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This study aims to identify and prioritize various growth-accelerating factors in the Indian automotive industry. It further develops a hierarchical model to examine the mutual interactions between the factors, their dependence and their driving power.

This study first identifies the growth-accelerating factors and then uses the modified total interpretive structural modeling (m-TISM) framework, which is an extended version of TISM. It further uses MICMAC analysis to analyze the mutual interrelation between the identified factors.

This study highlights the interrelation amongst the factors using m-TISM model. A hierarchical model shows the level of autonomous, dependence, linkage and independent factors considering the Indian automotive industry. This study also provides the understanding related to the interdependence of growth-accelerating factors.

The government and practitioners could evaluate the growth-accelerating factors which have higher driving power for implementing efficient policies and strategy formulation. By implementing m-TISM model in the Indian automotive industry, auto manufacturers can become more productive and profitable. Future studies could use other methods such as expert opinion to derive the factors, and further model could be verified using structural equation modeling technique.

This study uses a novel m-TISM framework for the analysis of growth-accelerating factors in the context of the Indian automotive industry. It further provides a detailed theoretical and conceptual understanding relating to the philosophy and establishes an interrelation amongst these under-researched growth-accelerating factors.

A systems perspective of waste management allows an integrated approach not only to the five basic functional elements of waste management itself (generation, reduction, collection, recycling, disposal), but to the problems arising at the interfaces with the management of energy, nature conservation, environmental protection, economic factors like unemployment and productivity, etc. This monograph separately describes present practices and the problems to be solved in each of the functional areas of waste management and at the important interfaces. Strategies for more efficient control are then proposed from a systems perspective. Systematic and objective means of solving problems become possible leading to optimal management and a positive contribution to economic development, not least through resource conservation. India is the particular context within which waste generation and management are discussed. In considering waste disposal techniques, special attention is given to sewage and radioactive wastes.

Two important methodologies having some common grounds, but based on differing contexts and paradigms are Physical System Theory (PST) and System Dynamics (SD). The developments in both the fields have taken place almost independently, and attempts have been made to integrate the two to complement their strengths and limitations. This paper provides an overview of PST in terms of its foundations, philosophy, fundamental postulates, recent developments on its simplification and enlargement, and applications to socio‐economic and managerial systems. A comparison of PST is made with SD on different fronts so as to understand their similarities and differences for carving out their place in modelling of managerial and socio‐economic systems and integrating the two more meaningfully and flexibly. The paper is concluded emphasizing the need for a ‘Flexible System Theory’ which can relate many such systems based approaches and techniques on the whole continuum from hard to soft systems thinking to cater the whole spectrum of problem situations effectively.

Activities on direct value chain directly add value to the products/services delivered to the customers. This value addition can be further enhanced by taking up flexibility initiatives on these direct value chain activities. The purpose of this paper is to identify flexibility initiatives on the direct value chain and carry out their valuation.

Since different value addition criteria (i.e. benefits and costs) may be both tangible and intangible, an interpretive valuation based on multi-criteria framework would be desirable. The paper deploys the efficient interpretive ranking process (IRP) for this purpose. It uses total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) to derive weights of criteria based on their respective driving power. The paper also makes a methodological contribution to assess transitive dominance in IRP based on transitivity check as used in the modified TISM process.

The paper uses a multi-criteria valuation to examine the proposition that the flexibility initiatives will add a higher value as we go downstream in the value chain. The flexibility initiatives linked with marketing such as product upgradation and switching, customized services and dynamic pricing are found to be most value adding in character.

The main limitation of this study is that it is generic in nature and need to be replicated in multiple case situations. The methodology proposed can be utilized for specific case analysis for flexibility valuation on the direct value chain.

The practitioners may be able to use the proposed method of TISM–IRP with improvements in real-life applications. The proposed multi-criteria valuation is interpretive in nature and can be utilized by practicing managers in group settings even if they do not have complete data.

The strategy and operations researchers will find promise in the methodology to investigate and prioritize the initiatives planned to enhance flexibility in different value chain activities. The researchers on multi-criteria decision making will find the methodological enhancement proposed in terms of graphically deriving the transitive dominance to be useful in other applications as well.

Understanding a lack of strategy execution research, especially a lack of execution frameworks, the purpose of this paper is to focus on building a model of one of the most classic aspects of effective strategy execution, i.e. alignment. The proposed framework of alignment demonstrates linkages among different factors of alignment and suggests a managerial action plan to successfully convert strategic goals into execution performance.

This study develops an empirically tested framework of “alignment” that can be used to plan effective strategy execution. The research context of the study is the firms operating in the infrastructure sector of India. A multi-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques, has been adopted with emphasis on the interpretation of the framework to suggest managerial actions.

