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 Virtual National Conference
On
The COVID-19: BUSINESS TRENDS,
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

OCTOBER 23rd, 2020

Editors
Prof. Madhu Druva Kumar
Dr. T.K. Murugesan

Organized by

Department of Commerce (PG)

First Impression: 2021

Copyright © 2021, Kristu Jayanti College

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in are trieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior permission of the Editors.

All export rights for this book vest exclusively with Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru. Unauthorised
export is a violation of copyright law and is subject to legal action.

ISBN: 978-81-949292-4-6

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 Message from the Principal

The Department of Commerce (PG), Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru is organizing its
Virtual National Conference on “The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities” via Zoom
Platform on 23rd October, 2020. The Department of Commerce (PG) of the college has striven tirelessly in
the pursuit of excellence in commerce education and inculcates research culture among the students and
academic fraternity.
To maintain this legacy the emerging trends, challenges and opportunities of the business in the light of the
Covid-19 are taken as the theme of this Virtual National Conference. Some of these trends, challenges and
opportunities in the light of the Covid-19 are deliberated in the emerging areas of cloud accounting,
behavioral finance, double taxation, international taxation, GST, FDI & FII, micro finance, social
accounting, forensic accounting, financial inclusion, digital marketing, crypto currency, business data
analytics, Indian and global economic crisis, etc.
This one-day Virtual National Conference will provide the academicians, research scholars, corporate
professionals, and PG Students a thought-provoking platform to deliberate the major trends, challenges and
opportunities of business and commerce in the light of Covid-19 and suggest suitable measures for the
survival of business sectors. I whole heartily wish this Virtual National Conference to bring out the emerging
trends, challenges and opportunities of the business in the light of the Covid-19.

Rev. Fr. Dr. Augustine George

Principal, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous),
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Virtual National Conference on The COVID-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities (I)
 Message from the Dean

With the epidemic of COVID-19, the fundamental changes of the business paradigm around the globe have
led to the unprecedented disruptions and turbulences in most business sectors. These unprecedented changes
force the companies to adopt the emerging turmoil and radically revise the way of doing businesses in the
contagion of COVID-19. All commercial outlets face many short-term challenges, such as those related to
health and safety, the supply chain, the workforce, cash flow, consumer demand, sales, and marketing.
However, successfully navigating these challenges will not guarantee a promising future or any future at all.
Due to this pandemic, the business trends, challenges and opportunities will emerge in a very different world
compared to the one before the outbreak. All functional nomenclatures of the organization are to be changed
and prioritized for its survival in the business environment and elevating the performance of the business in
the future. The current outbreak has had severe economic consequences across the globe, nation and society,
which has also led to dramatic changes in how businesses act and consumers behave.
In the post-epidemic of Covid 19, most of the companies are struggling with profitable growth and building
capabilities in emerging markets like India. This requires a better understanding of the value proposition,
operating model, financial and human capital as well as the business environment to employ localized
strategies. At this juncture, the Department of Commerce (PG) of the college organizes its Virtual National
Conference on “The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities” on 23rd October, 2020 via
Zoom Application. I wish this Virtual National Conference to provide a thought-provoking platform for
academicians and practitioners to deliberate the major trends, challenges and opportunities of business and
commerce in the light of Covid-19.

Dr. Aloysius Edward J.

Dean & Professor, Faculty of Commerce and Management
Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous),
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Virtual National Conference on The COVID-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities (II)
 Message from the Head of Department

The companies around the globe are facing tremendous challenges and turbulences due to the epidemic of
COVID-19. Businesses and other institutions will be judged on how well they adapt to the contagion of
COVID-19.Gradually, apprehensively, entire nations are emerging from the bunkers after bending the
coronavirus infection curve. Millions of people have been enforced to have isolation at home, many of them
were wearing masks and armed with hand sanitizer. Signs and even robots are reminding the people to
distance themselves from others everywhere in the world. The upshot is that organizations will effectively be
competing on how well they respond and adapt to the pandemic of COVID-19.
The governments at the state and center have taken colossal rigorous measures to combat COVID-19
situations and now the responsibilities are moving quickly down to the organizations to figure out how to
resolve the emerging business issues and challenges in the light of COVID-19.These challenges and
turbulences force the organizations to bring out the structural changes in the various functional domains of
the business. At this juncture, the Department of Commerce PG is organizing the national conference on
“The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities” virtually on Zoom Platform on 23rd
October, 2020.I wish this virtual national conference will provide the delegates a thought-provoking forum
to deliberate the major trends, issues and challenges of business in the light of Covid-19.

Mr. Vijaya KumarR.

Head, Department of Commerce,
Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous),
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Virtual National Conference on The COVID-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities (III)
 Preface

The COVID-19 outbreak is a sharp reminder that pandemics, like other rarely occurring catastrophes, have
happened in the past and will continue to happen in the future. The current outbreak has had severe issues
and consequences for the business organizations across the globe. This contagion not only has consequences
for the economy, but which has led to dramatic changes in how businesses act and consumers behave. This
special issue is a global effort to address some of the pandemic-related issues affecting commerce and
business.
In total, the pandemic has taken a toll on different industry sectors and has led to radical changes in
consumer behavior and businesses, ethical issues, and other aspects related to employees.As the COVID-19
pandemic continues to evolve, there has never been a more pressing need for business organizations to
rethink and reconfigure their businesses for a changed world. Now’s the time for organizations to focus their
efforts on supporting key areas of their businesses that will help them to stabilize in the new business
environment.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought fast-moving and unexpected trends, challenges and opportunities in
the field of business and many companies have successfully developed contingent management plans to
combat the current turmoil.At this context, the Department of Commerce (PG) is organizing the National
Conference on “The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities” virtually on 23rd October,
2020 via Zoom Platform to enrich and exchange knowledge among academicians, research scholars,
corporate professionals, and PG Studentson the emerging trends, challenges and opportunities of business
and commerce in the light of COVID-19.
I thank all delegates and participants for your valuable contributions to this national conference and wishing
one and all the very best.

Prof. Madhu Druva Kumar,

Conference Chief Convenor,
Coordinator, Department of Commerce (PG),
Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous),
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Virtual National Conference on The COVID-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities (IV)
 About the College

Kristu Jayanti College, founded in 1999, is managed by "BODHI NIKETAN TRUST", formed by the members
of St. Joseph Province of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI). The College is affiliated to Bengaluru
North University and is reaccredited with grade 'A' in 2015 by NAAC in the Second Cycle of Accreditation. The
College is recognized by UGC under the category 2(f) & 12(B). The College was accorded Autonomous Status
from 2013 by the University Grants Commission, Government of Karnataka & the Bangalore University. For its
contribution in the field of Education, Kristu Jayanti College was recently given the Heroes of Bengaluru award.
In the India Today - MDRA survey 2019, Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru is awarded as the Best Emerging
College of the Century at National Level and the college is ranked 6th Best BCA, 12th Best MSW, 19th Best
Arts, 21st Best Commerce, 21st Best BBA and 26th Best Science College in India. The College also ranked 2nd
Best in BCA & MSW, 3rd best in Commerce, 4th Best in Arts & Science and 6th best in BBA among the
colleges in Bengaluru.

About the Department

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (PG)

The Department of Commerce (PG) of the college has striven tirelessly in pursuit of excellence in commerce
education and inculcates research culture among the students. The M.Com and M.Com (FA) Programme of
the department was started in the year 2008 and 2015 respectively. The main objectives of the department are
to prepare the students in teaching, undertake quality researches and to meet the challenges in industry.
M.Com (Financial Analyst) with CIMA enables the students to obtain global professional qualification in
management accounting. The department not only concentrates on the academic excellence of its students but
also nurtures their co-curricular activities. The faculty members are committed to nurturing an environment
for proper growth of intellectual insight on business aspects. The need of the current business for acquiring
skills and competence is thoroughly stressed upon in the formation of the syllabus. The department also lays
emphasis on the moral, social and patriotic growth of students.

Virtual National Conference on The COVID-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities (V)
 Programmes Offered

Kristu Jayanti School of Management

MBA (International Finance, HR, Finance, Marketing, Business Intelligence & Analytics)
Kristu Jayanti College of Law
B.A., LL.B.|B.B.A., LL.B.|B.Com., LL.B.

Faculty of Humanities • B.Sc. Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics

• MSW Master of Social Work • B.Sc. Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Genetics
• M.Sc. Psychology • B.Sc. Botany, Biotechnology, Biochemistry
• M.Sc. Counselling Psychology • B.Sc. (Honors) Forensic Science
• MA English Literature • B.Sc. Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics
• MA Journalism & Mass Communication • B.Sc. Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science
• BA Journalism, Psychology, Computer • B.Sc. Physics, Mathematics, Electronics
Science • B.Sc. Mathematics, Statistics, Economics
• BA Journalism, Political Science, English • Research Centre–Biotechnology
Literature
• BA Journalism, Psychology, English Literature Faculty of Commerce and Management
• BA History, Economics, Political Science • M.Com. Master of Commerce
• BA History, Tourism, Journalism • M.Com. Financial Analysis (FA)
• BA Journalism, Economics, English Literature • M.Com. FACGMA Integrated
• BA Economics, Political Science, Sociology • MA Economics
• BA English (Honours) • BBA Bachelor of Business Administration
• BA Performing Arts, Psychology, English • BBA CGMA Integrated
Literature • BBA Business Analytics
• B.A Visual Communication • BBA Aviation Management
• Research Centre-Social Work, Psychology • B.Com. Bachelor of Commerce
• B.Com. ACCA Integrated
Faculty of Sciences
• B.Com. Integrated with CMA
• MCA Master of Computer Applications
• B.Com. Professional
• M.Sc. Computer Science
• B.Com. Tourism
• M.Sc. Biotechnology
• B.Com. Business Analytics
• M.Sc. Microbiology
• B.Com. Honours
• M.Sc. Biochemistry
• B.Com. Logistics & Supply Chain Management
• BCA Bachelor of Computer Applications
• 1 Year PG Diploma for Working Executives
• BCA Analytics (Marketing Management | HR Management
• B.Sc. Computer Science, Mathematics, Business Administration) Research Centre-
Electronics Commerce

Virtual National Conference on The COVID-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities (VI)
 Conference Committee

CHIEF PATRONS
Rev. Fr. Josekutty P.D. CMI, Director
Rev. Fr. Augustine George, CMI, Principal

ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Rev. Fr. Lijo P. Thomas CMI Rev. Fr. Som Zacharia CMI Rev. Fr. Emmanuel P.J. CMI

Conference Chair
Dr. Aloysius Edward J, Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Management

Conference Chief Convener

Prof. Madhu Druva Kumar, Coordinator, Department of Commerce (PG)

Conference Convener
Dr. T.K. Murugesan, Associate Professor, Department of Commerce (PG)

Conference Co-Conveners
Dr. M. Krishnamoorthi, Faculty Member, Department of Commerce (PG)
Dr. Pushpa A., Faculty Member, Department of Commerce (PG)
Dr. Muhammad Ashiq AM, Faculty Member, Department of Commerce (PG)

Virtual National Conference on The COVID-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities (VII)
 Contents

Message from the Principal .................................................................................................................................. I

Message from the Dean ........................................................................................................................................II
Message from the Head of Department ............................................................................................................ III
Preface ................................................................................................................................................................. IV
About the College .................................................................................................................................................. V
About the Department .......................................................................................................................................... V
Programmes Offered .......................................................................................................................................... VI
Conference Committee ......................................................................................................................................VII

1. Women and Micro-Finance ........................................................................................................................1

Rohini Yathish, T. Nayana, Dr. Srikantamurthy M.R.
2. A Study on Business Practices by Un-organised Store (Kirana Stores) of Jay Prakash
Nagar during Pandemic ..............................................................................................................................9
Vijay Kumar
3. A Study on Perception and Impact of Covid 19 on Public Transportation in Bangalore ..................12
Uzma Inayath
4. A Conceptual Study on Using ‘Impact Investing’ to Combat the Pandemic .......................................16
Teena Benny Thomas
5. A Study on Consumers Opinion on E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19 Pandemic ..................22
Sneha Priya R. S.
6. A Comparison Behaviour of Consumers Towards National and International Clothing
Brands ........................................................................................................................................................33
Sherly Steffi
7. A Study on “Consumer Buying Behaviour towards Organcic Food- A Study in Bangalore
Region (A Special Reference to Pandemic)” ...........................................................................................41
Shazna Sherin Y.
8. Impact of Lockdown on Indian Banks and NBFCs: A Systematic Literature Review .......................45
Sandra Johnson
9. Empiricalstudy on Changes of Production and Dispatch of Coal in CIL Pre-present Covid
with Respect to Korba Area .....................................................................................................................48
Sejal Prabhakar
10. A Study on The: “Impact of Indirect Taxes and COVID-19 on the Car Sales in India” ...................52
Ruth Thomas
11. Students Perception, Challenges, and Impact of Covid-19 Towards Online Education.....................57
Ashwini Ravi Kumar
12. A Study of Provident Fund Scenario in Context of COVID-19 with Respect to
Jamshedpur................................................................................................................................................64
Pranitha Menon
13. A Study on Consumer Perception towards Online Grocery Shopping During Pandemic in
Bangalore ...................................................................................................................................................68
Malvika S.V.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities (IX)
 Contents

14. Impact of Covid-19 on Business Sector in India .....................................................................................71

Dr. Mathiyarasan, Kenneth Wilson B
15. Impact of E-Commerce on Banking and Retailing Sector ....................................................................75
Glasteena Jose
16. 10 Types of Industry that Might not be Seen in Future .........................................................................79
Ganesh Krishna
17. Study on Direct Tax Code and its Impact on Tax Evasion....................................................................82
Shweta
18. Covid-19 Impact and the Study of Factors Affecting on Human Resource Development .................86
Sheelwanti M. Gajare
19. Collective Action for Sustainable Development by Addressing Tax Compliance Gaps .....................89
C.A. Annie Stephen
20. A Study on Consumer Preferences for the Cloud Kitchen ....................................................................94
Chaitra Karanth, Ramya N.
21. An Empirical Study on the Impact of Covid 19 Pandemic on Green Banking Products and
Services from Customer Perception ......................................................................................................100
Christy Rajan
22. Mental Health of Working Women during Covid -19 Pandemic .......................................................107
Chinmayi R.
23. Work from Home During Covid-19: Employees Perception, Experience and Challenges...............111
Ashika B
24. Impact of Covid-19 in Higher Education Sector ..................................................................................116
Apoorva N
25. A Study on the Impact of Covid-19 on Cement Industry in Karnataka: With Special Focus
on JSW Cement Ltd ................................................................................................................................119
Annu Kuria Kose
26. An Exploratory Study: On The Role of Paperless Banking & Digital Marketing During
Covid’19 ...................................................................................................................................................126
Dhanya Mathai, Gloria Mary Raju
27. A Study on Issues and Challenges of Green Banking Services in Kerala ..........................................134
Abin P Jose
28. Customer Perception towards GST Rates on Home Appliances ........................................................138
Dr. Krishnamoorthi M., Dr.T.K. Murugesan, Dr. Muhammad Ashiq A.M.
29. An Empirical Study on Student Perspective towards Adoption of Digital Wallets ..........................147
Dr. Pushpa A., Prof. Madhu Druva Kumar, Dr. Krishnamoorthi M.
30. Critical Success Factors (CSFS) of Six Sigma – En Empirical Study of Manufacturing
Firms at Bangalore ..................................................................................................................................151
Dr. T.K. Murugesan, Dr. Krishnamoorthi M., Madhu Druva Kumar
31. Co-Movements among Oil Price, Exchange Rate and Stock Index in India......................................157
Dr. Muhammad Ashiq A.M., Dr. Krishnamoorthi M., Dr. A. Pushpa
32. A Study on Urban Working Women’s Perception Towards Mutual Fund Investment with
Special Reference to Bengaluru District, Karnataka ...........................................................................162
Madhu Druva Kumar, Dr. Pushpa, Dr.T.K. Murugesan

Virtual National Conference on The COVID-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities (X)
 1.
Women and Micro-Finance
Rohini Yathish1, T. Nayana2, Dr. Srikantamurthy M.R.3
1,3
Professor, Dayananda Sagar College of Management and Information Technology
2
Professor, Dayananda Sagar College of Arts, Science and Commerce
Abstract: Population of every economy of the world consists
of both men and women. Women are an integral part of
every economy and empowering them is essential to promote
economic development. When there is a Development that
happens in economy it happens when both men and women
work together and enjoy equal status in the society to bring
affluence. But the access to the resources among men and
women vary all over the world and this difference of resource
access is more evident in developing nations. In developing
countries, there are structural impediments that prevent and
keep women from contributing in the decision making
process. This unprivileged status of women is the due to
multiple factors such as illiteracy, joblessness, early
marriages and familial violence which have prohibited
women from attaining greater elevation. Further, they are
financially and as well as socially reliant on the masculine
member of the family. They don’t enjoy the same standing as
men in many aspects. It is considered that women earn less
than men and hence have less prospect for growth.
Considering women in the society she is always granted the
secondary role in the family. Through they are aware about
the gender in equalities, women are trying to overcome them.
Considering property and legal rights women have very
limited access to them such as land water and other natural
resources. Lack of understanding of various laws of
legislation and very poor enactment of these laws has
reduced the competence of women to raise their voice for
their rights and also gives raise to three factors that becomes
the basis for women disempowerment. The first basis is
women having lesser job opportunities, the second is having
not considered to take up decision or withdrawing decision
making power or can make benefits which should lead for
benefiting of others first. The aim of empowering women is
to equally distribute the power between both the Genders.
Both genders (men and women) should always be benefited
with equal economic, political and legal, and social rights for
their development on every aspects. When considered women
empowerments, this can be achieved by increasing their
rights towards taking decision, and their capacity towards
taking decision, their dignity, their choices and voices, their
opportunities and power towards achieving their rights. As
women starts to participate in the economic activities, it
reduces scarcity in the economy which results in increased
fabrication through women who can support their families
and can also become owners of property and can accelerate
growth. This will surely bring development in the economy.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Women’s relative economic power is conceptualized in terms
of degrees of control of key economic resources: income,
property, food and other means of production. Greater the
women’s relative economic power, the greater is their control
over their own lives. Women should acquire equal
dissemination of power and their participation in decision
making at their home, in their society, towards economy and
politics through women enablement. Women empowerment
has been considered as both cause and effect of economic
growth and development. It is considered that economics
grow when more and more women lean towards working. It
is believed that increase in female participation in labour
force or a reduction in the gap between women and men
labour being participated, the economics literally grow faster.
It is also believed and observed that contribution towards
higher economic growth can happen through girls and
women getting educated. It is observed that to accelerate
development empower of women should take place. Social
scientists and policy makers have focused more on one or the
other considering these relationship. It is being argued that
policy makers should focus more on creating circumstances
for economic growth and opulence, which helps in
maintaining the level playing fields for both men and women.
There should be any specific strategies which helps in
improving the living condition of women Micro-finance
programs should be considered as the main strategy through
addressing the development issues throughout the nation and
this has been happening for the last three decades. It is
needed to forecast women participation towards nation
building but has become a major concern for many
governments all over the world.
Keywords: Economic empowerment, Microfinance programs,
economic development, women empowerment.
1. INTRODUCTION
History has witnessed that the banking services have always
been for those who have money and not for the customers with
very less cash or no cash income at all.This led to the need to
provide wide variety of financial services such as money
deposits, issue of loans and payment services for various
services etc. to poor and low-income households. As an answer
to this need there was rise of a new and celebrated poverty –
fighting strategy in past decades: Micro-finance. In the words
the vision of micro-financial system worldwide is to serve the
impoverished majority, help them to uplift them out of
1
 Women and Micro-Finance
poverty, and make them full participants in their country’s
social and economic development. It is being witnessed that
contribution has been made not only to poverty lessening and
financial sustainability but also contributing to a series of
honourable spirals of economic enablement, through
increasing well-being through bringing social and political
enablement for women by addressing the goals for gender
equality and empowerment. Therefore, Micro-finance is
considered an important tool for women empowerment and it
can help women to meet their basic financial needs, better
manage risks, and contribute to sustainable social and
economic development. The justification for absorbing women
access to micro-financing services is through inhabiting gender
inequalities by bringing growth and development under the
women class. The growth and development makes women
economically independent and also involve in investing capital
and financial resources to the required source. Women acquire
higher bargaining in their house, community’s power through
economical independence and also results to greater prestige
and self-esteem. Micro-finance helps women, her family and
the society as a whole through cooperative action for
development. Microfinance is capable to empower women
who can then overlay the way for social and economic
expansion. During the introduction of micro-finance in many
of the countries across the globe many programs pertaining to
micro-finance has been increasing their activities to lighten
poverty and empowering women. Micro-finance organisation,
by definition, provides financial services to poor entrepreneurs,
most commonly small loans. It also includes the provision of
other services such as savings opportunities and micro-
insurance to the poor. Micro finance has also attempted to
improve the access of piggy banks also known as small
deposits and smaller loans for poor and women who are
neglected by various banks.
Evolution of Micro-Finance: The development of micro
finance stated in India long time back and can be aged at
1970’s when an organization pertaining to self-employed
women’s association which was widely known as SEWA. This
organisation or commonly known as urban co-operative bank
was stated in Gujarat State which was popularly known as
Mahila SEWA Sahakari Bank. This bank was providing
facility and services especially to the economically backward
women who were unemployed or was in an intension for
starting their own house hold craft in the unrecognized locality
in Ahmedabad City. The first and the major effort of these
banks were to reach the poor and rural uneducated people
through providing them financial needs through formal
financial system which started off in the financial year 1986-
87. This was also backed up by funds and action to be taken by
self-help groups like saving and credit management groups
which was part of Mysore resettlement and development
authority popularly known as MRDA. The government of
India has also emphasised on providing financial help and
services to the under-privileged since the time of
independence. Working in this direction, the Indian
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Government nationalised commercial banks in 1969 and
directed them to lend at loans and financial support at
discounted rate to the important sector such as agriculture and
other home industry, rural sector including the weaker section
of the society. Small Farmers development programs was also
started for the benefiting the farmers with lesser interest rate
through government of India. Due to lots of mal-practices and
middle men intervention and poor execution these programs
being set by the Government did not perform well and the
could not reach the desired goal. IRDP was considered to be a
good scheme initiated by Government of India to supplement
the efforts of micro-credit. In this scheme the commercial
banks started providing loans to socially weaker section and
the sum involved was less than Rs. 15, 000/-. The total
investment that the bank distributed was around 250 billion
and this money was distributed to around 55 million families
across Gujarat. Through the government had setup this
program apart ignoring the deficit of economy it was from
realizing its desired goal. The IRDP had a bad experience
which it witnessed for the last two decades had an effect on the
credibility of micro-borrowers in view of bankers and also had
a hindrance to access of less educated people towards banking
services. The program what government had organized had a
serious and long term impact on the development process of
women entrepreneurship and also among the unprivileged of
the society. Thus this program of world largest microfinance
programme because a utter failure due the political
involvement and leakage of funds through middlemen. In
1997, planning commission constituted a committee to review
the effectiveness of wage employment and self-employment
programmes.
The concept of Micro-Finance: using outmoded collateral
scheme, micro-finance activities delivers a wide range of
financial services to the urban people who literally have
nothing or have very less or nothing to improve their assets
through serving crisis and helping them to institute them to
setup their business to overcome poverty. This innovative idea
and program is being reached out to the economically
backward people especially women who is intended and
interested to establish new and small business to overcome
poverty. Microfinance in India has evolved to overcome or fuel
the efforts of rural development, women empowerment and
generation of wealth through providing small scale savings,
credit insurances and other small financial services provided to
poor and women with low income. This is also helping the
women to enter into various skill development programs,
capacity building programs through providing motivation for
generating activities to enhance credit productivity
2. MICRO-FINANCE AND MICRO-CREDIT
The word micro-finance is normally termed as micro credit or
also popularly known as micro lending indicating making
necessities for self-employed or economically backward self-
employed seeking personals through providing them working
2
 Women and Micro-Finance
capital in small quantities. It is also understood that micro-
credit is an extension for providing small and medium loans on
a multiple doses or requirements which is based on the
engagement of the personals who are considered as
beneficiaries, who are considered and filtered to emerge out to
qualify for regular banks who do not have any collateral
security being deposited for acquiring loans. It is further
defined that micro credit is the credit facility provided to the
recipient’s requirements who can do the repayment in a eased
manner through an appropriate interest rate or low minimal
rate of interest. Micro finance is also considered as the
programs that has been initiated to provide credit for starting
one’s own business along with other financial and business
services to economically backward people. The concept of
micro finance can be considered as a financial services of very
small quantity which is felicitated by financial institutions to
the poor people. When considered these financial institutions
this adds things such as credit business, providing insurance to
the business, renting a property, transfer of money, equity
transaction and many more things. The two key factors that is
considered for providing customers to come across their
financial benefits are
(a) The customer should be poor and (b) the business value or
the transaction amount should be minimal or small. Micro
finance is considered as wide range of financial service along
with non-financial benefits which includes up gradation of
skills of an individual or a business men along with providing
support to the poor through enabling them towards overcoming
poverty. This also helps the poor especially women for
entrepreneurship development through empowering them to
have a better life in the society. When considered the
operational framework of micro finance it essentially rests on
the platform that the formation of a self-development or
employment enterprise is a feasible can be an alternative way
or lessening poverty. Lack of access of investment and assets
which acts as a restriction on the present and impending micro-
enterprises and poor class are accomplished towards saving
few rupees in spite of their poor income.
3. MODELS OF MICRO FINANCE: GRAMEEN
BANK MODEL
This model was the first of its kind and was the most
successful model which started in the early days when micro
finance began. Its beginning was in Bangladesh, where the
contributors get organized into 5 group’s members who take
the major contribution to save the group and start projecting
fund. Each member has his or her own individual contribution
or savings which gets linked to the bank where the individual
members of the group loan amount from the bank based on the
savings fund or amount which they have deposited for a fixed
time. The members of the group are not required to provide
any guarantee for repayment of the funds towards its members.
Since there is no surety it normally rests on the person who has
borrowed the funds and has no form for joint accountability
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this indicates that the members who has introduced the
members will not be subjected to repay or will have no
responsibility of repaying the loan amount. The loan payment
and the duration would be for six months to one year but here
the individual has to repay once in a week. The bankers
maintain individual account and report, records of the
members through which the ease of maintain their information
and working structure can be utilized properly for
empowerment of the women class or the respective member.
ASSEFA abbreviated as Association for Servaseeva farms in
India and many other solidarity groups follow this model.
Apart from the above there are many other groups such as
Joint liability Group model in which 4 to 15 individual
members are organized. These members can obtain loan from
the bank through mutual guarantee without any collateral or
condition on their saving amount. Here all the members of the
group sign a joint accountability contract and make each other
jointly accountable for repaying the loan amount taken by the
members of the group, can be individually also. NABARD is
currently using this model through providing loans to talented
farmers for cultivating their lands either as oral occupants or
shared croppers. This can also be availed by the farmers who
do not possess proper document for their existing land. There
are various other models such as Individual lending model, the
group approach model, Village banking model which is also
called as community banking, Credit unions and co-operative
banking models, and Self-help groups. We are interested to
emphasize on self-help groups in this research.
Important Characteristics of Self-Help Groups- SHGS
create a co-operative fund by subsidising small savings on a
regular basis.
• They usually have a flexible system of operations seeking
help of the nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) most
of the times and manage their common and collective
resources in a autonomous manner.
• The group loan requests are usually considered in
meetings that takes place regularly, with contending
claims on limited or very limited possessions being settled
by consent which is related to the greater needs.
• When one considers loans it is mainly considered on the
basis of mutual understanding and needs along with very
minimal documents. It also involves without any tangible
security.
• Loans are mainly provided on the basis of conjoint need
and trust with least Papers or documents and without any
perceptible security.
• Loans provided are small, common and is for short period.
Functions of SHGs: SHGs help women class to become self-
confident and self-sustained.
• SHGs provide a platform to members for debating their
societal and financial problems.
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 Women and Micro-Finance
• SHG enhances the societal status of members are
thefeature of their membership to the group.
• SHG fosters the spirit of conjoint help and collaboration or
assist among members.
• SHGs provide organisational strength to members
• Helps providing literacy and increases general awareness
among members.
• Educates poorer class with basic necessity skills required
for understanding financialcommunications.
Women empowerment and its dimensions
Women are always considered as the fundamental and
essential part of the economy. They have an important role in
building up of the economy. When considered for all round
development and symphonic grown of a nation it would be
possible only when one considers women as equal partners on
all aspects along with men. If one has to stress on economic
growth and overall development of the nation, women
capabilities and empowering them has to increase
understanding their capabilities through empowering them. It
has to be considered as an indispensable tool towards
progressing development and reducing poverty. As the word
empowerment suggest that women class has to be empowered
through enabling them to do certain things. The deeper one
understands the word the higher it throws light on many of the
magnitudes. At the very outset, empowerment of women
section systematically seeks to safeguard an justifiable division
of resources through shaping a clear picture of them in
decision making. When considered empowerment it is a multi-
dimensional system or process which enables women section
to understand their full distinctiveness which powers all
domains of life. This leads through providing a access to
information and properties or resources bigger autonomy in
decision making, much greater capability to plan in their lives,
and overcome the circumstances that influence their lives
through getting freedom from the manacles which gets
generated on them by tradition greater belief and practice.
Enablement means equal status to women. In light of this, the
current research attempts to explain the present the concept
and related review of literature of-
• Meaning of term “Empowerment” and “Women
Empowerment"
• Measurement of Women Empowerment
4. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
• To be meaningful, every work needs to device the
objective of the study. The broad objective of the study is
to understand as to how microfinance leads to economic
development by contributing to women empowerment.
The specific objectives of the study are –
• To identify the difference between the SHG-Members and
Non-Members with respect to their economic
empowerment
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• To identify and understand the difference between the
SHG-groups and NON-SHG groups with respect to their
social empowerment
• To identify the difference between the SHG-Members and
Non-Members with respect to their political empowerment
• To identify the difference between the SHG-Members and
Non-Members with respect to their personal
empowerment
• To identify if there is any numericallymomentous
difference in the economic authorisation of SHG-groups is
based ondifferent levels of group membersincome
• To identify if there is any numerically momentous
difference in the economic authorisation of SHG-
Members based on the different levels of savings.
• To identify if there is any numerically momentous
difference in the economic authorisation of SHG-groups
based on the different levels of credit availed.
• To identify if there is any numerically momentous
difference in the social authorisation of SHG-Members
based on the different levels of income
• To identify if there is any numerically momentous
difference in the social authorisation of SHG-groups based
on the different pointsor plans of savings.
• To identify if there is a numericallysubstantial difference
in the social empowerment of SHG-Members based on the
different levels of credit availed.
• To identify if there is a statistically significant difference
in the political empowerment of SHG-Members based on
the different levels of income.
5. THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Based on the review of literature, this research investigates the
contributions made by SHGs in empowering women. The
study carries out comparative analysis between the SHG-
Members and NON- Members to identify the mean difference
in the level of empowerment. The women empowerment in the
present study is considered under four dimensions: economic,
social, political and personal. For carrying out the comparative
analysis, participation in SHG is taken as an independent
variable. Women empowerment considered under four
dimensions: economic, social, political and personal serves as
the dependent variable for the comparative analysis. The study
also aims to find if there is any significant difference in the
levels of economic, social, political and personal
empowerment based on the different levels of income, savings
and credit availed of the SHG-Members.
6. RESEARCH PROBLEM
Globalisation has been projected as a new era of gender
equality and gendermovement. It is argued that globalisation
has increased the employmentopportunities for women. The
well- connected world and extended network ofthe information
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 Women and Micro-Finance
technology is also providing new avenues of interaction
amongthe women movements. The concepts of inclusive
growth, womendevelopment and empowerment along with
gender sensitive development inIndia have been evolved by
globalised India.The researchers and women activists have
argued that globalisation affectsdifferent groups of women in
different places in different ways. On the onehand, it may
create new opportunities for women to be forerunners in
economicand social progress. But on the other, it is proving as
a bane to the uneducatedand unskilled women as they are not
able to cope up with or adopt newtechnology of production.
The advent of global communication networks andcross-
cultural exchange has no doubt influenced on the lives of
women acrossthe boundaries‟ both in negative and positive
ways. The wide spread networkof communication technology
has promoted ideas and norms of equality forwomen in
implicit and complicit ways. It has, no doubt, brought
aboutawareness and acted as a catalyst in their struggle for
equitable rights andopportunities but the rise of
fundamentalism, global terrorism and complexcultural set-up
and the global propaganda of the fundamentalist groups may
ledto the further marginalisation of women and put them on
the peripheries of thesocio-economic and political set-up of the
traditional societies. The legislative frame-work of the national
governance and the InternationalConventions on the rights of
women became a matter of serious concern notonly for the
women group but also for the national governments due to
theinternational pressure of the women groups.
7. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Micro-finance assumes crucial importance through
emphasising and targeting women enablement through various
measures. Extensive appreciation as a strategy for
economically backward women for their empowerment and
overall economic development. As mentioned earlier, Micro-
Finance is dominated by Self-Help Group- bank association
and linking program, through providing an cost effectiveness
mechanism which provides economic and financial services to
the poor people who are not reachable or unreached. Collateral
substitute is based on the viewpoint of peer pressure and group
member’s savings where the SHG has led to success which is
based not only on understanding the needs of the rural poor but
also has seen success in consolidating collective information
from the SHG where the dimensions of the economically
backward people at the local level, guiding to their
empowerment. This has no shortage of literature which is
related to Micro finance. Many impact valuation studies have
been done by many philosophers in various developing
countries to find the impact of Micro-Finance programme.
This literature describes a various methods of findings which is
related to the level of impact and the level of the program.
There are numerous studies which authorise that Micro-
Finance women participants enjoy greater level of
empowerment in terms of economic, social, political and
personal awareness. At the same time, there are some studies
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which shows that Micro-Finance is not reaching the targeted
the society and the group loans provided are being used for
personals with no income through generating activities like for
meeting emergency needs, for paying old debts, for present
consumption purposes etc. Many studies have also highlighted
that women contributors have restricted control over the use of
the group loans and they simply act as mediator in providing
loans to the male member of the family using Micro-Finance
facilities. This has resulted in narrowing the empowerment of
women members. Thus, the said literature indicates the mixed
results about the impact of Micro-Finance programme on the
women participants. Some important factors relevant to this
research is being emphasised.
8. OPERATIONS OF MICRO FINANCE
Self-Help Groups (SHGs) as a worthwhilesubstitute to
accomplish the objectives that has been set for rural
development program through getting the community to
participate in the development program events. It was
anplanned set up to deliver micro-credit to the rural women on
the strengths of the rural women group savings without
asserting on any document needed for security for the purpose
of encouraging the rural women to enter into business
activities and for making them innovative women.A Study on
economic space was undertaken, but did not achieve the
desired objective.On the other hand, SHG-BLP had been
demonstrated very efficacious for the socio-economic
enablement of very poor and economically backward group
through providing financial support and services to them and
uplifting and encouraging them to take up economic events for
poverty assuagement. Through this event of providing
financial support was not a universal remedy for solving the
rural poverty problems, but had an prospective for becoming a
enduring system for rural loaning with formal banking system
being participating in full without the hindrance from the
government and its agents. A study commissioned by
NABARD covered around 560 samples which included
households comprising 223 SHG’s being spread over 11 states
around the country. For measuring the influence of the
programme, aassessment of pre and post SHG position was
made. Scoring methods and techniques was used and
computed, indexed thoroughly by the SHG members in view
to enumerate the economic and social empowerment. During
the findings and the study indicated that 33% rise was seen as
an average in the annual income with respect to pre to post
SHG situation. The increment on the income was estimated to
approximately 40% which evolved through non-farm group
activities. When considered the employment days it was
estimated that a household worked for almost a year that is 375
days during the times of post SHG it was also registered that a
17% increase was seen from Pre SHG situation. Sample
household acquired up 200 supplementary economic events by
utilizing 85% of the borrowed fund for productive purposes. A
Study also found that the families who live below the level of
poverty line got diminished by 20% during the post SGH
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 Women and Micro-Finance
situation. During the study it was also seen that the sample
what SHG members had undertaken found that they had
attained self-confidence, also demonstrated in decision-
making, improved their communication drastically. A Study
conducted by SHARE Microfinance limited which was based
on the clients of Andhra Pradesh compared 125 SHARE
clients with an approximate of 104 new clients who were in the
system of receiving the exposure to the new program. All the
clients from SHARE had attended the program for the last
three financial years. Poverty index was composed consisting
of 4 elements they were root cause for the income, dynamic
assets, quality of housing, household enslavement burden, (this
is calculated as numbers of members present in the house
divided by number of members who are earners).
The index score helped to recognize the extent to which
customers or group members had moved out of shortage of
finance. According to the results and the analysis it showed
that 76.8% of the total members of the groups or clients had
undergone an experience in the reduction of their financial
status including 38.4% had shifted from very poor category to
a reasonable poor category, apart 17.6% of the total members
had overcome the poverty entirely. It was also analysed that
the new incoming customers were mature customers or so
called clients were in a position to send their kids to school and
invest more money for health and other purposes. Based on the
study that was conducted on social and economic impact of
microfinance in the state of Uttar Pradesh, it was found that
during the pre SHG situation most of the member was leaning
on the income that they could get from their labour, but during
the post SHG situation dairy had become their main source of
income. It was discovered that the average asset value of asset
increased by 46% and the annual revenue income per house
had increased to 28% during the post SHG periods. This
drastic change took place due the compulsory savings that each
member had to undertake through downsizing their
unnecessary expenditures. The recovery rate shot up to an
average of 95% to almost 100%. The study also discovered
that the commercial banks were bit lagging towards linking
SHG groups for issuing loans.
The socio economic analysis that took place through SHG in
Sloan district located in Himachal Pradesh revealed that the
group members were mainly involved in small or very small
business and service profession. A Study was conducted based
on the data sample collected from 54 SHG groups, where six
SHG groups were subjected to development of the district.
When interest rates were considered the internal lending
groups charged around 24% to 60% while the bank were
charging only 12.5%. The recovery performance both for the
internal and bank loans was 100%. The study also found that
there was a constant raise in the annual income during post
SHG period. While considering the social impart this had an
great impact through empowering women group, this gave
raise to educational development of their children and women
got liberated from the social evil like husbands coming home
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drunk etc., it was overall seen that there was a considerable
improvement in the societal conditions of SHG members who
participated in various activities after they joined the Group. A
Study also recommended that there should be an constant
promotion of SHG groups in rural areas, providing training to
the members and making them involve them in the local
NGO’s through building SHGs for their overall existence and
improvement. While evaluating the micro-credit with respect
to the women empowerment it was found that 37% of the
women respondents had full control over the loan that they had
acquired for their business while 17% had very moderate
control and 21.8% had no control at all. While digging deep it
was discovered that the women’s loans were being used they
their husbands while 28% of these loans were being utilized
for female industrial activities and 56% of this amount was
being utilized for male industrial activities and the rest of the
percentage was utilized for their family. The study also
reported that 60% of women, who were widowed,
disconnected and divorced retained full control of loans, as
against 10% of married women.
9. LITERATURE GAP
Few studies contradict the success of microfinance
programme, particularly regarding the ineffective reach to the
poorest, lower amount of bank loans, unproductive use of
group loans, mis- targeting of the programme, failure in
improving women status in decision making. The review of
literature provides an insight into both bright and dark side of
the Micro-finance and gives mixed results. Also, most of the
studies in India had been carried out in central and southern
regions and there is lack of studies measuring the impact of
Micro-finance in empowerment of Women in Northern region
of the country. In light of this gap, the current study is an
attempt to measure the impact of Micro- finance in women
empowerment in the capital city of Karnataka (Bangalore
District).
10. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research methodology describes and provides a broad
objective through identifying the contribution made by Micro-
Finance in empowering women, the design of the methodology
was based on prior research into these relationships. It
describes the various methods of data collection, the variables
used to test the hypothesis and statistical tools employed to
report the results. When economic and social research is
considered both the methods must be aligned with the
theoretical archetype. This prototype refers to the set of
theories and expectations about the best suited techniques for
the specific analysis. This also describes to the acceptance and
selection of what is to be understood or taken into account, and
how the research was proceeded. What are aspects that need to
be emphasised, what type of data had to be collected and how
it had to be construed or interpreted. The main two research
prototypes what was undertaken was phenomenological or
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 Women and Micro-Finance
positivist. Under the phenomenological context, the
researchers are considered as a part of the research proceedings
rather them considering them being independent. It depends on
the people being taken as a sample for studying, where they
come out with their own elucidation of their situation and
actions. This can be explanatory, physiological, inductive, and
ethnographic or an research in action.
When considered positivist model it takes the view of the
researcher that are seen as independent throughout the research
that they are conducting. This model views reality as an
objective and measurement. Here human beings are considered
as to be rational and here this stress on the facts and
probability of looking deep into the causes and effects through
explaining them. The standard process for the positivist
method is to study the literature to instituteaappropriate theory
and cultivate the hypotheses or propositions, which can be
tested against experimental evidence. This method also refers
to as scientific, statistical, pragmatic and deductive. The study
conducted was mainly a survey type of research therefore the
prime reliance was on primary data. Primary data was
collected from 50 SHG- Members and 25 Non-Members using
two questionnaires, each structured differently for each group.
Even though the outcomes of the study are greatly dependent
on the primary data, secondary data is also required to realize
the theory and definitions.
Different studies, journals, books, published and unpublished
thesis as well as internet sources was utilized as secondary
statistics to get appropriate material. For assessing the impact
of Micro-Finance program in women’s empowerment,
comparative research method has been adopted.The study
compares the indicators of empowerment between the SHG
members and non- members belonging to similar socio-
economic background. Considering the time and resource
constraints, a cross-sectional study design was deemed most
appropriate for the research. Questionnaire is one of the most
widely used techniques for data collection. It is a method to
collect data and information in social research, in which
information is obtained with the help of well-prepared
questionnaires. The questionnaire that was listed was given to
the individuals or being posted to the respondents, few of the
respondents also responded through Google forms who filled
the forms by themselves. At few occurrences the information
was gathered directly from the respondents or so called
customers where a series of questions were being asked and
the respective questions were replied through tick.
11. LIMITATIONS OF THE EXISTING STUDY
This study has also got its own limitations like any other social
science research undertaken by any individual.
• This research only demonstrated a significant impact of
SHGs on improving the level of women empowerment.
The present study only compares the empowerment level
between SHG-Members and NON- Members. There are
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possibilities of factors other than participation in SHGs
that impact empowerment of women. However, such
impacts have not been addressed in this study.
• The empowerment indicators used in this study have been
determined largely on the basis of the universally accepted
empowerment indicators. Thus, the results of this research
may not provide the complete picture as to how SHGs
impact women empowerment.
• Different demographics (age, education, employment,
number of family members etc) would still matter for
women found significant for their empowerment. The
impact of such variables on the level of women
empowerment has not been examined in this research.
• The study is restricted only to the SHGs initiated under the
Mission Convergence Programme of Mandya District.
Since, the study confines only with Ambadahalli, Mandya,
Maddur and Channapatna, its findings may be
incompatible to other areas.
12. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The main determination of the Research was to explore how
the SHGs areempowering women. By being SHG-Member,
women empower themselveseconomically, socially, politically
and personally. Also, study has found theimpact of different
levels of income, savings, and credit availed on the levels
ofeconomic, social, political and personal empowerment of
women.The study is based on the quantitative survey of 50
respondents (SHGMembersand NON- Members). The 50
SHG-Member and non SHG Members belonged to the
SHGsregistered with Gender-Resource Centres which works
for empowerment ofwomen in backward areas of Mandya,
Maddur and Channapatna and these are covered by the
MissionConvergence Scheme of Karnataka Government.The
descriptive statistics were used to categorize and summarise
the data. Theresults of the descriptive statistics depicted that
most of the SHG-Memberswere less than 40 years of age,
belonged to all religion and were married. Itwas also found
that majority of the SHG- members were illiterate and self-
employed. They were mainly doing household chores at
other’s place likewashing clothes and utensils, cleaning house
etc.The study found that about 56% of the SHG-Members
were residing infamilies with more than 6 to 7 members
including both adults and children of whichmost of the
families were having more than 2 children. Only 22% of the
SHG Members were in the income group of 12000& above
and only 14% werehaving savings in the group of 1500&
above. This shows that they wereeconomically weak. Almost
all the respondents had taken credit from theSHGs. The credit
taken was mainly used by them to meet daily expenses, topay
old debts and to meet some kind of emergent need.
The qualitative and quantitative analysis gives significant
results to understandthe positive impact of SHG on women
empowerment.The findings of the study establish that SHG-
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 Women and Micro-Finance
Members are contributing more tothe income and savings of
the family when compared to Non-Members. It wasalso
identified that after participation there was a higher level of
freedom indecision-making related to income and savings
compared. Further, studyrevealed positive impact of SHGs in
improving the standard of living andfinancial decision –
making of women SHG-Members. Thus, it is concludedthat
there is a significant difference in the average economic
empowerment level of SHG-Members and Non-Members.
Study also carried out analysis tofind the impact of different
levels of income earned, savings made and creditbut as per the
results there is nosignificant impact of different levels of credit
availed on economicempowerment. Study is silent related to
the direction of these impacts.Moving further, the study also
found that participation of women in SHG hasincreased the
household expenditure on the direct well-being items. This
hasrepercussion effects as improvement in expenditure on
health and educationwill result in better bringing-up of the
children and this will set the ball ofdevelopment keep rolling
in the right direction.With regard to the social empowerment,
the findings of the study establish thatthere are positive
impacts on social empowerment of women. After forminginto
SHGs, women are free to move out of the four walls. Their
participation inskill based activities, in educational
programmes and in social awareness programmes has
improved. This again contributes positively in the economic
development of the country. Thus, the empirical analysis
proved that SHGWomenare socially more empowered than the
Non-Member. Through analysis it was also found that different
levels of income earned has asignificant impact on the levels of
social empowerment but no significantimpact was found
through different levels of savings made and different levelsof
credit availed on the level of social empowerment.
In terms of political empowerment, the findings of the study
specify that there isimprovement in the level of knowledge
about constitutional rights, about rightsrelated to women and
rights related to children with participation in SHG.
Withimproved knowledge of their rights they can better
bargain for their resourcesand improved knowledge of
children’s rights will help them to position theirchildren better
in the society. Thus, participation in SHG led to political
empowerment of women. This was supported by empirical
evidence in thestudy which concluded that there is significant
difference in the average levelof political empowerment
between SHG-Members and Non-Members.Further, impact of
different levels of income earned, savings made and
creditavailed was studied on the level of political
empowerment. The study foundthat the impact of all these
variables is insignificant on the level of politicalempowerment.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
13. RECOMMENDATIONS
Women empowerment is a very wide area of study. The
present studyhighlights some of its aspects and recommends
further studies in this area. Theinspiration following the efforts
employed in this research resulted from theneed to understand
how micro-finance can lead to economic development, it
itsefforts are directed towards women empowerment. The main
purpose of thisstudy was to further investigate the empirical
association between microfinanceand women empowerment.
On the basis of the findings, followingrecommendations have
been made.
Micro-finance is an appropriate tool for empowering women.
It isrecommended that policy-makers should formulate
methods to invest in humancapital and making resources
available to poor women. Further, efforts should be made to
wider the micro-finance network. This canbe done successfully
by establishing more institutions dealing with microfinance
activities and also by dealing in larger areas to provide ease to
moreneedy people.Awareness concerning micro-finance
program is necessary to improve theactivities related to women
empowerment. Since micro-finance institutions provide
collateral- free credits and that to atleast rates of interest, it is
suggested that more and more women should beencouraged to
make savings and avail credits so that they can empower
themselves and improve their standards of living. In this
direction, the microfinance officers should also make efforts to
ensure that women are takingdecisions on the credits availed in
their names and the credits should not beused as per the
directions of the other family members. If this check is
notmade, the objectives of empowering women in the true
sense will not beachieved and women will be only burdened
with extra responsibility ofrepayment of credit taken.Another
major effort at the end of the micro-finance facilitators is to
encouragewomen to use the loan amount for investing
purposes or in income generatingactivities rather than
consumption purposes as this hinders economic development.
Further, Policy reforms are needed for micro-finance programs
andcooperatives to grow. The ceiling on individual micro-
finance loans isconstraining programs that want to loan out
higher amounts without collateralto their deserving
members.Finally, more special need-based programs should be
incorporated within theSHG to address issues related to
"problem families." For example, specialtraining or
counselling services that are geared towards helping such
familiesresolve their problems should be incorporated within
the programs.
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 2.
A Study on Business Practices by Un-organised Store (Kirana Stores) of Jay
Prakash Nagar during Pandemic
Vijay Kumar
III Semester M.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: Business is a task of fulfilling the demand of
customers by providing goods and services according to their
taste and preferences. Business is an art of understanding
what actually customers needs and earn profits thereby. One
such business is running unorganised stores i.e Kirana store.
They may be small in size but it fulfils the needs of middle
and lower income people in society. It’s a place where people
bargain and get credit on groceries they purchase. During
lock down period these stores faced heavy loss in terms of
revenue and customers. This papers gives an overview of
problems faced by thesestores, changes implemented during
series of unlock and even some suggestion to carry out the
business effectively during pandemic. As we are not aware of
end date of pandemic it is wise to carry out business with
some operational changes and little innovation to function in
pandemic and to retain customers. To understand the
possible modification, 80 local unorganised stores were
visited and questionnaires were asked. This paper identified
that there are some customers who continues to purchase
even after many online grocery apps available with good
discount rates. This paper provides implementable methods
to retain such customers. It also encourages these stores to
provide their services online as well as through phone or
what App where they not only gain customers but can give
tough competition to other grocery apps.
1. INTRODUCTION
Business is an activity carried out by individual and group of
people to meet their needs in life. Business is one of the factors
which determine the economy of any country. Business creates
employment, improves standard of living and help to
accomplish all financial goals of an individual and group.
Business is not only meant for carry out huge transaction with
good infrastructure associated with globalization with educated
people but it include small transaction carried out by very
small individual like kirana store, paan wala or even roadside
vegetable seller. Starting business is easy but sustaining is a
challenging task. One should brain storm to maintain and
remain in the business field. To start up any business there
should be demand in market and one should make efforts to
turn any circumstances into possibility and opportunity.
Carrying out business in uncertain conditions like pandemic is
the challenging task for any business .Ifthey overcomes such
situation with possible modification and little innovation then
the business sustains even in adverse situation. On March 25,
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
2020, India declared COVID – 19 a pandemic and imposed
strict lock down throughout its states and union territories
without proper planning. Lock down continued for 5 months
which resulted in economy slowdown, unemployment,
Hunger, Suicide, migration etc. According to a survey nearly
7.5 million small businesses are at the risk of closing their door
permanently over next several months if the pandemic persists.
Unorganised store or kirana store is one such small business
which faced difficulty in operation during lock down. Kirana
stores are one where people who don’t buy grocery online are
their customers. They provide almost all type of grocery which
a family needs. They are best known for their credit facility
and product that are given at low weights. The initial
investment is lower compared to supermarkets and even these
unorganised stores earn good margin of profits.
2. AIM OR OBJECTIVE
The aim of this research paper is to understand the difficulties
of unorganised grocery store (kirana store) faced during lock
down period, suggest and draw possible methods that can be
implemented to rebuild unorganised grocery shops of
Jayprakash nagar . This paper indicates how lock down period
affected business working and people of unorganised sector
.This paper also suggests methods that every unorganised store
can implement in coming days of pandemic to carry out
business effectively without shutting down permanently i.e
“Doing Business During Pandemic”
• Methodology
To conduct this research, survey was undertaken on people
carrying out small business such as running unorganized
grocery stores (kirana stores) in J.P Nagar. Totally 80 stores
were visited and 70 responses have been recorded,
Questionnaires were asked and their statement were recorded.
Questions was based on lock down period, source of income
during lock down, expenses managed, government support
during pandemic, standard of living, business changes
undertaken and Future code of conduct . Findings were based
on the collected responses and observation.
• Findings and Results
Kirana store is mainly an unorganized business carried out by
family members. They are one among most affected business
9
 A Study on Business Practices by Un
Un-organised
organised Store (Kirana Stores) of Jay Prakash Nagar during Pandemic

