Browsing by Author "Kiran, K. B."

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Exile, Identity and Resistance: Palestinian Realities in the Works of Sahar Khalifeh
(National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, 2018) Koudur, Shashikantha; Kiran, K. B.
Sahar Khalifeh is one of the most outspoken authors from the Occupied Territories of Palestine – the West Bank. This study examines the literary works of Khalifeh in order to know the contemporary Palestinian situation through the literary prism. The socio-political and economic impact of the Occupation on the life of Palestinians has been so immense that it has become difficult for them to survive in their own homeland. Khalifeh’s narratives effectively lend voice to these challenges faced by them. The Occupation spanning for nearly two generations has taught the Palestinians to resist the challenge in different ways. These multiple resistance strategies adopted by Palestinian men and women constitutes another important theme that this study seeks to unravel in the narratives of Khalifeh. Indeed, the Palestinian resistance movement is constituted of both violent and non-violent forms of resistance throughout their struggle for independence. Unfortunately, the media has sidelined the issue of civil or non-violent forms of resistance movements pursued by the Palestinians and represented the movement grossly as an act of terrorism or insurgency. The different shades of Palestinian resistance to Israeli Occupation are specifically looked into in this study. Palestinians’ life of exile under the Israeli Occupation is another core theme discussed in the literary works of Khalifeh. Simultaneously, she has written on the emerging challenges faced by the Palestinians on their return to homeland. In depicting both these issues, Khalifeh shows a departure from the previous accounts: the gendered impact. If exile has a certain impact on men, the same phenomenon has another set of impact on women; it is important to note that the latter effect has hardly been talked about by earlier Palestinian litterateurs. Further, it is also true that Khalifeh raises the issue of the effect of male exile on females in the Occupied Territories. Israeli Occupation with patriarchal oppression in their own society, renders the Palestinian women doubly challenged. The themes like Israeli Settler Colonial domination, exile, resistance and gender discrimination in the narratives of Sahar Khalifeh have been analysed taking insights from Settler Colonial theory, resistance theories and feminist readings.
Factors Affecting Investment Decision Making of Urban Individual Investors in India
(National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, 2014) Shetty, Sukanya; Kiran, K. B.; Sridhar, S.
For the sake of financial security individuals must save and invest. Due to the changes in the socio-economic environment, not only have individuals become increasingly responsible for their well-being but the landscape of financial markets has changed radically. These changes have been characterized by an increase in the complexity of financial products. Investment decision making (IDM) in such an environment has become extremely difficult. Although modern portfolio theory assumes that investors are rational, in reality it is not so. The literature review provides ample evidence to show that individuals are not rational and markets are not efficient. Further, it provides the theoretical framework to identify the various factors that influence IDM among urban individuals. Although the financial innovations are important and relevant, they ignore the essence of the financial products; of whether it is suitable to those whom it is designed and marketed. For this reason, it is important to understand individuals from a holistic point of view rather than from a single viewpoint. The purpose of the study is to describe the factors that influence IDM of urban individuals in the current scenario. The factors that affect the IDM considered in this study are (a) demographics (b) personality (c) social environment (d) experience (e) choice criteria (f) contextual factors and (g) biases based on information processing errors. The data is substantiated by an in-depth interview of intermediaries who facilitate IDM among individual investors. Data was collected primarily through a survey in the form of a self-administered questionnaire from 1146 urban individual investors as well as from interviewing 40 financial intermediaries. The secondary sources of information were gathered from books, journals, newspapers, working papers, study reports and websites. The validity of the instrument was obtained with the help of experts and pilot tested for a small group of respondents and the reliability was tested using Cronbach’s alpha. The populationconsidered for the study was urban middle class individuals with a minimum disposable income of Rs. two lakhs per annum. Since the data collected is very personal and highly confidential, snowball sampling is used for the purpose of the study. Data is analyzed using Kruskal Wallis test, Pearson’s correlation, Principal Component Analysis and Regression Analysis using SPSS version 17. The results of the study indicate that demographics, personality traits, and experience influence the IDM of individuals. The intermediaries’ opinion agrees with the results of demographic factors and experience. Among the social environment factors, family and non-commercial sources are found to influence the IDM of individuals. As per the intermediaries’ opinion, non-commercial sources and informal sources influence individuals to a larger extent. Among the choice criteria factors, convenience and risk factors influence the IDM of individuals. But, as per the intermediaries’ opinion, return affects IDM to a large extent. Among the contextual factors, task complexity and information processing affects the IDM of individuals. As per the intermediaries’ opinion, task complexity and time constraint affect individual investors. Among the biases, representativeness, framing, availability and loss aversion affect the IDM of individuals. The regression results show that the biases of representativeness, framing, anchoring and loss aversion could be explained using the explanatory variables of personality, social environment, choice criteria and contextual factors. The intermediaries further mention that individuals are affected by emotion while investing. An individual would be able to make better investment decisions by being aware of his/her own biases. By understanding the individual investor, the financial intermediaries could customize financial plans and products to suit the needs of their clients. The policy makers could design policies so as to encourage a positive investment environment that is in favor of individual investors.
