Hari's Corner

16 comment(s)

1. Venting is a Good Thing, as long as it isn't misdirected. Vent away, Hari.
   
   Comment by RT Cunningham (visitor) on 2 May 2008 @ 00:45:53 IST #
2. Venting away is always better than floating away!
   
   Comment by MrCorey (visitor) on 2 May 2008 @ 07:09:24 IST #
3. RT, is it directed or misdirected then?
   MrCorey, yes, venting is better than wenting... )
   
   Comment by hari (blog owner) on 2 May 2008 @ 08:57:51 IST #
4. Actually, communism if done right is the perfect solution and style of government. The only problem is, people don't want to be equal with other people, they are driven by greed and the need to be better than everyone else. Unfortunately, humans are still too barbaric to live in such a society where there is no racism and everyone is actually equal.
   The other problem is the communism of today doesn't give most of the people basic human rights, that's why I said if it was done right.
   I'm not communist by the way, I just think with an open mind.
   
   Comment by drew (visitor) on 2 May 2008 @ 09:08:23 IST #
5. Drew, I don't agree that "communism" can ever be done right. The problem is equality is a myth. No two human beings are the same. And no matter how equal people are, it will create misery at some level when, regardless of how hard one works, the reward is the same as anybody else. It kills incentive and it kills individuality.
   However, that being said, I do agree that the distribution of wealth in society under capitalism is flawed in the extreme.
   It's pure, unadulterated corporate greed which has kept communism alive - not free enterprise, innovation or entrepreneurship.
   
   Comment by hari (blog owner) on 2 May 2008 @ 09:15:40 IST #
6. I have read that book fully and couldn't find any fault...
   He is running a multi billion corporate and not some goverment agency or charity house, so I dont see a reason to complain about the way he did his job.
   Joining GE as a college freshman and raising all the way up to the post of CEO and staying there for 2 decades is no ordinary thing.
   Yes, a bit of CSR should have helped but I guess it is fine..
   Waiting to read your book review
   
   Comment by Shrinidhi Hande (visitor) on 2 May 2008 @ 09:16:45 IST #
7. Shrinidhi, I found his egotism to be extremely repulsive.
   The way he also talks about downsizing and throwing away human beings from a company with the motive of chasing profits and shareholders' benefit is also extremely repulsive.
   You should read more about GE under Jack Welch from unbiased sources and how he destroyed GE as a great manufacturing power under his management. All his management principles were driven by short-term profits, greed and the bottom-line and not by long-term growth. I feel that his stupid theories of being #1 or #2 and throwing away so many businesses just to feed his ego has ruined hundreds of thousands of lives.
   You should agree that even a profit-seeking corporate has its social obligations in modern society. Yes, he was successful, but is he a modern-day role model? No. Even his rise to power in GE can be attributed to playing politics as he freely admits in the book.
   We are not living in the first days of the Industrial Revolution when workers were exploited to the hilt for the profit of the capitalists.
   
   Comment by hari (blog owner) on 2 May 2008 @ 09:20:20 IST #
8. Well, like I said, if done right, communism is the best form of government. Allow individuals to be just that, individual from each other.
   Think of it like Star Trek, where everyone has a specialty or trade they are good at. But there's no need for money or power. Or maybe like an ant colony, everyone works together to make each others lives better a as whole, work as a team to accomplish livelihood. No one ant is better than the other, but each still has their own distinct characteristics that make them, them.
   
   Comment by drew (visitor) on 2 May 2008 @ 23:59:36 IST #
9. Drew, the reason why I feel communism itself is a failed ideology is because it misinterprets basic human behaviour and motives.
   I don't think that human behaviour over the ages has evolved to such an extent that the "greater common good" is really a motivating factor in our actions.
   
   Comment by hari (blog owner) on 3 May 2008 @ 07:25:52 IST #
10. It's unfortunate that not a single society on planet Earth has found a form of government that really works.
    Russia has proven that communism doesn't work.
    The U.S. has proven that capitalism doesn't work, even though it works better than socialism.
    I could go on and on, but you should get my point. There is no perfect society.
    
    Comment by RT Cunningham (visitor) on 3 May 2008 @ 11:40:16 IST #
11. There's no perfect anything as long as humans are around. Honestly, the majority of humans are a very stupid. Because of the intelligent people and advancement of medical technology, the majority of people who should have died at birth, even on occasion taking the mother with them survive nowadays.
    
    Comment by drew (visitor) on 4 May 2008 @ 04:30:10 IST #
12. Give me links to other perspectives-let me have a look...
    He was there for 20 years- So I believe that qualifies as long term...
    Anyway everyone will have his own thought process and each thought will have its own pros and cons.
    He has admitted that some of his decisions have backfired and proved to be wrong, overall,, good ones outnumbered bad ones, hence he saved himself from trouble...
    Btb have you read Kishore Biyani's IT happened in India? Let me know what you think of it...
    
    Comment by Shrinidhi Hande (visitor) on 4 May 2008 @ 09:18:26 IST #
13. Drew, that's true!
    Shrinidhi, it's my own view after reading his book, but take a look at some of the reviews in Amazon.com as well - he seems to give the same impression to a lot of people.
    About long-term/short-term, the point is not the number of years he was at the helm. It's about what kind of moves he took in the company to make it profitable.
    Read up Jack Welch and GE on Wikipedia to know about his controversial moves he took after becoming CEO.
    He was once known as Neutron Jack for good reason: he had this ruthless streak of laying off workers to pursue the bottom-line and he also bought and sold off so many companies that he affected a lot of other companies/workers as well. He was also known for having a lack of compassion for the middle class.
    It's just my opinion in any case, and I may be wrong, but the bottom line is that I don't like Mr. Welch and I don't like his philosophies of life.
    
    Comment by hari (blog owner) on 4 May 2008 @ 09:30:39 IST #
14. equality isn't something that can be forced. If everyone was humble and treated others as better than themselves, then we would get somewhere. (Note, this is everyone doing this... thus pretty much impossible.)
    
    Comment by (visitor) on 5 May 2008 @ 18:08:31 IST #
15. From each blog according to it's abilities, to each blog according to it's needs. I don't even know what that could mean, but it's sounds clever (at least in my head).
    
    Comment by Ernie (visitor) on 6 May 2008 @ 07:20:21 IST #
16. Titanium, that's true, I suppose.
    Ernie, no it doesn't sound clever, trust me.
    
    Comment by hari (blog owner) on 6 May 2008 @ 16:25:45 IST #