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The paper examines the extent of corporate disclosure in the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) reports of companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. A sample of 55 companies is taken, and based on the disclosure checklist containing 52 information items, the extent of disclosure is measured both at the aggregate level and with respect to different reporting areas of the MD&A report. It is found that average level of aggregate disclosure is 64.8%, which is moderately high. The maximum disclosure score is 90% and minimum 25%. The variation in the extent of disclosure among the sample companies is measured by range and standard deviation, which are 65% and 11.2%, respectively. As far as disclosure in specific areas of the MD&A report is concerned, a few companies have made 100% disclosure in respect of industry structure and development, risk and concern, and segment reporting, while some have made no disclosure about outlook information. The overall results suggest that there exists scope for improving the quality of disclosure in MD&A reports of Indian companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competitiveness is a key requirement for modern companies to survive. Effective corporate governance practices are also fast emerging as a fundamental obligation owed to shareholders and other stakeholders. The connection between competition and good corporate governance is derived from the product market competition hypothesis (PMCH) that projects the idea that operating in competitive markets would increase x-efficiency and decrease agency costs in companies, leading to superior corporate governance. Although a significant amount of work, both theoretical and empirical has been carried out on the efficacy of the PMCH, none of the research has been conclusive. Moreover, there has been no concentrated effort into determining the impact of the PMCH on the specific types of agency problems that are endemic to companies with largely concentrated shareholding structures like India. The paper highlights that a part of the reason behind the waning and unconvincing research on the PMCH (specially in India) has been the focus on competitiveness as an abstract concept or empirical construct, rather than on the regulatory aspect of competition, that is, competition law. This paper examines the connection between competition law and corporate governance, specifically the utility of competition regulation in being used to improve corporate governance in companies. It also considers the effectiveness of competition law in dispelling some of the pervasive Indian corporate governance problems such as tunneling and inefficient related party transactions. Some of the methods that are considered which would have such an impact and thus are recommended by the researcher, are a redefinition of 'dominant position' in the competition law discourse, to include within it pyramidical groups of companies as well as viewing tunneling practices as having an 'appreciable adverse effect' on competition. Doing so would result in numerous efficiencies as competition law could be used to kill two birds with one stone: increasing both competitiveness and good corporate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research explores the mediating role of a firm's innovativeness and customer orientation on the relationship between commercial success and total quality management (TQM) in the Indian SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) sector. Design/methodology/approach: The hypotheses suggested for this study were validated using partial least squares-based structural equation modeling on data collected from 189 executives working in SaaS companies in India. Findings: The findings of this study revealed that a SaaS company's innovativeness fully mediates the relationship between TQM and corporate performance, whereas the customer orientation of SaaS companies partially mediates the relationship between TQM and corporate performance. Originality/value: Findings of this paper indicate that, in addition to TQM deployment, SaaS companies' innovativeness and customer-focused strategy will improve their corporate performance. With minimal research focusing on India, this study may be considered a pioneer work. It can serve as a basis for SaaS company promoters to improve their corporate performance by implementing TQM processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Online business area in India has developed at a momentous speed of 34% Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) beginning around 2009 and is assessed to develop at a CAGR of 63% to arrive at USD 8.5 billion in CY 2016. Nonetheless, similar to any remaining prospering areas, there are difficulties tormenting this area also, one of which is insufficient and wasteful legitimate and administrative structure ready to adapt to guaranteeing freedoms and commitments of the contracting parties. India established the Information Technology Act in June 2000. Yet, this is being an empowering resolution in particular; we want more guidelines for making Web based business exchanges more pleasant and accomplishing a more purchaser accommodating Internet business climate in India. This paper tries to concentrate on the current Web based business regulations and guidelines in India, their viability in managing the lawful issues of Internet business and any requirement for additional option in the equivalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro & Small Enterprises - Cluster Development Programme (MSECDP) is one of the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) for the creation of common facility centres and infrastructure development. Various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were served in past few years, including Goal 8, 'Decent Work and Economic Growth' and Goal 9, 'Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure'. MSMEs are provided grants for the setting up of state-of-the-art machines and equipment, thus helping them bring innovation to their work. The objective of this paper is to study the state-wise performance of MSMEs and MSME clusters in India and to compare MSME performance; and various stress management techniques adopted by the clusters. Secondary data was collected from the Udayam Registration, Ministry of MSME, Government of India, and various cluster websites, and analysed using various analytical tools like diagnostic analysis, descriptive analysis, predictive analysis, inferential analysis, prescriptive analysis and decision analytics. Input variables considered were no. of clusters, no. of working enterprises, employment generated, value of plant and machinery in INR crore, market value of fixed assets in INR crore and gross value of fixed assets in INR crore. The data was compared with variables like Common Facility Centre approved (CFCa), CFC in progress (CFCp), CFC Completed (CFCc), Infrastructure Development approved (IDa), Infrastructure Development in progress (IDp), Infrastructure Development Completed (IDc) and output variables like Total CFC and ID (CFC_ID_T) and No. of Clusters (Cn). The findings indicate that in order to achieve SDGs 8 and 9, there is need for more decent work, economic growth, industry, innovation, and infrastructure in the industrial clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In India, one of the prime focuses of a post-graduate management program is to prepare students and make them job-ready. Masters in Business Management (MBA) program helps students to imbibe theoretical and practical skills which are required by the industry, which can make them hit the ground running from the day they start their career. Many students (almost 40–50%) get pre-placement offers based on their performance in summer