CROSS-CULTURAL PERCEPTIONS IN THE INDIA-U.S. BUSINESS CONTEXT
Rama Subba Rao Appikatla University of Central Oklahoma aramasubbarao@ucok.edu
HU UH

Mark E. Hillon University of Central Oklahoma mhillon@ucok.edu
HU UH

ABSTRACT

India’s economic liberalization in 1991 opened the gateway for new opportunities in emerging market trade relations. Although the U.S. has quickly become India’s largest trading partner, surprisingly little research has been devoted to cross-cultural perceptions in the India-U.S. business context. We developed an approach based on Levinson’s (1950) ethnocentrist model to explore the underlying values of the two cultures, specifically in relation to perceptions of work. Preliminary results indicate a potential misalignment of motivating values. This study may have further implications for the selection of strategic business partners and other important crosscultural transactions.
Keywords: India, Ethnocentrist, Levinson Introduction

The genesis for this study was a question posed by an Indian graduate student on her first visit to the U.S. who simply wanted to know what Americans thought of Indians and her home country. India’s economic liberalization in 1991 opened the gateway for new multilateral business opportunities, and in a broader sense, the world gained access to a vast wealth of untapped resources in India, including a highly educated workforce to satisfy the global desire for outsourced services. Although the U.S. has quickly become India’s largest trading partner, surprisingly little research has been devoted to cross-cultural perceptions in this business context. In response to our student’s question, anecdotal evidence suggested that the stereotypical view was quite favorable in that Indians in America were assumed to have strong abilities in math and science that resulted in professional positions with above average