Global Journal of Management Perspectives Vol -1 Issue -1

Editorial Board

Patron : Shri Sultan Singh, Founder GFRD

Editor-in-Chief : Dr. Shamsher Singh, Associate Professor, BCIPS-Dwarka

Editor : Dr. Charu Shri, Associate Professor, ITM University, Gurgaon

Associate Editors• Ms. Tanushree, Assistant Professor, BCIPS-DWARKA, New Delhi• Ms. Amita Panghal, Assistant Professor, GCW-Murthal• Ms. Priyanka Rawal, Assistant Professor, IPER-Bhopal

Editorial Advisory Board• Prof. S. K. Jain, Professor, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi• Prof. Nawal Kishore, Director, School of Management Studies, IGNOU• Dr. Sanjeev Marwah , Director, Era Business School, New Delhi• Dr. Raj Agrawal, Director, Centre for Management Education, All India Management Education (AIMA), New Delhi• Dr. P K Sharma, Director, School of Commerce & Management, VMOU, Kota• Mr. Vaibhav Shri, Bechtel India Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon• Dr. Rajiv Kumra, Associate Professor, IIM, Lucknow• Captain V P Singh, Head-Corporate HR, Jamna Auto Industries Ltd, New Delhi• Dr. Srinivas Shirur, Director, Galgotia Institute of Management and Technology, Greater Noida• Dr. Anurag Agnihotri, Associate Prof College of Vocational Studies, Delhi University.• Dr. Davinder Sharma, Associate Professor, BCIPS-Dwarka, New Delhi• Dr. Aarti Loomba, Assistant Professor, BCIPS-Dwarka, New Delhi• Dr. Anil Malik, Associate Professor, MMC, Ghaziabad (U.P.)• Dr. Ashutosh Dixit, Associate Professor, Nance College of Business, Cleveland State University, USA• Dr. Shukrie Rama, European Center for Peace and Development, Pristina, Kosovo

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Global Journal of Management PerspectivesVol. 1, No. 1, Jan - June 2014

EDITOR’S DESK

Global Journal of Management Perspectives is a bi -annual, double blind peer reviewed, refereedjournal published by Global Foundation of Research and Development Management, New Delhi,India. It seeks to provide a platform to research scholars, practicing managers, and academicians inbusiness management, commerce, economics, and allied fields, to present their research findingsand share their views and experiences.

The journal focuses on issues related to the development and implementation of new methodologiesand technologies, which improve the operational objectives of an organization. It provides a forumfor researchers and practitioners to publish their innovative scholarly research, which contributes tothe adoption of a new holistic managerial approach that ensures a technologically, economically,socially and ecologically acceptable deployment of new technologies in the modern business practices.

The journal aims at disseminating new knowledge and provides a forum for deliberations and exchangeof knowledge among academics, industries and researchers. The Journal encourages submissionof theoretical and empirical papers, case studies, research notes, executive experience sharing andreview articles in the different domains of management, Information Technology and relateddisciplines. Book reviews and commentaries on recent business updates are also considered forpublication. All work submitted to the journal goes through a double blind reviewing process as perthe standard procedures of well-known refereed journals. Empirical research work on current analysisis published on priority.

The Research areas which the journal emphasizes on include General Management, Human ResourceManagement, Strategic Management, Psychology, Advertising, Marketing Communication Issues,Consumer Behavior, Leadership Management, Organizational Development, Training andDevelopment, Performance Management, Organizational Politics, Risk Management, FinancialManagement, Information Technology, International Marketing, Business Research Methodologies,Consumer and Personal Selling, Consumer Buying Behavior, Selling and Marketing Areas, PublicManagement Areas, Health Management, Services Marketing, Services Management, Economics,Economic Development, Strategic Issues, Marketing and Information Management, EnterpriseResource Management, Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Global Business Processes, Online Marketing,Conceptual and Theoretical Papers in Business, Logistics / Supply Chain Management, MarketingManagement, E-Commerce, Engineering Management, Emerging issues in Finance, InternationalTrade, Social Marketing, Banking, Public Policy, Public Administration, Public Finance, Social Policy,Pricing, Distribution Channels, Contemporary Economics, Insurance and Compensation Management.

Dr. Charu ShriEditorEmail : [email protected]

: [email protected]

CONTENTSGreen Personality : An Attitudinal Analysis of Consumers ............................................................................ 4Ankita Popli, Shreya Muralidhar, Naresh Popli

Understanding and Analysing the Training Requirements ofMiddle Level Executives of Public Sector Organizations ............................................................................. 19Irameet Kaur, Saumya Singhal, P. K. Mehta

Human Resource Practices in Shopping Malls : A Current Scenario ......................................................... 33P. K. Sharma, Naveen J Sirohi, Kumkum Chaudhary

Cloud Computing : An Adaptable Technology for Educational Institutes.................................................. 42R. P. Bajpai, Ved Pal Singh

Ambush Marketing - Ethical or Non Ethical .................................................................................................... 49Taru Baswan, Pooja Yadav

Book Review : Sales and Distribution Management -Text and Cases with SAP applications : An Indian Perspective .................................................................. 60Reviewer : Priyanka Rawal

Global Journal of Management PerspectivesVol. 1, No. 1, Jan - June 2014

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Green Personality :An Attitudinal Analysis of Consumers

Ankita PopliResearch Scholar,ITM University, Gurgaon

Shreya MuralidharStudent, LBSIM, New Delhi

Naresh PopliSenior Lecturer, IHM, New Delhi

AbstractEnvironmentalism has fast emerged the world over as an important phenomenon during the lastdecade or so owing to increasing environmental problems such as acid rain, greenhouse effect, landdegradation and ozone layer depletion. Initially, most of the ecological pressures came from thenongovernmental organizations, local environmentalists and governmental agencies. But of lateconsumers have also become concerned with environmental problems and started demanding eco-friendly products, especially in developed countries. Witnessing an increase in demand for greenproducts, many business firms have turned green and started practicing green marketing strategies.In recent years, environmentalism has caught up in India too. Due to pressures from environmentalistlobbies, the government has enacted a number of legislations to combat the pollution menace andpreserve natural resources. The present research paper assesses the Green Personality of consumersin the Delhi/NCR Region. It focuses on identifying the factors that affect the green consciousness ofa consumer. It tries to assess if age and gender play a crucial role in determining the green personalityof an individual. Also, it tries to identify if higher awareness leads to environmentally pro-activebehavior.

Keywords: Environmentalism, Green products, Green personality, Green consciousness

IntroductionSeverity of environmental deteriorat ion(Meadows et al., 1972) is necessitatingtechnological changes but also changes inattitude and behavior of consumers (Weigel etal., 1978). Consumers’ growing concern for theenvironment and environment related issuesare driving businesses across the globe to offera wide range of eco-friendly products choicesacross a wide variety of product categories:from fashion, cars to gadgets. Businesses thatoffer products which are designed andmanufactured with an marketing mix have a

strategic competitive advantage. Environmentalor ecological issues are of importance toconsumers who are environmentally consciouswhen making a purchase. Hence, a betterunderstanding of consumer preferences in thisinstance should allow businesses to acquiremore market-applicable approach to sustain inthe competitive market.

One type of environmental ly consciousbehavior is environmental consumerism (greenbuying) purchasing and consuming productsthat are benign towards the environment. Some

Article

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examples of these products are householditems manufactured with postconsumer plasticsor paper, recyclable or reusable packaging,energy-efficient light bulbs, and detergentscontaining ingredients that are biodegradable,non-polluting, and free of synthetic dyes orperfumes. These types of ecologically safeproducts are just a few of the many currentlyavailable items that can facilitate the long-termgoal of protecting and preserving our naturalhabitat.

Previous research conducted internationallysuggests that the eco-friendly category ofconsumers is continuing to evolve and thatconsumers tend to vary in terms of theiracceptance of eco-friendly products andlifestyle (Jungermann & Jungermann, 2010).Buying eco-friendly products have become allthe rage among consumers with pro-environmental concerns. Increasing pro-environmental concerns and awareness of eco-friendly products among consumers haveresulted in their green buying behavior. Recentincrease in the number of individuals who arewilling to pay more for the eco-friendly suggeststhat the market for eco-friendly products is everexpanding (Laroche et al., 2001). Marketingexperts often meet the contradiction that whileconsumers are increasingly demandingenvironmental protection, their behavior doesnot really reflect this attitude. They are notaware of the environmental impact of theiractivities, they are not knowledgeable of greenalternatives (and even i f they areknowledgeable, they do not consider thesegreen alternatives available and feasible); andthey frequently think that action should be taken

not by them but by other institutional actors,mainly the state and companies.

The present research paper assesses theGreen Personality of consumers in the Delhi/NCR Region. It focuses on identifying thefactors that affect the green consciousness ofa consumer. It tries to assess if age and genderplay a crucial role in determining the greenpersonality of an individual. Also, it tries toidenti fy i f higher awareness leads toenvironmentally pro-active behavior.

Literature ReviewEnvironmental attitudes are conceptualized interms of attitude theory as being composed ofbeliefs and affect toward an object (Thomas A.Heberlein. Madison, Wisconsin). Theenvironment as an object is difficult to defineand this has implications for the study ofgeneral environmental attitudes. Attitudes arebased on values, have horizontal and verticalstructure and tend from general to specific.Environmental concern appears to be a specificbelief which is largely embedded in cognitivestructure and should be considered an opinionrather than an att i tude. Research onenvironmental attitudes has largely beentheoretical and noncumulative. While it ispossible to measure these attitudes, little isknown about the basic beliefs, affect or theorganization of these components. A briefreview of the literature on environmentalconsciousness is sufficient to confirm thewidespread academic and political interest inthe issue of environmental concern (orenvironmental consciousness). Given thisenormous interest, the ambiguity inherent in

Ankita Popli, Shreya Muralidhar, Naresh Popli


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measuring this phenomenon is paradoxical(Ungar 1994). Particularly surprising are thedifficulties that empirical studies encounterwhen attempting to approach this question froma global perspective that integrates the diversepsychological constructs (or dimensions)associated to the notion of environmentalconsciousness in both a theoretical andanalytical manner. Based on this definition

General beliefs/values Personal attitudes Pro-environmental behaviour(Affective dimension) (Dispositional dimension) (Active dimension)

Information/Knowledge(Cognitive dimension)

Figure 2.1: Dimensions of environmental consciousness

Manuel Jiménez Sánchez & Regina Lafuenteproposed an operationalization that permitssummary measures of this phenomenon to bedeveloped in different social contexts. Theproposed operationalization is empiricallybased on the results of the Ecobarómetro deAndalucía (EBA 2004); a survey onenvironment-related attitudes and behavioursamong Andalusians.

Affective DimensionThe longest-standing and most widely-disseminated l ine of research onenvironmentalism (or environmental concern)is that proposed by Dunlap and van Liere(Dunlap et al. 2000; van Liere and Dunlap 1981;Dunlap and van Liere 1978). According to thisapproach, environmentalism is a question ofvalues or general (primitive) beliefs on therelationship between human beings and theenvironment. Environmental consciousness isaddressed in terms of the level of endorsementfor the so-called new environmental (orecological) paradigm (NEP). This paradigmassociates environmentalism to a general eco-centric worldview that emphasizes humanity’sneed to establish a balance with nature, theexistence of limits to growth for human societiesand question humanity’s right to rule over the

rest of nature. Dunlap and van Liere (1978)developed a 12-item scale (and a revisedversion with six items) to measure these threefacets of the new paradigm or worldview. Intheir empirical studies, these authors providedevidence for the high internal consistencybetween the different items and their validityfor discriminating between environmentalistsand the general public.

Cognitive and Dispositional DimensionSocial psychologists have incorporated theaffective dimension (chiefly focusing on theseprimitive beliefs or worldviews) in explanatorymodels of pro-environmental behaviour. It iswidely held in the field of social psychology thatthese primitives beliefs have an influence on amore specific, wider set of attitudes towardsenvironmental issues and a larger (direct)

Green Personality : An Attitudinal Analysis of Consumers


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impact on pro-environmental behaviour (Dunlapet al. 2000). In line with these studies, weconsider that a pro-environmental worldview(as reflected in the affective dimension) is adefining component of environmentalconsciousness, albeit not the only one. And aswe will see, it is not always the most importantcomponent of the psychological factorsassociated to pro-environmental behaviour.Following Berenguer (2000), we acknowledgethat a strong point of the analyses of theseprimitive beliefs or general values is theimportance they assign to them in the formationof pro-environmental attitudes (and behaviours)within value (beliefs) - attitude (personal) -behaviour hierarchical models. At the sametime, we believe that the relationship betweenthe affect ive dimension and the act ivedimension (that is, pro-environmentalbehaviour) is mediated by a series ofintermediate attitudinal constructs.

Active DimensionAs Stern (2000) has argued, empirical evidenceclearly indicates the existence of different typesof pro-environmental behaviours which areinf luenced by different combinations ofexplanatory factors. In our operationalizationof the behavioural dimension of thisphenomenon, we distinguish between threetypes of behaviours, or, as we have said, threefacets: environmental activism (which includescollective behaviours such as belonging to anenvironmental group, environmental protests,collaborating as environmental volunteers, etc.)and individual behaviours which, as severalauthors have suggested, should bedifferentiated into low-cost behaviours (such asrecycling) and others which involve higher costs

(“green” consumerism, reducing car use, etc.).According to this perspective, and in line withour definition, environmental consciousness ischaracterized by the extent to which a personengages in pro-environmental behaviours ofdiverse kinds, particularly those which are morecostly.

A key research question is whetherenvironmental attitudes predict actual behaviorin relevant situations. If an attitude is “anenduring set of beliefs about an object thatpredispose people to behave in particular waystoward the object” (Weigel, 1983, p. 257), onemay expect people with a pro-environmentattitude to act in ways consistent with thatattitude (e.g., to recycle household waste or tosupport environmental initiatives). Thoughsome studies have found a positive relationshipbetween environmental concern andecologically responsible behaviour such asrecycling (Arbuthnot & Lingg, 1975; Kellgren &Wood, 1986; Simmons & Widmar, 1990), alarge body of research has reported weakrelationships between attitudes and behaviour(cf. Wicker, 1969). For example, severalstudies have found no relationship betweengeneral ecological concern and recycling (e.g.,Oskamp et al. , 1991; Vining & Ebreo,1990). Why do some studies show suchinconsistencies in att i tude-behaviourrelationships?

