CET Online GD!

[Manish Salian]

Hi,

Kya Aap CET GD-PI Pass Ho? (20+ marks in writtens)! Kya aapko bachhon jaise topics achhe lagte hain? To aaiye hum aur aap milke khelte hain "CET Online GD".

Yes, an 'Online GD Contest' that could fetch you interesting prizes! This is just a way to pitch all you content driven people against each other! In the process, all others could benefit from the points generated on various topics by these so called experts!

Every night, two topics will be posted on the forum! You need to respond to the thread anytime during the next day by giving your views on the topic...

Rules of the game:

1. You need to give your views only in bullet points. The idea of an online GD is only to gather different perspectives and viewpoints on a particular topic and not display our communication skills! So, no long mails that no one would be interested in reading!

For example, if the topic is: "It's time we treat all Indian cricketers like Sehwag", your contribution may be:

(1) Carrot v/s Stick! McGregor's Theory X and Y of motivation! Theory X states that an authoritarian style of Management (based on threat of punishment) will motivate employees.

(2) National pride at stake. No one can take his place in the team for granted.

(3) Regional quota based system of selection should change.


The point system is as follows:

1. You get 1 point for every 'original' idea that you contribute!

2. Repetition of any idea (in the same form or some other form) will not fetch you any points.

3. If you repeat any point given by others (in the same form or some other form), you lose 1 mark. Hence it makes sense to respond as early as possible. You can refer to someone's point (in order to support or oppose him/her), but it should culminate into a fresh idea!

4. A killer - break through idea / A radically different (but relevant) perspective will fetch you 3 points!!

5. Data, Figures, Statistics, Examples, Analogies will fetch you 3 points (provided they are factually correct).

I will be the moderator, and will give points! I know, it is tough to give points in this (as it may get subjective), but never the less I will attempt the same. People questioning my decisions will face a two-topic ban :-) Just joking!

You will get 24 hours to contribute towards a topic (except for topics posted on Saturday nights. These will have a deadline of 48 hours)! A round consists of 7 days, i.e. 14 topics. At the end of every round, winner will be announced (obviously the one who has scored maximum number of points).

No points will be given if you contribute to a particular topic after the deadline for that is over!

So, aaiye hum aur aap shuru karte hain "Kaun Banega GD-Pati"!

Regards,

Manish sir

[Manish Salian]

Hi,

Here are your topics for the weekend:

1. FDI in Retail

2. Effect of cinema on youth

While the second one is a topic asked for discussion in many institutes last year, the first one is a very likely topic for this year!

Points for the first topic should be marked in Red and those for the second topic should be marked in Blue.

Since these topics are posted on Saturday, you have a dealine of 48 hours (Monday evening, 10 pm).

Shoot your posts...

So, happy GD-ing!

Regards,

Manish sir

[ViralVora]

(1) Motivational and Positive
e.g., impact that Rang De Basanti had on the youth voicing their opinion in Jesicca Lal case or re-awakening to Ganghigiri after Munnabhai MBBS

(+3 marks : Data about the names of the movie)

(2) On the whole, very ephemeral impact. Because Bollywood churns out over 800 films a year coupled with the demanding life of toay's youth, they watch movies mostly for entertainment and do not get affected much.

(+3 marks : stats about the number of movies)

[MerupKapadia]

(1) Censor board plays an important role in determining correct and ethically right things to the people as the cinema we watch in someway or the other directly impacts us.

(+1 mark : you could have earned 3 marks had you cited some examples)

(2) Not only the youth watching the cinema but also youth involved in making the cinema are impacted. eg, if path breaking films are not made, youth might never be able to do out-of-the box thinking, for eg. films like Dor, Iqbal, 3 deewarein, being cyrus (may not be commercially hit but critically acclaimed), do encuorage young film-makers to try and do something new.

(+3 mark : Names of films)

(3) Adding to the point of Viral, films/cinema do actually generate positive ideas in youth, for example, we have films like Yuva where in Ajay Devgan forms his own political party for fighting against injustice, so in real life there are political parties been formed in states by youth eg.(Five IITians have formed a new political party in India, named Paritrana & organizations like Youth for Equality.)

(-1 mark : Idea is a repetition of Viral's first point)

[DevanshiVaishnav]

1. 3.1 bn tickets sold everyday in India as compared to 2.9bn in the US

(+3 marks : stats about the number of ticket sold)

2. Another direct impact is by the virtue of employments. Bollywood employs 6 million people.

(+3 marks : brilliant! A very different perspective)

3. When we say Bollywood, it covers movies produced in all languages and the fact that only 20% of movies (of 1000 produced a year )are Hindi.
:)

(0 marks : effect on youth not clearly metioned. Besides can anyone verify Devanshi's claim about Bollywood. I think Bolloywood means Hindi movies, just as Tollywood means Bengali movies)

[DevanshiVaishnav]

1. The most important factors for a good retail chain are:
- Wide spread distribution stores.
- Variety of products.
- one stop shop place
- good Supply Chain Management(most imp.)
For this we require Good infrastructure for the purpose of storage , distribution and display

(+1 marks : No stats, just data)

2. Companies like Marks n spencers started out about 3 years back in India and were not able to make their mark and today have entered into a JV with Reliance industries.

