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340 PART 5 • KEY STRATEGIC-MANAGEMENT TOPICS

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., India’s largest maker of jeeps and tractors. The factory began
operating in 2009.
Joint ventures remain mandatory for foreign companies doing business in India.
Verizon Business India, a joint venture between Verizon and Videocon Group of Mumbai,
is rapidly expanding its phone and Internet services in India to compete more fiercely with
AT&T and other telecom companies. Almost 20 million new cell phone customers are
added in India every quarter, about the same rate of increase as in China—compared with
only about 2.8 million new cell phone customers added in the United States quarterly.
India’s Reliance Communications Ltd. is in a battle with Britain’s Vodafone Group PLC
for control of India’s fourth-largest cellular service, Hutchison Essar. But Vodafone must
find a local partner because Indian law restricts foreign firms to 74 percent ownership of
any India-based firm.
Most joint ventures among firms in India and foreign firms fail. Of 25 major joint ven-
tures between foreign and Indian companies between 1993 and 2003, only three survive
today. The Indian government has eased the joint-venture restriction in the investment-
banking industry, but not in other areas. Even Wal-Mart has an Indian partner, Bharti
Enterprises Ltd. Heavy friction exists in virtually all joint-ventures in India. John Band,
president of Zoom Cortex in Mumbai, says, “Anyone that gets into a joint venture in India
should assume it will fail and should be comfortable with the terms of what happens when
it does fail.” 9
Due to tourism growing 12 percent annually, hotel chains are scrambling to get
established in India. Hilton Hotels just established a joint venture with New Delhi–based
DLF Ltd. to develop 75 hotels in India in 2007–2010. Marriott, Four Seasons, and
Carlson Companies are also establishing joint ventures in India and building hotels
rapidly.

Conclusion

The population of the world has almost reached 7 billion persons. For centuries before
Columbus reached America, and for centuries to come, businesses will search for new
opportunities beyond their national boundaries. There has never been a more international-
ized and economically competitive society than today’s model. Some U.S. industries, such
as automobiles, textiles, steel, and consumer electronics, are in complete disarray as a
result of the international challenge.
Success in business increasingly depends on offering products and services that are
competitive on a world basis, not just on a local basis. If the price and quality of a firm’s
products and services are not competitive with those available elsewhere in the world, the
firm may soon face extinction. Global markets have become a reality in all but the most
remote areas of the world. Certainly throughout the United States, even in small towns,
firms feel the pressure of world competitors.
This chapter has provided some basic global information that can be essential to con-
sider in developing a strategic plan for any organization. The advantages of engaging in
international business may well offset the drawbacks for most firms. It is important in
strategic planning to be effective, and the nature of global operations may be the key com-
ponent in a plan’s overall effectiveness.

Key Terms and Concepts

Feng Shui (p. 337) Multinational Corporations (p. 331)
Global Strategy (p. 334) Nemaswashio (p. 337)
Globalization (p. 334) Protectionism (p. 333)
Guanxi (p. 335) Recession (p. 335)
International Firms (p. 331) Wa (p. 335)
Inhwa (p. 335)