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  • Groundbreaking ICT Inventions: A Book Review by Pallavi Ghosh

    Our latest publication, “Groundbreaking Inventions in Information and Communication Technology” by V. Rajaraman is an informative and enjoyable read. The book is targeted towards those with a pre-university education and does not require readers to have any prior knowledge on the subject. It aims to provide an overview and historical background of various technological inventions in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) from 1957 to-date.

    Rajaraman explains 15 Groundbreaking Inventions in our history, using a uniform and consistent format, divided into 3 categories in accordance with the timeline within which they were created– ‘Between 1957 and 1974’, ‘Between 1975 and 1984’, and ‘Between 1985 and 2011’. Further, each groundbreaking invention is delineated through 2 subheadings: 1) What is the invention? ; 2) Why is it a groundbreaking invention? Alongside this, there are loads of interesting fact boxes and relevant information about the invention, organised in separate sections to educate the

    The relevance of the inventions is illustrated as we move through them serially,  in the order in   which they were invented, from  FORTRAN, Integrated Circuits, Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS), Local Area Network (LAN), Personal Computers, Public Key Cryptography, Computer Graphics, The Internet, Global Positioning System (GPS), World Wide Web, Search Engines, Digitisation and compression of multimedia, Mobile Computers, and Cloud Computing to Deep Learning. Each of these technical terms are broken down and simplified for the benefit of the non-expert enthusiast. Moreover, the technical concepts related to these inventions are explained in a very simple and expressive language so that they are uncomplicated and fun to read.

    In the first introductory chapter, Rajaraman explains his reasons for creating this collection of 15 groundbreaking inventions. The author explains, “ICT has spawned a number of new industries that employ millions of people.” He elaborates upon the relevance of ICT and elucidates why it is important for all to have knowledge on the subject. Further, the author provides interesting facts about the history of ICT and introduced readers with ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), the first programmable general-purpose electronic digital computer, built in 1946 and UNIVAC (UNIVersal Automatic Computer), the first commercial computer made available in 1951. The author contends that the first groundbreaking invention in ICT was FORTRAN, a high-level programming language, created in 1957, which enabled scientists and engineers to use computers to solve complex problems easily.  The chapter contains countless fascinating fun facts.

    The subsection “What is a Groundbreaking Invention?” is particularly riveting since it clarifies the concept of a Groundbreaking Invention and defines the term citing authentic sources.

    Further, the author lists 8 criteria to classify advancement in ICT as a “Groundbreaking Invention”. These are:

    1. “The idea should be novel ”
    2. “It should fulfil a need ”
    3. “It should improve our  productivity”
    4. “It should change the way in which computing is done and computers are used ”
    5. “It should lead to  innovations”
    6. “The invention must have a long life and be continuously used and not be transient ”
    7. “It should create new industries that lead to further innovations and may, as a consequence, disrupt some old industries”
    8. “It should transform the way we live and thereby result in societal changes.”

    Throughout the book these 8 criteria are used to explain why each of the 15 chosen innovations can be considered groundbreaking. This introduction also features a chronological list of the 15 groundbreaking inventions in ICT from 1957 – 2011.

    In the second chapter, “The First Four Inventions”, the author explains FORTRAN, Integrated Circuits, RDBMS, and LAN. The author provides background information about each invention, choosing to tell stories which are interesting and memorable. A fun fact included in this chapter is: John Backus, the inventor of FORTRAN, formed a group of diverse professionals (engineers, scientists, and programmers) to help write the program. For FORTRAN, out of the 8 aforementioned criteria, I found the final criteria, “Societal Impact” to be an excellent measure of its status as a Groundbreaking Invention. The author argues that the code has deeply affected the society we live in.

    On Integrated Circuits, the author notes that although the advent of transistors revolutionised electronics, it was soon to be found that building complex circuits with them was not as easy as it seemed. He then provides a detailed explanation of the ideas and experiments which led to the creation of the first integrated circuit. The technical concepts to be used alongside complex terms are written in a simple language and seem to flow into the reader’s mind. The author makes the readers feel as if they are reading a simple story rather than a book full of complex terms. The ‘fact boxes’, included in relevant topics, present thought-provoking information. For example, the section features box items like “How Does a Transistor Function as a Switch” and “How are Integrated Circuits Fabricated?” in a simple and easily understandable explanation blended with excellent diagrams. Next, the author gives reasons for why Integrated Circuits are a groundbreaking invention as per his aforementioned 8 criteria. A noteworthy point amongst these eight is that the invention “Leads to the start of a new industry” — paving the way for the industry of silicon devices and circuits, employing half a billion people worldwide. Later, in a similar format and under the same section headings the author explains RDBMS and LAN, illustrating why these inventions are, in fact, “groundbreaking”.

