Professor Vipin Gupta

Five topics on the theme of “management, leadership, and governance strategy” for talks and articles 

1. Post-Covid Recovery Path for Family Businesses

COVID has led to significant disruptions in all business functions and networks.   As a recovery strategy, family businesses have three strategies for restoring the normal functioning of their workforce and networking systems.  These strategies are a function of the mindset the family businesses decide for managing the way forward.

• Pandemic as a challenge mindset. Ensure continuity by exploring and overriding the discontinuity and pass on the costs of exploring to all global stakeholders
• Pandemic as an opportunity mindset. Ensure continuity by exploiting and riding on the discontinuity and pass on the benefits of exploiting to all local stakeholders
• Pandemic as a lesson mindset. Ensure discontinuity by continuing to normalize the finite contingent solutions for managing the infinite future as a responsible stakeholder

2. Post-Covid Recovery Path for SMEs

COVID has led to a significant drain in the families’ private savings and purchasing power at the mass level.  The ability of SMEs to make investments in assets and workforce has diminished.  Many SMEs will be desperate to survive by trading off the advancements made on the social, human, and ecological fronts before the pandemic.  The trade-offs are bound to harm the reputation of economically weaker nations where the SMEs do not receive much pandemic revival funds.  Conversely, the economically strong nations where the SMEs receive substantial pandemic revival funds will experience a disproportionate advantage in the global markets for exports, acquisitions, and foreign direct investments. Psychologically, this will result in a stronger urge for migration into the economically wealthier nations and increased efforts by the economically weaker nations to protect their large businesses’ sovereignty and offer selective support to their export-oriented SMEs.    By that time, the memory of pandemic time support of SMEs will become old. The global negotiations will focus on the deteriorating social, human, and ecological conditions and compensation for their psychological costs to the economically wealthier nations.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to manage the backward linkages by designing appropriate strategies focusing on the social, human, and ecological value-add.

• Social value-add by SMEs. The SMEs should document the impact the jobs they are offering to the workers and the suppliers, who have no other job opportunities, on the workers and their families.   They should also document the impact their affordable solutions are having on the purchasing power of the customers.
• Human value-add by SMEs. The SMEs should document their investments in human capital, when they decide to hire and train unskilled workers, fresh graduates, and opportunities to those from alternative fields to change their fields.
• Ecological value-add by SMEs. The SMEs should document the impact they are having by mitigating post-consumer waste.

The SMEs are unlikely to have the time, resources, or expertise to do SHEENY value-added reports, including their economic, national, and psychological contributions.   Therefore, large businesses, business organizations, the academic sector, and media houses should take on this responsibility on a priority basis.

What is the business case for this?   How critical is it to devote top attention to this now?   What serious challenges will the businesses in emerging markets face if this issue is not front and center in their strategies now?  How can one be confident that this scenario will play out as the central issue in international politics and trade?

3. Post-Covid Recovery Path for Corporates

COVID has proven to be a blessing-in-disguise for many corporates.   The switch toward digital work, networks, and exchange has accelerated the formalization of the global economy.   The access to high-quality, cost-effective resources has become transparent and efficient.   The access to global markets through e-commerce platforms has also improved significantly.   There is a greater hunger among all businesses worldwide to work with corporates with scalable and resilient solutions.   Many corporates are experiencing unprecedented growth in their market valuations and asset capitalizations.   They are becoming the oasis amid the chaos.   There is growing clamor among both freshers and experienced workers and suppliers to join the big-name corporates, especially those affiliated with the internationally known corporate groups.

