Consumers’ Evaluation of Brand Extensions: An Application of Multiple-Group Causal Models in Assessing Cross Product Category Measurement Equivalence

Sreejesh S., MA, MBA, MPhil PhD, is an assistant professor of management and marketing, IBS, IFHE University, Hyderabad, India, 501 504

Examining the Mechanisms Linking Work-Related Conflicts and Employee Well-Being: A Mediation Model

This study examines the role of negative affect state and relationship conflict in explaining the association between two types of work-related conflicts namely, task and process conflicts; and employee well-being. Drawing from affective events theory and social attribution theory, the study hypothesizes a mediation model in which task and process conflicts are negatively associated with employee well-being through negative affect state and relationship conflict. While examining this model, the study establishes the inter-linkage between task, process conflicts and employee well-being and identifies two pathways to explain these relationships. Based on a sample of 554 IT employees from India, the study found support for the mediation model in which negative affect state and relationship conflict mediates the relationship between two types of conflict and employee well-being. Findings of the present study contribute to the theory by extending our understanding of the effect of task and process conflicts on employee well-being and also explains how it impairs well-being. The current insights will help managers and practitioners to design interventions to mitigate the detrimental effect of task and process conflicts on employee well-being

Financial Instability, Uncertainty and Bank Lending Behavior

“Why do banks squeeze their lending activity” is an oft-repeated question during the times of financial crisis. This study examines an emerging economy’s banking system, and contributes to the evolving body of literature on the topic by providing answers to what causes the sluggish bank credit during times of recession. By employing cointegration technique, the study shows that bank credit has a significant positive relationship with the borrowing activities of debt users of the banks, hence, as the contrary an inverse relationship with investment activity is evident during financial crisis. Accordingly, we suggest that banks could increase their lending by increasing the borrowings rapidly either from the Central Banks or from Government supported long term lending institutions during recessionary periods

Financial Instability, Uncertainty and Banks’ Lending Behaviour

Why do banks squeeze their lending activity? is an oft-repeated question during the times of financial crisis. This study examines an emerging economy’s banking system and contributes to the evolving body of literature on the topic by providing answers as to what causes the sluggish bank credit during the times of recession. By employing cointegration technique, the study shows that bank credit has a significant positive relationship with the borrowing activity of the banks and on the contrary, inverse relationship with investment activity during the financial crisis. Accordingly, we suggest that banks could increase their lending by increasing the borrowings rapidly either from the Central Banks or from Government supported long term lending institutions during recessionary periods

Antecedents and Consequences of Employee Loyalty towards the Organization: Empirical Evidence from Indian Software Industry

Although substantial differences exists between employee commitment and loyalty, none of the studies made an attempt to understand these constructs separately and analyse the causes and consequences of employee loyalty. In this context, the present study attempts to investigate the antecedents and consequences of employee loyalty in the software industry context. The findings of this paper indicate that employee engagement, satisfaction and commitment have positive and significant impacts on employee loyalty and are considered to be the significant causes for predicting employee loyalty; at the same time the consequences of employee loyalty such as absenteeism and intention to quit do not have any significant effect. However, the study finds that employee satisfaction has a significant effect on the intention to quit via employee absenteeism. The paper shows that, from the managerial perspective, it is necessary for employers and policy-makers to know the causes and consequences of employee loyalty to retain the employees in the long run. The findings of the study suggest that, in order to develop commitment and thereby loyalty, the employer should create a congenial atmosphere for employee engagement and should create satisfied employees. At the same time, this created satisfaction will reduce employee absenteeism and the intention quit. Thus, the attention of the software-employee management should fruitfully focus on the development of employee engagement, satisfaction and commitment, which will ultimately lead to employee loyalty.   Keywords: Customer engagement, job satisfaction, commitment, loyalty, absenteeism, intention to quit.

Examining the Mechanisms Linking Work-Related Conflicts and Employee Well-Being: A Mediation Model

This study examines the role of negative affect state and relationship conflict in explaining the association between two types of work-related conflicts namely, task and process conflicts; and employee well-being. Drawing from affective events theory and social attribution theory, the study hypothesizes a mediation model in which task and process conflicts are negatively associated with employee well-being through negative affect state and relationship conflict. While examining this model, the study establishes the inter-linkage between task, process conflicts and employee well-being and identifies two pathways to explain these relationships. Based on a sample of 554 IT employees from India, the study found support for the mediation model in which negative affect state and relationship conflict mediates the relationship between two types of conflict and employee well-being. Findings of the present study contribute to the theory by extending our understanding of the effect of task and process conflicts on employee well-being and also explains how it impairs well-being. The current insights will help managers and practitioners to design interventions to mitigate the detrimental effect of task and process conflicts on employee well-being

Nanocarriers used as probes for super-resolution microscopy

Super-resolution microscopy (SRM) has revolutionized the study of cell biology, enabling researchers to visualize cellular structures with nanometric resolution, single-molecule sensitivity, and with multiple colors using conventional fluorophores. SRM is well-suited for volumetric live-cell imaging and helps in extracting quantitative information on spatial distributions. It can be used to estimate the absolute numbers of proteins or other macromolecules or nanostructured material within subcellular compartments, characterize their structures, and their nano/bio interactions. Although a number of recent general reviews on SRM have elaborated its role in chemical and clinical biology, as well as nanomedicine, herein, we provide an overview of the use of luminescent nanocarriers (LNC) in SRM imaging and single-molecule tracking. The role of LNCs in controlling the brightness and stability of emissive states is discussed with a special focus on organelle-specific delivery and how this approach can be utilized to produce novel optical-switched systems. We also discuss the challenges related to the molecular targeting of such material in biological systems. In doing so, we will provide practical guidance for super-resolution imaging in nanomedicine research, its technical challenges, and the opportunities for future advancement

Evaluating Generic Pantropical Allometric Models for the Estimation of Above-Ground Biomass in the Teak Plantations of Southern Western Ghats, India

The use of suitable tree biomass allometric equations is crucial for making precise and non- destructive estimation of carbon storage and biomass energy values. The aim of this research was to evaluate the accuracy of the most commonly used pantropical allometric models and site-specific models to estimate the above-ground biomass (AGB) in different aged teak plantations of Southern Western Ghats of India. For this purpose, the AGB data measured for 70 trees with diameter >10 cm from different aged teak plantations in Kerala part of Southern Western Ghats following destructive procedure was used. The results show that site specific models based on a single predictor variable diameter at breast height (dbh), though simple, may grossly increase the uncertainty across sites. Hence, a generic model encompassing dbh, height and wood specific gravity with sufficient calibration taking into account different forest types is advised for the tropical forest systems. The study also suggests that the commonly used pantropical models should be evaluated for different ecosystems prior to their application at national or regional scales