Anjali Bansal, Damini Saini, Muhammad Zafar Yaqub and Pragya Gupta
This study investigated leaders’ decision-making during crises. Using grounded theory research, we explored whether leaders’ use of either individualistic or collectivistic…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigated leaders’ decision-making during crises. Using grounded theory research, we explored whether leaders’ use of either individualistic or collectivistic decision-making styles is based on the context of a crisis. In addition, the authors looked into the components of building leaders’ efficacy during a crisis event and gauged their attitudinal and behavioral reactions to the crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted interviews with 30 C-suite executives during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to determine their responses to crises. The authors then used open, axial, and selective coding to examine their data, which was then extracted for representative themes and overarching dimensions. In total, The authors received 12 major themes largely summarizing into 6 overarching dimensions – context of decision-making, leaders’ efficacy, individualistic approach to decision-making, collectivistic approach to decision-making, process of decision-making, and outcomes.
Findings
The research presents a decision-making framework clearly bifurcating situations with the need for individualistic and collectivistic decision-making. While, a high level of urgency and scarce resources encouraged leaders to adopt an individualistic approach in which most of the decisions were intuition-based and only high-level stakeholders were involved, the less time urgent and uncertain situation allowed leaders to put significant effort into building their own knowledge systems and involving others. In addition, leaders’ efficacy is understood in terms of their attitudes, readiness and reactions, which further elaborated upon their knowledge systems to allow them to excel in decision-making irrespective of the approaches they chose.
Originality/value
The research has implications for leaders in the decision-making roles to be effective during both individualistic and collectivistic decision-making.
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Pragya Gupta and Renuka Mahajan
The study aims to ratify skills necessary to bridge the gap between the existing models and emerging needs of a technology-enabled workspace; especially in the Indian context.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to ratify skills necessary to bridge the gap between the existing models and emerging needs of a technology-enabled workspace; especially in the Indian context.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper extends the ongoing debate on a relevant employability framework suitable both for higher education institutes and corporates. To remain resilient to future catastrophes similar to the ongoing pandemic, the relevancy of established employability skills to suit the changing scenario needs to be established.
Findings
The partial least squares (PLS) technique has been used to present a framework confirming the importance of digital competencies, business fundamentals and behavioral skills. In-depth discussions with specialists ratified the proposed framework and recommended potential changes in curriculum and pedagogy.
Research limitations/implications
This study validates an explicit and comprehensive employability skill framework and useful recommendations in teaching strategies, which may provide a broad skill base for graduates to prepare for the volatile business environment in the long run.
Practical implications
The study has been able to put forth significant employability skills as deemed significant by the three stakeholders. This will provide guidance to higher educational institutions (HEIs) to come up with a broad skill-base for the fresh graduates and prepare them for the volatile business environment and encourage life-long learning to remain productive in the long run.
Originality/value
The study is unique as it incorporates the perceived importance of the competencies assumed by each stakeholder, namely, employers, faculty and management graduates, which was unfortunately lacking in earlier researches.
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Pragya Gupta and Neeraj Kaushik
The purpose of this paper is to review the dimensions of service quality used in different countries across the world, especially in the higher education sector.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the dimensions of service quality used in different countries across the world, especially in the higher education sector.
Design/methodology/approach
Content analysis is used to get a comprehensive insight of the studies accumulated from some of the selected databases such as Emerald Insight, Ebsco ABI/inform, etc. All these studies are related to the measuring of service quality in higher education.
Findings
The result of this paper reveals that SERVQUAL is the most widely accepted scale which has its dominance in the higher education setting. The paper focuses on revealing the dimensions which are used in the past studies. The paper notices a huge variation in the items as well as constructs while exploring the dimensions. Further, it is observed that many of the studies considered in this paper picked dimensions from other studies, expert opinions and factor analysis. In addition to this, it is found that different scales are proposed and checked for their reliability and validity through the confirmatory factor analysis. Few studies confirm the validity using average variance extracted (AVE), model fit values and correlations.
