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Marketing management, consumer behaviour, digital marketing.

This case can be used for students studying marketing management courses and also for elective courses on consumer behaviour, digital marketing and strategic management in an MBA programme.

This case is about Anju Pharmaceuticals which dealt in the manufacture and sale of ayurvedic/herbal products such as Panchsudha, Zalim Lotion, Ruz, Vama, Mekado etc. in Madhya Pradesh, India. Started in the year 1983, the company had still not been able to make a mark in the market. For quite some time now Mitesh, the third-generation proprietor of the company, was continuously reading articles which discussed how there has been a positive shift in the consumer preferences for products having herbal ingredients. Indian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies such as Patanjali, Dabur, Marico were banking on herbal components in their various key products such as toothpaste, shampoo and hair oil to expand their market share and some of these Indian companies seemed to be growing faster than bigger multinationals including Hindustan Unilever and Procter & Gamble. With the changes in consumer perception towards herbal products, Mitesh was hopeful that if he could gear up his distribution it would result in improving the bottom-line of the company. He had also started receiving queries from interested clients for third-party manufacturing and packaging of the ayurvedic products under the desired brand name. Mitesh was very much aware that to improve his bottom-line, just relying on efficient distribution would not suffice and he would need to come up with strategic alliances and newer ways of doing the business rather than just following what had been the norm for the last few years. The idea of becoming a third-party manufacturer somehow did not excite Mitesh because he felt that by going in for third-party manufacturing he would never be able to establish the brand identity of Anju Pharmaceuticals. He wanted his company to ride the FMCG herbal wave but how and at what cost were the big questions facing him.

After the successful completion of this case, the readers would be able to accomplish the following: gain insights into the problems faced by small businesses when they want to scale up their business. Get insights into the challenges/difficulties of adopting e-commerce by a small organization. Be aware of the changing consumer preferences for herbal and ayurvedic products and how companies are gearing up to cash on to the changing market opportunities. Comprehend the problem situation. Suggest ways of taking advantage of the current scenario to expand and grow the business.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 8: Marketing.

Entrepreneurs belonging to ethnic minority groups have emerged as a significant and more powerful element within the private sector, having considerable economic and social impact. Nevertheless, prior empirical research has indicated that each geographical area has distinct social and cultural obstacles that impact entrepreneurs in varying ways. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the difficulties and barriers faced by women entrepreneurs from diverse ethnic origins in the United Kingdom, a developed region, while managing their firms.

In this research, the cross-concepts of intersectional theory were used as the study’s analytical framework. The research methodology involved conducting semi-structured face-to-face interviews with a group of 30 Nepali women entrepreneurs residing in the United Kingdom. A qualitative approach was employed, and thematic analysis was used to extract meaningful findings.

The study’s outcomes underscore the emergence of social stereotypes as a salient factor affecting Nepali female entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the research identifies challenges and barriers, which fall into several cross-concept categories: those related to self-efficacy; family; social and cultural factors; business-related issues; access to financial resources; and ethnicity and work-based categorization. The findings might also have broader implications, benefiting ethnic female entrepreneurs in general, as well as ethnic communities and governmental and non-governmental organizations. Insights gained from the study can inform the development of tailored training and educational programs aimed at supporting and nurturing the entrepreneurial aspirations of ethnic women.

To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, there is a dearth of empirical investigations that probe the challenges and barriers faced by Nepali women who have embarked on entrepreneurial endeavours in the UK. This study contributes to the limited literature knowledge on ethnic women entrepreneurs, by linking ethnicity, class and gender/sexual orientation, as well as business, family, personal and financial constructs. By adopting the cross-concept of intersectional theory, this study further contributes to the knowledge of the discriminatory realities of Nepali women entrepreneurs as they grapple with the complex experiences of running a business. By doing this, our study can contribute further to the knowledge of gender and entrepreneurship from the ethnic background of UK enterprises.

This study presents a systematic literature review on green banking (GB) and sustainability from 2012 to 2024, filtering 45 out of 561 research publications.

Using NVivo and Biblioshiny, the study employed a combination of bibliometric analysis and thematic analysis, representing a novel approach in this field.

The analysis of ‘term frequency' results has indicated that the term “green banking” has gained significant attention during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by sustainability and green finance. This suggests that approximately 12.5% of the literature on GB has emerged shortly after the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis. Cluster analysis and network analysis has divided the GB articles into two major clusters and one minor cluster. Most studies cover titles such as “sustainable”, “sustainable development” and “sustainability.” However, there is a significant gap in research on the theme of GB. Aside from legitimacy and stakeholder theories, no clear theoretical frameworks have yet been published in the field of GB. Among all categories of publishers, Elsevier ranks highest for publishing journal articles on “green” topics. According to publication output by country, China leads with 17 publications, followed by Malaysia with 11, and both Australia and India with nine each.

The in-depth research on GB provides fresh insights for policymakers and academics regarding future research directions.

This study is likely the first to incorporate both bibliometric and thematic analysis to explore the growing phenomenon of GB. Furthermore, none of the existing banking literature explicitly addresses the relevant questions and themes that could benefit future researchers and policymakers.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a careful articulation of one’s perspective of a key construct (in this case agency) can facilitate critical reflection and move the field forward (by bridging two hitherto separate agency debates).

