Call for Case Studies

I am planning to publish a collection of case studies on the theme of Technological Development and Workplace Change for IGI Publishing.

If you would like to contribute a case study to this collection, then please let me know as soon as possible – preferably with an abstract or an idea. However, if you do not have anything in particular in mind but would still like to contribute, let me know and I am sure we can work out something together.

The way that people work, whether in an office or a factory or elsewhere, depends on the technology employed to mediate between what they produce (their output) and how it is used as an input by the organisation involved. Information technology means that it is no longer necessary for people to work in the same place that their created intellectual property is employed and, in some cases, discrete manufacturing activities may be outsourced completely. Many other technologies have drawn a distinction between the place where people work and the place where that work is used, contracted and rewarded.

What are the limits and implications of these changes? Through a series of relevant and timely case studies, the principal issues are drawn out and evaluated in terms of:

- changing workplace responsibilities and behaviour

- changing structure of organisations resulting from emergent technologies

- entrepreneurial opportunities that arise from the replacement of hierarchies by networks, in line with the first two areas.

Overall Objective of the Book

The nature of modern work is continually changing and that brings with it the need for adaptations to managerial methods and approaches in a very wide range of industries. To meet this need, this book will provide details of latest applications in organizational technology advancement and workplace change in various sectors, drawing upon the most recent ideas and empirical research. This will provide both theoretical and practical applied approaches to new workplace issues for the benefit of practitioners, educators, students and all interested parties. Good workplace practice can represent an important source of sustainable competitive advantage for organisations, particularly those involved with the creation of intellectual property and members of the knowledge-based economy.

Target Audience

This book will appeal to professionals and researchers working in the field of management, organizational behaviour, technology and knowledge management, as well as employee relations, human resource management and the sociology of work and organizations.

Moreover, the book will provide insights and support executives concerned with the management of expertise, knowledge, information and organizational development in different types of work communities and environments.

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Technology and changing workplace behaviour

Telecommuting and gender

Telecommuting and diversity issues

Outsourcing and employer-employee relations

Computer-mediated work and security issues

Social solidarity in the dispersed workplace

Entrepreneurial opportunities in the dispersed network paradigm

Health and safety issues in the dispersed workplace

Productivity and family issues

Work-life balance

Technological approaches to workplace inefficiencies

Technology and power

I will post accepted abstracts below, since I cannot work out how to add separate sections to this page.

Perseverance and Enthusiasm Form Roads for Success: A Case Study in a Developing Country

Elias Farzali: Business Development Manager in the EFT Directorate, CBS. eliasfurizly@yahoo.com

Abstract

The Commercial Bank of Syria (CBS) is the biggest bank in Syria. Dr Duraid Dergham – the General Manager (GM) – is quite an unusual man. The Head Office (HO) of CBS in Damascus consists of 12 directorates, which have full permission to give final approval for many services at 100 branches spread over 14 provinces. Those branches need direct and permanent contact with HO. The GM must demonstrate a great deal of perseverance and enthusiasm.

Six years ago, the GM faced the challenge of having to monitor and control paper mail to and from the HO. This included tracking the mail, reducing mail loss, reducing the time required to process customer requests, monitor negligence in employee accounting, finding ways to contact customers directly, reducing paper consumption and the cost of telephone calls. This was particularly important in the case of customer loan requests and the large amount of paper that is sent by fax or post or else is involved with distributing circulars. The GM insisted on embracing this challenge and to make the vision real by designing a new, in-house application known as a Mail System, with the following objectives:

1. Control mail tracking
2. Monitor staff actions in dealing with mail and the time required
3. Reduce bureaucracy involved in negligent staff accounting
4. Increase direct contact between decision makers in HO and branches
5. Find cost-effective products
6. Ensure the system is easy to manage in terms of implementation and training, especially bearing in mind the absence of the necessary technical experience of staff and their weakness in terms of digital awareness
7. Control mail flows and build reports on progress

There was great opposition to this project in the initial phase, with some managers concerned about the lack of e-culture in the staff. Some staff complained that the project was nothing more than fiction, while others felt that there was no scope in Syrian law for accepting electronic documents. Additional complaints concerned the lack of PCs in the Court Department. In response, the GM ordered some engineers to prepare a work-flow system RFP. However, the lack of technical experience available meant that this was completed too late and the engineers could do no more than apologize. Subsequently, the GM demanded that technical advisors provide an anticipated cost for obtaining the necessary work-flow for the outsourcing system. Unfortunately, the cost estimated was greater than expected and, therefore, in order to achieve the goals required, it became of critical importance to meet due diligence requirements.