The corporates must maintain their rapid change and restructuring momentum, dynamic workforce groupings and teamwork, and responsiveness to the rapidly evolving digital universe.   The strategies for their focus include:

• Economic cost management.  Digital technologies are evolving rapidly.    The risks of dependence on one or two major international digital vendors need consideration.   As the mega-vendors flex their muscles, they will come under increased political scrutiny about the threats they pose to the economically weaker sections.    The mega-vendors are focused on the customers with deep pockets for advertising dollars.  Such customers easily manipulate the sentiments of people and make zero sustainable investments in local social, human, or ecological fronts, but carry substantial bragging rights from their selective one-time efforts.
• National cost management. The national rebuilding will require substantial investments beyond the capacity of the government and the non-government organizations.  There are growing demands for philanthropic investments and offering products and services at low cost for mass access.   They are also growing demands for expanding the networks into different states and deep into the villages, given the destruction of alternative employment opportunities.   On the other hand, overseas nations will be offering incentives to attract major businesses that can manage challenging conditions and use local resources.  The corporates will find themselves stretched and heavily leveraged, falling victims to easy credit offered to them, and will become vulnerable to global acquisitions.
• Psychological cost management. The evidence suggests that people who have suffered from COVID will have long-term effects on their mental health. The family members will also take a lot of time to recover from the losses and the continuing health effects on their loved ones.  The children and youth have also suffered significant psychological issues due to physical isolation, bullying, and manipulations in the age of increased social media exposure and activity.   There will be growing spillover effects of domestic violence and workplace sexual assaults, drug and alcohol abuse, spousal, child, and elderly abuse, depression, suicides, and other such abnormalities at the workplace.   The corporates will need to manage the new normal of virtual work with ways for building cultural cohesion.  The divide between corporate life and personal life will need examination.  The issues of spirituality and life will need integration as part of the corporate workplace initiatives.

4. Post-Covid Recovery Path for Emerging Markets

COVID has led to a significant drain on government resources in Emerging Markets.   There are demands for the government to provide free universal vaccination, free universal pandemic mitigation, free public awareness measures, free universal COVID and post-COVID treatment, and free investments in public health infrastructure.  Also, offer free food, housing, and livelihoods to the lower-income class, free education tuition subsidies and teacher compensation, and free employment preservation and investment augmentation grants for the informal, small, medium, and large enterprises.  Further, offer free demand stimulus, free interest subsidies and write-offs, free consumer and business tax concessions, and free reduction in import tariffs to mitigate inflationary pressures.   There are also concerns that if additional demands are made from the wealthy, they will migrate overseas.

Suppose the governments use bond issues for financing the gaps. In that case, it will assure guaranteed returns to the wealthy and assure that the wealthy are becoming wealthier and the children of not-so-wealthy underwrite the costs of the bond issues.

Suppose the governments use money printing for financing the gaps. In that case, it will assure a rapid fall in the currency values and offer a golden opportunity for the foreigners and the foreign migrated wealthy to acquire the valuable assets of the large enterprises at discounted rates.   Thus, the wealthy who decide to be patriotic and stay within the nation will experience a rapid fall in their wealth.   Those who decide to be pragmatic and move out will experience rapid growth in their wealth.

Suppose the governments decide to do nothing except highlighting what various people and organizations are doing as their mind-talk. In that case, it will create a positive demonstration effect on everybody to be creative and do more of what is guaranteed to bring national and international visibility.    In this case, it will be possible to engage all – whether wealthy or not, citizens or not, migrated or not, in the role of nation-building.   By motivating people to do what people do best and deciding to do what the government does best, there will be zero social costs and infinite social benefits.  The government does best is nothing—only guide people on what is working and not wasting energy in talking about what is not working.

In a democratic context, is there a will among the people to vote for a government that talks their walk so that they can start running?   Or, do people prefer that the government crawls so that they can stand still and pass on the discredit to the government for not walking their talk?   What is the role of the media and the academic sector in this regard?   Should they be writing white papers and calling in experts that talk about the need for the government to make investments so that their colleagues can later talk about the costs of government making investments, ensuring that all the intellectuals with visibility generate increasing returns. At the same time, the nation as a whole continues going in a descending path?   In other words, there is a need to understand the implications of the following strategies:

• Global transfer of wealth. Offer increasing demand for government mediation leading to the depreciation in the national currency value, with or without adding taxes on the wealthy.  Ensure that the pragmatic wealthy may migrate out, and the foreign entities may acquire the patriotic citizens’ quality assets and intellectual properties.
• Unique local growth. Offer increasing demand for people’s self-governance leading to the appreciation in the national currency value, making everybody wealthy.   Ensure that the patriotic citizens enjoy disproportionate benefits of growing local wealth and the foreign entities with quality assets, and intellectual properties are attracted to invest in the nation.
• Inclusive national championing. Offer increasing supply of people’s self-governance model to all the nations through government, media, industry, and academic forums, as a case study of the path for universal enfranchisement.   Ensure that the citizens are only offering the consciousness of what works as the quality asset and intellectual property. Each nation can grow using the endowments Mother Nature has gifted for making that nation unique.

5. Post-COVID Recovery Path for Societies

COVID has brought both the best and the worst of human nature.   We have witnessed numerous genuine acts of selfless help offered by many unsung heroes.  They have devoted countless sleepless days, their homes, and all their wealth to help those in need – in the family, friend circle, as well as strangers they never met and may never meet again.   These are the true COVID warriors, working on the frontlines without any backing or job obligation, purely out of the heart.    We have also witnessed numerous acts of selfishness, unscrupulous mediation of critical resources in the name of market-making, fraudulent prescriptions, negligent care and hygiene, inhuman treatment of kith, kin, and caregivers, domestic violence, and other beastly acts, often taking the face of COVID warrior.   The scars of the failed expectations from the governments, non-government organizations, employers, kith, and kin run deep. At the same time, the unexpected acts of help from strangers have substantial healing effects.

The way forward for societies is not to discredit others for not rising to the expectations.   The first step must be to introspect on one’s expectations and the cause of those expectations.   Why would anybody help you instead of ensuring that they do not need to ask for help if the pandemic and post-pandemic effects run for several years?   If others have worked hard and been cautious about their incomes and expenditures, then why should they be penalized for your failings?   Each person must have an opportunity to focus on their education as a child. Only then does a child not need to depend on anybody for a job.  Such children enjoy the full capability to offer services that others wish to trade.   And, if some children lack these opportunities, everybody should channel the philanthropic resources first and foremost on this issue.   If each child is diligent, disciplined, and educated, there is no need to devote philanthropic dollars in any other area.   An educated and disciplined citizen has the power to make things happen without any charity or subsidy.

Therefore, all societies need to examine the following strategies:

• Descend diversity of expectations so that our expectations are with ourselves for preparing ourselves to do what we are capable of doing and doing what we have the potential to do at each moment of our life. One’s capability is not to be demanding and dominating but to decide what adds immediate social, human, ecological, economic, national, and psychological value.
• Ascend engagement of children so that they are all focused on holistic education and self-development, instead of wasting time socializing in person and virtually without any discipline or purpose. We need to help children understand the costs of social loafing and personal disengagement post-social isolation.
• Polarize the responsibility of adults so that the adults stop living a life borrowed from their children. Whether as a family, corporation, or nation, a debt-based life only makes children responsible for paying those debts.  By running from paying those debts after declaring bankruptcy, migrating overseas, or departing to heaven, one only makes the entire universe of children responsible for paying the costs of one’s misplaced expectations and beliefs.    When one reincarnates as part of that universe of children, one bears the consequences of not only personal karma but also social karma arising from sanga dosha (Fellowship fault).  If you do not believe in the reality of reincarnation, then you also bear the consequences of institutional karma arising from prasanga dosha (Association fault).  If you do not believe in doing your karma as the only path for living life joyfully, then you also bear the consequences of institutional dharma arising from yatraprasanga dosha (Pilgrimage fault).