Impact of Micro Health Insurancecase Study of Sampoorna Suraksha Programme in Karnataka
(National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, 2013) Savitha; Kiran, K. B.
Micro health insurance (MHI) is a pivotal and innovative health financing mechanism that mitigates iatrogenic poverty thereby providing financial protection to the informal sector. However, the limited evidence from India does raise research questions regarding the effectiveness of MHI schemes in achieving these objectives. Thus, this thesis focuses on this area of research gap in MHI to evaluate its impact on (i) financial protection, (ii) social inclusion, (iii) resource mobilization, and (iv) the role of scheme characteristics on its performance. Sampoorna Suraksha Programme (SSP), a MHI scheme in Karnataka was chosen to study the research gap on impact and performance using a descriptive survey research methodology using self-administered validated questionnaire. Multi-stage, clustering design with random selection procedures was adopted to collect quantitative data from 416 insured, 366 newly insured and 364 uninsured self-help group (SHG) households of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Gadag districts in Karnataka State. Qualitative data was collected using in-depth interviews with network hospital staff, field staff and administrators of SSP, and focus group discussion with the members of SHG households. The results on financial protection indicated a lower out of pocket expenditure and catastrophic health expenditure, higher utilisation of inpatient services, desired health-seeking behaviour and decreased borrowing for the insured households. There was no impact on access to care and social inclusion in enrolment. On the contrary, the inadequate resource mobilization evident from the study resulting from high claims ratio and lower premium collection would pose a threat to the long-term financial sustainability of SSP. The study indentified certain design features that influenced the outcome of SSP. The findings of this study provide adequate evidence to substantiate the effectiveness and positive impact of SSP on financial protection and MHI certainly is advocated as a financing alternative to mitigate iatrogenic poverty.
Innovation Approaches, Practices and Firm Performance among Select Software Product SMES: A Case of Bangalore Firms
(National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, 2018) Hungund, Sumukh S; Kiran, K. B.
Innovation is considered as a topic of interest among both academicians and practitioners. Right from Schumpeter till current day researchers have worked extensively in the area of innovation, yet the topic appears to be fresh and new. Henry Chesbrough coined the terms ‘open innovation’ and ‘closed innovation’ in his pioneering work. Small and Medium Enterprises are a major part of an economy and essential for its growth. In India, SMEs play a very important role in generating employment and growth of the economy. At present, Indian SMEs adopt innovation for sustaining their growth rather than radical transformation. A rigorous review of literature points to research gaps to study the innovation approach adoption and its influence on firm performance among SMEs. The present work adopts a case-study approach to study the SMEs of Bangalore region. A structured online survey was administered to 213 survey participants identified through criterion based snowball sampling method. Firm-level factors such as age, size, experience, and culture have been perceived to have a significant influence to adopt innovation approach. However, investment in Research and Development does not influence SMEs to adopt Innovation. As for External factors, ecosystem and competition have a significant influence on the adoption of innovation approach. Other factors such as technological advancement, government policy, and customer have a relatively lesser role in the adoption of innovation approach. Further, open innovation practices such as collaboration, Spin-offs, and alliances positively influence firm performance. IPR trading is still not encouraged in the Indian context. Closed Innovation approach also influences the firm performance. Hence, the decision makers of SMEs should cautiously reflect on the innovation approach suitable to their firm at that point in time. Adoption of innovation approach should be considered by the SMEs as a strategic choice for their growth and sustainability.
Remote Sensing And Geographic Information System Tools To Support Conservation And Sustainable Management Of Sacred Groves In Kodagu District
(National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, 2016) Shashi B, Shushma; Dwarakish, G. S.; Kiran, K. B.