(+3 marks : Good example)

3. To name some big FDIs - Carrefour , Walmart - Bharti , Tesco in talks with Birlas.

(0 marks : Extension of the above point)

4. 13 million kirana stores would run out of business.

(+1 marks : Good stats, but reasons behind this belief not mentioned)

5. Vegetable vendors would be majorly affected

(0 marks : extension of the above idea)

6. Alterante plans for business losses given to vendors is jobs at these Retail stores.

(+1 marks : Initiates a new idea! But does not go on to say 'what plans?')

7. Retail industry of $300 million

(+1 marks : Merely mentions the stats. Elaboration done by others in subsequent posts)

8. 51% investment allowed in single-brand retails

(0 marks : Could have been made a part of Point No. 2 and 3)

[MerupKapadia]

(1) FDI is necessary in cases where there is lack of capital investmenst. So, first we need to consider the question, is FDI required in Retail Sector? If the growth of organized retailing sector (corporate owned retails) is already progressing at good rate, where does this need come from? Statistcs show that corporate owned retail business was Rs. 15,000 crores in 1999 and which grew to Rs.35,000 crores in 2005 and is growing at a rate of 40% per annum. So, there seems to be no dearth of indigenous capital, then why fdi in retail?

(+3 marks : Good use of data)

(2) Recommendation to the solve the problem:
(a) The Government and RBI need to evolve suitable lending policies that will enable retailers in the organised and unorganised sectors (the local kirana shops, owner manned general stores, paan/beedi shops, convenience stores,) to expand and improve efficiencies.

(+3 marks : Though a take from Devanshi's point about alternate plan's to save small time retailers, Merup gives a concrete solution)

(b) There should be a clear set of conditions on giant foreign retailers on various aspects aiming at encouraging the purchase of goods in the domestic market, state the minimum space, size, employment opportunities. Giant shopping centres must not add to our existing urban snarl.

(+1 mark : Point made without example)

(c) If FDI is allowed, then the entry of those foreign entities must be gradual and with social safeguards so that the effects of the labour dislocation can be analysed & policy can be finetuned, as and when necessary.

(0 marks : Extension of the previous point)

(d) The government must actively encourage setting up of co-operative stores to procure and stock their consumer goods and commodities from small producers to address the dual problem of limited promotion and marketing ability, as well as market penetration for the retailer.

(0 marks : Extension of point 2(a))

[BirenMaster]

1. India has been ranked as the 5th most desired retail destination. The total size of Indian retail sector, including organized and unorganized sector, is $300 billion, where currently the organized sector accounts for 4% only. It is expected to grow to anywhere from 12-20% by 2010.

(+3 marks: Though a repetition of Devanshi's point, it culminates into a new idea and some more data)

2. Foreign players are already present in the luxury retail sector through Nike, Reebok and International fashion house's outlets.

(+1 marks: Yes, they are present but FDI is being pumped into manufacturing and not retail)

3. One of the benefits of FDI/Foriegn players is that they provide access to global markets for Indian Producers as it might ultimately lead to increased sourcing from India as was the case in China.

(+3 marks: Good point!)

4. Foreign players also bring in better operations in production cycles and distribution.

(+1 mark: Normal point)

5. A strong retailing sector could boost tourism as seen from experience in Singapore and Dubai.

(0 mark: Not sure about this! Can somebody comment?)

6. Growth in retail desirable for primary producers as middle-men are eliminated.

(+1 : Good point)

[BirenMaster]

1. On the flip side, movies are one of the channels/medium through which western culture has influenced today's youth from fashion to relationships.

(+1 mark : normal point, no data, no stats)

2. The increased importance of glamour over substance in today's movies must also be discouraged.

(+1 mark : normal point, no data, no stats)

3. Noticeably, not many films these days address the 'traditional' social issues like poverty, dowry, plight of rural women (except 'Dor'), domestic violence, casteism and others due to which youth (atleast urban youth) are more or less ignorant of these issues.

(+1 mark : normal point. You came close to negative due to Merup's example of Dor, but you have tried to make a different point)

4. On the positive side, path breaking movies like 'Chak De India' have come to inspire sportsfans, 'Taare Zameen Par' allowed people to understand and address the issue of 'special' kids and the need for initiatives that need to be taken for them for us to be truly called an evolved and civilised society.

