015863   Alagawadi M V;Savadatti P M (Managemnent Dep, Central Karnataka Univ, Gulbarga-585 101, Email: alagarjun@gmail.com ) : Performance evaluation of Malaprabha Grameen Bank in Karnataka during pre and post- WTO period- principal component analysis. Karnataka J agric Sci 2011, 24(5), 668-71.

Agricultural credit provides flow to the system averting ruins that would have occurred due to the lack of monetary capacity of farmers in India. The Malaprabha Grameena Bank (MGB) is an important Regional Rural Bank (RRB) providing institutional credit to agricultural sector. This RRB is considered for restructuring in Karnataka in the light of financial reforms. Hence, MGB was selected in the present study with an overall objective of evaluating the bank's performance by identify the important physical and financial indicators. The analysis is done for two periods; Pre and Post-WTO with the help of twenty-nine variables by applying the method of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results revealed that in case of physical indicators based on the factor loading three dimensions during pre-WTO period and two dimensions during post-WTO period were identified, which explained 74 percent and 91 percent of the variations respectively. Similarly with respect to financial indicators three dimensions during pre-WTO period and three dimensions during post-WTO period explained nearly 90 percent and 93 percent of the variations in the bank's performance respectively. The PCA analysis indicated the dominance of Business Component in influencing the performance of the bank during post-WTO period. Hence, purpose wise and beneficiary wise rationalization of credit structure and scale is a pre-requisite for enhancing the effectiveness of the credit system and in turn business of the bank. Secondly, the bank has to strike a balance between advances for agricultural and non-agricultural purposes, since, safeguarding the interest of the target groups is important on one hand and sustainability of the bank on the other.

3 tables, 6 ref

015862   Agrawal S;Nayak D (Business Economics Dep, Faculty of Commerce, The M.S. Baroda Univ, Vadodara, Gujarat, Email: sangitaagrawal@yahoo.co.in) : Management of public expenditure in the state of Gujarat: an analysis. Indian J Finance 2013, 7(3), 31-44.

Allocation of expenditure at the state government level assumes significance since the major expenditure responsibilities are entrusted to them. The State Governments of India have been taking stringent measures to control the mounting expenditure. However, nothing substantial has been achieved because a large part of the expenditure is of revenue nature, which is beyond its control. It is in this context that this paper attempts to analyze the expenditure pattern of Gujarat State Government and its major issues, both qualitatively and quantitatively, which is affecting the state's finances.

10 tables, 14 ref

014911   Singh M J;Rupinder Kaur (NO, School Health Services, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (North), Delhi) : Effect of eliciting unexpressed desires of patients in satisfaction studies. J Mgmt Res 2012, 12(1), 14-20.

Study was conducted to understand the expectations and to evaluate the satisfaction of Out Patients with the specific objective of determining whether administration of an expectation survey to the patients had any effect on the scores of satisfaction survey. The goal was to find if bringing out the unexpressed desires of patients was helpful in satisfaction studies. Two questionnaires, a Patient Expectation Survey and a Patient Satisfaction Survey consisting of seventeen service components/factors and one general expectations/satisfaction item were devised. The results showed that patients who were administered an expectation survey were in a better position to evaluate the services and responded to the satisfaction survey accordingly.

3 tables, 11 ref

014910   Rishi M (NO, Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Plot 11/7, Sector 11, Dwarka, New Delhi-110 075) : Media convergence model for emerging economies: perspective from the Indian advertising industry. J Mgmt Res 2012, 12(2), 59-74.

Examines the role of Internet advertising in generating marketing and advertising innovations for the emerging economies, and suggests a theoretical model which imparts learning for all advertising professionals, in developing markets. The research is exploratory in nature and utilises the grounded theory to suggest the Media Convergence Model identifying Internet as the central point where all traditional media are converging. In-depth study of published research and data, industry trends and the advertising expenditure declarations, by listed companies belonging to various Indian sectors, has been conducted for the purpose of data collection. The Media Convergence Model identifies that the Indian media space is heading for complete convergence with the ability to leverage content on multiple platforms. Overall advertising expenditure's declaration of major Indian sectors reveals that verticals which are highest advertising spenders in a given year are also the highest advertisers on the new medium, Internet. The Media Convergence Model would create newer revenue streams, strengthen advertising revenue models (by generating less dependency on traditional distribution streams) and create demand for new content. Since emerging markets face growth in the penetration of Internet, marketing professionals can leverage the proposed model for generating higher returns on advertising investments. The Model offers valuable insights to advertisers and offers them a reason to look beyond traditional media. The identified patterns of Internet advertising in India would help the advertising industry, from other emerging economies, to leverage Internet and the media convergence phenomenon towards the growth of their business. This makes the study useful for practitioners from advertising fraternity as well as for the academic researchers exploring trends in the developing economies.

3 illus, 4 tables, 69 ref

014909   Natarajan Kumar (NO, Orange City Institute for Higher Education, Nagpur, Maharshtra) : Relationship of personal and organizational values with job satisfaction. J Mgmt Res 2012, 12(2), 75-82.

Study was conducted as part of a larger study in a public sector organization with an all India presence. The study explored the relationship of personal and organizational values with job satisfaction. 220 participants from a large public sector organization were asked to rate on a 7 point scale the 24 items value taxonomy developed by McDonald & Gandz (1991, 1992) once as to how important these are to them as a guiding principal in their life and once as how much they perceive their organization to promote these values. Results reveal that perceived organizational values emerge as potent predictor of all the three components of job satisfaction as compared to personal values. In that, factor justice explained most variance for intrinsic and total job satisfaction and factor harmony explained most variance for extrinsic job satisfaction.

2 tables, 28 ref

014908   Mukherjee S;Mahakud J (NO, T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal-576 104) : Are trade-off and pecking order theories of capital structure mutually exclusive? evidence from Indian manufacturing companies. J Mgmt Res 2012, 12(1), 41-55.

Objective of the study is to find out whether the trade-off and pecking order theories are mutually exclusive or complimentary to each other in determining the optimal capital structure of the Indian manufacturing companies during the period 1993-94 to 2007-08. Authors find that the trade-off and pecking order theories are complimentary to each other to determine the capital structure and therefore, companies' financing behavior is best explained by the modified pecking order theory. Also find that Indian manufacturing companies do have target leverage ratios and the adjustment speed towards the target has been around 40 percent.

014907   Kumar D N S;Shekhar N (Centre for Research - Projects, Christ Univesity, Hosur Road, Bangalore) : Perspectives envisaging employee loyalty. J Mgmt Res 2012, 12(2), 100-12.

It is difficult for companies to gauge how much effort they should put into promoting loyalty, given the mobility of workers today. In another dimension, many studies have proved the connection between loyal employees and business success. The study attempts to throw some light on both employee loyalty to organizations and vice versa. The pertinent case analyses perceptions among various employees with respect to loyalty towards Polyhydron Pvt. Ltd, Belgaum, India. An interview schedule containing 40 items was used to collect data from the different strata of employees. Results indicated a significant effect of organizational variables on employee loyalty. The study also builds a case with appropriate variables while exploring various ways to enhance the employer's loyalty towards the organization and its employees, interlinking perspectives from view point of both employer and employee and highlights its benefits.