India has got worldwide recognition in terms of biodiversity, as it is a mega-diverse country having four biodiversity hotspots. The biodiversity of the country mainly preserved on the religious beliefs and even today traditional conservation practices are followed in all most all parts of the country. One among such tradition is the tradition of Sacred Grove (SG) which can be defined as “patches of forestland, preserved in their virgin condition on religious grounds, satisfying the aesthetic, scientific, cultural and recreational needs of mankind”. They are extremely useful and essential for the maintenance of biodiversity, ecosystem and to bring harmony in social life. But increased population and its growing demands assimilated with few other facts are acting behind the degradation of these SGs. This calls for the need to prudent conservation and sustainable management of these delicate resources. Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques can be applied as an effective measure to generate data and information needed for conservation and sustainable management of the SGs. The research is carried out to make use of the recent technology to get the support required for preservation of SG. Aiming towards conservation and sustainable management, the objectives of the research work has been set in such a way that, the outcome of the research work must support effectively for the conservation process. The study area considered for the research is Kodagu district of Karnataka, as it is the ‘HOTSPOT’ for SGs. The objectives of research are viz., (i) development of a complete geodatabase, (ii) prioritization of SGs, (iii) estimation of biodiversity based on ecological indices, Land Use Land Cover (LULC) classification and Normalized Differential Vegetative Index (NDVI) (iv) development of web based Sacred Grove Information System (SGIS), and (v) estimation of ground water recharge and discharge in the study area. Data for attaining the objectives have been collected from field visits and state and central government departments. Geodatabase was developed with the schema that holds all the necessary attributes of SG. The biodiversity was estimated by using ecological indices and LULC, NDVI classification for the year 2006 and 2012 by following the supervised classification technique. For the dissemination of SGs data in the internet, the web based SGIS was developed through open source OpenGeo suite application of GIS. The groundwater recharge and discharge rates were estimated based on hydraulic conductivity, water table, andv bed rock elevation data with help of PRO GRADE plug-in package. Based on these findings of above objectives Sacred Grove Management plan was prepared. The geodatabase was developed for 85 SGs of study area holds complete information about 2831 individual species along with the conservation status of flora and fauna. The biodiversity estimation was done for all the four types of species such as ‘Trees’, ‘Medicinal Plants’, ‘Animals’, ‘Birds’, by using five ecological indices. Among them Shannon’s and Simpson’s index and Margalef’s index have shown highest and higher values for all types of species present in Virajapet, and Mercara taluk respectively. LULC classification suggests that increase in built up and agricultural land is due to urban expansion and the economic returns of coffee plantations. The reduction in water resource, forest resource and sandy area as is due to the increase in demand for raw materials and land resource. The NDVI analysis shows the decrease of vegetation by 177 sq km area. The reduction in surface water resource might have caused more exploitation of ground water resource and decrease of vegetation reduces water retention capacity of soils which affect the ground water recharge .In this way these factors may also be attributable for, the increase in ground water discharge rate and decreased recharge rate. This has been well represented by the zonation maps obtained by PRO GRADE GIS. The prioritization of SG represents the threat status, which is alarming and calls for the conservation plans and action. The details in the geodatabase were made, accessible in internet through OpenGeo suite software, which helps in dissemination of data that also supports to bring awareness about the tradition and its value. From the present work it was found that, these SGs are very essential for the well being of human beings as well as ecosystem and their dwindling nature calls for the urgent need for protection of SG. The essential and basic supporting parameters needed for conservation can be prepared /developed by using RS and GIS and it can be used as an effective tool for planning and management of SGs. This in turn helps policy makers for the implementation of new policies by the government towards the conservation of SGs.
Resource Based View and Sustainable Competitive Advantage: An Investigation Among Cellular Mobile Operators
(National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, 2014) Somashekar, C.; Kiran, K. B.
Over the past two decades, the Resource Based View (RBV) of the firm has emerged as one of the leading paradigms in the field of strategic management. However, the theory has been subjected to a number of criticisms, particularly because the vast majority of contributions within the RBV have been of a conceptual rather than an empirical nature. Empirical research on strategic resources and their impacts on firm performance are scarce. Despite extensive discussion grounded in RBV theory, its fundamental tenets still remain to be validated in the field. In order to examine the relationship between strategic resources and superior performance empirically, Cellular Mobile Operator (CMO) industry was chosen with empirical research method. In order to achieve the objective of the study, the strategic resources which contribute significantly in creating distinctive customer value and superior performance are studied in Indian CMO organizations. The research design used both deductive and inductive approaches. Deductive approach uses RBV and Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA) framework developed in general to provide framework to achieve sustainable competitive advantage and superior performance for CMO firms. Inductive approach explores industry specific strategic resources, attributes of cellular mobile services and customer value dimensions for cellular mobile services. This research used data triangulation which includes questionnaire for customers, questionnaire for executives, archival records and documentation. Competitive dynamics in Indian cellular mobile operator industry is so intense that every participant is striving to gain an advantageous market position. The need of the hour is to identify those resources that cater to customer needs and wants and translate them into services that generate value to the subscribers. The research identified six strategic resources from the literature review for cellular mobile operators. Strategic resources that contribute to attain sustainable competitive advantage for CMO firms are human capital, customer capital, location capital, reputational capital, process capital and innovation capital.Sustainable competitive advantage is a function of attribute differentiation that drives distinguished customer value. It was discovered from the literature review that usefulness, ease of use, network size, compatibility and complementary service variety are attributes of cellular mobile services that drive customer value. Customers prefer services from that service provider who creates and delivers them better value in the market. The customer value dimensions for cellular mobile services that subscribers consider while assessing the value of services are functional value, social value, emotional value, conditional value, epistemic value and monetary value. The findings revealed that: (1) there is a significant positive relationship between strategic resources and superior performance, (2) among the attributes of services, complimentary service variety has the highest influence on customer value, and (3) among the customer value dimensions, monetary value has the strongest effect on superior performance in cellular mobile services. Thus the results of the study can be used as a guiding tool by managers to identify, develop, protect and deploy strategic resources for CMO firms to achieve superior performance. Further, from the managerial perspective, this thesis highlights the importance of strategic resources to achieve superior performance, creation of new value added services and their contribution in creating and delivering customer value in CMO firms. The results of the study give guidelines for managers about which attributes need to be emphasized in cellular mobile services to create better customer value. Finally, the study integrated strategic resources, attributes of services and customer value dimensions and developed a holistic RBV and sustainable competitive advantage framework for cellular mobile operator firms to achieve superior performance.