    In the third chapter, the author describes “The Next Five Inventions.” These are: Personal Computer (PC), Public Key Encryption, Computer Graphics, Internet, and GPS. Included in this chapter is a noteworthy box – a biography of Gary Kildall who is best known as the designer of the first operating system for Personal Computers. The book is peppered with such fact boxes which makes the experience of reading about the various technical concepts more interesting. Chapter 3 also contains some compelling and inspiring biographies, such as the biographies of computer wizards Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are written concisely and eloquently, making them more enjoyable to read than the information available online. Another noteworthy section in this chapter is the one on the Apple I, Apple II, and its subsequent models. These were the first computers to feature a keyboard, power supply, and display in their design. These computers also have a memorable name, Steve Jobs, attached to them.

    As the author explains why the relevance and historical background of the Internet makes it a Groundbreaking Invention, a very riveting detail in the history of the Internet is mentioned. The author explains the historical relevance of the internet by divulging that the internet was originally created as a defence weapon for the US Department of Defence (DoD). The author states, “J.C.R Licklider was convinced that a country-wide communications network to connect computers would be essential for the defence of the USA.”

    Amongst the reasons for why the internet is a groundbreaking invention, the most noteworthy are: 1) It leads to innovations: the internet has provided the format using which further inventions such as Search Engines, the World Wide Web, Video on Demand, Internet Radio, and Cloud Computing have emerged ; 2) Leads to the start of new industries: for example, e-commerce firms such as Flipkart, Search engine companies such as Google, and social networking companies such as Facebook ; 3) Societal Changes: the ability to instantly network with a large number of people online to communicate, consume information, buy, and sell has changed the way our society functions.

    Another notable section in this chapter is the one on GPS where the author provides the readers with some interesting facts. For example, the author states “Originally, GPS was intended only for the use of the defence forces of the USA.’ He informs us that GPS is still controlled by the US Department of Defence. He goes on to explain the political effects of this circumstance. This section on the geopolitical effects of the USA’s control on GPS is truly very compelling.

    In the final chapter, the author discusses the last six inventions: World Wide Web, Search Engine, Digitization and Compression, Mobile Computing, Cloud Computing, and Deep Learning. He uses the same organised format and easy to read language in this final chapter for clear understanding.

    Overall, what I found to be the best feature of this book is the format using which it is organised. The author presents his explanations of and relevant information on 15 groundbreaking inventions in a uniform format which consists of congruously repeating sections with consistent headings for each invention. Personally, the section I found most enjoyable in each chapter was the part where the author explains ‘Why’ – “Why is this invention a groundbreaking invention in ICT?”. This is since it is quite compelling to learn about why the author chose to write about these inventions in the first place. It is eye-opening to know that certain advancements in ICT can be set apart from others and called a “groundbreaking invention”.

    Arguably, the author does a commendable job at achieving what he set out to do. He explains the groundbreaking inventions in a simple style to allow anyone with a pre-university education to understand and appreciate how ICT has been developed.

    Readers will gain a deep understanding of 15 groundbreaking inventions in ICT from 1957 to-date and will find that this book is not only informative but also an enjoyable read.

    I highly recommend this book! Log on to https://www.phindia.com/Books/BookDetail/9789389347524/groundbreaking-inventions-in-information-and-communication

  • The “Other” In The Tempest: Chapter Review by Pallavi Ghosh

    The Tempest from our Shakespeare plays series features the original text of the play along with
    simple yet explanatory notes in the footnotes of the text. Alongside this, the textbook features a
    comprehensive introduction to the entire play, illustrative summaries of each act, and two critical
    essays giving a postmodern outlook to the play.

    This blog post will provide a detailed explanation of what’s in the book and help the reader
    understand what’s in store from them through a chapter review. Read on to find out more about
    this supplementary text and what it has to offer!

    The Tempest is a play about Prospero, the true Duke of Milan. Exiled by his brother Antonio
    who has usurped his place, Prospero plots to retake what is rightfully his. With the help of a
    spirit, Ariel, Prospero orchestrates a storm, ‘The Tempest’. The storm entraps the ship of his
    brother. Antonio and his crew are shipwrecked and make their way to Prospero’s isle. Prospero
    sets in motion a meticulous plot which results in the restoration of his Dukedom.

    The play poses several questions about territorial authority and claim. For example, the
    territorial limits of Prospero are questionable since he conquers an island which was already
    inhabited. Similarly, the crew of Antonio’s ship become Prospero’s subjects and must
    understand his rules of governance. These are unlike their understanding of the system of
    governance in Naples and Milan. Their presence on Prospero’s isle, therefore, is a point of
    discussion with great potential.