Research has suggested several plausibleexplanations:(a) Low correlations among environmental

behaviours,(b) Different levels of specif icity in the

measures of attitude and behaviour,



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(c) Effects of extraneous variables, and(d) Lack of measurement reliability and

validity. In a meta-analysis of environmental studies,Hines, Hungerford, and Tomera (1986-1987)they found stronger correlations betweenattitudes toward a specific environmentalbehavior and the frequency of that behaviorthan between general environmental concernand related environmental behavior.

Since behaviour is a function of both personaland situational characteristics, Weigel (1983)suggested that attitude-behaviour studies maybenefit from the examination of other factorsthat can inf luence behaviour: personalcharacteristics (knowledge, motivation, orattitudes) and situational characteristics (socialnorms, other attractive choices, or economicconstraints). In some circumstances, any ofthese factors can influence behaviour eitherdirectly or indirectly (by interaction with otherfactors). For example, Hines, Hungerford, andTomera (1986-1987) found in their meta-analysis that social norm, economicconstraints, and a variety of choices influencepro-environment act ions. Simmons andWidmar (1990) noted that people’s confusionover how to put their behavioural intentions intopractice frequently inhibits recycling behavioreven by advocates of environmental protection.Lynne and Rola (1988) found that incomemoderates the relationship between farmers’bel iefs about and their pract ice of soi lconservation.

Objectives and Scope of StudyThe following are the main objectives of thisstudy :

• To understand consumers’ attitudes andbehaviors towards the environment.

• Examine what factors inf luenceconsumers’ environmental or greenconsciousness

On the basis of the Objectives, followinghypotheses were formulated :H1: Younger consumers are more

environmental or green conscious.H2: Women spend more on eco-friendly

products than men.H3: Higher awareness leads to more

environmentally proactive behavior.

MethodologyThere was a sample of 121 respondents whoresponded. The type of sampling wasconvenience sampling in the Delhi/NCR region.The age group of respondents is 17 Years andabove. However, the qualifiers are those whoare above 16 years, owns a four wheeler or/and two wheeler, shops at least twice a month.The qualified responses taken are 96.

The study is divided into two parts. One is theQuali tat ive part and other one is theQuantitative part. Qualitative part of the studytries to find what the beliefs of the customersare and what they perceive as greenconsciousness. It defines people’s perceptions,opinions and feelings about the topic or ideabeing discussed and to determine the degreeof agreement that exists in the group. It furtherfacilitates in the formation of a questionnaireand to make Quanti tat ive study morecomprehensive. Quantitative study thenprovides the hard factual data to prove ordisapprove the hypothesis and satisfy theobjective.



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Qualitative StudyThe qualitative study was divided into 4 partsPersonal InterviewsIt was administered to two sets of people. Firstwere the Retailers in which personnel fromChroma were interviewed and then consumersconsisting of people who visited supermarketsand were 16 years or above were askedquestions such as(a) Have you ever seen/come across eco-

friendly products?(b) Which eco-friendly products do you have

and why?(c) What does it mean to be an eco-friendly

person?(d) What do you do to conserve

environment?(e) Do you feel it’s important for company to

be environment friendly?(f) Are you willing to pay more for products

that are eco-friendly?(g) Do you think that the religious activities

in the holy rivers pollute them?

Word AssociationAfter this word association technique was usedto find out how people associate certain words

with. A word was asked and people were askedto respond with the word which came to theirmind in response to that. This explored theunderline thinking of the people about variousthings.

Sentence CompletionPeople were also asked to complete varioussentences like1. Buying eco-friendly things is2. CFL tubes are3. Paper bags are4. Poly bags are5. Solar panels should6. Conserving energy is7. Products with energy rating

This provided us with indications of attitudes,beliefs, motivations, or other mental states ofconsumers.

Symbolic AssociationIn last, Symbolic associat ion techniqueprovided us with deep lying attitudes of theconsumers since it used a negative statementto explore what consumers thought of a certainthing. Certain statements that were used werelike

Figure 3.1: Word Association



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• Do you think plastic bags are better forcarrying your stuff around?

• Do you think high wattage tube lights/lamps provide more brightness than lowwattage?

• Do you think dumping your waste in theriver or on the roadside is the easiest wayto get rid of your waste?

• Products which are low on energy ratingsare cheaper and better. Comment.

• It’s useless to buy products that are eco-friendly. Comment.

Exploratory FindingsThis exploratory study provided us with certainfirst hand results derived out of interaction. Thisincluded(a) People use CFL bulbs as they save

electricity.(b) Some people prefer online banking as

facilities as they result in less of papertransactions.

(c) People are well aware about theecosystem and know that if you throwplastic in the soil or in the river, thenultimately it comes back to you (when youeither consume food or drink water i.e.the concept of bio magnification).

(d) They find price as the main factor thatdeters them to buy the eco-friendlyproducts. They chose price overenvironment.

(e) People are very open to use CNG as thechoice fuel for their vehicle. But we foundthat the main reason for this is to savemoney and the secondary reason is thatit will conserve the environment.

(f) People prefer polybags as they can carryheavy loads comparatively to paper bags

and they have been using it since a longtime and it is almost a habit now.

(g) Companies should also beenvironmentally responsible through theirCSR initiatives. Especially companieswith manufacturing units and factoriesshould not pollute their surroundings.

(h) Findings regarding demographics :(i) People with a strong education

background are more aware aboutenvironment friendly concepts.

(j) People above a certain income group arewilling to pay a premium for eco – friendlyproducts.

Pilot StudyOn the basis of the exploratory research, weframed a questionnaire that was administeredto a population of 36 respondents and this wasnamed as the pilot study to find out thecorrectness of the questionnaire. Variousstatistical tests were applied on the datacollected from the questionnaire such as findingvalue of cronbach alpha, doing a factoranalysis, etc. After the factor analysis, thewhole questionnaire was divided into 3 partsaccording to how it was getting loaded into thecomponents. The components were mainlyidentified as the Affective, Cognitive and theActive dimension of one’s green personality.These provided an important implication thatall the questions were pertaining to theseclassifications so a new questionnaire wasdeveloped on this basis which was used toconduct the actual study.

Quantitative StudyIn this study, actual field work was done. A newQuestionnaire was developed on the basis of



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the previous Pilot study that was conducted.This new questionnaire was filled by theconsumers and people who were regularsupermarket shoppers. Also some of theresponses were collected online from peopleto get a vast sample group. After thequestionnaire was filled, the coding was donein SPSS along with its analysis.

15-20 2 6%

20-25 12 34%

25-30 6 17%

30-35 6 17%

35-40 3 9%

Above 40 4 11%

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Summary of Responses

Total No. of Respondents: 36

Demographics

Figure 4.1: Age Distribution

Male 19 54%

Female 15 43%

Figure 4.2: Gender Distribution



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Scale Reliability TestBefore performing any tests the data collectedthrough the survey we needed to checkreliability of the scale for internal consistency.Using SPSS a scale rel iabil i ty test wasadministered and the results were as follows.

Reliability StatisticsCronbach’s Alpha N of Items

.835 18

Since the Cronbach’s Alpha value is greaterthan 0.6 for the 18 questions it can be inferredthat the scale is reliable.

Component 1 2 3 4

I am Ready to pay more for certified eco-friendly products .572 I drive my car/scooter as little as possible .621 Younger generation is more concerned with environment .753 I am fully aware of environmental issues/problems .663 I am aware of laws in India that regulate or minimize pollution .584 People have other serious problems than environmental degradation .736 Environmental concern shown by companies is a sales gimmick .604 I look for environmental information when I buy everyday items .702 I have switched brand due to ecological reasons .831 I am Influenced by advertisements promoting water conservation .762 I am Influenced by advertisements promoting electricity conservation .808 I am Influenced by advertisements promoting petrol conservation .737 I switch off lights/fans when I leave office/class/public buildings .609 I use CFL bulbs to reduce my electricity bills .713 Humans have a right to modify natural environment to suit their needs .757 I do the best I can to save or preserve environment .626 Polythene bags are essential and I can’t give up using them .646

Table 4.1 : Factor Analysis

Factor AnalysisFactor analysis was performed with usingVarimax Rotation on 18 items. The results ofthe analysis are shown in Table 4.1. Items forwhich Eigen values are greater than 1 areconsidered and explain 64% of the eco-friendlybehaviour. The rotated component matrixshows a reduction in dimensions from 18 to 4.The loading in the 4 components is as follows

The components were loaded into 3components primarily. The 4th component wasneglected because it was not significant. Upongrouping the variables the components were



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named as follows: 1- Attitude; 2- Awareness;3- Action. Hence a new model was developedto explain a person’s environmental personality.Using the new model a new questionnaire wasdesigned to investigate the extent to which theabove said factors influence green buyingbehaviour.

Final SurveySummary of ResponsesTotal Respondents: 108Qualified Respondents: 96(Above 16 years, owns a four wheeler or/andtwo wheeler, shops at least twice a month)

Demographics

Figure 4.3: Age Distribution




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Figure 4.5: Vehicle Ownership

Environmental Personality ScoreBy evaluating the responses we have been ableto calculate the environmental personality scoreof the respondent based on the three factors-Awareness, Attitude and Action.

All three parameters are given equal weightageand a composite EPS is calculated out of 15.

Hypothesis TestingH1: Younger consumers are moreenvironmentally conscious (have a higherEPS).

The summary of the scores is as follows:Table 4.2: EPS Summary

Kruskal-Wallis Test

Test Statisticsa,b

EPscoreChi-Square 12.502df 2Asymp. Sig. .002a. Kruskal Wallis Testb. Grouping Variable: Age



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Mann-Whitney U

Test Statisticsa

EP scoreMann-Whitney U 267.000Wilcoxon W 567.000Z -3.170Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .002

a. Grouping Variable: Age

Both the non-parametric tests show that thereis only a 0.2% probability that the variation inEPS is caused by chance hence the age is afactor that determines environmentalpersonality.

RanksAge N Mean Sum of

Rank Ranks EP score 17-28 48 39.14 1644.00

45+ 27 23.63 567.00Total 75

Table 4.3: Ranks

The above table shows the rank of 17-28 agecategory is higher than that of the 45+ agecategory. Thereby we can ACCEPT thehypothesis and confirm that youngerconsumers have a higher EPS score than olderconsumers.

H2: Women spend more on eco-friendlyproducts than men.Mann-Whitney UTest Statistics spendMann-Whitney U 1065.500Wilcoxon W 2340.500Z -.624Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .533a. Grouping Variable: Gender

Kruskal-Wallis testTest Statisticsa,b spendChi-Square .389df 1Asymp. Sig. .533a. Kruskal Wallis Testb. Grouping Variable: Gender

Here we see that both test show that there is a53.3% probability that the spending habits areby chance and are not dependent on gender.Hence we REJECT the hypothesis andconclude that women do not spend more thanmen on eco-friendly products.

H3: Higher awareness leads to moreenvironmentally proactive behavior.In order to test this hypothesis a correlation wasperformed on the scores of Awareness andAction for all the 96 valid responses. Thecorrelation data is given below.

CorrelationsEPscore spend

EPscore Pearson Correlation 1 .785**

Sig. (2-tailed) .000N 96 96

Spend Pearson Correlation .785** 1Sig. (2-tailed) .000N 96 96

Table 4.4: Correlation Results

Data above shows that the correlation is 0.785between and that it is significant. Hence we canconclude that the hypothesis can beACCEPTED showing that higher awarenessleads to more environmentally proactivebehaviour.



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Conclusions and SuggestionsOne of the objectives of this study was toassess if gender plays an important role ingreen buying behavior. The results suggest thatgender does not influence the buying decisionof a consumer. Though, marketing practitionershave often believed that since women makethe purchasing decisions of a household, theywould tend to exhibit a greater inclinationtowards buying eco-friendly products. But menare equal ly environmental ly pro-act ive.According to our research, both males andfemales shop more than 4 times a week (Males– 44.8%, Females -48.2%) and their greenbuying behavior is also similar. Within thesample frame of this study, it may also besuggested that consumers’ awareness is alikely predictor of their environmentally pro-active behaviour, although such conclusionsmay only be drawn after a more rigorousanalysis based of a randomly generateddataset. The study suggests that educatedIndian consumers are concerned about theenvironment and such pro-environmentalconcerns inf luence their green buyingbehaviour to some extent, thereby leading topurchase of eco-friendly products. The resultsfrom the descriptive statistics indicate that amajority of respondents are aware of eco-friendly products and tend to choose theseproducts but 66% of them feel that there shouldbe advertisements on TV and Internet whichtalk about these products more often, as thereis still a lot of unawareness. It is worth notingthat respondents exhibit medium levels ofwillingness to pay a premium price for eco-friendly products, suggesting that greenmarketers in India may likely consider costcutting strategies. 37% of the respondents are

willing to pay a premium for eco-friendlyproducts, whereas majority of them are eitherneutral or don’t prefer the idea of paying morefor these products. In fact, 49% of therespondents do not even look for environmentrelated information on the products they arepurchasing. But it has also been observed thatyounger people are more environmentally pro-active and exhibit a greater green buyingbehavior. In the age group of 17-28, 69% ofrespondents don’t drive alone while in the agegroup of 29-45, 36% don’t drive alone. Thisshows that the youth today prefer to go in forcar pools to cut down on fuel costs andpollution. Also it is seen that younger peopleare more willing to use paper bags than theplastic bags ( 17-28yrs – 86.5% as comparedto 45+ yrs - 45.7%).The youth today seemsmore aware about the environmental issuesand are willing to take up measures whichwould be beneficial for the environment in thelong run.

