Global Studies Courses 2009-10

BUSI788G/BUSI798G
Competitive Advantage through an India strategy

Understanding India is important for success of global firms and leaders in at least three important ways.

First, India is the largest democracy and the second fastest growing large economy in the world with a GDP growth since 2003 averaging close to 8% a year. Some predict that India will be one of the three largest economies in the world in our lifetime, even ahead of US in some projections.

Second, India is an attractive source to serve global markets. It is already a major source of information technology, information technology enabled services (ITES) and business process outsourcing (BPO) services for the world, accounting for more than 60 percent of the global offshore IT industry and close to 50 percent of the global business process offshoring industry.

Finally, India is a big market too. A McKinsey study suggests that in next two decades, India’s middle class will constitute the fifth largest consumer market in the world, larger than the European Union. Besides, from a strategic perspective, customers in emerging markets provide opportunities for tapping the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) markets that can be challenging but rewarding in terms of revenue growth and innovation potential. Taken together, all these factors make it critically important for all managers to understand the opportunities that India presents and how to overcome some of the challenges associated with pursuing these opportunities.

The main objective of this course is to familiarize you to the Indian context and the opportunities offered by India. The course offers an opportunity for students to integrate what they experience in India with what they are learning in other courses to internalize the core themes of globalization, entrepreneurship and information technology in the contemporary economy. This course is meant for those who want to be successful leaders in the global economy in which emerging markets such as India have tremendous strategic importance. It should be especially attractive to students who have not had an opportunity to experience how business is conducted in India in recent times or who want to update their understanding of India.

Note:

• There is a $500 penalty if you drop the course after the end of the drop/add period, September 14th.
• In-country flights are expected to be about $300.
• Please do not purchase any airline tickets until enrollment for the class is confirmed, after September 15th.