Showing papers by "Indian Institute of Management Calcutta published in 2014"
TL;DR: In this article, the state of adoption of green supply chain management practices by Indian firms was still in its infancy, the awareness of environmental sustainability was quite low among consumers, and the regulatory framework was also lacking in terms of promoting environmental sustainability.
Abstract: Research on green supply chain management (GSCM) or sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has attracted increased attention in recent years. Although GSCM/SSCM has been studied for developed and developing countries, there has been little information about the adoption of GSCM/SSCM practices in India. This article presents one of the earliest surveys on GSCM practices in Indian manufacturing firms. The items for the survey were developed based on the extant literature and feedback from corporates. Some of the major findings of the survey are as follows. We found that the state of adoption of GSCM practices by Indian firms was still in its infancy, the awareness of environmental sustainability was quite low among consumers, and the regulatory framework was also lacking in terms of promoting environmental sustainability. Results of data analysis showed that supplier collaboration for environmental sustainability had a positive impact on environmentally sustainable product design and logistics, which in...
314 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the influence of the dimensions of service quality on customers' word-of-mouth (WOM) in the context of the retail banking industry.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of the dimensions of service quality on customers’ word-of-mouth (WOM) in the context of the retail banking industry. Design/methodology/approach – A modified SERVQUAL instrument was used to capture customers’ perceptions of service quality followed by exploratory factor analysis to study the dimensionality of service quality in retail banking. Multiple regression was used to probe the influence of the dimensions of service quality on WOM. Findings – The study revealed four dimensions of service quality in retail banking, namely, attitude, competence, tangibles and convenience and showed that the service quality factor attitude is most important in influencing WOM. Research limitations/implications – Continued refinement of the scale for measuring service quality in retail banking, proposed in this study, is certainly possible based on further research and trends in retail banking. Further research may also incorporate multiple measures of th...
59 citations
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TL;DR: This article explored how Indian and foreign correspondents reporting from India used social media during the coverage of the Delhi gang rape; how journalists represented the public sphere in their social media usage; and, what this representation says about the future of India's public sphere.
Abstract: In recent years, a growing literature in journalism studies has discussed the increasing importance of social media in European and American news production. Adding to this body of work, we explore how Indian and foreign correspondents reporting from India used social media during the coverage of the Delhi gang rape; how journalists represented the public sphere in their social media usage; and, what this representation says about the future of India’s public sphere. Throughout our analysis, Manuel Castells’ discussion of ‘space of flows’ informs our examination of journalists’ social media uses. Our article reveals that while the coverage of the Delhi gang rape highlights an emerging, participatory nature of storytelling by journalists, this new-found inclusiveness remains exclusive to the urban, educated, connected middle and upper classes. We also find that today in India, social media usage is rearticulated around pre-existing journalistic practices and norms common to both Indian reporters working for English-language media houses and foreign correspondents stationed in India.
47 citations
TL;DR: It is argued how a network approach could lead to success of e-government initiatives in India and shown that adoption of a process focus can help in identifying the appropriate partners and facilitate other network processes.
44 citations
01 Aug 2014
TL;DR: It is shown that the release of each phishing alert leads to a statistically significant loss of market capitalization that is at least US$ 411million for a firm, and a theoretical framework for analyzing the impact of threats on firm value is proposed.
Abstract: Phishing is a form of online identity theft that is increasingly becoming a global menace. In this research, we analyze the impact of phishing alerts released in public databases on the market value of global firms. Using a sample of 1942 phishing alerts related to 259 firms in 32 countries, we show that the release of each phishing alert leads to a statistically significant loss of market capitalization that is at least US$ 411million for a firm. We propose a theoretical framework for analyzing the impact of threats on firm value, and determine that the negative investor reaction is strongly significant for alerts released in 2006-2007 and for those targeted to financial holding companies, and weakly significant for firms listed in the US. We derive and validate these results using a combination of event study, subsampling analysis, and cross-sectional regression analysis. Our research makes a contribution by providing a new model for conducting multi-country event studies. We also contribute to the information systems literature by quantifying the loss in market value caused by phishing, and provide compelling evidence to information security administrators of firms that urge them to adopt adequate countermeasures to prevent phishing attacks. We study the impact of release of phishing alerts on firm value.We use a novel asset pricing model for conducting an event study.Phishing alerts negatively impact firm value for global companies.Financial holding companies are strongly affected by release of such alerts.
