Trick Questions

1) What does business management and 'The Gita' have in common?

2) Why would a business graduate be interested in learning about the bigger questions in life?

Surely business is more about market trends, money management, trading partners and supply chain logistics. That's what we'd think. A group of enlightened innovators beg to differ however. A small university in New Jersey, USA, has recently included a course entitled 'The Journey of Transformation' in their business management curriculum. They adopted this as a pilot project last year and are now set to expand this program further, hiring more profs and putting more thought into the curriculum.

Hinduism isn't the only religious system of thought students are being exposed to. There's Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity too, included in this course.

Let's think about why this could result in a true transformation in the lives of (business) students. Business is primarily about people and their dealings with others. The whole business of life involves interactions with others regarding livelihood, prosperity and wellbeing - these are the cornerstones of a fulfilling life.

Simplistically speaking therefore, business studies should be more about the whys and wherefores of the economic life of people.

The great religions in the world have a common goal. They strive to teach us how to live, not merely aim for a better afterlife. The pressing need of the hour is to learn how to conduct ourselves, achieve our maximum potential without stepping on other toes. The ancient Greeks called it Eudaimonia. I believe that's a noble thought. Imagine, even the lowly acorn has within it the potential to become a full grown oak tree. Aristotle was dead right on this one.

So, by understanding the basic tenets of major religions, all students, not only business graduates, would benefit. I hope this trend extends to many more disciplines in different universities worldwide.

When these spritually-savvy business students graduate, and if the recession has ebbed, maybe we can look forward to more ethical business practices.

I feel like applauding!

See, hope isn't just a word. The Obama strikes again! His iron fist is showing - setting a cap on executive salary/compensation for those companies who have recieved government bailouts -the limit is $500,000. Well well!

This is a move beyond mere tokenism. I thought he was guilty of the same when he froze White House staffer pay. After all, how much could the country save with a few $100,000s? This is a weighty move. It is logical too. On the one hand, you beg the government to hand you money to run the company, and with the other hand you rack up the numbers in your Swiss account. Unfair?

Take that, you Wall Street types.

Now, I know, some people will find fault with this move by saying he is playing to the gallery -you know, trying to gain popular support. He already has that, I will remind them.

You may say, yet again, that he is diverting attention from the Daschle fiasco. No matter, I shrug. This guy has his instincts right. Maybe since he comes from a middle class environment and was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he knows what it is like for hard-working tax paying common people.

The previous Big Guy had it all - a ranch or two, and access to White House kitchens and washrooms. It's no wonder that he and his cronies could dismiss the concerns of ordinary folk and focus attention on private jets, holiday villas in Marbela and refurbishments of washrooms costing $1 million.

However, I'm curious about AIG and Citigroup. Santa visited them earlier, so does this new rule affect them at all?

Postures and gestures

Mutinous grumblings can be heard not only from ordinary Canadians and the rest of the world alarmed at protectionist policies of Obama's America, but also from the likes of Stockwell Day and Gordon Brown. Labelling the 'Buy American' clause as completely protectionist, leaders and citizens are screaming bloody murder.

But, says a columnist in the Star, NAFTA actually does have a provision which allows USA to insert this protectionist clause in trade pacts.

Which sucks, because now, the protests can lose their bite. Maybe iron and steel producers can organize a facebook signature campaign to promote their cause. Don't laugh - Obama himself knows well the power of the Internet (ask his admin officers, pre-election).

Interestingly, news emerging from Davos indicates how American bankers were verbally lynched by the world economic community. Firstly, there were very few Wall Streeters who actually attended the Forum. Most stayed away. A wise, if cowardly, move. Only the CEO of JP Morgan attended and was apologetic about his ilk.

Many of the economic gurus of the world of finance and banking did nothing to mince words. They outright condemned what the American investment bankers did. I'm guessing there weren't a lot of smiles and fine bonhomie among the attendees, and the banking community watching in America.

And then you have red-faced bankers from Canada's own RBC, BNS and others, giving up their bonuses/compensation, just like brave little soilders. Oh my, what magnanimity of gesture! Perhaps when they go home to their million dollar mansions in Toronto's posh localities, they can look at themselves in the huge mirrors and feel a warm glow.

They might, at that moment be thinking, "Thank god, Davos isn't the only part of Switzerland we know!"

Honeymoon's over!

Baring his teeth under that photo-friendly smile, Obama is considering 'Be American, Buy American' as part of his stimulus package for the US of A. This causes a lot of concern, not only because, as Canadians, 55% of our goods are sold in the US, but also because this muscle-flexing could result in a further slowing down of economic cycles worldwide.

Our biggest trading partner, a signatory to NAFTA no less, now doesn't want to play by the rules. They want to be mavericks, they want to chart their own course, go it alone. Now, this may be a nod to patriotic Americans, but the rest of the world will be sinking deeper and deeper into a morass.

Speaking of NAFTA - remember, we have a long standing dispute with the Americans over softwood lumber. Our lumber (specifically in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec) is subsidized by federal and provincial governments. The US thinks it is unfair and is fighting to levy other tariffs to countermand these subsidies. This, they claim, will bring up the prices to current market rates.

Have they conviniently set their principles aside for the time being?

Think about it - protectionism seems like an antithesis of capitalist America. It puts me in mind of what the British Raj did in India 200 years ago. They decreed that Indians could only buy cotton cloth manufactured in England. They took the raw material from India all the way to the Manchester mills where they wove the finished product and sold it to us at a cheaper price. I'm no economist, but it was obvious that our indigenous cottage industry floundered and couldn't keep up. Dirty politics?

