bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelling of pressure in the injection pipe of a diesel engine by computational intelligence
Authors: Kekez M , Radziszewski L
Published: August 2011

The aim of this paper was to create and compare models of pressure in an injection pipe built by selected methods from the field of computational intelligence. Measurements of pressure in the injection pipe of a diesel engine on a test bench were conducted. Several models of the pressure in the injection pipe, including the proposed genetic-fuzzy system (GFSm) and the well-known neuro-fuzzy ANFIS method, were built. The weakest was the Takagi–Sugeno model created by genfis3 function. The models obtained by GFSm allow for the simulation of pressure for all allowable crankshaft speeds. The best model (built by GFSm) can be used to control and evaluate the quality of the injection process of piston engines fuelled by biofuel or diesel fuel with accuracy required in practical technical applications.
Comparative testing of a novel microwave ignition source, the quarter wave coaxial cavity igniter
Authors: Stevens C A , Pertl F A , Hoke J L , Schauer F R , Smith J E
Published: August 2011

The performance of a novel microwave ignition source was experimentally tested against a standard multi-spark ignition system. Comparison of the combustion and detonation performance was measured. The growth of combustion kernels and the discharge pattern of the igniters were recorded using high-speed video cameras for visual comparison. The results showed that the transition of deflagration to detonation transition was comparable between the two ignition systems. Significant improvement in ignition of lean mixtures of ethylene and ethane were observed for the microwave ignition system over the baseline multi-spark ignition and thus should be considered for application as a lean ignition source.
Robustness analysis of a Fourier-based strategy for cylinder-individual air–fuel ratio control
Authors: Schick W , Onder C , Guzzella L
Published: August 2011

The paper investigates the robustness of a cylinder-to-cylinder air–fuel ratio controller that aims to reduce the exhaust emissions of automotive gasoline engines with spark ignition. A hardware configuration is considered where one wide-range sensor that measures the air–fuel ratio is mounted downstream of the confluence point of an exhaust manifold whose runners are linked to up to five cylinders. An uncertainty analysis is carried out for the closed-loop system with a controller based on Fourier analysis. First, a sensor non-linearity is modelled as an uncertainty and the robustness margins are investigated. With existing observers, the control loop can have a marginal robustness for systems with an even number of cylinders per sensor. For uneven cylinder numbers, however, the loop is always robust. The class of observers considered uses for reconstruction only the necessary number of spectral components of the sensor signal. A modified observer is proposed that also evaluates available redundant spectral information. As a result, the robustness is fully recovered for even numbers of cylinders and further improved for uneven numbers. The robustness is validated on an engine test-bench. Finally, a more complicated case of model uncertainty is investigated where the superimposing signals that originate from the individual cylinders are assumed to be uncertain.
Motion control of an electromagnetic valve actuator based on the inverse system method
Authors: Liu L , Chang S
Published: August 2011

In an electromagnetic valve actuator (EMVA), precise motion control is desired to achieve fully variable valve actuation, so that the fuel economy, the emissions, and the torque output performance of the engine will be improved. This paper presents an inverse system method (ISM) to achieve precise valve motion control for a moving-coil EMVA. The dynamic model of the EMVA is established, and the inverse system of the EMVA is obtained. By linearization of the non-linear EMVA system, state feedback control is used to control the valve to follow the desired valve motion. A state variable observer is designed to estimate the unmeasurable state variables. Simulations and an experimental set-up are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method. The performance of proportional–integral–derivative control is compared with ISM control in the simulations, and ISM control is robust to large parameter variations of 50 per cent. The experimental results show close agreement with the simulation results. The proposed method proved effective by achieving a transition time of 3.8 ms and a seating velocity of 0.05 m/s. Fully variable valve actuation has been achieved and the valve motion profile is given.
Rail–wheel contact stress assessment using acoustic emission: a laboratory study of the effects of wheel flats
Authors: Thakkar N A , Steel J A , Reuben R L
Published: August 2011

This article presents part of a wider laboratory study of the acoustic emission (AE) generated during rail/wheel interaction. The particular experiments reported here use simulated wheel defects with a view to developing methods of in situ wheel flat diagnosis using rail-mounted sensors. The analytical approach recognizes the similarity between rolling bearing defects [ 11 ] and wheel defects and exploits the principle of demodulated frequency resonance [ 23 ] to recognize specific defect frequencies associated with the number, intensity, and disposition of the wheel flats.

