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ThesisItem Open Access Appraisal of existing management information system in district co-operative banks In Kerala(Department Of Rural Banking And Finance Management, College of Co-Operation Banking And Management, Vellanikkara, 1999) Sangeetha, K Prathap; KAU; George, K MTo meet the challenqes of present day banking environment, co-operative banks , and DCBs in particular have to introduce better planning and control by way of efficient information system. The managerial ability of DCBs to respond quickly to the changes in environment depends upon their ability to collect.process and utilize information. The study entitled "An appraisal of existing Management Information System in District Co-operative Banks in Kerala" was conducted with the following objectives. To examine the decision making process in District Co-operative Banks at various levels of management with a view to identify the information needs for management. To assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing system in meeting the information needs for management. The primary data required for the study were collected by administering a pretested structured schedule among the respondents of four sample banks. The respondents belonged to two management levels in each banks namely top management and middle management. Method of stratified random sampling was employed for selection of sample banks. Accordingly, on the basis of volume of business, four banks were selected namely, Ernakulam District Co-operative Bank, Thrissur District Co-operative Bank, Palakkad District Co-operative Bank and Kozhikode District Co-operative Bank. The study was conducted during the period of December 1998 to July 1999. Decision making process in DCBs was identified by conducting discussions with respondents. After tabulating the responses from the schedules, analysis was done using indices. The effect of independent variables on efficiency and effectiveness was detected using confluence analysis. Decision making process were delineated for ten selected aspects which were identified during the course of the study. Stages of decision making remained similar \ '. in all cases, but deviation was noticed in the matter of decision making authorities and sections which handled the work. In the decision making process of fixing of bank's deposit targets, no significant deviation from the pattern was noticed. Introducing new deposit schemes and loan schemes were done by similar process in the all banks but for the difference in sections handling the work. Planning department was in-charge of preparation of draft schemes in all banks except for Bank E where general section did the work. Sanctioning of loan proposals constituted a five stage process. Executive Committee remained the decision making authority in all banks except Bank K, where delegation of powers for loan sanction upto specified limits was done to General Manager and Branch Manager. In the case of monitoring of default accounts, Bank T alone maintained separate recovery section in head office to which default accounts were transferred and monitored. Other banks did this in branch level itself. Decls.on on investment of available funds was done by General Manager with ratification from President in all banks except for Bank P where the decision was taken by Executive Committee. Maintenance of statutory reserves, profit planning and provision of additional facilities to branches were done along the fixed pattern in all the sample banks. . Decision on employee's job rotation was taken by Executive Committee in Bank K whereas it was done by General Manager in all the other banks. Framing strategies to avoid delays in customer service was done at two levels, firstly at the level of branch manager, who directly deals with complaints and offer solution and secondly at the level of Board of Directors who designs strategies. The following information gaps were identified under the functional management heads. Regarding deposit, credit and customer service management, bank's top management and middle management were not considering information on competitors strategies. Also identification of customer preferences was not given due importance by bank's top management. In recovery management feedback on terms and conditions of loan and repayment schedule was not considered by any of the banks. Management of investment, fluid resources, profit and physical assets did not face information gap in all the sample banks. Human Resource Management was affected by non-availability of information on performance appraisal and manpower forecasting. Top management did not give enough stress on information on job rotation. Customer service management was the poorest in information availability, where top management of banks were not keen in collecting information on customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction points, customer awareness programmes and identification of areas where rapport has to be built up. Categorisation of efficiency indices of banks showed that majority of banks fell into "moderately efficient" category. Bank E stood first in efficiency of information system. Bank T was last in ranking for efficiency. Regarding effectiveness index, all the sample banks were classified as moderately effective. Here also Bank E topped the tally and Bank T stood last among the sample banks. Confluence analysis reveals that there is significant influence on efficiency by timeliness, adequacy and cost effectiveness for all banks. Regarding effectiveness, insignificance of certain factors was observed in some sample banks. Non-redundancy is not having significance in Bank T. Relevance is not influential for Bank P and reliability is insignificant factor of effectiveness in the case of Bank E and Bank P.ThesisItem Open Access Economics of dairying in Thrissur district(Department of Rural Banking & Finance Managemnet , College of Cooperation, Banking & Management, Vellanikkara, 2017) Greeni, T Thankachan; KAU; Molly JosephDairy is a vital part of the global food system providing economic, nutritional and social benefits to a large proportion of the world’s population. It has assumed one of the most important roles in providing