internship. The selection for summer interns by the corporate happens within a few months of the student joining the MBA program. Signaling theory in education indicates that the level of productivity of an individual is independent of education, but the educational qualification acts as a testimony for higher ability. However, this theory does not explain the reason for the mismatch between "education and work" or "education and the disparity in salary" between individuals who earn differently but have the same qualification. The paper aims to explore three attributes namely – "employability"– the chance of being employable; "pre-placement offers" – the chance of securing a job offer based on the performance in internship and "salary" – the chance of bagging a good job offer with a high salary. Design/methodology/approach: The authors have used longitudinal data consisting of 1,202 students who graduated from reputable business schools (B-Schools) in India. In the study, the authors have used predictive analytics on six years data set that have been gathered. The authors have considered 24 attributes including educational background at the graduate level (BE, B Tech, B Com, BSc, BBA and others), score secured in class ten (high, medium and low), score secured in class twelve (high, medium and low), score secured in graduation (high, medium and low), competency in soft skills (high, medium and low), participation in co-curricular activities (high, medium and low) and social engagement status (high, medium and low). Findings: The findings of the study contradict the signaling theory in education. The findings suggest that the educational qualification alone cannot be the predictor of the employability and the salary offered to the student. The authors note that the better performance at a lower level of qualification (class 12) is the strong predictor in comparison to the student performance at their graduation and post-graduation level. The authors further observed at the post-graduate management education level that soft skills and participation in co-curricular activities are the major deciding factors to predict employability and pre-placement job opportunity and marks secured in class 12 is one more factor that gets added to this list to predict salary. The paper can immensely help management graduates to focus on key aspects that can help to hone appropriate skills and also can help management institutions to select the right students for management programs. Research limitations/implications: The analysis and the predictive model may apply to Indian B-Schools wherein the quality of students are almost the same or better. Predictive analytics has been used to explain the employability of management graduates alone and not any other. Practical implications: The authors' study might be useful for those students who often fail to understand "what" skills are the most important predictors of their performance in the pre-placement and final-placement interviews. Moreover, the study may serve as a useful guide to those organizations that often face dilemmas to understand "how" to select an ideal candidate for the particular job profile from a campus. Originality/value: The authors believe that the current study is one of the few studies that have attempted to examine the employability of management graduates using predictive analytics. The study further contradicts that the signaling theory in education does not help better explain the employability of the students in extremely high-paced business environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper locates its relevance in the post-coronavirus era. The business and legal fraternities have been provided an opportunity to re-examine the role of companies in society, at a time when supply chains are being dismantled and distrust in capitalism has increased. We argue that for companies to build sustainability into business practices (for CSR cannot just be a "check the box" solution to social ills), the investment community – with necessary support from the regulators – must pressurize businesses to do so. We observe that the manner in which CSR is understood and implemented in India is insufficient, due to a myriad of factors including vested political interests. Thereafter, we highlight how market-driven measures such as ESG investing, uniform ESG reporting and an effective investor stewardship model can be the next pieces of the "desirable" CSR puzzle in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green Human Resource Management (HRM) is one of the key components of holistic business management strategies that can help businesses in achieving their environment- related objectives as a part of corporate sustainability and hence is relevant and important to understand. This paper makes an attempt to provide a brief but comprehensive insight of the concept of Green HRM and its various aspects and recommends the best possible ways to align HR Practices with coveted sustainable responsible business conduct. This research focuses on the Indian perspective of Green HRM. This research employs an extensive review of relevant literature using archival method along with real- life instances of Green HRM practices of Indian companies. Green HRM was noted to have a scope of helping to bring a change in the organisation to help achieve its environmental-related objectives. In addition, it was noted that businesses in India have implemented Green HRM practices in various ways. Green HRM is a highly relevant for businesses with a growing concern for the environment and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Challenged by complex problems and the speed of technological, social, and environmental change, the joint approach of Lean Management and the Agile Mindset has been explored in business as a management model. This paper aimed to carry out a bibliometric analysis of Lean Agile Management, pointing out trends in scientific research. To this end, an exploratory and descriptive study was developed, with a quantitative approach and based on secondary data from the Web of Science and Scopus, between 1994 and 2022. Bibliometric indicators pointed to 1808 different papers in 897 sources, with 18 citations per paper, and higher scientific productivity of U.S. (276), India (221), and UK (191), with production peaks in 2018 and 2021, suggesting the diffusion and contemporaneity of the research topic. The laws of bibliometrics were not met for this research subject, and dense networks of collaboration and co-citation among researchers were identified, mainly in four application domains, including supply chain, manufacturing, sustainability, and software development as corroborated by the word network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge Process Outsourcing is the more complex arm of Business process outsourcing. This research examines the existence and evolution of KPO's in India. It also studies the driving factors, such as cost advantages, operational efficiencies, etc., behind the urge to set up a KPO by developed nations in India and the subsequent challenges faced by these nations in outsourcing their knowledge work. The paper identifies strategies that can be adopted by service providers in India to mitigate the various risks and challenges faced by the KPO sector and attract more business in India. The scope of this research has been widened to identify what makes India a global leader in the KPO space, and it also elaborated the necessity for further research required for additional steps which India can establish to maintain this competitive advantage over other countries. The research has found that India is currently leading the KPO sector to retain that spot; the study recommends some strategies and scope of further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate dimensions of employee silence in Indian work context with regard to the supervisors and how job satisfaction mediates the relationship between silence and turnover intention. The study also explores the relevance of superior-subordinate relationship and self-image maintenance perspectives in Indian socio-cultural context to explain and understand the phenomenon of silence in India. