Discontinuity in the Environment, Firm Response and Dynamic Capabilities

This paper identifies and focuses on a specific type of environmental development called discontinuity. Discontinuities in the forms of rapid technological innovations, regulatory reforms, institutional overhauls, and socio-cultural developments are the source of opportunities and threats to the firm. Firm responds to these discontinuities in specific ways in sustaining its existence at different points of time. This paper conceptualizes discontinuity and identifies its natures; explores the possible types of responses by the firm, and their enablers. The capability of sensing, seizing and re-shaping are captured to establish the linkages in the framework of interrelations. It posits a set of propositions based on conceptual development and illustration of two cases.

Developmental Impact Analysis of an ICT-Enabled Scalable Healthcare Model in BRICS Economies

This article highlights the need for initiating a healthcare business model in a grassroots, emerging-nation context. This article’s backdrop is a history of chronic anomalies afflicting the healthcare sector in India and similarly placed BRICS nations. In these countries, a significant percentage of populations remain deprived of basic healthcare facilities and emergency services. Community (primary care) services are being offered by public and private stakeholders as a panacea to the problem. Yet, there is an urgent need for specialized (tertiary care) services at all levels. As a response to this challenge, an all-inclusive health-exchange system (HES) model, which utilizes information communication technology (ICT) to provide solutions in rural India, has been developed. The uniqueness of the model lies in its innovative hub-and-spoke architecture and its emphasis on affordability, accessibility, and availability to the masses. This article describes a developmental impact analysis (DIA) that was used to assess the impact of this model. The article contributes to the knowledge base of readers by making them aware of the healthcare challenges emerging nations are facing and ways to mitigate those challenges using entrepreneurial solutions

Developing and Evaluating a New Scale for Product Positioning Uncertainty in India

Abstract — Managing uncertainty is a major challenge for the start-ups.This paper aims to examine the reliability and validity of a new uncertainty scale as an instrument for measuring the variables necessary for product positioning for start-ups in India and its underlying dimensions. The literature is under developed in providing a comprehensive list of product positioning uncertainty constructs and its underlying variables. Therefore, an uncertainty scale measuring the variables of product positioning is required. Initially the scale consisted of 16 items under three conceptual subscales.151 founders and co-founders of start-ups from all over India participated in the study. This paper presents the result of the final scale of the factor structure that resulted from PCA and consists of 12 items out of the 16 items, which has been supported by strong evidences

Discontinuity in the Environment, Firm Response, and Dynamic Capabilities

This paper identifies and focuses on a specific type of environmental development called discontinuity. Discontinuities in the forms of rapid technological innovations, regulatory reforms, institutional overhauls, and socio-cultural developments are the source of opportunities and threats to the firm. Firm responds to these discontinuities in specific ways in sustaining its existence at different points of time. This paper conceptualizes discontinuity and identifies its natures; explores the possible types of responses by the firm, and their enablers. The capability of sensing, seizing and reshaping are captured to establish the linkages in the framework of interrelations. It posits a set of propositions based on conceptual development and illustration of two cases. [W.P. No. 2010-08-03]Environmental, development, regulatory, institutional, overhauls, framework, interrelations

Synthesis of bulk metallic glass composites using high oxygen containing Zr sponge

The effect of large concentration of oxygen on the microstructural development of Zr-Cu-Al-Ni bulk metallic glass (BMG) alloys, prepared from commercially available Zr sponge, has been studied. Apart from promoting crystallization, increased concentration of oxygen (~8000 ppm) spawns additional phases. In particular, we report the appearance of α-Zr, dendritic Zr<SUB>2</SUB>Cu phase and the Zr<SUB>2</SUB>Ni type cubic phases. Addition of oxygen scavenger like Yttrium only partially solves the problem. Phase evolution was also found to be sensitive to the cooling rate and hence to the thickness of the cast sample. Thus it is possible to produce a gradient microstructure with predominantly amorphous phase at the outer layer