43 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the impact of individual logistics-related factors, namely, supplier involvement (SI), length of supplier relationship (LSR), use of information technology (IT), and logistics integration (LI), on a firm's supply chain performance was analyzed.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of individual logistics-related factors, namely, supplier involvement (SI), length of supplier relationship (LSR), use of information technology (IT), and logistics integration (LI) on a firm's supply chain performance (SCP) and test for the mediating effect of LI in a multi-country survey conducted in Brazil, Korea and India. The paper also develops a composite variable, supply chain competency (SCC), as an overall measure of the quality of a firm's supply chain and demonstrate its effect on a firm's SCP. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology was based on designing and administering a survey instrument. Data collected from 187 organizations in Brazil, Korea and India were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling methodology. Findings – Results show that for the combined data, the direct effects of SI, LSR and IT on SCP are insignificant while LI has a very significant direct effect on SCP. On the ot...
40 citations
TL;DR: An example has been shown to illustrate the cost savings under the proposed model of an alternative replenishment scheme allowing for different replenishment cycles for each retailer.
34 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a conceptual framework which divides various organizational processes into four different classes and delineates the varied aspects of outsourcing capability that a firm would need to use to manage these varied classes of processes as and when they are outsourced.
Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this paper is to go beyond the “What to outsource” and “To Outsource or Not” debate. Recognizing outsourcing as a fast growing reality that firms have to depend upon, the paper concerns itself with optimal management of outsourcing arrangements through the practice of “outsourcing capability”. It argues that outsourcing failure can be mitigated if organizations see outsourcing as an “ongoing activity” to be managed as opposed to treating it as a one-time opportunistic “act”. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the review of existing literature and drawing upon recent instances of outsourcing successes and failures, the paper develops a conceptual framework which divides various organizational processes into four different classes. It delineates the varied aspects of “outsourcing capability” that a firm would need to use to manage these varied class of processes as and when they are outsourced. Findings – There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to managing outsourced processes. Dif...
34 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the role of cultural variations conceptualized in terms of vertical and horizontal individualism and collectivism in the prediction of work-family conflict in four different distinc... in the US.
Abstract: In this study, we examine the role of cultural variations conceptualized in terms of vertical and horizontal individualism and collectivism in the prediction of work–family conflict in four distinc...
28 citations
TL;DR: Organizational communication is a multi-disciplinary subject area incorporating business communication, organizational behaviour, psychology, human resource management and much more as discussed by the authors, and it is an important area of research.
Abstract: Organizational communication is a multi-disciplinary subject area incorporating business communication, organizational behaviour, psychology, human resource management and much more. If organizatio...
28 citations
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: In this article, the impact of sustainable/green supply chain management (SSCM/GSCM) on firm performance is reviewed with a view to identifying the most commonly used practices and proposing new constructs, variables, and construct relationships.
Abstract: The literature on sustainable/green supply chain management (SSCM/GSCM) has been non-uniform in terms of defining constructs, variables, and causal relationships among constructs. This article reviews the impact of SSCM/GSCM on firm performance with a view to identifying the most commonly used practices and proposing new constructs, variables, and construct relationships by drawing from the literature on SSCM/GSCM, reverse logistics, closed-loop supply chains, and strategic management. This article also builds a conceptual framework, grounded in theory, linking GSCM practices with firm performance, and presents propositions that may be tested in future studies on SSCM. Finally, implications of this research for practitioners and researchers are highlighted.
TL;DR: The authors explored how consumers reconcile religious precepts with materialism in today's consumer culture and society with an ethnographic study of a worldwide Buddhist organization that practices Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.
Abstract: The pursuit of material pleasures, construed as symbolizing consumer culture, is often at odds with religion. Hence for consumers for whom religion is important, there may be a quandary reconciling religious values, such as simple living and modest possessions with living in today's society awash with the ideology of consumerism with its abundance of goods and propaganda of the materialistic good life. This study explores how consumers reconcile religious precepts with materialism in today's consumer culture and society with an ethnographic study of a worldwide Buddhist organization that practices Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. The study reveals that religion can embrace even the paradoxical entities of consumerism, materialism, and spiritualism; transcend thought duality; and emanate the positive potential intrinsic to all, leading to an individual human revolution with implications for marketing and societal transformation. The researcher hopes to add to the understanding of the religion, consumerism, and materialism linkage.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: An algorithm is developed that tracks variance as well as expected reward in a stochastic dynamic programming model for inventory control and uses the mean-variance solutions in a heuristic, RiskTrackr, to construct efficient frontiers which could be an ideal decision support tool for risk-reward analysis.