A set of experiments were carried out on a scaled test rig consisting of a single wheel running on a circular track, during which AE was recorded at a fixed point on the track. The wheel had a set of three asymmetrically distributed flats machined onto it and the rolling speed and axle load were varied. A previously developed time-based analytical model [ 17 ] validated against control experiments with an undamaged wheel, was used to reconstruct the normal pattern for a wheel running round the track and to provide a means of removing the effect of attenuation as the defect pattern moves away from and back towards the stationary sensor. Because the wheel flats contact the track at a known frequency, associated with wheel rotational speed, they introduce a pulsatile aspect to the signal, although at a frequency much lower than the frequency of the carrier (AE) wave. Accordingly, once the signal had been corrected for attenuation, it was enveloped to a suitable frequency range, and a frequency-based pulse-train model was used to devise an approach to matching the measured spectra to the expected pulse train spectra in a way similar to the concept of defect frequencies in bearings [ 24 ].

For all the enveloped time-series over the full range of conditions, the pattern of flats was clearly visible and reasonably reproducible between consecutive rotations, but with sufficient variation to warrant a spectral approach. The pattern of harmonics was, as expected, dependent on the number, intensity (size), and circumferential disposition of the wheel flats, as well as the axle load, while the rotational speed of the wheel controlled the fundamental frequency. Some frequencies lower than the fundamental were found and these were associated with track rotational frequencies and unwanted frequencies due to normal wheel rolling. These lower frequencies were removed using a high-pass filter [ 22 ] to focus on wheel flat diagnosis. It is concluded that, with appropriate calibration and modification, this approach could be used for the diagnosis of wheel defects (as distinct from track defects) in real railway wheels using either track-mounted or wheel-mounted sensors.
Improvement of curving performance by expansion of gauge widening and additional measures
Authors: Adachi M , Matsumoto A
Published: August 2011

Lateral forces between wheels and rails must be reduced in order that rolling stock runs safely and smoothly on curved tracks. The excessive lateral force will cause not only derailment of rolling stock but also destruction of tracks, rail corrugation, track irregularity, squeal noise and wear. It is important to reduce lateral force of wheels in curves, so new wheel-tread profiles and steerable bogie structures have been developed up to now, however, they cannot solve various problems in curving perfectly. In this article, the authors propose three methods for improvement of running performance on curves by using existing types of wheels and rails, and analyse the effects of three methods by numerical simulation. According to analytical results, the authors conclude that ‘expansion of gauge widening’, and ‘larger rail inclination angle of inner rail installation’ or ‘asymmetrically inclined grinding of inner rail head’ can get sufficient rolling radius difference, and are effective for improvement of running performance on curved tracks.
Study on a global control strategy for rotation speed with different work states in variable-speed constant-frequency wind turbines
Authors: Zheng G , Xu H , Wang X , Zou J
Published: August 2011

This paper studies the operation of wind turbines in terms of three phases: start-up phase, power-generation phase, and shutdown phase. Relationships between the operational phase and control rules for the speed of rotation are derived for each of these phases. Taking into account the characteristics of the control strategies in the different operational phases, a global control strategy is designed to ensure the stable operation of the wind turbine in all phases. The results of simulations are presented that indicate that the proposed algorithm can control the individual phases when considered in isolation and also when they are considered in combination. Thus, a global control strategy for a wind turbine that is based on a single algorithm is presented which could have significant implications on the control and use of wind turbines.
Low-pass-filter-based position synchronization sliding mode control for multiple robotic manipulator systems
Authors: Zhao D , Li C , Zhu Q
Published: August 2011

In this study, a novel low-pass-filter-based position synchronization sliding mode control (PSSMC) approach is developed for the operation of multiple robotic manipulator systems (MRMSs). In terms of system synchronization theory and the sliding mode control (SMC) principle, the proposed approach can stabilize position tracking of each robotic manipulator while coordinating its motion with other robotic manipulators. By application of a low-pass filter, the chattering of the robotic manipulator system with SMC can be eliminated. A corresponding stability analysis is presented to lay a foundation for theoretical understanding of the underlying issues as well as safely operating real systems. An illustrative example is bench tested to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Learning control strategies for high-rate materials testing machines
Authors: Schlotter M , Plummer A
Published: August 2011

