Doing Business in 21st Century India
Encyclopedia
Doing Business in 21st Century India: How to Profit Today in Tomorrow's Most Exciting Market is a 2008 non-fiction
marketing
book written by Gunjan Bagla, an India
n-American author
and businessman
and the managing director of Amritt, Inc.. The book is a guide for North America
n and Europe
an firms on doing business in the rapidly developing India
n market. It was published in hardcover in July of 2008 by Business Plus, an imprint of Hachette Book Group USA
. The book was released in hardback in the United States in July 2008 and in paperback to the rest of the world in September 2008.
investor
s and entrepreneur
s. It contains overviews and analyses of Indian industries that are currently experiencing growth, as well as information about the financial situation in different regions in India and the various religious beliefs and customs. It also gives a brief summary of India's recent history
.
Audiobook and Kindle versions of the book have reportedly sold well; be aware that the audiobook is abridged from the original, while the Kindle book is identical to the printed volume.
The book cover illustration is a picture of a man with a laptop computer riding an elephant. Bagla narrates the story of the blind men and the elephant
in the introduction to the book as a way to describe India to Western businesspeople.
's top reviewers and Vine Voices
(reviewers who are given access to advance copies
of items such as books, movies, and electronics); top-ten reviewer Joanna Daneman described it as "a very readable, enjoyable book and one that anyone doing business in India ought to read as a starting point." A review of the book on the website ManageSmarter said it "opens the door for anyone seeking to expand or even begin business in India." Garima Sharma's review for the Hindustan Times
comments on the book's accessibility, noting that "the only bummer" is Bagla's "surprising neutrality" to 'Indianness'. Other reviewers based in India have similarly expressed views that Bagla should have praised the Indian systems and practices more vigorously.
The book was positively reviewed in the business publications
India Today
, Business Line
, and Businessworld
. Ron Somers
, the president of the U.S.-India Business Council, called the book "required reading for anyone who wants or has business in India." Jagdish Sheth
, the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing at the Goizueta Business School
of Emory University
, called it "an excellent practical guide," and R. Gopalakrishnan of the Tata Group
described it as "a refreshingly simple book on a very complex subject."
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
book written by Gunjan Bagla, an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n-American author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
and the managing director of Amritt, Inc.. The book is a guide for North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an firms on doing business in the rapidly developing India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n market. It was published in hardcover in July of 2008 by Business Plus, an imprint of Hachette Book Group USA
Hachette Book Group USA
Hachette Book Group is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company in France, and the second largest publisher in the world. Hachette Livre is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagardère Group. HBG was formed when Hachette Livre purchased the Time Warner Book Group from...
. The book was released in hardback in the United States in July 2008 and in paperback to the rest of the world in September 2008.
Overview
The book is mainly targeted towards WesternWestern world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
investor
Investor
An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...
s and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
s. It contains overviews and analyses of Indian industries that are currently experiencing growth, as well as information about the financial situation in different regions in India and the various religious beliefs and customs. It also gives a brief summary of India's recent history
History of the Republic of India
The history of the Republic of India began on 26 January 1950. The country became an independent dominion within the British Commonwealth 15 August 1947. George VI was King until the Republic was proclaimed in 1950. Concurrently the Muslim-majority northwest and east of British India was separated...
.
Audiobook and Kindle versions of the book have reportedly sold well; be aware that the audiobook is abridged from the original, while the Kindle book is identical to the printed volume.
The book cover illustration is a picture of a man with a laptop computer riding an elephant. Bagla narrates the story of the blind men and the elephant
Blind Men and an Elephant
The story of the blind men and an elephant originated in India from where it is widely diffused. It has been used to illustrate a range of truths and fallacies...
in the introduction to the book as a way to describe India to Western businesspeople.
Critical reception
The book was released to highly positive reviews. It currently holds five-star reviews from several of Amazon.comAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
's top reviewers and Vine Voices
Amazon Vine
Amazon Vine is an internal service of Amazon.com. It is a program that allows manufacturers and publishers to create "buzz" via reviews that are published on the Amazon.com site and elsewhere. Companies that use this service pay for access. The precise cost for companies to participate is unknown...
(reviewers who are given access to advance copies
Advance copy
As a marketing tool, publishers provide free copies of new titles to booksellers, journalists and even celebrities.Such books are variously referred to as readers editions, an advance copy, an advance reading copy, ARC or ARE...
of items such as books, movies, and electronics); top-ten reviewer Joanna Daneman described it as "a very readable, enjoyable book and one that anyone doing business in India ought to read as a starting point." A review of the book on the website ManageSmarter said it "opens the door for anyone seeking to expand or even begin business in India." Garima Sharma's review for the Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
comments on the book's accessibility, noting that "the only bummer" is Bagla's "surprising neutrality" to 'Indianness'. Other reviewers based in India have similarly expressed views that Bagla should have praised the Indian systems and practices more vigorously.
The book was positively reviewed in the business publications
Business journalism
Business journalism is the branch of journalism that tracks, records, analyzes and interprets the economic changes that take place in a society...
India Today
India Today
India Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...
, Business Line
Business line
Business Line or The Hindu Business Line is an Indian business newspaper published by Kasturi & Sons, the publishers of the newspaper The Hindu located in Chennai, India.-History:...
, and Businessworld
Businessworld
Businessworld is the largest selling Indian business magazine, and the only business weekly in the country. Published by Ananda Publishers, whose most prominent publication is The Telegraph, Businessworld offices are located in New Delhi....
. Ron Somers
Ron Somers
Ron Somers, an American businessman, is President of the U.S.-India Business Council. He played a lead role in coordinating the passage of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement and is widely regarded as a prominent figure in U.S.-India relations.-Education:...
, the president of the U.S.-India Business Council, called the book "required reading for anyone who wants or has business in India." Jagdish Sheth
Jagdish Sheth
Jagdish N. Sheth is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University. He is an internationally recognized business consultant whose client list includes AT&T, BellSouth, Ford, GE, Motorola, Square D, Whirlpool and Sprint...
, the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing at the Goizueta Business School
Goizueta Business School
Goizueta Business School is a private business school of Emory University located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It is named after Roberto Goizueta, a former president of The Coca-Cola Company.-Academics:...
of Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, called it "an excellent practical guide," and R. Gopalakrishnan of the Tata Group
Tata Group
Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,...
described it as "a refreshingly simple book on a very complex subject."