Grading Papers

I went through the MBA "final papers" for the class over the last couple of weeks (more than once) and found them mostly interesting and well written. However, there were some common issues I found through the papers and thought I would generally post the comments here so I didn't have to repeat these ideas in each of the papers.

1. In one of my first posts to my blog, I asked students to go through the online cultural training module created by the University of the Pacific (you can read my original post here). One of the points made in that training is that students who make their first international trip abroad often return to find themselves considered "experts" in the country by people they know. The site urges students to avoid "the tendency to become an 'instant expert'" on the country they have visited. Now that you have this experience that few others in your social circle have had, the urge is to make assertions about what "India is like" - how surprised you were at Indians' overall hospitality, their general strong positive attitude towards customer service, their general religious intolerance, the complete lack of any technology in agriculture, etc. - rather than just comparing your observations with expectations or home experiences. It is critical to understand that your international experience was extremely limited both temporally and geographically and this experience is supposed to be eye-opening and thought-provoking. However, it is certainly not sufficient to make broad assertions about India or Indians (both positive and negative). The comparisons between India and the USA seemed in many papers to be more broad assertions about the people, culture, and attitudes rather than interesting insights into your particular experience in one small part of the country. I once got into an argument with a relative of mine who was visiting the US for the first time. He had flown in to New York and then headed to Mississippi to meet some folks. He kept making comments like "You people are supposed to be the wealthiest country on earth, but the poverty all around is astonishing. There are boarded up houses, poor people on the streets, and indiscriminate shootings on the street. I think you set up a nice showcase city in NYC and then hide the squalor and poverty behind a facade. The racism and intolerance in this country is astonishing," he claimed, "you put black people in their own neighborhoods and let them live in poverty ..." Of course, he was making ridiculously broad generalizations based on about two weeks in the US and a narrow experience in the state of Mississippi. I tried explaining this to him, but to no avail. I can't even imagine what warped view of the US he took back to India and shared with his social circle. The point is that many of the papers had such broad assertions about the country and its people (both positive and negative) based on the very limited and unique experiences you had in the country. It would have been more appropriate to compare and contrast your experiences and raise questions, offer possible explanations, and discuss potential implications of these observed differences rather than drawing broad inferences that possibly may be unwarranted.

2. There also seems to be some general misunderstanding of what Tom Friedman is saying when he talks about how countries like India are evidence that the world is "flattening." Many of you seem to have expected India to be a place of gleaming transformation with high-tech businesses all around and technology infused into every aspect of daily life. Rather, I think Friedman was making the point that despite being an underdeveloped country, the technology revolution (and other flatteners) have resulted in them being able to use some of their natural resource advantages (huge labor pool, recent development of telecommunication infrastructure, vast technically-proficient workforce, english-speaking workforce, almost 12-hour time difference with the US, etc.) to compete globally and fill in the "gaps" in the value chain where they have a competitive advantage. That is, the book tries to explain that no matter how poor or underdeveloped a country is, the ability to disaggregate elements of the value chain and easily have those disaggregated elements delivered by people anywhere in the world, results in a "flattening" of the world such that any country that has a natural advantage at being able to efficiently fill that element of the value chain will do so. He is trying to explain exactly how a country that is inefficient, technologically backward, and with poorly developed internal infrastructure, can still be a global player in the world of technology because they can efficiently fill only those elements of the value chain where they have a competitive advantage. This point seems to have been missed by many of you. Admittedly Friedman causes some of this problem by focusing on the gleaming towers of Intel, Microsoft and IBM in Bangalore early in his book. But he does take the pains to point out that a "flat world" is not the same as an "equal world."

3. I am regularly surprised at many MBA students' inability to organize and structure their reports and papers into sections with appropriate subheadings. To have ten single-spaced pages of thoughts presented in a long string of paragraphs without any clear organizing structure provided by meaningful subheadings is surprising and frustrating. Surely it makes more sense to organize thoughts around meaningful topics (these are just arbitrary topic headings that may or may not have been appropriate for any specific paper) like "Cultural Comparisons," "Political Factors," "Infrastructure Issues," "Doing Business in India," "Business Comparisons," "Implications," "My View of India's Future," "Strengths," "Biggest Threats to India's Future," etc.? I once had a term paper from an MBA student that was entirely in one paragraph. While most of these papers at least used paragraph breaks, they seemed more like a stream of consciousness rather than a well thought out and organized set of thoughts based on the experience. Perhaps it is the experience most MBA students have of writing memos (a page or two at the most) that makes it difficult to understand that longer submissions of prose ought to be organized around topics. Those of you registering for my Data Analysis class, please take note!

