Search

Purpose: This study aims to empirically validate the determinants of cloud adoption in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India and examine its impact on their economic performance. Design/methodology/approach: An integrated theoretical model interplaying technological, organizational and environmental aspects were applied for analyzing the variation in factors. Using data from 317 Indian SMEs, we have applied confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses. Findings: The results demonstrated that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, technology readiness, top management support and trust were the influencing drivers of cloud adoption in SMEs in India. Compared to previous studies, we did not find compatibility and competitive pressure as significant, suggesting that there was no single set of factors influencing technology adoption. Economic performance achieved by reduced transaction costs formed the basis of favorable adoption. Research limitations/implications: The integrated model can provide space for new dimensions based on the category and geography of the SMEs. The paper does not address the supply-chain perspective of cloud adoption. Practical implications: The study directs the firm owners to visualize business logic by creating a digital ecosystem. Further, the model guides the stakeholders, including cloud service providers, to contribute to the economic proficiency of the SMEs. Originality/value: The paper empirically validates a model integrating both the drivers and consequences of cloud computing adoption as a unique study. Findings indicate that the usage of metrics such as return on investment and system efficiency form a part of the technology system approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper aims to study the outreach and performance of business correspondent (BC) models, which are implemented as a subsidiary agent of banks to accelerate the financial inclusion (FI) mission in India. In this regard, the study illustrates BC's products and services rendered to customers, forms of delivery channels and BC's view on banking services and Kiosk-based BC programs. Design/methodology/approach: The current paper is an empirical study based on surveying 200 Kiosk-based BCs working in the state of Kerala. After the preliminary screening analysis of the data with outlier deletion, removal of missing values and normality test, both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were executed followed by reliability test, convergent and discriminant validity tests. Covariance-based structural equation modeling (CBSEM) was performed for CFA and inferential tests were carried out by using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) and analysis of a moment structures (AMOS) and Eviews. Findings: Chiefly, eight operational forms of BCs were found from the field survey. Hypothetical tests show the significant impact of the serviceability of banks on BC's profitability. Validity tests such as average variance extracted (AVE), composite reliability (CR), maximum shared variance (MSV) and average shared variance (ASV) were established after the removal of the cross-loaded items of the questionnaire from the rotated component matrix. BCs perform main banking services especially bank account opening facility and Akshaya E-Centers are widely used for this model as Kiosk banking in the surveyed state. Originality/value: So far, no study has encompassed empirical research on performance analysis and outreach of the BC model in the state of Kerala where this BC model well functions. Since the study is a novel form of banking channelization for FI, the study can contribute to understanding the further feasibility and future dimension of the model based on experimental views of BCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and understand the factors that contribute to the enhancement in the process of supply chain activities, specifically among manufacturing industries. Design/methodology/approach: This paper follows the quantitative approach by disseminating a structured questionnaire to supply chain practitioners working in manufacturing industries. A sample of 109 responses is gathered from senior employees involved in sales and operations planning. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are performed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the model. Lastly, SmartPLS is used to test the hypotheses proposed in the study. Findings: The findings revealed that demand sensing and managing practices positively impact supply chain performance by creating dynamic distribution capabilities. It is observed that distribution capabilities integrate both efficient and effective handling of resources. However, demand management practice has insignificant relationship with supply chain performance. Research limitations/implications: The authors suggest that supply chain management must expand in firms, and importance must be given as supply chain performance can provide competitive advantage in order to sustain in today's competitive market. Practical implications: The findings can help decision-makers working in the planning process by identifying the right tools to sense the market and react accordingly. Originality/value: This paper is an initial effort to understand the dynamic distribution capabilities by establishing the link with the studied variables, especially in the manufacturing industries in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper attempts to empirically model and analyse interrelationships of quality management (QM), information technology (IT) and entrepreneurial culture (EC) with its impact on performance of Indian IT enabled service small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). More specifically, this paper aims to investigate the proposed model which is validated by analysing both direct and indirect paths by deploying higher order structural modelling. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach has been followed by deploying cross-sectional research design. Structured questionnaires were distributed personally and by e-mail to around 1,380 service SMEs. The approach follows empirical testing and analyses of hypothesized paths of the proposed research model which is validated with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using maximum likelihood estimation. This study also identifies and tests the mediation effect of higher order constructs. Findings: The findings demonstrate poor manifestation of entrepreneurial and market-oriented activities and confirm the mediation effect of IT and QM in the relationships of QM→EC along with IT→performance paths, respectively. Results indicate that IT and QM are complementary resource factors which signifies symbiotic relationships between them. Analyses highlights the significance of QM as a mediator in enhancing performance outcome through IT benefits and the effect of inculcation of EC by enterprises on their performance in today's vibrant and uncertain environment. Practical implications: This study highlights major key areas of the decision-making process for SMEs' owner and operations manager to overcome identified challenges like instituting collaboration with external business firms for learning, sharing risks and diversifying innovation capacity for managing capabilities of firms to earn sustainable profit margins. The outcome of this study would help operations manager, decision makers and entrepreneurs to redesign their business processes and entrepreneurial strategies by deploying operational intelligence in order to ensure agility and smooth flow within the firms. This would facilitate and help SMEs to cut down costs and redundancies in the process which would improve productivity and performance excellence. Originality/value: The novelty of this study is based on development and empirical validation of the proposed research model which depicts how service SMEs could generate value with influence/effect of contextual factors on the QM–performance relationship. Findings of this study make significant contribution to the body of knowledge with new insights by highlighting the niche area in terms of interlinkages pertaining to quality management, IT and EC explicitly in Indian SMEs' context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) is the kingpin of Indian economy. It contributes to 48% of India's exports and provides employment to 110 million people. As a result, it is critical to evaluate the obstacles, expose them and find a way to overcome the crisis due to the pandemic. The study aims to analyse the impact of financial and non-financial measures for the revival of MSME and its impact on firm sustainability and future opportunity as perceived by MSME owners/heads during the COVID-19 outbreak. Design/methodology/approach: This study, based on a cross-sectional survey of 197 export-oriented Indian MSMEs, attempts to investigate covid crisis mitigation strategies/measures in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model was applied to check model fit, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed for data analysis. Findings: The results of this study show the financial and non-financial revival measures such as firm revival, marketing training, customer relationship management (CRM), financial incentive and firm support, extending worker social security and financial access and price control positively impact MSMEs' business sustainability and future opportunity as perceived by the respondents that lent good support to the hypothesis. Research limitations/implications: The study emphasizes management in association with government and financial institutions to design short-term as well as long-term strategies that may enhance their sustainability in the market. MSMEs are being forced to reassess their business strategy and modify their operating model as a result of the uncertain/unpredictable climate. Many levels of strategy aid in revitalizing the company and providing future possibilities to move forward if the government schemes positively impact the perception of entrepreneurs. Further, the study identifies the immediate measures to tide over the crisis over this sector and then furnishes recommendations for closing the identified gaps in the present understanding. Originality/value: The impact of COVID-19 on Indian MSMEs and how these MSMEs are dealing with it are highlighted in this paper, which is quite scarce and insufficient to cover the gap. It also provides a comprehensive view of firm sustainability and perceived opportunity among MSMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper examines the mediating role of manufacturing strategies in the relationship between competitive strategies and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach: This study gathered 250 responses from firms in a developing country's key manufacturing sectors, including mechanical, electronics, automotive, textile and food. First, descriptive statistics were applied to fix outliers like respondent biases, missing values and normality issues. Second, exploratory factors analysis (EFA) ensured data adequacy and homogeneity through Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett tests. Finally, confirmatory factors analysis (CFA) was used to identify the interactions (direct, indirect and total effects) between latent variables representing manufacturing strategies (quality, cost, delivery and flexibility), competitive strategies (cost-leadership and differentiation) and firms' performance (sales growth and profitability). In total, two structural equation modelling (SEM) models (SEM-I, SEM-II) were created to test the hypotheses. Findings: Of the 40 items identified by the literature review, four were outliers, and three could not satisfy the EFA criteria (eigenvalue >1). Only 33 items could therefore reach CFA. SEM–I and SEM-II study results found no direct relationship between competitive strategies and firm performance (−0.03 = β = 0.08; p > 0.05). However, the findings revealed that cost-leadership could be an appropriate strategic choice and improved firms' performance if the quality and delivery are focussed (0.20 = β = 0.87; p < 0.001). While competitive strategies impact manufacturing strategies positively, the latter is only a mediator between the cost-leadership strategy and the firms' performance. Originality/value: This research shows that the cost-leadership approach currently seems viable; however, flexibility and cost requirements were not satisfied due to infeasible product differentiation. These results will be beneficial to executives interested in investing in India's industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Higher education management institutions play a vibrant role in imparting managerial skills to the students to face the corporate world. Performance evaluation of such institutions is mandate to ensure the outcome quality. To establish this, the present research explored the critical performance indicators of management institutions using the balanced scorecard (BSC) approach. Design/methodology/approach: This research explored the critical performance indicators of public, private and standalone management institutions in India. Data were collected from the representative sample of all the stakeholders in those management institutions. A specific vision was created and a systematic procedure was employed to arrive at the objectives, measures and metrics of the scorecard specific to the vision. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to perform analysis on the collected data. For the objectives and measures that evolved from confirmatory factor analysis, metrics were formulated based on the expert opinion. Findings: The study resulted in 16 objectives, 46 measures and 54 metrics encompassing all the four perspectives of BSC. This paper has contributed a concrete, concise, comprehensive and context specific framework. Research limitations/implications: The nature of the BSC framework paves the way for continuous assessment and eventually helps the institutions to attain sustainable growth. This research contributes to the literature of balanced scorecard and also to the performance assessment of the management institutions. Originality/value: BSC-based benchmarking is a unique contribution to the academia of management education to precisely measure the performance of institutions. The model comprehensively includes the indicators from all the perspectives of stakeholders in terms of objectives, measures and metrics, thus proposing a holistic assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The current study aims to investigate the various consumption motives (hedonic, gain and normative) responsible for strengthening consumers' intentions toward purchase behavior for electric vehicle (EV). Design/methodology/approach: A total of 411 valid survey responses were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to investigate the empirical fit of the hypothesized framework. Findings: The results of structural equation modeling revealed that all three motives were positively correlated with purchase intentions for EV. Hedonic motives were found to have the strongest influence on purchase intentions. In addition, gain and normative motives were also found to be significant predictors of EV buying behavior. Further analysis revealed a positive correlation between gain, normative and hedonic motives. Moreover, personal moral standards seem to have a significant and positive impact on the positive emotions associated with buying EV. Practical implications: The results of current research can be useful for marketers while designing promotional strategies for all the high-involvement green products. Marketing professionals and policymakers can use these results to build effective marketing strategies for EVs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from personal vehicle use. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study in the South Asian region that explores consumers' motives for EV purchase behavior. Further, this is among a few studies, which have attempted to investigate the impact of hedonic, gain and normative motives on green purchase behavior in the context of high involvement green products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this study, the authors assess the current state of lean product development and the lean production shop floor, along with the impact of the former on process quality and the latter on product quality and customer complaint reduction. The interplay between process and product quality and customer complaint reduction is assessed, along with their impacts on business performance. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 377 managers working at auto-component manufacturing firms in India. Confirmatory factor analysis was used for scale validation, and structural equation modelling was employed to test the research hypotheses. Findings: The results of the statistical analyses reveal the positive influence of a lean production shop floor on process quality and lean product development on product quality and customer complaint reduction, and thereby on business performance. Practical implications: The findings of this research provide insights into the interplay between lean and quality factors and their influence on customer complaint reduction and business performance. Practitioners can use the proposed model to strategically design unique products and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the production shop floor, which can help enhance the product and process quality. This can reduce customer dissatisfaction and improve the business performance. Originality/value: Few studies have simultaneously investigated the influence of lean product development and lean production shop floors in the Indian manufacturing context. To the best of our knowledge, this study is one of the first attempts to include customer complaint reduction as a construct in a lean model. It helps identify and prioritise the enablers of business performance and provides valuable insights for practitioners to strengthen lean implementation to attain a competitive edge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the short form of personal optimism and self-efficacy optimism-extended (POSO-E) among Indian teachers. Design/methodology/approach: Two studies were conducted to adjudge the reliability and validity of the scale. In the first study, the sample of 510 respondents was randomly divided into subsamples. The first subsample was subjected to the Exploratory Factor Analysis which yielded a two-factor solution explaining 71.02% of the variance. This model was subjected to the Confirmatory Factor Analysis using a second subsample. Acceptable model fit indices suggested factorial validity of the two-dimensional POSO-E among Indian teachers. In the second study, acceptable Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability estimates (greater than 0.70) indicated the scale's reliability. Also, as expected, personal optimism, self-efficacy optimism and overall optimism reported a positive correlation with spiritual well-being and a negative association with distress. It confirmed the criterion validity of the POSO-E among Indian teachers. Findings: The results showed appreciable psychometric properties of the POSO-E in the context of Indian teachers. The study offered a valid and reliable scale to measure teachers' optimism levels. It is poised to generate renewed interest among scholars to emphasize teachers' positive and optimist thinking. The findings also reported a positive association between teachers' optimism and spiritual well-being. It suggests that spiritual practices and interventions could be used to develop an optimistic academic workforce. Originality/value: The study is one of the pioneer studies that evaluated the reliability and validity of the POSO-E among Indian teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Limited research efforts have been undertaken despite the pivotal role of employees' voluntary behaviours in the success of organizations' environmental