Showing papers by "Indian Institute of Management Calcutta published in 2016"

Models to explore remanufacturing as a competitive strategy under duopoly

Abstract: Remanufacturing is a product recovery option that upgrades the quality of returns to “as-good-as-new” conditions. Remanufactured products cost less, and are sold with the same or better warranty as for new products. In this paper, we consider a duopoly environment with two manufacturers in direct competition selling their respective new products on the primary market. Specifically, we address the question: In case one manufacturer decides to remanufacture and sell remanufactured products on the price-sensitive secondary market, will it get a competitive advantage over the other manufacturer? We develop theoretical models for a single period and two periods, and show that under the stated assumptions, remanufacturing is almost always more profitable than when there is no remanufacturing. Although remanufacturing may cannibalize new product sales, the combined profitability and market share of the (re)manufacturer on account of new and remanufactured product sales improve over new product sales only. For the competitor, we get mixed results. In some situations, its profitability improves; in some others, it worsens. We also conduct sensitivity analyses with respect to the substitution parameters, price-sensitivity of the secondary market, rate of return of used products (cores), relative market shares of the manufacturers, and relative sizes of the primary and secondary markets. We conclude the paper with managerial implications and directions for future research.

Leadership Styles, Leader’s Effectiveness and Well-being: Exploring Collective Efficacy as a Mediator:

Abstract: The present study explored the relationships among leadership styles, leader’s effectiveness and well-being directly as well as indirectly through collective efficacy among the employees of the education industry, the latest entrant on the Indian scene. Ninety full-time employees participated in the study. They were administered the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ; Bass & Avolio, 2004. The multifactor leadership questionnaire: Third edition manual and sampler set), Job-related Affective Well-being Scale (JAWS; Van Katwyk, Fox, Spector & Kelloway, 2000. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5[2], 219–230) and Collective Efficacy scale (Karrasch, 2003. Lessons learnt on collective efficacy in multinational teams. Alexandria, VA: United States Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences). Mediation regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that transactional style has influenced both the outcome variables directly as well as indirectly more th...

Optimal pricing and core acquisition strategy for a hybrid manufacturing/remanufacturing system

Abstract: Remanufacturing is one of the product recovery options where the quality of used products (cores) is upgraded to ‘as-good-as-new’ conditions. In this article, we consider a monopolist firm selling new and remanufactured products to quality-conscious primary customers and price-sensitive secondary customers, respectively, with one-way substitution, i.e. some primary customers may substitute new products by remanufactured products while secondary customers can never afford to buy new products. We develop economic models under two scenarios – when the supply of cores is unconstrained and when manufacturers have to procure cores at an acquisition price. The major observations of the article are as follows. A firm is better off when there is no constraint on the supply of cores. Even when cores have to be acquired at an acquisition price, the profitability is higher than that when the firm does not engage in remanufacturing activities. When a larger number of primary customers replace new products with remanuf...

Kafkaesque institutions at the base of the pyramid

Abstract: Impelled by neo-liberal ideology, base-of-the-pyramid (BOP) and subsistence market discourses have put emphases on markets, profits and entrepreneurialism. Because of this ideological mooring, ther...

Impact of Consumption Emotions on WOM in Movie Consumption: Empirical Evidence from Emerging Markets:

Abstract: In this study, we empirically investigate the impact of consumers’ pleasure and arousal on customer satisfaction, likelihood of WOM and positive WOM, in the context of Bollywood movies in India. We...

Omission and Commission as Marketplace Trauma

Abstract: This article discusses the concepts of omission and commission as marketplace trauma within the theoretical framework of cultural trauma theory. The authors identify the meanings and processes of the people, activities, and outcomes likely when marketplace omission and/or commission occur, as well as the factors that elevate these events from collective to cultural trauma. The authors use concepts of social structure, collective practices, and collective discourse in exploring the interconnectivity of marketplace traumas and their actors, victims, and consequences (i.e., constrained consumption, damaged marketing systems, and institutional privilege). They then leverage the same framework to propose further research and corrective actions.

