bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developing Organizational Leadership
Authors: Singh Sampat P
Published: June 2019

In this review article, Sampat P Singh reviews two books on leadership title “Can Organizations Develop Leaders?” and “The Leaders' Shadow.” He evaluates the progress made in defining, understanding, and developing leadership. Readers can link it with S Ramnarayan and Niti Pandey's review of the book “Building Leaders: How Successful Companies Develop the Next Generation” that follows this article.
A Study of HRD Concepts, Structure of HRD Departments, and HRD Practices in India
Authors: Rao T V , Rao Raju , Yadav Taru
Published: June 2019

A number of human resources development frameworks has come into existence in the last ten years from various parts of the world. Indian organizations have begun to use these for improving their HRD systems and their impact. An Integrated HRD Systems Approach was evolved for Indian organizations at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad by Udai Pareek and T V Rao for L&T. This paper examines the current status of structuring of the HRD function and HRD subsystems in India against this “Integrated HRD Systems” framework. The paper also comments on the recent approaches to HRD. Data from HRD audits of 12 Indian organizations indicated that HRD function is not well structured, is inadequately differentiated, poorly staffed, and fails to meet the requirements of this framework. In the light of these experiences of Indian organizations in implementing this framework, the paper points out the prerequisites for success of other HRD frameworks in India.
Managerial Ethical Behaviour: Results of a Comparative Study
Authors: Bhal Kanika T , Sharma Poonam
Published: June 2019

Issue connected with business ethic s have recently acquired prominence in the global scenario in general and in the Indian context in particular but there are hardly any studies that delve into the issues of ethical behaviour in Indian organizations. The situational approach in ethics places heavy emphasis on the role of external environment/culture of an organization in ethical behaviour of the individuals. In line with this argument, die present study focuses on ethical behaviour of managers in public and private Vector organizations. Responses of 319 managers reveal that there are some differences in the nature of decisions (ethical or unethical) that the managers make in these two types of organizations. Results are analysed for the design of control systems in these two types of organizations.
Teaching Communication: Where Do Indian Business Schools Stand?
Authors: Rajadhyaksha Ujvala
Published: June 2019

This paper benchmarks management communication courses offered at top-ranked business schools in India with those offered by topranked American business schools. It also surveys perceptions of Indian managers regarding the importance of different aspects of communication to their effective performance. Compared to the large number and wider range of topics covered in communication courses offered by American business schools, Indian business schools concentrate mainly on oral communication and within that on presentation skills. Such a focus appears to be in tune with the needs of Indian industry. However, a survey of managerial perceptions revealed that there are some skills and topics that need more emphasis. Cross-cultural communication, corporate communication strategy, and media relations are areas that require strengthening along with more innovative methodologies to teach communication.
Metaphors and Managers: New Ways of Thinking and Seeing
Authors: Raman S Raghu , Ramachander S
Published: June 2019

The fact that we are the unconscious prisoners of language and metaphors has wide-ranging implications for organizations and their management. Metaphors have often been considered as just a decorative too! to garnish language, but advancements in cognitive science have revealed that they are, in fact, an essential component of our thinking process as they influence the way we think, see, and act. In this paper, the authors explore the nature and characteristics of metaphors and highlight some of the classic metaphors that underlie approaches to management. While the classic metaphors have been helpful, they have restricted the managers' world view to particular ways of thinking. According to them, one way of breaking out of this trap is by the generation of more metaphors and, as a result, more new ways of seeing. The authors also go on to indicate that metaphors are not only useful for macro perspectives but also play a critical role in some of the processes like new product development. They conclude by briefly highlighting the techniques that are available for generating metaphors and how managers could make use of them for effectively managing their organizations.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
Authors: Teltumbde Anand , Tripathy Arabinda , Sahu Amiya K
Published: June 2019

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) embarked upon a major change initiative towards the end of 1996. It planned an enterprise-wide integration through Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). The objectives were to remain competitive through improved customer service and customer satisfaction and to transform the company into a Learning Organization.

The case highlights the process and challenges faced by BPCL in successfully implementing ERP (SAP R/3). The focus of the implementation process was on Change Management where significant change in technology led to a change in the work culture.
Nurturing a Venture: A Venture Capitalist's Perspective
Authors: Varshney Vishnu
Published: June 2019

The concept of venture capital originated in the US in 1946. A number of new technologies which could be commercially exploited had come up after the Second World War and funds given for such ventures were called venture capital investment. Though the venture capital movement has been in existence for more than three decades in India, it has only recently gained momentum. New ventures found it difficult to get funding from the banks as they did not have any collateral to offer. Hence, venture capital industry was started in India to fund such enterprises.