Limitations of StudyThis research was conducted by generating anon-random sample and hence the results maynot be generalized beyond the sample frame.The Sample size was 96 which may not beactual representation of entire population. Morepeople from different age groups could havebeen incorporated. Majority of the respondents(44%), were in the age group of 17-28 yrs.Hence the findings could lean towards theinclinations of this age group. The presentresearch was conducted using a self-reportingquestionnaire and hence respondents’ biasmay be a concern, especially in regard to thewillingness to pay premium.



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RecommendationsDuring the course of our Qualitative study, wefound that retailers were not informing theconsumers about the benefits of purchasingeco-friendly products. Retailers should informthe consumers about the environmentalimpacts of products and the meaning of CFC,energy and efficiency ratings. The marketerstoday face a challenge from the environmentpoint of view. Due to global warming,greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, andenergy crisis, world is facing a severe threat ofbeing a very difficult place to live in. Therefore,the marketers need to include a greenapproach in framing the marketing programs/strategies. With regards to this the marketersnow have to go green. It means that due caremust be taken while framing the marketingplans, strategies and policies so as to preventthe environment and nature from any harmcaused due to its operations not only today butalso in future. For marketing practitioners topromote their green strategies, it is veryimportant that they target they correctconsumer group. As suggested by our study,the youth today (between 17 – 28 years), ismore environmentally conscious and they canbe targeted by the corporate, as they are moreaware and understand the implications of usinggreen products. Since the males are as muchinvolved as the females in making informedchoices of buying green products, companiesshould target both these groups to promotegreen products. More awareness programs arerequired to propagate the idea of using eco-friendly products. Companies should probablyput larger eco-friendly labels on their productsas they are not being noticed by consumers.Also, they need to promote their green

initiatives through TV, Internet and the printmedia. Since the youth is a major target, onlinepromotions could be beneficial in the long run.

Scope for Further ResearchThe study can provide managerial insights togreen marketers and policy makers to markettheir green ideas and products more effectively.As already suggested, green marketers cantarget the youth to promote green products.Policy makers can contribute in a way byimposing higher taxes on petrol/diesel cars ascompared to hybrid ones.

The study can provide awareness amongstpeople in the society which may lead them touse more green products. As discussed, peopleare hesitant to pay a premium for eco-friendlyproducts or buy a hybrid car which works onrenewable energy. Thus, it is very important tospread awareness in the society about theseenvironmental issues to contribute towards agreener society.

This study can help academicians to introducea course related to green marketing in theircurriculum. As the younger generation hasexhibited a greater Environment PersonalityScore (EPS), it is important to further enlightenthem about the ramifications of environmentaldegradation and use of green products.



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References:Naresh K. Malhotra, Marketing Research: AnApplied Orientation2nd Edition 1995, PrenticeHall of India Ltd., New Delhi

Paul E. Green, Yoram Wind, and Arun K. Jain(1973), “Analyzing Free-Response Data inMarketing Research”, Journal of MarketingResearch, January-March, pp45-52

Manuel Jiménez Sánchez and Regina Lafuente(2010), “Defining and Measuring EnvironmentalConsciousness”, Revista Internacional DeSociología (Ris), Vol. 68, No. 3, September-December, pp731-755.

Sanjay K. Jain and Gurmeet Kaur (2004),“Green Marketing: An Attitudinal Analysis ofIndian Consumers”, Global Business Review2004 5: Pg 187

Passent Tantawi , Nicholas O’Shaughnessy (2009 ),”Green Consciousness of Consumersin a Developing Country: A Study of EgyptianConsumers”, Contemporary ManagementResearch Pages 29-50, Vol. 5, No. 1

Pavan Mishra* & Payal Sharma (2010) ,“GREEN MARKETING IN INDIA: EMERGINGOPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES “,Journal of Engineering, Science andManagement Education/Vol. 3 , Pg 9 – 14

Ching Lin, Y., & Angela Chang, C.-C. (2012).Doubie Standard: The Roie of EnvironmentaiConsciousness in Green Product Usage.Journal of Marketing , 125-134.

Ghosh, M. (2010). Green Marketing-A changingconcept in changing time. BVIMR-Managementedge , 82-92.

Mishra, P., & Sharma, P. (2010). GREENMARKETING IN INDIA: EMERGINGOPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES.Journal of Engineering, Science andManagement Education , 9-14.

Rawat, S. R., & Garga, P. K. (2012). Feasibilityof Green Marketing in the Children Segment.SIES Journal of Management , 85-96.

Straughan, R. & Roberts, J. (1999),Environmental segmentation alternatives: alook at green consumer behaviour in the newmil lennium, The Journal of ConsumerMarketing, 16(6), p. 558.



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Understanding and Analysing the Training Requirementsof Middle Level Executives of Public Sector Organizations

Irameet KaurResearch Scholar,ITM University, Gurgaon

Saumya SinghalLecturer,Panchwati Institute of Engineering & Technology, Meerut

P. K. MehtaDirector-Principal,Swami Devi Dyal Institute of Management Studies,Barwala (Panchkula), Haryana

AbstractThe competitive pressures faced by the organization today require employees whose knowledgeand ideas are current and whose skills and abilities can deliver results. Today employees havebecome the most valuable asset for any organization, attracting talent is easy but sustaining theknowledge workers is the major challenge faced by the organizations in this competitive era. Asorganization competes and changes, training becomes even more critical than before. Employeeswho must adapt to the myriad of change facing organizations must be trained continually in order tomaintain and update their capabilities. Also managers must have training and development to enhancetheir leadership skills and abilities. This study aims at exploring the various HRD policies to developtheir competencies, improve professional excellence and to develop management skills.

Keywords: Training, Development, HRD, Public Sector

IntroductionWorkplace literacy today is defined as muchmore than the three Rs of reading, writing andarithmetic, or physical strength and a strongwork ethic. Modern work environments requiregood communication skills, the ability to workin a team, time-management skills, the abilityto adapt to change, and to work with peoplefrom diverse work culture. Being a businessowner, you want your employees to do the bestthey can with their on-the-job performance.Setting up a plan of action or a set of goalswith time management at work can be a real

benefi t to the work environment. Workperformance, when good, will bring in moreprofits. Your team will get more done in theprocess of your incorporat ion t imemanagement at work. All employees shouldwork at managing their time more wisely.Setting the scene to do so will improve thequality of your business. This should help youto share the problems you face in your businessoperations. This will help you to open up someof your own time. The problem is, you are sittingthere looking over information about yourprofits and then you get concerned about

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employee performance. Performance ofemployee and their training is interrelated asperformance form the basis of training andtraining helps in improving the performance.

The significance and value of training has longbeen recognized. Consider the popular andoften repeated quotation, “Give a person a fishand you feed him for a day. Teach a person tofish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This simplebut profound saying is attributed to the wisdomof Confucius who lived in the 5th

century BC.

Given today’s business cl imate and theexponential growth in technology with its effecton the economy and society at large, the needfor training is more pronounced than ever.Training, in the most simplistic definition, is anactivity that changes people’s behavior.Increased productivity is often said to be themost important reason for training. But it is onlyone of the benefits. Training is essential notonly to increase productivity but also tomotivate and inspire workers by letting themknow how important their jobs are and givingthem all the information they need to performthose jobs.

To increase the commitment level of employeesand growth in quality movement (concepts ofHRM), senior management team is nowincreasing the role of training. Such conceptsof HRM require careful planning as well asgreater emphasis on employee developmentand long term education. Training is now theimportant tool of Human ResourceManagement to control the attrit ion ratebecause it helps in motivating employees,achieving their professional and personal goals,increasing the level of job satisfaction, etc. As

a result training is given on a variety of skilldevelopment and covers a mult i tude ofcourses.

The HR functioning is changing with time andwith this change, the relationship between thetraining function and other management activityis also changing. The training and developmentactivities are now equally important with thatof other HR functions. Gone are the days, whentraining was considered to be futile, waste oftime, resources, and money. Now-a-days,training is an investment because thedepartments such as, marketing & sales, HR,production, finance, etc depends on training forits survival. If training is not considered as apriority or not seen as a vital part in theorganization, then it is difficult to accept thatsuch a company has effectively carried outHRM. Training actually provides the opportunityto raise the profile development activities in theorganization. In this competitive era employee’sperformance is affected by various internal andexternal factors, the need of the hour is tounderstand those factors and make theemployees competent enough to face themefficiently. Due to excessive competition thework pressure is increasing thus, theemployees need to manage their time in aproper manner so that their performance doesnot get adversely affected by work pressure.The importance of time management in theworkplace cannot be over emphasized. Timereal ly is money and the more eff ic ientcorporations and small business manageemployee work hours, the more efficient,productive and profitable these enterprises willrun. Increased efficiency reduces labor costs,minimizes workplace accidents and injuries,

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and helps companies meet production quotas.Keeping track of when employees clock in andout, along with the amount of hours workersspend on planned tasks gives managers abetter overall picture of what an organizationis capable of accomplishing on any given dayor week. Supervisors are more capable ofprojecting and meeting production deadlinesand scheduling a sufficient workforce to coverchanging demands. By tracking hours workedand off days, employers can control labor costsand adjust billing to reflect accurately tabulatedhours performed on specific jobs. Effective timemanagement in the workplace involves settingrealistic goals, planning and priorit izingscheduled tasks, applying sound decision-making principles, delegating responsibility,and understanding how to motivate workers toproduce at optimum levels. By setting realisticgoals, supervisors and managers can helpemployees better manage a work day.Unrealistic production deadlines and quotasplace undue pressure on workers andmanagement; but by careful ly planning,prioritizing and scheduling tasks, pressure islessened and employees can produce moreeff icient ly. In the event of unforeseencircumstances which require added humanresources, employees will rally to the occasionif management lends moral support. Managersand employees who properly plan and prioritizejob assignments tend to stay ahead of thegame, pacing workflow for greater productivity.Prioritizing or scheduling jobs according torelative importance prevents the need to putout fires. As work is completed according to itsdegree of importance, workers can feel a senseof accomplishment without added pressure.

Literature ReviewIn this competitive era an organization needsto develop certain core competencies to be awinner among the crowd. Earlier for anyorganization finance was the life blood but nowwith the changing time, human resource hasbecome the most important asset for anyorganization. In this era it is easy to get talentedworkforce but how to sustain that talentedworkforce is the major challenge. In sustainingthis workforce training of the employees playsa very important role. A highly skilled workforcemakes an organisation adaptable to changeand can help protect the business againstchanges in the economy

Developing a highly skilled workforce helpsensure businesses operate competitively, aidsretention and makes businesses moreproductive. Training and performance ofemployees are directly related to each otheras right kind of training helps in improving andupgrading the performance of the employeesand the performance of employee’s leads toidentification of training needs.

Training and development can be initiated fora variety of reasons for an employee or groupof employees, e.g.• When a performance appraisal indicates

performance improvement is needed• To “benchmark” the status of

improvement so far in a performanceimprovement effort

• As part of an overal l professionaldevelopment program

• As part of succession planning to help anemployee be eligible for a plannedchange in role in the organization

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• To “pilot”, or test, the operation of a newperformance management system

However, out of the all performance of theemployees is the most important factor takeninto consideration while identifying the trainingneeds. Performance measurement is thebackbone of a successful, innovative and high-performing government organization. Usingperformance measures to track pastperformance and forecast future outcomes iscritical to success. Performance measurementhelps to clarify people’s responsibilities, formsa sound, logical basis upon which to allocateresources, and ensures a results-orientedfocus for the entire organization. Measuringperformance or appraising performance canonly be effective if it is done in an efficient andtransparent manner. Employees should havefaith on the system then only the system wouldbe able to achieve its overall objective. Thecompetitive market structure operating withintoday’s society dictates that the survival of anybusinesses can only be achieved through themaintenance of maximized output, andminimized expenses. Being that the direct andindirect costs of employing labour remain oneof the highest expenses to any business, it isonly feasible that a rel iable method ofoptimizing labour output be implemented at alltimes. By doing so, businesses can almostguarantee their viability within the marketsystem.

Performance appraisal is one such method thatallows for the optimization of labour. In a broadsense , it is a formal structure that allows forthe continued measuring and evaluation ofindividual behavior and performance, whilst

influencing an employee’s job related attributesthrough such factors as increased jobsatisfaction and recognition (with the use ofpromotional aids such as better equipment,duties, and wages). The purpose of any suchsystem, is not only to measure the performanceof human resources but also to find areas ofskill deficit for further development (throughemployee feedback), identify excess potentialthat could be better utilized, and communicateobjectives more accurately to workers . Bydoing so, businesses move one step closer tothe achievement of their set goals andobjectives. Included here is also one otherfactor that is not a direct objective of appraisals,but becomes a valuable asset within itself. Thissimply is the provision for maintaining recordsof workers that are legally viable, that canprotect the business when dealing in cases ofdismissals and demotions. This is especiallyimportant in today’s society because of the“increasing legislation and regulation dealingwith victimization and discrimination” makingemployers liable for all their actions.

