Day 15: Sunday, 21 December

The Journey Ends

After a tearful goodbye to the Griffith Students at 7:00, we had a few hours to pack before the bus took us to Bengaluru Airport at 10:45. We had plenty of time to kill before our flight left at 2:50 a.m. for Paris. We left Patrick behind because he was booked on flights for the following night. Joe also stayed an extra night on campus because he was heading for Amsterdam.

For some, airport check-in was an ordeal trying to ensure no checked bags weighed more than 22 kilos (30 pounds) and carry-on luggage needed to weigh less than 12 kilos.The flights were longer heading home because we were flying into the headwinds. The flight to Paris was over 10 hours. Here Terry and Tamara left the group for two days in the city. Alison left for a side trip to Spain and Morocco.

The flight to Detroit was another 9 hours. For most of the students, Detroit was the end of the line. Only my family, Ryan, Sheree, and Ricco continued on to Kalamazoo. I'll end the blog with the following two pictures taken from the plane. The first flight was almost entirely in darkness and most of the second flight was cloud-covered. However, the clouds cleared just in time to see Greenland.

Day 14: Saturday, 20 December

Goodbye India

With excitement as well as sadness, the group is preparing for the lengthy trip back to Michigan. Today we had our "Validictory Function" that included a farewell from Prof. Suniti Phadke of Christ University. She presented each of the students with a gift as well as a calendar wall hanging that included a photo of the group from our first meeting together.

The students were paired, one American and one Australian, each pair talking about a different activity from our two weeks here. The were asked to talk about what they liked about each activity as well as what they learned. This was followed by a session where each student reported what they learned from the mixture of business/social work and/or American/Australian.

The morning was also called "Ethnic Day" and each student had been asked to come to this function dressed in Indian attire. I'll let the pictures below speak for themselves. Well done students!

Tim, Louann, and Kyle Palmer along with Pramod, our tour guide

A familiar sign, "meet at the South Indian Bank"

Day 13: Friday, 19 December

Yoga Session
Where else to have a yoga session than India? Our session was led by a Christ University Psychology instructor Priti Sirkeck. She talked first about the history and meaning of yoga. The term is derived from Sand-script and means "union" and particularly the union of your inner self with the universal self.

We were then led through a number of practice poses, each coming in pairs so that the second would offset the first (if the first stretched the left side, the second would be the right). We ended with a number of breathing exercises that enhances meditation.

Coming to a close (by Jasmine)
I cannot believe that this is our last night here in India! It has been a jam packed two weeks. Although, most of us are anxious to go home and be with our families for the holidays, we are going to miss everyone in the group: the Australian students, our travel leaders, professors, bus drivers, and the site leaders. We have spent quality time with each other over the past two weeks...it's like we are a family!

We going to miss the Australians so much! I know that we have all made great connections with the Australian students-they are so awesome! Leaving tomorrow is definitely bittersweet. 

 Coming to a close (by Samantha)
The trip is coming to an end and today included excellent activities to help wrap it all up. Starting with yoga at 10am (giving us all a chance to sleep in), to the fabulous lunch and entertainment and a beautiful hotel, to having the night off (spent either shopping on Commercial Street or out to eat with friends); it's safe to say we are all a little nostalgic for our trip home tomorrow. I've made unforgettable friendships and unforgettable memories in a city that I know will have forever changed me.

Christmas at Christ University

The university is alive with student activity associated with Christmas. Groups of students perform dance numbers or sing, another venue has teams competing in events with Christmas themes. In addition, campus is alive with lights.

Day 12: Thursday, 18 December

Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Bangalore

Our visit to Toyota Manufacturing was focused on the Technical Training Institute. This is a CSR initiative that involves bringing rural village boys (aged 16) who lack skills that would be needed for technical education in India's school system and would therefore be destined for a life of poverty. Toyota houses and feeds boys for three years as they learn how to repair equipment on the manufacturing line.

When we first arrived, they boys were in the parade ground assembled like a military unit. It was interesting watching the precision drills and solutes. They were addressed by speakers on a podium who were providing life lessons and exposing them to English. Today's word was "laborious."

After a tour of the institute, we watched a powerpoint on Toyota's CSR initiatives that are based entirely on needs of the local community and aren't mandated by Japan. While all India manufacturing is done in Bangalore, Toyota has programs across the country. They included road safety for children, 250 new sanitary facilities for girls in schools, and water filtration systems for villages in addition to the post-secondary training we saw at the Institute.

Dell Call Center
How many of us have felt their blood pressure rise when we realize our phone call about customer support was being directed to a call center in India? That's why we asked to visit Dell's largest call center in the world - so we could see what it was like on the other end of the line. What is it like to spend every day dealing with customers around the world who are annoyed?

Dell employs over 4,000 (evenly split between men and women) in Bangalore. Unlike most workplaces we've visited, call center representatives (who are taught to speak in "global English;" they don't talk to Americans with a different accent than they do to the English or Australians) come to work in jeans and tee shirts. There is a law in India prohibiting women from working between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (for safety reasons) but the call center industry is exempted. Dell provides auto service to female employees providing transportation from their front door to the office door.

