2007年VOA标准英语-Indian Companies Become Major Players in Overse

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
18 February 2007

Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group Kumar Mangalam Birla, right, reacts as Managing Director of Hindalco Industries Ltd. Debu Bhattacharya replies  to a question at a press conference in Mumbai, India, 11 Feb 2007

Leading Indian companies have recently made a string of overseas acquisitions. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the takeovers reflect India's increasingly greater role in the global economy.

Indian companies are on a shopping spree. Hindalco Industries recently acquired the Canadian aluminum¹ company Novelis for $6 billion. That came on the heels of an even larger acquisition: the takeover of the Netherlands-based steel maker², Corus, by India's Tata conglomerate³ for nearly $12 billion.

The two firms have led the way in large takeovers over the last several years, as Indian companies begin scouting⁴ for growth opportunities overseas.

The value of takeovers by Indian firms has risen sharply, from less than $1 billion in 2000 to an estimated $8 billion last year. Acquisitions in the first six weeks of 2007 added up to more than $18 billion.

D.H. Pai Panandiker, the head of New Delhi's independent economic think tank, the RPG Foundation, says more and more Indian corporations are looking abroad for growth.

"Many of the companies are now loaded with funds, and they want a quick expansion, and this they can do only by acquiring other companies. Now in the domestic market, it will be difficult for them to acquire companies," he said. "So I think cross-border acquisitions will be the trend of the day."

The Indian companies' impressive buying power is partly due to healthy profits made in a booming economy, and partly because a surging stock market has raised their valuations many times.

Panaindiker say companies going global are seeking a variety of benefits, including expansion, and securing export markets.

"One is [they want] instant increase in size. Number two, they want to have also the latest technology, which is not easily available," added Panaindiker. "The third reason is acquiring a brand, and fourth, probably, is you are in the international market for marketing⁵."

Companies seeking a foothold overseas range from information technology to pharmaceuticals⁷ to manufacturing. The Tatas, for example, have also bought a hotel in New York, pharmaceutical⁶ companies have acquired small European firms, and a Bangalore firm has made a bid for a Scottish whisky distiller.

The size of most deals is still small by global standards, averaging about $50 million, but the recent takeovers signal that Indian businessmen are ready to become major players in the field of international acquisitions.

Industry watchers say Indian businessmen are also fueled by new ambitions. The grand old man of India's Information technology industry, N.R. Narayana Murthy, the head of Infosys, recently summed up the ruling sentiment in the boardrooms of Indian corporations.

In his words," the mindset of Indian firms is becoming increasingly globalized. It means the entire globe is our playground."

1 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

4 scouting   

守候活动，童子军的活动

参考例句：

• I have people scouting the hills already. 我已经让人搜过那些山了。
• Perhaps also from the Gospel it passed into the tradition of scouting. 也许又从《福音书》传入守望的传统。 来自演讲部分

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

7 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》