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative (n=55) and quantitative data (n=334, n=314 and n=116) were collected from employees working in private, public and multinational organizations located in northern part of India. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to explore and validate the dimensions of silence behavior among Indian managers and structural equation analysis was carried out to see the meditating role of job satisfaction in the relationship of silence and turnover intention. Findings – Results have indicated the existence of four major dimensions of silence in India namely; fear of retaliation, internal motivation, self-competence and self-image as the possible causes of silence. Further job satisfaction has mediated the effect of silence on turnover intention. This study showed the positive impact of silence on satisfaction which is contrary to the western studies. These results have supported the theoretical arguments developed in this paper in the Indian work context. Practical implications – The results are useful in understanding the dynamics of silence in Indian organizations as employees might use silence in a strategic manner to regulate their satisfaction and in maintaining their membership with the organization. Originality/value – The present study is among the first attempts to empirically examine the causes and consequences of employee silence in the high power distance and collectivistic cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, there has been a rapid shift towards the application of management accounting techniques for business processes. Today, accounting is recognized as a significant driver of management for business success in a competitive environment, especially in hospitality industry. Thus, hotels can take advantage of the pervasiveness of management accounting systems to advance some of their operations and assist management to achieve performance. This paper seeks to assess the importance of management accounting practices (MAP) in Indian hotels and to analyse the factors that influence a hotel's ability to adopt MAP. Data were collected from the financial managers of hotel enterprises in India. A survey methodology was chosen because it was deemed to be the most efficient way of reaching a large number of respondents, whereas the data required facilitated the use of a mail-administered questionnaire with close-ended questions. A set of 28 management accounting practices items was initially generated from a review of accounting research. The study shows that there is a large variation in the importance of MAP among the hotels in the industry. The study concludes by arguing for the greater impetus to promote MAP adoption among hotels due to its impact on reducing the level of leakage. The paper further makes recommendations to hotel operators and policymakers on the use of MAP in hotels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role that knowledge management systems (KMS) play in facilitating better decision-making and providing sustainable competitive advantages for organizations has been recognized worldwide. Academic sector has significant opportunities to apply KMS practices to supplement their mission and achieve their vision. The study investigates the concept of KMS in a higher education institution by adopting a hierarchical approach. Components of knowledge management (KM) such as awareness, existence, future, and benefits have been identified. The analytical hierarchical process method has been applied to prioritize the relative importance of three components out of these, that is, awareness, existing status, and future implications of KM to higher education. The paper is based upon a quantitative and qualitative study. The outcomes of the paper describe that there is awareness and existence of KM in higher education management institutions in an Indian perspective. However, future implications are supposed to be relooked at for the better implementation of the concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to identify emerging themes that can help in understanding the preferences of Indian consumers, in the transition generation (25-44 years) (Sinha, 2011), toward sustainability in the luxury lodging industry. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a multi-method approach for data collection. Thorough literature review and personal interviews with marketers were conducted to explore the themes and construct tentative thematic webs. In total, 42 customer inputs were drawn through focus groups and personal interviews to validate the themes. Customer perspective, marketers’ perspective and findings from literature were juxtaposed to understand the themes. Findings – “Influence of Parents, Children and Travel agents”, “Rewards for green behaviour” and “frequent communication around sustainability efforts” have been identified as some of the key motivations for consumers to choose sustainability. Some deterrents have been identified as “limited awareness about sustainability issues in Tier II cities”, “detachment with the hotel’s operations”, “higher prices” and “unchecked wasteful/acquisitive consumption”. Practical implications – Findings from this research work have implications for the practitioners and policy-makers because establishing an understanding of the factors that deter and motivate consumers for engaging in green behavior is important for designing meaningful marketing strategies. Originality/value – Findings are based on the analysis of data from customer inputs and industry inputs. Themes in this research work have been analytically identified, and this study has made significant academic contributions to the marketing literature. It also provides valuable insights for the practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study systematically synthesizes the existing literature on work-life balance (WLB) over the last 16 years to determine the various constructs associated with it using the Antecedents, Decisions and Outcomes (ADO) model for the WLB construct. It also identifies research gaps and proposes a direction for future research. A rigorous systematic literature review (SLR) process as proposed by Tranfield et al. (2003) is followed. Further, the study uses the PRISMA framework to select the 43 full-text articles relevant to the WLB in business management. The review was conducted for the studies from 2004 to 2020, used only published articles, and excluded books and conference proceedings. This review provides an organized view of the antecedents, decision processes and outcomes of WLB in the business management domain. The analysis provides information on the most prolific authors and journals. This review also found that the most productive institutions publishing WLB-related literature are based in India. This review contributes to the literature by proposing a conceptual model that provides a theoretical understanding of WLB. It also provides essential insights into how personal, household and organizational factors influence WLB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interactions among the key factors of supply chain (SC) in the Indian automotive industry. These key factors are helpful to measure supply chain performance (SCP) and to improve the firm’s effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, an interpretive structural modeling with a fuzzy cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification-based