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2757 items in total found

Working Papers | 2006

An Exploratory Study of Factors affecting MBA Students Attitude towards Learning via Case Study Pedagogy: Insights from Advertising Literature

Ramendra Singh and Piyush Kumar Sinha

Case based pedagogy has become popular in most business schools today, since the pioneering efforts made by Harvard Business School, several decades ago. Although the case method approach stands firmly on grounds its effectiveness in 'simulating reality of the business world' in the classroom, yet it has its own limitations and cannot be used in all learning situations This article delves into both sides of the debate on the efficacy of case method for learning and through an exploratory study, models the attitude of MBA students towards the perceived learning aspects of the pedagogy. The premise of our beliefs-only attitude model rests on the conceptual analogy between a case study and an advertisement message as two similar forms of communication technology. Drawing heavily from the insights available in the advertising literature, the article suggests several hypotheses for future empirical validation.

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Working Papers | 2006

Tapping Economies of Scale and Scope in Consumer Cooperation - A Case Analysis of Possible Cooperation among selected Cooperatives

Samar K. Datta and Rahul Nilakantan

Because of its narrow and negative perspective of safeguarding the interests of only poor consumers against unethical practices of the private traders, consumer cooperation in India seems to have failed, except probably in some isolated pockets. A number of social welfare functions like poverty alleviation and public distribution of essential items of consumption have been imposed on them at the cost of their basic economics. With the basic micro and macro-economic rationale for consumer cooperatives as a positive form of economic organization being lost sight of, they seem to be facing enormous problems both historically as well as currently in a era of economic liberalization. Their worries seem to have been compounded with the threat of impending competition from large private enterpriss - both domestic and foreign, which highlights the need for evolving strategies to rectivy their systemic weaknesses and tackling the competition head on. This case has attempted to document just such an initiative through a round table conference with several doyens of the consumer cooperative movement in India such as Warana Bazar and Amalsad Mandali as well as some fledging consumer cooperatives from West Bengal which are already in existence for some time or contemplating entry into this field. The roundtable conference organized in the spirit of Cooperation among Cooperatives attempted to evolve strategies to capture economies of scale and scope in order to take on the competition, as well as to facilitate dissemination of ideas and information across the country.

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Working Papers | 2006

Family and Store Choice - A Conceptual Framework

Tripathi Sanjeev, Piyush Kumar Sinha, and Piyush Kumar Sinha

Retail Store choice has traditionally been studied from the perspective of an individual. The retail offering is however consumed more by the family than by an individual. This study questions the study of store choice by an individual and argues that the family is the relevant unit of analysis. The study draws on the extensive literature available on store choice and also on the family decision making for products and services. It identifies the key factors from the literature, which might be affecting the store choice of a family. On the basis of these factors, it proposes a conceptual framework for studying the retail store choice as a family decision.

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Working Papers | 2006

An Assessment of the Impact of Distribution Channel Conflict on Channel Efficiency - Few Improvised Conceptual Models

Ramendra Singh

The primary purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of the impact of distribution channel conflicts on the channel efficiency, which has hitherto received little attention in distribution channel literature. Although 'channel conflict' as a construct is fairly well researched and its relationship with channel efficiency is explored to some extent, yet the moderating effect of the conflict resolution strategies on the channel efficiency is largely absent in the channel literature. From a behavioral science perspective, the article models the channel conflict-efficiency relationship, for three different types of conflict resolution methods-problem solving, bargaining and politics, in the context of asymmetric power relationships. The managerial implications of these conceptual models lie in making organizations (channel captains), dealing with their channel partners, foresee the possible impacts of their adopted conflict resolution strategies, on their channel efficiency and accordingly maximize returns on the channel investments.

