Kean Siang Chng and Suresh Narayanan
Due to the non-rivalrous and non-excludable characteristics of properties classified as being part of the cultural heritage of a city, owners of these properties face a lower…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to the non-rivalrous and non-excludable characteristics of properties classified as being part of the cultural heritage of a city, owners of these properties face a lower incentive to maintain them. Many studies have advocated the participation of the local community in the maintenance of such “public” properties because community demands and tastes are better reflected through direct participation than through government intervention. One of the main factors that may determine whether or not such participation would be forthcoming is whether the community identifies with elements that the cultural heritage building represents. The purpose of this paper is to examine the cultural effects of the Chinese community with regard to the preservation of the heritage buildings that reflect the community’s early presence in George Town, Penang.
Design/methodology/approach
An experimental method was used to invoke feelings of social identity through historical and cultural photos about these buildings associated with the community. The authors attempted to create an emotional attachment to the cultural and historical values in a laboratory.
Findings
The authors found that information increased the participants’ positive feelings toward their historical and cultural backgrounds. This positive emotion might explain why the subjects appeared more willing to contribute to the public pool to maintain these buildings. The findings suggest that the incorporating cultural and historical information about heritage buildings may encourage more pro-social behaviors.
Social implications
Although community participation and discussions can help to align the conservation objectives of diverse stakeholders, the divergence between individual and collective interests may cause individuals to shirk from their commitment, given the public nature of the goods. Therefore, investigating whether a factor that aligns diverse interests or the nature of the game can influence behavior is important to the development of strategies used in the provision of public good.
Originality/value
Although the impact of social identity on social dilemma has been widely studied, the empirical proof and its application to preservation of cultural heritage has not been studied. As far as the authors know, this is the first paper that experimentally proves the importance of social identity and its role in provision of social goods.
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Wei-Zhi Ang, Suresh Narayanan and Meenchee Hong
Food wastage is a major contributor to pervasive world hunger. Cutting global food waste in half by 2030 is one of the United Nation's top priorities. Hence, this paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Food wastage is a major contributor to pervasive world hunger. Cutting global food waste in half by 2030 is one of the United Nation's top priorities. Hence, this paper aims to provide useful insights on how individual behavior might be influenced to help reduce food wastage and hunger by identifying individual food waste determinants.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 297 useable responses were obtained from a survey using a food diary method. A logit model was employed to estimate the relationship between leftovers and its determinants (preparedness to take own action, price conscious, food review, religiosity, health conscious, cost, marital status and gender).
Findings
Results show that preparedness to be responsible for one's actions, depending on food reviews and being waste conscious had a significant positive relationship with food waste reducing behavior, along with being male and being married.
Research limitations/implications
The study suggests that there is scope for policy initiatives to reduce the individual utility from discarding food and increase the individual utility from food saving activities. Penalizing individual or household food wastage through a tax will directly raise the cost of wastage and reduce the net utility from discarding food. Reducing food waste could help reduce global hunger.
Originality/value
Rationally, no one will have any intention to waste when buying food. Instead, in the context of deciding whether or not to leave leftover food, an individual is posited to weigh the potential utility from saving food or throwing it away. Thus, this study examines food waste behavior by utilizing economic tools, which is rare in the food waste literature.
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Kizito Uyi Ehigiamusoe, Suresh Narayanan and Wai-Ching Poon
This paper aims to examine the non-linear impact of inflation on financial development, and the moderating role of GDP in the relationship between inflation and financial…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the non-linear impact of inflation on financial development, and the moderating role of GDP in the relationship between inflation and financial development in a panel of 125 countries.
Design/methodology/approach
It employs the dynamic common correlated effects (CCE) that can control for heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence. This technique enables us to conduct both panel and country-specific analyses.
Findings
Though there is no significant evidence that inflation has a non-linear impact on financial development in the panel, the country-specific estimations reveal that inflation has a non-linear impact on financial development in 66 countries. The results also show that GDP mitigates the detrimental effect of inflation on financial development in 45 countries. An insight into the non-linear relationship between inflation and financial development is crucial for policy decision-making. Besides, knowledge of the moderating role of GDP in the relationship between financial development and inflation is fundamental for policy formulations.
Originality/value
Although the extant literature has shown that the inflation rate plays a negative role in financial development, the literature overlooked the non-linear relationship between the two variables. Besides, the studies have not considered the role of GDP in moderating the impact of the inflation rate on financial development. This study fills these gaps in the existing body of finance literature.
