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Article
Publication date: 18 January 2022

Guydeuk Yeon, Paul C. Hong, Elangovan N. and Divakar G. M.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies. This paper aims to examine how India's SMEs implement their…

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Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies. This paper aims to examine how India's SMEs implement their strategic responses in this crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses dynamic capability theory to explore the strategic responses of SMEs. Strategy implementation theory helps to explain how they implement innovative practices for outcomes. A research model defines the COVID-19 challenges, strategic responses and performance outcomes. The study reports the findings of an initial pilot study of 75 firms and follow-up case study results in the context of COVID-19.

Findings

Firms choose their approaches according to their perceived market risks. Case studies illustrate that firms display diverse attitudes depending on their strategic direction, leadership vision and organizational culture. They achieve different outcomes by implementing specific styles of risk management practices (e.g. risk-averting, risk-taking and risk-thriving).

Research limitations/implications

Although the study context is Indian SMEs, the findings suggest meaningful lessons for other emerging economies in similar crisis events. The propositions may be extended to future research in broad contexts.

Practical implications

Even in the extraordinary COVID-19 market crisis, SMEs with limited resources display their strategic potential by recognizing their unique capabilities, translating them into effective actions and achieving desirable outcomes.

Social implications

In the COVID-19 pandemic, top leaders' mental attitude, strategic perspective and routine practices are contagious. Positive leadership motivates both internal and external stakeholders with an enormous level of collaboration.

Originality/value

This rare study of Indian SMEs provides a theoretical framework for designing a pilot survey and conducting a case study of multiple firms. Based on these findings, testable propositions are articulated for future research in diverse organizational and national contexts.

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Article
Publication date: 3 July 2023

Oleksiy Osiyevskyy, Galina Shirokova and Mehrsa Ehsani

Economy-wide crises create major challenges for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Existing studies emphasize the crucial role of contrasting behavioral strategies, effectuation…

656

Abstract

Purpose

Economy-wide crises create major challenges for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Existing studies emphasize the crucial role of contrasting behavioral strategies, effectuation and causation in SMEs' adaptation to crisis conditions. Yet, prior literature concentrated predominantly on exploring the impact of effectuation and causation on firm performance rather than survival. The authors present and empirically test a theoretical model explaining how behavioral strategies affect SME survival during an economy-wide crisis under different levels of environmental dynamism.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose a theoretical framework based on the combination of the effectuation literature and the emerging variance-based perspective on entrepreneurial actions. The theoretical model is then tested using a sample of Russian SMEs during a period of economic adversity and recovery (2015–2019).

Findings

The empirical results reveal that causation reduces the probability of firm survival in dynamic environments, while effectuation increases the chance of survival irrespective of the state of the environment. In a nutshell, the study provides evidence that the effectuation logic serves a viable way for SMEs to increase the chances of survival through the economic shock and subsequent recovery period.

Originality/value

For the first time in the literature, the authors demonstrate the role of behavioral strategy (effectual and causal) as a crucial antecedent of SME survival in the short and medium term, particularly during an economy-wide downturn. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the power of variability-based theorizing for explaining and predicting the survival/failure implications of entrepreneurial actions.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 29 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

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Article
Publication date: 7 June 2022

Paul C. Hong, Nitya P. Singh, N. Elangovan and Guydeuk Yeon

The business sector plays a major role in achieving comprehensive economic development goals in emerging economies. Consequently, the effects of business responses to the COVID-19…

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Abstract

Purpose

The business sector plays a major role in achieving comprehensive economic development goals in emerging economies. Consequently, the effects of business responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are receiving increasing research attention from an organizational management development perspective. This article aims to examine the role of leadership in charting the course in an extraordinary crisis context.

Design/methodology/approach

Using institutional leadership theory, leadership contingency theory and dynamic leadership capability theory, the authors present a research framework that defines macrochallenges and organizational level responses and outcomes. The article adopts a case study approach, which includes the identification of four target companies and conducting in-depth interviews with senior management professionals within those companies at different time periods.

