Monday, December 3, 2012

Sacrifice your mid-day nap, please!

Policymakers need to wake up to the education system crisis...

Felix E. Schelling once quoted – ‘True education makes for inequality’, and perhaps rightly so. But today, many countries are too busy with their own political and social issues, such that the contemptible state of education and consequently the exacerbating chasm between the rich and the poor in their own country gets no attention!

The developing countries are the worst victims of such illiteracy driven inequality. Vietnam allocates a miserly 16.2% of its budget to University education and ridiculously, as per the Minister of Education, this problem can only be solved with an “increase in tuition fees”, which will evidently prove a blow to the poor community. In Turkey, only a pathetic 2.6% of infants aged three and four attend school, while the same percentage in more than 50% of other OECD countries stands at a tall 70% or more! In Bulgaria, statistics prove that only 30% of the students succeed in pursuing education beyond the age of 5, and also that education in English Medium is a rarity in the country.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

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Posted by IIPM : Global B School in India at 11:44 AM
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Saturday, December 1, 2012

Murder if you love mankind!

Really, that’s what powerful nations have taught us... Kill the innocent!

‘Shock and Awe’ – these are the two words to describe the ravenous manner in which the United States Air Force (USAF) bombed Baghdad’s administrative and government buildings with amazing precision during the summer of 2003. Yes, the American juggernaut was flexing its muscles on a helpless and an economically skinny Iraq, and the world needed no other Hollywood thriller to entertain them on their television sets for the weekend! So what was the scale at which Iraq committed a crime for which it was being granted capital punishment, free of cost and free of request? What justified the fact that Uncle Sam’s educated and well trained fighters knocked life out of thousands of Iraqis with bullets and shells from the skies? The answer: one man – Saddam Hussein.

The allegation against him was that he had enough weapons of mass destruction that could pose a serious threat to peace and security in the world. Well, if you thought that the punishment to millions wasn’t worth the ‘allegation’ against one man, then you’re probably right.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Posted by IIPM : Global B School in India at 10:35 AM
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Friday, November 30, 2012

Hola barcelona

Aesthetic monuments, incredible architecture and friendly people... a city with one of the oldest, most unique histories blended with exquisiteness of its impressive culture... Barcelona, the second-largest city of Spain and one of the world’s most popular travel destinations has it all. In fact, Barcelona has two distinct faces. One being that of a fast-pacing metropolis and the other of a rich cultural heritage. Legend has it that the city was built by Hercules before building Rome, and later rebuilt by Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, Hannibal’s father who named it Barcino after his family name in the 3rd century.

Nestled between the Collserola Hills to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the south, Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate with mild, humid winters and warm, dry summers. Barcelona has many architectural marvels dating back to the medieval times. One of them is the still unfinished church of Sagrada Familia. A work of Antoni Gaudi, it has been under construction since 1882 and is expected to be completed by 2026, the 100th death anniversary of Gaudi which makes it one of the most sought after tourist hotspots in Spain. Some other Gaudi works include Park Guell, Palau Guell and Casa Mila, all declared World Heritage sites in 1984.

Barcelona is also famous for its belief in sports, especially football, and has been host to numerous sporting events like the 1982 Football World Club. Lovers of the sport visiting FC Barcelona, a famous sports club with a seating capacity of 1,00,000 can shop for sports memorabilia of their favourite teams at the shops in and around the stadium which sell footballs autographed by noted players and t-shirts with the player’s names written across. Expectedly, the original autographed footballs and t-shirts would be rather expensive than what you might expect and there is no scope for bargaining!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Posted by IIPM : Global B School in India at 12:32 PM
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Shares his thoughts on Creative Capitalism & Infosys’

Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO, Infosys, shares his thoughts on Creative Capitalism & Infosys’ social initiatives in this exclusive interview with Priyanka Rajpal of B&E

Q: Kindly share Infosys’ initiatives on these lines.
KG: Creative Capitalism is an evolving concept and we are keenly following its evolution. We like to consider some of our initiatives in education a part of Creative Capitalism – namely the Special Training Program (STP) program and Project Genesis. The STP enables unemployed graduates and post-graduates in technical streams from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds to compete on an equal footing in the job market. Likewise, Project Genesis helps students from tier 2 and tier 3 towns to hone their skills to match the requirements of the BPO industry. These programs are run in collaboration with universities and the government. It is implemented as a consortium with Infosys, E&R Campus Connect team/Infosys BPO team, state and central Governments, academia partners, and other industry/corporate partners. The program is aimed at unemployed engineering graduates.

