Satyabhushan Dash

Bio: Satyabhushan Dash is an academic researcher from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. The author has contributed to research in topics: Product design & Brand equity. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 4 publications receiving 30 citations. Previous affiliations of Satyabhushan Dash include Indian Institute of Management Lucknow & Indian Institute of Management Indore.

Measuring consumer design perceptions for digital devices: A multi-dimensional scale

Abstract: Digital devices have taken over our lives today, but have seen little research in marketing domain. Literature on product design, though very rich, offers scant works that highlight the consumer’s subjective understanding and perception, with most efforts rooted to the utilitarian–hedonic value paradigm. In order to measure design perception comprehensively, we develop a multi-dimensional framework providing for an exhaustive operationalization of a product’s design by its user. This is done through qualitative exercises followed by empirical validation leading to scale items for five proposed dimensions of design perception: visual, functional, kinesthetic, interface and information. We also examine the relation of design perception to consumer-based brand equity as a nomological network, the relation itself mediated by user experience. Our work, by offering a multi-dimensional framework of consumer design perception, seeks to guide current digital device manufacturing brands about heterogeneity of the concept of design as it exists in a consumer’s mind and how important it is to address those different dimensions effectively, for an overall good package.

An integrated framework for design perception and brand equity

Abstract: This conceptual work investigates the relationship between user-perceived product design and consumer-based brand equity. By integrating three independent and diverse theoretical perspectives, namely design value framework, means–end chains, and brand equity theory, we present a detailed literature review that relates consumer design perception to brand equity, mediated by consumption value. We also propose design perception as a multi-dimensional entity constituted of visual, functional, kinesthetic, interface, and information design perceptions. Consumption experience, manifested as experiential value, is conceptualized as a higher-order construct, with usability, social value, and pleasure in use forming the lower-order factors. Brand equity is also operationalized with five underlying components—brand association, perceived quality, perceived value, brand trust, and brand loyalty. Moderating effects of consumer characteristics on the relationship between design perception and the consumption value are also explored. By proposing a framework in line with the modern philosophy of design thinking, this work provides guidelines for practicing designers to work in conjunction with marketers, so as to create design elements that meet and shape consumers’ design needs, resulting in a positive consumer–brand relationship.

Effectiveness of Supply Chain Planning in Ensuring Availability of CD/NCD Drugs in Non-Metropolitan and Rural Public Health System

Abstract: Several studies have reported on the shortage of drugs with the changing demographic and disease profile, especially triggered by the growing burden of lifestyle diseases. However, very few have evaluated the demand-side challenges from the objective of universalisation of healthcare. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the factors that have impeded access to affordable generic and essential drugs in non-metropolitan urban and rural India. The study was conducted in six states and responses were elicited from a sample of doctors, pharmacists, nurses, accredited social health activist (ASHA) workers, state officials, warehouse managers and patients across the study states. The study reveals that while the acceptance of prescribing generic drugs has improved over the last decade, the use of branded drugs has been restricted only to complex cases or where generic drug efficacy has not been established. The centralised procurement efficiencies seem to have hit a plateau in terms of assuring drug availability to the last mile, thereby impacting local purchase, especially pandemic procurement. Most states have also established dedicated corporations for drug procurement, albeit at different levels of organisational maturity as far as adherence to the processes and systems are concerned. However, supply chain phenomena like the bullwhip effect gets accentuated given the levels of our public health system. Learnings from other consumer-facing sectors with similar challenges of increased variability and uncertainty are yet to be explored for the health sector to leapfrog towards achieving improved ‘drug availability’ or ‘zero stock-out’. Standardising drug categories, regular updating of the essential drug list (EDL) reflecting the demographic and disease profile, various practices like complete digitisation, rolling forecasts, stock-keeping unit rationalisation, flexible public procurement contracts, etc., have been explored as potential solutions in this paper. Creating a dedicated team of forecasters within the procurement organisations, well adept at using analytics, could be key to real-time demand estimation, paving the way for a quarterly rolling forecast to facilitate procurement using well-designed rate contracts with suppliers that captures variability in such rolling forecasts.

An integrated framework for design perception and brand equity

Abstract: This conceptual work investigates the relationship between user-perceived product design and consumer-based brand equity. By integrating three independent and diverse theoretical perspectives, namely design value framework, means–end chains, and brand equity theory, we present a detailed literature review that relates consumer design perception to brand equity, mediated by consumption value. We also propose design perception as a multi-dimensional entity constituted of visual, functional, kinesthetic, interface, and information design perceptions. Consumption experience, manifested as experiential value, is conceptualized as a higher-order construct, with usability, social value, and pleasure in use forming the lower-order factors. Brand equity is also operationalized with five underlying components—brand association, perceived quality, perceived value, brand trust, and brand loyalty. Moderating effects of consumer characteristics on the relationship between design perception and the consumption value are also explored. By proposing a framework in line with the modern philosophy of design thinking, this work provides guidelines for practicing designers to work in conjunction with marketers, so as to create design elements that meet and shape consumers’ design needs, resulting in a positive consumer–brand relationship. Copyright Academy of Marketing Science 2015