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In recent years, consumers are increasingly attracted to nutraceuticals, an important part of food considered propitious for human health. Therefore, consumers are willingly switching to nutraceuticals and are ready to pay the premium price. This review aims to identify various factors that govern consumer purchasing of nutraceutical products. The outcomes presented in the review provide a closer understanding of consumer attitudes toward buying behavior and their impact on the growth of the global nutraceutical market. The nutraceutical market has been identified depending on the type of nutraceuticals, forms, and regions governing the nutraceutical market. Factors such as health consciousness, knowledge about a product, product availability, price, marketing strategies, and social factors influence consumers' actual buying behavior toward nutraceutical products. A mini survey in Mumbai city of India was conducted to add practical data to the review, and factors affecting consumers' willingness to buy nutraceutical products were identified. It was observed that the decision‐making toward buying nutraceutical products was affected by gender, age, education level, and acculturation. It was also identified that the legislation governing nutraceuticals needs to be harmonized throughout many parts of the world, which restricts the growth of this sector to some extent. The findings elucidate that nutraceutical industries should overcome the regulatory barriers and focus on developing innovative products, which will keep current consumers intact and help increase the consumer base and thus expand the nutraceutical market globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The travel industry business in India started with its independence in 1945. India, a country with a lot of diversity, cultural heritage, and scores of languages presents unique challenges and opportunities for online travel agencies (OTAs). The internet changed the face of the travel industry. The travel boom, evolution of the internet, growing acceptance of e‐commerce, and the emergence of low‐cost carriers have been key factors that have contributed to the emergence of this sector. The present study attempts to bridge the research interests across marketing and finance disciplines. It tries to explore the relationship between the marketing and advertising efforts of the companies with the equity value of the Indian travel agencies. It also aims to compare the popularity and acceptance of online services provided by the major players in the travel and tourism industry in India based on the questionnaire survey conducted from 200 respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to examine the impact of socio demographic, marketing mix and greenwashing variables on the green purchasing intention (GPI) of Generation Z (Gen Z) towards environmentally friendly packaged drinks (EFPD) in India. The research surveyed 380 respondents who are residents of metropolitan cities of India with a minimum of 14 years of structured learning. The data is analysed through a structural equation modelling (SEM)–based multivariate approach by using SPSS 20 and AMOS 23. The results reflect that green price (PR), green advertisement (AT), green packaging (PG), and socio-demographic variables (SDV) of gender, education, and income positively influence the GPI of Gen Z towards EFPD whereas green washing (GW) reduces the GPI. SDV of age doesn't have any significant influence on GPI. The study provides insights into how companies can effectively utilize green marketing strategies to encourage environmentally friendly purchasing behavior and avoid GW practices that could harm their reputation and reduce consumer trust. Implications and future research directions have been made considering the study's findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the scenario of extending the organized retail markets to tier II and III cities of India, a preliminary inquiry in Ranga Reddy district highlighted the non-participation of the vegetable growers in the retail marketing system. To understand further, the knowledge level that contributes to the behavior is examined in this study. A total of 150 vegetable growers of the peri-urban area were selected by simple random sampling and were approached with a structured interview schedule. A teacher-made test was posed to elucidate the knowledge in 4 aspects - awareness, marketing process, pricing, and additional services provided. It was found that 64.00 per cent of the respondents had a medium knowledge of retail markets. The correlation analysis disclosed a significant positive relationship of knowledge level with education, the area under vegetables, market orientation, market intelligence, information-seeking behavior at 1 per cent, and economic motivation, landholding at 5 per cent. It was observed that age and experience in vegetable farming are negatively significant with 0.05 per cent of probability. Execution of -step-wise regression to fit the model where education, market orientation, the area under vegetable production, annual income, economic motivation, decision-making ability with unstandardized coefficients 0.994, 0.953, 0.482, - 4.285E-6, 0.197, 0.222 respectively were found significant with 39.7 per cent of coefficient of determination (R2). Converting knowledge into actions requires interactions with retail market agencies that build trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food and beverage marketing contributes to poor dietary choices among adults and children. As consumers spend more time on the Internet, food and beverage companies have increased their online marketing efforts. Studies have shown food companies' online promotions use a variety of marketing techniques to promote mostly energy-dense, nutrient-poor products, but no studies have compared the online marketing techniques and nutritional quality of products promoted on food companies' international websites. For this descriptive study, we developed a qualitative codebook to catalogue the marketing themes used on 18 international corporate websites associated with the world's three largest fast food and beverage companies (i.e. Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken). Nutritional quality of foods featured on those websites was evaluated based on quantitative Nutrient Profile Index scores and food category (e.g. fried, fresh). Beverages were sorted into categories based on added sugar content. We report descriptive statistics to compare the marketing techniques and nutritional quality of products featured on the company websites for the food and beverage company websites in two high-income countries (HICs), Germany and the United States, two upper-middle-income countries (UMICs), China and Mexico, and two lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), India and the Philippines. Of the 406 screenshots captured from company websites, 67·8% depicted a food or beverage product. HICs' websites promoted diet food or beverage products/healthier alternatives (e.g. baked chicken sandwich) significantly more often on their pages (25%), compared to LMICs (14·5%). Coca-Cola featured diet products significantly more frequently on HIC websites compared to LMIC websites. Charities were featured more often on webpages in LMICs (15·4%) compared to UMICs (2·6%) and HICs (2·3%). This study demonstrates that companies showcase healthier products in wealthier countries and advertise their philanthropic activities in lower income countries, which is concerning given the negative effect of nutrition transition (double burden of overnutrition and undernutrition) on burden of non-communicable diseases and obesity in lower income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding visitors and the factors that pull them to visit a destination is imperative for successful branding as visitor characteristics and salient attributes are used to differentiate and position. This study identifies important attributes and segments of international tourists visiting India. Factor and Cluster analyses were used to analyse the data. Factor analysis identified six underlying dimensions while Cluster analysis identified four segments of international tourists across four continents. Profiling of clusters was done through Chi Square analysis leading to identification of target segments. Suggestions for branding and marketing strategies are provided according to the factors and segments identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of congruence among desired, actual, and perceptual positioning strategies of four Indian car brands (WagonR, Santro, Spark, and Figo) is examined. The triangulation research methodology (pilot survey, secondary data, and content analysis) is applied to examine the three populations (expert views, advertising strategies, and consumer perceptions) considered in the study. The results reveal the popularity of two positioning strategies (“visual artistic” and “basic features”) for three car brands, whereas Figo stands on the positioning of “cost and finance.” Regarding the congruence among experts' presumed strategies and the communication tactics used by selected car brands, it is observed that not all the communicated strategies are presumed and thus ambiguities prevail in the process. This report also calls corporate attention to the fact that even positioning strategies perceived by the customers are not presumed by experts, and hence there is need to reassess the brand positioning strategies to curtail these ambiguities. However, the positioning activities highlighted in communications are successfully recognized by the target customers to some extent. The author concludes with a discussion on managerial implications and limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to study the Indian consumer buying decisions of packaged food and to assess the impact of demographic dynamics on their behavior and their perception about the practicing marketing strategies of different leading food retailers across the National Capital region. We have taken six different retailers—viz. Big Bazaar, Spencer’s Retail, Reliance Fresh, 6Ten retail stores, convenience stores, and kirana (mom-and-pop) shops—in our research in an attempt to examine the consumer’s perception for these retailers’ marketing strategies to sell packaged food. The purpose to choose these retailers is to assess the impact as a whole from organized food retail as well as unorganized food retailing on consumer buying decisions. Respondents were selected by using the stratified random sampling method, and participation was voluntary. 925 respondents from the cities Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, and Faridabad were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Statistical tools such as chi-square, factor analysis, ANOVA, and the Bonferroni test were used to attain final empirical results and to know the comparison of food retailer strategies with the customer’s choice of retailer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As increased angiogenesis has been related with the progression of Ovarian cancer, Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), Metastatic renal cell, Glioblastoma multiforme, Non squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), number of anti-angiogenic agents have been investigated or are currently in development, as a potential treatment options for patients with advanced disease. Bevacizumab, a recombinant monoclonal antibody having targeted action against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has gained European Medical Agency (EMA) approval for treating the cancer mentioned above in combination with chemotherapeutic agents. Globally the incidence/new cases for the cancer is about 14.1 millions, 8.2 million cancer deaths and about five year prevalence was around 32.6 million cancers individuals that were above 15 years. Globocan 2012 indicates that the number might increase to 19.3 million new cancer cases by 2025. In India there are about 1.1 million new cancer cases, 682,830 cancer deaths and five-year prevalence was around 1.8 million individuals having or diagnosed with cancer. There are very few targeted therapies that are available for treating such type of cancer and Avastin is one of innovator product are available to patients. But due to its high cost it become difficult for patients use the drug for treatment purpose. So there arises a need to bring a quality generic version of the innovator drug to benefit Indian patients. Many leading Indian companies are striving to develop or manufacture such lifesaving drugs to make it available to Indian patients. A systemic literature survey was carried out to identify data available for in such type of cancer and to foster the strategy with a vision to bring global availability of the quality product to Indian patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have argued that from the late 1980s when India started following neoliberal policies, the newly emerging consumption practices have played a central role in restructuring the interrelated domains of erotics, pleasure, politics and national identification. In this article, I build on these studies by paying attention to the understudied problematic whereby branding and