3 illus, 2 tables, 21 ref

014906   Kerur N M;Gaddi G M;Kulkarni V (Management Agricultural Dep, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad-580 005, Email: kerur_nm@yahoo.com) : Respondents' attitude towards policy reforms in regulated markets of Karnataka - a cluster analysis approach. Karnataka J agric Sci 2011, 24(2), 177-83.

The regulated markets are considered responsible institutions in discharging all the functions connected with the sale of outputs, keeping in view the overall interest of the farming community and the ultimate consumers. The study was undertaken in selected regulated markets of Karnataka for the purpose of to elicit opinions from farmers and traders respondents about the performance and policy reforms of regulated markets. The performance of regulated markets as opined by the traders that, charges fixed for weighing, market fee, market information through display on notice board and payment of produce over 15 days after the sale are affecting the performance of markets. Therefore an immediate attention should be given to improve these variables, which are responsible for the better functioning of the regulated markets. Spot payment is necessary otherwise farmers look for alternative selling arrangements, which lead to loss of income to the market committee. In this context, introduction of Clearing House Scheme with the help of merchant association may help in this direction.

2 tables, 4 ref

014905   Hayek M (Management Dep, Texas A&M University - Commerce, College of Business and Technology, P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, TX 75429) : Control beliefs and positive psychological capital, can nascent entrepreneurs discriminate between what can and cannot be controlled?. J Mgmt Res 2012, 12(1), 3-13.

Entrepreneurs have been portrayed in a positive light as being dreamers, opportunity seekers, resilient, optimistic, and self- confident. The search for understanding the lens through which nascent entrepreneurs approach or perceive opportunities is a cornerstone of entrepreneurship research carrying significant practical implications. An important step in understanding how nascent entrepreneurs perceive opportunities is by understanding their perception of control over their environment. While the constructs that form the psychological capital construct, hope, resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy are all revered characteristics and highly associated with entrepreneurs, the consequences of these being applied to situations where the individual actually has a misplaced sense of control may have dire consequences.

1 illus, 44 ref

014904   Bhardwaj K R (Botany Dep, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, HaryanaBotany Dep) : Appraisal of flood disaster management in district Yamuna Nagar (Haryana). Eco Res J Biosci 2011, 10-11(1-2), 54-64.

Flood disaster is not only catastrophic but it leaves a permanent scar on geographical contours in addition to great damage to humanity. Floods, droughts, fires, earthquakes landslides, cyclones, tsunamis are the main disasters which cause huge loss of life and property. These catastrophes can not be stopped but their impacts can be minimized by devising a multi pronged strategy to combat the hazards to avoid and minimize the threat of life and property. Large tract of lands of Yamuna Nagar district falls in the north east Shivalik foothills. From upper reaches of hills, six rivers viz. Yamuna, Sarasvati, Somb, Chautang, Rakshi and Pathrala-boli roll down in the district. Due to heavy rains in the hills and catchment areas of these rivers caused floods in the district. In the wake of past record of floods a serious thought has been given to flood disaster management. The present survey showed that 33 villages of Yamuna Nagar districts are affected by floods from 1978 to 2010. All types of damages in terms of soil erosion, silting of fields, destruction of food crops, collapsing of bridges and houses, loss of animal and human life were enormous in the region. Preparedness is the key in dealing with flood disaster before and during the period it strikes and pick up the threads to rejoin the shattered fabric of life through mitigation and response measures. The district level organization set up, from district headquarter to on-site location for prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response in terms of relief & rescue, rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery have been devised to meet any eventuality caused due to flood. District disaster management committee headed by D.C. had taken appropriate steps to combat the impacts of the floods. The infrastructure of district has control room, emergency operation centers, emergency support functions, six flood shelters and equipments up to standards of NOMA and SOMA to meet any challenge. Twenty Seven embankments in the form of bunds, stone pitch, stone studs, bed bars of large, medium and mini sizes have been constructed to avoid floods. Gaps are to be covered by prepositioning of some essential resources at crucial locations, priority to capacity building and regular training, mock drills for sensitization and awareness among DM officials, functionaries and people in general as well as Govt. department in specific.

7 tables, 4 ref

014903   Ankaiahkumar K;Eswarappa G;Manjunatha B N (Agricultural Polytechnic, , Utukur, Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh) : Constraints faced by stakeholders in implementation of agricultural technology management agency programme. Karnataka J agric Sci 2011, 24(2), 255-7.

2 tables, 5 ref

014902   Al Zawahreh A;Al Qawasmi S (Business Administration Dep, The Hashemite University, Zarqua, Jordan 13115) : Factors influencing e-marketing in Jordanian telecommunication companies. J Mgmt Res 2012, 12(1), 21-40.

Study aimed at examining the factors influencing consumer's attitudes toward electronic marketing. A convenient sample of 400 consumers was selected from four communication companies operating in Jordan. Results of the study revealed that there are statistically significant relationships between the factors influencing consumer attitudes (perceived usefulness, information on e-marketing, perceived convenience, perceived enjoyment, privacy and security) and website quality towards the e-marketing of the four Jordanian communication companies. In addition, there are no statistically significant relationships due to demographic variables (gender and educational qualification). Furthermore, there are statistically significant relationships in the affect of influencing factors on consumer attitudes toward e-marketing of the four Jordanian communication companies due to demographic variables.

23 tables, 25 ref

014901   Agarwal C (Finance Dep, College of Business, University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign, 340 Wohlers Hall, 1206 South Sixth Street, Champaign IL 61820) : How do VC syndicates affect venture performance : new insights challenging old studies. J Mgmt Res 2012, 12(2), 83-99.

Syndicates are good but not always. VC syndication is widely prevalent in entrepreneurial financing and also a well-researched area. A good number of studies have looked into the benefits attached to them while enumerating the various factors that lead to the positive outcome. There have been few studies far in between that hinted towards the negative side of syndication. However, to prove the conditions under which the syndication might not be such a good idea, a detailed study is required to be done. Presented a modified version of well-known model in game theory to drive the important conditions that could lead to sub-optimal venture performance in a syndicate. Syndication with large number of partners, entering the later rounds of financing, already overseeing big portfolio of existing investments do not add significant value to the ventures and turn out to exhibit rather sub-optimal performance.

1 illus, 1 table, 26 ref

012836   Venkatesh R (Alliance School of Business, Alliance Univ, Chikkahagade Cross, Chandapura-Anekal Main Road, Anekal, Bangalore-562 106, Email: venkatesh.r@alliance.edu.in) : Contemporary marketing or temporary marketing?: an analysis of present day ''relationship marketing'' of Indian organizations. Indian J Market 2013, 43(1), 31-5.

Customer relationship is the buzz word in marketing these days. Every organization sets its mission to treat customers as the most important stakeholders of a business. Several programmes are drawn to satisfy and delight the customers. Given the competition that exists in today's environment, every organization comes out with novel programmes to delight the customers. All these innovative programmes, copied by the competitors in no time, lose their value within months of introduction. The contemporary relationship styles remain temporary styles for attracting and retaining customers. What is then that endears the customers to you in the long run? The present paper examines various customer-friendly programmes that companies dish out, and the reactions of the customers to these Relation building programs in the last six years. The article also examines the long-term effects of the present-day relationship marketing.