As a result, the GM met with all the technical engineers in the HO and presented them with the object of building the project in-house with a great deal of enthusiasm and creativity. He presented a clear vision for the project and for the design of some database schema and user screens. He allowed the participants to determine the remaining issues from their own creativity and desire. The second meeting was full of opinions and discussion about different applications, while relevant participants were nominated for subsequent development of the project.

In the third meeting, the final project team was selected and the project manager was resolved to be the GM himself. The importance of technical experience was acknowledged and it was used to select the software building application, which was the Content Management System (CMS) Open Source DNN. The GM followed up on all work and related activities and ordered weekly project reports with twice weekly meetings. The concentration on detail and accuracy in working enabled the use of a wide range of options in the flexible software and easy subsequent adjustment.

The project did not take a long time to be transferred into a live environment and the dream swiftly moved into implementation phase. The GM took all measures to ensure success and no major delays were encountered during this phase.

The GM took the roles of project manager, user, analyst, designer and tester simultaneously. When the completed application was first released, it was placed side by side with the old method of dealing with mail in the Court Department. Many tests were conducted with large data sets. The technical staff trained employees in branches and the friendliness and ease of use of the software ensured that training proceeded smoothly. Some restructuring in the Court Department took place and the new mail application became the main application in the Bank.

Today, 100% of staff use e-mail without problems. CBS has also provided this solution to the Ministry of Education without charge and also offers to provide it to any public organization equally free of charge. Additional technical features were also added, such as the ability to conduct research and to communicate via the internet using a VPN secure channel.

Employees can use this software remotely. An experiment was conducted to ensure that employees in HO can complete their work remotely in the event of disasters lasting more than one month. Employees were also distributed into other branches with the same purpose. This experiment was also completed successfully.

What is the next step? Plans are underway to connect the program with the internet, to add analytical software, to link the program with the core banking system, to add Smart Generation tracks for some messages, identify mail tracks that are available, add media support through SMS text messaging and external mail links to inform customers about the progress of their requests, make possible internet-based inquiries and to add digital signatures.

The author can confirm that this application has created a great revolution in the CBS and represents a great success in working processes. It is enough to say that the number of documents exchanged though the mail application amounted in 2009 to 2,360,000.

PTCL in an Era of Technological Change

Kashif Saeed

Abstract

Pakistan is the sixth largest country on earth by population and appeared on the word map in 1947 as a result of independence from British colonial rulers. Since then, major developments have been made and the government has entered into a number of important economic activities both individually and in partnership with other organizations. Industries involved in this include basic sectors such as railways, banking, power supply, transportation and telecommunications. For more than fifty years, these sectors were known for being traditionally managed, centralized and bureaucratic in nature but as Pakistan increasingly became part of the global community through the processes of globalization, the organizations involved felt the need to change the systems that had been put in place. This was particularly true in the case of the telecommunications sector, in which the only player in the industry has had to re-engineer itself to cope with a recent wave of newly entered competition and changing consumer trends. For this to happen, management has had to adopt new technologies which have in turn resulted in layoffs and other such harsh measures. This case outlines the changes in human resource policies that have taken place because of the adoption of technologies in the context of Pakistan’s public sector and the telecommunication giant, PTCL.

