Relevance of human values for competitiveness: An Indian philosophical perspective

Global competition is an age-old phenomenon of the corporate world prevalent in most countries in different levels. Global competition offers opportunities to look within and beyond to expand business activities. In globalization era companies compete not only to make profit but also to establish excellence and follow ethical practices for sustainance. Competition is needed ‘as an end in itself’ and not nearly ‘as a means to an end’. Competition ‘as an end in itself’ is not merely an idea but it also reflects the impact of an individual's values-based training on one's thoughts and actions. Indian companies in globalization era should develop their own ethical framework, that upholds transparency, objectivity and consistency in business processes as well as products. Indian philosophical insights offer several human values such as truth, honesty, and self-excellence which are very relevant to society. Different schools of Indian philosophy emphasize upon reflective thoughts and meaningful actions which are are intricate, deep and dynamic. The paper aims to suggest a module based on Indian values system. The module is basically a self-designed ethical grid, which can be adopted by the industries in India to stabilize success and systematize business practices. This will enable business executives to compete in a holistic manner within the country as well as across the world. It also evolves meaningful approaches for the corporate world in redefining perspective of competition. Training modules can create awareness about Indian perspective on global competition which is the theme of the paper.