bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Independent Directors in Corporate Governance
Authors: Baxi C V
Published: March 2013

The article discusses the role of the independent directors corporate governance. Since the 1990s worldwide there has been a growing recognition on legal and regulatory measures for strengthening the board of directors for effective supervision and monitoring of the top management of companies. Since many internal and external mechanisms for monitoring the management of corporations has not been generally effective several task forces and committees in USA, England, Canada, and Europe have focused on highlighting the role of the non-executive outside independent directors. However, corporate boards in general heave the required number of such directors but have been found devoid of minimum contribution to governance process. Further the growing body of literature on the subject shows a mixed trend and offers the illustrations of Enron, Global Crossing, Tyco, and several such mega corporations where the presence of independent directors did not help the decline and fall of such corporations. The present article identifies some opportunities for enhancing the role efficacy of the independent directors in companies in India.
How to Establish SHG-Bank Linkage: A Case of Anarde Foundation
Authors: Singh Naresh
Published: March 2013

SHG-Bank Linkage Programme or self-help group (SHG) promotion approach has emerged predominantly the significant approach for the growth and development of microfinance sector in India. Started by National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) in early 1990s as an experiment with MYRADA-NGO in Karnataka, it has undergone from pilot phase to consultation phase to implementation phase. The SHG promotion approach is based on the simple preposition where NGOs or banks motivate poor people to come into groups, mobilize their savings and finally link them with banks for credit support to start income. There are three models of linkage. These are i) bank directly promoting SHGs and providing credit to them, ii) NGO acting as SHPI and linking SHGs with banks for credit support and iii) NGO acting as intermediary. Anarde Foundation, one of the leading SHPIs in India, started group linkage in North Gujarat in 1997 with the support of NABARD. But it could not sustain the project in the long run. This case is the reflection of the Project of SHG-Bank Linkage implemented by Anarde Foundation.
Dimensions of Power Trading in India
Authors: Atmanand
Published: March 2013

Power industry is the result of three major segments-generation, transmission and distribution. There takes place an exchange of power between regions having a surplus and regions facing a deficit. When the exchange of power/energy is structured with commercial mechanisms, trading transactions occur. The responsibility for transmission of power within India is allocated to Power Grid or SEBs. Trading of power will help in better utilization of existing generation and transmission capacities as well as help in realistic assessment of investment requirements. Power Trading Corporation acts as a bulk buyer of electricity generated from various projects and then sell the same to multiple takers. The paper discusses issues, challenges, market scenario, competition and risk of power trading in India.
Children's Influence on Purchase Decision Making
Authors: Prasad N.V. Sriranga , Prasad G.V. Bhavani
Published: March 2013

Purchase decision making by consumers in today's environment is largely different from earlier days. Consumers’ needs, tastes, preferences, influencers, etc. have changed in a big way. The influence of Family members on purchase decisions is seen on many product categories. Though the degree of influence varies from product to product, but certainly, their influence is seen on their purchase decisions. Among family members, today, the children have become powerful influencers as consumers on various product categories. As such, the present article discusses the influence of children on purchase decision making
Knowledge and Innovation in Global Business Scenario
Authors: Raj Dev
Published: March 2013

In technical organisations, knowledge is often the raw material as the product of their work. In this article, the author tries to highlight: Do these organisations — known for their innovation — create, manage, or leverage their knowledge more effectively or differently than other organisations? Is the way they manage knowledge part of the reason, these organisations are so innovative? Obviously the answer is “Yes”. Further, you will also find in this article, how innovative organisations manage their knowledge and how to approach knowledge management to drive innovation
A Study of Organisational Climate of Professional and Non-Professional Colleges
Authors: Shukla Harish , Mishra D.P.
Published: March 2013

The present study is an attempt to analyse the organisational climate of professional and non-professional colleges of Indore Division from the perception of the staff members, including teaching and non-teaching employees. A sample of 120 faculty members and 76 non-teaching employees from 15 professional colleges and a sample of 111 faculty members and 82 non-teaching employees from 20 non-professional colleges is used. The findings show that organisational climate as perceived by employees of professional and non-professional colleges does not differ significantly. The employees belonging to teaching departments have better perception of organisational climate than that of non-teaching employees. The employees in the older age group perceive climate in better way than that of young employees. Female employees are more positive in their perception as compared to their male counterparts. The postgraduate employees have better perception of organisational climate than that of their undergraduate colleagues.
The Chip Technology Management Implication in the Era of Globalization: Malaysian Consumers’ Perspective
Authors: Joan Lai P C
Published: March 2013

Chip Technology of enterprises interactions has emerged in the consumer world. The combination of evolving business drivers, changing customers’ demands and the evolution of enabling chip technology posed the challenge to the management in the era of globalization.

