REPORT ON GMA’s 23^rd. NATIONAL CONVENTION

JANUARY 21, 2012

India’s impressive growth of the last 5 years has bypassed a majority of its citizens who lack skills to be gainfully employed or face discrimination on the grounds of caste and gender. Lack of access to basic education and health services is also very glaring. The inequalities are manifested in the growing polarization of society. The root causes need to be identified and addressed.

GMA recognizing the acute importance of these issues organized its 23^rd. National Convention on the Theme: Inclusive Growth and Ethics in Management. The theme of ‘Inclusive Growth’ was discussed in two sessions; one on ‘Capacity Building’ and the other on prerequisites for a Sustainable Society. This was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Ethics in Management’.

The Chief Guest of the convention was Justice Om Prakash Verma, Ex- Chief Justice, Kerala High Court, Former Lokayukt and Chairman Human Rights Commission, Himachal Pradesh and Former Governor, Punjab.  The Guest of Honour and the Key Note Speaker was Dr. K Jayakumar, Jt. Secretary, DSIR & CSIR, Govt. of India, and CMD Central Electronics Ltd. Sahibabad.  Others present on the convention were Sh. Deepak Malik, President- GMA, Sh. Arun Aggrawal, Sr. Vice President- GMA, Dr. R K Agarwal Hony. Secretary – GMA and Shri Vinay Gupta, Executive Director – GMA, among other office bearers.

After the Saraswati Vandana by students of Shiva Institute of Management Studies and lighting of the lamp, the convention began with Mr. Vinay Gupta, Executive director GMA explaining the various activities of GMA (Ghaziabad Management Association) during the last one year.   There was a great applause when it was announced that GMA has been adjudged Runners up by the jury of AIMA, New Delhi in its contest of the Best Local Management Award.

Mr. Deepak Malik President GMA welcomed the distinguished guests and delegates and explained to them the theme and sub themes of the convention and what made the GMA choose it. He dwelt upon the three aspects of the theme which were to be deliberated upon during the day.

In addition to this, the GMA organized a small exhibition on the premises outside the auditorium. This was visited by the delegates and people were seen taking interest especially in the stall displaying the solar power system for home and industrial use. 

The Key Note speaker, Dr. K. Jayakumar, dwelt upon the  subject of Transformational Management. He explained how organizations need to be structured to pursue innovation, how balanced organizational goals are set and performance measured. He emphasized on sustainable economic growth & how to develop an eco system to promote it. He said that proper governance helps to reduce poverty & other social ailments. According to him, value systems become very important to promote trust and ethical behaviour. He explained how the companies should operate themselves which could be labeled as Ethical.  As for employees in an organization, he said that transparency in dealings is a must so that a uniform culture permeates throughout the company.  This, he said, promotes Inclusive Growth.

The Chief Guest Justice OP Verma cited several newspaper reports and statistics to prove his point that social inequality was on the rise and the rural urban income divide was growing wider. He talked about how every individual in the country can be made the part of the inclusive growth. He focused on the fact that the principle of inclusive growth is enshrined in the Indian Constitution.  He mentioned that for inclusive growth we need to come together by engaging communities towards achieving inclusive growth. He also pointed out the use of human capital and value systems in an aggressive way in order to increase our growth rate.  Justice Verma shared his experiences which pointed to the fact that though the Government was doing a great deal in making such provisions which would culminate in inclusive growth, the poor execution was resulting in patchy progress..

The first technical session was on Capacity Building for Inclusive Growth.  The session was chaired by Shri I C Agarwal, a noted industrialist of Ghaziabad and one of the patrons on GMA.  He brought focus to the theme of the session and moderated the discussions/ interactions.  Shri Chander Sabharwal, CEO, Crops Health Products, divided inclusive growth model into 3 categories: Leadership in capacity Building, leadership in innovation & leadership in environment. He laid stress on the fact that corporations should focus efforts in developing innovative products targeted at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’. He gave several examples of such innovations directed at the rural sector. Shri Basab Banerjee, who is the Head of Standards & QA at the National Skill Development Corporation, talked about the huge gap between capacities available within the country for skills training and the requirement for such training in the coming decade based on identified needs of employers. He cited the work being done by NSDCL to raise the aspirations of persons pursuing vocational skills by charting out a career path for them. He also emphasized the role of curricula development and certifications to improve quality of training and the role NSCDL can play as catalyst for entrepreneurs wanting to set up vocational training institutions.  Thereafter, Shri Hemanth M, a second year student of IMT gave a presentation on a joint project done by students of IMT and overseas colleges to test the use and adaptation of ICT in Education for promoting Inclusive Growth. 

