Vol. 2(3) March 2009
The relationship between Service Quality Dimensions
and Customer Satisfaction in E-Tailing Environment: An Empirical Study on Online
Travel and E-mart Retail
Kamble Sachin S.*, Sawhney Shweta and Bansal Ritika
This paper aims to identify online service quality dimensions
that facilitate the customer satisfaction for the e-travel and e-mart online retail.
Further, it evaluates how well these dimensions are being perceived by the customers
so as to provide an objective measure of service performance. Two phase study was
undertaken. The first phase included literature review and expert opinions to identify
the service quality dimensions whereas the second phase involved collecting data
from students on the identified dimensions and their overall satisfaction on the
services. Ten e-service quality dimensions were identified and the extent to which
current online retailers provided online service attributes were analyzed to be
low or moderate on most of the dimensions for both the e-travel and e-mart service
providers. The model tested for the relationship between the service quality dimensions
and customer satisfaction was also found to be correlated at a low level.
Full Text
Issues in Adoption, Diffusion and Application of Broadband
in Developing Countries
Pandey Neeraj L.M. Thapar
The usage of high speed broadband has increased multi-fold
in the last few years, however, the usage and advantages of broadband have not been
realised equally across the globe. The developing countries due to their unique
socio-economic structure are yet to fully reap advantages of high speed broadband,
which is going to revolutionise the way we learn, impart, discuss and process any
information in our day-to-day life. The intensity and quality of life is going to
be enhanced greatly in the developing countries if the challenges posed in diffusion
and adoption of broadband is addressed properly. The low broadband penetration rates
in developing countries require demand and supply side management, keeping in mind
the easy accessibility and competitive pricing, as the twin underlying objectives
in this endeavour.
Full Text
E-Retailing: An Introspection of Challenges of the
Mouse
Pandey Chandra Akhilesh
The most critical issue in online retailing in India
relates to the payment and the various security issues involved in it. Although,
it makes the customer feel convenient in knowing whether the product is available
or not at the time of purchase but it requires an effective arrangement of delivery
of offer by the retailer. This paper deals with the challenges in the e-retailing
industry in India and how innovators are constantly coming up with novel ideas to
keep the customer interested. There are few entry barriers, but if not backed by
a proper supply chain, the exit becomes inevitable. It also contrasts the brick
and mortar retailing with the 'click and mortar' retailing. It arrives at a set
of questions which every retailer must answer before venturing into the e-retailing
space.This paper is an attempt to study the critical success factors which are prerequisite
for the potential growth of e-retailing in India. This paper discusses about the
present scenario of e-retailing in Indian market, then future of e-retailing in
Indian rural market, comparison of e-retailing with respect to on store retailing
which shows the impact of e-retailing on traditional but converting into modern
market of India, various hurdles and then strategic concerns for the growth of e-retailing
Full Text
Effective Training Methodology to assess Individuals’
Work Initiatives
Jayashree V. 1* and Sheela Rani S. 2 1.
Training is a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge,
skill and behavior through learning, to acquire effective performance in an activity
or range of activities. The importance of training is felt when there is a gap between
the present performance and the desired performance. The success of any training
program depends on the degree of acceptance and internalization of the training
concepts by the individuals. To achieve that, an effective training methodology
that understands the motivations and work initiatives of the individual should to
be devised in order to effect a change from the core within. This paper aims to
analyze the importance of understanding the work initiatives of the individual and
then introduce the training methods. The significance of using the Needs Assessment
Model by I.L. Goldstein in understanding the needs and motivations of the individual
is explained in length. This is followed by explaining how the individuals differ
in their learning style. Learning style refers to an individual’s habitual and preferred
way of perceiving, organizing and retaining knowledge. It explains individual differences
for stimuli recognition and processing. This will help in devising training methodologies
suited to the individual motivations and learning style.
Full Text
The Development of a Model to evaluate Online Trust
Hossein Miladian* and Nagendra Babu K.
