IOSR-JBM   Volume-16 ~ Issue-6 ~ June-2014

Abstract: Gender pay gap has been part of scholarly discussions for quite some time. In our study we highlight the perception of employees of Information Technology on gender pay gap and the factors influencing the same in the region of Kerala, in which, not many studies have been conducted. Through a focus group discussion, the data was collected, converted into quantitative and then analyzed through factor analysis. We found out that the majority of the respondents perceived gender pay gap in their organizations. Our study also found out that,the respondents perceived, Working for long hours, Bargaining power, Networking with Superiors, Projecting Oneself ,Gender Discrimination as the main factors that influences the gender pay gap.
Keywords:- Information Technology, Gender, Gender Pay Gap, Perception

[1]. Weichselbaumer (2007) Market Orientation and Gender Wage Gaps. An International Study Economics Series, Institute for Advanced Studies
[2]. Gary S. Becker (1964, 1993, 3rd Ed.). Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education. Chicago, University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-04120
[3]. 3Mincer, Jacob and Polachek, Solomon. "Family Investment in Human Capital: Earnings of Women," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(2), 1974, S76-S108, Part II
[4]. Linda Babcock & Sara Laschever, Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide (eBook ISBN: 9781400825691, W Princeton university press Cloth 2003)
[5]. L.Clara, S.Rafael, A.Baumle, and A.Kulich, Harvard Business Review; 88(9), Sep2010, 22-27,
[6]. Blau, Lawrence Kahn The Gender Pay Gap:Have women gone as far as they can? Academy of Management Perspectives February 2007, pp.7-23

Abstract: The objective of the study was to determine the extent to which customers of quoted companies in Nigeria are satisfied with the products (goods and services) of quoted companies. Purposive sampling method was used to select a total sample size of fifty (50) companies. Through the techniques of simple random sampling, a total number of two thousand, two hundred and twenty (2,220) customers were selected from the quoted companies. Index and mean index methods were used to measure the level of customer satisfaction. The results obtained from the analysis revealed a mean index score of 2.3 measured against a scale of 5. This implied that the extent of customer satisfaction was below average. The study recommends that quoted companies in Nigeria should be customer-oriented in order to serve their customers better.
Keywords: Customers, satisfaction, quoted companies, Nigeria

[1]. Agbonifoh, B. A.; O. E. Ogwo, D. A. Nnolim & Nkamnebe, A. D. (2007). Marketing in Nigeria – Concepts Principles and Decisions. Aba: Afri Towers Books Limited.
[2]. Alfred, R.O. (1969). How to use Market-Share Measurement. Harvard Business Review January – February, 59 – 68.
[3]. Amsa, P. (1986). Organizational culture and work group behaviour: An Empirical Study. Journal of Management Studies. 23, 347 – 362.
[4]. Anderson, P. & Chambers, T. (1985). A reward/measurement model of organizational buying behaviour. Journal of Marketing, 49 7-23.
[5]. and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 73 – 77.

Abstract: The problem of child labour is a socio-economic reality of Bangladesh. This issue is enormous and cannot be ignored. This study indicates the child labour increase in a developing country like Bangladesh and the positive and negative effects of child labour on the society. Poverty is the main reason for the children to become child labourers. The child labour problem has become one of the most striking issues in the developing countries. Therefore, a need to identify the vulnerable children and point out their problems has come into the light. Many government and non-government organizations have taken several progression steps to decrease child labour problem from the society. An attempt is made in this article to present the socio-economic scenario of child labour in Bangladesh and to find out the ways in which child labour can be decreased gradually.
Keyword: Child labour, Poverty, Education, Hazardous work, Developing Countries

[1] Vittachi, A., 1989. Stolen Childhood: In Search of the Rights of the Child, Polity Press in Association with North-South Productions and Channel Four, Cambridge.

[2] UNICEF, ILO, World Bank Group (2009). Understanding Children's Work in Bangladesh, June 2009 (unpublished), [online]. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/Child_labour.pdf [Accessed: 12 March 2014].

[3] ILO (1999), Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour. [online]. Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C182 [Accessed: 2 March 2014].
[4] Council Directive 94/33/EC of 22 June 1994 on child labour, EUR-Lex. 2008.

