Business with A Conscience

Tata companies are known for their unique way of doing business with a conscience. Is this approach relevant in the current global scenario?

Natural rights philosophers aver that the primary role of governments is to protect the rights of its people. However, throughout history, governments have deprived people of their rights more often than they have protected them. We are living in an age when governments believe that it is their duty to do what is politically expedient, even to the detriment of what is morally right.

There is ample evidence indicating that, even in civil society, the rich minority has been getting richer while the poor masses have slumped deeper into poverty. Probably the primary reason for this trend is that the rich have access to privileges that the poor do not. But public eruptions from New York to Cairo to Shanghai are a visible manifestation that we have reached the tipping point.

Against this global backdrop, it has been convenient for business leaders to follow the government’s lead and adopt an ‘every man for himself’ approach to doing business. And look at the ramifications: Corporate bullying prevails, with small firms being at the mercy of larger ones. The blatant disregard of consequences has led to Mother Earth being ravished for fleeting gratification. With economic activity playing an increasingly significant role in our social fabric, such an attitude in business threatens the orderly existence - nay, the value system itself - of the society that we live in. The pursuit of wealth has become the raison d'être, outpacing the pursuit of happiness by a wide margin.

There is a compelling need for an alternate paradigm: business with a conscience – always doing what is morally right despite the obvious temptation of what is financially lucrative.

Which business organization would steadfastly stand by its stakeholders when they gain nothing monetarily by doing so? Which company would choose to do the right thing, when doing otherwise would make it twice as large? Nowadays, which company goes beyond mere adherence to law on matters of environmental conservation and labour rights? Wait, those were not rhetorical questions. That’s how the TATAs do business - with a conscience!

Don’t get me wrong. Profits are as important to the TATAs as nourishment is to a human being. But just as food is not the primary reason for living, profits are not the be-all and end-all of business.

What exactly do we mean by business with a conscience? It actually extends well beyond the spectrum of moral dilemmas that ethical organizations are frequently faced with nowadays. It means treating employees as humans, and not mere resources; it involves nurturing your employees for their own sakes. It includes giving back tangible and intangible wealth to the communities that we serve. It encompasses helping the underprivileged. It means giving fair consideration to all your stakeholders. It is in evidence when you give your small supplier a fair deal when a less conscious buyer could have squeezed him dry. It includes addressing the needs of those at the bottom of pyramid. It necessitates reducing your ecological footprint. The TATA way means doing the right thing, come what may.

In short, it is a way of doing business while simultaneously playing your part (as Ralph Waldo Emerson put it) “to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition”. And isn’t that approach more relevant today than ever before?

(This essay was one of five prize-winning entries in the essay writing competition of TATA Quotient.)

Internet Banking

Many commercial transactions that earlier necessitated a visit to the bank can now be completed at the click of a mouse. Internet Banking has thus simplified people's lives by bringing banking into their homes and offices. If automated teller machines (ATMs) brought banking to the neighbourhood, internet banking brought banking home!

However, internet banking is not an unmitigated solution to all banking problems, far from it. Some of its drawbacks are:

1. There are security issues when transacting over the internet. Anyone who gets hold of your password can perform all of the transactions that you can.
2. Not all transactions can be done over the internet - deposits and withdrawals of cash, for instance.
3. The range of services is necessarily limited because human intervention is missing; often, investment decisions are better taken in consultation with a a banker.
4. By taking over some of the activities that used to be done by humans, it deprives people of employment - a critical factor, as people in the West are realizing.
5. The 'human touch', which forms such an important element of our social lives, is completely lacking in in internet banking.

Due to these drawbacks, internet banking will never completely replace conventional banking. However, it is safe to conclude that internet banking is here to stay.

The Old Cherokee's Lesson

One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said: "My son, the battle is between 'two wolves' inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, contentment and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute, and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied: "The one you feed."

(Courtesy: Ravi Bhatia)

'Bits of Crushed Crayon' by Maria A Munaff

Surely, I had seen this picture before.....two hills with the sun rising between them, birds flying in the bright blue sky, a river curving down the hill, and at the top of the hill, a house. Was I asleep and dreaming or awake and gone back in time, through the pages of the drawing book I had when I was seven?

The house was yellow with a blue door, and the walls were slightly crooked. The roof was covered with red tiles and green creepers. Flowers of every hue studded the grass - red, crimson, magenta, yellow, golden, blue, purple, and white. A lazy dog lay at the bamboo gate and watched as schoolgirls passed, chattering and licking sour fruit out of leaf cones.