Trust issue is developing into an important topic as
the internet becomes increasingly ubiquitous within everyday life, although many
discussions of online trust focus on salient factors influencing trust. To address
this matter, we develop a conceptual model that links consumer perceptions of web
site characteristics and consumer characteristics to perceptions of trust in a web
site, and links online trust to behavioral intent related to a web site. We estimate
this model in a large-scale empirical study using data from 1231 consumers across
23 web sites from seven web site categories. The results show that there is significant
heterogeneity across web site categories and among consumers with regard to the
influential web site and consumer characteristics driving online trust. Privacy
and order fulfillment are the most influential determinants of trust for web sites
where both information risk and involvement are high, such as travel Web sites.
Navigation is strongest for information-intensive Web sites such as portals and
community sites. Brand strength is critical for categories with high involvement
such as automobile and financial service sites, and advice is the most powerful
determinant to search good categories with high financial risk such as computer
sites.
Full Text
“Brand Shifting” – UTI to AXIS
Raghu kumari P.S
In today’s competitive era of business, “Brand Name”
proves to be one of the biggest assets of a company. UTI along with HDFC, ICICI
and IDBI are excellent banks of India well known for professional and friendly services.
Gaining competitive edge over the other companies is always of premium importance
for the growth and sustainability of any organization. UTI is no exception to this
global trend. It aims at creating new perception and fresh look among its stakeholders
by changing its name to “AXIS”. Shifting brand name requires a lot of effort and
study as it requires worldwide acceptance. The present paper makes an attempt to
study the renaming exercise of UTI from the perception level of customers.
Full Text
Marketing Initiatives by a Branch Manager
Bapat Dhananjay
Mr.Singh joined as a probationary officer in the year
2000 in a Public Sector Bank. He started his career as Assistant Branch Manager
in a branch at Goa. In one of the meeting held at the bank in the year 2003, he
expressed his feelings with his superiors that he did not enjoy working. He claimed
that there is better way of managing a branch. His superior suggested him to take
up a challenge as a branch manager in another branch in Goa region. Mr. Singh accepted
to take charge as a branch manager in Pilar branch which was a rural branch
Full Text
Shopping Habits and Influence of Store Attributes
on Apparel Store Patronage Intention
Sandhya A. S.* and Peeru Mohamed H.
This study explores the shopping habits and the influence
of store attributes on patronage behaviour of apparel shoppers. Factor analysis
of 13 store attributes resulted in three latent dimensions intuitively labeled Customer
Friendliness and Service dimension, Store Image dimension and Convenience dimension.
The multiple regression result showed significant influence of customer friendliness
and service and store image dimensions, but the effect of convenience dimension
was not significant on patronage intention. Association between customer importance
for dimensions of store attributes and their demographic characteristics were observed.
The result shows that for customer friendliness and service dimension, differences
were found across age group, gender, education levels, occupation and family size
of the respondents. For store image dimension ,the differences were found across
age, gender and marital status of the respondents. However for convenience dimension,
difference was found across age, number of earning members in the family, educational
levels, marital status and family size of the respondents
Full Text
An Asset Management Model for Indian Railways Safety
Selwyn Ruby and Thangavel N.
Railway Safety is an organization that coordinates the
activities of the fragmented railway industry in India with respect to safety. This
paper describes the Asset Management model which is one of a suite of tools developed
in recent years to improve the targeting of the industry’s efforts in safety improvement
in an impartial and scientifically supportable manner. The model uses fault tree
analysis and cause/ consequence techniques to predict residual levels of safety
risk, after the industry’s current safety control measures are applied, using observed
safety performance data. The model can also be used to test the effect of proposed
new controls on risk levels. The research is aimed at suggesting an asset management
model for the Indian Railway safety. Asset management approaches may allow Indian
Railways to allocate spending on rail safety to maximum economic effect. Asset management
here means a holistic, systematic and optimal way of managing assets to achieve
desired outcomes in a sustainable way. This research and discussions with rail stakeholders
suggest that such an asset management model does not exist either for any rail system.
Investigating suitable asset management models, the work was unable to find a truly
strategic model either from other sectors or a generic model capable of being applied
to rail. The research suggests that a strategic gap exists.
Full Text