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Organizational Behavior and Strategic Management.

MBA, Management/Executive development programs.

This case study can be used effectively for understanding the nuances of employee loyalty, especially if there is a cost of employee loyalty. While Anand Finance is happy that its workforce has largely been loyal, the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous times force it to chart new course of action. The newly appointed Business Head, Ashok Singh's challenges compound when he finds that there was not’t a single innovation or best practice adopted over the past three years. Given his mandate to make Anand Finance as the Walmart of financial services, can he aspire to rally the forces behind the new mission? This case study facilitates an interesting discussion on the significance of operational and strategic alignment at organizations in the backdrop of an interesting story of Anand Finance, one of the leading non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in India. The non-alignment was noticed by Ashok Singh (Singh) who took over as the Business Head of Anand Finance. While the company boasted of long-standing employees, Singh was quick to notice that the company had been paying a cost for employee loyalty. What was the cost of employee loyalty? Singh could also sense that the company was in a state of active inertia. Expected to make Anand Finance Walmart for financial services by 2025, Singh had a big task at hand given the lack of strategic orientation of the employees. What would be the likely course of Singh's actions? As the case study deals with strategic dilemmas related to the organizational culture, it can be suitably used for organizational behavior and strategic management courses. This case study is meant highlight that even if an organization is operationally sound and successful, it cannot afford to be strategically disoriented, as its strengths may prove to be its weaknesses with changing business conditions.

At the end of this case discussion, the participants are expected to know the merits and demerits of employee loyalty and the implications of the same for organizational change; whether employees’ relatively longer stints at companies would contribute to active inertia (as defined by Donald N. Sull in Harvard Business Review article, “Why Good Companies Go Bad”); and the ways to align operational orientation with strategic mindset, especially in the case of employees who rose through the ranks and had been serving the company for relatively longer period.

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This research work aims to determine the maximum load a thermoplastic gear can withstand without the occurrence of extended contact. The extended contact of polymer gears is usually overlooked in basic design calculations, although it considerably affects the gear's load-carrying ability. Although various researchers highlighted the phenomenon, an extensive investigation of the extended contact behaviour is limited. Hence the work aims to investigate the premature and extended contact behaviour of thermoplastic gears and its effect in the gear kinematics, bending stiffness, stresses induced and the roll angle subtended by the gear pair.

The work uses finite element method to perform quasi-static two-dimensional analysis of the meshing gear teeth. The FE model was developed in AutoCAD and analysed using ANSYS 19.1 simulation package. A three-dimensional gear model with all the teeth is computationally intensive for solving a static analysis problem. Hence, planar analysis with a reduced number of teeth is considered to reduce the computational time and difficulty.

The roll angle subtended at the centre by the path of approach is higher than the path of recess because of the increased load sharing. The contact stress profile followed a unique R-F-R-F pattern in the premature and extended contact regions due to the driven tip-driver flank surface contact. A non-dimensional parameter was formulated correlating the young's modulus, the load applied and deflection induced that can be utilised to predict the occurrence of premature and extended contact in thermoplastic gears.

The gear rating standards for polymer gears are formulated from the conventional metal gears which does not include the effect of gear tooth deflection. The work attempts to explain the gear tooth deflection for various standard thermoplastics and its effect in kinematics. Likewise, a new dimensionless number was introduced to predict the extended contact that will help in appropriate selection of load reducing the possibility of wear.

The world is changing and key change agents include climate change and scarcity of resources. The purpose of this paper is to address how New Zealand and tourism could address the future and generate appropriate strategic responses.

Using the process of scenario analysis and drawing upon recent research from the www.tourism2050.com project, this paper describes the circumstances, drivers, economic consequences and key decisions that New Zealand would have to take in order to position itself as an eco paradise. The background to the scenario presumes overarching behaviours in a cooperative world in which resources are scarce.

