WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE NAME OF COMPETITION?
Earning millions in business through cheating, injustice, fraud, and dishonesty has become the order of the day. People who indulge in such nefarious acts occupy responsible positions in the society. The students after completing their studies in this institution apply for various jobs in many organisations. But the response may not always be quick. Our students should not get into business with the only objective of making lot of money. They should join business to contribute their might for the development of our nation. We have to bear in mind the ‘nature of nations’ and mould our temperament according to the needs of our nation. Only then the nation can progress in a proper manner. We should not blindly imitate other nations with the singular aim of surviving in the competitive world by hook or crook. Today’s business is full of unhealthy competition, which is not conducive for the holistic progress of society. Hostility surfaces if there is animosity in the garb of competition. Because of imitation, the value of products goes down. This strongly goes to suggest that there should be neither blind imitation nor unhealthy competition. Take for instance the case of big automobile companies. Each hour, companies manufacture thousands of cars. What should be done to clear all their stockpiles? They set a limited life-span for their cars. This is a deceitful practice because all the components that form parts of the final product are made to last only for a short time. At the end of that time period, the car (the example chosen is only to illustrate an unhealthy practice in this context but the same would hold true in case of any other product as well) wears out as planned, so that people would be compelled to go in for a new car. These automobiles seem more suitable for conditions in other countries wherein roads and traffic conditions are more systematic and of a different nature. Is there any sync between the environment where these cars are used and the production models of foreign companies? We have to evolve production practices by factoring in all the constraints that are pertinent to our environment. Life is akin to business even though business does not amount to mere give and take. You do not have the right to get something without foregoing something in lieu of it. Only when bad qualities are discarded, do good qualities surface in us. When one goes for shopping, only if one is prepared to spend INR 15 or so, one will be able to purchase a handkerchief. What is the connection between the purchaser and the shop owner? If what has to be parted with is parted, then only what has to be received will be received by the purchaser. This is the nature of day-to-day commercial transactions in business. But this is not clean business (meaning deal from an ethical standpoint). Business ought to be a heart-to-heart and love-to-love transaction. Such a transaction with a human face alone deserves to be called real business. You become a true businessperson if you are able to appreciate unity in diversity and diversity in unity. In normal societal associations, people relate to one another in accordance with one-on-one relation that exists between different people. For example, in case of a master of a household, different people in his family address him depending on their respective relationship with him; his son addresses him as ‘father’; his wife as ‘husband’; his mother as ‘son’; and his grandson as ‘grandfather’. Though the relationships keep varying, the focal person (person being addressed) continues to be the same. In business too, we have different relationships with different stakeholders, but the principle of Atman is one and the same. First, we should have a sublime human nature. If that is present in us, we can achieve anything. Hence, we should foster human values and ensure that the animal nature present in humans (traits prompted by raw instinctive drive) would not raise its ugly head. Only when one possesses human values, one can be successful in business; and consequently contribute to the development of the nation. Whenever we embark upon a new venture, we usually encounter many obstacles in the beginning. But if we hold on in a steadfast manner, there will soon be a favourable change in the complexion of the situation. Therefore, we have to reorient the focus of our education system accordingly, so that, it provides a conducive environment to foster human values. There seems to be no correlation between the inputs we receive during the formal study in educational institutions and the job we do later. Probably in your first job (after you begin your career), suppose you go to a worker (who has 20 years of work experience with a machine) and question his performance, he would say, “Sir, what do you know about this machine and the work over here? I have put in long years of work experience here, so please get away”. You have only bookish knowledge (meaning theoretical and conceptual information) whereas he has practical knowledge (meaning special skills and abilities pertaining to a particular job). The bookish knowledge is of little consequence without practical knowledge. Source: The Manager and Values-Based Management: Significance and Salient Features, Chapter 9, Man Management: A Values-Based Management Perspective -- --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "saimsg" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
