Editorial

Citation

Shainesh, G. (2010), "Editorial", Journal of Indian Business Research, Vol. 2 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/jibr.2010.41302daa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Indian Business Research, Volume 2, Issue 4

The Journal of Indian Business Research (JIBR) completes two years of its short but eventful journey with the current issue. We are encouraged by the tremendous support received from members of our advisory and review boards, area editors, authors, reviewers and our publishers.

One of the major highlights of the year is the implementation of ScholarOne Manuscripts for the JIBR. ScholarOne has created a streamlined and online process for paper submission, reviewing and tracking. It is an intuitive and author-friendly interface, a fast and efficient publication service which provides the author with the ability to track their paper through the review process. ScholarOne, coupled with our shift to a panel of area editors, who are subject matter experts, for the initial screening of papers has helped us speed up our review process. In addition, the area editors have helped us reach a larger pool of potential authors, which is getting reflected in the quantity as well the quality of submissions for the journal.

The current issue carries three research papers and a viewpoint paper representing a very diverse set of research areas. They cover issues related to monetary policy, organizational behavior, service quality and brand management.

Saibal Ghosh, in his paper titled “Firm characteristics, financial composition and response to monetary policy: evidence from Indian data”, examines the evidence for credit channels on the composition of corporate finance during tight and loose periods of monetary policy through a longitudinal study spanning 13 years from 1995 to 2007 on a data set comprising firm-level data of over 500 firms. The sample period offers a natural laboratory to evaluate the influence of firm-specific characteristics on the response of corporate financial mix to monetary policy. The chosen time period includes a complete interest rate cycle consisting of three phases: rising interest rates (1995-1997), followed by declining rates (1997-2004) and a subsequent period of rising interest rates during 2004-2007, wherein the macroeconomic environment for corporate borrowing would be quite different, which, in turn, is likely to affect the financial mix as well. Several firm-level variables including size, age, leverage, risk and profitability were analyzed to ascertain whether monetary policy impacts the mix between different kinds of financing. The findings provide support in favor of a relationship lending view. So while short-term debt declines in response to a monetary contraction, banks provide temporary relief in the form of debt, so that in the aggregate, overall debt increases. The results indicate that magnitude and extent of the response varies across firm types, with risky and high-debt firms exhibiting greater response to a monetary tightening.

In the second paper by Priya Nair and T.J. Kamalanabhan “Performance pressure and peer reporting of infractions: a moderated mediation model”, the authors examine the role of moral disengagement and organizational cynicism in the relationship between performance pressure and unwillingness to report ethical infractions by peers. The analysis was conducted on responses from over 300 managers representing junior, middle and senior levels from organizations that had a declared ethical code of conduct. The authors have recommended that organizations should create a climate of trust and integrity by standing up to their espoused ideals on ethical behavior. They have also advocated for greater emphasis on group as compared to individual goals during performance appraisals to reduce the detrimental effects of competition while encouraging collaboration and the inclusion of ethical standards as evaluation criteria for performance.

Hardeep Chahal and Neetu Kumari in their paper titled “Development of multidimensional scale for healthcare service quality (HCSQ) in the Indian context” develop and validate a hierarchical service quality model for measuring the quality of healthcare service. The research adopted an exhaustive methodology involving a mix of qualitative as well as quantitative techniques. The models tested by the authors highlight the role of physical environment quality and interaction quality in determining outcome quality and image. The study will be useful for managers in the rapidly growing healthcare industry to measure and manage the quality of their service offerings by utilizing user-based data collected through the exhaustive 70-item scale covering physical environment quality, interaction quality, outcome quality and image.

The final article is a viewpoint article by senior advertising professional, Tuhin Sen, and is titled “Brands – vulnerable entities in an uncertain world”. Tuhin Sen contextualizes the challenges faced by managers by adopting a holistic view of the brand’s operational universe involving the market-government-civil society triad. He advocates for brand custodians to be very alert in anticipating reputational risks which can emerge from any constituent of this triad. Through two contrasting examples of Shell and the Big Three Auto firms in the USA, Tuhin Sen highlights the pitfalls of ignoring even one element the triad. He concludes with a prescriptive roadmap for custodians to help them navigate their brands through turbulent waters.

We do hope that you will enjoy reading these papers. We welcome your suggestions and support.

G. Shainesh