The scenario portrays a future of collective individualism, where a high degree of personal freedom exists but within the constraints of a world in which there is a scarcity of resources. A communitarian ethos drives policy making with an emphasis on efficient resource use and waste minimisation. New Zealand is a nation favoured by climate change. Environmental intellectual property is one of the nation's key resources and in the spirit of achieving a global environmental equilibrium these technologies are shared with the rest of the world. Life is simple. Competitive individualism is equated with excess and resource waste, while cooperation, harmony, and the continuation of a global cooperative psyche are seen as the foundation stones of the continued, relatively comfortable survival of humanity. Tourism is a luxury and activities are environmentally ethical. Visitors are well‐off, purposeful, highly respectful and careful to prove their worth.

Eco paradise represents the classic tale of a prisoner's dilemma in which decision makers and consumers ponder the betterment of humankind against individualism. The scenario concludes with a strategic map of the core decisions New Zealand's tourism industry would have to take. The significance of the paper is its portrayal of a possible future to industry leaders, researchers and stakeholders thereby facilitating decision making in order to adapt to this future.

The total productive maintenance concept provided a quantitative metric – overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), for measuring the effectiveness of individual equipment in a factory, which is significant but insufficient since world class manufacturing (WCM) system focus on product line involving machines in series. This paper aims to present an approach to measure the overall line effectiveness (OLE) in continuous line‐manufacturing system.

Systematic methodology, based on OEE metrics, is developed to model the productivity of a line manufacturing system in terms of OLE. The general and step‐by‐step method of OLE measurement in the line consisting of n number of processes is explained using a flow chart.

Computer simulation has been carried out for the evaluation of OLE in product line manufacturing system with n number of machines. It also identifies the bottle‐neck machines and the effect of specific contributing parameter for improvement.

The result of this research makes it possible to represent the overall product line effectiveness as a benchmark for WCM to compare the performance of the various continuous product line manufacturing‐based industries.

This paper presents a successful and effective evaluation of OLE which will provide a useful guide to aspects of the production process where inefficiencies can be targeted for doing improvements in the product line.

Earlier most of the research groups have designed and developed hybrid renewable energy system models with technological, scientific and industrial advancement for the energy systems, but slight attention has been paid towards the grid-connected sustainable urban residential energy systems (SUR_eS) for metropolitan cities. The current research wishes to design, model and analyze grid-connected energy system for residential applications for sustainable urban residential energy system. The works aims to explore the potential of the augmented energy system for grid-connected energy system.

The proposed grid-connected SUR_eS are validated for a sample location at New Delhi (India) with a hybrid optimization model for electric renewable (HOMER) software to define and understand the various load profile. It presents the sensitivity analysis approach to validate the design of the proposed energy system.

The obtained results reports the key barriers, proposed model and scenarios for sustainable urban energy system development.

Similar approaches can be replicated to design and develop an independent, self-sustainable cleaner and environmental-friendly energy system in the future scenario for the extension of complex grid infrastructures.

It will assist the stakeholder in solving the complex urban sustainability issues raised due to the shortage of energy.

It will offer a clean and environment friendly sustainable energy resources with reduced carbon emissions. It will benefit sustainable energy resources with a mix of challenges and opportunities, to suggest an approach for implementation of efficient energy policies to optimize the existing and forthcoming energy systems.

The current research offers a design and model to analyze grid-connected energy system sustainable urban residential applications. It explores the potential of the augmented energy system. The proposed model are validated for a sample location with HOMER simulation software to define and understand various scenarios of the multiple load profile. The work presents the sensitivity analysis approach to validate the proposed energy system.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the viability of using bamboo hybrid fencing fertigated with grey water as a means of providing energy to rural communities in developing countries.

The paper establishes such returns by developing a decision support system (DSS) model populated with parameters obtained from literature and field data. The DSS allows for a sensitivity analysis that examines the robustness of the hybrid bio-fencing under varying scenarios and the interactions among species, management, and technological variables.

Critical variables identified include the technological efficiency, number of clumps per m2 planted and the influence of grey water on growth rates.

