Jamal A. Farooquie

Efficiency and productivity analysis of Indian pharmaceutical industry using data envelopment analysis

In this paper, we have used data envelopment analysis (DEA) models to analyse the relative efficiency and productivity change in Indian pharmaceutical industry (IPI) between 1998 and 2007 which covers the post-TRIPS (1995) and post Indian Patent Act Amendment (2005) period. BCC DEA model and Malmquist productivity index are used to estimate the relative efficiency and productivity change of Indian pharmaceutical companies over the 10 year period. We have proposed and tested several hypotheses on the average efficiency and the productivity change of IPI to check if the indigenous and multinational companies differ in their efficiency and productivity change over the aforementioned period. Also, we have analysed the effect of firm size on several performance measures. Exploring the relationship between DEA efficiency and innovation, we find that innovative firms with R&D and patents have higher efficiency than non-innovative firms.

A comparative study of total quality management of health care system in India and Iran

BackgroundTotal quality management (TQM) has a great potential to address quality problems in a wide range of industries and improve the organizational performance. The growing need to take initiatives by hospitals in countries like India and Iran to improve the service quality and reduce wastage of resources has inspired the authors to develop a survey instrument to measure health care quality and performance in the two countries.MethodsBased on the Baldrige health care criteria for performance excellence 2009-2010 and the guidelines proposed by the American Hospitals Association for hospitals in pursuit of excellence, compared health care services in three countries. The data are collected from the capital cities and their nearby places in India and Iran. Using ANOVAs, three groups in quality planning and performance have been compared.ResultResults showed there is significantly difference between groups and in no case the hospitals from India and Iran are found scoring close to the benchmarks. The average scores of Indian and Iranian hospitals on different constructs of the IHCQPM model are compared with the major results achieved by the recipients of the MBNQ award.ConclusionIn no case the hospitals from India and Iran are found scoring close to the benchmarks (Baldrige health care criteria for performance excellence 2009-2010 and the guidelines proposed by the American Hospitals Association for hospitals). These results suggested to health care services more attempt to achieve high quality in management and performance.

Project planning and performance: an empirical study

Commercial projects are supposed to be planned and executed in such a way that they satisfy the project organisation, client organisation and all other stakeholders. Despite various valuable contributions available in the area of project management, the performance of projects has not been satisfactory in a significant number of cases. This paper attempts to develop an instrument to measure the factors of project planning and performance and examine their managerial implications. Factor analysis and Pearson coefficients of correlation have been used for this purpose. Nine factors build up the linkage between project planning and performance. Conformance to requirements emerges as the most important among them, followed by other factors like sound planning and the perceived criteria of project success. The findings of the paper are likely to help project managers prioritise various planning factors and enhance performance.

Segmenting knowledge management (KM) practitioners and its relationship to performance variation – some empirical evidence

– This paper aims at identifying segments among knowledge management (KM) practitioners and analyzes whether performance varies across these segments. The field of KM aims at enhancing performance through knowledge practitioners. However, not all KM implementations have similar outcomes. , – A literature review is conducted through secondary sources. Based on the themes identified for research, qualitative research through a focus group discussion (FGD) and personal interviews is used to explore the themes. This is used to develop a conceptual KM framework. An instrument is developed which is tested for validity and reliability. The instrument is administered to respondents and 313 responses are obtained. Convenience sampling is used to select the respondents. Further, k-means cluster is used to identify segments among KM practitioners. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test is conducted to determine if the average scores of KM constructs varied between the three clusters. Further, ANOVA test is also used to analyze whether organizational and financial performance scores vary between the three clusters. Post hoc test is used to determine the extent of variation between cluster pairs. , – The results show that the sample comprises three segments which were subsequently labeled as active, partly and passive KM practitioners. It was found that active KM practitioners scored highest on various KM constructs, passive KM practitioners scored the least and partly KM practitioners had scores in between the two. One-way ANOVA results showed that the average scores of KM constructs varied significantly between the three clusters. The results show that a significant difference is found in organizational as well as financial performance between any two cluster pairs. , – The sample comprises 313 respondents, of which around 65 per cent are from services industry and 67 per cent from private sector. A higher representation from public sector and manufacturing industry would have made the comparison more meaningful. The findings are based on data collected from India, and therefore, the results may not be generalizable to all economies. , – The three clusters identified from the sample data may help organizations who have initiated the KM process to benchmark themselves with the obtained clusters and identify the trust areas important to their KM initiative. , – The study builds upon both qualitative methodology through FGD and personal interviews and quantitative methodology through questionnaire and surveys. This comprehensive coverage of KM constructs and identification of respondent clusters is insightful. It also provides researchers useful means to enhance performance through KM within clusters.