As a professor of business, I understand the business logic for outsourcing to India. However, my question is "what are you doing to make the lives of those in India better?" Are you using India to lower your cost or is it a win-win for all? Clearly, Dell is making the lives of their employees better. While wage rates might be lower than their American counterparts, their benefits packages are "western" and they offer careers and opportunities that might not be possible otherwise. Additionally, their focus on CSR is admirable. More detail about that is provided by Morgan below.

Thoughts on Dell (from Morgan)
This evening we visited Dell's Bangalore Call Center. At Dell we learned about one of their Corporate Social Responsibility projects, which provides funds to girls from rural villages to continue their educations. We also learned about Dell's strides towards equality in the workplace. Dell provides women and men with paid maternity leave, so new parents can spend time with their new born. In addition, the company also has Smile and Wise, a program that helps educate men on the delicate balance that women have between work and family. Dell also provides extra safety features for women. I was so impressed with Dell and all of the work they have been doing! During our visit I had the pleasure of being able to speak with one of the women mangers, she told me how excited she was with the work that Dell has been doing.


View from the front row of the coach

Scenes from the Christ University Campus

Day 11: Wednesday, 17 December

Himalaya Drug Company is relatively close to the Kengeri campus so we had a more leisurely morning. There is a regular group of WMU folks who join Griffith's Dr. Stepen for yoga at 6:30. This campus has a nice 400 meter track for running as well. Below is Jasmine in her new Indian attire.

Himalaya did an outstanding job discussing not only their ayurveda background and herbal approach that includes pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, and animal health. Afterward, we were treated to lunch in the employee cafeteria, then shopping in the company store. I won't give away too much, but I bet a lot of families will be getting some Himalaya products for Christmas!

The WMU team had an hour for some good classroom-style reflection where we discussed how our perceptions about the role of business in society has changed because of our experiences in India. We then headed off to dinner at another beautiful restaurant where the desert table is often a main attraction. Below is Stephen scoping out the deserts and Miss Kia and our tour leader Eben in the restaurant lobby.

So many to choose from. Might as well enjoy them all!

Day 10: Tuesday, 16 December

Update on today's corporate tour (from Sheree) Today we started our day by visiting Infosys Unlimited. They are an Indian global technology services company based out of Bangalore. They have campuses all around the world, including the United States. We got to tour their Mysore campus and it is massive! This campus has the ability to accommodate up to 14,000 trainees at once; they also provide housing for these people. They also donate their older computers to families that are underprivileged and teach them how to use the computers. This Infosys campus also has a swimming pool, bowling alley, multiple cafeterias, gym, and library. You name it, I'm sure they have it. It almost feels like it's own little city within the city. The grounds are beautiful!

The gentlemen are looking good!

The whole group, including our Infosys tour-guide.

Infosys update (from Joe)
Today we visited Infosys in the city of Mysore. The global technology company is comprised of over 150,000 employees in several countries all over the world. The facilities we visited contained the living quarters and training centers with capacity for about 14,000 trainees at any time. The campus recruits college graduates in order to close the gap between their experience and desired industry standards in a wide variety of technologies.

We learned about the growth that the company saw as they grew from a small firm, starting off with the equivalent of $250, to becoming a leader in technology world-wide. Today, Infosys continues to develop products like banking applications, MRI machines and much more. We were told that the goal is to create innovative technologies with the end user in mind. 

Aside from being a leader in technologies that could potentially help us all, Infosys has been involved in social responsibility for sometime. The campus saves 40-50% of its energy costs with its green initiatives. The company contributes to CSR as required by law, but has had a foundation set up since 1996.

The campus is massive and seemed like a great environment to learn and work. Trainees live and learn here for 4+ months. We heard that recently, the company held training in Detroit and and 70% found placement immediately after.  Very little training is outside of India. For example, Detroit only had 100 students. But, with the goal of developing the talent pool of India, Infosys seems to be doing a lot to develop the future of technological engineers.

 

The Mysore Palace. After touring Infosys, we returned to the Hotel "Standesh the Prince" for another amazing lunch, checked out of the hotel and toured the Mysore Palace. This has become India's most popular tourist destination, ahead of the Taj Mahal. It was packed with tourists, primarily school groups and the traveling pilgrims along with a smattering of westerners. We had the tables turned on us when people were taking pictures of us, often not even trying to hide what they were doing.


Below is a shot of the group prior to entering the palace (you have to check your camera and no photos are allowed inside so I can't show the ornate detail including teak-carved doors, paintings, stain glass ceilings (made in Glasgow, Scotland). In the shot below, note we have been photo-bombed by Indian tourists!

Thoughts on Mysore Palace (from Lisa)
The Mysore Palace was breathtaking to say the least. Smack-dab in the middle of the city you have an amazing three story mansion made with gray marble, which is filled with some of the most beautiful paintings and furniture. This truly creates the illusion you are walking back in time and are on your way to meet with the King and Queen. At the end of the tour we got to have the royalty experience ourselves, all having the opportunity to ride elephants!

Elephant rides (and a camel!) at Mysore Palace