Vision for Global business
( By P.Venugopal Iyengar)
Investors, Traders, Manufacturers and Service providers, all have to evolve from time to to time, a vision and business policy, due to rapid changes taking place all over the world. The changes are in Society and the political system, Nature (Environment) and Technology. Rapid expansion of communication and knowledge dissemination has lead to further globalization of business.
Stability
For any business, political and economic stability is important. Progressive democratization in the world has helped, to bring orderliness, rule of law, transparency and accountability in governance. It has also provided many economic opportunities to the people. Conflicts, ethnic and religious, territorial disputes, terrorism all arrest the growth and stability of business. Falling GDPs (Gross Domestic Product) of some countries in Africa and Middle East, indicates that violence, absence of rule of law and unrest in the political system are responsible for the failure in development of business. Progressive trend in the GDPs of Japan, U.K and U.S.A indicate the stability, the rule of law and growth achieved in these countries.
Population
Businesses move to countries where population is large, because healthy, cheap and reliable labor is available there. Populations of China and India are high and therefore labor is cheap. Population of some countries like Russia, Japan and South Africa are on the decline. It is due to high mortality rate and low birth rate. Labor is costly in these countries. In some African countries, there is lot of unrest, absence of rule of law, sea piracy and even civil wars. In addition to these, diseases like HIV, Malaria, T.B, Cholera, Deng fever etc prevail .Therefore labour force are much affected. Education and healthcare has suffered and businesses have moved away from these countries.
Nature (Environment)
A notable trend in every country is urbanization of huge population, especially in least developed countries (LCDs) Population move from rural to urban areas in search of employment and better facilities like medical, education etc. This can be arrested to some extent if Electricity, Potable water, better roads, transport facilities and incentive for employment in rural areas are given to the rural population. Some places suffer from soil erosion, desertification and deforestation.
Problems of cities are Pollution
(Air & Water), waste disposal, and housing shortage. There is large environmental degradation. Future generations should aim at healthy and productive life in harmony with nature. Pollution is caused by manufacturing, fossil use and land conversion. Rivers also get polluted. So, sound manufacturing and production technologies are needed. To avoid pollution, more and more electric cars are being produced now. Pollution control treaties are necessary. So also Carbon tax. As industrial use of water has increased, desalinization plants are being installed in cities near the sea to augment water supply.
Resource Management
Management of water, production and distribution of food and energy are major tasks in cities. Faster communication ,transport of labor and goods are also necessary.
Technology upgradation
As part of knowledge development, tele communication and software development has grown. This has resulted in shorter product development cycles, increased IT capacity and reduced cost. Developing countries have to invest more in higher education to boost skilled labor and productivity. Businesses move to places where cheap and skilled labor is available.
Information Technology
Developments in information technology has shaped businesses ,society and governance. Internet users have multiplied and hand held wireless devices are in abundant use worldwide. IT equipments and software requirements will further grow. All industrial processes and controls, training, retraining in private and government sectors , distance education electronic voting, and electronic payments all will give rise to new demands with privacy and national security.
Bio-Technology
Bio- technology has introduced genetically modified agro products .For example Soya beans ,corn and cotton. It has played an important part in human genome project and birth of cloned animals for improvements in health ,quality and utility. It has brought revolution in medicine .One can screen DNA to determine susceptibility to diseases. New drugs developed in animals will cost only 30% to 50% of those produced by current methods. Human organ repair
and replacements are going to be big business. This area will grow in the next 30 years.
Nano-technology
This technology is used to rearrange molecules to put atoms in most efficient place. For example, if we arrange atoms in coal, we can make diamond and Rearranging of atoms in sand to make computer chips. In clothing industry, using embedded nanoparticles we can create stain-repellant Khakis. It will impact dry cleaners and detergent makers. Other applications are in making stronger and lighter materials. Patents in this area are on the increase and Multinational companies like IBM, Dow Chemicals, Hitachi, Unilever etc are spending large amounts on research and development of Nano-technology. Manufacture of tools and equipments for Nano-products require high precision and is costly. Nano-lithograph is used in printing. Advanced Nano-technology is known as Molecular manufacture and it will greatly reduce costs. Nano- Engineering products are efficient and are of high quality. There is good scope for manufacture of Nano-products. In medical sector and environment ( for purification of water) more products are expected in the market.
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July 18, 2011
Austin, Texas, USA
Comments Invi
IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
By P.Venugopala Iyengar
Everybody longs for happiness and peace of mind. Happiness, is the greatest aim of life. Happiness is a state of mind. It is characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure and joy. It generates positive emotions and activities and results in pleasure, involvement etc. True way to render our self happy, is to love our work and find in it our pleasure. Whoever is happy will make others happy too.