2 illus, 10 ref

012835   Vatsa S (C.S.I.R., Centre for Regional Development, J.N.U., New Delhi) : Industrial strikes and lockouts in India. Indian J Landsc Syst ecol Stud 2011, 34(1), 1-12.

The study of forms of industrial conflict is a prominent field of study in industrial relations literature and of late has been moving into new dimensions of enquiry. However, in India, the literature on strikes and disputes is at its infant stage as the problem of industrial disputes has not received much attention from the economists, even though journalists and legal experts have been writing on this problem for many years. From a review of literature, it can be inferred that most of the scholars agree to a rise in 'employer's militancy' in the recent years, more so in the post reform era, which is manifest in higher share of mandays lost due to lockouts. It would be pertinent to mention that most of the studies have looked at an all-India picture with few welcome exceptions. Thus, the picture at the state level remains ambiguous from the literature review as the superimposition of national picture at the state level may not be justifiable. This study has been undertaken in order to examine the temporal trends (if any) in strikes and lockouts in India at the national level and ascribe proper reasons to them. The paper, further seeks to look at a disaggregate level by examine the trends of strikes and lockouts in the states of West Bengal and Gujarat and drawing comparisons and contrasts between them. The study suggests, inter alia, that there is so much variation in the Indian industrial relations that it is no longer appropriate to think of one "national" Indian industrial relations system/model.

13 ref

012834   vadakepat V M (School of Management, New York Institute of Technology, Campus Dean, PO Box 5464, NYIT, CERT Tech Park, Abu Dhabi Campus, U.A.E, Email: drmenonvadakepat@gmail.com) : Emerging global markets: the voice of Arab consumers. Indian J Market 2013, 43(1), 24-30.

Offering the most conducive business environment to global marketers, the UAE has emerged as one of the fast growing Arab markets in the Middle East. With high disposable income, the dynamic consumption behavior of UAE consumers always challenges global traders. The entrepreneurs who operate in and from UAE are, therefore, obligated to learn about consumers' changing buying behaviour. Several studies could be cited on consumer movements, but no explicit effort appears to have been made to examine Arab consumers' attitude towards global marketing, and their intelligence to judge the necessity of consumerism. The present descriptive study, focusing on the Abu Dhabi market, examined the views of the respondents on a range of market strategies that excited the voice of Arab consumers. The objective of the present study is to explore the level of awareness on consumerism in the dawn of global markets in Abu Dhabi. The survey was administrated in two zones in the Emirate, with a sample comprising of hundred Arab consumers. The survey found Arab consumers welcoming global markets. However, they demanded government initiatives to assure quality of products, pricing, distribution and prevention of misleading promotions. The study is vindicated by the UAE government's initiative to expand the functioning of consumer courts across the Emirates.

5 tables, 27 ref

012833   Singh S (Resource Management Dep, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural Univ, S.K. Nagar, Dist. Banaskantha-385 506, Email: surabhi1882@yahoo.co.in) : Organic products: marketing practices and problems in the plains and hilly regions of Uttarakhand. Indian J Market 2013, 43(2), 37-49.

In the present study, the investigator explored the problems perceived in marketing of organic products by farmers in Uttarakhand state of India. Descriptive research design with survey method, wherein data were collected through face-to-face structured interviews with 72 farmers in the plains and hilly regions of Uttarakhand was adopted for the present investigation. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Chi square test to provide additional information about the effect of the selected variables on perceived problems. The objectives focused on the prevalent marketing practices adopted by the farmers for organic crops and to ascertain marketing related problems perceived by them with reference to organic crops. The most prominent problem in marketing of organic crops reported by the respondents in the plain areas of the state of Uttarakhand was related to 'High Production Cost' that led to low profit, or no profit; while the largest proportion of the respondents from the hills reported 'Unavailability of an earmarked market place/shop for organic crops' to be their biggest cause for concern. The paper further deals with the market place for transaction, distribution channels, satisfaction of the sample of farmers, information on organic crops grown, perceived problems of farmers and implications of the study.

1 illus, 6 tables, 25 ref

012832   Sharma S;Sitlani M (SRGP Gujarati Professional Institute, , Scheme No. 54, Vijay Nagar, Indore-452 010, Email: shraddhasharma78@gmail.com) : Online shopping among higher education students in Indore: a factor analysis approach. Indian J Market 2013, 43(1), 44-53.

Internet, one of the biggest discoveries of the modern era, has transformed and revolutionized processes and procedures of the business world as well. The growing use of the internet in India has created a basis for tremendous prospects for marketers of today and tomorrow. The customers and consumers of modern times are techno savvy and innovative in their attitude. So, the internet is sure to takeover as the prime marketing and selling channel. Thus, it is imperative for the companies to investigate and understand the factors that influence the decision to purchase online. Drawing a sample of 200 higher-education students from Indore, this paper has attempted to explore the various factors that may influence the decision to shop online. The results of the study revealed that Internet Traits, Attitudinal Traits and Convenience significantly affect online shopping behavior of young students, while Perceived Risk in terms of financial risk, privacy, security and product guarantee/warrantee hinders the young students to shop online.

4 tables, 44 ref

012831   Mohan B C;Sequeira A H (Humanities Social Sciences and Management Dep, National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, Surathkal, Mangalore-575 025, Email: bijunacm@yahoo.com) : Brand equity and business performance: towards a conceptual framework. Indian J Market 2013, 43(2), 5-10.

Brand is considered to be one of the most important intangible assets of any business. Companies spend a considerable amount of their revenue and time on brand building activities. In this scenario, there arose a need for the justification of brand building activities. Brand equity and business performance are the two concurrent topics of interest to both managers and academicians. This study examines the relationship between brand equity and business performance in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry. By understanding the dimensions of brand equity, the study focuses on the important contributors to brand equity. This article focuses on the studies establishing the relationship between brand equity and business performance, in which brand equity dimensions, i.e. - brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality and brand associations - are related to business performance. Building on existing conceptual and empirical data, a conceptual framework of such a relationship was developed. The proposed framework can serve as a reference framework to leverage the business performance in the brand management process. Keywords: Brand Equity, Business Performance, Brand Awareness, Brand Loyalty, Brand Association

1 illus, 41 ref

012830   Menon B;Jagathy Raj V P (NO, DC School of Management and Technology, Idukki-685 503, Email: pbkmenon@hotmail.com) : Confirmatory factor modeling on emerging consumer purchase behaviour of passenger cars. Indian J Market 2013, 43(2), 11-26.

With globalization and liberalization, many world leaders in automobile manufacturing such as Ford, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, Hyundai, Renault, Mitsubishi, Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and Nissan set up their manufacturing units in India in joint venture with their Indian counterpart companies, by making use of the Foreign Direct Investment policy of the Government of India. With a multiplicity of choices available to the Indian car buyers, it drastically changed the car purchase scenario in India, and particularly in the State of Kerala. This transformed the automobile scene from a sellers' market to a buyers' market. The main purpose of this paper was to develop a model with major variables that influenced the consumer purchase behaviour of passenger car owners in the State of Kerala. The results of the research contribute to the practical knowledge base of the automobile industry, specifically to the passenger car segment. It would also lend a great contributory value addition to the manufacturers and dealers for customizing their marketing plans in the State.

