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1 – 10 of 24Ekta Sharma and Sandeep Sharma
Today, innovation and creativity are the buzz words in the galore of not only business but also of education. The need to foster creativity and innovation has long been a priority…
Abstract
Purpose
Today, innovation and creativity are the buzz words in the galore of not only business but also of education. The need to foster creativity and innovation has long been a priority in the educational and corporate spheres. The purpose of this paper is to propose the scale for the measurement of teacher’s creativity nurturing behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consists of 356 primary school teachers from various category, e.g. municipal schools, private schools, Indian Certificate Secondary Education board, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board, regional board. The data are collected through the questionnaire with 15 items and four constructs: abstraction, inquisitiveness, motivation and critical thinking. The data have been analysed through SPSS and AMOS.
Findings
The result shows good fit of the model with four constructs or latent variables.
Originality/value
This paper is original and a scale development for creativity nurturing behavior.
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Ekta Sharma and Gary N. McLean
India is one of the fastest developing economies, but it faces numerous socioeconomic problems, such as hunger, poverty, under- and unemployment, gender inequity and illiteracy…
Abstract
Purpose
India is one of the fastest developing economies, but it faces numerous socioeconomic problems, such as hunger, poverty, under- and unemployment, gender inequity and illiteracy. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding at the corporate level could tackle these socioeconomic problems, providing support to the nation’s overall development. Mandated CSR expenditures, in alignment with the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, would support the nation’s contributions to building a sustainable future. Several questions, however, remain. Thus, this study aims to explore relationships between a company’s gross and net profits and its expenditures for CSR; and mapped the specific CSR activities used to address each of the 17 UN SDGs and then draw implications for human resource development (HRD).
Design/methodology/approach
The data were gathered from published annual reports (2019–23) of 60 Fortune 500 Indian companies. A zero-order correlation was used to find the relationship between CSR expenditure and gross, as well as net, profits. Furthermore, the CSR activities of the sample were mapped with the UN SDGs.
Findings
There was a positive, moderate to strong correlation between CSR expenditures and gross profit (r = 0.82, p < 0.01), but for net profit, the correlation was strong (r = 0.85, p < 0.01). All CSR activities mapped to at least one of the SDGs.
Originality/value
The alignment of CSR activities and SDGs based on Fortune 500 Indian companies has not yet been explored. Also, no study to date discusses the gaps in the CSR expenditures for specific UN SDGs.
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Out of all the countries that rose in a mercurial fashion, after the Second World War, the People ' s Republic of China (in short, China) has emerged as an all-pervasive…
Abstract
Purpose
Out of all the countries that rose in a mercurial fashion, after the Second World War, the People ' s Republic of China (in short, China) has emerged as an all-pervasive dominant nation in the world. It has been giving a stiff competition to the well-developed western nations in all facets of its national growth. Despite the fact that work extracted under duress will not excel in qualitative terms, almost all the large projects that the country has undertaken have been of spectacular success raising every nation ' s eyebrows. At the same time, it is very glaring to note, that despite India too enjoying similar infrastructure growth facilities, and as the other fastest growing economy of the world, has not been able to keep pace with China ' s growth in equal proportions. In order to unearth the causal factors which are aiding China, when compared with its nearest rival India, for its major successes in implementing large infrastructure projects, an empirical, investigative study has been undertaken by the Author. The study spanned nearly 20 years. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an empirical study which is the first of its kind to probe into both China and India to compare the success outcomes for large projects. The methodology used was unstructured interviews and administration of a scheduled instrument designed for the study – bilingual (English/Chinese) for the Chinese population and in English for Indian population.
Findings
The study has revealed that, given the same kind of infrastructure facilities for both China and India, China has been able to move their projects onto successful completion, almost staying within the time and cost resources. However, in India, as is the case in most of the other nations of the world, there has always been both time and cost over-runs. The empirical findings conclusively prove that three sociocultural factors in China play a significant role in determining the success outcomes of Chinese projects.
Research limitations/implications
China being a staunchly communistic country, with a close-knit society operating, gaining access to investigative research information has been really challenging for the author. Gaining access to sample populations has been a daunting task, and the researcher had to first get into the “out-group” of the Chinese “wu lun” relationship to elicit responses from an ethnic Chinese sample population.
Practical implications
Being an empirically proven study, the results have wider ramifications for all global nations, especially in knowing why the Chinese are more successful in all their large projects? The study opens up new vistas to other global nations who can emulate the Chinese model of project management. Further, the study also throws open the doors for exploratory as well as post-doctoral research studies in this area.
Originality/value
This is a maiden empirical study in China and in India. Wide-ranging investigative studies may follow, once this study ' s results are widely disseminated to the world. The author feels that the Chinese model when adopted by other countries in the world may result in both time and cost savings for projects. This may in turn result in increased economic benefits to those nations.