    Trapped on the island, Miranda experiences the world through the isolated isle. This natural
    world is very different from the kind of society Miranda would have otherwise had in Milan. This
    influences her perception of the world. On the isolation and consequent individualization of this
    character, Choudhary comments: “What Prospero banks upon is her ability to submit to his
    scheme, and part of it involves imbuing her with a form of knowledge that would equip her as an
    individual. The individualization of Miranda is an orchestration envisaged to address and
    engage with the world in more ways than one.”

    In the book’s introduction Choudhary grapples with such concepts to help students understand
    the dynamics between the tempest characters which Shakespeare attempts to create. The
    critical essays are selected to help contextualize the storyline as it unfolds.
    The first of the two critical essays the book features is “The Other in the Tempest: The Case of
    Caliban” by Margaret L. Pachuau.

    The essay grapples with representations of the “other” within the context of colonization. The
    relationship between Caliban and Prospero can be analogously seen as that between a
    colonizer and the colonized.

    The essay discusses how representations of Caliban as an enslaved “savage” being rather than
    the isle’s original inhabitant can aid the arguments of postcolonial theorists. The author
    describes various instances in which Propsero and Miranda, Caliban’s colonizers, otherize, entrap, mistreat, label as “savage”, and attempt to colonize Caliban. These instances can be
    seen as symbolic of the treatment meted out to colonized communities. The essay discusses
    and brings together the perspectives of various theorists on the colonized status of Caliban. The
    critical essay argues that the devaluation of the “other” within the play is similar to the
    otherization of the colonized in European colonies.

    Pachuau begins by analyzing the character Caliban who, by her interpretation, can be seen as
    the “other” within the play. He is often represented as a subhuman species, with his body being
    described as monstrous as compared to the human colonizer who has enslaved him. She
    argues that Caliban, being the original inhabitant of the island, has a greater claim to ownership
    over the isle than Prospero. She presents Caliban as a wronged, mistreated character who has
    been devalued and given the title of a “savage” by his colonizers, Prospero and Miranda. She
    explains that Prospero’s attempts to humanize Caliban and teach him his language is akin to
    the colonizing efforts made in the past.

    The author comments on Caliban’s ability to speak, noting that Miranda and Prospero believe
    that teaching Caliban to speak was a “gift”. Referring to ‘Can the subaltern speak?’ (Spivak
    1985), Pachuau notes that the so-called “Demi-devil” delivers the most elaborate and
    memorable speeches in the play. Although he has learned the language of his colonizer, he
    seems to be empowered by it. Her analysis of this character completely changes how the
    reader views Caliban. Refuting his image as the enslaved, sub-human entity within the play,
    Pachuau places Caliban in the centrestage, arguing that he is the rightful owner of the isle.
    Quoting Foucault, she asserts that power cannot be one-sided (from the ruler to his subjects)
    but comes from within. Therefore, a ruler’s subjects are powerful since power comes from within
    a group. She argues that due to this “web-like inclusiveness” of power, there is a sense of
    power in Caliban’s character, the enslaved subject of Prospero. She notes that ‘Caliban
    challenges Prospero’s authority when he points out that Prospero’s language gave him the
    ability to “curse” his tormentor.’ After providing this unique perspective on Caliban’s character,
    Pachuau notes that Caliban’s name is a play on the word cannibal – a term which is associated
    with “savageness” by European norms. It may also be a play on the word “Cauliban” which
    means “black”.

    Other critical points of discussion in Pachuau’s analytical essay which are likely to be extremely
    helpful to students working with this play include interpretations of Caliban as a slave, colonized
    person, and victim which align with discussions in various postcolonial texts. Further, Pachuau
    makes a brief reference to the book Black Skin and White Masks by Fanon which analyzes the
    relationship between the lord and bondsman, drawing from Hegel’s propositions on self-
    consciousness. The book states that ‘The element of recognition is lacking in the relationship
    between the white master and black bondsman.’ Pachuau compares this assertion to the
    dynamics between master and slave within the book, presenting a detailed discussion. Further,
    the author asserts ‘learning the language of the colonizer is a prerequisite for any social
    advancement (as per a colonial mindset)’. This is since the colonized is always veiwed as
    inherently ‘savage’, ‘lazy’, ‘stupid’, and ‘other’ –  a’vile race’, as is the representation of Caliban
    within the play.

    Further, the essay compares portrayals of ‘the other’ in The Tempest to the ‘othering’ treatment
    meted out to the colonized in the history of colonizing efforts. She writes, ‘Prospero’s art
    represented the world of civility and learning in contrast to the ‘natural’ black magic of Caliban’s
    mother Sycorax’. Such a representation of the colonizer’s benevolent art as a contrast to the ‘uncivilized’ culture of the colonized is a common theme in history. She frames such a
    representation of the enslaved Caliban within the context of the decolonization movements of
    the 1960s and 1970s in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. With Prospero’s culture being
    treated as the norm, Prospero derides Caliban even as he claims he has treated him with
    kindness in his attempts to humanize him.