Hydraulic high strain rate materials testing machines are required to track a user-defined velocity profile during tensile or compression tests in the face of sudden large impact forces. Due to delays and limited bandwidth of the actuation system, causal feedback/feedforward controllers fail to compensate for these disturbances. This paper presents more suitable non-causal learning control strategies, which anticipate the impact and take corrective action in advance. Two control strategies are discussed. The first comprises an iterative algorithm, which calculates a command signal correction by passing the velocity error observed in the previous test through an inverse model linearized around the target velocity. In the second approach, a detailed nonlinear inverse model is used to obtain a command signal from demand motion and force data. It is concluded that the first method is superior if two or more iterations can be performed.
Capsaicin mediates apoptosis in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma NPC-TW 039 cells through mitochondrial depolarization and endoplasmic reticulum stress
Authors: Ip S-W , Lan S-H , Lu H-F , Huang A-C , Yang J-S , Lin J-P , Huang H-Y , Lien J-C , Ho C-C , Chiu C-F , Wood WG , Chung J-G
Published: August 2011

Capsaicin, a pungent compound found in hot chili peppers, has been reported to have antitumor activities in many human cancer cell lines, but the induction of precise apoptosis signaling pathway in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells is unclear. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of capsaicin-induced apoptosis in human NPC, NPC-TW 039, cells. Effects of capsaicin involved endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, caspase-3 activation and mitochondrial depolarization. Capsaicin-induced cytotoxic effects (cell death) through G0/G1 phase arrest and induction of apoptosis of NPC-TW 039 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Capsaicin treatment triggered ER stress by promoting the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), increasing levels of inositol-requiring 1 enzyme (IRE1), growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible 153 (GADD153) and glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78). Other effects included an increase in cytosolic Ca2+, loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨ m), releases of cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), and activation of caspase-9 and -3. Furthermore, capsaicin induced increases in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and abundance of apoptosis-related protein levels. These results suggest that ER stress- and mitochondria-mediated cell death is involved in capsaicin-induced apoptosis in NPC-TW 039 cells.
Family Run Business in India: Balancing Old Wisdom with Global Realities
Authors: Jauhari Vinnie , Misra Kamlesh
Published: August 2011

India has a long tradition of family run business houses. They have achieved success over the decades and today dominate the Indian business scene. This success was achieved through management practices and wisdom that were handed down from generation to generation. Some of the traditional wisdom of managing family run business has paid high dividends to the owners and had been responsible for their growth till the early part of the 1980s. However, these very practices seem to have become the greatest bottlenecks for future growth. The emergence of the global market scenario and the liberalisation of the Indian economy have begun to put new demands for change in the practices and the methods of managing the family organisation in India. This paper focuses on identifying the major factors that contributed to the growth and success of family run business. It also looks at the new challenges facing these organisations, which are critical for their very survival in the new economic environment. Finally, the paper provides a new perspective on re-orienting the family-run businesses, which will ensure their survival and growth into the new millennium.
Price-Volume Relationship: Some Evidence from the Indian Stock Market
Authors: Singh Devi , Balasubramanian P.
Published: August 2011

A contemporaneous relation between price and volume has been established by the present study which proves contrary to the Efficient Market Hypothesis. The methodology adopted for the study is that of Granger-Causality Test which investigates the dynamic relationship between price and volume between two time series. The study tests whether the knowledge of the behaviour of past volume improves conditional price forecasts over price forecast based on past price alone. The information could be considered to be either simultaneous or sequential. The result of the study supports the sequential information arrival hypothesis which states that knowledge of the behaviour of past volume improves the price forecasts. Of the twenty shares studied, 17 shares support the leading and lagging relation between price and volume.
Assured Return Schemes by Mutual Funds: An Appraisal of Regulatory Issues
Authors: Pandey Ajay
Published: August 2011

The assured return schemes like MIPs (Monthly Income Plans) launched by UTI and others are peculiar to the Indian Mutual Fund Industry. These schemes have, in the past, resulted in problems for the investment manager as well as sponsors of the mutual funds, examples being that of Canara Bank, SBI AMC and others. These schemes were commonly launched prior to 1993, when the industry was operating without well-defined regulatory framework. Even after SEBI's regulatory framework came into force during 1993, UTI has been launching MIPs as UTI was outside the ambit of SEBI jurisdiction. These schemes have attracted substantial criticism in last couple of years particularly in the wake of UTI's problems with its largest mutual fund scheme, US-64. The problem of assured return schemes is that they impose risks on the investment manager/sponsor and also have the potential to create pricing distortions (assuring returns higher than the returns applicable for similar risks). As a response to these problems, SEBI has disallowed assured return schemes. However, if the Indian investors have lower risk-tolerance (as has been their revealed preference), then the policy makers and regulators need to reconsider the possibility of allowing alternative scheme-structures on the lines of assured return schemes. The alternative structure based on lower assured returns than risk-free rate and management fee structure linked with the performance of the scheme can take care of specific criticism related to assured return schemes. Such a structure, though not found elsewhere within Mutual Fund framework, is commonly seen in the financial intermediation businesses, and is likely to be more “popular” among the investors and financial sector players.
Effects of Locus of Control and Motives on Stress and Effectiveness: A Study of Women Managers
Authors: Mohan Vidhu , Chauhan Daisy , Chauhan S.P.
Published: August 2011

