Atul Raj, Joy Prakash Misra, Dinesh Khanduja and Vikas Upadhyay
The purpose of this study is to examine the postprocessed wire tool surface using scanning electron microscopy and find out the streamlined conditions of input process variables…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the postprocessed wire tool surface using scanning electron microscopy and find out the streamlined conditions of input process variables using multi-objective optimization techniques to get minimum wire wear values.
Design/methodology/approach
A federated mode of response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) is used to optimize the process variables during the machining of a nickel-based superalloy.
Findings
The study explores that with the rise in spark-off time and spark gap voltage, the rate of wire tool consumption also escalates.
Originality/value
Most of the researchers used the RSM technique for the optimization of process variables. The RSM generates a second-order regression model during the modeling and optimization of a manufacturing process whose major limitation is to fit the collected data to a second-order polynomial. The leading edge of ANN on the RSM is that it has comprehensive approximation capability, i.e. it can approximate virtually all types of nonlinear functions, including quadratic functions also.
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From a pedagogical point, the case may fulfill following objectives: First, to understand Vodafone’s position in the current environment. Does the environment present the elements…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
From a pedagogical point, the case may fulfill following objectives: First, to understand Vodafone’s position in the current environment. Does the environment present the elements that are necessary for them to thrive (as analyzed using a PESTEL framework)? Second, to understand the resources needed to build competitive advantage in an emerging market context (as analyzed using the Porter five forces model); and third, to understand the competitive challenges of conducting business in a highly (and sometimes capriciously) regulated industry.
Case overview/synopsis
The Indian Telecommunication sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. There are nine telecom operators who are pioneering this growth; however, five private companies: Bharti, Idea, Reliance, Aircel and Vodafone make up 78.86 per cent of the market. These five companies have the opportunity to increase their market share by expanding the services provided to rural India; however, the Indian Tax Authorities have caused some hesitation. Aside from being known as heavy handed and unpredictable, the authorities have also demanded that Vodafone pay them billions in taxes. These court cases have challenged the way that other telecom operators look at investing. The arrival of Reliance Jio as a new player in the Indian wireless space with deep pockets has not helped the already fierce competitive landscape. Reliance Jio is forcing all wireless companies including Vodafone to reevaluate their India strategy.
Complexity academic level
This case could be used in both MBA and executive education programs.
Supplementary materials
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Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.
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The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that scholarship is all about challenging the prevailing wisdom by offering an alternative perspective or explanation. Hopefully, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that scholarship is all about challenging the prevailing wisdom by offering an alternative perspective or explanation. Hopefully, the author’s journey of more than 50 years will inspire others to be eclectic and become deep generalists.
Design/methodology/approach
It is an autobiographical evaluation of an accidental scholar. It emphasizes that an educator is more than a scientist or a priest or a public servant. It is all of them. Educators are in the business of making ordinary people extraordinary. They are diamond cutters who are entrusted by society with its rough diamonds to get their brilliance out and make them useful to themselves, the society and the community.
Findings
Over 50 years, marketing has evolved and adapted to the external environment, including technology revolution, changing demographics, global competition and geopolitics. This provides enormous opportunity for the next generation of scholars to establish their own identity in managerial marketing, consumer behavior or marketing analytics.
Practical implications
While publishing in the top journals is both necessary and desirable in the early stages of an academic career, it is also important to make an impact on practitioners by publishing professional books.
Social implications
According to Peter Drucker, there are only two functions of business: innovation and marketing. While innovation is admired by everyone, marketing can also become a positive force for a better world.
Originality/value
Lessons learnt over time from different encounters and circumstances in research, teaching and service are important to document. In the end, according to the author, they are all academic entrepreneurs.
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– This paper aims to explain how airlines in India and customers can both benefit by the unbundling of services.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explain how airlines in India and customers can both benefit by the unbundling of services.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explores how a recent regulatory change allowing unbundled services will affect the airline industry in India. Using illustrations, it highlights the benefits to the airlines and to the customers. It recommends the strategies that airlines can follow.
