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Prasanthi Nilayam, Man Management: A Values-Based Management Perspective, Sri Sathya Sai Students and Staff Welfare Society, 2009, 523pp, Rs.200, Soft.
Brian Arthur, a noted economist and distinguished external research faculty at the Santa Fe institute, Santa Fe once mentioned "Every profound innovation is based on an inward-bound journey, on going to a deeper place where knowing comes to the surface." Man Management: A Values-Based Management Perspective" is a book that evokes thoughts among people to start that inward-bound journey. The book, which tries to blend the cultural ethos of India with the nuances of business and management, is built on the foundation that human beings are more valuable than all the wealth and resources of the world. The title of the book echoes this conviction and is titled as "Man Management."
The book is based on the discourses given by Sri Sathya Sai Baba to the MBA students of Sri Sathya Institute of Higher Learning (Sri Sathya Sai University). Due to the same, this book follows a narrative approach and the language is easily accessible to a student at the Bachelors or Masters degree level. Sri Sathya Sai Baba has been the inspiration behind the pioneering humanitarian endeavours that has benefitted millions of people across the world. These services, offered free of cost, include drinking water projects, holistic healthcare, values based education, nurturing culture and heritage, and relief to the poor. The publishers argue that perspectives offered by such a visionary can offer insights in the field of management dialogues, discourses and discussions.
Hiten Bhaya, Former Director of IIM Kolkatta, former member of the Planning Commission and former Chairman of Hindustan Steel, had once stated that a capitalist approach will not be able to usher in the distributive justice. For distributive justice to occur, intentions and actions of individuals need to be directed towards higher good. The biblical sins/ shad ripus corrupt these intentions and actions, resulting in a situation where justice is not meted out to those who require them. Rajiv Gandhi captured that sentiment in the oft repeated quote that for every rupee spent only 14 paisa reach to those people to whom the rupee is targeted. Mahatma Gandhi, speaking about the necessity to keep divinity and morality as the basis of...