Healthcare systems in any country assume importance given the fact that large
sections of people cannot afford expensive medical care. Within the healthcare
system, the General Practitioners (GP) are considered a very important link in the value chain. They are the first contact point to a patient and heavily impact the perception of the public as to the healthcare service’s quality and effectiveness. The paper, “A Comparative Study of the Chinese and British GP Systems”, by Chengbo Wang, John Vaughan, David Edgar, Zhaofang Mao, Xuezhong Chen and Tong Yang, contributes to the theoretical pool of healthcare management systems by comparing the differences and similarities between the GP systems of China and UK. The authors look at the historical background and compare the present status. They then offer some suggestions as to how to improve the systems of the two countries and highlight the scope for extending the studies in other contexts as well. Future benefits of such a system are also discussed.
Social media is impacting how consumers now view the actions of corporations and how this in turn impacts their reputations. Organizations today can be popular on social media through concerted efforts such as social media advertisements and other campaigns aimed at increasing customer satisfaction. This helps in quicker understanding and assessment of customer needs, which in turn enables fast handling of complaints and criticism. The second paper, “Corporate Reputation in the Era of Social Media: A Study in Turkish Banking Industry”, by Duygu Toplu, Murat Yaslioglu and Nil Selenay Erden, makes an attempt to test the relationship between perceived electronic service quality of online banking services and perceived corporate reputation from the perspective of bank customers who follow the social media activities related to the bank where they transact. The context is the Turkish banking industry. The results of the empirical study clearly show a positive relationship between e-service quality dimensions and perceptions of corporate reputation.
The third paper, “Manufacturers’ Perspective of Retailers’ Power and Its Behavioral Consequences on Retailer-Manufacturer Outsourcing Relationship: A Path Analysis”, by Sushil S Chaurasia, makes an attempt at an empirical verification of the relationship between sources of power, satisfaction and trust, cooperation and commitment in the Indian apparel retail market. The relationship between the retailer and manufacturer is examined by proposing and testing a conceptual model. Based on the results of the study, the author suggests that in order to develop commitment and benefit mutually, the retailers must look at factors beyond economic satisfaction and focus more on dimensions of trust and cooperation.
The last paper is a case study, “SKS Microfinance: On the Road to Redemption”, by Debapratim Purkayastha and Adapa Srinivasa Rao, on SKS Microfinance—a leading Micro Finance Institution (MFI). The company faced a crisis after government policies affected its regular business activities. The ordinance passed by the local government of the region where it was operating almost made it almost impossible for SKS to collect dues from its borrowers. Banks and other financial institutions too stopped lending money to MFIs, as they feared unsuccessful recoveries. The board of SKS implemented a number of initiatives to come out of the crisis. They started expanding into other states where there were no restrictions on MFIs. The management cut costs by closing down some branches and removing some employees. Other initiatives like competent cash flow practices, securitization deals, and Qualified Institutional Placements (QIP) ensured that its operations were not choked due to the funds crunch. The new initiatives implemented by the SKS management paid off and the company returned to profits in the third quarter of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012-2013.
-- Venu Gopal Rao
Consulting Editor
