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The present study attempts a quantitative assessment of the impact of recently signed ASEAN-India FTA (AIFTA) for selected plantation commodities (coffee, tea and pepper) in India. We use partial equilibrium modeling approach (SMART model and gravity model) to simulate the likely import increase of the plantation commodities under the proposed tariff reduction schedule of the AIFTA. Overall, the results suggest that the AIFTA will cause significant increase in India's import of plantation commodities. The increase in imports is mostly driven by trade creation rather than trade diversion. From the economic efficiency point of view, trade creation improves welfare as the new imports replace the high-cost domestic production. The analysis shows that the proposed tariff reduction may lead to significant tariff revenue loss to the government. However, the gain in consumer surplus (due to the fall in domestic price and the consequent reduction in dead-weight loss) outweighs the loss in tariff revenue leading to net welfare gain. By and large, the simulations based on the SMART and gravity models provide similar results on the magnitude of total increase in imports. The surge of new imports may have adverse impact for the livelihood of the Indian farmers engaged in the production of these commodities. Farmers will have to realign the structure of production according to the changing price signals and hence it is critical to provide adjustment assistance to the affected farmers.

This article attempts to evaluate the Pareto optimality of SAFTA and three other alternative sets of coordinated trade policies that go beyond SAFTA for all the member states. These include (a) extended preferential trading between SAFTA with other major trading blocs, (b) full trade liberalisation by South Asian countries and (c) SAFTA plus a customs union. The analysis, using the standard static Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model, shows that (a) there would be winners and losers amongst the member states, (b) the winners and losers vary across alternative scenarios that represent different trade policy regime and (c) the gains/losses as the case may be are not very large. Thus, the welfare basis for establishing SAFTA or for deeper trade policy coordination is not very strong. Justification for SAFTA may lie in other dimensions of regional cooperation than in mere tariff policy coordination.

In this article, we draw on psychological contract theory to examine the influence of employees' experiences on their 'employer of choice' recommendation and on signalling theory to examine the influence of employer rankings on 'employer of choice' recommendation. Using firm-level data representing 387 firms, we used Tobit regression model to assess the effect of employment experience and employer attractiveness rankings on employees' recommendation of a company as an 'employer of choice'. We found that employment experience of current and former employees positively influenced employees' endorsement of their employer. Culture and values, and career opportunities are the most significant variables in generating positive employee recommendation. In addition, appearing in most attractive employer rankings also influenced their recommendation. However, employer rankings lower than the median rank had no effect on whether or not employees recommended their organizations. Being ranked lower than the median did not influence employees' decisions to endorse their organization because it does not have the same potency for employees as when a firm is ranked higher than the median. Results provide us with a nuanced understanding of the effects of employer attractiveness rankings. Our study has important conceptual and methodological strengths (including the firm-level measure of employment experience and word of mouth) over previous studies in the area of employer branding. JEL Classification: M370, M510, M540, C340, M190

Resource Based View (RBV) forms an important theoretical base for several IS researches. RBV theory and related IS researches provide several categories and types (typology) of resource capabilities that create and enhance the sustained competitive advantage (SCA) of firms. While the resource capabilities that are enabled by enterprise applications (EA) will closely mirror the ones provided by IS researches on this topic, a specific study of such capabilities in the context of enterprise applications in public sector and government is attempted in this study. This will improve the understanding of EA-enabled resource capabilities in general and public sector in particular. The understanding and insights can be widely applied to ICT for Development. Literature survey provides the capabilities' matrix and the resulting framework is corroborated with a study of 55 public sector and government organizations in India.

