Indian Institute of Management Calcutta

About: Indian Institute of Management Calcutta is a education organization based out in Kolkata, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Supply chain & Context (language use). The organization has 415 authors who have published 1354 publications receiving 21725 citations. The organization is also known as: IIMC & IIM Calcutta.

Determinants and Impact of Subcontracting: Evidence from India's Informal Manufacturing Sector

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.

Patronizing Technology: An Emergent Technophilic Behavior

Abstract: Patrons are widely recognized to be instrumental in the nourishment of creative endeavors like art, music, etc. But the role of a patron and the phenomenon of patronage have never been explored in the context of technology. Some of the individuals enthusiastic about technology demonstrate interest in supporting technology research and development through donations, crowdfunding, etc. It should, therefore, be of significant interest for researchers of human-technology interactions to study these behaviors using the concept of a patron. Hence, with this paper, we aim to introduce technology patron and patronage to IS research. We begin with a review and classification of existing roles studied in recent IS literature to uncover a gap in focus on technology support category, wherein we eventually define the scope of a patron. We conclude with process maps, a conceptual framework, and some research questions on technology patronage, to establish a foundation for future research.

A probabilistic fuzzy goal programming model for managing the supply of emergency relief materials

Abstract: The post-disaster humanitarian logistic operations deal with the supply of emergency relief materials to mitigate damages in the affected areas. Immediately after the disaster, it is challenging to estimate the demand for emergency relief materials. As a result, the demand for such materials at the point of demand and the corresponding transportation costs for the entire supply chain network becomes uncertain. This paper proposes a new probabilistic fuzzy goal programming model for making decisions to manage the post-disaster supply of emergency relief materials. A suggested procedure converts the proposed model to its deterministic equivalent when the demands for the relief materials follow uniform distributions. We implement the differential evolution, a metaheuristic technique, for analyzing demand satisfaction for relief materials under various scenarios. A case example based on the Nepal Earthquake in 2015 demonstrates the usefulness of the proposed approach. The solution of the model will help the Disaster Management Agency coordinate with the humanitarian organizations and foreign countries to provide the required emergency relief materials so that an adequate level of supply can be assured to the affected areas with the least possible transportation cost.

Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Purchase Behaviour in Retail Sector - Study Based in Kolkata Area

Abstract: This study attempts to analyse the impact of novel coronavirus in the areas of awareness level of buyers, online services and huge price rise of products on consumer purchase behaviour in retail sector. The study has been conducted on 152 respondents from the different areas of Kolkata city through online mode by using an online questionnaire using convenience sampling technique. After data collection through online survey, it is analyzed using multiple regression analysis to find out the significance of individual predictor as stated above. The findings provide that the independent variable (huge price rise of products and delayed online services) highly influences the purchase behaviour of consumers. The data reflects after evaluation that the male respondents having monthly income ranged from 0 to 30,000 with an age group ranged from 25 to 35 highly influences the consumer purchase behaviour. Therefore, higher income of male respondents and huge price rise of products are highly correlated with each other towards consumer purchase behaviour. The overall findings provide implications to marketers, retailers and advertisers to implement future strategies according to the current pandemic situation towards consumer purchase behaviour in retail sector.