January 14, 2008

Day Ten: MDI and Eli Lilly
No yoga this morning. I enjoyed sleeping until 7:15, having a cup of tea while writing briefly, and moved to the dining hall. We convened at 9:30 to discuss our upcoming schedule, followed by two presentations and interactions with MDI professors, one finance and one human resource management. Both were extremely informative and I was encouraged to know the vast similarities between the US systems and India's.

Following a quick dining hall lunch, we ventured to Eli Lilly's India office, which was located in arguably the most impoverished area I had seen, a campground of tarps and rags. Two girls greeted us off the bus with what looked like a petition, but we couldn't make sense of what they wanted. The Lilly office, a three-story building inside a guardhouse, was very nice. We met with a senior HR manager and training facilitator that had been with the company since its India presence began. Our discussion moved from the broad economy to the pharma industry to specific challenges and opportunities for Lilly India. Turnover of roughly 40% is the biggest HR issue, but the rising middle class offers huge opportunities for drug companies, especially given the proliferation of lifestyle ailments like diabetes and heart disease. Click here for the Eli Lilly notes.

After returning from Lilly, I met with two group members to prepare a business plan presentation for tomorrow morning. We then met as a class for a cultural presentation of traditional dance as performed by a regional expert. It was informative and fun to watch. We had dinner at a nearby country club, which was well appointed but dramatically different stylistically than American counterparts which tend to be classic in appearance. This club was more "New York chic" than "classy conservative," with a dance club downstairs cranking out bass that shook through our dinner. I couldn't imagine justifying a country club membership in India given the in-your-face poverty. We ended dinner with a toast to Hugo and Susan, our two classmates that will complete their degrees with the conclusion of this course. Cheers!
I need to add that while I miss my wife and home, the comraderie built on this trip has been very unique and has added a lot to the experience.