B2B Unplugged with Made in India: Country of Origin
What is Business to Business (B2B) ? Business world is seeing new heights everyday with lot of new developments in entire world and India is having a new role in the economy of the world. The record of takeovers of industrial giants by Indian tycoons is the talk of business in the world including India. Internet has brought revolution in business and provided unlimited and unexplored opportunities to be reached and explored by products with tag of Made In India. If it is said that Export is an engine for growth for made in India ,made from India ,made by India and /or made of India products since country of origin matters even in B2b world. B2B in other words can be defined as a platform for international trade and maximum profit where no middleman exist and chances of getting deal struck remains always on higher side. Since, B2B creates an opportunity for businessman from two different countries to trade with different countries of origin. World Vs made in India/made from India/ made of India/ made by India Whether country of origin matters? Whether tag of made in India / made from India/ made of India/ made by India has any significance over other countries? Before, understanding the chemistry of country of origin, it has to be understood in terms of thesis of the well renowned consumer behavior scholar namely Dichter (1962, p. 116) who wrote that "the little phrase 'made-in ...' can have a tremendous influence on the acceptance and success of products," and the said work was redefined by Nagashima as the "made-in" image as: “The picture, the reputation, the stereotype that businesses and consumers attach to products of a specific country ... (having) a strong nfluence on consumer behavior in the international market as it is associated with mass communication, personal experience, and views of national opinion leaders. (Nagashima 1970, p.680).” This study has led to the debate that consumer behaviour matters, and country of origin has final say since it is always associated with a) Brand b) Costing c) Quality d) Value for money e) Commitment f) Consistency g) Usage h) Economy i) Availability j) Standard k) durability l) Options available etc Now coming to India, a glance on the developments reveal the story of branding of goods with tag of country of origin as India .Year 1991, broke all the barriers of international trade. This resulted in a rapid increase in international trade, including trade with the United States, Great Britain, Russia and other European countries to name a few. Even, textile products bearing the tag of made in India has had been widely accepted in European market amidst the saga of to be or not to be with the tag of country of origin as “made in India”. Irrespective of any adversities, be it in the minds of the buyers of the world or in the mind of Indian sellers itself, it is fact that Indian products are well acclaimed in quality, costing and durability. By such time , Indian products as manufactured by Indian manufacturers, producers, exporters shall keep the expected quality , costing and durability as well as commitment , goods with country of origin as “made in India”, ”made from India”, “made of India”, “ made by India” shall be widely accepted. Since, Indian products have maintained the same, the golden era of exports has started and is well evident from the claim of a survey by US magazine(Fortune) . This survey reveals that a majority of Americans are not averse to purchasing made-in-India products, but opposite is the case for those made in China. Indian products have every reason to command the respect and business in International market . Therefore, exports during June, 2008 were valued at US $ 14664 million which was 23.5 per cent higher than the level of US $ 11870 million during June, 2007.