There is a general tendency to overemphasise the impact of stress on the effectiveness of women in managerial roles. It is a known fact that women managers have dual roles to play, one at the home front and the other at the work front where they have to shoulder responsibilities similar to their male counterparts. This is likely to cause high level of stress which can have an adverse effect on their effectiveness. The present study, however, points to the contrary, where it is seen that certain intrinsic factors which are basically inherent within an individual's personality, like an Internal Locus of Control and a high need for Achievement can, to some extent, reduce the impact of stress experienced by the individuals. This can be inferred on the basis of the results of the present study where it is found that achievement motive has a negative relationship with stress and a positive relationship with role efficacy. Similarly, it is established that Internal Locus of Control has a negative relationship with stress and positive relationship with role efficacy.

Since stress is inevitable, more so in the case of women in managerial positions, and it is mainly due to extrinsic factors which exert pressures both in the work environment and at the home front, over which one does not have much control, they need to look inwards and identify and rely on intrinsic strengths, such as an internal orientation and achievement orientation as these can, to a great extent, help them handle stress in a positive manner and not allow it to adversely affect either their health or their work performance.
Confucius: The Forgotten Management Theorist
Authors: Rarick Charles A , Gallagher Charles A.
Published: August 2011

Although the management literature is now quite extensive in identifying many important contributors to the discipline, it still maintains an American and European focus. This paper has proposed that the Chinese philosopher Confucius was an early and important management theorist. Confucius was an early management consultant, traveling China, offering advice to any government leader who would listen. His advice is not inconsistent with the advice offered by leading behaviorally-oriented management consultants today.

Organisational science has been advanced by individuals from many parts of the world, including important contributions from Asia, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. This paper has proposed that the Western view of management emphasises an American and European tradition, however, important contributors to management theory and practice are often not recognised in this narrow perspective. Readers are advised to look beyond the traditional boundaries in seeking time-honored advice in managing modern organisation.

Born 500 years before Christ, the great Chinese philosopher Confucius prepared the groundwork for effective managerial practice. Although most Westerners know of Confucius, few know of his significant contributions in management theory. Confucius was a great advocate of training, personal development, and visionary leadership. His advice on teamwork and employee empowerment predates current proponents by over 2000 years.

This paper describes the managerial implications found in the Confucian Analects.
Role of Economic and Social Infrastructure in Human Resource Development
Authors: Ahuja Shobha
Published: August 2011

The findings of the paper suggest that investment in human capital would depend strongly on sustained economic growth accompanied by education and skill development of the workforce.

The paper examines, in detail, the factors which are likely to influence the demand for human capital in the coming decades and points to the preponderance of economic factors in influencing demand in the market-place though social indicators also play a predominant role.

In a growing economy it is important to identity the employment intensive sectors and train our human resources to enable them to meet the demand in these sectors. The paper seeks to identify the areas where there exists a good potential for employment generation and makes suggestions for tailoring skill development to meet the demand in the marketplace.

Against this backdrop it can be concluded that HRD in the new millennium would depend on a variety of economic and social indications and on the stake of human resources in the production process.
Reengineering the Group Decision-Making Process
Authors: Wadhwa Subash , Bhattacharya Souresh
Published: August 2011

Organisations, the world over are increasingly focussing their efforts on radical measures to enhance their competitive edge. One such area of interest focuses on reduction in the time taken in classical process of managerial group decision-making. The rapid strides made in the field of Information Technology have opened new opportunities to qualitatively enhance productivity of collaborative work. Group Decision Support System (GDSS) focuses on the aspect of introducing technology, in a graded manner, into the process of group decisionmaking. It seeks to fundamentally alter the angularities of such interaction and present a technology driven platform for the purpose. However, the basic process of group interaction needs to be more clearly understood before any wide-scale implementation of GDSS can prove beneficial. A model of the evolving GDSS process is presented which affords a framework for further research into the contemporary technology-driven collaborative process. It is proposed that the advent of IT offers a unique opportunity to re-engineer the group decision making processes so as to significantly benefit from the GDSS paradigm.
Case Teaching: Emerging Challenges and New Perspectives
Authors: Mustafi Sumit
Published: August 2011

With time business schools in the west are having a relook at relevance of Case Method of teaching as a pedagogical tool in a changing business and classroom environment. With the advent of new skill sets, teachers and students over the decades, this article has a relook at case teaching in the post graduate management programme in the Indian context.

