the increase in world market share is due to agricultural exports. Indias manufactured
exports had a 0.5 percent share in world markets for those items in 1990 and this rose to only
0.55 percent by 1999. Unlike the case in China and Southeast Asia, foreign direct investment
in India did not play an important role in export penetration and was instead oriented mainly
towards the domestic market.
One reason why export performance has been modest is the slow progress in lowering import
duties that make India a high cost producer and therefore less attractive as a base for export
production. Exporters have long been able to import inputs needed for exports at zero duty,
but the complex procedure for obtaining the necessary duty-free import licenses typically
involves high transactions cost and delays. High levels of protection compared with other
countries also explains why foreign direct investment in India has been much more oriented
to the protected domestic market, rather than using India as a base for exports. However, high
tariffs are only part of the explanation for poor export performance. The reservation of many
potentially exportable items for production in the small scale sector (which has only recently
been relaxed) was also a relevant factor. The poor quality of Indias infrastructure compared
with infrastructure in east and Southeast Asia, which is discussed later in this paper, is yet
another.
Inflexibility of the labor market is a major factor reducing Indias competitiveness in exports
and also reducing industrial productivity generally (Planning Commission, 2001). Any firm
wishing to close down a plant, or to retrench labor in any unit employing more than 100
workers, can only do so with the permission of the state government, and this permission is
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rarely granted. These provisions discourage employment and are especially onerous for laborintensive sectors. The increased competition in the goods market has made labor more willing
to take reasonable positions, because lack of flexibility only leads to firms losing market
share. However, the legal provisions clearly remain much more onerous than in other
countries. This is important area of reform that has yet to be addressed. The lack of any
system of unemployment insurance makes it difficult to push for major changes in labor
flexibility unless a suitable contributory system that is financially viable can be put in place.
The government has recently announced its intention to amend the law and raise the level of
employment above which firms have to seek permission for retrenchment from 100 workers
at present to 1000 while simultaneously increasing the scale of retrenchment compensation.
However, the amendment has yet to be enacted.
These gaps in the reforms provide a possible explanation for the slowdown in industrial
growth in the second half of the 1990s. It can be argued that the initial relaxation of controls
led to an investment boom, but this could have been sustained only if industrial investment
had been oriented to tapping export markets, as was the case in East Asia. As it happened,
Indias industrial and trade reforms were not strong enough, nor adequately supported by
infrastructure and labor market reforms to generate such a thrust. The one area which has
shown robust growth through the 1990s with a strong export orientation is software
development and various new types of services enabled by information technology like
medical transcription, backup accounting, and customer related services. Export earnings in
this area have grown from $100 million in 1990-91 to over $6 billion in 2000-01 and are
expected to continue to grow at 20 to 30 percent per year. Indias success in this area is one
of the most visible achievements of trade policy reforms which allow access to imports and
technology at exceptionally low rates of duty, and also of the fact that exports in this area
depend primarily on telecommunications infrastructure, which has improved considerably in
the post-reforms period.
7. Infrastructure Development
Rapid growth in a globalized environment requires a well-functioning infrastructure
including especially electric power, road and rail connectivity, telecommunications, air
transport, and efficient ports. India lags behind east and Southeast Asia in these areas. These
services were traditionally provided by public sector monopolies but since the investment
needed to expand capacity and improve quality could not be mobilized by the public sector,
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these sectors were opened to private investment, including foreign investment. However, the
difficulty in creating an environment which would make it possible for private investors to
enter on terms that would appear reasonable to consumers, while providing an adequate riskreturn profile to investors, was greatly underestimated. Many false starts and disappointments
have resulted.
The greatest disappointment has been in the electric power sector, which was the first area
opened for private investment. Private investors were expected to produce electricity for sale
to the State Electricity Boards, which would control of transmission and distribution.
However, the State Electricity Boards were financially very weak, partly because electricity
tariffs for many categories of consumers were too low and also because very large amounts
of power were lost in transmission and distribution. This loss, which should be between 10 to
15 percent on technical grounds (depending on the extent of the rural network), varies from
35 to 50 percent. The difference reflects theft of electricity, usually with the connivance of
the distribution staff. Private investors, fearing nonpayment by the State Electricity Boards
insisted on arrangements which guaranteed purchase of electricity by state governments
backed by additional guarantees from the central government. These arrangements attracted
criticism because of controversies about the reasonableness of the tariffs demanded by private
sector power producers. Although a large number of proposals for private sector projects
amounting to about 80 percent of existing generation capacity were initiated, very few
reached financial closure and some of those which were implemented ran into trouble
subsequently.i
Civil aviation and ports are two other areas where reforms appear to be succeeding, though
much remains to be done. Two private sector domestic airlines, which began operations after
the reforms, now have more than half the market for domestic air travel. However, proposals
to attract private investment to upgrade the major airports at Mumbai and Delhi have yet to
make visible progress. In the case of ports, 17 private sector projects involving port handling
capacity of 60 million tons, about 20 percent of the total capacity at present, are being
implemented. Some of the new private sector port facilities have set high standards of
productivity.