Findings

Based on the interviews, the steps that Indian companies adopted to respond to the COVID-19 challenge are identified. Expanding the insight from the case study, the findings suggest that although feeling overwhelmed at first, organizational leaders combine prudent (i.e. timely and speedy actions for survival first) and bold (i.e. future envisioning for expansion and growth) actions enabling these firms to weather two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Originality/value

These multiple case studies are unique in exploring MNEs from different industries. This study also highlights the dynamic relationships between leadership practices, risk management strategies and performance outcomes based on a sound theoretical model and rigorous study methods.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 41 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

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Article
Publication date: 17 March 2020

Adarsh Kumar, Saurabh Jain and Divakar Yadav

Simulation-based optimization is a decision-making tool for identifying an optimal design of a system. Here, optimal design means a smart system with sensing, computing and…

163

Abstract

Purpose

Simulation-based optimization is a decision-making tool for identifying an optimal design of a system. Here, optimal design means a smart system with sensing, computing and control capabilities with improved efficiency. As compared to testing the physical prototype, computer-based simulation provides much cheaper, faster and lesser time-and resource-consuming solutions. In this work, a comparative analysis of heuristic simulation optimization methods (genetic algorithms, evolutionary strategies, simulated annealing, tabu search and simplex search) is performed.

Design/methodology/approach

In this work, a comparative analysis of heuristic simulation optimization methods (genertic algorithms, evolutionary strategies, simulated annealing, tabu search and simplex search) is performed. Further, a novel simulation annealing-based heuristic approach is proposed for critical infrastructure.

Findings

A small scale network of 50–100 nodes shows that genetic simulation optimization with multi-criteria and multi-dimensional features performs better as compared to other simulation optimization approaches. Further, a minimum of 3.4 percent and maximum of 16.2 percent improvement is observed in faster route identification for small scale Internet-of-things (IoT) networks with simulation optimization constraints integrated model as compared to the traditional method.

Originality/value

In this work, simulation optimization techniques are applied for identifying optimized Quality of service (QoS) parameters for critical infrastructure which in turn helps in improving the network performance. In order to identify optimized parameters, Tabu search and ant-inspired heuristic optimization techniques are applied over QoS parameters. These optimized values are compared with every monitoring sensor point in the network. This comparative analysis helps in identifying underperforming and outperforming monitoring points. Further, QoS of these points can be improved by identifying their local optimum values which in turn increases the performance of overall network. In continuation, a simulation model of bus transport is taken for analysis. Bus transport system is a critical infrastructure for Dehradun. In this work, feasibility of electric recharging units alongside roads under different traffic conditions is checked using simulation. The simulation study is performed over five bus routes in a small scale IoT network.

Details

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6099

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Article
Publication date: 21 September 2022

Gopinath Anjinappa and Divakar Bangalore Prabhakar

The fluctuations that occurred between the power requirements have shown a higher range of voltage regulations and frequency. The fluctuations are caused because of substantial…

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Abstract

Purpose

The fluctuations that occurred between the power requirements have shown a higher range of voltage regulations and frequency. The fluctuations are caused because of substantial changes in the energy dissipation. The operational efficiency has been reduced when the power grid is enabled with the help of electric vehicles (EVs) that were created by the power resources. The model showed an active load matching for regulating the power and there occurred a harmonic motion in energy. The main purpose of the proposed research is to handle the energy sources for stabilization which has increased the reliability and improved the power efficiency. This study or paper aims to elaborate the security and privacy challenges present in the vehicle 2 grid (V2G) network and their impact with grid resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

The smart framework is proposed which works based on Internet of Things and edge computations that managed to perform an effective V2G operation. Thus, an optimum model for scheduling the charge is designed on each EV to maximize the number of users and selecting the best EV using the proposed ant colony optimization (ACO). At the first, the constructive phase of ACO where the ants in the colony generate the feasible solutions. The constructive phase with local search generates an ACO algorithm that uses the heterogeneous colony of ants and finds effectively the best-known solutions widely to overcome the problem.

Findings

The results obtained by the existing in-circuit serial programming-plug-in electric vehicles model in terms of power usage ranged from 0.94 to 0.96 kWh which was lower when compared to the proposed ACO that showed power usage of 0.995 to 0.939 kWh, respectively, with time. The results showed that the energy aware routed with ACO provided feasible routing solutions for the source node that provided the sensor network at its lifetime and security at the time of authentication.

Originality/value

The proposed ACO is aware of energy routing protocol that has been analyzed and compared with the energy utilization with respect to the sensor area network which uses power resources effectively.

