Article 4: Association Between nature of Industry & Employees perception of Quality of Work life by S.Varadaraj & V.

Partibhan

Taken from: Ushus Journal of Business Management, Christ University,Vol.8,No.1 January-June 2009

Introduction: This article describes the increasing importance seen in the quality of work life in developed and developing nations. Governments have introduced & enacted various laws to protect workers, going beyond the usual job security and growth of employees. The prime motive of a Quality of Work Life program is to improve the work climate, make a favorable work experience and obtain desired outcomes. The nature of work one is involved in has a profound impact on personality, performance level and commitment towards fellow beings in the society. Literature Review: Employees perception of Quality of Work life depends & varies on demographic and organizational variables. Understanding this will enable employers to improve the quality of work life. Rice(1985) emphasizes that work experiences an outcomes can affect persons general quality of life, both directly and indirectly through their effects on family interactions, leisure activities and levels of health & energy. Karrir & Khurana (1996) found significant correlations of Quality of work life of managers from the three sectors of industry viz., Public, Private and cooperative with background variables (educational qualification & income level) and motivational variables (job satisfaction & involvement). Sirota (1973) found that underutilization of workers skills and abilities cause low Quality of work life and suggested job enrichment. Study Area:

1.Textile industry 2. Engineering industry As Combiatore District is highly industrialized with labour intensive units, it was selected as the study area. Methodology: Objectives: 1. To assess the influence of personal and institutional factors on the quality of work life of employees in the industries; 2. To compare the Quality of work life that prevails in Engineering and textile industries 3. To suggest the measures to improve the Quality of work life in the two industries.

Hypothesis of the study: Null Hypothesis: There is no significant association between the opinions on Quality of work life of the respondents classified based on level of skill and nature of industry. Data Collection: Primary Research: A structured, non-disguised interview schedule was prepared for the purpose of collecting the data. This was preceded by a pilot study. Sample Profile: Data for this study was collected from 500 employees each of textile & engineering industries of Combiatore district. A non-probability, proportionate quota sampling was used for the study.

Analysis:

Analysis were made using the statistical package SPSS 11.0. The collected data was converted into numerical score indicating the opinion. For convenience sake, respondents were grouped into two main categories: a. Satisfied respondents b. Dissatisfied respondents Analysis of the significance of association between the opinions on Quality of work life of the respondents classified based on level of skill and the nature of industry was worked out by using Chi Square test. Phi coefficient was also calculated to identify the magnitude of association between the variables. The respondents were categorized into: a. Supervisors b. Skilled c. Semi-Skilled d. Unskilled Based on level of skill, the respondents of both engineering and textile industries were classified and was found that 50% of respondents were satisfied and the remaining were dissatisfied with the Quality of life in their organization. 55 % of semis skilled are satisfied. 55 % of unskilled are dissatisfied. With respect to the supervisors and skilled categories, the percentage of dissatisfaction was higher than the percentage of satisfaction. With respect to supervisors, 70% were dissatisfied from the textile industry whereas 30% belonged to the engineering category. With respect to skilled respondents, it is clear that there is a significant association between the opinion of the respondents of skilled category and the nature of the industry at 1 % level. There is significant association between the opinion of the respondents of the semiskilled category regarding Quality of work life and nature of industry at 1% level. Among satisfied respondents, it is seen that, 73.4% respondents were from the engineering category and the remaining 26.6% from the textile industry.

Again, there is significant association between the opinion of the respondents of unskilled category and the nature of the industry at 1% level. Among the satisfied respondents, 75% belong from engineering and 25% from textile.

SUGGESTIONS: 1. Comprehensive induction training 2. Effective employee counseling 3. Effective training and development 4. Flexible work schedule

Conclusion: It is clear that the hypothesis framed for the study stands rejected. There is significant association between the opinions of quality of work life of work life of the respondents classified based on level of skill and nature of industry. The various findings reveal that in engineering industry more number of employees irrespective of the classifications based on level of skill are satisfied with quality of work life whereas in textile industry more number of employees irrespective of the classification are dissatisfied. This indicated that the quality of work life in engineering industry is, by and large, better than textile industry.

