Feasibility Study of Business Correspondent/Business Facilitator Models for Financial Inclusion in Krishna District: Andhra Pradesh

Vol. 11  Issue 2
Year:2016
Issue:Sep-Nov
Title:Feasibility Study of Business Correspondent/Business Facilitator Models for Financial Inclusion in Krishna District: Andhra Pradesh
Author Name:P.Raja Babu
Synopsis:
Financial inclusion, at first sight, needs to be viewed as 'money at the bottom of the pyramid' and business models should be so designed as self-supporting in the initial phase and profit making in the long-run. Business correspondents are retail agents engaged by banks for providing multiple services at lower cost to their clients at branchless bank network. It has been currently operational in countries such as Kenya, Brazil, and Columbia and in India as well. The main objective is ensuring greater financial inclusion through the use of Business Facilitators (BFs) and Business Correspondents (BC). A viable business model will be designed for untapped market to bring into the fold of banking services.

Investors' Attitude towards Secondary Market-A Study of Punjab Region

Vol. 11  Issue 2
Year:2016
Issue:Sep-Nov
Title:Investors' Attitude towards Secondary Market-A Study of Punjab Region
Author Name:Anil Soni
Synopsis:
The stock market can be broadly classified into two categories i.e. Primary Market and Secondary Market. When a company offers its shares to the public to raise capital, it is done through Primary Market. This process is performed with the help of the Merchant Bankers. Once the shares have been issued by the company and are listed on the stock exchanges, the sale and purchase of the securities after issue takes place through secondary market. The size of the secondary market is much bigger than the primary market. Investments in secondary market constitute a sizeable portion of the investable funds. The number of the investors, the volume and the value of transactions has seen an unparalleled growth during the last one decade. More and more small investors are attracted towards secondary market. As far as Indian secondary market is concerned, there are two major stock exchanges viz. National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). All the transactions on these exchanges are done with the help of technology and there is no manual trading. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to study the attitude of the investors towards secondary market. The area of the study is limited to the three major cities of Punjab i.e. Jalandhar, Mohali and Ludhiana.

Development of Decision Support System for Ranking of Performance Indicators in JIT based Manufacturing using Saw Technique

Vol. 11  Issue 2
Year:2016
Issue:Sep-Nov
Title:Development of Decision Support System for Ranking of Performance Indicators in JIT based Manufacturing using Saw Technique
Author Name:Rishabh Ranjan and P.C. Tewari
Synopsis:
The increasing intensity of competition in global markets in the present time is the major challenge that organizations are facing, especially the manufacturing ones. To remain at the competitive edge, the companies need to be continuously striving for innovative and effective material management techniques. Just In Time (JIT) is one of such material management techniques that increases the productivity of the enterprise by elimination of all kind of wastes through continuous improvement. This paper deals with the identification and ranking of performance indicators based on several criteria for successful JIT Implementation in Manufacturing Sector. A deterministic quantitative model based on Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) technique has been developed for identifying and ranking the performance indicators. This concept has not been applied previously in the available literature for the selection problem. Six performance indicators namely-Lead Time Reduction, Productivity, Profit, Product Quality, Difficulty in Implementation and Inventory have been considered for this study. Improper selection could affect a company's competitiveness in terms of the Productivity of its facilities and Quality of its products.

Manufacturing in Low Cost Country Locations: Costs and Benefits

Vol. 11  Issue 2
Year:2016
Issue:Sep-Nov
Title:Manufacturing in Low Cost Country Locations: Costs and Benefits
Author Name:Tom Page
Synopsis:
China and its reforming markets have increasingly attracted the attention of Western companies. It is seen as a country with expanding markets and low labour costs. As a result, numerous firms have moved production there (Salmi, 2008). This report compares and contrasts the deciding factors under which companies assign manufacture to either Low Cost Country (LCC) locations (such as China), or the UK manufacturing markets. Case studies are used to provide real world representation of some of the issues that companies can face when determining the manufacture location. Conclusions provide a generic overview of recommended manufacturing location based upon prioritising the key factors found from the investigation.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Turkey: A Conceptual Paper