    By raising such points, the essay does a commendable job at finding links between postcolonial
    theorists’ works and the portrayals of the “other” in the play. It analyses Miranda and Prospero’s
    justifications of their enslavement of Caliban and places these under question. It raises the point
    that the island rightfully belongs to Caliban – the original inhabitant.

    Whilst discussing criticism of European paternal rule, the author refers to Aime Cesaire who
    discusses the relevance of language in colonial imagery, continuing the discussion on
    Prospero’s gift of language to Caliban. The author writes, ‘Set in a colony – a  prototype of a
    Caribbean or African setting – in the throes of resistance and unrest, Cesaire.

    Pachuau continues on with the discussion on language by observing instances where language
    is used to portray the colonized as “other”. She gives the example of the dualisms of dark and
    light which Shakespeare portrays in his imagery to contrast the colonizers and colonized. She
    observes ‘The colonizer used words like light, knowledge and wisdom to refer to himself while
    he used terms like darkness, ignorance and elemental to describe the colonized’. She argues
    that language is used to devalue the colonized.

    The author concludes this highly informative essay by acknowledging that there can be
    counterarguments to her stance. She says that some critics have argued that Prospero is not a
    colonizer but simply one who was exiled and stranded on the isle he has taken over. He is, in
    this way, not unlike Caliban who is also stranded.

    She informs us that Prospero isn’t the only main character in the play and that Caliban’s
    character holds an important position within the dynamics between the characters. For example,
    she argues that Caliban is an important character since he holds aesthetic significance. She
    quotes Harold Bloom who says “Caliban has aesthetic dignity, and that the play is not wholly
    Prospero’s only because of him.” Pachuau concludes her essay by observing Caliban’s unique,
    inimitable character which contrasts our own self-concern as human subjects.

    Overall, the chapter accomplishes what this book from our Shakespeare series promises to do.
    It helps readers gain a deeper understanding of the play and view the characters through a new
    perspective – through the lens of postcolonial theory. As mentioned in the introduction, the essay
    demonstrates how The Tempest raises questions about Politics and Governance through its
    storyline and portrayals. The essay backs up its arguments with evidence from various
    reputable critics who have also written on the postcolonial questions raised within the play.
    This book is an excellent read for students and teachers who are working with Shakespeare
    plays. Making persuasive, clearly written, and well-evidenced arguments, this book’s strength
    lies in providing strong critical reasoning and analyses of the play.

    If you found this book from our Shakespeare plays series interesting, don’t forget to check out
    the other supplementary texts in the series. https://www.phindia.com/Books/ShowBooks/MTM4MQ/European-Literature

    @PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.

  • The Role of Greed in Undermining Business Ethics

    Business Ethics and Value Systems By Dr. Mruthyunjaya

    Ethics is just a concept or a thought that stands for Virtue-based discipline of the human mind. Based on its observations, studies, discussions/interactions and experience, the human mind keeps continuously acquiring knowledge and refining the same as and when new information or data is available to enrich its data bank about various issues and aspects. The human mind also keeps differentiating between right and wrong or between virtues and vices. This differentiation enables it to direct and monitor actions and responses to circumstantial situations around.  Next, it analyses the acquired data through a thorough introspection to draw a clear demarcation line between right and wrong or between virtues and vices. Moreover, the normal human mind strives to acquire information regarding absolute righteousness about different issues for this purpose.

    Absolute righteousness stands for the highest order of virtues and occupies the innermost strata of the human mind. The sensitive human mind always aligns itself with the virtue side of the spectrum and directs all actions and responses of people, whether instantaneous or planned and well thought over to draw the key driving force only from the inner strata of virtues’ spectrum and ensures that all actions have the backing of the nobility of thought. Ethics, thus, happens to be the camouflaging virtue of the key driving force behind all actions of people.  This nobility of thought, also known as Morale, always distances itself from the influence of external parameters. And hence, the first thought of people would always be virtue-based because it originates from an un-impacted, virgin, purest and noblest knowledge about an issue, fact or a phenomenon. 

    When we say that both Ethics and Morale stand for Virtue-based discipline of the human mind, how can they be different from each other? 

    A close examination reveals that there is only a hairline thick border between   Ethics and Morale. While morale does not get impacted by external parameters and stays firm in its alignment with the innermost core of the virtues spectrum, ethics, on the contrary, tends to get impacted by many external parameters easily but still tries to align itself with at least the outer strata of the virtues spectrum. While morale finds a firm footing in the inner core of the virtues’ sphere, ethics has its base at the outer strata of the virtues sphere. Ethics could therefore be described as the synthetic output of synergistic interactions between many first seed thoughts that govern the overall macro-conscience of the human mind. Since the human mind keeps continuously learning from experience and exposure to realities of life, its concept of rights and wrongs also gets refined and enriched as and when it updates its knowledge bank. Similar to knowledge evolution, Ethics, namely the concepts of Rights and Wrongs, also traverses through the three phases of evolution, namely Nucleation of First Seed of Ethical Thought, Growth and Refinement of the first Ethical Thought and Crystallisation of the thought to derive Clear Concepts of Ethics.

