Doing Business in Bhutan

Syllabus of the Subject: Doing Business in Bhutan - Thimphu.
- Introduction to the Kingdom of Bhutan
- Bhutanese economy
- Doing Business in Thimphu
- Bhutanese industry
- Case Study: Gross National Happiness Index
- Foreign Trade of Bhutan
- Case Study: Tashi Group
- Access to the Bhutanese market
- Business Plan for Bhutan
The purposes of the subject “Foreign Trade and Doing Business in Bhutan”
are the following:
- To analyse the Bhutanese economy and foreign trade
- To evaluate the business opportunities in Bhutan
- To explore Bhutan's trade relations with the country of the student
- To know Bhutan's Trade Agreements
- To examine the profile of the Bhutanese companies
- To develop a business plan for the Bhutanese market
Sample of the subject “Foreign Trade and Doing Business in Bhutan”


Description of the Subject (Online Learning): Doing Business in Bhutan:
Bhutan has one of the highest per capita incomes in South Asia (1,321
dollars).
The Kingdom of Bhutan.
- Population of Bhutan: 768,198 people
- Bhutan is one of the smallest countries (38,394 square kilometres)
- Landlocked country
- Frontiers: China (Tibet) and India (Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh)
- Official language of Bhutan: Dzongkha
- Main Bhutanese ethnic group: Dzongs
- Type of Government: Unitary Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- King: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
- The capital of Bhutan is Thimphu (45% of the country's GNP)
- Internet TLD: bt
Buddhism (Vajrayana) is the main religion of Bhutan
- Hinduism is the second religion (30% of the
Bhutanese population)
Bhutan belongs to the Buddhist Civilisation and the Economic Area of the Hindu Civilisation

Bhutanese Economy.
- Main sectors of the economy of Bhutan are agriculture, cottage industries, and tourism
- Main Bhutanese crops are rice, wheat, maize, apples, and oranges
- Industrial sector of Bhutan (mainly located in Pasakha): cement, steel, breweries (Coca-Cola), and wood based industries
- Bhutanese Mineral resources: coal, slate, dolomite, gypsum, and graphite
- Huge potential of hydroelectricity
- GDP per capita: 2,611 USD
- Bhutanese GDP growth: 5,4%
- The Gross National Happiness was created by His Majesty
the third Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck
- Currency: Bhutanese ngultrum (BTN) and Indian Rupee (INR)
Foreign Trade of Bhutan.
- The largest Bhutanese export markets
are India,
Bangladesh, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, and Nepal
- Main imports are oils, parts, motors, wood charcoal, rice, and coke
- Main providers of Bhutan are India, China, Thailand, Singapore, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia

Bhutan's Free Trade Agreements (FTA).
- Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit with India
- FTA with Bangladesh
- Asian Clearing Union (ACU)
- South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
- South Asian Free-Trade Area (SAFTA)
- Bay Bengal Initiative (BIMSTEC)
- Generalised System of Preferences (European Union)
- South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC)

Bhutan is a member of...
- Bhutan is eligible for the European Investment Bank
- Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED)
- Asian Development Bank
- Boao Forum for Asia
- World Customs Organisation (WCO)
- Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
- Colombo Plan
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- United Nations (UN)
- World Trade Organisation (WTO)
- World Bank (WB)


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