approach is used to examine the interactions among the key factors of SCP measurement. Findings – The authors have identified the most dominant key factors used for measuring the performance in automotive SC. The results exhibit that the order lead-time and order entry method are the most significant key factors. These key factors have high driving power to measure SCP whereas the post-transaction measure of customer service and customer query time are highly dependent on other factors. Such relationships among the key factors can help a firm’s top management to make essential judgments in order to solve the overall SC problems and provide a better approach to proactively deal with problems. Originality/value – In this paper, the authors have explored the interactions among the key factors of the SCP in the Indian automotive industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the organizational culture (OC) of the competing values framework (CVF) on quality management (QM) practices. Specifically, it tests OC on two views, QM practices, i.e. the infrastructure quality and core QM practices.Design/methodology/approach The proposed hypotheses were tested using empirical data drawn from 262 manufacturing organizations in India. The research model developed was analyzed using structural equation modeling technique.Findings The findings of this study revealed that the hierarchical and rational cultures are the dominant types of culture, and top management commitment and Six Sigma structure are the most important aspects of the infrastructure and core QM practices in Indian manufacturing organizations. Further, the results of the study showed that group culture and development culture are the most supportive culture types for both infrastructure and core QM practices. On the contrary, hierarchical and rational culture types are the least supportive for infrastructure and core QM practices. The study proposes the need for the mixed culture approach that facilitates the adoption of business strategiesPractical implications Before implementing infrastructure and core QM practices, managers must understand the importance of cultural values in their organization to facilitate effective implementation of QM.Originality/value This paper contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence leading to the relationship between OC and QM practices. This is the first study that empirically examined the Indian cultural context using CVF, thus contributing to the scarce body of literature particularly in the developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and model critical barriers to sustainable practices implementation in Indian oil and gas sectors by the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach.Design/methodology/approach In this paper, through exhaustive literature survey and experts opinions, 14 critical barriers were identified, and the ISM tool, which is a multi-criteria decision-making approach, was used to establish interrelationship among the identified barriers and to determine the key barriers having high driving power.Findings After analyzing, it was found that six barriers, namely, market competition and uncertainty (B7), shortage of resources (B8), governmental rules and regulations (B1), knowledge and training (B2), financial implications (B3), and management commitment and leadership (B5) were found to have high influencing power. These barriers need the maximum attention and organizations need to overcome these hindrances for the effective implementation of sustainable practices. From the driving and dependence power diagram, two barriers, namely, management commitment and leadership (B5) and knowledge and training (B2) were found to have the highest driving power and two barriers, namely, lack of green initiatives (B9) and lack of corporate social responsibility (B14) were found to have highest dependence power.Research limitations/implications The presently developed model is based on the experts’ opinions, which may be biased, influencing the final output of the structural model. The research implications of the developed model are to help managers of the organization in understanding significance of the barriers, to prioritize or eliminate the same for the practical implementation of sustainability.Originality/value This is for the first time an attempt has been made to apply the ISM methodology to explore the interdependencies among the critical barriers for Indian oil and gas industries. This paper will guide the managers at various levels of an organization for effective implementation of the sustainable practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose High-performance work practices (HPWPs) have been well documented within private organisations in developed country economies. Such practices, however, remain under-investigated in the public sector and in emerging economies. The purpose of this paper is to work towards filling this void, by empirically evaluating HPWP within an Indian public sector undertaking (PSU), also the world’s largest commercial public sector employer: the Indian Railways (IR).Design/methodology/approach The authors investigate whether the practices implemented in this organisation are consistent with the idea of HPWPs, and analyse how they are influenced by different stakeholders and ultimately associated with different indicators of organisational performance. The authors focused on six railway zones and interviewed a total of 62 HR practitioners.Findings The results show that most practices implemented are aligned with the idea of HPWPs, despite the existence of context-specific unique practices. Furthermore, the authors identify the influence of multiple stakeholders in decision making concerning different practices. The authors additionally found that the measurement of performance goes beyond financial indicators and several context-specific non-financial indicators are identified and their social importance is reiterated.Originality/value Theoretically, this paper utilises and contributes to the resource-based view of firms by identifying a distinctive bundle of competencies in human resources through HPWS in the IR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper reports the practices and interventions adopted at a successful business transformation in an Indian family run organization. The firm deployed internal HR marketing and large-scale interface to deliver results in terms of improved financial performance. Design/methodology/approach: Single case study method and grounded theory approach was used to conceptualise the practices deployed to implement desired change. Multiple interviews and on-site observations were conducted and validated through different primary and secondary data sources to build the case narrative. Findings: The results demonstrate how repositioning and rebranding of HR as strategic partner helped in building promoter and line manager buy in of HRM initiatives, build capabilities, controlled employee attrition, increased engagement and productivity, and eventually resulted in improved the financial performance of the company. Research limitations/implications: The article is based on single organization in India. Hence, generalizability of the study is limited. The description and analysis provide insights about internal HR marketing and navigating the professionalising journey of traditional firms. Practical implications: Scholars and practitioners working in the domain of internal HR marketing, employer/HR branding will develop a nuanced understanding of using internal HR marketing as a strategic tool for business realignment. The study also makes readers aware about the dilemmas faced by decision-makers during such transitions. Originality/value: The study illustrates how internal HR marketing can be successfully deployed in family business environments and adds to both "family business management" "Internal HR Marketing" and "Employer/HR branding" literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The concept of third-party logistics service provider (3PLSP) has been considered as an essential organizational philosophy to achieve profits. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and examine the contextual relationship among the critical success factors (CSF) of 3PLSPs practices in the cement manufacturing industry.Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the total 20 critical selection criteria with nine processes for the 3PLSPs, of an Indian cement manufacturing industry have been identified through an exhaustive literature review and opinions of the experts i.e. academics and industries. Interpretive ranking process (IRP) methodology has been presented to find out the rankings of the individual criteria and the mutual influence in the selection process.Findings The proposed model establishes the dominance of relationship among identified criteria, which plays a vital role in the 3PLSPs selection process which are experience in similar product, quality of management, information technology capacity, flexibility in operation and delivery, compatibility with the users.Research limitations/implications An empirical research approach has not been used to collect primary data to rank different criteria for effective 3PLSPs implementation in the Industry. In this paper, an example of Indian cement industry is presented to show the real world applicability of the proposed model.Originality/value This model would help a decision maker to decide the issues related to a selection of 3PLSPs. The third party service provider comprises the use of external companies who controls and delivers logistic activities. The paper discusses very practical issues in an analytical manner, using the case base method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This research work introduces an imperfect production system where the demand is assumed to be stochastic and it is influenced by random selling price. The shift time from an “in-control” state to an “out-of-control” state is exponentially distributed. The accumulated inventory contains both perfect and defective items which are all sold with a free repair warranty (FRW) offer. Complete back ordering of shortages are taken into account. The purpose of this paper is to determine the optimal selling price and hence the optimal production lot size such that the expected profit is maximized.Design/methodology/approach The general model is discussed separately for both types of uniformly distributed selling price-sensitive demand pattern: additive type and multiplicative type. Numerical examples and graphical representations of the optimal solutions are provided to illustrate the models.Findings This paper helps the manager to manage future situations and it may be considered as a base work for the researchers to work in this direction.Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this model is to consider a single item for a single channel system. There are many correlated issues that need to be further investigated. The future study in this direction may include the consideration of multi-items, diverse demand pattern with different types of price distributions.Originality/value In the production inventory literature, plenty of articles are available considering imperfect production but none of them have considered selling price-sensitive stochastic demand where the sales price is random in character under an FRW offer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of local context in cross-border acquisitions by emerging economy multinational enterprises (EMNEs). It argues that the importance of local context has remained despite the increased global integration of the world economy. Hypotheses are tested using data on Indian acquisitions hosted in 70 countries over an eight-year period. Results, which are consistent across number and value of cross-border acquisitions, show that the local context in host countries offers contrasting benefits. Emerging economy multinational enterprises exploited these benefits by embedding in host countries through acquisitions. The acquisition strategy is conventional in the motives underpinning internationalization, but novel in its geographical clustering of host countries, and idiosyncratic owing to the EMNE's ability to draw on home country embeddedness. The paper develops theoretical implications and extends the concept of embeddedness, treating it as a series of internalization or quasi-internalization decisions across a variety of local contexts by multinationals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a new model in which the interrelationship between the barriers can be determined that hinder the implementation of effective recycling processes in the plastic sectors of India.Design/methodology/approach Today manufacturers do not want their input to be deemed waste and subsequently be discarded, so their efforts and resources have been channeled into the development of efficient recycling methods. However, there are several barriers hindering the implementation of effective and efficient recycling. In this paper several of the most influential barriers are taken into consideration and implemented in the interpretive structural modeling.Findings The results divided the barriers into four clusters and identified the weak and strong barriers and implemented relationships between them.Research limitations/implications Globally plastic waste has been steadily increasing. Recycling plastic has received much attention because many companies are using it as a strategic tool to serve their customers and to generate good revenue, but there is a lack of effective recycling units in India. The work of this paper and its results will be helpful in the implementation of an effective and efficient recycling unit for the plastic sector.Practical implications The recycling process can be improved by avoiding barriers of PLASTIC recycling.Originality/value In this paper, the plastic industries of India are studied and analyzed, and the barriers are found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this paper were to explore the existing status of agricultural higher education in India, application of marketing concepts in similar institutions and to find the most appropriate marketing concept to make agricultural higher education more competitive. Extensive searches of relevant agricultural education, business management and higher educational data bases were made. It was found that agricultural higher education in India is stagnant and is facing an identity crisis among its stakeholders. Marketing theories and concepts which are now being applied in higher education across the globe have not been thought of in the context of agriculture education. A review of the literature suggested that considering the objectives, the multiplicity of stakeholders and the nature of public-funded agricultural education, marketing orientation would be most appropriate. Based on the experiences of similar institutions, the paper suggests a three-level strategy for the implementation of marketing orientation in institutions of agricultural higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A documentary review was carried out on the production and publication of research papers related to the study of ICT variables and Digital Marketing. The purpose of the bibliometric analysis proposed in this document was to know the main characteristics of the volume of publications registered in the Scopus database during the period 201 7-2022, achieving the identification of145 publications. The information provided by this platform was organized through graphs and figures categorizing the information by Year of Publication, Country of Origin, Area of Knowledge and Type of Publication. Once these characteristics have been described, the position of different authors towards the proposed theme is referenced through a qualitative analysis. Among the main findings made through this research, it is found that India, with 21 publications, was the country with the highest scientific production registered in the name of authors affiliated with institutions in that country. The Area of Knowledge that made the greatest contribution to the construction of bibliographic material referring to the study of knowledge management and ICT within Digital Marketing, was Computer Science with 59 published documents, and the Type of Publication most used during the period indicated above was the Conference Articles with 52% of the total scientific production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to apply "Capacity Building" as a template for diagnosing, assessing and building the recruitment & selection capacity in an organization. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a purposive sampling with regards to the selection of the organization. The respondents (N=100) were drawn from a leading automotive manufacturing company at Irungattutkottai, SIPCOT, Kanchipuram. Almost all the middle level managers in the organization participated in the survey. Findings: Using POET tool, raw standardized and scaled capacity and consensus scores were calculated and the resultant scores were mapped on the GRID for assessing the various capacity areas of Recruitment and Selection activity. Practical Implications: The results of the study would help automotive firm to identify the capacity lag areas and take steps to close the gap. Similiar firms can treat the capacity and consensus scores of the sampled organization as a benchmark score and ensure that they are able to accomplish benchmark scores. Besides, the paper offers immense scope to extend the capacity building exercise to other HRM activities or functions of the organization and to the organization as a whole. Originality / Value: Capacity Building, per se is widely practised in non-profit sector. An attempt is made to apply the concept of capacity building to the for-profit organizations. POET tool used widely by non-profit organizations is customized to fit the 'for- profit organizations'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research article is to review the extant literature on brand extension strategy and raise a set of research issues leading to formulation of hypotheses for model building and future empirical testing. This literature review is assessed and classified on the basis of the problem context and provides a comprehensive review of thirty nine research papers published in the business management related journals. The methodological review will provide a better understanding of the current state of research in this discipline. Past researchers have focused more exclusively on brand extension of consumer goods (Broniarczyk and Alba, 1994) and considering the importance of brand extension strategy, it can be presumed that there is a requirement for extended research in the service sector and more importantly in the financial services sector considering its importance to the Indian economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper examines the interpersonal relationship between gender, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial career choice. The present study has been conducted in Uttarakhand, a province of India. An item pool was developed on the basis of focus group interviews and literature survey. A scale was developed on the basis of item pool after an item analysis for checking its consistency and reliability and was included in the questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered on 880 graduation final year students studying in different colleges. An interpersonal relationship between gender, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial career choice was examined using Pearson's chi-square test and Student's t-test. Results show significant relationship between gender and self-efficacy, self-efficacy and entrepreneurial career choice, and gender and entrepreneurial career choice. Male respondents were found to have higher level of self-efficacy than female respondents. This paper also explores that male respondents are more likely to opt for an entrepreneurial career than females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is a country which is in forefront of being called a developed nation. To be a developed nation, India has to first look at its rural development, because 70 percent of the population live in rural areas, which means more than 700 million people are spread across 6,27,000 villages. Rural development is more than ever before linked to entrepreneurship. Establishments and agencies promoting rural development now look at entrepreneurship as a strategic development medium that could speed up the rural development process. Development institutions believe that rural entrepreneurship offers a huge potential for employment. In this paper a case study of a young entrepreneur who has taken up horticulture (vegetable plants nursery) as his fulltime profession, with a mission to help the neighbouring farmers is studied, the purpose of this paper is to understand the government role (policies and schemes), the difficulties faced by the entrepreneur during the startup time and knowledge transfer from the horticulture department, nursery management. The methodology followed is in-depth interaction with the entrepreneur. The outcome of paper will be to understand how rural entrepreneurship is helping improve the quality of life for families, communities and individuals leading to sustainable economy and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The positive interactions between the purchasers and frontline employees help them in reworking with the skeptical folks into robust and committed complete followers or customers. The solution lies in the activity and standard of services provided at the instant of discussion that is one of the precise moments, once your employee interacts with a client. This paper relies on the study by personal interview and survey of the purchasers (respondents), dispensed in and around the malls, housing organized retailers of food product, apparels, fast-paced trade goods and durable goods in capital region of Odisha. This survey brings out on however {the clients\the purchasers\the shoppers} approach the distributor for getting customer service, while experiencing the role of technology usage in client services etc. However, typically the retailers are able to meet the expectations of the purchasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of instructional design theory and approaches has been dramatically increased in the field of education. This profession has made tremendous improvement in solving real world authentic problems. Different types of instructional approaches are very effective in designing curriculum depending upon the skills, knowledge, and task requirements of courses. However, there is less literature available in the area of "use of instructional design and performance improvement in strategic HRM". Instructional design is a very innovative field and it can do wonders in the areas of complex problem solving, knowledge construction, and performing real authentic tasks in the business scenarios, if the principles, approaches and theories of instructional design with performance improvement models are adopted in a right context and with alignment of organisation task requirements. This paper is an attempt to strengthen the role of human resource as a strategic business partner through insinuating and integrating the fields of human performance