(-1 mark : direct take from Viral's first point)

[Manish Salian]

Hi everyone,

The response to previous two topics have been good, but less than my expectations! May be because the deadline for these topics are tomorrow and many people are sleeping over the topics! I am expecting some khatarnak points tommorow!

As you all are thinking over the first two topics, here are two fresh topics for discussion!!

3. Indo-US Pact: Nuclear Deal or Unclear Deal?

4. One should never judge a person by external appearance

As will be the case everyday, one of the topics will be a data driven topic and the other one will be a general topic.
Points for the first topic for Monday must be submitted in Brown and those for the second topic in Green.

The deadline for all 4 topics are now, Monday evening 10 pm.

All the Best!

Regards,

Manish sir

[VikasKappe]

1) Cinema is a kind of digital media which has lot of power in order to impact minds of millions of people and specially youths in a short span of time. The impact can be positive or negative.

(+1 mark : normal point)

2) Effect of cinema majorly(except some rare cases) depends on how individual youth perceives it. e.g. from adventurous film, one individual young person may go for unnecessary adventure whereas other sensible individual can use this adventurous impact on his mind in his work to bring himself to upper level in his career/life.

(+3 marks : Brilliant! A new perspective. How different people perceive the same thing differently)

3) Unfortunately many bollywood films are more focused on comic part and style culture by assumption of removing daily fatiguness in routine life. They avoid to touch important social issues which can also attract a lot of crowd like done by Madhur bhandarkar's films and Amir khan's recent film "Tare zamin par" as mentioned by Biren.

(-1 mark : Direct take from Biren's 3rd point, though examples are different)

4) If we expect a positive effect of cinema on youth in India then many Indian film makers have to bring orignality to the films instead of copying some parts from hollywood films and also try to make films enjoyable as well as a learning experience for the youths.

(+1 mark : Though a new perspective, not relevant in the context of the topic)

[VikrantBawkar]

Impact of Cinema on Youth

I would also like to make a point here.
1. Today we can see that the youth also got into the habit of smoking like how Shahrukh or Sanjay Dutt does in their films. The youth found themselves very proud to smoke like these superstars.

(+1 mark: normal Point)

2. The other example is, in films like Vaastav and Traffic Signal wherein the Red Alert Areas were shown, todays youth is also getting attracted towards Red Alert Areas and wants those ares to be visited often. This is a very dangerous thing for the country like India which is going to be the Powerful Democratic country in near future.

(+3 marks: New idea about red light area, substantiates with examples)

[SaurabhP]

1.Effect of cinema on youth is, according to me, wide and varied. We could have an optimistic view and say how movies like "Rang De basanti" and "yuva" have positively influenced the society. While there are several movies which have just added to the negative influence on society.

(-1 mark: An idea already used repetitively by many starting with Viral)

2.Considering a country like India where cricketers and movie-stars are considered to be demi-gods, movies play a crucial role in shaping the mindset of the youth of the country who are the most influenced. The success of the products endorsed by the movie-stars like Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Amitabh Bacchan,etc are classic examples to support the case.

(+3 marks: New perspective, success of product endorsement)

3.In such a case, movie-makers and filmstars become a set of leaders whose ideas are followed by the young generation. It is therefore necessary for the filmmakers to be responsible towards the society and set a good precedent in front of the youth.

(-1 marks: A direct take from Vikrant's 1st point)

4.Having said this, we as the educated youth of India should also act responsibly and not blindly follow the ideas depicted by cinema. Here, self-censorship comes into picture and plays a very important role as cinema is a feedback-oriented industry.

(+3 marks: New perspective, 'self-censorship')

5.Unfortunately, in our country, the censor board is treated like a puppet and has no teeth. The state of affairs in the cine-industry could get much better if the censor board becomes more powerful.

(+1 mark: Though close to Merup's point about censorship, it culminates into a new idea od censor being a puppet)

6.Apart from this, Indian cinema , of late has been greatly influenced by the western culture. Though the positives drawn could be that the Indian mentality is slowly becoming liberal and open-minded, its very important to understand that the traditional Indian culture should not be compromised upon.

(-1 mark: Direct take from Biren's 1st point)

[Akhil]

Some Data:-
India is the second most attractive destination for retail among thirty emerging nations - AT Kearny

With a contribution of 14% to the national GDP and
employing 7% of the total workforce (only agriculture employs more) in the
country, the retail industry is definitely one of the pillars of the Indian

(+3 marks : Though a take from Biren's 1st point, some more fresh data given)

FDI can have some positive results on the economy,
-lead to greater efficiency and
-improvement of living standards,
-apart from greater integration into the global economy,
-consumer is benefited by both price reductions and improved selection,
brought about by the technology and know-how of foreign players in the
market.
This in turn can lead to greater output and domestic consumption
economy

(+1 mark : Again a repetition of Biren's points but some new points added.)