Gujarat Venture Finance Limited (GVFL) was set up by the World Bank in 1990. Till date, it has funded 56 companies from all over the country. GVFL supports only technology-oriented companies. Funding is provided in stages. The money given at the seed or early stage is called angel funding.

This paper documents how GVFL funded and nurtured a venture called Permionics which was involved in manufacturing an innovative water filter and helped it to grow into a commercially viable enterprise. This was not smooth sailing and the venture did not take off initially as the project required a lot of product innovation and market research for its feasibility. However, the venture capitalist persisted with the efforts in making the venture successful as he had faith in the product. Thus, he went beyond hand-holding and helped in the company's promotional effort, getting expert advice, solving internal disputes, coordinating strategic tie-ups, etc. After some trial and error, the product was finally relaunched and was a great success.

The main conclusions emerging from this paper are: A venture capitalist's contribution is not just funding an enterprise but also seeing to its proper functioning. A venture capitalist provides necessary linkages to the entrepreneur for the growth of the enterprise. A venture capitalist not only provides moral support but also helps in forming the company. He is more of a partner than an outsider. A good venture capitalist sees the enterprise through its ups and downs until it becomes a commercially successful venture.
Taxation and Corporate Payout Policy
Authors: Singhania Monica
Published: June 2019

This study examines the dividend trends of 590 Indian companies over the period 1992–2004 of all manufacturing, non-government, non-financial, and non-banking companies listed on BSE for which there was no missing financial information over the period of the study. Dividend payout has been chosen for the purpose of examining the impact of taxation on dividend policy. Analysis was done for the full period under consideration, immediate one year of tax regime change, and immediate three years of tax regime change so as to conclusively establish the results and also to note the variations in results over different time frames, if any. For the purpose of this study, the sample was classified on the basis of dividend history, industry, and size. Of the 590 companies, 240 companies were regular payers—the companies that had paid dividend regularly without ever skipping the payments throughout the period of the study.

According to tax preference or trade-off theory, favourable dividend tax should lead to higher payouts. The Union Budget of 1997 made dividends taxable in the hands of the company paying them and not in the hands of the investors receiving them. The corporate dividend tax aimed at improving the economic growth and flexibility by eliminating the tax bias against equity-financed investments thereby promoting saving and investment. The new system aimed at reducing the tax bias against capital gains in the earlier tax system, encouraging investment, and enhancing the long-term growth potential of the Indian economy. As compared to the earlier tax regime where the recipient shareholder paid the tax on the dividend received primarily on the basis of marginal tax slab rate applicable to him/her (varying between 0% to 30%), in the current structure of corporate dividend tax, the dividend paying companies pay dividend tax at a flat rate of 12.5 per cent as of financial year 2005–06. Implicitly, the present corporate dividend tax regime can be termed as a more favourable tax policy.

The analysis of influence of changes in the tax regime on dividend behaviour reveals the following: Trade-off or tax preference theory does appear to hold true in the Indian context in the case of both the total sample companies as well as the regular payers. While in the case of total sample companies, the results are significant for the entire period of study and the immediate three year period, in case of regular payer, the results are significant for all the three time periods analysed. Though the results are somewhat mixed, it can be largely inferred that there is a significant difference in average dividend payout ratio in the two different tax regimes. There are wide industry-wise and size-wise variations in empirical findings visible over the period of study.
Need Behavioural Orientation of Dynamos and Drones in Organizations: A Maruti Experience
Authors: Lather Anu Singh , Jain Shilpa
Published: June 2019

Research has recognized the important role of personality in developing and selecting employees and in determining behaviour at workplace. Personality is believed to affect decisionmaking, problem-solving, conflict management, and stress management. This stems from the assumption that role conflicts and organizational stress are also manifestations of the underlying turbulence of one�s personality predispositions. This paper reports the results of the threephase study conducted in Maruti Udyog Limited to understand the different behaviour patterns in workplace. In phase I, secondary data were collected through organizational stress and work motivation questionnaires, and job satisfaction and role conflict scales. In phase II, Dynamos and Drones were identified. Those scoring low on organizational stress, role conflict, and absenteeism and high scores on work motivation, work performance, and job satisfaction were grouped as Dynamos. On the other hand, those obtaining high scores on organizational stress, role conflict, and absenteeism and low scores on work motivation, work performance, and job satisfaction were categorized as Drones. In phase III, the Edwards' Personal Preference Schedule was administered to Dynamos and Drones to compare the need orientation of their behaviour.

