Showing papers by "Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad published in 1976"

The Communication Effects Gap A Field Experiment on Television and Agricultural Ignorance in India

Abstract: The medium of television in the context of organized teleclubs with carefully designed content may actually be effective in leveling previous inequities and thus reduce the gap between larger and smaller farmers. The present research is unique in several respects: (1) it examines television for one of the first times in relation to the communication effects gap; (2) its results run contrary to many previous studies; (3) the study was conducted under field conditions in India on an extremely low budget, demonstrating a necessary resourcefulness ; (4) survey research methods are combined with content analysis; and (5) the results are crucially relevant to the Indian government's policy and to the recently initiated Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), in which the A TS-6 satellite broadcasts television programs to schoolchildren and adults in almost 2,400 villages in six different Indian states.

A constructive method to recognize the total unimodularity of a matrix

Abstract: A necessary and sufficient condition for a matrix to be totally unimodular is developed in this note. This condition in turn provides a constructive method to recognize the total unimodularity or otherwise of any matrixC with elements 0, 1 or −1.

The Design of Effective Top Management Style

Abstract: The performance of eight commonly utilized styles of top management are evaluated in various environmental situations. The eight styles are: entrepreneurial, professional management, professional b...

Career decisions by medical students: a profile from India.

Abstract: Several studies have been conducted in countries like the United States on the career decisions of medical students (Williams, 1949; Thelens, 1957; Gregg, 1955; Rogoff, 1957; Kendall & Selvin, 1957; Severinghans, 1959; Becker et al., 1961; Bloom, 1963, 1965,1971 ; de Goes & de Castro, 1966; Lyden et al., 1968). The process by which the doctors in India come to choose their profession, and their future aspirations in terms of their specialities and practice, seem to be a less attractive area of study for social scientists in India. A review of the social science researches reveals that there is little study in this area. The present study reports the process of career choice and social background factors of medical students from seven medical colleges of India. Social background factors analysed include age, sex, father’s education, mother’s education, father’s occupation, mother’s occupation, and monthly average per capita income of the family. Factors relating to career choice include age at which the student thought for the first time to study medicine, age at which firm decision was made rethinking about the career, problems faced during medical college years, factors influencing the decisions to study medicine, and subjects preferred for specialization after MB BS (the first degree in medicine).

A model for optimizing facility design

Abstract: A chance constrained programming model is developed to arrive at an optimal long-range design for a manufacturing facility. The determination of process capacities, the amounts of the various types of equipment, and the time-phasing of the acquisition constitutes facility design in the study. The expected cost is minimised, subject to probabilistic constraints which express the risk associated with demand forecasts. The model is solved by decomposing the deterministic equivalent. The structure of the model enables the solution to be obtained with one iteration. The algorithm is incorporated into a computer code which is applied to the design of a tire plant. The methodology has the potential of extendability to nonmanufacturing systems.

The Review and Follow-up Process Key to Effective Budgetary Control

Abstract: This article draws from the research finding that the effectiveness of management control systems is influenced more by the manner of administration of the systems than by greater sophistication in their design. In particular, the process of review and follow-up of actual corporate performance in relation to the budget is identified as one of the prime determinants of effectiveness. Guidelines for ensuring an effective review and follow-up process are suggested.

Semantics of lisp and the ontology of functions

Abstract: The formalization of recursive definition of functions in the programming language LISP is studied with respect to its ontological assumptions. It is shown that whereas the theory of recursive function is based on the ontology of actual infinity, the semantics of variables and functions in a programming language can be adequately explained with the concept only of potential infinity.

Location of Indian Cement Industry

Abstract: The article examines four hypotheses about the location of the Indian cement industry: a) its location is not optimum, b) it is not evenly distributed throughout the country, c) it is becoming more and more dispersed over time, and d) recent changes are towards optimum location. These hypotheses are tested on the basis of various determinants of location and on two measures of location — location quotient and coefficient of localization. The findings endorse all the four hypotheses. In particular, the location coefficient has declined from 0.53 in 1960 to 0.46 in 1965. Madras and Bihar were the leading states in cement production in 1947, but in 1971 leading states were Madras, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and so on. This change seems to have been effected by market forces, such as profitability. The government could perhaps expedite this process through measures such as a suitable licencing policy and tax incentives.

Management Control Reports Not by Money Alone . . .