due to lock down. The responses collected give a clear picture purchasing but it was due to this pandemic lock
loc down their
that they had no idea about pandemic
emic and lock down. They complete business was at risk.
neither prepared to face the pandemic nor expected such a long
lock down period. Table 1 shows percentage of people
knowing about pandemic and aware of lock down period.

Table 3, Majority of people agreed that it was because of

pandemic that their sales faced decline during lockdown
period.

Government understanding the struggle of people operating

these stores started permitting
ng to open store at every stage of
unlock .Initially they were asked to operate for few hours only,
Majority of stores expected lockdown from the government which kept them busy in those hours .After series of unlock
after declaring covid-19
19 as pandemic. 37.1% are those who stores stated to open on full time basis.Knowingthis,
never knew what pandemic are. questioned was asked whether their sales are
a high or low.

The table 2 tell about the business expenses met during lock
down period. They managed their expenses mainly through
borrowed funds and spending all their saving. The dat
data gives a
clear picture that government did not plan to help these small
stores during pandemic.This tells that financial instability was
created during lock down period which resulted in spending all
their savings.

Table 4. The data shows that the sales are not happening like
before. They cannot meet their previous target.

Table 5 tell how kirana store are tried to retain their customers
during pandemic. They said that they collected customer’s
details, provide free door to door delivery and call the regular
customers monthly and take orders on phone, which was
earlier not followed by them.

TABLE 2: Only 11.4% people managed to meet their expenses

through their enough funds.

Even though online shopping attracted most of customers with

their huge discounts and mega sales there were few customers
who depend on these stores. There are so many items that
cannot be purchase online and can only be purchased in local
grocery stores.Question was asked related to their business
slow down and the results in table 3 shows that they even had TABLE :5 Half of stores started to implement few changes
good business after people started using online mode of such as taking order, free delivery, call customers
custom etc.., to

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19:

19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunitie
Opportunities 10
 A Study on Business Practices by Un
Un-organised
organised Store (Kirana Stores) of Jay Prakash Nagar during Pandemic
retain customers where as another half are still waiting for
customer to come to their door step.
Digitalization connects more people and helps to get more
customers, so the question was asked whether they are ready to
provide their services online, like one started by Google
“stores near me” to make small strong. 32.9% was yes, 28.6%
was No and 38.6% was May be in future .Which concludes
that people need some training and technical support to
promote their business online.
etter option if local also switch to online
TABLE 6. It’s a better
selling during pandemic
The next question was asked about their plan to conduct
business if lock down continues in future. Majority of stores
responded to stay or continue what so ever happen .This shows
their great
eat determination and attachment towards their
profession .It is the duty of government and every one to
support these store and make local strong because “local is
vocal”.
Table 7.Government should provide some special package to
support unorganised store
re if not they see huge decline in mere
future.
Some possible methods suggested to unorganised grocery
stores (kirana store) to carry out the business in pandemic.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19:
19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Trace regular customers, call them personally and take orders.
Make special monthly package for family of 2, 3 and above
members
Free delivery of products ordering such family packages
Making products available online at low weighs (like 100gm,
200 gm)
Create a whatsApp group where they can post their products
and take orders
Extending working hours
Accepting UPI transactions and payment modes
Keep sanitizer in shop and ask customer to sanitize and make
face mask compulsory
• Limitations of the study
The study is confined to limited area that is Jay Prakash nagar
Non serious and biased response off the respondent
3. CONCLUSION
Unorganised stores fulfil the needs of people with low or
average income. If these store are shut then the unemployment
increases, economy may decline and people fall in debt trap . It
is better that these stores rather shutting down permanently can
implement some change and modify some working practices to
save their business in adverse situation. They can implement
above mentioned methods to see changes in sales and gain
customers.It is the best time to digitalize their business
busines as
majority have done in terms of collecting payment and also
38.6% have an idea of doing business online in future. This
digitalization adds feathers to their business in adverse
conditions. On the other hand the present pandemic situation
can end, yearss old traditional method of waiting customers at
their shops door. It is the best time to make changes in their
operation because no one knew what future will look alike.
REFERENCE
[1] https://m.economictimes.com/industry/cons-
https://m.economictimes.com/industry/cons
products/fmcg/over-7-lakh-small
small-stores-may-have-shut-
shop-due-to-lockdown/articleshow/76096517.cms
lockdown/articleshow/76096517.cms
[2] https://www.theweek.in/news/biz-tech/2020/04/13/kirana-
https://www.theweek.in/news/biz
stores-appeal-to-pm-modi-for-permission
permission-to-operate-
during-lockdown.html
11
 3.
A Study on Perception and Impact of Covid 19 on Public
Transportation in Bangalore
Uzma Inayath
IIISemester M.Com FA, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
uzmainayath97@gmail.com
Abstract: The urban transportation landscape is likely to
undergo significant changes due to the ongoing COVID-19
crisis. Increased risks associated with crowded places
combined with social distancing measures in public and
shared transport are likely to affect modal choices of
commuters. With schools and colleges closed as per the
government’s order to contain further spread of COVID-19,
some of the busiest parts of the city wear a deserted look.
With people choosing to stay indoors, ridership of public
transport such as city buses and Namma Metro is low. There
is a need to understand the possible nature of the shift in
mobility patterns and devise appropriate strategies to promote
sustainable modes of travel in the coming days. In this
context this study tries to understand the changing pattern
and preferences among the commuters in Bangalore by
comparing the pre and post pandemic situation. The study
uses primary data collected through an online questionnaire.
Keywords: Public Transportation, Covid 19, Perception
1. INTRODUCTION
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease
caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. The COVID-19
virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge
from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The
large outbreak of COVID-19 cases all over the world has
whacked India with about 30, 000 confirmed cases within the
first 3 months of transmission. Coronavirus a global pandemic
is rapidly spreading across the world and significantly
affecting many countries.
The urban transportation landscape is likely to undergo
significant changes due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Increased risks associated with crowded places combined with
social distancing measures in public and shared transport are
likely to affect modal choices of commuters. The COVID-19
crisis will create many new challenges for this sector,
especially in urban areas with high travel demand. Amongst all
the day-to-day activities and businesses that the pandemic has
impacted, the transport sector in general and the travel
behaviour of people, in particular, are likely to change as the
country moves towards a new normal.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
As cities begin easing out lockdown restrictions, public
transport services will need to comply with limited capacity
and with social distancing norms. Even cabs and other shared
services will be affected due to similar rules. People may try to
shift from public and shared transport services due to higher
perceived risks, leading to increased use of private modes of
travel. As Indian cities are struggling to reduce the dependence
on private motor vehicles this crisis may further give way to
adverse outcomes created by high motorization rates.
There is a need to understand the possible nature of the shift in
mobility patterns and devise appropriate strategies to promote
sustainable modes of travel in the coming days.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
a. Deepak Baindur and Pooja Rao in their study on Equity
in public transport- a case study of Bangalore’s city bus
transport assess the traveller’s behaviour with regard to
the city bus transport. The study also suggest that the
network and affordability of city bus transport provides
vital access to livelihoods in the city. The study also
validates the findings of the Bangalore Mobility
indicators study that the average travel distance in the
city is 10–12 km as the majority of the ordinary bus
commuters in the survey travelled at these distances to
reach their workplaces. The study shows that for women,
BMTC services are perceived as the safest transport
mode in the city compared to intermediate public
transport or private two wheeler transport.
b. Azzam Abu-Rayash and Ibrahim Dincer in their study on
Analysis of mobility trends during the COVID-19
coronavirus pandemic: Exploring the impacts on global
aviation and travel in selected cities.. The paper
introduces a proposed model to assess the transportation
sector for any given smart city. This paper concludes
from the historical analyses of past health crises that the
transportation sector will take a long time before full
recovery. The study also suggest that the future research
can focus on the utilization of pandemic trends in
developing more sustainable and reliable transportation
trends and policies. Thealso talks about how the
transportation sector must identify other sources of
revenue to be able to remain profitably operational,
12
 A Study on Perception and Impact of Covid 19 on Public Transportation in Bangalore

without fare increases or financial burdening on • The nature of the respondents are homogeneous
passengers.
8. ANALYSIS
3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The various data that were collected during the survey are
The World Health Organization declared a state of global tabled below.
health emergency in the month of January 2020, and since
then, there has been drastic social, and economic impacts Sample Size 110
worldwide. Social distancing, self-isolation, travel restrictions,
and country wide lockdowns have made a huge impact on the Age Groups 15-25
world economy. This study attempts to assess the likely nature 26-40
of the shift in the Public transportation landscape based on the
perceptions of individuals assessed through an online survey.
Gender
4. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Male Female
Primary Objective

• To know the perception of people towards public

transportation post pandemic
• To identify the experience and satisfaction of people using
public transport.
46%
54%
Secondary Objective

To find the impact of Covid 19 on Public Transportation.

5. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The primary data for the study was collected by circulating an
online questionnaire and the secondary data was collected TABLE 1
through various news articles and information available. The
study could gather responses from 110 respondents within
Bangalore city, the majority of which are within the age group Age Group
15-25. This study is performed to bring to light the people’s
perception on public transportation facility. This study will
also help to make predictions if improvement will impact their
decision to commute through public transport.

6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
31%
This study has adopted Primary and secondary research 15-25
methodology. The Primary data set includes an online 26-40
questionnaire to know the perception of the people towards 69%
public transport before and during the pandemic. The
secondary data set so used for this research includes reviews of
literature from published sources including research papers and
e-journals. Additionally, news articles and related web articles
also formed a part of secondary data for the study.

7. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

• The present study is limited to a few aspects only since it
is impossible to consider each and every variable.
• Since the study is based on a prevailing issue, meager
sources which were considered valid were used for the
research.
TABLE 2
Table 1 and 2 present the demographic profile of sample
respondents who participated in this survey. It is evident that
the majority of the respondents are between the age group of
15-25 both male and female.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 13
 A Study on Perception and Impact of Covid 19 on Public Transportation in Bangalore

Perecentage Analysis

30%
33% 42% Auto
Yes Bus
No Cab
67%

28%

Interpretation
It is evident from the Survey that only 33% of the respondents
have utilized public transportation facility and 67% of the
respondents have not used the public transport.
Rank Analysis
Interpretation
It is observed from the survey that 42% of the respondents
prefer cab facility as their mode of transport post pandemic,
The second preference is given to Auto and the bus facility is
least preferred.

SA A N D SD Total WAS WA Rank

Safety measures taken by the 85 99 0 6 5 36 195 5.4166 I
service provider
Safety measures taken by the 45 45 14 5 0 36 109 3.0277 IV
fellow passengers
Public transport facility is my 80 24 0 6 9 36 119 3.3055 II
last resort
Public transport is preferred 55 36 18 4 0 36 113 3.1388 III
over personal transportation
Fear of Covid had restricted 0 60 21 17 0 36 98 2.7222 VI
the number of travels
Shut down of metro has 55 30 0 12 7 36 104 2.8888 V
disrupted my daily travel
(SA=Strongly Agree, A=Agree, N=Neutral, D=Disagree, SD= Strongly Disagree)
(WAS= weighted average system, WA= Weighted average)

Interpretation

The above table explains that even though majority of the respondents agreed that adequate safety measures were taken by the
service provider but, they still would prefer to use personal means of transport over Public transportation during the pandemic.

Regression Analysis to find the relationship between Gender and choice of transportation.

Model Unstandardized Coefficient t Sig.

B Std. Error
(Constant) 2.800 0.412 6.803 0.000
Gender -0.467 0.217 -1.701 0.98

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 14
 A Study on Perception and Impact of Covid 19 on Public Transportation in Bangalore
Null Hypothesis- There is no significant relation between the
gender and choice of transport
Alternate Hypothesis- There is significant relation between
the gender and choice of transport.
t- statistic= -1.701 with significance value>0.05, i.e 0.98>0.05.
Hence we accept null hypothesis and infer that there is no
significant relationship between the gender and choice of
transport.
9. FINDINGS
• Majority of the respondents are between the age group of
15 – 25
• The study has revealed that majority of the respondents
prefer personal means of transportation rather than the
public transport facility.
• The study has revealed that the fear of covid is one of the
main reasons for not using the public transport.
• The study revealed that with improvement of the situation
61% of the respondents are willing to utilize the public
transport.
10. CONCLUSION
Public transportation services are vital for civic life as they are
important for ensuring basic access, mobility, and safety for
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
the masses. The conclusions drawn from the study are despite
of the gradual exit from the lockdown and graded unlocking of
the economy, people seem to be reluctant to patronise public
transportation because of COVID-19. 67% of the respondents
prefer not to use public transportation due to the fear of
COVID.
REFERENCES
[1] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/usage-
of-public-transport-takes-a-hit-despite-gradual-exit-from-
lockdown/article31816470.ece
[2] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/50-
commuters-to-shun-public-transport-in-bengaluru-
survey/articleshow/75880073.cms
[3] https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/bus-
stands-and-metro-stations-deserted-as-many-stay-at-
home/article31073380.ece
[4] https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/public-
transport-back-in-karnataka-from-may-
19/article31618144.ece
[5] https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/making-public-
transport-safe-during-covid-19/article31828057.ece
[6] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317227046_Equ
ity_in_public_transport_-
_a_case_of_Bangalore's_city_bus_transport
[7] https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/global-literature-on-novel-
coronavirus-2019-ncov/resource/en/covidwho-650410
15
 4.
A Conceptual Study on Using ‘Impact Investing’ to Combat the Pandemic
Teena Benny Thomas
III SemesterM.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: Although the term ‘Impact Investing’ gained
prominence only in 2008, it has proven to be the fastest
growing category of investments. The term was first coined
by the Rockefeller foundation in 2007. Impact investment
market has grown substantially in the last two decades by a
67.9% on a year on year basis. From a market size on 4
million dollars in 2010, it has grown to a market of 715
billion dollars in 2020.
The UN has expressed concerns about the stressing
environmental problems but the world really came to term
with its seriousness as a result of the pandemic. The
coronavirus was a result of the flawed environmental
practices and neglect shown by humans.
The SDGs set by UN are now subject to changes due to the
Co-Vid impact. This research highlightstheneed for impact
investments in India, the potential for growth and
development and the challenges that investors and impact
investing companies may face.
This paper is a conceptual study to understand implications
of impact investing on India. The data for the study has been
gathered through reports published by GIIN, IIC and various
other notable organizations.
Through impact investing on a whole it can help in the
development of the country as a whole and reduce the gap
between the privileged and those who are in need of
resources.
Keywords: impact investment, Impact investors, SDGs, Co-
Vid.GIIN, IIC
1. INTRODUCTION
The pandemic was a result of human negligence, over
consumption of resources and immense damage to the
environment. The future of our planet is questionable at the
rate of pollution being spread, over exploitation and utilization
of resources, and negligence that led to the detrition of the
environment.
Thus while concerns regarding the planets future was
becoming immense it paved way for a new school of thought
where investors seek to invest or finance startups or businesses
that are able to make a positive impact. Meaning these
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
organizations not only focus on getting financial returns but
also creating a sustainable impact.
Traditionally such activities were taken on as part of brand
endorsement and to comply with statutory and regulatory
norms, and to a lesser extent, philanthropy. It was an attempt
to reduce the negative social consequences of business
activities.
Simultaneously, approaches such as pollution prevention,
corporate social responsibility and triple bottom line began as
measurements of non-financial effects. In 2000, Baruch Lev,
of the NYU Stern School of Business, collated thinking about
intangible assets in a book of the same name, which furthered
thinking about the non-financial effects of corporate
production.
2. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1. Create an understanding and awareness about the concept
of ‘impact investing’.
2. Understand the nature of impacts created.
3. The need for impact investing in India.
4. How impact investing can help combat a pandemic crisis.
3. CONCEPTUALIZATION ON THE TERM
“IMPACT INVESTING”
Around 2007, the term "impact investing" emerged. The term
“impact investing” was coined by the Rockefeller Foundation,
putting a name to those investments with an intention of
generating a financial return and creating a social or
environmental impact. Impact investment market has grown
substantially in the last two decades by a 67.9% on a year on
year basis. From a market size on 4 million dollars in 2010, it
has grown to a market of 715 billion dollars in 2020.
4. DISTINGUISHING IMPACT INVESTING
FROM CSR, ESG OR SRI
What distinguishes impact investing from traditional
philanthropy has been the investment and return motives of
impact investors where scalability, entrepreneur characteristics
and experience weigh in. Despite the promise of impact
investing that seeks to create a notable impact, the cumulative
16
 A Conceptual Study on Using ‘Impact Investing’ to Combat the Pandemic
assets under impact investing remain marginal compared to the
billions of dollars invested under CSR, ESG or SRI. The field
is new and evolving fast in India, with approximately 30 firms
in the market, a subset of which is registered with the Impact
Investors Council (IIC) in India. The impact investing market
in India has mimicked the trends and challenges of the global
impact investment industry. However, there are several
peculiar aspects of the Indian market which make it interesting
and critical to examine from a policy perspective.
5. MEANING OF IMPACT INVESTING
Impact investing can be defined as a type of investing that
involves seeking financial returns through investments
intended to generate measurable social and environmental
impact via market-based solutions. Impact investing
emphasizes on two critical components
1. Generation of a financial return
2. Creation of a measurable social/ environmental impact.
6. CREATING AN IMPACT
The impact referred to in impact investing has to be a social or
environmental impact. The impact has to be measurable in
quantitative terms. With every impact that has been specified
they will have established KPI’s (key performance Indicators)
that enable to measure and verify the impact.
• Impact investments must have a definitive, measurable,
clear impact whether it be social or environmental.
• Impact investments must be transparent and verifiable.
Hence they must be clearly stated.
• The beneficiaries or impacts must be free from all
personal bias. It should be truthful and accurate.
• The goal must be achievable and reliable. It should be
clearly laid out so that it doesn’t get subjected to ‘impact
washing’.
• The impacts must be sustainable and visible even in the
long run. The strategies for this must be aligned to that
vision.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Examples of Social impacts created include creation of
employment opportunities, medical and health care benefits to
underprivileged, education to children etc. and Environmental
benefits include reducing carbon emissions, planting trees etc.
While an impact goal may be easier to identify it is very hard
to measure in quantitate terms and thus very difficult to assess
if there has been an impact created. So establishing adequate
and appropriate KPIs and very complex process.
The evolving phases on impact investmentand the
diversification into different industrieshave raised a need to be
able to identify, measure and reliably verify this impact
creation. This will add credibility to impact investments but
also attract, more investors.
7. NEED FOR IMPACT INVESTMENTS IN
INDIA
Achieving the SDGs as laid out by the UN will require an
estimated investment of $5 -$7 trillion per year with a
financing gap of 2.5 Trillion in developing countries1, 2 . In
India alone the gap is $565 billion3.
While the government has succeeded in helping the
underprivileged and initiated numerous schemes there still
seems to be a vast gap between the privileged and underserved.
The huge population of the country and lack of effective
mediums of reaching and penetrating the society to provide the
benefits are ineffective. It seems difficult and impossible to
reach so many rather with impact investing the scope for
penetrating and reaching the target beneficiaries seems
possible.
According to the Brookings institution report 73 million
people are still living in poverty in India. At this rate India
could very well surpass China by 2025. The drastic increase in
population could result in excessive stress on healthcare, food,
sanitation education etc.. There are many villages and rural
parts of India that lack basic amenities like clean drinking
water, electricity, schools, hospitals etc. while the poverty rate
has declined on one hand a large part of the population still
seems to be struggling. 500 million people lack secondary
17
 A Conceptual Study on Using ‘Impact Investing’ to Combat the Pandemic
education or skills training, 300 million people lack electricity
and 120 million are unbanked. These are amenities that should
be accessible by all and affordable to all. Hence Impact
investing is a way that can help in the progress and
development of the country. It would create jobs, bring in
infrastructural development like roads and public toilets, make
healthcare accessible, providing education to children etc.
Recent studies indicate that impact equity alone accounts for
one- fifth of overall equity transaction in India in 2014-2015.
In fact, impact investment equity is expected to grow by 30%
in the coming years4, and will target livelihood, education and
health services.
The estimated number of beneficiaries of impact investing in
India alone account for 84 Million as per a report published by
KPMG.
8. ROLE OF IMPACT INVESTING IN ADVERSE
CRISIS
Impact Investing has been noted globally as a remedy to
combat crisis and disasters created by natural or human forces.
A crisis is unforeseen. While many of our actions, practices
and habitats have now resulted in grave consequences in the
form of pandemics, wild fire, climate change etc.. The list goes
on. There has been more destruction in the last 2 years while
have resulted in destruction of the environment and in turn
leaving us with only 25% of forests. Wildlife is on the brink of
extinction. Natural disasters have destroyed homes, cities and
businesses. Wild fires have been merciless and engulfed cities
and forests in flames. The oxygen levels have fallen. While
natural disasters are looming around us, mankind is steeping
closer to its own demise with wars and political conflicts. 2019
alone has seen more than 23 disasters globally that have each
accounted for losses over more than 3 billion of dollars. If
natural resources and life could be quantified, then this loss
cannot be comprehended or compensated.
Impact investing can be seen as a medium for businesses to
reach out and create a positive social or environmental impact.
For instance, The US has fallen to many Hurricane disasters
over the years. 2019 alone has seen more than 10 major
disasters that have caused a hull on the city development
funds.
While the government tries to provide aid for the victims, this
may be a very long a tedious task especially given the
magnitude or crises. This is where impact investors ate
successful in facilitating the distribution of resources and
helping people overcoming the loss. The process of creating
aid for victims gets accelerated.
Impact investing not only aids the victims to rebuild but also
help in providing sustainable, long term, preventative solutions
that can help combat any future disasters.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Below mentioned are few instances where impact investing
helped overcome natural disasters.
• The 2015 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, is an
example of impact investing in action. Contractors
restructured the ruined buildings by using virtual forms,
which they adjusted for improved durability and strength.
Investors can use this technology and much more to help
rebuild communities.
• New Orleans helped its residents rebuild with dry creeks
and enhanced infrastructure, while San Rafael, CA, has
proposed levees and elevated structures to protect rising
sea levels.
9. IMPACT INVESTING CAN HELP COMBAT
THE PANDEMIC IN INDIA
While we have seen how Impact investing can help combat a
crisis, if utilized as a proper channel it can be used to combat
the pandemic in India.
During the early stages of the pandemic, India was faring
better compared to other nations but soon the situation
worsened given the huge population and lack of adequate
medical resources. It is a very marginal amount that is being
dedicated yearly from the GDP for healthcare and the growing
population makes it very difficult to provide.
As per 2018 GIIN, financial services, energy and micro
finance remain top sectors where global impact investors
deploy capital. Indian 6 impact investors have largely identified
three key social issues to focus on — health, education and
agriculture — followed by affordable housing, energy,
employability and skilling and financial services.
That being said, it is possible to utilize this trend in impact
investing and create more resources for the under privileged.
Health Care on a whole is booming. Capital deployment on a
whole is inclined towards ventures, mergers or startups that are
dedicated to finding cures, vaccines or even medical
technology. This creates a funding for impact investing
companies and in turn allows them to expand their impact and
create more beneficiaries.
With the huge demand for quality health care and the lack of
investment in public health care from the government it creates
a huge rift in delivery of resources. But while comparing the
out of pocket expenditure by households, Medical amenities
account for a staggering 70%. Surprisingly medical insurances
account for less than 10% of the population.
This social impact funds, could cater to this adversity and
provide affordable healthcare to underprivileged. They would
have access to hospitals, medicines, even vaccinations that
would help prevent such an outbreak in the future.
18
 A Conceptual Study on Using ‘Impact Investing’ to Combat the Pandemic
Impact funds and impact investment companies, often help in
infrastructural development of resources like buildings, roads,
streetlights, public toilets, schools, hospitals, ambulances etc.
that can help create a phenomenal impact.
An impact investing company would be incentivized from the
government through various tax benefits, subsidies and the
mission would cater too uplifting society. That is why it is
integral that we promote this concept. Even though impact
investing has been around for more than a decade it’s a
concept that’s very much in its infancy that can create an
impact with over 84 million beneficiaries in India alone.
While impact investing has helped rebuild lives it can also help
build businesses. During the pandemic many small scale
business and entrepreneurs were affected. While many thrived
with online businesses many lost their source of income and
livelihood.
Impact funds or investments can be generated to revive
business and help kick start the economy. There have been
instances where impact investing has helped business like
during natural disasters, these impact funds were created to
help business
ss gain financial support to sustain and gain footing
that helped in bouncing back.
• Surdna Foundation, along with Goldman Sachs 10, 000
Small Businesses and BOC Capital Corp, created a $3.5
million loan fund for small businesses in New York City
with rebuilding-related
related construction contracts.
• Ford Foundation, was among those that contributed to the
NYC Nonprofit Recovery Loan Fund which was created
to help nonprofits bridge the gap between expenditures
needed to support the recovery and anticipated revenues
(such as grants, pledges, contract reimbursements, and
FEMA insurance payments).
• Community Capital Management, earmarked $100 million
of bond fund assets from its flagship CRA Qualified
Investment Fund to finance community and economic
development programs in Sandy-affected
affected areas. In 2005,
the Fund had made a $100 million investment towards
post-Hurricane
Hurricane Katrina and Rita recovery efforts.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19:
19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
10. INCEPTION OF IMPACT INVESTING IN
INDIA
Indian impact investing began in earnest in 2001 with the
establishment of Aavishkar,
shkar, India’s first for-profit
for impact fund,
alongside the entry of the non-profit
profit Acumen Fund, becoming
the first examples of early-stage
stage seed impact Investing.
The shifting culture, growing capital markets and digitalization
are all changing the impactt investment markets in India. It has
become the need of the hour. While Impact investments not
only enable to create a crisis relief it can be used to advert and
prevent such in the future. While it may not completely
irradiate such a problem it can at least
le reduce the destructions
and loss.
Impact investment market has grown substantially globally. In
the last two decades by a 67.9% on a year on year basis, from a
market size on 4 million dollars in 2010, it has grown to a
market of 715 billion dollars in
n 2020.
According to a recent analysis by the Global Impact Investing
Network (GIIN), over 1, 300 organizations manage $502
billion in impact investing assets globally. The impact
investing sector in India attracted over $5.2 billion between
2010 and 2016,, with over $1.1 billion invested in 2016 alone.
This table shows the deployment of fresh capital on a year on
year basis. With these projections it is showing a substantial
growth of 16%. While we have stated earlier impact
investments combine financial returns
r with measureable
impacts, with the growth of capital deployment the pool of
beneficiaries also increases. They have increased at a rate of
26% or 1037 million beneficiaries in 2020 alone.
While The U.S and Canada dominate, the Asian geographic is
growing
owing rapidly. The pool of beneficiaries has increased by
two folds. India Alone is estimated to have beneficiaries of
over 84 million in 2017. (KPMG Report, 2018).
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 A Conceptual Study on Using ‘Impact Investing’ to Combat the Pandemic

