Book Reviews Archives - Learning India

Neil Miller November 16, 2015 Filed Under: Book Reviews, Communication, On the Job

Book Review: Doing Business in 21st Century India

Gunjan Bagla’s Doing Business in 21^st Century India is the best book out there for the person heading a business unit in India, overseeing an expansion process, or wanting to start a new venture. Expatriates on work assignment and casual travellers can gain some good insights from, but the biggest value comes for the person who has to keep the full business picture in mind.

Bagla covers an overwhelming scope of information in only 200+ pages. He is a consultant who works with companies who want to expand and improve their India operations, and you can see him demonstrate his expertise. In each section of the book, he delivers the most poignant advice and keeps the applications relevant.

(Listen to my podcast with Gunjan Bagla here.)

The book covers the following topics:

Introduction to Indian Business
Cross Cultural Communication
Human Resources
Marketing
Finance
Legal and Accounting
Travelling and Living Tips

[Read more…]

Neil Miller May 11, 2015 Filed Under: #ChaosBeatsLogic, #PowerPlays, #See1See100, Book Reviews

Book Review: Now, Returned to India

There is one group of people with whom I always hit it off. In the airport, at a business meeting, or at my favorite South Indian restaurant – you get that feeling that you are living the same life with a different cast of characters.

Who are they? Returned NRIs. Indians who have spent some years living and working abroad and have resettled in India. Whether it is their global outlook, their similar stories, or their traditional values, I get so connected to them that I have to remind myself that I am not one of them.

Amar Vyas’ book NRI: Now, Returned to India is a nice read that will quickly immerse you in the pressing topics facing returning NRIs. It is a narrative book, loosely (if not strongly) based on real events from the author’s life. It grabs your attention without being too pedantic (like this blog), and is comically believable. [Read more…]

Neil Miller May 26, 2014 Filed Under: Book Reviews

Book Review: What’s This India Business?

Paul Davies, Nicholas Brealey Publishing , 2004.

If you are one of those people who thinks all India does is customer support call center work, this book can really open your eyes to what is actually happening in India. It will show you the depth of services India is ready to provide, and will really broaden your mind…and it is ten years old.

If you have been actively engaging with India for the last several years, you might not get a lot out of this book. But if you are behind the times, this might be the perfect primer for preparing you for the world of Indian business. India is well beyond the services discussed in this book, but those services still make up a lot of its foundational business.
[Read more…]

Neil Miller May 12, 2014 Filed Under: #PowerPlays, Book Reviews

Book Review: Games Indians Play

Games Indians Play: Why We Are The Way We Are

V Raghunathan

2006, Penguin.

Quick review:

This book has some good insights, but it is not for you.

Details:

The author starts off the book with this soliloquy: [Read more…]

Neil Miller April 7, 2014 Filed Under: #IndiasNotIndia, Book Reviews

Book Review: Two States

If you interact at all with 20-30 year olds in India, you should minimally be aware of who Chetan Bhagat is. He is a famous author whose books about call centers and Indian education systems (and cheaply priced books) really found a huge market among millennials in India.

Some people find his writing style too elementary and complain that his approach to issues is too juvenile, but his appeal is massive, and his books are easy to read. Two States is one of his better books, in my opinion. [Read more…]

Neil Miller March 7, 2014 Filed Under: #IndiasNotIndia, #See1See100, Book Reviews, On the Job

Book Review: Speaking of India

Speaking of India, by Craig Storti, 2007.

Speaking of India remains one of the better guides out there for people in the business world interacting with India. Craig Storti has given us some great paradigms and concepts to help cultures work together better. This book is quick to read and should be on your shelf if you regularly interact with India.

Personally, Storti’s writings provided my foundation for understanding concepts like indirect and direct speech and how communication styles can differ across cultures. I owe a lot of my understanding to his ability to clearly talk about the issues at place and some strategies for solving them.

[Read more…]

Neil Miller February 19, 2014 Filed Under: Book Reviews

Book Review: The Story of My Experiments with Truth

The Story of My Experiments with Truth by M.K. Gandhi

This one comes under those “you should read it at least once” books.

Gandhiji (the respectful way to refer to him) is a very strange figure in Indian history. He is both more Indian and less Indian than anyone you will ever meet or read about. Indians love to celebrate him and love to distance themselves from him. His name lives on in a legacy of political leaders that he would likely not endorse.

Gandhiji’s influence on India is a topic for another post. This book is his autobiography and his views of what was going on around him during the beginnings of the movement for a free and independent India. It is a classic, however don’t expect it to prepare you for Indian culture like other books might.
[Read more…]

Neil Miller January 31, 2014 Filed Under: #IndiasNotIndia, Book Reviews

Book Review: Culture Shock! India

Marshall Cavendish, 2012 (latest edition)

This book is in the Culture Shock! series of books that covers many different countries.

It is a good choice for someone with a very light understanding of India who is getting ready to spend a lot of time here. Its best quality is how comprehensive it is. It is partly a book about general Indian topics (e.g. food, festivals, family relationships) and partly advice for people coming to live in India (househelp, entertaining, communication). The information is about as accurate as you can be when speaking about such a large topic as India, though you should make sure to get the most updated edition (currently 2012). [Read more…]