Village Farm and Winery

Wilaiporn Lao-Hakosol and John Walsh

Abstract

Wine in Thailand has traditionally been associated with western residents and tourists and considered to be a symbol of elegance and refinement and to be beyond the means of most if not all Thai people. As a result, wine has been distributed primarily through upmarket hotels and retail stores aimed at foreigners. The taxation system has reinforced this notion. However, as globalization has spread through Thai society, the demand for wine has grown and broadened in nature. Simultaneously, the knowledge of how to produce the grapes (and some other fruits) on Thai soil has spread to many parts, aided in part by an ex-patriot influence and, also, by the need in the Thai agricultural sector to diversify to other activities in order to deal with increasing international competition in commodity markets. One particular example of the emergent wine industry is Village Farm and Winery, which is located in the Khao Yai National Park, an important tourist destination in the country. With assistance from French experts, an extensive grape-growing areas has been prepared and the results incorporated into an integrated tourist resort that combines traditional Thai activities (including massage and spa) together with wine-tasting and retail. The product is part of the emerging Thai wine sector, which now sees products distributed nationwide through extensive chains of retail multiples. The initiation and development of this activity has caused considerable changes in the work practices of agricultural and tourism workers in the farm and the resort and has led to the production of various externalities in the wider local economy. This case study examines these changes in the context of large-scale changes in the agricultural sector of the country as a whole.

Dharma Teaching in a High-Tech Hospital Environment

Petcharat Lovichakorntikul and John Walsh

Abstract

As part of a predominantly Buddhist society, Thai people are familiar with the teaching of Buddhist lessons (i.e. Dharma) which are aimed at providing guidelines for living in society and dealing with social relationships, among other goals. In most cases, the experience of receiving dharma takes place in personal time away from work and the workplace experience was mostly quite removed from the lessons of the monks. However, some organizations have sought to incorporate dharma teaching into their human resources practices. This is true of certain leading hospitals in central Thailand, where hospital management hopes to inculcate the kind of loving, mindful compassion in its nursing and medical staff that is associated with Buddhist practice. Reports from human resource management suggest that the introduction of such programmes of study and meditation have been well-received and have contributed to the high level of retention of the staff involved. The use of dharma and related issues is employed in the areas both of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and human resource development, with the former aimed at external stakeholders and the latter mostly at internal stakeholders. This case study examines a leading hospital in Thailand with a view to identifying how the Dharma lessons and related activities have had an impact upon workplace behaviour, productivity and the degree of commitment that workers feel for their work and their employer.

Thailand’s Industrial Estates and the Floods of 2011

John Walsh

Abstract

In October and November of 2011, Thailand suffered its worst floods for more than half a century. More than 400 people were killed and unknown thousands lost their homes and belongings. One area to suffer in particular were the numerous industrial estates, which are at the heart of the manufacturing industry that has done so much to enable Thailand to raise from low to medium income status. Industrial estates located in the vicinity of Bangkok and central Thailand were inundated with water in excess of one metre in height. All estates thus affected were closed and the factories closed down for the duration, with hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs, at least temporarily. The permanent loss of those jobs would have represented a significant economic problem for the country and would have had knock-on effects on the supply chains of the global production of numerous manufactured items. Notwithstanding the best efforts of the Thai government and military, it proved impossible to prevent a disaster that had the force of nature and was caused by excessive rainfall and poor water management. This case study examines the efforts that were made to recover from a natural disaster, which had a basis in global climate change, by industrial estate management and individual factory owners, as well as the support provided by government agencies to assist in cleaning up the estates and guaranteeing return to work for those affected. It indicates the cross-agency and cross-sectoral partnerships and relationships that are necessary to cope with environmental change.

Thai Spas and Lanna Cultural Products in the Hotel Tourism Business

Thanan Apivantanaporn and John Walsh

Abstract

The equivalent of the knowledge-based economy in the tourism industry is the experience economy. This concept involves the use of additional value in a tourism setting-offering to differentiate the experience provided from any experience available elsewhere. It offers what appears to be, therefore, the experience of authenticity. A successful experience requires immersion into the created reality while, at the same time, maintaining international levels of service and comfort even when these would contradict the apparent authenticity. A hotel resort calls upon the services of a network of partners in seeking to assemble a full package of experiences for all of the senses, together with means of providing physical traces that shape the memories of those involved in the desired fashion. To some extent, it has been a partnership between public and private sector agencies that has made sense of this concept and made it into a model that can be followed by any hotelier wishing to participate. This effort has focused on the former Thai state of Lanna, based on its ancient capital of Chiang Mai, since this state has a rich and identifiable cultural tradition which may be employed for creating an authentic experience for customers. In this case study, the issues of public-private cooperation are examined in the context of the provision of a specific value-added tourism product aimed at providing a new generation of such products in an increasingly competitive environment and for a location that has suffered from lack of identity and focus.

