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Working Papers | 2005

Coffee, Tea or …? : Gender and Politeness in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)

Asha Kaul and Vaibhavi Kulkarni

Research shows that electronic communication has affected written language significantly. The increasing importance of use of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) in organizations has multiple implications for use of written language at workplace. This study focuses on the influence of gender and politeness on writing style in CMC, specifically work related emails, in the Indian context. Grice's Cooperative Principle (CP) and Leech's maxims of Politeness have been used to analyze samples of 494 work related emails written by both men and women. On the basis of this analysis, an attempt has been made to study the relationship between gender, politeness and email content. On the basis of the data, it is concluded that: 1. Different politeness maxims across genders are used in work related emails. 2. Politeness maxims are used in clusters. 3. Variations in use of politeness maxims across genders are highest in directives. 4. Violations of politeness maxims are higher in men than in women.

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Working Papers | 2005

Food Insecurity in India: Causes and Dimensions

Dand Sejal A and Chakravarty Sujoy

In this study we explore causes of the widespread food insecurity that prevails in India. It has been observed that even though the proportion of the malnourished fell by about 1 percent (FAO, 2002) through the nineties in India, their absolute number increased by about 18 million. Thus the problem of food insecurity in India is not of general systemic failure that arises due to a supply shortage. It is in fact more a problem where certain sectors (mainly the rural agrarian population and the urban informal sector) suffer from a shortage of food in a general climate of increasing production. Delving deeper, we observe that the main determinants of food insecurity in India today are the shrinking of agrarian and informal sector incomes and failures (both due to policy framing as well as implementation) of support led measures to combat poverty. The latter include the near breakdown of the targeted public distribution system (TPDS) in most regions of the country. This study uses existing scholarly work in the area as well as conventional data sources in order to show the extent of food insecurity in India today and the logic of the different patterns of its causality.

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Working Papers | 2005

Gender, Affect and Upward Influence

Asha Kaul, Ansari Mahfooz A, and Rai Himanshu

Upward influence tactics affect the attitude, perceptions and behavior of the supervisors towards their subordinates. This influence may be used both for organizational and personal purposes. With more and more women joining the work place, gender becomes a significant construct given that upward influence tactics may have nuances different for men and women, especially in the Indian context. The hypotheses that made an attempt to understand gender differences in terms of use of upward influence tactics and the moderating effect of the positive and the negative affect, were tested with a sample of employees (N=107) working in a large bank in Western India. The study employed both in-depth exploratory interviews and a survey methodology. While the interview data was subjected to rigorous content analysis techniques, regression analysis was performed on survey data. Results indicated that the gender of the agent and the supervisor, as well as the interaction of gender and affective styles, influenced the choice of upward influence tactics.

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Working Papers | 2005

Urban Health Status in Ahmedabad city: GIS based study of Baherampura, Kubernagar, and Vasna wards

K. V. Ramani, Mehandiratta Sweta, Patel Amit, Joshi Diptesh, and Patel Nina

Urbanization is an important demographic shift worldwide. Today, nearly half the world population is urban. In the 1991-2001 decade, Indian population grew by 2 %, urban India by 3 %, mega cities at 4 %, and slum population by 5 % (2-3-4-5 syndrome). Slum growth in future is expected to surpass the capacities of civic authorities to respond to health and infrastructure needs of this population group. Managing urban health, thus assumes critical importance to achieve better health outcomes in the country. Historically, Government of India's focus has been on development of rural health system. However, since the 9th Five year Plan, Government has started giving priority to urban health as well, but hardly any progress has been achieved in this area. In this working paper, we discuss our initiatives in a pilot study of urban health management in Ahmedabad city, the seventh largest mega city in India with a population of 3.5 million consisting of 1.5 million people living in slums and slum-like conditions. Our objective is to understand the nature, magnitude, and complexity of issues in the management of urban health. Towards this, our pilot study focuses on three wards, in three different parts (zones) of Ahmedabad. Our GIS based analysis provides some very interesting insights into the status of health in the selected wards. Our next task is to understand private health care in Ahmedabad, analyze existing public private partnerships in the city, and thereby build a Model Urban Health Centre with Public private Participation.

