NICE Journal of Business
A Peer-reviewed Journal
(ISSN: 0973-449X)
From the Editor’s Desk
Welcome to the new issue of NICE Journal of Business (Vol. 17, Nos. 1 & 2 : January - December, 2022). Each issue of the journal brings to you the latest and authoritative insights into the dynamic and fascinating world of business.
I am pleased to report that this issue contains one Perspective, six Research papers, and two pieces under Communication, reflecting diverse interests in the vast field of business.
The issue has topics like the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on world economy, influence of service quality on consumer satisfaction in retailing, the determinants of Fintech adoption in rural India, factors determining the service quality perception in India's health insurance sector, role of demographic variables on consumer ethnocentrism, product judgment and willingness to buy, impact of 'Start-up India' scheme on employment generation, and income levels and participation of women labour force in Indian states.
It is over the past six months, the war has not gone well for either party. The tug of war between the US-led supply of arms and intelligence to Ukraine and the resourceful and resilient Russia can only drag on, indefinitely. The time for resuming negotiations is now. India, which has consistently held dialogue and diplomacy as the only solution to take the initiative towards mediation. Prof. Shrawan Kumar Singh has analysed the various aspects of conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Dr. Ajai Pal Sharma and Dr. Arun Yadav examine the influence of service quality on customer satisfaction in the context of Indian retailing, and attempt to ascertain the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality. Their study reveals that out of a total of five factors, three factors of retail service quality, physical appearance, personal interaction, and problem-solving contribute significantly to service quality while assessing customer satisfaction.
Dr. Smita Tripathi identifies the determinants of the adoption of FinTech in selected rural areas of north India's states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab. She also assesses the impact of demographic variables on FinTech adoption. Her study has revealed that the primary factors of FinTech adoption among the rural population are: trust, perceived ease of use, safety, perceived risk, perceived value earned, and perceived usefulness. She also finds that the acceptance and experience of digital payments are influenced by demographic factors, including the user's age, education, and gender.
Priyanka Kumari and Dr. Shivendra examine the factors that substantially shape customers' perception of service quality in India's health insurance sector. They find that six factors, namely, inerrancy in receptiveness, understanding the customer, inculcating certitude, infallible physical appearance, corporeal evidence, and discretion towards customers, were the major factors in determining the service quality perception in the health insurance.
Ankita Mandoliya and Prof. H. C. Purohit take an integrative view of ethnocentrism among Indian consumers and that there is strong relationship between consumer ethnocentrism, demographic antecedents, consumers' product judgment, and willingness to buy. Their study reveals that the Indian consumers have an ethnocentrism level below average as the mean value of the majority of the items on the ethnocentrism scale. This major drift of mean values towards the disagreement and a minority of items getting responses above-average represent a moderate to a below-moderate ethnocentric level of the consumers when automobiles are taken into consideration.
Resham Goyal and Prof. R. C. Dangwal assess the impact of the Central Government's initiative 'Start-up India' on achieving social sustainability through employment generation. They highlight the role played by the Start-up India initiative in stimulating employment generation across various states in India. They find a strong influence of entrepreneurship on generating employment, enhancing social sustainability in the country.
Dr. Kiran Lamba and Dr. Indra Jakhar analyse the trend of female labour force participation in India. They make an interstate comparison on the basis of level of income. They find that the female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) has declined over the time in all the states, both rural and urban areas. They argue that there is a need to improve access to education and training programmes, and skill development for enhancing the employability of women workers.
In the Communication section, we have two pieces. In a brief communication, Prof. V.K. Shrotriya brings to light the use and abuse of Power Point Presentations in the classes and conferences. The author is of the view that over-dependence on PPTs is impacting the teaching-learning process negatively and requires revisiting this kind of pedagogy.
Dr. Komal Nagar has provided the annotated bibliography on the works of Peter F. Drucker, one of the most celebrated authors on Business and Management of the 20th century. Along with the compilation of his works, her communication furnishes a brief description of the life of the legendary author.
The issue also contains review of four books of current interest, written by eminent experts.
I place on record my gratitude to the eminent scholars and authors for their valuable contribution to the quality of our research journal, NICE Journal of Business.
Many experts devoted their time and talent in reviewing the papers, by making critical comments and suggestions for improving their quality. I am deeply indebted to all of them.
I owe a word of special thanks to Dr. Shobhit Kumar, Chairman, NICE Society; Kunwar Shekhar Vijendra, Chancellor, and Prof. Amar P. Garg, Vice-Chancellor, of Shobhit Institute of Engineering and Technology (Deemed-to-be University), Meerut, for their support to this academic endeavour, intended to promote, preserve and disseminate business research. In fact, the journal was the brainchild of Kunwar Shekhar ji, when it was launched in the early 2006. Since its inception, he has been taking keen interest in the growth of this research publication.