The Case for Case-Methods: Sialkot Business School at the Crossroads

Muhammad Kashif

Abstract

Business education is going through a transitional phase all around and there is significant debate among academics regarding the usefulness of various teaching methodologies. This case illustrates the challenges while adopting the Case-Method to teach MBA students in the developing country context of Pakistan. Sialkot Business School was launched with the idea of preparing managers for the industries located in the city of Sialkot, especially in terms of decision-making skills. Most of the faculty members were actively involved in providing consultancy services to corporate clients. Despite excellent facilities, world class curriculum, dedicated employees, and visionary leadership, students became confused and were demotivated from developing themselves further. This also affected faculty motivation and, due to rising pressure from management and variability in policy implementation, employee turnover increased. There are now debates amongst the Board of Directors of the Business School as to whether to retain the case-method or shift to traditional methods of classroom teaching. Thematically, the case relates to the interaction between real life application of skills and competencies and how these are practiced and prepared for beforehand. What form of technology is best suited for training in this context?

The Growth of LIC Pension Funds, Ltd.

Dr. Bala Krishnamoorthy, NNIMS

Tanesh Bhattacharya, NMIMS

Dhruv Desai, NMIMS

S.C. Sahoo DGM,LIC –PFL

Abstract

“You Save, We Secure Your Peaceful Retirement,” LIC Pension Fund Limited, 2010

A pension secures your future while you contribute to the present: “There is a great demand and a felt need for pension funds in India. Look at the burgeoning middle class. Each family has one or two children and when the children move out parents need to take care of themselves only. It is always better to save for one’s old age rather than being dependent on somebody else. The retirement years are like a second innings and it should be trouble and tension free,” according to Manickam, Chief Executive Officer, LIC-PFL (Pension Fund limited).

With economic reforms beginning in the early 90s, the Government of India was keen to introduce saving habits among people and encouraged saving through pension fund schemes, tax incentives to reduce the dependency on the state and sharing the responsibility between employer and the employee to provide for the retirement years. Over the last two decades (1990 -2010), many eminent economists have debated social security and pension reforms, which have taken centre stage as critically important policy issues both in developed and emerging countries. Policymakers and researchers have been searching for an appropriate mechanism to tackle the problems arising from increased longevity and the unfunded Defined Benefit Pension System, which is unsustainable in the long term. With the Success of the Chilean Pension scheme, parallels were drawn for the introduction of a funded and defined contribution pension system which might solve existing problems in India. In a DB or Defined Benefit Pension scheme, the pension amount to the outgoing employee is dependent on the last salary drawn averaged over ten months. The liability would be ever-increasing as years of service accumulate and this amount is funded the employer’s or government’s resources. In a DC or a Defined Contribution scheme, only the contribution or the accumulation is defined (normally a certain percentage of the employee’s current salary is contributed, which is accumulated and earns a certain percentage of yearly returns); based on cumulative total, the pension is then derived at the time of superannuation.

Currently, India has a large, young population with an average age of 26 and it is anticipated that the population profile will age over the next 25-30 years, so that supplying pension products will become a major economic activity. The population of elderly people is anticipated to increase more quickly than the population overall and the rate of pension coverage is currently very low and the existing system of pensions is not viable for central and state governments. It is necessary, therefore, to move to a new system which will provide wider coverage, reduce the government’s burden and provide better returns.

Manikam, CEO of LIC Pension Funds, reviewed the progress of the business unit. Looking at the past performance/trend during the last four years,( 2007- 2011), he had the following issues to review and cast out a plan for the future:

1. Considering options that would not only strengthen its operation but would enable the firm to emerge from the shadow of its parent and become a successful standalone entity.
2. Determining whether the LIC pension fund is heading for lowered growth with dependence on the NPS Trust rather than its own core strength.
3. Will the firm be more than just a marginal player in the market and how should it become better organized?

This case study follows the progress of LIC Pension Funds in the context of the changing Indian environment and the differences that changing pension expectations will have on the way that people work, save and plan for the future. Implications are drawn from the different workplace behaviour patterns that may be expected to emerge.

Reference

LIC Pension Fund Annual Report 2010. Source: www.licpensionfund.in.

