Purpose: Despite the recognized importance of knowledge management for small family firms, relatively little empirical research has been done so far to understand the mechanisms through which absorptive capacity (AC) assists their performance. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between absorptive capacity and performance in small family firms. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, the authors theoretically argue and empirically validate that AC enables the creation of entrepreneurial, market and technology orientations in small family firms, which, in turn, lead to superior firm performance. They also tested the studys hypotheses using mediation and multiple linear regression analyses on data collected from 272 small Indian family firms. Findings: The studys findings suggest indirect relationship between AC and performance. The strategic orientations provide a mechanism through which investments in small family firms AC results in firm performance. Practical implications: This study offers crucial insights to practitioners and small firm managers regarding the use of knowledge-based capabilities in creating appropriate strategic postures, which, in turn, assist firm performance. Originality/value: This study is among few research attempts in understanding the knowledge aspects of small family firms. The present research contributes to the existing literature by unravelling the relationship between knowledge management and small family firm performance. Also, by bringing in data from an under-studied context of an emerging economy, this study strengthens the theoretical applicability of knowledge management in different contexts.

Organizations make considerable efforts when implementing Supply Chain Information systems (SCIS) to increase their competitiveness. This chapter attempts to identify the Risk Factors (RFs) in SCIS implementation and evaluate them. Sixteen risk factors were identified based on an extensive literature survey. A comprehensive framework is presented with three major phases to select an adequate SCIS. The risk assessment for SCIS implementation is then empirically investigated. The RFs are formulated as hierarchy structures and Fuzzy AHPs as a Multi Attribute Decision Making (MADM) tool applied to judge the viable candidates. Based on a fuzzy AHP approach, a revised risk matrix with a continuous scale is proposed to assess the RFs' classes. The result classifies the risk factors in different categories (Extreme, High, Medium and Low). The revised risk matrix with continuous scale for risk assessment in SCIS implementation is a novel approach.

Purpose: As the retail banking institutions are becoming more customer centric, their focus on service quality is increasing. Established service quality frameworks such as SERVQUAL and SERVPERF have been applied in the banking sector. While these models are widely accepted, they are expensive because of the need for replication across bank branches. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel, user friendly and cost effective approach by amalgamating the traditional concept of service quality in banks (marketing base) and sentiment analysis literature (information systems base). Design/methodology/approach: In this study, the main objective is to analyze user reviews to better understand the correlation between RATER dimension sentiment scores as independent variables and user overall rating (customer satisfaction) grouping in good and bad as dependent variable through development of authors own logistic regression model using lexicon-based sentiment analysis. The model has been developed for three largest private banks in India pertaining to three banking product categories of loans, savings and current accounts and credit cards. Findings: The results show that the responsiveness and tangibles dimensions significantly impact the user evaluation rating. Even though the three largest private banks in India are concentrating on the tangibles dimension, not all of them are sufficiently focused on the responsiveness dimension. Additionally, customers looking for loan products are more susceptible to negative perceptions on service quality. Originality/value: This study has highlighted two types of scores whereby user provided overall evaluation scores help provide validation to the sentiment scores. The developed model can be used to assess performance of a bank in comparison to its peers and to generate in depth insights on point of parity (POP) and point of difference (POD) fronts.

While some researchers argue that strategic planning assists new product development and can be viewed as a framework for innovation, others believe that it restricts creativity and innovation. Despite a literary appreciation that strategic planning is linked to innovation, the nature of this relationship remains ambiguous. In this study, we argue that this relationship is context dependent and contingent on other organizational factors. Data for this study were collected by administering standardized survey questionnaires to entrepreneurs or other senior executives of small and medium businesses in India. Quantitative analysis of data obtained from 162 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector reveals a positive relationship between strategic planning and innovation. This study also establishes a significant positive moderating role of commitment to learning on the relationship between strategic planning and innovation. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. copyright @ The Author(s) 2017.

