November 1, 2012
Business International
Instructor Mr. Head
Business Opportunity
The world brings us with many countries, ethnicities, cultures and opportunities. The country that brings my attention is India. India is located in Southern Asia bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. I believe that India being one of the fastest developed countries can bring the opportunity to do a business of Trucking and rental of Construction Machinery. India is developing fast but its roads are not developed as fast as the economy. They are staying behind in the infrastructure area. India is a pretty big country that houses a population of 1,224,615,000 for 2010. The population growth rate is of 1.312%, population below poverty line is of 25%. It has 2,973,263 sq. km of land. In India there are different religions like Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and others. It is amazing how in India 23 official languages including English. You would be surprised that through out India you can find a lot of speaking English. But don’t be thinking that is going to be the same as in the United States because they learn it in India also for them they take some words different than us so you would have to be careful. According to the India’s constitution, India is a “sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic”. Like the United States, India has a federal form of government. Central government in India has greater power in relation to its states, and has adopted the a British-style parliamentary system similar to American System.“India’s size, population, and strategic location give it a prominent voice in international affairs, and its growing economic strength, military prowess, and scientific and technical capacity give it added weight” (globaledge.msu.edu). After achieving independence from Great Britain in 1947, India has had a rivalry with Pakistan based on the “two-nations theory”. Since the small war they two countries had in 1971 they have made a slow progress toward normalization of relations. India is a prosperous country. India’s estimated GDP was $1.843 trillion with 7.8% growth. India is moving forward and specially with the help of the economic reforms that began in 1991. They include increasingly liberal foreign investment and exchange regimes, industrial decontrol, reductions in tariffs and other trade barriers, opening and modernization of the financial sector, significant adjustments in government monetary and fiscal policies, and more safeguards for intellectual property rights. The United States is India’s largest investment partner, with a 13% share. India’s total inflow of U.S. direct investment was estimated at more than $16 billion through 2008. Foreign investment is particularly sought after in power generations, telecommunications, ports, roads, petroleum exploration/processing, and mining. The World Bank planned to double aid to India to almost $3 billion a year, focusing on infrastructure, education, health, and rural livelihoods. The Indian people are very friendly and they are used to being closed together. When you first visit India you might feel like they invade your personal space because they sit close together, stand close together in elevator. Avoid using handshakes and kissing the cheek in India. For them Indians appreciate punctuality but sometimes they can be quite casual at keeping their commitments. For them “time is viewed as cyclical and plentiful and punctuality is not held in the same high regard as in the west. Experts call this view “polychronic time” as opposed to the Western way where we are slaves” (Blaga). If you are going to visit India for business you must know someone in India. To be able to make an appointment you must do it in advanced a few months prior to your trip. They would most likely pay attention to your request if its made by someone from there. Also, they might even show up late and cancel it. They don’t much like the arrogant western