Inferences from the UK Privatisations and the Developing Country Context *

TitleRound two: repositioning the Tata Nano.Subject areaMarketing.Study level/applicabilityAdvanced undergraduate students, MBA students, and business executives interested in enhancing their knowledge and skills of consumer behavior analysis, and marketing strategy and execution in a developing country market.Case overviewTata Motors Chairman, Ratan Tata, noticed that Indian families with three and four family members often commuted on a two‐wheel scooter or motorbike. He had a vision to make a safe family transport for the Indian masses, a four‐wheel vehicle made from scooter parts. His engineers took about five years (2003‐2008) to develop the product. On January 10, 2008, Tata Motors publicly announced the Nano at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi at the target price of Rs 100,0000 ($2,500), unarguably the world's cheapest car. Deliveries of the Nano began in June 2009. The initial target market for the Tata Nano was comprised of individuals and families who relied on a two‐wheeler for transport. The value proposition was a safe, affordable, and attractive car. Initial reactions from industry analysts, dealers, and consumers were overwhelmingly positive.In February 2010, Carl‐Peter Forster (born in the UK and raised in Germany) was appointed Group CEO of Tata Motors. Monthly sales kept increasing until a high of 9,000 units in July 2010, then there were consistent declines for the next four months to just 509 units in November. In December 2010, ten months after being on the job, Carl‐Peter Foster had to turn around the sales performance of Tata Nano.Expected learning outcomesGet students to appreciate the importance of understanding consumer behavior in the design and execution of marketing strategy. Get students to understand the concept of value and how it is important at any price level, especially in comparing and contrasting consumer behavior across developed and developing country markets. Get students to understand how marketing strategy is designed (target market selection and positioning) and executed after understanding consumer behavior. Get students to understand how the marketing programs (marketing‐mix) reinforce product positioning.Supplementary materialsTeaching notes.

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Relative Underdevelopment as a Barrier to Technological Efficiency: A Comparative Study of Ministeel Plants in India and the UK

Modern Asian Studies ◽

10.1017/s0026749x99003443 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 733-758 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Suma S. Athreye

Keyword(s):

Comparative Study ◽

Technological Change ◽

Developing Country ◽

Firm Strategies ◽

Technological Learning ◽

Technological Efficiency ◽

Technological Developments ◽

The Uk ◽

Poor Infrastructure

How could relative underdevelopment pose a constraint to the harnessing of technological change and increased output productivity due to technological developments? In this paper one possible chain of causation in the understanding of this question is suggested. It is argued that fragmentation of markets and the absence of industrial deepening, both factors characteristic of developing country markets, could constitute important barriers to the adoption of firm strategies that promote technological efficiency in producer goods sectors. The fragmentation of markets (due to poor infrastructure) prevents specialization and thus impedes technological learning through this route. The lack of industrial deepening implies that a large proportion of demand for intermediate producer goods emerges from households in the economy rather than firms.

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Consumer Acculturation and Implications for Brand Preferences

Advances in Marketing, Customer Relationship Management, and E-Services - Handbook of Research on Consumerism and Buying Behavior in Developing Nations ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-0282-1.ch006 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 120-145

Author(s):

Rohini Vijaygopal

Keyword(s):

Developing Country ◽

Consumer Behaviour ◽

International Marketing ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Demographic Variables ◽

Indian Diaspora ◽

The Uk ◽

Prefer Host ◽

Ethnic Products ◽

Brand Preferences

This research investigates whether established theories of acculturation are applicable to British Indians and what impact acculturation has on their consumer behaviour. After classifying British Indians according to the acculturation framework devised by Berry (1980), the chapter considers whether membership of these acculturation categories has a bearing on British Indians' consumer behaviour, as indicated by their brand preferences for a range of host and ethnic products and services. The findings reveal that separated consumers prefer ethnic brands more than host brands, assimilated consumers prefer host brands more than ethnic brands and integrated consumers have brand preferences falling between these two. Acculturation category thus has POTENTIAL for use as a segmentation variable. Demographic factors have also been shown to influence patterns of acculturation (Berry 1997). This study therefore also examines the relationships between different acculturation categories, demographic variables and preferences for a range of ethnic and host brands. Overall, this research provides some interesting insights about buying preferences of Indian diaspora (a developing country) in the UK and is particularly relevant from an International marketing perspective.