Indias road network is extensive, but most of it is low quality and this is a major constraint
for interior locations. The major arterial routes have low capacity (commonly just two lanes
in most stretches) and also suffer from poor maintenance. However, some promising
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initiatives have been taken recently. In 1998, a tax was imposed on gasoline (later extended
to diesel), the proceeds of which are earmarked for the development of the national highways,
state roads and rural roads. This will help finance a major program of upgrading the national
highways connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta to four lanes or more, to be
completed by the end of 2003. It is also planned to levy modest tolls on these highways to
ensure a stream of revenue which could be used for maintenance. A few toll roads and
bridges in areas of high traffic density have been awarded to the private sector for
development.
The railways are a potentially important means of freight transportation but this area is
untouched by reforms as yet. The sector suffers from severe financial constraints, partly due
to a politically determined fare structure in which freight rates have been set excessively high
to subsidize passenger fares, and partly because government ownership has led to wasteful
operating practices. Excess staff is currently estimated at around 25 percent. Resources are
typically spread thinly to respond to political demands for new passenger trains at the cost of
investments that would strengthen the capacity of the railways as a freight carrier. The Expert
Group on Indian Railways (2002) recently submitted a comprehensive program of reform
converting the railways from a departmentally run government enterprise to a corporation,
with a regulatory authority fixing the fares in a rational manner. No decisions have been
announced as yet on these recommendations.
8. Financial Sector Reform
Indias reform program included wide-ranging reforms in the banking system and the capital
markets relatively early in the process with reforms in insurance introduced at a later stage.
Banking sector reforms included: (a) measures for liberalization, like dismantling the
complex system of interest rate controls, eliminating prior approval of the Reserve Bank of
India for large loans, and reducing the statutory requirements to invest in government
securities; (b) measures designed to increase financial soundness, like introducing capital
adequacy requirements and other prudential norms for banks and strengthening banking
supervision; (c) measures for increasing competition like more liberal licensing of private
banks and freer expansion by foreign banks. These steps have produced some positive
outcomes. There has been a sharp reduction in the share of non-performing assets in the
portfolio and more than 90 percent of the banks now meet the new capital adequacy
standards. However, these figures may overstate the improvement because domestic
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standards for classifying assets as non-performing are less stringent than international
standards.
Indias banking reforms differ from those in other developing countries in one important
respect and that is the policy towards public sector banks which dominate the banking
system. The government has announced its intention to reduce its equity share to 33-1/3
percent, but this is to be done while retaining government control. Improvements in the
efficiency of the banking system will therefore depend on the ability to increase the
efficiency of public sector banks.
9. Privatization
The public sector accounts for about 35 percent of industrial value added in India, but
although privatization has been a prominent component of economic reforms in many
countries, India has been ambivalent on the subject until very recently. Initially, the
government adopted a limited approach of selling a minority stake in public sector enterprises
while retaining management control with the government, a policy described as
disinvestment to distinguish it from privatization. The principal motivation was to mobilize
revenue for the budget, though there was some expectation that private shareholders would
increase the commercial orientation of public sector enterprises. This policy had very limited
success. Disinvestment receipts were consistently below budget expectations and the average
realization in the first five years was less than 0.25 percent of GDP compared with an average
of 1.7 percent in seventeen countries reported in a recent study (see Davis et.al. 2000). There
was clearly limited appetite for purchasing shares in public sector companies in which
government remained in control of management.
In 1998, the government announced its willingness to reduce its shareholding to 26 percent
and to transfer management control to private stakeholders purchasing a substantial stake in
all central public sector enterprises except in strategic areas.ii The first such privatization
occurred in 1999, when 74 percent of the equity of Modern Foods India Ltd. (a public sector
bread-making company with 2000 employees), was sold with full management control to
Hindustan Lever, an Indian subsidiary of the Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever. This was
followed by several similar sales with transfer of management: BALCO, an aluminum
company; Hindustan Zinc; Computer Maintenance Corporation; Lagan Jute Machinery
Manufacturing Company; several hotels; VSNL, which was until recently the monopoly
service supplier for international telecommunications; IPCL, a major petrochemicals unit and
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Maruti Udyog, Indias largest automobile producer which was a joint venture with Suzuki
Corporation which has now acquired full managerial controls.
An important recent innovation, which may increase public acceptance of privatization, is the
decision to earmark the proceeds of privatization to finance additional expenditure on social
sector development and for retirement of public debt. Privatization is clearly not a permanent
source of revenue, but it can help fill critical gaps in the next five to ten years while longer
term solutions to the fiscal problem are attempted. Many states have also started privatizing
state level public sector enterprises. These are mostly loss making enterprises and are
unlikely to yield significant receipts but privatization will eliminate the recurring burden of
financing losses.