Question is if case teaching focusses on those faculties of students like systematic enquiry and rigorous reasoning in unstructured situations that simulate closely the real life situation faced by managers, why is the popularity of case method as a teaching tool waning? Has it got to do with suitably modifying case teaching to take cognizance of the changing needs of business with the advent of new tools like information technology (IT) and multimedia? Its impact on role of teacher, student, testing and administration needs to be discussed.

Whereas cases have to be representative of the unique local conditions and be up to date, data utilization from Internet and other sources should not allow focus to shift from in-depth analytical decisions to sheer data collection due to easy availability. Consulting opportunities of case teachers should be used to write new cases. The challenge in case discussions is to retain a holistic perspective even when IT based communication is distancing teacher and student by taking both away from class room situations. Validity and replicability of an online system for testing, particularly in subjective case studies is a big challenge for case teaching.

Much of the above have to be done under pressures of increasing class size and scarcity of infrastructure due to the increasing demand for business administration degree. Institutes however continue to be rated differently based on the attitude of teacher and student. Impact will also be in the ethical standards students bring to society as managers.
Credit Risk and Capital Adequacy of Banks
Authors: Satyanarayana K.
Published: August 2011

Prudential regulation of banks and financial institutions, especially the stipulation of risk weighted capital adequacy ratio, has brought into sharp focus their inherent weaknesses. The real licence to expand banking is no more a nod from the regulator than the adequacy of capital backup. The situation is getting complex with deregulation and globalisation wherein the inherent risks especially the credit risk and market risk, need to be covered by proper capital adequacy ratio. Asset managers have to be always alert about the inherent risk and return embedded in any proposed asset accretion. Even before stabilising with an adequate CAR, banks are required to gear up with the proposed and more rigorous new capital adequacy framework of Basle Committee. Instead of confining to centralised approach, the banks can plan and monitor continuously asset expansion at zonal/regional and branch levels with a notional concept of capital adequacy. While pricing the assets, especially in a decentralised process of decision making in the form of both fund based and non-fund based exposures, cost of capital for any additional exposure needs to be taken care in the relevant computations. Ultimately the scope for healthy and sustainable growth of any bank depends upon its competitiveness to attract capital which in turn depends upon the economic value added, i.e., return on capital net of opportunity cost of such capital. Now that the government has almost stopped further infusion of capital into (public sector) banks, are the banks capital market fit?
General Electric: Lessons in Strategic Management
Authors: Bhatt P.R.
Published: August 2011

GE is the ninth biggest and second most profitable company in the world. The company was revitalised by inducing self-confidence and adopting tools like workout and Change Acceleration Process (CAP) to multiple business units in different industries. GE was the first corporate to systematically apply a number of management concepts. Its success is rooted in its movements of ideas and management talent around the group. The strong performance of GE is its successful corporate portfolio management.

Many of the large business units of GE differentiate their output with high quality while they simultaneously maintain low per unit cost operation. It adopted three company-wide growth initiatives: globalisation, services and Six Sigma Quality. The intensity of globalisation is reflected from the fact that GE revenues have grown 6% per year in the U.S. and 17% globally. GE dramatically adopted Six Sigma Quality in its products, which radically changed overall measures of operating efficiency. GE wants its every product and service designed for six sigma. Six Sigma for GE is embedding quality thinking, process thinking across every level and in every operation around the globe.

Jack Welch, CEO of GE restructured the company through integration, diversification, mergers, strategic alliances and retrenchment. He imposed higher productivity at all levels, trimmed inventories using just-in-time technique and dismantled bureaucracies. Under him, GE is engrossed in stretch and quality performance. The future strategies of GE are globalisation, the move from manufacturing to services and the internet.
Project Analysis and Management Imperatives for Development-oriented Governance: A Nigerian Experience
Authors: Agundu P.U.C.
Published: August 2011

Going by the electioneering promises and post-inauguration utterances of eminent personalities elected in various political offices, from the presidency to the grass roots incumbency, the hopes of our people have been raised, particularly with respect to redefining and refining their standard of living. Juxtaposed with the anticipated political compliments are complaints of empty treasuries and other unpleasantries, inherited from past administrations. Essentially, every development-oriented tier of government would have to be very thorough in conceptualising socio-economic projects. These should then be prioritised and available capital rationed effectively and efficiently to engineer them to a logical conclusion. Our novelle 4Ts model exemplifies the expediency of thinking, taking, ticking, and thanking right, and the time is now.
Change Seekers of the New Millennium Economy
Authors: Chaudhary Harish Chandra
Published: August 2011