[5] Fact Sheet: Child Labour, 2009. World Vision Australia, [online]. Available at: http://www.worldvision.com.au/libraries/dtl_fact_sheets/factsheet_child_labour.pdf [Accessed: 22 March 2014].

[6] http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/briefingpapers/childlabour/intlconvs.shtml [Accessed: 17 March 14].

Abstract: The concept of Competitive advantage was first pronounced by a scholar Michael E. Porter in 1985. The basic idea of this theory advocates that every firm has its own distinctive feature, which helps it to stay in the competition. This distinctiveness is the competitive advantage for a firm. The firm needs to keep working on the existing competitive advantages and it should always keep looking for a new one that suits its needs. This article is an outcome of a research investigation of the competitive advantage of four leading mobile network providing companies in the United Kingdom, which includes Vodafone, T-Mobile, O2 and Orange; and the level of satisfaction for their customers. The core of this research has been the development of understanding of the competitive advantages of these four companies. There was a focus group interview conducted on the customers of the companies to understand the customer's satisfaction and their expectation from the mobile network providers. Data collected from the mobilephone users show that the competitive advantage for the companies is coming from different side of the business.An in-depth interview was also conducted on the managers of the mobile network providers to understand the competitive advantages of the companies and to learn what these companies are doing for their customers.
Keywords:- Competitive Advantage, Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), Tariff, 3G (Third Generation), 4G (Fourth Generation).

[1] Mark M. H., et.al. 2005. Determining Customer Satisfaction from Mobile Phones: A Neural Network Approach, Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 21, p755-778 Available at: (http://proxy0.anglia.ac.uk:2059/science/article/pii/ S0167624598000158), Accessed on: (23rd June 2012)
[2] http://www.o2.co.uk/abouto2/history (Accessed on: 20th June 2012)
[3] http://www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/about-us/company-history/index.htm (Accessed on: 10th April 2012)
[4] http://www.celtnet.org.uk/telecos/T-mobile.php(Accessed on: 10th April 2012)

[5] http://www1.orange.co.uk/about/history.html(Accessed on: 11th July 2012)

Abstract: In 2004, Nigeria undertook a reform in the banking cub-sector for consolidation and merger of banks as some developing countries have done in the past. In the process, enhanced profitability and market power motive led the banks to float large staple variety new and sophisticated products, especially electronic products mid services. The patronage of these new products initially experienced upsurge but later had a decline. The objective of‟ this study is to investigate and confirm the subsequent decline in patronage of some of the new products and the reasons for the negative attitude of consumers to the new products of banks at this period. After an opinion survey analysis, the major findings are that there were subsequent negative changes in the patronage of new product, especially electronic products after their introduction. This has been attributed to lack of perceived value by customers, excessive and multiple bank charges, the discrimination in granting credits and untoward activities of internet fraudsters. It is recommended that the bank management should ensure; that they research into how products introduced by bank will add value to customer‟s .satisfaction and an minimum costs, especially in this time of global economic recession. In addition, banks should adhere strictly to the apex banks regulations and "arm "themselves properly to prevent fraudulent activities of internet fraudsters. The Apex bank should formulate policies that will restore confidence in the commercial banking system.
Keywords:- New product, Consumer behavior, Value creation, Post-consolidation

[4]. Bamgboye, E.D. (1995), Marketing: Basic Concepts and Decisions, Delbe Publishers, Ikeja, Lagos, P. 64.
[5]. Davidson, J. H. (1977), "Why Most New Consumer Brands Fail.‟ v1arAeting Journal (April, 1977), Pp. 55-59.
[6]. Dunne, Patrick, M. (1974), What Really are New Products? Journal of Business, December, Pp. 20-25. Also see: Agbonifoh et. al (1998), op. Cit, P. 322.
[7]. Etzel, M. J. et al (2007), Marketing, 14th Edition, McGraw-Full International, Ed. Fukikawa, (2008), Harvard Business Review, July to August, P. 36.
[8]. Hopkins, D.S., Bailer E.L. (1971), New Production Pressures, Conference Board Record, June, Pp. 16-24.