Living good life is happiness. There is no happiness without peace of mind. When individuals are in deep sleep (without bad dreams) they are happy, because the mind rests and peace prevails. So long as one is contented and desires are fully satisfied happiness prevails. .
A spiritual Guru provided an equation for happiness as under:-
Happiness = Resources/Desires
Resources includes wealth, family and environmental facilities of the individual.
Desires or wants include primary wants like food, shelter, clothing etc, love and affection, respect etc expected from family and the community, security, health etc. When all desires are satisfied by available resources, one is happy. The moment resources fall short of desires, one becomes unhappy. In this materialistic world, one should maximize the resources and minimize desires.
Besides the happiness generated by material things, happiness generated by spiritual pursuits by meditation, yoga ,love , compassion and equanimity, all enhance happiness of the individual. Equanimity means acceptance equally of loss/gain and success /failure. By sharing the joy with others the individual gets interested in the welfare of all living beings around him.
A happy individual is able to contribute more to home, to the office where he works and to the society and the country. According to available statistics, Denmark is the happiest country in the world. ie. the citizens of Denmark are most happy. In Economics, happiness is measured to evaluate the success of Public policy say for example GDP or GNP etc.
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Generally, elders are happier than young adults, as their desires are minimum and they would have generated enough resources at the end of their career. However few elders are unhappy due to age ,physical disablement, mental strain due to unfulfilled desires and responsibilities, and decreasing affection and care from near and dear. Young adults suffer from envy, anger, financial loss/problems and stress in career, difficulties of upbringing of children etc. Generally, to be happy, one should not brood over the past, or dream much about the future. One should focus full attention on present wants, and discharge all duties in an excellent manner
Hindu Scripture Bhagavad Geetha tells about Jnana Yoga, Bhakthi Yoga and Karma yoga. Buddhism tells about ultimate freedom from suffering and the path leading to nirvana, a state of ever lasting peace. To overcome cravings of all forms, one should practice1.Loving kindness(wishing all beings happiness)2.sympathetic joy (attitude of rejoicing in happiness) and 3.Equanimity (Accepting equally loss/gain and success/failure)
One can do simple yogic meditation and exercise and attain mental and body wellbeing.
Life is an amazing gift. Generate positive thoughts about you and your body, whatever may be it’s present condition. You will feel strong. The unhealthy, the poor all dream of bettering the quality of life and to generate happiness. They dream with power of their thoughts. Dreams become true.
Whatever we are today, it is the result of what we have thought so far. Man is the product of his thought. What we think, we will become. Mind is supreme. Like the Remote of a T.V, we can change everything by the power of our thoughts. Focus only on what you really want and not on what you do not want. Write down all you love to do. Prepare the wish list of all your desires say Business, services, Arts, singing, dancing etc. Review the list and reduce it to three most favorite ones. Create your own thoughts of hope and optimism. Leave all depressions and despair. Shift your focus to feeling good to yourself. You will attract the love and respect you are craving for.
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Simply focus on joy, happiness and all good things you want to happen. Do
not think of things you do not want- like I do not want to be failed or rejected or I do not want to gain weight. Think exactly what you want- like I want to excel in the examination, I am becoming popular with lots of friends and I look great in my clothes. Avoid focusing your attention to all bad stuff in the world like terrorism, poverty, hunger war etc. All these are to be protested by the concerned and the media. But protest often gets violent and tends to affect your mental peace. Therefore focus your work on good things only.
Our life is fully expended in satisfying one materialistic desire after another. We are fully aware that complete happiness will not come without mental peace. Mental peace is therefore another very important desire. In securing mental peace we face two kinds of killers of mental peace.
1.Trials and tribulations that arise on their own. Eg. Natural calamities, tsunami ,earth quake, Fire and road accidents, criminal attacks, death calamities.
2.Those arising out of our own thought, behavior and action Eg. Greed, ambition, effort to get recognition, overspending, addiction, fanaticism, loose morality, acquired ill health and egotism
In conclusion, remember all the above matters and evolve your own road map, to attain happiness and mental peace. Have self confidence. Dream, kindle your thoughts and focus on all good things you love to do. Always have love, compassion and equanimity.