A knowledge based scheme for risk assessment in loan processing by banks

Abstract: Inadequacy in the compliance auditing (CA) process is one of the major reasons behind corporate frauds and accrual of non-performing assets within the banking sector. This phenomenon threatens the organization, stakeholders and society at large. The traditional CA process is slow and often inadequate in highly regulated and networked sectors such as banking, insurance and healthcare. This paper proposes a knowledge driven automated compliance auditing scheme for the processing of loans by banks. We collect 100 cases that are designated as fraudulent by banks and use them to design an automated risk score card model. The model uses text mining to automatically classify DPCs (Deviation Pattern Components) from unstructured text based cases. DPC patterns in a case give an early indication of the portfolio turning into a NPA. At the same time the cases are reviewed by five expert auditors in order to determine their risk level, risk impact and ease of detection. A logistic regression based model is used to derive risk scores of the case studies and classify the cases. By incorporating experts' opinion along with data mining techniques, the model automates the prediction of risk level, risk impact and ease of detection of fraudulent cases that deal with loan processing. The classifier performs well in terms of various performance metrics. The knowledge based method has the potential to save time and expensive human resources by automating the risk analysis of fraudulent loan processing cases reported by banks. A knowledge based scheme is developed for risk analysis in loan processing.Text mining and logistic regression classifier are used to build the model.Risk scores are obtained for deviation patterns and loan processing activities.

Supply chain management in emerging economies

Abstract: This introductory article of the special issue on supply chain management in the emerging economies attempts to categorize the research that exists in the field and identify the areas of potential research opportunities in supply chain management within the context of emerging economies. Specifically, we note that (i) few studies have been conducted at the supply chain level; (ii) few studies have looked at supply chain practices in the context of emerging economies; and (iii) a significant gap exists on how cultural and infrastructural issues could influence the performance of supply chains in emerging economies in comparison with what exists in developed economies. The articles selected for the special issue are summarized, implications of the findings of these articles are synthesized, and some recommendations for future research in this field are offered.

Enhancing competitive advantage by constructing supply chains to achieve superior performance

Abstract: This paper studies the impact of configuring supply chain design strategies on performance using real-world example of aligning different supply chain practices to supply chain strategies to achieve competitive advantage. The paper first carries out a synthesis of literature categorising the supply chain strategies, practices and linking them to contexts and competitive advantage. The paper then uses a case study methodology to explore the process of adjusting supply chain strategies and aligned practices to gain competitive advantage in different contexts. The paper reports two case examples of a leaf tobacco company and a mosquito coil manufacturer from India facing different demand characteristics and implementing different supply chain strategies for enhancing performance objectives. Both companies faced a change in their business environment and competitive priorities. In both the examples, companies used a combination of practices for implementing appropriate supply chain strategies to gain ...

Structural equation modelling of determinants of consumer-based brand equity of newspapers

Abstract: In an increasingly competitive media market, branding is a potent tool in the hands of media firms. Though significant developments have taken place in the realm of practice, there is sparse research in the academic domain on consumer-based brand performance drivers in the media industry. The objective of this article is to establish the variables that affect the customer-based brand equity (CBBE) of newspaper brands. A survey of local newspapers was undertaken, among consumers in India, to establish a brand equity model for newspapers, based on Aaker’s CBBE theory. Data were collected through survey, and factor analysis of the data indicated that localisation, ideology, credibility, and entertainment are the variables that influence CBBE. Subsequently, structural equation modelling revealed that all the variables had positive impact on brand equity. For marketers of newspapers, this study identifies the factors that they need to focus on if they want to garner the equity of the brand. For the fir...

Labour market outcome for formal vocational education and training in India: Safety net and beyond

Abstract: This paper explores the safety net aspect of the labour market incentive for vocational education and training (VET) in the Indian context. Using two rounds of National Sample Survey data this paper explores the wage, unemployment, and status of employment of the individuals who participate in the labour market after completing VET. It is observed that there is a significant positive return of VET to the wages, and a significant number of individuals participate in salaried work. However, unemployment from VET is quite high, particularly for the individuals who have done VET courses which correspond to lower levels of general education. Institutional factors which may impact this labour market outcome are also explored for the Indian context.