The purpose of this paper is to address the Malaysian consumers’ perspective of the usages (e.g. transactions for payment etc) of chip technology enterprises and its management implication in the era of globalization. The areas of discussion will be presented using the Five (5) Dimensions Consumer Model addressing the technology, risk, company, collaboration and globalization. Innovative companies can take advantage of the chip technology to gain competitive advantage in the era of globalization.
Software Reliability: An Approach in Growth and Management of Reliability Engineering
Authors: Pandey Ashish
Published: March 2013

With the advent of the computer age, computers, as well as the software running on them, are playing a vital role in our daily lives. We may not have noticed, but appliances such as telephones, TVs, are having their analog and mechanical parts replaced by CPUs and software. People used to believe that “software never breaks”. There is no environmental constraint for software to operate as long as the hardware processor it runs on can operate. Software has no shape, color, material, mass. It can not be seen or touched, but it has a physical existence and is crucial to system functionality. The Software Reliability is rapidly growing in the size and the diversity of both its data and its audience.
Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on the Export Performance of India, China and Malaysia
Authors: Das B. Bhagwan
Published: March 2013

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has grown in importance for developing countries in recent decades. Global FDI almost quadrupled between 1995 and 2000. The share of developing countries in global flows reached a peak of 39.6 per cent in 1996 before sharply declining due to the Asian crisis in 1997. Amongst the developing countries, China had the largest share of FDI inflows amounting to 17 percent in 2000 while Malaysia and India had relatively lower shares at 2.3 percent and 1 percent respectively. Malaysia, which has a much lower GDP than that of India, receives a higher inflow of FDI. As such, it is worth comparing the influence of FDI inflows on the export performance of these three countries. The time period of the study is from 1991 to 1999. The regression model used here shows exports as a function of FDI, GDP, imports and other qualitative characteristics and has been estimated as a log-log model after testing for the correct functional form. The results indicate that FDI does not influence the exports of India, China and Malaysia. It is GDP and imports that influence their exports.
Customer is the King: A Managerial Perspective in Modern Banking Scenario
Authors: Bose S. K.
Published: March 2013

The banking industry is one of the most important sectors of service industry. It is important to note that any service including banking cannot be stored while it makes direct contact to the customer. The success of any business depends on customer satisfaction, it is the driving force for survival and growth and ultimately to achieve the objective of maximization of profit of any company. Service accuracy, friendliness, quality of service and timely delivery vary from bank to bank and branch to branch in most market areas. This is why now we give more attention to Emotional Quotient (EQ) than Intelligence Quotient (IQ) while we offer services to our valued customers. EQ is a reliable indicator of one's emotional capability while IQ is a reliable indicator of one's mental capability to serve his/her client(s).
Management of Working Capital in Small Enterprises in Bihar: An Empirical Study
Authors: Singh K.P. , Prasad Kishori
Published: March 2013

The small scale industries are the backbone of Indian economy with their manifold combinations. The incidence of sickness is very high in small scale enterprises and the major causes of their sickness can be attributed to shortage as well as mismanagement of working capital.

The universe of the study constituted the small enterprises in the state of Bihar. The paper is based on the exploratory nature of work where mainly primary data were used. The variables namely (i) the organizational groups, (ii) age groups and (iii) investment groups have been taken for the study. The study reveals that a large number of entrepreneurs are not aware of the bases to be used for determining the requirement of working capital. The main sources of financing the requirement of working capital is the ownership capital followed by bank loans, made exists and loans from friends and relation. To procure loans from banks is a cumbersome process in Bihar with huge expenditure on entertaining bank officials and time consuming process in complying with too many formalities required. The overall picture of working capital financing of small scale enterprises in Bihar is depressing and disappointing.
Modeling Credit Risk of Financial Instruments: A Case Study
Authors: Chandrasekhar S.
Published: March 2013

Credit Risk forms an Important Component of any Financial Transaction. When money is lent to a party, the lender has to make sure that the borrower keeps up his commitment both for principle and interest payment. Companies raise money through equity and debt. Debt is raised from banks as well as public in the form of loans, Deposits, Commercial Paper etc. This type of capital raising is for a longer duration say 3 to 5 years. Over this period due to competitive forces acting in the environment, the financial health of the company can change and in extreme conditions the company may default.
Factors Hindering Managerial Effectiveness – A study of Select Public and Private Sector Organizations
Authors: Azeem Mohammed Abdul , Fatima Saneem
Published: March 2013