Abstract: Traditionally inventory management models have focused on risk-neutral decision making with the objective of maximizing the expected rewards or minimizing costs over a specified time horizon. However, for items marked by high demand volatility such as fashion goods and technology products, this objective needs to be balanced against the risk associated with the decision. Depending on how the product performs vis-a-vis the seller's original forecast, the seller could end up with losses due to either short or surplus supply. Unfortunately, traditional models do not address this issue. Stochastic dynamic programming models have been extensively used for sequential decision making in the context of multi-period inventory management, but in the traditional way where one either minimizes costs or maximizes profits. Risk is implicitly considered by accounting for stock-out costs. Considering risk and reward simultaneously and explicitly in a stochastic dynamic setting is a cumbersome task and often difficult to implement for practical purposes, since dynamic programming is designed to optimize on one variable, not two. In this paper we develop an algorithm, Variance-Retentive Stochastic Dynamic Programming that tracks variance as well as expected reward in a stochastic dynamic programming model for inventory control. We use the mean-variance solutions in a heuristic, RiskTrackr, to construct efficient frontiers which could be an ideal decision support tool for risk-reward analysis.
TL;DR: This work develops a method for construction of arrays which are nearly Orthogonal, in the sense that each column is orthogonal to a large proportion of the other columns, and which are convertible to fully orthogonic arrays via a mapping of the symbols in each column to a possibly smaller set of symbols.
Abstract: We develop a method for construction of arrays which are nearly orthogonal, in the sense that each column is orthogonal to a large proportion of the other columns, and which are convertible to fully orthogonal arrays via a mapping of the symbols in each column to a possibly smaller set of symbols. These arrays can be useful in computer experiments as designs which accommodate a large number of factors and enjoy attractive space-filling properties. Our construction allows both the mappable nearly orthogonal array and the consequent fully orthogonal array to be either symmetric or asymmetric. Resolvable orthogonal arrays play a key role in the construction.
TL;DR: A subset of the starting solutions for a new genetic algorithm, QPSD_GEN, is shown to provide near-optimal solutions very quickly, due to its polynomial running time, which can be used for much larger instances than Q PSD_MDFBB can handle.
TL;DR: An integrated mathematical model is developed that captures trade-offs related to inventory of semi-finished goods, inventory of components, outsourcing costs, and customer demand based on guaranteed lead time and price and provides managerial insights for firms faced with the conflicting needs of offering.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored how different dimensions of service quality influence customers' behavioural intentions in class and mass banking and the implications for public and consumer policy and revealed that financial consumer policy must build security and trust in public administration and that the concept of quality must visualize public agencies as catalysts of a responsible and active civic society.
Abstract: The financial sector reforms in India advocated globalization, deregulation and the liberalisation of entry norms to permit new banks in the private sector. This has increased competitive pressures on the state-owned public sector banks which concurrently have to fulfill their social obligations towards the financial development of the economy and citizens. This study explores how different dimensions of service quality influence customers’ behavioural intentions in class and mass banking and the implications for public and consumer policy. A contextually modified SERVQUAL instrument along with multiple regression and in-depth interviews were used. The study reveals that financial consumer policy must build security and trust in public administration and that the concept of quality must visualize public agencies as catalysts of a responsible and active civic society.
TL;DR: This paper proposes an extension of TCP, called on-board TCP (obTCP), to effectively address the double wireless link related issues in NEMO, and compares obTCP against a classical scheme, called snoop, known for its effectiveness in terminal mobility, and analytically demonstrates that the performance gain of ob TCP over snoop increases linearly with the delays, and non-linearly withThe loss probabilities in the wireless links.
TL;DR: The benefits of nuclear energy for power production and its allied applications on the one side and the risks posed on the other side have been a subject of constant debate as discussed by the authors. But the benefits and risks posed by nuclear energy as a safe source of energy have been constant debate.
Abstract: Nuclear energy as a safe source of energy has been a subject of constant debate. The benefits of nuclear energy for power production and its allied applications on the one side and the risks posed ...
TL;DR: Data Envelopment Analysis is integrated with DEA to generate local weights of alternatives from pair-wise comparison of judgment matrix used in the AHP for a three attribute system for measuring performance of personnel at entry level of managerial hierarchy.