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Dilemmas of a psychiatrist in a developing country

Psychiatric Bulletin ◽

10.1192/pb.22.9.578 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. 578-580 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sa'ad B. Malik

Keyword(s):

Developing Country ◽

Developing World ◽

Postgraduate Training ◽

Home Country ◽

Professional Work ◽

The West ◽

The Uk

It was in early 1984 when, after receiving my basic postgraduate training in the UK, I returned to my home country, Pakistan. As I began to settle down in my professional work I soon realised that I was facing problems on more than one front. Whereas some of these I have been able to overcome with time, others remain largely unresolved. Psychiatrists from the developing world who receive their training in the West and subsequently return to their home countries may be facing similar dilemmas. Here I would like to share some of my own.

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Consumer Acculturation and Implications for Brand Preferences

Global Branding ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-9282-2.ch019 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 378-403

Author(s):

Rohini Vijaygopal

Keyword(s):

Developing Country ◽

Consumer Behaviour ◽

International Marketing ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Demographic Variables ◽

Indian Diaspora ◽

The Uk ◽

Prefer Host ◽

Ethnic Products ◽

Brand Preferences

This research investigates whether established theories of acculturation are applicable to British Indians and what impact acculturation has on their consumer behaviour. After classifying British Indians according to the acculturation framework devised by Berry (1980), the chapter considers whether membership of these acculturation categories has a bearing on British Indians' consumer behaviour, as indicated by their brand preferences for a range of host and ethnic products and services. The findings reveal that separated consumers prefer ethnic brands more than host brands, assimilated consumers prefer host brands more than ethnic brands and integrated consumers have brand preferences falling between these two. Acculturation category thus has POTENTIAL for use as a segmentation variable. Demographic factors have also been shown to influence patterns of acculturation (Berry 1997). This study therefore also examines the relationships between different acculturation categories, demographic variables and preferences for a range of ethnic and host brands. Overall, this research provides some interesting insights about buying preferences of Indian diaspora (a developing country) in the UK and is particularly relevant from an International marketing perspective.

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Evaluating the performance of auditors: a driver or a stabilizer of auditors’ behaviour

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management ◽

10.1108/ijppm-08-2018-0306 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 69 (9) ◽

pp. 1999-2019

Author(s):

Rabih Nehme ◽

Christelle AlKhoury ◽

Abdullah Al Mutawa

Keyword(s):

Performance Evaluation ◽

Performance Appraisal ◽

Developing Country ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Developed Country ◽

Content Type ◽

External Auditors ◽

The Uk ◽

Big Four

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify differences in auditors’ dysfunctional behaviour when expecting performance appraisal. Its main aim is to examine variances across countries; UK vs Kuwait. Also, it identifies differences between experienced and inexperienced auditors. Design/methodology/approach The paper focuses on dysfunctional audit behaviour (DAB) where premature sign-off and under-reporting of chargeable time are chosen as the two main signalling proxies. A survey made up of statements included in performance appraisal templates is distributed among auditors working for the Big Four firms in both, the UK and Kuwait. Findings The paper shows how performance evaluation of external auditors affects their behaviour in the workplace. From a cultural standpoint, assessing the performance of auditors whilst working in a competitive market in a developed country is regarded as a potential driver for DAB variations. Evaluating auditors’ performance in a developing country is seen as a stabiliser of DAB. This research paper demonstrates that experienced auditors have a greater tendency to behave dysfunctionally as compared to inexperienced auditors. Originality/value Prior studies have been conducted to assess auditors’ performance through using internal and external attributes (Kaplan, 1985), offshoring basic steps of audit work (Downey, 2018), and the perception of audit clients about auditors’ performance (Reheul et al., 2013). Such studies were conducted mostly on developed countries on a standalone basis. In this study, the focus has been shifted from focusing on one country to comparing two different countries. The paper examines DAB between experienced and inexperienced auditors in the UK and in Kuwait when expecting performance evaluation.

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