    Society ensures that all follow the righteous path without exception and reference to personal and/or collective discomfort or inconvenience and meticulously followed such a highly disciplined social order until a few decades back. People had no option but to follow the ethical dictum of society.  The ethical way of carrying out all activities has remained the norm of society for a long time.

    Over a period of time, human greed steadily corroded the nobility of thoughts and actions and concepts of Competitive Material Comfort steadily overweighed the basic social norms of spiritual, emotional and ethical requirements. Implantation of this first seed of Knowledge Corruption (Mother of all Unethics!) gave rise to the onset of the phenomenon of Unethics, and people started coming more and more under the influence of many external parameters while deciding about an issue. 

    The innovative human mind did not take much time to invent many novel routes to circumvent the righteous, ethical path to dig into the very vitals of value structures across society. Traditional value structures that stood the test of time for generations steadily got completely eroded and collapsed. The welfare of the general public remained a mere paper exercise of executives, far from reality. Ethical Requirements had to be administered and enforced. Thus originated the concept of Business Ethics, Professional Ethics, etc., intending to formulate, refine, administer, monitor and enforce ways and means of practising a business activity or a profession. The word Profession embraces all fields and walks of life across society, including voluntary and social services.

    As an ever receiving beneficiary, the social responsibility and the accountability associated with a business enterprise or a profession demanded certain plough back in terms of intellectual and economic development of the society. This concept gave rise to the onset of Value Systems for business establishments. With further passage of time, the concept of value systems grew stronger by evolving and embracing concepts of Corporate Governance and Environmental Ethics. 

    Many theories came up to explain and justify ethical dictums evolved from time to time. Knowledge Theory is one of the most ancient theories developed by traditional Indian scholars on the concept that Ethics is an ever evolutionary process and that the first seed of the Knowledge-Driven Concept of Righteousness should be sown and implanted in the human mind right in its tender age and nourished all through the younger age for an everlasting impact (The Foundation Principle). This theory upheld and propagated in Bhagavad-Gita states that one should discharge one’s duty-bound responsibility with total dedication and sincerity as demanded by the righteousness (truth) associated with the act of execution without fear or favour. 

    This theory provided a good base for developing many other ethical theories that came to be known from time to time. Some of these theories use these concepts but explain them differently. Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory, Carol Gilligan’s Theory, Consequentialism Theory, Utilitarian Theory, Virtue Theory. Deontology Theory, Duty Theory, Right’s Theory, Immanuel Kant’s Theory, Utilitarian Theory, Non-consequentialism Theory, Social Contract theory, etc., are some of the more popular ethical theories that caught the attention of intellectuals across the society.  Collectively they emphasised a supra-legal moral model built on five broad principles, namely Harm principle (avoiding unwarranted harm to people), Fairness principle (fairness of all actions and activities, to be fair to people and society), Human rights principle (respecting human rights), Autonomy principle: (non-interference in personal choices of people) and Veracity principle (freedom from deceptive practices). They also emphasised that the law merely specifies the lowest common denominator of acceptable behaviour and that organisations should work more towards establishing harmony, congeniality and comfort for all in the society. 

    In today’s socio-economic context, one can say that any act of a person, whether an individual, a professional or an organisation, can be declared ethical if it is driven by Pure (Unadulterated, Virgin) Knowledge, unquestionable nobility-guided righteousness and is driven by Totality of fairness to all concerned. When these three basic criteria are met, then it would automatically address total compliance to the laws of the land (legal norms), stipulations and/or statutory guidelines set by concerned governments, local or global or both as may be applicable and guards the genuine interests and/or requirements of the society, local or global or both, as may be applicable and the mankind as a whole without jeopardising the moral ethos of the societies concerned or the individuals involved in the process. Above all, the objective or cause behind an action should also be very fair and noble. For business establishments, the concept of fairness should primarily embrace direct (external) customers, the impacted society and/or social establishments, the workforce of the organisation, business investors, business establishments, the impacted environment (Local and Global).

