Showing papers by "Indian Institute of Management Bangalore published in 1997"

Levels and determinants of gynecological morbidity in a district of south India.

Abstract: This article presents the results of an assessment of gynecological morbidity among 385 women with young children residing in a district of Karnataka State, South India. All three main modes of assessment (clinical examination, laboratory tests, and self-reports) reveal a high burden of reproductive tract infections. The two most common conditions, identified by laboratory tests, were bacterial vaginosis and mucopurulent cervicitis. Approximately one-fourth of the women had clinical evidence of pelvic inflammatory disease, cervical ectopy, and fistula. The contribution of sexually transmitted diseases to overall gynecological morbidity appears to be relatively modest; 10 percent were so diagnosed. Associated conditions of anemia and chronic energy deficiency were common. Severe anemia was found in 17 percent of cases and severe chronic energy deficiency in 12 percent. These results indicate that radical improvements in women's health in India will require far more than the diagnosis and treatment of reproductive tract infections.

Change and Revolutionary Change: Formalizing and Extending the Punctuated Equilibrium Paradigm

Abstract: The concept of punctuated equilibrium, long periods of incremental change interrupted by short periods of revolutionary change, is often employed to understand organizational transitions. This article uses insights from work on change in individual and organizational beliefs to develop a formal model of organizational change which is consistent with the core concepts of the punctuated equilibrium paradigm. However, it highlights the influence of critical incremental processes that underpin revolutionary organizational changes that have been overlooked in the current applications of the paradigm in organizational studies. It suggests that the key to understanding radical observable changes, is an understanding of the latent incremental processes that have been neglected.

Strategic decision-making processes: network-based representation and stochastic simulation

Abstract: Representation of decision-making in organizations is an intricate process. Qualitative Probabilistic Network (QPN)-based approach offers a scheme which is useful for representing processes involved in decision-making. This paper demonstrates the usefulness of QPN-based scheme with an illustrative case study. The focus of the case study is on understanding the strategic behavior of a key player in the Indian Automobile Industry. This is done by transforming Cognitive Maps developed into QPN-based formalisms and analyzing them. In addition to this, stochastic simulation experiment is performed on the QPN-based networks to generate hypothetical scenarios.

Higher Education-Enterprise: Cooperation and the Entrepreneurial Graduate the Need for a New Paradigm

Abstract: Deviating from their traditional focus on the abstract and the theory universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) have, of late, been paying a lot of attention to the practical applications of knowledge generated in the HEI system. Developing new products and services from research output and commercializing them through entrepreneurial ventures have been taken up by many HEIs with a view to make useful contributions to the economy and thereby improving the quality of life in the community. Prominent among the schemes undertaken by HEIs in this regard are: (1) Science and technology parks (2) University companies (3) Promotion of academic entrepreneurs. A review of these schemes, using the findings of various evaluation studies and case studies, has shown that they had very limited success in both developing and developed countries. In fact, the celebration of isolated successes of these in some developed countries has been shielding the lackluster performance of the majority. It appears that the paradigm of direct involvement and action by HEIs in the development of new products and services and their commercialization through entrepreneurial activities have not been appropriate. An alternative paradigm for the HEIs would be to contribute to the development of entrepreneurial individuals rather than of entrepreneurial ventures.

The process of building GSO relationships: the experience of a multinational vendor with Indian contractors

Abstract: Global software outsourcing (GSO) market refers to the offshore development of software by personnel outside the client’s home country. The GSO market was estimated at US$50 billion in 1994, with an expected growth rate of 15% (Kumar and Willcocks 1996). This paper reports an ongoing case analysis of a North American telecommunications MNC (“Global”) and their GSO arrangements with two leading and two startup software houses. The processes of initiation and evolution of these GSOs over the past five to seven years is described and some underlying challenges presented.

Computational study of the multiechelon production planning problem

Abstract: In this article we try to identify appropriate solution procedures for different types of multiechelon production planning problems. We conduct an extensive computational study on uncapacitated multiechelon production planning problems with serial and assembly types of bill-of-material structures. Problems are formulated as both single-source fixed charge network problems and as multicommodity flow problems with fixed charges. Solution procedures considered are branch and cut, Lagrangean relaxation (for the network formulation), and branch and bound (for the multicommodity formulation). Three hundred problems with various problem structures are tested. Our conclusions suggest the best approach for each type of problem structure.

Impact of trade liberalization on foreign direct investment in producer services

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of trade liberalization on foreign direct investment (FDI) in nontradable, producer services which play a supporting role in the production, trade, and distribution of final tradables goods.. It shows both theoretically and empirically that trade liberalization can have a positive effect on FDI inflows into producer services due to derived demand effects from the tradables sectors. The main policy conclusion of this paper is that foreign investment policy in supporting service sectors must be mutually consistent with overall trade policy to reap the desired benefits from trade liberalization.

Linking child labour with international trade: Recent developments and their implications

Abstract: In recent years, child labour has become increasingly linked to important global economic forces such as international trade In the context of unilateral, regional, and multilateral trade policies, there have been discussions about subjecting products made with child labour to trade penalties and sanctions These proposals have generated much controversy and concern This paper aims at providing a comprehensive understanding of recent developments in the trade and child labour linkage within the broader framework of the labour standards and trade debate It also assesses the validity and effectiveness of using trade-related measures to address the problem of child labour by presenting the arguments for and against this linkage and by analyzing the available evidence in this regard