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Opportunities 20
 A Conceptual Study on Using ‘Impact Investing’ to Combat the Pandemic
This shift in capital deployment into developing and under
developed nations is an indicator that India also has substantial
potential in being able to attract more Impact investors. To
cater to this shift India’s SEBI (securities exchange board of
India), they will soon implement a Social Stock Exchange.
11. SOCIAL STOCK EXCHANGE CREATING A
PLATFORM FOR INVESTORS
The social stock exchange will be under the ambit of the SEBI
(Securities Exchange Board of India). The new platform will
facilitate inclusive growth and commitment to support social
enterprises in India. An expert panel was set up by SEBI under
the Chairmanship of Mr. Ishaat Hussain, Director at SBI
foundation and former Finance director at Tata sons. The
objective of the Committee was to conduct a feasibility study
on implementing the SSE in India. The panel consisted of
experts from social impact investing, finance ministry, stock
exchanges, voluntary organizations, social enterprises,
philanthropic organizations and NGOs to compile their inputs.
The Social stock exchange will facilitate as a platform to raise
funds for various social enterprises as well as impact
investment companies. The SSE would be a regulated and
monitored market making it a reliable and safe market for
investors.
This will become a platform that can encourage more investors
and individuals to support for a cause. While they seek to
make profits that can even play a pivotal role in being able to
contribute to the betterment for society and the environment.
12. CONCLUSION
With the devastating condition of people, the emergency
situation we have brought our planet to, it is very detrimental
to take action. If we resort to the same path we will eventually
cause our own destruction. We will run out of options to save
ourselves. While the clock is ticking we need to make a
difference.
That being the case, Impact investing can be the most
sustainable way to conserve what we have left of the
environment. If we act today, we can prevent an adversity
tomorrow.
Impact investing can be used to not only create resources but it
can be used to create lasting sustainable alternatives that can be
adopted and implemented.
In India impact investing can be used to provide affordable
healthcare, hospitals, medicines and in turn bridge the gap
between those that are privileged and have access to those that
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
don’t. The deployment of resources can be more effective and
efficient with impact investing.
Education, healthcare, housing, electricity etc. are all basic
amenities that should be made affordable and available to all.
Impact investing can facilitate this where the governments may
fall short. Through planning, sustainable alternatives and a
definitive goal of creating an impact, this motivates
organizations to achieve the impact they have claimed.
If we seek a future we need to save what is left of the present,
so impact investing may be our last resort.
REFERENCES
[1] UNCTAD. (2014). Developing countries face $2.5 trillion
annual investment gap in key sustainable development
sectors. Press release.
[2] United Nations Development Program. (2017). Impact
investment to close the SDG funding gap.
[3] Bhamra, A., Shanker, H., &Niazi, Z. (2015). Achieving
the Sustainable Development Goals in India. A Study of
Financial Requirements and Gaps. Technology and Action
for Rural Advancement, A Social Enterprise of
Development Alternatives Group. New Dehli, India:
Devalt.
[4] A Natural Destination, Asia Asset Management Journal,
June 2014 Vol. 19 No.6
[5] As per data gathered by the IIC and McKinsey India.
[6] McKinsey & Company. (2017). Impact investing:
Purpose-driven finance finds its place in India.
[7] kpmg report published in 2018- impact of impact
investments
[8] Ravi, Shamika; Gustafsson-Wright, Emily; Sharma,
Prerna; Boggild-Jones, Izzy (2019). “The Promise of
Impact Investing in India,” Brookings India Research
Paper No. 072019.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
[1] GIIN annual impact Investors Survey.
[2] Hagedorn Impact Investing-Challenges of Impact
Measuring- May2017.
[3] Charley Clarke, with Anton Simanowitz, BarboraSladkova
and Karim Harji- Nesta impact strategy audit report- June
2018.
[4] Social Impact Investing in India. A Supplement to
Corporate Social Responsibility & Social-July 2018 (Busi-
ness Models in India: A Legal & Tax Perspective).
[5] Sustainable investing: fast-forwarding its evolution-
KPMG februray 2020.
21
 5.
A Study on Consumers Opinion on E- Commerce Trading During
Covid-19 Pandemic
Sneha Priya R. S.
III SemesterM.Com FA, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
19cm301013@kristujayanti.com

Abstract: The present study was aimed to Assess the
consumers opinion on E commerce trading during this covid-
19 pandemic. This study examinesthe progression of e
commerce and its effect on prevention of cross infection and
promotion of health of consumers during this global covid 19
pandemic by implementing social distancing. Due to this
critical period a very rapid changes have occurred in every
business, it has changed the consumers behavior, nature of
trading and quality of life as this pandemic has spreads the
fear of infection, high mortality among the people and E
commerce encourages social distancing by avoiding to
interact with one another.
Keywords: Ecommerce, Consumers opinion, Covid19,
Pandemic, Social distancing, Level of opinion (Likert 3 point
scale)
1. INTRODUCTION
Covid-19 has rapidly transformed everyday life and the scope
of the pandemic is global in march 2020 much of the world
went into lockdown forcing many businesses to temporarily
shutdown. The enforcement of social distancing lockdowns
and other measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
has let the consumers towards social media use online
shopping, streaming of videos and films, tele-conferencing,
internet, telephones .This pandemic has highlighted the glaring
need to bridge the digital divide both within and across the
countries .Governments across the world have adopted new
measures to ensure that e commerce can help to elevate some
of the challenges faced in combating COVID 19 virus as many
government have enforced social distancing measures
instituted during lockdown leading to temporally closing of
non essential businesses resulting in production and labor
shortages in many countries in order to overcome the lacunae’s
of business and to effectively implement social distancing
measures many governments around the world are encouraging
online purchasing as an alternative to physical shopping(5).
Due this pandemic a very rapid change has occurred in every
business. It has changed the behavior of human, nature of
trading, and also the life style as this corona has spread the fear
of infection among people and they avoid interacting with one
another.
The aim of this study is to assess the consumer’s opinion on E-
Commerce trading during this Covid 19 pandemic.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
A article by Anam Bhatti, Hamza Akram et.al., (2020),
examines that e-commerce grew due to corona virus E-
commerce has become a substitute source and considered top
in this condition, and e-retailers provide goods that usually
consumers brought in superstores traditionally. Coronavirus
pandemic has compelled the consumers to use internet and
make it a habit in their daily routine, furthermore many
challenges faced by the retailers in e-commerce, such as
extended delivery time, movement control. Due to Socio-
distancing and lockdown, still people are buying because there
is no alternate; hence people are moving towards technology.
Furthermore, some products are very high in demand in market
even retailers cannot fulfill the customers demand such as
sanitizers’, toilet papers, disposable gloves, groceries and dairy
products. Hence E-commerce provides an alternative way to
people to meet their demands (5).
A study on impact of COVID 19 on E marketing: An early
stage review by Jitendra Patel and Dr. Ajay Malpani (2020) is
an attempt to critically review and provide an early stage
systematic review of impact the corona virus is extensively
affecting the e-commerce, technology business and business
travel. Due to which most companies have slowdown and
postponed their scheduled marketing plans the brands have to
deal with fear of what is ahead as actions and behavior of the
consumer is greatly influenced by social rumors. The
marketers have to deal with fear response such as social
anxiety, panic shopping/ xenophobia, contamination concern
and health anxiety shown by individual customer the brand
requires assuring positive communication with consumer, they
should aim at building trust and safety as consumers are
expecting ethical behaviors from the banks(6).
A secondary source of literature highlights that in order to
implement effectively the social distancing measures aimed at
containing the further spread of COVID 19 several
government around the world have encouraged online
purchasing as an alternative to physical shopping and
consumer have adapted their shopping patterns and behaviors
to minimize the risk of getting infected. In some developed

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 A Study on Consumers Opinion on E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19 Pandemic

countries distribution service platforms have managed to
address problems without government interventions. In
developing countries some government have been more
proactive than others, and in particular in countries where face
to face transaction had until now remained the norm(7).
A study conducted by Arlinanurbaitylubis (2018) from
universitassumaterautara, finding highlighted that the
participants of the study preference is 80% on traditional
methods of shopping whereas ecommerce shopping
perferrence was only 20%(1).

A article by Shahrzadshahirari and mohammadrezashaheiari 3. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

(2015) Many economists and experts believe that in recent
years, a revolution has occurred similar to the industrial A study on consumer’s opinion on E- Commerce trading
revolution which the world has entered the information age.It during Covid-19 pandemic.
makes large changes in the economic, social and cultural
aspects.One aspect of this transformation is changes in 4. OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
economic relations between individuals, corporations and
governments.Commercial exchange between people who had • To assess the level of opinion among consumers on e
been based on paper documents to transactions of by us the commerce trading during COVID 19 pandemic.
systems based on electronic information. In this article we will • To find an association between selected opinionnaire
discuss the benefits of e-commerce and its impact on the questions with selected socio demographic variables.
market(10).
5. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Socio-Demographic Data of
Consumers: Age, Gender, Type of
Family, Occupation, Annual
Income, Location of Residence
Consumers
Opinion On E
Association between Socio
Commerce
demographic Variable and
During COVID -
Selected Levels of Opinion
19 Pandemic

Opinion Questionnaires on
E Commerce Trading: Agree,
Disagree, Neutral (3 point Likert
scale) Significant
Non significant

Fig. 1.Consumer’s opinion on e-commerce trading during COVID 19 pandemic.

6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Sample size: 80 samples

Research design: Adapted for this study is a descriptive Study Variables:

survey approach to assess the consumer opinion on E
Commerce trading, during COVID 19 Pandemic. Independent variable: COVID 19 Pandemic

This design was found to be appropriate as it describes the
population under study and the phenomenon or situation that is
COVID 19 pandemic and its impact on e commerce trading.
Sampling technique:
Target population: Individuals above 18 years of age.
Dependent Variables :Opinionaire related to information on
E Commerce Treading like- Mode of Purchase, mode of
payment, Purchases of items Personal or Retail Purpose, Social
Distancing, Prevention of cross infection, Scheduled delivery
of Items, types of shopping preferred, fraudulent practice,
confidence in quality of products, wrong delivery of products
and its replacements.

Sampling technique: Convenient sampling,. Socio-Demographic Variables :Age, Gender, Place of

residence, type of family, educational Status, occupation,

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 A Study on Consumers Opinion on E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19 Pandemic

annual Income, average expenditure in E Commerce Trading,
Monthly average number of items purchased and savings on
expenditure.
Tools for Analysis
Data Collection Instrument: It Consisted of
Section 1: Description of Socio- Demographic characteristics.
Section 2: Opinioniare on E commerce’s trading during
COVID 19 Pandemic
Opinioniare was designed as questionnaire on 3 point likert
scale that is- Agree, Disagree and Neutral.
The Tool was developed based on the following:
• Afterreviewing the related literature
• Experience of the Investigator
• Guidance and consultation with subject experts.
Data analysis and interpretation:
Data collection Process:
• Permission was granted by the Faculty of PG Commerce
Dept., KristuJayantiCollege, Bangalore.
• The Study was conducted 1st to 10th October 2020.
• The Opinionaire was shared via WhatsApp and through E
mail.
• The participants were given time of two days for the
response
• Total 80 responses were received.
DATA analysis
• The Socio-Demographic Data was analyzed using
frequency and percentage (Descriptive statistics).
• The Opinionnare was analyzed using chi-square test to
find ansignificant association with selected socio-
demographic variables.
Data interpretation: The data in this study is analyzed and
interpreted according to the objectives of the study.
Section 1- Description of sample characteristics

TABLE 1A: Frequency and distribution of consumers according to the socio demographic variable
(N=80)

Socio- Demographic Variables Level Frequency Percentage %

Age 18-50 years 74 92.8
51-70 6 7.2
Gender Female 53 66.2
Male 27 33.8
Location of Residence Metropolitan 50 62.5
Semi Urban 26 32.5
Urban 4 5
Type Of family Joint /Extended family 26 32.5
Nuclear 49 61.3
Staying alone 5 6.3
Education status 10th Std 1 1.3
12th Std 4 5
Post Graduate 55 68.8
Under Graduate 20 25
Occupation Administrative 5 6.3
Engineer 5 6.3
Finance 13 16.3
Health care worker 21 26.4
Home maker 8 10

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 A Study on Consumers Opinion on E
E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19
19 Pandemic

Socio- Demographic Variables Level Frequency Percentage %

Student 18 22.5
Teacher 7 8.7
Technical 3 3.7
Annual Income 3 lakhs to 5 lakhs 17 21.2
5 lakhs to 7.5 lakhs 3 3.7
7.5 lakhs to 10 lakhs 7 8.7
Less than Rs. 3lakhs 48 60
More than 10 Lakhs 5 6.3

Age wise distribution Age in years

Valid 80
Missing 0
Mean 30.587
Median 26.5
Mode 22
Std. Deviation 11.442
Minimum 17
Maximum 70

The data presented in table1A depicts that among the 80
consumers in the study wise distribution is as follows
Age category wise 74 (92.8%) were between 18yrs -50 yrs,
whereas between 51yrs-70yrs
70yrs were 6(7.25%) consumers.
(60%) of the
he consumers had less than 3lakh income and 5
(6.3%) had more than 10 lakhs. This study also depicts that, 50
(62.5%) of the consumers resided in metropolitan area, 26
(32.5%) in semi urban area and 04 (5%) in urban area.

Gender wise distribution among the consumers, 53 (66.2%)

where females and 27(33.8%) where males.
80
According to the type of family, 26(32.5%) consumers belong
to join/extended families, 49(61.2%) to nuclear families and 70
only 5(1.2%) reside alone I.e. in hostels/ pg accommodations.
60
From the educational perspective, Consumer 01(1.2%) has 50
completed 10th std, 04(5%) of tem had completed 12th std
whereas 55(68.8%) where post graduates and 20(25%) where 40
undergraduates
30
The occupational status of the consumers, 05 (6.3%) where
working in administrative sector, 5 (6.3%) where engineers, 13 20
(16.3%) where working in finance sector, 21 (26%) where 10
healthcare workers, 8 (10%) where homemakers, 18 (22.5%)
where students, 7 (8.7%) where teachers and 3(3.7%) 0
consumers where working in technical sectors. 18-50 years 51
51-70 years
The annual income of the consumers, between 3 lakh
lakh-5 lakhs
where 17 (21.2%), the income was 5 lakhs--7 lakhs were 03
(3.7%), between 7.5 lakhs – 10 lakhs were 07 (8.7%), 48 Fig. 2. Age wise Distribution (N=80)
(N

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 A Study on Consumers Opinion on E
E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19
19 Pandemic

25

Male 20
34%
15
Female
66% 10

Fig. 3. Gender wise Distribution (N=80)

Fig. 6. Occupational Status (N=80)

50

0 More than 10 Lakhs

Joint
/Extended Nuclear Less than Rs. 3lakhs
Staying alone
family
7.5 lakhs to 10 lakhs

5 lakhs to 7.5 lakhs

3 lakhs to 5 lakhs

Fig. 4. Type of Family (N=80) 0 10 20 30 40 50

Fig. 7. Annual Income (N=80)

TABLE: 1B Average expenditure on e commerce

60 purchases of items/goods on websites (N=80)
40 Expenditure on Purchases of
Items on E Commerce’s web Percentage
20 site Frequency %
0 I have Never Used E
Commerce’s Platform for
10th Std purchase 7 8.7
12th Std
Post
Graduate
Under More than Rs.10000/- 7 8.7
Graduate
Rs.3000 to 5000/- 14 17.5
Rs.5000 to 7500/- 8 10
Rs.7500 to 10000/- 4 5
Fig. 5. Educational Status (N=80) below Rs.3000/- 40 50

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 A Study on Consumers Opinion on E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19 Pandemic

The data presented in table 1B reveals that out off 80 expenditure was between RS.3000-7500, 08(10%) consumers
consumers, 7(8.1%)have never used ecommerce website's for expenditure was between was RS.5000-7500, 4(5%)consumers
the purchase of goods/ items, 7(8.1%)consumers expenditure expenditure was between RS.7500-10000 whereas 40(50%)of
was more than rupees 10000 thousand, 14(17.5%)consumers the consumers expenditure was RS.3000 only.
TABLE 1C: Frequency and percentage distribution of levels of opinion by consumers on E-commerce trading COVID 19
pandemic (N=80)

Opinioniare Questions Levels of Opinion Frequency Percentage %

Has any one got infected with COVID -19 virus in
your family including yourself? Agree 4 5
Disagree 74 92.5
Neutral 2 2.5
Do you feel E commerce purchases helps save on
your expenditure ? Agree 45 56.3
Disagree 7 8.7
Neutral 28 35
E Commerce’s means using Internet to purchase
items Agree 74 92.5
Disagree 3 3.7
Neutral 3 3.7
E commerce purchase is online 80 100
Do you use E commerce Purchases for personal
use ? Agree 69 86.3
Disagree 6 7.5
Neutral 5 6.3
Do you use E commerce Purchases for
retail/resale ? Agree 13 16.3
Disagree 59 73.8
Neutral 8 10
Do you feel E commerce encourages social
distancing Agree 71 88.7
Disagree 1 1.3
Neutral 8 10
Do you feel E commerce purchases has prevented
Cross infection of COVID 19 Virus? Agree 47 58.8
Disagree 10 12.5
Neutral 23 28.7
Do you feel E commerce helps in procuring goods
on a desired schedule Agree 50 62.5
Disagree 14 17.5
Neutral 16 20
Do you Prefer in person shopping than E
Commerce purchases of Items or goods? Agree 41 51.2
Disagree 19 23.7
Neutral 20 25
E commerce limits excess purchase of
goods/Items Agree 27 33.8

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 A Study on Consumers Opinion on E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19 Pandemic

Opinioniare Questions Levels of Opinion Frequency Percentage %

Disagree 35 43.8
Neutral 18 22.5
E commerce can lead to fraudulent Practices Agree 22 27.5
Disagree 18 22.5
Neutral 40 50
Is E commerce purchases - limits quality checks of
items Agree 39 48.7
Disagree 17 21.2
Neutral 24 30
E commerce purchase can lead to wrong delivery
of goods/items Agree 20 25
Disagree 27 33.8
Neutral 33 41.2
Immediate replacement of wrong item/goods is
done / cash back is given? Agree 52 65
Disagree 11 13.8
Neutral 17 21.2

This table Highlights the consumers levels of opinion (Agree,
Disagree, Neutral) regarding e commerce trading i.e. out off 80
consumers 74(92.5%)have knowledge of e-commerce trading,
69(80.3%)do e-commerce purchases for personal use
50(62.5%)agree that they purchase goods/items as per desired
schedule, 41(51.2%)in person shopping compare to online
shopping, 39(48.7%)consumers agree that e-commerce
purchase limits quality check of items/goods whereas 52(65%)
consumers agree that immediate replacement of goods/items or
cash back is done.
Among the 80 consumers 59(73.8%) disagree that e-commerce
purchases are done for resale/retail, 35(43.8%) of consumers
disagree that e-commerce trading limits their purchases.
TABLE 1D: Preferred method of Online Payment for E commerce purchase
Out of 80 consumers 74(92.5%)did not have history of
covid19 infection 71(88.7%)of them agree that e-commerce
trading encourages social distancing and 47(58.8%) agree that
it prevents COVID 19 cross infection whereas 23(28.7%)of
consumers are neutral about cross infection 40(50%)of the
consumers are natural about their opinion on e-commerce
trading related to fraudulent practices whereas 33(41.2%)are
neutral regarding wrong delivery of goods / items by E-
commerce trading.
The above table concludes that 50.49% of consumers do e-
commerce trading, a positive indicator towards the importance
of social distancing and prevention of cross infection, 28.26%
of consumers disagree on Ecommerce trading whereas 20.86%
are neutral towards e commerce trading.
(N=80)

Frequency Percentage %
Cash on delivery 28 35
Credit Card/ debit Card 20 25
E-wallets Eg:PAYTM /Airtel/Amazon/PhonePe/GooglePay 16 20
Net Banking 5 6.3
UPI Bhim 11 13.8

This Table Highlights that the most preferred mode of money Among the digital transactions Credit Card being the most
transaction on E Commerce Websites is Digital transactions preferred 20(25%) and net banking being the least preferred 5
with (Credit Card/ debit Card; E-wallets;Net Banking:UPI (6.3%) mode.
Bhim)52(65.1%) and conventional hard currency 28(35%)

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 A Study on Consumers Opinion on E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19 Pandemic

This Study has similar trends of digital modes of payment as Section 2: Opinioniare on E commerce’s trading during
per a report J.P. Morgan 2019 Payments Trends – Global COVID 19 Pandemic
Insights Report(2).
TABLE: 2A : Association between consumers annual income & preference of in person shopping .

Annual Income Agree Disagree Neutral Total

3 lakhs to 5 lakhs 6 7 4 17
5 lakhs to 7.5 lakhs 0 0 3 3
7.5 lakhs to 10 lakhs 4 2 1 7
Less than Rs. 3lakhs 30 9 9 48
More than 10 Lakhs 1 1 3 5
Total 41 19 20 80
Chi-Squared Tests
Value df p
Χ² 18.343 8 0.019
Χ² continuity correction 18.343 8 0.019
Likelihood ratio 17.052 8 0.03
N 80
P Value :0.019Significant P Value <0.05

This table highlights significant number, 41(51.25%) consumers want to shop in person compared to 19(23.75%) consumers who
preferred online shopping and 20(25%) consumers have neutral opinion on the mode of shopping irrespective of their annual
income status .TheX2Value 18.343 and the ‘p’ value is 0.019 and is statistically significant, consumers preference in person
shopping.

TABLE: 2B. Association between consumer’s residential location and preference of in person shopping (N=80)

Location of Residence Agree Disagree Neutral Total

Metropolitan 22 16 12 50
Semi Urban 18 3 5 26
Urban 1 0 3 4
Total 41 19 20 80
Chi-Squared Tests
Value df p
Χ² 11.072 4 0.026
Χ² continuity correction 11.072 4 0.026
Likelihood ratio 10.877 4 0.028
N 80

P Value :0.026 Significant P Value <0.05

This table highlights significant, 41(51.25%) consumers want
to shop in person compared to 19(23.75%) consumers who
preferred online shopping and 20(25%) consumers have
neutral opinion on the mode of shopping irrespective of their
location of their residence.Majority of the Consumers preferred
shopping in person than online purchase irrespective of their
annual income and location of their residence in spite of
ongoing COVID 19 pandemic.
The X2Value 11.072and the ‘p’ value is 0.026 and is
statistically significant, consumers preference is, in person
shopping.

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 A Study on Consumers Opinion on E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19 Pandemic

TABLE 2C: Association between Consumers location and the most common goods/items purchased (N=80)

No Purchase
Location of

Cosmetics

Electronic
Residence

Garments

Groceries
Assorted

Assorted
Fashion

Kitchen
Goods

Utility

books
Items

Total
PPE
Metropolitan 13 0 1 3 3 19 1 2 7 1 50
Semi Urban 7 2 4 2 0 2 0 5 4 0 26
Urban 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4
Total 22 2 5 5 3 21 1 8 11 2 80
Chi-Squared Tests
Value df p
Χ² 34.251 18 0.012
Χ² continuity correction 34.251 18 0.012
Likelihood ratio 33.569 18 0.014
N 80
P Value: 0.012 Significant P Value <0.05

This table highlights that significant number, 22(27.5%) consumers purchased (assorted) all types goods and items; 21(26.25%)
consumers purchased Groceries; only 11 (13.75%) purchased Personal protective goods/items during COVID 19 Pandemic
irrespective of their place of residence.

The X2Value 34.251 and the ‘p’ value is 0.012 and is statistically significant, consumers preference is towards assorted items,
groceries and purchase of PPE which depicts as a positive indicator towards prevention of cross infection during this COVID 19
pandemic..

TABLE 2D: Association between type of family and average expenditure E Commerce Purchases (N=80)
Never Used

Commercef
or purchase

Rs.10000/-

Rs.3000 to

Rs.5000 to

Rs.7500 to
More than

Rs.3000/-
Type Of

10000/-
type of

5000/-

7500/-
family

below

Total
E

Joint /Extended family 3 4 2 2 2 13 26

Nuclear 4 3 11 3 2 26 49
Staying alone (eg. in
Hostel/PG etc.) 0 0 1 3 0 1 5
Total 7 7 14 8 4 40 80
Chi-Squared Tests
Value df p
Χ² 20.029 10 0.029
Χ² continuity correction 20.029 10 0.029
Likelihood ratio 14.861 10 0.137
N 80

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 30
 A Study on Consumers Opinion on E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19 Pandemic

P Value:0.029 Significant P Value <0.05

This Table highlights that significant number, 40(50%) consumers have a average expenditure of below Rs.3000/- on E Commerce
Purchases among the Nuclear and Joint/ Extended Families.

The X2Value 20.029 and the ‘p’ value is 0.029 and is statistically significant, consumers predominantly purchasing
expenditure was below Rs 3000/-.

TABLE 2E: Association between Type of Family and their opinion regarding E commerce purchases and prevention of
Cross infection with COVID 19 Virus (N=80)

Type Of family Agree Disagree Neutral Total

Joint /Extended family 21 2 3 26
Nuclear 23 6 20 49
Staying alone (eg. in Hostel/PG etc.) 3 2 0 5
Total 47 10 23 80
Chi-Squared Tests
Value df p
Χ² 13.417 4 0.009
Χ² continuity correction 13.417 4 0.009
Likelihood ratio 14.174 4 0.007
N 80
P Value:0.009 Significant P Value <0.05

This Table Highlights that irrespective of the type of Family
significant number of consumers, 47(58.75%) have a opinion
that E Commerce can prevent COVID 19 cross infection with
E Commerce Purchases irrespective of their type of family.
The X2Value 13.417 and the ‘p’ value is 0.009 and is
statistically significant, where all types of families agreed that
E Commerce can Prevent COVID 19 cross infection
Findings: Among the 80 consumers,
• Age category wise 92.8% were between 18yrs -50yrs,
whereas between 51yrs-70yrs were 7.25%
• Female consumers were 66.2% whereas male 33.8%
• Type of family, 61.2% consumers belongs to nuclear
family, 32.5% belongs to extended/joint family.
• Educational status of the consumers was 68.8% were post
graduates and 25% were under graduates
• Occupational status of the consumers 26% of them were
health care workers 22.5%, were students 16.3% whose
occupation was in financial sector, 8.7% were teachers
12.9% were in administration / engineers
• Consumers annual income 60% of them had income less
than 3lakhs, 21.2% income was between 3-5lakhs, 12.4%
had income between 5-10 lakhs, and 6.3% income was
more than 10 lakhs
• 62.5% resided in metropolitan area 32.5% resided in semi
urban areas and 5% in urban area.
• Average expenditure on e commerce trading/purchase was
50% expenditure was below RS.3000, 17.5% consumers
expenditures was between RS.3000-5000, 15% of them
had an expenditure between RS 5000-10000, whereas
8.1% never used ecommerce trading/purchase.
• Among the 80 consumers opinion (Agree, Disagree,
Neutral) on ecommerce trading/purchasing :
o -92.5% had adequate knowledge of ecommerce
o -80.3% did ecommerce purchase for personal use
o -62.5% agree they purchase good/items as per desired
schedule
o -51.2% agree, preference for in person shopping than
online shopping
o -48.7% agree ecommerce limits quality check of
goods/items
o -65% agree that immediate replacement of
goods/items/cash back are given
o -73.8% consumers disagreed that ecommerce
trading/purchase is for resale/retail