Practical implications
The study will help other researchers to get a summarised form of different dimensions used in the higher education setting. It also points out the essential and common dimensions of similar studies. Further, with different samples and geographical location, it can help us to identify how the dimension varies as we move from one part to another around the globe with different samples. Further, it formulates directions to pick correct combination of scale, administration and methods that are useful in collecting the data and getting the inference out of it under correct settings.
Originality/value
The summarisation of different studies will help the researchers to have a holistic view of the important studies that took place in the higher education setting.
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The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a suitable measure for the employee wellbeing construct and validate this tool in Indian workplace settings, especially with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a suitable measure for the employee wellbeing construct and validate this tool in Indian workplace settings, especially with reference to IT/ITes and BFSI sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is descriptive and cross-sectional in nature. The literature was first reviewed to identify the underlying probable dimensions of employee wellbeing and its corresponding items. These items were then subjected to elaborate discussions with experts from industry as well as academia. The index, thus, developed was administered to collect primary data from employees working in IT/ITeS and BFSI sectors based in Delhi-NCR. PLS SEM 3 was applied as employee wellbeing was construed as a first-order reflective second-order formative construct. Thereafter, it was subjected to suitable assessments of reliability and convergent validity.
Findings
The findings reveal that employee wellbeing can be conceptualized as a construct having four dimensions namely, purpose in life (PIL), work–life balance (WLB), job wellness (JW) and physical wellness (PW). It was also revealed that all the dimensions identified in the study capture different facets of the employee wellbeing and collectively define the construct; omission of any items may lead to change in the nature of the construct. This investigation is unique as it frames the index of employee wellbeing with specifications of a formative measurement model. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no published study so far has measured EWB as a formative construct.
Originality/value
Many earlier studies have incorporated a unidimensional approach to individual wellbeing and lacked a crucial outlook of having multi-dimensional understanding of the employee wellbeing construct in the social and work context. Furthermore, this paper contributes not only to the existing body of knowledge in employee wellbeing, but also brings forth an important aspect of measurement model specification, i.e. formative measurement model by bringing the specific reasons for taking employee wellbeing as a formative concept.
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Shalini Srivastava and Pragya Gupta
Using self-determination theory as the theoretical framework, the study examines the role of workplace spirituality in motivating internal whistleblowing in an organization and…
Abstract
Purpose
Using self-determination theory as the theoretical framework, the study examines the role of workplace spirituality in motivating internal whistleblowing in an organization and whether it gets enhanced by ethical leadership and moral courage of an employee.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was administered to 312 employees belonging to the hotel industry in north India. A three-waves study with a gap of one month each was used for data collection. The study used AMOS and PROCESS Macro to examine the hypothesized relationship.
Findings
The study found a positive association between workplace spirituality and internal whistleblowing, and a parallel mediating impact of employee’s moral courage and ethical leadership on workplace spirituality and internal whistleblowing relationship.
Practical implications
The work suggests that by recognizing and enforcing the motivating factors that encourage an employee to blow the whistle and reveal illegal, immoral or illegitimate organizational practices, an organization may be able to maintain an ethical stance and create a positive image of itself.
Originality/value
The unique contributions of this study include determining the role of workplace spirituality in supporting internal whistleblowing, especially in the Indian context. Keeping in view the huge losses incurred by hospitality sector during pandemic, internal whistleblowing by employees will create a positive image for the organizations and help in revival.
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Renuka Mahajan, Pragya Gupta and Richa Misra
The paper aims at examining the employability skills relevant in the unprecedented times of turbulence in businesses due to COVID-19 in the Indian context.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims at examining the employability skills relevant in the unprecedented times of turbulence in businesses due to COVID-19 in the Indian context.
