Many people dismiss Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management as not necessarily important courses in the purview of their entire MBA education. It is pushed aside as a course important only to those who wish to pursue HR as a specialization, and as a compulsory course meant to be gotten through with minimum effort for those in other specializations. However, one experience during an HRM lecture at my college has managed to stay with me until now and reminds me from time to time that there is more to a business than just profit making.
We were studying a case involving a toy manufacturing company whose product was suspected of being the cause of death of two young children. The class was involved via a roleplay with students playing the roles of the heads of marketing, PR, operations, legal and the CEO of the company. They were having normal, peaceful discussions on how to deal with the issue at hand, when suddenly out of nowhere burst in a group of people, dressed in all white and carrying placards. They began shouting slogans about how the company has no regard for children’s lives and how they were being complacent and allowing deaths to happen right under their noses. This entry was so sudden and startling that the rest of us fell silent as we watched the scene unfold.
Those roleplaying as the management of the company tried their best to placate the protesters, but all in vain. The chants of the slogans grew louder, and the protestors would not stop. Slowly, the atmosphere began to heat up and arguments started brewing. There was yelling from all sides – the protestors, the management and from the bystanders (the rest of us students) as well. There was utter chaos, but the professor simply sat by and watched as tempers were raised and there was complete pandemonium. Finally, when it seemed as though things would take a turn for the ugly and insults started becoming almost personal, he stopped the arguments and seated us down again.
We learned a great deal about consequences that day, and about the difficulty of running an organisation that is, at the end of the day, answerable not only to its shareholders but also to its customers and to society. Compromising ethics for the sake of profit is simply unacceptable and reflects badly on a company that is trying to create value for its customers.
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
I would want to work in Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. ABFRL houses some of the most popular clothing brands in India and working with a company that has such reach and presence
in the retail industry would be a great experience for any MBA graduate. Apart from this, the working environment in ABFRL is supposed to be very conducive and exciting. From interactions with alumni, ABFRL seems to have an engaging work culture, where I am sure I would learn a great deal and gain relevant experience.
- Nithya Thomas