XLRI professor pens "To Push or to Pull: Dynamics of Promotional Strategies"

Sept 8 (THe Pioneer): Indian B schools have been regularly churning out cutting edge research work and publications that are making waves in the contemporary management discipline. Leading from the front are the top Indian B schools where a blend of knowledge with practical applications has incubated a healthy environment of learning and top of the line research.

XLRI assistant professor of Marketing Management Debasis Pradhan has penned a book on marketing management titled To Push or to Pull: Dynamics of Promotional Strategies Book. The book reveals a lot about the current promotional strategies prevalent in the global marketing scenario.

In this book, the focus has been on the promotional strategies being adopted by three rural industries of India. Relevant research questions have been identified with the help of literature review coupled with exploratory work that has led to the conceptualisation of a framework. Survey method has been used for data collection. Data analysis and its interpretation have been discussed in detail with a reference to the scope for further research.”

The 292-paged book would constructively address the push vs. pull debate with a focus on Indian rural industries.

Prof. Pradhan, along with another faculty of XLRI, had earlier published a seminal paper on “Measurement of Retailer Brand Equity Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process.” Therein it was proposed that retailer brands possess equity termed as retailer brand equity or retailer equity.

It is an “added value” endowed to the retailer brand as a result of past marketing activities of the retailer. Branding of retailers can be instrumental in influencing customer perception and driving the store choice and loyalty. Measuring retailer brand equity can help the retailers and the brand mangers to be more strategic in their decision-making. This study undertaken in India has followed a customer-based brand equity measurement approach wherein dimensions like retailer awareness, retailer association, retailer perceived quality, and retailer loyalty have been considered. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to measure the retailer brand equity. The same was presented by the in University of Cologne, Germany this year.

Such publications and research are the need of the hour in the changing and volatile fields of global management. It is indeed heartening to notice that our national schools are sizing up to the challenge and able to leave a strong mark in the field.

Prof Pradhan is a post graduate and fellow from XIMB and IRMA respectively. He joined XLRI 2006 and teaches Advertising and Sales Promotion, Consumer Behaviour, and Marketing Management. Prior to this, he has more than two years of managerial experience in power sector. Papers and cases authored by him have been published in national and international journals of repute.