4. Observations versus analysis: Related to the first point above, I found that most of the papers were filled with interesting observations, but much less analysis of these observations. The observations were often used to make broad generalizations but less frequently used as a basis for insightful analysis on the potential implications for globalization or the future of international business relationships between these countries. The observations made for interesting reading. Several of you talked about the shopping experience at the local family-owned clothing store. However, few went beyond concluding with a broad statement that went something like "it is clear that relationships are more important in India than in the US" (which, by the way I don't think is completely true). Instead, a less superficial analysis of the kinds of relationships that are important in India and the US, a recognition that small family-owned stores in the US may have acted the same way (and the consequent implications of the decline of mom and pop stores in this country), the importance of networks and JVs for US companies planning on doing business in India, etc. would have reflected greater thought put into this paper.

5. The papers were graded on the basis of how well students (a) described how the India experience has changed their perceptions of international business and specifically business practices in India, (b) made clear comparisons with the US of three approaches to business in India, (c) clear discussion not just of the differences but why they are different, (d) appropriately justified ideas from their readings in and out of class, (e) overall wrote the paper (in terms of organization, spelling, grammar, etc.)

Cricket Day

Just spent a relaxing morning at home watching the Australia-India cricket test match. After an extremely disappointing start for India (all out for 330), I watched them dispatch Australia for 212. Then I walked over to the Leela Palace Hotel's Oxford book store with the kids. Bought a few more CDs, but no room for the books I wanted to buy. There's always Amazon.com!

Will head to the airport at about 12:30 AM for the long wait for our flights home.

Last Legs

We left for Mysore in the morning. I was not surprised that there were several hassles with the Ginger Hotel as they tried to reconcile the bills. Several people were stuck for a long time arguing with the hotel about their billing. The hotel staff themselves seem extremely nice and apologetic. However, their systems are a mess. I do not understand why all the accounting items cannot simply be posted in a single online record for each room. They have multiple written folios and have trouble transferring data from all the folios into the online system. A complete mess.

Our bus ride to Bangalore was relatively uneventful except for a disaster lunch location. We found out that no clear arrangements had been made for lunch and we automatically appealed to Mr. Dwarkanath for help. He spoke to the drivers who recommended Hotel Ramanashree (three star) or Hotel Taj West End (five star). I was leaning towards the three-star hotel when the guide insisted that it was too far and inconvenient and that we should eat at a local Hotel Kamath. I clearly told him that a key requirement for a lunch location was clean restrooms. He insisted that Hotel Kamath fit the bill. As you may imagine, I have rarely seen a worse restroom in my life. It was beyond bad – it was sickness inducing. Absolutely outrageous. Luckily the food was pretty good and we left there relatively unscathed. The group was not really in the mood to do more sightseeing and after a walk through the beautiful Lal Bagh gardens, we headed to the Ginger.

The bus stopped briefly in front of Manipal Hospital and almost threw me and my baggage off the bus before proceeding. I found my way to Lalla periappa’s house from there. I went for a nice dinner at Bombay Post for some beer and great chicken seekh kabab.

Bye Bye Mysore

Our last day in Mysore! In the morning, we had a lecture on e-governance that was interesting. However, like many of the other lectures, I wish the talk had focused more on unique implementations of e-governance in India rather than the ongoing talk about what e-governance is, the key imperatives for e-governance implementation, etc. All that stuff could have been on a single slide. Then, it would have been great to talk of a couple of case studies on how information and communication technologies have been used particularly effective to improve relationships between the government and its far-flung rural citizens. The case study we saw briefly on the first day – on the kiosks farmers used to check fair prices – would have fit in well here. I think that would have made for a much more interesting session – a focus on unique applications in India that resolve some of the unique problems India faces in being a true representative democracy such as illiteracy and poverty.

In the evening, we had a farewell dinner at the beautiful Hotel Metropole another of the great old turn-of-the-century buildings built by the Maharajah. As usual, the SDM-IMD hosts were fantastic. They humbled us with some great gifts (including the SDM-IMD jackets that Al and I were lusting over earlier in our trip). It was a great ending to a great trip. Very nice food, excellent company, and beautiful surroundings.