In establishing such a system, it is importantto firstly determine realistic goals that will beexpected of workers and then make these goalsknown so workers have direction. Once set,appraisals can be undertaken, in three steps.The f irst involves the observation andidentification of an employee’s work behavior,and the outcomes and achievements that area direct result of them. These outcomes thenmust be compared against the original goalstandards that were set for them. The secondstep revolves around the evaluation and actionto be taken to counter the first step. If anemployee’s performance is lacking, analysis as



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to the reasons why must be undertaken, andcorrected through such means as increasingmotivation, training or even termination. If theperformance was as good, or better thanrequested, then considerations of reward musttake place. Such rewards can be increasedwages, and at t imes, movement to jobsrequiring more expertise. The last step isfundamentally review and correction of theinitial goals, and the development of new ones.In doing so, the person who set up the goals tobegin with, must examine them and decide ifthey were realistic and viable, in contrast to theresources available and other such aspects ofthe work environment. This process requiresanalysis not only of the organization and thejob or task, but of the individual, as the firstand most critical step in training. Performanceappraisal, whether undertaken in a systematicfashion or a “seat-of-the-pants” manner, is themajor tool used by many organizations toidentify individual training needs and evaluatetraining success. Because training iscommanding a growing share of organizationalresources, a renewed focus on theeffectiveness of performance appraisal in thetraining process is needed. Althoughmanagerial awareness of the importance oftraining to organizational success seems to beincreasing, many managers st i l l fai l toappreciate the value of performance evaluationin the training process. In most organizations,performance appraisal appears to be, at best,a necessary evil required of managers to justifydecisions about rewards and promotions.Perhaps a more important use of performanceappraisal, however, is to identify discrepanciesbetween actual and expected performance,thus providing feedback for employees and a

means for the organization to identify trainingneeds. Despite the value placed onperformance appraisal, it remains one of themost neglected, least-liked, and least-rewardedactivities that managers are asked to perform.Thus, performance appraisal and training areone of the most important areas of concern forany organization in today’s competi t iveenvironment.

A right kind of training aims at enhancing theperformance of employees, in this era of somuch stress there are many factors on whichemployee’s performance is dependent, most ofthe time the reason for their less performanceis their inability to manage their time. Timemanagement is not just doing what has beenassigned by the right time but it refers tooptimizing that time to its maximum andperforming the tasks with utmost efficiency andeffectiveness. Time is a special resource thatyou cannot store or save for later use. Everyonehas the exact same amount of time each day.Time not well used cannot be retrieved. Mostpeople feel like they have too much to do andnot enough time. They blame lack of time fortheir poor finances, unachieved goals, stress,bad relationships and not exercising their body.Wise time management can help you find thetime for what you desire to do or need to do.You need time to get what you want out of life.Waiting for more free time to appear is losingthe game of life. Through time managementyou can “create” the time you need, and notjust wait for it to come. By planning your timewisely, you will have more time to do morethings. To get rid of the feeling that you havemuch to do and not enough time, feel and thinkas if you have all the time in the world. This will



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help you feel calm and enable you to focus onwhat you are doing, without stress and strain.This is not being indifferent and lazy. Youshould at the same time plan your time well,not waste it on useless matters, do everythingyou can at the best of your ability, neverprocrastinate, act with discipline and focus onwhat you are doing. Thus, managing time is allabout how you make the most of your timewhich is limited. Not being able to manage timeleads to various problems like less motivationtowards the work, stress, declining interestwhich ultimately effects the performance ofemployees adversely. It is rightly said that “MENTALK OF KILLING TIME BUT TIME QUIELTYKILLS THEM”, thus time is a very valuableresource and it should be managed well.

Research GapIn every organization performance ofemployees is a key to organization’s successand performance of the employees can beenhanced through right kind of training at righttime with right method adopted. The mostimportant factor for undertaking this project wasto understand how performance appraisal andtraining needs are related to each other andhow performance appraisal forms the verybasis of identifying the training needs ofemployees and identifying the training needsfor middle-level executives. Through this studyit has been tried to understand the importanceof training and performance for an organizationand how employees perceive it.

Objectives of the Study:1. To portray accurately employees view

regarding performance appraisal systemand training system in organizations.

2. To analyze how performance appraisalreports form the basis of training needidentification.

3. To identify the training needs of themiddle-level executives and design atraining module for them.

MethodologyThe sample was collected from the employeesof Public Sector firms of Delhi/NCR region. Thesample size was 50. Simple random samplingwas done. The study is based on analysis andinterpretation of a questionnaire which wasdistributed to 50 middle-level executives as wellas on the basis of an informal interview takenof concerned executives. The questionnairewas a fine blend of both open-ended and close-ended questions.

Questionnaire administration and interviews ofthe middle-level executives were conducted.Secondary data was collected from magazinesand journals. The data was analyzed with thehelp of simple percentage method andrepresented through pie-charts.

Data analysis and interpretationNecessity of Training of Employees from Timeto TimeTable 1: Response on necessity of training ofemployees from time to time



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Inference: Half of the respondents totally agreeto the statement that training is necessary fromtime to time, while five percent of respondentsare totally unaware of the importance oftraining.

The Periodici ty of Training Imparted toEmployees is as per their RequirementTable 2: Response on Periodicity of TrainingImparted to Employees is as per theirrequirement

Inference: More than half of the respondentsfeel that the training provided to them is not as

per their requirement; from this an inferencecan be drawn that these respondents might notbe very interested in the training programsconducted for them.

Training Takes into Consideration Employees’Performance As Reflected In Their AppraisalTable 3: Response of Training Takes intoConsideration Employees’ Performance AsReflected In Their Appraisal

Inference: Performance plays an important rolein determining the type of training to be given.But at times importance given to other type oftraining over job related training makes theemployee feel that their performance is notgiven much of importance.

On The Job Training Is More Beneficial InReaching Its Training Objectives Than Off TheJob TrainingTable 4: Response of on the job training is morebeneficial in reaching its training objectives thanoff the job training



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Inference: Nearly half of the respondents feelthat ON THE JOB training is more beneficialthan OFF THE JOB training but surprisinglysome of the respondents are unaware of theseterms, this indicates lack of awareness amongthe respondents regarding training concepts.

Number Of Trainees And Duration Of TrainingShould Depend Upon The Type Of TrainingWhich Is To Be ImpartedTable 5: Response of Number of Trainees andDuration of Training Should Depend Upon theType of Training Which Is To Be Imparted

Inference: All the respondents had a view thatnumber of trainee and duration of trainingshould depend upon the type of training to begiven.

Performance Appraisal Is An Important Tool OfIdentifying The Training NeedsTable 6: Response on Performance Appraisalis an important tool of identifying the trainingneeds

Inference :Nearly all the respondents treatPerformance Appraisal as an important tool indetermining training needs however, there is avery less fraction of respondents who doesn’ttreat it as an important tool, this is because attimes the employees require that kind oftraining that might not it be related to theirperformance.

An Effective Training Helps In Improving AnEmployee’s Key Result Areas (KRA’s) And KeyPerformance Indicators (KPI’s)



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Table 7: An effective training helps in improvingan employee’s Key Result Areas (KRA’s) andKey Performance Indicators (KPI’s)

Inference :More than half of the respondentstotally agree with the above mention statement,however there are some respondents who hasno clue as to whether a training program helpsin improving an employee’s KRA’s and KPI’s.

Number Of Times An Employee Has Been PartOf Training Program In The Last Three YearsTable 8: Number of times an employee hasbeen part of training program in the last threeyears

Inference: From the data col lected andanalyzed it is seen that not a very largepercentage of executives have been part of ajob-related training program in the last threeyears, and some are still not a part of any suchtraining program .However in order to enhancethe performance level of executives at leastonce in every three years a training programshould be conducted and every executiveshould be given opportunity to be a part of suchprograms.

Have training programs helped employees inimproving their performance?Table 9: Response of have training programshelped employees in improving theirperformance

Inference: More than half of the respondentsgot benefit from the training programs theywere part of. However there were somerespondents who feel that the training doesn’thelped them, there might be many factorsbehind it l ike, wrong method of training,duration, place, lack of interest on part of thetrainer or trainee, etc or most of the times areaof training and area of work are different.



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Kind Of Training Employees Want In FutureTable 10: Response on kind of TrainingEmployees Want In Future

Inference: All the respondents want a trainingprogram which can enhance their performanceat their workplace and generally HR relatedtraining.

The Method Of Conducting A Training ProgramTo Make It More EffectiveTable 11: Response on the method ofconducting a training program to make it moreeffective

Inference: Majority of the respondents feels thaton the job training is more effective as it givespractical exposure at work place and practicalappl icat ion of the ski l ls that are beingdeveloped or increased during the trainingprocess. However, some respondents feel thatoff job training is more gainful as it is stressfree and more interesting.

Self Rating On The Scale Of 1-5 InCommunication SkillsTable 12: Response of Self Rating on the Scaleof 1-5 in Communication Skills

Inference: Nearly half of the respondents feelthat they are very good in their communicationskills while some fraction of the respondentstreat themselves to be good communicator.

Self Rating On The Scale Of 1-5 In TimeManagementTable 13: Response of Self Rating on the Scaleof 1-5 in Time Management



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Inference: The respondents does not considerthemselves to be very good time managers asthey feel that due to work pressures and stressthey are unable to manage their time effectivelyand efficiently.

Self Rating On The Scale Of 1-5 In MotivationTable 14: Response of Self Rating on the Scaleof 1-5 in Motivation

Inference: Overall motivation level among theexecutives is good and average however in thiscompetitive era high degree of motivation isrequired so that they can perform their assignedtasks perfectly.

Self Rating On The Scale Of 1-5 In TechnicalKnow howTable 15: Response of Self Rating on the Scaleof 1-5 in Time Managemen

Inference: More than half of the respondentsare good in technical knowledge which canmake their routine office work easier andeffective.

Self Rating On The Scale Of 1-5 In QualityManagementTable 16: Self Rating on the Scale of 1-5 inQuality Management



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Inference: This concept is relatively new for therespondents however half of the respondentsare pretty good and average in qual i tymanagement but they want to know more aboutthis concept.

Self Rating On The Scale Of 1-5 In Optimumutilization of ResourcesTable 17: Response of Self Rating on the ScaleOf 1-5 in optimum utilization of resources

Inference: It refers to utilizing all the availableresources to their maximum capacity, therespondents rate themselves good, very good,excellent, average while very, less fraction ofthe respondents treat themselves to be belowaverage as far as optimally uti l izing theresources is concerned.

Conclusions and SuggestionsThe growing knowledge intensity of theeconomy and the continuous process ofglobalization are forcing organizations to reactrapidly to technological changes and changesin the market which, in their turn, create theneed for organizational changes. Combinedwith the demographic development towards anageing population, this requires a permanentimprovement of the quality of the present andfuture working population. Such being the case,training efforts for employees in general andfor certain categories in particular should beintensified. This should result in a higherpercentage of employees participating yearlyin a form of training, either by an optimal useof the existing training possibilities, or bycreating additional/ new ones. For currentemployees, a quality strategy should bedeveloped under which training is to beconsidered a permanent activity constituting anintegrated part of overall productive life.

There are some recommendations drawn onthe basis of feedback taken from the executivesas well as on the basis of the researchconducted by us during the project which iftaken into consideration and implementedproperly will make this training mechanismmore effective and efficient.



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• Training programs should be moreindividual trait oriented that matches theskills require to be developed for effectivecompletion of work.

• Effective feedback mechanism should bethe part of the training process.

• Exposure to work centres cum theoreticaltraining should be incorporated in thetraining module.

• Training programs should be more job-oriented, focusing on the performance ofthe employees.

• To accelerate the adoption of modernmanagement techniques in the trainingprograms.

• Training programs should be more livelyand interactive.

• Every executive must be given anopportunity to attend training for thedevelopment of the executives as well asfor the organization.

• Training programs should also keepindividual’s career and growth in mind.

ReferencesAl-Khayyat, R. (1998) ‘Training andDevelopment Needs Assessment: A PracticalModel for Partner Institutes’, Journal ofEuropean Industrial Training, 22(1): 18–28.

Arthur, J.B. (1994) ‘Effects of Human ResourceSystems on Manufacturing PerformanceandTurnover ’, Academy of ManagementJournal, 37(3): 670–87.

Barney, J.B. and Wright, P.M. (1998) ‘OnBecoming a Strategic Partner: The Role ofHuman Resources in Gaining Competitive

Advantage’, Human Resource Management,37(1): 31–46.

Bartel, A.P. (1994) ‘Productivity Gains from theImplementat ion of Employee TrainingPrograms’, Industrial Relations, 33(4): 411–25.

Bee, F. and Bee, R. (1997) Training NeedsAnalysis and Evaluation. London: Institute ofPersonnel and Development.

Baldwin T. T. & Ford J. K., “Transfer of training:A review and directions for future research”,Personnel Psychology, 1988, 63-105

Colombo, Emilio & Stanca, Luca. (2008). TheImpact of Training on Productivity: Evidence fi-om a Large Panel of Firms, Available at SSRN

Dowling, P.J., and Welch, D.E. (2005),International Human Resource Management:Managing People in a Multinational Context.(4th Ed), (Mason, O.H: Thomson South-Western).

Frazis, H., Gittleman, M. and Joyce, M. (2000)‘Correlates of Training: An Analysis Using BothEmployer and Employee Characteristics’,Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 53(3):443–62.

Gray, G.R. and Hall, M.E. (1997) ‘TrainingPractices in State Government Agencies’,Public Personnel Management, 26(2): 187–203.

Krishnaveni, R., and Sripirabaa, B.(2008).Capacity building as a tool for assessingtraining and development activity : an Indian



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case study. International Journal of Trainingand Development, 12(2), 121-134.

Raghuram, M. (1994) ‘Linking Staffing andTraining Practices with Business Strategy: ATheoretical Perspective’, Human ResourceDevelopment Quarterly, 5(3): 237–51.

Singh Kuldeep, “Impact of HR practices onperceived firm performance in India”, AsiaPacific Journal of Human Resources, 2004,301-317

Tannenbaum S. L. & Yukl G., “Training anddevelopment in work organizations”, AnnualReview of Psychology, 1992, 399-441

Wright, P.M., McMahan, G.C. and McWilliams,A. (1994) ‘Human Resources and SustainedCompetitive Advantage: A Resource-BasedPerspective’, International Journal of HumanResource Management, 5(2): 301–26.



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Human Resource Practices in Shopping Malls :A Current Scenario

P. K. SharmaDirector, School of Commerce & Management,VMOU, Kota

Naveen J SirohiFaculty, Management, BCIPS, New Delhi

Kumkum ChaudharyResearch Scholar

AbstractThe paper examines the human resource practices prevailing in shopping malls in Navi Mumbai andMumbai, Maharashtra. Survey was carried out in malls as well as firms providing human resource tomalls. Random sampling method was used to select mall managers and employees for survey. Totalsample of 31 was taken and analysis was made on the basis of questionnaire and interview. Thepaper also highlights ways for improving role of human resource management in malls.

