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1 – 10 of 21Smitu Malhotra and Arpita Srivastava
This paper aims to describe the role of human resources in organizations in preventing sexual harassment (SH) at the workplace.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe the role of human resources in organizations in preventing sexual harassment (SH) at the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper explains how SH is detrimental to the organization and why creating awareness about SH is essential for both men and women in the organization.
Findings
Findings show how organizations can pro-actively prevent the incidence of SH by creating a zero tolerance for SH in organizations with top management commitment and the formulation and enforcement of a policy against SH.
Originality/value
The paper creates a case for proactive preventive measures such as sensitization, policy formulation and enforcement to combat SH in organizations rather than pursuing a reactive approach.
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Vivek Kumar and Arpita Srivastava
This paper aims to describe an innovative recruitment campaign at HCL Technologies, India’s fourth largest information technology company. This campaign received media coverage in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe an innovative recruitment campaign at HCL Technologies, India’s fourth largest information technology company. This campaign received media coverage in 60 national and international news outlets.
Design/methodology/approach
Using case study methodology, this paper explains how the unique process was carried out. Risks associated with the process are also identified.
Findings
It reveals that creative thinking and innovate practices can generate high social media engagement at a very low cost, while also fulfilling the task of recruitment. Managing risks inherent in the process is essential for reaping the rewards of this creative recruitment process.
Practical implications
The process described here can be emulated by other companies too. If executed well, rich dividends can be obtained at a modest cost. Companies can increase their engagement and brad equity at a low cost using this process.
Originality/value
The case study described here is unique in its approach toward recruitment and brand building.
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Vivek Kumar and Arpita Srivastava
This paper aims to map the evolution of research in business ethics from 1991 to 2018. It aims to identify the major themes and how they have evolved. It also aims to identify…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to map the evolution of research in business ethics from 1991 to 2018. It aims to identify the major themes and how they have evolved. It also aims to identify gaps in the literature for recommending future research agenda.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses co-word network analysis. Co-word network analysis is a bibliometric technique used to objectively identify research themes via article keywords. The study examines articles from 1991 to 2018, which is a span encompassing a greater number of articles than previous bibliometric studies in business ethics. This time span was split into four periods and major research themes were identified for each period to map the changes in research agendas in the business ethics discipline over time.
Findings
The findings point to increasing maturation of the discipline, a slight decline in ethical decision-making research, a rise in research at the intersection of leadership and ethics and exponential growth in studies on corporate social responsibility. Ethical issues in business-to-business contexts are understudied. Research in environmental disclosures and leadership is expected to grow in the future.
Originality/value
This is the first study in business ethics to use keywords for analyzing the evolution of a discipline. This study encompasses more articles than any other study in business ethics. Finally, this is the only study to use co-word network analysis to study business ethics literature.
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Subhro Sarkar, Arpita Khare and Amrut Sadachar
The purpose of this paper is to validate the consumer styles inventory (CSI) scale for understanding the decision-making styles of shopping app users. The validated scales are…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to validate the consumer styles inventory (CSI) scale for understanding the decision-making styles of shopping app users. The validated scales are used to examine the relationship between consumers’ decision-making styles and factors affecting the use of mobile shopping apps.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 428 valid responses are collected from the users of the five most popular shopping apps. The mobile shopping apps are selected based on a popularity study. Data are collected from mobile app shoppers through an online survey.
Findings
Findings reveal a new set of factors that can be used for understanding use of mobile shopping apps. Decision-making styles influence the adoption of mobile apps for shopping. Factors responsible for the adoption of mobile shopping apps such as usefulness and risk perceptions differ across consumers with different decision-making styles.
Practical implications
The findings would facilitate online retailers in building focused marketing strategies for segmenting and targeting the consumers having different decision-making styles.
Originality/value
The current research is the first of its kind to examine the applicability of the CSI scale in the context of mobile app shoppers in an emerging economy. The findings enrich the existing literature by providing empirical support to the relationship between decision-making styles and factors affecting adoption of shopping using mobile apps.
