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The supplier selection problem has gained great attention in business management literature. The first objective of this study is to determine the required variables in selecting the best suppliers and to develop a supplier selection model based on these selected variables. The second objective is to explain how an integrated AHP‐PGP model can be used in supplier selection decisions while minimizing suppliers' defects rate, rate of late order delivery, purchasing costs, and maximizing suppliers' scores and after‐sales service levels.

An integration of an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and multi‐objective pre‐emptive goal programming (PGP) is used to consider both quantitative and qualitative factors in selecting the best suppliers and allocating the optimum order quantities among them.

The integrated model is presented with a real‐world application using source data provided by the manufacturing firm operating in an automotive industry in Turkey. Findings demonstrate that the integrated AHP‐PGP model can be useful to all firms in their supplier selection decisions.

The integrated model presented in this study could be used to incorporate criteria such as quantity discount, demand satisfaction and budget constraints, etc. Further, the AHP approach could be extended with the genetic algorithm or data envelopment analysis techniques in solving such a problem.

Although there is considerable research in the literature, this study differs from the literature by introducing stages of the AHP model extensively, and adding a service objective function related to the suppliers' after‐sales service levels. In addition, the paper is especially of interest to both practitioners and researchers.

The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent the legal environment influences a user’s choice to employ privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs). Drawing upon existing theoretical frames specific to arbitrariness and uncertainty, this research examines whether interest in PETs is influenced by the legal environment of a country.

Using data from Google Trends, the International Property Rights Index, Freedom House and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the research analyzes interest in Tor, VPN technology and pretty good privacy (PGP) in 153 countries between 2012 and 2016.

Findings suggest both countries with both higher and lower arbitrariness and uncertainty of law are associated with an increased interest in Tor and PGP. However, interest in VPN technology does not appear influenced by the legal environment and, instead, is influenced by freedom within the press.

The dual use nature of Tor and PGP is influenced by law enforcement and judiciary effectiveness and transparency and arbitrariness contributing to the public’s interest in decentralized technological protections.

Law enforcement should continue to police via the technologies rather than shutting them down to protect the identities of those needing to use these technologies for legitimate purposes. Only by embracing the technologies, as opposed to seeing them as hurdles to be banned, may law enforcement agencies remain vigilant to the threats posted by nefarious actors.

In this study, the authors introduce a more robust measure of interest in PETs, and do so with a larger, more substantive sample. By situating this interest within the context of policing, the authors can document the dual use nature of the technology, which can be useful in guiding future research, specifically in the area of policy development and officer training.

strategic alliances/collaborative strategies;

defending against global competitors;

related diversification;

entrepreneurship-organizational life cycle; and

evaluating strategies for firm growth.

MBA/PGP level programmes in management and/or entrepreneurship.

Aztec Fluids & Machinery, set up just over four years ago in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India, caters to the printer hardware, spares and consumables needs of the digital ink jet printing market. The company has identified vendors principally from the UK and China for its printers and consumable sourcing and presently markets these using a hybrid channel structure of direct selling and through 12 distributors in ten cities of India. A recent development of note is the successful transformation of a flexible roll printer into a flat-bed type one by the co-founder. The experiment assumes significance since the cost of a conventional flat-bed screen printer is almost five times that of the improvised printer. The huge, fragmented, price-sensitive, yet quality-conscious market in India offers immense potential for this innovation. At the same time, Aztec's recent interactions with a couple of its UK-based vendors present other alternatives for growth.

To explore organizational life cycle: the introduction and early growth phases.

To understand alliance dynamics for early-stage entrepreneurs –rationale, management and the manifestation of trust between different types of partners: suppliers and customers.

To understand how small firms prepare for and evaluate the challenges of growth.

Teaching note.

India is the first country to have mandated compulsory corporate social responsibility (CSR) spends through changes in its legislative framework. Focus has thus shifted from the “why” to the “how” of CSR and, therefore, a shift in the “locus” of CSR responsibility from the “influencer” chief executive officer toward the “implementer” CSR professionals. The purpose of this paper is to study the role of management education in developing individual competencies among the implementers and impacting effective CSR implementation.

This paper, using a case study design, studies the role of management education in developing individual competencies among the implementers and impacting effective CSR implementation. Building on theoretical frameworks, this paper carries out an exploratory research of an Indian business school’s management education program for development practitioners. It uses qualitative inputs gathered from relevant stakeholders of the program to understand the role of management education in facilitating the paradigm shift in CSR in the Indian context.

