IIMA in HealthCare Management: Abstract of Publications (2000-2010)

The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA), was established in 1961 as an autonomous institution by the Government of India in collaboration with the Government of Gujarat and Indian industry. IIMA’s involvement in the health sector started with the establishment of the Public Systems Group in 1975. In the initial period, our research focused on the management of primary healthcare services and family planning. We expanded our research activities to include the management of secondary healthcare services in the 80s and to tertiary healthcare services in the 90s. Currently our research interests focus on the governance and management issues in the areas on Rural Health, Urban Health, Public Health and Hospital Management. In June 2004, IIMA Board approved the setting up of a Centre for Management Health Services (CMHS) in recognition of IIMA’s contributions to the health sector in the past and the felt need to strengthen the management of health sector in the context of socio-economic developments of our country. The overall objectives of CMHS are to address the managerial challenges in the delivery of health services to respond to the needs of different segments of our population efficiently and effectively, build institutions of excellence in the health sector, and influence health policies and wider environments. All our research projects are externally funded and we have developed research collaborations with 15-20 international universities in USA, UK, Europe, and Asia. CMHS has also established strong linkages with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at the national and state government levels, particularly in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, and Bihar. This working paper is a compilation of the abstracts of all our publications in the last 10 years, which include 40 referred journal articles, 54 Working Papers, 19 Chapters in Books and 18 Case Studies.

The Economic, Social and Environmental Benefits Derived From the Redevelopment of Brownfields

Brownfields are defined as former industrial or commercial properties that have been abandoned, idled or are no longer in use.  These properties may be compromised with contaminated water and/or toxic materials.  This paper demonstrates that Brownfields may however, be salvaged and redeveloped.  Redeveloping brownfields has many challenges.  Financial barriers and liability concerns are often cited as the main concerns, but this strategy can also have many economic, social and environmental benefits. Some are mentioned as: tax incentives, smart growth and inducement of labor concentrations among many…

Why Should 5000 Children Die in India Every Day? Major Causes and Managerial Challenges

Globally, more than 10 million children under 5 years of age, die every year (20 children per minute), most from preventable causes, and almost all in poor countries. Major causes of child death include neonatal disorders (death within 28 days of birth), diarrhea, pneumonia, and measles. Malnutrition accounts for almost 35 % of childhood diseases. India alone accounts for almost 5000 child deaths under 5 years old (U5) every day. India.s child heath indicators are poor even compared with our Asian neighbors, namely Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Nepal and Bangladesh. Within India, the states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh account for almost 60 % of all child deaths India.s neonatal mortality, which accounts for almost 50 % of U5 deaths, is one of the highest in the world. India launched the Universal Immunization Program in 1985, but the status of full immunization in India has reached only 43.5 % by 2005-06. India started the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in 1975 to provide supplementary nutrition to children, but 50 % of our children are still malnourished; nearly double that of Sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO/UNICEF training program on Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses, known as IMNCI, started in India a few years ago, but the progress is very slow. What is unfortunate is the fact that most of these deaths are preventable through proven interventions: preventive interventions and/or treatment interventions, but the management of childhood illnesses is very poor. In this working paper, we bring out the nature and magnitude of child deaths in India (Chapter 1) and then share with you in Chapters 2, 3 and 4 our observations on the management of some of national programs of the government of India such as The Universal Immunization Program (UIP) The Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) The Integrated Management of Neonatal and Child Illnesses (IMNCI) In the final chapter (Chapter 5), we highlight certain managerial challenges to satisfactorily address the child mortality and morbidity in our country.

Dusty Universe viewed by AKARI far infrared detector

We present the results of the analysis of multiwavelength Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) of far-infrared galaxies detected in the AKARI Deep Field-South (ADF--S) Survey. The analysis uses a carefully selected sample of 186 sources detected at the 90 $\mu$m AKARI band, identified as galaxies with cross-identification in public catalogues. For sources without known spectroscopic redshifts, we estimate photometric redshifts after a test of two independent methods: one based on using mainly the optical -- mid infrared range, and one based on the whole range of ultraviolet -- far infrared data. We observe a vast improvement in the estimation of photometric redshifts when far infrared data are included, compared with an approach based mainly on the optical -- mid infrared range. We discuss the physical properties of our far-infrared-selected sample. We conclude that this sample consists mostly of rich in dust and young stars nearby galaxies, and, furthermore, that almost 25% of these sources are (Ultra)Luminous Infrared Galaxies. Average SEDs normalized at 90 $\mu$m for normal galaxies (138 sources), LIRGs (30 sources), and ULIRGs (18 galaxies) a the significant shift in the peak wavelength of the dust emission, and an increasing ratio between their bolometric and dust luminosities which varies from 0.39 to 0.73.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, published in Earth, Planets and Spac

Application of space vector modulation in direct torque control of PMSM

The paper deals with an improvement of direct torque control method for permanent magnet synchronous motor drives. Electrical torque distortion of the machine under original direct torque control is relatively high and if proper measures are taken it can be substantially decreased. The proposed solution here is to combine direct torque control with the space vector modulation technique. Such approach can eliminate torque distortion while preserving the simplicity of the original method