Well, we are watching something similar now. Though the bill has yet to be passed, the undercurrents are dangerous. There is a lot of murky water underneath. According to statistics, in 2007 alone, Canada's trade with the US in iron and steel products equalled $5.8 billion. Tidy sum indeed.

I watched PM Harper on TV yesterday ranting about the unfairness of this potential move on the part of the Americans. Other politicians have denounced it too. As usual, Layton said something completely inane - why doesn't Canada follow in the US footsteps, he demanded, imposing a similar caveat on our exports?

What this move will do for Obama's Canada visit on 19th Feb is up in the air. I have a feeling protestors will line Ottawa's streets.

Coming on top of the threat of recession and stagerring job losses, this American policy can't be good news for the world.

Budget and Politics - a match made in Parliament

Today was budget day in Canada. Obviously a very important day, with repercussions for each and every Canadian. I spent a lot of time trying to get the gist of the budget through newspapers, internet news sites and TV. The 2009 budget is all the more important because the fate of our Conservative government was hanging in balance. Last December, shamelessly, Harper asked the governor-general to prorogue Parliament so that his government would not be thrown out. He escaped by the skin of his teeth.

The Liberals lost the last October 14 election largely due to their infighting and poor leadership. Stephen Dion could not connect with the common man. His language skills were poor (to be a successful politician in Canada, one of the skills neccessary is fluency in English and French). Further, Dion lacked political appeal. He seemed decent, yet a very distant man, with little or no charisma. The old fashioned spectacles and patronising air didn't help either.

Harper won and we had the Conservatives in power, shamelessly kowtowing to Bush and his cronies at the White House. I remember when Chretien was our (Liberal) PM, he was one of the very few world leaders who refused to drag his country into 'the war on terror'. I felt proud of Liberal policy.

Once we had blue-eyed Harper up at Parliament Hill, we were forced to become friends with the Bush mafia - Donald Rumsfeld et al. Those infamous days are best forgotten.

After the election fiasco last Fall, the Liberals have regrouped under Michael Ignatieff. It remains to be seen how far Iggy wins the hearts of Canadians specially in this climate of economic hardship.

Today, he did his bit for Canadian stability by not pulling out the rug from under Conservative feet. He may have reservations about the budget, but he has proposed amendments (requiring periodic reports on the economic stimulus package advanced by the Tories) - that is certainly a step forward. Completely pig-headed are the likes of Layton (NDP) who choose to oppose this step. So now, the Conservatives have to be accountable, my my! Someone's going to check report cards. In my estimation, the first round goes to Iggy.

PS - Obama's coming to Ottawa on 19th Feb. Will it be too late for Valentine gifts between the two countries?

Some simple truths gleaned from an 'ad'

There's this ad that I see on TV frequently, which I think is symptomatic of our society today. It depicts a young woman shopping like crazy...she picks up shoes, clothes, accessories, visits a spa etc. Laden with bags from designer stores in both hands, she comes to her apartment door and stares in shock. The bags fall from her hands - there's an eviction notice on her door.

The ad is for 'debt management'. I find this scenario to be very common in the consumerist society we live in. More so in North America, arguably the birthplace of much of the Material. We try to keep up with the Joneses no matter what. We are unable to understand and keep to our limits.

It is however a misconception that this phenomenon is prevalent only in this hemisphere. All over the world, rampant consumerism has contributed to a culture of knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing, to paraphrase a noted writer.

Once we are able to still the dictates of our good sense and thriftiness, the values of our parents and grandparents, who lived in a far simpler world, to pursue the latest in gadgetry, we are only digging ourselves in deeper.

The sages of old were clear on the kernel of truth - they deemed desire to be the root of all evil. Our desire to want more, whether it is material things or intangibles like happiness (what a misunderstood term that is!), we will continually fall into the trap.

As Krishna said in the Bhagwad Gita, renounce your desires, do your work without the hope for results and rewards - that is the path of a karma yogi. For us householders who inhabit multiple identities of child, spouse, parent and employee, no better credo than this can be inculcated within our selves. It's the most practical path to follow.

A secret curse

Read this:
aaaaaadnl $7674&*@ hkasddh

Find it hard? Or did you dismiss it as gibberish? Not so fast. One out of every 5 people in Canada are illiterate. When they meet a page with writing on it, this is what they see. Yet, these people have jobs, run businesses and you would not guess that they have this secret affliction. Yes, it is a secret in some people's lives, one that they either refuse to acknowledge, or hide away like a canker. They get by in their lives simply by asking for help from others, weaving elaborate lies, blundering through life with the enormous pressure of their secret.

Not all of these people are new immigrants to Canada, burdened with the learning of a new language - in this case, English. Some have been here for generations, their ancestors probably came in from Europe or America a couple of hundred years ago. Somehow, they just didn't get through school. Some have learning disablities which prevented their access to normal schooling. Some were too busy helping Dad at the store in rural Saskatoon and couldn't be bothered with going to school.

All these facts I heard from a lady at an organization called 'SELF - Skills for Employment, Life & Family'. They have an office in my city and I volunteered to tutor adult learners in literacy. Last Monday, I attended the workshop (which will run for 4 weeks) teaching me how to tutor adults.

I must say I was shocked at the level of illiteracy in a 'developed' country like Canada.
Will keep you posted on how it pans out.