Omprakash K. Gupta

Consumer perception and attitude toward mobile communication

Mobile phones, mobile internet access, and mobile commerce are growing much faster than their fixed counterparts. A projected number of hand-held (mobile) devices will exceed the number of stationary terminals in the world in the next few years. Nevertheless, people are unlikely to buy things using a mobile phone if there is no immediate benefit; they are likely to wait until they get to a PC, with better interface. However, successful e-commerce and solutions do not simply translate into successful mobile solutions by adding a mobile interface. Those m-commerce applications that generate significant revenue will be those specifically developed around the mobile experience; those that understand how the customer interacts with their device, the type of things the customer wants to buy, and when they want to buy them. This paper attempts to describe the fast-growing trend for tools to access the internet that will be more popular in the future than the predominant use of personal computers at the present time. A survey was conducted to understand consumer attitudes toward mobile communication and factors that would contribute to adaptation and success of this emerging technology. The outcome of this research could provide a productive strategy for managerial decision-making in this emerging wireless environment.

Enterprise resource planning: a case of a blood bank

This paper discusses about the enterprise resource planning (ERP) market in India and the world. The current extension of ERP is e‐CRM. The ERP market has become saturated and is on the decline; and emerging from it is the market for small and medium scale enterprises. ERP, especially in India, is being offered by small‐localized players to small and medium sized firms customizing it to the needs and their pockets. Taking this cue, the big ERP players have also started offering complete solutions to the small firms. The paper illustrates this point by using the case example of Prathma, a modern blood bank in India. Prathma has been the first blood bank in India to use ERP to integrate its functions using a customized ERP. This has installed a quality check in its day‐to‐day operations and has significantly lowered costs. The findings of this study indicate that ERP systems promises benefit from increased efficiency to improved quality, productivity, and profitability.

Blind man's bluff: The ethics of quantity surcharges

Empirical evidence, including a recent field study in Northwest Indiana, indicates that supermarkets and other retail merchants frequently incorporate quantity surcharges in their product pricing strategy. Retailers impose surcharges by charging higher unit prices for products packaged in a larger quantity than smaller quantity of the same goods and brand. The purpose of this article is to examine the business ethics of such pricing strategy in light of empirical findings, existing government regulations, factors that motivate quantity surcharges and prevailing consumer perceptions.

Distribution Centre Location Modelling for Differential Sales Tax Structure

The central sales tax (CST) in India results in a differential sales tax structure. This contributes significantly to distribution network decisions that build logistics inefficiencies in firms operating in India. In this paper, we develop a model for determining distribution centres (DCs) locations considering the impact of CST. A non-linear mixed integer-programming problem that is formulated initially is approximated to a mixed integer-programming problem. Using a numeric example, the effect of CST rates and product variety on DC locations is studied and found to be having impact. It is felt that the Indian Government proposal to switch over from the present sales tax regime to value added tax (VAT) regime would significantly contribute to reducing the logistics inefficiencies of Indian firms.

A lot-size model with discrete transportation costs

The classical Harris-Wilson inventory model does not explicitly account for the costs incurred in transporting goods from the supplier to the buyer. Either such costs are assumed to be fixed and considered part of the ordering costs or they are assumed to be variable and are included in the item costs. In many situations, however, it is observed that a fixed cost is incurred for a transport mode, (of a given capacity), such as a truck or wagon. The very nature of this type of transport mode requires hiring of an integer number of trucks or wagons. Therefore the transportation cost function becomes a discrete function. In this paper we develop an inventory model with discrete transportation costs, and present an algorithm for the optimal lot size. Finally an example is given to illustrate the methodology.

The moderator effect of supplier management on the relationship between supplier selection and manufacturing flexibility

