Search results

Wearable medical devices (WMDs) are improving people’s health and well-being in a noble way, as these aid in effective personal health monitoring, remote surveillance and overall illness management. Despite its wider applicability and usage, it is prevalent that users discontinue its usage, which presents an obstacle in the proliferation of such vital innovations among the masses. Therefore, relying on the expectation-confirmation model (ECM), this study aims to delve deeper to explain the factors that motivate users to continually use WMDs by incorporating novel variables, namely, health belief, health information accuracy and privacy protection.

The study proposes and tests an extended ECM perspective to predict the continuance intention (CI) of WMDs among users. By using structural equation modelling using SmartPLS, the authors tested the model on Indian people (n = 451) who had an erstwhile experience of using WMDs.

The study results show that confirmation of users’ expectations positively impacts their usefulness and satisfaction towards WMDs. Moreover, satisfaction towards WMDs is the strongest predictor of users’ CI, followed by perceived usefulness. Interestingly, personal factor such as health beliefs reveals a greater influence on perceived usefulness than technological factors like health information accuracy and privacy protection.

The study findings demonstrate the significance of using the expectation-confirmation perspective in technology-based studies in general and WMDs, in particular. This study aids by offering an integrated model of WMD’s continued usage intention for the users, in addition to practical implications for marketers and policymakers.

A paucity of research exists when understanding the predictors of CI for WMDs. This study fills this gap and adds to behavioural literature by offering a noble viewpoint involving an extended ECM perspective.

This study aims to investigate the effects of peers on corporate payout policies in one of the largest emerging markets – India. It also examines the motives for mimicking payout decisions.

The sample is composed of 3,024 non-financial and non-government firms listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) for the period 1995 to 2020. To encounter the endogeneity problem, the instrumental variable technique based on peer firms' idiosyncratic risk is used to estimate the effects of peers on firms' payout policy. To define peer reference groups, the authors use the basic industry classification of the firms.

The results indicate a significant positive impact of peers on firms' dividend policies in India. A firm with all dividend-paying peers is more likely to declare dividends than the one with no dividend-paying peers. Further, peer effects are found to be more pronounced amongst larger and older firms, thus supporting the rivalry theory of mimicking.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, the present study is the first of its kind that attempts to understand peer effects on payout decisions in an emerging market India, that offers a unique institutional setting. Moreover, the authors extend the existing literature by investigating the peer effects on a firm's payout policies considering various firm-level characteristics, such as growth opportunity, cash holding, financial constraint and profitability, which previous studies have not taken into consideration. These results provide additional insights into the heterogeneity and motives behind peer effects.

The purpose of this paper is to develop optimal estimation procedures for the stress-strength reliability (SSR) parameter R = P(X > Y) of an inverse Pareto distribution (IPD).

We estimate the SSR parameter R = P(X > Y) of the IPD under the minimum risk and bounded risk point estimation problems, where X and Y are strength and stress variables, respectively. The total loss function considered is a combination of estimation error (squared error) and cost, utilizing which we minimize the associated risk in order to estimate the reliability parameter. As no fixed-sample technique can be used to solve the proposed point estimation problems, we propose some “cost and time efficient” adaptive sampling techniques (two-stage and purely sequential sampling methods) to tackle them.

We state important results based on the proposed sampling methodologies. These include estimations of the expected sample size, standard deviation (SD) and mean square error (MSE) of the terminal estimator of reliability parameters. The theoretical values of reliability parameters and the associated sample size and risk functions are well supported by exhaustive simulation analyses. The applicability of our suggested methodology is further corroborated by a real dataset based on insurance claims.

This study will be useful for scenarios where various logistical concerns are involved in the reliability analysis. The methodologies proposed in this study can reduce the number of sampling operations substantially and save time and cost to a great extent.

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation follows a structured approach called define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC). Earlier research about its application in emergency healthcare services shows that it requires organizational transformation, which many healthcare setups find difficult. The Kotter change management model facilitates organizational transformation but has not been attempted in LSS settings till now. This study aims to integrate the LSS framework with the Kotter change management model to come up with an integrated framework that will facilitate LSS deployment in emergency health services.

Two-stage Delphi method was conducted by using a literature review. First, the success factors and barriers of LSS are investigated, especially from an emergency healthcare point of view. The features and benefits of Kotter's change management models are then reviewed. Subsequently, they are integrated to form a framework specific to LSS deployment in an emergency healthcare set-up. The elements of this framework are analyzed using expert opinion ratings. A new framework for LSS deployment in emergency healthcare has been developed, which can prevent failures due to challenges faced by organizations in overcoming resistance to changes.

The eight steps of the Kotter model such as establishing a sense of urgency, forming a powerful guiding coalition, creating a vision, communicating the vision, empowering others to act on the vision, planning for and creating short-term wins, consolidating improvements and producing still more change, institutionalizing new approaches are derived from the eight common errors that managers make while implementing change in the institution. The study integrated LSS principles and Kotter’s change management model to apply in emergency care units in order to reduce waste and raise the level of service quality provided by healthcare companies.