Disadvantages:-
-Render millions of unorganised retail sector jobless
-will transfer lower technology or goods in India (Dumping of goods)
-Foregn goods will be sought, so flow of foreign exchange and also loss of domestic industries
-Domestic Industries (Manufacturers) will also have to face competetion in both pricing as well as quality
-Will also start influencing government laws and regulations (As done in China, Malasyia,etc.)

(+1 mark : Although the first bullet is a repetition of Devanshi's point, goods points mentioned in the other bullets)

If you assume 40 mn adults in the retail sector, it would translate into around
160 million dependents using a 1:4 dependency ratio. Opening the retailing
sector to FDI means dislocating millions from their occupation, and pushing
a lot of families under the poverty line. Plus, one must not forget that the
western concept of efficiency is maximizing output while minimizing the
number of workers involved – which will only increase social tensions in a
poor and yet developing country like India, where tens of millions are still
seeking gainful employment.

(+3 mark : Though Devanshi and Merup have mentioned about small-time retailers going out of business, Akhil refers to those employed in the retail sector.)

(Hi Akhil, Make sure you give numbers to separate points and keep these points short so that it can facilitate evaluation from my end! - Manish sir)

[SaurabhP]

I think most of the pros and the cons related to FDI in retail have been covered by Devanshi, Merup and Akhil.
What I would like to speak about is the way the implementation should be done so that all stake holders namely the general public, the retail corporates, the kirana-maal shop owners,etc get the best possible benefit.

(+1 mark - Normal point, no data)

It is very necessary to understand that various social implications are associated with the retail sector opening up to FDI. Hence, the steps taken in this direction should be very cautious.

(0 mark - Does not lead anywhere, no concrete steps mentioned)

I personally feel that the implementation strategy of allowing FDI in retail should be done in phases so that healthy competition in the retail sector is encouraged and the small Indian cos are able to compete and match up to their global counterparts. This is considering that the organized retail sector is doing well and growing at 40% per year as mentioned earlier.

(-1 mark - Direct take from Merup's 2(c) point)

A major issue is that majority of the retail sector still lies in the unorganized domain and steps should be taken to make the sector completely organized. Only then will we be able to attract more FDI and Indian cos will be able to compete on global standards.

(+3 mark - New perspective! Converting unorganised sectors to organised)

[AlokThakkar]

1.Every coin has 2 sides there r also some –ve impact on people & childrens
• Such as Krish movie which influence the childrens –vely .As there were many cases eg. That kids jumped from the bulding thinking that they can fly like Krish which took place in many cities in India.

(+3 marks - Though the idea has been repeated earlier, it has culminated into a new example/perspective)

• In India bollywood stars r like a living God for the Youth , the bollywood stars are much involves in the ads for colas, fast foods like pizzas, chips, lays & alchohal which is not good for the youth to get addicted to it & to consume it , but they do it as their favourites star are involve in it eg. Saif ali khan involves in ad of alchohal .

(+1 mark - Though a direct take from Saurabh's point on product endorsement, he talks about harmful effects of these products and really the success of endorsements)

• Movies like Nishabd & chenikum are not accepted in Indian culture & it was a big shame that the star of the millennium MR.A.B was involve in this movies.

(+3 marks - A new point made. Support's with example)

• Movies like Girlfriend & Ajnabi are inspiring the youth wrongly .

(0 mark - An extension of the above point)

2. On the other side movies like Corporate, Page3, Traffic signal & Chandni bar r showing the dark side of the life which is not known by the comman people.

(-1 mark - Madhur Bhandarkar seems to be the new social messiah! Repeated time and again)

[AditiManjure]

1) Everything that exists physically is perishable. Internal beauty which is within the a person is what is immortal and always remembered.

(+1 Mark : A mere introduction)

2) Examples :
Hitler was so short but had such power that super-powerful nations were also badly affected.
Gandhiji, inspite of being thin and old, had the mental strength to do Satyagraha and influence the entire nation.

(+3 Marks : Good examples to drive the point home)

3) Great people believe in "Simple living,High thinking". Simple looks do not mean that the person is foolish or not having the knowlege of modern world.

(+3 Mark : A new perspective, it is not the appearances of a person but his thoughts that make the real difference)

4) On other hand, Apperances are deceptive. People may seem smart and good externally but may be a bit mean or dumb when it comes to actual execution.

(0 Marks : This is just a repetition of introduction. Could have some somewhere between points 1 and 2 )

5) Before judging anyone jsut by external appearance one must keep in mind that a wrong judgement and its implications will lead to real regret later.

(0 Marks : Just an opinion. Need to substantiate with examples)

6) News of a boy named Adnan, who was kidnapped and murdered by people whom he befriended in a mall. There decent looks and externally friendly behaviour gave him a wrong impression and loss of life. So, one should never judge a person externally and give lot of time to really know someone and then trust.