18 ref

012829   Joshipura N M;Joshipura M H (Alliance School of Businss, Alliance Central Campus Univ, Chikkahagade Cross, Chandapura-Anekal Maion Road, Anekal, Bangalore-526 106, Email: nehal.joshipura@alliance.edu.in) : Technical and financial feasibility of information technology enabled public distribution system. Prabandhan: Indian J Mgmt 2013, 6(1), 13-23.

This paper tries to address an issue of massive inefficiencies and leakages in one of the largest public distribution systems in the world. Diversion of public distribution system commodities is beyond imagination, and that leads to huge losses to the government and more importantly, the targeted beneficiaries of the public distribution system remain deprived of benefits. This study concludes that it is feasible - both on the technology and the financial front - to establish an effective public distribution system that helps plugging leakages and diversion of commodities and making sure that benefits reach the targeted population and that too, in a country with poor infrastructure, so much so that almost one-sixth of the villages in the country do not even have electricity. In addition, this study highlights how information technology can be leveraged to provide its benefits to the population at the bottom of the pyramid.

1 table, 13 ref

012828   Jayaraman R (SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, , DN Road, Munshi Nagar, Andheri West, Mumbai-400 058, Email: rjay_jsr@yahoo.com) : Succeeding through people: an overview of how business excellence practices have changed the HR landscape. Prabandhan: Indian J Mgmt 2013, 6(1), 5-12.

In the last 60 years, HR practices have undergone many changes. Driven by business conditions and advancements in technology, people practices have helped in steep improvements in productivity and value creation. Since the advent of TQM in Japan in 1950, kicked off by the visit of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, the HR ethos have moved from the days of "Time and Motion Study" of Frederick Taylor to Quality Circles and beyond, where the philosophy has been one of "Continuous Improvement leading ultimately to Personal Growth and Self Realization". The Business Excellence (BE) movement, which was started in the USA in 1987 through the declaration of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) for excellently performing US companies, was a logical extension of the TQM wave that swept Japan and other countries. The MBNQA was followed by several BE models, like European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). Building on the key concepts of TQM, such as Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA), the BE models set the tone for a holistic look at managing companies through systematic process deployment. People practices came in for their share of scrutiny and large-scale improvements. This paper highlights the areas where the BE wave has impacted Human Resources (HR) and people practices. It also deals with the differences between the TQM and the BE ways of embracing the HR function to align people workings with the rest of the company requirements, thereby providing the methodologies to ensure that people remain at the centre of the excellence drive by companies in an increasingly competitive world. The paper also tracks the more recent developments, such as the growth of the service industry and the need for the BE movement to deal with this major change in a more focused manner.

5 tables, 8 ref

012827   Fawi N M T;Abdalla M O M (Dairy Production Dep, Faculty of Animal Production, Khartoum Univ, Khartoum-Sudan, Email: nahidfawi@gmail.com) : Milk preferences of consumers and effect of the marketing mix on consumers' purchase decision of dairy products. Indian J Market 2013, 43(2), 57-62.

Milk and dairy products experience high consumption rates in Sudan; consumers show wide variations in their preferences for different milk types and dairy products available in the local market. Consumers' purchase decisions are influenced by various factors. Study of such factors assists processors and producers of dairy products in implementing marketing strategies that are consumer oriented and can ultimately lead to higher selling rates. This study aimed at studying the preferences of consumption pattern of milk and factors affecting consumers' purchase decision of dairy products in Khartoum, state capital of Sudan. Quality was found to be the main factor affecting the purchase decision, followed by price of the products. Fresh milk was the highly preferred milk type among the citizens. The study concluded with a number of recommendations, some of which are: Processors and producers of dairy products should implement modern marketing concepts that focus on the consumers' needs and wants. Also, producers and processors should use marketing mix in ways that increases their sales and creates satisfied customers.

7 tables, 12 ref

012826   Dwibedy S K (PG Analytical & Applied Economics Dep, Utkal Univ, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar, Email: soumyak.dwibedy@gmail.com) : Estimation of price spread and marketing efficiency of brinjal in different marketing channels: a case study. Indian J Market 2013, 43(2), 50-6.

Efficient marketing plays an important role in increasing the producer's share in consumer's rupee and maintains the tempo of increased production. In the present study, the cost of cultivation, profit, price spread and marketing efficiency in the marketing of Brinjal in Khurdha district of Odisha were examined during the period from 2011-2012. Primary data were collected from 80 farmers through personal interview method using a specially designed pre- tested schedule. Three market channels were identified in the study area. These were Channel I: Farmer Commission Agent-Wholesaler- Retailer- Consumer; Channel II: Farmer- Wholesaler- Retailer- Consumer and Channel III: Farmer- Organized Food Retail Chain-Consumer. The major findings revealed that the producer's share in consumer's rupee was 64.87 percent for Channel III, 49.85 percent for Channel II and 47,69 percent for Channel I. Channel III was found to be the most efficient market both by Shepherd's method and Acharya's method.

6 tables, 8 ref

012825   Das M (Business Management Dep, Tripura Univ, Surjyamaninager, West Tripura-799 022, Email: das_maddy_23@yahoo.com ) : Dynamic yet static: a boon for high performance organizations. Prabandhan: Indian J Mgmt 2013, 6(1), 33-9.

Present paper is a descriptive research based on secondary data. This paper aims to highlight the practices that make an organization steady, and ensure long-term sustainability of the organization in the challenging marketplace. This paper highlights that to become successful in the long-run, an organization needs to become dynamic in all aspects, including its strategy, product-lines, organizational structure, systems of integration, etc. But some other areas like the organizations' core ideology, value system should remain static. This paper could be a great help for organizations to make themselves sustainable in the long run. Time period of the study: February-July 2012

9 ref

012824   Clancy K J;Berger P D;Krieg P (Copernicus Marketing Consulting and Research, Boston, MA 02116, USA, Email: kevin.clancy@copernicusmarketing.com) : Problems with derived importance measures in brand strategy and customer satisfaction studies. Indian J Market 2013, 43(1), 5-13.

For many years, marketers have studied the determinants of brand choice for products and services. The most common approach has been to ask respondents to "self-report" the importance of many product/service attributes and benefits in a product-category. It later became clear that in many cases, what respondents said was important was not reflected in their brand choices. To help them overcome this weakness, an indirect measurement approach, called Derived- Importance, became a popular way to assess the influence of attributes/benefits on brand-choice or customer-satisfaction. Many of the "statistics" purporting to measure derived-importance have serious problems; these problems are discussed in this paper.

2 tables, 21 ref

012823   Chavan R R;Bhola S S (Kamaveer Bhaurao Patil Institute of Management Studies and Research, , Varye, Satara, Maharashtra, Email: chavanrajashri22@gmail.com) : Infrastructural development problems at thoseghar: a tourist destination in Satara district, Maharashtra. Indian J Market 2013, 43(1), 36-43.

