Research Guides: Portal for the India Initiatives at SMU: Research on India

Faculty Research on India

SMU faculty is engaged in extensive research on India. Here is a listing of some research papers.

SMU Cases with an India focus

‘Udaan’: Tata Salt’s Endeavour to Grow Market Share
This case is set in September 2007, and revolves around the Head of Sales & Marketing at Tata Chemicals Limited wondering how he could boost the market share of Tata Salt, one of the flagship products of the company. The dilemma is particularly interesting as Tata Salt had been ranked as the ‘Most Trusted Food Brand in India’ for the fourth year in a row and had very high brand equity – and yet its market share of 46% in the national branded segment and 18% in the total packaged iodised salt market, did not appear to grow in reflection of that high brand equity.
Generations at TCS: Ever Changing Workforce
Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS’) Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) division was faced with the challenge of retaining their Generation-Y employees, with seven out of a thirteen-person team quitting within a month. Workforce dynamics in the BPO industry in India was a high growth area and employees often had offers from several respected competing firms. In particular the thriving industry had a great impact on Generation-Y in India, which made up an increasingly large share of the workforce, especially in BPO. To this end TCS has made significant efforts towards both engaging their Generation-X employees, and retaining their Generation-Y employees leaving the Human Resource Head, Jagdish Chaudhari wondering what more needed to be done after this latest episode.

Articles on Indian Business from Perspectives@SMU (formerly Knowledge@SMU)

Why Global Banks are Banking on India
Foreign banks are aggressively expanding in India, both organically and through acquisitions. After playing along the sidelines in the country for more than 100 years, they have galvanized themselves to secure their share -- and more -- of the new action in the rapidly growing economy and a boom in high-profit consumer lending. India's central bank has outlined the roadmap for foreign players to grow, while the banking industry's robust fundamentals and crisis-free track record are other draws. To be sure, the entrenched public sector banks don't relish the charge of foreign banks. But the real rivals on the competing side of the growth equation are India's newly emergent private banks, which have snatched sizable market shares from their public sector counterparts. What this scenario promises are pitched battles for every slice of India's banking pie
India in the Global Supply Chain: Can Domestic Demand and Technology Skills Help It Catch Up?
Hampered by poor infrastructure, bureaucratic red tape and restrictive labor laws, Indian manufacturing has failed to make its presence felt globally. But that is rapidly changing, say experts from Boston Consulting Group and Wharton. More and more multinationals are setting up manufacturing operations in India, attracted by India's burgeoning domestic market and its relatively low-cost, highly skilled workforce.
Why Hedge Funds Are Looking to India for Greater Upside Potential
A few years ago, hedge funds were barely on the radar screen in the Indian marketplace, and they were highly secretive investment vehicles even in the U.S. Today, it's a different story. As big returns are no longer easy to come by in domestic markets, international hedge funds are increasingly looking to countries like India and evaluating investment opportunities and the potential gains to be made. To understand what factors affect their success, India Knowledge@Wharton talked to experts from Wharton and elsewhere about the attractiveness -- as well as the risks -- of the Indian marketplace for hedge funds.
Beyond fakirs and call centres: lessons from India’s global powerhouses
Forget the stereotype of the Indian accountant, IT manager or call centre operator. Instead, think savvy bigwigs with hungry appetites for all things foreign. Some of the world’s largest and most successful corporate acquisitions over the last 15 years have been carried out by conglomerates bearing the Indian flag. Tata, Mittal, Bharat Forge and Infosys are but just the more prominent names. Many others are emerging. What can we learn from these powerhouses and what makes them tick?
What Could Derail the India Express? Economists Speak Out
For the investors and businesses still swooning over India's red-hot growth, a pair of economists delivered a splash of cold water to their faces during a talk organized by the Center for the Advanced Study of India. Shanta Devarajan, chief economist for South Asia at the World Bank, and Arvind Subramanian, a division chief in the IMF's research department, argued that India's infamously inefficient institutions are a drag on growth -- though things aren't actually all that bad in comparison to other nations.
Developing Story: Global Publishing Houses See New Potential in Indian Media
Global media houses have been systematically targeting India over the past two years, encouraged primarily by burgeoning readership levels and relaxed government policies on foreign investment in the industry. At the same time, deep-pocketed advertisers are zeroing in on a young, brand-aware population's rising income and literacy levels. In addition, foreign private equity investors and publishers have set up alliances with domestic players; new mainstream newspapers and niche magazines have been launched, and regional-language publishers have increased their reach.
Tata’s HR strategy: Think far, wide and smart
With its hands in a diverse range of industries – from information technology to engineering, property development to travel, steel to the world's most affordable car – India's largest conglomerate, Tata Group, has touched the lives of millions of everyday people. Remarkable as its tales of progress and successes may be, the company realises that it has to adapt quickly if it is to keep on the upward trend. Central to that is a rigorous and "global" approach to talent management that attracts the best, induces their fullest potential, and retains them for as long as possible.

SMU-TCS iCity Lab

SMU-TCS iCity Lab is a joint initiative where TCS’ S$6 million investment in the iCity Lab at SMU lays the foundation for the research and development of cloud-based IT solutions for intelligent cities in Asia and Worldwide. The partnership combines TCS’ industry leading IT services expertise and culture of innovation with SMU’s globally recognised excellence in research and education and for the world of business and management in both the public and private sectors.

Both SMU and TCS are known for their ability to integrate IT with business in ways that creates innovative IT solutions that meet public and private sector management needs. The lab will work together with selected partnering cities in China, India and other rapidly developing ASEAN countries to create urban management solutions.

For more information on SMU-TCS iCity Lab, please visit www.icitylab.com.