In order to examine the difference between the Dynamos and the Drones on various need orientation of their personality, t-test was conducted. The results reveal the following: The Dynamos are significantly higher on achievement, order, and autonomy compared to the Drones. Dynamos prefer to participate in friendly groups and form strong attachments. Dynamo's high score on endurance shows that they keep pursuing a job till it is complete. The drones are significantly higher on aggression and heterosexuality resulting in poor interpersonal relationship. There is no difference between the Dynamos and the Drones on deference, exhibition, interception, dominance, abasement, and change.

In order to grow and be successful, an organization therefore needs a workforce consisting of more Dynamos. And, to be a dynamo, one should have the need personality orientation of order, endurance, and achievement which accounts for one's desire to give his best, to be successful, plan work, and stick to the job till the end. The author also stresses upon the need orientation of affiliation, succorance, and nurturance which together form the key ingredients for building interpersonally sensitive relationship.
Developing Advanced Decision-Making Skills in International Leaders and Managers
Authors: Safi Asila , Burrell Darrell Norman
Published: June 2019

Socially, economically, politically, and technologically, our world is transforming in complex ways that are beyond what we could have fathomed even five years ago. Now, more than ever, managerial decisions have far-reaching consequences in the way that organizations fail or succeed in bridging commerce and compassion, sustainability and profitability, and move from vision to effective strategic implementation. Solving problems, making decisions, and picking the courses of action are the most critical aspects of being in charge because it is risky and very difficult. Bad decisions can damage a career, influence peoples' lives, and hurt an organization's performance. But, where do bad decisions come from? In many cases, they can be traced back to the way the decisions were made. Maybe the right questions were not asked. Maybe the right alternatives were not explored or may be the data collected was wrong. Sometimes, the fault of poor leadership decisions lies not in the decision-making process, but rather in the mind of the decision-maker.

How does an organizational manager make the correct leadership decisions when the unexpected occurs or the existing plans are insufficient or important organizational core values and goals are threatened? Critical Thinking in decision-making helps the professionals ask relevant questions, gather opinions from various groups, interpret complex problems, and make wise decisions. The development of critical thinking skills in international executives has never been more vital than it is today. The engagement in managerial critical thinking is about learning to apply experience-based, team-based, and formal problemsolving methods to situations. It is essential to develop a keen ability to overcome and become self-aware of biases, false assumptions, myths, and faulty paradigms that can hamper effective decision-making.
Significance of Non-Price Variables in Price Discovery: An Empirical Study of Stock Option Market in India
Authors: Srivastava Sandeep , Yadav Surendra S , Jain P K
Published: June 2019

The efficiency of the financial markets is important as it ensures increased productive efficiency and economic growth through better capital allocation. Price discovery is the central aspect of financial markets. The relatively efficient price signals also facilitate the participation of uninformed investors to make suitable portfolio choices. Derivative instruments like option contracts enhance informational efficiency of the underlying's market through better price discovery as these securities are expected to increase the flow of information in the market. Besides, they facilitate hedging of risk. In India, exchange-trade derivates are of recent origin in the stock market.

This study investigates the significance of net open interest and trading volume in stock option and stock index option market to predict the underlying stock prices⁄index level. In the study, only 15 stock option contracts (having maturity of one-month) and Nifty options for the entire period, i.e., November 10, 2001 to November 2, 2004, have been analysed. The analysis could not be carried out for all the stocks in option segment because of the fact that the options were not traded or the trading range and volumes were too thin to justify any analysis.

The major findings of the study are as follows: Net open interest of stock option is one of the significant variables in the determination of the future spot price of the underlying stock. Open interest-based predictors are statistically more significant than the volume-based predictors in the Indian context too as is the case for the US market. The trading behaviour of Indian investors is found to be different from their counterparts in the developed world. This difference can be attributed to: the nascent state of derivatives market in India extremely limited participation of institutional investors in the Indian stock derivative market because of regulatory restrictions; as such investors are allowed to use derivative securities mainly for hedging and arbitrage purposes only.