Keywords: HR Practices, Shopping Malls, Performance Management, HRM

IntroductionMost of the successful companies today,attr ibute their success to their HumanResource. The importance of HRM in India wasfelt only in the last few decades. The primaryobjective of HRM is to ensure the availabilityof right people for right jobs to achieve theorganizational goals effectively.

Today HRM is being used to developcompetitive advantages and therefore its rolein strategic management is the continuousprocess of relating the organization with itsenvironment by suitable course of actioninvolving strategy formulat ion and i tsimplementation.

Malls in India have blank sheet of paper onwhich to create HR function. In order to designthis new function in malls, it is important tounderstand what is critical to the successfuloperation of a mall and use this information tothe mall’s approach to HRM.

Figure 1 : Organogram of Malls in India

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Malls do not necessari ly have as manyemployees as indicated in the aboveorganogram because one person may performmultiple roles. Most of the malls outsourcemajor human resource (maintenance, HouseKeeping, Security, Car Parking) to firms.Outsourcing is a cost effective and productiveway of managing malls.

As Stated by Dr. Pramod Pathak & Dr. SaumyaSingh in their Article “Fighting Attrition in Retail”in the magazine HRD, that Attrition today ismajor challenge for retail industry. Reducingemployee turnover has thus become a strategicHR issue as it cuts both ways. It reduces salesand also increases costs. Human resource isone of the most important resources for anymalls. If managed well human resource cancontribute great deal in the growth of malls. Butmalls do not have Human resource department,or even if they have only function that Humanresource department play is that of trackingleave and attendance.

Objectives and Methodology

The objectives of this study are:1. To study current H.R. practices prevailing

in malls.2. To explore ways for improving role of

human resource management in malls.

The study of role of human resourcemanagement in the malls is a quite challengingas not much study has been done in this area.Also there are very few practices that are beingtaken up by malls in this regard. Thequestionnaire was prepared for survey bystudying literature on how the malls are

managed. Survey was carried out in malls aswell as firms providing human resource tomalls. The region covered for the study was inNavi Mumbai and Mumbai, Maharashtra. Inmalls, the mall managers as well as fewemployees were selected for survey. Randomsampling method was used in this research.Total sample of 31 was taken and thus analysiswas made on the basis of questionnaire andinterview.

Five malls in Navi Mumbai were selected forthe purpose of survey:

S. Name of Mall Total No. ofNo. respondents1. Palm Beach Galleria, Vashi, 4

Navi Mumbai2. Raghullella, Vashi, Navi Mumbai 33. Center One, Vashi, Navi Mumbai 64. In Orbit, Vashi, Navi Mumbai 15. Little World, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 6

Total number of respondents from mall is 20.

Also survey was done in 5 firms providingHuman Resource to Malls. These Firms are:

S. Name of firm Total No. ofNo. providing HR to malls respondents1. Top Security, Juinagar, Navi Mumbai 12. NISA Securities, CBD, Navi Mumbai 13. Property Solutions India Ltd, Churchgate 34. Manpower Supplier Ltd, Mumbai 45. Bright Services Ltd, Chembur, Mumbai 2

Total number of respondents from firms is 11.

The questionnaires were f i l led by mallmanagers, managers in the f irms andemployees of mall. Then, the result was

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analyzed based on the score sheet of each test.

Data Analysis and Findings

Analysis of responses given by the mallrepresentatives to different questions are asfollows :

Separate Department of Human ResourceManagement in Malls

The figure 2 represents that out of five mallstaken as sample, only two malls had HRdepartment. Functions of HR in the two mallscontaining HR department was only limited toleave and attendance.

Figure 2: Human Resource Department in Malls

Requirement for Human Resource Departmentin Malls

All the respondents have shown (figure 3) therequirement of HR department in the malls.From the survey it was concluded that all therespondents from malls thought that having anHR department in malls would improve theperformance of malls.

Figure 3: Requirement for Human ResourceDepartment in Malls

Facilities Provided to Employees in Malls

The figure 4 represents the facilities that areprovided by the malls to their employees. It isseen that all the malls have facility of canteenwhere their employees can have their food.

Figure 4: Facilities provided to employees in malls

Training Provided to Employees by Malls

Figure 5 represents the number of malls thatprovide training to their employees. It can beconcluded from the graph that most of the mallsdo not provide training to their employees.

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Figure 5: Training Provided to Employees by Malls

Performance Measurement System in Malls

Figure 6 represents the number of malls thathave Performance measurement system(PMS). It can be concluded from the graph thatmost of the malls do not have PMS policy.

Figure 6: Performance Measurement System in Malls

Overtime Policy in Malls

Figure 7 represents the number of malls thathave overtime policy and it can be concludedthat not a single mall has an overtime policy.

Figure 7: Overtime Policy in Malls

Analysis of responses given by the managerof firms providing Human Resource to the malls

Facilities Provided by FirmsFigure 8 represents the facilities provided byfirms to the employees. It is seen that all thefirms provide uniform to employees. Three firmsprovide travelling expenses.

Figure 8 : Facilities Provided by Firms

Training Provided by Firms

It is seen from the figure 9 that all the firmsproviding human resource to malls give trainingto their employees. Also it was concluded from



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the survey that all the firms provided basicfunctional training to employees.

Figure 9: Training provided by firms

Performance Management System in Firms

It can be concluded from the figure10 that allthe firms had performance managementsystem. Also rewards like promotion andpunishment like termination were linked toPMS.

Figure 10 : Performance Management System in Firms

Overtime Policy by Firms

It is seen from the figure 11 that four out of fivefirms providing human resource to malls haveovertime policy

Figure 11: Overtime policy by firms

General FindingsTraining Module : Training is not provided toemployees by the malls. For outsourcedemployees training is provided by the firms. Inmost cases training is functional training.Development of an individual is gives noimportance in malls.

Performance Management System: Weekly/monthly performance report is sent by malls tothe firms providing human resource. This reportis overall performance of all employees of thefirm. Individual performance report by mall issent in case of extreme good/bad performanceby any employee. Individual performanceevaluation is done by the firm itself. This is doneby the manager-in-charge of particular mall.



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Attrition: Attrition rate in malls is very high. Itwas found that attrition vary from 40% to 70%depending on malls as well as months. It wasspecially found that from April to June attritionrate goes very high. Also during research, nospecific factor was found for employees toleave organizations so frequently.

Over time: Due to high attrition rate, over timewas very common in most of the malls. Alsomalls did not have any overtime policy. Thefirms providing Human Resource to malls haveovertime policy which decided for the time limitand amount to pay for overtime. Some of thefirms arranged their manpower such thatemployee who had to do overtime was placedin DEAD AREA ie. Area which does not havelot of work load and employee can take restwhile on work.

Conclusion

Today like the retail sector, Human Resourcein retail sector is also at very nascent stage.Especially malls in retail sector have very fewor no human resource practices. It is importantthat att i tudinal shif t takes place fromconsidering Human resource department ascost center to investment center. H.R.department plays a very important role in anyorganization. Vision and mission of leaders iscarried to employees by the H.R. department.Also it gives shape to the structure andprocesses in any organization. It streamlinesall the function in an organization. Thus mallstoday need to realize the role that HumanResource department plays.

As Stated by Dr. Pramod Pathak & Dr. SaumyaSingh in their Article “Fighting Attrition in Retail”in the magazine HRD, that Attrition today ismajor challenge for retail industry. Reducingemployee turnover has thus become a strategicHR issue as it cuts both ways. It reduces salesand also increases costs. Initiatives like kaizen,training, performance evaluation, counseling,grievance handling, feedback from customeretc would surely give an edge to a mall over itscompeti tors. I t wi l l also increase i tsemployabi l i ty in the market. And mostimportantly it will help mall to give best in classservice to customer. Human resource initiativewill thus help organization grow and flourish.

A major problem faced by malls today is thatof attrition. This increases the cost of operationin malls. To increase commitment ofemployees, employer needs to give in best toget best. Human resource is the most importantresource in malls thus if human resource in mallis satisfied, they will give best quality serviceto customer. This will improve brand value ofmall and attract customers.

RecommendationsDefined Processes: Processes streamlinefunctions in organization. This leads to higheraccuracy and timeliness. It gives clarity toemployees while performing their duties. Thusdefining processes would improve efficiency inorganization.

Counseling: Most people who work in malls aremigrants from different towns in India. Many ofthem stay away from their family for earningtheir living. Thus may face lot of personalproblems. This also affects their work. Thus



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human resource managers in malls need tohave counseling skills. The purpose should behelp employees by giving them necessarysupport and care. This will enhance their loyaltyfor the organization.

Kaizen (Continuous improvement):Suggestions scheme must be initiated wherein suggestions to be taken from employees forthe area they work. Best and most applicablesuggestion must be rewarded. Rewards mustbe given quarterly. This wi l l encourageemployees to give their inputs forimprovements. Also it will employees feel thattheir views are important to organization.

Grievance Handling: Employees may facenumber of problems while on work. They willbe able to deliver their work responsibilities inefficient way when they their problems arelooked after by employer. Unlike manufacturingunit, major resource in mall is the humanresource. Thus investing time and money insolving problems of employees will only add tothe quality of service in malls.

Training: Today most of the training providedby the firms who have employed people is workrelated. Malls must make extra efforts toprovide training to employees for helping livetheir lives better. Today along with emotionalquotient (EQ) lot of importance is given tospiritual quotient (SQ). Thus training must begiven on topics which enhance employees SQalong with EQ.

Following could be possible training topicsfor employees of malls:Stress managementConflict resolutionTime managementEmpathetic CommunicationEmotional intelligenceEffect of meditationSpiritual healthImportance of small and happy familyArt of living etc.

Performance Management System: i t isrecommended that malls have their ownperformance management system forindividual employees. As employees are all thetime under guidance of mall manager feedbackof mall manager must be given importancealong with the supervisors.

Following could be performance evaluationtechniques:

Performance Evaluation on Short Term Basisfor Shop Floor Employees:Three months performance of employees mustbe evaluated in terms of their attendance,regularity and timeliness. The best performermust be given reward of travelling allowancefor one month.

Performance Evaluation on Long Term Basisfor Shop Floor Employees:Performance must be evaluated for half yearly/yearly basis in terms of their behavior,regulari ty, commitment etc. Top threeperformers must be given option for reward of:a) Employing their partner or any other

immediate kin.



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b) Educational facil it ies for employee:books, admission fees till said amount etc

c) Higher work responsibilityd) Best employee award along with cash

price.

Performance Evaluation on Short Term Basisfor Supervisors:Performance must be evaluated for six monthsin terms for their behavior with customers andsubordinates, regulari ty, commitment,efficiency in their work etc. and be given paidleave/ holiday for one week.

Performance Evaluation on Long Term Basisfor Supervisors:Performance must be evaluated on half yearlybasis in terms of their behavior, regularity,commitment, efficiency in managing people etc.Best performer be awarded with title bestsupervisor of the year along with cash price.

Feedback from Customers: Feedback must betaken from customer as to performance of eachof the department which comes in contact ofcustomer. This will help mall to get actualscenario of performance of employees.

Education for Facility: Most of the employeesare not highly educated. Providing themfacilities to educate them would not only addvalue to the employee but also to the mall. Thiswill also increase employee’s commitmenttowards the mall.

Culture of Care: Today, major difficulty facedby malls is that of attrition. This difficulty canbe overcome by creating culture of care foremployees. If employees feel their needs are

being taken care of, there is hardly any reasonthat employees will leave organizations. Also itis to be noted that most of the outsourcedemployees in malls are migrants from smalltowns in India. Thus creating friendly andcomfortable environment for employees wouldto great extend help overcome problem ofemployees.

Research LimitationsThe survey could have been conducted in amuch more comprehensive manner in theabsence of the time constraint. Due to thepaucity of time I had to limit myself to makeuse of questionnaires as the source of primarydata.

Due to the lack of time the sample area wasrestricted to in and around Navi Mumbai. Alsosample size was limited to 31.

Most of the organizations maintain utmostconfidentiality about issues like cost incurredin human resource, cost of facilities providedto employees by malls and agencies etc. Thuscost benefit analysis of creating an HRdepartment was difficult to undertake.

This research will help organization to makedecision whether to have separate HRdepartment in mall, and if yes what roles needto be played by an HR manager in mall.

Scope of Further StudyThis research emphasizing of having H.R.department in malls and the functions that H.R.department need to undertake. Also i temphasizes on having defined processes formentioned function. It is also mentioned in the



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research that H.R. practices in mall must bepeople centered rather that process centered.In future this research can be carried forwardand can analyze the scope of havingemployees on the pay roll of malls instead ofoutsourcing H.R. to firms. This may increasecommitment of employees. This might alsoimprove performance of employees.

ReferencesKuruvilla, S. J. (December 2007). The RiverSide Mall: Synthesis. 14 (2).

Pathak, P., & Singh, S. Attrition in retail:HRD.24 (12).

Rao, V. (2002). Human Resource Management.Excel Books.

Ritson, N. (2009). Strategic Management. NeilRitson & Ventus Publishing.

Senyucel, Z. (2009). Managing HumanResource in 21st Century. Zorlu Senyucel &Ventus Publishing.

Sheikh, A. I., & Fatima, K. (2009). Sales,Marketing and Advertising Management:MallManagement. Himalaya Publishing House.

Bartlett, K. 2001. The relationship betweentraining and organizational commitment: Astudy in the health care field. Human ResourceDevelopment Quarterly, 12(4): 335-352.

Becker, H. S. 1960. Notes on the concept ofcommitment. The American Journal ofSociology, 66(1): 32-40.

Burke, R. J. 1995. Benefits of formal trainingcourses within a professional services firm. TheJournal of Management Development, 14(3):3-13.

Eck, A. 1993. Job-related education andtraining: their impact on earnings. MonthlyLabor Review, 116(10): 21-38.