Success of any organization depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of its managers. Managerial effectiveness is seen as the degree to which management achieves the organizational goals given its environmental constraints and unpredictable events entailing the growth, adaptability, health and viability of the organization. Managerial effectiveness implies the handling of the managerial functions with competence. This paper attempts to study the factors which hinder managerial effectiveness in select public and private sector organizations. In this respect, two public and private sector organizations in India were selected. Data was collected from managers at different levels i.e., top, middle and lower level managers through a structured questionnaire designed for this specific purpose. The data collected was then subjected to Factor Analysis i.e., Principal Component Analysis with Varimax rotation. A total of eight and seven factors hindering managerial effectiveness came to the forefront from this study of Public and Private sector organizations respectively.
An Empirical Study of Corporate Social Responsibility in Supply Chains
Authors: Faisal Mohd Nishat
Published: March 2013

Today, the use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to influence consumers and differentiate product offerings has become an important aspect of overall corporate strategy. The main purpose of this paper is to understand corporate social responsibility in a supply chain setting. This paper identifies dimensions of the supply chain which are important to be considered for making the whole supply chain socially responsible. Drawing upon insights from available literature on CSR and supply chain, this article reports the major findings of an empirical study. The study reported in this paper highlights the viewpoint of small and medium enterprises with regard to CSR in supply chains.
Global Logistics Outsourcing: Latest Trends in Selecting 3PL
Authors: Kumar Pravin
Published: March 2013

The competitiveness factors in global business have pressurized suppliers and manufacturers to cut the cost of finished products without compromising the quality of products and services. One of the most important ways to reduce the cost and to increase the productivity and customer satisfaction is to outsource the non-core functions. The role of logistics services is very critical to conduct the smooth flow of materials and information in forward and reverse supply chain. There are a number of issues in maintaining good relationships between the third party logistics service providers (3PL) and the client or buyer. In this paper, recent trends in outsourcing of logistics functions and the criteria for selection and evaluation of 3PL with relative importance have been investigated. Finally, the challenges and issues in 3PL relationships have been outlined and the remedies thus proposed. This paper may help the purchase and supply chain managers in selection of efficient 3PL and in maintaining good relationship with better control over the service providers.
An Insight into Factors Influencing Bank Selection Decisions of Indian Customers
Authors: Kamakodi N. , Khan Basheer Ahmed
Published: March 2013

Indian banking industry is undergoing metamorphosis in terms on adoption on technology and automation. New generation private sector banks which came into existence in the last ten years have gained a substantial market share and government owned banks are losing market share to these new banks. It is very important for the banks to understand the preferences of the customers to offer the services required both to attract new clients and protect existing client-base from migrating to other banks. A survey was conducted and results obtained from 292 clients were analysed to understand the factors that influence the bank selection decisions. The top 10 parameters based on importance are found as Safety of Funds, secured ATMs, ATMs availability, reputation, personal attention, pleasing manners, confidentiality, closeness to work, timely service and friendly staff willing to work.
Foreign Institutional Investment Flows (FII) in Indian Companies
Authors: Tripathi Neeta
Published: March 2013

India has witnessed over a decade of FIIs portfolio flows and with each passing year, these flows have gained in their significance and have played a key role in the overall Indian economy. Investments by foreign institutional investors are typically synonymous with portfolio investments in India, with more than three months left in the current calendar year FIIs have invested a net of $10.47 billion in Indian equities, just $0.23 billion short of record high ($10.7 billion) they clocked in the whole calendar year 2005. And this is at a time when the Bse sensex and the 50 share nifty of the national stock exchange are at their all time high. As the major portion of the FIIs investment goes in to equity markets it would have an impact on the shareholding pattern of Indian companies listed on the stock exchanges. About 95% of the FII funds are invested in stocks that comprise the key indices and half of it in the top five stocks that comprise the key indices, their influence on the performance of the stock market is immense. By taking quarterly shareholding pattern data of Bse sensex companies from Dec. 2001 to Dec.2006, we attempt to examine the changes if any, in the proportion of various shareholders in the overall shareholding pattern of these companies. We find that over the study period FIIs investment in Bse sensex companies is on the booming spree but it is still inadequate as compared to the size of our capital market and the prevailing favorable international economic conditions.
Role of Involvement in Predicting Brand Loyalty
Authors: Sritharan R. , Jyothi K. Tamizh , Rajakumar C. Samudhra
Published: March 2013