This study shows that structure-strategy linkage is the most fundamental task of strategy execution. However, there are other aspects of alignment also that are critical. Also, there exist hierarchical relationships among different alignments. The structural understanding of alignment is required to set strong foundation for execution process.

This study is limited to firms in the infrastructure sector of India. A questionnaire survey approach may invite some bias in response. Also, a large sample size could have been more useful to generalize findings. The proposed framework in this study suggest that the alignment of structure with strategy is important but not sufficient for effective strategy execution. There exist hierarchical relationships, among the factors of alignment, showing a dependence-driving relationship.

Strategy execution is one of the biggest challenges that corporations have been facing. The existing literature has identified many issues leading to effective strategy execution. The “alignment” aspect of execution has been the most talked about. There are different levels of alignment required for successful strategy execution. Literature suggests some of the key areas of alignment. However, there has been a lack of frameworks demonstrating linkages among different alignments to facilitate effective strategy execution.

There is a lack of strategy execution frameworks, especially reflecting on the alignment aspect of strategy execution. This study focuses not only on “how” of the framework development but also on the “why” aspect of the same. The interpretation approach also helps in pondering on the contextual realities.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework of waste management by using total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) technique in the Indian organizational context.

TISM technique has been used to develop a conceptual framework of waste management in the organizational context, where the waste management factors have been identified and verified through content analysis.

The conceptual framework of waste management in the organization has been developed using TISM that contributes to the development of important links and the hierarchical relationships among the factors. In addition to it, the model also figures out the driving and dependent factors of waste management.

This study has its implication for both organizations and policy makers. It provides the important factors for managing waste in the organization which must be considered before planning the waste management practice in an organization. For policy makers, it highlights the waste management paths and important linkages required for the development of waste management policies in the organizations.

This study has made its contribution by providing the conceptual framework for waste management in the Indian organizational context which has been developed through qualitative modeling technique. The conceptual framework also provides important paths of managing waste in the organization which is a new effort in the Indian organizational context.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the inter-partner dynamics-based enablers of joint venture (JV) competitiveness. In addition, this paper models the interactions among identified enablers/factors to project the strength of their relationship with JV competitiveness.

ISM- and total interpretive structural modeling (TISM)-based fuzzy TISM approach has been used to examine the interactions and strength of interactions among identified enablers of JV competitiveness.

The analysis concludes that inter-partner dynamics-based enablers, such as partner fit, power symmetry and trust, have strong driving power and low dependence power and are at the lowest level of hierarchy in fuzzy TISM model. Variables like collaborative communication, organizational learning and absorptive capacity are linkage variables and they have high dependence as well as driving power and they lie in the second level of fuzzy TISM hierarchy. Strategic flexibility is found to have high dependence power and has weak driving power. The outcome variable JV competitiveness found to have zero driving power and highest dependence power.

The findings have implications for practitioners and policy makers. JVs may achieve competitiveness by managing identified enablers (inter-partner dynamics).

Present paper is one among the few efforts that address the issue of JV competitiveness (post-formation of JV). Methodologically also, this study is one among few initial efforts of using modified fuzzy TISM to explore and understand the linkage among enablers and outcome variables. Modified fuzzy TISM process carries out transitivity checks along with the successive pair-wise comparisons and simplifies the fuzzy TISM approach.

Performance measurement and management (PMM) literature is highly abundant with numerous PMM frameworks encapsulating various aspects of enterprise performance that are largely driven by enterprise viewpoint. Considering dynamic nature of Indian telecom industry where customers hold high bargaining power in the industry, flexible strategy game-card has been adopted as a theoretical basis. The purpose of this study is to capture an “outside-in view” of enterprise performance by incorporating performance measurement from customers’ perspective and highlight dual perspectives of performance, i.e. enterprise and customers’.

Rigorous empirical data analysis tools have been used on the data collated through opinion survey to develop strategic performance management model for Indian telecom service providers where mediation effects of customers’-based strategic factors have also been captured.

The findings emphasize the fact that financial performance indicators are outcome variables that are driven by the external environment, internal organizational structure and business processes. An effective performance management system (PMS) should consist enabling performance indicators (customers’ perspective) in addition to leading and lagging performance indicators that are widely discussed in the literature.

The set of performance indicators identified is in the context of Indian telecom service operators, which should be used in another context with full caution. The generalization of the empirically validated strategic performance management model in other country context is limited. However, the process of development of PMS could be taken as an example to replicate in any other context.

Measuring an enterprise performance from customers’ perspective is the major contribution of this study. With the diverse set of performance indicators, effective PMS can be developed and deployed where tangible measures act as lagging indicators, namely, situational and operational, strategic measures act as leading indicators, and subscribers’ crucial assessment measures act as enabling indicators.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the elements of asymmetric motives, i.e., initial cross-border joint venture (CBJV) conditions and relative partner characteristics in emerging nations. The two main objectives of the present research are to identify the elements affecting asymmetric motives in Indian bilateral CBJV and to construct modified total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) for the identified elements of asymmetric motives.