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 31
 A Study on Consumers Opinion on E- Commerce Trading During Covid-19 Pandemic
o -43.8% disagreed that ecommerce limits their
purchases of items/goods
o -92.5% consumers did not have history of covid 19
infection.
o -88.7% agree that ecommerce encourages social
distancing
o -58.8% agree that ecommerce prevents covid 19 cross
infection
o -28.7% of consumes have neutral opinion about
prevention of cross infection
o -50% of the consumers have neutral opinion on
ecommerce leading to fraudulent practices
o -41.2% have neutral opinion regarding wrong
delivery of goods/items by ecommerce trading
o -65.1% Preferred Digital transactions compared to
conventional hard currency
o -51.25% consumers preferred to shop in person than
online shopping irrespective of their annual income
status and their location of their residence in spite of
ongoing COVID 19 Pandemic
o -50% consumers have a average expenditure of below
Rs.3000/- on E Commerce Purchases among the
Nuclear and Joint /Extended Families.
o -27.5% consumers purchased (assorted) all types
goods and items; 26.25% consumers purchased
Groceries; only13.75% purchased Personal protective
goods/items during COVID 19 Pandemic irrespective
of their place of residence.
o -58.75% of consumers belonging to various types of
families, have a opinion that E Commerce can prevent
COVID 19 cross infection with E Commerce
Purchases.
7. SUGGESTIONS
1. The Sample size is 80; and the findings cannot be
generalized to entire population, a larger sample size can
be considered.
2. More Information through multiple channels of mass
media regarding the advantages od E Commerce trading
needs to be highlighted in today’s scenario of COVID 19
Pandemic in particular that Social distancing Prevents
Cross Infection, to prevent the Spread of the Disease.
8. CONCLUSION
In this study the consumers have adequate information
according to theopinionnaire onE-commerce trading/
purchasing of goods/items as enough information through
mass media is available, but there is inadequate information on
covid 19 cross infection which can be reduced if consumers
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
adapt ecommerce trading in purchase of goods and items
because 50% of the consumers in this study prefer in person
shopping compare to online shopping.
This study has enabled the research scholar to understand the
components of ecommerce trading and its advantages and
disadvantages during this ongoing covid19 pandemic.
REFERENCES
[1] Arlina Nurbaity Lubis. Evaluating the Customer
Preferences of Online Shopping: Demographic Factors
and Online Shop Application Issue. Academy of Strategic
Management Journal. 2018; 17 ( 2):
[2] J.P. Morgan Global Payment Trends. E-commerce
Payments Trends: European Overview.
https://www.jpmorgan.com/merchant-
services/insights/reports/european-overview (accessed
18th October 2020).
[3] Dr. Amit Kumar Singh. Consumer Behavior in Online
Shopping: A Study of Aizawl. International Journal of
Business & Management Research (IJBMR). 2013;
1(3):45-49
[4] Shanthi, R. & Kannaiah, Desti. . Consumers perception on
online shopping. Journal of Marketing and Consumer
Research. 2015; 13( ):
[5] Anam Bhatti, Hamza Akram. E-commerce trends during
COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Future
Generation Communication and Networking. 2020; 13(
2): 1449-1452
[6] Jitendra Patel and Dr. Ajay Malpani. Impact of Covid19
on e-marketing: An Early Stage Review. International
Journal of Advanced Science and Technology. 2020; 29
(12s): 1774-1779
[7] World Trade Organisation. E-Commerce, Trade and The
COVID-19 Pandemic Information Note.
https://www.wto.org/english//tratop_e/covid19_e/ecomme
rce_report_e.pdf (accessed 18 October 2020).
[8] Mohammad Waliul Hasanat, Ashikul Hoque. The Impact
of Coronavirus (Covid-19) on E-Business in Malaysia.
Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies. 2020; 3( 1):
85-90
[9] Jennifer McAdams. The Growing Importance of
Ecommerce in a Post-COVID-19 World.
https://www.progress.com/blogs/the-growing-importance-
of-ecommerce-in-a-post-covid-19-world (accessed 18th
October 2020).
[10] Shahrzad Shahriari, MohammadrezaShahriari. E-
Commerce and IT impacts on Global Trend and Market.
International Journal of Research –Granthaalayah. 2015;
3( 4): 49-55
32
 6.
A Comparison Behaviour of Consumers Towards National and
International Clothing Brands
Sherly Steffi
III SemesterM.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: Clothing is a ‘role setter’ in a person’s life. It can
be from a ‘simple need of modesty to a high end trend
setting.’ Thus, this segment of study needs a certain
percentage of attention. This study was aimed at identifying
the perception of the Indian consumers, particularly in the
city of Bangalore. Brands that are Indian in nature have a
different perception when compared to brands that have a
different country of origin, in the minds of the Indian
customers. The importance of the study would overall bridge
the gap between the brands and their origin, and the
perception of the quality they offer and their overall value.
The intention of the study is to assist the National brands
with catching up, with the International perception and
brand image.
1. INTRODUCTION
Clothes are indeed a necessity to all mankind, for obvious
reasons. These pieces of cloth that were formerly known to
‘just cover bodies for modesty and against harsh surroundings’
have now become statements themselves. Clothing is a
compound, but captivating part of everyone’s life. Quiet often
clothes speak a lot about a person, i.e. it elaborates about one’s
personality, choices, status, hygiene, style sense, purchasing
power and the overall place secured by clothing in one’s life. It
is alarming at how these clothing pieces have now impacted
our sense of comfort and acceptance in society, to the extent of
having differences among brands and their places of origin.
The study here is divided into 2 categories, The National
Brands i.e., the brands that have managed to make a huge
impact within the territorial boundary of India, and the
International Brands, i.e. the brands that excel worldwide.
Currently, clothes of particular brands are seen as a prestigious
aspect of one’s life, thus lacking them would lower one’s
status. Thus, the preference of either of the brands in
comparison with each other are studied with regard to their
comfort, affordability, quality, size and fit, color and pattern,
brand value, season, occasion, and advertizing channels.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
According to a study made by Sonika Mishra, Dr. (Mrs.)
Archana Agrawal, published in the year 2017, titled “A
Comparative Study on Buying Behavior of Customers towards
Branded Apparel over Non Branded Apparel with Special
Reference to Raipur City, ” it is noticed that the majority of
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
people are brand conscious, influenced by brand ambassadors,
consider branded clothes most comfortable and are not brand
loyal. It is also noticed that the mass is aware of the different
apparel brands available in the market, but are most aware of
Levis followed by Lee, Provouge than Park Avenue.
According to a study made by Neelam Singh, published in the
year 2016, titled “A study of buying behavior of youth towards
branded fashion apparels in Mawana city, ” it is noticed that
majority of the younger generation of Mawana City wear
branded clothes to seem attractive and grab attention, ignore
the price factor, prefer branded clothes for their good quality
and purchase high priced clothes more often to rock a fresh
look regularly. They also aren’t influenced by promotions
made by well-known personalities and are less loyal to brands.
According to a study made by Subrato Dey, published in the
year 2017, titled “A Study on Changing Buying Behavior of
Indian Customers”, it is noticed that Consumer Behavior is
very often considered irrational. Talking about the market
perspective, people of India encompass different segments of
consumers, based on status, class and individual or family
income. A recent evolution in India’s consumerism is the
emergence and growth of the rural market and market for eco-
friendly products. The digital age requires the need to keep up
with emerging trends in social media.
According to a study made by Mr.S.Thangavel and Dr.P.
Arumugaswamy, published in the year 2017, titled “A Study
on Changing Buying Behavior of Indian Customers, ” it is
noticed that it is considered a challenge to maintain consumer
loyalty for apparel brands because of their numerous forces
representing consumer’s way such as competition and
advertisement, sales promotional activities, fashion and trends,
celebrities influence, etc.
According to a study made by Aniket Sengupta, published in
the year 2014, titled “Brand Analyses of Global Brands Versus
Local Brand in Indian Apparel Consumer Market, ” it is
noticed that the European brands had an edge over the Indian
and American brands of apparel. The research shows that the
study observed the acceptance of global brands and local
brands among Indian consumer. The facts state that a certain
portion of Indian consumers have a strong rapport towards the
procurement of global brands, whereas there still exists a
group who remain undecided.
33
 A Comparison Behaviour of Consumers Towards National and International Clothing Brands
According to a study made by Manish Kumar Rai and
Dr.R.Gopal, published in the year2014, titled “Study of
consumer buying behavior on Branded ethnic apparel, ” it
isnoticed that the buying behavior of consumers is impacted by
the age group theybelong too. The elderly prefer the ethnic
apparel as when compared to the middle agedand younger
generation. It is also concluded that there is no association with
ethnic wearand gender of the masses.
According to a study made by P. SANKARA
KARTHIKEYAN, V.T. JAYASHREE and K. PRABHA
KUMARI, published in the year 2019, titled
“COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR
(ATTITUDE) TOWARS LOCAL VERSUS FOREIGN
BRANDS,” it is noticed that the foreign brands are given a
higher stature. It is again noticed that majority of people are
brand conscious, influenced by brand ambassadors, consider
branded clothes most comfortable and are not brand loyal.
According to a study made by Syed Tabrez Hassan, Bilal H
Hurrah and Amit Lanja, published in the year 2014, titled “A
STUDY OF CUSTOMER PERCEPTION OF YOUTH
TOWARDS BRANDED FASHION APPARELS IN
JALANDHAR CITY,” it is noticed that it is noticed that
majority of the people preferred branded clothes to seem
attractive, ignored the price factor, preferred branded clothes
for their good quality and purchasehigh priced clothes more
often to rock a fresh look regularly. They also aren’t
influenced by promotions made by well-known personalities
and are less loyal to brands.
According to a study made by Md. Mazedul Islam,
Muhammad Mufidul Islam, Abu Yousuf Mohammad Anwarul
Azim, Md. Russel Anwar and Md. Mijan Uddin, published in
the year 2014, titled “CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS IN
BUYING DECISION TOWARDS BRANDED
BANGLADESHI LOCAL APPAREL PRODUCTS, ” it is
noticed that the studyshows that many demographic factors
and other purchase pattern factors have asignificant influence
on the customer’s choice of outlets and buying of apparels. It
is noticed that it is important to know the customers buying
behavior process properly.
According to a study made by Anita N. Halamata, published in
the year 2013 titled“Consumer Behavior and Brand Preference
of Titan Watches - An empirical study with reference to Haveri
District, Karnataka, ” it is noticed that the Titan Watches are
wellknown for their quality and performance in the local and
international market. Theconsumers are highly satisfied with
the superior performance, appearance, brand value and overall
status of the company, thus is a highly favored option amongst
various categories of society.
According to a study made by Alamuri Venkateshwara Gupta
and D Henry Babu, published in the year 2015 titled “A
Conceptual Framework of Prestige in Luxury Cars, ” itis
noticed that customers always measure the quality of the
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
luxury item on the basis ofits uniqueness and worthiness of
acquiring and owning it. It is also noticed that the status and
prestige of the products involve the ego of the consumers.
According to a study made by Kanchan Dutt and Varsha
Mallah, published in the year 2015 titled “A Study of
Consumers Behaviour Towards Different Milk-Type in Kalyan
City, ” it is noticed that dairy products form a core part of the
religious and social happenings of the Indian society. It is also
noted that dairy products are an important part of the daily
nutritional intake of most of the families and communities.
3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The perception that Indians have on National Clothing Brands
and International Clothing Brands is very different. The study
was conducted to find the issues and appropriate solutions
related to National Clothing Brands, and as to why they are
less preferred when compared with International Clothing
Brands.
4. OBJECTIVES
1) To examine the factors that influence the buying
behavior of the consumers of branded clothing.
2) To examine the relationship between selected
demographic variables and the attributes of branded
clothing.
3) To examine the relationship between the attributes of
branded clothing and the level of satisfaction of
consumers of branded clothing.
5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
NATURE OF STUDY – The study is Descriptive in nature.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE – The sampling technique
followed is Convenient Sampling Method.
SAMPLE SIZE – 107 responses
VARIABLES –
Dependant Variables –Overall satisfaction with National
Brands
Independent Variables – Comfort, Affordability, Quality,
Size and fit, Color and Pattern, Brand Value, Season and
Occasion for National and Internal Clothing Brands
individually.
HYPOTHESIS –
H0 = There is no association between gender and preference of
Zara over Louis Philippe.
34
 A Comparison Behaviour of Consumers Towards National and International Clothing Brands
H1 = There is association between gender and preference of
Zara over Louis Philippe
Since P value is .049, which is lesser than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to reject null hypothesis.
It is inferred that gender has an impact on preference of Zara
over Louis Philippe.
6. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
CHI-SQUARE TEST
H0 = There is no association between gender and preference of
Zara over Louis Philippe.
H1 = There is association between gender and preference of
Zara over Louis Philippe
Since P value is .049, which is lesser than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to reject null hypothesis.
It is inferred that gender has an impact on preference of Zara
over Louis Philippe.
H0 = There is no association between gender and preference of
Raymond over Cadini.
H1 = There is association between gender and preference of
preference of Raymond over Cadini.
Since P value is .075, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of gender, preference of
Raymond over Cadini is the same.
H0 = There is no association between gender and brand
loyalty.
H1 = There is association between gender and brand loyalty.
Since P value is .039, which is lesser than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to reject null hypothesis.
It is inferred that gender has an impact on brand loyalty.
H0 = There is no association between gender and offer of fake
‘High-end Brand name’ at a cheaperrate.
H1 = There is association between gender and offer of fake
‘High-end Brand name’ at a cheaper rate.
Since P value is .231, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of gender, preference of a fake
‘High-end Brand name’ at a cheaperrate is same.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
H0 = There is no association between gender and preference of
advertising channels and quality ofadvertising of brands.
H1 = There is association between gender and preference of
advertising channels and quality ofadvertising of brands.
Since P value is .347, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of gender, preference of
advertising channels and quality ofadvertising of brands is
same.
H0 = There is no association between age and preference of
Zara over Louis Philippe.
H1 = There is association between gender and preference of
Zara over Louis Philippe
Since P value is .010, which is lesser than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to reject null hypothesis.
It is inferred that age has an impact on preference of Zara over
Louis Philippe.
H0 = There is no association between age and preference of
Raymond over Cadini.
H1 = There is association between age and preference of
preference of Raymond over Cadini.
Since P value is .264, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of age, preference of Raymond
over Cadini is same.
H0 = There is no association between age and brand loyalty.
H1 = There is association between age and brand loyalty.
Since P value is .450, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of age, brand loyalty is the same.
H0 = There is no association between age and offer of fake
‘High-end Brand name’ at a cheaper rate.
H1 = There is association between age and offer of fake ‘High-
end Brand name’ at a cheaper rate.
Since P value is .406, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of age, offer of fake ‘High-end
Brand name’ at a cheaper rate is thesame.
H0 = There is no association between age and preference of
advertising channels and quality ofadvertising of brands.
35
 A Comparison Behaviour of Consumers Towards National and International Clothing Brands
H1 = There is association between age and preference of
advertising channels and quality ofadvertising of brands.
Since P value is .081, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of age, preference of advertising
channels and quality of advertising ofbrands remains the same.
H0 = There is no association between family annual income
and preference of Zara over LouisPhilippe.
H1 = There is association between family annual income and
preference of Zara over Louis Philippe
Since P value is .264, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of family annual income,
preference of Zara over Louis Philippe is thesame.
H0 = There is no association between family annual income
and preference of Raymond over Cadini.
H1 = There is association between family annual income and
preference of preference of Raymondover Cadini.
Since P value is .322, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of family annual income,
preference of Raymond over Cadini is thesame.
H0 = There is no association between family annual income
and brand loyalty.
H1 = There is association between family annual income and
brand loyalty.
Since P value is .305, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of family annual income, brand
loyalty is the same.
H0 = There is no association between family annual income
and offer of fake ‘High-end Brand name’at a cheaper rate.
H1 = There is association between family annual income and
offer of fake ‘High-end Brand name’ at acheaper rate.
Since P value is .131, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of family annual income, an offer
of fake ‘High-end Brand name’ at acheaper rate is the same.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
H0 = There is no association between family annual income
and preference of advertising channelsand quality of
advertising of brands.
H1 = There is association between family annual income and
preference of advertising channels andquality of advertising of
brands.
Since P value is .571, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of family annual income,
preference of advertising channels andquality of advertising of
brands is the same.
H0 = There is no association between occupation and
preference of Zara over Louis Philippe.
H1 = There is association between occupation and preference
of Zara over Louis Philippe
Since P value is .566, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of occupation, preference of Zara
over Louis Philippe is the same.
H0 = There is no association between occupation and
preference of Raymond over Cadini.
H1 = There is association between occupation and preference
of preference of Raymond over Cadini.
Since P value is .994, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of occupation, preference of
Raymond over Cadini is the same.
H0 = There is no association between occupation and brand
loyalty.
H1 = There is association between occupation and brand
loyalty.
Since P value is .374, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
It is inferred that irrespective of occupation, brand loyalty
remains the same.
H0 = There is no association between occupation and offer of
fake ‘High-end Brand name’ at acheaper rate.
H1 = There is association between occupation and offer of
fake ‘High-end Brand name’ at a cheaperrate.
36
 A Comparison Behaviour of Consumers Towards National and International Clothing Brands

Since P value is .641, which is greater than .050, there is H1 = There is association between occupation and preference
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis. of advertising channels and quality ofadvertising of brands.

It is inferred that irrespective of occupation, offer of fake Since P value is .564, which is greater than .050, there is
‘High-end Brand name’ at a cheaper rateis the same. sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.

H0 = There is no association between occupation and It is inferred that irrespective of occupation, preference of
preference of advertising channels and qualityof advertising of advertising channels and quality ofadvertising of brands is the
brands. same.

Monte Carlo Sig. (2-sided)

Asymptotic 95% Confidence Interval

Significance
Value df (2-sided) Significance Lower Bound

Pearson Chi-Square 9.549a 4 .049 .045b .041

Likelihood Ratio 9.623 4 .047 .054b .050

Fisher's Exact Test 9.355 .047b .042

Linear-by-Linear Association .003c 1 .954 1.000b 1.000

N of Valid Cases 103

REGRESSION Since P value is .030, which is lesser than .050, there is

Y = a + b1x1 + b2x2 + b3x3 + b4x4 … + bnxn
Y = 3.372 + (-.246)(comfort) + 0.162 (affordability) + 0.230
(quality) + (-.059)(size and fit) + (-.006)(color andpattern) +
0.059 (brand value) + (-.020)(season) + (-.029)(occasion)
NATIONAL CLOTHING BRANDS
H0 = There is no association between comfort and National
clothing brands.
H1 = There is association between comfort and National
clothing brands.
Since P value is .024, which is lesser than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to reject null hypothesis.
It is inferred that comfort has exerted sufficient influence on
the National clothing brands, thus it hasa relation.
H0 = There is no association between affordability National
and clothing brands.
sufficient evidence to reject null hypothesis.
It is inferred that affordability has exerted sufficient influence
on National clothing brands, thus ithas a relation.
H0 = There is no association between brand value and
National clothing brands.
H1 = There is association between brand value and National
clothing brands.
Since P value is .473, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept nullhypothesis.
It is inferred that quality has failed to exert sufficient influence
on National clothing brands, thus ithas no relation.
Since R^2 = 0.120, the regression equation model is not a good
fit because the independentvariable explains the dependant
variable only to the extent of 12%. In other words,
theindependent variable which could explain the dependant
variable to the extent of 88% has notbeen taken into study.

H1 = There is association between affordability and National

clothing brands.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 37
 A Comparison Behaviour of Consumers Towards National and International Clothing Brands

Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) 3.372 .200 16.892 .000
X6 -.246 .107 -.526 -2.301 .024
X7 .162 .074 .310 2.202 .030
X8 .230 .136 .461 1.693 .094
X9 -.059 .126 -.118 -.472 .638
X10 -.006 .094 -.012 -.067 .947
X11 .059 .082 .101 .720 .473
X12 -.020 .081 -.035 -.245 .807
X13 -.029 .086 -.054 -.341 .734

Y= 3.467 + (-.265)(comfort) + 0.145 (affordability) + 0.004 (quality) + 0.078 (size and fit) + 0.077 (color andpattern) + 0.051
(brand value) + 0.002 (season) + (-.038 )(occasion)

7. INTERNATIONAL CLOTHING BRANDS H1 = There is association between affordability and

International clothing brands.
H0 = There is no association between brand value and
International clothing brands. Since P value is .103, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis.
H1 = There is association between brand value and
International clothing brands. It is inferred that affordability has failed to exert sufficient
influence on International clothingbrands, thus has no relation.
Since P value is .621, which is greater than .050, there is
sufficient evidence to accept null hypothesis. Since R^2 = 0.065, the regression equation model is not a
good fit because the independent variable explains the
It is inferred that brand value has failed to exert sufficient dependant variable only to the extent of 6%. In other
influence on International clothing brands, thus has no relation. words, theindependent variable which could explain the
dependant variable to the extent of 94% has notbeen taken
H0 = There is no association between affordability and into study.
International clothing brands.
Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) 3.467 .207 16.753 .000
X14 -.265 .164 -.582 -1.622 .109
X15 .145 .088 .270 1.647 .103
X16 .004 .171 .008 .021 .983
X17 .078 .160 .162 .486 .628
X18 .077 .137 .153 .563 .575
X19 .051 .102 .096 .496 .621
X20 .002 .127 .004 .019 .985
X21 -.038 .109 -.077 -.350 .728

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 38
 A Comparison Behaviour of Consumers Towards National and International Clothing Brands
8. FINDINGS
1) The study reveals that the preference of Zara over Louis
Philippe changes depending on thegender and ageof
people, while it remains the same irrespective of family
annual income level and occupation of people.
2) The study reveals that the preference of Raymond over
Cadini remains the sameirrespective of the gender, age,
family annual income level and occupation of people.
3) The study reveals that brand loyalty changes depending
on the gender of people, while it remains the same
irrespective of the age, family annual income level and
the occupation of people.
4) The study reveals that the offer of fake ‘High-end Brand
name’ at a cheaper rate remainsthe same irrespective of
the gender, age, family annual income level and the
occupation of people.
5) The study reveals that the preference of advertising
channels and quality of advertising of brands remains the
same irrespective of the gender, age, family annual
income level and the occupation of people.
6) It is inferred that comfort, affordability, quality, size and
fit, color and pattern, brand value, seasonal and
occasional wear has exerted significant influence in the
enhancement of the overall satisfaction of consumers of
International Brands.
7) It is also inferred that the comfort and affordability
aspects have failed to exert significant influence in the
enhancement of the overall satisfaction of National
Brands.
9. SUGGESTIONS
No matter how brilliant a brand is, and how many ever
customers are highly satisfied with the products, there will
always be a handful of critics out there to find a flaw. Our
work here would only be complete when we push to limits and
beyond. Thus, although all the aspects of International Brand
clothing are highly satisfactory to their consumers, there can
still be improvements and dynamicity when it comes to their
color and patterns, seasonal and occasional wear. It should be a
firm decision of such brands to never compromise on their
quality, and find alternatives ways to cost cutting, but never
‘Quality compromise.’ The buyers seem to be ready to pay
good prices for such comfort clothing, thus a promising
market.
When it comes to National Brand clothing on the other hand,
in order to be able to further satisfy customers, such brands
should better their comfort and affordability aspects of
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
clothing. For example, since India is a country with quite
extreme climates, it is fair to say that pure cotton clothing in
the summer is a must. Cotton, known to be a fabricthat allows
air circulation, makes the heat more bearable. The quality
needs to be spot on with no adulteration. Thus, what will make
the company unique and highly preferred by customers is the
‘Problem solving strategy’ it undertakes.
Secondly, India, being a country with a large population
consisting of the lower, lower-middle and middle class social
status, it is only fair that the such national brands do not charge
exorbitant prices for basic necessities, as its not only the
‘Wealth Making’ of the company that matters, but also the
‘Welfare’ of the customers.
10. CONCLUSION
Clothing is no more just a covering for the skin, but so much
more. It goes to the extent of a sense of belonging and prestige
these days. The conclusion we draw from this study is that the
Indian consumers are completely satisfied with International
brands including their factors of comfort, quality, affordability
and price ranging, size and fit, color and patterns, seasonal and
occasional wear and the value they hold in the market and the
eyes of the public. It is also noted that they are more or less
satisfied with National clothing brands, but would prefer better
pricing strategies and comfort levels to reach their satisfaction
levels.
REFERENCES
[1] Alamuri Venkateshwara Gupta, D. H. (2015). A
Conceptual Framework of Prestige in Luxury Cars.
Advances in Economics and Business Management
(AEBM), 1049-1051.
[2] Dey, S. (2017). A Study on Changing Buying Behaviour
of Indian Customers. Global Journal of Marketing
Management and Research, 1-4 .
[3] Halamata, A. N. (2013). Consumer Behaviour and Brand
Preference of Titan Watches –An empirical study with
reference to Haveri District, Karnataka. IOSR Journal of
Business and Management (IOSR-JBM), 01-07.
[4] Kanchan Dutt, V. M. (2015). A Study of Consumers
Behaviour Towards Different Milk-Type in Kalyan City.
VEETHIKA-An Interdisciplinary International Research
Journal, 37-44.
[5] Manish Kumar Rai, D. (2014). Study of consumer buying
behavior on Branded ethnic apparel. IOSR Journal of
Business and Management (IOSR-JBM), 43-49.
[6] Md. Mazedul Islam, M. M. (2014). Customer Perceptions
in Buying Decision towards branded Bangladeshi Local
Apparel Products. European Scientific Journal, 482-497.
[7] Mr.S.Thangavel, D. (2017). A Study on Consumer
Preference and Satisfaction of Branded Clothing of Men -
39
 A Comparison Behaviour of Consumers Towards National and International Clothing Brands

with Special Reference to Coimbatore City. Paripex -
Indian Journal of Research, 821-823.
[8] P. Sankarakarthikeyan, V. J. (2019). Comparative Study
Of Shopping Behaviour (Attitude) Towars Local Versus
Foreign brands. International Research Journal of
Engineering and Technology (IRJET), 488-490.
[9] Sengupta, A. (2014). Brand Analyses of Global Brands
Versus Local Brand in Indian Apparel Consumer Marke.
University of Kentucky, 1-101.
[10] Singh, N. (2016). A study of buying behaviour of youth
towards branded fashion apparels in Mawana City.
International Journal of Home Science, 33-37.
[11] Sonika Mishra, D. (. (2017). A Comparative Study on
Buying Behavior of Customers towards Branded Apparel
over Non Branded Apparel withSpecial Reference to
Raipur City. International Journal of Scientific Research
and Management (IJSRM), 5763-5769.
[12] Syed Tabrez Hassan, B. H. (2014). A Study of Customer
Perception of Youth Towards Branded Fashion Apparels
in Jalandhar City. ELK Asia Pacific Journal OF
Marketing and Retail Management, 1-10.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 40
 7.
A Study on “Consumer Buying Behaviour towards Organcic Food- A Study in
Bangalore Region (A Special Reference to Pandemic)”
Shazna Sherin Y.
III SemesterM.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: The food consumption pattern has changed in the
present decade. Food additives destroy the vitamins in food
and the current market is filled with such products harming
the life span of humans. Consumer buying behavior is
unpredictable and organic food products is a rather new
product However, organic food is in great approval in todays
world. As it contains very minimal or completely no
pesticides and these produces are grown naturally. There are
lot of benefits associated with the consumption of organic
food. Hence, this research focal point is on consumer buying
behavior and their readiness to pay for the same.
The center point of the study focuses on organic buying
behavior. It scrutinizes the awareness, attitude, insight
towards organic food products. Percentage analysis
interpretation will be performed to analyze the same. The
price factor and readiness to be will also be considered for
examination. The objectives of the study is to understand the
purchase pattern and barrier of pertaining to the same will
be discussed.
1. INTRODUCTION
The agricultural strategies persevered through the mechanical
upset in the 20th century. The creation and utilization of
apparatus had pushed conventional work out of thefarm, while
the utilization of an enormous assortment of compound
manures and pesticides was presented. In spite of the fact that
this specialized strategy for cultivating is as yet prevailing, and
assists with expanding the yield yet it does as such without
thinking about its consequences for human wellbeing and the
climate. Over the most recent twenty years, because of an
expansion in food-related maladies stresses over the nutritive
estimation of food, increment in natural issues, and the issues
identified with the security and nature of food have pulled in
the consideration and enthusiasm of the purchasers towards a
sound living .The trend of organic food is now expanding from
developed countries todeveloping countries like India and
China Although developed countries like the United States of
America and the European Union still generate the maximum
sales, many organic products are grown and exported from
Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Export is the key driver for
growth of organic food in India, but with rising awareness and
disposable income, along with governmental initiatives, Indian
consumers are also becoming conscious about their health and
organic food is gaining wide acceptability. Although the
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
domestic market is at an infancy stage, industry experts expect
that in the coming years, domestic organic food market will
grow at a very fast pace.Purchaser conduct is truly flighty and
organic food is a somewhat new item. Purchasers search for
worth, and desires are definitely in excess of a simple item.
Additionally, existing writing proposes that the Indian organic
food area is dispersed, and for feasible development, the
readiness and progress of organic food appropriation should be
examined.The findings of the study will beuseful for organic
food growers/producers. They will be able to assess the
demand for various product categories and plan accordingly
for increased volume. The findings will be useful for retailers
and sellers too, as they will be able to identify the different
segments of consumers and design marketing and
merchandising strategies accordingly.
2. BRIEF REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
• In Denmark and Great Britain, interest for natural food
items is supported by components, for example, quality
and security of food. Worry for climate and government
assistance of creatures are perceived by purchasers yet
applies less impact on their genuine purchasing conduct.
Absence of data about item, provider, creation and
handling strategy prompts disappointment among hefty
shoppers.( wier, Anderson, Millock 2008)
• Standard natural shoppers of the two nations, UK and
Germany esteem prosperity, worry for wellbeing and
satisfaction throughout everyday life except the item
ascribes looked for if there should arise an occurrence of
natural food items are unique. For buyers in UK, it is
constitution and non-GMOs, for shoppers in Germany, it
is taste and nature of food. For buyers in UK, natural food
isn't at all related with climate, even non-GMOs is
identified with wellbeing not climate.(Baker, Thompson,
Engelken Huntley 2004)
• For improbable buyers, the readiness to address significant
expenses was almost zero. Likely and real natural food
buyers were eager to address the greater expense premium
and showed positive perspectives towards natural food and
its characteristics. It was discovered that for purchasers it
was anything but difficult to distinguish natural credits in
transitory and new items and their eagerness to follow
through on greater expense premium was more significant
41
 A Study on “Consumer Buying Behaviour towards Organcic Food- A Study in Bangalore Region (A Special Reference to
Pandemic)”
for these items, for example, organic products, meat and
vegetables. The high premium for natural meat is because
of food-shortage moreover. Provincial contrasts were
likewise perceived. Shoppers ability to address a cost
premium for natural food was higher in the creating locale
than in the devouring locales. (Gill, Gracia, Sanchez 2000)
• engineered agrochemicals, for example, composts and
pesticides with reception of supplement responsive, high
yielding assortments of harvests had helped the creation
yield per hectare in the greater part of the cases. Be that as
it may, this expanded underway has eased back down and
sometimes there indicated decrease in development of
efficiency and creation. Needs in agribusiness research
were continuously moving from an emphasis on singular
yield execution to add up to framework profitability with
due consideration on item quality and climate wellbeing.
Natural and medical conditions related with horticulture
had been progressively well archived. (Rai 2008)
3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND
METHODOLOGY
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
• Percentage of Expenditure on Organic Food during
lockdown
• Willingness to Pay Premium for Organic Food during
pandemic
• Barriers pertaining to the same
RESEARCH DESIGN
The current examination expects to accomplish experiences
into a moderately new idea of natural food and purchasers'
purchasing conduct towards it in Bangalore Region, through
gathering, dissecting, and understanding the reactions of
individuals who have found out about natural food. Along
these lines, the examination plan of the current investigation is
exploratory and descriptive in nature.
SAMPLING FRAME
Population: The number of inhabitants in the examination
incorporates each and every individual who has caught wind of
organic food or potentially gets it often or periodically.
The total number of respondents are 74
4. TYPE OF DATA AND METHOD OF
COLLECTION
The current investigation is an experimental work, in light of
the essential information. In the investigation, auxiliary data
was additionally concentrated cautiously to increase
understanding about the current status of natural food market,
ID of the factors, and setting the bearing of work. It
additionally helped in the planning of hypothetical system, and
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
planning the poll to gather the necessary essential information
and accomplish the goals. The different wellsprings of
auxiliary data were: peer evaluated diaries like Appetite,
British Food Journal, Journal of Retailing and Consumer
Services, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Journal of Business
Ethics, Global Marketing Review, Food Quality and
Preference, Food Policy, Spanish Diary of Agricultural
Research, Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, Procedia
Economics and Finance, Procedia - Social and Behavioral
Sciences, reports, books, and articles, and so forth.
5. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
• The exploration study is led in the Bangalore city, which
is despite the fact that a combination and delegate of
various populace of India, the aftereffects of the current
investigation can just around reflect for the entire country.
As Indian organic food market is tiny and dissipated; there
is a need to direct comparative examinations in different
locales and states also, for correlation and speculation of
results.
• The present research study is empirical in nature, and is
based on respondents opinions and experiences. There is
always a chance of consumer biasedness, which cannot be
ruled out.
• The current study focused on profiling organic food
consumers on various socio-demographic variables, future
researches should include psychographic profiling too,
especially the personality traits of the consumers, so that
effective and targeted marketing strategies could be
designed.
6. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
To know the ground reality of the study primary information
was collected through questionnaires. The following graph will
show the data analysis of collected data.
Fig. 1.1 Shows the percentage of expenditure on organic
food during lockdown
42
 A Study on “Consumer Buying Behaviour towards Organcic Food- A Study in Bangalore Region (A Special Reference to
Pandemic)”
Analysis
Figure 1.1 states that 40% of the respondents are ready to
spend for organic food during lockdown- Pandemic situation.
While 27% of respondents agree to the fact of spending for
organic food in comparison to regular food products and 5% of
the respondents feel the same and as little as 2% of
respondents prefer spending on organic food products.
Interpretation
The above figure represents that there is a fair percentage of
respondents owing to 40% from which the interpretation can
be drawn that they are willing to pay more for organic food
owing to many relatable factors and such a rise in figures
during pandemic shows the benefit factor of consuming the
same.
Fig. 1.2. Shows the willingness to pay premium for organic
food during pandemic
Analysis
Figure 1.2 states that 39% of the respondents are ready to
spend for organic food alone during lockdown- Pandemic
situation. While 12% of respondents agree to the fact of
spending extra on organic food and 10% of the respondents
feel the same and as little as respondents ranging between 3%-
6% respondents prefer spending extra only on organic food
products.
Interpretation
The above figure speaks to that there is a reasonable level of
respondents attributable to 39% from which the translation can
be drawn that they are eager to pay 76-100% all the more just
for natural as it appears to be more advantageous to buy during
pandemic circumstance while there was general flood in cost
during the situation.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Fig. 1.3. Barriers pertaining to purchasing organic food
Analysis
From the above illustration it is evident that 25% of total
respondents feel that less accessibility to purchase organic
food is one of the barrier to consume the same. While the
highest percentage owes to the factor of high price accounting
to 33% of respondents as a barrier to the same. While 9% of
the respondents feel that the limited availability of the products
is one of the barrier. 3% of the respondents account to the
limited assortment category and while 2% of the respondents
fall under the bracket of poor taste and other factors
Interpretation
From the above figure it can be depicted that 33% of
respondents feel that price is the main factor affecting the
purchase pattern and imposes itself as a threat in the long run
as there substitutes for the same however the benefits of the
same outweighs the barriers is stated under the other category
7. FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS
FINDINGS
• Its found that consumers are slightly familiar with a very
few brands.
• In this study most dominant source of information is word
of mouth
• It is observed that all consumers feel some level of
restraint in buying organic food like non availability and
easy accessibility with price factor are the main barriers
• It is found that only a tiny number of consumers devote
100% of their food expenditure in buying organic food
product.
• It is found that there has been an increase trend in sales
during the pandemicsituation
43
 A Study on “Consumer Buying Behaviour towards Organcic Food- A Study in Bangalore Region (A Special Reference to
Pandemic)”
SUGGESTION
• They should educate the benefit aspect of consuming such
products and enhance the trust of genuineness of the
organic products
• Organic food is still in infancy stage. For sustainability of
this markets, producers and sellers need to create
awareness and promote their brands in the market by
highlighting environmental benefits of adopting the same.
• Organic food products in Bangalore region need to gain
popularity as the respondents strongly agreed on being
aware of 2-3 brands and more the popularity there will be
a surge in demand
• The less accessibility and availability factor should be
scrutinized the market needs to be more dispersed
• It is important to increase the % of committed consumers
by appropriate strategies at each segment
• The findings indicate that organic food sector is still a
niche market and a luxury enjoyed by a very few and to
sustain in the market its important to increase the
percentage of frequency purchase.
8. CONCLUSION
It is discovered that customers with more elevated level of
month to month family salary, i.e., above Rs. one lakh and
between Rs. 50, 000 - Rs. 1, 00, 000 every month, are more
familiar with organic food when contrasted with shoppers with
lower level of family unit salary, that is, not as much as Rs. 50,
000 every month. Organic food items are relatively more
costly than ordinary customary food. They order an exorbitant
cost premium and to bear the cost of this sort of food is the
fondness of high salary purchasers.Measures in reducing the
barriers in buying, especially inadequate availability, high
prices andlack of trust should be addressed. And in case of
Bangalore region where the demand factor is infinite there is a
huge scope for this sector. And there was incredible mark up in
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
sales during pandemic situation mostly from high end income
group this shows consumers prefer traditional way of farming
owing to many attributes importantly health.Hence, it can be
concluded that at present organic food is a niche market and
there is a significant difference in the organic food buying
behavior of consumers across various socio-demographic
variables. Differentiation strategy and consolidated efforts
from all the stakeholders, viz. government, farmers/producers,
sellers, intermediaries, opinion leaders, NGOs, and consumers
are required to sustain this sector.
REFERENCES
[1] Azzurra, A., & Paola, P. (2009). Consumers ‟ behaviours
and attitudes towardhealthy food products: The case of
organic and functional foods. Paperprepared for
presentation at the 113th EAAE Seminar: A Resilient
European Food Industry and Food Chain in A Challenging
World, Chania, Greece.
[2] Organic Agriculture in Rural Development. (2001).
Retrieved
fromhttp://www.aofindia.com/AOFG/Projects.htm.
[3] Perner, L. (2010). Consumer Behavior: The Psychology of
Marketing.Retrieved from Attitudes:
http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/cb_Attitudes.html
[4] APEDA. (2015). National Programme for organic
Production (NPOP).Retrieved from Agricultural &
Processed Food Products Export DevelopmentAuthority:
http://apeda.gov.in/apedawebsite/organic/index.html
[5] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-
products/food/increase-in-consumption-of-organic-food-
products-survey/articleshow/20222396.cms?from=mdr
[6] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292344432_Con
sumer_Motives_and_Purchase_Preferences_for_Organic_
Food_Products_Empirical_Evidence_From_a_Consumer_
Survey_in_Bangalore_South_India
[7] Milestad, R. (2003). Building farm resilience: challenges
and prospects for organicfarming. (Master thesis).
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, 52
44
 8.
Impact of Lockdown on Indian Banks and NBFCs: A
Systematic Literature Review
Sandra Johnson
III SemesterM.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru- 560077
19cm101045@kristujayanti.com
Abstract: Effective from March 24, 2020, the Indian
Government announced complete lockdown all across the
country in order to stop the COVID-19 from spreading. The
lockdown was extended even further in-order to tackle the
situation effectively. Lockdown was necessary and inevitable
to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to save the lives of
millions of people but it had created a negative effect on the
various sectors of the Indian economy. The Banking and
Non Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) are affected
severely due to the imposition of the lockdown. This article is
an attempt to assess the impact of lockdown on the Banking
and Non Banking Finance companies (NBFCs) which was
resulted from the closure of all businesses including
educational institutions, public and private companies,
transport, etc .It also list down various policy and regulatory
measures taken by the RBI to help out the banks and
financial institutions in times of stress. Secondary sources
are used to collect information for this article. The article
also includes the impact of lockdown on Indian banks and
other financial institutions even if it prolongs beyond
2020.The conclusions and suggestions are made based on the
expert opinion of diversified groups.
Keywords: COVID-19, NBFCs, Banks, Lockdown,
Pandemic, NPAs
1. INTRODUCTION
Before getting further into the topic, it is necessary to
understand the background of Indian Banking Industry along
with NBFCs. A bank is a financial institution that accepts
deposits while lending money to the public. Banks play a vital
role in the financial stability of the country and due to this
reason most jurisdictions regulate the operations of the
banks.The Indian banking industry is very diverse and the
most booming industry. SBI, which is the oldest bank in India,
is still the largest publicsector bank in the country.SBI merged
itself with its associate banks and with this merger, it
hasgained a global ranking of 236 on Fortune 500 Index. As on
May 31, 2020, total number of ATM s in India increased to
210, 415 and is expected to reach 407, 000 by the year 2021.
Indian banking industry is currently estimated to be worth $81
trillion and due to Covid-19, banks are utilizing the latest
technologies like internet and mobile devices to carry out
transactions and communications with the customers. Indian
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
banking industry is the backbone of the Indian economy but
unfortunately it is indicating a downward trend in the
performance since the last five years.
NBFCs are playing a critical role in the financial system of the
country. Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) provide
various banking service similar to that of a bank but they do
not have a banking license. Usually, these companies are not
allowed to accept demand deposits from the public and that
makes them different from the traditional banks. The NBFCs
in India claim to have an asset size worth $370 billion. Due to
pandemic, NBFCs too are facing a tough situation just like any
other business.
2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
The Indian financial service sector was just experiencing a
gradual recovery from slow demand in credit and increased
distressed assets, when new challenges emerged. Actually the
NPA of financial service sector fell from its peak of 10% and
were trying to improve their profitability. Unfortunately, soon
afterwards, the stress in the private banking sector affected the
market sentiment and caused loss in market valuations.
Covid-19 was a sudden shock to the whole world. India was no
exception to that. The government of India announced
complete lockdown starting from March 24, 2020. This
affected some major businesses such as airlines, hotels and
automobiles and has led to a heightened credit risk for
companies in these sectors even after certain relaxations were
given by the Government for these businesses.
Boosting these businesses after lockdown is a major challenge
for corporate and SME borrowers. This would impact the
repayment and credit off-take of the Indian Banks and NBFCs.
3. OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
• To assess the impact of lockdown on Indian financial
services which includes Indian banks and NBFCs during
and post Covid.
• To review the measures taken by RBI to tackle the
situation.
• To suggest the ways in which the banks and NBFCs can
overcome the challenges that they may face during the
pandemic.
45
 Impact of Lockdown on Indian Banks and NBFCs: A Systematic Literature Review
4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
As stated previously, the paper is aimed to assess the impact of
lockdown on Indian banks and Non Banking Financial
Institutions (NBFCs). To achieve this objective, some extracts
have been taken from the secondary data available on various
websites in the form of news articles, RBI publications and
announcements, research articles and reports of various
diversified groups like consulting firms. The relevant
information available in various forms were carefully studied
to draw conclusion for this article. It is necessary to mention
that this paper is an exploratory type of study.
At present, there is no factual data regarding impact of
COVID-19 on various sectors of the economy including banks
and only estimates are available. Since there was no
quantitative data available, the use of statistical tool was not
possible. Hence, a conceptual paper has been prepared
regarding the ongoing impact of lockdown on banks and
NBFCs.
5. MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
Duringthe initial stages of the lockdown, Indian banks and
NBFCs faced a temporary disruption to disbursal and
collections in highly affected sectors of the economy. Due to
this reason, the number of NPA of the banks increased further
and there was increased potential for default payments on loan
by various sectors.
Deloitte (2020) in its report said that due to rising number of
NPAs, banks have approached Ministry of Corporate Affairs to
speed up approval for resolved cases. Even though the reverse
repo rate has been reduced, banks are parking surplus funds
with RBI rather than lending due to fear of bad loans piling up.
Moreover, any default payments in relation to Covid 19 is
excluded by RBI from the definition of default.RBI (2020)
announced a list of measures in order to provide relief for the
corona virus outbreak in India:
• On March 27, 2020 RBI had announced a moratorium on
term loan payments for three months starting from March
1, 2020.
• The regulator announced that it would cut the repo rate by
0.75% and the reverse repo rate by 0.90%.
• RBI also announced that Cash Reserve Ratio would be
reduced by 1%. This would inject Rs.1, 37, 000 crore.
• RBI would undertake Long Term Repo Operations
(LTRO). This would allow further liquidity with the banks
with a condition that the liquidity would be deployed in
commercial papers, investments grade corporate bonds
and non convertible debentures.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
• Lenders are allowed lending to the borrowers after
reassessing their working capital cycles.RBI specified that
such a move would not downgrade the asset classification.
• RBI also allowed a three month interest moratorium on
working capital to all lending institutions.
• The Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) which was
supposed to be implemented by April 1, 2020 was
postponed to October 1, 2020. NSFR ensures that the
banks fund their activities with sufficient stable sources of
funding thereby reducing funding risk.
• Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) has also been increased
to 3% of SLR until June 30, 2020 with the view to provide
comfort to the banking system by allowing it to avail an
additional Rs.1, 37, 000 of liquidity in times of stress.
Deloitte (2020) predicted that following may be the possible
impact on Indian banks and financial institutions post COVID-
19:
• Asset quality risk may increase across all sectors.
• The Government may set up National Investment
Management Company and National Asset Reconstruction
Company (NARC). NARC would be capitalized by the
Government to the extent of INR 10000 crore.
• Once NARC is set up, it would pay 15 per cent of loan
upfront and balance in the form of security receipts
thereby reducing the risk of piling up of NPA.
• If RBI continues to extend the moratorium period even
further, it would have an adverse impact on the NBFCs as
they do not have substantial on-balance sheet liquidity.
• Lower Net Interest Income (NII) and higher credit cost
may have a negative impact on the banking sector.
The rating agency Fitch(2020) said Corona virus impact would
aggravate the difficulties of Indian Banks and thereby revised
down the operating environment score for the critical sector by
a notch. The agency also said that the Indian Banking System
is under-capitalized and would continue to be saddled with bad
loans despite some successes.
Christopher Wood, Global Head of Equity Strategy at Jafferies
(2020) said that the lockdown in countries like India are more
disastrous for human welfare and economies since there is no
help for small businesses nor there are any unemployment
benefits. He further added that in countries like India, with
young demographics, such a lockdown would cause more
suffering than Covid-19 itself. There is a growing risk of
forbearance on local lenders.
In the beginning of March, the impact of Corona virus on
NBFCs were termed as ‘fairly insignificant’ as the sluggish
economy remained one of the biggest worries. But two weeks
later the financial sector was hit by a lockdown across the
46
 Impact of Lockdown on Indian Banks and NBFCs: A Systematic Literature Review
nation and subsequent shutdown of businesses. Emkay Global
(2020) predicted that though the impact of the epidemic would
be partial during Q4FY20 earnings, the full impact of Covid-
19 on growth and delinquencies would be visible from
Q1FY21.
Several industry experts (2020) suggests that NBFCs need to
have regular parity with banks which can help to tap funds at
cheaper and different source at the time Covid-19 has made
growth challenging. They also said that even though the crisis
that was in the air months ago was over, it has again taken the
shape of a challenge to growth and profitability.
The rating agency ICRA(2020) said that though the gradual
relaxations in lockdown restrictions have helped in improving
the collection efficiency of banks, the pace of recovery is
lower than expected because of localised re-impositions of
lockdowns by various states over the last few months. As a
result, the GDP forecast has been revised to a contraction of
9.5 per cent for the current fiscal year.
6. SUGGESTIONS
Based on the above findings and assessment, following are the
suggestions that are recommended:
a) RBI should take more initiatives to maintain sufficient
liquidity in the face of COVID-19;
b) There must be sufficient bank credit flows to put the
small and medium enterprises on a fresh track soon after
the lockdown is over;
c) Government should take initiatives to reduce uncertainty
and financial stress in the economy;
d) Continuous measures should be taken to facilitate smooth
functioning of both money and capital market.
e) All firms should prepare business continuity plans to
operate for disaster recovery so that there is no disruption
in customer services; and
f) Government should take timely efforts to open the
economy to avoid the worst possible scenarios that are
yet to come.
7. CONCLUSION
The review of expert opinionreveals that due to lockdown,
many businesses had an adverse impact and as a result the
number of default payments on loans increased. Due to this
reason, many Indian Banks and NBFCs witnessed a spike in
NPA and they approached RBI for help in this time of crisis.
RBI adopted a lot of measures in order to tackle the situation
but it is found to be a temporary relief for the financial
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
institutions. The Central Government also came up with lot of
initiatives in order to revive the economy. Even after the
lockdown is withdrawn, the banks and NBFCs would take lot
of time to revert to the normal state.
REFERENCES
[1] Singh, Jitender & Bodla, Bhag. (2020). COVID-19
Pandemic and Lockdown Impact on India's Banking
Sector: A Systemic Literature Review.
[2] Coronavirus impact to bring more worries for Indian
banks: Fitch. (2020). Retrieved 1 October 2020, from
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/new
s/coronavirus-impact-to-bring-more-worries-for-indian-
banks-fitch/articleshow/74829677.cms
[3] Chris Wood says lockdown disastrous for Indian
economy. (2020). Retrieved 1 October 2020, from
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indi
cators/chris-wood-says-lockdown-disastrous-for-indian-
economy/articleshow/75350072.cms
[4] Online, F. (2020). NBFC shares immune to Coronavirus?
Three stocks that may gain up to 63%, beat downfall.
Retrieved 1 October 2020, from
https://www.financialexpress.com/market/nbfc-shares-
immune-to-coronavirus-three-stocks-that-may-gain-up-to-
63-beat-downfall/1909344/
[5] Deloitte. (2020). Weathering COVID-19: Impact on
Banking in India (p. 4). Retrieved from
https://www2.deloitte.com/in/en/pages/financial-
services/articles/weathering-the-covid19.html
[6] 10 decisions taken by RBI to counter the coronavirus
impact on economy - ET BFSI. (2020). Retrieved 1
October 2020, from
https://bfsi.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/policy/10
-decisions-taken-by-rbi-to-counter-coronavirus-impact-on-
economy/74844644
[7] Deloitte. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on Stressed Assets
(p. 5). Retrieved from
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/in/Docu
ments/finance/in-fa-impact-of-covid-19-on-stressed-
assets-noexp.pdf
[8] Ghosh, S. (2020). NBFCs need regulatory parity with
banks, say industry experts. Retrieved 27 November 2020,
from https://www.livemint.com/news/india/nbfcs-need-
regulatory-parity-with-banks-say-industry-experts-
11603952021925.html
[9] Coronavirus impact: Banks, NBFCs to face asset quality
distress, says ICRA. (2020). Retrieved 27 November
2020, from
https://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/banks/coronavirus-
effect-banks-nbfcs-face-asset-quality-distress-
icra/story/412127.html
47
 9.
Empiricalstudy on Changes of Production and Dispatch of Coal in CIL Pre-
present Covid with Respect to Korba Area
Sejal Prabhakar
III SemesterM.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: Coal mining contributes largely towards the
economic development of the nation. It is an important
indigenous energy resource and remains dominant fuel for
power generation and many industrial applications. It
accounts for 55% of country’s energy needs. Coal India
Limited is the world’s largest coal mining company and
produces 84% of India’s thermal coal. Majority of the coal is
sold to the power producers. The Covid 19 affected power
sector, coal fired power generation. Covid 19 has affected
uncertainties in coal consumption growth estimates. Covid
has affected the sales of coal and we will summarise the
changes of sales of coal before and during covid.
Keyresearch variable- Covid19, Coal, Coal India Limited,
Coal production in India
1. INTRODUCTION
Coal India Limited (CIL) is an Indian Public Sector coal
mining and refining company. Headquarters in Kolkata. It is
the largest coal producing company in the world and also a
Maharatna PSU. CIL contributes around 82% to the total coal
production in India. CIL hasits 84 mining subsidiaries spread
across over 8 states. Majority of CIL clients are power
producing company and it has clients in abroad as well i.e. in
USA, Japan, Manila and Tanzania. CIL provides many
products and services and few of them are Coking Coal, Semi
Coking Coal, Non-Coking Coal, Washed and beneficiated
coal, middlings, rejects, CIL coke, Coal fines, Tar, heavy oil.
Korba region comes under one of the subsidiaries of CIL i.e.
under SECL (south eastern coalfields limited). It is one of the
major portions of Coal mined by SECL in Chhattisgarh State.
Corona virus disease (covid19) is an infectious disease. It
belongs to large family of viruses that causes illness ranging
from the common cold to more severe disease such as Middle
East Respiratory Symptom. It can transfer from animals to
human and vice-versa. Common symptoms include fever,
cough, shortness to breathe and breathing difficulties in more
severe cases it can cause pneumonia, kidney failure and even
death. India is one of the worst effected countries with corona
virus pandemic. India’s lockdown began late in March and was
extended several times. Country’s Industrial production
dropped sharply in April when country went into lockdown
and most factories were not operating. The service industry
also collapsed in April as most business was shut due to the
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
lockdown. Business activity fell drastically amidst this
pandemic.
Covid 19 has affected almost every industry and one amongst
them is mining. CIL targeted of 710million tonnes for the
current year but due to Covid Pandemic they have to revise
their target to 650-660 million tonnes. On the other hand
pandemic also had adverse effect on the stock prices and it
underperformed Nifty’s 7-8% benchmark. In the beginning of
the lockdown the production was half as compared to previous
year production because of restricted movements which
affected the supply of manpower and supply of explosives.
From April to June 2020 CIL started production but in a slow
pace as there was decrease in demand about 30% and shut
down of many non power sector due to lockdown and major
producing mines were not working because some of them were
in red zones and supply of explosives were restricted due to
interstate transportation restrictions. From July – September
2020, Production touched 90% compared to last year, due to
continuous lockdown and after several guidelines issues by
central and state governments, normalcy has not been stored
yet which still continues to affect coal production and
despatch. Amidst this pandemic, there have been several
measures taken to combat covid 19 such as stopping of
attendance through bio-metric attendance system, avoiding
gathering, installation of sanitization chamber right at the
entrance of office, thermal screening of employees on daily
basis, compulsory of masks, public health message and
awareness programmes and many more.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Covid-19 and a just transition in India’s Coal mining sector by
Prof. Johannes Urpelainen, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz
Professor of energy, resources and environment and John
Hopkins SAIS: In this they discuss the uncertainties within the
coal mining sector in India following the Covid 19 pandemic
and highlighting the importance of transition for coal mining
communities. Need for Clean coal mining in India by Sribas
Goswami, Assistant professor in sociology, Serampore
College, west Bengal. In this paper author discuss about the
impact on socio cultural aspect of workers and people residing
in and around coal mining areas. And also discusses about
“clean coal” strategies which aims to reduce environmental
impacts.
48
 Empiricalstudy on Changes of Production and Dispatch of Coal in CIL Pre-present Covid with Respect to Korba Area

