February 13, 2010
Amrita School of Business, Bangalore
 

A CEO Summit was organized by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham on February 8, in Bangalore. The event was attended by over 40 senior executives from organizations such as Phillips Innovation Centre, Microsoft, Nokia, HP, IBM, Intel, AMD, TCS, Tata Elxsi and Omnex.
 

 
Summit talks and discussions centered on the theme — Innovation Enriched by Human Values and Business Ethics for Sustainability.
 

“Human values and ethics should be a part of our day-to-day lives,’ stated Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri from the MA Math, in his benedictory address. “Only when we practice with smaller steps, will we gain the courage to be truly selfless and serve the needy.”
 

Invited lectures addressed relevant issues around the adaption of innovation and sustainability practices. Business leaders discussed whether it was possible to succeed and thrive in today’s business scenario by upholding human values and business ethics.
 

 
“It is possible to succeed in the world today only through a strong commitment to values,” emphatically stated Prof. Shekar Babu, Associate Dean, ASB. “And all speakers, without exception, underlined this fact.”
 

The first speaker, Mr. Parthasarathy, co-founder and CEO at MindTree, highlighted the need for individual integrity. “We don’t work in silos,” he stated. “We cannot say that we will display integrity at home, but it is ok to cheat in the workplace. One who lies for Rs. 2, may not mind cheating for a bigger amount also.”
 

“As firms embrace digitization and globalization in this new age of innovation, both mangers and consumers need to be sensitive to the impact these innovations might have on environmental resources,” stated the second speaker, Prof. M. S. Krishnan. “For innovations to be successful in the long run, they need to eliminate waste and conserve resources.”
 

 
Prof. M. S. Krishnan teaches at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. He quoted several examples from his recent book, The New Age of Innovation, that he co-authored with Dr. C. K. Prahlad. “The discussion at this Summit has planted the seeds for my next book,” he told the distinguished gathering.
 

“The theme of the Summit was very powerful for two reasons,” stated Ms. Jayashree Krishna, Director at I-Point Consulting Services, who was among the delegates. “One, the value system and ethics are key differentiators for India when competing globally, and two, unfortunately the same is depleting in GenX.”
 

“In my opinion, great talks were delivered by Prof Krishnan and Mr. Parthasarathy. Swamiji’s talk was very profound because of simplicity and the spontaneous style. I did enjoy the session and look forward to many more interactions with Amrita.”