The second session was on the path to Social Sustainability.  This session was chaired by Dr. A K Puri, Director General, ITS, Mohan Nagar and the speakers were Dr. G P Rao of Spandan, Sh. K K Mukherjee of Gram Niyojan Kendra and Sh. P V Ramana Murthy, Vice President (HR), Coca Cola.  All these speakers laid a great deal of stress on activities leading to environmental and social sustainability.  They emphasized on the desirability for sacrifice by the consumptive section of our society, the necessity to live together exhibiting values of care and mutual help, the need for humanizing the organization, and ensuring conservation of natural resources for sustainability so that future generations can live as comfortably as we do. Mr.Ramana Murthy gave examples of the ‘humanized’ culture in Coca Cola.

The third session was a Panel Discussion on Ethics in Management.  The session was moderated by Mr.Satyaveer Sharma, EC member GMA..  The other panelists were Shri R K Mittal, Founder, Kabir Peace Mission, Shri K N Rattan, a noted Consultant and Advisor to many Companies on operations and Dr. Bibek Banerjee, Director, IMT, Ghaziabad and Shri Sanjay Nagi, CEO Market Insight Consultants. Shri S S Sharma, Principal Partner, System Dynamics, who was the session coordinator, also acted as the moderator of the interaction with the audience after the presentation by the panelists. Each panelist shared his views and experience on the   subject. The consensus was that it was possible to do business ethically and not to succumb to unethical pressures. The panelists felt that ultimately the unethical elements in society are losers. They also said that the definition of what is ethical is contextual and needs to be decided by the protagonists concerned.  They shared the instances, the difficulties, and obstacles they faced for maintaining their ethical value system and effort they had to put in for overcoming these and the benefits derived thereof.

After this session, a short skit was staged by the students of Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College on the theme of Corruption in society and ethical behavior. The skit, which was on the theme of corruption in India, portrayed the picture with great humour and passion. It earned a loud round of applause from the audience.

The last session was the valedictory session, where the Chief Guest was Shri Bharat Wakhlu, Resident Director, Tata Services, New Delhi.  He was requested to give away the prizes to winners of various competitions held by GMA in association of various member institutes.

Awards were given to employees of BEL and ITC who were winners and runners up, respectively in the CHANAKYA, the business simulation game organized by GMA and AKGIM.  Thereafter, awards were given to students who were position holders in SCROLLS competition held at AKGEC, which is a technical paper presentation.  Awards were also given to students for the best presentation of their Summer Training Project, held at INMANTEC.

After the awards distribution, Shri Wakhlu gave his valedictory address.  In this address, he laid emphasis on the Inclusiveness of growth – what it means to individuals, communities and to the nation, and how to go about it.  He said that any activity for inclusive growth or any other begins from ‘self’.  In this regard, he narrated the concept called “Law of Two Hands” which merely states that each person has to be engaged and take responsibility for execution to make things happen..  He said that CSR should actually be expanded as Corporate Stakeholder Responsibility. Responsibility does not mean merely giving away money for development of villages around, he said, but actually, it is a concept of carrying on the business of the organization in an ethical and sustainable manner.  Then only will we call ourselves to be ensuring inclusive growth.  So far as ethics is concerned, it is a necessary prerequisite   for achieving inclusive growth.

The program ended with Dr. R K Agarwal, Director AKGEC and Hony. Secretary of GMA, thanking all the guests, speakers, delegates, sponsors, advertisers and organizers and all those who, directly or indirectly, contributed in conduct of this convention and that too, very successfully.