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Arpita Khare, Subhro Sarkar and Shivan Sanjay Patel
The exponential growth of organised retail has led to competition among mall retailers with the use of promotions to increase traffic to the stores. The footfall in the malls is…
Abstract
Purpose
The exponential growth of organised retail has led to competition among mall retailers with the use of promotions to increase traffic to the stores. The footfall in the malls is dependent on the sales generated by various retail stores located in the malls. The current research analyses the role of promotions used by the retailers located in Indian malls in improving consumers’ commitment towards the mall. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of culture, personality traits like value consciousness, price consciousness and coupon proneness, and promotions used by retailers in malls on consumers’ commitment towards the malls.
Design/methodology/approach
Eight malls from six cities were selected by popularity and footfall. Mall-intercept technique along with systematic sampling was used to collect data from 453 mall shoppers using a self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data.
Findings
Retailer promotions were categorised under discounts, promotional offers and loyalty cards. The findings suggest that cultural values of long-term orientation and masculinity have an impact on consumers’ perceptions towards discounts, promotional offers and loyalty programmes. Different promotional strategies had varied responses from consumers.
Practical implications
Mall retailers can use the findings to design promotions according to the cultural values of masculinity and long-term orientation. Loyalty programmes can symbolise status and long-term relationship with retailer. Commitment towards retailers and consequently malls could be enhanced through discounts and promotional offers. Different promotional strategies can be used to target price-conscious consumers and increase footfall in the stores. The linkages between cultural dimensions and promotional techniques would be helpful in targeting different consumer groups by designing promotions which are in line with cultural values.
Originality/value
The research extends the existing literature on mall retailing by analysing the importance of cultural dimensions on sales promotions strategies used by retailers in malls. The study establishes that perceptions towards retailer promotions differ across cultures. Different promotions offered by retailers generate varied response from consumers across different cultures which would influence their commitment towards malls.
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Geetika Varshneya, Gopal Das and Arpita Khare
The purpose of this paper is to review the academic literature on the experiential value to appreciate the developments in the area in the last decade; propose a conceptual…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the academic literature on the experiential value to appreciate the developments in the area in the last decade; propose a conceptual framework delineating the determinants and outcomes of experiential value and provide future research directions based on the insights.
Design/methodology/approach
A range of online databases were searched to review and select the papers related to experiential value. The full text of each of the papers was taken as a unit of analysis. The classification and coding of all the selected papers was performed manually by two independent researchers.
Findings
The analysis led to the classification of the experiential value literature broadly into five categories, i.e. conceptualization, measurement, antecedents, outcomes and applications. The findings indicated that the experiential value delineates across cultures, store formats, channels and product categories. The proposed framework depicting antecedents and outcomes could form a basis for future studies. The study unveiled several other useful findings as discussed in the paper.
Research limitations/implications
The findings may be generalized only to the selected online databases for the given time period in the experiential value domain. The study identified several potential avenues for future research.
Practical implications
The present study may help the academicians and practitioners to comprehend the current state of literature. The bibliography may be considered as a ready reference for contemplating future research in the area.
Originality/value
The extant literature revealed that no study so far has captured a literature review in the area of experiential value. Thus, this could be seen as a unique and significant contribution to the literature.
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Pradeep Kautish, Arpita Khare and Rajesh Sharma
This paper aims to examine the relationships among two distinct yet interconnected forms of value orientations, namely, terminal and instrumental values, brand consciousness and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the relationships among two distinct yet interconnected forms of value orientations, namely, terminal and instrumental values, brand consciousness and behavioral intentions. This study validated the conceptual model for branded fashion apparel consumption in an emerging market, e.g. India.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design followed a two-step approach to test the measurement and structural models for partial least squares structural equation modeling with SmartPLS (v.3.0) as recommended by Anderson and Gerbing (1988).
Findings
The results illustrated that both the instrumental and terminal values influence brand consciousness and, consequently, brand consciousness had an impact on behavioral intentions for fashion apparel consumption. Instrumental values had a greater influence on brand consciousness and behavioral intentions than terminal values. Brand consciousness mediated the relationship between instrumental/terminal values and behavioral intentions.
Research limitations/implications
This study defined two value orientations (i.e. instrumental versus terminal) using cross-sectional data from an emerging market. Future studies may examine the research findings’ generalizability using diverse data sets (longitudinal and cross-sectional) and evaluate the value orientation and customers’ favorable behavioral intentions for luxury fashion consumption.