Creating and maintaining strong brands and loyal customers have become increasingly difficult in today's competitive environment. Brand loyalty has been shown to be associated with higher rates of return on investment through increases in market share. Though several factors (e.g., trust, satisfaction, commitment, familiarity etc.) are found to influence brand loyalty, involvement plays a predominant role. This research has made an attempt to examine the relationship between involvement and brand loyalty. Involvement has been measured with the help of Consumer Involvement Profile (CIP) (Kapferer and Laurent, 1985) and the factor analysis revealed that 4 antecedents of involvement are highly significant. With the help of multiple regression the influence of these 4 antecedents on brand loyalty has been examined, the outcome confirms that involvement is one of the important factor in predicting brand loyalty.
CAPM vs. APT with Macro Economic Variables: Evidence from the Indian Stock Market
Authors: Singh Rohini
Published: March 2013

This study compares CAPM and APT using macro economic variables to represent the APT factors. Analysis of 158 stocks listed on the Bombay stock exchange from 1991–2002 shows that stock returns are influenced by other variables in addition to the dominant market factor. Stock returns moved in the same direction as the BSE 200, production index, wholesale price index, dollar rate and difference in the six and three month foreign exchange forward premium. They moved in the opposite direction to call rates, T-bill rates, gold prices, three month foreign exchange forward premium, and differentials in long and short term interest rates. The significant factors varied with the period and interval used for calculation of returns. In the cross regressions, the BSE 200, call rate and dollar rate were priced in some sub periods. The multi index model using macroeconomic variables could also explain variation in returns marginally better than CAPM.
Valuation of Indian Companies – An Analytical Perspective
Authors: Kumar B Rajesh , Suhas K M
Published: March 2013

This research paper focuses on an analytical valuation perspective of Indian companies. Five top companies from each of these sectors were selected on the basis of cumulative sales in the last ten-year period (1997–2006). These five top companies in each sector were selected from the total sample of 8500 companies. The companies were valued on the basis of eight financial parameters. The IT sector and infrastructure sectors have the highest average sales growth rate with three companies from each sector figuring in the top ten list. Idea Cellular had the highest average growth rate in sales for the past decade. The most valuable company in terms of average market capitalization was ONGC followed by Reliance Industries Ltd. and Hindustan Lever Ltd. respectively. On the basis of Tobin q ratio, TCS is the most valuable company followed by Infosys, Wipro and Satyam respectively. The regression results show that that the value of a firm is positively related to sales growth and asset growth. Higher the debt component of the capital structure of a firm, lower will be the value of firm.
Customer Satisfaction of MEPZ – Special Economic Zone
Authors: Ganapathi R. , Malar S. Anbu
Published: March 2013

India is rich in human resources. An effective utilization of human resources can boost the development of India. Hence, both Central Government and State Governments have prepare the number of plans for the economic development. Among the many plans, one of the plans is establishment of Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The very purpose of establishing SEZ is providing all infrastructural facilities, marketing assistance, financial assistance and incentives in all aspects. If all the facilities are provided, certainly, many entrepreneurs may come forward to establish their units in SEZ voluntarily. Mainly labour intensive units are established in SEZ for the benefit of the local area people. Some of the existing Export Processing Zones are converted into Special Economic Zones. One such is Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) which got converted into Special Economic Zone. The researchers wanted to know the impact of conversion on the functioning of the units within the zone area. Many more multinational corporations are very much interested in establishing their sister concerns and branches in India. Hence, it is the need of the hour to know the functioning of units in Special Economic Zones. The present study highlights the ways of functioning of units in SEZ erstwhile called MEPZ.
Indian Budget – 2008–09
Authors: Shirur Srinivas
Published: March 2013

This is the last year before elections. Undoubtedly, Finance Minister is under severe pressure from his colleagues to present a budget so that they can go to their constituents with something positive to say to the voters. Past experience have shown that populist budget has not helped the ruling parties The case in point is the budget passed by Jaswant Singh before the elections which was highly populist but still NDA lost the elections. Although successive Finance Ministers know this fact very well but pressure from the party members is hard to ignore. Capital Market seems to have taken these populist measures into account even before the budget is presented and as a result stock index increases a week before budget and then crash.
Why Do Employees Seek Alternative Employment and What Makes Them Stay: The Case of Indian IT Industry
Authors: Punia B.K. , Sharma Priyanka
Published: March 2013

Attrition and retention are the buzz words today in the IT industry at global level in general and in India in particular. Using a sample of 1000 IT professionals, the study at hand attempts to find out the prominent alternative employment factors and also the leading retention approaches that may be used to keep the IT professionals intact. The study brings out that the IT professional regard the work conditions as the most important factor followed by compensation and the family circumstances as the major influencing factors that may be considered while planning a job change by the IT professionals. A family friendly policy, identification, recognition & motivation of key performers and flexible work schedule have emerged as the top runner retention strategies as suggested by the IT professionals.
Organizational Role Stress: Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach
Authors: Yasmeen Haider , Supriya M.V.
Published: March 2013

