India's Global Powerhouses: How They Are Taking on the World

Marketing professor Kumar (of the London Business School) asserts that India, along with other economic hotspots like China and Dubai, ""will be unrecognizable in a decade,"" having ""helped remake the global and political economic landscape."" With coauthors Mohapatra (a player in India's private sector) and Chandrasekhar (of D.C. think-tank Strategic Insights), he assembles in-depth case studies of India's multinational operators, covering the country's pre- and post-independence history, and how an overwhelming government bureaucracy became a business-friendly regime. A look at India's Tata Group, founded 1868, reveals its extraordinary evolution into a powerful modern business through select acquisitions in hotels, steel, tea and automobiles (like its 2008 acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover). Another captivating account tracks Essel Propack's small laminated tube company, which found global success as a supplier for Proctor & Gamble (illustrating the Hindu proverb, ""Help thy brother's boat across and, Lo! Thine own has reached the shore""). Challenges for Indian multinationals like Infosys and turbine manufacturer Suzlon include skyrocketing executive compensation and rental costs, a lack of globally-minded managers and a cultural difficulty with teamwork. As Kumar and company demonstrate, the future of business in India is worth understanding, and their detailed volume makes an excellent primer.