Abstract: Budgeting has been described to be significant and basic to Business Financial performance. Small businesses have become a crucial segment and a major section of private sector in developing countries. The degree to which budgetary system influences financial performance of small businesses is worthy of exploration in developing economies like Nigeria. This research attempts to ascertain the comprehensiveness of budgeting practices adopted by entrepreneurs in Lagos state and investigate whether budgetary system influences Small Business financial performance. Multi-stage probability sampling technique was used. A sample of (120) one hundred and twenty entrepreneurs were selected from a list of 4,585 registered SMEs in Lagos state as at the end of March, 2014 (www.moneyhub.net.com) out of which 104 (86 %) usable questionnaires were analyzed, summarized, and interpreted accordingly with the aid of descriptive statistical technique using simple percentages. A non-parametric statistical test; Chi-square was used to test the formulated hypothesis. The result of the tested hypothesis shows that there is a significant relationship between budgeting practices and small business financial performance. It is suggested that entrepreneurs must have a clear financial goal in mind, which will assists in shaping a broader business strategy for the year.
Keywords:- SMEs; Budgeting; Business Performance; Entrepreneurial Skill; Entrepreneurs

[1]. Adelaja, M. (2006). SMEDAN Begins Establishment of BSCs, BICs nationwide. NACCIMA News, May/June 2006, No. 70, pp. 3.
[2]. Adediran A. Samson, Josiah Mary, Bosun-Fakunle Yemisi and Imuzeze Obehi Erekpitan. (2012). The impact of working capital management on the profitability of small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria. Research Journal of Businesses Management, Page 61-69.
[3]. Akande, O.O (2005) Effective financing of small/medium scale enterprises (SMEs) as an impetus for poverty Alleviation in Nigeria: an analytical approach. International journal of economics and development issues, development universal consportia vol 5 N1 and 2 pp 1-13
[4]. Akande, Olusola O. (2011). Accounting skill as a performance factor for small businesses in Nigeria. Journal of emerging trends in economics and management sciences (JETEMS), page 372-378.
[5]. Akanji O.O (2006): "Microfinance as a strategy for poverty reduction" CBN ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL REVIEW volume 39, No4

Abstract: The study investigated effects of dollarization on Hospitality Industry's Human Resources. A qualitative study was done in hotels located at one of Zimbabwe's renowned tourist resort (Nyanga). Semi structured questionnaires were used to collect data and thematic data analysis adopted. Major issues to emerge from the study were improved employee performance, decreased staff turnover, high staff morale and improved employee benefits. It was concluded that apart from the disadvantage of the country's loss of monetary and fiscal sovereignty, dollarization positively affected the hospitality industry's human resources. It is therefore recommended that dollarization should continue in the Zimbabwean economy for continued benefits of employees and their families until such a time when introduction of local currency does not in any way erode the gains realised as a result of dollarization.
Keywords: Dollarization, Human Resources, Hospitality Industry, Zimbabwe

[1]. ZTA, Tourism Trends and Statistics Report, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority-2010
[2]. R.T. Karambakuwa, T. Shonhiwa, L. Murombo, F.N. Mauchi, N.R. Gopo, W. Denhere, F. Tafirei, A. Chingarande, and V. Mudavahu, The impact of Zimbabwe tourism authority initiatives on tourist arrivals in Zimbabwe (2008-2009). Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 13(6), 2011, 68-77.
[3]. N. Zunga, Zimbabwe Hospitality sector –Undeniable long term value given the country prime tourism assets, (IMARA investing, 2009).
[4]. G. Kararach, P. Kadenge, G. Guvheya, Currency Reforms in Zimbabwe: An analysis of possible currency regime, The African capacity Building Foundation, Occasional Paper No 1, 2011
[5]. G. Kanyenze, Beyond the enclave: Towards a pro-poor and inclusive development strategy for Zimbabwe. (Weaver Pr-2011).
[6]. R. Mangizvo, and S. Jerie, "Is Dollarization the Panacea for Zimbabwe's Economic Challenges", The Dyke: A Journal of Midlands State University, 5(1). 2011. 104-111.