Delay Estimates for Graphene Nanoribbons: A Novel Measure of Fidelity and Experiments with Global Routing Trees

Abstract: With extreme miniaturization of traditional CMOS devices in deep sub-micron design levels, the delay of a circuit, as well as power dissipation and area are dominated by interconnections between logic blocks. In an attempt to search for alternative materials, Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have been found to be potential for both transistors and interconnects due to its outstanding electrical and thermal properties. GNRs provide better options as materials used for global routing trees in VLSI circuits. However, certain special characteristics of GNRs prohibit direct application of existing VLSI routing tree construction methods for the GNR-based interconnection trees. In this paper, we address this issue possibly for the first time, and propose a heuristic method for construction of GNR-based minimum-delay Steiner trees based on linear-cum-bending hybrid delay model. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods. We propose a novel technique for analyzing the relative accuracy of the delay estimates using rank correlation and statistical significance test. We also compute the delays for the trees generated by hybrid delay heuristic using Elmore delay approximation and use them for determining the relative accuracy of the hybrid delay estimate.

A human mobility based knowledge sharing approach for post disaster need assessment using DTN

Abstract: In a post disaster scenario, assessment of resource needs is indeed challenging because needs are constantly changing and supplies trickle in at an uncertain rate. Moreover, information about resource needs of far-flung areas get rarely permeated owing to the disruption of cellular and other communication infrastructure, leading to a huge gap in perception about the actual needs in those areas. Therefore, a dynamic need assessment mechanism is essential to stay abreast of the actual situation. Movements of volunteers and relief workers are governed by two dominant characteristics of human mobility - spatial locality and spatial regularity. In this paper, we make use of such mobility characteristics to propose a knowledge sharing based approach for dynamic assessment of post disaster resource needs using a smart-phone based delay tolerant network (DTN). The proposed technique caters to the objective of bridging the gap in perception about actual resource needs.

Outbound logistics management practices in the automotive industry: an emerging economy perspective

Abstract: Outbound logistics management practices, specific to India have drawn limited attention in the past. Recently though, this sector has garnered renewed attention of researchers and practitioners. Through an exploratory study, we attempt to understand and illustrate the outbound logistics management practices of automotive industry in India. Outbound logistics is divided into a set of interlinked functions based on a logistics framework and described accordingly. Based on findings from the exploratory study and extant literature in this field, a framework for the development of integrated logistics management practices in the aut omotive industry in India is derived and several research directions are proposed.

Towards a Collaborative Disaster Management Service Framework using Mobile and Web Applications: A Survey and Future Scope

Abstract: Getting the right information at the right time and place is the key for efficient disaster management. Various mobile and web applications are now being used for collecting situational information in digital form, assessing damage, coordinating relief operations and offering different location based services to the affected communities during disaster management. This article provides a thorough investigation on popular web-based and mobile applications currently being used in different countries. Subsequently, the taxonomy of essential services needed for systematic and coordinated disaster management is formulated based on literature review and the authors' interaction with different stakeholders. An outline of a collaborative disaster management service framework is then proposed with the facility of interaction for the stakeholders through their mobile phones to avail the services in different phases of a disaster. A basic version of this framework is implemented to evaluate its effectiveness as a provider of significant actionable information to offer responsive services

Return to General Education and Vocational Education & Training in Indian Context: Policy Implications.

Abstract: Purpose – Measurement of returns to vocational education has always remained a matter of controversy (Psacharopoulos, 1994; Bennell and Segerstrom, 1998; Ziderman, 1997). Based upon the return evidence many World Bank projects were scrapped (Middleton and Ziderman, 1997, Bennell and Segerstrom, 1998). However, there is again a growing interest for Vocational Education in different countries as well as in international body like UNESCO (Debroy, 2009; King, 2009; McGrath, 2012). Unfortunately there is little justification for this growth from the returns to Vocational Education literature. India is one among the countries where fervent around vocational education and training (henceforth VET) is quite discernible at present. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Standard Minerian, extended Mincerian and Heckman two-stage methods are used to measure returns to VET vis-a-vis returns to general education in Indian context while taking care of selection bias problem. It is measur...