The present paper probes into the problems and prospects of infrastructurel development at Thoseghar, an exotic waterfall in Satara district. Tourists visit Thoseghar in hoards during the rainy season. The destination has much potential to develop as a major tourist destination that can attract a large number of tourists. It is observed that tourists from not only Satara, but from adjacent districts and metros like Mumbai and Pune visit the place during weekends and holidays. A structured schedule was used to identify problems with infrastructural facilities that contains 35 variables stating different aspects viz. Road connectivity, Civic administration, Transport and Traffic management, Tourist facilities, Maintenance and management of tourist attraction and other services. Likert scale has been used to infer the opinion of the sample respondents on the importance level of facilities, and its satisfaction level with respect to destination Thoseghar. Researchers observed that Thoseghar is a memorable one-day trip covering the Thoseghar Waterfalls, Chalkewadi Windmill Farms, offers panaromic views of forts, valleys, and clouds, and the Urmodi Dam further enriches the one-day trip. There are more gaps in importance and its satisfaction level towards facilities like Traffic management, Public utility, Guide availability, Parking facility, Mobile services and Hygiene of wayside amenities, restaurants and Dhabas. These gaps are prominent requirements of tourist destinations to attract a large number of tourists. The research concludes that the authorities need to focus on Communication services (like telephone and mobile connectivity), Parking facility, Traffic management and General upkeep of hotels at Thoseghar.

2 illus, 2 tables, 12 ref

012822   Chaturvedi R K (Management Studies Dep, Gurughasidas Central Univ, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, Email: drrameshchaturvedi1@gmail.com) : Modeling store characteristics as antecedents of impulse purchase. Indian J Market 2013, 43(2), 27-32.

This research intended to give a specific answer to what in-store factors favorably influence impulse buying that retailers could use to their advantage. Indeed, it has a hedonic approach, yet, it is quite valuable from the retailer's point of view. Many retailers face a problem - that in spite of strong footfalls, billing remains bleak, yet others have high billing proportion to footfalls. This research is an effort to solve this problem. It was hypothesized that numerous variables, controllable by retailers, are available inside a store and have the potential to influence impulse purchasing. An intercept survey at retail agglomerations in India was conducted, and detailed literature exploration was done to identify the in-store variables. These variables were reduced to ten in-store factors through factor analysis based on the shoppers' response towards them. Regression modeling was done to predict impulse purchase based on in-store factors. The in-store factors were found to influence impulse purchase significantly. The relative weight of these factors was also found so that the retailers could prioritize their resources. Out of these ten factors, a few were found to be acting covertly, whereas the others were well known to shoppers. If retailers know and properly manage these in-store factors, they could favorably influence impulse buying, leading to an improved footfall-billing ratio. A huge proportion of retail purchasing is known to be impulse driven. If retailers understand the antecedents of impulse buying, they could harness it to their benefit. Drivers of retail impulse buying are known to be multidimensional. Social, cultural, personal, situational - all contribute their bit in influencing impulse buying. This research focuses on store characteristics that are tools in the hands of retailers for influencing impulse buying.

1 illus, 2 tables, 33 ref

012821   Burlakanti K;Srinivas R V (Management Studies Dep, Andhra Campus Univ, Kakinada-5, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, Email: kuberbk@yahoo.co.in) : Most influential factors of consumers' buying pattern at organized and unorganized retail stores with special reference to Kakinada city, Andhra Pradesh. Indian J Market 2013, 43(1), 14-23.

Recent emergence of organized retailing and its huge customer attraction and retention marketing strategies, the adoption of technology and patronizing retailing shops and value-added services have created a market space for them in India. The existing unorganized retailers have also started to add more number of product mix/product lines to their existing selling assortments in order to create a feeling of "one time and comprehensive shopping" in the minds of the consumers, so that the consumers prefer their stores for the next purchase. The consumers' tentative buying patterns become a "riddle" for the organized and unorganized retailers. The researchers selected this particular topic and tried to analyze the perceptual changes in the retail sector with reference to organized and unorganized retailers. By studying the present topic, the researchers are shedding light on the state of mind of the consumers, which would be beneficial for both the organized and unorganized retailers, as insights about consumer behavior would help them to realign their present marketing/selling strategies to retain the customers for their businesses. Keywords: Consumers, Buying Patterns, Organized Retail, Unorganized Retail, Retail Service Factors, Customer Retention.

6 tables, 12 ref

012820   Bhalla R (Panjab Constituent College Univ, Nihal Singh Wala, Moga, Punjab, Email: rajunibhalla49@yahoo.in) : CSR and reporting by selected Indian companies: an exploration. Prabandhan: Indian J Mgmt 2013, 6(1), 40-8.

CSR has become popular all over the globe. In the developing countries like India, there are various formal and informal ways in which a business can make a contribution towards CSR practices. CSR can be regarded as a way by which the companies are integrating their social, environmental and economic concerns into their values, culture, strategy, decision making and operations to improve the society and the society's wealth. With deliberate and sincere efforts of the companies, they are attaining success in achieving their corporate goals in terms of social development, and are also able to enhance their corporate reputation. The ethical aspects related to CSR have become more apparent due to globalization and laws relating to social responsibilities and developments. For the present paper, the literature was examined on CSR and Corporate Sustainability. Nowadays, innumerous companies have been adopting CSR practices in order to attain corporate sustainability. The present research paper is confined to study various dimensions, features and the impact of CSR on the Indian corporate sector, i.e. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Coca -Cola India, BHEL and Wipro. The outcomes of the study show that the companies under study are following the CSR practices in many fields like education; community development; environmental protection; energy conservation; waste material management; health management; water management, etc. and are trying to encourage CSR awareness among different parts of the society.

3 illus, 37 ref

012819   AlHashmei S E;Hajee Z R (Management & Marketing Dep, College of Business Administration, Bahrain Univ, P O Box 32038, Kingdom of Bahrain, Email: suhailaebrahim@yahoo.com) : Relationship between leadership, educational level and emotional intelligence: a case study in Bahrain. Prabandhan: Indian J Mgmt 2013, 6(1), 24-32.

Concepts of Leadership and Emotional Intelligence (El) are recognized to be important elements in organizations today. These concepts include vision creation, goal accomplishments, ambition, self-awareness, character and skills in tuning into others' emotions through the ability to establish relationships and bonds. Little material is available on El and leadership in the Gulf area. This paper examines the relationship between these two concepts within the context of the national and organizational culture in Bahrain. The research examines the relationship between leadership styles and the components of emotional intelligence (Self-awareness, Self-management, Social awareness and Social skills) as identified by Goleman (2000), in five major organizations in Bahrain. The research adopted a deductive approach using mixed methods of questionnaires (Emotional Competency Inventory and Managerial Style Inventory) and interviewed 103 executives and managers. The research findings established that: a) There is a relationship between the six leadership styles and emotional intelligence; b) Six leadership styles are used and applied; and the executives showed moderate levels of emotional intelligence; c) National and corporate culture influenced the relationship between leadership styles and emotional intelligence; d) The standardized tests used should be adjusted to suit the culture of Bahrain.

3 illus, 3 tables, 47 ref

011776   Viswanatha Reddy C (Business Administration Dep, Sree Vidyanikethan Institute of Management, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh) : Analysis of liquidity, profitability, risk and financial distress: a case study of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. Indian J Finance 2012, 6(12), 5-17.