    But the excessive human greed induced by uncontrolled desire to acquire and enjoy more and more of, rather un-limited, earthly comforts does not allow people to stay ethical. Business establishments readily get inflected by unethical practices. Some of the more common reasons for such unethical thoughts and acts are following: 

    a. Concealing an inevitable unholy activity arising from: 

    • lack of nobility of purpose
    • very stringent local
    • legal stipulations
    • impractical social accountability requirements of the region
    • very high safety requirements
    • non-availability of sincere, honest and skilled workforce, etc.  

    b. Concealing the heinous act of taking-over the responsibility to dispose-off toxic and hazardous wastes from other bigger industries and disposing them off, locally, in different names and in different forms without concern for the safety of the local environment and the people around.

    • Resorting to innovatively identified operation short-cuts to circumvent situations of execution limitations
    • Concealing the act of not addressing certain social obligations 
    • Pursuing partly-developed technology without regard to personal and environmental safety aspects
    • Participating in development of special hacking-programmes to steal the precious data of other organisations

    c. Getting involved in the generation and disposal of huge quantities of lethal weapons and warfare equipment (which add to growing social imbalance across the society due to concentration of power in a few pockets) under cover of various technical jargons. 

    None of these unholy activities could be pursued without the support of administrative and law enforcement and controlling authorities. Organisations would first buy their goodwill through monetary favours (hard cash or cash in-kind and/or service). Once this act is successfully carried out, they get full licence to continue perpetuating their unholy activities. Some of the broad categories of these unethical activities are given below. Each one of them manifests in its own unique way. In fact, human imagination is the only limitation for the manifestation of unethical practices. Some of the common forms of unethical practices are given below. Business establishments should learn to carefully recognise and identify all these forms of unethical activities and guard themselves against the same. 

    Social offence – Influencing a change in society’s guarded and/or conventional practices, customs and traditions. 

    Cultural Offence – Implanting a different culture and influencing a change in the prevailing culture.

    Legal Offence – Bypassing legal requirements and statutory stipulations through different means, including misconceptions and misguidance. 

    Socio-economic Offence –  Adversely impacting either immediate and/or long-term effects and/or both on social wellbeing through some actions like adverse impact on general health, community welfare, environment, etc. It is becoming a cause for the steady creation of a situation that forces society to spend more to maintain its normal health status. 

    Environmental offence – Merciless usage and uncontrolled exploitation of all-natural resources is a standard form of environmental offence practiced by most organisations.  Such acts could deprive the posterity of their basic right to know about virgin Nature’s generosity.  It could also create a situation that might force them to take to voyages to other planets in search of materials to support their existence. 

    Another critical area is the unabated burning of precious fossil fuels, which would cause environmental pollution. This, in turn, results in a frequent outbreak of newer health problems caused by newer and newer forms of micro-organisms (bacteria, virus, fungus, etc.) and results in high economic costs to the society and forces the scientists to keep continuously identifying newer and newer bio-active chemicals to fight these newer micro-organisms.

    Intellectual Offence – The mischievous human mind keeps identifying innovatively newer ways and means to commit the intellectual offence. One very common form of intellectual offence is either offering a wrong interpretation or offering an interpretation that may not have any relevance to the context of data generation. Some people take to this route to convey certain pre-contemplated wrong messages. Pre-targeted intellectuals readily fall prey to such ill-conceived motifs and keep spreading those wrong messages. Focussing on partly developed knowledge and sharing only a small portion of specific knowledge with biased objectives is another intellectual offence. One more heinous intellectual offence is direct participation in developing new knowledge for dedicated use in anti-social activities. However, another form of intellectual offence is not acknowledging the source of knowledge but using the same for personal gains.

    Biological offence – 

    • Meddling with nature’s bio-diversity and bio-sphere, 
    • Meddling with natural vegetative and other bio-species, 
    • Participating in biological warfare through spreading of certain harmful/dreadful viruses, microbes, weeds, macro- and micro-organisms, 
    • Introducing certain unknown weeds in places with wrong objectives, 
    • Subjecting living species for experimentation. 

    Pressure groups – 

    • Political groups that have sufficient muscle power and money power to put pressure on the public to leverage their specific interests, 
    • Social groups/societies that have sufficient muscle power and money power to put pressure on the public for a cause which the group conceives and believes right for some leveraging purposes.

    Faith groups – 

    • Religious faith groups that can exert some influence on People in moulding their thought processes or collective behaviour/attitude, 
    • Forming collective groups to propagate certain cults or beliefs, 
    • Fanaticism/terrorism practised by some hardcore elements and faith groups can exert a forceful and/or harmful impact on people.

    Pseudo-service groups – Private and/or public societies configured to collectively leverage pre-meditated selfish motives under the guise of service to society.