The “fellowship fault” arises from being the bystander citizen.  The “association fault” arises from being the freedom citizen who has the right to do anything without any proportionate responsibility.   The “pilgrimage fault” arises from being the joyriding citizen, who incarnates to enjoy life on earth.  But instead of enjoying life, the joyriding citizen begins interfering in everybody’s karma by consuming what they are producing through the belief system.   Thus, instead of cleansing oneself from the wish to enjoy the life that leads one to incarnate on earth, one lets the life contaminate one’s conscious consciousness.  Life is only one dimension of Mother Nature.   Attachment to life on earth leads Mother Nature to let us experience death as well and to incarnate again for an opportunity to cleanse ourselves from our attachment by fulfilling the purpose of our life.  The purpose of our life is to master the technique for conscious decisions to manifest the present we wish, instead of letting the present shape our potential.

Five topics on “Science, metaphysics, and cultural wisdom” theme

1. Science of Everything

A major challenge in science is the incompatibility among different theoretical predictions and mathematical models about reality.    Even though physics is supposed to be about objectivity, modern physics considers subjectivity as an integral dimension of science.

An appropriate solution for developing science of everything is to quantify the energy value of every object, subject, and entity.   Such an approach helps clarify the causative factors, sequential effects, and consequential development.   Through my books, I develop such an approach and show how it helps resolve the major paradoxes in physics, such as the apparent incompatibility of the macrocosmic and the microcosmic science, many-body problem, origin of space, and quantum gravity.

2. Secret of life

The origin of life is a major challenge.   If monkeys evolved into humans a few millions year ago, then why the monkeys are not evolving into humans today?  Why even with advancement of science, we can’t breed humans out of monkey genes?  If a cell originated from an atom, then can we transform an atom into a cell?  Where does the cell get energy for dividing into cells that divide themselves further?  How many species categories have produced the diversity of species and creature forms we see today?  What is the total number of species forms that exist in nature?  What happens to our consciousness when we die?  Where do we get our consciousness from on our birth?  Why does the consciousness of each person vary?

An appropriate science for discerning the secret of life is one that transcends the limitations of present science.  Science originated to manage the limitations of the ancient cultural wisdom.   Through my books, I develop a metaphysical approach that combines the essence of the ancient cultural wisdom and the findings of modern science.   The result is powerful, illuminating the reality understood neither by the ancient sages nor the modern star scientists.

3. Metaphysics of Evidence

Evidence is the holy grail of the scientific discourse.  If the evidence is definitive, then no further research is needed and everybody can live a life of certainty.   If the evidence is conditional, then further research is needed on those conditions to resolve the uncertainty about the varying subjective experiences about that evidence.  When evidence requires a human or non-human metric for evaluation, then the quality of evidence is bounded by the gravity of that human or non-human metric.  Therefore, one needs a self-luminous evidence that makes the reality self-evident.

My books show the causal, sequential, and consequential development of the diverse objects and subjects, authenticated with the energy values.   The end result is pure magical.  If you like numbers, then let’s play with numbers to unravel the beauty of Mother Nature like never before.

4. Dynamics of Time

Time is a big enigma for science.   Scientists question whether time is independent of space.   Whether we can travel backward in time.    They wonder why time moves at varying rates for different entities.  Can we stop time and become immortal?  In India’s ancient wisdom, time is known as Kaal, which is a name of Yama, the Lord of space.   The Lord of time is Shani, who has the power to manage the time, i.e., Yama. Space is the abode of time and known as Asita, which is a name of Shani.  How does time make the space its abode to become the Lord of the space? How does space manage time for restoring its power and descending the power of time?   How can one realize the potential to be Shani, for managing time as one wishes by forming a space that one wishes?

My books show the correlation among different forms of stellar systems, astrological systems, and zodiac systems.   Let’s chat to open the mystery of time.

5. Technological growth of space

The inflation of space is a major challenge in science.  What allows space to grow beyond the space?  Do we play any role in the technological growth of space?  Or, are we just immaterial objects in the macrocosmic organization of Mother Nature?  Are heavens and hells part of present space?  What did primordial space comprise?  What allowed that primordial space to give birth to space?

My books illuminate all this and more.  If you wish to learn more, let’s take any topic from my books.  Check out the table of contents and the excerpt on my website www.vipingupta.net, on Amazon, google, and other sites, or reach out.