(+1 Mark : Good! An example to the previous point)

[SaurabhP]

This topic comes straight from the famous saying" never judge a book by its cover"
1.If we consider the topic verbatim, we can say that it is definitely true. You can never judge a person by his appearance. Classic examples to support the case would be great people like Mahatma Gandhi,Nelson Mandela,Muhammad Yunus.I think we can say that the person has to be judged on his intelligence,his ideas,way of thinking rather than his external appearance.I think that the above examples and several other examples have proved to the world that people should not judge people by their appearance.

(-1 Mark : A repetition of idea introduced by Aditi)

2.If we draw a parallel with the business world today, we have to say that presentation plays a very significant role in the success of a product apart from it being a good product. Although, it is incorrect to judge a product by the way it has been presented, the presentation does play an important role in the decision-making of the clients whether or not to buy a product.

(+3 Mark : A new perspective! Why restrict yourself to a person? 'Product presentation' is a good analogy)

[AditiManjure]

Benefits:
1)Retail trade with around 12 million grocery shops in India, is fragmented, unorganised and small, with little capital for either expansion or to extend credit to consumers. FDI in retail with influx of better managerial practices and IT-friendly techniques would synergise these stores.This would facilitate lowering of prices and offering benefits to consumers, apart from providing jobs.

(-1 mark: an idea repeated by many)

2)IT helped Wal-Mart reduce its distribution costs to 3% of sales compared to 4.5 % for others.

(+3 marks: Good use of stats)

3)Expected reduced wastage due to setting up of integrated supply chain is another factor favouring FDI

(0 marks: Extension of the above idea)

4)McKinsey estimates that India wastes nearly Rs 50,000 crore in the food chain. Retail giants such as Wal-Mart or Carrefour can help develop the food processing industry by providing a cold chain. It is argued that linking up retailers will confer biggest benefits in terms of higher exports, as is happening in China.

(+3 marks: A new idea!)

[AditiManjure]

:)
Disadvantages:
1)Buyer's monopoly: increased buyer concentration if FDI allowed in retail.
Example: in Canada, one single retailer, Wal-Mart, controls 52 per cent of the retail market.

(+3 marks : A new perspective about Buyer's monopoly)

2)Infrastructure and Traffic problems: findign adequate space for stores,parking,etc.

(0 marks : Though a correct issue to address, I think it is remotely related to our topic, which is not about 'Retail boom')

3)Labour: employment incrase but lot of cost-cutting too... low wages.

(+1 mark : Relevant point)

[ShraddhaKamat]

1) Inspite of the fact that most films that are made are 'flops', the fact remains that they are still produced. Isn't there a huge risk factor involved on the investment? Is there no entrepreneurial aspect to this

(+1 : Though a radically new perspective about entrepreneurship, it comes close to getting inspired by Devanshi's point on employment)

2) An awaking call. Films like 'Tingya' being accepted and appreciated after the world has given various rewards to it

(-1 : 'Awakening call' has already been mentioned by many, though a new example is being cited here)

3) Censor board is now only remnants of what it was. Films portray what they want to portray - the good the bad and the ugly

(-1 : Censor board idea used by Merup and Saurabh already)

[BirenMaster]

1. The fact remains that external appearances do have an impact. The way a person dresses, the way he/she conducts themselves, body language, etc. are all indicative of the persons nature and preferences. Intrpreting Body language is a science in itself upon which lots has been written and said. To ignore these would be naive.

(+1 Mark : Some relevant theory, but concrete data is missing)

2. Having said that, even to jump to conclusions and judge a person just on appearances should not be an educated person's behaviour. One must give people benefit of doubt and probe/interact more before judging them and even more so before acting on the judgement.

(0 Marks : States the topic differently. It is not a new idea!)

3. Associating with the tradition of arranged marraiges in India, initial judgements are common and natural. Some people could lose out on finding the 'Ideal' life partner by acting on such judgements, I mean a person could have a bad hair day.

(+3 Marks : Interesting! Extends the topic to arranged marriages in India. Brilliant!)

On a serious note, there have been many cases of spouses and their family being duped by impostors/conmen whose appearances were 'good'.
Such cases prove the point of our topic and teach us that one must see deeper into the opposite person before taking big steps/decisions affecting either them,others or oneself.

(0 Marks : Extension of ideas mentioned previously)

[ViralVora]

1. If someone judged Mahatma Gandhi to be feeble and weak going by his external appearance, he/she would be grossly mistaken of his inner power and potential. His principles inspired and continue to inspire generations together.

(-1 mark: Direct take from 2nd point of Aditi)

2. Humans (even infants) are inherently receptive to external beauty. This is precisely the are that advertisers target. Statistics also show that if we have two equally qualified people sitting for a job interview, chances are that the more visually appealing person will get it. Thus, we can't do away with some level of judgement.