Design/methodology/approach
The study examined the recent skills model through an extensive literature review. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is conducted to identify the employability skills perceived as important by multiple stakeholders. ANOVA was applied to examine the differences in perceived importance attached to these dimensions by the three stakeholders.
Findings
The ten-factorial solution was extracted based on the results of EFA The findings offer a fresh perspective on digital competencies perceived as most important to ensure successful long-term employability, followed by business fundamentals and behavioral skills.
Research limitations/implications
The study has been able to map perceptions of employers, faculty and students based in Delhi-NCR regarding essential employability skills. It would be worthwhile to validate the proposed employability skills framework across different geographical sections of India and ascertain if the perceptions vary in the employment sector and employer size.
Practical implications
Although the study has put forth practical employability skills, there is a need for convergence between the business stakeholders and Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to develop a broad skill-base for the fresh graduates. The study will prepare them for the volatile business environment.
Originality/value
Many previous studies have lacked the employability skill framework in the Indian context from the multiple stakeholders' perspective. The HEIs can rethink their current employability, including the most prominent skills required in succeeding in a technology-enabled business environment transformed by the pandemic.
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Pragya Gupta and Shalini Srivastava
Using job demand-control-support (JDCS) model as its foundation, the purpose of this paper is to examine the important, but under-explored, relationship between perceptions of…
Abstract
Purpose
Using job demand-control-support (JDCS) model as its foundation, the purpose of this paper is to examine the important, but under-explored, relationship between perceptions of work–life conflict and burnout being mediated and moderated by support systems and resilience among female employees in India.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 270 female employees belonging to various sectors such as Information Technology/ Information Technology enabled services, retail, bank and hospitality located in Northern India were surveyed. The study used stratified sampling method for good coverage from different departments of the organizations. The structural equation method was used to test the direct effect, and for the mediation effects, they were tested by the method of indirect effects (Preacher and Hayes, 2004).
Findings
The results supported the hypothesized model that there exists a significant and positive relationship of work–life conflict with burnout, and work–life conflict has a negative association with both family support and organizational support. The findings also supported the hypothesis that family support and organizational support mediate the relationship of work–life conflict and burnout. This analysis expectedly confirmed that resilience not only displayed a negative relationship with burnout but also exhibited a moderated relationship with organizational and family support.
Research limitations/implications
The research design was co-relational and cross-sectional, so inferring causality is not possible. Future research must incorporate a longitudinal design to investigate the causal effects of work–life conflict on employees’ experiences of burnout and whether it gets buffered by availability of workplace support and family support.
Practical implications
It is imperative for the organizations to take substantial steps to reduce job burden and deadline pressure on the female employees, nurture decision autonomy at all levels of hierarchy and encourage amiable relationships of employees with their supervisors and peers based on mutual trust and support.
Originality/value
Although most of the research studies on work–life conflict have been unidirectional, i.e. investigating spillover of work demands on to family domains (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985; Byrne and Barling, 2017), these conflicts have been found to be bidirectional, meaning thereby that family issues do spill over into work realm (Makela and Suutari, 2011). This study examines both directions of work–life conflict.
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Sanjeet Kumar De, Priyanshi Kawdia, Dipti Gupta and Namita Pragya
This paper aims to explore the relationship between the various variables present in the packaging plastic waste management system in the cosmetics industry.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the relationship between the various variables present in the packaging plastic waste management system in the cosmetics industry.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors deal with plastic packaging waste in the cosmetic industry with the help of system dynamics. The model broadly divides the system into six sections – Cosmetic Packaging, Waste Generation, Waste Collected, Waste Sorted, Waste Treated and Waste Dumped. Businesses have been investing in each section depending on their progress and targets. The authors are looking at case studies of two leading cosmetic brands, L'Oréal and L'Occitane en Provence, to validate the industry practices against our model.
Findings
From a business perspective, using the case study methodology for L'Oréal and L'Occitane, the authors inferred that out of the various investment vehicles available, companies are targeting technological advancement and third-party collaborations as they have the potential to offer the greatest visible change. However, most of these investments are going toward the treatment subsection. Still, there is a scope for improvement in the collection and sorting subsystems, increasing the efficiency of the whole chain.
