Guru Prakash Prabhakar

A Comparison of Barcoding and RFID Technologies in Practice

This research paper highlights inconsistencies in the way Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is compared to existing barcoding technology and the lack of empirical evidence to support one’s superiority over the other. Reference is drawn to the way in which RFID and barcoding technologies are represented in the literature. Time and motion studies were conducted in a distribution company’s chilled warehouse where RFID technology had already been trialled and implemented on recyclable refrigerated food trays and in operation alongside barcoding systems. Attention was given to recording the number and nature of errors that each technology exhibited. This paper concludes that while RFID can deliver improved operational performance over traditional barcode systems, it is found to be less reliable in implementation. Hybrid systems may offer operational benefits over single-technology systems, but the cost of their complexity still needs to be examined.

Leadership insights from the top: exploring leadership through the narratives of CEOs in India

This paper highlights the corporate and non-corporate leadership practices in India, the effect of culture on such practices and how these drive management philosophies. Semi structured interviews were conducted with CEOs from India. The findings provide insights into organisational leadership in the context of India, more specifically the values, purpose and culture that guides leadership and management and the unique context in which leadership is practised. A key finding was that Indian leadership shares some aspects of global leadership traits, but cultural factors are significant influences on leadership style and philosophy. The long socio-economic and historical context of India cannot be ignored and has flavoured the leadership style of its business leaders. Many qualities of a good leader, as defined by Indian CEOs were derived from the Hindu mythology (Bhagvad Gita, Mahabharata, Ramayana, and the four Vedas). The findings are helpful to both practitioners and policy makers seeking to understand the leadership style of Indian CEOs. Our contribution rests on leadership insights which provide a more nuanced leadership style with elements of universalism as well as a particularism rooted in the rich socio-economic cultural history of India. Such a leadership has enabled pragmatism and a performance focus in the face of group and collective orientation.

Leadership, Vision, Strategy, and the Art of Publishing in India An Interview With the Legendary Tejeshwar Singh of Sage Publications (India)

This work highlights the experiences of the founder of a well-known publishing company and the revelations he had in this journey with the specific context of India, challenges he faced, his vision, business model, and his philosophy of management. These life experiences can inspire budding managers and entrepreneurs.

Sports clubs’ use of social media to increase spectator interest

Abstract This research aims to give an insight into social media as an online marketing medium used by sports clubs. The research intention is to understand how social media is used to increase customer interactivity and spectator interest. We applied two integrated methods including one new scale to analyse and identify website interactivity and Facebook interactivity of the thirty-two football clubs involved in the 2014–2015 European Champions Cup. Six, seven-point items were used in the scale to measure the degree to which a person believes a website allows a free flow of information. A Pearson correlation of the Facebook pages was used to explore the strength of the relationship between two variables, analysing spectator interactivity. It was found that greater customer interactivity through social media can be deemed attractive and can increase spectatorship. The research also found that the level of website interactivity of a particular football club is not dependent upon their performance within the tournament. Those clubs who perform well, or are in a higher pool in the European Champions, do not appear to engage better with their spectators than the lower pools. The multiple regression results further confirmed these findings. The findings have important implications, which primarily suggest that social media is an effective form of marketing and can be useful in attracting spectators to a sports organization, if used appropriately.

Critical success factors for build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects in China

Abstract This study aims to create a list of CSFs for China’s BOT projects to help organizations achieve project success. We first describe the role of CSFs in terms of three broad categories of whether BOT projects adopt strategies for risk transfer, the degree to which BOT projects foster the ‘whole- life approach’ to project design and management and extent to which BOT projects ensure timely delivery and supplies good-quality products and services. Based on an initial CSF list, a questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the relatively important CSFs for BOT projects in China. Our initial assessment shows that the key CSFs corresponded to our defined categories of BOT projects’ success factors. We then provide an updated list of CSFs with the top ten factors in ranking analysis. This list of CSFs could play a useful role in the phases of preparing, bidding, constructing, operating and transferring of BOT projects.

Risk factors for project success in the Chinese construction industry

Purpose To achieve project success, an effective project risk management procedure is inevitable. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of risk factors on project success in the Chinese construction industry context. Design/methodology/approach This study by way of utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods has examined risk factors that are closely linked to project success in the Chinese construction industry. Findings After a thorough survey and analysis, risk factors related to designer, contractor, subcontractor, client and government are shown to affect project success to some extent. Originality/value It is suggested that the present research may be made more generalizable by a larger, more representative samples across various industries and regions of China.

The influences of cleanliness and employee attributes on perceived service quality in restaurants in a developing country

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the service quality of full-service restaurants in Vietnam to explore possible factors that may impact customer perception, which subsequently influences customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions. Based on the DINESERV model and service clues, the possible dimensions to construct customer perception were realised, and four key dimensions were suggested. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from four urban local full-service restaurants in Vietnam, and factor analysis and SEM-PLS were then performed to uncover the relationship between customer perception, satisfaction and behavioural intentions. Findings The results suggest that customer perception significantly influences customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions, and customer satisfaction itself is also found to have influence on behavioural intentions. Originality/value This is an original piece of work which contributes to the exploration of service quality in developing countries and to the incorporation of cleanliness into analyses of restaurant service quality in particular.

Role of experience and luck in management success: an interview with R.V. Kanoria, Managing Director of Kanoria Chemicals & Industries Ltd.

© 2016,

Made in India: an interview with Mr Vimal Mahendru, CEO, Indo-Asian Fusegear Ltd.

© 2016,

A family business perspective on emergence and potential of mass retail industry in India

Mr. Birinder Singh Narula is a third generation member of the Darshan Singh (DS) family and is currently the Managing Director of Ebony Retail Holdings Private Limited. The DS family business started in 1940s and moved away from India in the 1960s when the family opted to try overseas ventures in construction building hospitals and roads among other things. They moved around in Iran, Iraq and Kuwait during the 1960s and then settled in Libya and stayed. They were one of the largest Indian construction companies in the 1980s.This was during 1995-96 when the organized retailing was started when they opened up with Ebony in Delhi.