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After a tumultuous five months, Nestle India was exonerated in the Maggi crisis just in time for Diwali. Although the mood was one of vindication, the leadership team with Suresh…
Abstract
After a tumultuous five months, Nestle India was exonerated in the Maggi crisis just in time for Diwali. Although the mood was one of vindication, the leadership team with Suresh Narayanan at the helm, knew they faced a major challenge to regain lost glory. Stock price had plummeted along with consumer confidence which went down from over 90 to less than 5 per cent. Part B traces the efforts of Nestle India to not only reinforce the message of product quality but also to engage consumer trust. Through changes in product strategy, organizational structure, and multi-pronged communication, Maggi was able to rekindle the emotional connect with the consumer and surge back. On 30 November 2019 despite loss of market share, consumer faith and trust in 2015, Nestlé India was trading at INR 14,453/55 (NSE/BSE;~US$225) per share after hitting a record low of INR 4981 (~US$76) on 29 February 2016. Part B of the case outlines the measures Nestle India took to bounce back and asks if Nestle India's reputation out of the woods. Could the past come back to haunt Maggi or was the worst behind them? 1. Evaluate communication strategies available to organizations in a crisis situation. 2. Analyse the power and influence of consumer sentiment in reputation management.
Details
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Keywords
P. Sohana Akhter, Sanjana Prusty and Lalatendu Kesari Jena
We have used data mostly from published sources like The Economic Times, Forbes, The Times of India and the annual reports of Nestlé India Ltd. Because we classify it as a…
Abstract
Research methodology
We have used data mostly from published sources like The Economic Times, Forbes, The Times of India and the annual reports of Nestlé India Ltd. Because we classify it as a Teaching Case Study as per the guidelines of Emerald Publishing, we have ensured that any data presented in the case has been acquired only from published sources and is not internal company data. Citations have also been provided wherever necessary.
Case overview/synopsis
On 6 June 2015, Nestlé India’s top product Maggi instant noodles was banned nationwide for an unspecified period. The ban was imposed due to allegations of Maggi containing high amounts of lead and message, and consequently violating the food safety standards. What followed was the destruction of massive stocks of Maggi which had been taken off from shelves of stores countrywide. Furthermore, the company faced a huge blow financially as its sales plummeted. This case delves into how Nestlé India adopted relevant strategies to successfully avert the Maggi crisis. Some remedial measures included appointing a Managing Director who understood the market, improving the communication channel and boosting the churn out of new products along with greater emphasis on marketing and advertising.
Complexity academic level
This case is aimed mainly at undergraduate level students in the field of management studies and public relations management. This case is also relevant for students pursuing a specialization in Crisis Communication, Public Relations, Marketing and Organizational Change.
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Zhen Zhu and Xinlin Tang
With emerging markets representing great growth opportunities and serving as indispensable components in the global supply chain, it is unclear how well modern supply chain…
Abstract
Purpose
With emerging markets representing great growth opportunities and serving as indispensable components in the global supply chain, it is unclear how well modern supply chain management theories developed in advanced markets apply to emerging markets. This study integrates the institution-based view with supply chain management literature to examine how integration capabilities can be leveraged to achieve supply chain agility in emerging markets and how the efficacy of integration capabilities is shaped by internal and external institutional contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines how firms in emerging markets can leverage their platform integration and knowledge integration capabilities with channel distributors to improve the supply chain agility and how such relationships are shaped by both the internal (proxy by ownership structure) and external (proxy by regional openness) institutional contexts in which firms operate. Survey and archival data collected from 207 firms operating in China, one of the largest emerging markets, were used to test the proposed research model.
Findings
The results reveal that platform integration and knowledge integration are two driving forces for supply chain agility in the emerging markets. Moreover, the results indicate that state-owned firms are able to achieve higher supply chain agility from their investments in knowledge integration with channel distributors than non-state-owned firms. While firms in regions with a high level of openness enjoy higher supply chain agility from knowledge integration, firms in regions with a low level of openness can catch up by investing in platform integration with their channel distributors.
Originality/value
The authors extend the extant study on supply chain integration (SCI) research to examine how operational and strategic integration with channel distributors can help the focal firm achieve supply chain agility in emerging markets. The study results also enrich the existing studies in emerging markets by revealing the importance of the institutional context in which firms operate on B2B channel management.