Liquidity is the ability of an organization to meet its financial obligations during the short-term and to maintain long-term debt-paying ability. The long-term survival depends on the satisfactory income earned by it. A sound liquidity leads to better profitability, and in turn reduces the probability of default risk in the future. Further, the risk and return are very important aspects to be considered while making any decisions regarding a company's finances. Predicting enterprise failures constitutes one of the most important activities in supervising enterprise risks and/or variables. The term enterprise failure is a definable phenomenon: which encompasses, for instance, failure to cover external debts, exceeding budget limits, failure to effect payment to suppliers, incurring losses, etc. Therefore, a study of liquidity, profitability, and their association with risk, assessing the financial position (financial distress/bankruptcy) is very much necessary to evaluate the financial strength of a company. Financial distress is a tight cash situation in which a business cannot pay the owed amounts on the due date. When a firm is under financial distress, the situation sharply reduces its market value, and larger customers may cancel their orders. A firm in financial distress may face bankruptcy or liquidation leading to delay in meeting its liabilities. Attempts to study the association between liquidity, profitability and risk factor. The Altman's Z-score model has been employed by the researcher to predict the risk of financial distress of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited, from the year 2005-2011. The results indicate that the liquidity and solvency position of the company have been satisfactory. The Z-score analysis revealed that the company was not suffering from financial distress and there are indications of turnaround activities already undertaken by the company.

22 ref

011775   Vashishta D S;Chadichal S S (NO, Alliance University, Bangalore, Karnataka, Email: debinasaha@gmail.com) : Female adolescents and young adult consumers' affinity for online flash sales concept in India: a triangulation approach. Indian J Market 2012, 42(11), 46-58.

Modern day marketers have a tremendous opportunity to connect to women in a better way with the products they buy and the media technologies they use to make a positive impact in their lives. After a strong and immense growth in 2010, internet retailing just came shining ahead of all other retailing channels and emerged as a strong winner even after recession, driven by shifting consumer attitudes and mindsets. Remarkable transformation in economic independence, better access to education, better and improved career opportunities and higher pay scales in both developed and emerging economies have been some of the major factors responsible for the transformation of women into smart and intelligent consumers. Online flash sales sites are the latest buzz in India that have come up in response to rising investor interest in private sale portals across the globe such as the Gilt Group and Rue LaLa in USA and Ventee-Privee.Com in Europe. Today, the flash-sale shopping sites have their own loyal following, and the range of products offered varies from fashion to electronic gadgets to apparels to loads of other categories. The fact that shopping behavior varies not only between men and women, but is quite different between the women of different countries, religions and even age groups intrigued the researchers to get a deeper insight about the young female consumers' psyche and attitude regarding the online flash sales hype in India.

24 ref

011774   Trivedi J;Soni B (NO, Shri Jairambhai Patel Institute of Business Management and Computer Ap, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Email: jigna2804@gmail.com) : Initial public offerings (IPOS) : a boon or a bane?. Indian J Finance 2012, 6(12), 26-36.

IPOs are the most favoured tool adopted by corporates to raise money from the general public. An IPO is the first sale of stock by formerly a private company. The revolutionary reform which took place in the Indian stock market was fair price discovery of IPOs through the book building mechanism. Tries to comprehend the concept of the book built issue, its importance and advantages over the Fixed Price Regime. Also tries to bring forth the short term return available to the subscribers of IPOs. The concept of listing gains and intra day gains are studied with respect to short term investors. IPOs issued in the duration of five years, starting from 2006 to 2010 were taken as a base for computing the return and for commenting on the performance of IPOs. Overall, the reasons for high and low performance of IPOs are discussed. As a part of the study of pre - subscription of IPOs, highlights the importance of IPO grading to be used as a tool to learn about the fundamentals of the company. Highlights the quantum of listing gains derived by the investors on listing of the IPOs.

24 ref

011773   Subakaran P (NO, Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Email: subakaranresearch@gmail.com) : Challenges in a commodity offering - Indian Telecom Services (GSM). Indian J Market 2012, 42(12), 54-63.

Study is a theoretical research on the effect of branding in the Indian Telecom Services (GSM). Currently, number portability, dropping average revenue per user and a market approaching saturation presents challenges for cellular service providers. One of the fundamentals in branding is that a strong brand should give certain pricing power to its parent company. This is not observed in the telecom industry as average revenue per user is consistently declining. Highlights that the telecom service is becoming a commodity from the consumers' point of view. The only differentiation that may be experienced is the network availability and quality of coverage. Telecom service being a low involvement product with minimal differentiation; consumers would follow a learn-do-feel sequence in terms of their responses towards a telecom service brand. The quality of experience that the consumer has with the chosen telecom service provider is what is going to retain the consumer. Indian telecom service providers' focus would need to move from Customer Acquisition Numbers to Customer Lifetime Value. Service providers simply cannot afford to lose high-value subscribers. This is even more important in a 3G scenario, where data is expected to help boost revenues, and the attempt is to get more voice users to access data or other revenue generating applications on their phones.

13 ref

011772   Smitha V G (NO, IILM Gurgaon, DLF Golf Course Road, Gurgaon, Email: slsaji@hotmail.com) : Factors influencing the buying behaviour of organised retail consumers: a study on food and general stores in Visakhapatnam. Indian J Market 2012, 42(12), 23-33.

Growth in organized retailing has been the national trend over the last decade, with many organized retail chains developing larger stores that specialize in providing a wide selection of produce in a particular product range, lucrative pricing, one stop shopping etc. Organized retailing in India's main cities, such as Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai is growing rapidly, but such is the pace of change, that many smaller, three tier cities are now firmly on the radar screen of the retail sector and mall developers. Despite the tremendous potential - such as low property value, growing income levels, changing socio-economic profile, and a large percentage of young population, which promotes organized retailing, the growth of organized retailers in Visakhapatnam had been modest during the period from 2006-09. This prompted a study to establish the buying behavior of consumers from organized retailers in Visakhapatnam. Since the penetration of large format retail outlets in Visakhapatnam is less, even today, and since more and more organized retailers have opened up exclusive outlets for food and related items, the study focuses on the purchase behavior of retail customers with respect to food items and general stores. The findings suggest that there are equal spaces for both organized and unorganized retailers in an emerging city like Visakhapatnam. Also examines the reasons for the gradual shift of consumers from unorganized retailers to organized retailers in certain product categories.

21 ref

011771   Sharma A;Santosh Kumar (NO, CRISIL Global Research and Analytics (GR&A), Gurgaon-122 015, Email: akanksha.1904@gmail.com) : Anchor investors: igniting or extinguishing the fire?. Indian J Finance 2012, 6(12), 37-42.

SEBI brought a significant amendment in 2009 by introducing the concept of Anchor Investors in its Disclosure and Investor Protection (DIP) Guidelines 2000 to ensure higher efficiency in the Indian stock market. An Anchor Investor is a Qualified Institutional Buyer (QIB), who can invest up to 30% of the QIB quota, subject to a minimum corpus of 10 crores as investment, and a lock-in period of at least 30 days. This measure was introduced to protect shareholder wealth during market volatility such that big institutional investors do not sell off their shares as soon as they foresee a plunging market. Therefore, using the data for 17 of the IPOs issued between July 2009 and March 2011, attempts to find whether this directive by SEBI actually served its purpose of boosting investor confidence and providing stability in a volatile market. Whilst this was a welcome step, our results indicate that anchor investors neither guarantee share price stability, nor incite investors to follow their lead as they enter and exit the fund in spite of substantial subscription in the IPO. The findings are in congruence with Mathur and Subramaniam (2011), Venkatraman and Khemka (2010), and Ram (2009).