In the developing countries, uncertainty abounds in rural “green” interventions. Such uncertainties can be quite problematic especially for marginal communities. This research provides developmental agents with the ability to derive specific economic and environmental returns by making decisions related to species type, managerial methods, grey water treatment and energy conversion technologies. The hybrid fencing provides villagers with security without depleting scarce resources for brick and mortar (“pukka”) walls. Furthermore, the hybrid bio-fencing provides significant positive energy and financial returns.

The research demonstrates how green ventures can be audited across multiple dimensions of sustainability including economic, environmental and energy. The DSS developed here is a powerful tool as it not only provides an energy audit, but also simultaneously displays economic returns.

The purpose of this study is to develop a chicken product that could supply calcium, vitamin E and vitamin C together with high sensory acceptability. The present study was envisaged to develop low-fat chicken patties fortified with calcium, vitamin E and vitamin C without any adverse effects on sensory attributes.

Three different levels of calcium lactate as a source of calcium viz. 1.5, 1.75 and 2.0 per cent, α-tocopherol acetate for vitamin E at 0.019, 0.023 and 0.029 per cent and ascorbic acid for vitamin C at 0.09, 0.12 and 0.15 per cent in low-fat chicken meat patties were tried and the optimum level was standardized based on physico-chemical, proximate and sensory parameters.

The calcium lactate at 1.75 per cent, α-tocopherol acetate at 0.029 per cent and ascorbic acid at 0.15 per cent were found to be optimum on the basis of proximate, physico-chemical and sensory parameters. The textural attributes of the standardized product was comparable to that of the control. The a*, b* and Chroma values for the low-fat chicken patties fortified with calcium, α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than that of the control. The calcium and ascorbic acid concentration of the standardized product was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than that of the control.

The levels in the fortified product were found to be suitable to achieve a 20 per cent RDA of calcium and almost a complete RDA for vitamin C. The research findings demonstrated the development of a single-designer chicken product rich in calcium, vitamin C and vitamin E.

Regeneratively cooled thrust chamber is a key component of reusable liquid rocket engines. Subjected to cyclic thermal-mechanical loadings, its failure can seriously affect the service life of engines. QCr0.8 copper alloy is widely used in thrust chamber walls due to its excellent thermal conductivity, and its mechanical and fatigue properties are essential for the evaluation of thrust chamber life. This paper contributes to the understanding of the damage mechanism and material selection of regeneratively cooled thrust chambers for reusable liquid rocket engines.

In this paper, tensile and low-cycle fatigue (LCF) tests were conducted for QCr0.8 alloy, and a Chaboche combined hardening model was established to describe the elastic-plastic behavior of QCr0.8 at different temperatures and strain levels. In addition, an LCF life prediction model was established based on the Manson–Coffin formula. The reliability and accuracy of models were then verified by simulations in ABAQUS. Finally, the service life was evaluated for a regenerative cooling thrust chamber, under the condition of cyclic startup and shutdown.

In this paper, a Chaboche combined hardening model was established to describe the elastoplastic behavior of QCr0.8 alloy at different temperatures and strain levels through LCF experiments. The parameters of the fitted Chaboche model were simulated in ABAQUS, and the simulation results were compared with the experimental results. The results show that the model has high reliability and accuracy in characterizing the viscoplastic behavior of QCr0.8 alloy.

(1)The parameters of a Chaboche combined hardening constitutive model and LCF life equation were optimized by tensile and strain-controlled fatigue tests of QCr0.8 copper alloy. (2) Based on the Manson–Coffin formula, the reliability and accuracy of constitutive model were then verified by simulations in ABAQUS. (3)Thermal-mechanical analysis was carried out for regeneratively cooled thrust chamber wall of a reusable liquid rocket engine, and the service life considering LCF, creep and ratcheting damage was analyzed.