The findings would definitely help the regulatory bodies in policy-making and further strengthening the efforts to promote the derivative market in India. There are many areas which are still unexplored and can be addressed by the future studies by using the intraday data and a larger sample for the stock options.
Environmental Aspects of Project Management
Authors: Vyas Neha
Published: June 2019

The primary challenge in project management is to achieve all of the defined project goals and objectives while adhering to typical constraints which are usually scope, quality, time, and budget. Often, the basic flaw in project planning and design is the complete neglect or minimal consideration of environmental and social costs and dependence only on economic analysis for project preparation and investment. A failure to understand and internalize adverse or negative impacts on environment during project preparation could lead to several undesirable consequences, which may ultimately jeopardize the very objectives of growth and development for which the project was proposed.

In this paper, the author stresses upon the need for environmental management for successful project completion and discusses the challenges of addressing the key environmental issues. Environmental management is not just about the ‘trees and bees’ but also about health, safety, profits, quality assurance, reduced risks to reputation, and increased global competitiveness, states the author. Overall, it is about efficiency and reducing environmental and legal liabilities. It is argued that sound environment management reduces the unforeseen obstacles and bottlenecks that may otherwise hamper the delivery of project objectives while helping to improve the environmental performance of project operations.

The key environmental issues resulting from agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and urban operations include: severe degradation of air quality due to industrial and vehicular pollution contamination of land and water resources due to pesticides, fertilizers, and dumping of hazardous wastes depletion of raw material reserves contamination of surface and ground water sources due to discharge of sewage and industrial effluents deforestation.

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) study is suggested as a tool for formulating an environment management plan. EIA should, however, not be treated just as a tool for regulatory compliance but as an instrument for improving project management per se with proper expertise, time, and budget allocations made for the purpose.

In environmental management, the moot question is: How to get started? The author's advice is to start small and simple and gradually turn them into action plans for a worksite and subsequently up-scale them for the entire company. It is ultimately the actions taken at personal or community level or as a project manager that matters the most when it comes to environmental sustainability. Policies and plans merely show the way. It is becoming increasingly important to make environmental management an economic driver that would serve to minimize environmental damages and promote resource efficiency and cost savings to businesses.
Facilitating Organizational Unlearning using Appreciative Inquiry as an Intervention
Authors: Srithika T M , Bhattacharyya Sanghamitra
Published: June 2019

Drawing upon theoretical bases, this paper attempts to demonstrate a relationship between Appreciative Inquiry (AI), an organizational development (OD) intervention, and organizational unlearning. Present day organizations are characterized by continuous change. It has been accepted that change implies learning along various dimensions: cognitive, behavioural, and normative. Any type of organizational learning would involve: (1) creation of new knowledge and (2) getting rid of obsolete knowledge. The first aspect refers to learning while the second aspect relates to unlearning. While literature abounds in studies pertaining to organizational learning, literature on organizational unlearning is relatively few and far between.

While appreciating the fact that both learning and unlearning complement each other and result in change, this paper has attempted to highlight the difference that inherently exists in the process of unlearning, as compared to the process of learning. And it is on account of these differences that the techniques or interventions that facilitate organizational learning may not be appropriate for organizational unlearning. According to Zell (2003), increased resistance to unlearn exists for individuals, groups or organizations due to their fear of loss of time and resources invested earlier in gaining such knowledge. Senge (1990) has described how the diagnostic process of analysing problems and identifying solutions by itself stifles creativity and flexibility and increases resistance. Thus, increased resistance and fear inherent in the unlearning process calls for an affirmative and strength-based approach such as Appreciative Inquiry, vis-a-vis other diagnostic problem-solving interventions. Based on an extensive review of existing literature, this paper attempts to demonstrate how AI can be used as an effective facilitator for unlearning. The complete AI process and principles have been enumerated and mapped to the unlearning process. With an eye to objectivity, the authors have also attempted to identify inhibiting factors that might hinder the process of unlearning while using AI as an intervention.

While adding to existing literature, this paper is also expected to contribute meaningfully by sensitizing practising managers about this technique and logically establishing its efficacy, along with awareness creation of possible challenges that might arise during intervention. This in turn can have significant implications for longterm organizational change initiatives and OD practices.
Conspicuous Consumption: Is That All Bad? Investigating the Alternative Paradigm
Authors: Chaudhuri Himadri Roy , Majumdar Sitanath
Published: June 2019

Effort in studying the phenomenon of conspicuous consumption can be adequately justified by the concept's near universality and timelessness. The Theory of Veblen presents conspicuousness as a purposive conduct in which status considerations predominate. His opinion regarding individuals' efforts “to excel in pecuniary standing” indicates his positioning of conspicuous consumption as consumers' deliberate, conscious activity to achieve the objective of status enhancement. Our everyday experience suggests that the nature of conspicuous consumption (CC) is going through a change, which remains largely unaddressed by the extant literature (for details see, Chaudhuri and Majumdar, 2006). This calls for a closer investigation of the dynamics of a more contemporary perspective of CC and the present paper takes an attempt at the same.