Abstract: Brand image or Brand name plays a crucial role to enhance the performance of any company or business. Brand name is the tool which can positively change people's buying behavior. The purpose of this study is to examine the Effect of brand name on consumer buying behavior in University students of Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Lahore. Questionnaire survey was used to collect the data by using non probability convenient sampling technique. The researchers sent 300 questionnaires to the different university students in above mentioned cities, in which 250 responses were collected in the period of one month. Findings show that brand image or brand name has significant positive relationship with consumer buying behavior. This study was conducted in university students of Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Lahore and it shows that they are brand conscious and prefer branded products. In the last part of article with conclusion the future recommendations and practical implications are also included.
Keywords: Brand Image, Consumer Buying Behavior, Consumer Choice

[1]. Alamgir, M., Nasir, T., Shamsuddoha, M., & Nedelea, A. (2010). Infuluence of brand name on consumer decesion making process-An empirical study on car buyers. Stefan Cel Mare, 10(2), 142-153.
[2]. Ayanwale, A., Alimi, T., & MatthewAyanbimipe. (2005). The influence of advertising on consumer brand preference. Journal of Social Science, 10(1), 9-16.
[3]. Doostar1, M., Abadi, M. K. I., & Abadi, R. K. I. (2012). Impact of brand equity on purchase decision of final consumer focusing on products with low mental conflict. Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research, 2(10), 10137-10144.
[4]. Doostar, M., Akhlagh, E. M., & abadi, M. K. i. (2012). Analysis of the Impact of Brand Assets on the Buying Decisions of Final Consumers. Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research, 2(9), 8824-8832.
[5]. Hillenbrand, P., Alcauter, S., & Cervantes, J. (2013). Better branding: brand names can influence consumer choice. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 22(4), 300–308.

Abstract: This paper presents the applicability of stochastic gradient descent algorithm as an approach for evaluation of performance contribution. Under that, performance evaluation is established in corporate, department and team levels with the intention of creating an employee incentive scheme.
Keywords: employee performance contribution, machine learning, stochastic gradient descent algorithm

[1] Weygandt, J.J., Kimmel, P.D. and Kieso, D. E., Managerial Accounting: Tools for Business Decision Making. (NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010) 5th Edition
[2] Jackson, S., Sawyers, R. and Jenkins, G., Managerial Accounting: A Focus on Ethical Decision Making. (OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2009), 54.
[3] Alpaydin, E., Introduction to Machine Learning (MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004), 1-37.
[4] Wei, J., Jian-qi, Z. and Xiang, Z., Face recognition method based on support vector machine and particle swarm optimization, Expert Systems with Applications, 38(4), 2011, 4390–4393.
[5] Hua, G. et al., Introduction to the Special Section on Real-world Face Recognition, IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 33, 2011, 1921-1924.

Abstract: Typical layout of a garment manufacturing line includes on average about 30 machines arranged in a straight line configuration. Normally one skilled operator works on one machine and semi skilled operators are employed at some machines to help the skilled operator. This arrangement hinders work sharing and team work, as no communication is possible between operators in this long line. Work sharing in manufacturing cells and teamwork concepts are indispensible in lean manufacturing environments. Further, balancing of lines for one-piece-flow or near one–piece–flow is only possible with a large balancing loss or impossible due to large variations between cycle times of operations. The new layout proposed in this research facilitates work sharing and team working concepts and proved dramatic improvement when implemented. An algorithm to balance the cell based on the garment type and the skill matrix of operators too is proposed.
Keywords: Cellular manufacturing, group technology, garment manufacturing, line balancing, sub-cell teamwork

[1] N. Singh, Design of cellular manufacturing systems, European Journal of Operational Research 69(3), 1993, 284-291.
[2] S. Nicoletti, G. Nicosia, and A. Pacifici, Group Technology with flow shop cells (Italy: University of Roma, 1998).
[3] R. G. Askin, and C. R. Standridge, Chapter 6 , Modelling and Analysis of manufacturing systems (USA: Hamiton Printing, 1993)
163-165.
[4] E. S. Buffa, R. K. Sarin, Chapter 20, Modern Production operations and management (8) (India: Gopsons Paper Ltd., 2002) 484,
672-674.
[5] O. Mahesh, and G. Srinivasan, Increment cell formation considering alternative machines, International Journal of Production
Research, 40(14), 2002, 3291-3310.
[6] N. L. Hyer, and U. Wemmerlov, Reorganizing the Factory: Competing Through Cellular Manufacturing, (Portland Productivity
Press, 2002)