employment and income generating opportunities for rural population.The advent of dairying has been a boon for dairy farmers and of particular importance to those segments of the society that have been traditionally weak, the small landholders, landless labourers and women. Agriculture, being only seasonal, the dairy industry provides off-season work, steady income and keeps the rural population employed throughout the year. The study titled ‘ Economics of Dairying in Thrissur District’ has been conducted with the objectives of examining the pattern of dairying adopted by farmers, identifying the sources, types and extent of assistance and incentives provided to the dairy farmers and studying the impact of assistance and incentives on the sustainability of dairying. The assistance and incentives provided to the dairy farmers, the pattern of dairying adopted and the impact of assistance and incentives on the sustainability of dairying have been studied at the district level of Thrissur using both secondary and primary data. Secondary data regarding the various assistance and incentives received by the farmers have been collected from Dairy Development Department, Animal Husbandry Department and Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (MILMA) (Thrissur Dairy). Data regarding the societies have been collected from the Procurement and Inspection (P&I) wing of Thrissur dairy. For collecting primary data, multistage random sampling method was employed. 133 respondents were selected from five taluks of Thrissur district. In the first stage, from each taluk, two Anand Pattern Co-operative Societies (APCOS) have been selected for which the societies in the taluks have been ranked based on the quantity of milk supplied to MILMA during the last three years. From the rank list prepared, societies which ranked first and the last have been selected. Thus the sample size of APCOS has become ten, i.e., two societies each from five taluks. In the second stage, from each of the societies, 10 farmers who are pouring members for the last three years have been selected randomly. As a control group for comparison, three farmers who are not the members of the society, but residing within the area of operation of the society have been selected. Thus the sample size is 130 dairy farmers, consisting of 100 member farmers of APCOS and 30 non 2 member farmers. In addition to this, three commercial dairy units from the study area, with a minimum cattle holding of 20, have also been included for the study. Pre-tested structured interview schedule has been used for collecting data from the respondents. The major statistical tools used for the study were one sample t test, independent samples t test, Kruskal Wallis H test, Mann Whitney U test, ANOVA , post hoc test for multiple comparison and Cobb- Douglas production function. The pattern of dairying adopted by the farmers is discussed under two heads- feeding practices and breeding practices. For studying the feeding practices adopted by the farmers, the study takes into account the feeding schedule specifications prescribed by the Productivity Enhancement Department of National Dairy Development Board, Anand and also the actual feeding practices adopted by the farmers. Comparisons with the standards have been made both member - wise and category - wise. Based on the cattle population, while comparing the actual quantity given and the recommended quantity, it could be observed that concentrates and paddy straw are not given upto the recommended quantity whereas green grass is provided more than the prescribed quantity. Among these, the quantity of concentrates and green grass given by the farm respondents are more than the required quantity whereas the quantity of paddy straw given is found to be less when compared to the other three categories.With respect to the breeding practices, artificial insemination method is being adopted by all the respondent farmers and the various kinds of breeds that have been found in the study areas are Holstein-Friesian, Jersey, Crossbreed cattle, Vechur cow, Sunandhini and Kasargod dwarf cow. The sources from which the farmers are receiving assistance and incentives include MILMA, Animal Husbandry Department and Dairy Development Department.The various assistance received by the respondent farmers are availability of paddy straw at concessional rate, mediclaim insurance for dairy farmers, subsidy for cattle shed development, rubber mat subsidy, Ksheeravardhini scheme, cattle insurance premium subsidy, interest subsidy for bank loan, summer incentive, assistance for fodder scheme, milk shed development programme and cattle feed subsidy. Among these, the summer incentive scheme which is being provided by MILMA is found to be the most acceptable and fully availed scheme among members. None of the respondents is found to be receiving any of the selected assistance from Animal Husbandry 3 Department. However the farmers are receiving various services free of cost such as artificial insemination, free medicines and vaccination. The impact of assistance and incentives is studied upon the members and non members in their production, marketable surplus, gross income, cost and net income. Member - wise and category - wise analysis of data have been done. It was found that cost - wise, there is significant difference among members and non members. As the members are receiving various assistance and incentives, it enables them to reduce their costs. But it is not getting reflected in their net income. Cobb-Douglas production function was employed separately for total respondents and also for total members. From Cobb- Douglas production function, it was observed that one rupee increase in feed cost leads to 19 paisa increase in production for all respondents, and 22 paisa increase in production for members. This tilts to the fact that the members who are affiliated to the society could make a significant impact in their feed cost through various assistance received by them. However, the advantage available to them through these assistance and incentives does not lead to increase in their net income. This indicates that though they can reduce their cost, dairying is not sustainable unless it is reflected in their net income. It