P.O. box 690 6200 AR Maastricht
Tel	:	043 - 388 39 31
Fax	:	043 - 388 34 40
Email	:	info@researchproject.nl
Web	:	www.indiaseminar.nl

As an initiative of the University of Maastricht, the Research Project Maastricht (RPM) successfully conducted company specific research since 1989. Its goal is to perform investigations for companies with international aspirations in emerging economies. In previous years, students have conducted research in countries such as South Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Chili, China and Brazil.

In 2005 a multidisciplinary group of fourteen students in the final phase of their studies carried out company specific investigation in India. India is a country with many different faces. On the one hand it is a country, which honours its grounded traditions, and on the other hand it is rapidly advancing into the entrepreneurial e-age. After an era of extensive government control, the Indian economy has now successfully transformed into a liberal, market-driven economy with booming private enterprise. Agricultural, industrial and especially the service sector are expanding at great pace.

Moreover, in contrast to the economies in Europe and the United States, growth rates remain positive and are expected to average approximately 8%. Considering the size of the market - consisting of more than 1 billion people – these figures entail endless opportunities for investors. Infrastructural development has been a key focus in economic policy, not only spurring the modernization of airports and harbours, but also expanding the relatively well-developed network of communications and financial institutions. Since international trade and diplomatic relations have improved significantly, India is adopting an increasingly influential role in the global arena.

RPM conducted the research in two regions, namely Mumbai (Bombay) and Bangalore. With its sixteen million inhabitants, Mumbai is a vibrant, cosmopolitan metropolis and a melting pot of Indian cultures. It is not only the seat of the federal government but also the economic epicentre of India. Mumbai’s harbour is the largest of the subcontinent and forms the region’s core for trade, finance and industry. Because of its role as India’s economic powerhouse, Mumbai is a very attractive entry point for international companies, who are abundantly present in all sectors.

The city of Bangalore houses over six million inhabitants. As a thriving business centre, often called India’s Silicon Valley, it is the leading IT hotspot, housing software companies of world-class. Because of its highly skilled population, Bangalore is a popular destination for IT and R&D outsourcing and is expected to develop and produce even more intelligent products in the future. Perhaps less famous is the other role the city accomplishes; that of a worldwide trade centre, exporting products ranging from silk to granite. Being the fastest growing city in Asia, Bangalore has the foundation to be the industrial leader in India for the new millennium.

The result of their research was presented in Seminar on 27-09-2005.