(+3 marks: Introduces a new theory and substantiates with an example)

3. We could also draw parallel between what happened with the Reliance Energy IPO. People actually invested in a company which had no projected production for next two years just because of the brand value and sentiment. This was one judgement that certainly went wrong.

(+1 mark: Very good example! But unfortunately, it is yet another example to substantiate your previous point, though a pleasantly different one)

4. Statistics also show that in most rape and molestation cases, the offender is known to the victim or is a family friend. The trust that these victims show as a result of wrong judgement is also an example why we cannot know what is in a person's heart on the basis of external appearance.

(-1 mark: A point lifted from Aditi's example about Adnan or Biren's example about conmen)

5. Movies have taken this topic well. Movies like Shrek and Beauty and the Beast are classic examples. The recent movie Taare Zamein Par also argued that one should delve deep into the needs of each child because he is different. He could appear to be a problem child but infact could be a special child like Ishaan.

(+3 mark: Excellent point! A new perspective!)

[DhruveshSanghvi]

Trying to put a different dimension, this topic can also be related to the following even:

Winston Churchill, once PM of UK, was the one of the opinion that India should not be granted Independence. He used some very derogatory remarks for Indian.
He called Mahatma Gandhi a "Half naked fakir, who was striding towards the royal palace" .. when he was going for the parlance known as the round table conference.
Churchill had a very wrong impression of INDIA.
He judged India and its capabilities by the appearance of a person whom we call Mahatma Gandhi.

And now the same country UK and its companies want to open up shops in India and they never stop praising the success of India.

One should never judge a person/nation by external appearances. It is whats within that matters.

(+1 mark: Though you have used an idea repeated by others, its culmination in UK's image about India was an interesting one!)

One can elaborate the GD from here...

-------
Critics views invited.

[DhruveshSanghvi]

This topic is a difficult one unless people have real content for this topic.

Sometimes it is possible that we might not be able to structure this GD well.
I think one of the possible structure would be:

Start:
We need to look at the 123 agreement that is in progress ... and why this deal has hit a road block. We can also find what are the unclear parts of this deal!!

(0 marks : Just a suggestion, no intention to lead by taking the initiative himself)

Some background information:
Why US wants this deal to go through:

The reasons given by US:
India is a very old and stable democracy. US and India have been friends for long time. As india is growing at a blistering rate the need for fuel would be large. and hence will create a lot of burden on fuel resources (crude, coal, etc).
US can help by supplying nuclear fuels and will benefit (money) by selling it to India.

(1 mark : A point made without substantiating with examples)

The reasons that analysts give: (the unclear parts)
It is a strategic move so that it can play south asian politics well
The dominance of China in this region makes India a natural ally of US.

(1 mark : A point similar to the above one)

[ViralVora]

1. The Indo-US nuclear deal has undergone a lot of roadbumps. Both sides have tried their best to preserve their interests.

(0 marks : No concrete data to support the fact!)

2. The UPA has also had the burden of convincing the left that the deal is not a mere kowtow to US muscle power.

(+1 mark : Takes our notice to situation at home)

3. For President Bush especially this deal is supposed to be the saving grace of his rocky career in office.

(+1 mark : Makes sense...but not a khatarnak point)

4. The deal presents US with one of the biggest markets for Nuclear energy viz. India.

(+1 mark : Good point! Stating some stats or figures would have fetched you +3)

5. The pressure on the deal is mounting because once the republican government goes out of office, India is unlikely to garner so large a support in the US Congress.

(+1 mark : Interesting reference to US elections)

6. The 123 agreement in its latest draft has been well negotiated by India. The key take-aways from India from the 123 agreement are that India will be able to reprocess used fuel, the US suppliers will be open to India after a long time, the US govt. will compensate India in case it decides to withdraw supply, it also gives India the option to forge ties with other countries. At the point of Indian nuclear establishments being open to US examination and review, India has smartly divided its facilities into civilian and defence facilities and opened only the civilian facilities to checks.

(+3 marks : Yes! Here comes some concrete facts)

7. All in all, now the deal is not so unclear and will also considered to be a great step forward for the Indo-US relationship.

(0 marks : An attempt to conclude the discussion)

[KarishmaSavla]

While discussing about the Indo US nuclear deal, I we should discuss about the benefits the deal brings for our country.

The nuclear deal removes hurdles for India to procure nuclear technology
and fuel and gives access to America's high and dual technologies.

(+1 marks : An extention to Viral's point no 6., but adds something new)

India can built more power plants. 15 fuctional and seven undr development.

(+3 marks : A new set of data)

Increasing energy needs require alternate soln. India can do away wih
dependence on foreign countries for oil and fuel supply

(0 mark : Merely an extension to the points previously made)

Also New Delhi proved US to be a strategic ally rather than countries like Pakistan, Iran or Afghanistan which support terrorist activities, which US is trying to fight against.