Turning Customers Complaints into Compliments: A Case Study of Indian Railways

by Dr. Harjit Singh (Faculty Member, School of Business, Galgotias University, Greater Noida, India) and Manoj Kumar Pachariya (Faculty, School of Computer & Information Sciences, Galgotias University, Greater Noida, India).

Abstract

An organization may have hundreds of branches, thousands of employees and millions of customers but from a customer’s point of view, you are just one organizaton. They perceive your organization as a complete network, funnelled directly through you, dedicated to meeting their requirements, listening to them and not as competing sections preoccupied with their own personal issues, rules and politics. In short, in the business world, it is expected that if you are in competition, you cannot say ‘No’ or ‘sorry it’s not my fault’, or “I’m helpless, I’m not getting support from my colleagues” or ‘Sorry, today our network is not working’ to your customers. The customer is little bothered about what is happening in the organisation and wants the service which is being paid for. In other words, you cannot assign blame to another employee or department. This case study is about Indian Railways (IR) which, before going online, used to have same reaction. The system was overwhelmed with manpower and human resource development had not kept pace with the latest technological inventions.

Consequently, IR found itself in a critical situation. There was a lack of modern management as Indian railway failed to attract high quality human resources and to provide appropriate incentives. This made railways incompetent when coping with increasing number of passengers and reservations. Consumer complaints were on the rise. The number of complaints/cases for refund of tariffs and loss for ‘delay’ were increasing at unprecedented rates. The railway booking system was totally in the hands of private agents. Further, railway employees’ negative attitudes, the sheer volume of passengers and the accompanying chaos at the booking centres made the prospect of booking railway tickets an unlikeable thought. The position became more worsened with the entry of low cost airlines which were offering slightly higher or even the same fares than railways for most commercial destinations. Consequently, IR was not only confronted on the passenger front but also saw a steep downfall in the transport sector too. The case begins with the growth of IR and studies the operations of a large Indian organisation that played a vital role in the social, political and economic development of the country. The case highlights the disparity between the organization’s social and economic objectives and the strategies adopted to attain them. What circumstances forced Indian railways to introduce ‘Online Passenger Reservation System’ and its progress in recent years to become one of the most passenger-friendly railway systems in the world. The case emphasizes IR’s efforts to develop consumer perception as the most reliable travel system.

Key Words: Indian Railways, Consumer Complaints, Online reservation.

Limiting Product Innovation to Low-Budget Customers: Firm-level Bricolage, Swastik Surgical Industries, Bhiwani, Haryana

Dr. V. L. Narasimham, Assistant Professor (Selection Grade), University of Petroleum & Energy Studies

Abstract

Bricolage, a term adapted from structural anthropology has been applied in this study to navigate path-making business processes of Swastik Surgical Industries (SSI), Bhiwani, western Haryana state, India. SSI, a small scale enterprise for more than 20 years of existence, employs approximately 10 members of workforce in the manufacture and fabrication of medical operating tables and operating lighting equipments. The equipment, in different models and specifications, largely serves as one time capital assets for medical professionals and to the upcoming medical facilities. SSI brings in model variations using raw metal (steel/nickel/cast-iron) gauge differences and with additional features like, manual/automation modes to the operating tables, and through combination in the illumination (lux) to the operational lighting equipment that aptly suit the financial limitations of the medical facilities. The business success of SSI over the years of its existence may largely be attributed to customers who have fitting needs with negligible sophistication with the operating tables and lighting equipments, and for their minimal inclination for electronic accessories. However, the strength of SSI also lies with its operational process that largely get accustomed to the deficiencies with trained workforce, and at times, malingering attitudes of skilled workforce.

The Impact of Technology on Entrepreneurs in the Auto Components Sector

Mukund Deshpande, Professor & Research Scholar at HNIMRW, Pune- India and Dr. Neeta Baporikar, Doctoral Guide, University of Pune, India

Abstract

Organizational excellence has at all times aroused curiosity and been a favourite area of dialogue for entrepreneurs. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been recognized world over as important drivers of the national economy. Nevertheless, running such an enterprise amidst global challenges can require extraordinary skills at both managerial and entrepreneurial levels, if the enterprise is to survive and grow. Whilst technology endeavours to introduce useful techniques based on functional logic for proactively conducting business, excellence is only attainable in the course of innovative practices. Good business policy-making requires effective entrepreneurship and proper engagement with all key stakeholders throughout the process. Enterprise leaders believe that the ability to innovate and change is crucial to the success of business. Given this situation, a built-in innovative mechanism has become a critical ingredient of the current business model.