advertising practices of multinational corporations’ channel a collective nation through deploying conspicuously objectified bodies as figures enlisting consumer-identification. The popular and award-winning ad-film of Happydent White chewing gum titled Happydent White Palace (2007), which advertises the ‘teeth whitening’ quality of the product by visualizing a hyperbolic scenario of a mouth emitting light after using the chewing gum, is an exemplary case. The closing shot crystallizes the enlisting of identification via objectification: it shows a palace servant perched on a lamp post in the darkness of night, jutting his neck out and lighting up the world around him while insects fly around his face. The brand experience is here affirmed by highlighting precisely the most troubling questions of servile labour and poverty within the nation. The paper explores how this identificatory strategy, one that might be read in relation to disidentification, is also used to affirm brand experience. Using theorisations of branding, labour and nationalism, I argue that in the wake of neoliberalism in India, such an affirmation is possible by making manifest the virtual nation as superflat, a conscious ‘playful’, ‘flattened, self-mocking’ national aesthetic constructed for the commercial market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate Zipf's Law on the size distribution and Gibrat's Law on the growth of sub-national populations in China, India and Brazil. We reject Zipf's Law for India, but not for China and Brazil; a log normal distribution also fits Brazil well, but not China and India. Gibrat's Law holds for Brazil; that is, lagged population is the best predictor of current population in Brazil. In China, market potential is an important predictor of population growth, while in India both crop area and market potential are important. Our results show that there is a diversity of experiences across countries, and we speculate that this diversity maybe caused by differences in the characteristics of the three countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the labour market experiences of Indian hi-tech professionals in the Waterloo tech cluster (Ontario), also known as Canada's Technology Triangle. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's theorisations, I show how Indian technology workers, although disadvantaged to some extent by their embodied social attributes and their ‘lack of Canadian experience’, exercise their agency to strategically convert theircapitalsto enter and progress in the labour market. Based on in-depth interviews conducted with Indian immigrants, technology companies and relevant organisations and immigrant-serving agencies in the Waterloo Region, I argue that the stereotypical association of Indian nationals and technology work contributes to theirtransnational habitusthat yields some advantage in Canada's technology labour markets; a foot in the door. This stereotypical association, however, simultaneously contributes to new forms of oppression and restrictions to labour market entry for Indian nationals seeking to enter occupational sectors other than IT; a double-edged sword. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study on Adoption and Marketing behaviour of Maize growers", aimed to bring out a strategy to increase the adoption level of maize growers. The study was undertaken at three blocks viz. Udumalpet, Pollachi and Palladam blocks of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu. The analysis of extent of adoption indicated that the most favorable season for sowing was Adipattam by most of the farmers (54.44 %). Majority of the farmers followed all the maize field practices like basal urea application (61.11 %), top dressing (60.00 %), micronutrient application (46.70 %), seed treatment (34.50 %), weed crop protection (78.90 %) and water management (74.40 %). Most of the farmers in the study area (53.33 %) harvested the produce only when the seeds became dry and hard. The analysis of marketing behaviour indicated that the farmers sold the cobs in nearby town transporting through tractor. Study also indicated that one half of the respondents sold the entire harvested produce immediately after harvest through wholesalers. Majority of the farmers did grading and weighing before marketing the produce. Most of the farmers did not follow the storage pest protection measures. The neighbour farmers living in the same village were the main sources of information to the vast majority of maize growers. The crucial characteristics of the maize growers towards marketing behaviour were educational status, socioeconomic status, extension agency contact, storage facilities, market perception and market potential indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers in developing countries are experiencing improved standards of living and lifestyle and exhibiting a desire to consume global brands. This study examined the effect of life satisfaction of Indian consumers on brand consciousness and brand-specific variables (i.e., perceived quality, emotional value, brand loyalty) for a global apparel brand (i.e., Levi's). A total of 411 college students in Mumbai, India, participated in the survey. This study found that Indian consumers' life satisfaction positively influenced their brand consciousness, in turn, influencing perceived quality and emotional value for the global brand; however, the effect of brand consciousness on brand loyalty was not significant. Managerial implications for global retailers who plan to enter the Indian market as well as future research opportunities are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional cereal crop production is uneconomic, and diversification in cropping system is necessary in mountain regions. A pilot project was introduced on medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) cultivation with semi-processing and market strategy. Fast growing MAPs with high economic potential were given priority. A cooperative society was organized for quality control and proper marketing. Farmers got additional income with sale of MAPs that could improve socioeconomy. In the depressing scenario of the deteriorating farming condition, emerging experience of MAPs farming give hope for better living standard of mountain peoples. Cultivation of economically viable MAPs can improve socioeconomy of farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores what anthropology has to say about contemporary business strategies for market expansion among poor consumers in Africa and Asia. Focusing on the activities of global consumer goods company Unilever in India, we show how anthropology can