The 180 Pulse
With thought-provoking articles covering varied domains, 180DC SRCC aims to create student leaders through a holistic learning experience.
Read to take a deep dive into looking at world issues from the eyes of a consultant.
BUSINESS AND FINANCE
The Tree That Grows Money
We have grown up listening to our well-wishers saying how money doesn’t grow on trees and therefore, we should spend our hard-earned money wisely. This is true in all respects except that there actually exists a mechanism which can exponentially increase the value of our money.
Dealing with one’s personal finance carefully is an essential ingredient to create an unencumbered adult life.
This involves several decision-making stages that nobody can ever run away from.
Check out Vrinda Gupta’s article to get acquainted with the process of sowing the seeds of this money-growing tree!
Rainbow Capitalism: Pride or Greed
Rainbow capitalism is the practice of companies using LGBTQ+ imagery and taglines as a means to boost profits. While some organisations may genuinely care for the community, others cash in on this opportunity to make profits.
As the clock strikes midnight, you can almost hear the sounds of disgruntled designers and PR managers who create a rainbow-coloured version of their company’s logo and products to attract the fabled ‘pink dollar’. Don’t let that rainbow wash out the truth.
This begs the question: Is support sincere, or is it only another kind of advertising? If there were no financial benefits, would they still carry out these campaigns?
Check out Aakriti Goel’s article on “Rainbow Capitalism- Pride or Greed” which delves deeper into the pitfalls of these issues.
Inside Out: The Whistleblower’s Loyalty Tradeoff
How do you feel about an employee “exposing” a company and letting out its “dirty secrets”? Pure wicked or arguable?
The concept of whistleblowing has started to gain recognition in India only in the recent past, and as it grew, bigger were the headlines. While some condemned the whistler, there were cases that shed light on the sheer harassment and ostracization they were faced with.
What decides whether something is valid or not? Is the situation particularly worse in India? What does the future look like?
Read on as Ishi Jain dissects this dilemma and explores the unsaid boundaries of bringing out the “inside”.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CRYONICS: ETHICS ECONOMICS AND ECOLOGY
Cryonics is the practice of preserving humans and animals at cryogenic temperatures in the hope that future science can restore them to a healthy living condition as well as rejuvenate them. At present cryonics can only be performed after pronouncement of legal death of the cryonics subject.
Read on as Mugdha Singh delves deep into the economics and ethics of the science.
Doc on Call: The Next Generation of Healthcare
Imagine a world where there’s no taking time off of work to drive down to a medical centre, no hassle with parking, no fighting to schedule with five different doctors, losing your lab orders and having to drive into the clinic to get a replacement, no accidental drug-on-drug interactions, or a drop in drug efficacy because of your own evolving chemistry.
This is what Telehealth promises to offer. Read as Kavya Aggarwal discusses how e-health has reshaped how providers, patients, and healthcare stakeholders approached healthcare.
Web3: An End for Monopolistic Tech Giants?
Google has a greater impact on our lives than the people around us. Amazon has developed a new definition of needs and desires. Our digital lives have become more valuable than our physical ones as a result of Meta. A few tech giants decide how we should live our lives. Whether by architecture or unintentionally, the internet’s symbolism as a free world has faded away. But what is the alternative? Perhaps Web3. An extension of bitcoin/cryptocurrency, Web3 uses blockchain in new ways to new ends but they have come under immense public scrutiny and investigation pertaining to its misuse and over-reliance in creating a fair world
Can the controversial Web3 actually assist in the creation of internet equality?Can we rely on Web3?
Check out Lokesh Somani’s article on ‘Web3: An End for Monopolistic Tech Giants?’ that delves into these questions through a deep dive into the world of internet.
Read through the link in bio!
ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC POLICY
Understanding India’s Aromatic Future with the Purple Revolution
Were you aware that the cultivation of lavender has been instrumental in helping farmers in Jammu & Kashmir endure the COVID-19 pandemic? This emerging trend of lavender farming in India has been coined as the Purple Revolution.
