Search results

In the present paper an attempt has been made to develop an e- learning programme delivery mechanism model for distance mode of learning so that effective student support services could be ensured by making online learning possible in the diversified socio-economic and geo-physical settings of a country like India. The paper also seeks to analyze the growth of the distance and open learning in India with special reference to Indira Gandhi National Open University. Attempt has also been made to analyze the delivery mechanism of IGNOU for providing better students support services. The paper finally concludes that networking of the system through information and communication technology will not only reduce the operational cost to a great extent, particularly in the long ran, but also bring revolution in the field of higher education in a developing country like India by ensuring effective and efficient online learning to those having poor access to electronic mode of learning.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to assess Paytm’s share buyback in the context of conventional practices, especially for loss-making firms, analyze the influence of initial public offering (IPO) performance on market sentiments and the role of subsequent events in shaping investor confidence, explore the regulatory framework for share buybacks in India and its impact on Paytm’s decision, scrutinize Paytm’s post-IPO financials and evaluate the board’s rationale for the share buyback and examine the factors influencing Paytm shareholders’ decisions amid the buyback, considering market conditions and the company’s outlook.

This case study discusses the unorthodox choice made by Paytm, a leading Indian digital payments and financial services provider, to begin a share repurchase program just one year after its substantial IPO. Paytm encountered difficulties as its stock price experienced a sharp decline of 74% following the IPO, which raised concerns among shareholders and elicited mistrust from analysts. This case study explores the reasoning for the buyback, the legislative framework of share buybacks in India and the diverse viewpoints of analysts regarding the company’s financial strategy. This case study provides not only ample opportunity to discuss ethical issues around managers’ corporate actions but also brings investors a dilemma.

This case study is suited to Master of Business Administration/Master of Science/Bachelor of Business Administration/Bachelor of Science.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 1: Accounting and Finance.

The learning outcomes are as follows:

1. enable students to appreciate how a platform company can navigate through diminishing network effects;

2. enable students to foresee the downside of scaling up a platform business;

3. enable students to appreciate the trade-off between an efficiency-centric and a novelty-centric business model for platform businesses; and

4. enable students to create a platform business model canvas for a company.

The teaching case discusses the dilemma of Akshay Chaturvedi, the founder of Leverage Edu, an artificial intelligence-enabled platform for students seeking admission to foreign universities. It had received nearly US$9.6m in funding until December 2021.

Chaturvedi wanted to make the best use of his funds, but was torn between turning Leverage Edu into an “efficient platform” and transforming it into a “novelty-centric platform”. The teaching note attempts to resolve Chaturvedi’s dilemma by analyzing competitors using the platform canvas model and determining how Chaturvedi could create and use network effects to Leverage Edu’s advantage. The case is based on secondary data that is freely available in the public domain.

This case is intended for MBA Entrepreneurship students taking a platform business elective. It can also be used in faculty and management development programs under the banner “Technology and Platform Businesses”.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The student will be able to understand the concept of spotting an opportunity and exploiting the same. The student will be able to comprehend the various challenges faced in the development of a business idea. The student will be able to understand the strategies that need to be adopted to cope with and grow, in a competitive business environment.

Samar Singla, the Chief Executive Officer of Jugnoo, had sensed a business opportunity in auto rickshaw aggregation. He was convinced that being among the initial players in the market of auto rickshaw aggregation, there would be very little competition. He only had to play his cards right, to become the top auto aggregator. As Singla started the business, there were challenges like inducting the auto rickshaw drivers as partners, training them, hiring the right team, putting the right strategies in place and to expand the business. Singla launched and achieved robust growth in the new business, in a short period of time. Soon, however, Jugnoo felt competition breathing down their neck – form cab aggregators who were already dominant players in the cabs aggregation segment, in the large cities. To hedge their risks, Singla added other services such as “Meal” (meal delivery) and “Fatafat” (goods delivery) – as B2C and B2B services. These services, however, had to be closed soon after because of stiff competition from the local players. Singla also adopted the inorganic growth path by acquiring “Sabkuch,” a grocery delivery logistics firm; “Yelo,” a platform that provided online access to businesses and “BookMyCab,” a taxi aggregation company. Faced with tapering growth after an initial steep rise, Singla had to confront a dilemma about the right method of ensuring growth in the face of competition.

Under graduate, masters in business administration and post graduation in the areas of entrepreneurship and strategy.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

Despite the importance of high-technology firms to the global economy, relatively little is known about factors contributing to these firms’ long-run growth. We examine these factors using a unique longitudinal dataset combining two waves of detailed surveys of 345 UK high-tech firms with performance data from UK official datasets. Overall we conclude that the early strategic decisions made by firms have long-run impacts on their subsequent growth, and we suggest that policy measures targeted at shortfalls faced by these firms may have positive long-term consequences.