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Austin Tx U.S.A
1 st February 2011
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Comments are invited, or comment by email at [email protected]
Nishaad Balachandran
Honors Crossroads Service Project
December 9th, 2010
A Wonderful Ride
Life is a journey. One that constitutes various detours, dead ends, false trails, milestones, signs and most of all, experiences. No two individuals have the exact same path in their journeys regardless of the time they spend together. Even in the time they spend together, the lessons they derive from their experiences differ as each human being has their own way of perceiving events in their life. So what exactly constitutes the manner in which we perceive our world? How exactly do we give birth to these individual perceptions of our world?
Life is also the best teacher in our world. As we move through various phases in our life, we experience different emotions, we change our opinions, we meet different people and we discover ideas and thoughts within ourselves that were previously incomprehensible and unimaginable. So what exactly does life teach us? How does it teach us these things? Is it necessary to have a certain experience to learn a valuable lesson?
These were the thoughts that ran through my mind on a regular basis as I stepped into college life. Perhaps, entering a new part of my life and meeting people from around the world had spurred these thoughts. Perhaps, the pressure of carving my own identity in this world had pushed me to delve deeper into myself. Or perhaps, it was just deliriousness of the insomnia brought about via procrastination that every college student suffers from, that spurred these abstract thoughts.
However, the service project required for my honors crossroads class provided me with the perfect opportunity to explore these ponderings. Determined to find rational (or even irrational) answers to my questions, I decided to interview individuals from various walks of life and of different ages. In order to satiate my desire to understand these thoughts, I quickly came up with five questions that I thought would address my concerns and leave enough room for broader or narrower streams of ideas. Plus, interviewing relatives, family, kids, elders and friends would provide me with a chance to either establish or strengthen the bond we share. Excited to hear ideas that differed from my own, I began the process.
I had expected to grow and learn from these interviews but I had not expected to do so at the very outset. The very first words that came out of the interviewees’ were that these questions had made them think about their lives and actions and some even described the questions as “tough”. I must admit I was mildly surprised but then I remembered a lot of these individuals led busy lives and did not have the same luxuries of free time that I possessed on a daily basis. It amazed me as to how often we get caught up in our lives and forget to think about the broader scheme of things. I realized this to be true of myself as well. Rarely would have these thoughts occurred to me during finals week or mid terms week. I began to realize that during those weeks I lost total appreciation for the present and even failed to recognize the beauty of the world around me. The desire for “success” on those important tests caused me to spend all my time pouring through books and looking over complex concepts. I made a mental note to follow one of the principles in Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat’s book, Spiritual Literacy, “Pay attention. Stay awake and totally alert. See with receptive eyes and discover a world of ceaseless wonders”.
Memories. We all have them. Why do some memories, some instances of time stick with us more than others? What makes them special? These questions were the basis for the first question I posed to the individuals I interviewed. I wished to know which memories they treasured from their lives. I was curious to understand how and what different people were affected and touched by. Interestingly, almost all of the interviewees shared memories that touched the same themes. Amongst the adults, memories of meeting their spouses for the first time, birth of their children and death of loved ones seemed to find a spot in their hearts and minds. Amongst the younger interviewees, memories of achieving certain goals, birth of siblings, moves to different cities and countries and memories of graduating high school carved a niche in their hearts. Reflecting upon these answers, I learned that the memories that we cherish in our lives are often those events that touched our hearts and stimulated our senses. It made perfect sense. After all, meeting and falling in love with a special person often involves the subconscious gifting of a part or the whole of our heart to their possession and care. On the same note, experiencing the loss of a loved one, rips away a part of our heart and therefore leaves a lasting impression on us. Therefore, if the memories that stick with us the most are those that touch our hearts, why not surround ourselves with people and vocations that listen to the passions of our hearts? Wouldn’t that make life more memorable? I certainly think so. I will strive to make as many precious memories as I can during my life by following the beats of my heart.
Success. What exactly is success? Financial security? Achieving our goals and dreams? Having a loving and supportive family? These questions formed the crux of my second question to the interviewees. Everyone speaks of being successful in life and I had my perception of success but did it differ from others? Surprisingly, all of the interviewees had the same, base definition of success. Everyone defined success as finding ways to be happy whether it be surrounding oneself with loved ones, having financial security, having a dream profession or all of the above. Apart from individualistic satisfaction, there was a general consensus that affecting society and loved ones in a positive manner was an equally important aspect of success. Listening to all these questions, I smiled internally at how all of these thoughts, words and ideas rang a bell. I wasn’t insane after all. My definition of success did not differ that much from those that were being presented to me in these interviews. I remain unsure of the role of money in my perception of success. Sure, I wish to have enough so as to sustain my basic needs but I would not want the desire for money to rule my life. Peter Maurin put it perfectly when he said, “Ideals and not deals that is what makes man human” (What Makes Man Human) I believe in living my life by chasing my dreams and following my ideals. In my opinion, if an individual does not possess dreams or passion, they essentially stop living. Therefore, success to me comes in various different forms and packages. Leaving an impact on the world is success. Being humane and compassionate in the face of adversity is success. Being in love is success. Following your dreams regardless of the societal conventions is success. Standing back up after every fall is success.
