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The paper answers three research questions: How does the extant literature explain fairness and whiteness? What Indian standards of beauty were historically, and how are they currently? What is the applicability of the theory of self-concept in understanding the fairness paradigm?

A rigorous review of extant literature on fairness followed by consolidation of the literature under relevant self-concept theory for understanding the historical perspective of fairness in India as compared to global standards.

Clear defined themes on actual, ideal and social self-concept emerged from the study. The study also revealed: how Indian corporates are using effective marketing strategies to cover up the potential health hazards of fairness creams.

Marketers can use the study to understand how fairness products influence individual’s self-concept. Media houses and Government agencies can also get insight on how beauty has been valorized in the Indian mindset.

This paper identifies the deceptive and misrepresentation of attainable beauty standards claimed by the fairness and whiteness products.

This is the first study done to integrate the findings of fairness studies with self-concept theory and derive useful insights from it.

This paper aims to explore the nature and degree to which marketing affects consumption behavior of bottom of the pyramid (BOP) population. The objective of the study is to examine, identify and explain aspects of consumption behavior that evidences the influence of marketing practices on the BOP consumers.

The study uses a long interview-based approach for an in-depth qualitative investigation of consumption behaviors of BOP consumers.

Key findings that emerged from the research are: widespread usage of international brands and expenditure on products outside of the core bundle of consumption, susceptibility to sales promotions, need to look and feel good and use “fairness” creams, susceptibility to advertising and celebrity endorsements and influence of store personnel.

For managers, this research suggests a careful examination of the likely consequences of their marketing actions. A set of guidelines are provided to them for doing business in a responsible manner at the BOP markets.

Recommendations for public policymakers are offered that stress on the need for ethical marketing exchanges to address the concern over possible exploitation of this vulnerable population.

Extant literature on BOP has largely been conceptual in nature, relying on various case studies. This study empirically examines the nature and influence of marketing in the purchase behavior of BOP consumers. This is perhaps the first study providing empirical support to the argument that the poor consumers divert their scarce financial resources from fulfilling basic needs to purchasing non-essential discretionary products under the influence of BOP marketing.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the importance of integration of supply chain management practices with total quality management (TQM) practices to augment business performance. The objective of paper is to focus on the two important dimensions, namely, supply chain and TQM of an organization with special reference to the concepts: exploration and exploitation.

In total, 20 variables have been identified (independent variables) which impact business performance (dependent variable). Variables have been extracted into four categories with a combination of two orientations, i.e., exploitation and exploration, with respect to quality management and supply chain practices.

Configurationally four different combinations concerning supply chain and TQM were identified in which an enterprise can operate. This is supported with the four different case studies.

This study leads to some interesting practical implications for practicing managers as it offers a framework in which the supply chain and TQM practices can be implemented with respect to an organizational structure (mechanistic or organic structure), environmental conditions (uncertain environment and rapidly changing product life cycle) and identification of customer orientations (whether customer is price sensitive or customer makes buying decision on account of trust or relation to the product).

The concept of supply chain exploitation and supply chain exploration with different orientations of quality management is not studied comprehensively before. This paper provides a background for establishing a framework of strategies for supply chain and quality practices, with respect to the exploitation and exploration scenario.

The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that there are common challenges and approaches in serving low‐income customers in developing markets, and that these can be articulated and refined to get better business results.

This article derives from research on serving customers at the bottom of the economic pyramid in industries such as fast‐moving consumer goods (fmcg), financial services, telecommunications, construction, health care and home appliances. A two‐year research project was undertaken to test the hypothesis that there were common challenges and approaches in serving bottom of the economic pyramid customers, and that these could be articulated and refined to get better business results. Field visits were made to China, Egypt, India, Mexico and the Philippines, and in‐depth interviews took place with companies that had succeeded in serving customers living in poverty. Companies were identified from the existing body of literature, observation and personal contact. Additionally, data were collected from developing case studies on multinational corporations and local firms that have been successful in serving low‐income customers in developing markets.