Findings
Airlines in India can now offer unbundled services. However, regulatory authorities need to allow greater flexibility to airlines. Given more flexibility, airlines can design offerings that will improve their profitability while simultaneously benefiting customers.
Practical implications
The government needs to go beyond the current regulatory changes. Providing increased flexibility will benefit both airlines and customers. Airlines would need to understand customers more intimately, experiment in the market, lobby for flexibility and develop strategic agility to benefit from the changed regulations on unbundled services.
Social implications
It concedes that airlines can now design unbundled services such that only those customers who value a service get charged for the service. Those customers who do not need a service can get away by paying a lower fare. The government has taken the first steps in the right direction. Once it provides greater flexibility, the airlines in India can benefit significantly.
Originality/value
The paper considers the unique context of the airline industry in India where recent regulatory changes are likely to make the industry more dynamic and improve profitability of airlines. It provides insights in to the challenges faced under the current system and recommends strategies for the government and companies to follow.
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Spotlights India and that by 2045 it may become a more populous country than China. Deplores the lack of social and economic development in India and looks at the reasons for…
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Spotlights India and that by 2045 it may become a more populous country than China. Deplores the lack of social and economic development in India and looks at the reasons for these. Tries to explain why the population has shot up from 1971 and two‐thirds of the growth in India has taken place since then. Uses tables to aid in explanation of birth rates, literacy and literacy among females particularly. Concludes that the economic development and urbanization is to be commended but not the only key factor regarding fertility rates of single states.
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Manjula S. Salimath and Leyla Orudzheva
Family businesses have several distinct features that distinguish them from other businesses. This aspect makes it imperative that scholars investigate issues with an additional…
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Family businesses have several distinct features that distinguish them from other businesses. This aspect makes it imperative that scholars investigate issues with an additional focus on the interplay of family business dynamics. In this chapter, we explore the issues of power and corruption within family business, with the understanding that prior examinations of this phenomenon were primarily restricted to large public corporations that are not family owned. The key contribution of this chapter is to shed light on the dark side of family business, namely power enabled corruption. We do so by considering three dimensions that are unique to family firms, namely, ownership and control, generations, and governance. In particular, we highlight how these dimensions can facilitate corruption. It is possible that they may also challenge family business that try to detect, deter, and control corruption within their ranks. The lack of objective external evaluation, the ineffectiveness of internal checks, generational issues, family control, and the restricted nature of governance appear to contribute to exacerbating tensions that promote corruption becoming entrenched within family businesses. Following a case method approach, several illustrative examples of cases of power and corruption within family firms are provided, representing different geographic regions of the world, to showcase the widespread nature of this phenomenon. The three family business cases we illustrate (Grupo Odebrecht in Latin America, Sahara Group in South Africa and Foremost Maritime Group in China) represent multiple countries, continents, and geo-political frontiers. Each case illustrates how both corruption and power reinforce each other in family businesses. Implications of the magnifier effect of power on corruption in family business are discussed in terms of its impact, scale, and its enabling effect by providing a road map to corruption.
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Balaji C. Krishnan and Jagdish N. Sheth
This article attempts to synthesize the contributions of Jagdish Sheth to the discipline. This is done by following the development of the field in various subdisciplines such…
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This article attempts to synthesize the contributions of Jagdish Sheth to the discipline. This is done by following the development of the field in various subdisciplines such that one can observe the impact Sheth's thinking has had on the field. This is the career of an “accidental marketer” who started as a social scientist, got interested in buyer behavior, and made his mark in that field. Noticing similarities between organizational buyer behavior and individual buyer behavior, he ventured into that field too. As a visionary, he started developing theories in international marketing in the seventies, which was a popular area that time. Similarly, he published a handbook on Customer Relationship Marketing and worked in the area before it became a major area of emphasis. As a multifaceted person, he has contributed to the practitioners through books and consulting projects. However, this article focuses mainly on his academic contributions including his research, teaching/mentoring, and his philanthropic activities.