In order to meet the challenges of the New Millennium Economy and to make their companies globally and locally competitive, the top leaders should play the role of change seekers. The much needed organisational change demands a radical shift in the responsibilities of leaders and fundamental changes in the basic cultural system of organisations. Based on the available literature in the field, the paper presents the best practices of top leadership in the Indian organisations. The paper, finally, concludes that the top leadership is going to be the most crucial aspect of cultural-change management in the New Millennium Economy.
Towards a Testbed for Modelling Application Service Provider (ASP)
Authors: Agarwal Manish , Kishore R. , Rao H.R. , Upadhyaya S.
Published: August 2011

The information system outsourcing arena has recently seen the introduction of a new player – the Application Service Provider (ASP). ASPs are third-party companies that rent commonly available packaged software applications and related services. The model offers certain important characteristics that could result in important advantages to users. Some of these include: firms get access to world-class applications offering the same set of features as used by larger rivals, software developers are assured a recurring stream of revenue from their software products and upgrades, users are protected from the tribulations of upgrading and maintaining their software and applications.

In this paper, we examine the emerging ASP model of providing software services to organisations. We then suggest a classification scheme for potential online ASP marketplaces and work on building a testable prototype for these marketplaces. We will use this testbed to study the influence of different attributes of clients and vendors on the services provided on the marketplaces.

The testbed can also help in developing deception-free protocols for the interactions of the marketplace with service providers. In an environment where marketplaces provide trust-mechanisms for service-delivery, it is necessary for the marketplace to ensure that service providers have the appropriate incentives and penalties to truthfully reveal their capabilities.
Innovations in Training for Teamwork
Authors: Tripathi B.D.
Published: August 2011

The concept of teamwork is as old as the civilization of mankind. Looking back into most of the adventures like conquering the mighty Mount Everest or winning the most difficult war or the construction of the wonders of world, such as the Taj Mahal or the giant Pyramids, teamwork among other things was the main instrument to achieve success. Perhaps (he strength and value in working together for a common cause by the prehistoric man might have been realised while hunting wild animals for food. Working together with selected people having unique strengths, interdependence, complementary knowledge and skills might have given birth to the concept of group. Literature on group dynamics suggests that the essential characteristics of a work group may be - a definable membership, group consciousness, sense of shared purpose, interdependence, coordination and ability to work in a unified manner.
Transforming Work Culture: A Case Study
Authors: Srivastava D.K.
Published: August 2011

Today, all organisations are trying to improve their work culture to ensure their long term survival and growth in competitive business environment. This paper presents a case study of changing work culture in a large manufacturing organisation. This study is based on consulting experience of the author. The objective of the consultancy assignment was to develop a work culture characterised by teamwork, openness and involvement of all employees in operations and maintenance of the plant. Intervention techniques like education and training, counselling, participative decision-making, etc. have been used to improve the work culture.

In the beginning, employees showed resistance to change, but they accepted change later. After three years it is seen that work culture of the company improved. Workers developed commitment to the organisation, accepted new responsibilities and improved their knowledge and skill. Executives developed a tendency to work in team and utilise the potential of workers. They developed positive attitude to work and organisation. It can be concluded that attitudes and behaviour of workers as well as executives have improved. Change in work culture has led to tangible and intangible gains for the company.
Exploring Corporate Assets: Mining for the Corporate-Data Warehousing Gems
Authors: Gupta R.K.
Published: August 2011

Data Mining technology is a technique that Information Technology has provided to help organisations understand the purchasing behaviour of key customers, likely trends as well as predict changes in the financial markets. Thus, it could lead to managing business more effectively to gain competitive edge. The concept of data warehouse and data mining emerged from the need to analyse business information faster. Data mining aims at using existing data to invent new facts and to uncover new relationships. Data mining finds applications in a variety of industries and retail solutions to marketing, manufacturing, health care applications, etc. Thus at a time when organisations are flooded with information, data warehousing and datamining enable the decision-maker in a business organisation to process this huge data to extract intelligence/knowledge in near real time.
Improving Service Delivery in a Globally Competitive Environment
Authors: Shipchandler Zoher E , Amba-Rao Sita C , Stanbury John
Published: August 2011

Quality service is becoming a critical weapon, even in developing countries, for maintaining and enhancing the competitive advantage of service firms. The globalisation of the service industry requires firms to assess their changing economic, competitive, legal and cultural environment and accelerate the development of strategies that include technology, coordinated systems, responsive employees and knowledgeable customers.
A Comparative Study of Pakistani Consumers' Country-of-Origin Attitudes toward the Marketing Mix of Products from Germany, Japan and South Korea
Authors: Butt A Rauf
Published: August 2011

This study is among the first to report findings from empirical consumer research in Pakistan. The study has examined international business competitive rivalry of Germany, Japan and South Korea from the perspective of the consumers of a neutral country, Pakistan. The research was conducted to evaluate and compare the influence of the “made in …” label on Pakistani consumers' attitudes toward the marketing mix of products from the countries. This study used verbal references to general products by using the questionnaires used by a number of earlier researchers in similar studies.