The present study could contribute knowledge to the literature by providing a framework to integrate lean management and Kotter's change management model for the emergency care unit of the healthcare organization. This framework guides decision-makers and organizations as proper strategies are required for applying lean management practices in any system.

The proposed framework is unique and no other study has prescribed any integrated framework for LSS implementation in emergency healthcare that overcomes resistance to change.

This study aims to develop a practical and effective approach for market segmentation using customer experience dimensions derived from online reviews.

The research investigates over 6,500 customer evaluations of food establishments on Taiwan’s Yelp platform through the Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) data mining approach. By using the LDA-derived experience dimensions, cluster analysis discloses market segments. Subsequently, sentiment analysis is used to scrutinize the emotional scores of each segment.

Mining online review data helps discern divergent and new customer experience dimensions and sheds light on the divergent preferences among identified customer segments concerning these dimensions. Moreover, the polarity of sentiments expressed by consumers varies across such segments.

Analyzing customer attributes extracted from online reviews for segmentation can enhance comprehension of customers’ needs. Further, using sentiment analysis and attributes of online reviews result in rich profiling of the identified segments, revealing gaps and opportunities for marketers.

This research presents a new approach to segmentation, which surmounts the restrictions of segmentation methods dependent on survey-based information. It contributes to the field and provides a valuable means for conducting customer-focused market segmentation. Furthermore, the suggested methodology is transferable across different sectors and not reliant on particular data sources, creating possibilities in diverse scenarios.

This study aims to examine the factors determining the discontinuance intentions of millennials to use hotel booking apps.

A quantitative technique was followed to collect the data from the tourists, and partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was adopted to validate the proposed model.

Significant predictors of discontinuance intentions of hotel booking apps are usage barrier, values barrier, risk barrier, lack of facilitating conditions and digital self-efficacy.

The results of this study provide useful insights for tourism stakeholders and app developers to understand in real terms the setbacks that might be a hindrance to the users of such apps for hotel booking.

Despite the increasing focus of scholars toward understanding the determinants of technology adoption, the present study has extended innovation resistance theory with three novel constructs: social dependency, lack of facilitating conditions and digital self-efficacy.

This case study is designed to enable students to formulate the strategic planning process in relation to an organization’s resources; assess the critical tasks required for the company’s business planning for growth and market expansion; and examine the importance of the value delivery process for the company, its customer and its employees. At the end of the case discussion, students will learn how to plan their business in an emerging market by using their existing resources, where the business stands at present and where it may go in the coming future.

The case study discusses how Byju’s, an Indian multinational educational technology company, revolutionized student learning programs through its innovative strategic implementation. It explores the company’s growth and expansion strategy by considering a strength, weakness, opportunity and threats analysis. It elaborates on how Byju’s acquired various companies in India and other countries to become an international technology-based educational brand with 150 million users in 2022. The case study also highlights the marketing and promotional strategy used by the company on online and offline platforms. The case study elaborates on the value delivery process and its importance for customer and employee satisfaction. Despite its success in the Indian market, Byju’s faced tough challenges in the US and European markets, such as lower-than-expected growth rates and lower subscription numbers, even though it followed the same strategy as in the Indian market. The acquisition and celebrity strategy works in emerging economies such as India but not in developed countries. The company’s return on investment was down owing to the high costs it had incurred over the years on market acquisitions and marketing promotions. The growing competition was also expected to bring more challenges for Byju’s. New players such as Tata Studi and YouTube planned to enter the market. Byju Raveendran and his management group had to decide whether to maintain or change the current market offering to reflect market developments to satisfy their customers and employees. They also had to determine whether the main components of the marketing strategy, such as the company’s ongoing value delivery process and ongoing strategy toward the target audience, partners and rivals, are advantageous to the firm or not. The team was in dilemma whether the marketing planning process was going in the right direction and how to make all elements of its businesses more efficient in dealing with the issues. Raveendran kept asking questions about to what extent it is still possible to alter the marketing plan.

The case study is appropriate for discussion in courses such as marketing management, service marketing and strategic marketing management, whether they are part of an undergraduate program (Bachelor of Business Administration [BBA]), a postgraduate program in business management (Master of Business Administration [MBA]) or an executive-level program (executive MBA). The breadth of business topics addressed and the intricacy of the scenario make this case study best suited to be used after the semester as either a culminating project or as a seminar discussion for undergraduates (BBA). The case study can also be discussed in the marketing management course (graduation level) under the marketing and service strategy chapters.

CSS8: Marketing

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

The case on Moodcafe captures the journey of the start-up and its entrepreneurs from the beginning till the fund-raising stage. The case brings forth critical decisions that each entrepreneur or the team of co-founders have to address during their start-up journey. This short case gives opportunity to delve into two aspects mainly a) As a founder, which investor should one choose for seeking funds and what should be the terms and conditions of investment? and b) How can one review and assess the business model of a start-up?