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Ekta Chauhan and Sanjana Anand
This paper studies the role of heritage walks and tours in promoting inclusive education. It assesses if these walks are an effective method of exhibiting culture and facilitating…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper studies the role of heritage walks and tours in promoting inclusive education. It assesses if these walks are an effective method of exhibiting culture and facilitating inclusive heritage learning. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to establish that walks can play an imperative role in creating greater sensitivity towards heritage and conservation.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a case study approach using mixed methods. Participants for qualitative interviews were chosen using purposive sampling and six interview schedules were sent to walk leaders. Walk participant data were collected through participant observation and standardised survey with randomly selected participants of the case walks. Surveys were sent to participants electronically.
Findings
Heritage walks play a crucial role in not only imparting knowledge about history and heritage but also as a tool for learning other crucial skills, competencies, values, attitudes, etc. This paper attempts to highlight that walks are an effective and inclusive way to shed light on the alternative and forgotten stories. As an educational tool these walks can not only encourage the development of historical knowledge and appreciation but also assist in the development of competency to “de-construct” mainstream “grand narratives”, questioning and learning about the forgotten.
Research limitations/implications
This paper has limited itself to the study of select cases in New Delhi. Since the study has followed a case study design, it does not produce a largely generalizable result, but rather examines and understands the dynamics of particular walks and produces insights that may well be applicable in other contexts. Whilst this paper makes an attempt to understand the changes in perception and attitudes, it does not study behavioural changes.
Social implications
In the long run, walks allow for meaningful citizen engagement with tangible heritage such as monuments as well as intangible heritage such as practices and festivals. This allows for appreciation for the value of heritage resources and leads to a demand for better conservation and preservation from the authorities. In a few cases, local citizens themselves lead heritage management and development activities in a bid to promote their local culture. This paper has shown that heritage walks can be helpful tools in giving “forgotten” voices and stories recognition in contemporary society.
Originality/value
As heritage walks have recently gained popularity, there has been very limited research in the field especially linking heritage walks to heritage education. This is especially true for India. Even a city like New Delhi, which boasts of a robust heritage and is one of the tourism hubs of the country, heritage walks have been a very recent phenomenon. This research aims to address this lacuna in academic research and contribute meaningfully to the field of heritage education and conservation by studying how heritage walks support and promote inclusive heritage education.
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Naman Sharma, Ekta Sinha and Kumar Shalender
The purpose of this paper is to develop and propose an espoused model of women's entrepreneurship (EMWE) and test its predictive power on women's entrepreneurial intentions. Also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and propose an espoused model of women's entrepreneurship (EMWE) and test its predictive power on women's entrepreneurial intentions. Also, the authors examine the moderating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, given its dynamic nature that can be influenced by training.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected from 303 female students from undergraduate/postgraduate programs in reputed Indian higher education institutions using a self-administered questionnaire.
Findings
The study confirmed that all four factors – perceived entrepreneurial potential, perceived relational support, perceived educational support and perceived structural support – were positively related to the women’s entrepreneurial intentions. Simultaneously, results confirmed the moderating effect of entrepreneurial self-efficacy.
Research limitations/implications
The study presents that more women may be inclined towards adopting entrepreneurship as their career based on their potential and self-efficacy if adequate educational, relational and structural support was provided.
Originality/value
Existing studies in entrepreneurship have focused primarily on men. This work fills this gap and not only proposes but empirically examines the EMWE in the Indian context. It also provides evidence of a significant impact of perceived entrepreneurial potential and perceived relational support on women’s entrepreneurial intentions and posits the role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy as an important moderator, unlike past studies.
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Upasana Singh, Shilpee Dasgupta and Deepak Yaduvanshi
MBA.
Abstract
Subject area of the teaching case
MBA.
Student level and proposed courses the teaching case can be used on
Master’s level in Change Management, Organizational Leadership and Human Resource Management.
A brief overview of the teaching case
Mr Sharma, the dynamic and entrepreneurial Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the newly formed Soni Manipal Hospital (SMH), Jaipur, and Unit Head, Manipal Hospitals [Manipal Health Enterprises Pvt Ltd. (MHEPL)], in a meeting with SMH’s Head of Human Resources and the Head of the Nursing Management, Mr Yaduvanshi realised the exponential growth of employee resistance, their lack of skills and technological advancements for documentation hindering the hospital's transformation goal. The case study highlighted the challenges the protagonist faced when taking charge as the CEO after nine months of acquisition and the factors contributing to them.
Expected learning outcomes
Students reading this case are expected to understand leadership theories, strategic and quality management approaches, and theories of social behaviour, such as Herzberg’s two-factor theory and social exchange theory (SET) and the application of these concepts in acquired organisations to develop healthy leadership–employee relations and change management theories.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 6: Human resource management.
