The Consumer Experience

The topic of the third Duke-initiated entry is "The Consumer Experience," and luckily, I've been able to see a number of shopping options in and around Hyderabad in the last few weeks.  Here are some observations and images of the shopping options in India, from the most simple carts and kiosks to the upscale, A/C'd, multi-storied shopping centers.

Fruits and veggies via roadside cart

The fruits here are both tropical and abundant - very tempting but potentially dangerous if not of the self-peel variety.  Each day along the streets, you can find grapes, papaya, guava, pineapple, pomegranate, bananas, etc.  The veggies are amazing too. Huge, brightly colored eggplant, cauliflower ("gobi"), beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes adorn the carts.  The only barrier to me becoming a completely loyal customer of this type of enterprise is that the goods lose the "freshness appeal" when you see the incredible amount of dust, exhaust, and dirt surrounding the carts.  Although I'm sure the food is healthy and safe (or I'm hoping, if not totally sure), I can't quite bring myself to venture into roadside fruit territory beyond the banana.  Perhaps by the end of the trip...?

Chat ("ch-aught") stands

Calling these contraptions anything other than "fried junk food carts" would be inaccurate.  All sorts of veggies and carbs are deep fried (my guess is at least five times each) then tossed into the cart and sold to the hungry passerby. Though I've frequented 

these vendors in a number of in African countries, I've yet to tackle street food in India, as the "Delhi Belly" stories have been a little too intense.  The calorie count can't be pretty either, as evidenced by any picture of me post-Africa trips!

Small, independent "everything you need (or don't) shops"

If you're in need of small packets of shampoo, magazines or newspapers, sweet treats, or phone cards, you're bound to find them (and many more random things) in these roadside bodega-like shops.  The villages seem to have more of these mom-and-pops, but they are present throughout Hyderabad (a significant metropolis on the sub-continent) as well.  These establishments might have items similar to your well-stocked gas station in the states, but most of the goods are behind a counter, crowded together (not much placement strategy here), and sold for prices that are, for the most part, negotiable.  I'd recommend looking closely at the expiration date on anything perishable and dusting off the items before use/consumption!  These shops tend to be one rung up the shop development ladder from the carts in that they are immobile (usually at least a few walls are involved).

Free standing stores (as in, located in buildings with doors!)

There sheer number of stores here is shocking to me.  There are alleyways of stores in the centuries-old "Charminar" where entire streets are filled with identical (to the uninformed shopper, anyway) stores and product offerings.  I was recently told that the streets of Charminar are "an example of pure competition."  However, beyond this small area of the city, there are stores that seem to duplicate one another everywhere!  I've not been able to figure out how one store differentiates itself from the other, but maybe when you're part of an economy with 1.2 billion people, you don't have to worry about excess capacity or coming up with a unique value proposition...

A lot of the free-standing stores seem to be chains (predominantly local or regional though).  For instance, the J.R. Bakery was our "go to" location for bottled water and 

train-trip food in Kerala, and the chain's definitely perfected the art of creating a consistent customer experience in all of its cafes.  

Today, I shopped with some of the other exchange women and experienced unreal customer service at an Indian clothing store.  The manager was wanting to chat once he realized I am studying 

at ISB and from the U.S. The stores, also part of a chain, recruit 

unskilled men and women from villages around Hyderabad, employ them in the city at one of the multiple stores, provide uniforms, health insurance (an unusual perk here), and extensive training in customer service to these young villagers.  They were picking out dozens of shirts, dresses, and wraps for each of us (to match our sizes, skin, eyes, etc.) and tailoring on the spot. It was seriously impressive, though a bit overwhelming at times.  

The mall (ugh!)

So, to expose my biases from the start, I hate mall-shopping anywhere...so my negative impressions of the City Center in Hyderabad have nothing to do with the stores, atmosphere, or people here.  I was surprised to see a McDonalds, a Kentucky Fried Chicken, a Levi's, and a Pepe Jeans in Hyderabad at this five-story mall in the upscale Banjara Hills neighborhood (and I have to admit, I couldn't resist a Diet Coke from McDonalds!)  The mall's one redeeming quality it's A/C on this 95 degree day (A/C's a rarity here), but the loud music, the food-court atmosphere, the marked prices (bargaining becomes a bit of a hobby here), and the overabundance of ex-pats made my first trip to City Center my last!