The comparison of the Pakistani consumers' attitude scores toward the marketing mix was conducted using analysis of variance statistical technique, at the .05 level of significance. The results of the hypotheses testing indicated the existence of significant differences among the Pakistani consumers' country-of-origin attitudes toward the marketing mix of products from the countries. Pakistani consumers seem to have the most positive attitudinal response to the products and marketing activities of Japan.

The findings of this study are expected to contribute toward the planning and execution of the marketing strategies of international business managers in Pakistan and benefit all the concerned organisations.
Dot-Com Profitability and Longevity: According to Porter's Fundamentals
Authors: Humphrey Curt R. , Motiwalla Luvai
Published: August 2011

The recent ‘dot-com’ bust has raised several questions regarding the economic and market structure of dot-com enterprises. This paper analyzes the success and failure of six dot-com enterprises in context of the Internet Strategy Model. According to Porter, there are two fundamental factors that determine profitability and eventual business success: industry structure and sustainable competitive advantage. When applied to our sample companies, it becomes clear that the pure-plays (or pure dot-com enterprises) do not have any advantages over their counterparts, the clicks-and-mortar (or companies that operate, an Internet e-commerce channel in addition to their established storefronts). By lowering the barrier to entry and intensifying the rivalry among competitors, the pure-plays increase the bargaining power to consumers, giving up their chance of gaining and holding a sustainable competitive advantage. This paper utilizes a qualitative approach to show how ignoring fundamental strategic principles as outlined by Porter have contributed to the demise of the pure-plays. It draws the results from theoretical reviews and analysis of corporate data to investigate the comparison of six dot-com companies, three of them Internet pure-plays and three clicks-and-mortar hybrids. The results of this qualitative analysis will help us to outline what strategies did or did not work with the pure-plays and the clicks-and-mortar? Our analysis will hopefully provide answers to this question.
ePortals for Global Trade: Survey of National Initiatives
Authors: Somasundaram Ramanathan , Lee Ronald M.
Published: August 2011

The need for transacting outside a domestic country for a business has become imperative in this competitive world. Transacting with a foreign country, however, involves risks and uncertainties for a business, the types of which perceived differ depending upon factors such as experience and financial strength of a business. Governments, whose existence is funded by the taxes paid by the businesses, are geared up more than ever before for assisting businesses in venturing into foreign markets and in expanding further. Traditionally, export assistance services, which is largely informational in nature, has been provided by government organisations using surface mail, telephone, fax, personal meetings and electronic files. Since the Internet gained prevalence the traditional methods used for providing export assistance service have clearly become ineffective. Having recognised that, in the recent years, most of the organisations providing export assistance deliver services over the Internet. Although export promotion is an actively researched area since the 1970's, relatively little work has been done for documenting the recent Internet related developments. Through a survey of export promotion sites of some 25 representative national sites, this report identifies various criteria common to excellent export promotion sites. Taking the time dimension into account, a dynamic process model is proposed for developing effective web strategies, which is applicable in all contexts. For developing the strategy model, knowledge about conventional export promotion techniques are taken into account. Hence, the proposed model can be viewed as an extension of research work done in the area of export promotion. The report provides a description of various types of export promotion sites. Of all the sites surveyed, the one representing Hong Kong is found to be the best. Special attributes of many other sites are inserted in bits and pieces in the report. Finally, research directions are provided for furthering the knowledge in this nascent field.
Project-based Customer Relationship Management in Virtual Enterprises
Authors: Breu Christian , Meckl Norbert , Sametinger Johannes
Published: August 2011