Abstract: The extent of effectiveness of management control reports has not matched the great promise generated by the development of concepts of management planning and control, and advances made in data processing in the last decade. The primary reason for this gap is the monetary orientation of such reports. Analyses of current theory and practice indicate that while the requirements of non-monetary or operational data for control has been recognized, they have not been translated into an operational and managerial framework. Recent studies of Hofstede, Sord and Welsch, and Bhattacharyya and Camillas have highlighted the need for integrating monetary and non-monetary data into a common framework. They have also suggested operational and managerial guidelines for designing management control reports reflecting the critical variables at various levels of management. In this article, the 'nature of such variables has been analysed in some detail and illustrated, assumptions for designing effective management planning and control reports have been formulated, and a conceptual framework has been suggested.

Adoption Process and Marketing of Social Change: A Case Study of the Family Planning Programme

Abstract: Traditionally demographic and economic variables have been suggested for segmenting the family planning market. This paper argues that for designing effective communication strategies, couple's stage of adoption is a better basis for segmenting the family planning market. However, the major difficulty in using the suggested approach is the inadequate knowledge of the process of adoption. Therefore, a model of adoption is proposed. The methodology consisting of a heuristic built around automatic interaction detector (AID) is described. The validity and the salient features of the proposed adoption model are discussed. The segmentation scheme is proposed on the basis of the stages of adoption in family planning. Unlike conventional KAP researches, the segments provide a description of a couple in a multi-dimensional space. The usefulness of the segmentation scheme in the design of work methodology for the worker is discussed. Finally, for planning at the district level, the implications of regional difference in the distribution of couples in the different market segments are discussed. This article is based on the author's doctoral dissertation, "Adoption of Family Planning : A Process Model and Optimal Pattern of Field Workers' Visits." The dissertation was partially financed by the Population Project Unit of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Pipe Line Theory on Working Capital

Abstract: The financial anatomy of the business systems is examined and a theoretical frame to understand and measure a) how the activities of business systems consume and generate funds, b) what stock of fu...

A Strategy Model for Export Marketing

Abstract: In this article, a method is developed for choosing an appropriate product-market strategy, given the relative endowments of the exporter and the possible target countries. It is argued that in selecting product-markets for exports, competitive advantage as well as export potential are important. Furthermore, competitive advantage should be computed on the basis of marketing and technological factors in addition to traditional factors. The method for evaluating product-markets is illustrated by means of a simulation using hypothetical data. Considerations in addition to comparative advantage and export potential such as barriers to entry and social and political compatibility are also discussed. Guidelines for implementing the proposed model are provided.

Reallocation of Plan Targets in the Case of Shortfalls in Some Sectors

Abstract: The evaluation and monitoring plan performance in India essentially focusses on the questions like why the shortfalls have occurred, what the bottlenecks were, and what attempts should be made to resolve these difficulties. While the shortfalls are recognized, not much attention has been paid to the replanning measures necessary. In this paper the authors address themselves to the task of readjusting plan targets when shortfalls that occurred in certain sectors cannot be made good during the plan period. The problem is formulated as a mathematical programme. The constraints are derived by the necessity to retain inter-sectoral balances. Two different objective functions and their implications are discussed, A case study which uses the input-output table for the year 1973–74 is used to illustrate the methodology and analyse the effect of shortfalls in two sectors-electricity, and basic metals and metal products.

Effectiveness of Varying Sales Style on Consumer Orientations

Abstract: Using the role-play technique, the effect of four different sales orientations on customers with four different need patterns was examined by the authors. In a factorial design, product-centred,company-centred, customer-centred and self-centred salespersons interacted with strong need, marginal need, no need, and negative need consumers, attempting to sell a radio set. Neither the salesperson nor the customer was aware of the other's orientation. The study was conducted separately on the two different samples: three groups of salespersons and three groups of students with eight persons in each group. Results indicated that product-centred salespersons made a more positive impact on consumers followed by the customercentred and the company-centred salespersons. Self-centred salespersons made a relatively low impact. Furthermore, product-centred salespersons made a greater impact on low need customers while company-centred salespersons made a greater impact on high-need customers. Customercentred salespersons showed more consistency in the impact they made than the other three types of salespersons, indicating that they are likely to be consistently effective irrespective of the need patterns or customers.