International trade does not just happen. It is the result of developing relationships and processes to ease the flow of goods and services. 

This week, we spoke with David Good in Washington, D.C. He is the chief representative for Tata Sons in North America. The Indian company Tata Sons is part of the Tata Group, India's largest and best-known company.

Tata wants to increase economic ties with the United States. That is what David Good's job is all about. He describes his office as an embassy for Tata Sons in Washington. Mister Good explains Tata's products and services to American businesses and government officials. He seeks to build trust and understanding. He also advises Tata on American laws and policies and provides information on business conditions.

Mister Good learned the skills he uses every day working for the Department of State and the United States Information Agency. He spent thirty-four years in government before joining Tata. 

The Tata Group is made up of ninety-six companies that employ more than two hundred thousand people. Tata operates in more than fifty-four countries. Its companies run hotels, provide engineering services and business advice. They also make cars and steel, among other things.

The group's yearly sales are about twenty-two thousand million dollars, or almost three percent of India's total economic productivity. 

Tata has expanded in the United States mainly by buying ownership shares in other companies. For example, Tata Sons bought thirty percent of a New York-based company that makes Vitaminwater products. Expanding in America is good business for Tata. It also creates American jobs. Mister Good says Tata employs about ten thousand people in this country. 

Tata continues to grow internationally. This week, Tata Steel proposed to buy the British steel maker Corus Group. Tata also plans major investments in South Africa.

Tata also is proud of its tradition of giving money to important causes. Two-thirds of Tata Sons is owned by charitable trusts that are part of the Tata Group. The Group says it gives about one hundred million dollars a year to support science, health and education in India.