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Working Papers | 2005

Incentives for Developers' Contributions and Product Performance Metrics in Open Source Development: An Empirical Exploration

Haruvy Ernan E, Wu Fang, and Chakravarty Sujoy

In open source software development, users rather than paid developers engage in innovation and development without the direct involvement of manufacturers. This paradigm cannot be explained by the two traditional models of innovation, the private investment model and the collective action model. Neither model in itself can explain the phenomenon of the open source model or its success. In order to bridge the gap between existing models and the open source phenomenon, we analyze data from a web survey of 160 open source developers. First, we investigate the motives affecting the individual developer's contributions by comparing and contrasting the incentives from both the traditional private investment and collective action models. Second, we demonstrate that there is a common ground between the private and collective models where private returns and social considerations can coexist. Third, we explore the effect of incentives on the output of innovation—final product performance. The results show that the motivations for individual developer's contributions are quite different from the incentives that affect product performance.

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Working Papers | 2005

GAPS IN "GAAP": Issues in Nonprofit Accounting and Reporting in India

Shailesh Gandhi

Nonprofit Organisations (NPOs) in India play an important role as change agents for social and economic development. Though they command substantial amounts of resources, their financial performance measurement and reporting is a major concern. In absence of a single regulatory authority and specific accounting standards for NPOs, the practices of accounting and reporting vary across organisations. Based on an exploratory study, this paper documents the current status on requirements of accounting and reporting vis-à-vis the current practices of NPOs, identifies the gaps, and proposes an action plan to bridge the gaps. The paper classifies the gaps in accounting and reporting under conceptual and institutional frameworks. In order to bridge the gaps in the conceptual framework, the paper recommends the need for developing a uniform accounting and reporting system for all NPOs that should start with conceptualizing information needs of the stakeholders and end with conceptualizing appropriate financial statements to meet these needs and, in the process, resolve any ambiguity in the accounting treatment of specific transactions. At an institutional level, the paper suggests consultative processes among various stakeholders to develop the proposed system and recommends a need for amendments in various Acts to implement it.

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Working Papers | 2005

Understanding Export Led Growth and Late Industrialisation to Explain the Differences in the Post Reform Performance of India and China

Sebastian Morris

Both India and China began to reform in the early eighties, with the Indian reforms being very slow until 1991-92 after which they "take-off". While there are many differences the crucial difference is that China adopted the same export led growth (ELG) policies of the successful East Asian economies - South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand, while Indian policies have been distinctly laissez-faire. Orthodoxy's false understanding of ELG (the East Asian trade strategy), which was as far from laissez faire as can be imagined, is the root cause of the failure of other diversified economies in their pursuit of open door policies. Purposeful and massive under valuation of their currency was part of the East Asian strategy, which while making the ratio of exportables to importables close to their international prices, provided for simultaneous export growth and import substitution; something not possible in orthodoxys standard work horse -the 2x2x2 model of international trade. Simultaneous import substitution and export production is theoretically possible for economies with idle resources, with the introduction of third non-traded goods sector. ELG can therefore with compatible with little or no protectionism. This aspect of the East Asian trade (and development) strategy has been poorly understood even by the structuralists who otherwise (on the aspect of the state's involvement) had demolished the liberal laissez-faire thesis. India reforms have resulted in considerable discrimination against the manufacturing enterprises. Exports have grown far more slowly than was otherwise possible. The more equal distribution of income in China, and the differences in the macroeconomic policies explain most of the other observed performance differences between the two countries on aspects such as the inward flow of FDI, investment, savings, growth of particular industries. Some of he crucial dimensions of the macroeconomic policies consistent with ELG in the context of China are brought out. These are structural undervaluation of the currency, expansionary monetary policy and exchange rate targeting with only one way openness to the capital account, if at all. The character of FDI itself, which differs sharply between the two countries is related to the differences in the macro economic policies. The Chinese and the East Asian success extends the notion of late industrialisation to one where external demand (along with domestic demand) is realised for the high speed expansion of manufacturing ELG. The supply side of the same strategy is build on exploiting 'idle' and underutilised labour which alone is capable of generating the vast gains from trade. Standard models gains from trade are incomparable small in relation. A significant part of the gains do accrue to the destination countries in the from of falling prices so that there are few political difficulties in the pursuit of ELG even by large countries like China. Thus ELG is more akin to a Lewisian process that employs previously underemployed labour for tradables goods production with rising (to high level) investment rates. India is more than ripe for ELG. It can ignore the lessons from the Chinese experience only at much cost to its growth. High growth in excess of 9% is possible with ELG since even with conservatism it is achieving 6+ %. This paper also argues that the mistaken pursuit of laissez-faire as being export led growth in India would only result in the further hollowing out of manufacturing.