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Working Papers | 2006

Vision 2020: The Role and Scope of Operations Research Models

N. Ravichandran

In this theme article, we summarize the broad characteristics of Vision 2020 (a document which outlines the transformation process related to evolution of India as a developed nation by 2020) as envisaged by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. We discuss the enabling role of our discipline related to this critical national (social) transformation process. This theme article is organized in three segments. The first segment, which is drawn heavily based on the published work by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam introduces the salient features of Vision 2020 and a road map related to realizing this national dream. The second segment sketches the evolution of operations research as a scientific discipline in the international and Indian context. The third and final segment of the article relate OR tools and techniques that can facilitate the planning and implementation of several projects / activities / policies in the overall context of Vision 2020.

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Working Papers | 2006

A Stochastic Linear Programming Model for Asset Liability Management: The Case of an Indian Insurance Company

Garg Ankur, Tiwari Apoorva, Goutam Dutta, and Basu Shankarshan

Asset - Liability management is one of the most critical tasks for any financial institution for determining its cushion against the risk and the net returns. The problem of asset liability management for an insurance company requires matching the cash inflows from premium collections and investment income with the cash outflows due to casualty and maturity claims. Thus, what is required is a prudent investment strategy such that the returns earned on the assets match the liability claims at all points of time in future. Conventionally, the asset allocation has been done using the Mean Variance approach due to Markowitz (1952, 1959). While such a strategy ensures that the asset value always match or are greater than the liability for the next year, it does not maximise the net worth of the firm nor does it take care of all the cash inflows and outflows over a long term period. A stochastic linear programming model (on the lines of Pirbhai, 2004) maximises the net worth of the firm and also takes care of the uncertainties. While there are instances of stochastic linear programming being applied for ALM in financial institutions in developed markets, no such practical application has been reported in this area in Indian context as yet. In this paper, we describe the development of a multi stage stochastic linear programming model for insurance companies. The multi-stage stochastic linear programming model was developed on the modelling language AMPL (Fourer, 2002).

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Working Papers | 2006

The Value-Congruity Relationship Model

Kaul Subhashini, Pradyumana Khokle, and Abraham Koshy

Marketers have always aimed at improving quality of relationship with consumers. Recent efforts exploring into brand-consumer relationships indicates that individuals use the interpersonal relationship elements to forge associations with brands and stores. This paper draws from interpersonal literature to develop a value-congruity model of relationship where four district circles are identified. Each circle is associated with a set of values and relationship progression is conceived of as a movement inwards based on value-congruity.

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Working Papers | 2006

A Conceptual Note on Influencing Store Loyalty: Implications for Indian Retailers

Kaul Subhashini

Store loyalty is the most initial variable of interest to retailers. This paper reviews existing retail literature to identify the dimensions of store loyalty; with specific focus on its antecedents such as store image. The paper also discusses methodological issues in measuring store loyalty and image in the current Indian context.

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Working Papers | 2006

Identities and Store Image Formation: A Study of Retail Consumer Store Choice Behaviour

Kaul Subhashini

This theoretical paper develops a series of models applying social identify theory to the retail content. The shopper is conceived of as an actor whose self-image and related identities impact store image perceptions. The paper address how identify conflicts are likely to be resolved by a shopper and takes into account the `ideal` and `actual` selves. Suggestions are provided as to how retailers could employ symbolic cues to address different operating identities.

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Working Papers | 2006

Hedonism and Culture: Impact on Shopper Behaviour

Kaul Subhashini

Increasingly consumer shopping behaviour is being seen from the holistic perspective of the entire shopping experience. The experiential view of shopping takes a far more holistic approach to the consumption process, right from involvement to post purchase usage, and incorporates the hedonistic perspective into the existing, primarily cognitive- rational information processing view of consumption. Hedonic shopping value refers to the sense of enjoyment and pleasure that the consumer receives from the entire buying experience associated with shopping at a store and this value perception could vary depending on individual shopping orientations, the cultural orientations as well as the economic and competitive environment in which the consumer shops. This paper attempts to understand the impact of all three factors on the purchase behaviour of shoppers by examining hedonic value across different product categories signifying different shopping orientations; across culturally distinct countries; across developing and developed economies; and across different stages of retail evolution.

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