Focus on India

By 2050, India will have surpassed China in population. Although there is discussion among the experts about the size of the middle class, no one disputes the fact that it is growing rapidly. New regulations allow retailers to set up shop in India without benefit of local partners and Wal-Mart, of course, is one of the first to step forward.

Finally, the business world seems to be recognizing that India will be the primary market competitor to China.

India Business: Finding Opportunities in this Big Emerging Market is a book that explores marketing and cultural issues in India. It includes case studies from several large American business-to-business firms that have been in this market for many years. Top executives from 3M, Caterpillar, and Hewlett-Packard discuss the cultural issues that have had an impact on their businesses in India.

The book, authored by two Indian marketing professors and an international business consultant, includes useful information about working with Indian employees and the differences in the business culture between India and the United States.

You will find information about India's major cities that goes beyond just population and economic data, a discussion of the middle class, strategies for doing business in India, standardization vs. localization in marketing efforts. There is also a discussion about the service and information technology markets.

You will find many books on India, but few of them focus on marketing and business issues in the cultural context. Many Indians may speak English, but the cultural issues are not to be ignored.

Finding Integrity in the Marketing World

The most looked-up word in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary in 2005 was integrity. It's about time. A couple of years ago we published a book called A Knight's Code of Business: How to Achieve Character and Competence in the Corporate World. The author, Gene Del Vecchio, used real stories from the marketing and advertising worlds to illustrate how things can go awry in those businesses when one's moral compass is a bit off center.

The book came out in the midst of a plethora of corporate scandals that were being reported daily in the business press. We were sure it was a keeper. Much to our surprise, it turned out that no one much cared. However, we found ourselves thinking about and applying its wisdom every time we were faced with some "gray" area in our own publishing arena and that told us that it was a useful book.

When you are faced with questions of integrity in your own business or when marketing or advertising products and services, A Knight's Code will help you see your way through the fog. Besides it is an entertaining and witty read with engaging illustrations. Right now it is on sale here. At this price, you might want to buy a couple copies and leave them around the office for people you know who could use a little integrity.

Beware the exploitation of religion

The growing influence of evangelicals seems to have sprouted a new product claim. Some marketers are designating their products as "Christian" or faith-friendly. I have no problem with companies that conduct their business relationships and treat their employees with deep-seated values of fairness and integrity––who ask themselves whether they are obeying the Ten Commandments in every decision that they make. But there are some marketers who are jumping on the opportunity to exploit religion in what seems to me a most unseemly way.

Just as there are huge discussions about what should or should not be allowed to be called "organic," perhaps we need similar discussions about what should be offered as "Christian." I don't know the answer, but I truly hope that marketers will back away from these claims, rather than embracing them. Fortunately, most consumers are not as naive as some people believe and adopting a "faith-friendly" stance that is simply a way to exploit customers' belief in God is more likely to send them scuttling in the opposite direction, rather than bringing them into the fold.