Details

International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, vol. 20 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-7371

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Article
Publication date: 10 December 2024

Jay P. Mulki and Divakar Kamath

Tolerance to ambiguity (TOLA) is a personal trait influencing one’s comfort and proficiency in navigating uncertain situations. While the concept of role ambiguity is…

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Abstract

Purpose

Tolerance to ambiguity (TOLA) is a personal trait influencing one’s comfort and proficiency in navigating uncertain situations. While the concept of role ambiguity is well-established in sales literature, the broader trait of ambiguity has been largely overlooked in this context. In the dynamic landscape of modern business, uncertainty is a regular phenomenon, and navigating ambiguity is an invaluable skill. While salespeople are celebrated for their customer focus, negotiation skills and product knowledge, their capacity to embrace ambiguity-a skill that could be an important contributor to their success in the diverse global market is rarely studied. This study contributes by linking a salesperson’s TOLA and two well-established dimensions of emotional intelligence to adaptive selling behavior. Using responses from a sample of 209 employees of financial institutions in a large metropolitan city in India, this study shows that TOLA, understanding others' emotions and regulation of emotions positively influence a salesperson’s adaptive selling behavior. Further, results also point out that TOLA moderates the relationship between understanding other emotions and adaptive selling. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has explored the link between these two important skills of salespeople, thus extending TOLA as a critical construct to the sales field. Managerial implications and directions for future research are provided.

Design/methodology/approach

Using responses from a sample of 209 employees of financial institutions, a model was tested using structural equation modeling. A measurement model was used to assess the validity of the scales used in the study. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using AMOS 28 with the scale items for understanding other’s emotions (UOE), regulation of emotions (ROE), adaptive selling behavior (ADPS), job performance (JOBP) and three mean-centered dimensions of the TOLA scale. A structural equation model was run using AMOS 28 to test the relationships among variables.

Findings

The study results show that TOLA has a strong positive relationship with adaptive selling. Further, results show that TOLA acts as a moderator in the relationship between understanding others’ emotions, a fact of emotional intelligence and adaptive selling behavior.

Research limitations/implications

To our knowledge this is the first study that explored the link between TOLA and adaptive selling, a critical predictor of sales performance. While the concept of role ambiguity is well-established in sales literature, the broader trait of ambiguity has been largely overlooked in this context. By establishing the link between these two important skills of salespeople, this study extends the concept of TOLA as a critical construct to the sales field.

Practical implications

Study results validate the important role of TOLA on salesperson’s ability to use adaptive selling behavior which is critical for sales performance. This study highlights the different ways sales professionals who possess a high TOLA can benefit. Field sales managers can play a crucial role in fostering a TOLA culture in the sale team and help leverage the relationship between TOLA, emotional intelligence and adaptive selling. By integrating qualities of TOLA into recruitment and training, managers can create a sales team that is not only effective in navigating uncertainties and thrive in dynamic and competitive business environments.

Originality/value

In sales settings, the concept of role ambiguity is well-established, but the broader trait of ambiguity has been largely overlooked and has rarely been part of sales research. A recent review of 15 studies on TOLA shows that almost all the studies used student samples and only a handful of them were done in organizational or sales settings. The current study aims to fill the gap in sales research by exploring how TOLA influences adaptive selling, one of the critical constructs in sales research.

Details

International Journal of Bank Marketing, vol. 43 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-2323

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Article
Publication date: 13 July 2021

Shubham Bharti, Arun Kumar Yadav, Mohit Kumar and Divakar Yadav

With the rise of social media platforms, an increasing number of cases of cyberbullying has reemerged. Every day, large number of people, especially teenagers, become the victim…

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Abstract

Purpose

With the rise of social media platforms, an increasing number of cases of cyberbullying has reemerged. Every day, large number of people, especially teenagers, become the victim of cyber abuse. A cyberbullied person can have a long-lasting impact on his mind. Due to it, the victim may develop social anxiety, engage in self-harm, go into depression or in the extreme cases, it may lead to suicide. This paper aims to evaluate various techniques to automatically detect cyberbullying from tweets by using machine learning and deep learning approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors applied machine learning algorithms approach and after analyzing the experimental results, the authors postulated that deep learning algorithms perform better for the task. Word-embedding techniques were used for word representation for our model training. Pre-trained embedding GloVe was used to generate word embedding. Different versions of GloVe were used and their performance was compared. Bi-directional long short-term memory (BLSTM) was used for classification.

Findings

The dataset contains 35,787 labeled tweets. The GloVe840 word embedding technique along with BLSTM provided the best results on the dataset with an accuracy, precision and F1 measure of 92.60%, 96.60% and 94.20%, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

If a word is not present in pre-trained embedding (GloVe), it may be given a random vector representation that may not correspond to the actual meaning of the word. It means that if a word is out of vocabulary (OOV) then it may not be represented suitably which can affect the detection of cyberbullying tweets. The problem may be rectified through the use of character level embedding of words.

