Agenda
• General information • Culture and customs• Do´s and dont´s• Travel tips• Doing business in India• Discussion
• 7th largest country in the world
• Capital : New Delhi
• Total landmass of 3,287,590 sq km
• Located in South Asia
• Neighbours: Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Burma,
Nepal and Bhutan
Geography
Multiplicity of climates and terrains- snow-peaked Himalayas in the north- desert in the west- thick rain forests in the north-east- flat green pastures in the Gangetic planes- plateaus in south and central India
Climate
Population and ethnic composition
• Populationmore than 1 billion
• Religionall major world religions and ethnic strains82% of Indians are Hindu 12% Muslims 3% Christians 2% Sikhs Other big religious groups Buddhists, Jains and Parsis
Institutional system
• Federal system with 28 states based on a linguageselection and 7 territories created for political orhistorical matters
• Its the largest democracy in the world inspired by the British model
Language
• 18 constitutionally recognized majorlanguages
• Around 1,600 other languages and dialects
• English is the co-official language
Economic situation
• Indian growth rate is about 5,7% for the past ten years and between 2003-2004 : 7,8%
• India suffers from infrastructural disabilities
• A rate of 9% of growth is necessary in order to reduce poverty
• India is the 127 place in the 175 country of IDH
Indian culture and customs
• Indian treat guests as they were gods, or from there own family
• Elders and the respect for elders is a major component in Indian culture. An individual takes blessings from his elders by touching their feet
• Helpful nature
Indian culture and customs (2)
• How to great each other in India
To greet a friend or another Indian, you join your hands (palms together), bow down in front of the other person, and say:
Namaste (feminin:Namaskar) or Pranam
Eating and hospitality
• When refreshments are offered, it is customary to refuse the first offer, but to accept the second or third
• Under no circumstances should you eat with your left
hand in India, the left hand is considred unclean
• Never offer any other person food from your plate in India, this is unacceptable
• Never thank your host after a meal
• Although Indians are vegetarians, most people eat lamb, chicken, and fish
The Cast system
• Definition
The hereditary, endogamous social classes or subclasses of traditional Hindu society, stratified according to Hindu ritual purity.
The Cast system (2)
• Four generic casts ( the Varna’s)
- Brahmanes (priests)
- Kshatriya (warrios)
- Vaishya (salesmen)
- Shudra (servants)
• Besides the Hindous who belong to a cast, there are people who are the ´untouchables´ or being ´off casts´
Do´s and dont´s
• Wear your clothes properly and respect local tradition
• Never enter a religious place with your shoes on
•Make sure you have all the permissions needed for taking photo’s
Do’s and dont’s (2)
• Never make eyecontact with a professional begger, or you will have a hard case to be left alone
• Try do bargain as much as possible, you will get ripped or any way
• Whistling in public is unacceptable
• Never point your feet at another person as feet are considered unclean
Transportation
• Transportation in India is a big hustle. Don’t ever expect the train being on time
• It is very busy during department time and many reports of
robbery during this hour
Travel tips in India
Travel tips in India (2)
• You are not allowed to bring local currency in or out of the country
• Change your money in large amounts and prepare your patience for a challenge
• Tipping is not a common habit execpt in really fancy places
• Baksheesh You pay to get things done
Doing business
• Deal-focused vs. relationship focused• Informal vs. formal cultures
• Rigid time vs. fluid time cultures• Expressive vs. reserved cultures
Relationship Focused
• Indirect approach of via a third party
• Relationship focused
• No contract but trust
• Indirect use of language, avoid saying no
Fluid time culture
• Punctuality
• Scheduling of an appointment
• Polychronic culture
Reserved Culture
• Distance
• Gestures
• Eye contact
• Attitude