Jan 15

One of the benefits of the e-governance initiatives that India is attempting to accomplish is the refuction in corruption.

In "Being Indian" Varma claims that it is the acceptance of corruption which makes Indians unique from other areas of the world. "Corruption is, of course, not unique to India. What is unique is its acceptance..." He continues on and says "An act is right if it yields the desired end; it is wrond if it does not." From what I see, I have a hard time believing that India is unique in anything involving corruption.

Varma is basically saying that in an Indian's mindset, if corruption produces a desired end, then it is correct. They basically justify their actions. However, I have a hard time believing that they dont know that they are doing wrong. Only the most hardened people can do wrong and feel no ill effects. I believe that it isn't accepted, it is only viewed as necessary from one mindset to get something done. If the thing could get done another way, it would. Saying corruption is accepted is saying that if given a choice of doing something a corrupt way, or an uncorrupt way, and both ways will succeed, then Indians would have no qualms choosing the corrupt way.

However, Indians do have qualms with the corrupt way. Why else is there such a public outcry against corruption? Why else would e-governance have such a backing because it would help eradicate corruption?

Jan 14

“But the world has gotten flat, and we all have started to become public figures to some degree – even an assistant principal in Texas – we all need to be worried about bad press.”

This quote by Friedman really caught my attention. Numerous times during our trip here has the press either taken our picture or interviewed us. After, we see our names popping up on Yahoo! India along with things we “said” (the press still has a way with words) for all the world to see.

The reality of the world we live in is information spreads like wildfire. Anything we say or do can instantly be placed online for anyone to see (YouTube videos, Facebook pictures, etc.). This is just something I normally take for granted, but is just an amazing concept.

Jan 13

One interesting thing I overheard last week during our trip to Srirangaputna (the wooden palace for Hyder Ali) was the comment by the Muslim family. Basically, they said that they were glad that they lived in India rather than Pakistan. India has mostly been a place where everyone coexists, whereas Pakistan (mostly Muslim) is constantly embroiled in conflict.

Friedman’s take on this situation is that people in India have an opportunity, whereas the closed society of Pakistan is devoid of those opportunities. Therefore, hatred builds up in the closed society, while entrepreneurial spirit and creativity are unleashed in the opportunistic one.

Most of the conflicts around the world, both present and near past, have involved Muslims in some way or form. Throughout the years, Islam has constantly been at war somewhere in the world. Some have even gone as far as to proclaim Islam as the religion of war (many of Mohammed’s initial converts were forced to become Muslims at the edge of the sword).

Friedman’s take on this situation is interesting because this is the first theory I have read which says the problem lies in economics rather than religion. Personally, I will have to explore this further as my gut instinct tells me that the economics are in place BECAUSE of the religion rather than them being completely separate. However, I do not know enough of these theories to complete an adequate analysis and synthesize an intelligent conclusion.

Jan 12

Fact 1:

Green is a huge movement in both America and Eastern Europe. Whenever I visit a plant or company in America, I usually get a huge spiel about how green or environmentally friendly the company is. However, not once during our factory visits have we heard about environmentally friendly practices. Even if a company may be green, they don’t advertise it, unlike companies in the US. However, when it comes to the financial, HR, marketing or supply chain aspects of business, practices here are relatively similar to practices in the US.

Fact 2:

In “The World is Flat”, Friedman talks about getting the big players to do the right things for the wrong reasons. An example he gives is that it is good that McDonalds is putting pressure on its suppliers to meet certain standards. Also, many other companies are doing the same thing by setting compliance levels on a host of issues such as labor, waste, etc. It can be assumed that pressure from the big players is affecting companies here in India.

Fact 3:

An interesting comment I recently read about regarded the phenomenon of “green development.” All of the developed countries in the world first focused on development of their economies. After they were significantly developed, they focused on green practices. Now, countries such as China and India are being forced to develop while staying environmentally friendly. Environmentally friendly practices are frequently criticized as being stifling to development. Therefore, it is a paradox many countries are facing now. Either they protect the environment, or fuel economic growth.