11 ref

011770   Shah P K;Mehta B N (Marketing and Law Dep, Post Graduate Institute of Management, Amrut Mody School of Managemen, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Email: paragishah@gmail.com) : Effect of dales promotions and their availability on consumers' buying behaviour: a perspective on personal hygiene products. Indian J Market 2012, 42(11), 30-7.

The current market is cluttered with promotions and lucrative marketing offers in any and every category of consumer products. However, consumer loyalty still ranges supreme as a benchmark for comparisons, which acts as a prime barrier to consumer responses to different sales promotion schemes. Atempts to investigate the consumer reflections on various sales promotion schemes in the Indian personal care market in accordance with several other important factors like availability, consistency in schemes, packaging and so on. The impact and influence of such factors are discussed. The study highlights consumer responses to various marketing tactics used by different companies and analyses purchase decisions made during various sales promotion schemes and after viewing advertisements. It is concluded that sales promotions are considered to be a successful and effective weapon in the hands of the companies to make more sales and influence consumers to purchase personal care products as the consumers are rarely brand loyal for this category of products. However, sales promotion schemes may win a "share of the mind" but do not guarantee a place in the "share of the heart" for the firm.

19 ref

011769   Sane S;Singh N (NO, Saibalaji Education Society's Saibalaji International Institute of Man, Pune, Maharashtra, Email: sandipsane@yahoo.com) : Consumer perception with reference to third prty administrators (PTAs). Indian J Market 2012, 42(12), 16-22.

TPA stands for a Third Party Administrator. The TPA is an intermediary between the Insurer and the Customer. TPA's were introduced by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) in the year 2001. It defines TPA as a, " Third Party Administrator who, for the time being, is licensed by the Authority, and is engaged, for a fee or remuneration, in the agreement with an Insurance Company, for the provision of health services." Since the TPA is performing a task traditionally handled by the company providing the insurance, it can also be seen as outsourcing of the claim settlement process. Customers can directly deal with TPAs at the time of claim and the TPA will help with all the processes of claim settlement. A TPA renders a variety of services like networking with hospitals, arranging for hospitalization, claim processing and settlement. With the advent of so many TPAs in the market, it became very difficult for Insurance companies to choose between them so that they can offload their Claim related work. The study here gives us a comprehensive idea regarding the parameters on which customers prefer any TPA. The study would also help Insurance Companies as well as TPAs to align their resources in such a way so that they can proactively give more impetus to the services which are deemed most important by the customers.

12 ref

011768   Rani M (NO, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, Email: malika.thakral@gmail.com) : Women's role in buying behaviour for durables: a study of Malwa region in Punjab. Indian J Market 2012, 42(12), 42-53.

Analyzed the role of women in buying behavior for durables. As far as the present scenario is concerned, the employment participation of women grew to 31 percent in 2005 from 26 percent in 2000, the first rise seen in the decade. The all India Census recorded that female headed households rose to 12 percent in 2001 from the roughly 9 percent a decade ago. The average age of marriage is still young, at just less than 20 years from 17.1 years in 1971. In this study, the questionnaire method was used to collect the data. A sample of 200 women was drawn by using convenient sampling from 4 Districts (Patiala, Ludhiana, Ferozepur & Moga) of Malwa region in Punjab. The study applied the Anova technique to know whether there is any relation between the demographic factors (age & occupation) & buying behavior for durables (car & washing machine). The findings of the study revealed that at the final purchase decision stage for cars, only 10% women dominated the decision making process. As washing machines are mainly used by women, for washing machines, 44% of the women dominated the decision making process.

22 ref

011767   Ramswamy R;Jyoti Kumar N V R (Commerce Dep, Mizoram University, Tanhril, Aizawl, Mizoram, Email: rswamy_r@rediffmail.com) : Marketing of handloom products: a case study of Thenzawl cluster in Mizoram. Indian J Market 2012, 42(12), 34-41.

In India, the handloom enterprises are largely household-based and an important provider of rural non-farm employment. The study is based on the mapping of Thenzawl, a village in Mizoram, which has developed as a handloom cluster. Most of the entrepreneurs in the cluster are tribal women who have chosen to be entrepreneurs in their own right, notwithstanding the number of looms owned by them. Analyzed some important aspects of marketing of the micro artisan enterprises in terms of share of different products in total sales, channels of distribution, terms of payment for sales, sales promotion techniques, and extent of participation of sample enterprises in exhibitions and fairs. The researchers have offered suggestions for improving the marketing practices of the enterprises through cluster intervention initiatives to enable the cluster to sustain and grow.

17 ref

011766   Ramakrishna H (PG Studies in Commerce Dep, Government First Grade College, Bellary, Karnataka, Email: drhramakrishna@gmail.com) : Green marketing in India: some eco - issues. Indian J Market 2012, 42(11), 5-15.

Green or Environmental Marketing satisfies human needs with minimal detrimental impact on the natural environment. Green marketing not only includes consumer goods and industrial goods, but also the services sector. In the process of distribution of goods and services, both the manufacturing and the services sector contribute towards the ecological imbalance and loss of the ozone layer. However, the role of the manufacturing sector in this regard is more significant. The process of manufacturing and selling goods and services with the least threat to the environment is a big issue before the business houses. Green marketing requires awareness not only from the consumers (consumers and industrial goods users), but also from the manufacturers of such goods. Ultimately, green marketing requires extra cost, but the stakeholders should be ready to bear that cost. Business firms have also started responding to environmental challenges by adopting and practicing green marketing strategies. The most important advantage of green marketing is that eco-friendly goods have a competitive advantage over other firms selling non-eco featured goods. At the same time, it should be noted that in the era of green marketing, each and every stakeholder should take part in this process as a social responsibility.

19 ref

011765   Rajagopalan N V R;Shankar H (NO, Anna University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, Email: nvrrcost_au@yahoo.co.in) : Stock market behaviour around buyback announcements in India: an empirical justification for preferring the open market repurchase mode. Indian J Finance 2012, 6(12), 43-52.

In order to rationalize the capital structure, a landmark legislative adjustment was made in 1998 by making amendments in the Companies Act, 1956 for allowing buyback of shares already issued to the public. Thus, from the year 1999, the new corporate information relating to buybacks started arriving at the stock market in India. The study aims at enquiring about the reaction of the stock market to the buyback announcements for a period of 10 years from 2000-01 and 2009-10 by taking S&P CNX 500 companies in terms of returns among Open Market Repurchases (OMR) and Fixed Price Tenders (FPT). By applying standard event study procedure, the information signalling of buybacks and semi - strong efficiency test to verify the absence of abnormal returns continuously has been taken up. Having recorded a statistically significant abnormal return of 1.32% on the announcement day, and a cumulative abnormal return of 5.13% in -10 to +10 event frame, the OMRs end up with a cumulative abnormal return of 6.11% for a 61 days event window to have a strong signalling to the market. The near same abnormal return of 1.30% in FPT announcements was not statistically significant on the announcement day. The cumulative abnormal return of 2.13% in -2 to +2 frame and the negative 15.64% observed in a 61 days window evidenced a weak signalling of FPTs. In spite of having strong signalling to the market, the OMRs recorded mixed abnormal returns in a positive and negative spread around the shorter version of the event window (-10 to +10), thereby curtailing the opportunities of earning abnormal returns on a sustainable way to support the semi-strong efficiency of the market.