Over the last decade, value co-creation emerged as a strategy for attaining sustained competitive advantage. Literature of marketing highlight that owing to a growing academic and practitioner's interest in the concept of value co-creation, there is a need to do a comprehensive assessment and synthesis of future direction for research. This article assesses this need and forecast the trends of the academic literature of value co-creation. Mixed method approach was used to construe the findings. In the first phase, selected literature of value co-creation was reviewed to find the prospective studies on value co-creation suggested by the scholars past one decade. In the next phase, seven themes for future studies on value co-creation are proposed as an outcome of the research. Copyright copyright @ 2018 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Purpose: To enhance the transparency of the supply chain and ensure proper dissemination of information among the supply chain members in a timely manner, more and more companies are implementing supply chain information system (SCIS). Often the challenge among the organizations is how to go for a proper SCIS implementation and to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the SCIS. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework to evaluate the KPIs for SCIS of SCISs implementation from user's perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, 16 KPIs were identified based on extensive literature survey. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model is constructed to measure the users' perceived importance and satisfaction for the KPIs. Subsequently, based on these two measurements, an importance-performance analysis (IPA) model along with a customer satisfaction attitude (SA) index is developed to categorize and prioritize the KPIs. As an empirical study, SCIS users across five industries belonging to different sectors were investigated to validate the model. Findings: An IPA model along with a customer SA index is developed based on a fuzzy AHP model to evaluate the KPIs and provide the priorities of their improvement. Based on this result, some management implications and suggestions are proposed. Research limitations/implications: The study was limited to five organizations. More representative samples which can be sector specific can ensure better confirmation of the empirical results. Originality/value: The KPIs identified in the research indicate the nature and dynamics of a complex SCIS implementation. It can serve as a checklist of areas that require attention when implementing a SCIS. The KPIs are presented through grouping in a systemic way. The development of the SAs in IPA model using fuzzy AHP is a novel approach. copyright @ 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The primary objective of the study is to explore the predictability of herding patterns of foreign institutional investors in the Indian market using high frequency data over a period from January 2003 to June 2014. Herding of an individual stock was measured estimating a simple volume based ratio and persistence of trends was detected using the runs test (Wald and Wolfowitz [1940]) on that ratio. Predictability of herding behavior has been successfully modeled by applying 7 data mining models using various measures of performance. Market regulators may consider our findings to regulate the foreign institutional investors trading to make the financial system more transparent and robust. copyright @ 2018 The Institute of Behavioral Finance.

Understanding customer needs for meeting the customer expectations and to provide customer satisfaction is pivotal for the long term sustainability of the firm. Customer involvement, through 'co-creation' for developing the products and services will ensure this sustainability. This paper explains the meaning of co-creation, state the difference between co-creation and customisation- the most closely associated term with co-creation and elongates the difference between customerisation and crowdsourcing activities. This paper projects firms' understanding of the co-creation concept and give suggestive ways and direction of concept implementation in an organisation. Research is conducted by using secondary sources and used in context of clarifying the concept of co-creation viz a viz other overlapping concepts. Two disguised caselets are also used to build clarity of the concept. On the basis of current literature, caselets and theoretical understanding we propose that an activity with high customer involvement, preferably at each stage of development of product and services can be called as a criteria to qualify for an activity to be termed as co-creation. Copyright copyright @ 2018 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employees' perception of an inclusive workplace, namely, inclusive practices, inclusive climate and inclusive leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). It also attempts to examine the difference in perception toward the inclusive workplace along the three major dimensions of diversity, namely, gender, category they belong to and their religious orientation. Design/methodology/approach: Non-probability sampling technique is employed to collect primary data through a self-administered questionnaire from 492 academicians of a higher education institution situated in western Uttar Pradesh of India. The data set was analyzed using statistical tools like descriptive statistics (z-test and ANOVA), and multiple regression analysis. Findings: Results of the multiple regression analysis reflected direct and significant relationship between inclusive workplace and OCB. It has been observed that organizations with a conducive climate of inclusion, a well formulated inclusive practices and strong leaders' commitment will result into high level of OCB which is apparent among employees working in a higher education institution western Uttar Pradesh. The results of z-test reflected that male and female employees have similar perception toward inclusive climate. However, there is a significant difference in perception toward inclusive practices and inclusive leadership on OCB. On the other hand, results of ANOVA reflected that with respect to religious orientation there is no significant difference among perceptions toward inclusive workplace. However in case of category employees have similar perception toward inclusive climate in contrast with inclusive practices and inclusive leadership. Research limitations/implications: The present study established the concept of inclusive workplace, entirely on the basis of individual viewpoint. While to examine the cause and effect relationship of an inclusive workplace on OCB, it is recommended to incorporate some moderating or intervening variables. Practical implications: This study provides guidelines for academic institutions to understand and foster an inclusive workplace that will encourage the academicians to exhibit OCB. Originality/value: Very little research had examined the relationship between inclusive workplace and OCB. This research will add value to the existing literature on inclusive workplace and its probable impact on organizations and individuals by examining this relationship with respect to gender, category and religious orientation of employees working in higher educational institution of India. copyright @ 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The purpose of this study is to empirically measure the impact of intellectual capital performance on the traditional financial performance measures of selected Indian Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) companies. Data of 13 prominent Indian BPO/KPO companies listed on Bombay Stock Exchange is taken for study. The selected companies of BPO/KPO sector are heavily reliant on intellectual capital. Financial data of nine years i.e. from 2007 to 2015 is collected from financial database CMIE's Prowess. Literature available on intellectual capital and efficiency measurement is thoroughly reviewed. Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC) method is used to measure the value based intellectual capital performance of the selected companies. The financial performance variables used in the study are return on assets, return on equity and operating income ratio for profitability and asset turnover ratio for productivity. VAIC and its components are calculated i.e. efficiency of capital employed and efficiency of intellectual capital. Empirical analysis is conducted using models of panel data i.e. fixed and random to analyse the impact of VAIC components on financial performance measures. Findings from the analysis suggest that intellectual capital efficiency has a significant impact on profitability but not on productivity. While capital employed efficiency has a significant impact on profitability and productivity both. copyright @ Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017.