ISB ranked 15th in the world! (Thanks, Financial Times)

Yesterday was a huge day at ISB.  The Financial Times rankings of global MBA programs were released, and ISB jumped five spots from last year to #15.  As the only ranked B-school in India and a relatively new player on the global stage (only 8 years old), the sense of pride and excitement was very palpable. 

Everyone at the school was ecstatic, and a massive lunch celebration ensued, followed by a late-night party that lasted well into the morning.  Think Fuqua Friday on steroids!  Lunch included ice sculptures, thousands of floating flowers, an incredible assortment of food, and a delay of all classes so that the entire ISB community could enjoy the fun.  

The evening party was also seriously impressive - the bar, food vendors, DJ, and late-night dancing were topped off by a fireworks display (above).  Enjoy the views...

Photos, Tidbits, Etc.

I've had a few requests for pictures on the blog.  So...here are some bits and pieces of random information and their accompanying pics, in case you want to have more of a glimpse into our ISB existence!

Outside our dorm at ISB

Life at ISB:  This week has been a fairly "normal" one in terms of going to B-school in India.  

Classes, homework, group case analyses, and the like.  It feels good to get into the swing of things, to learn the ways of working together in an Indian context, and to get caught up on assignments and the ever-expanding list of things to do (though I can't complain too much, as one of the tasks on my list was, "lay by the pool!") 

The weather in India is gradually starting to warm, as people warned us it would, but the campus is still vibrant with color from the flowering bushes and trees - a welcome sight it January for a girl from the midwest!

Interestingly, after swimming laps for the past 2 weeks at the aforementioned pool, I was kindly informed that it was the sight of a recent cobra spotting... To be continued when/if I can verify the source of the info. (Perhaps I'm just the gullible exchange student? I hope!)

Sight of rumored cobra spotting...hmm...

Exploring Hyderabad:  We made a few trips to local establishments this week for a "taste 

of Hyderabad."  Ty and I went with our new Israeli friends to a western restaurant in the high-end Banjara Hills neighborhood one evening and then went to a local hole-in-the-wall the following night.  Night #1 involved salads, cheese plates, and beverages that we haven't enjoyed in several weeks, but it ended in an auto ride that was enough to make us teeter between laughter and tears!  We were glad to know, after our driver tested his brakes against an oncoming cement truck, that the vehicle could, in fact, stop rather quickly! Night #2 involved being waited on by a 16-year old named "Nani" who was visibly shaken at the beginning of the meal, stating in a trembling voice, "It is my first time serving foreigners."  By the end of the meal though, he'd told us his life story (complete with introductions to his father and grandmother) and was prancing out after us yelling, "Get good grades and come back again!" 

Hospital and clinic visits:  This week involved two day-long trips to meet with folks in the healthcare space, which made the week all the more exciting for me.

First, I was able to visit my Indian colleagues on a Duke Global Health Institute study through the CARE Foundation.  Kevin Schulman, Will Mitchell, and Krishna Udayankumar (all HSM faculty or lecturers at Duke) wrote a great Journal of Health Affairs article on the CARE Hospitals late last year - all of you HSMers should get your hands on it.  I'm now involved with the Foundation's rural health assessment of five villages in a region 12 hrs (by car) north of Hyderabad.  Although I've met with the India-based team via conference call, it was great to meet face-to-face and start planning the next phase of the project together.  By the end of the study, 5000 villagers will have been surveyed to determine their health needs, and the CARE Foundation will plan future outreach programs to serve the communities most effectively. Pretty amazing work, I think!