25 ref

011764   Narayana B (Economics Dep, Nizam College, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh) : Short run and long run employment functions in the industrial sector-a comparative study of two regions of Andhra Pradesh. Productivity 2011, 52(2-3), 152-7.

This article seeks to analyze the nature of relationship among the employment, output, and wage rate of industrial sector in the two regions of Andhra Pradesh for the period 1990-91 to 2006-07 by estimating the short-run and long-run elasticities of employment with respect to output and wage rate. Main finding of this study, based on time-series data showed that the elasticity of employment with respect to output of the industrial sector in the two regions of Andhra Pradesh is positive but less than unity, showing the low labor absorption capacity of the industrial sector in the two regions which implying that the growth of employment was lagging behind the growth of output.

4 tables, 14 ref

011763   Mittal S;Gupta N K;Sharma S K (NO, University School Management Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha, New Delhi, Email: dr_sanjivmittal@yahoo.co.in) : Investor preference and promoter's ownership pattern in graded IPOS of India. Indian J Finance 2012, 6(12), 18-25.

SEBI, the Indian securities market regulator, has set a unique example for the entire world by introducing IPO grading in India in 2006 on an optional basis, and further mandating it from May 2007. The purpose of this grading was to provide retail investors with a ready-made assessment of the fundamental quality of the issuer of an IPO, so that they could make a better and informed investment decision in an era of information overload. Grading of IPOs is subject to severe criticism. Critics question efficacy and effectiveness of this process. However, the findings of this paper suggest that IPO grading does influence investor preference and demand. Further, strong negative effect on post-issue promoter's ownership holding is noted. Infers that all investor classes, including retail investors, benefit from IPO grading.

29 ref

011762   Iqbal B A;Hassan M;Ghauri F N (NO, AMU, Aligarh) : Impact of global financial crisis on developiung economies. Productivity 2011, 52(2-3), 148-51.

Global financial crisis is becoming a chronic problem for every one. It is a double-edged sword cutting both ways. It has created far-reaching effects, consequences, and implications for both parts of the world - developed world and developing world. This crisis is creating many social problems, such as unemployment, poverty, and hunger. It is also indirectly affecting the availability of funds for most chronic global problems due to climate change and global warming. Hence, this article deals with some vital issues relating to global financial crisis in general and effects of it on developing economies.

12 ref

011761   Dasari S;Gunaseelan R (NO, IBS Business School, Bengaluru, Email: shailendra.dasari@gmail.com) : Relationship marketing. Indian J Market 2012, 42(12), 5-15.

Relationship marketing prevalent in the pre-industrial era had to give way to transactional marketing in the post-industrial era. However, it has been staging a strong comeback for the past two decades, thereby making the circle complete. An attempt to trace the re-emergence of relationship marketing - it presents the pros and cons of several theories and models elucidating this phenomenon and updates the readers with the literature that has surfaced in the last 20-25 years across the continents on the subject based on the research conducted during April - August 2011. The future of Relationship Marketing (RM) and the existing disconnect between CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and RM has also been discussed. As a chronicle that provides an overview of RM spanning a few centuries, it is hoped, would be a useful reference document for both researchers and practitioners of marketing.

57 ref

011760   Chaturvedi H O;Madan P (Commerce Dep, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, Delhi Univ, Delhi) : Association between price reaction and information environment of the firm surrounding dividend initiation announcements: further evidence of market inefficiency. Productivity 2011, 52(2-3), 126-35.

Information content of dividends" is now a well-accepted hypothesis. A change in dividend is viewed as an action to convey information to the market regarding future profitability of the firm. Unanticipated information contained in dividend changes trigger price reaction. The magnitude and volatility of price reaction to changes in dividend are related positively to the information content of the dividend announced. However, the amount of information conveyed by a given change in dividend may not be same for all the firms announcing that change; it is related to the information environment of the firm. A large sized, heavily traded firm may have more prior information than a small sized, thinly traded firm. Therefore, a given change in dividend may convey less information for the former than the latter. In this study, highly significant abnormal returns are found to be associated positively with dividend initiation announcements in the pre- and post-announcement periods. Further, the price reaction is stronger for low information environment firms (firms with small capitalization and less percentage of institutional equity holding) than firms with medium/high information environment (firms with large capitalization and more percentage of institutional equity holding). The findings also suggest that the market violates the efficient market hypothesis with respect to dividend initiation announcements.

6 tables, 31 ref

011759   Borah S;Borthakur N;Hazarika C (Agricultural Economics Dep, Assam Agricultural Univ, Assam) : Impact of tourism industry: indication from Assam. Productivity 2011, 52(2-3), 183-8.

Tourism is the fastest growing industry in Assam. There are lots of tourist resources available in the state, which may attract the tourists from different parts of the country and abroad. Tourism in Assam is essentially nature based, natural parks and sanctuaries, rivers, lakes warm water springs, forests, wildlife are the principal component of tourist attraction. The major trust area of the tourism potential in Assam is the forest and wildlife. The two world's heritages sites, including Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park and many other sanctuaries and wildlife resources are the key parts of nature tourism or wildlife tourism in the state. Tourism has generated employment in different parts of the country, besides creating opportunities for tourist guides, conducted tours establishment of hotels, and so many other avenues in tertiary sectors, tourism can be a major source of employment in Assam. Information regarding the no. of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) in India during 2007 was 5.08 million as compared to 4.45 million in 2006 and 3.92 million in 2005. During the year 2007, India witnessed a growth of 14.3% over 2006 in FTAs. However, Assam does not present a happy picture. It was observed that percentage change of Indian tourist inflow to Assam was found to be highest in the year 1997 (157.48) while foreign tourist inflow to Assam was highest in the year 1996 (128.54). Despite the fact that Assam has the potentiality of developing tourism in a big way.

1 illus, 7 tables, 10 ref

011758   Barthwal S;Gupta N L (NO, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand, Email: sunilb@ddn.upes.ac.in) : Cultural values as advertisement themes in international and Indian advertising. Indian J Market 2012, 42(11), 16-21.

Discusses the importance of cultural themes that are manifested in International and Indian advertisements. The review highlights if the advertisements have been influenced by the indigenous cultural background of the nation or not. Furthermore, states through various advertisement examples across nations, the fact that culture is not immune to change, and that the advertisers are always faced with a challenge to embed the right cultural themes in advertisements with changing culture over the years. The review reiterates that standardization of advertisements across nations is not an advisable strategy. The review also explores the scope of identifying certain cultural values with respect to India, which can be probable values open to Modernism and change.

47 ref