The Culture Of India Essay Research Paper — страница 3

largest exporter of tea, jute and computer programmes. She is the third largest manufacturer of motor scooters, the second largest exporter of booster rockets for the space industry, and the second largest center in Asia for low-tech subcontracting and the development of offshore software. On the Economic front, it adopted a Mixed Economic policy on the five-year plan basis. India chalked out a plan for her economic growth in a protective manner. She made major steps forward in improving agricultural output and her industries have expanded to the stage, where she is one among the world’s top 10 industrial powers. However, after 1990, India opened her door for liberalization and now the economic growth is approximately 6% per annum. When people travel to India to do business, it

is important for them to be aware of the unique characteristics of the nation s culture. Because India has long had ties to the West, there are many ways in which business relations between Indians and Westerners can be expected to go smoothly. However, Indians also have certain differences in their business style that are related to their cultural and religious beliefs. Belief in the importance of the soul s liberation, for example, causes many Indians to have a less materialistic orientation than their Western counterparts. Belief in karma has the effect of causing many Indians to have a heightened awareness of right and wrong. Regarding the way belief in reincarnation affects the Hindu perspective on time, Lewis (1996) warns the Western business traveler that Indians often

show little respect for punctuality (p. 80). The relatively low social status of Indian women has an impact on how women are viewed in the world of Indian business. According to Lewis (1996), business travelers should also understand that the Western value of individualism contrasts with Indian collectivism (p. 80). Despite the differences in business style between Westerners and Indians, however, Lewis points out that Indians can be shrewd negotiators when they want to be. In business dealings, Indians do not hold Westerners in awe, and they are quite capable of using acting skills in order to negotiate on behalf of themselves or their families (Lewis, 1996, p. 80). References Azad, N. (1996). Gender and equity: Experience of the Working Women s Forum, India. International

Social Science Journal 48, pp. 219-229. Lewis, R. D. (1996). India s hard bargain. Management Today (April), pp. 79-80. Madan, T. N. (1989). Caste and the ordering of Hindu society. The Cambridge encyclopedia of India. F. Robinson, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 364-366. Mehta, V. (1993). Portrait of India. New Haven: Yale University Press. Pandian, J. (1995). The making of India and Indian traditions. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. Potter, K. (1989). Hinduism. The Cambridge encyclopedia of India. F. Robinson, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 332-339. Seymour, S. C. (1999). Women, family, and child care in India: A world in transition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.