June 30, 2011
School of Business, Coimbatore
 

Recently Ajay and Lalitha Manrai, Professors of Marketing from the Department of Business Administration, University of Delaware, USA, conducted a PhD seminar on Quantitative, Behavioral and Strategic Approaches in Marketing Research at Amrita’s School of Business, Coimbatore campus.
 

Amrita doctoral students as well as corporate practitioners attended the event.
 

During the seminar, the distinguished academicians provided an overview of the process of conducting three broad categories of marketing research, namely, quantitative, behavioral and strategic.
 

The participants also gained an exposure to the skills related to the design and execution of research projects and related methodology for these types of marketing research.
 

Learning to apply these skills, they reviewed conceptual and empirical research papers.
 

They examined the papers for Conceptual Models/Frameworks/Mathematical Models; Hypotheses/Propositions; Survey/Experiment Design; Data Collection; Data Analysis and Results; Discussion of Results/Managerial Implications; Limitations of Current Research and Directions for Future Research.
 

Participating in a panel discussion moderated by Ajay and Lalitha Manrai, the students examined how cultural influences affect international business negotiations. The subject was based on one of the Manrai’s published papers.
 

Pre-assigned student teams presented lectures on topics that discussed marketing issues such as the notion of self-image and store-image; a cross-cultural comparison of style in Eastern European emerging markets; and the study of determinants of consumer perceptions and preferences.
 

In addition, various other domestic, international and cross-cultural marketing topics were discussed.
 

Chakravarthy JSK, faculty associate at Amritapuri campus, who has 12 years of industry experience said, “The seminar helped me discover new ideas relating to my PhD work on consumer behavior.”
 

Other seminar participants, like Saugata Ray, also from the Amritapuri campus, appreciated the informative presentations explaining research guidelines and techniques.
 

“The seminar helped us understand how to go about research work,” he shared. “It highlighted various methods to collect data and zero in on samples. It also explored the interdisciplinary aspect which helped us gain knowledge about the work in other fields.”
 

Both Ajay and Lalita received their doctoral degrees from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management.
 

Ajay, subsequent to his doctoral degree, joined Wharton School, and then moved to the University of Delaware. Lalita stayed at the University of Delaware, making it her academic home.
 

Talks are ongoing between the Amrita School of Business and the University of Delaware to form an academic partnership, which may result in a possible dual degree program. The seminar with Ajay and Lalitha Manrai was an important first step towards this goal.