A note to all coffee-lovers and B-school students thinking about working abroad:  Our meeting, like all business meetings I've attended so far in India, was interrupted twice by a woman carrying a tray of lovely coffees & teas - a tradition that I appreciate so very much! The coffee cups in this country are seriously small (read: Dixie cup vs. Starbucks venti), so I take every opportunity I can get to "re-up" on the caffeine here.  Although I'd die for a Fox Center refillable mug of organic blend right now, I am deeply grateful to the coffee/tea woman for her frequent visits!

The second healthcare-oriented meeting involved visiting a start-up medical diagnostics company in Hyderabad for a class project.  The company is currently receiving funding through a local VC firm, and its mission is impressive: provide high quality laboratory and radiology services to patients at an affordable price.  They're hoping to expand throughout southern India and ultimately provide diagnostic capabilities throughout regions that currently have no access or only limited access (potentially unsafe, unreliable, and unregulated).  

Interesting cultural conversations:  I saw this sign in two clinics where ultrasounds are 

regularly performed.  Posting of the sign in medical diagnostics centers is mandatory, and it states: "Determining the Sex of the foetus by Pre-Natal Diagnostic test is a punishable Crime for those who do it and for those who get it done & those who encourage it."  

Of course, it took me about two seconds to pry into my team member, an OB-GYN who's practiced in India for her entire career.  She told me that because male children have traditionally been (and still are, in many areas) favored over female children, the country has historically suffered high rates of "fetucide" (or selective abortion if the fetus is female).  Google produced hundreds of political, religious, and other non-objective postings on the practice, but the honesty and frankness with which my teammates talked about the practice was surprising (and refreshing too, signaling increased awareness and intolerance).  I've always associated China with infanticide post-birth, and I had no idea that it has been (and is) still a problem in India.  

The conversation also led to really interesting discussions with my team members (male & female, Indian, American, & Thai, 20-somethings & 50-somethings, Buddhist & Hindu) about the changing views of Indians in my generation, the amazing diversity of political and religious beliefs in the country, and a number of other fascinating issues. We debated arranged vs. love marriages, gender equality, astrological powers, women's rights (including abortion, contraception, maternal mortality, etc.), the impact of media and technology on India, and the gross disparities in wealth among the country's population.  It was so interesting to sense the cultural tide changing as I sat sandwiched between young and old (literally and figuratively) in the back seat of a taxi, waiting for the stopped traffic to inch its way through the Old City.

Other updates:  Although we stayed in Hyderabad this weekend (not the norm for the 

exchange student crowd - most of whom are off exploring the country), we did start planning the travel schedule post-ISB.  We'll have 2 1/2 months to travel through India, and paging through "Lonely Planet India" makes me extremely excited for the adventure.  We've loved our time in the villages to date, and we'll likely try to see some remote areas along the way, in addition to the "must-sees."  So far, we've got Agra, Delhi, Rajasthan, Calcutta, Varanasi, Shimla, Darjeeling, Goa, and Kerala on the map (with a probable jaunt into Nepal).  We know that many of you know great places to though, and we're more than willing to take recommendations!

Business, Culture, and Customs

Duke's "guiding questions" for this post include issues on cultural norms/customs and business practices.  Acknowledging from the start that I've only been in the country for two weeks and that customs within the b-school campus differ from those outside its gates, my thoughts on the issues are as follows...

Cultural norms

My initial impression is that the Indian culture is much more formal than the American culture.  Although certain areas of Hyderabad are more westernized (e.g., the new airport, Cyderabad, etc.), the city is dominated by a more conservative culture.  The predominant religions are Hinduism and Islam, and as such, many of the women dress in full saris or burkhas.  As a woman, I think much more about my dress, my speech, and my mannerisms here than I ever do at home.  When I leave campus, I wear either pants or long skirts and cover my shoulders – and this would simply not happen in 80 degree, sunny weather in the States!  Also, vendors and drivers normally speak to Ty rather than me (despite the fact that I’m way more verbose!), I only occasionally receive a handshake when off campus (whereas men frequently shake hands), and Ty and I are usually one of the few couples walking together through town.  Normally, groups of men stay together, even holding hands as they walk, as do the women.