Indian Branding

The day began early – at about 12:45 AM to be exact. Harvey called and said he had been advised by his doctor to go to an ER as there were reddish streaks extending from the injury on his hands. We found out that there is a hospital just across the street from our hotel and we walked over there. The doctor didn’t seem to alarmed and since there was no burning or itching, suggested it was just an allergy. She gave him a shot of “Avil.” When I got back to the room at about 2 AM, I decided to us the Slingbox to watch a few minutes of the Colts-Chargers game. I watched for about 30 minutes before deciding to go to bed.

The presentation this morning was from Prof. Balakrishnan, who provided us with Indian perspectives on branding. The view of branding here, interestingly, seems quite different from the American view of the role of branding. According to Prof. Balakrishnan, the goal of branding is to increase perceived risk of alternatives. While marketing tries to “disorient the consumer,” branding has to “re-orient the consumer towards the target brand.” This view, of course, is far removed from the view of marketing and branding espoused in the US. The Professor did start his lecture with a disclaimer that this was all his personal view and that many of us may violently disagree with this perspective.

While I don’t violently disagree, I think the difference in perspectives comes from the current state of maturity in branding I India. The lecture seemed to focus on the importance of brands in differentiating the product from unbranded commodities. In the US, branding plays a critical role in differentiating one brand from another. How you view the role of branding would differ depending on whether you see the brand as competing against unbranded alternatives or other established brands. Even his lecture focused on examples that seemed to suggest the former. How do you get people to buy “Annapurna brand atta” as opposed to buying the wheat and sending it to a flour mill for grinding? I found it quite interesting.

Soon after class, we were thrust into a surprise “media session.” There were several representatives from the local media on hand and we answered their questions, some of which were quite good. This was a long and unexpected session and several of us had a chance to get up there and speak with the reporters.

Back to Mysore

Yesterday and today have been quite productive work-wise. Having a nice, fast broadband connection at my uncle's house has been godsend. I have been able to deal with a bunch of UMD work that has been piling up at an alarming rate in Duluth. Although I know I'm going to be snowed under (both metaphorically and literally) when I get back, it was nice to sit here with the remote desktop connection and make a dent (however small) into the email that has been building up there. I still am surprised at the Internet connectivity in Mysore. I guess that is one of the many things that will be upgraded soon as there is a greater demand for connectivity from people in the area.

Last night I woke up a few times with a very bad cough (my nose seems much clearer now). Finally, my mom came in very early in the morning and forced some more cough syrup down my throat. That helped as I ended up sleeping until 9 AM.

I took the famed "Volvo bus" back to Mysore. It was an excellent experience. The bus left at 3:35 and offered air conditioning and comfortable reclining seats. The seats reclined quite a bit, actually, which allowed me to take a nice nap. The ride was comfortable. After we left the bus station in Bangalore, the conductor brought each of us a moist towelette and then a bottle of water - better than Northwest Airlines! Not bad for a Rs. 190 trip. The trip also took less than three hours. I was actually back in my hotel room by 6:30 PM.

Manipal Hospital - An Insider's View

After my several days of misery (well detailed in the blog here), I decided it would be foolhardy for me to spend two full days sight seeing in a non-air-conditioned bus. I still have not fully recovered and sleeping at night continues to be a bit of a chore. Rather than just hang around at the hotel for two days, I decided to go to Bangalore. My parents (and kids) are visiting there and my mom insisted I go to a doctor to get some antibiotics. So, I took a cab and headed to Bangalore late last night (getting here around 1 AM this morning). After a flat tire on the way, it still wasn’t too bad to make the trip in a little less than three hours. I continued to cough through the night and struggle with breathing, but hopefully the doctor will give me some miracle drug this morning.

So, I went across the street with my uncle to the world-famous "Manipal Hospital" to see a doctor about my cold/cough/flu. This is supposed to be one of the more fancy and expensive hospitals in town. Here's exactly how it went down.

I went to the "Registration Desk" at about 11 AM and asked to see an ENT (ear, nose throat) doctor for my flu/sinus problem. I was asked to fill out a short form and turn it in to the desk. The lady quickly entered my basic details (name, age, sex, address, etc.) into the computer and asked me to verify the details on the large monitor facing me (she had a smaller monitor facing her desk). Since I was a completely new registrant (never been to the hospital before), I was asked to pay Rs. 150 as a one-time registration fee and Rs. 350 for the doctor consultation fee, which I did. I was told that the Rs. 350 doctor consultation fee covered me for all consultations with the doctor within the next seven days. I would not have to pay for a return visit within the next week. She then printed out a nice plastic hospital ID card for me and sent me to the ENT department upstairs. Total elapsed time: about 10 minutes.