10. Social Sector Development in Health and Education
Indias social indicators at the start of the reforms in 1991 lagged behind the levels achieved
in Southeast Asia 20 years earlier, when those countries started to grow rapidly (Dreze and
Sen, 1995). For example, Indias adult literacy rate in 1991 was 52 percent, compared with
57 percent in Indonesia and 79 percent in Thailand in 1971. The gap in social development
needed to be closed, not only to improve the welfare of the poor and increase their income
earning capacity, but also to create the preconditions for rapid economic growth. While the
logic of economic reforms required a withdrawal of the state from areas in which the private
sector could do the job just as well, if not better, it also required an expansion of public sector
support for social sector development.
Much of the debate in this area has focused on what has happened to expenditure on social
sector development in the post-reform period. Dev and Moolji (2002) find that central
government expenditure on towards social services and rural development increased from 7.6
percent of total expenditure in 1990-91 to 10.2 percent in 2000-01, as shown in Table 4. As a
percentage of GDP, these expenditures show a dip in the first two years of the reforms, when
fiscal stabilization compulsions were dominant, but there is a modest increase thereafter.
However, expenditure trends in the states, which account for 80 percent of total expenditures
in this area, show a definite decline as a percentage of GDP in the post-reforms period.
Taking central and state expenditures together, social sector expenditure has remained more
or less constant as a percentage of GDP.
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Closing the social sector gaps between India and other countries in southeast Asia will
require additional expenditure, which in turn depends upon improvements in the fiscal
position of both the central and state governments. However, it is also important to improve
the efficiency of resource use in this area. Saxena (2001) has documented the many problems
with existing delivery systems of most social sector services, especially in rural areas. Some
of these problems are directly caused by lack of resources, as when the bulk of the budget is
absorbed in paying salaries, leaving little available for medicines in clinics or essential
teaching aids in schools. There are also governance problems such as nonattendance by
teachers in rural schools and poor quality of teaching.
Part of the solution lies in greater participation by the beneficiaries in supervising education
and health systems, which in turn requires decentralization to local levels and effective
peoples participation at these levels. Nongovernment organizations can play a critical role in
this process. Different state governments are experimenting with alternative modalities but a
great deal more needs to be done in this area.
While the challenges in this area are enormous, it is worth noting that social sector indicators
have continued to improve during the reforms. The literacy rate increased from 52 percent in
1991 to 65 percent in 2001, a faster increase in the 1990s than in the previous decade, and the
increase has been particularly high in the some of the low literacy states such as Bihar,
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, MNCs are beneficial to less developed countries. They improve the
foundations of a "backwards" economic environment through the diffusion of capital,
technology, skills, and exports. MNCs have a direct effect on the development of a more
citizen welfare conscious government. Accordingly, the number of jobs increases, consumer
spending increases, the tax base grows and health care is more widely accessible. They also
have an apparent lasting effect on the values and institutions of the host country. The values
of the country change to reflect a country committed to staying in pace with a rapidly
changing global environment; extending to political norms and nationalistic tendencies. Once
there is openness to capitalism, or a more developed capitalist society emerges then there will
be a more stable global society. However, in the end there really is no other more reliable
way to improve the social, economic, and political environment of a state than by allowing a
MNC to invest. The MNCs is fascinating and important for understanding economic
globalization. There has been substantial progress in the literature in the past couple of
decades.
As a consequence, the government policy was progressively tightened in the following
1) Some industries were not allowed to import technology at all, the underlying principles of
the policy being that
a) No inessential article should be produced with fresh imports of technology (this gave the
exiting domestic and foreign producers automatic protection against fresh imports of technology).
b) Where domestic capacity was adequate no technology should be imported;
2) Among industries where technology imports were allowed, the maximum rate of royalty
was laid down;
3) In some designed industries, foreign investment was allowed in principle, but sanction in
individual cases was a matter of administrative decision;
4) The normal permissible period of agreements was reduced from ten years to five, and
renewals were generally frowned upon;
5) Exports and other marketing restriction were generally not allowed, and often an
obligation to export a certain proportion of the output was insisted upon;
6) A clause was often inserted in the agreements granting permission to the importer to sublicense the technology;
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7) The CSIR was allowed to look at applications for approval of technology imports, and if it
expressed willingness to supply the technology, approval was withheld or at least delayed.
The most effective curb on the activities of foreign companies, especially MNCs, was
supposed to come with the passing of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) in 1973
to which we now turn.
Multinational companies are not disadvantage to our country. India needs MNCs to become
developed country. But employees of these companies should not take responsibility
for overloaded work just for high salary. So that, there can have fulfillment of passion and
also fulfillment of personal life.
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Bibliography
Books:
1. Introduction To International Economics Author: Dominick Salvatore
Publisher: John Wiley& Sons, 2011
2. Economics Of Global Trade And Finance, Johnson Mascarenhas
3. Mithani&Jhingan, International Economics, S.Chand& Co.
The Hindu
Economic Times
Business Line
Times Of India
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1. http://www.weikipedia.com/
2. http://www.tatamotors.com/
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8. http://business.mapsofindia.com/india-company/multinational.html
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