Corruption in India; Can it be stopped?

1) In both Mr. Jayaswal and Mr. Dadra's case, as well as many other Indian government officials, a lot of unethical dilemmas have been occurring.  These two are being investigated for possibly acquiring 5 coal mines "fraudulently." In the case of Mr. Jayaswal, he is not looking out for the best interest of his country and the many people struggling without any electricity.  Instead, he is looking out for his own personal interests.  These coal mines were given to individuals closely tied to government officials instead of to the highest bidder or with better credentials to better the Indian community.  Mr. Dadra has been closely tied to Mr. Jayaswal as close friends and perhaps is the biggest reason Mr. Jayaswal had possibly been able to obtain these coal mines. As it was said in the article, these government officials such as Mr. Dadra would choose individuals that favored them instead of the entire country.  Doing this limits competition because only individuals with connections can obtain these coal mines.  Lastly, having an open system hinders the possibility of India continually improving their energy resources.  Because of the open system, corruption is able to continue because of relationships between individuals such as Mr. Jayaswal and Mr. Dadra.

2)  There are both positives and negatives for the acts committed by Mr. Jayaswal.  The positives for Mr. Jayaswal would be that he would and did become successful financially, becoming a millionaire.  He was also able to create a deep connection with several politicians so in the future it would help him in any other endeavor.  The negatives of these acts are that the people of India suffered without any power and electricity.  Instead of progressing and making significant movements to help the energy problems in India, Mr. Jayaswal acted selfishly.  Another negative is the fact that he could be in trouble for corruption and fraud.

3) The only viewpoint of moral reasoning that could have possibly motivated Mr. Jayaswal's decision must of been Individualism.  With individualism, the person is very individualistic; for themselves.  Their decision making is entirely based on how the decision will affect their own self interests.  I think it was individualism because Mr. Jayaswal made selfish decision to profit his own bank account.  He wanted to live lavishly and he did as read in the article.  He flaunted his wealth while millions of people in India were without electricity.  People in America or other wealthier nations can't even go a few hours without electricity.  Instead of caring for the people of his own country and trying to help improve the energy problems, he sat back and watched his bank account grow.

4) It is tough to tell whether or not a nation will be able to stop corruption or not.  Many feel that the corruption will never be halted while others figure there are smart solutions in handling this situation.  Personally, my family is all from India so I've heard plenty of stories of corruption.  Mostly the little things about police taking money from people in order for them to do things like pass the road.  However, there are smart ways in being able to handle this.  After reading several articles, the most positive way I came across was a new party.  Anna Hazare, with his new party, plan on campaigning across the country for then next few years to get his name and party out there.  Fixing corruption is nothing that can be done immediately anyway.  According to the article in the New York times, creating a new political party and trying to make changes within parliament is far from easy.  However, this is a start and a shimmer of hope for the Indian people wanting change.  Apparently, 2014 (the next elections) is too close for change but 2019 might be "more realistic."  In terms of this positive and possible change, there is always a negative view for change in corruption.  Many people believe there are just too much corrupt people in India, from the government, law enforcement, the money makers, and even ordinary people.  It is basically in their blood.  In another article in the New York times, a student said they would vote but are losing faith in politics.  This would definitely not help Anna Hazare's campaign.  If the people of India don't believe in themselves and believe in any hope, there is no possible way anything can work.  At the end of the article, there is a quote from Edward A. Gargan, “for the first time many Indians are openly questioning not only whether honest government is even possible, but also whether the country’s very soul has been irredeemably warped.”  The country needs it's people to believe in change before anything can actually change.

http://www.jaagore.com/article/how-can-we-stop-corruption-India

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/03/corruptions-reach-in-india-spawns-new-political-party/

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/will-india-ever-rid-itself-of-corruption/

Zara International!

1) One of the biggest reasons for the success of Zara International, is their ability to implement classical management approaches.  High specialization of labor is key in regards to Zara's business plan.  For example, they have 200 professionals specifically looking out for the latest trends, which helps them provide these trends within 24 hours.  They also try to achieve profit maximization which is evident by their low budget on marketing as opposed to other competitive retailers.  Three main classical management approaches are seen through Taylor, and Weber's theories.  Taylor's emphasis on efficiency is provided by Zara's ability to be up to date on the newest fashion within two days as well as re-stocking stores as soon as possible.  Inditex's ability to control the supply chain to maximum efficiency also helps Zara.  Weber believed the best way for management to prosper is through a bureaucratic organization.  This would develop a well defined hierarchy, division of labor and specialization, rules, competence, interpersonal relationships, and records. (cliffnotes)

2) Operations management can be seen in practice at Zara.  Their ability to be efficient and meet customer's needs as soon as possible is a great sign of operations management.  The distribution centers can have the latest items in store within 24-48 hours.  Customers are happy because they can have the newest looks in a matter of a few days.  Customers can also expect new items on a weekly basis because managers are able to use their handheld devices to reorder new items or track what's hot and not.

3) The success of Zara's distinctive practices can helped be explained by their system concepts and notion of contingency thinking.  For example, instead of using the same clothing lines week to week, they replace them leaving customers unsure of what products will be available.  They also are able to bring high end fashion to low income shoppers at an affordable price.  Lastly, Zara tries it's hardest to make sure there is no overstock of any item so there would be no need for any markdowns.

4) Based on several articles, Zara is continuing to do well.  According to an article in the New York times, "as the European crisis continues, retailers say price matters."  Due to that, Zara decided to "absorb" the extra costs instead of placing it on the consumers.  The firm is able to do well with their emphasis on the customer and great supply chain management.  Inditex is also still providing worthy management benchmarks according to recent financial numbers.  In an article in the Wall Street Journal, Inditex had a first half net profit increase of 32 percent even in such tough economic times.  It does not look like Inditex and Zara will be going south anytime soon.  With such great management control and approaches, Zara seems to stay atop the retail game.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444032404578005700811225838.html?KEYWORDS=zara

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/fashion/21iht-fprice21.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/realestate/commercial/the-heart-of-fifth-avenue-shopping-edges-to-the-south.html?pagewanted=all

http://live.wsj.com/video/what-makes-companies-profitable-during-a-slowdown/3186DD4A-DAA0-44A4-87E2-4447AC9FDF5A.html?KEYWORDS=zara#!3186DD4A-DAA0-44A4-87E2-4447AC9FDF5A