Schol l , R. W. 1981. Differentiat ingorganizational commitment from expectancy asa motivating force. Academy of ManagementReview, 6(4): 589-599

Tannenbaum, S. I., Mathieu, J. E., Salas, E., &Cannon-Bowers, J. A. 1991. Meeting trainees’expectat ions: The inf luence of trainingfulfillment on the development of commitment,self-efficacy, and motivation. Journal of AppliedPsychology, 76(6): 759-769..

Taylor PJ, Russ-Eft DF, Chan DWL. 2005. Ameta-analytic review of behavior modelingtraining. J. Appl. Psychol. 90:692–709.



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Cloud Computing : An Adaptable Technologyfor Educational Institutes

R. P. BajpaiAssociate Professor, LISMGCG University, Satna (M.P)

Ved Pal SinghHead- KRCBanarsidas Chandiwala Instiute of Professional Studies,Dwarka, New Delhi

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to briefly analyze the applications of cloud computing in present educationsystem. Cloud computing can be easily adapted by educational institutes to enable their studentsand teachers to use the virtual resources available through clouds without much capital investment.By cloud computing educational institutions will be freed from the technical overheads related to ITand they can better concentrate on their core activities. The paper further discusses the factors aneducational institute should consider for selecting and deploying a cloud service.

Keywords: Cloud Computing, Educational Institutes, Adaptable Technology, Virtualization, Services

IntroductionCloud computing is internet-based computing,whereby shared resources, software, andinformation are provided to computers andother devices on demand. - Wikipedia.

Cloud computing is a kind of computing whichis highly scalable and use virtualized resourcesthat can be shared by the users. Users do notneed any background knowledge of theservices. A user on the Internet cancommunicate with many servers at the sametime and these servers exchange informationamong themselves (Hayes, 2008). Multi-tenancy is the thing that makes cloudcomputing special. I t also focuses onmaximizing the effectiveness of the shared

resources. Cloud resources are usually not onlyshared by multiple users but as well asdynamically re-allocated as per demand. Thiscan work for allocating resources to users indifferent time zones. It can be compared withsomething like sharing the exterior of thebuilding and other amenities amongst peopleliving in a common apartment.

Cloud computing is not new because peoplehave been using some of its services, such asGoogle Docs, Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, instantmessaging, and the smartphone for years. Inhis latest book, “The Big Switch: Rewiring theWorld, from Edison to Google”, Carr arguesthat computing will go the way of electricity:purchase when needed, which he calls “utility

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computing.” His examples include Amazon’sEC2 (Elastic Cloud computing), and S3 (SimpleStorage) services.1 Amazon’s chief technologyofficer proposed the following factors relatedto cloud computing: inf ini te computingresources available on demand, removing theneed to plan ahead; the removal of an up-frontcostly investment, allowing companies to startsmall and increase resources when needed;and a system that is pay-for-use on a short-term basis and releases customers whenneeded (e.g., CPU by hour, storage by day). 2National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) currently defines cloud computing as “amodel for enabling convenient, on-demandnetwork access to a shared pool of configurablecomputing resources (e.g. network, servers,storage, applications, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released withminimal management effort or service providerinteraction.” By examining them careful ly, i t can besummarized that the definit ion of cloudcomputing consists of fol lowing majorcharacteristics:

Flexible Resource Allocation: Users can orderand use as much resources as is necessaryon demand. These resources are dynamicallyscalable. As demand from uses grows andshrinks, the necessary computer, storage andnetwork capacity can be adjusted on an hourlybasis.

Virtual izat ion: Cloud computing storesresources in virtual machines through theInternet platform. This increases theaccessibility and allows users request and use

those resources at a timely manner that tooanywhere and anytime. It also enables theinterconnectivity between users and serviceproviders.

Maintenance and management free:Resources are stored in the cloud virtualservers and will maintain and manage itself.The vender wi l l take care al l of theseresponsibilities and users will be free fromthese time and cost consuming tasks.

Measured service: You pay for what you use.Usage is normally metered often per user orper hour.

Cloud Computing in Education SectorEducation inst i tut ions today are underincreasing pressure to deliver more for less andthey need to find ways to offer rich andaffordable services and tools. Cloud computingcan help provide such solutions with theintegration of software and assets the institutionowns with software and services in the cloudsproviding them with new choices for balancingsystem management, cost and security whilehelping to improve services.

Cloud computing aims mass centralization ofcomputing resources. This centralization whichis visualized as cloud gives an access toinformation, processing and softwares. It is likea virtualized computer which contains allapplication and softwares needed. Cloudcomputing provides the significant benefits of1) avoidance of capital expenditure and fixedcosts, 2) resilience and scalability, 3) businessagility and 4) green agenda.

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Both public and private institutions can use thecloud to deliver better services even as theywork with fewer resources

The basic deployment (infrastructure) modelsare as follows:

Public cloud: a cloud infrastructure shared bythe general public or industry, typically ownedand managed by an organization that sellscloud services

Private cloud: cloud services confined inside afirewall with private control over the cloudinfrastructure. Some private enterprises runtheir data centers as a private cloud

Community cloud: the infrastructure is used byseveral related customers or groups withshared requirements or other commoninterests. It can be managed by the group or athird party.

Hybrid cloud: an approach the uses a publiccloud for some services but uses a private datacenter for others means a combination ofdifferent clouds is implemented.

Categories of Cloud Computing

Fig 1 Categories of cloud computing

The various types of services provided by thecloud are:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the CSPprocures and manages the IT infrastructure(networks, servers, data storage), and thecustomer provides the rest (operating system,software applications and related services. Forexample, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud(EC2) and IBM Smart Business Developmentand Test. Hardware possessions (like storage)and computing supremacy are presented asservices to clients. This enables business tolease these Resources in spite of spendingmoney to purchase devoted servers andnetworking tools. IaaS can be considered forthe following educational needs:• Hosting community and other public

facing websites• Storing data securely

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• Testing large scale applications in adiscrete environment before deployingpublicly

Database as a Service (DaaS): A more focusedtype of storage which offers database as aservice. DaaS on the cloud often adopts a multi-tenant structural design, where data of plentyof users is kept in the same physical Table.

Software as a Service (SaaS): the CSPprocures and manages everything, includingthe software applications and related services.For example: Apple’s iCloud, Gmail and Postini,SharePoint, WebEx and Salesforce.com.

Software application are presented as serviceson the Internet rather than as softwarepackages to be purchased by any customer.Examples are Google web-based off iceapplications (word processors, Spreadsheets,etc.), SaaS can be considered for the followingeducational needs :• E-mail, calendar and instant messaging• Desktop productivity such as document

creation and sharing• Collaborations and presence• Identify and relationship management

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the CSPprocures and manages everything except thesoftware applications and related services. Forexample: Microsoft Azure, Google App Engineand Amazon Simple Storage Solution (S3).This refers to providing facilities to support thewhole Relevance development l i fecycleincluding drawing, completion, debugging,testing, Exploitation, operation and support ofrich Web applications and services on the

Internet. PaaS can be considered for thefollowing educational needs:• Developing applications that can be

shared by many users simultaneously• Creating social networks or communities

according to grade or area of study• Deploying web services quickly

Benefits of Cloud Computing to Institutions

Remote Data Centers• Data centers near cheap source of

electricity• Resources may even be spread across

multiple data centers to provide bettersecurity and resilience

Pooling of Resources• Centralization of infrastructure• Servers provides software applications,

through Internet, rather them having theminstalled and maintained on each platformindependently

• Online tools help to protest itself fromspam and malware

Any-Time, Infinite Scalability• If institution wishes to increase the usage,

it can be scaled any time without installingadditional hardware or software

Pay as you Use• Institutions simply pay for the services

they use• Pricing may even vary depending upon

the time



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Economic• Hardware can be redeployed or removed• Freeing up valuable real estate• Personnel cost can be cut or redeployed

Supports Environment• Reduced power consumption in the

premises• Reduced concrete jungle as the

resources are shared on the clouds• Better, greener surroundings

Concentration on Core Activity• Institutions can concentrate on education

and research rather than providingcomputing services

More Satisfied Students• Students can use latest tools and features

without having to purchase and install• They do not have to worry about backing

up or losing data• Their data is accessible to them from any

location and from a range of devices

Benefits of Cloud Computing to the Students

Easy Access• Students enrolled to a course can access

the courseware stored in a course virtualdisk

• Remote students use course SkyDrive forstoring their accomplished assignments

Better Communication• Real time chats can be used• Web Office Applications are used for

consultations while both teacher andstudent edit the same document and the

teacher is able to advice in real time.

More User Friendly• Profile customization features and social

communication make educationalenvironment more users friendly.

Reduces Physical Movement• Teacher’s uses course virtual drive and

integrated Web Office Applications fordelivering lectures. All related material isstored in one place.

• Students and teachers access their filesfrom personal virtual drives as at labs,as at home or other places. No portablemedia is needed.

Factors to Consider for Selection andDeployment of Cloud ServicesThe hype of the buzz word ‘CLOUD’ continuesto grow with many success stories but at sametime the vast opportunities offered by the cloudhave also led to chos in many cases. So to ripethe best out of the technology without gettinginto trouble one should first analyse the variousfactors before selecting a cloud service. Thefactors are as discussed

Value PropositionWhile costs for cloud services may appearminimal or even non-existent, the real costs toinstitution can be considerable. It is helpful toestimate costs for any legal advice associatedwith the contractual negotiations, project andchange management, and technical integrationand staffing an institutional helpdesk.



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ContractThe provider will have a standard contractwhich should be studied closely. Largerinstitutions are at greater risk and may wish toseek legal advice before signing the contract.Issues which should be examined include theinitial term of the contract, penalties for earlywithdrawal, costs and future potential costs.Exit strategy: How to move the data andapplication to some other service provider ifinstitution wants to move to some other CSP?

PlatformThe platforms on which the applications areprovided should be assessed. Ideally the software will function the same on all devices,operating systems and web browsers but thisis unlikely to be the case. It may be necessaryto advise users to use particular platforms.Access from mobile devices is becomingincreasingly important for many students.

Technical issuesThe institution may have to carry out sometechnical integration work such as automatingthe creation of user accounts on the cloudsystem based on data held in studentinformation systems or facilitate single sign-onacross systems. There may also be a necessityto monitor usage, remove accounts or performother systems management activities. So oneshould judge the customer support andscalability of the service provider as a pre-buycondition.

Different Services of Clouds for EducationalInstitutesIBM, one of the largest IT companies, launchedIBM Cloud Academy, a forum for academician

and practitioners to advance the knowledge ofCloud Computing in education [IBM 2009]. TheIBM Cloud Academy is to provide anorganization for K-12 schools and highereducation inst i tut ions that are act ivelyintegrating cloud technologies into theirinfrastructures to share best practices in theuse of clouds and to collaborate with partnersto create innovative cloud technologies andmodels.

Microsoft cloud computing in education givesbetter choice and flexibility to education ITdepartments. The platform and applications youuse can be on-premises, off-premises, or acombination of both, depending on youracademic organization’s needs.

ConclusionCloud computing is the latest computingtechnique, if chosen, implemented and usedproperly can prove to be a boon for educationsector, whose main task is to impart educationand not to manage the computers, its network,resources and the mess created out of it. Thispaper discusses the various benefite of cloudcomputing for the institutions and the students.It further throws some light on the factors aneducational institute should consider whileselecting and deploying a cloud service. Thereare st i l l problems and constraints withapplication offerings, service-level agreements,more importantly security issues. All of thecloud providers do not have the same capabilityfor their technological levels.



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ReferencesTruong, Dothang. How Cloud ComputingEnhances Competi t ive Advantages: AResearch Model for Small Businesses. TheBusiness Review, Cambridge 15. 1 (Summer2010): 59-65.

Schultz, Beth, How to buy cloud computingServices, Network World26. 19 (May 18, 2009):27-28.

M. Armbrust, A. Fox, R. Griffith, A. Joseph, R.Katz, A. Konwinski, G. Lee, D. Patterson, A.Rabkin, I. Stoica, M.Zaharia. Above the Clouds:“A Berkeley View of Cloud computing”.Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2009-28,University of California at Berkley, USA,Feb. 10, 2009.

L. Vaquero, L. Merino, and J. Caceres. “A breakin the clouds: towards a cloud definition”.SIGCOMM Comp. Communications Review,vol. 39, pp. 50—55 (2009).

L. Youseff, M. Butrico, and D. Da Silva. “Towarda Unified Ontology of Cloud Computing,” GridComputing Environments Workshop (GCE ’08),pp. 1—10 (2008).

Barney, J.B., (1991). Firm Resources andSustained Competitive Advantage. Journal ofManagement, 17, (1), pp.99-120.

Richard Katz, Phil Goldstein & Ron Yanosky,“Cloud computing in Higher Education”

Choosing between Microsoft’s Live@Edu andGoogle Apps for Education (2011).http://www.emergingedtech.com/2009/10/choosing-betweenmicrosoft% E2%80%99s-liveedu-and-google-apps-for-education/.

Cloud computing in education (2010). UNESCOInstitute for Information Technologies inEducation.

http://www.microsoft.com/education/solutions/cloudcomputing.aspx.



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Ambush Marketing - Ethical or Non Ethical

Taru BaswanAssistant ProfessorBanarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Professional StudiesNew Delhi, India

Pooja YadavAssistant ProfessorBanarsidas Chandiwala Instiute of Professional Studies,Dwarka, New Delhi

AbstractAn event organized is supported by the official sponsors but through ambush marketing strategy,although controversial, even the non-sponsors find their way by which they encroach on legitimatesponsorships, thus giving rise to ethical and legal issues. Marketers have described the Ambushmarketing as a “parasitic activity” that deprives the sponsors from their rights and privileges, arisingout of the official sponsorships. The claims of the legitimate sponsors rest on the ethical considerationthat has no standing in the court of law. This Paper is an effort to voice the argument of thinkingambushing in legal terms and protect the vested interest of the sponsors.

