Are We Nodding for the Noodles? – An Empirical Evidence among the Bengaluru Youth

Noodles available in numerous brands and variants have become popular nowadays in the Indian markets. However, there were setbacks for this industry owing to the blacklist of a few brands by the state authorities and the consequent boycott of those brands by the general public. In this context, this study intends to investigate the factors which affect the purchase decision of consumers of Packaged Foods, especially the Ready-To-Cook noodles. The consumption patterns of the consumers in terms of taste, convenience and availability are also examined.  This exploratory research has been done among the Bengaluru youth in the age group of 20-30 years, and the influence of five major players in this segment - Maggi, Yippee, Ching’s, Top Ramen and Knorr are explored. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to understand the differences and variations among the brands. The paper concludes that Ready-To-Cook noodles has not yet got the acknowledgement and acceptance among the youth, though there is an immense potential for growth in this segment in the future. Critical factors that influence the buying decision of consumers are convenience, taste and availability. Consumers believe that noodles category should include more variety at reasonable and affordable prices, which will cater to the demand of this product in future. However, the brands in this study perform satisfactorily on the factors selected. And Maggi is perceived to be the best brand of noodle in terms of price, and Knorr in terms of its variety

Leadership Orientation In Indian Small Businesses

The paper considers how leadership is practiced currently in SMEs situated in the Bangalore region of India. Thus addressing the lack of research into leadership-in-practice noted by a number of authors (Stogdill, 1974; Bryman, 1992; Gronn & Ribbins, 1996; Yukl, 2005) and hence the paper makes a contribution towards understanding of leadership within the Indian SME sector. The research focuses on the leader, not followers, and considers what leaders in SMEs do and would like to do. The research project is descriptive and aims to give a snapshot of current views on leadership by Indian SME leaders. This was achieved by use of a 33-item questionnaire and semi-structured joint interviews. The questionnaire was constructed to consider leadership behaviours based on the three-dimensional taxonomy proposed by Yukl et al. (2002). Here three metacategories (Task-Oriented Behaviours, Relations-Oriented Behaviours & Change-Oriented Behaviours) are categorised in line with the behaviours identified. This multidimensional model does not attempt to classify whether a leader is more focused on one area but to 'classify specific leadership behaviours' (Yukl, 2005)

FOREWORD for Sustainable Development - A Diverse Deep-Dive

FOREWORD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a collection of interwoven goals for the whole globe set up by the United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA) in 2013, are a noble initiative taken to combat the challenges at the world level and ensure a better and sustainable future for all. The UN has made a universal appeal to all the countries in the world to come forward to eradicate the social evils and as the SDGs are directly related to economic growth, sustainable industrialization, innovation, sustainable production and the welfare of the globe, they are believed to be the best plausible means to achieve a better and more sustainable future for the whole world. India has risen to this noble call for action through its New Education Policy which emphasizes the necessity to realize all the seventeen SDGs. The Department of Professional Studies at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, by way of embracing the NEP and working towards fulfilling the SDGs has taken a new initiative to conduct research on implementing and fulfilling the SDGs. The faculty members of the department as a part of this innovative initiative have come together to publish their students' insightful research projects in the reputed online publication platform for the benefit and welfare of the academic community and society at large. The book contains nine chapters that revolve around the theme of SDGs and each chapter demonstrates the crucial role of the finance and commerce industry in achieving SDGs. The chapters capture the essence of the research conducted by eight teams of final year B.Com (Finance and Accountancy) students under the guidance of their research guides. I congratulate the faculty members and student authors for pitching in their hard work meticulously towards this great initiative of carrying out research on SDGs, compiling them as book chapters, and publishing them at the global level. I wish them all success!! Dr Tomy K Kallarakal MCom, PGDPM & IR, MPhil, PhD Dean, School of Commerce, Finance and Accountancy, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Hosur, Bangalore, Karnataka, India