Performance Analysis of Coal Fired Power Plants in India

With over 150GW of installed capacity and around 723.8 BUs of electricity generation during 2008-09, India remains the 5th largest consumer of electricity in the world. Coal fired power plants account for more than half of the installed capacity and caters to more than 65% of the power demand. Against the prevalent practice of ratio analysis being used for the performance estimation, the study uses non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to estimate the relative technical efficiency and scale efficiencies of coal-based power plants in India. It is found that the average technical efficiency of these plants is 83.2% with as many as 38 plants below the mean level. Distribution of the less efficient plants in different sectors, regions, their peer groups and the return to scale properties are analyzed.

Awareness and Management of Productivity in Small Scale Enterprises in the State of Uttar Pradesh

Small scale enterprises (SSEs) in India too have proven their worth by contributing to the overall industrial production, export, and employment generation of the country as has happened in other developing countries. The present study is devoted to examine the awareness of SSEs about productivity and its management. This paper also attempts to investigate whether some characteristics of these enterprises have a bearing on such awareness. The findings, based on the analysis of data collected for this purpose, indicate that the SSEs are, in fact, aware of productivity management but its implementation is still in its infancy.

Japanese techniques and Indian manufacturing: some inferences

With rapid advancement in technology and availability of workforce at reasonable wages India is becoming a preferred location for manufacturing companies from all over the world. The manufacturing sector in India has witnessed a growth of about 15 per cent during the year 2007. Japanese techniques like Kaizen, quality circles, total productive maintenance and just-in-time etc. have been implemented worldwide by various manufacturing organizations to improve their performance and competitiveness. The extent of success achieved has, however, been influenced significantly by the structure and culture of the organization concerned and the country as well. The present article attempts to study the experiences of a few selected Indian manufacturing organizations, operating in and around New Delhi region, regarding the implementation and adaptability of popular Japanese techniques and practices (JTPs). A structured questionnaire containing both open and close-ended questions is used for data collection. The results are obtained using descriptive analysis, hypothesis testing, and coefficient of correlation.

Use of Knowledge Management for Competitive Advantage: The Case Study of Max Life Insurance

In the Asian subcontinent, the insurance business is highly competitive. The Indian insurance industry too witnessed tremendous growth and competition in the last few years. Both public and private insurance companies are currently facing two main challenges: struggling to retain their customer base and knowledge loss resulting from employee turnover. Insurance companies are realizing that efficiently managing its customer and employee knowledge and utilizing the same in designing insurance products and services is a key to survival. While effective knowledge management (KM) has been acknowledged as the key driver for new knowledge and new idea generation, the fact that academics still write about it and organizations are actively pursuing the concept makes us believe that this trend is going to continue in future too. This article discusses the KM planning and implementation journey undertaken by Max Life Insurance Company Limited, India. The company not only has successfully implemented KM but also has plans to roll out the project in other group companies. The case presents instances and examples of how the company has used KM for real business improvements with measurable outcomes. It also investigates the critical success factors for KM implementation using secondary and primary data collected from published literature besides the company under study. The study will be beneficial to organizations that are willing to implement KM but do not have a clear idea of how to proceed with it. It also provides directions for future research and implications for global managers for having KM into place.

Effect of Different Dimensions of Inventory Management of Fruits and Vegetables on Profitability of Retail Stores: An Empirical Study

In today’s challenging and competitive scenario, Indian retailers (organized sector) of fruits and vegetables need more dynamic strategies in order to provide customer satisfaction and retention. Purchasing, overstocking, stock-out, throw away, markdowns, etc. are different activities that are undertaken in a retail store selling perishable inventory, especially fruits and vegetables. These factors affect the profitability of the retail store, directly or indirectly; hence, proper control over these factors must be the primary objective of the retailer selling fruits and vegetables. This article aims to find out significant relationships within these parameters of inventory management so that retailers find it helpful in devising strategies for a better competitive edge. First, factors are identified, and then, statistical tests (chi-square and analysis of variance) are used to derive conclusions.

Study of Some Socio-Demographic Aspects of Defaulters in Animal Bite Cases at SBH Govt. Medical College, Dhule

The health scenario all over the world indicates that despite having numerous excellent health care facilities, there exists a sufficiently large gap between the demand and delivery. With increasing competition, advances in medical sciences, and rising patient expectations, the health care systems have become complex organizations. They need to obtain an optimum balance between the resources and patient satisfaction. Total quality management (TQM) has a great potential to address quality problems in a wide range of industries and improve the organizational performance. The growing need to take initiatives by hospitals in countries like India and Iran to improve the service quality and reduce wastage of resources has inspired the authors to develop a survey instrument to measure health care quality and performance. The data are collected from the capital cities and their nearby places in India and Iran. Using factor analysis, ten dimensions of quality practices and performance have been identified and validated empirically for the final version of the proposed framework.