Bibliography:
1. Karrir N & Khurana A (1996). Quality of work life of managers in Indian industry,

Journal of Indian academy of Applied Psychology,Jan-Jul

2. Rice,R.W (1985). Organizational work & the perceived Quality of life towards a

conceptual model, Academy of Management review,April.

Article 1: An empirical study on the Factors Influencing the Buying Behavior of the consumers: LCD Televisions by Sunil Bharadwaj & Indrani Palaparthy

Introduction: The Indian market is flooded by the latest technological advances in television sets such as LCD and plasma high definition TVs. Organizations are facing immense competition in the attracting and retaining customers. Factors like brand name, physical appearance and dimensions, promotional aspects, price & an after sales service are all influencing the mind of the consumer. However, the acceptability and popularity of LCD TV in Indian households is still not catching up as it has been there with traditional national TV sets. This study looks into this phenomenon. Literature Review: a. New Technology oriented Products: Corporate & Consumers Consumer buying process can be summarized as : i. Need/Desire to be recognized ii. Search for information about the products which can fulfill the need iii. Evaluating the set of options available in the market iv. Deciding to purchase a product v. Evaluating their decision after purchase

b. The liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Technology and TV

i. Technology uses two sheets of polarizing material filled with a solution between them known as liquid crystal solution. ii. Advantages include: sharper picture quality, less power consumption, space saving capability & lifetime service without maintenance iii. Disadvantages include: limits the angle of viewing.

c. Parameter Influencing Buying Behavior

i. Price ii. Product iii. Quality iv. Curiosity v. An effort to try an innovation vi. Package vii. Advertisement viii. Brand

ix. Recommendation by other people

Methodology: The data was collected from a group of about 250 customers of leading TV brand in India. A small group of respondents were visited personally. In the end, a total of 103 responses were used for analysis. Research was carried out in the form of questionnaire on the lines of 20 variables. These variables include: brand name, size of TV screen, shape of TV, technology involved,

promotional offer, ads by the company, sales personnel behavior, after sales service, guarantees/warrantees offered, power consumption, aesthetic appeal, comfort in watching, family influence, peer group influence, price, convenience in handling, picture quality, supporting features, accessories and compatibility with other gadgets. Limitations: data collected only from two major Indian cities. Also, it did not take into consideration the influences of gender, age, local culture and peoples tastes. Data Analysis: Exploratory Factor Analysis It was performed to reduce the number of variables & to avoid multi-collinearity. The value of KMO came out to 0.76 which means that a factor analysis would yield reduced number of factors & revealing six important factors. Factor 1: convenience, size, comfort in watching, picture quality, aesthetic appeal and shape. Factor 2: supporting features, compatibility, accessories & power consumption Factor 3: promotional offers, after sales service, advertisements, salesman behavior and warrantees. Factor 4: Family & peer group influence Factor 5: brand Factor 6: price

Discriminant Analysis: It is used to model the different effects of the above factors on the final buying decision of an LCD TV. Buying Decision= -54.8+24.17(factor 1)+57.82(Factor 2)+70.266(Factor 3)+71.22 (Factor 4)26.12(Factor 5)-94.12(factor 6) Conclusion: It is evident that physical features, operational features, promotional features & word of mouth are the main factors which influence buying decision. However, variables such as brand name and price act as deterrents to positive buying decision. It is advisable to offer some price discounts and certain steps to boost the brand image.

Bibliography: 1. Ahuja M,Gupta B and Raman P(2003), An empirical investigation of Online Consumer behavior, Communication of the ACM, Vol.46,No.1, pp145 2. Castellano Joseph A(2006), Modifying Light, American Scientist, Vol.94, no.5,pp 248

Article 2: Parental Perception of the Impact of Television Advertisements on Childrens buying Behavior by Manish Mittal, Anisha Daga, Ginni Chabbra & Jyoti Lilani.

