No Country For Old Men

There comes a time when silence is betrayal --MLK

Here is an excerpt from my new essay published on Nepali Blogger. 

The political and economic systems in Nepal are archaic. It is time for the older generation to let the young and the vibrant ones work on building a nation in which they will live, raise their families, and take pride in what they create. It is an absurd idea to rely on leaders from the “Gandhi era,” to help us navigate through these electronic times, especially when they do not foster the teachings of Gandhi! It is time that the young generations demand a change in leadership. It is stupid to expect a different outcome while repeating the same process, with the same leaders, in the same system. It is time to change the system.


Continue to read the entire essay on Nepali Blogger

American Foreign Aid

Michael L. Buckler, the author of From Microsoft to Malawi: Learning on the Front Lines as a Peace Corps Volunteer, argues that the foreign assistance that the U.S. provides to poor countries benefits the U.S. more than the designated country. His Op-Ed titled "The Secret of Foreign Aid" is published on The Baltimore Sun. Here is an excerpt from it:

Overseas assistance in the federal budget is actually American assistance in disguise. Poor countries receive money from our government under the condition that some of the money (about 50 percent) be used to acquire goods and services from American companies. By doing this, Congress ensures that aid money stimulates the American economy, not fragile ones in need of help. Other self-serving tactics include showering aid on strategically important countries like Egypt, while geopolitical twerps like Malawi — where I lived as a Peace Corps volunteer — get squeezed; and conditioning aid upon the adoption of Western ideals like multiparty democracy and free-market capitalism. In short, we finance them to enrich our companies and import our culture.

Continue to read here

Get Ready to Rock the Vote

The Election Commission of Nepal is firing on all throttles to register voters throughout the country. This is one of the key times for the Nepali youth to take charge through the democratic process. It is in our best interest to register and get others to register in order to make sure that our voices are heard. It is time to say enough!

There is a seismic wave building in the youth population of Nepal. This energy is evident on Facebook, Twitter, local newspapers and blogs. There is actually a movement (http://www.facebook.com/retirethenetas) on Facebook to “Retire the Netas.”  Recently there was a Facebook movement to sign a letter to the Supreme Court condoning their actions against corruption. This energy can be fruitful only if it can be translated into grassroots organization and movement. These frustrations expressed on the web and print media is shared by almost all the past and present generations who have been denied prosperity and a decent outlook into the future! It is important to galvanize this sentiment amongst the youth to coalesce around the common dream of an opportunity to succeed—an opportunity to be able to compete with fellow generations of other countries in the globalized world of the twenty first century. The Nepali youth know that they are as good as any Briton, American, European, or Australian. They know, if given a chance, they too can advance and prosper.

This sentiment will give rise to a stronger and organized movement. Then the focus should be on having new individuals contest in the next election from as many constituencies as possible. All these possibilities, however, start by making sure that everyone is registered to vote. Young aspiring leaders should engage in this process. The e-generation, especially the  young entrepreneurs and business professionals should support the young leaders and help them put up a decent fight--this could be in the form of financial support, local campaigns, Facebook and Twitter campaigns, etc. Get creative and help in any way that you can.

I, for one, am going to do my part. Are you?

Thousand Kisses

Let me inform everyone that the students raised more than $1,100 from "Kiss the Pig" fundraiser. I  came in second place and therefore did not, I repeat, did not have to kiss the pig.  The students are currently working on getting the local Rotary club to match the amount and it is looking promising. If everything goes as planned, the school in a village near Dhankutta, Nepal will get a pipeline to bring clean drinking water to the school, new blackboards, supplies, and some sporting products for the young students.

Thank you to all who sent in your support! If you would like to be a part of this project and volunteer, please contact me via e-mail listed under my profile. 

Happy New Year 2068!

Happy New Year 2068 to all the Nepali people from all of us at Ghintang Economics.

Here is U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton's message:

 11 April 2011

Secretary Clinton’s Message on Nepali New Year

 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
April 11, 2011

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY CLINTON

Nepali New Year (Bikram Sambat) Message

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Nepal and send my warmest wishes for a joyful New Year as you celebrate with family and friends in the coming days.

This is an opportunity for friends and family to celebrate national unity and goodwill in Nepal, and for all Nepalis everywhere to gather and exchange good wishes. As Nepal’s steadfast friend, the United States hopes that the coming year will see fulfillment of the peace process and a new constitution that will keep Nepal on the path toward progress and prosperity. We look forward to continuing our work together in the years ahead.

May the people of Nepal and all Nepalis around the world enjoy a safe and happy holiday. Naya Barshako Shubha-Kamana!

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)

It's On!