For long, in modern societies where ‘order’ is of supreme importance, CC has been considered as a ‘sinful,’ ‘wasted’ expense that delivers no value. Possibly because of this, lavish expenditure was branded wasteful as the practice symbolized exception (Mason, 1981) or “disorder.” However, with evolving ideologies of postmodernism, consumption also gradually moved to the symbolic realm. This symbolic consumption helps the consumer to express his⁄her self and achieve a sense of continuity and identity. By adopting abstract interpretations and ascribing complex cultural meaning to products, those with “higher” taste but less money would aim to compete with those with money but no matching taste. The cultural ‘elite,’ thus, can make even a mundane or an easily affordable product to express and exhibit their exclusive taste, by sophisticated, in-depth appreciation and appropriate communication of these ‘taste-symbols’ which, by design, remain distinct from ‘status-symbols’.

Based on the above discussion, the paper proposes an alternative conceptualization of the conspicuous consumption construct and also discusses the marketing implications.
Role of Knowledge Management Initiatives in Organizational Innovativeness: Empirical Findings from the IT Industry
Authors: Mathew Mary , Kumar Devaraj , Perumal Santhi
Published: June 2019

This paper addresses the relationship between knowledge management initiatives in Indian IT organizations and their innovativeness at the organization level by using the survey research methodology. Knowledge management initiatives were measured in the context of cultural, structural, and technological interventions. Innovation was measured in terms of organizational behaviour related to sensitivity, learning, newness, trialability, communicability, risk-readiness, and absorption.

A conceptual model was developed to assess the relationship between knowledge management initiatives and innovativeness. A hypothesis that knowledge management initiatives (KMI) influence the innovativeness of the organization was propounded. The questionnaire developed to assess knowledge management initiatives had 60 items, while an already available questionnaire consisting of 65 items was used to measure innovativeness. Eventually, the number of items in the knowledge management initiatives and innovativeness questionnaires was bought down to 45 and 34 respectively. Items were measured on a fivepoint Likert type rating scale, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The reliability of the questionnaires was checked using Cronbach Alpha.

The study was carried out on 84 professionals from 20 Bangalore-based IT organizations that had implemented knowledge management initiatives and had SEI CMM level 5. Means and standard deviations of the variables were computed. The variables were subjected to correlation analysis and factor analysis. A multiple regression analysis was done to identify the influence of knowledge management initiatives on organizational innovativeness. An organizational innovativeness score, was used as the dependent variable and the variables of knowledge management initiatives were used as the independent variables.

The results of data analysis showed that the initiatives taken by companies to enhance their knowledge assets fall into the culture, structure, and technology subsystems and that all the three are highly correlated: Technology and culture are more strongly associated with each other, as compared to their association with structure. All the three KMI variables strongly influence organizational innovativeness, with ‘culture’ being the most important. ‘Learning climate,’ a variable of culture, is found to be the most significant of the variables to influence innovativeness. Hence, organizations that lay emphasis on learning and provide excellent training facilities can foster a more innovative environment. Interestingly, ‘risk readiness‘ is not a factor contributing to innovativeness and is not significantly associated with the other variables. The variables like leadership, networking, reward and recognition, structure and technology do not significantly influence innovativeness.
Spectrum Auction and Investment in Telecom Industry: A Suggested Policy
Authors: Datta Debabrata
Published: June 2019

Recently, Indian telecommunication industry has passed through an auction process of 3G spectrum, which has enabled the government to collect hefty license fees. The successful bidders are expected to borrow this bid amount from the commercial banks and repay from the revenue to be generated from the new services.

This paper looks at this issue theoretically. The telecommunication firms operate on the basis of acquisition of airwave space, which is licensed by the government. The usual policy practice is to distribute the available spectrum by an ascending auction. As per the economic theory, auction has two merits. Firstly, auction ensures that spectrum goes to the most efficient firm, which is by definition the firm that makes the maximum profit among all. This firm by virtue of their maximum profit bids the highest amount in the auction and gets the spectrum. Secondly, spectrum auction ensures revenue maximization of the government. This result of efficiency optimization however holds under the assumption of perfect information and no uncertainty. Uncertainty and irrationality like over-optimism can lead to problems like ‘winners‘ curse' or ‘broke winners’ under auction. Still auction is market-based and less controversial than discretionary distribution.