The primary objective of the revolution is to maximize the natural resources of Jammu and Kashmir and enhance the cultivation of lavender. By providing education and training in lavender cultivation, this initiative has effectively transformed the lives of numerous farmers in Jammu and Kashmir.
To gain insight into the Purple Revolution and the aromatic future of India, check out our recent article, which delves deep into Understanding India’s Aromatic Future With The Purple Revolution.
The Declining Dollar Reign
The dollar’s long reign of dominance as the world’s primary medium of exchange is beginning to wane as nations around the world adopt strategies of de-dollarization in order to prevent Western countries from exploiting their economic power for personal gain.
But what is de-dollarisation and how India is moving towards becoming a developed nation through internationalisation of the rupee?
Are there any risks involved in internationalising the rupee? If so, what are the measures that need to be taken in order to ensure that these risks are minimised?
Check out Pooja Jain’s article on “The Declining Dollar Reign” that delves deeper into these questions and tries to answer how India is taking steps to reduce its reliance on the dollar and become a more prominent player in global trade.
The Cost of Hunger
Every second child suffers from some form of malnutrition in India, leading to diminished mental ability and increased risks of nutrition-related diseases. 144 million children under the age of 5 around the world are stunted, with a third of these children in India. India loses up to 4 per cent of its GDP and up to 8 per cent of its productivity due to child malnutrition, as per estimates.
How does the government estimate these figures and do the surveying methodologies used portray a true picture of reality? How do the policy makers plan to overcome these issues through the government’s intervention?
Check out Rohan Punhani’s article on ‘The Cost of Hunger‘ that delves into these questions and provides a greater insight into the larger issues at hand.
PSYCHOLOGY & HISTORY
Cancel Culture: Accountability or Social Bullying?
Calling out people on their unacceptable behaviour to seek accountability appears to be ethically right. For far too long, marginalized communities have been struggling to make their voices heard, and with the advent of the internet, people are finally able to express themselves and speak up against injustice. However, what first appeared to be a social change that gave the people more sovereignty over their speech has evolved into a culture and become a source of contention.
The question arises, should we continue to ostracize individuals in the name of calling out unacceptable behavior? Does cancel culture genuinely promote diverse voices, or does it stifle differing viewpoints? Is it a commendable practice or a form of censorship? Moreover, should brands be concerned about the potential impact of the culture of cancellation on their reputation and image?
Riya’s insightful article explores the complexities of this hotly debated topic. Check it out now! #CancelCulture #Accountability #SocialBullying #ThoughtProvokingRead”
A Good Deal: The Theatrics of Mental Accounting
Imagine you’re walking down the street, and you happen to find a ₹2000 note lying on the sidewalk. You’ve been trying to save some money to put towards buying a new car in the future. Today, however, you take your newfound ₹2000 and put it towards an expensive dinner. You tell yourself that this money isn’t “car money” — this is a one-off, special occasion, so why not treat yourself to a nice evening out?
Why do we treat some money differently? Why do we think less about some purchases than others? Consumers, although deemed to be rational, are economic elements that more often than not are ruled by cognitive errors.
Because of mental accounting, we often behave illogically when it comes to money. Read on as Suhani Jain breaks down how marketers use this loophole to their advantage, convincing customers into the Theatrics of a ‘Good Deal’.
Generation Gaps in Workspace: Threat or an Opportunity?
In spite of attempts made to bridge today’s generation gaps between people of different age groups, few instances of “Generation wars” do pop up in some form or the other. Apart from social and cultural interactions, the workplace is where people belonging to almost all generations find themselves interacting on an everyday basis.
But is having a diverse set of workforce always necessarily a threat to organizational efficiency? When we frequently point out issues such as communication barriers, differences in working style and contrasting beliefs, why do we often overlook the benefits of intergenerational interactions?
Head to the latest article on 180 Pulse – “Generation Gaps in Workspace: Threat or an Opportunity?”, where Subhashini K analyses how generation barriers can be turned into effective tools to propel organizational growth.