Recent developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have initiated significant transformation in the way in which B2B firms interact with existing and potential customers. These advancements have a profound impact on the marketing practices of firms. Social media is one of the most important information technology tools which have a transformative impact on business enterprises. It has dramatically influenced businesses and industries in this era. Social connectivity through this online platform has become a key to marketing in firms. Given the exponential increase in the use of social media, firms need to be present where their customers are in order to know the needs of their customers and to satisfy them. The use of social media as a component of a firms’ marketing strategy is widely recognised by marketing practitioners. Also, marketers have embraced the abilities of these online platforms to assist in marketing practices in firms. However, there is limited research that explores the influence of social media usage on customer satisfaction in the B2B sector. This study seeks to fill this gap and examines the influence of social media practices adopted by the ICT firms on customer satisfaction. A web based survey was used to collect data from a sampling frame of ICT firms in India. Analysis shows that social media practices have a positive and significant influence on customer satisfaction. This research makes a distinct contribution to social media literature. It addresses the gap in literature by providing an understanding of the effective use of social media for marketing purposes by the B2B firms in the ICT sector in India. It provides empirical evidence to support that these effective social media practices improves customer satisfaction in these firms.

We investigate differences between the ways novices and experienced specialists perceive their workplaces as learning environments and also examine differences between the learning processes of these two groups of employees. The study's research questions are explored by applying discriminant analysis to survey data collected from 218 employees in 31 New Zealand small manufacturing firms. We found that novices and experienced specialists do differ significantly in their perceptions of (1) work-environment conditions that either help or hinder learning, (2) supervisors' proximate support for learning, and (3) satisfaction with workplace learning. We also found that novices and experienced specialists do differ significantly in terms of the sources and methods of learning that they use. Our results identify the individual variables that contribute most to the discrimination between the two groups. Limitations of the study and the implications of our findings for researching and managing employee learning in small firms are discussed.

It is evident that little systematic research has been applied following new public strategic management theory and Resource Based Theory (RBT) in the public sector context. This study provides an empirical examination using a mixed method of the evaluative process by using both primary and secondary data sources. To uncover causes and effects more effectively we have followed qualitative method, content analysis. Content analysis uncovers causes while secondary data, published outputs from Housing New Zealand Corporation, HNZC and Department of Housing and Works, DH(W) secondary data ‘percentage of satisfaction’ in these two organisations are used to uncover effects. Finally the study provides a contingency plan for minimising risk of loss making during economic downturn. A better understanding of the new strategic management development in the public sector context as a result of this paper will probably generate further research from both academic scholars and practitioners.

This research emerges from the integration of the diffusion of innovations literature and renewable energy literature. This paper examines the internal consistency of multi-item measures of constructs that have been used to extend the diffusion of innovations model proposed by Rogers (1995) and Kaplan's (1999) new innovation-decision framework. It recognises the importance of proper operationalisation of theoretical constructs. Multi-item scales were used to measure each of the three constructs — Government Initiatives, Demonstration Sites and Finance. The item pool for each construct was drawn largely from renewable energy literature. Multi-item scales were used to measure each construct in order to increase internal consistency and to decrease measurement errors. The Internal Consistency Reliability analysis approach adopted in the study allowed for identification of variables which were reliable measures of these constructs.

This paper examines the key determinants that foster the adoption of photovoltaic (PV) power supply systems. The authors provide empirical evidence which suggest that ‘government initiatives’ and institutional ‘finance’ are important influencers of the decision to adopt PV power supply systems in developing countries. In order to diffuse PV technology it is also necessary to provide decision-makers with opportunities for direct and vicarious experience of PV systems through ‘demonstration sites’. These factors have been ignored in earlier models of the innovation–decision process formulated by Rogers and the new innovation-decision framework proposed by Kaplan. Governments need to play a leadership role, and this coupled with the availability of Finance and Demonstration Sites will result in an increased interest leading to the adoption of PV technology in India. This research has led to the identification of variables such as the government initiatives, demonstration sites and finance, which are critical to the adoption of PV systems in developing countries like India. The research provided empirical evidence that is currently lacking in the area of adoption of PV technology in developing countries.

India faces a tremendous challenge in meeting its domestic and commercial energy requirements. Power from Photovoltaic (PV) systems offers a viable solution to bridge the energy gap. Therefore, the current paper is an empirical examination of the role of the government in promoting PV systems. Primary research was conducted in the hotel industry, as it is not exempt from the detrimental effect of frequent scheduled and unscheduled power-cuts. A structured questionnaire was used through a prestigious market research firm in India to collect relevant data from 205 hotels located in different parts of India.Empirical results show that the majority of respondents consider the initiatives taken by the government to be very important in fostering the commercialisation of PV systems. Therefore, the government should play a leadership role in regard to policy development, legislation, fund mobilisation, institutional support, tariff formulation, training, information dissemination and education. In effect, a variety of government initiatives are required to stimulate a 'market pull' for every alternative energy source, including PV systems. When the goal is to increase the market demandfor environmentally friendly technologies such as PV systems, their adoption can be hastened to meet an established need since India is endowed with plenty of sunshine.

Energy is one of the most important inputs for the economic development of a country because its availability improves the standard of living. India has large shortfalls of electric- power generation, so the Government of India has introduced reforms in the power sector and is encouraging large-scale generation by private sector and joint sector participation. Undoubtedly, there is a shift towards decentralized power generation and private entrepreneurship in power generation. Solar photovoltaic energy is one of the special-purpose decentralized forms of power- generating units that the Ministry for New Energy Sources is trying to promote in an attempt to alleviate the power problem in the country. However, the availability of a new technology does not guarantee adoption of the same and, consequently, it is necessary to understand the factors that influence potential adopters during the various stages of the decision making process. Path analysis conducted on data collected from India provides evidence to revise Rogers (1995) innovation-decision model and Kaplan's (1999) new innovation-decision framework.

Renewable energy technologies increasingly are being recognized as one of the central pillars in the development of a sustainable energy strategy. Among these renewable energy sources, solar energy has enormous potential for alleviating dependence on fossil fuel. The commercialization and the diffusion of photovoltaics in developing countries such as India is still at the infancy stage. The adoption and acceptance of PV systems depends on a variety of socio-techno-economic factors. In developing countries the government has an important role to play in promoting and fostering the adoption of PV technology. The initial costs associated with PV technology are high and therefore the availability of finance assumes a great degree of importance. The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the important role of Finance in the adoption of PV technology. Data was collected from a random sample of 205 hotels spread across six different cities in India. The findings of this study provided empirical evidence to support the importance of the availability of Finance as a critical factor in accelerating the adoption of a high cost technology such as PV systems in a developing country like India.