Forgiveness. Are all actions forgivable? Is it possible for an individual to redeem themselves despite pass transgressions? How do we determine right from wrong? Do we have that capacity for the seemingly infinite compassion that Mahatma Gandhi possessed? Was he erroneous in thinking and saying that all humans could follow his path? Once again, the general consensus was that all individuals had the ability or capacity for redemption. However, unlike the question dealing with success, there were degrees of acceptance, compassion and forgiveness in the responses I received. Most individuals believed that everyone deserves a second chance in life and should deservedly have that chance. Some interviewees were skeptical or hesitant about forgiving individuals that crossed a certain line in terms of morality. A few interviewees looked forward to the bright future and preferred to forgive the mistake regardless of the level of transgression and give the individual the chances they need to reform. All the interviewees agreed on the fact that the individual would have to have the will power and desire to change as well and not be concerned with the views society held of them. Once again, the answers made me think about my own beliefs especially when it comes to forgiveness. I came to the conclusion that my thoughts differed in some ways from those expressed by the interviewees. I believe that an individual always has a chance for redemption especially if they have the willingness to change. The important part is for them to try and rise from the ashes of despair, the depths of trouble and dedicate themselves to finding the right path. In my opinion, it is impossible for us, as a society or as human beings, to sit on the outside and judge the individual based on their actions and transgressions and come up with a flawless judgment of their character. Mistakes happen. They are a part of life. Just as teachers encourage students to learn from their mistakes on tests, whether those mistakes are repeated or new, we should have the capacity to forgive an individual for his transgressions, repeated or not. After all, each chance at a new life, gives him or her, an opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Likewise, Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities further embodies the idea of perpetual opportunity for redemption in an individual. Although, Sydney Carton led a life of misery and apathy through most part of the novel, the surpreme selflessness of his final act proved to me that human beings have the potential to better their lives regardless of the hopelessness of the situation To be more specific, in addition to the importance of compassion and empathy, Carton's final deed spoke volumes to me about the human capacity for change. As far as society’s view of the individual is concerned, Dr. Chmiel put it perfectly when he said, “We don’t have the power to change society’s mind”. Therefore, redemption depends solely on the individual being given chances and the possibility of his personal growth due to those numerous chances. Ultimately, it is of paramount importance that we move on from our past but only after learning from our mistakes and correcting our faults by making the necessary changes in our present lives.
Before starting the interviewing process, I had answered these questions myself and the big question that connected all of these questions together lay in the definition of a human being. What exactly defines us? Every interviewee mentioned that the actions of an individual defined him. To be more precise, everyone agreed that the effects of the individual’s actions on society and their own personal growth, define a human being. These actions ranged from the display of compassion in daily life to working for the betterment of society. I found myself agreeing with all of these answers and I also believe that an essential component of being human lies in rising up every time we fall and still having the courage to walk the path of life as we wish to. After all, everyone has dreams and ambitions and it is up to us to decide when we stop chasing them. For some, they become the constant motivation and search in life. For others, they wither away, only to return, blossoming in garden of their minds.
In conclusion, the whole process of interviewing different people gave me ample opportunity to reflect upon my ideals and thoughts. Apart from having a variety of answers to my questions, I also picked up a few valuable lessons along the way. I discovered the importance of listening or as Ralph Nader would put it, I had discovered “the tradition of listening”. I learned that people have a lot to say and if we contain our voices for a while, we can learn a lot from others. The interviews also taught me to look beyond my initial impressions of individuals as I received answers of unexpected depth and insight from people I would never have imagined possible. In addition to these lessons, I also found immense pleasure in carrying out these interviews in a face to face manner. In our increasingly technological world, texting, email and other technological advancements in communication have caused us to lose out on the connecting factor of and we are drifting towards becoming individual pockets of isolation within a loosely joined society. Lastly, I had set out trying to understand the journey of life and I believe the answers I received from the interviews and my own thoughts are beautifully summarized by this quote from one of my favorite Indian movies, “Life is short but if you live it with all your heart, it is more than enough. So go on and break the rules, forgive quickly, love truly and never regret anything that made you smile”
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