When in India do as the...: An insight into an Italian automotive company's experiences in India

摘要

Purpose - The emergence of India as an economic power over recent years has created a need tornunderstand the way in which business is carried out in that part of the world. It is also important tornrealize how businesses are founded and structured in India. Many Indian companies are family-runrnbusinesses just like their Italian counterparts. This research attempts to study a typical Italianrncompany, its experiences in India, its aspirations, the challenges faced in the context of an emergingrneconomy and the possible roadways to map the future.rnDesign/methodology/approach - The work is based on an interview with Pietro Valfre'di Bonzo,rnchief corporate representative of Fiat International in India, conducted under the aegis of the GLOBErnproject (Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness Research Programme). ThernGLOBE study was conducted across 62 nations worldwide. It was initiated to study the leadershiprnbehaviours of top leaders across the globe and attempts to find out the key leader behaviours that arernvital to the businesses. It also studies what leader behaviours are important in different countries andrnwhat might click in India may not click in France, and so on.rnFindings - The automobile industry is a fast-moving industry as far as India is concerned withrnglobal competitors present on Indian soil. Many authors observe that the industrial sector to which anrnorganization belongs and the common kinds of pressures encountered by organizations, such as thernrate of technological change and the general level of environmental turbulence, affect organizationalrncultural practices. Fiat too is trying to adapt with the changing dynamics of the Indian automobilernindustry.rnPractical implications - Western companies like Fiat face stiff competition from Indian car makersrnlike Tata, Mahindra, Maruti etc. Pricing will play an important factor because of the emergence of arnhuge middle-class population in India, promptly tapped by Tata, which has recently launched TatarnNano, touted as a triumph of Indian ingenuity and the world's cheapest car, costing just 100,000 rupeesrn($1,979; ￡1,366).rnOriginality/value - This is an original piece of work.