3. OBJECTIVE • It does not represent the whole SECL.

• To understand the effect of pandemic.
• To examine the influence of covid on production and
dispatch.
4. METHODOLOGY
• Sources of data: The methodology of the study includes
collection of research material. This is based on both
primary and secondary data. Primary data are collected
from a structured interview schedule with Area Sales
Manager of Coal India Limited and secondary data are
collected from various journals related to Covid 19 and
Coal India in the year 2020.
• Population: This study represents only a small part of
CIL, Hence the population of the sample is very small.
6. PERIODICITY OF STUDY
• Study of this paper has been conducted over a period of 7
months from March 2020 to September 2020.
• For certain historic based data, it covers a period of March
2019 to September 2019.
• However, the impact factor has been taken from data
based sale of Coal despatch.
7. RESEARCH GAP
• This area of comparison of sales of CIL with respect to
Korba area before and present COVID-19 has been
untouched.

5. LIMITATION • This paper focuses only on Korba area and not whole CIL.
There are as such no paper with respect to Korba area.
• This paper only focuses on sale of coal in Korba Area.
8. DATA PRESENTATION

2019 (in tonnes) 2020 (in tonnes)

Particulars Production Dispatch Production Dispatch
March 374612 612522 314642 277355
April 587798 565061 567514 339558
May 453310 558554 463419 420651
June 558648 547106 474712 359841
July 523998 586137 478313 429073
August 520410 513285 507807 505072
September 543193 481302 554370 551430

9. DATA ANALYSIS

700000

600000

500000

400000
Production 2019
300000
Production 2020
200000

100000

0
March April May June July August September

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 49
 Empiricalstudy on Changes of Production and Dispatch of Coal in CIL Pre-present Covid with Respect to Korba Area

700000

600000

500000

400000
Dispatch2020
300000 Dispatch 2019

200000

100000

0
March April May June July August September

10. DATA INTERPRETATION • Dispatch involves inter-state, inter-city & inter-district

• From fig.1 i.e. Production graph, one can observe that
there have not been major changes in the period of March
– September 2019 and March – September 2020.
• Production of 2020 has been consistently lower or equal to
the Production of 2019.
• From fig.2 i.e Dispatch graph, one can observe that
Dispatch of 2020 has been lower as compare to 2019
dispatch.
• Dispatch of 2020 was increasing at a decreasing rate till
July 2020. After this month dispatch started increasing at
an increasing rate.
11. FINDINGS
• From the above given we can find that due to Covid 19
pandemic there was no effect on production of Coal
because all the production related vehicle were operating
within the mine boundaries with limited and regular
employees.
• Coal plays an integral role in the power sector hence the
production of Coal was not stopped completely.
• Contrary we can notice variations on dispatch of Coal.
Dispatch in simple words refers to sale of coal but not in
term of rupees, in terms of quantity.
transportation of coal and due to restriction of movements
of goods and services, dispatch of Coal was effected due
to Covid 19.
• As there were relaxation on the rules and regulation of
movements of goods, dispatch also started increasing at an
increasing rate.
• Due to continuous production and lagging of dispatch,
inventory started to build up.
• There are many reasons which caused decrease in dispatch
of Coal and one amongst them wasshut down of many non
power sector.
12. CONCLUSION
The economic impact of the 2020 corona virus pandemic in
India has been largely disruptive. India's growth in the fourth
quarter of the fiscal year 2020 went down to 3.1% according to
the Ministry of Statistics. It affected many sectors in
Indiaadversely and one amongst them is coal producing
company. CIL saw decrease in 30% of demand of coal, 7-8%
decrease in Nifty benchmark as well as they had to revise their
annual coal target and reduce it by 10-15million tonnes. As
month by month there were relaxation in the rules of lockdown
and transportation, demand and sales started to increase and
from September onwards we can notice that dispatch in 2020
is almost equal or more than dispatch of 2020. Which shows
that after 6 month of this pandemic Korba area and its dispatch

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 50
 Empiricalstudy on Changes of Production and Dispatch of Coal in CIL Pre-present Covid with Respect to Korba Area

is slowly coming back to the normalcy percentage. There were [3] Energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com
many precautions and measures taken by HQ to combat covid [4] www.cnbc.com
such as installation of sanitation chamber, compulsory of [5] www.emro.who.int
masks in office and mines, social distancing must be followed.
[6] www.cmpdi.co.in
REFERENCES [7] Secl-cil.in
[8] www.researchgate.net
[1] www.coalindia.in [9] Google.comen.m.wikipedia.org
[2] www.moneycontrol.com

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 51
 10.
A Study on The: “Impact of Indirect Taxes and COVID-19
on the Car Sales in India”
Ruth Thomas
III SemesterM.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
19cm101043@kristujayanti.com
Abstract: The Automobile sector is a major contributor to the
country’s GDP and is a significant industry of the Economy
of India. Currently, the Automobile sector has been facing a
hurdle to its continuityinproducing the big cars having an
engine capacity over 1500 cc due to many reasons, owing to
the current pandemic to the tax rates of the country. This
research study examines whether the reason for the big
automobile companies to feel stifled from growing is
completely due to the said tax rates or if there are other
reasons contributing to it. Though the introduction of the
GST into the country is seen to have absorbed the previous
taxes, the big car manufacturing companies such as Maruti
Suzuki India, Toyota, Hyundai Motor India, and Mahindra
& Mahindra still claim that the tax rates are exorbitant to
continue producing high-end cars. This study aims to find
out whether the present Indirect tax levied on the high-end
cars in India is hampering the dales, growth, and expansion
of the auto companies. For the purpose of this study, the
researcher will be comparing the existing tax system levied in
India with a few developing countries such as China, Brazil,
South Africa as well as Industrialised countries such as the
United States of America, the European Union as well as
Japan. In order to understand the performance of the auto
companies in these countries, a time period of one year
starting from the 30th of June, 2019 to the 30th of June, 2020
is taken. Findings and conclusions from this study can
strengthen our understanding of the actual reasons
surrounding the automobile sector and can potentially help
them find a way out of the crisis.
Keywords: Indirect tax, GST, automotive industry, COVID-
19.
1. INTRODUCTION
The Goods and Services Tax ( GST) has an undeniable impact
on all the business operations happening in the country. The
automotive industry in India is a great contributor to the
economic growth and GDP of the nation. Though it is so, this
industry has been constantly complaining of the high tax rates
levied on them for a long period of time. Before the
implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, the automotive
industry had several other taxes such as excise, VAT, road tax
and motor vehicle tax, central cesses, etc, which has now been
absorbed in the new Goods and Services Tax. Though the tax
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
rates have seen to be fallen from a range of 26.50 % - 44% to a
new range of 18%-28%, the big car producers still feel it a
great burden on their continuance in production.
Recently, the Vice Chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motor had
commented that “ the message we are getting after we have
come here and invested money, is that we don’t want you... (
in the absence of any reforms), we won’t exit India, but we
won’t scale up.” Just like this company had addressed their
issues with the impact of the taxes on their continuity, many
other automobile companies such as Maruti Suzuki and more
had addressed their concern.
With the introduction of GST too, the tax differential between
a small car and big cars exceeding the 4 metre and engine
capacity exceeding 1500cc has become around 19%. ( For
diesel car less than 1500cc and length less than 4 meters – 31%
and a diesel car over 1500 cc and length greater than 4 meters
have 50% ). This widening tax differential between sub-4
meter and above-4 meter cars has also made it really hard for
producers to keep the sales of it from being stagnated. With the
present effect of the pandemic COVID-19, the automotive
industry Vehicle sales in India fell to almost half in March
from a year earlier, because the nationwide lockdown imposed
to see the spread of the coronavirus pandemic brought
production also as dispatches to a standstill. According to the
Society of India Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), passenger
vehicle sales declined 51% to 143, 014 units last March.
2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
The main concern that will be addressed in this paper is “to
find out whether the present Indirect taxes levied on the big car
manufacturers in India is hampering their sales, growth, and
expansion, and to understand the impact of the novel
Coronavirus on the sales volumes of few automobile
companies in India. Big car manufacturing companies have
voiced their concerns time and again about how India’s tax
system is quite suffocating to their growth compared to the
other countries that it produces in especially for the big cars
above the sub-4 meter length.
3. LITERATURE REVIEW
Badri Narayanan G., Pankaj Vashisht (2008): According to the
research conducted by them, partial excise cut for small cars
52
 A Study on The: “Impact of Indirect Taxes and COVID-19 on the Car Sales in India”

that was done in 2006-07, was expected to have adverse effects
on other car segments and tax incentives based on the degree
of localization needed to replace the system of differential
treatment of automobile segments.
Neeraj Kumar and Dr. Kuldip Kaur ( 2015): According to their
research, with post-liberalization reforms, India has achieved
remarkable development on the overall economic front and as
the world’s seventh-largest producer of automobiles, Indian
manufacturers will have to upgrade their technology and
quality to move from good to excellent.
K. Neelavathi, Mrs. Rachana Sharma: since the execution of
GST had moved from the root state to utilization state, general
financial action is required to broaden and improve the GDP
development needed to push interest for vehicle crosswise over
classes.
SaravanaRajan S, Kirubagaran K: According to their research,
implementation of the GST is to reduce the tax leakage and
prevent corruption in the pricing of products. The automobile
industry has benefitted from the GST tax system and prices of
automobiles have also reduced. The barrier that is causing the
still high considered price is the rise in petroleum prices.
Dr.Ashok Sharma, Dr.Davendrakumar Sharma (2018): with
the elimination of CST, companies do not need to maintain
warehouses and C&F agents therefore lowering the operation
costs in their supply chain. The base GST rate at 28% besides a
cess (1%-22%) on vehicles of different categories and sizes
will impact the end prices.
TABLE Showing the tax rates pre-GST period on different vehicle categories
Kelkar (2009) committee recommended that GST will bring
qualitative change within the tax system of the country and
therefore the GDP will grow thanks to the reduction of cost
leads to enhance consumption by the consumers.
Prof. Vinayak R Gramopadhye, Prof.Milind M Samudre
(2018): According to the research conducted by them, the
implementation of the Goods and Services Tax is
demonstrating a positive impact on the Indian service sector
although faced with some challenges that can be addressed and
reduced.
4. OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
1. To study the existing tax system in India in comparison
with few developing countries and with few
industrialized countries.
2. To study the impact of COVID-19 on the volume of sales
of the few automobile companies in India.
5. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Objective: 1 Comparison of the tax system in India
with developed and developing countries.
The tax system in India on the automobile industry before the
GST was implemented in 2017 comprised of various taxes
such as excise, VAT, NCCD, automobile cess, road tax,
Central Sales Tax, Entry tax, motor vehicle tax, etc.

Category Excise Nccd VAT Road Tax Motor Total

+auto cess vehicle tax
Small Cars <1200cc (approx) 12.50% 1.1% 14% Acc. to state Acc. to state 28%
Mid-SizeCars from 1200cc to 1500cc 24% 1.1% 14% Acc. to state Acc. to state 39%
Luxury Cars>1500cc 27% 1.1% 14% Acc. to state Acc. to state 42%
SUV’s >1500cc, >170mm ground clearance 30% 1.1% 14% Acc. to state Acc. to state 45%

TABLE Showing the tax rates post-GST period on different vehicle categories

Segment CGST SGST TOTAL Difference

Small Cars <1200cc 9% 9% 18% 10%
Mid-SizeCars from 1200cc to 1500cc 9% 9% 18% 21%
Luxury Cars>1500cc 14% 14% 28% 14%
SUV’s >1500cc, >170mm ground clearance 14% 14% 28% 17%

Source: Secondary source: https://cleartax.in/s/gst-impact-automobile-industry

The pre- GST period had the big cars having a greater cylinder 39% respectively. With the introduction of the GST, the
capacity of 1500cc and above the 4metre length attracting subdivision of taxes are now only the Central GST as well as
taxes between 42%-45% approximately, whereas the small and the State GST. There is a considerable difference now
mid-sized cars or sub-4-meter cars paying a tax rate of 28%- regarding the taxes that have to be paid for a car compared to

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 53
 A Study on The: “Impact of Indirect Taxes and COVID-19 on the Car Sales in India”

what was before. It is seen that big cars now attract a tax rate government had responded to the vice chairman's claim saying
of 28% compared to 45% before and small and medium cars that the ‘GST rates on automobiles are less than what VAT and
now attract a rate of 18% compared to 39% before. The excise duty rates used to be..’, the numbers still are too high in
difference is not insignificant. comparison to the other countries.

But the question still stays as to why do the car manufacturers In India, the sales of sub-4-meter cars have increased while the
still feel that the taxes are the reasons their continuity in above 4 meter ones have largely stagnated for quite a period of
production and growth is being choked. Recently, the Vice- time. The people of India prefer buying the sub—4 meter cars
Chairman of Toyota Kirloskar’s local unit, Mr. Shekhar because of the wide tax difference between the two categories.
Viswanathan had made a public statement regarding why the The additional length of certain cars such as Hyundai Creta
company wouldn’t be able to scale further up in India stating and many more, adds more to the price of the vehicle. But
that “ the message we are getting after we have come here and unlike India, the best selling cars around the globe are actually
invested money, is that we don’t want you”. Though the tax above the 4-meter length, such as the Volkswagen Golf, The
rates have fallen since the implementation of the GST, the Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, etc. Indian automakers are
approx.10% tax differential between the small cars and others losing out as this taxation regime makes the big cars more
still are higher in India compared to countries such as China expensive.
and the European Union.
Objective:2 Impact of COVID-19 on the sales
This high taxation on the automotive industry and fuel can volumes of the automobile companies in India:
limit the growth of the industry greatly.
The novel Coronavirus or the COVID-19 that had first been
TABLE Showing the Per Capita Income vs. the tax rates of reported in Wuhan, China on the 31st of December 2019 soon
different countries became a global pandemic that had affected the different
Country Per Capita Income ($) Tax rate sectors of the economy in various countries, including India.
India 2169.10 28% Among the various sectors that were affected due to the
nationwide lockdown, was the automotive industry of India
China 8254.30 10% that also had been under lockdown for about two months.
Japan 49187.80 5%
South Africa 7346 14% 6. HYPOTHESIS
Brazil 11121.74 17% Ho: There is no significant difference in the sales volumes of
Germany 47628 19% cars before and during the impact of COVID-19.
South Korea 28605.70 10%
H1: There is a significant difference in the sales volumes of
Note: Per capita income is taken for the year 2019 cars before and during the impact of COVID-19.
SOURCE: Primary source
7. RESEARCH DESIGN
Graph showing the tax impact on the Per capita income for
different countries The study is basically following a “descriptive study”
Chart Title particularly by studying secondary sources such as annual
60000 30% reports of various automobile companies.
50000 25%
8. PAIRED SAMPLE TESTAND
40000 20% INTERPRETATION
30000 15%
20000 10% The financial statements of the different automobile companies
have been analyzed for the month of June 2019 and the month
10000 5%
of June 2020. The financial records and statements have been
0 0% recorded from the websites and other journals related to the
India China Japan South
Africa
Brazil Germany South
Korea
companies.
Per Capita Income ($) Tax rate After nearly 2 months of no-sales and production operations,
the automotive business dawned to start operations. The month
From the table and chart above, India being a country with the of June marked the primary full month since February the sales
lowest per capita income in comparison with the other three operations were performed and also the volumes, as expected,
developed as well as developing countries have in fact the were higher than the previous ones however it absolutely was
highest tax rates being levied nevertheless. Though the still far away from the industry coming back to normal.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 54
 A Study on The: “Impact of Indirect Taxes and COVID-19 on the Car Sales in India”

The automotive sector among the opposite industries was worldwide pandemic began, the automotive industry faced a
badly affected by the impact of COVID-19. Since the fall in demand and investment. Thanks to the halt of economic
activity and closures, the industry struggled.

TABLE showing the sales volumes of the car manufacturing companies in India
on June 2019 and June 2020 ( pre and during COVID-19 period)
Company Jun-19 Jun-20
Maruti 111014 51724
Hyundai 42007 21320
Tata 13351 11419
Mahindra 18826 8075
Toyota 10603 3866
Ford 5333 2639

SOURCE: Secondary data: https://gaadiwaadi.com/june-2020-car-sales-maruti-hyundai-tata-mahindra-kia-toyota/

Paired Samples Statistics

Mean N Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
V2 34964.429 7 36758.4277 13893.3798
Pair 1
V3 20432.286 7 19830.8692 7495.3640

Paired Samples Test

Paired Differences t df Sig. (2-
tailed)
Mean Std. Std. Error 95% Confidence Interval of the
Deviation Mean Difference
Lower Upper
Pair 1 V2 - V3 14532.1429 20964.5305 7923.8477 -4856.8140 33921.0997 1.834 6 .116

With a complete of 1, 17, 133 additive unit sales in June 2020,
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) stood at the highest as
ever compared to Hyundai, Tata, and Mahindra. It garnered 51,
274 units as against 1, 11, 014 units with YoY negative sales
growth of fifty-four percent. Hyundai was second with 21, 320
units as against 42, 007 units with a forty-nine percent decline.
Toyota came to the seventh with 3, 866 units as against 10,
603 units with a sixty-four percent decline.
The paired t-test is done to test an item or group of items twice
or to find the impact of a particular event on the same item or
group after its occurrence.
The average sales before the COVID-19 pandemic
are34964.429 in June 2019 and during June 2020 is
20432.286. The T-statistic value is carried out and the test
statistic value is 1.837 with the p-value 0.116>0.005.
Thereforethe null hypothesis is accepted. Hence, there isn’t a
significant difference in sales.
9. CONCLUSION
Though India prefers small cars due to its relatively low
income and congested roads, it still has to let go of the
beneficial tax rates for the sub-4 meter cars at some point in
time. The government should look into reducing the
production cost by probably reducing the taxes to a certain
level in order to boost sales. The figures show that it is high
time for the taxation curve to flatten in relation to cars.
Automobile makers would find it motivating and favorable if a
policy were established that helped grow their existing
strengths and technology.
Though the COVID-19 has seen to have affected different
sectors in different ways, the automotive industry is seen to be
recovering quicker than was expected. The reason owing to
pent up demand and need for personal transportation over
public transportation. This could be a sign of just a short term

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 55
 A Study on The: “Impact of Indirect Taxes and COVID-19 on the Car Sales in India”
recovery as things could take a turn depending on the situation
owing to the global pandemic.
REFERENCES
[1] Cnossen, Sijbren (2013):”Preparing the way for a modern
GST in India” in “International Tax and Public Finance”,
Aug 2013 Springer Science & Business Media (New
York).
[2] Kharde, S. D., “Impact of GST on Indian Automobile
Industry‟, Journal of Emerging Technologies and
Innovative Research, Vol. 4(11), 2017, pp.23-27.
[English]
[3] Shah C K and Mangal S K (2017), Goods and Service tax,
RBD Publishing House, Jaipur, p. 117-136.
[4] Purohit, Mahesh C. (1982) “Structure of Sales Taxation in
India.” Economic and Political Weekly (August 21) 17
(34): 1365 -1379. New Delhi.
WEBLINKS
• https://blog.saginfotech.com/gst-impact-on-automobile-
industry-in-india
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
• https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/high-drama-
over-toyotas-tax-pain/104712
• https://theprint.in/economy/after-toyotas-tax-crib-govt-
says-gst-is-fair-auto-makers-must-cut-royalty-to-parent-
firms/505043/
• https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.businesstoday.in/lite/sto
ry/coronavirus-crisis-indian-auto-industry-post-covid-19-
lockdown-ends-cars-two-wheelers/1/402959.html
• https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.timesofindia.com/busin
ess/india-business/gst-rate-on-cars-lower-than-pre-gst-
regime-auto-companies-should-cut-royalty-payments-
finance-ministry/amp_articleshow/78168413.cms
• https://cleartax.in/s/gst-impact-automobile-industry
• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/auto/cars-
uvs/indian-car-market-recovering-faster-than-expected-
post-covid-toshihiro-
suzuki/articleshow/77946736.cms?from=mdr
56
 11.
Students Perception, Challenges, and Impact of Covid-19
Towards Online Education
Ashwini Ravi Kumar
III SemesterM.Com FA, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: The main aim of this study is to analyze the impact
of online education due to covid-19. Covid-19 pandemic has
forced the educational institution to opt for an online mode
of education to prevent the spread of coronavirus diseases.
Change from traditional class to online mode has affected
the standard of education. All stages ranging from school to
university have adopted virtual teaching. Plenty of efforts
have been taken by schools and colleges to begin virtual
classes by preparing lecture notes which makes it easier for
students to access it. This paper is principally focused on
student’s perceptions and challenges faced during online
classes. A questionnaire is prepared to review the impact of
covid-19 on student’s education. An online survey was
conducted among 100 students in Bangalore and was
analyzed using SPSS software. Online education is a new
concept for all the students as covid 19 has enforced the
majority of the students to adapt to the new system of
learning. This study provides an understanding as to how
students face the challenges of online classes while few
students fear that they may lose the concentration level due
to various disturbances. We are able to see that most of the
students prefer physical education rather than online
because of the lack of face to face interactions.
Keywords: Online education, covid-19, student’s perception,
preference.
1. INTRODUCTION
Coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) are infectious diseases that
spread easily to everyone through the air. It was first found in
Wuhan, China, and has resulted in an ongoing pandemic.
Common symptoms include fever, cold, cough, difficulty in
breathing. Covid-19 spreads when people are near to one
another. People are self-quarantined for 12-14 days to prevent
the spread of infection to people. World Health Organization
has included some measures like wearing masks, sanitizing,
and social distancing norms to prevent the spread of
coronavirus. Covid-19 has affected people irrespective of their
gender, educational level, nationality, status.
The covid-19 pandemic has spread all over the globe and
compelled individuals to maintain social distancing. Due to
covid-19, the government shut all the educational systems
because of the drastic spread of viruses since everyone must
follow social distancing. Covid-19 pandemic has forced
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
educational institutions to choose online mode of education to
prevent the spread of diseases. Most of the educational system
has to opt for online education for the student's benefit. It’s
affected more than 130crores of students all over the world.
When educational institutions were shut, students were directly
promoted without writing examination and various competitive
exams were postponed.
Covid-19 has created various platforms to conduct online
education like zoom, skype, Microsoft teams, and google
classrooms for sending study materials. Now, most of the
educational institutions have switched to online classes using
zoom. Zoom has a major increase in the usage of online
distance education. This helps the teacher to have a virtual face
to face contact and the content is delivered to the students.
Students from different corners can access zoom classes.
Covid-19 has created many challenges and various
opportunities for educational institutions to strengthen their
technological knowledge. Every student won’t have the proper
equipment like a smartphone, laptop. Due to the unavailability
of gadgets, few students don’t attend classes and few students
cannot afford the internet due to family backgrounds most of
their parents lost their jobs because of covid-19. We can see
that technology has played a significant role during the covid-
19 pandemic.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
S. BALI AND MC LIU (2018) have examined the assorted
problem's, student’s perception of online learning and face to
face learning about social presence, social interaction, and
satisfaction. Even though face to face learning was good
students still prefer online education because it is convenient.
Students can learn innovative computer technology.
MR. ANJUM PASHA, JARUPLA GORYA (2019) has
conducted a study on student’s preference and perception of
online education. They have compared both online and
traditional education. We can see that the majority of the
individuals preferred online education and only a few
individuals have preferred traditional education. They have
mainly conducted this research to test whether people are
aware of online education or not. According to the student's
requirements, we can see that both online and offline
57
 Students Perception, Challenges, and Impact of Covid-19 Towards Online Education
educations have their merits and demerits. Few students prefer
to study when they are working.
DR.PRAVAT KUMAR JENA (2020) has examined that
covid-19 has enforced the worldwide lockdown creating an
awfully bad impact on the student's life. To cope up with
covid-19, the Indian government has taken various measures to
choose distance learning by adopting different digital
technologies. They have highlighted some measures taken by
the government of India to produce sensible education in India.
Individuals from different backgrounds as well as remote
regions should get a good education.
SURAKSHA SUBEDI, SUVASH NAYAJU, SUBEDI,
SANJEEV KUMAR SHAH, JENNIFER MATHIAS SHAH
(2020) they have jointly researched to check the impact of e-
learning during the covid-19 pandemic among nursing and
teachers of Nepal. We can see that 50% of the teachers have
got disturbed to conduct online classes because of electricity
problems. Similarly, students were also affected because of
electricity and internet problems. They have concluded that
respondents suffered from various disturbances during online
classes, and many students were compelled to use mobile data
to attend online classes.
DAVID MHLANGA AND TANKISO MOLOI (2020) their
study was mainly to know how the covid-19 pandemic is
influencing and motivating digital transformation in
educational sectors. Fourth industrial revolution (4IR) tools
have been used by various institutions during the covid-19
lockdown. Lockdown has motivated to adopt virtual learning
during the covid-19 pandemic.
DR BABITA DUBEY AND DR SHIVENDRA SINGH (2020)
have conducted a study to know the perception of teachers and
their experience of teaching students online during the
lockdown. It is mainly focused to study the impact of online
education on the perception of teachers based on various
factors such as diversifying knowledge, technical knowledge,
comfortability, communication gaps, working hours, etc.
Teacher's knowledge has been diversified and has increased
their working hours. Young teachers are actively taking part in
conducting online teaching as they are aware of new
technologies.
OWUSU-FORDJOUR, C., KOOMSON, C.K., AND
HANSON, D. (2020) Students are unable to study effectively
from the house because there is much disturbance and thus the
online system of learning has become ineffective. Learning can
become effective when students get sufficient learning
material. Covid-19 pandemic harms learning since many of the
students are not used to learn on their own. Students should be
introduced to innovative offline education as it will be
benefited to students who do not have access to an internet
connection.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
3. OBJECTIVES
• To study the challenges faced by students during online
classes during Covid-19.
• To know the opinion/perception of students regarding
online education.
4. LIMITATIONS
• This study is limited to Bengaluru city.
• This study is done based on data provided by 100
respondents.
• This study is mainly focused on students taking up online
classes.
• The questionnaire is designed based on our research topic.
• This study is limited to a period of 2weeks.
5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study is based on student’s perceptions of online
education during covid-19. The sample size consists of 100
respondents out of which 53 respondents are female and 47
respondents were male. All the categories starting from school
to postgraduate are included. As it is not possible to go outside
for collecting data, a google questionnaire was prepared. For
this purpose, a structured questionnaire was used for collecting
data. Google form was distributed among 100 students for
collecting data online. The data collection duration was one
week, and it took place in October 2020. The data were
analyzed using a statistical tool such as one-way ANOVA and
frequency distribution. For this purpose, SPSS software was
used to analyze data, and the results were identified. Secondary
data was collected from articles, journals, and websites. The
analysis represents the impact of student’s perception towards
online education with various factors such as technical
knowledge of the students, the preferred mode of education,
perception of students, and expected duration of the class.
6. DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
Chart 1.1 – Gender
The study includes 53% are female and 47% are male students
who are taking up online classes during Covid-19.
58
 Students Perception, Challenges, and Impact of Covid-19 Towards Online Education

Chart 1.2 – Students Age Among 100 respondents, only 9% of students prefer online
classes while the remaining 91% of students prefer physical
classes.