The paper finds that the program has impacted outcomes at three levels, namely through developing key individual CSR-related competencies; impacting participants’ professional performance; and organizational impact in effective CSR implementation.

The case study provides a roadmap to business schools for designing and implementing programs for CSR professionals.

Extant research in the Indian context is silent on key competencies required for CSR implementation and also on the role of management education in developing the same. Such competencies can ensure the efficiency of the expected large CSR spends by private corporates under the new legal requirements and alter the country’s social development path.

Lean thinking (LT) has been implemented in various manufacturing and service sectors. But, only a few published research articles have developed a framework describing the procedure for implementing LT in an educational institute. The purpose of this paper is to develop and demonstrate a framework that can provide a structured procedure for the implementation of LT in an educational institute.

Various LT tools and techniques applicable in educational institute were identified by reviewing the relevant literature. By adopting an action research methodology (ARM) for a time period of 28 months, the processes in a case institute were studied; wastes in the process were identified and various solutions were proposed and implemented.

A comparison of the performance measures before (Batch 1) and after (Batch 2) implementation of solutions provided interesting insights into the effectiveness of LT. In both the batches, absenteeism in the class was found to increase across the terms. But the magnitude of increase was lesser in Batch 2. Results also showed that the number of unfilled seats (poor utilization) in an elective course in the second year of the program drastically reduced in Batch 2. Finally, a framework that can guide LT implementation in educational institutes was proposed.

The current study describes only the initial stages of implementation in an educational institute. Hence, some of the benefits discussed are expected in the long run which can be assessed by carrying out a longitudinal study. Future study can attempt to empirically validate the proposed framework in multiple educational institutes and theoretically explain the reasons behind the results obtained.

ARM can be used as a tool by practitioners to study the behavioral aspects of employees of educational institutes toward LT implementation. The proposed framework and its demonstration can assist employees in educational institutes to implement LT. Positive results obtained in this study can further motivate the educational institutes to consider LT as a potential tool for improving the processes.

This is the first study to develop and validate a framework for structured implementation of LT in the processes of an educational institute. The study is also unique in empirically capturing the impact of LT implementation of an educational institute by analyzing the archived data.

This paper has the purpose of presenting intelligent authentication, authorization, and administration (I3A), a new concept that enables trust and information security between involved sides by agreement, rather than by over‐exercised enforcement.

To understand the needs and motivators for the concept, the areas of technology, policies, law, and human mindsets are discussed. The I3A is introduced by discussing two examples of possible solutions that would use the concept in e‐commerce.

In essence, I3A offers an open platform for enabling I3A of cryptographic keys, certificates, and privileges and integrating the use of such with secured applications on a wide variety of devices and environments. The paper argues that for the first time I3A creates a true public key infrastructure (TPKI) and leverages the benefits and the potential of existing and future PKI under one common unconstrained umbrella.

Focuses on a TPKI.

This case is designed for use in JD/MBA programs or in contexts where mutual understanding of legal and financial issues is required. The case focuses on an entrepreneur in the security-software industry who is attempting to raise a first round of financing in October 2000. The firm was unsuccessful in attracting funding from venture capitalists and has relied on a small seed round and bridge loan from angel investors. The angels have now proposed investing $1.4 million in Series A convertible preferred stock. The entrepreneur must decide whether to accept the angel investors' proposal or revisit the issue of seeking venture capital. The case incorporates the Stockholder Agreement for the proposed Series A round, the capitalization of the company after the seed round, and five years of cash-flow projections for the firm. The case can be used in a law-school setting as a contract-drafting exercise and as an introduction to valuation. In a business-school setting, the case can help students understand the complex contract terms associated with a “plain-vanilla” form of venture capital. Valuation can be taught at an introductory level, or it can be made more complex if students are asked to incorporate “what-if” contract conditions into their analysis.

Provides details of a variety of industrial inspection systems that received funding from the European Union’s HPCN‐TTN (High Performance Computing Network‐Technology Transfer Nodes) programme. Describes the inspection systems and the commercial benefits that were obtained.

The case illustrates situations that often arise in an organization that have ethical dilemmas for various functionaries in the organization. The perspective of the functionaries is coloured by the role they play in the organization and their perception of their responsibility and accountability. Should pragmatism in such tricky situations over-ride the need for ensuring natural justice to those who may be negatively impacted by the situation? Should ethics and integrity over-ride the risk of loss of reputation an organization may run, at least in the short term, for being ethical? What should the individuals do if they have to deal with authority that may ask them to be unethical? The case provides an interesting context to discuss such imponderable issues.