An empirical assessment of service quality dimensions in the Indian retail sector

Ms KG Hemalatha
 Dayananda Sagar College of Management and Information Technology, Bangalore, India

Lakshmi Jagannathan
 Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bangalore, India

K Ravichandran
Madurai Kamaraj University, India

Abstract
Customer perceived service is considered as one of the key determinants of business performance. In the process of creating this differentiation, the role of delivery of quality services is very vital. So far, in the Indian context, there is a dearth of tested instruments which can measure customer-perceived service quality of a retail store. Application of quality measurement scales, in Indian context, particularly retail service quality, is yet very limited. In order to understand the driving factors of a typical Indian retail customer, the key objective of this study was to empirically test the service quality dimensions. The study also opined to carry out the gap analysis and identify the areas for improvements in retail service quality. The instrument proposed by Dabholkar, Thorpe and Rentz (1996) RSQS(Retail Service Quality Scale) was used as the questionnaire  with the addition of two more variables which were found to be relevant for the Indian context after a pilot survey among small group of consumers. A 5-point Likert scale (1-strongly disagree, 5-strongly agree)was employed to measure the service quality of the retail shop.  The findings of the RSQS in India are thus different from those of Dabholkar, Thorpe and Rentz.   

Retail mix management – a synoptic view

HN Ramesh
Dept. of Bus. Administration, Kuvempu University, Kadur, Karnataka, India.

The new global financial structure-Evaluating the UK model

Rohit Bansal
Dept. of Management Studies, Vaish College of Engineering, Rohtak, India.

Rahul Garg
Dept. of Management Studies, IIT Delhi, India

Rakesh Kumar
Dept. of Management Studies, IIT Delhi, India.

Abstract
The recent global financial crisis calls for a financial structure both at national levels and international level devoid of instability. First, the authors try to analyze the causes   of the current crisis and the current financial scenario in major countries .Then the current financial system in the major economies and the associated drawbacks are dealt with. Finally, an attempt is made to evaluate the model and strategy suggested by the UK financial authorities in overcoming any future crisis along with experts' observations.
It is noted that given the severity of the recent crisis, there should be a coordinated and collaborative response by the various actors of the financial structure to meet the challenge. This is so far not seen. It is thus apt time for international financial structure modification. Policy mistakes this time can prove to be detrimental in nature for the society as a whole. Suggestions from international bodies, economists, practitioners and other stakeholders must be taken into account before coming to any conclusion regarding changes in the  financial structure along with proper supervision-national and international.

The Retail business in India: - revolution or evolution?
A perspective towards the history and modernization
of retail business in India

Hitesh Bhatia
Dept. of  Economics, ICFAI National College, Baroda, India.

Daxay Soni
Dept. of Marketing, ICFAI National College, Baroda, India.

Abstract
The origins of retail in India can be traced in fairs and  ‘mela’s(an Indian word for village events to sell and promote goods) which were held across the country for the twin purpose of trade and entertainment. The retail story silently continued in an unorganized structure across every street and its corner in India till early 80’s. The process of liberalization which started during 80’s brought modern retail into its veracity.  But the contemporary retail is only a re-evaluation of century old activity of traders selling their produce in a collective arrangement.
The paper attempts in tracing out the transformation of traditional formats of fairs and melas into the contemporary retailing in India. The modern format of retail is only a gradual evolution of trade from melas to malls contradicting the general theory of revolution.

Optimal inventory policies for Weibull deterioration under trade credit in declining market

Nita H. Shah and Nidhi Raykundaliya
Department of Mathematics, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Abstract
            The aim of this study is to develop mathematical model for Weibull deterioration of items in inventory in declining market when the supplier offers his retailers a credit period to settle the accounts against the dues. The computational steps are explored for a retailer to determine the optimal purchase units which minimizes total inventory cost per time unit. The numerical examples are given to demonstrate the retailer’s optimal decision. A sensitivity analysis is carried out to study the variations in the optimal solution.

Transforming the point of sale to point of service - applying SOA in the Indian retail scenario

Swapna S Kolhatkar
Asst. Prof. Singhad Institute of Management & Computer Applications, Pune India
Shruti V Joshi
Asst. Prof. Marathwada Mitramandal College of Engineering, Pune India 

Abstract
Unorganized retailing is by far the prevalent form of trade in India – Constituting 98% of total trade, while organized trade accounts only for the remaining 2%. The retail industry in India is of late often being hailed as one of the sunrise sectors in the economy.
However, in order to find its feet in the Indian environment a lot needs to be done in terms of efficiency enhancement. This case study is an attempt in exploring the benefits of applying Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) in the organized retail industry, for achieving business efficiency by transforming the point – of – sale into a point – of – service through SOA and thus ensuring maximum customer satisfaction.

The discussion is divided into three parts; firstly the introduction which gives an idea about the retail sector and SOA. The second part deals with the areas of improvement for the Indian region in case of retail through information technology. The third part deals with the SOA based suggestions for the mentioned problems. The conclusion sums up the effective use of SOA in retail.

Functional preferences and reward
Effectiveness in volunteer motivation

Laura Phillips
Mark Phillips
Abilene Christian University, Texas, USA.

Abstract
This study examines the relationship between individual volunteers’ functional preferences and their ratings of a variety of non-monetary rewards.  Participants, 95% of whom had volunteer experience, completed the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) and rated 31 potential rewards. The results suggest that volunteers have relatively similar reward preferences, despite distinct differences in their functional preferences. Further, gender and volunteer experience have little impact on an individual’s ratings of specific rewards. Also some rewards have almost universal appeal. Finally, some rewards appear to be enjoyed less than initially expected, suggesting that volunteers may find themselves disappointed.
In summary, the benefits of assessing volunteer functional needs may not offset the cost of gathering this data. In most situations, nonprofits may be best-served by offering identical, highly rated rewards to all their volunteers, since the top items have virtually universal appeal and tend to be relatively inexpensive as well.

Shoppers’ attributes on supermarket store choice behaviour in food & grocery retailing in India-an empirical analysis

Cherukuri Jayasankara Prasad
Dept. of Business Management ,Krishna University,Machilipatnam, A.P, India.
Ankisetti Ramachandra Aryasri
School of Management  Studies, J N Technological University,Hyderabad, India.

Abstract
The Indian food and grocery retail sector has been evolving from traditional to a modern, organized retail marke and the  macro environmental factors have significantly affected this process. Store choice behaviour in Indian grocery retailing has now become a complex issue for both retailers and shoppers. Shoppers’ attributes such as socio-economic, demographic, geographic and psychographic dynamics have influenced the choice of retail format and store in grocery retailing. The purpose of the paper is twofold: 1) to make a detailed study on the association and predictability of shopper’s demographic and geographic attributes with supermarket store choice behaviour and 2) to examine the effect of shopper’s demographic, geographic and psychographic attributes on segmenting the food and grocery retail consumers towards supermarket stores. The study is purely based on primary data collected from 1040 retail customers from sixty five supermarkets through mall intercept survey method using structured and non-disguised questionnaire in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Andhrapradesh in India. Both descriptive and inferential statistical tools have been used to test the statistical significance. The findings revealed that shoppers’ age, monthly household income, family size, distance travelled to store, gender, education, occupation, lifestyle factors and shopping motives have been the significant predictors of supermarket store choice behaviour. The findings also revealed that shoppers’ attributes have significantly affected the segmentation of food and grocery retail consumers into hedonic, utilitarian, autonomous, conventional and socialization.