Home Menu
icon-menu-close.svg

Faculty & Research

Faculty & Research

Research Productive

Show result

Clear
Search Query :
Area :
Search Query :
2769 items in total found

Working Papers | 1989

Consultant and his Role in Organizations

Parikh Indira J and Selvan Tamil S

Whenever there is a collectivity of people with structures, tasks and interphases between people and systems there are some individuals who by choice or by the need of the hour or situation become consultants, advisors, experts and problem-solution givers. This paper examines how consultants emerge, are seen, what roles they undertake in organizations, what factors influence the consultant's roles and what are the new definitions and dimensions of a consultant's role. It identifies the context in which an organization and the consultant interphase. It states the different phases of evolution of organization growth and how the role of a consultant changes. These dimensions are discussed based on experiences of many consultants and existing literature. Most of the role descriptions are borrowed from existing literature and from experiences and discussions with consultants and industrialists. In the Indian context due to constant flux and transition, consultants have to review and define an appropriate role for themselves to contribute to the design and development of institutions and formal work organizations.

Read More

Working Papers | 1989

Threat Bargaining Problems with Incomplete Information and Nash Solution

Lahiri Somdeb

In this paper we extend the framework of threat bargaining games to include those with incomplete information. In this set up we address ourselves to two significant problems: (1) Under what conditions would 'truthful' revelation of the disagreement payoffs by a Nash equilibrium of the threat bargaining game? (2) Obtaining a characterization of the Nash bargaining solution without the Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives Assumption. Our framework of analysis is general enough to include within its purview the study of non-cooperative bargaining problems with incomplete information, played by Bayesian players, although the specific problem addressed to in this paper does not fall in that category.

Read More

Working Papers | 1989

Large Lift Plants - Performance

Girja Sharan and Kayastha Sandeep

Large lift irrigation plants (LIPs) are a recent development in parts of Gujarat. These are commonly sited on old tanks, some on intermittent streams and canals. Water is lifted to a high point of command through a riser and then led by gravity through pipes to various distribution chambers. A need had arisen to examine their performance. Accordingly, a continuos, deterministic mathematical model of a typical LIP has been made. The system is viewed as a negative feedback, automatic (on/off) control. Curve number method is used to compute runoff and moisture balance method, for effective rainfall. Simulations using actual (historical) daily rainfall were carried out to determine irrigation needed and possible. Long term value of latter is taken as a more realistic index of system capability than that originally projected. Actual performance is compared with it. Possible additional uses of simulation in design and operations are highlighted.

Read More

Working Papers | 1989

A Periodic Review Inventory Model for Stochastic Demand with Two Storage Facilities

Shah Nitin and Shah Y K

In this paper a periodic review probabilistic inventory model for a single item with two storage facilities is developed; one warehouse is owned by the system under consideration (which is referred to as OW) and the other is a rented warehouse (RW). The capacity of OW is W units. Any quantity larger than W is to be kept in RW and are gradually withdraw in batches of K units. The model determines optimum values of lot-size q and k. An example is given to illustrate the results obtained.

Read More

Working Papers | 1989

A Decision Support System for Improving Railway Line Capacity

G. Raghuram and V. Venkata Rao

This paper describes the design, implementation and experimental with an interactive software system which determines the line capacity of a section of running freight trains. The schedules of passenger trains are given. The package can find the effect of decisions related to infrastructure investments like improved signalling, additional stations, additional tracts at stations and additional tracks between the stations in order to improve line capacity. This model was used with test data on an important section (100 kms lenth between 2 major yards with 20 stations) in the Western Railway a zone of the Indian Railways. Experiments were conducted to determine i) the effect of changing a portion of the section from single track to double track; ii) the effect of improved signalling and higher trains speeds; and iii) the best possible starting times for freight trains at either origin.

Read More

Working Papers | 1989

Egalitarian Departures from the Ideal Point

Lahiri Somdeb

In this paper we propose a new solution to bargaining or group decision problems, which requires an arbitrator to choose that point on the Pareto frontier of the feasible set where losses in utility from the ideal point are equal for all the agents. The solution is motivated by ones already existing in the literature. We then present two modes of characterizing this solution which uses familiar axioms in bargaining theory and also some axioms which are intuitively plausible variants of those existing in the literature. The two key axioms are Independence of Common Monotone Transformation modulo the Ideal Point and Redundancy of Additional Alternatives Other Than a Reference Point.