They are trained not only in technical areas, but more importantly, are groomed holistically through personality development programs that address their self-confidence, life skills, proficiency in English and process and quality-related orientation. Post the training, Infosys/IBPO and other IT/ITeS companies conducts job fairs where these students are placed or can seeks jobs with the best employers in the industry.
Genesis has similar programs, but is directed towards graduates in subjects other than engineering for employment in BPO-based businesses. In addition, it has extended the program to cater to physically-challenged individuals as well. Not only do these programs help students develop their skills, but at the same time, they create opportunities by bridging the employment gap in urban and rural India; bringing more people into the fold of capitalism and making it more inclusive.

B&E: According to you, what is the difference between Creative capitalism and CSR?
KG: Both as individuals and as companies, we have a responsibility towards society to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Corporate Social Responsibility is a form of responsible philanthropy. It involves organizations assessing their impact on and benefit derived from society. This must also be accompanied by organizations striving to improve the quality of life of those that exist in the societies within which they operate. Infosys is keenly aware of its social obligations and has established the Infosys Foundation as the execution arm of the company’s efforts towards this end. In healthcare and education, Infosys Foundation has contributed to the construction of hospital wards, made donations of advanced equipment, organized health camps and distributed medicines to underprivileged sections of society. The Infosys super-specialty section at the Sassoon Hospital in rural Pune is a case in point. This caters mainly to underprivileged patients with little or no access to good-quality medical treatment.

The Infosys Foundation also supports several schools in under-developed areas and has created a number of free public libraries. The Education and Research group conducts the Infosys Extension Program which includes programs that reach out to students in rural areas right from class 5 up to the level of research work leading to a PhD. It focuses on providing students exposure to computer training and educating them about the opportunities that are available to them for career progression.

Creative capitalism, in many ways, is an evolution of CSR. To put it figuratively, CSR aims to provide fish to feed the hungry; Creative Capitalism aims to teach the needy how to fish, thereby securing their future. It’s about making Capitalism – the essential philosophy of profit-generation, more socially responsible, equitable and sustainable. It’s about shaping the future and creating avenues for development, while also addressing the needs of the underprivileged sections of society.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Posted by IIPM : Global B School in India at 2:28 PM
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

IRDA: INSURANCE REFORM

Allowing insurance companies to park investors’ money in VC funds will jeopardise their future

Performance of VC funds has always been under scanner. Kalpana Jain, Senior Director, Deloitte India (for those who do not know, Deloitte handles more than 50% of the PE deals worldwide) avers to B&E, “Only three out of every 10 PE deals turn out to be a success.” On the other hand International Finance Corporation in one of its working papers titled, ‘Commercial Discipline for Development Impact’ has mentioned, “Even well-performing private equity funds tend to have only 10%-20% winners.” That simply means when insurers will put investors’ money in VC funds, they will actually be betting on a less than 30% success ratio. So, now on investors must keep their fingers crossed while paying premium for the safety of their future.

However, supporters of IRDA may argue that the regulator has not allowed insurers to put in a large share of the investors money in VC funds. But then, when the government and the regulator are moving forward together to bring in the much needed reform in the sector, what makes them allow to experiment in an area where they cannot go big even in the future. This may be considered as a step taken by the regulator to add some momentum to the flow of funds. However, quite sceptical about it Prashant avers, “This will not have an immediate impact on fund flow as the customer does not understand this asset class fully as they have not been much exposed to it.” Thus even this purpose of IRDA is not going to be fulfilled with the step taken. Better than that IRDA must allow insurers to venture into other asset classes where they can invest higher amounts and still keep the investors money safe. Else, the healthy looking tan will soon engulf his future turning out to be a deadly cancer for the industry.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Posted by IIPM : Global B School in India at 2:43 PM
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Monday, November 26, 2012

OIL DRILLING: DEMS VERSUS REPUBLICANS

Obama encourages the formation of this team to debate US oil drilling

By government’s own admission, 18 billion barrels of crude remain untapped in America’s restricted hinterland. Yes, the Democrats claim they do not want to be stooges of oil behemoths, about which they often blame the Republicans. But beyond this, is the fact that there is little chance of cutting down on oil prices even if such drilling were allowed. Firstly, the actual output will take more than a decade to flow, and the cost is colossus. Secondly, America in all has only 3% of world’s oil reserves, whereas annaully it consumes 20% – another reason why, as the Dems argue, drilling might not influence the price of oil. On the other hand, Republican’s have a meaty issue for their flagging electoral cause. The gasoline price rise is hurting the US middle class, and this issue has got an immediate media attention, with Democrats on the defensive. Notwithstanding reality, studies now reveal that nearly half of the electorate believes in the fact that oil prices will subside if crude is drilled in their own country. Didn’t we tell you Obama is the bright spot in Dem county?