7. DATA ANALYSIS USING FREQUENCY

DISTRIBUTION
TABLE 2.1: Demographic details of the respondents

Demographic variables Frequenc Percentage

y (%)
Gender Male 47 47
Female 53 53
From this chart we are able to see that 6% of the students are Age Less than 16 6 6
less than 16 years, 4% of the students are from 16 to 18 years,
59% of the students are from 18 to 22 and 31% of the students 16 to 18 4 4
are above 22 years. The majority of the respondents are from
18 to 22 59 59
18 to 22 years.
22 and above 31 31
Chart 1.3 – Students category
Category School 7 7
PU 2 2
Under 41 41
Graduate
Post Graduate 50 50

From the above table, we can find that female respondentis

more when compared to male respondents. The majority of the
students are from 18 to 22years. 50% of the students are
postgraduates.

TABLE 2.2: Technical requirements for online classes

Various categories were included in the study ranging from
school to post-graduate. From this chart we are able to see that Attributes Frequency Percentage
7% are school students, 2% are PU students, 41% are (%)
undergraduate students and 50% are Postgraduate students.The
Modes of Smartphone 39 39
majority of the students are from Post Graduate while PU
accessing
students are less. Laptop 15 15
online
classes (or) Desktop 0 0
Chart 1.4 – Mode of education
Preferred
device for Tablet 1 1
online class Both 45 45
smartphone
and laptop
Sources of LAN 6 6
Internet
Mobile Data 57 57
Wi-Fi 37 37

From the above table, we can find that many students preferred
both smartphones and laptops for accessing online classes. The

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 59
 Students Perception, Challenges, and Impact of Covid-19 Towards Online Education

majority of students use mobile data as a source of internet for learning problems(network
attending online classes. issues)
TABLE 2.3: -Online class structure Poor learning conditions 24 24
at home
Attributes Frequ Percentag Lack of proper 4 4
ency e (%)
devices(laptop, mobile)
For online Zoom meetings 58 58
Power shortages 9 9
learning,
Google classroom 16 16
which tools
you are Microsoft Teams 18 18 30% of students prefer online learning as they have the ability
familiar to stay at home. 41% of the students don’t prefer online
with (or) LMS/Blackboard/Stud 8 8 learning because they don’t have face to face interactions with
Most ents portal the teachers.
frequent
mode of TABLE 2.5: Students perception and challenges towards
teaching online learning
used by
educational Attributes Categories Frequency Percentage
institutions (%)

Format of Live online classes 15 15 I prefer my Strongly 20 20

an online online courses disagree
Posting lecture videos 14 14 as they are
class that Disagree 19 19
in google classroom very structured
you prefer
the most with set due Neither 34 34
Live online class and 71 71
dates similar to agree nor
sending study
face to face disagree
materials
courses
Agree 27 27
Zoom meeting is the most frequent teaching method that’s
Strongly 0 0
utilized by most of the educational institutions. The format of
Agree
online classes that students mostly prefer is a live online class
and sending study material. Online classes Strongly 19 19
help me get disagree
TABLE 2.4: Advantages and disadvantages of online more study
learning Disagree 25 25
materials when
compared to Neither 24 24
Attributes Freq Percenta classroom agree nor
uenc ge (%) learning disagree
y
Agree 24 24
Advantage Access to online 11 11
of online material Strongly 8 8
learning Agree
Learning on your own 24 24
I am more Strongly 22 22
Ability to stay at home 30 30 comfortable in disagree
Ability to record a 10 10 responding to
Disagree 24 24
meeting the questions
asked Neither 21 21
Comfortable 25 25 agree nor
surroundings disagree
Disadvant Reduced interaction with 41 41 Agree 28 28
ages of the teachers
online Strongly 5 5
Technical 22 22 Agree

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 60
 Students Perception, Challenges, and Impact of Covid-19 Towards Online Education

My technical Strongly 19 19 Strongly 4 4

skills (use of disagree Agree
internet apps)
Disagree 12 12 Facing health- Strongly 19 19
has increased
related issues disagree
because of Neither 20 20
while attending
attending agree nor Disagree 12 12
online class
online classes disagree
Neither 23 23
Agree 34 34 agree nor
disagree
Strongly 15 15
Agree Agree 21 21
I spend more Strongly 14 14 Strongly 25 25
time on my disagree Agree
homework in
Disagree 20 20 Possibility of Strongly 18 18
comparison
distractions disagree
with regular Neither 23 23
from other
classroom agree nor Disagree 12 12
family
learning disagree
members Neither 22 22
Agree 24 24 during online agree nor
lecturers disagree
Strongly 19 19
Agree Agree 24 24
Confidence Strongly 22 22 Strongly 24 24
level in the disagree Agree
quality of
Disagree 18 18 Can you Strongly 21 21
online
understand the disagree
education Neither 36 36
content
agree nor Disagree 17 17
delivered to
disagree
you via online Neither 39 39
Agree 22 22 platform agree nor
disagree
Strongly 2 2
Agree Agree 19 19
Are you happy Strongly 20 20 Strongly 4 4
with online disagree Agree
teaching
Disagree 24 24
methods and Table 2.5 reveals student’s perceptions and challenges of
availability of Neither 30 30 online learning during covid-19. 34% of the students are not
lecture agree nor clear whether the online classes are structured or not. 25% of
material disagree students disagree that they never get more study materials
Agree 21 21 compared to classroom learning as Learning materials are
received more in the case of physical classes. Students are
Strongly 5 5 more comfortable in responding to the questions asked in
Agree online education.34% of the students agree that because of
online classes their technical skills have been increased. 24%
Is online class Strongly 31 31
of the students agree that they spend more time on homework
effective than disagree
when compared to classroom learning. Students are not
physical
Disagree 33 33 confident about the quality of online education. Students
classes
disagree that online classes are not that effective when
Neither 25 25
compared to online classes. 25% of students strongly agree
agree nor
that they face health issues while attending online classes.
disagree
There are a lot of distractions while attending online lectures.
Agree 7 7

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 61
 Students Perception,
ion, Challenges, and Impact of Covid
8. ANOVA ANALYSIS FOR TESTING
ESTING
HYPOTHESIS
1. Ho: There is no significant relationship between category
and effectiveness of online classes.
H1: There is a significant relationship between category
and effectiveness of online classes.
By testing the hypothesis, it is found that the pp-value obtained
is 0.568 which is greater than 0.05(p>0.05). Hence the
alternative hypothesis is rejected and the null hypothesis is
accepted. Therefore there is no significant relationship between
category and effectiveness of online classes.
2. Ho: Confidence level in the quality of online education
does not differr significantly based on gender.
H1: Confidence level in the quality of online education
differs significantly based on gender.
By testing the hypothesis, it is found that the pp-value obtained
is 0.582 which is greater than 0.05(p>0.05). Hence the
alternative
native hypothesis is rejected and the null hypothesis is
accepted. Therefore the confidence level in the quality of
online education does not differ significantly based on gender.
3. Ho: There is no significant relationship between age and
modes of accessing
ng online class (Preferred device for an
online class)
H1: There is a significant relationship between age and
modes of accessing online class (Preferred device for an
online class).
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19:
19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunitie
Covid-19
19 Towards Online Education
By testing the hypothesis, it is found that the p-value
p obtained
is 0.003
003 which is less than 0.05(p<0.05). Hence the alternative
hypothesis is accepted. Therefore there is a significant
relationship between age and modes of accessing online class
(Preferred device for an online class)
9. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
CONCLUS
This study has reported
eported some findings supported to online
education. Student’s perception and various challenges
towards online education are studied to perceive their
preference for online education. During this study, we can see
that majority of the students prefer physical
phys classes as there’s
face-to-face
face learning. They have ample opportunity to clarify
their doubts on the spot, they can even discuss any issues with
friends and hence teamwork increases, when teamwork
increases it’s easy to search solutions to the issues quickly and
students can even access the facilities available on the campus
like utilizing libraries, using computer labs, sports equipment,
etc. On the other hand, only 9% of them prefer online
education. It’s studied that nearly 72% of the students face a
lot of network issues while attending online classes. Students
haven’t participated in any online courses before covid-19.
covid
WhatsApp is the communication means used for updating
class. The expected duration preferred by students for an
online class is 45 minutes. Students can spend 4 hours daily
mainly for online classes. To clarify their quarries students
prefer live chats. The majority of the students prefer both
MCQs and descriptive modes of online exams. Few students
don’t even have proper devices for accessing online classes.
It’s also noted that in the future students will happily prefer
physical classes as students don’t seem to be curious about
online education as there are a lot of drawbacks.Students
drawbacks. from
remote districts and those belonging to poor
poo communities lack
the infrastructure and the means to reap the benefits of online
learning and will suffer due to the choice of digital platforms
for learning online.
There are a few advantages of online education like lower cost
of transportation, accessibility,
ibility, flexibility where students from
anywhere can access it. On the other hand, there are a lot of
disadvantages like lack of electronic gadgets, students from the
rural background cannot access it as there’s no proper network
connection. Before covid-19 19 online education was just an
option but now it’s no more an option as its compulsory.
REFERENCES
[1] S Bali and M C Liu 2018, Students’ perceptions toward
online learning and face-to-face
face learning courses, IOP
Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 1108(2018)
012094.
[2] David Mhlanga and Tankiso Moloi (2020), COVID-19
and the Digital Transformation of Education: What Are
We Learning on 4IR in South Africa? Educ. Sci. 2020, 10,
180
Opportunities 62
 Students Perception, Challenges, and Impact of Covid-19 Towards Online Education

[3] Dr. Pravat Kumar Jena (2020), Impact of pandemic covid-
19 on education in India, International Journal of current
research, ISSN: 0975-833X
[4] Owusu-Fordjour, C., Koomson, C.K., and Hanson, D
(2020), The impact of covid-19 on learning- The
perceptive of the Ghanaian Student, European journal of
Education Studies, ISSN: 2501-1111
[5] Suraksha Subedi, Suvash Nayaju, Subedi, Sanjeev Kumar
Shah, Jennifer Mathias Shah (2020), impact of E-learning
during COVID-19 Pandemic among Nursing Students and
Teachers of Nepal, International Journal of Science and
Healthcare Research, ISSN: 2455-7587
[6] Mr. Anjum Pasha, Jarupla Gorya (2019) Students
Preference and perception towards online education in
Hyderabad City, International Journal of trend in
Scientific Research and development, e-ISSN: 2456-6470

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 63
 12.
A Study of Provident Fund Scenario in Context of COVID-19 with
Respect to Jamshedpur
Pranitha Menon
III SemesterM.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: In this paper an attempt has been made to highlight
the impact of the amendment made in provisions of
withdrawal of provident fund due to COVID-19. COVID-19
has bought a wave of various factors that have led to down
fall of the Indian economy. With a lockdown of 3-4 months
(period varying from state to state) the economy of India
came to a complete standstill. The unemployment level by the
end of August India lost 2.1 Crore salaried jobs down from
8.6 Crore in 2019-20 to 6.5 Crore last month. As a sign of
relief the government made amendments in its Provident
Fund withdrawal and its rules. This came as big help for the
employed section of India.Although the periodicity of the
study is less yet an effective attempt has been made to
enlighten the scenario.
Keywords: Covid-19, Provident Fund, Unemployment,
Withdrawal.
1. INTRODUCTION TO THETOPIC
On 17 November 2019, a 55-year-old person in China’s Hubei
Province complained of a rare disease the first time. The
number of cases increased from one digit number to a two digit
number daily.The virus is thought to be natural and has an
animal origin through spill over infection. A study of the first
41 cases of confirmed COVID-19. The cause of spread of this
virus came to be human-to-human contact. Looking at the
increasing cases Nations worldwide went into complete
lockdown. Some countries could successfully benefit from the
lockdown and reduce the number of infections, a few countries
remained stable economically but could not control the
number, on the other hand few developing countries could not
cope with the closed economy and became economically weak
as well as could not control the number of cases. At present the
number of active cases all over the world is 33, 058, 750.
America is having the highest number of Covid cases followed
by India taking the second highest number cases.
With all the nations going for complete lockdown the
economies of a few countries have come to a stand still. As per
World Bank estimates, the nominal world GDP in 2017 was
$80, 683.79 billion. In 2018, the nominal world GDP was $84,
835.46 billion in 2018, and it’s projected to be $88, 081.13
billion in 2019. In 2018, the growth rate for the world GDP
was 3.6%. India’s unemployment rate was a tad higher at
24.3% for the week ended May 24 compared to 24% in the
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
preceding week or the average unemployment rate of 24.2% in
the past eight weeks of the lockdown. The unemployment rate
stood at 8.8% in March.
Labourers were forced to leave the city and go back to their
home towns. Many workers lost their lives while walking
home because there was no transportation facility provided. As
a way of providing relief for the employees the government
came up with many schemes. There were schemes regarding
the concession in the payment of interest on EMI’s to the
banks. Many more schemes came up to help the budding
entrepreneurs. Government made a few amendments which
were regarded to help the population came into being.
For the relief of the employees the government made
amendments with regard to Employees Provident Fund. The
Employee Provident Fund (EPF) is a scheme that helps people
save a sufficient corpus for retirement. The plan was
introduced with the Employees' Provident Funds Act in 1952
and is managed by the Employees' Provident Fund
Organization (EPFO).
1.1 Review of Literature
Some of the research works that came across during the study
are as follows:
• Anbesh Jamwal and Sumedha Bhatnagar of Malaviya
National Institute of Technology Jaipur prepared a report
on “A Corona virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Current
Literature and Status in India’ on April 2020.
• Monika Chaudhary and P. R. Sodani, Shankar Das
prepared a report on “Effect of COVID-19 on Economy in
India: Some Reflections for Policy and Programme” First
Published August 11, 2020
• Sandeep Kumar M., Maheshwari V., Prabhu J., Prasanna
M., Jayalakshmi P., Suganya P. and Benjula Anbu Malar
M.B. School of Information Technology and Engineering,
Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India, and R.
Jothikumar Department of Computer Science and
Engineering, Shadan College of Engineering and
Technology, Hyderabad, India prepared a report on
“Social economic impact of COVID-19 outbreak in India”
64
 A Study of Provident Fund Scenario in Context of COVID-19 with Respect to Jamshedpur
• MUKUL G. ASHER prepared a report on “Pension Plans,
Provident Fund Schemes and Retirement Policies: India’s
Social Security Reform Imperative” in 2010.
1.2 Objectives ofstudy:
The research has been conducted with the following
objectives:
• To study the effect of the amendment made with regards
to provident fund.
• To analyze the change in withdrawal habits of the people.
1.3 Methodology ofstudy
The research methodology comprises of the sources of data,
methods adopted to collect such data, sampling techniques,
statistical tools for analysis, data interpretation etc.
Sources of Data-
The data for the study has been collected from secondary
sources. Provident fund withdrawal data from March 2019 to
August 2019 and March 2020 to August 2020 with reference
the City of Jamshedpur is taken.
Data Collection Techniques-
Data from various journals, news papers and sites have been
taken to be analyzed.
Data Representation Tools-
The data collected are classified, tabulated and represented
through chart and bar diagram.
1.4 Importance of thestudy
Covid-19 has shook every life around the globe. Measures are
taken all around the world to get the situation under control.
Nations have shut down. 187 countries have reported cases of
Coronavirus. Over 100 countries worldwide had implicated
partial or complete lockdown by end of March. Some countries
survived this economically low phase gracefully but a few
countries couldn’t restore their economy. The developing
nations had to go through a hard phase. India as a specific had
lost around 2.1 Crore salaried jobs by the end of last month.
With so many people being out of employment it was difficult
for the people to fulfill their day to day need. Provident fund is
a part of the salaries of the people that has been saved for
retirement. People could withdraw their own money without
having to pay interest. This study shows a few changes in the
laws of withdrawal of the Provident Fund which have
increased the number of withdrawals during Covid.
1.5 Periodicity of thestudy
• The study has been conducted over a period of 6 months
from March 2020 to August 2020.
• For certain historic based data, it covers a period of March
2019 to August 2019.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
• However, the impact factor has been taken from data
based on examination of the borrowings from the
provident fund.
1.6 Limitations of thestudy
In spite of all sincere efforts, the study is not foolproof in
nature. It suffers from variety of limitations due to the
following reasons:
• The study was conducted within a short span of time.
• The study only depends on secondary data.
• The data collection for the study is restricted to the city of
Jamshedpur.
2. PRESENTATION OF DATA, ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION OFDATA
At the hour of need People’s own salary came to rescue.
Provident Fund is a Percentage of an employee’s salary which
is being kept aside to be used after retirement. In order to keep
up with the liquidity problem due to COVID-19, the ministry
of labor and employment has notified the reduced rate of
provident fund contribution for employer and employee from
existing 12% of monthly basic pay and dearness allowance to
10% for the months of May, June and July 2020. This would
be effective in all the establishments mentioned in the
Provident Fund Act except for central and state public sector
enterprises or any other establishment owned or controlled by
or under control of the central government or state
government.Thisstepwas intended to benefit both 4.3 crore
members and 6.5 Lakhs establishments. Though therewas no
change in the EPF administrative charges (0.5% of EPF wages
subject to minimum of Rs 500) and EDLI contributions (0.5%
of wages) both payable by employers. The reduced rate of
contribution (10%) is minimum rate of contribution during the
above mentioned months. The contribution at higher rate also
be made by the employer, employee or both.
According to the new rule, Employment Provident Fund
Organization allows withdrawal of 75% of the EPF corpus
after 1 month of unemployment. The remaining balance of
25% can be transferred to a new EPF account after gaining
new employment.Although the EPF corpus can be withdrawn
only after retirement, early retirement is not considered until
the person reaches 55 years of age. EPFO allows withdrawal of
90% of the EPF corpus 1 year before retirement, provided the
person is not less than 54 years old.
Special Provisions for COVID-19:
• 75% or 3 months salary whichever is less can be
withdrawn.
• For house construction- A person can withdraw 90% of
the PF for the purpose of house construction.
65
 A Study of Provident Fund Scenario in Context of COVID-19 with Respect to Jamshedpur

• 50% of the PF can be withdrawn for health related issues.

Amount Withdrawn
2.1 Presentation of Data:
(Amount in Crore)
The data of Provident Fund withdrawal of 6 Months (March, 40
April, May, June, July and August) of 2019 and 2020
35
respectively is given below:
30
2019 2020
25
No. of No. of
People Amount People Amount 20
who Withdrawn who Withdrawn 15
applied (Amount in applied (Amount in
Month for PF Crores) for PF Crores) 10
March 3437 11.03 8525 21.24 5
April 4436 15.25 10459 21.14 0
May 3950 12 6324 14.91 March April May June July August
June 4193 15.03 12092 27.65
2019 2020
July 4482 13.51 15289 34.2
August 4785 14.66 8775 22.67 Diagram 2
Total 25283 81.48 61464 141.81 2.3 Analysis and Interpretation
2.2 Interpretation of the Table Number of People Applied for Withdrawal: 61000 people have
withdrawn Provident Fund during the COVID period. When
The above table highlights an increase in PF withdrawal in the compared to 2019, 36181 more people have applied for
years 2019 and 2020. The Number of people who have applied withdrawal i.e. the number of people has increased by 2.5
to withdraw PF has increased by 2.5 times. There is an times.
increase of 74% in the Amount withdrawn in 2020 when
compared to 2019. Diagrams 1: Diagrams show the visual Amount Withdrawn: In 6 months 142 Crores have been
representation of the Number of people who applied in 2019 withdrawn just in Jamshedpur. It is 74% more than that of
and 2020. Diagram 2: Shows the representation of Amount 2019.
withdrawn in 2019 and 2020
3. FINDINGSANDCONCLUSIONS
Number of People Applied for 3.1 Findings
Provident Fund Withdrawal At the hour of need Provident came to rescue. Government has
18000
16000 come out with many other schemes in various fields, provident
fund was just small part of the big project. The major findings
14000 of the study are as follows:
12000
10000 a. Just in Jamshedpur, Rs. 142 Cores were withdrawn from
Employee Provident Fund organization.
8000
6000 b. When compared to last 2019, there was an increase of
4000 74% of amount withdrawn from Employee Provident
Fund organization.
2000
0 c. During June and July 2020 the highest amount was given
March April May June July August out as Provident Fund.
2019 2020 d. Most of the people withdrew 90% of their Provident
Fund.
Diagram 1

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 66
 A Study of Provident Fund Scenario in Context of COVID-19 with Respect to Jamshedpur

e. 2.5 Lakhs of people are member of Employee Provident REFERENCES

Fund organization with 4500 employers.
f. Number of people who applied for withdrawal of
provident fund increased by 2.5 times.
3.2 Conclusion
Provident Fund is actually a part of the salaries of people
which have been saved by the Government which will be used
for retirement purpose later on. Concept of withdrawing
Provident Fund is more practical as no interest have to be paid
for the amount withdrawn. Though after August the deduction
of Provident fund has been increased again back to 12%, this
step by the Government has been a blessing in disguise for the
people.
[1] Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). 2007.
Annual Report. Available at
[2] www.epfindia.com.
[3] Bloomberg News, “Coronavirus Is More Dangerous for
the Global Economy Than SARS, ” January 31,
2020(https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-
31/the-coronavirus-is-more-dangerous-for-the-economy-
thansars).
[4] Asher, Mukul G. 2008. “Pension Reform in India.” In
Raghbendra Jha, ed., The IndianEconomy: Sixty Years
after Independence, 66–93. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
[5] Potential impact of COVID-19 on the Indian Economy.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 67
 13.
A Study on Consumer Perception towards Online Grocery Shopping During
Pandemic in Bangalore
Malvika S.V.
III SemesterM.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: With the increase in usage of internet and various
online opportunities. There is a growth in the perception of
customers towards online shopping specially during the
pandemic. The concept of younger generation using online
facilities has grown and has began to influence the previous
generation as well in this time . Therefore, the main objective
of this paper is to identify the perception of customers
towards online grocery shopping in Bangalore and to check
the sustainability of the same even after the pandemic
season, also drawing conclusions on what type of products
and services are preferred by the customers. This study is
primary in nature and conducted by collecting random
sample data from 100 respondants from Bangalore. The data
was collected by circulating google forms on social media.
The findings of the study revealed that 60% of the
respondants are comfortable and feel convenient with online
grocery shopping and the most important factors affecting
online grocery shopping is freshness of the product, Covid-19
and price. The tools used for analysis are rank analysis, cross
table analysis and anova.
Keywords: Online grocery, buying behavior, perception and
preferences.
1. INTRODUCTION
The word 'perception' comes from the Latin word percepio,
meaning “receiving, collecting, action of taking possession,
apprehension with the mind or senses”. Therefore, it means the
way in which something is regarded, understood, or
interpreted. Hence, we can understand that customer
perception refers to the way in which a customer regards about
a product or service with his mind or senses. Customer
perception is defined as the process by which a customer
selects, organizes, and interprets information/stimuli inputs to
create a meaningful picture of the brand or the product. The
major determinants of customer perception are price, quality,
quantity, value etc but it is widely attracted or impressed by
advertisements, public reviews, social media etc.
From about a decade or two our Indian E-Commerce has seen
a rapid growth. In the present scenario with the ongoing
pandemic it is risen in a much higher rate/way. The major
drivers for this growth are the internet or network availibilty
and increasing usage of gadgets. With these factors taking
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
control the various activities of life are also experiencing
shifts. We notice a rise in online payments, purchase,
communications and so on. This has led to many businesses to
focus their expansion through online modes rather than
physical options. It has altered the way the Indian e-commerce
sector works.
EMERGENCE OF E-GROCERY
Groceries have been traditionally bought in stores, where
consumers have an opportunity to touch and inspect products
before the purchase and also control the transportation of
fragile products. E-grocery shopping is still not very prominent
or acceptable in India, but with the ongoing pandemic, people
have started getting used to it which is seemingly a good sign
for e-grocery in the long run. Online grocery shopping is at the
best convenience now. By ordering online, one can quickly
search for the products one needs and order them without
having to physically walk through those long aisles and can
avoid crowding .
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
KAVITHA.R (2017) in her paper AStudy on Consumers
acuity towards online grocery shopping expresses that the
online grocery forum is one of the growing industries in India
as customers are getting more access to the internet and tend to
buy things online preferring to shop from the brands online
that give them customer service and satisfaction . The major
reason for purchasing groceries online is saving of time and
effort and there are no limitations such as time, place etc in
shopping. The expectation of a customer also varies totally
while purchasing online when compared to offline. Most of the
customers get to know about the variety presented in the online
platform.
VIJAYASARATHY (2004),in his research, Predicting
consumer intentions to use on-line shopping used a sample of
281 consumers to test a modelof consumer intention to use
online shopping. The study revealed the compatibility,
usefulness, ease of use, and security to be significant predictors
of attitude towards online shopping, but privacy was not. Also
the study showed that the intention to use online shopping was
strongly influenced by attitude toward online shopping,
normative beliefs.
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 A Study on Consumer Perception towards Online Grocery Shopping During Pandemic in Bangalore

George Adamidis et al (2006), in his paper discussed the
topics of shopping, online grocery etc. he has also bought to
light the various changes and evolutions that has occurred in
the decade due to revolution of internet. His predictions talk
about the convenience of online grocery from the comforts of
their house.
3. SCOPE OF THE STUDY
E-grocery in India is taking a rising trend. This E-shopping
may replace the traditional grocery shopping in the near future.
Though the traditional shopping might and will stay but the
online shopping could change the way people experience
shopping grocery. This study is to identify whether people are
changing the way in which they shop their grocery from the
nearby super market or provision to online stores or
applications. This study is performed to bring to light the
consumer's perception on e-grocery and their preference
towards the same. This study will also help to make
predictions if e-grocery will exceed the preference of the
traditional way of shopping and increase the response of online
grocery shopping in future.
4. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
There is an increase in the online opportunities and facilities
that is being noticed especially during this pandemic.
Therefore, this paper focuses on one such element which is the
8. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
buying behavior and perception of customers in Bangalore city
towards online grocery shopping .
5. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
• To study the perception of customers towards online
grocery shopping in Bangalore.
• To identify the buying behaviour of customers in
Bangalore.
• To study if this online shopping of grocery would sustain
good even after the pandemic in Bangalore.
6. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
• The absence of direct interaction as the collected data is
completely primary.
• The study is restricted only to Bangalore City.
• The responses are similar in nature.
7. METHODOLOGY
The study is empirical in nature and is conducted to analyze
the perception of customers towards online grocery shopping
in Bangalore for which 100 primary respondants who are
familiar or who are aware of online grocery shopping were
selected using non probability sampling (convenient
sampling). The respondants were given a questionnaire
through google forms and responses collected originally and
efficiently. Secondary sources of data were collected from
websites, articles and journals.

Rank Analysis

HP P LP NP Total WAS WA Rank

Vegetables 128 99 50 16 105 293 2.790476 III

Fruits 96 123 56 12 105 287 2.733333 IV

Grains 140 144 36 4 105 324 3.085714 I

Pulse 144 126 46 4 105 320 3.047619 II

Dairy Products 104 114 56 13 105 287 2.733333 IV

Packed Grocery 124 99 58 12 105 293 2.790476 III

Unpacked Grocery 44 66 86 29 105 225 2.142857 V

(HP=Highly preferable, P= Preferable, LP= Low Preferable, NP= Not Preferable,

WAS= Weighted average system, WA=Weighted Average)

INTERPRETATION
The above table explains the preference of Consumers towards the online Grocery Products which reveals that grains is the
category which is the most preferred online. Followed by pulses and packed grocery.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 69
 A Study on Consumer Perception towards Online Grocery Shopping During Pandemic in Bangalore

Cross Table
Important factors affecting buying behaviour * Opinion towards online Shopping- Crosstabulation
Opinion online Shopping Total
Convenient Cheaper Range Quality others
Price 14 1 1 2 1 19
Important factors affects Delivery 8 0 1 1 2 12
buying online Freshness 29 5 5 9 6 54
Covid19 11 2 2 0 5 20
Total 62 8 9 12 14 105

INTERPRETATION
The above Cross Table Analysis was performed to identify the factor has affected the buying behavior of online customers and the
data has revealed that freshness is the most important factor considered by the respondants while purchasing online followed by
Covid-19 and price.