In the light of this paper we examine ambush marketing as a specific type of IPR infringement andmake the non-sponsors liable for the damages caused by them to official sponsors.

Key words: Ambush Marketing, Legal, Ethical, Strategies, Infringement

IntroductionAmbush marketing refers to a company’sattempt to capitalize on the popularity of a wellknown property or event without consent orauthorization of the necessary parties. It is amarketing strategy in which a competing brandassociates itself with major sporting eventswithout paying sponsorship fee. Thisassociation is without the permission of theevent organizer or its official partners, and thedesire is to deceive the consumer into believingthat there is an official association. Ambushmarketing is a premeditated activity, designed

deliberately to deprive an official sponsor of thebenefits they would otherwise receive. ThusMeenaghan (1994) described ambushing asoccurring when ‘another company, often acompetitor of the official sponsor, attempts todeflect the audience’s attention to itself andaway from the sponsor. This pract icesimultaneously reduces the effectiveness of thesponsor’s communications while underminingthe quality and value of sponsorship opportunitybeing sold by the event owner’. This definitionimplies that any act ivi ty successful ly‘deflect[ing] the audience’s attention to itself

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and away from the sponsor ’ effect ivelyambushes that event. The ult imateconsequence of any deflection may be thatconsumers mistakenly attribute sponsorship ofan event to the ambusher, rather than to thetrue sponsor. Sandler and Shani (1989)suggested that the first instance of ambushmarketing occurred when Kodak failed tosecure sponsorship rights for the 1984 OlympicGames to Fuji.

Various such cases, unearthed before the courtinorder to hold a corporat ion l iable forinfringement for the activities such as sellingmerchandise without a license, passing offone’s brand as the official logo, using one’slimited right of advertising beyond what ispermitted. Since, the strategy of ambushingdoes not fit into any of the above categories,the defendants are successful in evading theliability.

Meenaghan(1994) asked whether ambushmarketing was an immoral or illegal practice,few researchers have actually debated thisquestion. Predictably, event owners and officialsponsors have regarded it as immoral, as itthreatens their ability to sell events or recoupinvestments made in these. However, this viewoffers little practical guidance to prospectivesponsors, who cannot assume competitorsshare their ethical perspective.

This paper talks, about the reasons forexistence of ambush marketing practices,strategies by which ambushing is practiced,claims that can be brought on the ambushers,Strength of the laws governing the ambushmarketing practices.

Literature ReviewShan Kohli (2011) through his paper, outlinedthe lacunae existing in sports law in Indiathrough the Commonwealth Games. He saysthat every sporting event needs to be wellorganised and have clearly defined regulationsin place to tackle various issues such as IPRs,ambush marketing, transport regulation, tickettouting and land acquisition. In his opinionopinion, if India is to make a serious bid for theOlympics in the near future, one of the firststeps would be to streamline our sportslegislation. A study conducted by Rukmani Seth(2010), on the various anti ambush marketinglegislations in different countries and found thatambush marketing cases are on rise and thejudiciary of the respective state should penalizeor atleast injunct those who indulge in thispractice. Nicholas Burton & Simon Chadwick(2008) reveals that ambush marketing createsconfusion among consumers and generatingawareness of the non sponsored brand bycapitalizing on marketing opportunities passed-over by, or poorly executed by, the official rightsholders in this way. Sponsors and rights holdersboth must take greater responsibility for theinvestment and partnership made, and do moreto prepare for and anticipate new and potentialavenues for ambushers to pursue. In a criticalreview of ambush marketing, Dean Crow andJanet Hoek (2003), suggested that the normalcommercial protections provided by trade mark,copyright and passing off laws need to besupplemented by tighter contractual provisionsbetween all of the parties involved in thesponsorship of an event. Janet Hoek and PhilipGendall (2002), revealed that ambushmarketing will only be a commercial irritantbecause it has no status outside of marketing

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jargon. By contrast, passing off ,misappropriation of trademarks, breaches ofcontract, and infringement of fair-tradingstatutes could provide the basis for action butnot the exact reprieve to the plaintiff.

Types of Ambush Marketing

“Direct” Ambush Marketing

“Predatory” ambushing: Intentional false claimsto official sponsorship by a non-sponsor and/or intentional false denial by a non-sponsorconcerning a market competitor ’s officialsponsorship, in each case with the intent toconfuse consumers and gain market sharefrom the competing official sponsor.

“Coattail” ambushing: The attempt by a brandto directly associate itself with a property orevent by “playing up” a connection to theproperty/event that is legitimate but does notinvolve financial sponsorship.

Ambushing via trademark/ l ikenessinfringement: The intentional unauthorized useof protected intel lectual property. Suchproperties can include the logos of teams orevents, or making use of unauthorizedreferences to tournaments, teams or athletes,words and symbols.

Ambushing “by degree”: Marketing activitiesby an official sponsor above and beyond whathas been agreed on in the sponsorshipcontract. For example, an “ambush by degree”of a sports event may involve a sponsor’shanding out free promotional T-shirts without

the permission of the sports league supervisingthe event. That sponsor may have alreadycovered the stadium with its signs, or the sportsleague or participating teams may have madean earlier agreement – perhaps even anexclusive one – to let a different sponsor handout shirts. In either case, ambush by degreeclutters the available marketing space; takesadvantage of the participating teams andsupervising league to a greater extent than theypermitted; and dilutes the brand exposure ofoff ic ial sponsors, including the otherpromotional efforts of the ambushing company(hence the alternative term ”self-ambushing”).

“Indirect” Ambush Marketing

Ambushing “by association”: The use ofimagery or terminology not protected byintellectual-property laws to create an illusionthat an organization has links to a sportingevent or property — This form differs fromdirect “coattail” ambushing in that there existsno legitimate connection between the event/property and from direct ambush byinfringement in that the sponsored event/property has no property rights in the imagesand/or words that create the illusion.

Values-based ambushing: Tailoring by a non-sponsor of its marketing practices to appeal tothe same values or involve the same themesas do the event and/or its promotion, such thataudiences attracted to the event or i tsmarketing will likewise be attracted to the non-sponsor’s marketing — Essentially a reversalfrom “push” to “pull” of the causal processesthrough which direct “coattail ambushers”create sponsor/event-unapproved mental

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association with their products, this form ofambushing differs from “ambushing byassociation” in that the ambushing businessbegins by observing the event’s promotionalscheme and drawing inferences as to itsexisting thematic content, as opposed toobserving the event’s audience and creatingnew thematic content in hopes that consumerswill associate the event with the thematiccontent created.

Ambushing “by distraction”: Setting up apromotional presence at or near an event, albeitwithout making specific reference to the eventitself, its imagery, or its themes, in order to takeadvantage of the general public’s attentiontoward the event and the audience members’awareness of their surroundings — This formof ambush amounts to “free riding” uponthe positive externality that the event createsfor the surrounding area by “anchoring” publicand individual attention there.

Insurgent” ambushing: The use of surprisestreet-style promotions (blitz marketing) at anevent or near enough to it that the ambushingbusiness can identify and target audiencemembers — The “active” version of “passive”ambushing by distraction, insurgent ambushingnot only takes advantage of posit iveexternalities but creates negative externalitiesby intruding upon attendees’ experiences of theevent and detracting from those experiences’quality.

“Parallel property” ambushing: The creation orsponsorship of an event or property that bearsqualitative similarity to the ambush target andcompetes with it for the public’s attention —

An application of “ambushing by distraction” inwhich the ambusher-marketed product is theevent/property i tself , paral lel-propertyambushing does not intrude upon theexperience of audience members (who remainfree to attend whichever event or patronizewhichever property they deem more attractive),but i t does divert audience dol lars andattendance figures from the preexisting event/property, interfering with the efforts of thatevent’s/property’s financial backers to recovertheir largely fixed production costs.

“Incidental” Ambush Marketing

Unintentional ambushing: It is possible formedia coverage to make passing mentionof, e.g., the manufacturer of an athlete’sequipment/clothing or the provider of a serviceused by the event’s technical staff or in-personaudience. Although in most cases mostmembers of an event’s mass-media audiencewill not infer that the mentioned business is anofficial sponsor of the event, such that themention is harmless “free publicity” for the non-sponsoring business, it is possible that somebroadcast-audience members will at somepoint draw some inference of off ic ialsponsorship.

“Saturat ion” ambushing: ”Saturat ionambushers” increase their broadcast-mediaadvertising and marketing at the time of anevent but make no reference to the event itselfand avoid any associat ive imagery orsuggestion — Essentially a form of “ambushingby distraction” attenuated by the absence ofadvertisers’ physical proximity to the event andtheir resulting lack of contact with in-person



53

audience members, saturation ambushingmerely capitalizes on the increased broadcastmedia attention and television audiencessurrounding the event

Reasons for Existence of the Practice ofAmbush Marketing:

Ambush marketing campaigns are ephemeral:Due to the short time span of the public events,it becomes very difficult for the event organizersto exercise their legal options to curtail thepractice.

Limitation of Laws: Existing laws have generalapplication to the menace of ambushingmarketing, due to the lack of proper andstringent legal system, very few organizershave brought suits against the ambushmarketers.

Corporations are able to defend themselves:Due to the lacunas in our existing legal system,corporations are able to find out the solution todefend themselves and comes out with thesuccess against the allegations.

Apart from the above facts the major concernis that the organizers are disinclined to file suitagainst the large corporations with the fear ofalienating the large corporations, who are notthe current sponsors but can be the prospectivesponsors in the future events.

Ambush Marketing StrategiesThere are four strategies which are identifiedand commonly employed by the marketers.These comprise sponsoring media coverage of

an event, a sub-category within the event, orcontributing to a “players’ pool”. Meenaghanalso noted that advertising coinciding with asponsored event or other promotion, deflectingattention away from the event, could also beconsidered ambushing.

Sponsoring Media Coverage of an Event:Those events where the sponsorship rights tothe event itself do not include associated mediarights. Consequently, some sponsors learn thattheir rivals have obtained broadcasting rights.This is illustrated in the 1984 Olympics whereKodak gained the sponsorship of the ABCbroadcasts of the event whereas Fuji hadpurchased the exclusive category rights to thisevent from the IOC, it was considered that theyhad a legitimate right to publicity that might begenerated by the event. Kodak infringed uponthis right by purchasing the broadcastingsponsorship rights thereby associating with theevent and deflecting the attention of theaudience. when it purchased the broadcastingsponsorship r ights, thereby gaining anassociation with the event and access to itsaudience.

Introduction of category exclusivity in 1984, bythe IOC prohibited Kodak from obtaining anyexposure opportunities, once Fuji had securedthe Games sponsorship. The Games drew sucha large audience, Kodak would have exercisedmany of the other promotional options open butit simply chose to capitalise on an ancillarypromotional opportunity that was legitimatelyavailable to promote the brand.

From a legal point of view, it is clear thatKodak’s action did not breach the contract Fuji



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held with the IOC. Rather, the IOC, in order tomaximize the revenue from both sponsors andbroadcasters, failed to shield its sponsorssufficiently.

Sponsoring a Sub-Category within an Event :In the 1988 olympic games, IOC ensured itsown streams of revenue by conferring officialsponsorship rights to Kodak while Fuji, obtainedthe sub sponsorship of the U.S swimming teamby which it was believed that Fuji usurped theagreement. However, from Fuji’s point of view,they had not realized their official sponsor rightsand sneaked the advantage of otheropportunities that was available.

In an another case similar to the above, TheNational Hockey League (NHL), representing21 ice hockey teams, generated a substantialamount of its income by selling licences tomanufacturers for using the NHL logo, or thelogos of its member teams. Coca Cola signeda contract with NHL entitling the company tobecome official soft drink supplier. On the otherhand, PepsiCo obtained advertising rightsthrough Molson Breweries, which heldbroadcasting rights to the NHL. The NHL suedPepsi for passing themselves off as officialsponsors or as having an official associationwith the NHL. But, because Pepsi had useddisclaimers in their advertising, stating that theywere not official sponsors of the event. TheCourt ruled that there was no evidence tosupport the allegation of passing off. NHL couldnot secure the sponsorship rights of theCocaCola, rather a more strong contract withCocaCola including the broadcast rights orsome provision that prevented the holder ofthese from on-selling them to CocaCola’s

competitors might have safeguarded the officialsponsors of the event.

Making a Sponsorship-Related Contribution toa Players’ Pool : Competitor of official sponsorscan also sponsor teams or individualscompeting within specific events. This strategicmove can be viewed in the Australian Olympicswhere adidas’ sponsoring Ian Thrope playedin the event whose official clothing sponsor wasNike for the Australian Olympic team.

Although the appearance of players wearingapparel from a rival would certainly have irkedofficial apparel suppliers, engaging in sub-category sponsorship may be a legal activity.As Curthoys & Kendall point out, manyindividual or team sponsorships would havebeen entered into well before bidding for eventsponsorships commenced.

Remuneration made to the individuals or teamsraise the question of whose rights shouldprevail-those of individual athletes or teams,or those of sporting associations and eventowners?

The brand endorsement contracts entered intoby the Indian cricket team clearly exemplify thepotential for conflict between event sponsorsand individual sponsors. Team members’lucrative endorsement contracts generatesignificant personal revenue and run counterto the International Cricket Council (ICC)ruling, that restricts players from endorsing theproducts of companies who are the rivals ofICC sponsors for 30 days either side of ICCevents.



55

Discussion above, suggest that companiesinvolved in sub-category sponsorship have notnecessarily engaged in i l legal behavior.Although off icial sponsors may see theappearance of rivals’ insignia at an event aslikely to create confusion, this argumentoverlooks the fact that rivals have the right topromote their sponsorship associations.

Engaging in Advertising that Coincides with aSponsored Event : Rivals of official sponsorscan also purchase normal advertising time andspace. Event owners and official sponsorshave viewed intense advert ising by acompetitor during or around a sponsored eventas another form of ambush marketing. Largeinternational sporting events, such as theOlympic Games or Footbal l or Crickettournaments, draws very large audiences, andthe advertisements shown during the intervalperiod of the event may deflect the attentionof at least some of them.

