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In assessing international marketing endeavours, it is essential to understand customer services as a function of the logistics structures of global organisations. Users form idiosyncratic perceptions of service, and these ultimately influence the survival of the organisation‐customer relationship. The process by which users form impressions of an organisation′s services and its apparent service deficits must be understood. Perceptions of service can vary on a global basis. An attempt is made to develop a framework that accounts for such variation as well as provide general guidance regarding user perceptions and misperceptions of customer service.

The smooth operation of a logistics system in an international environment requires careful planning on the part of the firm. All aspects have to be planned for and every possible contingency examined. Once the shipment leaves the shipper′s dock it is out of his control until it arrives at the consignee′s location. International logistics systems work best when all the possible interfaces are planned for. One of the most important areas is packaging. It is the package that will determine whether the product arrives at a customer′s location in proper condition. It is the package that will give the transportation company the information it needs to move the product to the proper customer location.

Product recalls are no longer in the realm of theoretical possibilities; it is a regular fact of business life among manufacturers of both industrial and consumer products. Machine tools, automobiles, television sets, appliances, cosmetics, clothes — no product is immune and the list is virtually endless. The actual number of product units recalled every year among the various classes of products is mind‐boggling, and the cost of recalling them runs into millions of dollars. And as for the future, the prognostication from the evidence so far is that the number and types of products as well as the companies involved will continue to grow. The principal reasons for this prognostication are:

Discusses the benefits and disadvantages of pioneering new markets compared with following prudently into new markets. Argues that which strategy is best depends on both conviction about the product and potential market and the firm′s ability to maintain market leadership. Concludes that a pioneering approach provides critical lead time whereas a follower approach yields benefits in fixed and variable costs.

This paper describes a comprehensive approach to examine how technological innovation contributes to the renewal of a firm’s competences through its dynamic and reciprocal relationship with R&D and product commercialization. Three theories of technology and innovation (the R&D and technological knowledge concept, product‐process concept, technological interdependence concept) are used to relate technology and innovation to strategic management. Based on these theories, this paper attempts to identify the dynamic relationship between product innovation and process innovation using system dynamics by investigating that aspect of the dynamic changes in the closed feedback circulation structure in which R&D investments drive the accumulation of technological knowledge.

It's not prudent to venture into international markets without learning how to gather local competitive intelligence. But you can start your analysis project without leaving your desk.

This paper aims to understand the factors that affect consumers’ adoption of mobile wallet as an alternative method of making payments to purchase goods and services.

A survey of over 210 mobile phone consumers was made. The study added two additional constructs – perceived regulatory support (PRS) and promotional benefits (PBs) – and proposed an integrated approach to understanding mobile wallet adoption. The hypothesized relationships were analysed via structural equation modelling.

The results indicated performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, perceived risk, perceived value, PRS, as well as PBs, to be significant factors in predicting behavioural intentions to adopt mobile wallet solutions. The impact of effort expectancy was found to be statistically insignificant.

The small sample size and the possibility of including new variables such as personal innovativeness, which have not been addressed here, are some of the limitations of this study.

The findings of this paper would be useful for mobile wallet service providers, mobile app writers and institutions involved in the facilitation and regulation of such services to develop suitable strategic frameworks to encourage the adoption of mobile wallets.

The study is the first of its kind in India and has added a new dimension in the assessment of technology adoption by proposing two new variables.

The purpose of this paper is to provide benefits for companies or organizations, which deal with fewer input-outputs and wanted to control their industrial processes remotely with a robust control strategy.

In this paper, an active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) strategy is used for the two tank level process plant and it is remotely monitored with the industrial internet of things technology. The disturbances in a primary and secondary loop of the cascade process, which are affecting the overall settling time (ts) of the process, are eliminated by using the proposed, ADRC-ADRC structure in the cascade loop. The stability of the proposed controller is presented with Hurwitz’s stability criteria for selecting gains of observers. The results of the proposed controller are compared with the existing active disturbance rejection control-proportional (ADRC-P) and proportional-integral derivative-proportional (PID-P)-based controller by experimental validation.

It is observed that the settling time (ts) in the case of the proposed controller is improved by 60% and 55% in comparison to PID-P and ADRC-P, respectively. The level process is interfaced with an industrial controller and real-time data acquired in matrix laboratory (MATLAB), which acted as a remote monitoring platform for the cascade process.

The proposed controller is designed to provide robustness against disturbance and parameter uncertainty. This paper provides an alternate way for researchers who are using MATLAB and ThingSpeak cloud server as a tool for the implementation.

The case is directly related to courses on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the Management of Business Administration (MBA) Programme.

Courses like “International Business/Marketing”, “Strategic Planning” and “Business Ethics” of the MBA Programme. Management Development Programmes for working executives, on the Topics “Corporate Social Responsibility”, “Manpower Planning”, “Growth of Business Clusters” and “Social Accountability”.

The labour-demanding industry of Tirupur knitwear exports is facing both happy and sad situations. While orders from importers are piling up, lack of manpower planning proves a stumbling block. The industry employs more than 300,000 workers. After hours of toiling, workers still lead a pathetic life; have no access to good housing or quality education for their children. Highlighting on this situation, the case brings forward the questions, why is it that firms have not realised their CSR to provide commendable standards for their employees? what situations would provide the drive or compulsion to adapt social responsibility? and how far is fulfilling the social responsibility a direct answer to solving the labour issue faced by the export firms?

The case serves to help students to understand the theoretical concept CSR. It brings to the students understanding: the drivers of CSR; challenges that would make the business units to honour their social responsibility; what lies as the practical situation on awareness of CSR; and to have a wholesome practical view of CSR in the context presented in the case.

Teaching note.