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 & Emerging markets. The organization has 415 authors who have published 1354 publications receiving 21725 citations. The organization is also known as: IIMC & IIM Calcutta.

Challenging the Incumbent: The Impact of Product Quality and Network Effects

Abstract: This work explores the implications of product quality and network effect on the decision of a firm to enter a market with the goal of displacing an already entrenched incumbent. A conceptual model is developed to simulate a market of buyers and sellers. Simulations are carried out considering buying preferences based on product quality and network effects in conjunction with market characteristics like the prior existence of a customer base and population peculiarities. The simulation results are analysed to gain an understanding of conditions under which the new entrant might be able to displace the incumbent. In such situations a power law is observed to hold between the minimum quality of the product that must be offered by the entrant and the fraction of the population that favours product quality over herding inclinations. The findings contribute to the managerial understanding of the complex interactions between different forces that may affect market entry decisions.

An Extension of on-Board TCP (obTCP) for Satellite-Terrestrial Hybrid Networks

Abstract: NEtwork MObility (NEMO) basic support protocol (BSP) is the underlying mobility management protocol for on-board TCP (obTCP) originally designed for terrestrial on-board IP networks In this paper, we have extended obTCP for terrestrial-satellite hybrid networks and compared its uploading performances with that of seamless IP diversity based NEMO (SINEMO), which is a potential candidate for these networks In terrestrial-satellite environment, the challenge lies in designing appropriate protocol functionalities for three dissimilar wireless hops (Mobile Host ? Mobile Router ? Satellite ? Ground Station) in cascade We have first described the modified protocol, then developed an analytical model to characterize its performance, and finally validated the performance model through discrete event simulation Our analysis shows that obTCP (running on top of NEMO BSP) outperforms SINEMO, as long as BER is less than 10-4, in terms of both end-to-end delay and throughput

Impact of Sales Call Adaptiveness and Customer Willingness on Sales Call Length: A Cross-Country Study of India, China, Korea, and Philippines

Abstract: In this empirical study across four countries (India, China, Korea, and Philippines), we examine the impact of sales call adaptiveness and customer willingness on sales call length (duration) of salespersons in these four countries. Sales call length as well as sales call quality—although important constructs in sales—are still underresearched in the domain of sales management. Our study in these four emerging markets sheds new light on enhancing sales force effectiveness. Using survey data from 847 salespersons in four countries, we analyze using multivariate analysis, and our results suggest that sales force effectiveness can be enhanced by giving them the autonomy to decide the sales call length based on the prospect quality. We also demonstrate that salespeople indulging in sales-oriented behaviors may be detrimental to the long-term relationship with customers. Emphasis on relational sales approaches would reduce sales practices such as pitching products or services to unwilling customers. Ou...

Women’s Re-entry into Workforce: Experiences from India

Abstract: Working lives face several interruptions, either due to employers’ decisions, new regulations or individuals’ choices, resulting in breaks, slumps, stagnations or even exits. Several types of job seekers thus arise due to such interruptions, of which one category comprises individuals seeking to re-enter the workforce after a period of voluntary exit. Most South Asian countries face a challenge of low labor force participation of women with the exit of women significantly high in middle and senior levels of an organization. The Indian workforce reports a reduction in the number of women at higher organizational positions. While the percentage of women employees hired at the entry level across industries is 21, it shrinks to 15% at higher positions; of these 28% quit their jobs at the executive levels. One of the primary reasons for women leaving the workforce is child-birth. However, recent years have seen such women seeking to return to full-time work after a voluntary exit. This chapter shall focus on the experiences of women who left their jobs post child-birth and returned to the industry after a prolonged absence. We use the term re-entry women to describe such women and seek to understand their experiences of re-entry. Based on interviews with 15 women in various professions, we present the work and family expectations as perceived by women and try to understand how they navigate these during re-entry.