This research paper explores the usage of Organizational Role Stress Scale (ORS) in assessing the role stress of employees. Data for analyses have been collected from Indian Administrative Officers, Tamil Nadu Cadre. The instrument is empirically tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach as it helps in determining the “goodness of fit” of the predetermined factor model. The construct validity, convergent validity and the content validity of the scale is tested. The findings provide evidence of validity and also the reliability as a measure of role stress.
Polymer Banknotes – A Viable Alternative to Paper Banknotes
Authors: Singh N.P.
Published: March 2013

Many countries are shifting to polymer banknotes in place of paper banknotes in order to reduce counterfeits, cost of production, and increase self life of the banknotes. With similar reasons some countries have issued hybrid polymer banknotes also. The article analyzes the pro and cons of polymer banknotes in the light of data available from secondary sources. It may help policy and decision makers in many countries who are planning to switch either from paper note to polymer banknotes and are continuing with paper banknotes.
Managing Service Quality in Commercial Banks: A Gender Focus
Authors: Vanniarajan T. , Manimaran S.
Published: March 2013

Service quality is a competitive weapon in the banking industry. The gender of customers continue to be one of the most popular and well-accepted base for segmenting markets and customers. The banks have to formulate their marketing plans and strategies on the basis of the customers segment to reap the competitive advantages. Hence, the present study focuses on the measurement of service quality in commercial banks according to the gender's perspective. The study was conducted among the bank customers in Madurai district, Tamilnadu. The study identified that the male customers perceive more on higher number of service quality items than the female customers. The male customers ranked the reliability and effectiveness and assurance as the important service quality factors of the commercial banks whereas the female customers pointed out the price and access. The service portfolio is highly ranked by the male customers whereas poorly ranked by the female customers. The outcome of the study reveals the need of appropriate marketing strategies to different market segments.
The Impact of New Private Sector Banks on Old Private Sector Banks in India
Authors: Malik Garima , Prakash Ajay
Published: March 2013

The process of economic liberalization and implementation of the reforms measures have encouraged the entry of many new private players in Indian banking sector. This paper examines the effect of the entry of new private banks on the business and efficiency of old private banks. To achieve this objective, T-test has been applied to find out the difference in the performance of old private banks before and after the entry of new private sector banks. Here financial ratios have been taken as the parameters for ascertaining the changes in the business of old private banks in India. The results indicates that the presence of the new private sector banks does pose threat to old private sector banks at the moment, however, the same cannot be said in the future.
Company Attributes and Cross Section of Stock Returns in India
Authors: Singh Rohini
Published: March 2013

Beta is a widely accepted measure of systematic risk. While early tests in international markets and the Indian stock market found that beta was able to explain variations in return, subsequent studies found that other variables were also important. This paper relates stock returns to the underlying behaviour of beta and five company attributes size, earnings yield, cash earnings yield, dividend yield and book to market ratio. Analysis of 158 stocks listed on the Bombay stock exchange from 1991–2002 and sub periods shows that stock returns are influenced by other variables in addition to the market factor. Beta was positively related to returns while size, E/P, D/P and B/M were negatively related to returns. The study indicates that risk is probably multidimensional and that significant factors vary with the period chosen for empirical analysis.
An Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Industrialization on Infrastructure Development in Himachal Pradesh
Authors: Sharma Vijay Kumar , Vashist Roshan Lal , Sharma Nishu
Published: March 2013

Infrastructure and industrial development are interrelated. Proper infrastructure facilities play an important role in the industrialization of any region on the one hand and on the other hand industrial development of any region affects the development of infrastructural facilities. In this paper an attempt has been made to find out the impact of industrialization on infrastructure development. The present study is empirical one and opinion of the sampled respondents regarding development of infrastructure facilities viz., education, health, roads, banking, housing, communication, electricity and tourism have been collected and analyzed. It is clear from the study that industrialization has added wheels for the improvement and modernization of infrastructural facilities in Himachal Pradesh. Industrial development has made it possible to improve the social and economic infrastructural facilities in the form of more opportunities for education, superior housing, public health, shopping facilities and other modern amenities of the life.
Consumers Attitude and Preferences towards Self Help Group Products
Authors: Malar S. Anbu , Malar S. Anbu
Published: March 2013