Purpose: This paper makes an attempt to demonstrate the importance of breaking absorptive capacity (AC) into two sequential components, to effectively measure and utilize the construct. Design/methodology/approach: Data on potential AC, realized AC and firm performance were collected utilizing survey questionnaire administered to 284 Indian SMEs operating in the automotive service segment. Findings: To test the proposed hypotheses, the authors broke AC into its two sequential components - potential AC and realized AC, and tested their linkages with firm performance. The authors not only found the sequential components to be more reliable, but also found better explanation of firm performance. Research limitations/implications: The findings in this paper have crucial implications for researchers working in the domain of AC and knowledge management. By demonstrating the operationalization of AC as two sequential components, the authors make a case for more effective utilization of the construct in future studies. Originality/value: This study is among the few research attempts that have tried to create a sequential operationalization of AC. The findings clearly reveal that potential AC is an enabler of the realized AC, which in turn enhances firm performance. copyright @ 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The purpose of this study was to develop and analyze an interpretative structural framework for the Supply Risk Management Process (SRMP). The research questions were focused on understanding the casual factors as well as the link between the SRMP and Supplier Selection (SS) process. The Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) approach was used to develop a structural framework for the SRMP. An extensive literature followed by discussion with managers in different Indian Automobile companies was completed to identify the strategic enablers for the SRMP. Thirteen strategic enablers were identified and classified into four categories. An Indian Automobile manufacturing company was selected as a case study participant to serve as an authentic practice-based example of the model. The SRMP enablers and the SS factors were applied to the case study organization and analyzed. The significance of this study was that the SRMP enablers and SS factors assist managers to set priorities for decision making purposes. This allows supply chain managers to take proactive steps in order to reduce risk and improve the performance of the organization in the early SRMP stages. copyright @ 2018, IGI Global.

Purpose: Many developing countries, including India, are committed to curbing black money from the economy. Therefore, these countries are focusing on a transparent online transaction facility. M-wallets are one online option facilitated by various companies using a mobile application. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of perceived usefulness, perceived security, perceived ease of use, trust, grievance redressal and satisfaction on young users' intention to continually use M-wallet in India. Design/methodology/approach: A research framework based on the expectation-confirmation theory has been formulated and tested empirically using data from M-wallets young users in India using structural equation modeling. Findings: The analysis reveals that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly affect user satisfaction and intention to continually use M-wallets. The effect of perceived security on user satisfaction is significant, and grievance redressal mediates the effect of perceived security on intention to continually use M-wallets. Practical implications: The outcome of the research will help M-wallet service providers and policy makers in planning the service and increasing customer' continuance intention. Originality/value: The uniqueness of this research is that it adds two important constructs for mobile payment systems (grievance redressal and perceived security) that were missing in the earlier model proposed by Zhou (2013). The addition of the two constructs helped in formulating a better model. copyright @ 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.

In the twenty-first century, managing organizational change has become one of the critical issues for the success of any organization. Dynamic changes in the business environment post liberalization, privatization and globalization in India have escalated organizational competition holistically. Moreover, changing government policies, recent technological advancements and increased management pressure to reduce costs have reshaped the entire organizational dynamics. Researchers suggest that creativity and innovation have an important role to play in the transition process of organizations to survive, it is in fact the survival of fittest' (Chatterjee, 2014). While technological innovation plays the key role in business growth, the success of management depends upon the effective utilization and allocation of resources which are necessary to bring out technological change (Dasgupta, Gupta, & Sahay, 2011). Hence, in order to survive in this competitive market, strategic implementation and management of organizational change have become pivotal for the organization's survival. This case study explicitly explores and identifies the impact of environmental changes on the small-scale cotton yarn industry in India. Particularly, this study focuses on the changing demand of the cotton yarn manja (a specific kind of processed, traditional cotton strings coated with glass to fly kites) in the Indian market against the high competition of the less expensive Chinese manja' (flying strings for kites made up of nylon and coated with iron, glass and metallic powder) and also as a result of recent favourable government policies to save the indigenous cotton yarn industry of India. Primary data has been collected from the strategic apex as well as from the middle management of the organization through interviews using open-ended and semi-structured questions. Secondary data such as government reports and news articles have also been used to understand the changing business trend in the cotton yarn industry in India. In a sense, the case focuses on two important factors stimulating organizational changes: (a) global competition affecting local business and (b) changes in government policies. Various organizational change models and theories have been used to understand the context of the case and critical strategies have been identified to effectively implement and manage the organizational change in light of the dynamic environmental upheaval. copyright @ 2018, copyright @ 2018 International Management Institute, New Delhi.

