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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to place on record the help I received from many quarters in the

completion of the present study. First and the foremost, I express my heartily

and deep sense of gratitude to my Research Director Prof. K. Viyyanna Rao,

M.Com., M.B.A., Ph.D., MIMA, LIII., Department of Commerce and Business

Administration, Acharya Nagarjuna University, without whose valuable

guidance and intellectual endeavour, this work would not have been possible. I

must be grateful to him throughout my life for the empathy and affection

shown towards me and for the countless moments of his valuable time spent in

discussing the issues and providing direction during my association with him

for the study.

I also express my sincere thanks to Prof. G. N. Brahmanandam,

Former Dean of Commence & Management Studies and Principal of

University College, Prof. G. Prasad, Dean of Commence & Management

Studies and the present Principal of University College of Arts, Commerce &

Law, Prof. T. Umamaheswara Rao, Vice-Principal, University College of

Arts, Commerce & Law, Prof. Noor Basha Abdul, Head, Department of

Commerce & Business Administration, Prof. N. Vijaya Ratnam,

Chairman, Board of Studies in Commerce & Management Studies (P.G),

Prof. V.V.L. Narasimha Rao, Prof. V. Chandra Sekhara Rao,

Prof. S. Vijaya Raju, Prof. G.V. Chalam, Prof. P. Koteswara Rao and

Dr. R. Siva Ram Prasad, Department of Commerce and Business

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Administration, for their help and support during the period of my research

work.

I am thankful to Sri Ch. Sambasiva Rao, Assistant Director of

Handlooms, Guntur for his kind help in getting the required information on

handloom industry and permitting me to collect the secondary data. I thank all

the sample weavers who have spared their valuable time to fill up the schedule.

I am also grateful to Dr. V. Jyothi, M. Com., Ph.D., Professor, P.G.

Department, K.B.N. College, Vijayawada, Prof. M.V.N. Sarma, Dean of

Social Sciences, Prof. R.R.L. Kantam, Vice-Principal, University College of

Sciences, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Sri M. Sambasiva Rao, M.A.,

M.Ed., School Assistant (English), S.E.S.D. Municipal Corporation Higher

School, Eluru, Sri A. Sambasiva Rao, Superintendent (Retd.) and

Dr. K. Nageswara Rao, Project Fellow, Department of Economics, Acharya

Nagarjuna University, for their cooperation in this endeavour.

I owe a great deal to my beloved mother Smt. G. Sasirekha, my brother

Sri G. Sambasiva Rao, B.Sc., B. Ed., Assistant Grade-1(A/c) (Retd.), Food

Corporation of India, my sister-in-law Smt. G. Suseela, for their blessings.

I am highly indebted to my wife Mrs. G. Naga Durga Lakshmi Kumari, my

daughters Chi. Naga Neeharika and Chi. Kartheeka Phani. Lastly, I wish to

thank my friend Mr. Zia Ur Rehman, for his moral and affectionate support.

G. NAGA RAJU