The business approach of SMEs in particular has been a key area of research as these firms, generally lacking human, financial and other tangible and scarce resources, need to be configured accurately to match the new business surroundings. Consequently, a major challenge has been the articulation of resources so as to enable them to achieve success for the enterprise overall. The globe itself seems to be shrinking as a result of information exchange through the internet. For that reason, organization of resources has regularly posed a challenge for SMEs to manufacture products with competitive prices, timely delivery and appropriate quality. The traditional business approaches fail to gratify the general needs of business, owing to the complex environment and, as a result, businesspeople are always alert for approaches. The overall objective of good business strategy is to ensure that it is fit for the purpose, resource efficient, sustainable, resilient, adaptable and attractive.

This case study explores and elaborates such approaches in the Pune Auto-Component industry in India as an illustration of excellence that is setting new trends in modernizing the industry. The auto components industry is a major sub-sector of the automobile manufacturing sector. In effect, it is a large feeder industry that has put India on the global map for excellence and innovation and it has been categorized in the SME class by the Indian Government. Whilst the auto-component industry has been exponentially growing in India at three different locations, the Pune region has been particularly vibrant due to the support from the Automotive Research Institute and the IT industry, coupled with the availability of technological talent. To take advantage of this market opportunity, prospective entrepreneurs must remain inquisitive about new initiatives in this area.

The mainstream auto-component industries are mostly run by family-owned enterprises at Pune, with interest in diverse product ranges that operate around the world. Industry specific challenges ensue due to global competition and continually changing customer demands. They pose further challenges concerning the dearth of in-house resources, as well as the recurrent fresh demands posed by intensification of information exchanges. The case focuses on implementing the “Strategy for the SME” approach that is, in effect, accountable and well judged for the start up, survival and growth of such enterprises. The research methodology designed for the study consists of in-depth study of diverse sources describing the success of the business. A diverse range of entrepreneurs was approached for interviewing and a questionnaire utilising five-point Likert scale questions used to collect data. Emphasis was placed on issues of Face, Construct and Criteria validity. Data collected, based on personal interviews with owners, managers and supervisors of SMEs, were collated into a database. Seven such SMEs agreed to share confidential information and they represent the primary sources of data. In-depth analysis of the data, employing a deductive approach, was undertaken to identify and understand the effective instruments used by SMEs in their businesses. The statistical analysis, in terms of consistency of the approaches, has uncovered very constructive, reliable and sustainable approaches and techniques employed in these industries. The purpose of this research study was to reveal the tools, techniques and behaviour of the Pune businesspeople, at their workplaces, as they addressed the multiplicity of challenges they faced.

The study has revealed that Pune entrepreneurs require an analytical mind and belief to enter the business successfully, which should be undertaken after thorough investigation of facts and figures as well as government policies, while also taking account of the need for information technology back-up for continuity of market knowledge, information on innovation in technology and to link with prospective collaborators. Placing emphasis on customers’ requirements is considered an important policy in manufacturing. A strong belief in the importance of technology is evident, as well as the need for world class amenities that facilitate auto-components manufacture with diverse designs resulting in sustainable policy options. This policy effectively leverages manufacturing competence into access into multiple markets.

Their survival strategy has also been determined and it is to to obtain repeat business from existing customers by providing good quality products, with timely delivery and competitive prices. They are also cautious in maintaining a sound cash flow that is coupled with restricnig the number of debtors and creditors to a minimum and ensuring the prompt recovery of receivables. Keeping borrowings to the minimum and making financial collaborations has also been used to gain access to low or zero interest funds for the business. Survival is also accomplished through supply chain management by way of cooperating with partners. Strengthening survival likelihood is achieved through low rejection of products and eliminating waste materials through effective means that are also consistent with government.