The Indians with whom we have spent time often take tea or coffee with friends in the afternoons and evenings, relaxing in one another’s apartments or homes. Also, “evening” is not the same meaning here as it might be in most U.S. settings.  Whereas I am accustomed to having evening meals at 7:00-ish, dinner here is not available until 7:30pm (until 10:00pm).  Ty and I are often the first of the ISB students and staff to walk through the café doors at night, stomachs growling as we enter.  Also, concerning eating, many of our colleagues at ISB have private cooks and/or maids, and meals, snacks, and tea are often prepared for the students.  This is one stark difference from the lives of Fuqua students at Pinnacle Ridge, Alexan Place, Station 9, or The Lofts!

Dinner isn’t the only thing to start late in India!  “India time” is a frequent phrase used to dismiss the frequent 15-minute tardiness for meetings, classes, etc.  When invited to a 10:00pm school-sponsored party for the new exchange students, I thought that arriving 30 minutes late (“fashionably” – right?!) was appropriate.  However, not a single person was at the location (including the organizer), and the party did not really begin until around 1:00!  The Midwestern “Early to bed, early to rise” value is not a part of the ISB culture.  However, our Muslim friends wake at 5:00 each day for morning prayers – another example of the diversity of people, practices, and norms in this country.

Today, my Managing Complexity course addressed the issues of Indian and American cultural differences in business.  (Specifically, we discussed the challenges of implementing a Google-like culture in an Indian business setting.)  The comments from my Indian colleagues support the judgment that the culture here is much more formal than that in the U.S.  Students mentioned the presence of hierarchical structures between management and lower-level employees (a “sir” culture), a lack of willingness or comfort engaging in honest feedback, and a high level of competition (versus collaboration) among colleagues.

Business Environment

Since arriving in Hyderabad, we’ve witnessed an interesting (and saddening) chain of events unfold in our new city.  Satyam, a prominent Indian IT company based in Hyderabad, was accused of fraudulent activity – essentially padding their books with nonexistent funds, claiming to have roughly $1 billion USD when, in reality, they’re accused of not having enough cash to cover their employees’ pay for the previous month.  The business world here has been shaken at a national, local, and academic level with the unraveling of this story. 

For several days, newspaper headlines, CNBC India, and all of the national news channels and websites addressed the fraud continuously.  The CEO resigned almost immediately, but at ISB, our Dean also resigned from his leadership position at our school, as he was a Board member of Satyam.  The school was shocked and discussions ensued about how the Indian economy would rebound from the embarrassing international drama, and the similarity of this situation to the Enron scandal in the U.S. has been discussed at length.  Even as I write this entry, CNBC is running news about Satyam, two weeks after the initial blow was announced.  India is now grappling with how to improve its regulatory frameworks, revisit corporate legislation, and repair its international reputation as a booming, trustworthy player in the global business world.

Another interesting note is that, while attending a panel discussion on technology and strategy by leaders from McKinsey, Deloitte, Accenture, CapGemini, and IBM Consulting, one partner discussed India’s changing competitive position.  Whereas I am accustomed to hearing Americans speak about the threat of Indian and Chinese competition, I was not expecting to hear the same sentiments expressed by Indian professionals about emerging Asian economies (e.g., Vietnam).  The professionals discussed the inability of the country to continue competing solely as a cost-leader and warned of complacency in the midst of an ever-increasing global competition.  It will be really interesting to see how the country defines itself as a unique player in the world market.

2 weeks in & loving it (mostly!)

Just a quick editorial note: I'm having issues with spacing when I add photos, so please excuse the weird line spacing and random sentences that skip to the next line!  (Open to pointers too!)

Things continue to surprise and challenge me here, but the more time that passes (2 weeks now) in-country, the more comfortable I'm becoming.  The little things - the late trains, nonfunctioning phones, obstinate auto-rickshaw drivers, language barriers, etc. - are the cause of my occasional frustration, but they'll also surely be the things that I'll miss and laugh about once we've returned to the States.  I'm trying to embrace the unique nature of India and soak it all in while I am able.  Also, the samosas seem to make everything better!