A field study was conducted to identify the needs, aspirations and attitudes of rural consumer. The study focuses the areas like the extent of awareness of SHG products, factors influencing the consumers to buy the SHG products, satisfaction level of consumers from SHG products and problems of consumers in buying the SHG products. There is a stiff competition between mechanized products of large-scale companies and the SHG products in urban areas. Hence, the present study was conducted in Coimbatore city. The statistical tools of Percentage or Descriptive analysis, Chi-square analysis, Likert scaling techniques, Average score analysis, Average ranking technique and Friedman test are used for meaningful analysis of primary data. Valuable suggestions are given to assess the attitude and preferences of consumers towards SHG products and increase the sales also.
Identification and Ranking of Software Project Risks
Authors: Sharma Arpita , Gupta Aayushi , Khilnani Deepti
Published: March 2013

The paper identifies and ranks the risks affecting the software projects globally. This study is based on 12 researches which have been conducted in different parts of the world. The results of the study have also been shared with some senior IT professionals working in Noida. Based on their inputs, the paper also reveals that the top five risks identified in this study have important linkages amongst them and their management is crucial for the success of the project
Assuring Input Quality under TQM Practices: A Comparative Analysis of Four Major Indian Passenger Car Companies
Authors: Prashar Sanjeev , Jasial Sumeet Singh
Published: March 2013

The automobile industry, on one hand, is facing stiff global competition in light of all major US, European and Asian car manufacturers entering at different price points in the Indian market while the other end is witness of customers becoming discerning and discriminately strong in demanding quality and value for money. Hence the entire rule of the game pivots around the scopic perspectives of quality management systems in the organizations. The present study has been undertaken to evaluate the performance of selected four passenger car companies with regard to their pursuit to Total Quality Management(TQM) at input level i.e. Vendor Control and Control of Purchased Material. The paper unfolds performance of these players on selected dimensions and concludes with the fact that wide scope is still available for reaching to the global vistas.
An Integrated Model of AHP and TOPSIS for 3PL Evaluation
Authors: Kumar Pravin
Published: March 2013

The performance measurement of third party logistics (3PL) is very important to improve the customer service level and hence efficiency of supply chain. This is a multi-criteria decision making problem which incorporates various supply chain parameters. A framework for performance measurement of 3PL providers has been developed in this paper, which uses AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). The main contribution of this paper includes application of integrated AHP and TOPSIS framework to measure the relative strength of the 3PLs. This paper may help to supply chain manager to select a best 3PL and to improve the performance of existing 3PL
The Dynamics of Capital Structure
Authors: Jairo Isaya J
Published: March 2013

The determinants of capital structure in a dynamics context have been analysed by investigating the derivatives of gearing ratios with respect to the hypothesised determinants. Data from 651 UK listed companies for a period of 16-years from 1985 to 2000 have been used. Moving windows regressions have been used and the results of two alternative methodologies have been compared in order to determine their relative merits. It has been found that traditional OLS-regressions perform as well as structural equation modelling (SEM) in the analysis of adjustment towards the optimal capital structure. Supportive of prior literature, gearing ratios appear to respond positively to changes in firm size and changes in corporate taxes. Also consistent with the theory, gearing ratios respond negatively to changes in non-debt tax shields, profitability, and cash holdings. However, gearing responds negatively to growth only in the short-term, and there is no consistent relationship between changes in tangibility and gearing over time.
Investors’ Perception towards Capital Market Operations – An Empirical Study
Authors: Devi S. Renuga , Bharathi N.
Published: March 2013

The economic development of a country depends upon the size and extent of the economic activity in the country, which need capital to carry out the activities. So investment culture is to be developed among the public to motivate them to select corporate securities as their investment avenue. The creation of investment culture can be effectively done by understanding the factors influencing the capital market operations. So, this study focuses its attention to identify the major factors that help the creation of investment culture and related activities by the policy makers and capital issuers.
Day-of-the-week Effect: Further Empirical Evidence
Authors: Choudhary Kapil , Choudhary Sakshi
Published: March 2013

The study investigates the presence of day-of-the-week effect in twenty financial markets in the world. A set of parametric and non-parametric tests is used to test equality of mean returns of the returns across the-days-of-the-week. The results reveal that out of twenty markets, 18 (90 percent) reported their significant highest positive return on the day other than Monday which is consistent with results reported by previous studies on this phenomenon. In terms of variability of daily returns across the world market, the results indicates that 75 percent markets experience highest variability in the returns on Monday. Further the study exhibited significant differences in average returns across the days of week for seven markets viz. Greece, Finland, Venezuela, Peru, USA, Japan and India out of twenty markets under consideration during their respective study periods.
Performance of the Indian Mutual Funds: A Study with Special Reference to Growth Schemes
Authors: Lakshmi N. , Deo Malabika , Murugesan B.
Published: March 2013