Abstract: A retrospective study was conducted in KPJ Penang to see the performace of quality objectives for year 2012 compared to year 2013 for Pharmacy department, Radiology department, Physiotherapy department and Laboratory department.The four departments were selected because they are the revenue generating departments. The revenue generated by the four departments were also monitored for year 2012 and year 2013 to see whether there is an improvement in 2013 compared to 2012. The objective is to see whether the improvement in the revenue generated is in line with the improvement of the quality objective for the four departments. The overall statistics for outpatients, inpatients and total revenue of the hospital were also monitored for both 2012 and 2013. Based on the data collected the four departments had achieved the set quality objectives for 2012 and 2013 . However for the Pharmacy department the performance of the quality objective in 2013 was slightly lower compared to 2012 due to the increase number of outpatients. For the other three departments the performance of quality objectives in 2013 was better that 2012. In term of revenue generated, all the four departments had generated revenue which was better in 2013 compared to 2012. From this study we can see that the improvement of quality objectives of the four departments is related to the improvement of revenue generated by them.
Keywords: Quality objective, revenue generated, overall statistics

[1]. Cohran.C. Quality digest . Using Quality Objectives to Drive Strategic Performance Improvement.11/1/2000
[2]. ISO Training. Understanding ISO 9001:2008,Requirements for Quality Management Systems
[3]. http://www.smallcitycommerce.eu/files/quality_objectives.pdf
[4]. http://askartsolutions.com/quality-objectives.html
[5]. http://www.sustainingedge.com/quality-objectives-are-business-objectives/
[6]. Farris, Paul W.; Neil T. Bendle; Phillip E. Pfeifer; David J. Reibstein (2010). Marketing Metrics: The Definitive Guide to Measuring Marketing Performance. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN 0-13-705829-2

Abstract: Mystery shopping got its start almost a century ago when trained "secret shoppers" were used to anonymously evaluate a business' operation and to measure employee integrity. The industry has evolved, as have the names used to describe it: secret shopping, performance monitoring or even customer research. This paper enhances previous conceptualizations of customer image and perception by introducing the concept referred to as Customer Intelligence management and its tool as mystery shopping. The exploratory research focused on identifying the concept of customer intelligence management and requirement of trained mystery shop auditors to tap the customer intelligence. The goals of this paper are (1) to discuss the enhanced conceptual and operational benefits of mystery shopping in respect of brand positioning. (2) to discussed the requirement of shop auditor to measure customer intelligence 3) Components constructed to train the shop auditors. To accomplish these goals, the paper discusses the conceptualization and operationalization of this measurement tool as mystery shopping. Ethical code for this measurement tool and discusses the implications for marketing practitioners by identifying the considerations for evaluating and managing customer-intelligence management.
Key words: Customer Intelligence management, mystery shopping , Shop Auditors , Ethical Code , Shopper trainings

[1]. Verma , A. (2008). Mystery Shopping- An introduction.The ICFAI University Press
[2]. Dwek, R. (1996), "Magic of mystery shopping", Marketing, Vol 17, pp. 41-44. Erstad, M. (1998), "Mystery shopping programmes and human resource management", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol 10 No 1, pp.34-38.
[3]. European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR) (2005), "Mystery Shopping Studies", available at http://www.esomar.org/web/show/file/id=47043/filename=ps_cg_mysteryshopping.pdf/page=43240
[4]. Finn, A. and Kayandé, U. (1999), "Unmasking a Phantom – A Psychometric Assessment of Mystery Shopping", Journal of Retailing, Vol 75 No2, pp. 195-217.
[5]. Guidelines for Mystery Shopping Research ( MRA)(2005)," MRS Code of Conduct - Market Research Society,"www.mrs.org.uk/pdf/code_of_conduct.pdf