Vol. 11  Issue 2
Year:2016
Issue:Sep-Nov
Title:Corporate Social Responsibility in Turkey: A Conceptual Paper
Author Name:Ina Freeman and Egemen Deniz Bahar
Synopsis:
This paper looks to the implementation of CSR in Turkey, an emerging country that is a portal between eastern and western concepts and ideas. Until recently, Turkey has not expended much effort on the implementation of CSR, despite the demands of the European Union that Turkey pass CSR legislation and implement the CSR provisions already in place prior to Turkey being accepted as a member of the European Union. However, some businesses have taken the torch and implemented their own CSR programs, often to address social inequities that do not necessarily fall within the framework of their operations. This varies from how CSR is implemented in many countries where corporations engage in social activities that complement their operations and business expertise. Some of these businesses are Turkish in origin and ownership indicating CSR is slowly gaining a foothold in Turkey. In this paper, the status of CSR in Turkey is discussed and examples of Turkish businesses are given which develop and operate programs that clearly fall within the guidelines of CSR.

CSR Appropriation, Stakeholder's Alignment and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: The Case of the Niger Delta

Vol. 11  Issue 1
Year:2016
Issue:Jun-Aug
Title:CSR Appropriation, Stakeholder's Alignment and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: The Case of the Niger Delta
Author Name:Yinka Kehinde Binuomoyo
Synopsis:

This paper applies the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to sustainable development. In doing so, the article develops insights into a development crisis Nigeria is faced with, paying particular attention to environmental issues using the case of the oil-rich Niger Delta, and assesses the effectiveness of CSR in achieving the objectives of sustainable development. The article examines the failure of government towards addressing the development of the Niger Delta region and advocates investment by corporate organizations in the region to directly impact the host communities. Central themes of the paper include economic and development sustainability, environmental degradation and concern for the welfare of the society. The paper also develops the context of the case, for the role of businesses in helping the country achieve an optimum level of sustainable development, using their CSR philosophies.

Concern for the welfare of host communities of the oil MNCS have consequences for the corporate organizations, including the re-investment of part of their profits, to preserve and develop their host communities.

The paper concludes with the need to establish a practicable institutional structure to implement CSR as mandatory for corporate organizations in not only the Niger Delta, but also everywhere else in the country.

Implementation of DRSMLA Method for Predicting Profitable Indices

Vol. 11  Issue 1
Year:2016
Issue:Jun-Aug
Title:Implementation of DRSMLA Method for Predicting Profitable Indices
Author Name:Madhavi Latha and K. Siva Nageswara Rao
Synopsis:
The main goal of this study is to investigate the profitable index among the bulk of indices from Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), and to obtain a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier function to classify the indices on the basis of adherence level. The Dynamic Rough Set Theory (DRS) is used to identify the most important attributes and induce decision making with the support of the profitable indices from 302 samples of BSE. To increase the efficiency of the classification process, “Dynamic Rough Set using Machine Learning Algorithm” (DRSMLA), is introduced and implemented to discritize the data, then rough set reduction technique is applied to find all reduced sets of the data which contains the minimal subset of attributes, that are associated with class label for classification. Finally, the generated class labels are used to predict best indices for long term, medium term and short term investors by the implementation of SVM classification technique. A comparison between the obtained results using DRSMLA with ID3 decision tree, discriminant analysis, neural networks and rough set theory classifier algorithms has been made. DRSMLA method shows a higher overall accuracy rates and lower execution time consumption.

Market Behavior and Price Discovery in Indian Commodity Markets

Vol. 11  Issue 1
Year:2016
Issue:Jun-Aug
Title:Market Behavior and Price Discovery in Indian Commodity Markets
Author Name:Mihir Dash
Synopsis:
The study analyzes the market behavior and causality effects between spot and futures prices in Indian commodity markets. The pattern is quite different for different commodities. Commodities that suffer from chronic backwardation should be analyzed in more detail, in order to understand the causes, and controls (known as backwardation limits) should be instituted for the same. Causality in commodities markets can be used to either hedge or speculate price movements: if changes in spot prices drive changes in futures prices, efficient hedging strategies can be formulated; whereas, if changes in futures prices drive changes in spot prices, efficient speculation strategies can be formulated. Further, causality can be used in forecasting commodity spot and futures prices.

Impact of Job Stress on Employee’s Performance: An Empirical Study

Vol. 11  Issue 1
Year:2016
Issue:Jun-Aug
Title:Impact of Job Stress on Employee’s Performance: An Empirical Study
Author Name:K.S.Ravinarayana and H. Ramakrishna
Synopsis:
This study examines the impact of job stress on employee performance. The sample is drawn from a pool of sales professionals who completed a questionnaire made up of valid and reliable instruments that measured each of the variables studied. The findings indicate that the personnel have higher levels of job stress and higher levels of job performance. This study in some way contributed towards understanding the psychological perspective of employees and also understanding ways by which a job can be redesigned.