Introduction: Children spend most of their time watching TV. Also, Children have taken a more proactive role in shopping and household consumption. In the US, children under the age of 12 are estimated to influence $130-$670 bn. As children are exposed to several advertisements, they acquire product-related information which translates into increased purchase requests by them. Similarly, in India, the television plays an important role in determining the development of a child. Parents

believe that there is a change in the pattern and behavior of children when they watch television advertisements

Literature Review: Kunket et al reported that television advertisements are effective in influencing children who lack the relevant knowledge, but still want their parents to get them endless array of products. According to Spungin, it also changes childrens eating habits for the worse. Galst & White made an attempt to measure the efficacy of television advertising in shaping the purchase related behavior of children. Buijzen and Valkenburg found that television commercials lead to increase in number of requests for advertised products and also increase in the number of product denials as parents cannot honor all of the requests.

Methodology: Objectives: 1. Whether Children like watching television and the number of hours children spend on television on weekdays and weekends/holidays. 2. Whether children prefer watching television over talking to their friends, playing outdoor games and studying. 3. The role played by children in family purchase decisions. 4. The most influential factor driving childrens purchase decision. 5. Impact of television advertisements on children 6. Category of product advertisement children like watching.

Data Collection: Primary Research: Structured questionnaire. Analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)

Analysis:

1. Parents believe that their children love watching television. About 85% of the parents agreed. They also indicated that children watch 2.48 hours on school days and 3.47 hours on holidays.
2. Parents also perceive that their children prefer watching television over more desirable

physical, social & development activities. 60% of the participating parents agreed that their children prefer watching TV over talking to a friend and that 48% of parents believing TV edges out playing outdoor games.68% of parents believe that children prefer watching TV over studying. 3. 73.3% of the parent respondents agree that their children are consulted and heard for during family purchases which indicate children dominance in family purchase decisions. 4. Parents also agreed on that TV advertisements were the most determining factor that influences childrens behavior. Conclusion: The study provides important insights into parental perception of their children are buying behavior. The study indicates that parents accept that their children take TV as a pleasurable leisure activity which affects their eating, physical & socially desirable activities. However on the positive side, it helps children in the economic socialization process where they learn to make choices.

Bibliography: Buizen M and Valkenburg P(2003), The impact of Television Advertising on Materialism, Journal of Applied Developmental Pshychology, Vol.25, no.4

Article 5: Consumer Attitude towards Environment-Friendly Products: A comparative Analysis by Ubba Savita and Naresh Kumar
Introduction: Today, it has become the responsibility of the business world to compensate for te harm that the companies are causing to the environment. The companies are employing a number of ways to preserve the natural environment. This ethical step helps the companies to become more disciplined about their environmental performance and contribute towards natures conservation.

Fuller (1999) observed that the challenge is to reinvent the ways and means of delivering desired customer benefits and meeting organizational goals while leaving no discernible environmental footprints on the planet. The companies are addressing this issue and playing their part in preserving the nature. Producing environmental friendly products is one of the ways to conserve the environment.

Review of Literature: Scherhorn in 1993 examined the consumers concern about the environment and its impact on business. Sriram and Foreman (93) studied the relative importance of products environmental attributes in a cross-cultural analysis. Daso & Nath (2003) conducted a study in Delhi to examine the environmental impact of fast food industry. McEvoy (1972) & Reizenstein et al (1974) found that males have more favorable attitude and were inclined to pay more for the control of population. On the Contrary, Webster (1975), Van Liere and Dunlap (1981), Roper Organization (1990) highlighted that females have more favorable attitude towards environmental issues than their male counterparts. Leftridge (1978) found that place of residence was negatively correlated with perception of environmental issues. Mohai & Twight (1986) concluded that urban people are least likely to demonstrate environmental concern. Jain & Kaur (2004) undertook a study of attitudinal and behavioral analysis of Indian consumers regarding environmental concern. Review of Literature reveals that the investigators have focused on some demographic and socioeconomic variables which exhibit differences in attitudes and behavior of the consumer towards environmental issues. The results of the studies are contradictory and require further probe.

Methodology: Objectives: 1. To study and compare the attitude of males and females towards environment-friendly products. 2. To study and compare the attitude of urban and rural people towards environmental friendly products. Sample: Taken from Delhi, Chandigarh and rural areas of Haryana and Punjab. The sample consisted of 400 respondents with 100 respondents each from all 4 areas. Around 243 males and 157 females were included in the sample.