PurposeThis study explores the relevance of social capital resources generated through networks to address the marketing challenges of startups. It looks into the marketing issues faced by startup firms in emerging markets and examines how they leverage their social capital to reach out to their customers and other stakeholders for marketing their products and services.Design/methodology/approachThe case study analysis using the abduction method, semi-structured interview and content analysis were used for answering the research questions.FindingsThis study finds the importance of developing social capital by startups for marketing activities. Social capital also acts as a strategic advantage that the competitors cannot easily emulate. Findings show that the development of social capital happens through the network of startup entrepreneurs and social connections involving customers, dealers and suppliers, among others.Originality/valueThis study is a novel attempt to emphasize the potential of social capital for marketing activities in a startup firm. This study expands the literature on social capital with a marketing perspective in an emerging economy context. The academic and managerial implications have also been highlighted in the study.

Background Corporate social marketing (CSM), as a type of corporate social initiative, is considered to be the most effective tool for creating social good through behavioural change. However, the relevance and benefits of CSM in the business context are largely unknown. The understanding of 'the business case' of CSM initiatives can provide useful insights to practitioners in this field. In this paper, we study the boundary spanning benefits of CSM in the area of employer branding. Research Questions This research aims to answer one major question: Do CSM campaigns play any role in building an organization's employer brand? If yes, then how? Further, two associated supplementary questions include (i) how do managers perceive the use of CSM campaigns during campus engagement initiatives? (ii) how do job seekers perceive the use of CSM campaigns in campus engagement initiatives? Methods We use a qualitative research approach to answer the above questions. Using a purposive sampling method, we interviewed 6 managers who manage and 13 management students who attended campus engagement initiatives. The research was carried out in an emerging economy context, namely India, which has had several successful CSM campaigns and is home to the youngest working population, particularly millennials. Results The study shows that CSM leads to three major employer branding outcomes – increasing employer awareness, enhancing employer attractiveness and differentiating an employer from other competing organizations. Students prefer employers who provide them opportunities to work for society and are even willing to accept a lower pay in such organizations. Managers revealed the importance of showcasing CSMs during campus presentations and confirmed the relevance of social causes in employer branding initiatives. Recommendations for Practice The study offers useful insights to human resource managers on the role of CSM campaigns in creating employer awareness and attracting talent during campus engagement. We recommend that CSM campaigns be leveraged during campus engagement sessions for achieving differentiation in a competitive talent market. Lesser-known employers can use CSM campaigns for increasing employer awareness among potential student recruits. Organizations may proactively design and implement CSM campaigns, consistent with their values and mission, for the positive spill-over effects it can yield for their employer brand. The study aims to contribute to the CSM literature by studying the boundary spanning role of CSM in employer branding.

Recognizing the importance of social marketing strategies for the success of social entrepreneurial ventures (SEVs), the present article examines nine SEVs with different profit orientation to understand the role of social marketing in social entrepreneurship (SE). Using grounded theory approach and case study method, the present article cross-examines cases and develops propositions thereof, providing a holistic understanding of current and potential application of social marketing strategies in SE. The outcome of this study may help social entrepreneurs to choose appropriate strategies from a pool of social marketing strategies available. However, there is a need to test these propositions with a larger set of data in future research. Also, it is equally important to study social marketing strategies adopted by failed cases of SEVs so that the existing and potential social entrepreneurs can learn from their mistakes.

Communication of employer brand to external stakeholders has, in the recent past, seen new developments in the form of best employer surveys (BESs) and a potent form of employer branding lies in the BESs. In this article, we examine the impact of firm-related and job-related attributes on a candidate's job application decisions by selecting firms from the BES lists. The study is based on the secondary and primary data of 139 companies which have appeared in four major BES lists from 2001 to 2012 (the longest time period for which data is available in an emerging economy—India) and primary data collected from 2,854 respondents. We find that both firm-level and job-related variables significantly influence a candidate's job application decisions, such as, intention to apply and consideration of the best companies to work for. Firms, with an objective to attract huge candidates, should carefully examine the factors that positively affect the job choice decisions and make concerted effort to improve on those parameters. The study fills several research gaps present in the literature due to inadequate empirical studies, insufficient sample size and consideration of a limited variables in the past studies.