"RESPECT FROM STAKEHOLDERS MUST TOP CORPORATES' VISION STATEMENT"

Self-reliance should be defined as "earning enough global currency to import whatever is needed for the welfare of the nation," says Infosys founder Narayana Murthy 

- SUMAN K. JHA

INFOSYS founder NR Narayana Murthy is one of the tallest leaders that India Inc has produced. Infosys, as also Murthy’s leadership, marked a new era in the evolution of the market economy in India. BW Businessworld asked a couple of columnists about Murthy and Infosys, the values they epitomised, and how they marked the beginning of an era.

In response to a question, Ajit Ranade, Vice Chancellor, Gokhale Institute for Politics and Economics told BW Businessworld: “Narayana Murthy is someone who inspires people from all walks, be they professionals, entrepreneurs, students and even politicians. His work and journey proves the maxim that it is possible to create wealth in an ethical way, and share that wealth with your co-workers and society at large. He demonstrated that it was possible to start from zero and become one of the world’s software power house company.”

Economist and member of the 14th Finance Commission, M. Govinda Rao, on the other hand, told BW Businessworld: “The entire Infosys project was a result of like-minded people with similar qualifications getting together to pursue a common goal of creating a company in a relatively new area of information technology. The liberalisation helped in the process. Second, right from the beginning, the standards of leadership and corporate governance (at Infosys) were high. The profit margins were high in the beginning and therefore, the focus was to earn money through legitimate means and expand as the demand for service grew. Third, the choice of location of work was excellent both from the viewpoint of getting qualified personnel and having agglomeration economies. Besides, at that time, the bureaucracy in Karnataka was more responsive.”

When BW Businessworld caught up with Murthy recently,