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Sonali Singh, Richa Misra, Puneett Bhatnagr and Ekta Aggarwal
The study follows platform theory (PT) and information processing theory (IPT) to understand the determinants of customer engagement (CE) on an over-the-top (OTT) platform…
Abstract
Purpose
The study follows platform theory (PT) and information processing theory (IPT) to understand the determinants of customer engagement (CE) on an over-the-top (OTT) platform. Platform-based factors include superior streaming infrastructure (SSI), multilayer analytics (MA), secure monetisation (SM) and convenient navigability (CN), while message-based factors include content diversification (CD), interactive elements (IE) and content localisation (CL). The study further investigates the impact of CE on brand advocacy (BA).
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed the quantitative method using the cross-sectional survey to collect the data using judgemental sampling. Data were collected from 650 users of OTT services. Partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypothesised relationship.
Findings
The impact of platform and message-based factors on CE is significant, except for the IE. As per the results, SSI is the most significant platform-based factor of CE, followed by MA, CN and SM. The study also found that CL followed by CD has a substantial influence as a message-based factor for OTT providers. The significant impact of CE is also established on BA, as per the findings of the study.
Practical implications
The outcome of the study is relevant to managers and practitioners in the highly competitive OTT industry. The new research framework emphasises the increasing importance of platform- and message-based factors for CE and BA. The study will also assist OTT providers in guiding strategic and operational decisions in the context of the OTT industry to increase customer loyalty in emerging economies.
Originality/value
The study introduces a novel approach to assessing OTT subscriber engagement by integrating PT and IPT. The final outcome of the research model is BA, which is highly relevant for an OTT operator as it helps retain existing subscribers and attract new ones through BA.
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Ekta Duggal and Harsh Vardhan Verma
Research studies have attributed customer shift from offline to online retail to primarily functional reasons. Indian retailing differs from western counterparts in terms of…
Abstract
Purpose
Research studies have attributed customer shift from offline to online retail to primarily functional reasons. Indian retailing differs from western counterparts in terms of structure and socio-cultural-historical-economic context. The purpose of this paper is to find whether this shift is instigated by positive or negative drive.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected through group discussions and reflective experiential accounts in the form of text. The textual material was thematically analyzed to develop thematic networks. By this method, the text’s patent structures were explored, and underlying hidden patterns were identified.
Findings
Two global themes of “volition” and “violation” were discovered. At the patent level, customers are attracted to online in volition as it allows them to move to higher or desired value space. However, at the deeper level, customer shifted to online as a means to escape from violations involved in human-to-human dealings with offline retailers.
Practical implications
The way forward for offline retailers is to build their advantage based on human interactions. The salvation of offline retailing does not lie in trying to beat online retailers on their position of strength but in leveraging interactions to build social capital.
Originality/value
This study sought to explore and apprehend the meaning of customer shift from offline to online retail at deeper psycho-socio-cultural level.
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This study aims to examine the current status of road infrastructure in India, working out the gap in the availability of required length and the quality of roads besides the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the current status of road infrastructure in India, working out the gap in the availability of required length and the quality of roads besides the comparison with other economies. It also seeks to analyse the socio‐economic‐political environment in India to assess the country's attractiveness towards private sector participation in road infrastructure development.
Design/methodology/approach
The targets for the road sector development set by the Government of India and the current road status of China are taken as benchmarks to enumerate the existing gap in road development in the country. Growth trends of the road sector and their impact on the manufacturing sector have been worked out to assess the development of road infrastructure and its impact on the industry in the country.
Findings
The study advocates that the present pace of road infrastructure development is inadequate in India vis‐à‐vis other developing economies. The quality of roads compared with China is far below expectations and this poor hinterland connectivity is affecting the trade growth in the country.
Originality/value
The paper significantly contributes in assessing the state of road infrastructure in India and highlighting the weaknesses while comparing it with other developing and developed economies. The key issues identified are of immense help to the policy makers in the country for having detailed insight and correcting the road infrastructure development programmes.
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Srishti Nagarajan and Ekta Duggal
The present study aims to provide an overview of the life insurance industry in India and scrutinise various dimensions impacting life insurance uptake in accordance with the…
Abstract
The present study aims to provide an overview of the life insurance industry in India and scrutinise various dimensions impacting life insurance uptake in accordance with the views of the management representatives. An exploratory study was assumed by conducting in-depth face-to-face/telephonic interviews with six employees and one agent affiliated to the most prominent life insurance companies operating in India. The interviews focused on operation of life insurance companies in general, their work culture, approach towards individuals/customers, steps taken to attract and retain their human capital (agents), the overall impact of reforms on the life insurance industry and their tactics which make them unique in the market. The study observed that life insurance uptake in India is discernibly affected by an individual's financial knowledge, needs and the level of trust they have on the company apart from brand of the life insurance company and grievance redressal system. It was also found that reforms (Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy, entry of private players) did bring about a difference in work culture, improved employment opportunities and increased the reach of the insurance industry in the country. The study highlights dimensions that life insurance companies constantly work/need to work upon to remain at the zenith of success, broadens the horizons of the life insurance industry in an emerging nation like India as it is one of the few studies to have probed the management's outlook of the Indian life insurance industry and holds scope for future theoretical investigation and development of a comprehensive model as well.
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