Abstract: The manpower in an organization constitutes an important and essential asset. Competent personnel endowed with individual academic and managerial strengths in specific disciplines and personal capabilities, who can undertake a variety of marketing or research assignments, are needed in any organization as they substantially credit to its performance. Development of rational techniques for capability assessment during recruitment of personnel is therefore vital. The techniques that are normally employed for decision making in identification of performance attributes including their weight assignments include techniques like Delphi and decision matrix, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) etc. AHP converts qualitative opinion of experts into quantified values and generates a decision matrix. In this paper, we have integrated Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to generate local weights of alternatives from pair-wise comparison of judgment matrix used in the AHP for a three attribute system for measuring performance of personnel at entry level of managerial hierarchy. Multiple expert judgments have been considered for weight determination of the attributes. Thus, DEAHP (i.e., combined DEA-AHP approach) has been proposed in this paper as an alternative to the traditional methods of weight derivation in AHP.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the linkage between customer-perceived service quality and customers' complaining behavior and its implications for the service provider, and showed that employee attitude is most important for influencing customers' behavior, followed by reliability, tangibles, and convenience.
Abstract: This study explores the linkage between customer-perceived service quality and customers’ complaining behavior and its implications for the service provider. A modified SERVQUAL instrument was used to capture customers’ perceptions of service quality followed by exploratory factor analysis to study the dimensionality of service quality. Multiple regression results provide strong support for the predictive power of perceived dimensions of service quality on customers’ complaining behavior and shows that employee attitude is most important for influencing customers’ complaining behavior, followed by reliability, tangibles, and convenience. Implications for the service provider are discussed.
19 Mar 2014
TL;DR: A method for extending the standard fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm for detection of temporal changes in customer data is developed and it is shown to lead to formation of clusters that are better than those produced by the fuzzy c -means (FCM) algorithm.
Abstract: Extant research has studied customer behavior in a static manner. But customer clustering can be used to identify the dynamic behavioral patterns of customers over a period of time. We develop a method for extending the standard fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm for detection of temporal changes in customer data. The study using real-life data leads to detection of appearance of new clusters and disappearance of old clusters. Using cluster validity indexes the novel method is shown to lead to formation of clusters that are better than those produced by the fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm.
18 Dec 2014
TL;DR: New rule based classifiers based on Firefly and Threshold Accepting Algorithms for classifying a company as fraudulent or non fraudulent with respect to their financial statements are proposed and t-statistic based feature selection is applied.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose new rule based classifiers based on Firefly (FF) and Threshold Accepting (TA) Algorithms viz., Improved Firefly Miner, Threshold Accepting Miner, Hybridized Firefly-Threshold Accepting (FFTA) based Miner for classifying a company as fraudulent or non fraudulent with respect to their financial statements. We apply t-statistic based feature selection and investigate its impact on the results. FFTA and TA miners turned to be statistically similar. Both algorithms outperformed standard decision tree both in terms of sensitivity and the length of rules.
TL;DR: These DEA models and methods developed in this work will help decision makers in developing an optimal strategy to transfer excess input to other DMUs.
Abstract: In this paper, we have formulated Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models to reduce the inputs in an inefficient Decision Making Unit (DMU) when the specific inputs are under the constant sum constraint. We have also extended the models to reallocate the excess input without any reduction in efficiency of other DMUs. These DEA models and methods developed in this work will help decision makers in developing an optimal strategy to transfer excess input to other DMUs. Theoretical results have been illustrated with the help of a case study.
27 Sep 2014
TL;DR: The paper proposes an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) based mobile banking model in the cloud suitable for a developing country like India and can perform the basic formal banking operations with less dependence on external agents or business correspondents.
Abstract: This paper discusses the role of Financial Inclusion in a country like India and mobile banking as a means to attain it. The paper discusses the increasing penetration of mobile phones and the key considerations of use of mobile banking. The paper proposes an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) based mobile banking model in the cloud suitable for a developing country like India. The World Development Indicators show increasing penetration of mobile phones in both the developed and the developing world. This model can perform the basic formal banking operations with less dependence on external agents or business correspondents. The model assumes the availability of Internet facility in the mobile phones. IVR based models in the cloud are very rare. Most of the existing models use mobile Short Messaging Service (SMS).
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: The methods can be incorporated in existing commercial Workflow Management Systems to make the software an intelligent system which will not only detect the data-flow errors, but also automatically suggest to the designer possible ways to correct the data -flow errors.
