06220391 - The dark side of Business

In the beginning of the 21st Century, India counts as one of the world’s fastest-growing large economies. Indeed, over the last ten years, India has emerged as the world’s n°1 destination for outsourcing of everything from low-end services such as call-centers to high-end work such as pharmaceutical development, data analytics, financial market research and legal services.

However, India still appears to be a land subject to a lot of clichés, contradictions or ignorance. Thus, we might recall that much of the world continues to think of India as an exotic land full of sacred cows, beggars, snake charmers and the Taj Mahal. Besides, the reality of a GDP growth rate averaging 8 percent over the last decade is often concealed by the image of poverty or non violence illustrated by the mahatma Gandhi.

As a matter of fact, India is a very complex land and some cultural keys are necessary to access its specific market. For instance, beside its specific geographical and linguistic context, the country has inherited from Hinduism an original social organisation which includes a hierarchy based on the much debated cast system. To what extant does this influence the way of doing business in India? How to bridge the gap between different cultures in a globalised world?

In order to better understand business in India, we begin the class begin the class with a presentation of the Indian context since Independence (evolution of the Indian democracy and of the economical choices) and then, we focus particularly on the religious and social specificities of the subcontinent. Lastly, we take case studies as well Indian companies in Europe and of European companies in India.

OUVRAGES DE REFERENCE :
• India since Independence. Edited by B. Chandra, M. Mukherjee and A. Mukherjee. Delhi, 2007, revised edition (first edition, 1999).
• India, the next global superpower? Edited by N. Bhandara. Delhi, 2007.
• Hasan, Z., Politics of Inclusion. Castes, minorities and Affirmative Action. Delhi, 2009.

Examen Terminal
Oral 3h

Contrôle continu
Interrogation écrite 2h
Notation pendant les enseignements