Official sponsors are even more concernedabout the themed advertising that featurescompetitors from sponsored events. Forexample, during the 1992 Winter Olympics,McDonald’s were the official sponsors of theU.S. team, yet Wendy’s featured Krist iYamaguchi, an Olympic champion figure skater,in its advertising (see Jensen 1995 p3). Yetwhile McDonald’s viewed Wendy’s behavior asambushing, Wendy’s argued they had a rightto maintain their brand image during theOlympic Games, using airtime available to alladvertisers.

Curthoys & Kendall (2002) discussed Qantas’campaign in the period preceding the 2002

Sydney Olympics, which involved a series ofadvertisements featuring famous Australian\athletes and posters with slogans such as“Australia Wide Olympic Sale” where most ofthe people believed that Qantas was the officialsponsor and only few identified Ansett as theofficial sponsor.

Ambush Marketing RegulationIncidences in the past have proven that ambushmarketing is unethical and it is very importantto have stringent intellectual property protectionbeside what is provided in the current regime.The pract ice of ambush marketing hasjeopardized the ability of the event organizersto preserve top sponsors, ambush marketingimpacts the resources of event organizersposing a threat to their economic interestsresulting in a dent in their budget.

As India has not been able to provide specificanti ambush marketing laws and thus theredress to the issues of ambushing, needs tobe addressed by the Trade Marks Act, 1999,the Copy Right act, 1957 , the Emblems andNames Act, 1950 and the common law notionof passing off.

In deficiency of statutory provisions with respectto ambush marketing, it becomes intricate forthe plaintiffs to ask for the damages and claimtheir rights against the defendants.

Claims that can be brought against AmbushMarketers:

Passing off, Sponsors taking the respitethrough passing off, the event organizer wouldneed to show that, it has an established



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reputation or goodwill with reference to theevent being held, the non sponsor has made amisrepresentation by way of its marketing, thatthey are the official sponsors and the sponsorshas suffered or is likely to suffer damage as aresult of this misrepresentation. This legalprotection, although not sufficiently provideprotection against ambush marketing, but ispotentially a highly precious tool in skirmishingthe ambush marketing menace.

Trade mark infringement, When the eventorganizer has a registered trade mark, and asimilar trademark is used by an unauthorizedsponsor, then the event organizer cancommence proceedings for trade markinfringement.

Copyright infringement, Where an eventorganizer has a logo created in connection witha specific event, any unauthorized duplicationof that logo shall breach the copyright.

Registered design right infringement, Emblemsand logo can also be registered as designs andwhen these are unofficially replicated then itamounts to infringement. The event organizercan stop further duplication and can claimdamages on account of profits arising from theinfringement.

SuggestionsAmbush marketing is contentious andinfrequently litigated issue which calls for theframing of specific laws to address the issuescropping from ambushing. Whether ambushmarketing is ethical or simply smart businesspractice remains controversial. In the absenceof legislative provisions or precedents, the

morality aspect is often highlighted, critics callambush marketing parasitic marketing, ascompanies are consciously looking for ways totake credit of the event despite protests fromorganizers and event’s official sponsors.

Meenaghan (1996) pointed out that many ofthe activities previously labelled ambushmarketing, competitive advertising during andaround sponsored events for example, are nowseen as legitimate activities suggesting that theevent owners have accepted the brandcompetition in sponsorship and associatedactivities.

a) To safeguard the rights of the officialsponsors of the event the owners shouldreduce the number of sponsorshipcategories they sell. As the revenue fromsponsorship has increased, thetemptation to increase the number ofsponsorship levels and classes has alsogrown.

b) Event owners need to manage the saleand differentiate between the eventsponsorship and broadcastingsponsorship of the events. As Shani&Sandler (1999) noted, event owners cangenerate considerable revenue byaccepting bids for telecast r ights.However, broadcasters must also recoupthe expense of securing rights, which mayentail selling more advertising space andoffering sub-sponsorship rights withinevent telecasts.

c) Event owners must also develop legalprotection of the rights they sell to officialsponsors. The organizing committee forthe Sydney 2000 Olympic Games



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successful ly formulated new legalprotections as part of a comprehensivebrand protection strategy. The Sydney2000 Games (Indicia and Images)Protection Act 1996 formed part of acarefully articulated strategy to minimizethe incidence of ambushing at the 2000Olympic Games (though Curthoys &Kendall question the strength of theprovisions this Act introduced). Similarly,in response to the International CricketCouncil’s the South African governmentintroduced the Merchandise MarksAmendment Act 2002, to reduceambushing at the 2003 ICC World Cup.This latter legislation contains provisionsto provide confinement to the directorsof companies that are involved inambushing activities.

d) Before the introduction of specif iclegislation to tackle the potential forambush marketing, event owners andsponsors had to rely on trademark andfair trading statutes. However, the newlaws introduced may afford additionalprotection, but the onus still lies on eventowners, to prove that a violation occurredor that confusion was a expectedoutcome of a rival trader’s behavior.

e) There must also be a concerted effort byevent owners to provide transparency asto the actual r ights purchased. Inaddition, these rights should be protectedvia tighter contractual provisions with allparties.

An IOC report on the Salt Lake City 2002 WinterOlympic Games also set out several measuresto condense the incidence of ambush

marketing, which involves full registration oftrademarks and copyright material at state andfederal levels, and internationally. IOC closelymonitored the manner in which Olympic markswere used and prohibited unauthorised use ofthe same. They also made a provision ofconducting audit programmes, together withphoto audits of commercial activity within theOlympic venues and mystery shopperprogrammes to detect unauthorisedmerchandise. The IOC also designed aneducation programme intended for all sectorsto increase knowledge of ambush marketingand to bring disgrace to the ambushers. Shani& Sandler (1999) recommend the use of aneducation programme, designed to ensure theconsumer awareness about the sponsors andnon sponsors of an event. The IOC has craftedaggressive advertising campaigns that criticizealleged ambushers as cheats that deservepublic approbation. These advertisementssuggest that ambushers are attempting todeceive the public and undermine the rightssecured by their competitors. However, it isnot clear whether this advertising clarifies thestatus of the official sponsors; ironically, it couldactually reinforce awareness of the rival.

ConclusionTrademark or copyright infringement, passingoff, reverse confusion or unfair competition canonly be a stop gap arrangement, not apermanent solution to the scenarios of ambushmarketing.

According to Meenaghan, the categorization ofambush marketing as ethical or unethicaldepends on broad or narrower view one takes.He says that if no compensation is made to



58

the event organizers by the sponsors then thepractice can be named as unethical. In regardto this there are some ethical theories:Uti l i tarianism and Kantian moral theory.According to the Kantian theory, actions aremoral when they are motivated by obligation.When the theory is appl ied to ambushmarketing, implies that a company has a dutytowards its shareholders to engage in ambushmarketing since it is a business choice andcompany executives have a duty towardsshareholders to maximize profit which provesthe ambush marketing practices as ethical.

The same argument is proved by theutilitarianism theory which says that a decisionshould produce the greatest good for as manyas possible. This again proves ambushing asethical inevitably though, this is detrimental toa minority (sponsors and event organizers).According to the Corporate SocialResponsibility concepts, emerging to guide thefunctions of corporate explains, that ambushers(a corporate ) have an ethical responsibilitytowards society and when they form falseassociation with the event, this responsibilityis violated. The concept embrace that acompany‘s CSR should hold companies backfrom engaging in ambush marketing altogether,since ambushing also harms the eventorganizers and the official sponsors.

According to Dick Pound, a former vicepresident of the IOC, explained that the boardfinds ambush marketing erroneous not onlybecause an ambusher does not pay theobligatory fees, but also because ¯someoneappropriated something that didn‘t belong tothem.

It is very difficult to give a straightforward viewcategorizing ambush marketing practices as anethical pract ice or not. An event of aninternational repute plays an important role ininvigorating economies and sports of a countryas well as promoting tourism, impactingeconomic growth of a state. If the organizersare unable to restrain the threats arising out ofthe ambushing, it shall prevent sponsors notto participate in such events. It becomes theduty of the organizers to provide safety to therights of the sponsors and safeguard theirinterest, for this reason Paul O‘Sullivan‘s andPatr ick Murphy‘s suggest to draft aninternational code of conduct for businesseswhich will set certain rules regulating thesponsorships of the events and protect thelegitimate rights of the sponsors.

References :Coulson, N. (2004). Ambush marketing. BrandStrategy, February 2004(179), 32.

Crompton, J.L. (2004). Sponsorship ambushingin sport. Managing Leisure, 9(1), 1-12.

Farrelly, F., Quester, P. & Greyser, S.A. (2005).Defending the co-branding benefi ts ofsponsorship B2B partnerships: the case ofambush marketing. Journal of AdvertisingResearch, 45(3), 31-39.

Hoek, J. & Gendall , P. (2002). Ambushmarketing: more than just a commercial irritant?Entertainment Law, 1(2), 72-91

Lans Retsky, M. (1996). One person’s ambushis another’s free speech. Marketing Law,30(14), 14.



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Lee, M.S., Sandler, D.M. & Shani, D. (1997).Attitudinal constructs towards sponsorship: 6)scale development using three global sportingevents. International Marketing Review, 14(3),159-169.

Lyberger, M.R. & McCarthy, L. (2001). Anassessment of consumer knowledge of,interest in, and perceptions of ambushmarketing strategies. Sport MarketingQuarterly, 10(2), 130-137.

Meenaghan, T. (1998). Ambush marketing:corporate strategy and consumer reaction.Psychology & Marketing, 15(4), 305-322.

Meenaghan, T. (1996). Ambush marketing – athreat to corporate sponsorship. SloanManagement Review, 38(1), 103-113.

Meenaghan, T. (1994). Point of view: Ambushmarketing: immoral or imaginative practice?Journal of Advertising Research, 34(5), 77-88.

Natal Witness (2003). Ambush marketing fightat World Cup sinks to new lows. 19F e b r u a r y. h t t p : / / w w w. l e g a l b r i e f . c o . z a /view_1.php?artnum=9133. Accessed 07August, 2003.

O’Sullivan P & Murphy P (1998). Ambushmarketing: The ethical issues. Psychology andMarketing. 15 (4), 349-366.

Parker K (1991). Sponsorship: The researchcontribution. European Journal of Marketing,25(11), 22-30.

Payne M (1991). Ambush marketing: Immoralor imaginative practice. Paper presented atSponsorship Europe ’91 Conference,Barcelona, Spain.

Payne, M. (1998). Ambush marketing: theundeserved advantage. Psychology &Marketing, 15(4), 323-331.

Shani, D. & Sandler, D. (1998). Ambushmarketing: is confusion to blame for thef l ickering of the f lame? Psychology &Marketing, 15(4), 367-383.

Shani, D. & Sandler, D.M. (1989). Olympicsponsorship vs. “ambush” marketing: who getsthe gold? Journal of Advertising Research,29(4), 9-14.

Townley, S., Harrington, D. & Couchman, N.(1998). The legal and practical prevention ofambush marketing in sports. Psychology &Marketing, 15(4), 333-348.

http://indialawjournal.com/volume4/issue_4/article_5.html

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Author Gupta S LPublisher Excel BooksNumber of Pages 814 PagesCost Rs 400/-Title Sales and Distribution Management

Text and Cases with SAP applications : An Indian Perspective

About the BookThis book is designed to be a comprehensivestudy on Sales and Distribution Managementfor not only management students but even forworking managers discussing the differenttheories and principles on the subject in thecontext of Indian marketing environment, froma practical and result-oriented perspective.Challenging ideas and practical tips can belearnt through case discussions given in thisbook. In Indian Economy the importance ofmarketing continues to grow day by day wherea rising income of people along with growingdemand for all types of products has gone upgiving rise to an increase in production ofvarious types of consumer goods. The survivalof any business as of today in both nationaland international markets depends upon howeffectively selling functions are performed.Sell ing decisions have to be made withaccuracy with the support of factual information

reasonably comprehensive and in a well-timedfashion resulting in the intensive cultivation ofsales. Thus Sales and Distribution now dayshave become an effective management tool formarketers. The book is designed to serve as atextbook for the students taking up marketingas their special izat ion in ManagementInstitutes.

Case methodology has now become a verypopular teaching methodology for makingstudents learn how to handle business issuesin various functional areas. This requiresstudents to get themselves knowledgeable byunderstanding concepts, precepts, tools andtechniques leading them in analyzing variouscases with perfection. Consequently, casestudies have been included in this book to givestudents a close insight into actual businesssituations where they can diagnose problemsand then taking a decision in the light of various

Book Review

61

facts of cases. This book also enables thepracticing managers to regulate and improvetheir selling skills being a better performercontributing towards a sustained organizationalgrowth.

The book is split into six main blocks dealingwith Sales and Distribution Management. Firstblock gives an insight into the basics of SellingManagement with a focus on recruitment,selection, training, compensation, appraisaland motivation of sales personnel. It evenexplains the concept of Territory Management,Sales Budgeting and control. Second blocktalks about various techniques used bymarketers in managing sales like relationshipmarketing and use of Internet as a sales aid.Third Block gives a description of various salespromotion strategies required for revenuegeneration and getting a good ROI.

Sales and distributing go hand in hand and it isequally important to know the distributionsystem as this helps marketers to make theirproducts available to their target markets.Hence Blocks IV, V and VI explain howdistribution systems can lead to satisfiedconsumers for any organization. Conceptualclarity of distribution system is important formarketing managers and as per the nature ofthe product this varies. Also role of channelmembers in making goods reach from the pointof manufacturing to the point of sale is beendiscussed in this section. An understanding ofthe functional areas of Logist ics andwarehousing has been discussed in block five.Block six forms the last part of the book andexplains concepts in retail management,merchandise techniques, distr ibution ofservices and finally familiarizes students withSAP features.

Priyanka RawalAssistant Professor

IPER-Bhopal

Priyanka Rawal

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Global Journal of Management Perspectives Vol -1 Issue -1