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Posted by IIPM : Global B School in India at 1:49 PM
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Friday, November 23, 2012

Dial ‘C’...

..for ‘Cell’...a cancer cell!

As far as the accounts of history go, I don’t think that man has ever been more conscious about his health than he is today. This is to the extent, that if breathing wasn’t ‘it’, by now books like ‘10 ways to keep away from breathing on highways’ would have hit the bookstores.

So, for a change, there is another habit (not reflexive like breathing) that has hooked human beings of all shapes, sizes and attitudes – much more dangerous and addictive than the banal smoking – talking on mobile phones. Well, not that we weren’t aware that it could be harmful for the ears etc., but that it can cause malignant tumours in the brain in much lesser time than you could have imagined is but horrifying.

The results of a 14-month investigation by the Canberra-based top Neurosurgeon, Vini G Khurana, has got the world to rethink its way of living. In his report, he gives enough evidences to warn the governments, telecom industry and the users about the deadly effects of simultaneous electro-magnetic exposure caused by the radiations released from radio and TV towers, cordless phone base stations, wireless etc. The report clearly establishes link between long-term usage of mobile phones and some malignant forms of tumours in the brain. Unfortunately, this ‘long-term’ isn’t that long! Ten years is the time-period within which the cancerous growth may show up, making it an even bigger threat than smoking and asbestos, where the effects show up after a certain age.

Professor Challis, an experts on mobile phone radiation has enlightened the media by revealing that about 40% of the radio energy of the mobile or wireless phone is absorbed into one’s head. The exposure caused by mobile phone is 200 times more than sending an email using wi-fi technology. “The risk is even larger in children than in adults since their brain is still growing and the skull is thin. In fact, anybody using mobile phone for two hours everyday for a year is quite prone to catching an ailment in the next five to seven years,” tells Dr. Pankaj Kumar Jha, a practicing Neurosurgeon.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Posted by IIPM : Global B School in India at 1:24 PM
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Thursday, November 22, 2012

We thought only Elvis was doped

Argentina’s government grows bizarre; inflation, as per them, rocks!

Argentina is bleeding. The sky rocketing inflation is neutralising whatever benefit the high growth rate is giving its population. But surprisingly, to counter this problem, the government has taken bizarre steps to satisfy its electorates. It has doctored Consumer Price Index (CPI) to show inflation lower than what it actually is. The updated CPI (June 10, 2008) shows that each time the price of any product increases too much, it will be taken out from the list presuming that consumers will shift to other products. According to government statistics, inflation is just around 9%, whereas the real figure is terribly higher.

Alfonso Prat-Gay, former Central Bank Governor, estimates the inflation figure to be hovering around a whopping 32%. Dante Sica, Director of Abaceb, a consulting firm, opines that the figure would be 16% to 18%, while Poliarquia, a pollster, reveals the figure was 54% in February and 26% in May, 2008.
 
 
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Posted by IIPM : Global B School in India at 1:29 PM
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Talking is dumb

Talking is dumb

It’s hilarious! While the NATO and US keep on accusing Pakistan for not being proactive and strong enough for anti-terrorism activities in Afghanistan and even in Pakistan; Pakistan blames Afghans for the same.

Despite their being many well-staged ‘peace’ talks between Pakistani and Taliban militants, and agreements being signed by Pakistan and the North Western Swat Valley, and even talks with pro-Taliban rebels in tribal groups around Afghanistan, there has been a sizeable death of NATO members and soldiers in Afghanistan. There have been numerous examples when the US led coalition and Afghan policemen have been killed during attacks. Militant attacks have only risen over the past few years at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Posted by IIPM : Global B School in India at 12:03 PM
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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

RURAL INDIA: ELECTRIFICATION

Electricity is still a hope..

The Government had earlier pressed the CPSUs into service to assist State electricity boards in the work of rural electrification and distribution reforms. The scheme is being implemented by the state-owned Rural Electrification Corporation, which is providing 90 per cent of the capital cost of the programme on behalf of the Centre as grant for creating rural electricity distribution backbone.

Under the proposed rural electrification plan, States should have mapped and detailed the electrification delivery mechanisms (grid or standalone) on an urgent basic. For the purpose of rural electrification, a village would mean a census village.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Posted by IIPM : Global B School in India at 12:00 PM
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