I've really enjoyed my classes here at ISB, and I'm learning a lot about the Indian business

 setting, as well as more general MBA concepts (which is really good, since I'm down to 8 weeks of classes!)  I've also had the opportunity to:

1. Learn about Hyderabad's history through a tour of the city (a Hindu temple and the ancient Golconda Fort)
   
2. See the countryside and village life (while attending a conference in the coastal state of Kerala)
3. Take pride in my U.S. roots while abroad (Obama-mania is present worldwide!)

In terms of classes, I'm spending two days a week in classes and using the other days to study and work on a Duke Global Health Institute project here in Hyderabad.  The students at ISB

 are in their second week of recruiting, and things are increasingly stressful here.  It seems as though the recession is truly having global impact on hiring, but there are several more weeks of recruiting.  The students here do their recruiting/interviews throughout the weekends, and they are only allowed to have one offer at a time - a fact that makes me feel really grateful for the recruitment process in place at Duke.  As the ISB program is only a year long, the recruitment process is condensed and even more high-stakes than for those of us who've attended two-year MBA programs.  Wish them well!

Our (the exchange students') city tour was pretty amazing. The international students at ISB arranged for a full day of touring and getting to know Hyderabad.  We visited a Hindu temple that overlooked the city, spent time touring Golconda Fort - an amazing site with historical significance and beautiful architecture, and tried some of the local fare.  We also spotted a camel walking through the streets, explored the shopping attractions, and spent the evening learning about Indian weddings from our friend Sreejah.

This past week, Ty and I traveled to Calicut, Kerala, where I attended the First International Conference on Public Health and Palliative Care.  Because I have worked as both a public health and a hospice nurse and am really interested in global health, it was an incredible opportunity for me to meet major players in the field internationally, to visit organizations and meet physicians who I had recently researched for a Public Policy class at Duke, and to see village life in India.  80% of Indians in Kerala receive the palliative care (end-of-life care and symptom management for diseases that are incurable) that they need, whereas only 2-4% of Indians have access throughout the rest of the country.  

The conference consisted of a village visit and then two days of paper & poster presentations, dialogue, and networking.  Ty and I visited a village during the state's Palliative Care Day, and we traveled to see over 200 volunteers collecting money, educating the public, and soliciting new volunteers.  We also saw the clinic, a school education programs (to make the young aware of the importance of caring for the dying), and a household with 3 patients: an elderly woman with cancer and her two daughters (one with cancer and one with kidney disease).  The family and palliative care professionals welcomed us, the volunteers were extremely dedicated to the mission of the organization, and the generosity of the poor in the village was incredible (We witnessed amazing financial generosity on the part of the villagers).

One very cool Duke connection was made during the conference too!  A public health and palliative care physician from Singapore was attending the conference, and she's affiliated with the Duke-National University of Singapore.  We know several of the same Duke physicians, know the same palliative care professionals from New York City, and even lived in the same neighborhood in Brooklyn (though not at the same time).  Who would've guessed we'd cross paths in a small coastal city in India?!

Finally - Obama-mania! It's wild how many people in India want to talk about Obama and the impact that they hope he has on the world.  Whether in classes ("What will happen to the economy when Obama is inaugurated?"), in the villages of Kerala ("Your president can be the best man in the world or the worst. We think Obama will be the best,") or in the midst of an Australian sociologist's public health plight ("We need hope in this field - if only Obama was here to help me with this!")  After traveling around the world and hearing negative comments about Americans and the leadership of our country, it feels really refreshing, exciting, and promising to hear these words from people that live a world away from our borders.  

On that note, enjoy the inauguration, and thanks for reading...

Day Two at ISB

After waking at 4:30 am for the second morning in a row (ah, jet lag!) to the sound of the Hyderabad night, interrupted by the call to prayer from the mosques around Hyderabad, I watched the sun rise from our campus apartment.  What a gorgeous way to start the day... (...followed by a cappuccino in the open-air atrium, a swim in the olympic size pool, and blogging outside in the 80 degree, sunny weather!)

