By Harry McNeil, SE Forum

• What are the biggest challenges in India today?
• Where are the greatest opportunities to do business and do good? (i.e solving the challenges)
• And what inspiring examples can be found?

I am in India to explore these big questions. More precise in a hot Internet café at Palolem Beach (Net World Ourem Palolem) summarizing the results from numerous discussions, meetings and visits.

And I am actually coming up with some answers to the big questions. Since this is the web, let’s cut to the case. A summary straight away.

1. The biggest challenge is what one of the persons I met called ”Entropy in the system”. I.e the disorder and resicdance in the bureaucratic and corrupt political system. (Entropy is ’Quantitative measure of the disorder of a system. The greater the disorder, the higher the entropy’

2. The greatest opportunity to do good – good business – is at “community level”. At this level you can achieve change and overcome the entropy.

3. An inspiring example of a company fighting the “entropy” is the online magazine Citizen Matters www.citizenmatters.in Not surprisingly, creating change at community level.

I went to Bangalore, this famous booming IT-city of the future. The people I met found it being a humorous description. Or more precise, they found themselves cynical to the state of India today. And I must say: I was surprised. I thought the years of booming prosperity would bring optimism… But India is always two-sided. Development, underdevelopment. Spiritual, business-focused.

My good old friend Raj helped me explore. We have discussed philosophy, political and social development long into the nights. He introduced me to amazing people and places. And he is, surprise!, an IT-consultant in Banglarore. But he is also one of the most philosophically reflecting persons I have ever met. (Read his blog at http://www.mentalley.blogspot.com/

And these two aspects are fascinating:
India is one of the fastest growing markets in the world, a true emerging market for national and international companies. (Bangalore has an economic growth of 10.3%.

India is also where Dalai Lama resides in exile (Dharamsala http://www.tibet.net ), where Buddha was born (actually greater India, now Nepal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha), where you find a hindu alter in almost every home. It is full of gurus and ashrams that draw thousands of westerners every year in search of spirituality. (Excellent book about this by Zac o’Yeah http://www.ordfront.se/www.ordfront.se/Bocker/Varaforfattare/ZacOyeah.aspx )

India is huge (1.2 billion inhabitants, 3.3 M sq km www.ui.se) How does thousands of years of rich spiritual history effect the way you do business in this big country? Is it natural to incorporate philosophical considerations in business decisions? I am also exploring this, and will write about is soon.

Read some of the results here.

How we must be the change we wish to see.

By Jonas Pinzke, SE Forum

When I take part in manifestations or activities for different causes, I sometimes think of the diverse entering points of how people involve them selves.

Too often I see frustration and anger being the source of commitment.

Many are against war rather than for peace.
Anti dictatorship rather than pro democracy
In oppose a problem, rather than in support of a solution.

For me that’s a very important distinction.
If the driving force is dissatisfaction, rage and resentment or even guilt, chances for finding a common ground to meet, reconcile and find answers to importat questions, are very slim.

If you want peace – you must be at peace.
To be pro; is to be active, creative and solution orientated
To be anti; is often associated with blaming and hold others responsible.

When pointing finger at some one, there’s always three fingers pointing right back at you!

To be pro is to send out a message that you want to change things to the better and also making yourself a part of the solution. It’s about taking responsibility.

A creative example of the movement towards positive thinking is the Reverse graffiti project. The project is founded by Paul Curtis, aka “Moose” and is all about cleaning walls rather than spoiling the surface with new layers of color, and in the meantime beautifying areas that are unfortunate. www.symbollix.com, www.reversegraffitiproject.com

For a long time the notion of capitalism as the evil force has been widely spread. Often when collaborating with corporation or using the market mechanisms to tackle the greatest challenges of our time, you are considered to “sleep with the devil”.

Of the 100 biggest economies in the world, 51 are cooperations. See that as an enormous potential of resources and know-how to be directed towards sustainable solutions of the social, economic and environmental challenges. It’s time to get all sectors, government, NGO:s and businesses, to work together.

I’m for using the business sector to solve the greatest challenges ahead.
I’m pro merging the idealist and the capitalist, they can learn a lot from each other.
I’m in support of social entrepreneurship.

By Jakob Sundberg, SE Forum

Being part of the social entrepreneurship movement represents an opportunity to contribute to new ways of addressing and solving challenges in our society. In my opinion, the interesting contribution of the social entrepreneurship phenomenon is the innovative and dynamic outlook of such ventures, challenging old and worn out ways of solving social problems. In social entrepreneurship ventures, what needs to be given special attention is on one hand securing a sustainable effect of the venture and on the other hand, that the venture is holistically integrated in society at large. To me, as long as the result of the venture represents a real impact on and solution to a burning social issue, the ways of structuring and funding it are irrelevant (as long as the latter are not unethical or counterproductive).

In terms of challenges to address with social entrepreneurship ventures, to me, the most urgent challenge today is chronic hunger and poverty. As long as a fifth of the earth’s population (1 billion) is living on a subsistence level, all other global and local problems are secondary. I believe that the injustice represented by this shame to mankind is also the root of most other challenges to our society and that once we seriously address and start solving the challenges of poverty and chronic hunger, many other problems will find their solutions, including armed conflicts, migration and environmental challenges.

My highest priority as a promoter of social entrepreneurship is to identify and support innovative and sustainable ways of facing the challenges of poverty and chronic hunger. I believe that the key areas to focus on in this venture are the promotion of globally applicable ethical standards, that transcend all types of artificial borders set up by us, and leadership at all levels, based on such ethics. The need to adhere to global ethical standards and leadership apply to all of us, at all levels and in every dimension of human interaction; from the micro level of our everyday conduct to the macro level of the decision makers within the prevailing global structures in the form of economic, social and political organizations and networks. In my opinion, a clear example of social entrepreneurship in the area of challenging poverty is represented by The Hunger Project, which you can read about here: www.thp.org, www.hungerprojektet.se.

I invite you all to join me in the social entrepreneurship venture of hatching ideas that will contribute to solving the enormous challenges represented by poverty and chronic hunger.