Speak the Language: A Global Analysis

Speak the Language: A Global Analysis

Alyssa Marshall

MGT /448: Global Business Strategies

 Speak the Language Global Analysis

"Globalization and immigration have transformed today's business world. Many organizations are looking for solutions to improve communication between the established corporate culture and the new multicultural workforce" (Cross Cultural Consulting and Training, para. 1).

Since its beginnings in 1986, Speak the Language focused mainly on foreign companies operating in the United States. Since then the company has seen a sore need for language and culture assimilation services outside the U.S. As more U.S. companies enter the global market, training is need to provide the skills and information needed to work and compete with those from other countries. In this same manner, foreign companies need training when dealing with American companies. After a comprehensive analysis of the region and culture, India prevailed as the best location to launch these services into the global market. Speak the Language will expand its market share by introducing several services in India.

Mission

The mission of Speak the Language is to provide the highest quality language and cross-cultural training, global relocation and related services by building relationships that lead to global success. Free Language has a passion for languages and cultures, which fosters an environment, and enhances the learning process while providing our clients with personal attention, continuous support and a long-term commitment. It is the aim of the company to provide comprehensive research and training in less commonly taught languages and cultures, with special geographical focus upon languages spoken in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Speak the Language works with U.S. government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), educational partners, corporate clients, and the general public in providing state-of-the-art language and cultural training, international educational exchange, advanced distributed e-learning, language proficiency testing, translation and interpretive services, modern language curricular development, and natural language processing and data mining. The goal of these services is to provide our clients with a valued investment in their global expansion.

Services

These following services will be offered within Indian market areas. They will include both American, Indian and other foreign-owned companies located in India. Through a variety of methods, Speak the Languageoffers language training services for individuals and groups to include:

Translation Services

Software and Website Localization

Multilingual Desktop Publishing

Product Name Evaluation

Voice Talent

Proper cultural protocol, and business etiquette can change a bad business relationship into a good one. All countries have cultural values, norms and mores that guide business behavior. To ensure free and honest business communication, Speak the Language also offers cross-cultural training. This training, in the form of group seminars, managerial seminars, and individual computer-based training will include the following:

Cultural Understanding

Diversity: International Cultures in the Workplace

Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution

Cultural Competency Training

Speak the Language employs a wide range of specialists including language trainers, language evaluators, project managers, translators, interpreters, editors, proofreaders, programmers, and more.

Regional Analysis

The democratic political history of India began in 1947 with the Congress Party under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nejru, India's first prime minister (www.twq.com 1999). The democratic government has been in place continuously except for a brief time during 1975 - 1977 when Indira Gandhi suspended the constitution and ruled by autocratic means. The Congress Party, until 1989, formed all governments, held a large majority of seats is the government both at the national and state level. With the emergence of multiparty competition in India in 1989 the Congress domination came to an end.

Two parties now share the majority of leadership in India, they are the Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP). The Congress party still serves the upper-caste elites, Muslims, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the BJP has organized around the Hindu nationalism. Two smaller parties are the Janata Dal and the Samajwadi Parties have moved to take the minority backward caste votes (www.twq.com, 1999).

Probably the misguidance of India development can be attributed to India's first prime minister, Jawarharlal Nehru (www2.sjsu.edu n/d). Nehru planned India's self-sufficiency with economic development based on a model used by the Soviet Union. Imports were cut off thereby giving the market to domestic producers, however this proved inefficient as products were of low quality and often obsolete outside of India.

Government programs were put into place to help struggling businesses but often hindered them far more than helped. Businesses had to have governmental approval before they could lay off workers or shut down. Business owners would often take all removable equipment and leave when the business was in trouble leaving the government to step in and try to continue. The funding for the economic plans presented another problem; often money was taken away from the agricultural portion and funneled into inefficient businesses.

With the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 economic reforms were put into place by the new Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, oldest son of Indira. His reforms, while radical by India's standards, were considered weak by outside sources. However his reforms did bring results, India began a surge in production, tax reforms lowered both income and corporate tax rates and restrictions were eased. Unfortunately his assassination in 1991 ended any further chance of change.

Regional alliances are shifting in India, Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee has met with Turkey's President Sezer and Prime Minister Erdogan regarding expanding trade between the two countries (www.weekly.ahram.org, 2003). India must place high priority on establishing closer diplomatic and economic relationship