provide valuable insights into the hidden work and power relations involved in transforming an everyday commodity like soap into a composite object, what we call a ‘social good’, that is capable of simultaneously combating disease, tackling poverty and realizing value for shareholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a structure for personalized promotions in multiplexes using RFM (Recency, Frequency, and Monetary Value) Analysis, predictive modeling, and optimization at different stages. The stiff competition in the multiplex industry in India makes it essential for the players to have a good loyalty program. One effective way for increasing loyalty would be to introduce personalized promotions for the customers. This would make the promotion more targeted towards the needs of the customers and would keep them involved. One major challenge in implementing any personalized promotion is to have a good and efficient structure for the same. The proposed structure is capable of incorporating business constraints and providing useful business insights to help the multiplex have an effective loyalty program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural sector in India accounts for over 85% of the total water used for various purposes in the country. However, the efficiency of water use in agriculture is very low, approximately 40% for surface irrigation and 60% for groundwater irrigation. Part of the reason for the low efficiency is the highly subsidized price of irrigation water that encourages the excessive application of water to crops. This paper is based on a case study conducted in the command area of a public irrigation canal in the state of Gujarat, India. It attempts to explore the role of the rational pricing of canal irrigation water in motivating farmers to use water judiciously and thereby enhance the water use efficiency in irrigated agriculture. The paper contends that farmers are sensitive to an increase in irrigation water charges, but unless the administered price is increased to the level that would prevail in a free market, it will not have its intended effect on irrigators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IT industry, particularly IT enabled services (ITES), in India has shown remarkable growth over the past decade and continues to show resilience even in the face of a global downturn in the sector. While India has not been able to match China in manufacturing prowess, it may have found its competitive advantage in the area of knowledge-based services to which its factor endowments are uniquely suited. Yet, the tremendous potential and promise of this sector in spurring economic growth and national competitiveness may not be realized, if the numerous obstacles to the sector's growth are not removed. This paper traces the evolution of the IT industry in India, its positives and negatives and its potential to contribute to India's global competitiveness. Structural barriers in the national environment to the growth of this industry are identified and discussed. Conclusions and policy implications are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a new construct known as marketing innovation in the paradigm of the market orientation-performance link in India. The study depicts a substantial connection between market orientation and firm performance with partial support for marketing innovation. The significance for business firms in the emerging markets is that they will do better generally, if they would become more market-oriented.

Manipur, one of the eight states of north eastern India, including Sikkim state, harbours a high diversity of bamboo. More than 54 species of bamboo under 9 genera have been reported from Manipur against 136 species under 23 genera from India as a whole. Pure bamboo brakes constitute 18.6% of the total forest area of the state and the bamboo play a vital role in the life of Manipuries in their day-to-day requirements. Bamboo has multiple uses and is used in almost all the households needs, for construction, craft, fencing, rituals, firewood, rope, food, utensils and paper manufacturing. Bamboo shoots, both in raw and fermented forms, are largely consumed by the people and can earn a large share of household economy to an amount of Rupees 2130 million (USD 45 million) annually for the nation as a whole. Bamboo is needed from childbirth to death and every household maintains a bamboo colony of certain species in their private land. Revenue of 0.43 million rupees (9000 USD) is generated from bamboo and its products annually by the State Forest Department of Manipur. As bamboo can grow easily with least labour and time, cultivation aspects are least considered. The high potential can be improved by suitable scientific intervention and local capacity building, which will have great implications in improving the socio-economic status of the community. This paper reports species diversity, characteristics, utilization pattern and conservation status of bamboo resources in Manipur state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the relationship between the development of the agricultural insurance market (using the penetration measure) and the agricultural productivity growth within the context of various factors that possibly have the potential to influence such relationships. We employ a static model of panel data for 23 countries in two continents during 2000-2015. Our conditional variables consist of socio-economic and financial conditions. What we find is an interesting piece of evidence that the development of agricultural insurance market has a positive effect on agricultural productivity growth. Moreover, our results clearly show that the conditional variables of a high level of agricultural insurance market penetration, a high level of agriculture credit, a high level of farmers' education and a moderated level of agricultural risk management (a low level of expost compensation supplied by the governments in case of catastrophic risks) alleviate the positive impacts of the development of the agricultural insurance market on agricultural productivity growth. By contrast, the conditional variables of a low level of natural risks (drought, floods, and extreme temperatures) and a low level of yield risks strengthen the positive impacts of the development of the agricultural insurance market on agricultural productivity growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various topics within the issue including employee productivity-linked firm performance in India, protection of investments by foreign firms in the U.S. and role of education in a transforming services marketing strategies of the firms.