Four years of engagement with 24 consumers involving prolonged observations and unstructured depth interviews provided the empirical evidence for this paper.

Even humans who perceive their personal capacity to influence events as limited (whether due to actual or perceived limitations in physiological capabilities, material resources, and/or interpersonal networks) can assemble a network of persons, possessions, and practices to signal the agency to themselves, and to others. These assemblages, which invariably feature indexicons, allow people to construct semiotic agency in ways which are shaped by their habitus.

This research has important implications for social and housing policy because disadvantaged consumers are more likely to rent than own, which limits their capacity to assemble semiotic agency.

This research introduces the new concepts of semiotic agency and indexicons to consumer culture theory and shows how even disadvantaged consumers can deploy these to signal agency to themselves and others.

Electronic medical case files of male prisoners in a category B prison in London were studied to establish a prevalence during an eight-month period of the use of and the reasons for prescribing gabapentinoids in prison and also to establish prescribing standards in prison and compliance with these. In addition, the prevalence of co-prescription of gabapentinoids with opioids and antidepressants, particularly tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline, was also assessed in light of the increased risk of respiratory depression resulting in death when these drugs are used in combination. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

A retrospective, SystmOne case-file based survey was undertaken searching by SNOMED CT supplemented by examination of free text, in a category B prison for males (Capacity 1,500 prisoners; Average turnover of prisoners up to 6,000 per year), to establish practice standards related to the prescription of Gabapentinoids in the prison and determine compliance with these.

In total, 109 cases were identified of prisoners having been prescribed gabapentinoids, pregabalin in 66 cases (61 per cent) and gabapentin in 43 cases (39 per cent). In 36 cases (33 per cent) prescriptions were for unlicensed indications. This in fact represented 50 per cent of the cases where the indications were documented. In 51 cases (47 per cent) gabapentinoids were prescribed with an opioid substitute. In 14 cases (13 per cent), prescribed gabapentinoids were diverted to other prisoners.

The initiation of gabapentinoids in prison should be avoided. For prisoners who are also receiving opioid substitutes or are abusing opiates, it may be unsafe to continue on gabapentinoids. Issues raised by this study are likely to apply to other prisons, secure forensic psychiatric facilities and indeed community mental health and primary care as well.

Risk of dependance on gabapentinoids including risk of mortality when taken with opioids and opioid substitutes.

This is an original study conducted at a category B prison in London.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to address significant challenges in education, innovate learning and teaching practices and achieve SDG 4. However, existing literature often overlooks the behavioural aspects of students regarding AI in education, focusing predominantly on technical and pedagogical dimensions. Hence, this study aims to explore the significant relationships among AI literacy, AI usage, learning outcomes and academic performance of generation Z students in the Indian educational context.

The study used structural equation modelling (SEM) on Gen Z students born in the years 1997–2012 as a sample population for the research in the north Indian states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and regions like Chandigarh and N.C.R. Delhi.

The results established significant positive relationships between AI literacy, AI usage, AI learning outcomes and academic performance. Specifically, higher levels of AI literacy were associated with increased engagement with AI technologies and tools for learning purposes, leading to better learning outcomes and academic performance. The findings demonstrated that AI literacy plays a crucial role in providing effective learning experiences and fostering skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking among Gen Z students.

The implications of the study include the significance of integrating AI education initiatives into curricula, prioritising professional development programmes for educators and making sure that every student has equitable access to AI technologies.

The study introduces a novel perspective by examining variables such as AI literacy, AI usage, AI learning outcomes and academic performance and developing a model that has not been previously studied. It provides a new discourse and proposes a framework uniquely combining AI-infused curriculum design, educator empowerment, robust assessment mechanisms and sustainable practices.

The main aim of this paper is to examine the claim that economic value added (EVA) advocates its superiority over the traditional accounting-based financial performance measures, i.e. profit after tax (PAT), earnings per share (EPS), return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and return on investment (ROI) in the Indian manufacturing sector and at the same time, give empirical facts. It also tests and examines the information content of various performance measures and their relationship with stock returns.

The paper uses the sample of 534 Indian manufacturing companies from the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) during the period 2000–2018. Multiple regression models are applied to examine the information content of EVA and traditional performance measures in explaining shareholders’ returns.

Relative information content tests revealed that traditional accounting-based measures such as EPS, ROE and ROA performed better than EVA in explaining the returns of Indian manufacturing companies. Incremental information content of EVA adds little contribution to information content above traditional performance measures. The claim of superiority of EVA over accounting-based measures in association with shareholder returns is proved invalid in Indian manufacturing companies.

This study concludes that EVA has no superiority over traditional accounting-based financial performance measures in explaining stock returns of Indian manufacturing companies. To achieve heftiness in outcomes, panel data are tested by using Breusch–Pagan–Godfrey (BPG) test for heteroskedasticity, Hausman’s test for fixed and random effect, variance inflation factor (VIF) test for multicollinearity and Durbin–Watson test for autocorrelation.