The purpose of this paper is to design and develop half-mode substrate-integrated waveguide (HMSIW)- and quarter-mode substrate-integrated waveguide (QMSIW)-based antennas for wireless communication application. The developed antennas offer advantages in terms of compactness, high gain and better isolation between the ports.

Initially, the tri-band substrate-integrated waveguide-based antenna is designed using a slot on the ground plane. Then, the same structure has been bisected into two parts for the development of the HMSIW structure. Again the concept of the slot is used for the realization of a dual-band antenna. QMSIW-based structure is designed with further dividing HMSIW structure into two parts. Simulation has been carried out with the use of a high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS) software, which used a finite element-based solver for the full-wave analysis.

The proposed HMSIW-based dual-band antenna resonates at two different frequencies, namely, 5.81 GHz with 4.5 dBi gain and at 6.19 GHz with 6.8 dBi gain. Isolation between two ports is 20 dB. The overall dimensions of the proposed model are 0.39 λ × 0.39 λ. Similarly, QMSIW-based antenna is resonated at 5.66 GHz of the frequency with the 3 dBi gain. Frequency tuning is also carried out with the change in the slot dimension to use the proposed antenna in various C (4–8 GHz) band applications.

The proposed antennas can use C band wireless frequency application. The proposed structure provides better performance in terms of isolation between the ports, small size, high front-to-back ratio and higher gain. It is fabricated for the proof of concept with the RT Duroid 5880 substrate material having a 2.2 permittivity. Measured results show a similar kind of performance as a simulated one.

Through a systematic review of the literature, this study analyzes the empirical literature on the adoption of environmental sustainability strategies in order to identify (i) the main conceptual aspects by which environmental sustainability strategies can be conceived of, (ii) the main determinants of the adoption of such strategies, (iii) the expected impacts on the company’s international performance, as well as (iv) the mechanisms that mediate the effect of environmental sustainability strategies on international performance. This study thereby offers propositions about the relationships between environmental sustainability strategies, their determinants (both in relation to the institutional environment and to the company’s domain), and their performance implications.

Conventionally, consumers perceive luxury products as a means of displaying their wealth and prosperity. Consumption of luxury products has usually been considered the prerogative of the Western world. Although there are a number of studies capturing the pre-purchase and purchase behaviour of consumers, there is a dearth of quality studies that have been conducted in this field to understand the post-purchase behaviour of consumers towards luxury brands, especially in the context of young shoppers in an emerging market context. Studying the post-purchase behaviour of shoppers is important to understand their experience with the brand. A negative experience could lead to a post-purchase dissonance, which in turn could lead to an unbalanced or distorted attitude towards the brand and other marketing stimuli. Keeping this in consideration, the purpose of this study is to explore the experiences and attitudes of young shoppers in India towards luxury consumption.

The study captured responses from young shoppers of Chandigarh and its satellite cities located in the relatively prosperous northwest region of India. The data were collected from 200 participants through a structured questionnaire that was based on an adapted “Attitude towards the concept of luxury” scale by Dubois and Laurent (1994) and “Brand Experience” Scale by Brakus et al. (2009). The structural equation modeling technique was applied to test the proposed model.

The empirical results indicate that sensory, intellectual, behavioural and affective experience play a significant role in building the attitude of consumers towards luxury brands.

The study selected university students from Chandigarh (India) Tricity region as target respondents, which may limit the generalisability of the results to other target respondents in different regions of India or other countries.

The study is useful for researchers, academicians, marketers and retailers of luxury brands, as it gives fresh insights into understanding the consumer behaviour of a young segment towards the consumption of luxury brands in the post-purchase scenario, especially in the context of an emerging market.

The uniqueness of the study lies in the fact that it examines the post-purchase behaviour of a segment consisting of young, educated and aspirational individuals in one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.

Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party made fighting corruption as a major election plank, and won the 2014 elections, and formed the National Democratic Alliance government – a majority party government in India in nearly 30 years. Modi was re-elected in May 2019 with a bigger majority. As his government celebrates the second term, it is time to assess the last five years’ accomplishments in fighting corruption. This chapter deals with the subject under four major headings. The first examines the efficacy of existing anti-corruption agencies. The second explains the office of Lokpal (Ombudsman). The third analyses the initial challenges and efforts of the Modi government. The fourth draws some conclusions.