Financial Inclusion through Commercial Banks - A Feasible Option for Inclusive Growth

Vol. 11  Issue 1
Year:2016
Issue:Jun-Aug
Title:Financial Inclusion through Commercial Banks - A Feasible Option for Inclusive Growth
Author Name:P. Raja Babu 
Synopsis:
Banking sector plays a prominent role in the development of Indian economy. Banks were taken initiatives for expansion of branches in rural areas over a period of time. Especially, commercial banks played a vital role to enhance earnings of poorer sections of the society. “Financial inclusion is the process of ensuring access with quality of financial services provided to vulnerable groups such as weaker and low income groups (Rajan & Zingales, 2003).” According to K. C. Chakrabarty (2012), in general, “financial inclusion is the process of ensuring access to appropriate financial products and services needed by all sections of the society. Particularly, weaker sections and low income groups get these services in a fair and transparent manner at an affordable cost.” This study mainly concentrates on the need of banking services and product innovation for inclusive growth in rural economy.

'Maximizing Shareholder Value': A Theory Run Amok

Vol. 10  Issue 4
Year:2016
Issue:Mar-May
Title:'Maximizing Shareholder Value': A Theory Run Amok
Author Name: Clifton Clarke and Hershey H. Friedman
Synopsis:
The doctrine of Maximizing Shareholder Value (MSV) has been largely viewed as a definitive tool for measuring the performance of the executives of public corporations. Countless business students have been taught that, the sole goal of the firm is MSV, despite the fact that, Jack Welch called this goal the “dumbest idea in the world”. This paper reviews the literature and examines the evolution of this corporate mantra and exposes its potentially disastrous effects on shareholders, employees, customers and the nation. It concludes that, the construct of MSV is a decoy for pursuing higher share price and contends that, corporate profit-making and corporate social responsibility are not incompatible goals. Thus, it proposes that corporations should stop promoting this doctrine as a sacred objective of management and that business schools should discontinue teaching it as the optimum measure of management performance.

The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Communication on Corporate Reputation

Vol. 10  Issue 4
Year:2016
Issue:Mar-May
Title:The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Communication on Corporate Reputation
Author Name: Doreen M. Mcgunagle, Dixie Button and Laura Zizka
Synopsis:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is increasingly more important for firms in today's global marketplace and effective communication of CSR initiatives is vital towards enhancing a company's reputation and its sales revenues. With this consideration, the reputations of firms in the Aerospace and Defense (A & D) industry worldwide, in conjunction with their use of social media were examined to validate a link between the use of social media to communicate CSR activities and a firm's reputation ranking. The methodology involved a qualitative content analysis of the online and social media presence of the top 20 A & D companies from the Deloitte Toche Tohmatso Limited (DTTL) 2014 Global A& D financial performance study. Data from six indicators of CSR: environment, community relations, diversity, employee relations, human rights, and client comments, was examined. According to the findings, firms utilizing social media for CSR communication should expect improved reputation ratings. All top 20 A & D companies publish at least four CSR indicators on social media platforms. The conclusion reached is that, while CSR content via social media can lead to higher reputation ratings, companies need to strategically choose the ideal number of CSR indicators, to position themselves in the global marketplace.

On Sustainability Reporting: Do Stakeholders Matter?

Vol. 10  Issue 4
Year:2016
Issue:Mar-May
Title:On Sustainability Reporting: Do Stakeholders Matter?
Author Name: Mattera. M, Hilliard. I, Shapoval. A and Aigbedo. H
Synopsis:
Due to sector importance, size and strong growth rates, Aerospace and Defense (A & D) companies need to engage appropriately with stakeholders and communicate effectively their corporate policies, strategies and actions. As a result, in recent years, they have faced greater scrutiny and calls to produce sustainability reports. They rely on internationally recognized frameworks to create such reports. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is one of the most trusted guidelines, being the nearest thing that exists to a standard for responsible management reporting. However, it is unclear whether it effectively fulfills its mission. The present paper explores the disclosure and information content of the top revenue-generating companies in the A&D industry. Results show that, there is a need for further development of the GRI guidelines in a sector-specific fashion, together with higher detail and specification in firms' disclosure of information, to achieve overall greater transparency.