(-1 marks : A direct take from Dhruveh's point that fetched him the sole mark in this topic)

It was difficult for US president to sell the point to US Congress since,
India is not a signatory of NPT and in the past India had secretly carried out two nuclear test in the year 1974 and 1998.

(+3 marks : Interesting new perspective)

One of the reasons why UPA government is opposed against signing the deal is because they consider it to be a sell-out and acceptance to America's supremacy.

(-1 marks : A direct take from Viral's 2nd point)

[KarishmaSavla]

The impact depends upon two things the kind of cinema we are talking about and the receptors state of mind.

At a very young and vulnerable age , movies which depict violence, vulgarity,
horror,sex and meaningless entertainment create a negative impact.

(-1 : Direct take from Alok's point)

The latest six pack ab makeover by Shahrukh Khan and Kareena's Extreme weightloss regime for certain character in her film, created such a negative impact, that youngsters already obsessed to achive great looks and physique resorted to means like taking weight loss pills(drugs)and extreme starvation to emulate their role models creating serious health concerns.

(+3 : A new perspective! Not only the cinema, but also the lifestyle of the stars affect youth)

Looking at the flip side, just as music and aroma therapy there is something called as film therapy, founded in a research centre in Moscow. Film therapy uses , health films (like health foods) to cure patients suffering from mental depressions, frustration, mood-swings,fatigue, disorintation, stress etc. The health films are nothing but comedy films which use simple and accidental humor that induce laughter which helps in reducing the mental strain and stress and helps release healthy hormones in the system.

(+3 : A new perspective, 'health therapy'! Even I didn't know about this)

[HarshilSuvarnkar]

Definition of FDI -
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is defined as "investment made to acquire lasting interest in enterprises operating outside of the economy of the investor." The FDI relationship consists of a parent enterprise and a foreign affiliate which together form a Multinational corporation (MNC).

(+1 mark: Surprisingly no one before you defined FDI, such a cool way of earning 1 mark! This is called Vikas strategy - Let us first see what is FDI? what is retail? :) )

** Statistics Se Khel Shuru Karte Hain:-
Trade or retailing is the single largest component of the services sector in
terms of contribution to GDP. Its massive share of 14% is double the figure
of the next largest broad economic activity in the sector.

(-1 mark: Please read other's posts before you put your's! Direct copy paste from Akhil's point)

A.T. Kearney's Global Retail Development Index ranks India as the first amongst 30 emerging countries for 2 years in a row as the most preferred
destination for retailers from all across the world. Today in India the retail industry accounts for over 10 percent of India`s GDP and houses over 8 percent of the total work force, second to agriculture.

(-1 mark: Copy paste from Akhil's point)

With 12 Million Retail Outlets India has the highest density of retail outlets in the world.

(-1 mark: Copy paste from Akhil's point)

It has one retail outlets for every 90 persons. It is today the ninth largest retail market in the world. But in terms of per capita retail space it is the lowest in the world. Also only 2 percent of the Indian Retailers are organised in comparison to 20 percent in China, 70 percent in UK and 80 percent in USA. But the statistics are going to gallop in India`s favour in the years to come.
The IT industry has projected that organised retail will have a 25-30% market share of total retail by 2011

(+3 mark: Aaha! Something orginal! That is the benefit of copy paste, kuch relevant cheeze mil hi jaata hai!)

An estimated 40 million Indians work in retail outlets.

(-1 mark: Copy paste from Akhil)

Organized retailing is already growing at 37% (while total domestic retail is growing at only 5.7%), and is expected to cross Rs 1, 00,000 crores by 2008 from its current level of Rs 48,500 crores. From 4.7% of the total retail market now, it is expected to reach 9% by 2010. This current growth at 37% of organized retail, when the total retail market is just growing at 5.7% is clearly at the expense of the small retailer.

(+3 marks: Some more figures for all you data freaks!)

My Views:-

* Indian retail scenario has three features distinguishing it from the developed and ‘efficient’ west,
1) fragmented and multi-layered retail distribution market,
2) many retailers of various sizes at many locations vying to serve the final consumer,
3) many buyers for the grower and manufacturer thus preventing any retailer from establishing a monopsony (Monopsony is a state in which demand comes from one source. If there is only one customer for a certain good, that customer has a monopsony in the market for that good) and dictating price and credit terms to the growers and manufacturers.

(+3 mark: Good point! Comparing retail scenario with the west)

* Also, people say that Kirana stores will lose out on their business, but that is not true, with rising realty rates, power, salaries...The organised sector would not be able to lower their rates as compared to the local kirana shops, and plus instead of crying over the FDI thing, kirana shops should try and innovate new things and obviously if i wanted my usual house stuff I would prefer to go to a local kirana store rather than going to a mall...