    Dr. H. C. Mruthyunjaya, PHI Learning author is a Consultant (Corporate Systems). Dr. Mruthyunjaya was formerly a research scientist in Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He has over 35 years of professional experience in the fields of R&D, technology and knowledge management. He has authored two books in the fields of R&D and quality management.Author of  over 50 review articles in various fields of Quality Management and Business Management including invitation articles on Technology Management and Knowledge Management

     

    PHI’s book Business Ethics and Value Systems by Dr. Mruthyunjaya deals with some fundamental issues associated with business ethics and value systems. It presents the views of different schools of thought on this subject and dissects the phenomenon of corruption to expose its root causes.

    Explore more about this comprehensive and well-organised book and PHI Learning, please log on to: https://bit.ly/3Eu91Jr

  • Google Is Most Searched Word on Bing, Google Says

     The top entry on Microsoft’s Bing search engine is for its rival Google, Google has said.

    The claim was made in court, as Google made its case to appeal against a €4.3bn ($5bn) fine from the European Union for abusing its market power.

    The EU accused Google of using Android’s success in the smartphone market to make Google the default search engine.

    But Google says its service is simply the most popular.

    “We have submitted evidence showing that the most common search query on Bing is, by far, ‘Google’,” lawyer Alfonso Lamadrid told the EU General Court, as first reported by Bloomberg. “People use Google because they choose to, not because they are forced to.

    “Google’s market share in general search is consistent with consumer surveys showing that 95% of users prefer Google to rival search engines.”

    • US files landmark lawsuit against Google
    • Google fined €500m by French regulator
    • Microsoft blames error for ‘Tank Man’ censorship

    Google’s argument users choose its services is a key part of its appeal to the record 2018 fine.

    At the time, Google boss Sundar Pichai blogged Android “has created more choice for everyone, not less”.

    But Margrethe Vestager, then the EU’s Competition Commissioner, said Google had made Android manufacturers pre-install its search app and Chrome web browser – and paid some to make it the only pre-installed app – meaning only 1% of people downloaded a different search app

    Source: www.bbc.com

  • Learning Through Quality Textbooks and Problem-Solving: Wave Optics By Garg Et Al

    Some of the major deficiencies of Indian higher education include

    1. the scarcity of well-written textbooks authored by reputed professors and published by highly rated publishers,
    2. use of help books by students to pass examination and 
    3. over-emphasis on rote learning with little or no training on problem-solving. 

    To improve the quality of education, it is essential to make good books available at a reasonable cost. The latest research and learning theories suggest that outcome-based learning with interactive text in-text questions and practice problems should provide a way to engage an average student in the learning process and enhance her/his learning experiences. Similarly, mastery in problem-solving is mandatory for nurturing creativity. This, no doubt, is a challenging task.

    These ideas formed the basis of our work when we began to develop the manuscript of our book on Wave Optics, one of the most fascinating courses taught to undergraduate science students of major/honours and general degree programmes. We aimed to empower learners and enable them to see its principles at work and develop problem-solving skills by interspersing problems with graded difficulty levels throughout the text. 

    A conscious effort was made to help learners apply theoretical knowledge to real-life problems and phenomena with the hope that the book’s utility would be considerably enhanced. As we now know, the emergence of lasers, holography and fiber optics in recent years led to applications in communication, optical computing and medicine. Moreover, their applications have found revolutionary applications in space science, geospatial imaging, and cryptography in space, defence, agriculture, medicine, and mineralogy. We were conscious that a sound knowledge of their fundamental principles and developments would immensely enhance the utility of our textbook. The Wave Optics by Suresh Garg, Sanjay Gupta and CK Ghosh, published by PHI Learning Private Limited, New Delhi, fulfils many of these requirements and should be extremely useful to Indian students. Some of its salient features are:

    • Comprehensive coverage of the syllabi of all major universities as well as the new UGC syllabus
    • Rigorous treatment of subject matter while retaining a learner-friendly approach
    • Several in-text pedagogical questions, solved examples and practice problems to support self-learning.

    It is said that a diagram is worth a thousand words. With faith in this dictum, we have tried to explain concepts using diagrams as and where required.

    Happy Reading!

    To know more about the book, please log on to: https://bit.ly/2XG0ByT

     

     

  • Tips and Techniques for Successful ERP Implementation by Sandeep Desai

    ERPs are here to stay and seen as a standard option for enterprises. Enterprises could be Small, Medium or large. Appetite for ERPs – whether homegrown or off-the-shelf products is a necessity. Reasons for looking at ERPs are simple, and some of them are: Enterprises would like to borrow the best practices developed in some of the available products in the market instead of reinventing the wheels, have integrated business processes to derive a single version of the truth on information, businesses are always meant to scale, and hence, intended products are expected to be robust, scalable, and secured.

    ERP implementations are seen to be a strategic move, and important stakeholders of the organizations, namely, Head of Organization, Business Owners, Head of Finance and IT must be involved in monitoring and guiding the project team from time to time.  