Cross-Cultural Awareness and the Practice of Corporate Social Responsibility in Canada: The Case of Target

Vol. 10  Issue 4
Year:2016
Issue:Mar-May
Title:Cross-Cultural Awareness and the Practice of Corporate Social Responsibility in Canada: The Case of Target
Author Name: Ina Freeman
Synopsis:

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is universally recognized and integrated into international business strategies since 2009. The 2014 Canadian government's expectations promote Canadian values, utilizing the highest ethical standards in their operations, ensuring Canadian companies doing business internationally, are recognized as ethical and responsible. Further, it also ensures that businesses that are based abroad but operate in Canada, conduct themselves in a similar manner

One business that recently entered and promptly left the Canadian marketplace is the American based business Target. This store's Canadian subsidiary, Target Canada, entered the marketplace with the purchase of a Canadian discount chain in 2011, beginning operations in March 2013. In January 2015, Target Canada filed for bankruptcy and closed all stores in April 2015 with a loss of $2.1 billion. While the financial requirements of “setting up” business in Canada was more costly than the Target and Target Canada executives may have anticipated, the Canadians' response to Target's leaving included statements to the effect that, Target Canada did not understand Canadians who pride themselves in not being Americans. This article discusses CSR as practiced in Canada and the rejection of businesses that adhere to a non- Canadian identity while operating in Canada.

Theory and Practice of Corporate Social Responsibility

Vol. 10  Issue 4
Year:2016
Issue:Mar-May
Title:Theory and Practice of Corporate Social Responsibility
Author Name: Robert W. Robertson
Synopsis:

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an important practice for business across the world. Increasingly, business has recognized the interconnections that make them sustainable and successful. The increasing global and technological business environment requires that firms which develop methods to retain and enhance their competitive advantage. Today, business must manage more than simply the bottom line. Today, as business grows, it is increasingly measured on its commitment to be “socially responsible.” In that regard, business must act legally and morally in the pursuit of profit as well as developing an organizational sense of “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR).

Clearly, the community and the environment within which the business operates are increasingly viewed as a part of a holistic system. This paper provides an overview of the theory and practice of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Meeting Real Work Demands of the Global Economy

Vol. 10  Issue 3
Year:2016
Issue:Dec-Feb
Title:Meeting Real Work Demands of the Global Economy
Author Name:Doreen M. Mcgunagle 
Synopsis:
The purpose of this case study is to explore the employer's perspective on the job skills required for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) based jobs. A corporate perspective is used to construct a framework for understanding the skills that affect new college graduates. A case study method is adopted involving purposeful sampling strategy of Aerospace & Defense Industry (A & D) organizations, from the Deloitte Toche Tohmatso Limited (DTTL) 2014 Global A& D sector financial performance study. The study provides a framework for meeting real world demands and presents a model that will identify key factors in the terms of skills required for the college graduates. The model of key factors from the A & D industry will improve the alignment between employer's requirements and high-wage, highdemand jobs. The study will help fill the gap on employer's expectations and necessary skills required to compete in the global economy. By propelling change in the way that universities help prepare their graduates with the necessary skills, will ensure an enduring impact on the workforce. College graduates that develop their skills, enjoy a competitive advantage over other graduates.

Overcoming Resistance of Downsizing: A Case Study of Ledzworld Technology Company in Malaysia

Vol. 10  Issue 3
Year:2016
Issue:Dec-Feb
Title:Overcoming Resistance of Downsizing: A Case Study of Ledzworld Technology Company in Malaysia
Author Name:Mohd Anuar Arshad,Sohail Akhtar, Arshad Mahmood and Adeel Ahmed
Synopsis:
This case study provides guidance on managing the resistance while dealing with the change that happens in an organization. Specifically, in this case study research, the main focus is on downsizing that occurs in an organization and the actions taken to overcome resistance to accept downsizing. The methodology that has been used in this case study research is through gathering primary data while conducting interview session with the Human Resource Manager of Ledzworld. Besides, the authors have gathered some secondary data through research journals in order to support their findings. In this case study, the authors have found that, Organizational Development (OD) practitioner should conduct an effective communication with employees who are affected from downsizing. Furthermore, Negotiating with employees can also reduce the aftershock of downsizing. OD practitioner should also regain the confidence of the existing employees, by giving rewards to the employees who have contributed to the organization’s success. Moreover, leadership of managers play a vital role in motivating the existing employees to be more positive towards the organization, as well as reducing the resistance to change. In short, the authors conclude that, OD practices that have been used by Ledzworld are appropriate and effective in order to reduce the resistance towards change.