(+1 mark: A different stand but only an opinion, not substantiated by hard core data)

* The Indian consumer mentality is to “save and buy”, the opposite of “buy
and repay”, which exists in the West. In fact, as stated at a conference
organized by the Confederation of Indian Industries, corporate retailers will
have to spend crores of rupees on advertising in order to “create” demand
and consumer spending.

(0 marks: Extension from the previous point)

* Hawkers sell much fresher than any of these shops. Long distance supply
chain and refrigeration means stale fruits and vegetables. In order to give a
fresh look and of high quality corporates extensively use pesticides and
chemicals.

(+1 mark: 'Fresh' new perspective! But extension of the previous points)


(I will not evaluate the following two paragraphs s they are simply repetition of ideas mentioned earlier)

* Some viewpoints I could find from the net
**Corporate retail will displace millions of street vendors, hawkers, workers
and shopkeepers. Wal-Mart entered into Mexico and took over 20% of the
retail market in ten years and Mexican government is only now looking at
ways to protect local businesses. Thousands of local businesses have closed
in the US because of Wal-Mart’s market saturation. In Thailand when FDI
in Retail was open 60,000 small shops closed. They have destructed local
economy wherever it has gone, and is doing the same in India. Foreign
retailers will only take profits outside of the country and not reinvest in local
economies and neighborhoods as the local shopkeeper does.

* Corporate retail intent to hijack the whole supply chain from ‘Farm to Folk’
and establish monopoly by becoming producer, wholesaler, distributor and
retailer and in this process targets to become the Giant middlemen
themselves and dictate the market to fulfill their greed. Corporates dealing
with procurement, running ware houses etc will be the new middlemen.
Hope u like it!!:D

Hi Harshil, All of us have ready access to data (thanks to google!). But this does not mean, we should merely copy paste the data! Having data, and using these to form an opinion of ourselves are two different things. I want different opinions and view points from all of you on different topics by using the information available and not simply pasting the information available! Please keep it in point form and short next time.

[Manish Salian]

Hi,

I am overwhelmed at the kind of response Online GD is getting! But I have not seen some of you contributing...which seems to be an area of concern. I hope as the popularity picks up, all of you will participate.

In the meanwhile, here are some of the new steps taken by me to bring some order to the GD:

1. I have made separate threads for every topic. So, from today, we will discuss different topics in different threads. You simply need to add a post by replying to the last post or any other post in that thread.

2. This takes care of the confusion arising out of different colour coding. From now on, Black is the colour to be used.

3. My ernest request to some of you to number your different points, as this will help me give you marks. Also, adopt the KISS strategy (Keep It Short and Simple). Do not copy-paste content from some other source! Modify it in your own words and if you need to elaborate the point just give the valid link (as long as they are not the links leading to competitors of Peak Seekers ;) ).


One final point, the deadline for the first 4 topics is over and I will soon be assigning marks for these. But we have not gathered enough points on topics 3 and 4 (Indo-US Nuclear Deal and One should not judge a person by external appearance). Hence I request some of you selfless souls to contribute some points to these topics (not for the sake of marks :( ).

Regards,

Manish sir

[Manish Salian]

Hi,

Here are the relative positions at the end of day 2 (i.e. first 4 GD's)

1. Viral Vora: 18 marks

2. Aditi Manjure: 17 marks

3. Biren Master: 15 marks

4. Devanshi Vaishnav: 13 marks

5. Karishma Savla: 10 marks

6. Saurabh P.: 9 marks

7. Akhil: 8 marks

7. Harshil Suvarnkar: 8 marks

9. Alok Thakkar: 6 marks

9. Merup Kapadia: 6 marks

11. Vikas Kappe: 4 marks

11. Vikrant Bawkar: 4 marks

13. Dhruvesh Sanghvi: 2 marks

14. Shraddha Kamat: 1 mark

So the competition is heating up! I need more participants to make this exciting!

Regards,

Manish sir

[Manish Salian]

Hi,

Here are the relative positions at the end of day 3 (i.e. first 6 GD's)

1. Aditi Manjure: 41 marks

2. Karishma Savla: 31 marks

3. Viral Vora: 18 marks

4. Biren Master: 15 marks

5. Bijoy Shah: 14 marks

6. Devanshi Vaishnav: 13 marks

6. Saurabh P.: 13 marks

8. Akhil: 8 marks

8. Harshil Suvarnkar: 8 marks

8. Rahul P L: 8 marks

11. Alok Thakkar: 6 marks

11. Merup Kapadia: 6 marks

13. Dhruvesh Sanghvi: 5 marks

14. Vikas Kappe: 4 marks

14. Vikrant Bawkar: 4 marks

16. Shraddha Kamat: 1 mark

16. Krishnamurthy Raju: 1 mark


Regards,

Manish sir