However, this paper argues that high amount of auction bid can result in several deficiencies in the telecom industry. An issue of debate is whether high auction bid will result in higher price for the services. Under the assumption of infinite time horizon, high license fee is a sunk cost and therefore does not raise price. But this paper shows that a high license fee can raise the lending bank�s interest charge for which not only price rises but the infrastructural investment in the telecom industry suffers. After the acquisition of spectrum through auction the industry needs infrastructural investments to roll out the quality services. Inadequate investment in infrastructural activities like procurement of quality equipments, erection of tower, etc., may result in lower quantum of services with degraded qualities. This is in fact a reality in India where not only rural telecom infrastructure is vastly inadequate, the urban telecom infrastructure is also under severe stress.

In this paper, using the tool of game theory we show how capacity and quantity choice game of firms ends up in high auction bid and sub-optimal investment on infrastructure. Then how can the social planners simultaneously achieve the twin objective of growth and revenue maximization? The paper shows that these objectives are realized if a part of the license fee is spent for the subsidization of infrastructural investment in the telecom industry.
Upward Switches on BSE: An Explanation for Anomalous Stock Price Behaviour
Authors: Gill Suveera
Published: June 2019

Stock exchanges in developed markets provide multiple equities platform for a sophisticated equity trading worldwide. The trading system on stock exchanges in developing countries, however, is typically two-tiered so as to segregate trading interest on a wider spectrum of investor�s interest. The stock exchange authorities with such trading structures monitor the financial health of their listed companies and take a switch decision by moving a company from a low- or high-class segment to a high-or low-class segment based on certain factors.

This paper attempts to discern the general pattern of market behaviour of 38 common stocks around up-switches from Group ‘B’ to Group ‘A’ on the Bombay Stock Exchange during 2008–2010. In addition, an attempt was made to examine the effect of preswitching trading volume on the pattern of returns around up-switching. Standard event methodology using the market-adjusted model was used to examine the market behaviour around the two event dates, i.e., announcement and actual switching. The same estimation period of -210 to -51 days was used for both event dates. Three tests, namely, a sign test, a matched-pairs t-test, and a Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test were used to examine differences in volume and risk before and after switching. Finally, other contemporaneous announcements which might have had an effect on the results for low and high sub-sample companies were also checked.

The results confirm that subtle differences exist in market behaviour around up-switches. The market responds weakly but positively to the announcement of an up-switch. However, in the days around the actual up-switch, the companies earn negative abnormal returns though not significant. Further, over the total test period, the cumulative abnormal results of the low volume group are significantly lower than those of the high volume group at the five per cent level over days -10 to +10. Thus, the results show that around the up-switch, the market response is more favourable to stocks with high volume than their low volume counterparts. A further examination of trading volume, beta, as well as other corporate announcements helped in discerning the underlying cumulative abnormal return patterns.

The present paper distinguishes itself from the previous studies on the subject as it goes beyond documenting the abnormal returns around up-switches by presenting probable explanations for their existence. It provides researchers and others valuable understanding regarding the market segment change anomalies and the role of other pre-switching attributes in explaining market behaviour around switching.
Mediator Analysis of Employee Engagement: Role of Perceived Organizational Support, P-O Fit, Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction
Authors: Biswas Soumendu , Bhatnagar Jyotsna
Published: June 2019

Given the multi-determinability of individual affect and attitudes, this paper seeks to explicate their display through some construct that captures the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural components of work-related roles. Employee engagement is found to be one such explanatory variable.

This paper assesses the mediating role of employee engagement between perceived organizational support (POS) and person-organization fit (P-O fit) as the antecedents and organizational commitment and job satisfaction as the consequences. It tests the path model by using data from six Indian organizations and a sample of 246 Indian managers. The findings help find a direct effect of P-O fit and POS, which affects employee engagement and leads to variance in organizational commitment and job satisfaction.

Further, the paper attempts to establish discriminant validity between employee engagement and organizational commitment. Yet, because of the similarity of wordings of the items measuring the employees� ratings of the two constructs, the authors conducted a confirmatory factor analysis leading to discriminant validity establishment to examine whether employee engagement and organizational commitment were distinct. AMOS software (version 17.0) was used to compare the fit of two nested models: (a) a one-factor model incorporating both the constructs and (b) a two-factor model distinguishing employee engagement and organizational commitment. It also provides empirical support to job satisfaction and its linkage with employee engagement.