OK, so there isn't the same level of thrill one would experience at the Kentucky Derby, however, after much hype and promotion, "Kiss the Pig" is underway and the excitement is starting to build. I walked over to the student center this morning to see what was going on (and to put some money in my piggy bank..ssssshhhhhh!). When I got there I saw that the students were already out in force, smiling and encouraging everyone to "vote." Right beside them was a table with 20+ piggy banks, with pictures of faculty, staff, and administrators—wearing a funny piggy hat and some making faces—taped to them.

It turns out that most people were "voting" for me and the political science professor. Let us hope that a healthy competition develops and leads to a nail-biting finish. That will provide our campus with a much needed excitement before the finals, and Kasthamandap Rotary a significant amount of money to help the students in Dhankutta, Nepal.

Again, if you would like to contribute, please let me know what your pledge is and I will give that amount to a PTK student. I will provide you with information on sending me the check for the amount. A price of one latte CAN make a big difference! Thank you to those who have already sent in their contribution.

How May I Help You?

The BBC reports that the Nepal Traffic Police is using celebrities to teach their rank-and-file a thing or two about courtesy and public service. Having been kicked and scolded by these policemen/women, I think this is a great idea and welcome the news with my fingers crossed. As comical as this may seem, it is a real issue in Kathmandu and the Traffic Police should be lauded for their effort. For us business geeks, this might be an opportunity to talk about customer service in the private sector of Nepal.

When I first travelled to the United States for college, I was shocked at the level and quality of customer service provided by American businesses. I didn’t believe that you could actually return food at restaurants, electronics at Wal-Mart, and demand to “speak to the manager” for things that, at the time, seemed petty. The phrase that seemed to echo throughout the Business School hallways, especially in hospitality classrooms, was --“the customer is always right!” This was a new concept to someone who grew up in a country where brand loyalty was not fully developed—I don’t know if it wasn’t understood or just ignored. I would like to side with the latter—people were much more concerned with turning a quick buck rather than focusing on a sustainable long run stream of revenue.

On my last visit to Nepal, an attendant at a gift shop in Thamel sat glued to his TV, not even bothering to make eye contact as I walked in. However, as soon as a white tourist walked in, he jumped, turned off the TV, turned on the lights, and started to behave as if the queen of England had walked in! She walked out without buying anything and I bought $130 worth of stuff. I made sure to turn that into a teachable moment (the teacher in me) and let him know the importance of customer service—black or white, or in this case, brown.

All this might be changing. I recently dealt with a Nepali travel agency to buy tickets for me and my group for our visit to Nepal this summer--gotta support NTY 2011. The agent who helped me was patient, courteous, and sensitive to our travel needs. Her language, dispensing of information, manner of communication, and professionalism were outstanding. I thought to myself—wow! I guess the idea of consumer service is starting to make its way into Nepali businesses. On a follow-up call I spoke with a different agent and quickly realized that it was just my wishful thinking! There is still plenty to work on.

We all have plenty of anecdotes that we share about businesses when we talk with our friends, family, and colleagues. We tell them who to do business with and who to avoid. For the most part, I do take these personal sentiments seriously, and you might too. In fact, many consumers these days read the reviews online before booking a room in a hotel or deciding on a restaurant for dinner. It does seem clear that “word of mouth” is one of the most powerful forms of advertising. Keiningham and Perkins-Munn of Marketing Metrics, Inc. (2001) look at the relationship between customer satisfaction and share of business and they “not only find that there is a positive relationship but that the relationship is non-linear, with the greatest positive impact occurring at the upper extreme of satisfaction levels.” Elten Briggs and Douglas (2009) through their model show that a business’ quality of service “directly influences both social (i.e., trust) and economic (i.e., value) relationship outcomes and that these outcomes positively influence customer loyalty intentions.”

It is about time that Nepali businesses, especially the ones that have ignored it for long, start focusing on customer service and building long-lasting relationships. This will help provide them with the competitive edge and ensure a sustainable revenue stream in a copycat-cut-throat business environment.

Earthquake

According to MSN India "a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 on Richter scale jolted western Nepalese districts near the Indian border, damaging over two dozen houses but no loss of life was reported. The tremor that hit the area at 5.30 pm yesterday lasted 15 seconds, according to officials. No human causality was reported so far. Nepal had experienced five smaller earthquakes over the period of past one month.Over two dozen houses were damaged by the tremor in Baitadi, Bajhang and Darchula near Indian border, according to National Seismological Centre here."

Here is a link to the website of National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET) for information regarding earthquake preparedness.

Indian 'Anuradha Koirala'

The stories and the pictures in this video are powerful and important for everyone to be aware of. This story is important to pass on in order to "break the culture of silence" as Ms. Sunitha Krishnan puts it and to stop these atrocities against women!