Diversity in the Workplace and the Impact of Work Values on the Effectiveness of Multi-Generational Teams

Vol. 10  Issue 3
Year:2016
Issue:Dec-Feb
Title:Diversity in the Workplace and the Impact of Work Values on the Effectiveness of Multi-Generational Teams
Author Name:Deb S. Lawton and Carlos Tasso E. De Aquino
Synopsis:
Companies and organizations that want to become or remain successful in the 21 century face a constant challenge of dealing with the great diversity existing in the world. That diversity presents itself in many dimensions such as gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, culture, thinking, among many others. The diversity found in the workforce of most companies and organizations, including different generational cohorts of workers (Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y or Millennials) represent a great challenge to them, and a better understanding of that can lead to better outcomes. Facing diversity instead of avoiding it, is the beacon for a path towards success. This paper will discuss the impact of different generations in the workforce and how understanding and embracing different work values can lead to build effective and efficient multi-generational teams

The Impact of the Gulf War Immigration on Jordan's Economy and its Information Technology (IT) Sector

Vol. 10  Issue 3
Year:2016
Issue:Dec-Feb
Title:The Impact of the Gulf War Immigration on Jordan's Economy and its Information Technology (IT) Sector
Author Name:Kaled Naser 
Synopsis:
Since its inception, Jordan has experienced large-scale and diverse immigration waves from neighboring countries. The research focuses on the wave that took place during and after the Gulf War of 1991, which left a lasting impact on the country's economy, social fabric, and in particular on the IT industry. The research used a field survey of 37 local companies as well as the analysis and synthesis of various data, and relevant government laws and regulations to probe the impact of that wave. It concluded that, the immigrants caused a boom in all sectors of the economy, as evidenced by the phenomenal 16% growth in the economy in 1992. They created new businesses and competition in the IT industry, and brought technical skills and managerial expertise, that gave a boost to the IT sector and forced the acceleration of local market concepts such as consulting, specialization, and marketing. The Jordanian Government played a passive role at best through its laws, regulations, and practices. During the following decade, few Jordanian IT companies reaped the benefits of the revamped IT sector and attained international fame, when for example, Maktoob portal was acquired by Yahoo. It is hopeful that other countries can benefit from the Jordanian experience in dealing with the ongoing immigration waves and the diversity they bring with them.

A Brief History of Competency-Based Learning in the United States

Vol. 10  Issue 3
Year:2016
Issue:Dec-Feb
Title:A Brief History of Competency-Based Learning in the United States
Author Name:Jennifer Cunningham and Carlos Tasso E. De Aquino 
Synopsis:

The environment of online business education has blossomed in the last decade in the United States, as well as in the rest of the world. Many different approaches have been used to provide students with a more convenient, still very high quality education that can help them to acquire the knowledge and to develop the necessary competencies to achieve success in their careers.

Competency-based education has emerged recently as an alternative, targeting a specific audience of learners, that have developed skills prior to getting a formal education in those areas. By being able to assess those competencies, competency-based programs can recognize the “learning-by-doing” that students have formerly been exposed to, therefore accelerating the completion of degrees and guaranteeing that students can bridge the gap between the knowledge acquired and the actions employers expect to have, when hiring the graduates.

Competency-based education, however, is not new to the United States or the educational system; it has been used for years in corporate training as well as trade schools. With that in mind, this review of literature will examine the history of competency education and the current trends in best practices.

A Study on Purchasing Pattern and Behaviour towards Jewellery in Erode City

Vol. 10  Issue 2
Year:2015
Issue:Sep-Nov
Title:A Study on Purchasing Pattern and Behaviour towards Jewellery in Erode City
Author Name:P. Karthikeyan 
Synopsis:
This research is done with the objective of analyzing consumer buying behaviour while searching for purchasing of Jewellery, service and quality that they have to satisfy their customer needs. It attempts to understand the buyer’s decision making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumer such as demography, psychographics and behavioural variables in an attempt to understand people's wants. This study also tries to assess influence on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference group, and society in general. The research design used for the study is descriptive research. Here, survey was made with 200 customers in the Jewellery retail store premises. Through the research it was evident that, factors such as price, brand image, collections, advertisement, free gift, quality, discount, ambience of the store, making charges and wastage determines the consumer buying behaviour.