The growth policy of firms involves making smart investments in projects through innovation, adding multiple sources of income and controlling spending to generate surpluses for reinvestment to promote enterprise growth and, where appropriate, collaborating with prospective partners. The Pune auto-component industry has been utilizing a trilateral instrument for designing policies for business that includes the phases of conceptualization, formulation and analytical. They further believe that this approach to business is formulated on its utility, flexibility, viability and competitiveness to match the type, size and value of resources of the enterprise for its prolonged subsistence. These firms prepare business plans and intentionally sketch out process flow charts to generate operational Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Sector specific indicators allow an entrepreneur to quickly ascertain whether assumptions are out of line with industry benchmarks.

A further finding of the study is that Pune industries use a bilateral approach to link up the internal and external environments through what are termed ‘core’ and ‘complementary’ approaches. The core approach has emerged to relate the external environment to the internal, whilst the complementary approach represents support for the core approach to the business. Findings further indicate that these are practical instruments and reliably improve operating economics, maintain environmental equilibrium and intensify harmonious social dealings. The modus operandi of growth is to have an innovative model with repeated iteration which has the ability to surmount sometimes dreadful challenges.

Key words: Auto Components, Entrepreneurs, India, Technology

Lockheed Martin – Rich Media Multicast

Roma Chauhan

Institute for Integrated Learning in Management

Knowledge Park II, G. Noida, India.

E-Mail- roma.chauhan@{gmail.com, iilmgsm.ac.in}

The Beginning

The beginning of 2004 was occupied by numerous thoughts for the executive team at Lockheed Martin. The information technology support team was tasked to identify a technological solution that would address its need for timely and consistent communications to its geographically dispersed workforce, which was spread across multiple locations in the US and abroad by the company’s executive team. Robert Stevenson was filled with speculation over the fate of Lockheed Martin and started looking for suitable alternatives for the company. The management faced a dilemma over whether to launch a new solution or identify a vendor that would assist in the successful connectivity of the team across the globe.

Executive management recognized that it was essential to connect with employees in all locations for meetings to exchange information. However, the traditional cost of traveling to remote locations required extra expenditure of cost and time. Real-time collaboration became a necessity to achieve competitive edge. The lack of efficiency necessitated by repeating the same meeting content at multiple locations was disheartening for the management. The need to search for a technological solution was determined by the team and the search began under the guidance of Thomas Aquilone, a multimedia production analyst at Lockheed.

Thomas was struggling for identify a highly scalable solution that would allow the company more easily and cost effectively to deliver critical and time sensitive information to the geographically dispersed workforce. The exhaustive research, testing and brainstorm sessions were performed to identify the required solutions that would satisfy Lockheed management. Richard Banse, head of information technology planning and support at Lockheed, was comprehensively involved in the action plan. Richard was keen to adopt a solution for the rich implementation of technological innovation, based largely on the readiness for change, but he was aware of the fact that changes are not always received positively. He wanted to craft an environment in the company in which change is not only accepted but embraced.

Behavioural Decision-Making in the Context of Sustainable Business Practices: The Case of Jaipur Rugs, India, 2011

Dr. R. K. Tyagi

Head, School of Management, RGGI, Meerut

ABSTRACT

Jaipur Rugs reaches more than 40,000 artisans —approximately 60 percent of who are women— in the most economically disadvantaged regions of India and is a handmade carpet manufacturer. As a part of its commitment to the Business Call to Action in January, 2012 it has announced that it will train some 10,000 people in Northern India in advanced carpet weaving techniques and provide them with access to global markets by 2015. This case focuses on the general concept of sustainability and the dynamics of underlying social and economic factors by outlining CSR practices in Jaipur Rugs and discussing its role in the business model. The issues involved were discussed with the company’s CEO, HR Manager, employees and staff. Telephone and personal interviews, together with company visits, were carried out to understand the business model, production processes and socially responsible practices employed in the company. It was found that Jaipur Rugs is using labour-intensive production processes, which boost employment and support economic growth through increased exports. The business model of the firm leads it to operate in a highly decentralized manufacturing and logistics system which, eventually, dramatically decreases its fixed cost. Medium-sized as well as small-scale productive ventures are human problems no less inimical to society than do large-scale ventures. It is further found that the model can be replicated by other firms willing to make CSR an integral part of a business model rather than just through paying lip service to it. This model is different from that of cooperatives and if replicated in other industries it can bring or add to self-employment.

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Rural Employment.