For the current study, the qualitative technique named total interpretive structural modelling was used. The TISM (Sushil, 2012) is a novel extension of interpretive structural modelling (ISM) where ISM helps to understand the “what” and “how” of research (Warfield, 1974) and TISM answers the third question, i.e., “why” in the form of TISM; further checks for the correctness of TISM are given in Sushil (2016). TISM provides a hierarchical model of the elements selected for study and the interpretation of each element by iterative process and also a digraph that systematically depicts the relationship among various elements. TISM is an innovative modelling technique used by researchers in varied fields (Srivastava and Sushil, 2013; Wasuja et al., 2012; Nasim, 2011; Prasad and Suri, 2011). Steps involved in TISM are shown in Figure 1. It uses reachability matrix and partitioning of elements similar to ISM. Also, along with traditional TISM, the modified TISM process was also used where both paired comparisons and transitivity checks were done simultaneously which helped in minimising the redundant comparisons being made in the original process. Furthermore, for identifying the elements of study, SDC Platinum database was used, which was taken from research papers of major journals namely British Journal of Management, Administrative Science Quarterly, Strategic Management Journal, Management Science, Academy of Management Journal and Organization Science (Schilling, 2009). The database included all joint ventures that were formed in India, having India as one of the partner firms during fiscal year April 2000 and March 2010. From these, 361 CBJVs and 76 domestic joint ventures were identified. Although 54 CBJVs were excluded from these, a total number of 307 CBJVs were studied in the current research. Among these 307 CBJVs, 201 were from super-advanced nations (G7), 40 CBJVs from developing nations and 66 CBJVs from other developed nations. As 65 per cent of the CBJVs came from G7 nations (France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Germany, USA and UK), in the current study, we tried to examine Indian CBJVs with G7 partners only for a period of ten years as mentioned above.

The results of the study indicate that asymmetric motives are directly affected by critical activity alignment and interdependency. Thus, we can conclude that critical activity alignment of partners in CBJV is an antecedent of CBJV motive and thereby minimises the number of asymmetric motives. Bottom level variables such as culture difference and relative capital structure are considered as strong drivers of asymmetric motives. Diversification, resource heterogeneity and inter-partner conflict are middle level elements. Effect of these elements on asymmetric motives can only be improved and enhanced when improvement in bottom level variables is found. It has been believed that as the relative capital structure among firm increases, CBJVs’ asymmetric motives also increase, the reason being that as the difference in capital structure occurs, gradual change in bargaining power will also occur.

TISM used in the present study provides valuable insights into the interrelationship between identified elements through a systematic framework. The methodology of TISM used has its implications for researchers, academicians as well for practitioners. Further study also examines driver-dependent relationship among elements of interest, i.e., relative partner characteristics and initial CBJV conditions by using MICMAC analysis, which can be viewed as a significant step in research related to bilateral CBJV.

In the rapidly changing business world, innovation plays a vital role for organizations to gain a competitive advantage. Various factors associated with technology management and innovations in organizations are diverse in the existing literature. Therefore, there is a need to bridge these gaps in the fitting proportions toward innovations within organizations. The primary objective of this study is to identify, explain and interpret the relationships between the identified technology-related factors that are important for innovations in organizations.

In this study, a modified total interpretive structural modeling (M-TISM) methodology was used to examine and analyze the various interactions between identified factors for innovations in organizations. However, the argumentation of the links is relatively weak in M-TISM. In order to compensate for this, M-TISM is additionally altered by an “Argumentation-based Modified TISM”. Hence, this research strengthens the modified TISM methodology by incorporating argumentation and total interpretation of the relationships between the identified factors.

A total of six major factors were identified using a literature review. Results suggest that workforce technical skills, technological infrastructure, technological alliances, technology transfer and top management support have an impact on innovation in organizations. Results also suggest that top management support and the technological infrastructure of an organization have a greater impact on innovation.

For policymakers and practitioners, this study provides a suggestive list of critical factors, which may help to develop policies or guidelines for improving innovation in organizations. Policymakers should focus on technological infrastructure and collaborations to enhance innovations and productions within the organizations. For academicians, this study provides a modified TISM model that shows the impact of technology-related factors on innovations. Future researchers could expand this study by adding a greater number of technological factors and validate this model in other industries.

This study fills a gap in the literature by interpreting the various relationships among the identified factors and innovations. The model has been validated through a panel of seven experts from the Indian automotive industry of multiple organizations. This study is useful in the automobile industry as it determines what and how technology-related factors affect innovations, process improvement and R&D production for organizations.