    Selecting a product is always a tricky proposition and must be done in a careful manner. Few important takeaways from the well-known implementations are: look at the installed base of the product in the region, support, availability of skill sets within the organization, training and learning curve etc. 

    The next important concern and step are to have an implementation partner. It is often seen implementation partner is selected based on the cost, market reputation etc. I personally feel the most important part of the selection is to see the domain expertise of the implementation partner so that effective communication with the businesses can be established. Does the implementation partner have a relevant knowledge base on the domain so that customers can benefit from the same? Therefore, interviewing partner and their team members from these dimensions becomes a crucial parameter.  

    Implementation of ERPs is a daunting task, and hence, motivating internal as well as external team members is imperative. We often do this by creating internal team-building exercises, bringing external speakers on motivation, and giving them an off-site environment. Hence, allocating a suitable budget for these activities well in advance (ideally during kick-off) may not be a great surprise to stakeholders. 

    Before we go to other trivial steps, namely, data migration and testing, let me take another important aspect of effective communication during the entire implementation life cycle. We must design a communication deck well in advance and distribute and present it to relevant leaders. Communication must include progress, risk and mitigation plans, roadblocks and expectations from management etc. There could be certain facts to be communicated only to top leadership, and project owners must be bold to communicate effectively and with possible suggestions.

    Data migration and testing are trivial steps of any implementation. Generally, it is seen that organizations force a team to migrate whatever crap exist in the old system to be migrated to ERP.  There are many suggestions on the data migration, and some are: One can migrate data which is required for statutory assessment (let us take of last 6 – years) and rest put it on Data Warehouse and build Analytics layer, Bank and Insurance companies can look at only live policies of past 30+ years and rest put on analytics layer for an internal team to respond. As far as possible, do not migrate old videos or audio files as it is. One can look at the option of creating a BIG DATA environment. 

    Testing is divided into 2 phases, namely, Integration and Model Office Testing. Integration testing is to ensure all the modules are tightly integrated and producing desired results. Model Office testing is in case enterprise have third-party products; ERP has developed interfaces with the product and organization can not function unless they handshake well. Therefore, model office testing is imperative. 

    Last but not least, technical and functional documentation will be the treasure of all the above efforts. Good documentation will serve the current team and help the process manual for the organization, and annual audits can also take the help of process audits, etc. Technical documentation is a useful tool for maintenance, next upgrades – major or minor etc. On-going maintenance of documentation is a must. I always recommend an audit of documentation to ensure they are updated regularly in line with the embedded or changed processes. 

    Needless to say, many organizations seem to be celebrating ‘Go live’ in a grand way. Acknowledging project team members with proper achievement certificates and awards to motivate them will add employee delight and encouragement. 

    Beyond ERPs

    The fun begins after about six months to one year of implementation where-in the leadership team expect quick reports, would like to see a design and engineering needs to be addressed in the latest implemented ERP. Appetite for computing grows, and ERP seems to be having limitations. 

    This is going to be an interesting and challenging situation for the existing IT team to look at beyond ERP, and some of the reasons are: user requirements are not adequately addressed in current ERP and to fulfil separate licensing and implementation costs to be incurred with long-drawn timelines, implemented ERP is not meant of new intended requirement etc.    Noted business requirements which are beyond existing ERP implementations are Analytics (dashboards, data mining, predictive analytics etc.), Document, Design and Employee Collaborations, Customer Relationship Management, Demand Forecast Planning, High-tech engineering and design solutions to emulate real-life situations (for example, 5D, 6D modelling), Estimation and Risk modelling, automating repetitive tasks etc. 

    To address the above business needs, one must research carefully various technologies available in the market in the field of collaboration, content management, analytics, design and engineering, business process automation, estimation and risk modelling. Some of them are available in the SAAS platform, and a few are on-premise as well.  

    Most of the Systems Integrators (SI), namely, IBM, HP, Microsoft, AUTODESK etc. are well equipped with the above technologies, and more importantly, they are well integrated with well-known ERPs. There are open-source products available with the support and can also be integrated with ERPs. 

    One caution of implementing the above technologies by interfacing with ERP is IT security, and most of the applications are exposed to the outside world. Therefore, addressing security framework is of paramount importance to the organization and must be addressed with proper assessment and recommended to audit the entire environment periodically.

    Needless to emphasize, success in implementing extended technologies have to be planned with a partner who possesses the right skills, and the next key for success is not to take too many initiatives in one go…ideally one key initiative at any point in time!!

    To understand general implementation methodologies as well as specific methodologies prescribed by Oracle and SAP for the implementation of their products, explore our book ERP TO E2RP: A CASE STUDY APPROACH by Desai and Srivastava.

    For more information, please visit ERP TO E2RP : A CASE STUDY APPROACH

    Sandeep Desai — The author of book ERP TO E2RP: A CASE STUDY APPROACH