Both researchers and practitioners have recognised the salience of effective supplier selection and supplier management strategies on manufacturing flexibility. Although both agree that if the right supplier is selected and managed well, the manufacturer would be able to function more efficiently. However, there is an opposing opinion as to what supplier selection and management strategies that a manufacturer pursues and the situation that accompanies it. For example, would the manufacturer who is interested in achieving product flexibility execute similar supplier selection and management strategies compared to those seeking for launch flexibility or volume flexibility? In order to address this issue, which has remained unresolved until now and a topic of protracted debate, this study investigates the moderation effect of supplier management strategies on the relationship between supplier selection strategies and manufacturing flexibility namely, product flexibility, launch flexibility, and volume flexibility. A total of 120 manufacturers were identified from companies listed in the factory directory published by the Penang (Malaysia) Development Corporation (PDC), and a copy of the research questionnaire mailed to each of them. Out of this number, 92 usable responses were received and analysed. The results reveal that selection of supplier based on technology is important when the manufacturer is emphasising on product and launch flexibilities, but when emphasis is on volume flexibility, quality is more important. Results further show that early supplier involvement and technology roadmap are moderators of launch flexibility. In sum, the key observation from this study is that different types of manufacturing flexibility require different supplier selection and supplier management strategies. The outcome of this research adds a new insight to the current supplier selection and management-manufacturing efficiency debate, as well as provides practitioners with vital information for managing inbound activities. Details of the findings and the implications are discussed.

Package downsizing: is it ethical?

Package downsizing is a practice where the package content is reduced without changing the package or the price of the product. In a market that is defined by ‘hyper-competition,’ package downsizing is often practiced by marketers to effect an invisible price increase for their products. Although marketers may maintain that providing, the legally required, quantity indication on the package is adequate for customers to make logical and informed choices, research indicates that consumers often do not consult quantity indications on packages but use alternative methods (e.g., visual impressions of the package size, total package price, or previous purchase experience) to judge product quantity and to calculate product value. As a subtle means, package downsizing therefore has the potential to mislead customers in the buying process due to an unfavorable balance of information within the dyad. This could give rise to serious moral and ethical consideration. In this paper, we examined various issues related to package downsizing, such as why sellers resort to this type of practice, consumer vulnerability to package downsizing, as well as the extent of protection offered to consumers by the existing laws and regulations with respect to product packaging. Finally, we examined the ethics of package downsizing using the existing legal, moral, and professional ethical standards as well as the principle of equivalence. Our analysis indicates that package downsizing, as it is practiced by the marketers and sellers today, is unethical as far as the consumers are concerned.

Optimal hedging under output price uncertainty

Abstract This paper provides a theoretical and empirical analysis of optimal hedging under output price uncertainty. The theoretical analysis is facilitated by exploiting the duality between production and cost while the empirical implementation uses the envelope theorem and the indirect expected utility function. Empirically estimable equations are derived by approximating the indirect expected utility function by a Taylor series approximation. The model is tested by using live cattle data as output while using prices of corn, soybeans, and the feeder cattle as inputs. The results support the theoretical predictions and the evidence shows that live cattle farmers exhibit decreasing absolute risk aversion.

Is price‐quantity discount dead in a just‐in‐time environment?

Companies have traditionally relied on taking advantage of price‐quantity discount (PQD) on large purchases. With the adoption of just‐in‐time (JIT) philosophy companies are encouraged to purchase materials in small lots to synchronize production with deliveries. This raised a question whether PQD is applicable in a JIT purchasing environment. Argues that though seemingly inconsistent, JIT and PQD can coexist. Develops an integrated JIT‐PQD model to allow a buyer to decide how much to purchase and how many shipments be placed per order.

Role of human resource management in developing ethnic and diverse enterprises

Under the concept of ethnicity, an organisation works and functions as a people or nation. An ethnic organisation is synergistic and self-defining with a high-emotional intensity among its members. It attempts to be neutral towards the traditional cultures of its members. The modern, complex organisation has to be sensitive to ethnicity and diversity in the environment in which it operates. It needs to develop a unique enterprise culture that is shared by all members, whatever their individual profiles may be. The role that management needs to play in development of such a diverse and ethnic-sensitive enterprise is threefold: (a) develop policies, which encourage shared values and visions, (b) develop management systems such as selection and recruitment procedure, training and development policies, reward and promotion, transfer, welfare etc., which are in line with the organizational ethnicity and diversity, and (c) develop such processes, which will help reinforce organisational ethnicity and diversity. This paper examines how socio-cultural ethnicity and diversity affect the development of policies, systems and processes in Indian organisations. There are many factors to determine the organisational ethnicity, the most important being the HR practices followed in the organisation. The paper focuses on the role of the human resource management practices in building an enterprise, which is sensitive to ethnic and diversity issues, and starts a process of building its own ethnicity.