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3894 items in total found

Working Papers | 1995

Fertilizer Plant Modelling: A Simulation Study

Girja Sharan, Tripathy Arabinda, and Kumar M Krishna

A Simulation model of a fertilizer plant has been made. It includes activities from production to despatch, from the plant site. Input to the model is daily demand which comes to the plant as despatch instructions. The model includes provision for internal generation of realistic daily demand. Output gives the state of the system at any desired interval of time. Simulation reports can be used by managers for planning logistics and other operational aspects at the plant site. SLAM II has been used for modelling.

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Working Papers | 1995

Exploiting the Potential of the Indian Software Industry

Chaudhari Shekhar and Dasgupta C B

This paper reports the findings of a study designed to understand the process of technology development with special reference to the nature of interaction between software firms and the technology supporting institutions catering to the industry in the context of the external environmental trends. The software industry has experienced very rapid growth in recent times. During the second half of the decade of the eighties exports overtook the domestic turnover. The successes of the industry in the last few years must, however, be seen in the global context which would bring about a sobering effect. The Indian software industry accounts for only 2 per cent of the world's software output. This fact may be interpreted in two ways; (a) the Indian industry is far, far behind the world's leaders and (b) on the contrary the recent resurgence of the industry and the small global share indicates the presence of certain strengths that may be exploited to reach a significantly higher level. The paper describes the developments in the industry in an evolutionary perspective and presents the findings from (a) interview survey of 18 firms, (b) mail survey of 26 firms and (c) interview of relevant technology institutions. Finally implication for technology institutions, firms and the government are drawn.

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Working Papers | 1995

The Torture Evolution of the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry: Government Policy, Industry Structure and Technological Development

Chaudhari Shekhar

The pharmaceutical industry has featured prominently in various financial dailies and management magazines recently due to the government's decision to sign the Dunkel Agreement. Over the years the industry has acquired significance due to the phenomenal growth it has experienced. In recent years exports also has increased by leaps and bounds. However, India's share of the worldwide market is still minuscule but the potential is large. This paper presents the findings of a study designed to understand the process of technology development in the pharmaceutical industry and the nature of interaction between firms and relevant technology institutions. The first part of the paper describes (a) the evolution of the industry in historical perspective, (b) the structure of the industry, (c) government's role in the development of the industry. The second part presents the findings of (a) an interview based survey of 18 selected firms and (b) a mail survey of 21 firms. Some case studies of technology management in selected firms are also discussed. Finally major implications for firms, technology institutions and the government are discussed.

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Working Papers | 1995

Product Planning and Models of Diffusion-I

Girja Sharan

First purchase sales volume curve of box type solar cooker indicated that the product has passed maturity in Gujarat. We have initiated collaborative redesign work to improve the product. Central element of redesign concept is the addition of an electrical back up. This will enable users to cook food even when insolation and or ambient temperatures are low. It is hoped that this will enhance the appeal of the cooker. It is important to estimate the market potential and the likely growth trajectory of the 'new' cooker. One of the ways suggested in marketing literature is to identify an existing product which may be 'analogous' to the new product and use it to draw diffusion related inferences. This is the aim of the present work which will be reported in two parts. In this first part, we review works relating to diffusion of products in India and present results of using Bass model to describe the growth of the present cooker. In the second part to be reported later, we will explore the use of diffusion models as aid to identify product analogues.

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Working Papers | 1995

Synergy in Government Policies and Global Competitiveness of Two Canadian Industries: An empirical Study

S. Manikutty and Kumar Vinod

The Paper analyzes the role of government policies in influencing the competitiveness of two Canadian industries: Telecommunications and Software. Telecommunications industry in Canada is subject to a relatively high degree of government intervention in the form of regulation as well as other forms. The “Competitiveness” of the carrier segment was measured in terms of its own performance over the years, and the equipment segment in terms of exports. The software industry though largely in a free market, is still influenced by broad government policies. Its competitiveness was measure by its foreign revenues. The study finds that even in a free market economy like Canada government policies have a vital role to play in promoting the competitiveness of industries. The areas of synergies and dissynergies in government policies and their impact on the industries studied are explored. The findings are also related to Michael Porter's “diamond” model for global competitiveness of industries.