sustainability programs. In this context, the present study examined the association between employee's mindfulness (EM) and voluntary pro-environmental behaviour (VPEB) at the workplace, and also the mediating effect of connectedness to nature (CNS) on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: Grounded in the re-perceiving theory, a model was developed with EM as an independent variable, CNS as the mediator and employees VPEB at the workplace as the dependent variable. Based on the online responses from 421 employees working in manufacturing as well as services sectors in India, analysis was undertaken by utilizing confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation and the PROCESS macro of Hayes (2017). Findings: EM was noted to be positively influencing employee's VPEB at the workplace, and the mediation analysis indicated that CNS partially intervenes in this relationship. Practical implications: Corporate leaders striving to achieve the organization's environmental sustainability goals could strive to build a pro-environment culture at the workplace by developing employees' mindfulness and sense of CNS. As the findings have depicted, this would positively influence employee's VPEB at the workplace which in turn will help organizations in achieving their environmental sustainability goals. Originality/value: This study is the first to examine how EM through CNS motivates employees to engage in VPEB, especially in the organizations' context. Moreover, the re-perceiving theory of mindfulness was also extended in the organizations' environmental sustainability context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the greening practices adopted by micro, small and medium enterprises in India and recommend an empirically tested and validated green supply chain management (GSCM) practices construct. The study also aims at measuring the influence of pressures created by external and internal stakeholders on the GSCM score. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a mixed-method approach. Qualitative methods, including literature review, expert opinion, focused group discussions and questionnaire-based surveys, were used for item generation and data collection. Quantitative methods included exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to find out the reasonable number of constructs to include in the scale of the GSCM practice, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to purify/confirm the scale, and finally, structural equation modelling (SEM) to select the best fit model and to test all causal relationships as portrayed in the base model. In the two-stage survey, convenience and purposive sampling methods were applied. Findings: The study develops an empirically validated scale of GSCM practices, which has 6 dimensions and 16 items. This scale can measure the greening score of GSCM practices implementation. Further, findings confirm that the pressures from external and internal stakeholders are the significant forces for micro, small and medium enterprises to adopt GSCM practices. Finally, mediation function of external/internal pressures and green factors also does occur where GSCM is the mediator. Research limitations/implications: The study is an extension of available literature on GSCM practices utilizing the survey data from India. It contributes to the literature on micro, small and medium enterprises and GSCM practices implementation and expands the scope of theoretical applications. Practical implications: For the managers, it provides useful insights about innovative practices to become eco-efficient. The second-order of scale reveals that managers need to equally focus on all factors rather than on any single one. Less GSCM practices score indicates the dearth of external and internal pressures on micro, small and medium enterprises. Therefore, managers need to collaborate with local customers, overseas customers, competitors and legislative agencies. Besides, training of employees, literacy of employees and support from top management also emerge as critical measures that help the industry implement GSCM practices. Originality/value: GSCM as a topic had been extensively explored within different business areas and functions in the available literature. However, this study has some significant values. At prima facie, the study is the first that elucidates GSCM practices by incorporating the effects of pressures of different stakeholders in the context of Indian micro, small and medium enterprises which is considered as the most unorganized sector. Second, the proposed model of the study could provide useful direction for GSCM practices implementation in the unorganized sector in developing nations. Third, the study can also benefit academicians interested in the researched topic, organizations within different sectors and any other party interested in understanding more the concept of GSCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to develop a validated general measure of supply chain risk management maturity (SCRMM) to assess organizational risk management maturity in the context of the supply chain (SC). Design/methodology/approach: Dimensions and statements measuring SCRMM were developed through a literature review and consultation with experts. The instrument was refined through a pilot study and a full-scale study of 140 SC managers in the USA. A final SCRMM instrument, consisting of 25 statements, was obtained through scale purification, exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis of construct validity. Cluster analysis was conducted to characterize the organizational groupings with respect to the instrument dimensions. Findings: SCRMM was found to be comprised of the three main dimensions of SC Risk Management Orientation, Enterprise Risk Management Integration (ERMI), and SC Risk Collaboration. ERMI was found to be comprised of the three sub-dimensions of SC Risk Mitigation, Improvement of Risk Management Processes, and Organization Internal Risk Management. Cluster analysis revealed three groups characterized according to SCRMM as leaders, followers, and laggards. Research limitations/implications: The findings are based on a sample in the USA, so the SCRMM scale may not generalize to supply chains in other countries or geographic regions. Practical implications: The instrument provides a self-assessment and benchmark tool for businesses to advance their SC risk management through different stages of maturity. Originality/value: This is a pioneering general instrument that treats risk management maturity of the organization in the context of the SC. Participants span many industries and SC positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]