Financial Inclusion through Commercial Banks: A Road Map towards Future Growth (With Reference to Krishna District: Andhra Pradesh)

Vol. 10  Issue 2
Year:2015
Issue:Sep-Nov
Title:Financial Inclusion through Commercial Banks: A Road Map towards Future Growth (With Reference to Krishna District: Andhra Pradesh)
Author Name:P. Raja Babu
Synopsis:
The financial sector reforms have been remarkable in progress and their performance has become a major concern for planners' and policymakers in India. The development of an economy depends on how efficiently the financial sector performs and links up with the function of financial intermediation. In India, the financial market and banks have to play a predominant role and they are taking a number of initiatives in order to expand financial services towards weaker sections of the society. Financial inclusion is the delivery of formal banking services to the vast sections of lower income groups at an affordable cost. As stated by Mr. Arun Jaitley (2014), at present, more than 40 per cent of Indian households do not have access to banking services. In developed countries, financial inclusion is a burning issue. In USA, 9 per cent of the population do not have any bank account (Mohan, 2006) whereas, in Sweden and Germany, this is about 2 per cent and 3 per cent of adults who do not have an account. Countries with high level of inequity record higher levels of banking exclusion. The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi launched the 'Financial Inclusion Mission' on Independence Day. The main objective is to ensure that every household in India has access to banking services such as savings accounts, credit, remittances, insurance and pension.

A Study on the Causal Relationship between CNX Nifty and the Index of Industrial Production

Vol. 10  Issue 2
Year:2015
Issue:Sep-Nov
Title:A Study on the Causal Relationship between CNX Nifty and the Index of Industrial Production
Author Name:Pavan Kumar Chandrappa, Venugopal Santhosh Kumar and Triveni 
Synopsis:
The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an important indicator of economic trends and investors, therefore assume that it has a bearing on the index. This study seeks to address the question as to whether changes in the Index of Industrial Production has a bearing on the movement of the index. The CNX Nifty has been taken as the market index for the purposes of this study. The study covers data for the period between 1990 and 2015.The augmented dickey fuller test has been used to test for stationarity and the data has been found to be stationary after first differencing. Causality and direction of causality is studied using the Granger Causality test. The findings were surprising as the causality was seen to be from CNX Nifty to IIP, which is contrary to what many investors assume. The key finding is that the markets are informationally efficient and investors have access to data well before they are published.

An Approach to the Management of the Sustainable Issues in Mobile Phone Design and Manufacturing

Vol. 10  Issue 2
Year:2015
Issue:Sep-Nov
Title:An Approach to the Management of the Sustainable Issues in Mobile Phone Design and Manufacturing
Author Name:Tom Page
Synopsis:
As the desire for more consumer electronics continuously grows, the demand for rare earth materials used to make such products increases. The linear method by which a majority of the world currently manufactures is not a long-term sustainable solution and these current product cycles will have to be replaced, with more circular business models, in order to adjust to these consumer demands. The aim of this research is to investigate sustainability issues in the whole life cycle of mobile phones. The objectives of this research comprised identifying key sustainable design factors, applying a theoretical framework based on the Circular Economy (CE) to the development, use and disposal of mobile phone products. This work has a wider implication for other such type of electronic products and sub-assemblies and the materials that they are made from.

How to Transform an Ordinary Tech Firm into an Innovation Powerhouse

Vol. 10  Issue 2
Year:2015
Issue:Sep-Nov
Title:How to Transform an Ordinary Tech Firm into an Innovation Powerhouse
Author Name:Hershey H. Friedman and Linda W. Friedman
Synopsis:
Organizations that thrive in the highly competitive knowledge economy will need to employ the most creative people. A good idea could easily generate billions in profits for a company; being slow to adapt to changing conditions can destroy a firm. Innovative, engaged people are invaluable to an organization but have options and can easily find another job if dissatisfied. This paper describes what upper management must do to create a culture in which creative people are engaged, satisfied, and thrive.