Practical implications
This study provides insights into luxury marketers and practitioners to understand the contribution of instrumental and terminal values on brand consciousness and behavioral intentions for luxury fashion apparel. The findings would assist in developing marketing strategies for an emerging market, i.e. India.
Social implications
With the rapid proliferation of materialism, the Indian market has witnessed the dawn of a new era of luxury fashion acceptance. The research offers evidence that in emerging markets such as India, consumers exhibit value orientation toward luxury brands while holding a sense of fashion involvement in their consumption behavior.
Originality/value
This study is a pioneering attempt to understand the relationships between the value orientation, namely, instrumental and terminal values and their underlying influence on brand consciousness and behavioral intentions toward fashion apparel. Rokeach’s (1973) two-dimensional value dichotomy was adapted to understand luxury apparel consumption in an emerging market context, specifically India.
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The objective of the research is to understand Indian consumers' definition of retail service quality with respect to small retailers and influence of hedonic and utilitarian…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of the research is to understand Indian consumers' definition of retail service quality with respect to small retailers and influence of hedonic and utilitarian shopping values in determining their expectations towards small retail service quality.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a small retail store‐intercept technique in four cities of Northern India (n=386).
Findings
The results indicate that small retail service quality for Indian consumers comprises ambience, layout, and service/relationships dimensions. Hedonic and utilitarian shopping values influence consumers' service quality evaluations.
Research limitations/implications
The study did not consider demographic variables like income, education, and occupation as factors that might affect consumers' perceptions towards retail service quality.
Practical implications
The findings can help small retailers in improving their service quality by focusing on Indian consumers' hedonic and utilitarian shopping values. The research helps small retailers to combat the competitive pressures of organized retailing in the Indian retail landscape.
Originality/value
There has been limited research on understanding consumers' perceptions towards retail service quality in the Indian setting. Further, there is no research to examine Indian consumers' perceptions towards small retailers' quality attributes.
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Arpita Khare, Gaurav Awasthi and Rishi P. Shukla
Increased competition among different retail formats has led mall managers to focus on mall promotional activities to attract shoppers to malls. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Increased competition among different retail formats has led mall managers to focus on mall promotional activities to attract shoppers to malls. The purpose of this paper is to understand Indian mall retailers views on mall events and its role in improving traffic, sales and mall image.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study used a qualitative to decipher mall retailers’ views regarding mall events. In total, 36 in-depth interviews of mall retailers across 13 metropolitan and non-metropolitan cities (Tier-I and Tier-II) were conducted to develop a comprehensive understanding of mall events organized by Indian mall managers.
Findings
The findings revealed that mall events were categorized under six different types: product launch events, events organized to promote the social cause, commemorate festivals, celebrity nights, events organized by retailers in malls and theme events. There were differences in the nature of events used by malls in bigger and smaller cities across India. The nature of mall events varied according to regional, cultural and lifestyle factors across the country.
Research limitations/implications
Mall managers can use the insights from the study on mall events for segmenting and targeting strategies. The different types of mall events can be used for improving footfall, sales and mall image. The study findings employ a grounded theory approach to understand mall retailers’ views on mall events. Future research can be directed toward understanding mall managers’ and consumers’ opinions about the relevance of mall events in improving footfall and profitability of malls.
Originality/value
Extant research has looked at mall events, their role and efficacy in a consolidated manner. The current study attempts to segregate the events organized by mall management into distinct categories and provide linkages of these categories concerning mall image and traffic.
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Arpita Agnihotri, Saurabh Bhattacharya and Demetris Vrontis
This paper aims to explore how sub-national or regional cultural differences influence backers’ willingness to crowdfund projects. The paper also explores how migrant…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how sub-national or regional cultural differences influence backers’ willingness to crowdfund projects. The paper also explores how migrant transnationalism influences the impact of backer’s sub-national culture and crowdfunding relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on the experimental design technique using analysis of covariance methods. The authors tested the study hypotheses on a sample of 790 respondents.
Findings
The study results suggest that individuals differ in their intent to crowdfund product campaigns depending on value congruence between their cultural values derived from the region to which they belong and the nature of the product category, such as environmentally friendly or happiness-enhancing products.
Originality/value
This paper explores the role of regional cultural differences in determining the intention to crowdfund different campaigns based on the nature of the product. Value congruence, as driven by regional cultural differences with crowdfunding campaigns, has not been explored before.
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