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Working Papers | 1995

Synergy in Government Policies and Global Competitiveness of Two Indian Industries: An Empirical Study

S. Manikutty

The paper analyzes the role of Government policies in influencing the competitiveness of two Indian industries: Automobile Components and Leather. These industries were chosen due to their good export performance, prima facie evidence that they are influenced by government policies and their potential for improvement in competitiveness. The paper charts the major government policies and identifies clusters of these policies of different years. The competitiveness is measured by the export performance. In the leather industry, India's export share as a percentage of world exports was also looked at. The study finds a striking relationship between sharp increase in competitiveness and a coherent set of government policies introduced within a short period. The major conclusions of the paper are that (i) government policies have a great influence on competitiveness of industries (ii) the policies should be in synergetic bundles, and (iii) industry specific measures may be useful in promoting the competitiveness of specific industries. The findings are related to Michael Porter's “diamond” model and implications of policy makers and industry associations are discussed.

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Working Papers | 1995

Indian Plague Epidemic: Unanswered Questions & Key Lessons

Dileep Mavalankar

This paper briefly recapitulates the events during the recent plague epidemic in India with specific focus on suspected pneumonic plague cases in Surat City. The paper discusses three key questions which are as yet unanswered. These questions are: (a) The exact nature of the disease, specifically whether it was plague or some other diseases; (b) Origin of the suspected plague cases: and (c) The mode of transmission of the disease in the community. The paper discusses available evidence from secondary sources and some primary investigations done by the expert committee appointed by the State Government of Gujarat. This paper discusses the key lessons learnt from this suspected plague epidemic. The lessons learnt are in the areas of investigating epidemic of unusual disease, managing public fear during epidemic and management of cases of highly infectious diseases. The paper briefly comments upon the deteriorating public health situation in India and includes that developing countries must pay greater attention to public health in order to become globally competitive.

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Working Papers | 1995

Meta Processes for Organizational Excellence in Developing Societies

Khandwalla P N

As societies in transition, involved in modernisation, nation building, socio-economic transformation, and increasing globalisation of their economies, developing societies must evolve forms of organizational excellence appropriate to their context. Several meta processes drawing their strength in part from the organizational and behavioural sciences are presented. These are: revitalisation of sick organizations, institutionalisation of durable excellence, nurturance of creative excellence, development of competitive excellence, and nurturance of missionary excellence. These processes can be combined in various ways to raise organizational quality. A better understanding of these meta processes may contribute to evolving high performing organizations in developing societies, possibly in the rest of the world also. These meta processes can enlarge current notions of organizational development, human resource development, and transformational leadership.

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Working Papers | 1995

Trade Related Intellectual in India: A Review of Issues and Evidence

Rakesh Basant

Any analysis of the Intellectual Property Rights relating to the seed industry in India needs to take congnizance of three inter-related issues: (a) that the current debate on IPRs is part of a larger debate on issues relating to GATT; (b) that the options on IPRs are intricately linked to the New Economic Policy and the accompanying liberalisation process; and (c) that the IPRs relating to plant varieties need to be seen in a broader framework of the seed policy pursued by the government. In this background, this paper reviews the available literature and data to explore the impact of IPRs on the seed industry in India. The paper begins with a description of technological, structural and policy contexts of the seed industry in India. Given these characteristics and evidence from other countries, the likely impact of the seed industry related IPRs is explored. Finally, some policy options available to developing countries like India in the emerging world order are briefly discussed.

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Working Papers | 1995

Indian Aluminium Industry: A Perspective

M. R. Dixit and Venugopal R

This paper looks at the various facets of the aluminium industry such as government policy, user profile, industry structure, financial and physical performance, exports and imports and firm level management issues, and draws a perspective of the industry. The key observations are as follows: Till the early seventies private entrepreneurs played a leading role in shaping the industry. The Government entered the Aluminium industry with the setting up of Bharat Aluminium Company but, it gained prominence with the setting up of National Aluminium Company (Nalco). The industry has adopted and assimilated technologies acquired form leading international players. The assimilation of technology has been sufficient to operate plants at designed efficiency levels but has not led to the accumulation of expertise which can be a source for indigenous technological development. No major indigenous technological innovations have taken place in the Aluminium industry. Among the major aluminium producing countries in the world, India ranks tenth. India's production of approximately 500,000 tons of Aluminium represented about 3.5 % of the world production of Aluminium and half the production of China. The major constraints in taking a significant place in the world market appear to be steady and uninterrupted supply of power. In the context of liberalisation, investment in this sector by the aluminium companies themselves or agreements with the existing or new comers in the power sector could ease the situation.

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