Ty and I arrived in Hyderabad on Sunday morning after 3 flights, 2 airport bus rides, and a taxi trip on the outskirts of our new home city.  Hyderabad seems to be booming, but we've yet to travel into the city itself.  From what we hear and read, the city is divided into an old city, which has existed for centuries, and a new city, growing quickly thanks to its reputation as a multi-national-friendly business center.  As we drove in, we saw construction happening everywhere - paving of roads, building of bridges, and construction of houses and office buildings.  

This new area, near ISB's campus, is known as High Tech City or "Cyderabad".  From our campus apartment, we can see the Infosys and Microsoft campuses - both quite impressive.  We plan to venture off campus this afternoon by foot and take a shuttle ride (about an hour) into the city tomorrow.  I can't wait to see more of the "real" Hyderabad.  

The "unreal" part of Hyderabad that we're experiencing for the next 3 months is the unbelievable ISB campus. It feels like living inside of a royal property - castle included.  We entered the massive gates, passed the "peacock crossing" signs, and saw an amazing sight before us...the main building of ISB.  

Almost all of the students and faculty (most of which are visiting faculty from all over the world) live on campus, which makes for a very communal feel.  The majority of the 450 full-time MBA students are Indian, but the school is trying to increase its international status as a world-renowned business school...and it seems to be working.  We have professors from Wharton, Stern, NASA, and many other incredible institutions.  In addition, our exchange class for this term is made up of 42 people from the U.S., Canada, Israel, South Africa, the Netherlands, and Korea.

Although I know there are many opportunities at Duke and at our other partner institutions around the world, but I would strongly recommend considering the exchange program at ISB.  I can't count the number of times that we've uttered, "I love this place," or "India is amazing," or "We should stay forever," in the past two days...and there's so much more to come.

Stay tuned...

Before leaving...T-6 hours!

After months of planning, preparation, and packing, the night is finally here!  Ty and I leave Chicago this evening to fly to our new home (for 6 months, anyway).  We'll hop on our Air India flight, head to Frankfurt to connect with our German roots in the airport, and then continue to Hyderabad via Mumbai.  Although I am extremely excited for the trip, my mind continues racing with final to-do list contents...typical!

This is officially my first post for the Duke MBAA, so I suppose a bit of introduction is appropriate.  My husband, Ty, and I are second year students in the MBA program at Duke University, but we've decided to take advantage of the global reach of our school and finish our business school education at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.  Although saying goodbye to classmates, faculty and staff, and Durham was difficult, the ability to learn about the global economy and international business in India was too appealing to pass up.  As such, the massive rucksacks are packed (almost!), the classes at ISB have been scheduled, and we've got a long list of "must-see" locations throughout India, thanks to our Duke classmates (thanks to all of you for your help!) We will attend classes from January through April, during which I will also be working with Duke's Global Health Institute on a public health project - an amazing opportunity, given my global health interests and my public health nursing background.  From April through June, Ty and I will explore the country, traveling by train from the southern tip of the country to Delhi and everything we can manage in between. Suggestions are much appreciated!

In addition to the two of us, four other Duke MBA second years will be attending ISB (during Spring 1 only), and they'll surely make some appearances in photos and on the blog. Stay tuned!

As I think about the parts of India that most excite me, the ability to meet the people of India and hear their stories, see their homes, eat their food, and know their culture, are the aspects of the experience that makes my pulse race the most.  We've met such amazing, welcoming people in Hyderabad via email (friends of ours from Duke have connected us with their friends at ISB), other Duke second years are still in the country and welcoming us to their homes in the coming days, and I'll be attending an international conference with healthcare professionals mid-month who've been enormously helpful. Already, I feel the amazing warmth of the Indian people, and I can't wait to know them and live with them for the next half-year.

There's not much that I think we'll miss, with perhaps the exceptions of salad, fresh fruits, and water from the tap. Other than these things, we're excited and ready to go.

The next post will come from INDIA! 

Be well...