When I handed my ID card to the ENT department desk upstairs, I was told that I was on the list and it would be about 45 minutes before my name was called. My uncle and I went for a stroll around the hospital and checked out the departments, the stores, and the various other hospital services offered. We were back in the ENT department in about 30 minutes. After about another 25 minutes (approx 12:00 noon), my name was called and I headed into a room with one large chair (like a dentist's chair) in the center and an important-looking doctor sitting in front. Around him were clustered several other doctors or nurses with clipboards. The nurse asked me to sit in the chair and face the doctor. He looked at me and asked what the problem was in a business-like fashion. I told him, in a few seconds. He asked if I had taken any medication and I said "Yes, Sinarest." He picked up a few instruments and looked down my throat, up my nostrils, and felt around my neck, all the while dictating medical terms which a couple of the surrounding doctors quickly jotted down. Then he glared at me and announced "you have a sinus infection and your taking Sinarest made it worse! I need to see an X-Ray to decide what antibiotics to prescribe. Go downstairs to get an X-Ray and come back." I was ushered out in all of about 1-2 minutes and a new patient was in the chair almost before I left the room. One of the many minions hovering around the doctor followed me out and filled out an X-Ray request sheet and asked me to go down to Floor -1. These doctors must see hundreds of patients a day and seem to be freed from almost all responsibilities except diagnosis and follow-up treatment. By this time, it was about 12:15 PM.

I headed down to X-Ray and handed in my sheet. She took it without a word and entered it into the computer. She then said that the X-Ray fee was Rs. 170 and that I should pay at one of the cash counters and come back. I walked to one of the many cash counters around the hospital, and just handed my plastic card. Since the X-Ray request was already in the computer, he just said "Rs. 170" which I paid. He stamped "PAID" on my form after taking my money. I returned with the evidence of payment and she just waved her hand towards the seating area. None of this took much time despite Saturday being a particularly busy day for the hospital. Within about 10 minutes a lady called my name and I followed her into the X-Ray room where I was asked to sit on a stool and face an X-Ray screen with my mouth wide open. By this time, it was about 12:55 PM. When I came back out to the seating area, I was told it would be about 30-40 minutes before my film was ready. It was about 1:30 before my film arrived and I headed back up to the doctor. Unfortunately, the ENT department was all closed by this time and the place was manned by a single "emergency doctor" who was being harried by all the people who wanted her attention all at once. When we explained that we had already seen the doctor, she asked me to sit down while she dealt with several other people with a huge variety of requests. Finally, she called the doctor on the phone and described my X-Ray (along with a few other patients) and took rapid notes with several "yes sirs" sprinkled in. After dealing with another horde of impatient customers, she called me up and told me that I had some sinus congestion and that I should go on an antibiotic (Augmentin) for 7 days, use a painkiller (Dolo) for 3 days, and use Otrivin nasal drops before a steam inhalation three times a day. She wrote out the prescription and I headed to the pharmacy. At the pharmacy, we were handed a token number which was called in about 15 minutes. I was asked to pay Rs. 620 for the drugs (of which Rs. 520 was for the Augmentin antibiotic) which I then picked up at a counter around the corner. We headed out of the hospital at about 2:30 PM. The doctor had asked me to schedule another appointment with the doctor in about a week. Maybe I'll see him again on the 17th if things are not much better by then.

Overall, for someone with no history or record with this private hospital, everything seemed to go smoothly with "pay-as-you-go" services that did not seem exorbitant. I now have a nice plastic hospital card and can even see the doctor again before I leave Bangalore without paying another office fee. From the hospital's standpoint, they got a Rs. 150 new registrant fee and a Rs. 350 office visit fee for all of about 5-8 minutes of the doctor's time. And believe me when I say this doctor probably sees many more patients a day than the typical US doctor. All in all, it was a great visit. I also got the details on their numerous "maintenance check" packages for my next trip here. For Rs. 5000 (about $125) I can have a comprehensive check-up including blood tests, stress tests, eye checks, dental checks, etc. that take up most of a day and include a concluding consultation with a doctor.