Practical implications

The findings of the work may inspire entrepreneurs to leverage the proposed approach to build deployable systems to detect cyberbullying in different contexts such as workplace, school, etc and may also draw the attention of lawmakers and policymakers to create systemic tools to tackle the ills of cyberbullying.

Social implications

Cyberbullying, if effectively detected may save the victims from various psychological problems which, in turn, may lead society to a healthier and more productive life.

Originality/value

The proposed method produced results that outperform the state-of-the-art approaches in detecting cyberbullying from tweets. It uses a large dataset, created by intelligently merging two publicly available datasets. Further, a comprehensive evaluation of the proposed methodology has been presented.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 51 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

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Book part
Publication date: 1 September 2023

Ishu Chadda

Abstract

Details

Social Sector Development and Inclusive Growth in India
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-187-5

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Article
Publication date: 3 January 2017

Usha Ramanathan, Nachiappan Subramanian and Guy Parrott

The technology evolution compels retail networks to introduce unique business models to retain customers and to gain a competitive advantage. Customer reviews available through…

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Abstract

Purpose

The technology evolution compels retail networks to introduce unique business models to retain customers and to gain a competitive advantage. Customer reviews available through social media need to be taken into account by retail networks to design a model with unique service operations and marketing approaches that will improve loyalty by adding value to customers. Furthermore, the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer spending behaviour is very weak and needs further investigation. Hence the purpose of this paper is to understand how retail network leverage the potential of social media reviews along with unique service operations to satisfy customers. The study analyses the nexus of: a brand, promotional offers, service operations; and their interaction through social media reviews on customer satisfaction levels.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors develop a conceptual model for the social media era. The authors combine the idea of loyalty- and value-based models of Chatterjee (2013). The authors employed a survey questionnaire method to elicit opinions of retail customer satisfaction based on social media reviews, service operations and marketing efforts. The authors derive measures of the model from existing literature and expert opinion.

Findings

Social media reviews dramatically impact upon customer satisfaction. Similarly the empirical analysis identifies the significant and positive role played by service operations in customer satisfaction levels. Interestingly the authors did not find unequivocal support for brand satisfaction impacting on customer satisfaction. However, when promotions interact well with service operations, the level of customer satisfaction is significantly affected. Similarly the authors did not observe a positive outcome when there is an interaction between promotion and social media reviews. After reading the reviews, some potential buyers make a visit to store before making final decisions and surprisingly, promotional effects do not change their mind set.

Practical implications

Research findings confirm the importance of social media reviews, marketing and interaction between promotion and service operations enabling retail networks to build loyalty and value-based models. Based on customer behaviour, the study suggests a need to consider operational efficiencies when promoting sales; through careful planning, customer satisfaction and profitability levels can be increased. This sends a strong message to the retail network to defend their position within a very competitive business market.

Originality/value

The empirical evidence based on customer experience would be helpful for companies in integrating their operations and marketing efforts enabling them to convert different segment of customers such as “free riders (higher satisfaction and low profitability)” and “vulnerable customers (low satisfaction and higher profitability)” into “star customers (higher satisfaction and high profitability)”. Through a considered approach: combining social media reviews, marketing and operations, businesses will be better-placed to survive in the ultra-competitive social media-influenced era.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 9 March 2015

C. B. Mohan, K. Venkatesh, C. Divakar, K. Gopalakrishna, L. Murali and K. G. Lakshminarayana Bhatta

The paper aims to address the formulation of zirconium and oxalicum additive-based lubricants for use in slide ways to meet the demands of high positioning exactness based on…

142

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to address the formulation of zirconium and oxalicum additive-based lubricants for use in slide ways to meet the demands of high positioning exactness based on reduction in stick–slip and coefficient of friction over a wide speed range and compares the same with commercially available lubricant.

Design/methodology/approach

An investigation into the frictional properties and stick-slip behavior of lubricating oil is carried out using linear reciprocating tribometer and correlated with ultraviolet spectroscopic analysis.

Findings

It is observed that these transition metal additive compounds support in increasing the flexibility of the molecular chains leading to improved lubricity.

Originality/value

The lubricant additives considered for the current study are based on transition metals zirconium and oxalicum. It is observed that these additive compounds support in increasing the flexibility of the molecular chains, leading to improved lubricity.

Details

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, vol. 67 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0036-8792

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