'Doing Business in India' course to take students through finance, technology, cultural hubs in India
Rutgers Business School's "Doing Business in India" course is back on the Rutgers—Newark campus for another year. Professors teaching the class spoke with The Daily Targum about its significance and India's growing economy.
The three-credit course will be split between instruction in Newark during the semester and time spent in India over spring break from March 15 to 23, according to a flyer.
"It's a wonderful way to meet different people, to interact and get internships because — a lot of the students, there's a mixture between undergrad and graduate students," Monica Giron, business manager of the Rutgers Business School International Program—Newark, said.
The course is taught by Farok Contractor, a distinguished professor in the Department of Management and Global Business, and Joydeep Chatterjee, an assistant professor of professional practice in the Department of Management and Global Business. Contractor has taught at the Indian Institutes of Management and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, and Chatterjee was a consultant financial analyst for The World Bank.
Before the trip, students will be required to read and problem-solve business case studies, according to Chatterjee. In India, Rutgers students will form groups with Indian students and submit one case study, which will be entered into a competition.
Chatterjee recounted activities from the previous year to the Targum.
The 10-day trip commenced in Mumbai, which is not only the financial capital but also the second-largest city by population. For two days, students had the opportunity to sightsee and visit important industry sites such as the Bombay Stock Exchange, the largest in India, Chatterjee said.
Students then visited Bangalore, the nation's technology capital, which Chatterjee said is comparable to California's Silicon Valley due to the abundance of technology companies. There, students spoke with business executives and leaders in the tech industry. Students also visited the nation's capital, New Delhi, and nearby cultural monuments, including the Taj Mahal.
"There's a lot of cultural element, lot of food, lot of color, lot of shopping opportunities," Chatterjee said. "Obviously, on the last day, we go to Taj Mahal. We see that, and we then come back to New Delhi Airport, and we take our return flights."
This course is suggested for undergraduate juniors and seniors, as well as MBA students who want to visit the world's most populous nation with two experts in global business. Previous overseas business courses have taken students to Vietnam, Singapore and China, depending on student interest.
"India is not that big a country. It's big — about 40 percent the size of the United States. But it's the biggest population as well — 1.45 billion — but very diverse. And so, the culture, the cuisines, the economy — that's all a fascinating story," Contractor said.