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Working Papers | 2005

Building the Infrastructure to Reach and Care for the Poor: Trends, Obstacles and Strategies to overcome them

Dileep Mavalankar, K. V. Ramani, Patel Amit, and Shankar Parvathy

Infrastructure forms a critical part of health service delivery in any country. Availability, Accessibility, Affordability, Equity, Efficiency and Quality of MNH services highly depend on the distribution, functionality and quality of infrastructure. Most developing countries have invested substantially in developing health infrastructure in rural areas which provides a base for extending MNH services to the poor. Still, there is clear evidence that in many countries there are gaps and inadequacies in health infrastructure. The functionality and utilization of health infrastructure has been sub-optimal or poor due to a variety of reasons. This paper reviews available literature and assesses the coverage and gaps in infrastructure for MNH. It also identifies critical issues in management of infrastructure and analysis their causes and impact on services delivery to the poor. The paper also reviews impacts of reforms on infrastructure and provides some recommendations for improvement of infrastructure management so as to ensure better services to the poor.

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Working Papers | 2005

Explaining Foreign Direct Investments in Gujarat: A Study based on an Opinion Survey of Persons Involved in the Foreign Direct Investment Process

Sebastian Morris

Gujarat has attracted more foreign direct investment (FDI) than what its GDP size alone would suggest. But relative to its peer states (especially Tamilnadu, Delhi, Maharashtra and Karnataka, and possibly Andhra Pradesh) it has fallen short significantly. The above findings which we made in an earlier study are further confirmed through a survey of opinions and views of CEOs and others intimately concerned with the foreign investment decision process. The survey also brought out the crucial importance of infrastructure, and the quality of governance. Interestingly most of the problems are capable of being corrected through appropriate government action. The intrinsic exploitable advantages of the state remain large. Electricity supply-its poor quality, inadequacy and high price; the adverse law and order situation including the impact of the communal strife and riots and the perception of biases in the implementation of law have been important in adversely affecting FDI. The large comparative advantage of the state in industry and manufacturing implies that the states' future is intimately dependent upon the growth of manufacturing in India. Success therefore involves coordination with the central government, because many of the difficulties in moving forward and in evolving into modern industries faced by Gujarat's existing manufacturing involve policy infirmities at the central /macroeconomic level. Important among these are the `inverted tariff structures' that many of Gujarat's manufacturing, especially those in the small and medium scale industries, face and the tame pricing of the Indian rupee, in contrast to East Asian countries' strategy of undervaluing their currencies. There is much that Gujarat can do to attract the new manufacturing and service industries (offshore industries of a wide variety, IT and biotechnology industries). Besides the improvement of Governance especially with regard to control over communal strife, it would need to improve the quality of life in cities and overcome the infrastructural constraints especially with regard to education and availability of technical skills. If Ahmedabad its principal city, can improve its ranking in the hierarchy of central places, Gujarat could successfully attract a lot more FDI, and other non-equity forms of collaboration in the new manufacturing and service industries.

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Working Papers | 2005

Initial Returns, Long Run Performance and Characteristics of Issuers: Differences in Indian IPOs Following Fixed Price and Book building Processes

Ajay Pandey

Initial returns (or underpricing) and long run performance of IPOs have been researched extensively across countries. Recent research on IPOs has also been focused on differences in pricing and allocation mechanisms across countries. Indian IPO markets provide a natural setting for comparing the characteristics of issuers, initial returns and long run performance of IPOs coming out with fixed price versus book building route. On a sample of 84 Indian IPOs (20 book-build and 64 fixed-price) from the period 1999 to 2002, we find that the fixed price offerings are used by issuers offering large proportion of their capital by raising a small amount of money. In contrast, book building is opted for by issuers offering small proportion of their stocks and mobilizing larger sums of money. Unlike in the early nineties, the activity in Indian IPO markets is now increasingly following trend of "industry-specific waves" of IPOs as most of the IPOs in our sample are from sectors, which were "hot" during the period. Consistent with the evidence from other countries, initial returns are higher and more uncertain on fixed price offerings. Again in line with evidence elsewhere, all types of Indian IPOs in our sample under performed in the first two years subsequent to listing. We also find some evidence that the IPOs from issuers belonging to industries under the spell of "hot issue" market, under perform more than the rest.

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