ANOVA

Opinion online Shopping

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 4.835 3 1.612 .682 .565
Within Groups 238.555 101 2.362
Total 243.390 104

INTERPRETATION 10. CONCLUSION

The above Table explains the Association of Variables
between buying online grocery and Impacting Factors for
buying the products Online from which the F value is .683 and
and Sig= .565 which is more than .05 hence theirs no
association between the Variables. i.e., if consumer feels to
buy the product through online they are buying if not there is
no other factors impacting them.
9. FINDINGS
• Majority of the respondants are between the age group of
15 – 30.
• The responses were collected equally between men and
women.
• The study has revealed that people prefer online shopping
for grains, pulses and packed grocery to the maximum.
• The study has revealed that people consider freshness,
Covid-19 pandemic and price as the most important
factors while shopping online.
• The most preferred mode/ application is big basket.
• 50% of the respondants have had an online shopping
experience with respect to grocery.
The conclusion drawn from this study is that the growth of
internet facility and opportunities have taken a huge rise in
today’s world. About 60% of the respondants feel that online
mode of shopping grocery is convenient and feel that it would
be prominent in the near future. The pandemic has also helped
this movement in a compatible way. The study has also shown
that dry grocery and packed items are more preferable to shop
online.
REFERENCES
[1] www.wikipedia.org
[2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322916738
Consumer Perception towards Online Grocery Stores
Chennai
[3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324806028_A_S
tudy_on_Consumers_acuity_towards_online_grocery_sho
pping
[4] https://www.slideshare.net/RameshChavan4/a-study-on-
customer-preferences-towards-online-grocery-shopping-
towards-online

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 70
 14.
Impact of Covid-19 on Business Sector in India
Dr. Mathiyarasan1, Kenneth Wilson B2
1
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Commerce, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
2
I SemesterM.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: The Indian business sector, a significant player in
the national economy, has faced many challenges in the
course of its journey. The threat posed by the growing
pandemic, corona virus (COVID-19), has its impact on all
Business sectors, not only in India, but all over the world.
The major impacts of COVID-19 on Indian business sectors
and its impact on Indian Economy are discussed.
Keywords: Business sectors Impact of covid-19 · Import and
Exports revenue of India Unemployment
1. INTRODUCTION
The Indian Business sectors plays a leading role in the global
market. The main business sector which increases the GDP of
Indian economy are Agriculture, Tourism, Medical, science,
education, financial services, IT’s, and manufacturing
industries such as automobile, cement, aviation, steel, textile
etc…These are the significant contributor to the socio-
economic development of the nation.
2. STUDY AREA
I have conducted a study on the impacts of COVID 19
specifying in the District Chennai, Tamil Nadu and as per the
research conducted by me on the impact of COVID 19 various
Business sectors such as the IT Sector, Tourism Sector and
Entertainment Sector are undergoing serious losses due to the
Pandemic and because of which a lot of people are facing
unemployment and other various issues.
3. REVIEW ON LITERATURE
Solomon .S – Impact of COVID-19 on Indian Industry (2020)
The industry is at cross roads today due to the ongoing
COVID-19 crisis, and therefore micro-level planning for
identifying the current and future developmental need of the
sugar sector is essential.
Mithilesh Kumar Singh -Impact of COVID-19 on Working
Culture (2020)
The present situation created by Covid-19 has shaken up the
socio-cultural framework of the society and work culture.
Scott R. Baker -THE UNPRECEDENTED STOCK MARKET
IMPACT OF COVID-19 (2020)
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
As a final remark, we think our evidence offers grounds for
reflection on the wisdom of heavy-handed restrictions on
commercial activity in efforts to contain the coronavirus
pandemic.
Gupta – COVID-19 AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (2020)
This made it abundantly clear that addressing other collective
challenges—from climate change and biological extinction of
species to growing inequalities in enhanced capabilities—is
within our reach.
4. OBJECTIVES
• This study focus on the Impact of COVID 19 on various
Business sectors such as IT, Tourism, Hospitality etc..
• It helps to find out the various Pros and Cons that the
Pandemic has on the various Business sectors
• This study also focuses on the Impacts on the Indian
Economy
5. ABOUT THE STUDY
Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for about 58 per
cent of India’s population. Gross Value Added (GVA) by
agriculture, forestry and fishing was estimated at Rs 19.48 lakh
crore (US$ 276.37 billion) in FY20. Growth in GVA in
agriculture and allied sectors stood at 4 per cent in FY20. India
is among the 15 leading exporters of agricultural products in
the world. Agricultural export from India reached US$ 38.54
billion in FY19 and US$ 28.93 billion in FY20 (till January
2020).Due to COVID-19, Famers are facing shortage of
Agricultural inputs like Fertilizers which are majorly produced
from China.
One of the main contributions to Indian Economy is Tourism
Sector. Travel and Tourism sector has total contribution of
over 247 billion U.S. dollars to the country’s GDP in
2018.This is expected to take a rise in 2029 with 500 billion
U.S. Dollars. But, COVID-19 has caused a major impact on
Aviation, Railways, Road and Water Transport. Due to Global
Pandemic, general Public have reduced their Travel and this
have caused a huge loss not only to Indian Market, but the
entire world. This industry has a loss of nearly 5 lakh crore and
huge unemployment.The hotel industry is expected to suffer
losses of Rs 1.10 lakh crores. Online travel agencies are
71
 Impact of Covid-19 on Business Sector in India
expected to acquire a loss of 4 thousand 312 crores. Adventure
tour operators can endure damage of 19 thousand crores.
Cruise tourism losses can add up to 419 crores.
Medical and Science Sectors of India are the largest sector
both in term of revenue and employment. Medical sector
comprises or includes Hospitals, tele medicine, medical
tourism, medical devices, clinical trials, health insurance.
Medical sector is categorized into two main components –
Public and Private. The market size of medical sector increases
upto Rs.8.6trillion. Health insurance which is also a main part
of Medical sector grows upto 17.16% in FY20. The Impact of
COVID-19 on Business lead to loss but in Medical sector the
resources were utilized more which increased the production of
Medical requirement in India.
Science and Technology sector of India ranks Third among
The Investment Destination for technology transaction in the
world. The India ranked 52 among the world for Science and
Technology sector which was conducted by GII 2019.
India holds a very important place in the Global Education
Industry. India has the largest networks of higher Education
and one the country which has more number of Graduates. The
main impact of COVID-19 on Education Industry are Virtual
Education and E-Learning. India ranks 2nd in Virtual Education
after US. Virtual Education helps main startups of Education
sector such as applications which also increases India in
Economical development. The extent of impact of the
lockdown on schools, community and children is
proportionally very high. India has 1.4 million schools, 2.01
million children enrolled in government schools from Standard
1-8 and an additional 3.8 million children enrolled in Standard
9-10, according to the Udise report on school education in
India, 2016-2017. Approximately 29% of India’s population
are children, and 19.29 % is in the age group of 6-14 years.
This group is legally entitled to education under the Right to
Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
Financial Sector of India faces a huge sum of liquidity loss due
to companies lost revenue in the Lockdown period. The
banking Industry which is the backbone of India’s Economy
was also affected due to COVID-19. Nineteen sectors went
under a huge debt of Rs.15.5 Lakh Crore in 6months. The
retail and wholesale trade also has a outstanding debt of
Rs.5.4Lakh Crore.
India’s Manufacturing Sector creates Job opportunity and
increases the revenue of the country. COVID-19 major impact
was on this sector in a large scale. Production was stopped due
to various reason during COVID such as unemployment, lack
of raw materials and other resources. The Automobile Sector
in India has been forced to stop key manufacturing activity and
lead to share drop in production and sales. Most of the
automobile plants were shut and big companies announced pay
cuts. Textile industry were shut due to slow production and
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
spread of COVID. But due to innovation Textile industry
helped the Medical sector climb a step in Indian Economy.
6. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS
India’s exports in March2020 were USD 18.16 billion (Rs. 1,
35, 043.18crore) registering a positive growth of 1.22 per cent
in dollar terms. The estimated value of services export for
April2020 is USD 17.60 billion. Imports in March 2020 were
USD 11.11 billion (Rs. 82, 618.50 crore) registering a negative
growth of (-) 2.23per cent in dollar terms. The estimated value
of service import for April2020 is USD 10.68 billion.
Impact of COVID 19 on Indian Economy:
After the great depression of 1930 in which the global
economy has faced the worst recession is now facing the
global pandemic of corona virus that has laid the adverse effect
on all the economic activates across the world. The sudden
decline in economic activities due to the lockdown is
unexpected in the history of India. The great economist
Keynes has suggested the concept of trade business cycle after
the great depression. The four stage of trade cycle is
considered to measure the growth rate and real GDP.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected the GDP
growth as 1.9% and this shows the worst growth performance
of India after the liberalisation policy of 1991 in this fiscal year
as the corona virus has disturbed the whole economy.
Instead after this the IMF in its latest edition of the World
Economy Report has placed India being the fastest growing
economy in 2020. The global economy is projected to contrast
sharply manufacturers have reported the disturbances in the
manufacturing practices. At present there is huge demands of
many products in which the face shields and pharmaceutical
products are main. The demand of these products has increased
in last two months. The manufacturing units in most of the
countries have shut down due to Covid-19 spread and most of
the countries are facing from the lack of the labour due to the
fear of Covid-19 spread. The first case of Covid-19 in India
reported in January, 2020 and the Government of India has
72
 Impact of Covid-19 on Business Sector in India
declared the lockdown in the country to minimize the spread of
Covid-19. Supply chain across the nation is disrupted. The
Indian government has already held the high level meetings to
set the new manufacturing strategies. Japan and other countries
are also looking for the diversify the supply chains and
manufacturing systems to new destinations. Indian government
is now focusing on the try and establishing India as an
alternative to the China for manufacturing for both the local
and global market. Most of the countries have shifted their
production out of China due to the disruption of the supply
chain between major trading partners. Supply chain is also
disrupted in India at local level due to some barriers which are
discussed in the present study. In the present paper we have
discussed the effect of Covid-19 on Indian economy and on
supply chains in India. There are total of 18 critical barriers are
found out which affected the supply chains in the India. It is
expected that this study will helpful the researchers to develop
the conceptual models to overcome from this issue.
The target to make Indian economy of USD $5 Trillion with
7% of GDP by the year 2024. As per the World Bank latest
assessment, India is expected to grow 1.5 percent to 2.8
percent as well as according to IMF, it has projected a GDP
growth of 1.9 percent in 2020 and to achieve the object of
USD $5 Trillion economy it is expected to grow at 9 percent
every year for five years.
7. IMPACTS IN AREA OF TAMILNADU
Agriculture
Tamil Nadu's farm-to-table initiative has come to fruition
rather unexpectedly, owing to the outbreak of Covid-19. The
state has launched an initiative to ensure people get access to
fresh produce without overcrowding the markets, where there
is a chance of transmission of the infection. The Tamil Nadu
Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops expanded
services under its E-Thottam (efarm) portal to cover supply of
fruits and vegetables in the capital city of Chennai. “The E-
Thottam initiative has existed for a while, ” said Gagandeep
Singh Bedi, Tamil Nadu agriculture production commissioner.
Soon after the nationwide lockdown was announced in March,
the department began door-to-door deliveries of essentials as
an emergency response. Currently, it handles about 2, 000
orders a day and the goal is to scale up gradually. Orders are
usually delivered within two days, but owing to the total
lockdown in Chennai, there is a longer backlog and it is taking
at least one more day to service.
8. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ArogyaSetu IVRS system
The Government of India introduced the ArogyaSetu (loosely
translated as “bridge to health”) app, which is a great tool for
answering common queries about the coronavirus. The app
allows users to do a self-assessment and determine if she or he
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
needs to be tested for COVID-19. Keeping the diversity of
languages in India into account, the app is multilingual.
However, its reach is limited to smartphone users. While India
has about 1.3 billion mobile phones, only about 30% of these
are smart phones. Thus, if we wish to be inclusive, it is critical
for us to devise strategies that can accommodate the remaining
70% of non-smart phone users.
Our agency took up the challenge of enhancing the
applicability of ArogyaSetu. We created an IVRS version of
the app. Our project is TNeGA’s first large-scale technology
deployment in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu health
department, IIT Chennai, Department of Telecom,
Government of India and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, the
state-owned telecom company. We were involved at every
stage of the implementation. We designed the questions and
wrote an algorithm to analyze the health condition of an
individual based on their response on the IVRS system.
Importantly, the system does not require an internet connection
and is available in Tamil.
Industry
The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is all set to wreck havoc
on the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). At least
22% of the over 75 million MSME units in the country are
likely to shut if the lockdown in cities extends beyond four
weeks and around 43% may face the same situation if panic
extends beyond eight weeks, according to an industry expert.
Scope of The Study
This study shows the various impacts of COVID -19 on the
Indian economy and how the various business sectors are
battling through the pandemic. Various business sectors such
as agriculture, entertainment, IT, service sectors have been
affected on a large scale due to pandemic. And how these big
business sectors are overcoming the situations in a safe
manner.
9. LIMITATIONS
Limited access to data-Since the Pandemic is not under
control, the data access towards the pandemic related
information is limited and under progress.
Time Constraints- Not a lot of time was put into this
researchbecause the informationrelated to the pandemic and its
impacts on the business sectorsare wide.
Lack of previous research studies on this topic-Since the topic
is wide, not a lot of information were precise.
Unknown Audience-we may not know who all our audience
are. That creates many questions on presenting this paper.
Issues with sample and selection-Not a lot ofsamples and
issues were able to be collected and conducted due to the
current scenario.
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 Impact of Covid-19 on Business Sector in India

10. CONCLUSION students-from-marginalised-communities-in-

Data held by private companies provide an unprecedenied
capacity to measure economic activity at a granular level very
rapidly. These data have become increasingly integral for
corporations in improving business decisions. In this paper we
have constructed a freely available platform that harmness the
same data with the aim of supporting policymakers, non-
profits, and the public seeking to make better decisions.
REFERENCE
[1] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-
nation/how-an-ips-officer-is-changing-the-fortunes-of-
telangana/articleshow/78594703.cms
[2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341266520_Effe
ct_of_COVID-
19_on_the_Indian_Economy_and_Supply_Chain
[3] https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/coronavirus-
tamil-nadu-industry-experts-trade-bodies-flag-worry-over-
impact-on-small-businesses/1901049/
[4] https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/tamil-nadu-
used-technology-tackle-coronavirus-crisis/
[5] Worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2020/06/08/the-global-
economic-outlook-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-a-
changed-world.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 74
 15.
Impact of E-Commerce on Banking and Retailing Sector
Glasteena Jose
III Semester M.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: Over the newest decade India has been one among
the fastest adopters for information technology, particularly
due to its capability to supply software solutions to
organizations round the world. This capability has provided
an incredible impetus to domestic banking system in India to
deploy the newest in technology, particularly within the
internet banking and e-commerce areas. With advancement
in technology, there are many changes. Indian banks are
playing an important role with e-commerce.Within the
backdrop of these developments this paper makes an effort
to: examine how the e-commerce has increased opportunities
for e-banking and retailing in Indiaduring the pandemic
COVID-19.
Keywords: E-commerce, E-retailing, E-banking.
1. INTRODUCTION
Technology play a key role in today’s business environment.
Many companies greatly believe computers and software to
supply accurate information to effectively manage their
business. it'sbecoming increasingly necessary for all businesses
to include information technology solutions to work
successfully.
Over the past ten years, information technology has become
pervasive throughout our society. We sleep in a networked
world with the web access. Information technology now's as
important to the enterprise as finance, marketing and sales. In
fact, it's central to an organization’s success therein it provides
critical day-to-day operational support and enables enterprise
wide change.
The importance of IT in commerce and banking stems from
the importance of knowledge. Data is nothing but information
that aids deciding.within the emerging global economy, e-
commerce and e-banking have increasingly become a crucial
component of business strategy and a robust catalyst for
economic development. the mixing of IT in business has
revolutionized relationship within organizations and people
between and among organizations and individual. Specifically,
the utilization of IT in business has enhanced productivity,
encouraged greater customer participation, and enabled mass
customization, besides reducing costs.
When the business and commerce tend to get on the electronic
modes, banking can never remain isolated. When e-commerce
refers to carrying on business transactions electronically, it
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
covers any sort of business including banking. Hence, e-
banking implies performing basic banking transactions by
customers around the clock globally through electronic media.
Modern banking is more information based, speedy and
boundary less thanks to impact of e-revolution.
Today’s banking is electronic banking, e-banking denotes the
supply of banking and other related services through the
extensive use of IT, without direct resource to the bank by
customers. The salient features of e-banking are the
overwhelming reliance thereon and therefore the absence of
physical bank branches to deliver banking service to
customers.
2. REVIEW OF LITERTURE
Ozok et al (2007): identified ten items contributing to overall
consistency in e-commerce customer relationship management.
These items are consistency of transaction steps, consistency
of Web site design, consistency of navigation, consistency of
promotions, consistency of in-stock indications, consistency of
product variety, consistency of fraud protection, consistency of
product guarantees, consistency of overall site fairness, and
consistency of return policies.
Singh and Lalwani (2007): in their work on internet banking
suggest that internet banking has facilitated the banking
relationships with the customers. It is now widely accepted in
the country because of the fact that it is the cheapest source of
providing banking services.
Awais Muhammad and SaminTanzila (2012): indicate that
use of internet has made the world a global village. The use of
Internet has reducedthe distances andbrought the people tools
in which e-commerce plays a vital role.
ChananaNisha and Goele Sangeeta (2012):propose that the
future of E-Commerce is difficult to predict. There are various
segments that would grow in the future like: Travel and
Tourism, electronic appliances, hardware products and apparel.
MitraAbhijit (2013): suggests E-Commerce has unleashed yet
another revolution, which is changing the way businesses buy
and sell products and services. New methodologies have
evolved. The role of geographic distances in forming business
relationships is reduced. E-Commerce is the future of
shopping.
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 Impact of E
E-Commerce on Banking and Retailing Sector

Abdul Gaffar Khan (2016): in his study states the benefits

and challenges of e-commerce
commerce in an emerging economy. He
states the main benefits of e-commerce
commerce from sellers’ point of
view is increasing revenue and reducing operation and
maintenance costs through internet.

MadhumithaJaganmohan (2020): E-commerce commerce made about

0.76% Of India’s GDP in 2017. This was estimated to reach
0.9%. By being the second largest online market in the world
after China, the rise of the mobile payments market facilitates
the opportunity for growth in the years to follow.

3. OBJECTIVE
To examine how e-commerce
commerce has increased the opportunities
for e-banking
banking and marketing ie, retailing in India during the
pandemic COVID-19.

4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 7. E-RETAILING

The study is descriptive in nature. Secondary data used for this Electronic retailing is the sale of goods and services through
present
sent study through various published source from online the internet. E-tailing,
tailing, can include business-to-business
business and
and offline. business-to-consumer
consumer sales. Therefore, e-tailing
e is conducting
of retail business via electronic media.
5. E-COMMERCE
8. E-BANKING
Electronic commerce or e-commerce
commerce is a term for any type of
business, or commercial transaction that involves the transfer Online banking, also known as internet banking or web
of information across the internet. E-commerce,
commerce, refer
refers to banking, is an electronic payment system that enables
economic activity that occurs online. E-commerce
commerce includes all customers of a bank or other financial institution to conduct a
types of business activities, such as retail shopping, banking, range of financial transaction through financial institution’s
investing and rentals. E-commerce
commerce allows consumers to website, e-banking is an e-commerce
commerce application
a which allows
electronically exchange goods and services with no barriers of the customers to perform any of the virtual baking functions.
time or distance.
With the potential growth in internet and online infrastructure
6. E-COMMERCE HISTORY in India, it was no surprise that the e-commerce
e market
experienced a similar boost. Increasing rate of internet
in
E-commerce
commerce has existed for over 40 years from the electronic penetration, along with the increasing share of the organized
transmission of messages. From this, electronic data sector within retail markets created the strong foundation that
interchange was the next stage of e-commerce
commerce development. In e-commerce
commerce needs. Compared from 2016 to 2019 there is a
the 1960s a cooperative effort between industry grou groups rapid growth of sales in the year 2020. One of the reasons for
produced a first attempt at common electronic data formats such growth is the current pandemic ie. COVID-19.
COVID
which were used primarily for intra-industry
industry transactions. In
1970s work began for Electronic Data Interchange standards,
which developed well into the early 1990s. EDI is the
electronic transferr of a standardized business transaction
between a sender and receiver computer, over a private
network or Value-Added
Added Network. Sender and receiver need to
have the same application software and the data would be
exchanged in an extremely rigorous format. The EDI system
was very expensive to run mainly because of the high cost of
the private networks and internet usage was not in wide spread.
So only MNC having good financial strength were implicating
EDI systems and persuading smaller suppliers to implemen
implement
EDI systems at a very high cost. With the advent of the
internet, the term e-commerce
commerce began to include electronic
trading, on-line
line marketing, ordering payment and support for
delivery.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19:

19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunitie
Opportunities 76
 Impact of E-Commerce on Banking and Retailing Sector
E-commerce made about 0.76% Of India’s GDP in 2017. This
was estimated to reach 0.9%. By being the second largest
online market in the world after China, the rise of the mobile
payments market facilitates the opportunity for growth in the
years to follow. Growing at an exponential rate, the market
value of the e-commerce industry in India was approximately
50 billion USD in 2018. The e-commerce revenue in India is
expected to grow to 71.0 billion USD in 2024, as the forecast
is adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.
With the people wary of stepping into crowed places, offline
retail continues to register a tepid response; however online
retail has witnessed a surge during the COVID-19. February
2020 to June 2020 comparison by uni-commerce shows that
the sector has grown by 117%. And moreover, the number of
cash on delivery orders is likely to go down as the coronavirus
crisis subsides. The QR code-based transactions has increased.
One of the reasons for the growth in online retail is the sale of
grocery, currently organized retailers account for USD 25
billion, or 4% of India’s annual USD 580 billion food and
grocery market and their share is expected to grow to USD 69
billion, or 7% by 2024, according to Axis capital.
The global digital banking market registered a revenue of
nearly $803.8 billion in 2018 and is anticipated to grow at a
10% CAGR, surpassing $1702.4 billion by 2026. The market
has witnessed a significant growth previously, but due to the
unexpected COVID-19 outbreak, the market will witness
additional growth in 2020, owing to the rising adoption of
mobile payment solutions. This growth will be majorly driven
by changing customer behavior, increasing focus of the people
from visiting bank branches to online access of bank services.
With over half (57%) of consumers now preferring internet
banking, up from 49% pre-COVID 19 and 55% preferring
banking mobile apps compared with 47% previously, the
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
stakes have risen further as the COVID-19 context continues to
move consumers towards digital banking. There is a 15%
increase in incoming request from offline merchants to partner
with Paytm. The users UPI transactions has increased during
the pandemic and the value was Rs. 2, 22, 500 crores in
February wherein this was increased to Rs. 2, 41, 100 crores in
June, 2020.
At the same time overall value of transactions contracted by
46% in April over March led by decline across various modes
pf payments modes barring direct benefit transfer payments by
the government using Aadhar-enabled platforms, which
recorded a jump of 138%. Transactions and payments through
various banking channels- cheques, NEFT, RTGS and ATM
withdrawal, fell between 26% and 71% in April over March.
The sharpest contraction was noticed in value transacted
through issuance of cheque which fell by 71% in April to Rs.
1.63 lakh crores in April from Rs. 5.65 lakh crores in March.
Therefore, this shows that compared to ATMs, cheques and so
on usage of UPI was more during the pandemic.
9. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
FINDINGS
• E-commerce existed over 40 years and in the recent years
it has greatly implemented in the life of people as it
provides opportunities like low prices, shopping
convenience, easy to compare, time saving, range of
products, and so on.
• Compared from 2016-2019 there is a rapid growth of sales
in the year 2020 ie. from $38 billion in 2016 to $120
billion in 2020.
• E-commerce has made about 0.76% of India’s GDP in
2017, and is expected to reach 0.9% as it is the second
largest online market in the world after China.
• The e-commerce revenue in India is expected to grow 71.0
billion USD in 2024, as the forecast is adjusted for the
expected impact of COVID-19.
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 Impact of E-Commerce on Banking and Retailing Sector
• Cash on delivery orders is likely to go down during the
crisis and the UPI transactions has increased rapidly.
• One of the reasons for the growth of e-retailing in India is
selling of groceries and it has increased from $25 billion
to $69 billion by 2024.
• Global digital banking market registered a revenue of
nearly $803.8 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow to
$1702.4 billion by 2024.
• Over half (57%) of consumers now preferring internet
banking, up from 49% pre-COVID 19 and 55% preferring
banking mobile apps compared with 47% previously.
• The users UPI transactions has increased during the
pandemic and the value was Rs. 2, 22, 500 crores in
February wherein this was increased to Rs. 2, 41, 100
crores in June, 2020.
RECOMMENDATION
• Still there is a lack of awareness among the people about
e-retailing and e-banking and therefore customer should
be made literate about the use of e-banking products and
services and the usage of e-retailing apps.
• Special arrangements should be made to ensure full
security of customer funds and also privacy of the
customer. Technical defaults should be avoided by
employing well trained and expert technicians in the field
of computers, so that the loss of data can be avoided.
• Special training should be given to bank employees for the
use of e-banking so that they can further encourage
customers to use the same in the rural areas.
• The services provided should be customized on the basis
of age, gender, occupation, etc. so as to increase the usage
of e-commerce facility among the aged population. And
also need and requirements of the customers should be
met accordingly.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
• Government should make huge investments for building
the infrastructure.
10. CONCLUSION
This paper emphasis on the new changes related to e-
commerce ie. the opportunities they have created among the
customers during the pandemic COVID-19. The study reveals
that there is much awareness in Indian customers regarding the
use of e-commerce ie. e-retailing and e-banking during the
COVID-19. In today’s world, India’s younger generation is
been benefited and by these services and has started to analyze
the convenience of these services. And therefore, in the
coming days e-commerce will be accepted and will be
preferred by the people as it is a convenient mode.
REFERNCES
[1] H.R. Appannaiah and Ramanath H.R., “Retail
Management”, Himalaya Publishing House, First Edition,
2015.
[2] Dr. K. Venkataramana, “Banking Law and Operations”,
Seven Hills Book Publications, Revised Edition, July
2013.
[3] Srikanth S and RajeeviNayak and Shalini Suresh, “e-
Business and Accounting”, Skyward Publishers, Second
Edition, 2015.
[4] https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/E-Commerce_and_E-
Business/Introduction
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_banking
[6] https://www.foundingfuel.com/slideshow/indian-
ecommerce-in-10-charts/
[7] https://www.google.com/search?q=transaction+of+e-
retailing+in+india&source=lmns&bih=789&biw=1440&h
l=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiftO2_2qPsAhXGASsKHb_
MAuoQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA
[8] https://www.statista.com/topics/2454/e-commerce-in-
india/
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 16.
10 Types of Industry that Might not be Seen in Future
(Based on the topic The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities)
Ganesh Krishna
MBA, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International School of Textiles and Management
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
ganesh97k@gmail.com
Abstract: With the outbreak of COVID 19, all the goals and
mission of every organization have been halted for now and
the main focus has been shifted towards survival by
minimizing the catastrophic of the dangerous disease.
Although the business in todays would have become
proactive with the availability of skillful human resources,
but most were not able to plan in advance for these extreme
situations. Different industries have been affected differently,
some have been affected severely, and some industry might
not be seen in future. In this article I am attempt to present
my predictions that some industry that might not be see in
post covid 19.
1. INTRODUCTION
When the situation of lockdown was imposed, most of the
companies were struggled to keep their company on track,
because the Government doesn’t provide any prior information
about it. Most of the companies’ goals and mission were halted
for month and still struggle to lift up the company on track for
smooth running of business with this pandemic. Several
Industries sack their employees, reduced the salaries and so on.
Apart from this in my prediction post covid 19, many
industries might not be seen in future, why because peoples are
changed their habit and they learned and found new techniques
and methods to survive during pandemic. With the new habit
of life, some industries that the people were inevitable before
covid would face severe catastrophic condition. In this article I
am here going to present my views on that “10 types of
industries might not be seen in future”.
Note: - This is my prediction only it may vary depend upon the
circumstances.
1. Travel industry (Agencies)
It is divided into two types
a) Business Travel
One of the most severe affect due to covid19 is Business
travel, before pandemic the people from different
countries would join together at a specific place to deal
the business. Companies will give contract to travel
agency for smooth running of business experience. They
will do all duties impeccably and provide at most
satisfaction.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
But now due to pandemic the companies are dealing the
business through online meeting and using different
modes. Peoples from different countries can able to
access online meeting without any hassle. Also the
company will get benefit by reducing its travel cost and
other overhead cost. From the point of view the company
will choose this method and invest more on to digital
meeting.
b) Experience Travel
As we all know tourism is one of the most important
earning factors for different countries, but due to the
pandemic people from different countries will not
consider traveling abroad especially the countries having
high number of covid cases. So this will affect the travel
agencies severely.
2. Cinema Theatres
The ongoing pandemic has led to large scale of anxieties
about the future of the arts. As we all know India is the
one of the largest film making industry in the world. The
film industry offers job to several thousands.
This industry affected badly, why because same theatre
experience we can able to develop in our own home.
People who have Android T.V can easily access to any
shows and films, meanwhile same theatre experience can
also develop in our home. We can get different types of
speakers and different screen level T.V’s are available in
the market.
Different film producers are now changed their mind to
release their film on OTT Platform, People who have
Netflix or Amazon Account can easily access to watch
the movies on time without any hassle. Another reason is
maintaining social distance inside theatres will no longer
possible at all.
3. Commercial Space
With the working from home revolution brought about
by the Covid 19 pandemic unlikely to go away. Increase
in remote working looks set to result in lower demand for
office buildings.
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 10 Types of Industry that Might not be Seen in Future
Recent news said Tata, Infosys and many other IT
companies are supporting Work from Home, with this;
several companies get more benefit by eliminating
Electricity bill, Office rent, and so on. In future this space
would be for conducting annual meeting or for other
purpose.
4. Traditional Media
Before covid 19 we have seen 36 pages of newspaper
having lot of advertisement than News. But today the
newspapers are shrinking to 7 or 6 pages. Why because,
most of the companies are halted their advertisements
and other marketing stuffs. InsteadCompanies chose
online media like Facebook, Instagram to promote their
business without causing any huge cost.
5. Automobile Showrooms
Several automobile industries are using digital
showrooms to show their product to the customers
without going to the physical store with the help of
mobile and computers. People from different countries
are able to view their product through digital media with
the same experience that have been given in physical
stores.
Recently Mercedes Benz introduced new digital
innovation that the customer can view their product at
any time, at any place, without going to physical stores.
Same physical experience that customer getthrough
online by using augmented reality. So with this
innovation several automobiles industry chooses these
techniques to attract the customer.
Another techniques used by automobile industry is
people can buy the car through subscription method.
Customers can buy car based on subscription mode,
based on the Terms and Condition.
Recently Hyundai introduced new techniques to provide
their cars based on subscription.
6. Fitness Centers
Leading companies in fitness centers and gyms has acted
accordingly to the situation and launched their operations
online. The company has implemented several fitness
programs to attract customers such as,
Fitness Trainers will go to their home and give
appropriate training to its customers, so that the
customers can do their fitness workouts from its own
home.
Another initiative is most of the companies implemented
several workout apps to assist their customers. Customers
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
can download workout apps and trainee will instruct all
workouts through app.
Through adoption of this method, customers will choose
home fitness, eventually fitness centers will historic.
7. Big Educational Instituitions
As we all know during lockdown many educational
institutions have been opted online method to teach their
students, still now Government didn’t lift the restriction
to open schools and colleges. Due to lockdown many big
educational institutions have faced catastrophic
situations. We all know many engineering colleges are
now shutting and changed to other industries. With this
condition, several online institutions take this advantage
as strength and opportunities. Many educational
institutions joined with Byjus, Udemy and so on to teach
their students.
Another reason is parents are not willing to allow their
children’s to school because of pandemic, eventually
most of the parents attached with new habit of life.
8. Conventional Centers
Many conventional centers were faced catastrophic
situation due to pandemic. Many stage shows or other
programs were not conducted still in pandemic period.
Till now many countries not willing to conduct
Exhibition or Trade fairs.
Now stage shows are conducting through online with
same experience that has been given in conventional
centers. With the help of mobile or computer people from
different countries can access to watch the stage shows
and many other programs. Many conferences and other
meetings are still now conducting through online mode.
Eventually convention centers can be used for marriage
or wedding reception.
9. Telecommunication Companies
Recent news we have seen that many telecommunication
companies are still struggling to pay their AGR amount.
Another reason is to call a person or communicate to a
person we just only need mobile and internet. With this 2
item people from different countries can able to access to
communicate. Many telecommunication companies
before covid they only focused on calling and other
stuffs. But what Jio did they focus on Data and Internet
instead of voice call as we all know the future oil is Data.
So Jio implemented cheap rate of providing data to its
customers. Eventually many of other companies’
customers have changed to Jio. This was created an era
for new technology.
80
 10 Types of Industry that Might not be Seen in Future
Recent news report showed that around 65% increase in
data or internet consuming and created essential part for
every human life.
10. Printing Industry
During lockdown most of the companies didn’t much
engaged in physical advertising. Instead they advertised
their product through digital marketing. So with this
effect many print industries faced lot of severe situation.
Many print industries now are shutting and transforming
to other purpose. But some print industries has been
working as Print and Packaging industries. As we all now
packing is one of the most important marketing
techniques to attract customers. A good packing will
attract the customers.
Another situation is companies, peoples, and other many
will not use physical card as advertisement all were now
changed to digital card.
2. CONCLUSION
During the uncertainty period the business which are
successful are just because of the nature of services they
provide many companies affected catastrophically and many
business are still struggling to keep their company on track and
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
for many other companies used this threat as opportunities and
strengths. According to several report showed many
companies post covid might not be seen in future due to the
habit of people during lockdown. Many people are now
attached with the new habit and many companies that the
people were inevitable before covid would face more
catastrophic. In ordered to survive most affected companies
should change their business model and strategies, otherwise it
will be historic.
REFERENCES
[1] https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/b
usiness-of-brands/future-shock-25-travel-tourism-trends-
post-covid-19/75463449
[2] https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/cinema-after-
covid-19/article31643937.ece
[3] https://www.pharmaceutical-
technology.com/fdi/rethinking-office-space-in-a-post-
covid-environment/
[4] https://www.adgully.com/how-traditional-advertising-
mediums-will-change-post-covid-19-95049.html
[5] https://www.shop.mercedes-benz.co.in/
[6] https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/b
usiness-of-brands/future-shock-25-education-trends-post-
covid-19/75729537.
81
 17.
Study on Direct Tax Code and its Impact on Tax Evasion
Shweta
St. Joseph’s College of Commerce
itsmeshweta1014@gmail.com
Abstract: An individual pays various types of taxes. The
Income Tax is a progressive tax. Taxpayers have to pay tax
on his income. Higher amount of tax means less disposable
income. For having more disposable income many taxpayers
evade taxes. Mental Accounting can also lead to Tax Evasion
since people have already built compartments in their mind
how they are going to spend their income. If their income is
reduced & the compartments are not balanced this can lead
to dissatisfaction. The government is working to reduce the
tax evasion. For this purpose the government is working on
the Direct Tax Code. Being a responsible citizen it is our
responsibility to contribute in the growth of our economy.
Keywords: Tax evasion, Direct Tax Code, Disposable
Income, Economy.
1. INTRODUCTION
"It was only for the good of his subjects that he collected taxes
from them, just as the Sun draws moisture from the Earth to
give it back a thousand fold" –--Kalidas
The concept of collecting income tax was introduced by
Chanakya which is similar to the current tax system. In India
this tax was imposed by Sir James Wilson in the year 1860 to
cover the losses of the Revolt of 1857. After this various
Income Tax Acts were enforced first in 1918 after that in 1922
& finally in the assessment year 1961-62. After that various
amendments are being introduced in the form of Finance Acts
& Accommodation Acts every year.
The basic need behind Income Tax Act was the development
of the society as a whole. The economy must grow for which
the government requires funds. Since people are working in
the economy & government is creating various opportunities
for them therefore, it becomes the duty of citizens to pay some
part of their income to the government so that the expenditures
of nation are met. The Income Tax is a progressive tax i.e., it is
based on the incomes of the citizen. Higher income means
higher amount of tax is to be paid.
The increase in the inflation rate & tax rates are the main
reasons for the tax evasion. It is difficult for the people to
purchase many goods & services out of their income & to pay
taxes at the rate of 30 %.This is the main reason why people
hide their actual income from the government. Less taxable
income means less tax which means more disposable income.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
This is the reason why government is not earning much from
income tax, they increase the indirect taxes on various goods &
services which ultimately results in the inflation. Thus, Vicious
Circle of Taxation is created.
To come out of this Vicious Circle of Taxation it is necessary
that there are no or less tax evasions in the country. This can
be done by bringing changes in the existing Income Tax Act
1961. Every year new Finance Act comes into force but in vain
& the numbers of tax evasions are increasing. Some are being
caught but many are not even traced.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Reviewing the previous studies gives us a better insight about
our topic & also helps us to find the limitations of those
studies. Tax Evasion has encouraged many research scholars,
thus resulting in various empirical studies. Some of these
studies are summarized below-
One of the Norwegian study raises a question that How
Substitutable are Tax Evasion & Tax Avoidance at the top of
the wealth distribution? According to Annette Alstadsæter,
Niels Johannesen & Gabriel Zucman (2018) under tax amnesty
program the tax payers who intentionally disclose their
possessions which were unrevealed earlier were not bound to
pay any penalty& were free from criminal sanctions. The first
finding of this study shows that the tax returns increased after
using amnesty. According to G. Tarun & K.S. Shoba Jasmin
(2018) Tax Evasion is associated with informal economy.
They also emphasize on how individuals & organizations can
reduce the burden by effectively using tax laws. They also
highlight the importance of change in tax structure &
collection tiers. Many researches also emphasize on black
money& corruption. Pradeep Kumar Das (2004) highlighted
how Government of India is formulating new policies&
principles to minimize the scams which takes place by
manipulating the books of accounts, black money &
unaccounted wealth transferred to abroad. According to
Sukanta Sarkar (2010) the main reason for Tax Evasion &
Black Money is political system as the main focus is on
creating committees & not on the implementation part.
According to Dr. Devarajappa parallel economy is also a point
of concern& Indian Taxation System needs some reforms to
address these problems.
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 Study on Direct Tax Code and its Impact on Tax Evasion

TABLE 1: Estimated Amount of Tax Evasion from 2000 to 2015.

Source- Annual Report of Ministry of Finance 2016.