Sample Characteristics: The average age of the sample was 31 years with a standard deviation of 11.6 years. Average income was Rs. 16,000 per month with SD of Rs. 12,600 in the study. The average size of the family was 4.86 members per unit with SD of 1.81. Tools Used: 1. Likert 5-point scale. 2. Two-way ANOVA with sources of variation gender and residential status was used.

Hypothesis: H1: Males & females are likely to differ on attitude towards environmental friendly product. H2: Respondents belonging to urban and rural areas are likely to differ on attitude towards environmental friendly product.

Analysis:
1. The results show that males and females have similar attitude towards raw materials of

environmental friendly products. 2. Urban people have more positive attitude towards the raw material of environment friendly product. 3. Urban people take care of the ingredients of the products before using it.
4. Scores of males and females across urban and rural areas are similar.

5. The attitudes of males and females towards packaging is similar 6. Urban people have more favorable attitude towards the packaging of environment friendly products. They prefer products which packaging that do not harm the environment

7. Females have more favorable attitude towards the after-use features of environment friendly products as compared to males. 8. Females pay more attention to the way a product is discarded. 9. People residing in urban areas have more favorable attitude towards the after-use features of environment friendly product as compared to their rural counterparts. 10. Urban people have more favorable attitude towards environment friendly products.

Conclusion: On the basis of the analysis, H1 is rejected whereas H2 is accepted. The study proposes that females have more favorable attitude towards the after-use features of the product. They try to discard the product in a proper manner that reduces the harmful effect on the environment. There is a difference in the attitude of urban and rural people. Urban people have a more favorable attitude towards environment friendly products. The reason may be that that urban people have greater exposure to the happenings around the world. Also, the urban people encounter environment problems much more than their rural counterparts. Bibliography: 1. Antil John H (1984), Socially Responsible Consumer: Profile and Implications for Public Policy, Journal of Macro marketing, Vol.5 no.2 pp 18-39 2. Das R P and Nath Vikas (2003), Environment marketing in Indian fast food Industry: A study, paradigm, Vol.7 no.2,pp 117-125

Article 3: The missing links of Mergers & Acquisition waves

Introduction: The First major Mergers & Acquisition waves which occurred in USA are closed examined in this paper, followed by the reasons underlying the non-existence of a comprehensive theoretical framework explaining why M&A tends to occur in waves. This research paper stresses further into the phenomena and theoretical frame work of merger and acquisition and its occurrence.

Literature Review: M& A also occurs in the form of cycle just like an economic one of booms & slumps. Sudden rise and fall or M&A deal peaks quickly followed by crashes are not uncommon in the M&A activity, resembling much, the stock market volatility. Like in market bubbles, sometimes the M&A activity is so intense that it leads to a so called merger wave.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are: 1. To find out Wave pattern of M&A Activity 2. To find out why M&A occur in waves.

Methodology: Regression analysis is the most commonly used research methodology form in the empirical study of M&A. Regression techniques that have been used such as: event studies, OLS

estimations, or logistic regression analysis, multiple regression and logit regression etc. They are also used to control and examine issues concerned with M&A announcements and return.

There are various types of regressions and regression-based models, which have been used for testing hypotheses in M&A such as: 1. Research on M&A waves and pattern of activity 2. Research on returns from M&A announcements 3. Research on M&A cancellation

Analysis:

Though much is known about the phenomena of the M&A activity cycle, the fact that M&A tend to occur in waves continues to challenge researchers worldwide. Despite USA having the largest M&A waves, they are not exclusively of the American economy, as M&A waves have also been observed over time in many other economies worldwide.

The M&A activity are not casual, as specific factors and driving forces blend M&A movements with particular characteristic. Indeed all M&A waves were driven by different reason, according to the entrepreneurial and economic environment existing at a time =, and they therefore specific characteristic.

Conclusion: Several approaches, in particular the neoclassical, arguing that mergers waves result from shocks to an industrys environment; and the behavioral approach, which argues that M&A waves occur as a result of temporary stock market misevaluation, have resulted in relevant contributions to a broader understanding of M&A activity.

Despite of all the research one by researcher they are not able to come to the consensus that why M&A occurs in wave.