The Internet has revolutionized communication among companies and clients. New possibilities for global collaboration among companies on a project basis are possible with virtual enterprises. Virtual enterprises enable new ways of collaboration with clients and their participation in creative and inventive activities of individual products. Furthermore project work with clients allows tight bonds to them and goes beyond traditional forms of customer relationship management. In this paper we start with an overview of some basic concepts. We then present our approach of web-based project management that can be used for various forms of collaborative activities over the Internet, including customer relationship management. We have successfully used our approach for projects of a digital photography and a middle-class marketing agency. Currently, we are working on an extended platform for virtual enterprises in the area of facility management with many customers as well as sub-contractors.
The Impact of Esupply Chain Management on the Development of Electronic Business
Authors: Kamel Sherif , Barbari Amira El
Published: August 2011

eSupply chain management is vital for the development and growth of eBusiness operations and represents a key success factor for today's businesses and organizations. eSupply chain management helps making eBusiness more efficient and more effective using virtual organizations and integration. Its emergence was mainly due to the rapid widespread of eBusiness as a growing platform for business development in the global marketplace. eSupply chain management reflects the fact of converting all manual processes of a traditional supply chain to be operating and managed electronically; hence making it more efficient, more effective and more reliable. This paper describes the impact of eSupply chain management on the evolution of eBusiness in Egypt using a number of Internet start-ups and business ventures. Moreover, the paper demonstrates the potential impacts of a solid and dynamic eBusiness infrastructure on the development and growth of the business sector in Egypt.
Security Risk Management Practices of E-business in India
Authors: Madan Sushila , Kumar Muneesh , Jaiswal MP.
Published: August 2011

The Internet and e-business offers endless opportunities to business. It also offers convenience to customers and merchants. However, e-commerce environment is under constant security threats giving rise to a variety of security risks because the intrinsic properties of the Internet are a major source of its vulnerability to failures and attacks. Appropriate security risk analysis and management can help reduce this risk to manageable and acceptable levels. For this purpose there is a need for developing suitable security infrastructure in order to control the risk. Controlling security risks for e-business not only requires a lot of investments in security infrastructure but also requires highly specialized technical skills that may be difficult to organize, thus one needs to focus not only on controlling the security risk through internal controls but also evaluating other alternatives for managing this risk. This paper presents a paradigm of security risk management for e-business. The paper also presents the result of a survey on security risk management policies and practices being followed in India.
Taking Another Look at the Need for Achievement: Expanding the Construct Meaning and Testing its Structural Equivalence
Authors: Sagie Abraham
Published: August 2011

In their 6-country study of the need for personal achievement, Sagie, Elizur, and Yamauchi (1996) showed that the construct has basically similar multifaceted structures across cultural environments. The current study incorporates three successive variations in the construct meaning and its measurement. Firstly, on the basis of the original self-attribution items a situational questionnaire of the need for achievement was devised. Secondly, the original mapping sentence was used for tapping additional components of the need for achievement; competitiveness and perfectionism. Finally, besides the need for personal achievement, the need for collective (team) achievement was examined. It was hypothesized that despite these variations, basically equivalent structures will be found in all cases. Using Smallest Space Analysis (SSA), data collected from 611 respondents in Israel, India, and Japan, demonstrated the hypothesized structural equivalence. Mean scores of the need for personal achievement components did not vary systematically between the Israeli and Japanese samples; nevertheless, five out of the six mean scores of the need for team achievement components were higher for the Indian (more collectivistic) sample than for its Israeli (more individualistic) counterpart.
Relevance of Personal Factors as Antecedents of Consumer Involvement: An Exploration
Authors: Jain Sanjay K. , Sharma Kavita
Published: August 2011

Consumers differ in terms of both the level of involvement they feel for different products and source of their involvement, termed here as antecedents of involvement with a product Broadly, the antecedents of involvement are categorised into personal, product and situation related factors. This paper is an attempt to delve into personal sources of involvement originating in consumers' demographic and life style characteristics. Based on sample survey the study finds consumer involvement to be related with demographic factors, but in piecemeal manner. In respect of life style factors the study finds level of involvement to be differing mainly for the products lying towards the higher end of involvement continuum. Finally the paper spells out many managerial and research implications of findings of the study.
Emerging GDR Market: New Opportunity for Improving Global Performance
Authors: Tripathy Nalini Prava
Published: August 2011

Rapid development of the capital market and financial liberalisation have brought a profound change in perception of entrants in the capital market. The large sum of Foreign Direct Investment in the country is an obvious outcome of India's commitment to the process of liberalisation. India has emerged as one of the most attractive investment markets the world over. The GDR issues of Indian companies received an overwhelming response abroad. Thus in this article an attempt has been made to determine the relationship between movement of GDR price and Domestic price to encourage Indian companies to integrate with global market. It also highlights the significance of the difference of variance in average GDR price and average domestic price to tap the international capital market with great confidence and resource strength.