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The case explicates a situation wherein an international flight from Newark to Ahmedabad, with a stopover in Mumbai, is delayed during the final leg of its journey between Mumbai…
Abstract
The case explicates a situation wherein an international flight from Newark to Ahmedabad, with a stopover in Mumbai, is delayed during the final leg of its journey between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that all international and domestic passengers are already on board when they face this five-hour delay. The case provides a rich context to discuss issues related to difficult communication and persuasion during crisis. The captain communicates with the passengers, through a series of announcements, with updates on the situation. He attempts to manage the escalating tension within the airplane and does succeed to a certain level. The case highlights the significance of timely and well-crafted messages during crisis situations. It also illuminates how the use of rhetorical strategies influence customer perception of credibility and at times, shift attribution of blame.
Details
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Keywords
In 2015, NESTLÉ India underwent a major crisis as the product which contributed to nearly 30% of its sales had to be taken off the shelves. Maggi—the go-to convenience food for…
Abstract
In 2015, NESTLÉ India underwent a major crisis as the product which contributed to nearly 30% of its sales had to be taken off the shelves. Maggi—the go-to convenience food for all generations (especially kids and young adults)—which had entered the market in 1983, was banned. With a market share of 70-80% before the ban, NESTLÉ, which got the ban lifted in November 2015, had to undergo the task of winning back the lost market. Over a period of 8 months after its relaunch, the brand regained about 60% of its market back, but the question is how could such brand disaster be avoided in future? The case revolves around a major brand recovering from a brand disaster, and whether they did it well enough or could the situation have been managed better. It also enquires as to what road should be taken forward from here. It notes the action taken by the government against the brand and leaves it to the judgment of the readers if the actions taken against the brand were a little too harsh, solely because MNCs are usually considered a soft target in India. The readers must also understand and analyse the different brand relaunch strategies that were adopted by NESTLÉ and the next steps that should be taken by it.
Details
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Aswathy Sreenivasan and M. Suresh
When coping with uncertainties, three characteristics distinguish firms: agility, adaptability and alignment (triple-A). Based on significant field research, the triple-A…
Abstract
Purpose
When coping with uncertainties, three characteristics distinguish firms: agility, adaptability and alignment (triple-A). Based on significant field research, the triple-A highlights the significance of coordinating agility, adaptability and alignment. Start-ups are facing a lot of challenges in this turbulent environment. However, this sector is undergoing a major transformation. Agility, adaptability and alignment concepts have had a major influence on the supply chain, but their implementation in start-ups has been less visible. This paper aims to identify, analyze and categorize the enablers for agility, adaptability and alignment in start-ups using the total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) approach.
Design/methodology/approach
In addition to the scheduled interview, a closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect data. To identify how the factors interact, the TISM technique is used, and the Matriced’Impacts Croises-Multipication Applique’ and Classment method is used to rank and categorize the agility, adaptability and alignment enablers.
Findings
This study identified ten agility, adaptability and alignment factors for start-ups. It has been found that the key importance should be given to management involvement, conflict management, collaboration and information integration.
Research limitations/implications
This study primarily focused on the agility, adaptability and alignment factors in start-ups.
Practical implications
This study will help academics and key stakeholders understand the aspects that lead to agility, adaptability and alignment in start-ups.
Originality/value
Agility, adaptability and alignment concepts have had a major influence on the supply chain, but their implementation in start-ups has been less visible. Therefore, this is a novel attempt in this industry’s agility, adaptability and alignment.
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Meng-Meng Wang and Jian-Jun Wang
The purpose of this paper is to explore the underlying mechanisms through which integration capability and learning capability influence IT outsourcing performance from vendor’s…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the underlying mechanisms through which integration capability and learning capability influence IT outsourcing performance from vendor’s perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper develops a moderated mediation model to explain the underlying influence processes of integration capability and learning capability on vendor’s performance. A sample of 237 vendor firms was obtained from China through two separated surveys. The hypotheses were tested with the partial least squares method and bias-corrected bootstrapping method.
Findings
The empirical results indicate that external integration capability (EIC) mediates the effect of internal integration capability (IIC) on vendor outsourcing performance, and the relationship between EIC and vendor performance is positively moderated by learning capability, while learning capability has a negative moderating effect on the link between IIC and vendor performance. Further, the conditional indirect effect is suggested. The indirect effect of IIC on vendor performance through EIC becomes non-significant when learning capability is low.
Originality/value
This study highlights the counterintuitive notion that learning capability may not always have uniformly positive effects and figure out the mechanism through which integration capability and learning capability can effectively improve IT outsourcing performance.