The findings suggest that when individuals perceive positive levels of organizational collaboration, they are intrinsically encouraged towards exerting considerably higher levels of effort. The notion that P-O fit deals with the congruence between employees� personal values and those of the organization makes for greater meaningfulness and psychological safety leading to higher levels of employee engagement. Furthermore, when individual values are perceived to fit organizational norms, the former are entrusted with greater responsibilities and are made to feel more empowered. A high level of employee engagement reflects a greater trust and loyal relationship between the individual and the organization. This suggests the building up of higher degree of commitment by the employee towards their employing organization.

The paper contributes to theory building in the employee engagement and organizational commitment domains.
The interplay between identity construction and opportunity structures: Narratives of Turkish migrant women entrepreneurs in the Netherlands
Authors: Ozasir Kacar Sibel , Essers Caroline
Published: June 2019

This article explores the relationship between the identity construction processes of migrant women entrepreneurs and the opportunity structures in their wider sociocultural and politico-institutional environments. Drawing on 10 life-story interviews with one-and-a-half- and second-generation Turkish women entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, this study draws upon an intersectional approach. Considering the recent socio-political tensions in the Netherlands regarding the presence of Turkish people, studying the relationship between opportunity structures and identity construction of Turkish women entrepreneurs is important and timely. The findings demonstrate the manner in which opportunity structures influence the creation and enactment of an entrepreneurial identity that intersects with gender, ethnicity and class. Analysing how these migrant women interpret and frame opportunity structures in their entrepreneurial contexts, this article reveals how processes of politicisation, class-consciousness and transnational and cosmopolitan positioning influence these women’s entrepreneurial identities and experiences.
Activist performance and performative activism towards intersectional gender and sexual justice in contemporary South Africa
Authors: Shefer Tamara
Published: June 2019

Democratic South Africa post-1994 boasts an impressive constitutional and legal commitment to human rights, including the enshrinement of sexual and gender rights. Notwithstanding, a growing body of work documents continued widespread homophobia, heterosexism and violence against gender and sexual non-conforming people that intersect with other inequalities. However, there is also a rich terrain of resistance to intersectional gender and sexual injustices evidenced by proliferating decolonial, feminist and queer activism and art. Located in the South African post-apartheid and postcolonial context, this article draws on the last few years of decolonial, feminist and queer engagements, focusing in on two current examples of activist performance and performative activism. The article explores the socio-political possibilities of interventions which transgress, disturb, disrupt and queer contemporary rigid and re/calcifying gender and sexual normativities for the larger decolonial, feminist and queer sexual and gender rights and justice project, as well as for critical scholarship directed at such goals.
Does adding an integrated physical therapy and neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy to standard rehabilitation improve functional outcome in elderly patients with pneumonia? A randomised controlled trial
Authors: López-López Laura , Torres-Sánchez Irene , Rodríguez-Torres Janet , Cabrera-Martos Irene , Ortiz-Rubio Araceli , Valenza Marie Carmen
Published: June 2019

Objective:

To compare the effects of an integrated programme of physical and electrical therapy to standard rehabilitation to improve physical and functional performance in elderly patients with pneumonia.

Design:

Randomized clinical trial. The study was registered in the ClinicalTrial.gov website (identifier: NCT02515565).

Setting:

University Hospital.

Subjects:

In total, 185 elderly patients with pneumonia were eligible for the study, of which 95 were finally randomized.

Interventions:

Patients were randomized to a control group which received the standard treatment or to an intervention group which received additionally an integrated programme of physical and electrical therapy.

Main measures:

Demographic and clinical information was acquired. Pulmonary function, length of hospital stay, handgrip strength, independence levels and comorbidities were assessed as descriptive outcomes. The main outcome measure was functional and physical performance, evaluated with the short physical performance battery. Secondary outcome measures were respiratory symptoms including dyspnoea, fatigue and cough.

Results:

Mean age of patients was 74.92 (11.03) years in the intervention group and 72.53 (9.24) years in the control group. Significant between groups differences ( P < 0.05) were found in short physical performance battery chair stand test (2.17 (0.97) vs. 0.58 (0.61)) and total score (5.91 (3.61) vs. 4.15 (3.15)). The intervention group showed better performance than the control group in both cases. Fatigue (32.04 (18.58) vs. 46.22 (8.90)) and cough (18.84 (2.47) vs. 17.40 (3.67)) showed higher improvement in the intervention group, and significant differences were observed between the groups.