Backward Integration of Short Shelf Life Period Perishables at Supermarkets: A Case Study

Vol. 10  Issue 1
Year:2015
Issue:Jun-Aug 
Title:Backward Integration of Short Shelf Life Period Perishables at Supermarkets: A Case Study
Author Name:Gyanendra Malla, Mrinalini Pandey, Surendra Prasad, Vaibhav Warsi and Chandrashekhar Kumar
Synopsis:

Supermarkets are the one stop solution for urban consumers these days. Similar products having different brands, colours, flavours etc are being available under a single roof. Supermarkets are specifically bulk purchasers. They try to purchase the non perishables as well as perishables in a large quantity with a high discount; so that they can easily sell it to the consumers at less price as compared to the local market. But, in case of short shelf life period perishables, this strategy can't be implemented. Especially in the case of fruits, and ready to cook vegetables, supermarkets are not that much really competent. In case supermarkets which purchase vegetables, and fruits in a bulk manner to get high discount, it has to invest upon proper refrigeration, results in a huge electricity bill. High amount of food waste is done by supermarkets. For eg. Tesco, London & Sainsbury, London; had faced lots of food waste as per BBC news. In India, Reliance Fresh[13] had also faced loss for the last 7 years and was forced to shut down some of its centres because of great loss. ASO (Automatic Store Ordering) software especially helps in case of non perishables and semi-perishables but it fails in case of perishables having short term shelf life period. The major problem is the supply chain pattern of fruits and vegetables. Supermarkets get very less time to market those vegetables, fruits, flowers, bread etc.

This report comprises of proper backward integration for vegetables and fruits that can be grown locally. It also deals with effective disposal of these perishables.

Contribution of Hotel and Restaurant Industry to Solid Waste: An Assessment of its Impact on Environment

Vol. 10  Issue 1
Year:2015
Issue:Jun-Aug 
Title:Contribution of Hotel and Restaurant Industry to Solid Waste: An Assessment of its Impact on Environment
Author Name:Nripendra Singh, S.Krishna Sundari and Amar Nath
Synopsis:

Hotels and Restaurant Industry (HRI) are one of the vital parts of service industries that provide tangible as well as intangible services. HRI produces a wide variety of waste that has diverse short term and long term impact on environment and human health. These negative effects compound over a period of time and they are felt not only by those people directly handling the waste, but also severely affect those who are not involved directly with it.

The aim of the paper is to identify the global problem of waste generation from hotel industry, which leads to the deterioration of environment and human health. Hotel industry is one of the major contributors of waste generation. So the impact assessment on environment is now mandatory for the existence of organization and human beings.

Authors of this manuscript focus on various dimensions of solid waste generated from HRI and their remedies. With the help of Leopold matrix and Network diagram, wastes are categorized based on their recyclability, organic/inorganic nature and their toxicity. There are some case studies that prove the ill and adverse effects of waste. The paper also provides the route for solid waste disposal as practiced by HRI in India.

Investors' Preference Regarding Mutual Fund Products in Palakkad District

Vol. 10  Issue 1
Year:2015
Issue:Jun-Aug 
Title:Investors' Preference Regarding Mutual Fund Products in Palakkad District
Author Name:Bindu.T
Synopsis:
Financial systems include a set of complex and closely inter related financial institutions, markets, instruments, services, practices and transactions. Financial services in India have witnessed remarkable changes in the recent past years after liberalization, privatization and globalization. Mutual funds act as an important financial service in India. Mutual fund industry is still in introductory stage in India, but has assumed considerable significance in the post liberalized market economy. A mutual fund is set up in the form of a trust, which has sponsor, trustees, asset Management Company and custodian. The mutual fund is the most suitable investment for the common man, as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified manner and managed by fund managers at relatively low cost. This study focused on the preference of investors in mutual funds investment. It was found that the investors prefer bank deposits than mutual funds investment. It was also found that majority of the respondents do not invest their funds in mutual funds because of higher risk and, that schemes of investment preferred by investors are more or less equal.

Enhancing Accounting Students' Core Competencies through Service Learning

Vol. 10  Issue 1
Year:2015
Issue:Jun-Aug 
Title:Enhancing Accounting Students' Core Competencies through Service Learning
Author Name:David Hossain, J.Gregory Kunkel and Asad Yavari 
Synopsis:
This paper examines whether service learning enhances accounting students' core competencies. A sample of 223 accounting seniors completed a questionnaire, designed to test their problem solving/decision making skills, one of the personal core competencies as defined by the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants). The results show that accounting seniors who served as VITA (Voluntary Income Tax Assistance) student-volunteers significantly outperformed other accounting seniors who were not VITA volunteers. The results indicate that service learning creates an environment that is conducive to learning. The results have implications for accounting and business programs as they attempt to integrate service learning into the curriculum.