improvement and instructional design in a business context. We call the 21st century the era of strategic human resources. There are so many convoluted HR roles and verbiages in the field of training and development, learning at the workplace, talent management, and compensation. There are abundance of books written on the role of human resources a strategic business partner and strategic HRM (Human Resource Management) theories like universalistic perspective (Dewar & Werbel, 1979), which proposed a framework of best practices under SHRM, contingency theory (Butler, Ferris, & Napier, 1991), which described different HR policies and approaches for different organisational contexts, and the configurational approach, which defines a holistic theory of SHRM. Notwithstanding the burgeoning field of SHRM research, the field has been criticised for lacking a solid theoretical foundation that help strategic HRM to truly define the meaning of being strategic and being a strategic business partner in the firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and perception of corporate frauds in India and their consequences in the business and economic systems, and it highlights the emerging issues so that existing legal and regulatory obligations can be redefined and structured. Design/methodology/approach -- An exploratory research was conducted through a combined mode of literature review; case studies; structured questionnaires from 346 sample companies; and 43 interviews with the corporate professionals, management, investors, government offices and authorities having wide experience. Findings -- It was found that the regulatory system is weak, and there is dire need to redefine the role of auditors. Coordination among different regulatory authorities is poor, and after every scam, there is a blame game. Reporting of fraud and publication of fraud prevention policy are missing. Banks and financial institutions are ineffective on due diligence, and there is a lack of professionalism on the board and other executive levels in companies. Research limitations/implications -- This study assumes that fraud could be mitigated by proactive and conscious action by auditors, and corporate executives are willing to avoid perpetrating financial fraud despite pressures from investors, government securities regulators and exogenous market fluctuations. The authors relied on the honesty of the respondents during the sample collection and recorded semi-structured interviews. A minimum level of five years' work experience relative to preventing, detecting or investigating fraud has been considered a valid determinant in selecting the purposive sample. Practical implications -- The study suggests mandatory publication of fraud prevention policy; constitution of special purpose corporate offence wing; recognition to companies for improved corporate governance; true adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards; due diligence by banks and financial institutions; compulsory appointment of professionals by shareholders and fixation of responsibility on independent professionals; intellectualisation of audit committee; and more powers to the regulators, especially Securities and Exchange Board of India. Social implications -- Prevention of corporate frauds reduces anxiety, improves corporate image and builds up confidence of the investors, which is essential for resource channelling in financial markets. Originality/value -- The research work is based on a thorough analysis of regulatory framework and fraud case studies and primary data collected from companies, banks and other government and developmental institutions. Paper type Research paper [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Religion and culture can influence ethical behavior in business. It is suggested that there has been and continues to be, a deep interrelationship between religion, business ethics, and economic activity in India. As India is becoming a major global economic business partner, understanding its unique ethical business infrastructure is gaining in importance. The purpose of this paper is to intend to further the understanding of Indian ("Vendantic") business ethics, as opposed to Greco -- Roman business ethics, as the foundation of business culture in India. This paper further elaborates on the evolution of business ethics and its implications on doing business in and with Indian companies. Design/methodology/approach -- The authors undertook a conceptual approach in order to understand the evolutionary process of Indian business ethics in a holistic view in order to understand better its workings and effect on business interaction. Findings -- The paper explains the constructs of business ethics in India and shows its evolution over time. Originality/value -- This original theoretical paper examines the evolution of Indian business ethics over time in line with environmental changes in the Indian business landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses a hybrid scale to identify the factors contributing to the service quality delivered by the suppliers working with small-medium manufacturing units in emerging economies like India. 120 executives working at top/middle management level in different SMEs situated in northern India responded to a questionnaire survey related to the assessment of services being performed by their suppliers on the 1-5 Likert scale. Application of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) revealed an interpretable latent structure comprising of five factors viz., Credibility, Relationship, Understanding, Alignment, and Dependability with 17 indicator items. The Graph-Theoretic Approach (GTA) developed a numerical measure of Supplier Service Quality (SSQ) index. This paper thus provides a framework for the measurement of SSQ in a relatively less explored sector. The proposed scale can be used as a benchmark by SME practitioners for evaluation of their suppliers' service. The methodology used may be applied in more such situations so that generalizations can be contemplated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to quantify, evaluate and compare the environmental sustainability performance of supply chain for Indian steel industry using graph theoretic approach (GTA).Design/methodology/approach Broadly 12 environmental sustainability enablers (ESEs) were identified and they were classified into four significant categories (SCs). Featuring these SCs and ESEs under each SC, a methodology was proposed using GTA for evaluating the environmental sustainability performance of Indian steel companies. The analysis was further extended to compare the results with performance in different situations and accordingly set the future targets.Findings In order to demonstrate the utility of the proposed methodology, it was applied to an Indian steel company. The results obtained indicated that there have been significant growths achieved in the environmental sustainability performance over a period of five years. It was also found that a performance gap exists and it will reach the target value after two years.Practical implications The proposed approach is aimed at providing a procedure for evaluating the environmental sustainability performance. This study is an attempt to assist a steel industry to assess its sustainability program and accordingly define its course of actions.Originality/value Although many issues related to environmental sustainability have been widely recognized and studied, there are no specific studies available in the literature to assess the environmental sustainability performance along the timeline. The proposed model has the ability to capture the performance and interdependencies of SCs, ESEs under each SC and also to quantify the environmental sustainability performance along the timeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After globalization, service quality has assumed greater significance in rail transport owing to rail passengers' expectation of improved service quality in Indian Railways (IR), as well as existence of keen competition from the road transportation sector. Service quality is a business management term used to indicate achievement in service. Usually, service quality yields comfort to the passengers; it would delight them when the passengers' perception of service quality exceeds their expectations. In this context, service quality comes under the scanner of a comparison of passengers' expectation with performance of Madurai Division of Southern Railway (SR) Zone of Indian Railway. This research paper is an outcome of the present author's research project sponsored under ICSSR's Senior Fellowship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to verify and improve the framework assessing the evolution and importance of the technological, human, social and financial resources of an Indian research-based spin-off (RBSO) throughout its four stages of development by Vohora et al. (2004).Design/methodology/approach The open innovation (OI) phenomenon is spreading among public organizations. One of the OI practices used by the public research centers to market their technologies is to set up new business entities called RBSOs. Many studies have focused on spin-offs but there are still some gaps. To overcome the existing limitations, the authors built a framework which they tested on three previous case studies.Findings The results obtained show how a parent organization and its incubator can play fundamental roles in creating and developing a successful RBSO. This is done by supplying managerial staff and providing access to skills, funds and other material and immaterial resources.Research limitations/implications The limitations of this study are related to the sectoral and geopolitical factors of the single case analyzed. For this reason, the observations that emerge should be supported by other empirical analyses.Originality/value The findings of this study can offer a better understanding of the spin-off life to managers, researchers, public organizations and government agencies. They can learn how to improve policies and practices of technology transfer and strengthen the national industrial system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The present paper deals with the current as well as hotly debated issue of increasing attention on the extent of governance practices followed by the corporates. In particular, it investigates the disclosure of sound board practices followed by the top listed companies in India by relying upon a Voluntary Board Governance Disclosure Index (VBGDI) developed in the study. The index has been constructed by following the requirements stated under Revised Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement (2004) and Corporate Governance Voluntary Guidelines (2009). In addition, the study has covered two time points in its dataset in order to examine an improvement in the disclosure of board governance practices by the corporates from the time point 1 (2005-06) to the time point 2 (2009-10). The testing has been performed by means of paired samples t-test and Wilcoxen signed rank test (for robustness testing) which has reported significant improvement for some selected board practices in particular and for overall disclosure score as a whole. Overall, the analysis suggests that the corporate voluntary disclosure of the board governance practices has been improved (but only for some items), however, there are certain influential practices which should be covered by the companies in the ambit of their governance frameworks so that the level of governance standards in India can be upraised. On the whole, it suggests the companies to incorporate more board governance practices in the spectrum of their governance disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insurance sector in India is at a crossroads. Traditionally, insurance companies have relied on a large team of human agents to sell their products. However, the internet proved that customers are willing to purchase insurance products online. Going digital is therefore the key to future business. Companies willing to disrupt conventional beliefs will be the ones that will retain a competitive edge. However, in order to succeed, companies also need to move beyond a product-centered approach to a customer-centric service-focused approach. Insurance is more intangible than tangible. And thus, service becomes a key to customer satisfaction and delight. This paper attempts to look at how insurance companies, using 'pull' strategies, can attract and retain customers. Starting with the conventional 4P model of marketing, it examines how this can be adapted into a '4E model' to be in tune with the current digitally-oriented business environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian economy characterized variously as a slumbering giant, powerful tiger, and the most promising market has witnessed a slowdown, occasional disturbances in the industrial relations space, and attention of the world in the last five years. In this special issue, we raise pertinent questions and present research on multiple dimensions of the dynamic and rapidly changing business environment of India. The suitability of management models and frameworks developed in the North American contexts in emerging markets like India and China is questioned. One example of how the well-established models in the literature on success of international joint ventures were insufficient to explain the success of three international joint ventures in the insurance space in India is presented as case in point. Finally, the nine papers that materially contribute to the theme of this special issue are introduced. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper represents one of the first empirical efforts to explore the complex causal relationships within the textile supply chain of south India. The research focuses on the textile industry's supply Chain Collaboration, Business Process Orientation, Supply Chain Pressure and Competitive Advantage with special geographical reference to Erode, a major hub of textiles in Tamilnadu, South India. The need for this study had risen from various literature reviews and industry associations' demand by which the researcher had understood the importance of the study and its industry implications. The study has adapted a descriptive design and the data were collected both from primary and secondary sources. A structured questionnaire was developed, validated and administered for the primary data. Valid and reliable measures of Supply chain strategies, mitigation of supply chain pressure and their impact on competitive advantage were studied. The instrument development process involved structured interviews, a pilot survey and a large -- scale survey. The large scale survey yielded 235 responses from registered textile supply chain partners-cloth manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers who are the members of Erode cloth merchant association, the largest association textile traders in South India. Exact statistical methods were used to asses and validate the constructs. The methods were: reliability, and structural equation modeling. An integrated model was developed and tested using structural equation methodology. The research findings support the notion that higher levels of Supply chain strategies will lead to improved Competitive advantage and mitigate the supply chain pressure. The strategies studied with reference to textile industry are supply chain collaboration and business process orientation. A SEM model with R2 value 0.407 is derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]