Investigation of Physicochemical Properties of PVA-GANT Mucoadhesive Hydrogels

The aim of this work was the manufacture and characterisation of novel chemically cross-linked mucoadhesive PVA-GANT hydrogels prepared by using autoclaving. Particularly, the study was focused on the physicochemical and pharmaceutical properties of these hydrogels with regards to potential applications for drug delivery and wound dressing. PVA-GANT hydrogels with different molar ratios and total concentrations of polymers in solution were prepared using a standard sterilisation autoclave. The physico-chemical properties were characterised by various techniques including IR spectroscopy, Texture Analysis and SEM and thermo-analytical techniques (DSC and TGA). Pharmaceutical characteristics were obtained in drug loading/release tests and microbiological assays. The results have shown that the properties of hydrogels (swelling degree, mechanical properties, internal structure, drug loading/release and antimicrobial properties) are very dependent on the polymer composition

Organizational stressors and job stress among Malaysian managers: the moderating role of personality traits

Job stress is vastly present in today’s organizations, and the costs of these phenomena cut across all levels of society. In recent years, researchers considering job stress in the workplace have made great strides in understanding several aspects of the stress phenomenon in the field of organizational behavior. Thus, it becomes more important that the individual variables of these job stresses are well explored and directly linked to individuals experiencing this situation, in order to ensure the right stressors are well understood and other moderating functions are studied, like the personality variables. This research presents an integration of past research and theory that models the relationship of organizational stressors like conflict, work overload, unfavorable work condition, and the moderating role of personality traits among managers. The scope of this study is limited to managerial positions in electronics firms in Malaysia. A set of demographic factors like gender, marital status and educational background, are also studied as influencing factors to job stress. The final framework in this study includes the organizational stressors as the independent variable and job stress as the dependent variable, with the personality traits moderating that relationship. A proportional sampling plan will be done to cover the surveys to be covering all major locations of electronics firms in Malaysia. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study will be discussed in details. The implication of the study would be extremely beneficial for electronics organizations in not only identifying the organizational sources of job stress, but also to understand the personality behaviors of their management staffs and how that related to job stress. Organizational stressors play a big role in the study, in which understanding its influence to job stress and how to manage and cope would enable the leadership team in the electronics organizations to be able to handle job stress more efficiently

Job Stress among Malaysian Managers: The Moderating Role of Coping Methods

Job stress is vastly present in today’s organizations, and the costs of these phenomena cut across all levels of society. In recent years, researchers considering job stress in the workplace have made great strides in understanding several aspects of the stress phenomenon in the field of organizational behavior. Thus, it becomes more important that the coping methods of these job stresses are well explored and directly linked to individuals experiencing this situation, in order to ensure the right methods can be used for the best benefits in coping with job stresses. This research presents an integration of past research and theory that models the relationship of antecedents of job stress and coping methods among managers. The scope of this case study is limited to managerial positions in electronics firms in Malaysia. A set of demographic factors like gender, marital status and educational background, are also studied as influencing factors to job stress. The final framework in this study includes the coping variables, in which will determine the best and most suitable coping methods for managers under job stress. A proportional sampling plan will be done to cover the surveys to be covering all major locations of electronics firms in Malaysia. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study will be discussed in details. The implication of the study would be extremely beneficial for electronics organizations in not only identifying the organizational sources of job stress, but also to understand the personality behaviors of their management staffs. More importantly, this study will recommend the best coping methods for managers that would enable the leadership team in the electronics organizations to be able to handle job stress more efficiently

The Relevant Economic Activity Test and its Impact on the International Corporate Tax Policy Framework

A core objective of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project was to ensure that profits are taxed where activities generating the profits take place. In this regard, international policy making organisations, such as the OECD and EU Commission, have reinforced the application of certain activity-based concepts, such as substantial activities, core commercial activity, controls over risks, economic reality and substantial economic activities, in soft and hard law instruments. If these concepts were to be consolidated it could be argued that, if the taxpayer were to comply with the relevant economic activities test, as developed in this article, then that taxpayer entity should be: 1. allocated the returns (income) from a transfer pricing perspective; 2. given access to tax treaty benefits in relation to the income it derives; 3. given access to benefits offered by EU law, in particular, the non-application of selected national anti-abuse rules (such as Controlled Foreign Company Rules) and anti-avoidance rules found in the corporate tax directives such as the Parent Subsidiary Directive and the Interest and Royalty Directive as well as the European Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (for instance, the General Anti-Abuse Rule); and 4. the taxpayer entity should obtain access to economic activity-based preferential regimes. This article supports this proposition by taking into consideration the latest versions of the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines, the OECD Commentary, the case law of several courts, in particular the Court of Justice of the European Union, state practices as well as scholarly literature. Essentially, multinational enterprises (MNEs) can continue to engage in profit shifting activities post-BEPS. Furthermore, tax competition intensifies between states to attract economic activities, either through tax incentives or corporate tax rate/withholding tax rate reductions. Moreover, given that the activity-based concepts are subjective, both tax uncertainty and tax disputes will be on the rise. Interestingly, the activity-based concepts do not alter the allocation of the taxing rights framework agreed by states. Nevertheless, in light of the digital debate, there is pressure to reconsider the allocation of the taxing rights framework (Pillar I) and to find solutions to counter genuine profit shifting strategies to low tax jurisdictions/tax competition among states (Pillar II). Thus, the movement from BEPS 1.0 to BEPS 2.0 (Base Expansion and Profit Sharing) is already being witnessed