The financial sector reforms, role of regulatory authorities and increase in savings attracted investors towards mutual funds. Stock market developments created popularity for equity oriented schemes. In the face of availability of multitudinous schemes, growth schemes introduced in the year 1993 has been studied. Sharpe, Treynor, Jensen and Fama's measures reveals that all the seven schemes showed negative risk premium, scheme's performance was in line with that of market performance, existence of a high degree of positive correlation in weekly time lag while the impact gets reduced as the time lag increases.
Signaling in CNX Nifty Futures: A Perceptual Approach
Authors: Barik Prasanna Kumar , Supriya M V
Published: March 2013

There are several participants in the financial markets. Each of them has access to different information. This information gets reflected in their trading strategies and consequently their trading profits. Often the sub-brokers are better informed than the individual investors therefore they perform better. Survey data has been used to study the profile of brokers as well as investors. The research underscores perceptual differences between these two groups. A two pronged approach consisting of investor education and advertisements is recommended to address problems of asymmetric information.
Comparative Study of Promotional Strategies adopted by Public and Private Sector Banks in India
Authors: Gupta S L , Mittal Arun
Published: March 2013

Marketing strategies become more crucial when they are executed to design, distribute and promote banking services. The present study is descriptive in nature and takes out significant differences in the promotional strategies adopted by private and public sector banks in India. The study shows noteworthy results and opinions of customers, which can be very useful for designing effective promotional strategies for banks. The study reveals remarkable facts connected with customers’ perception about promotional tools of both sectors’ banks and also about the most effective tools to promote banking services.
Examining Rural-Urban Purchase Behaviour towards Washing Machines: An Empirical Study in Punjab
Authors: Thakur Anand , Hundal B S
Published: March 2013

Rapid changes are being experienced in almost every sector in Indian economy. Consumer Durables too, are facing tough times (feeling saturated) in urban markets. A large number of gigantic MNCs have changed their destination from urban to rural markets which have displayed an impressive growth over last few years. The present study is an attempt to examine the purchase motivators (viz; Item of necessity, symbol of social status, marketing influence, brand reputation and time-saving device) for Washing machine in the rural and urban areas of Punjab. The study suggests that more sophisticated use of marketing and advertising strategies, specifically focused on core benefits of product use will be highly useful in tapping these unexplored markets
Barriers in Career Growth of Women Managers: An Indian Scenario
Authors: Sujatha R.
Published: March 2013

This paper investigates the various factors that thwart the career growth of women managers in private organizations. The study follows an exploratory-cum-analytical research design, with a questionnaire administered to 440 men and women managers. The data analyzed using Factor analysis, discriminant analysis and factor mapping revealed that work – family pressures, structural barriers and managerial stereotypes are the major factors that thwart women manager's career opportunities.
Corporate Governance Practices by Indian Corporates
Authors: Shukla Hitesh J.
Published: March 2013

Corporate governance implies a connection between business and ethics; that is among the management, governance and control systems of an organization. Considering the importance of corporate governance in the context of sustainable development, the prime objective of the study is to know the corporate governance reporting practices of the Indian corporate units, considering Clause-49 as a benchmark for the purpose. For the purpose of the study, corporate governance reporting practices of various Indian units were analyzed for the year ending on March 31, 2006. 130 units listed with BSE were taken as a sample for the study.
Benefits of Privacy-Enhancing Identity Management
Authors: Fischer-Hübner Simone , Hedbom Hans
Published: March 2013

Privacy-enhancing identity management systems allow users to act securely in the information society while keeping sovereignty over their personal spheres. This paper elaborates the benefits that privacy-enhancing identity management can provide for both end users and services sides. These benefits include increased privacy protection for end users and enhanced trust relations between users and services sides. The PRIME system developed within the EU project PRIME (Privacy and Identity Management for Europe) and a PRIME-enable e-shopping application scenario are used to illustrate these benefits. Besides, also potential business drivers for services sides to deploy privacy-enhancing identity management systems are discussed.
Volatility of Indian Stock Market: An Emperical Evidence
Authors: Srivastava Aman
Published: March 2013

The purpose of this paper is to apply the GARCH-class models to two major stock exchanges of Indian stock markets. The study includes main indices of Bombay Stock Exchange (SENSEX) and that of National stock exchange (NIFTY). GARCH-class models have been applied to analyze the characteristics of the volatility of Indian stock market. The findings suggest that both the Indian stock exchanges have significant ARCH effects and it is appropriate to use ARCH/GARCH models to estimate the process and also demonstrated that there are leverage effects in the markets. That means the investors in those markets are not grown well and they will be heavily influenced by information (good or bad) very easily.
A Comparative Study on TQM Implementation, among Certified and Noncertified Auto Component Manufacturers
Authors: Jagannathan Lakshmi
Published: March 2013