was found that the extent of amount of assistance and incentives is meagre for dairy farmers who are receiving the support from MILMA and Dairy Development Department since they obtain below 10 per cent of their total cost as subsidy amount. While examining the attitude of dairy farmers towards the assistance and incentives, majority of the respondents have no opinion. The major reason for this attitude is their lack of awareness about the support programmes or their hesitant attitude towards institutional agencies. It could also be observed that the assistance and incentives received by the dairy farmers have no impact on the employment generated by dairying in a household. Since majority of the respondents under study undertakes dairying as a subsidiary occupation which gives them either a subsidiary income or a means for meeting their day to day livelihood expenses, it could not make an impact in the asset creation of dairy farmers. Both category - wise and member - wise benefit cost ratio was analysed and it was found that majority of the respondents have benefit cost ratio ranging from one to two. 4 For ensuring sustainability of dairying, there should be significant impact on the net income of farmers. Whenever there is a rising feed cost, a proportionate increase in return should also be ensured. Subsidy rates and amounts should also increase that would enable them to reduce the cost to the extent where they can make a significant impact on the net income. There is also an increasing need for creating more awareness among the dairy farmers about the existing schemes of assistance and incentives which are available for them. For reducing the production gap for milk in the State, the existing dairy farmers should be retained and the younger generation to be attracted for which dairy farming should be made sustainable through proper institutional support enabling them to earn a reasonable net income.ThesisItem Open Access Market potential of value added coconut products(Department of Rural Marketing Management, College of Co operation Banking and Management, Vellanikkara, 2006) Sali, K S; KAU; Mohanan, MIn India, due to multifaceted uses, coconut is referred as ‘Kalpavriksha’ and provides livelihood to more than 10 million people. Among the major coconut growing states in India, Kerala enjoys the pride of place both in area and production of coconut. However, there is a trend for reduced farm income due to fluctuating prices. Therefore, the coconut industry and the farmers depending on them are striving to survive in the economy. In this scenario, best option appears to be diversification and value addition. In this context, present study was undertaken with the following objectives: 1. to measure the market awareness of value added coconut products; 2. to examine the customers perception towards selected value added coconut products; and 3. to assess the market potential for selected value added coconut products. For the study, four divisions from Thrissur Corporation area were selected randomly. A sample of 100 households, 25 from each division were randomly selected. The selected products were coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut milk powder, coconut palm jaggery, coconut chips, coconut vinegar, elaneer soda and neera. The study was mainly based on primary data collected from the sample respondents through personal interview method by administering a pre-tested structured schedule. The data thus obtained were analysed by using the tools like bivariate table, percentages, ranking, regression and indices. The study revealed that the newly designed and launched products failed to attract the customers attention. It was also revealed that at present the role of advertisement is negligible in creating awareness. The shopkeepers and friends and relatives were considered as the most important sources of information regarding the products. In the perception analysis, it was found that majority of the respondent have least favourable perception towards various attributes of the products because many respondents are not aware about the products or they are ignorant about the attributes of the products. The study revealed that coconut oil has high market potential. But the market potential of coconut milk and coconut milk powder were very low. At the same time, coconut chips and coconut vinegar showed a high market potential eventhough the awareness is less. In the case of elaneer soda and neera, both awareness and market potential found to be very low.ThesisItem Open Access Marketing of commercial flowers- a study in Palakkad and Thrissur districts of Kerala(Department of Rural Marketing Management, College of Co operation Banking and Management, Vellanikkara, 2005) Sangeetha, K; KAU; Sukumaran, AThe study on ‘Marketing of commercial flowers – a study in Palakkad and Thrissur districts of Kerala’ was undertaken with the following objectives: 1. To identify the marketing channels of commercial flowers, 2. To assess the marketing efficiency of the channels, and 3. To suggest appropriate distribution strategy for commercial flowers. Orchid, anthurium and bush jasmine, the three major commercial flowers of Kerala, were considered for this study. The study was conducted in the Central Zone focusing on Palakkad and Thrissur districts. These two districts were selected as these fall in the two different agro climatic conditions and socio economic backgrounds. Both the districts have sizable number of floriculturists. Moreover, among the identified districts, Palakkad was having relatively large number of producers of bush jasmine and Thrissur was having a good assortment of orchid and anthurium flowers. The list of floriculturists dealing in orchid, anthurium and bush jasmine for two districts were collected from various sources such as Agriculture Department, Krishibhavans and Floriculture, Department of College of Horticulture. A sample group of 20 floriculturists of each flower from each district constituted the total 120 respondents. Floriculture was preferred as a self employment venture by most of the respondents. Government also promote floriculture units through “Women Empowerment Programme” by giving subsidy and training. Bush jasmine growers were more experienced (more than 10 years) than orchid and anthurium growers (4 to 6 years)It is very much suitable for unemployed women as all activities concerned with orchid and anthurium cultivation other than spraying are done by the floriculturists themselves. In the case of bush jasmine also all activities other than planting are done by the floriculturists. The channels of distribution existing in orchid and anthurium marketing in Palakkad and Thrissur districts were as follows: Channel I : Producers Pushpakrishi Vikasana Samithi/cut flower society Consumers. Channel II : Producers Local Florists Consumers. Channel III : Producers Florists (outside state) Consumers. Channel IV : Producers Consumers. Among the four channels, the most preferred channel by them was Channel I and the reasons for preference were fair & reasonable price and steady demand. The channels of distribution existing in bush jasmine cultivation were as follows: Channel I : Producers Pushpakrishi Vikasana Samithi/cut flower society Consumers. Channel II : Producers Local Florists Consumers. Channel III : Producers Consumers. Among these 3 channels, the most preferred channel by them was Channel II and the reasons for preferences were convenience and quick payment. But for orchid, anthurium and bush jasmine marketing, Channel I is considered the most efficient one. Grading and packing were not practiced by the floriculturists. They were also not having any role in fixing flower prices because of their unorganized nature and low quantity of production. Non-availability of the quality planting materials was the major problem in orchid and anthurium cultivation and in case of bush jasmine cultivation it was plant diseases. Major problems in marketing of flowers were lack of assistance from government and exploitation by the channels. In order to solve these problems, the floriculturists have to be organized under a strong government organization as a ‘Mother Unit’ which guarantees all assistance in case of production problems and marketing of flowers against timely and guaranteed payment.ThesisItem Open Access Marketing of hospital services by non-governmental organisations(Department of Rural Marketing Management, College of Co-operation and Banking, Mannuthy, 1995) Vrinda Sreenivasan; KAU; Sukumaran, KThe study entitled ‘Marketing of Hospital Services by Non – Governmental Organisations’ was undertaken to examine the marketing practices adopted by the non-governmental organizations rendering hospital services and to assess its effectiveness, and to study the attitude of patients, doctors and paramedicals towards the present hospital services. Three hospitals from Thrissur district were selected for the study, one each from the voluntary, co-operative and private forms of health care service organisations. Controlling authority of the hospitals wwere interviewed to examine the marketing practices adopted by the hospitals. One hundred and fifty patients, 48 doctors and 30 paramedicals were drawn at random from the hospitals for gathering the primary data. Percentages, satisfaction index and confluence analysis comprised the methodology. All the three hospitals were found to market their services along the four elements of marketing mix, the service, price, place and promotion, either knowingly or unknowingly. The caring and curing dimension aspects of health care service quality explained the services rendered by the hospitals and it was understood that the patients were satisfied with the service imparted by the hospitals. The pricing adopted by hospoital H1, the voluntary form of organization and hospital H3, the private hospital was acceptab;le to a vast majority of the patients. With hospital H2, the co – operative hospital, it was found that the patients were not satisfied with the charges levied upon them. Physical facilities of hospital H1 was almost satisfactory, but further improvements would make the hospital services even better. But for hospital H2, the patients expressed otherwise. However, patients of hospital H3 expressed their favourable attitude. The information network existing in all the three hospitals scored a very low satisfaction index value. The hospitals at present resorted to no direct promotional techniques except for hospital H2. However, the hospital authorities favoured the argument that promotional techniques would boost the image of the hospital and patient’s future preference towards the hospitals except with the case of hospital H1. Along curing dimension, the characters influencing the patients attitude include service mindedness of the doctors, their timely attention and service mindedness of the nurses. The patient hearing of the complaints by doctors and the timely attention rendered by the doctors were found to be those characters influencing their attitude along caring dimension. Along the access dimension, it was the patients choice of pharmacy, and laboratoty that influenced their attitude. The facilities and maintenance in the rooms, and availability of medicines at all times from the pharmacy were found to be those characters influencing the attitude of patients from the physical dimension. From the financial dimension, the characters influencing the pations attitude included operation charges and room rent. Doctors of all the three hospitals were dissatisfied with the pay provided to them. The infrastructural facilities in the consultation room, surgical equipments, casualty facilities etc. were found to be satisfactory with regard to hospital H1. For hospital H2, the infrastructural facilities and casualty facilities were found to be inadequate. The doctor overall attitude was influenced by the infrastructural facilities, and non – interference by management. Paramedicals were dissatisfied with the working time considering it to be overloaded. Regarding all the other characters, they expressed their satisfaction. Supervision by doctors, the paramedicals’ cordial relation with the management and their overall attitude towards the hospital. It can therefore be inferred that hospital H1 the voluntary from of health can organisation seem to be marketing their services in the best interest of the target market followed by hospital H3 the private hospital, and H2 the co – operative hospital.