In ‘Jain Business Engagement and Ethics’, authors recount the extraordinary journey of the Jain community from the prehistoric times to the current period and the contribution in the Indian business community.
This powerful memoir is a gripping account of resilience, self-discovery, and the transformative power of education and values of ahimsa, anekanta, aparigraha and syadvada. The book covers families and legacies of ancient as well modern society and well highlights the success, scandals, and stories in the business ecosystem from across the country.
The authors bring varied experiences of Jain philosophy, ethics, history and culture, community, and application much needed to resolve today’s pressing global issues. These experiences not only include academic but industrial as well as technological and cover broader spectrum of the society.
The first part of the book lays conceptual framework to set stone on Western approaches towards business & ethics, core concepts and values in Jainism to towards a Jain model of business ethics, linkages to business and its significance in society. The second part is focussed on Jain Business Engagement through Ages – from ancient period to colonial period to date, the contribution, and good practices they have bought in to the business ecosystem by adopting strong ethics and values pertaining to Jainism. This section touches the various professions the Jain community have exceled in and set benchmarks for the world to follow. The third part shares some essays on Jain values & Entrepreneurship which have real life applications focussing on environment, principles, and profits touching hearts and minds of students, entrepreneurs, professionals alike.
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Some vital chapters that stand out in the book are:
Core concepts and values in Jainism;
Business activities of Jains; and
Sample survey of Jain Business Leaders.
These chapters collectively and inclusively bring out the characteristics of Jains as in what it entails and what is does not when doing business, thus helpful for anyone to understand how Jains might look and engage from business perspective.
The authors’ writing is raw and emotionally charged, pulling readers into the depths of culture tumultuous upbringing and the conflicts of Jain culture that arose from the community as they sought knowledge and freedom beyond their insular world. The authors’ courage to confront past and question identity in the face of adversity is truly inspiring. The book explores themes of family bonds, the power of education, and the complexities of personal growth.
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As a reader, one cannot help but be captivated by the candidness of author’s storytelling. Their eloquent prose and ability to evoke empathy make this memoir a page-turner. ‘Jain Business Engagement and Ethics’ is an eye-opening and thought-provoking book that challenges us to reflect on the significance of education, the impact of our upbringing, and the resilience of the human spirit. This extraordinary memoir is a must-read for anyone seeking a story of triumph against all odds in industry, trade and commerce be it Jain or otherwise.
While the book well covers philosophy, case studies, teachings, examples of Jains very well but when looking at it from critics’ point of view, it lacks specialisation and shows that the Jain community exceled due to their non-violence and non-harming nature. Co-operation only happens when both parties are ready to cooperate and the book misses’ examples of showing this. In other words, the book could have covered matching principles from other cultural community that have so beautifully dwelled with Jains – example: Islam, Parsees etc. It also could have covered various other professions like sports, media, auction houses which are not business linked but been major bread earners for families for generations.
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Arihant Kothari takes a keen interest in anything related to business and community with culture flavour.
(The views expressed in this Book Review are his own and in no way linked to the organisation(s) he has worked for, is working for and will be working for.)
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