This research paper examines the factors that are critical for the successful implementation of a TQM programme among auto component manufacturers. It draws a comparison between the CSFs (critical success factors) in certified companies and the non-certified companies in India.
Impact of Pharmaceutical Industry Promotion Mix on Doctor's Prescribing Behaviour
Authors: Taneja Girish
Published: March 2013

This study was conducted to develop a simple framework for finding out the impact of the different kinds of promotional tools offered by pharmaceutical industry on the prescribing behaviour of doctors. Moreover the study also focused on whether the perception of physicians towards various promotional tools is different with respect to demographic variables. Well-structured schedule was developed for conducting the study. Judgmental sampling method was followed. Survey was conducted and data was analyzed on the basis of responses provided by 523 respondents. Researcher has applied factor analysis for data reduction and ANOVA & F-test for hypothesis testing. Findings of the study can help the marketing managers of pharmaceutical companies in designing their promotional strategies especially for doctors.
Modeling of Motor Vehicle Claims Using Extreme Value Methodology and Monte Carlo Stimulation: A Comparative Study
Authors: Chandrasekhar S.
Published: March 2013

Motor Vehicle Insurance claims form a substantial component of Non life insurance claims and it is also growing with increasing number of vehicles on roads. It is also desirable to have an idea of what will be the likely claim amount for the coming future (Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly) based on past claim data. If one looks at the claim amount one can make out that there will be few large claims compared to large number of average and below average claims. Thus the distributions of claims do not follow a Symmetric pattern which makes it difficult using normal Statistical analysis. The methodology followed to analyze such data is known as Extreme value Analysis. Extreme value analysis is a general name which covers (i) Generalised Extreme Value (GEV) (ii) Generalised Pareto Distribution (GPD). Basically these techniques can deal with non symmetric shape of the distribution which is close to reality. Normally one fits a generalised Extreme Value distribution (GEV)/Generalised Pareto Distribution (GPD) and using parameters of fitted distribution future, forecast of likely losses can be predicted. Second method of analyzing such data is using methodology of simulation. Here we fit a Poisson distribution for arrival of claims and weibull/pareto/Lognormal for claim amount. Using Monte Carlo Simulation one combines both the distributions for future prediction of claim amount. This paper shows a comparison of the above techniques on motor vehicle claims data.
A Simulation Based Approach for Software Release and Support Management
Authors: Singh Vikram
Published: March 2013

Deciding when to stop testing and deliver or release a software product in the competitive market place, is an important decision in software project management. Software tools are available in the market for backing the decisions of project managers with regards to software release. Also, software development houses may need to know “for how long should they support and maintain their software product after release?” A few tools are available that take into account the software product support activities that go beyond software release while computing and optimizing software life cycle cost. A simulation based approach has been devised for helping Software Project Managers in deciding: 1) How long to test software? 2) How long to provide free support to the product? 3) When to withdraw the product support?
Science, Engineering and Technology Education: Innovative Paradigm Shift
Authors: Ahmad S.
Published: March 2013

With an ever growing urge for developing technologies supported by scientific research and development to provide complete solution to the problems faced by humanity than to depend merely upon ‘discovery by chance’ the first change in paradigm came in the form of ‘problem based learning and research’. This led to the introduction of ‘creativity and innovation’ in place of only creating human resources with right kind of skill alone in the process of offering education and training to create and realize better opportunities besides using the existing ones more optimally. These changes introduced the concept of ‘Knowledge Economy’ setting a foundation of ‘Knowledge Society’ synergistically supported by the onset of information and communication technology (ICT). Exploration of genetic details of human health started with the considerations at microscopic level that needed additional support from basic sciences and engineering sciences to help advance clinical sciences. This is where a great paradigm shift appeared on the horizon of science and technology development in form of Nano Science and Technology. Size dependent physical, chemical and biological functions of a large variety of nanostructured materials, investigated so far, are indicating towards an upcoming revolution of great significance in the area of human health care by considering the mutual interactions of nanoparticles, macromolecules and bio-molecules. These kinds of paradigm shifts, introduced from time to time in the last century, impacted the way education and training has been organized to produce right kind of human resources. Learning from the past experiences, an effort has been made in this paper to foresee about the future expectations from education to meet the upcoming challenges faced by human society by considering man, material and environment together as an integrated system. Appropriate modifications in education and training system to generate creativity and innovation loaded human resources are essential for success in time to come. The related matters of future education and training approach are considered in this paper in the present context.