Three of them push open the gate, and it creaks. The dog wags its tail and follows them into the house. At a rickety table, they sit down to have their tea. It smells of wood-smoke and is served in enamel mugs as they munch on crusty bread and margarine. The table has the marks of the wood grain on it, like ripples and waves. Two red shoe flowers in a green bottle rest on its centre. An old ceiling fan whirrs overhead. Wooden shelves and cabinets are full of glass dishes and silver cutlery. Kettles and ladles, pots and pans line the kitchen. Onions and spices are frying for the evening meal. Women are laughing at the well as they rub and scrub with frothy yellow soap. The well is cool and deep and has green ferns growing in the cracks inside, and the bucket goes down with a loud splash. In between the banana trees around the well, ducks waddle in the mud.

As darkness falls, golden lights begin to shine here and there in the darkness, and fireflies flit about. The smell of the jasmine bush blows through the verandah. Burly uncles stop by on the way back from work, demanding tea and telling jokes. The men sit down to talk as the women scurry about. Little children gaze adoringly as the adults talk, waiting to be noticed or chasing the beetles on the floor. Their eyes light up as the conversation shifts in their direction. Aunts and uncles ask how they are doing at school and sometimes hand out coins.

From the house next door, the sound of hymns being sung; from the verandah, the buzz of the transistor as grandfather listens to the news - things happening far away; and a drunken man pedals by on his bicycle, singing sad songs to his long-lost love. The smell of steaming rice from the kitchen and of wax candles being lit for family prayers; the feeling of the scratchy jute carpet where you can rub your feet when red ants bite and the maroon velvet cushion under your cheek as you fall asleep; the touch of your mother's fingers as she runs them through your hair.

Was the world ever really like this? Were people ever this contented? Did single mothers always have to struggle alone and young children give up on life because they felt that nobody cared? Wasn't your brother supposed to live next door so you could pass hot bowls of chicken curry over the fence? And your sister sleep next to you at night so you could always see that she was warm enough? Didn't grandfathers sit in easy chairs wearing blue drill shorts, sipping Horlicks and telling you stories?

What happened to that picture? When did bonds become about investment and support what we provide at call centers? When did caring become about customer service and attachments about our e-mails? Where are the days when messages were sent by two children and a dog, with a slice of yesterday's birthday cake and bits of news to share?

Wish I could pick up my box of twelve crayons again to change the picture of this world we have made by our indifference and greed!

Temporary Loss of Momentum

Not having got any response from my publishers for over a month, I called them up recently. The Chief Editor’s feedback was encouraging and discouraging at the same time. While our story itself has potential, she said, we needed to infuse more excitement into it. She indicated that the book reads too much like a report and that we needed to make it as gripping as an adventure story. “Fictionalize it”, she said.

I think we have ignored peripheral aspects (like descriptions of surroundings/ what people were wearing/ how the protagonist felt) while focusing excessively on getting the facts right... I do not think my publishers are interested in the book in its present form. The situation called for a decision:

Should we invest more time, do a major re-write - and continue to pursue them? Or should we approach a second-rung publisher and get the book out this year? The main things to be considered were time and timing.

So, I asked the protagonist what he thought. Here are his views:
“The Chief Editor indicated her interest in the story but the Head of Sales may have made her think again… In any case, it’s up to us to make it as gripping a story as possible. I feel it’s always better to go with a recognized publisher than a second-rung one… So, let’s invest some more time and then convince them to publish the book.

“As far as the timing is concerned - going by the prevailing situation here, it’s okay even if we delay the release till next year. It all depends on your availability to do it all over again. I am in favour of a re-write if we are to hit the top shelf. But get a second opinion if you feel the need to.”

So, what do you think?

Publisher's Reaction to TAKEN ALIVE

"I have read it all, and enjoyed it throughly. The narrative is so distanced yet immediate that I found myself constantly checking my own response as I went along.

"I have passed on the manuscript to our Head of Sales, to get his assessment of potential numbers... I presume we are talking about marketing the book in India as well as Sri Lanka?"

PARENT - Job Description

POSITION:
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Papa, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long term, team-players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment
Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24-hour shifts on call
Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed
Extensive courier duties also required

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The rest of your life, must be willing to be hated - at least temporarily - until someone needs Rs 200
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 100 kmph in three seconds flat in case - this time - the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks
Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:
None
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required unfortunately
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
Get this! You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent
When you die, you give them whatever is left
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more

BENEFITS:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right

(Courtesy: Gopi Krishna Madhavan)