This paper draws attention to the importance of Smart Human Resource Management (Smart HRM) practices in Industry 4.0. Human Capital is inevitable in the growth and development of the organization. Hence, it is germane that the companies align their HR processes with the ever-changing technological landscape to harness growth, productivity and create value. The paper illustrates the smart HR practices of Tech Mahindra and the benefits derived from them.

The paper illustrates the case of Tech Mahindra’s HR digitalization journey to transform HR processes in the era of Industry 4.0

Smart HR 4.0. implementation is vital to coping up with the challenges of Industry 4.0.. The transformation of HR processes in Tech Mahindra led to improved productivity, reduced cost, reduced manual work, smart workforce, retention of talent and competitive edge.

To match the pace of industry 4.0 and leverage its true benefit the companies should focus on automation of HR processes, make the workforce smarter and agile to drive efficiency, innovation, improve productivity, save cost and stay hyper-competitive. This paper offers insights on that how Tech Mahindra promoted the Industry 4.0 technologies in various HR functions to foster a climate of innovation, growth, and development, thereby facilitating the company to stay ahead of the curve.

By incorporating the role of nonperforming loans (NPLs), the study aims to assess the impact of global financial crisis (GFC) on the intermediation efficiency of Indian banks for the period of 1998/99 to 2016/17.

To obtain efficiency level of Indian banks, this study applied sequential data envelopment analysis (DEA) based directional distance function (DDF) approach, which performed simultaneous expansion of desirable output and reduction of undesirable output in the bank's loan production structure. Additionally, using fixed effect regression approach in the panel data framework, this study assesses both the phenomenon of σ- and unconditional β-efficiency convergence in public sector banks (PSBs), private banks (PBs), foreign banks (FBs) and overall scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) during the pre-crisis, crisis and post-crisis years in India.

Irrespective of the bank's production model, the evidence suggests that the accounting NPLs as an undesirable output significantly deteriorating the intermediation technical efficiency levels of Indian banks, especially after the crisis years until the last year of the study period. This reflects that Indian banks failed more to achieve their financial intermediation objective in the post-crisis years as compared to the crisis and pre-crisis years. In-depth, statistical evidence of commercial bank ownership groups reveals that public sector banks exhibit a higher level of efficiency in pursuance of traditional loan-based activity followed by private and foreign banks. The study also found the existence of sigma convergence in technical efficiency levels of Indian banks and ownership groups as well.

This study is perhaps the first one, which present the robust evolution of Indian banks intermediation efficiency by taking into account both endogenous (i.e. NPLs as an undesirable output and equity as a quasi-fixed input in the bank production process) crisis and exogenous (i.e. global financial and economic stress) crises. Moreover, none of the existing studies have conducted sub-period wise analysis to show the apparent occurrence of both convergence properties in technical efficiency, adding novelty in the literature.

Comparing conventional data envelopment analysis (DEA) model with contemporary Seiford and Zhu model, this study aims to evaluate the technical efficiency (TE) of Indian banks from 1998/99 to 2016/17 in the presence of non-performing loans (NPLs).

To examine TE, this study has considered a novel approach, i.e. linear monotone decreasing transformation as suggested by Seiford and Zhu (2002), which treats undesirable output as a desirable output in the framework of Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes (CCR)-based output-oriented DEA approach. In particular, to remove the biasness from the estimated efficiency scores, Simar Wilson (1998, Algorithm #1) has been applied, which is perhaps the first attempt in this kind of literature till now. This study further tries to investigate the notion of sigma and unconditional β-convergence in TE using two-step system generalized method of moments model in dynamic panel framework.

Treatment of NPLs using conventional DEA model misinterprets the TE scores, while a true picture emerges when the NPLs are correctly accounted as an undesirable output in banks’ loans production process. Efficiency has declined during the crisis years, but it recovered immediately after the crisis years in India. However, a sudden and steep deterioration in efficiency scores has been seen from 2013 till the most recent study period. Public sector banks and old private banks have reported higher average efficiency scores than new private banks (NPBs) and foreign banks (FBs) in India. However, FBs are the only commercial banks that maintained their efficiency levels during crisis years in India. This study also saw the persistence and presence of σ-convergence phenomena in TE for Indian banks, reflecting the ability to reach up to “Catch-up” phenomenon owing to the lower dispersion and persistence of convergence in TE by the Indian banks.

The actual efficiency score can only be estimated when the NPL will be considered as an undesirable output rather than a desirable output when designing the loan production process of banks. Although the ownership clusters of all commercial banks in India need to formulate stricter policies to increase the level of assets quality and efficiency, but, NPBs need to pay some more efforts in this direction. This study’s outcome has the potential to provide useful information for regulators and policymakers, which suggests that in which direction or in which clusters improvement are needed to raise the level of asset quality and technical efficiency in the coming years.

For a long time, there has been the existence of trade-offs between researchers, like which is the best model for accounting for NPLs? Traditional or contemporary? Thus, our study aims to add knowledge to the limited stock of NPL modelling in the efficiency literature. Dynamic convergence in TE scores in Indian banks has yet not to be tested, which is another novelty of the study.