The purpose of the study was to produce a healthier, convenient and traditional ready-to-eat (RTE) snack option with increased nutritional value, using spent hen meat, dietary fibre (DF) and simple technological methods. The product was designed to be stable without refrigeration and be easily adoptable by local self-help groups, rural women and youth and entrepreneurs in urban and semi-urban areas.

Conventional binder used for making snacks, i.e. rice flour was partially replaced by different sources of antioxidant DFs, i.e. oat flour (T₁ – 10%), finger millet flour (T₂ – 5%) and amaranth flour (T₃ –15%) to prepare spent hen snack sticks (SHSS). The snacks were then packaged in low density polyethylene (LDPE) pouches and evaluated for their storage stability at ambient temperature for a period of 35 days. Their physico-chemical, sensory and microbiological quality was evaluated at a regular interval of 7 days. The proximate composition of developed SHSS was compared to commercially available snack products (chakli/murukku – snacks without meat).

The fibre-enriched SHSS showed significant improvement in nutritive value, as they contained more fibre (p = 0.001) and protein (p = 0.029) than control SHSS. When compared to commercially available snack product SHSS showed three-fold significant increase in protein (p = 0.000) and ash content (p = 0.001) and only 11%–12% total fat as compared to 31% fat in the market-available product. The most acceptable treatment in terms of overall sensory quality and nutritional aspects was T₃; however, T₂ was more shelf-stable during the storage period. The study showed that fibre-enriched snacks can be stored at ambient temperature for up to 35 days without substantial loss in physico-chemical, sensory and microbial quality. Hence, substituting rice flour with DFs can lead to the development of products with better sensory attributes and improved functionality.

The simplicity of the product in terms of composition, machinery and low production costs makes it an easily adoptable one by small-scale entrepreneurs, especially those belonging to semi-urban areas.

Incorporation of spent hen meat, a relatively cheap but abundant source of protein, in RTE products can serve as an effective way to alleviate protein malnutrition, whereas addition of fibre further improves the functionality of the product. The methodology can be easily taken up by small-scale entrepreneurs and create a market for snack-based functional meat products.

Tamil Nadu, the southern provincial state of India attracts the highest number of domestic as well as international tourist to India. Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu is the much sought-after destination for tourists and attracts a large number of visitors. Considering the transformational role of tourism with its focus on community-in-need, tourism can usher opportunities for both not-for-profit and for-profit social entrepreneurship (SE). At this juncture, the number of poor people in the city is relevant, which is almost 40% of the population seeking livelihood opportunities. SE operating for-profit model is often construed sustainable and appropriate in the context of tourism. Considering the relevance of such innovative actional approaches, this study aims to explore the potential of for-profit SE in the the city of Chennai.

The study adopted the exploratory sequential method. The social drivers and challenges of SE in Chennai were explored through expert in-depth interview and the dimensions of challenges were explored through factor analysis.

The study result indicates that the social drivers of SE in tourism can be broadly classified into concurrent social drivers and latent social drivers, which encompass the potential for social bricoleur, social constructionist and social engineer typologies. There are five dimensions for the challenges for institutionalizing tourism-based SE in the city of Chennai i.e. community concerned, industry specific, sustainability centric, governance oriented and collaboration centered. The study concluded with future directions for the institutionalizing SE, creating social value and fostering community-level transformation in tune with sustainable development goals (SDGs) in tourist destinations of the city of Chennai.

The study considered existing wage employees of various vendors in tourist destinations of the city with an assumption that these wage employees are interested in entrepreneurship possibility.

SE assumes relevance in the context of inclusive tourism and toward the attainment of SDGs through tourism, as an economic activity. The outcome of the study can be a catalyst to stimulate alternative business models for local development; persuading existing business enterprises to follow more responsible business practices in city destinations, thus promoting more pragmatic socio-economic outcomes to the underprivileged, through tourism.

Social drivers and challenges are unique in the context of tourism especially in the Indian context as there was no such attempt to consolidate these aspects as a move toward inclusive tourism by strengthening the grass-root level participation.