Conclusion:

An integrated programme of physical and electrical therapy during hospitalization improves physical and functional performance in patients with pneumonia.
Volume of white matter hyperintensities increases with blood pressure in patients with hypertension
Authors: Zhao Yu , Ke Zunyu , He Wenbo , Cai Zhiyou
Published: June 2019

Objective

Hypertension is a risk factor for development of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). However, the relationship between hypertension and WMHs remains obscure. We sought to clarify this relationship using clinical data from different regions of China.

Methods

We analyzed the data of 333 patients with WMHs in this study. All included patients underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. A primary diagnosis of WMHs was made according to MRI findings. The volume burden of WMHs was investigated using the Fazekas scale, which is widely used to rate the degree of WMHs. We conducted retrospective clinical analysis of the data in this study.

Results

Our findings showed that WMHs in patients with hypertension were associated with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, history of cerebral infarct, and plasma glucose and triglyceride levels. Fazekas scale scores for WMHs increased with increased blood pressure values in patients with hypertension.

Conclusion

This analysis indicates that hypertension is an independent contributor to the prevalence and severity of WMHs.
Welded Archwire Hooks
Authors: Bhupali Nameksh Raj , Verma Raj Kumar , Verma Sanjeev , Singh Satinder Pal
Published: June 2019

Force application through the hooks forms an integral part of sliding mechanics in orthodontics. Various methods used for intra/intermaxillary force application are expensive or require skill and time for fabrication. This article presents an innovative approach for welding hooks on the base archwire fabricated from the distal part of the archwire. It is a simple, sturdy, and inexpensive technique that does not require additional armamentarium and skill.
A review of spatial statistical approaches to modeling water quality
Authors: Mainali Janardan , Chang Heejun , Chun Yongwan
Published: June 2019

We review different regression models related to water quality that incorporate spatial aspects in their model. Spatial aspects refer to the location of different sites and are usually characterized by the distance between different points and directions by which they are related to each other. We focus on spatial lag and error, spatial eigenvector-based, geographically weighted regression, and spatial-stream-network-based models. We evaluated different studies using these methods based on how they dealt with clustering (spatial autocorrelation) of response variables, incorporated those clustering in the error (residual spatial autocorrelation), used multi-scale processes, and improved the model performance. The water-quality-based regression modeling approaches are shifting from straight-line distance-based spatial relations to upstream–downstream relations. Calculation of spatial autocorrelation and residual spatial autocorrelation was dependent upon the type of spatial regression used. The weights matrix is used as available in the software and most of the studies did not attempt to modify it. Different scale processes like certain distance from rivers versus consideration of entire watersheds are dealt with separately in most of the studies. Generally, the capacity of the predictor variables to predict the response variable significantly improves when spatial regressions are used. We identify new research directions in terms of spatial considerations, weights matrix construction, inclusion of multi-scale processes, and identification of predictor variables in such models.
Local Influences on Zonal Rents in Alberta: Implications for Integrated Modeling
Authors: Hunt J. Douglas , Silva Amila , Abraham John
Published: June 2019

A hedonic price model was estimated for residential developments in the province of Alberta in Canada. The model is designed to be used with the Production, Exchange and Consumption Allocation System (PECAS) land use modeling framework, which forecasts future development patterns on each parcel based on developer return-on-investment functions, allocates households and jobs, and calculates economic benefit measures. In PECAS, base year rents by land use zone (LUZ) are a calibration target, while future rents by LUZ are calculated in a bid-rent allocation, so the estimation separates out local effects from neighbourhood (LUZ) effects. Local effects include proximity to busy collectors, light rail transit (LRT) stations, schools, and amenities such as parks, as well as local road and off-road access to the nearest network link. A non-linear treatment was required to separate out the value of land from the value of space, especially on large parcels at low intensities of development. A Bayesian approach was used to 1) incorporate prior knowledge from previous PECAS work in the U.S., and 2) to provide a model that can forecast future prices on any parcel in Alberta, even in areas where certain types of development are not currently sufficient in quantity to confidentally estimate parameters. The estimation quantifies the current price landscape in Alberta by LUZ, showing higher prices (and a tendency for future development, where allowed) in major cities, major oil industry locations, and national parks. It also quantifies the positive impacts of local road access, LRT station proximity, schools, rivers, and natural areas; the negative (nuisance) impact of being too near to busy roads and schools; and the depreciation of older buildings.