The research resulted in the development of a structured framework for developing strategies to serve low‐income customers in emerging markets,

The paper is of direct practical relevance for management practitioners. In particular, the paper suggests that managers need to go beyond traditional marketing approaches to adopt strategies that are customer‐ rather than firm‐centric, and take into account the unique institutional context of many developing markets.

The paper is original in its recommendation that managers might also need to go beyond traditional business partners in developing markets, and explore the role of non‐traditional participants.

This paper aims to present the challenges facing women in India due to the intersectionality of gender and other forms of identities impacting on their personal and professional lives by exploring the intersection of gender, colour, caste, ethnicity, religion, marital status, and class as sources of discrimination against women in Indian society and workplaces.

The approach is discussing the socio‐cultural traditions leading up to the complexities of multiple intersections of identity for women living and working in India, offering a paradigm shift from Western issues of gender equality towards understanding women's empowerment issues within the Indian context.

Indian women are marginalized in their access to education and healthcare, and they are also compromised in their personal and professional development by being undervalued, underemployed and under‐rewarded. The social implications are the impact of awareness, changing attitudes and corporate social responsibility interventions towards improving the quality of life of women in India. Multinational corporations as well as Indian organizations may be influenced to implement diversity policies and practices beyond individual identities to incorporate the complex intersectionality that is the reality and dilemma of the challenges faced by Indian women in society, in professional careers and within organizations.

Readers will find originality and value in understanding the complexities of gender equality issues in India as compared to other countries and contexts. It can inform researchers, academics, practitioners and policy makers on how to address the disparities and discrimination against women and guide comparative discourses between India and other countries towards eliminating discrimination against women.

It is estimated that the poorest of the world, termed as being economically at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP), have a purchasing power of $5 trillion. This paper aims to study what and why they consume, and how firms can best address those needs, an area that is relatively new.

The authors categorize the products and services people at the bottom of the pyramid consume with specific examples of both products and companies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and look at the theoretical frameworks that could explain those consumption patterns.

The authors find that despite income and resource constraints, BoP consumers are sophisticated and creative. They are motivated not just by survival and physiological needs but seek to fulfill higher order needs either to build social capital, for cultural reasons or as a compensatory mechanism. They also find that when firms offer products that also fulfill these higher order needs, especially through linkages to education and job offerings, there is a greater chance of their success.

The evidence is based on inference from examples in literature and related research on developmental economics. Empirical research to uncover motivations and their linkages to product success in different BoP markets would help to better understand sustainable approaches to BoP marketing.

BoP markets offer profitable opportunities. A lot can be learnt from both local and multinational companies successfully operating there. Firms should go beyond the mentality of merely removing features or services to make them cheaper. The lesson here is relevance, adaptability and tailoring products to suit specific BOP needs in an efficient manner. Also, enabling BoP education and providing marketplace services make for more sustainable approaches.

The study adds to BoP literature by examining consumption of this segment in an integrated manner: across various categories and linking it to motivation theories. This broad perspective would be useful not only for potential BoP marketers, but also for government and aid agencies.

This paper aims to explore how visual comprehensibility of a product can affect innovation adoption among the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) consumers in Bangladesh.

This is an exploratory qualitative study based on interviews with eight managerial respondents involved in the design and marketing of innovative products targeted at BOP consumers in Bangladesh and three respondents who are consumers of these products.

One key finding from this research, in comparison to innovation adoption research in developed contexts, is the distinct importance that BOP consumers attach to visual cues in learning about and understanding a new product.

This research provides guidance for private and public sector organisations selling products and services to BOP consumers explaining the role of visual cues in generating better product comprehension. It also identifies the role of social relations in facilitating the adoption of new products within this segment.

By enhancing the adoption of so-called pro-poor innovations, this research can assist in bringing about positive social change and developmental benefits in this burgeoning segment of the market.