Originality/value
There has been a lot of research on packaging plastic waste management in the past, but only a few of them focused on the cosmetic industry. This study aims to connect all the possible variables involved in the cosmetic industry’s packaging plastic waste management system and provide a clear output variable for various businesses looking to manage their packaging waste because of their products efficiently.
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Karishma Chaudhary, Pragya Singh and Deepak Verma
Services Marketing: People Technology Strategy (Eighth Edition) By Pearson, Authored by Wirtz Jochen, Lovelock Christopher, Chatterjee Jayanta, 2017; Service-Marketing: Text and…
Abstract
Supplementary materials
Services Marketing: People Technology Strategy (Eighth Edition) By Pearson, Authored by Wirtz Jochen, Lovelock Christopher, Chatterjee Jayanta, 2017; Service-Marketing: Text and Cases (Second Edition) By Pearson, Authored by Harsh Verma, 2011.
Social implications
Students will gain an understanding of business models, which has a positive impact on the environment.
Learning outcomes
This case study intends to help learners understand the concept of segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) in the case of services. The idea of services is different from that of a product as in services; intangible elements dominate the value creation. By exploring the practical scenarios faced by the protagonist, in this case, readers would enhance their problem-solving abilities in similar situations.
Case overview/synopsis
Prerna is the founder of Ecoplore, an aggregator cum booking platform for eco-hotels. It onboards hotels only if they are made up of vernacular architecture and maintains at least 33% of greenery on its premises. Listed properties also harvested rainwater, used renewable source of energy, used sustainable options instead of single use plastic, composted organic waste. Most of these properties grow vegetables, fruits and herbs, and the visitors enjoy homemade organic meals. Ecoplore is the only aggregator platform to visit and verify these eco-hotels directly. Ecoplore is an early-stage startup; all customer queries were handled by Prerna, on-call or through a chat box. It included interacting with prospective clients, understanding their requirements, suggesting the most suited options and booking the eco-hotels. Prerna had to spend most of the time interacting with clients. Over time, she comprehended that only a few prospective clients became Ecoplore’s customers, and the conversion rate was low of owing to various reasons like ticket size, clients' age and psychology.
Complexity academic level
For students: This case is aptly designed for marketing students pursuing Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Master of Business Administration courses to understand and apply STP theory and service marketing concepts.
Subject code
CCS 3: Entrepreneurship.
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Yam B. Limbu, Christopher McKinley, Rajesh K. Gautam, Ajay K. Ahirwar, Pragya Dubey and C. Jayachandran
The purpose of this paper is to examine the indirect effects of nutritional knowledge and attitude toward food label use on food label use through self-efficacy and trust, as well…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the indirect effects of nutritional knowledge and attitude toward food label use on food label use through self-efficacy and trust, as well as whether gender moderates this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of Indian adults with multiple chronic conditions was surveyed about their nutritional knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and use of food labels. Hypotheses were tested using Hayes’s (2013) PROCESS macro for SPSS.
Findings
The results show that nutritional knowledge and attitude toward food label use positively predict food label use through self-efficacy and trust. However, these mediation effects are moderated by gender such that the indirect relationship is stronger among men than women.
Practical implications
Food marketers and government agencies engaged in nutrition education campaigns should aim to increase patients’ confidence in comprehending food label information.
Social implications
Since food labels can be a valuable tool to help patients with chronic diseases to make informed decisions about their diet and lifestyle, regulators may consider mandating nutritional labels on foods to help them improve their food or dietary choices.
Originality/value
This study uniquely applies Fisher and Fisher’s (1992) information–motivation–behavioral skills model as a theoretical framework to examine the influence of nutrition knowledge and attitude toward food label use on food label usage of Indian patients with multiple chronic diseases.