Ashutosh Sinha is managing Villgro Innovation Marketing Private Limited (VIMPL) as a rural distribution business involving Villgro stores and village level entrepreneurs (VLE). After spending two years in evolving the business model which provides sustainable products to improve rural livelihood, he has recently started selling FMCG products through the VIMPL network. As he decides to expand the business, he has to make choices about the strategic path of horizontal expansion versus vertical expansion. The expansion decision is also linked with choosing the right type of VLEs. The case provides detailed description of VLE operations and examines the challenges in building last mile delivery models using entrepreneurs. copyright @ 2018 World Scientific Publishing Company.

This article examines the upside and downside risk spillover effects among crude oil (WTI and Brent) and Henry Hub natural gas markets. We consider value-at-risk (VaR) as a measure of risk and model both upside and downside 95 per cent, 99 per cent and 99.5 per cent VaR using various VaR approaches. The VaR models are evaluated using Christoffersen's (1998) conditional coverage test and Lopez's loss function approach to select the best-performing VaR model. Finally, we apply Hong, Liu and Wang's (2009) approach to examine the upside and the downside risk spillover among crude oil and Henry Hub natural gas markets. We find significant two-way as well as one-way upside and downside risk spillover between WTI and Brent crude oil. Our results provide weak evidence of upside risk spillover from natural gas market to crude oil markets for 99.5 per cent VaR. copyright @ 2017, copyright @ 2017 International Management Institute, New Delhi.

With the intensification of Globalization, customers' environment-friendly attitude and stringent environmental regulations, the manufacturers have been orienting their manufacturing and other value additive processes towards the development of more environment-friendly products and use of relevant processes including taking back of used products after their end-of-use or end-of-life from the end users. Remanufacturing is one of the prominent and popular options. Remanufacturing perhaps has drawn maximum attention because of its economic viability and environmental cleanliness. The remanufacturing operation depends upon the quality and quantity of the used. Better the quality lesser the remanufacturing cost. A remanufacturer is unaware about the condition of used product before its acquisition. It may also be noted that the remanufactured product may be taken after a period of its use by users. So it is really difficult to judge how many cycles does the product go for remanufacturing. This has drawn the attention of the authors and the problem is studied with developing some mechanism on the possible frequency of the remanufacturing of a new product. This paper is a study report on this area of research which is expected to contribute immensely to the remanufacturing business. copyright @ 2017 Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany

Remanufacturing is one such business proposition, which has become quite popular in the present day where environmental issues, reuse, sustainability concepts in product design, end-of-life of products are given due considerations. For an efficient and effective remanufacturing, product design plays a significant role. The objective of this paper is to identify the design criteria of a product that can enhance its remanufacturability and subsequently, using these design criteria a hierarchical model is developed to evaluate the remanufacturability between the product alternatives. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) integrated with fuzzy extent analysis is used to compute the weights of the corresponding design criteria and sub criteria and then Axiomatic Design (AD) approach is used to evaluate the alternatives. This leads to identification of the most suitable design alternative for remanufacturing. Further, the probabilities of satisfying a particular remanufacturability assessment criterion by the product alternatives are also computed. Sensitivity analysis is done to observe the stability of the priority ranking. This study is conducted at a remanufacturing plant situated in the south-western part of India which justifies its practical implication. copyright @ 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Extension of product's useful life through product recovery options can help to reduce the consumption of natural resource and environmental pollution. Remanufacturing operation is considered as the most suitable product recovery option for automotive parts. The objective of this paper is to identify the barriers and the critical success factors in automotive engine remanufacturing. A case study is carried out in an automotive engine remanufacturing plant, situated in the south-western part of India. In this case study, the strategic, tactical and operational characteristics of the remanufacturing process are explored, what are the barriers they have faced while remanufacturing and to overcome those barriers, what strategies they have adopted are also analyzed. A fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solutions (TOPSIS) is used to identify the critical success factor to overcome the roadblocks of remanufacturing. As this study is directed by the experts' opinion from the remanufacturing plant which proves its practical implication. This case study is also useful for the other OEM remanufacturers in India. copyright @ 2017 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved. and 2017 by the authors.