Abstract: When a workflow is designed, not only should it be free from control-flow errors like deadlocks and lack of synchronization, but should also be checked for data-flow correctness. Recent approaches have categorized dataflow errors and have suggested methods for detecting data-flow errors but only a few approaches have been reported yet on the automatic correction of data-flow errors. In this paper, we present methods and related issues for correcting data-flow errors in workflows. The methods can be incorporated in existing commercial Workflow Management Systems to make the software an intelligent system which will not only detect the data-flow errors, but also automatically suggest to the designer possible ways to correct the data-flow errors.
27 May 2014
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluate the professional status of business management from a sociological analysis of the profession and argue that whether it is a profession or not, the managers need to demonstrate professionalism.
Abstract: Amidst growing claims very recently by several distinguished scholars that business management should be considered as a true profession, we evaluate its professional status from a sociological analysis of the profession. We argue that whether it is a profession or not, the managers need to demonstrate professionalism. We understand the notion and meaning of professionalism and its importance for professions and non-professional occupations. In course of evaluating and discussing professionalism by Evetts, as embodiment of elements of both occupational value and ideology, as controlling the organization of work of business managers, we argue that professionalism of business managers is best understood when the ‘notion of control’ is embedded in the very idea of ‘character’.
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TL;DR: This paper applied a modified Heckman selection model to Indian National Sample Survey data on informal manufacturing enterprises and found that home-based, relatively asset-poor, and female-owned firms are more likely to be in a subcontracting relationship.
Abstract: There are two divergent perspectives on the impact of subcontracting on firms in the informal sector. According to the benign view, formal sector firms prefer linkages with relatively modern firms in the informal sector, and subcontracting enables capital accumulation and technological improvement in the latter. According to the exploitation view, formal sector firms extract surplus from stagnant, asset-poor informal sector firms that use cheap family labour in home-based production. However, direct, firm-level evidence on the determinants and impact of subcontracting is thus far lacking in the literature. We apply a modified Heckman selection model to Indian National Sample Survey data on informal manufacturing enterprises (2005{06). We find that home-based, relatively asset-poor, and female-owned firms are more likely to be in a subcontracting relationship. Further, we perform selectivity-corrected Oaxaca-Blinder Decomposition and calculate treatment effects to show that subcontracting benefits smaller firms, firms in industrially backward states and rural firms; it is harmful for larger firms, firms in industrially advanced states, and urban firms. Our results suggest that the effects of subcontracting are more complex than those predicted by the divergent perspectives. Policy-makers need to engage with this complexity.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the likely influence of social media on the issue of strategic decision making and the mechanism of such influence, and propose a knowledge integration mechanism through which such influence materializes.
Abstract: This chapter discusses conceptually with some anecdotal evidence how social media engagement by business firms can influence their strategic decision making. It suggests a model of influence and proposes a knowledge integration mechanism through which such influence materializes. Social media engagement by business firms has been steadily on the rise, with its application extending to a range of corporate functions beyond marketing and customer engagement, many of which can be construed as strategic. However, the potential influence of social media on strategy process or strategic decision making has not been fully explored. In addressing this gap, this chapter conceptually explores the likely influence of social media on the issue of strategic decision making and the mechanism of such influence. Embellished by some illustrative anecdotes from practice, this chapter suggests a plausible model whereby corporate social media engagement influences the strategy process in firms through the three key dimensions – environmental factors, strategic characteristics, and decision issue characteristics. In particular, social media engagement is conceived as ingraining knowledge creation and integration through socialization within an extended value network.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a reformulation that departs from the standard model by replacing the home bond by home stock and static expectations by regressive (stabilizing) expectations.
Abstract: In the textbook Mundell-Fleming analysis of an open economy in the short run interest bearing bonds are the only assets and expectation about exchange rate movements is usually taken to be static. This is not a good description of the Indian economy where capital inflow in recent years has predominantly taken the form of portfolio investment in stocks and it is driven very strongly by expectations of capital gains. The present exercise is a reformulation that departs from the standard model by replacing (a) the home bond by home stock and (b) static expectations by regressive (stabilizing) expectations. Country risk is captured in the standard model through the introduction of risk premium which is taken as an exogenous parameter. We have made the risk premium endogenous by making it dependent on the country’s current account deficit and the government’s budget deficit. These modifications produce some new results that do not hold in the textbook version.