This is one of the first studies to consider innovation adoption of pro-poor innovations in BOP markets and one of the first studies to collect data on the role of visual comprehensibility for consumers in BOP markets.

The purpose of this study is to explore how elements of culture and cultural cues such as customs, values and norms interact with the brand identity. A qualitative research has been done to understand which cultural aspect is important for which aspect of brand identity. The results would be useful for designing the product.

This research focuses on exploring and validating the interaction between the factors of brand identity and various dimensions of culture. Multiple frameworks of brand identity and culture have been reviewed, factors have been identified and the interaction between the factors of brand identity and elements of culture has been established in the Indian context. Grounded theory approach has been exercised here as a holistic inductive research technique for identifying the interaction between factors of brand identity and elements of culture. This paper has explored inter-relationship between strategies adopted by managers in creation of brand identity and its consequential perception.

Following interaction has been found between the brand identity factors and cultural aspects – product shape, product size and packaging size – were found to interact with individualism vs collectivism, brand image, overall brand presentation, distribution, perception and quality were found to be strongly associated with power distance. Similarly associations were found between country of origin and belief, quality, product differentiation, frame of reference, points of parity and uncertainty avoidance, between Brand Ambassador – Person/ Icon and 9; Beliefs, between Fit with environment and self, Brand customer relationship and long term vs short term orientation, between Enhanced Self Perception and Masculinity vs Femininity, between Brand heritage, packaging colors and images and Customs and Symbols.

The outcomes of our research show that customization is an indispensable principle to be followed in the global markets and elements of culture and cultural indications such as customs, values and collective norms are integral in driving the branding strategies.

The outcomes of the study lay emphasis on the parallel groundwork that the managers must make for their strategies, so that, the company centric variables of brand identity are well in sync with the socio cultural indicators of the region they are serving.

Unlike previous researches, this work records the consumers' perspective in understanding their purchase choices based on their cultural norms and influences.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship among risk aversion, brand trust, brand affect, attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty for low involvement day-to-day use of personal care products.

To achieve the above-stated objective, a theoretical model was tested using structural equation modeling. Before undertaking the analysis, preliminary analysis techniques such as the common method bias social desirability bias reliability and validity analysis were also assessed.

The results indicate that, for low involvement products, risk adverse consumers do not purchase a brand based only on trust. Risk aversion is also positively associated with attitudinal loyalty. When it comes to the relationship between brand trust and brand affect, it has been concluded that brand trust has had an important impact on brand affect. In this study, it has been found that attitudinal loyalty has a positive and strong impact on behavioral loyalty. This paper explains that due to the lack of trust, certain risk adverse customers are sticking with a particular brand.

Most of the brand loyalty research has been performed on high involvement products, whereas very limited research is available on low involvement day-to-day use products (i.e. personal care products), in particular where the consumption period of the product is less than a month. This kind of research is very rare, and this study has been done to fill this gap using rigorous data analysis.

This study aims to extend the current understanding in consumer behavior about plausible theoretical linkages between salespersons' activities, and the psychosocial benefits derived, and terminal values achieved by customers.

The study carries out in‐depth interviews with 49 customers, and apply means‐end chain (MEC) theory to unravel hierarchical linkages between sales call activities and customers' attainment of functional and psychosocial benefits, and terminal values.

The results suggest that a few significant sales call activities are hierarchically associated with customers' perceived benefits and terminal values.

The study has a limitation in terms of generalizability of the results, since only a few sales call activities have been studied. Moreover, the methodology followed is exploratory, rather than confirmatory.

The managerial implications include designing salespersons' sales call activities (or the sales call plan) more effectively to achieve customers' desired psychosocial benefits, and terminal values.

Although salespersons play an important role in understanding and meeting customers' needs, knowledge of any hierarchical theoretical linkages between sales call activities and customers' perceived benefits and terminal values is largely absent from the current literature. This study uses the MEC theory for the first time to address this research gap.