Read More

Working Papers | 1989

Ghana Public Sector Finances: Recent Developments and Issues

Gupta Anand P

This paper provides a perspective on how Ghana has managed her public sector finances since the inception of the economic reforms programme in 1983. It reveals that Ghana continues to have a deficit in her public sector finances-Ghana's current public sector deficit (5.5% of GDP) is of about the same size it was before the commencement of the economic reforms programme. This is contrary to the general perception of Ghana having succeeded in eliminating her public sector deficit, and that too over a relatively short period. The paper also shows that between 1982 and 1987 the Government of Ghana's tax and nontax revenue as % of GDP grew by 8.5 percentage points (from 5.6 to 14.1%), with export duties alone accounting for roughly one-half of this impressive growth. With the government revenues growing, government consumption expenditure has also grown-from 6.5% of GDP in 1982 to 10.6% in 1987. In other words, government consumption expenditure increases alone absorbed 48.2% of the revenue growth-and as much as 113.9% of the growth in collections from export duties. The Ghana policymakers need to ponder over this development. Finally, a word must be said about capital spending which has risen from negligible level in 1983 to 8.3% of GDP in 1988. This is indeed a major achievement: capital spending has been used for rehabilitation of the country's economic and social infrastructure which was allowed to deteriorate throughout the 1970s. however, with public savings being relatively small (e.g. 2.6% of GDP in 1988), the government has chosen to finance the shortfall (in resources required to finance higher levels of capital spending) through external resources, which Ghana so far has been able to mobilize on highly concessional terms. But what about the future? In case the terms harden, will Ghana be able to afford them?

Read More

Working Papers | 1989

Leadership and Management in Formal Work Organizations and Educational Institutions

Parikh Indira J

This paper examines (1) the definition and concept of leadership as reflected in educational institutions and formal organizations, (2) patterns and models of leadership in the western India context, (3) the resultant functionality and dysfunctionality contributing to the health and pathology of systems and (4) leaderships models and qualities relevant for todays times. Western patterns of leadership are examined in the feudalistic, paternalistic, democratic and bureaucratic. The leadership behaviour is categorized as supportive, directive, achievement oriented and participative. The five role models of leadership in the Indian context reflect the Rama model, the Indira model, the Virat Purush model, the Ravana model and the Dadhiche model. The patterns of leadership anchored in the western context and the five role models of Indian context are intermixed and emergent styles of leadership are operative institutions provide role models for the young which are then carried forward and the resultant style is insufficient for todays tasks of educational institutions and large and mammoth organizations within the context of society experiencing flux and transition. The paper suggests leadership who represents and shares the values of sagacity, integrity, vision and relatedness with people and system simultaneously. A shift is required from a charismatic leader to an institutional leader who generates dynamicity and vitality in people any systems. In todays times leadership needs to create new traditions and paths and inspire people to a shared commitment to systems, tasks and policies and a sense of belonging and involvement.

Read More

Working Papers | 1989

Organizations and Men and Women Managers: Approaches and Perspectives in Training

Parikh Indira J

The paper "Organizations and Men & Women Managers: Approaches and Perspective in Training" presents the existing models and approaches in training which are brought to the third world countries. For example, four such approaches are reviewed-T-Group, Tavistock, Transactional Analysis and Gestalt. The paper then presents a culture specific approach to management training which retranslates some of the inputs from the West and adds new dimensions. The paper highlights three basic modules: Conceptual Module, Experiential Module and an Integrative Module. The conceptual module focuses on knowledge, attitute and skills. The Experiential Module on role and Identity Approach focuses on come of the assumptions of management training and presents some structure and design for management programmes. The paper highlights some of the emergent themes amongst men and women managers in organizations.

Read More

Working Papers | 1989

Demand Forecasts of Household Energy and Policy for Wasteland Management in India

Gupta Tirath and Vinod Ahuja

Demand estimation for a set of goods is usually an integral part of the planning process. The forecasts should bring out the likely gaps in demand and supply which, in turn, should facilitate the planned enhancement of supplies/or formulation of policies for demand management. This paper review various demand forecasts of household energy up to 2005, and brings out that there has been substantial variations, even inconsistencies, in the estimates of future demand by various agencies. The inconsistencies have been more prominent for fuelwood demand forecasts: from less than 100 to more than 300 million tonnes by the turn of the century. Such differences have been a result of variations in the number and nature of variables, assumptions, analysts' perceptions with respect to marginal costs of different fuels, and the interpretation of the term demand itself. It is concluded that considerable time series and cross sectional data must be collected, processed, updated and shared so that the variations in energy demand forecasts can be minimized. In the meantime, realistic estimates of availability and fuelwood production potential of forest and non-forest wasteland must also be attempted to arrive at a practicable and desirable mix of different fuels to meet the total household energy demand.

Read More
IIMA