Therefore:

Is it fair that big corporations are placing so much pressure on suppliers from developing nations; those that have so little in terms of material goods? One reason I see that very little emphasis is placed on social responsibility is because the companies don’t care about it. They would much rather pursue a fatter bottom line as that is what investors want. However, fueling this mindset is the fact Indians don’t make choices based on environmental factors. They make choices based on a whole different set of factors (which won’t be reflected here as it is irrelevant). In the past, Americans didn’t care about the environment, and that is the mindset Indians are in currently.

I believe green practices will only begin to take a foothold into society here when development becomes greater, and people have enough disposable income to make choices not on necessity, but on principle. In the US, people are willing to pay a premium for green products. Also, the government isn’t shy about axing wealth creating projects if environmental damage is possible. However, should the government of India turn down a project that can help millions of poverty stricken people because a lake can become polluted? It is much more difficult for them to justify that action. It will be interesting to see if environmental practices become the norm here in India later rather than sooner, or if an entirely new, environmentally friendly, path towards development is created.

Can India keep growing rapidly while placating environmentalists?

Jan 11

In “Being Indian” Pavan says that “Indian society encourages status quoism and tolerates mediocrity.” However, it is interesting that he says later that it is only Indians who are living abroad that create waves. Then he asks the question of what is it about living abroad that changes Indians. He claims that it is the exposure to a new value structure that changes them.

However, I have yet to see this. I know many Indians in America who are very successful. However, they didn’t just become successful when they moved to America because their values changed. Their values are the same as the day they left India. However, they were given an opportunity.

Friedman and Pavan both analyze the “English-speaking, low-wage techies” here in India. They realize that in reality, that is what India is to most of the world. Indians aren’t given an adequate opportunity to be anything more. It has very little to do with values. As Indians are given a bigger opportunity, they will show that mediocrity isn’t tolerated or celebrated. In fact, mediocrity is looked down upon, and is seen as bad for the family name.

Jan 10

One interesting thing I learned today during the L&T visit was the lack of regulatory oversight in the medical device industry here in India. However, this will soon be changing. The planning portion for creating an oversight board is complete, and is moving onto implementation.

I find this interesting because it seems that the globalized and flatter world that Friedman discusses includes not only the commercial realm, but also the political realm. Medical devices have been in India for a long time, and regulatory oversight has been demanded for just as long. However, it is only now that implementation is beginning. From what I understand, this is because of pressure from international entities.

Will the result of commercial globalization result in similar laws and oversight in the countries involved? I believe it will result in a convergence of laws, but even globalization cannot make flat the values, religions, and other aspects of culture, which make up the basis of most laws.

Jan 9

One thing that stood out during the presentation by the person from the Dharmastala was the importance of education. Education here in India is much more important in the family dynamic when compared to families in the US. Now, this is not to say that education isn’t important in the US. Many middle-class US parents sacrifice immensely to put their kids through college. However, education is just more important in Indian culture. I have heard, numerous times, that students are now staying in India to complete their undergraduate work. Then they travel abroad to complete their graduate-level coursework and find that the curriculum is easier. So, not only is education generally more important here, it is harder.

In 04, I had the opportunity to visit family members here in India. I was astonished by my little cousin’s knowledge about computers. She was in second grade, and her knowledge would easily rival the computer knowledge of most high-schoolers in America. India is investing in its population (which is eager to learn), and is beginning to churn out some of the most talented engineers, mathematicians, and medical specialists in the world. At the same time, the number of people attempting to receive math and science degrees in US institutions is dropping dramatically.

Some American workers complain that free-trade policies and globalization are hurting America. However, I will argue conversely. It is fortunate that there are other countries in the world which are training professionals in math and engineering fields. We in America have experienced a tremendous amount of technological advances in the past decades. In order to continue this pace of innovation, we will need these professionals in other countries to collaborate with us as they bring both tremendous knowledge and a varied perspective (and there aren’t enough engineers graduating from US institutions). America and Eastern Europe aren’t the only sources of information anymore. 6 billion heads are most certainly better than 3 billion heads.

This flatter world (and Friedman's third convergence) will result in exponential innovation, fueled by the influx of talented new workers from non-traditional knowledge source countries (such as India and China). This will not only benefit those countries, but also America.