3. RESEARCH GAP& RESEARCH PROBLEM • To offer Policy recommendations & suggestions for
implementation.
After doing the detailed study of various research papers it was
discovered that no research paper concentrated on Tax Evasion 5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
& Direct Tax Code together. Direct Tax Code will be
sanctioned to battle Tax Evasion and Black Money. RESEARCH TYPE

In this backdrop, the present study attempts to understand the
Direct Tax Code and how it can benefit individuals & help in
reducing tax evasion.
4. OBJECTIVES & METHODOLOGY OF THE
STUDY
Primary & Secondary Objective
• To study about Direct Tax Evasion in detail.
• To study the various reasons leading to Tax Evasion.
• To find out various changes in Income Tax Act 1961 that
are aimed at minimizing Tax Evasion.
• To study about Direct Tax Code.
I have used Descriptive Research. The main objective of this
research is to describe the data. Descriptive research is useful
in collecting information about what is happening in current
scenario. The main objective of this study is to know about the
viewpoint of assessees about tax evasion.
UNIVERSE OF STUDY- All the assessees of India.
Theoretical – It covers all the individuals who pay taxes.
Accessible- It covers all the assessees who were in my reach
through emails.
SAMPLE SIZE
A sample of minimum 100 respondents was selected from
various assessees.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 83
 Study on Direct Tax Code and its Impact on Tax Evasion
DATA COLLECTION
Primary & Secondary Source of Data is being used in this
study.
The data was collected through the structured questionnaire.
The questionnaire was created using Google Forms. As
marketing focuses to reach the customers and satisfy their
needs & wants. Today everyone is present on social media
therefore I took this opportunity to collect the responses using
the online platform.
6. ANALYSIS & FINDINGS
From the above pie chart it is clear that 43% of the people have
an income between 5, 00, 000 & 10, 00, 000 whereas 23% of
the assessees are not liable to pay the taxes & 34% people
comes under the 30% slab.
The 40% of the respondents have given 4 out of 5 to the tax
slabs. 33% of the respondents feel that it is both appropriate &
inappropriate.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
From the above diagram it is clear that 55% of the assessees
don’t claim deductions from 80C to 80U which the
government allows to reduce the tax liability.
7. DISCUSSIONS
TAX EVASION
Tax Evasion is measured in the form of ‘Tax Gap’. Tax Gap is
defined as amount liable for paying taxes but not paid on time
or willingly. The evaders not only hide their income but also
claim returns. According to Economic Times the number of
new income tax filers increased around 1 crore in the FY-
2017-18 total returns amounted to Rs 6.84 crore which rised up
by 26% from 5.43 crores in 2016- 17. It is good that people are
showing their income but most people don’t show true & fair
view of their incomes & earn by claiming more returns.
Tax Evasion affects every stakeholder be it an individual,
organization or economy as a whole. Black money,
Corruption, decrease in the revenue of the government thus
resulting in the recession economy. We can say that this is the
‘Vicious Circle of Tax Evasion.’
TAX
EVASION
DECREASE
IN THE
REVENUE RECESSION IN BLACK
OF THE ECONOMY MONEY
GOVERNME
NT
CORRUPTI
ON
VICIOUS CIRCLE OF TAX EVASION
8. STEPS TAKEN TO REDUCE TAX EVASION
• Section 40A(3): Disallowance of Expenses incurred in
Cash – Payment of Rs 10000 or more in cash on a single
day to a single entity is fully disallowed. Also applicable
to charitable & Religious Trusts.
• Operation Clean Money was introduced by Income Tax
Department in FY- 16-17 for the purpose of collecting
84
 Study on Direct Tax Code and its Impact on Tax Evasion
&analyzing cash transactions, e-verification of high risk
cases & to take appropriate actions. Operation Clean Cash
proved to be very effective during Demonetization period
as people deposited their cash in bank but they didn’t file
Income Tax Return.
• According to the Annual Report by Ministry of Finance
about 18 lakh people were caught during the
demonetization phase.
• More than 20, 500 people were selected for Scrutiny in
2017 as their bank accounts were showing different
figures from that of Income Tax Fillings.
Thus during post demonetization phase number of tax
payers increased to certain extent.
9. DIRECT TAX CODE
The Direct Tax Code is being formed to replace the Income
Tax Act, 1961 .It will include all direct taxes
• Income Tax
• Dividend Distribution Tax
• Wealth Tax
• Fringe Benefit Tax.
The objectives of Direct Tax Code are
• To increase the Tax-GDP ratio
• To reduce the scope for disputes & minimize law suits.
• To provide stability in the tax system.
• Proposed bill has 319 segments and 22 plans against 298
segments and 14 plans for existing IT Act.
• Once ordered, DTC will take over to older and no longer
helpful Income Tax Act.
• Many provisions in Income Tax Act will be a piece of
DTC also.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
• Mutual Funds/ULIP dropped from 80C deductions.
Capital mutual funds to be taxable @5%
10. CONCLUSION & SUGGESTIONS
From this study it can be concluded that taxation is an essential
element for the growth of any economy. Every year
government introduces new Finance Act & Accommodation
Act so that the nation develops. People wish that their nation
develop at a faster rate & at the same time they evade taxes.
How can this happen together? The government gives various
opportunities for Tax Management but many people are not
aware of the deductions & are not able to take the benefit &
they choose to evade some portion of their tax liability. The
government also take steps so that taxpayers are aware about
taxation policy.
The government will soon introduce Direct Tax Code which
will replace all the direct taxes& will focus on reducing the tax
evasion & to effectively utilize it for the betterment of the
nation. There are strict laws for tax evasion but sometime lacks
in implementation.
REFERENCES
[1] Das, P.K. (2018). An Insight into Black Money and Tax
Evasion – Indian Context. Journal of International
Business Research and Marketing, 3(4), 30-39.
[2] Annette Alstadsæter, Niels Johannesen & Gabriel Zucman
(2018). Who Owns the Wealth in Tax Havens? Macro
Evidence and Implications for Global Inequality.
[3] G. Tarun & K.S. Shoba Jasmin. (2018). A Study on Tax
Evasion in India. International Journal of Pure and
Applied Mathematics.
[4] Pradeep Kumar Das (2004). An Insight into Black Money
and Tax Evasion – Indian Context
[5] Sukanta Sarkar (2010). The parallel economy in India:
causes, impacts and government initiatives. Economic
Journal of Development Issues.
[6] Ministry of Finance
[7] Economic Times
85
 18.
Covid-19 Impact and the Study of Factors Affecting on Human
Resource Development
Sheelwanti M. Gajare
Assistant Professor, Department of MBA, Sharnbasva University, Kalaburagi
Gulbarga, Karnataka, India
ssheelwanti@gmail.com
Abstract: To survive all living being need to develop them self
according to the changing environment. Its natural law and
its important concept. To survive is to develop; this is
applicable not only to the human being but its applicable to
various institution, organization and companies.
Organisations can be run through the human resource that
plays a very vital role in it’s overall functioning. One of the
most important function is to sustain and survive in all the
condition its may be favorable or unfavorable. This covid -19
has presented lot of changes in various environment factors
it’s may be internal or the external to the orgnisation. It has
impacted lot to the organisation but they have to keep
struggling to maintain smooth flow of the operation ongoing.
Now this changing scenario like lockdown, social distancing
and work from home make everyone to develop themselves
towards its requirements. it has given new platform to
develop new skill and use new technology for everyone .
Development should be steady and its cannot contribute
negative impact on environment. This study highlight the
covid -19 and its impact on Human Resource Development.
Keywords: Covid – 19, human resource, development,
organization, technology and Environment
1. INTRODUCTION
The recent year has come up with lot of new and drastic
changes in overall globe. This has been due to covid-19. This
virus has started to spread from one country to other and many
countries have started to lockdown. This is affected
economically, politically socially and technologically to most
of the countries and most of the organisation. Its has affected
human health to, so the new rules has introduced in the society
and its directly impacted the working environment. Social
distancing and working from remote area has make change to
organization structure and its process. There are lot of
organisation which operate virtually in post covid-19 also. But
now it’s applicable to each small and giant organization to
make change and operate. The present situation makes people
to use more technology and to access more information about
new platforms which helps them to work smartly. Now the
employees of the organisation are maintaining family life as
well as work life. It has been difficult for people those who are
less tech-savvy and cannot operate it easily. Now it’s also a
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
challenge for the organization also to train their employee
through online platform and assist them. Most of the young
and new entrant of the organization use it all very skillfully
and have knowledge about it. But the same way its challenge
for every organization to control the every employee, its work
and creating a trust bond between them. There are different
strategy and plans to be developed by the management to
smooth workflow as well as human resource development.
Continuous effort of all the people together is needed towards
this goal.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Abouk and Heydari (2020) – show that the social distancing
has created impact on people and business in moderate way.
It’s also related to the state rules and regulations.
Mandavilli (2020) – state that wide range of economic
inclusion saves several life compare to other pandemic as of
1918 and others. Recent strategy are helpful for people .
World bank – (2020) – Forecast the contraction in GDP from
5.2 percent to 7.6 percent .It is due to the uncertain wave of
covid 19 and shows different effect on labour market,
Financial market, production and supply and word economy .
Health research at the international institute of population
science, Mumbai-reported that the India’s young work force
are getting affected due to pandemic and its show more death
rate is more as compare to other counties .
According to the research, covid -19 has hugely affected our
daily life .its also distrupted the world economy and trade
movement . most of the countries have slowdown their
production of goods . it’s also affected various industries and
sectors . it’s also impacted the human life as well as economy
globally .
3. OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH
The main objective of the study are to explore the impact of
covid 19 and factors contributing to human resource
development usually practiced in – the study objective were to:
1. Look into the impact of covid 19 on human resource
development
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 Covid-19 Impact and the Study of Factors Affecting on Human Resource Development
2. Discover the factors affecting HRD
3. Outline the problems of employees and suggest some
measures for better HRM practices
4. FACTORS AFFECTING THE HRD
Here are few factors which has made impact on human
resource development are as follow-
1. Economic factor – Economy is the most affected aspect
due to covid -19.mostof the organizations shown
economic slowdown due to market activities, customer
buying behaviour, service channels etc. this have shown
impact on employees salary, lay of and many more .
2. Social factor – To stop the spread of virus the new
norms come into existing such as social distancing,
proper safety measures and isolated work places .this can
stop the on the job training and come up with online
training for the employee. Its need support of technology
as well as the money.
3. Technological factor – upgraded technology can provide
standard work output but its need huge investment and
skilled workforce with knowledge to cope up demand.
4. Government rules and regulations - The government
rules and regulation have imposed on organization to safe
guard the human lives but it affected the workflow and
human activities.
5. Organization new work system – Most of the
employees are new to the work from home concept. It
has been advantage as well as disadvantage to them.
They have faced lot of problems while work and
handling the situation in new way.
5. THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HUMAN
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
1. Acquiring and maintaining the talent
2. Maintaining the remote workforce
3. Maintaining the proper development and motivating the
employee
4. Maintaining the proper communication
5. Proper training to grow and develop
6. Skill development
1. Acquiring and maintaining the talent –
It is the most important to any organisation to acquiring
right talent for the organization and retains them for
longer time. It’s a challenging task of hr manger and
management, due to covid -19 spread it was found that
most of the employees of the orgnisation has to work
with new challenges and in new environment.
2. Maintaining the remote workforce
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Due to the lockdown and social distancing employees
need to work from remote areas and continue with the
work flow. It’s also impacted the employees work and
working condition during covid-19. Its new challenge to
the management to control the business activities of their
employee and motivate them.
3. Maintaining the proper development and motivating
the employee
Covid-19 impacted the development factor of the
employees. The employees are exposed to new leaning
and development as online webinar and online training
and development. Due to stress of pandemic most of the
employees are mentally disturb and can’t focus on work
in this situation management has to motivate the
employees by words as well as providing proper
remunerations.
4. Maintaining the proper communication
Communication is the most essential channel to survive
the business. Management should use proper
communication channel and disseminate the information
to their employees as well as the stakeholders about the
ongoing activities. Communication is the best means to
motivate the people to work hard and overcome the
stressful situation. Covid -19 has increased the
communication between the management and the
employees. Its boost up the trust bond between the
management and employees.
5. Proper training to grow and develop employees -
Pandemic situation has created a new platform to develop
new skill and learn new thing to employees with the help
of new technology. Management has adopted new
strategies to grow with the changing situation and
develop.
6. Skill development
Some time obstacles come to show new path, during
covid-19 most of the employees of various organisation
develop their skill utilizing the available time and
resource to cope with new challenges and new
environment. Most of the people have developed their
skill in required field.
TABLE 1: Showing economical impact on HRD
Impact of Economic factor on HRD
option Respondent total
yes 99 99
no 1 1
total 100 100
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 Covid-19 Impact and the Study of Factors Affecting on Human Resource Development

table -1. shows that economic factor affects the growth of the also affected due to isolated work force. These factors are
most of the employees and only few of the respondent are not contributing to the hurdles for development of the employees.
affected due to economic factors.
TABLE 3: Impact of organization new work system

Economic factor Organization new work system

1%
Option Respondent Total
yes 90 90
no 10 0
no total
total 100

TABLE 3: shows that the orgnisation new work system

99% have affected the HRD .

Fig. 1. Economic impact on HRD Orgization new work system

Figure -1. Shows the result of response about impact of

economic factor on HRD, 99% employees are affected due to
economic slowdown. 10%
yes no

Social factors
factors / Response yes no total
social distancing 99 1 100 90%

safety issue 99 1 100

isolated work 90 10 100
100
Fig. 3. Impact of organization new work system on HRD
TABLE 2: Impacts of social factors on HRD Figure – 3. Shows that the 90% of the employees feels that the
new work system has affected their development and 10 % of
Table -2 shows that the social factors such as social distancing,
the employees say no to this situation.
safety issues and isolated work place had affected most of the
employees. 6. CONCLUSION

Social Factor Considering that the covid -19 and lockdown is likely to
impacted the human life, there is a present need to study the
yes no impact and factors affectingthe human resource development
and gather research information to create a proof for the
99 99 develop action plans to reduce the unfavorable effect on HRD
90 and impacts caused by these unique changes in human
resource and their development.

REFERENCES
10
1 1 [1] https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/coronavirus-
outbreak-covid-19-eats-away-at-indias-
social distancing safety issue isolated work workforce/cid/178226
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7147210/
Fig. 2. Impact of Social factors on HRD [3] International Journal of Science and Healthcare Research
Vol.5; Issue: 2; April-June 2020
Figure -2 Shows the result of response about social factors. Its [4] WHO. Coronavirous disease (COVID-19) outbreak2020
shows that 99% of the employees are affected due to social [5] www. Google Scholar.com
distancing, and safety issues and 90 % of the employees are

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 88
 19.
Collective Action for Sustainable Development by
Addressing Tax Compliance Gaps
C.A. Annie Stephen
Faculty of Commerce, KristuJayantiCollege, Bengaluru, India
annie@kristujayanti.com
Abstract: Tax compliance gap is now receiving renewed
global attention on account of its severity and owing to the
fact that countries are facing intensified financing needs,
and also because it is critical for the sustainable growth and
development of a nation. Tax gap refers to the difference
between taxes collected by government and the actual tax
dues that could have been collected.. Without a doubt, the
gaps are wide in India. The government is trying its best to
improve tax collections. In its attempt to improve the
situation, the government had introduced the Income
Declaration Scheme 2016 and also initiated the Clean Money
Operation. What needs to be seen is the success rate of these
operations is still a matter of doubt and concern. Does the tax
payer instill its confidence in the government machinery for
weeding out one of the major concerns in India i.e. Black
Money and Tax Evasion? The IRS periodically estimates the
tax gap, which gives a broad view of the nation’s compliance
with federal tax laws. The Indian Revenue Department has
been constantly looking for ways to improve tax compliance
and efforts have been directed towards the same. Collective
Action for eliminating the tax compliance gaps has been one
of the major concerns of developing nations. Domestic
Resource Mobilization (DRM) – increasing the flow of taxes
and other income into government treasuries – is key to
achieving the ambitious sustainable development goals. In
addition to increasing the revenue of the government; a fair
and equitable mechanism of tax systems are essential for
poverty alleviation and equitable growth.
This paper examines the attitude of the people towards tax
and working out a co-operative model between the taxpayer
and the tax administrators for improving the compliance gap
by improving tax compliance.
Keywords: Tax Compliance, Tax compliance gap,
Sustainable development, co-operative action, growth and
development, sustainability, tax compliance model.
1. INTRODUCTION
Tax payers especially in India have been a shrinking breed
despite government efforts to monitor and tackle the menace
caused by tax evasions and black money. It seems almost like
a distant dream of building a corruption free India. While India
has on one side been aggressively marching towards the title of
being called a developed nation; certain evils on the other hand
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
have been crippling the nation. It is hard to digest the fact that
though the nation enjoys its freedom from the British; it is yet
to be free of several other bondages that are plaguing the
country.
Tax administrators have always felt the pressure of ‘having to
do more with less’ due to budget constraints and low revenues.
These constraints pose a threat to the development of the
nation and government exchequer. To combat this situation,
many countries of the world have incorporated a cooperative
tax compliance model into their tax enforcement strategy apart
from the traditional penal and punishment model. Co-operative
Compliance model is thus an innovative way in bridging the
compliance gap which is based on transparence, fairness and
justified trust.
The Sustainable Development Goals and the Addis Ababa
Action Agenda of 2016 make it evident that tax revenues are
vital for sustainable development. Simultaneously through the
G20, EU, media, civil society etc. tax issues have become a
truly universal agenda, where change is occurring rapidly. In
such a dynamic environment, ensuring a focus on development
impact is more vital than ever. Deepening the collaboration
and cooperation of the IMF, OECD, UN and World Bank has
been an attempt to respond to this menance, by the
International Organizations to this context.
This paper thus identifies the relevance, suitability and
sustainability of the co-operative compliance model for better
tax compliance in India. Considering the challenges faced by
both the tax payers as well as the administrative authorities an
attempt has been made to understand the challenges and
attitude of the tax payers and effective implementation of a
sustainable model for improving tax compliance through a co-
operative mechanism of revenue generation.
2. THE CURRENT SCENARIO
Lower levels of tax compliance are an issue that has drawn the
attention of countries worldwide. Estimating the tax gaps and
the issue of non-compliance is prevalent even in advanced
economies. The check on social evils such as tax evasion,
black money, undisclosed and unaccounted monies is become
the need of the hour. Expanding that base is not easy,
especially in a country where only a negligible percentage of
89
 Collective Action for Sustainable Development by Addressing Tax Compliance Gaps
people actually pay tax. India has for a long time, been facing
the issue of tax evasions and low collections as merely a very
small percentage of people pay taxes. Tax payers have long
been a shrinking breed and not much could be achieved on this
front.
3. LITERATURE REVIEW
A study byEelco Van on the sustainability of co-operative
compliance models for tax in Africa has been attempted,
overly emphasized on the need for global participation for
weeding out tax administrators challenges on tax evasion. An
extract that was picked up fromAAA Agenda of the Third
International Conference on Financing for Development’
highlighted the issues faced with respect to tax evasions and
alsoenable an environment for sustainable development
alongside global partnership and solidarity. In addition to its
continuous work with individual countries, the Bank Group
recently launched a Global Tax Team to bolster the
institution’s cutting-edge work on tax and to liaison with other
global institutions and build a more coordinated dialogue on
important international tax issues.
The study on “Challenges in revenue mobilization”, 2015 by
Michael Keen, Juan Toro et al highlights the coretrials that all
governments face with noncompliance and is also receiving
global attention. High compliance has become a priority in
several nations and nations are taking several steps to improve
and intensify tax collections. Creating awareness is the very
first step on the way to smoothly institutions into the tax net.
The author supported the view that creating awareness
workshops had a huge impact in terms of increased tax
revenue. (‘Sustainable Development through Effective Tax
Governance’, 2015- IfazaWaheed* Technical Advisor
Taxation, The German Development Partner (Deutsche
Gesellschaft Internationale Zusammenarbeit Gmbh), Lahore,
Pakistan.
There is a strong nexus between tax compliance and literacy
levels as well as the attitude of the tax payer towards tax. The
tax payers’ perception of tax systems and its administration has
an effect on their ability to comply. (Coskun, 2009; Alm, et al.,
2011). Eriksen and Fallan (1996) claimed that tax knowledge
is more important than the tax perception in determining tax
compliance. Though the reasons attributing to a lower tax
payment pattern can be associated with several factors
however the government of India has taken various steps to
boost up the tax generation. But the fact remains that the
process has yet not shown considerable results of revenue
generation.
4. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1. To study the concept of Tax Compliance Gaps and its
impact on the economy
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
2. To study the initiatives of the government for improving
tax compliance levels of the tax payers
3. To study attitude of people towards tax
4. To suggest co-operative compliance models for
broadening the tax compliance gaps
5. METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
The study is based majorly on secondary data and also based
on primary data gathered from the respondents based on open
ended questions relating to tax knowledge, attitude and tax
compliance behavior of the individuals.
The secondary data has been analyzed to understand the tax
compliance scenario on a global platform and the manner in
which international agencies have teamed up on a co-operative
mission to improve the state of affairs with regard to tax
practices and revenue generation mechanisms. To perform the
exploratory research, data has basically been gathered from
secondary sources such as articles, empirical studies on
compliance, web search engines, research articles and research
reports.
6. WHAT IS TAX COMPLIANCE GAP?
The gross tax gap is the difference between the total taxes
owned and the total taxes paid. The tax gap is the amount of
tax dueswhich could not be made good despite enforcement
activities. Thus, the net tax gap represents the amount of tax
liability that is never paid- Internal Revenue Service Research,
Analysis and Statistics 2016, Publication 1415 (Rev 2-2016)
Washington DC: Internal Revenue Service.
The effect to the economy: Taxes are an important source of
revenue to the government. However the wide compliance gap
shows that the tax payer is not performing its duty to the nation
on one hand while on the other hand the government too gets
crippled on account of shortage of funds arising on account of
tax noncompliance. The governments prepare its long term and
short term plans with the objective of leading the nation to
development. However the compliance gap can cause the
following ailments to its economy-
1. Lack of infrastructural development in the nation
2. The ability of the nation to cope up with natural disasters
and during periods of crisis is questionable. The country
thus will have to depend on other nations for support.
3. Poor governance would have long term ill effects on the
entire nation with a weighty toll on its economic
development. Money collected on taxes must be utilized
in a way that benefits the citizens.This money also goes
to pay public servants, police officers, and members of
parliaments, the postal system, and others. Indeed, with a
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 Collective Action for Sustainable Development by Addressing Tax Compliance Gaps
proper and functioning form of government, there will be
no effective protection of public interest.
4. Governments put a lot of importance in development of
human capital and education is central in this
development. Tax gap could limit the funding and
contributions that can be made to the public education
system.
5. Governments use tax money to fund various sectors
crucial for development such as research and innovation,
eradication of poverty, environmental protection and
bridging the gap between the rich and the poor by
bringing in equitable distribution of wealth. Furthermore,
taxes can greatly affect the state of economic growth of a
country. Taxes generally contribute to the (GDP) of a
country. They help in spurring the economic
development of a nation by improving the standard of
living of the masses, job creations and infrastructural
development.
6. The need for building international relationships is
strongly felt especially for joint collaborations in several
national and international issues such as combating
terrorism or for research and development. The nation
will suffer severe setbacks to such a great cause if the
required funds do not travel to the government
exchequer.
7. Our country still faces a wide disparity between the rich
and the poor. A balanced growth is the need of the hour.
India requires funds for rural development.
8. Mounting debts of the country could again pose serious
threats of financial dependence and it can be only
counterbalanced if the people contribute willingly and
timely, what is due to the government.
9. India has for long been fighting its battles against the
social evils of the nation. Collaborative action is required
to fight out such battles.It is the tool that will ensure
sustainable development in the economy.
7. A FEW CAVEATS
Reflections of Government initiatives taken
The government of India has taken several initiatives to check
on black money and tax evasion that hampers the revenue of
the government. Let’s look at some of the initiatives that have
been taken by the Indian government to improve the tax
revenue challenges that are faced by them.
1. Demonetization was introduced to save the Indian
economy of its black money, undisclosed incomes, tax
evasions and end corruption. Income declaration scheme,
2016 was also an initiative byUnion budget to unearth
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
black money and uproot money laundering and benami
transactions that drained away the national wealth. The
scheme provided an opportunity to defaultersof income
and wealth tax to declare their assets without litigation
and immunity from prosecutions.
2. The Black Money and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015’ was
brought about mainly to track the undisclosed incomes
and identify black money transactions including money
laundering
3. Constitution of Multi-Agency Group (MAG) was done
by the government for investigating the Panama Paper
leaks and other similar transactions..
4. India has been collaborating with foreign governments to
facilitate and expand the exchange of information. To
tackle this, the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements
(DTAAs) has been signed with tax havens.
5. The Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement in
respect of Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI)
was entered into with the US to tackle tax issues.
6. The AEOI Automatic Exchange of Information is also
making efforts to automate information exchange with
several countries in order to clamp down on black
money.
7. The Benami Transaction Bill 2015 was passed mainly to
take anti-black money measuresand also seize
undisclosed properties.
8. ‘Project Insight’ a technology riven project was
introduced by the Direct tax department to strengthen
strategies and approaches to improving tax compliance.
9. PAN (Permanent Account Number) is now mandatorily
to be quoted for high value transactions above Rs 2, 00,
000 from January 2016 and will be applicable on sales
and purchases and all modes of payments. Several efforts
have been made by the government and the RBI to track
down illegal transactions by encouraging cashless
transactions. This system could boycott the scope of
Black Money. National Payment Systems, Adhar
Enabled systems, UPI and BHIM etc are some of the
initiatives taken by the government in this regard.
10. Imposition of penalty on transactions exceeding Rs 20,
000 in value for real estate transactions. Strong vigilance
has been initiated for tracking Black Money and tax
evasions.
11. The Economic Intelligence Council has played an active
role in the tracking and bringing to light offences such as
smuggling, money laundering tax evasion and fraud.
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 Collective Action for Sustainable Development by Addressing Tax Compliance Gaps
12. Income Tax Department (ITD) has initiated Operation
Clean Money to investigate tax evaders. As a part of the
operation, the government has launched a website for
Operation Clean Money.
13. The Government has also made several measures to fight
black money parked in other countries through the
signing of Automatic Exchange of Information and tax
information exchange by collaborating with countries
and also entering into modified DTAA agreements with
nations.
8. WHY TAXPAYERS IN INDIA IS A
SHRINKING BREED
Despite all efforts by the government and tax administrators to
ensure that tax compliance is resorted to, the system does face
several hiccups in generating revenue.
The move by the government to tackle black money through
Demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1, 000 notes were not well
taken by all. India sought to force people with large amounts
of cash stashed away to deposit it in bank accounts. It was a
tax-collecting exercise to get people to disclose unreported
wealth and pay up. This mechanism was more forceful than
voluntary, although the government gives credit to the rise in
income (12%) with this initiative.
It is easy to evade taxes in an economy such as India's, where
cash has traditionally been the preferred mode of payment.
With no paper trail, the self-employed doctor, lawyer or
factory owner can under-report income and fail to remit their
dues to the government resulting in further revenue loss.The
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (2020)
statesthat compliance is poor because Indians generally do not
connect the duty to pay taxes with the right to receive
government-provided service and the government must do a
better job delivering what the public needs.
9. ATTITUDE OF THE TAX PAYER TOWARDS
TAXES
The tax payers’ perception of the fairness and of the tax
systems has an influence on their ability to pay taxes. (Coskun,
2009; Alm, et al., 2011). Most Indians see tax payment as an
obligation that is mandated by law rather than by choice. A
study on the attitude of the tax payer towards tax payment
established the following results:
The levels of understanding of the tax laws influenced to a
significant degree the attitudes of taxpayers. Though the
people are literate, tax literacy levels were found to be low.
Unfamiliarity with tax basics is harmful. If people are not
aware of the deductions and exemptions, that can be claimed,
they end up paying more to the government.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
A feeling of betrayal and wastage of public money could be
sensed as the respondents feel that their money is not used for
the welfare and development of the nation. 'If governments
choose to spend our money on cow meat detection kits or
hugely expensive statues, it is also a form of corruption’- a
voice of annoyance was meted out by the respondents. It is a
‘betrayal of our hopes and aspirations, ’ The respondents
choose not to comply when they feel that their contribution is
not used in a productive manner.
When the tax payer feels that the tax money is effectively
utilized, it will motivate tax payers to voluntarily pay more. If
taxes are put to good use, the chances of higher degree of tax
compliance is high (Atubuga, 2006; Ayee, 2007).
Most of the tax payers pay tax for fear of tax audits,
prosecution, tax fines, punishments and penalties, unlike
Americans who like to pay taxes, people in India generally do
not like to pay tax and it is a matter of obligation rather than
choice.
Misuse of public funds has been one of the main deterrents that
discourage and demotivate the people from paying taxes.
Moreover, the disparity between the rich and the poor
continues. Some people felt that the tax defaulters go scot free
and are not penalized .Therefore they feel it burdensome to pay
taxes.Tax systems are complicated and taxes rates are high.The
common man suffers with taxes .Fewer people feel that taxes
aren’t fair at all. Corruption and black Money is on the rise
and despite efforts by the government, the problem persists.
Most of the respondents did not pay taxes because-
1) They feel that the tax systems are unfair and inequitable
and some felt that the tax rates are pretty high
2) Influence of peer groups; few of them are not reporting
and paying honestly
3) The tax laws are complex.
4) Government inability to fight corruption and failing to
achieve its objectives.
5) They are not given rewards for their efforts
6) Tax defaulters often going unpunished.
Also politicians’ lifestyles, unfinished projects by the
government etc come in for a remarkable amount of criticism,
particularly among the less educated and the conservative
class.‘When others are not paying, why should I ?’, is what
runs in their minds on paying taxes.
10. SUGGESTIONS FOR FOLLOWING CO-
OPERATIVE COMPLIANCE MODELS
1. Measuring and identifying the compliance gaps by
understanding the attitude of the tax payers towards tax
and tax administrators and working out strategies to
eliminate the negativity arising in the minds of the tax
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 Collective Action for Sustainable Development by Addressing Tax Compliance Gaps
systems and building a system of trust, transparency and
engagement.
2. Supportive tax policies that will facilitate tax collections
and reduce the tax compliance gaps.
3. Administrative setbacks caused due to non-availability of
staff, help desks, timely refunds, and assessments could
to a large extent set right the momentum of tax payments.
4. Closer cooperation with banks and government agencies
to combat tax evasion can be initiated for arresting the
issue.
5. Defining and setting up measurable key performance
indicators will enable tax authorities to evaluate its
effectiveness later. They key to improving compliance is
transparency between the tax administrator and the tax
payer has greater payoffs in the long run.
6. Defining the benefits and providing information beyond
legal formalities will improve their confidence in the
systems and procedures and enhance compliance levels.
It is known that low tax literacy levels
7. Co-operative compliance helps in managing disputes
amicably in an efficient way; demonstration of impartial
treatment will help solve issues in tax compliance.
8. Leveraging on technology to achieve compliance which
makes it easy and simple and convenient for complying
with tax procedures.
9. Promoting and facilitating tax literacy so that there is
widespread tax awareness amongst the tax payers.
10. Suppress corruption and improper use of public funds.
The taxes gathered should be used for productive
purposes so that the tax payer is inclined to pay by choice
and not out of fear or obligation.
11. Working on improving tax literacy and the attitude of
people towards tax will help in establishing a self-
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
assessment system followed in many countries for tax
payments.
11. CONCLUSION
Thus we see that the government has kept no stone unturned to
fight the menace of tax evasion.The department of Direct taxes
has announced the provision of online chat services to its
assesses in order to make the process of tax compliance even
simpler and easy.
The issue is not just about disclosure of income and tax
compliance rather it is more a matter of voluntary compliance.
The tax mindset in the nation is more of tax evasion than of
compliance. Steps should be taken to make India more tax
compliant society.
REFERENCES
[1] Duncan Cleary, (2013), Survey of Attitudes and
Behaviour –Tax and Compliance Research, Research &
Analytics Branch - Revenue – Irish Tax & Customs
[2] Abubakari Abdul – Razak1* and Christopher
JwayireAdafula, (2013), Journal of Accounting and
Taxation
[3] Agyemang Badu, (2015) CITIZEN’S ATTITUDES
TOWARDS TAX EVASION IN GHANA, Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
[4] NugiNkwe, (2013), Tax Payers’ Attitude and Compliance
Behavior among
[5] Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Botswana, Business
and Management Horizons
[6] Michael Keen, Juan Toro et al, (2015), Current challenges
in Revenue Mobilization- Improving Tax Compliance,
IMF Staff report.
[7] Eelco van der Enden, (2016), The relevance and
sustainability of co-operative compliance models of tax in
African countries
[8] Vanessa S. Williamson, (2015), Paying Taxes:
Understanding Americans’ Tax Attitudes, Harvard
University Cambridge, Massachusetts
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 20.
A Study on Consumer Preferences for the Cloud Kitchen
Chaitra Karanth1, Ramya N.2
1,2
Assistant Professor, NMKRV College for Women
1
chaitrakarant.nmkrv@rvei.edu.in, 2ramyan.nmkrv@rvei.edu.in
Abstract: Indian food servicing industry encompasses both
organized and unorganized sectors employing around 7.3
million people in the year 2018-19, leading to Rs 18, 000
crores fiscal contribution, in the year 2019. Pandemic
COVID-19, social distancing, risk of infection, lock down,
exodus of migrants etc have reduced the turnover and
profitability there by affecting cash flows leading to 30%
permanent closure of the business. This study aims to
identify the problems faced by traditional kitchen in COVID-
19, consumer preferences for cloud kitchen, tests the
significance of accessibility factor of traditional and cloud
kitchen model in pre and during the pandemic COVID -19
and also opportunities to be tapped by the cloud kitchen
business model. Results indicate that there is wider scope for
deep penetration of the cloud kitchen restaurant business
model, which is to be tapped by an efficient marketing
system.
Keywords: Cloud Kitchen, Traditional Kitchen, Pandemic,
Consumer Preferences
1. INTRODUCTION
Man was self sufficient in the nomadic period. Acquiring to
preserve began with trade, settlements etc. The movement for
resources accumulation and transmission led to development
of ancient restaurant models. The history of restaurants can be
traced to 1120 A.D. in China, and later it has spread to other
parts of the world France, Japan, America and other parts of
the world, serving hungry travelogues, and the modern
restaurant model is a byproduct of French Revolution.
Indian food servicing industry encompasses both organized
and unorganized sectors employing around 7.3 million people
in the year 2018-19, leading to Rs 18, 000 crores fiscal
contribution, in the year 2019, serving and satisfying the taste
buds of the consumers by offering a variety of native as well as
global dishes. The establishment of restaurants can be dated
back to 250 A.D, where street vendors or small eateries
serving local villagers and travelers were not uncommon. And
the growth of restaurants began with imperialism and the
emergence of Indian Railways. Orbital shift began in the post
liberalization era. Urbanization, growing middle class
spending, eat out for leisure, increase in working women,
change in food consumption pattern and lifestyles are the few
factors that can be attributed to the growth of this segment.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Digitalization and entry of online players in to this industry is
changing eco system of this segment
Even though ghost kitchen or virtual kitchen or dark kitchen or
shared kitchen or commissary kitchen is known to India from
1950’s Pizza Hut, satisfying the consumers, India began its
current concept of cloud kitchen operations in the year 2003,
with Rebel foods making foray into this segment. Unlike
traditional brick and mortar models, these kitchens do not offer
fine dining services. Cloud kitchens may be self reliant in
delivering an order or may be dependent on aggregators like
swiggy, Zomato etc. Fasoos, Oven story, Sweet truth, Firangi
bake, Behrouz Biriyani are few popular cloud kitchens, serving
the appetites of consumers with more convenience. According
to NRAI’s India Food Services Report 2019, the organized
Cloud Kitchen market in India was worth INR 928 crore in
2018-2019. The market size stands testimony to the
attractiveness of this segment in the market.
2. TYPES OF MODELS
There are different business models for cloud kitchens, which
are as follows:
a) The independent model – this is usually a small
establishment of 500 to 600 square ft. size, with a kitchen
offering a specialized menu and no fine dine facility.
This is the original concept of cloud kitchen
b) The rebel model – This model offers multiple cuisines
from a single kitchen serving according to the needs of
the neighborhoods.
c) FreshMenu's business model - is a mix between a
takeaway and a cloud kitchen. This is an affected model
having combined features of independent and the Rebel
model. Here customer is witness to the quality of the
service
d) Swiggy Model – Here menu engineering, receiving
orders and delivering the food will be taken care by the
fleet appointed by the Swiggy and infrastructure,
equipment will be employed by the owner. These are
often referred to as “Shell Companies” in the food
business circles.
e) The Zomato Infrastructure Services business model -
This is also a combination of cloud kitchen and the take
away with a storefront, where insights are powered by
Zomato
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 A Study on Consumer Preferences for the Cloud Kitchen
f) Kitopi Model – A relatively new idea in the cloud
kitchen business where all services can be outsourced.
The prepared food comes from a centralized restaurant
and when ordered the dish is provided final touches by
the chef in the delivery outlet and then delivered to the
customer.
3. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
H.M. Moyeenudin, R. Anandan, ShaikJaveedParvez,
Bindu.G(2020) studied the relationship between marketing
strategies and demand for the cloud kitchen using correlation
and regression tools, concludes that advertising through online
modes would be effective to attract and retain customers
Ayush Beliya, Rubi Kujur, Manisha Verma, Kumari Vishaka
Nagwanshi, Sonam Sahu, Nitesh Uikey & Ajaz Ahmad Bhat
(2019), examined the satisfaction of consumers by using online
food services found that with the high digital penetration,
consumers are satisfied with the services provided by food
delivery apps.
Anita Vinaik, Richa Goel, Seema Sahai, Vikas Gar(2019)
studied the interest of consumers in food ordering apps,
suggesting that Zomato and Swiggy are the most commonly
used food ordering apps. There is still scope for a cashless
society, as consumers are still hesitant to share personal and
financial details over the internet.
Dr.Vijaya lakshmi Kanteti (2018) studied the strategies of
online food delivery startups and found that technology and
innovation are driving change in the food sector. Food tech
industries are going to achieve higher profitability in the race.
4. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
• To analyse the problems faced by brick and mortar
restaurant business model during the pandemic COVID-
19
• To study the consumer awareness of the Cloud Kitchen
restaurant business model
• To assess the accessibility of traditional and Cloud kitchen
in pre and during COVID-19 period
• To bring out the opportunities for cloud kitchen during
and post COVID-19 time
5. EMERGENCE OF CLOUD KITCHEN IN
BENGALURU
Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India, offers a wide market to
the cloud kitchen with its tech savvy youth population.
Technology is leveraged by the food industry to satisfy the
hunger taste buds. GXXI cloud kitchen, Mark cloud kitchen,
Matka swad cloud BG Road, Party hunger cloud kitchen,
Hunger Defuzor are the few well known kitchens of the city.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Amazon was also planning to foray to this segment in the
Bellandur cross. Unicorns Swiggy and Zomato are offering the
delivery support system to the virtual kitchens.
6. RESEARCH DESIGN
Data Collection
The data collected for the study includes both from primary
and secondary sources. Questionnaires were floated to gather
information about consumer likes, preferences etc, Likert 5
rating scale is used to collect the primary data. And articles
published in newspapers, literature, published reports by the
government etc are secondary sources used to gather the data.
Sampling Technique and sample size
Random sampling method is used to collect the primary data
from the respondents in the Bengaluru city. Data is collected
from 53 respondents.
Variables of the study
Contact less payment, accessibility, technical feasibility, food
options, food order management, value generation by
aggregators, marketing management are the variables on which
consumer preferences are studied and analyzed
Time Frame of the study
Primary data is collected in the month of August, 2020 and
Secondary data is collected and analyzedfrom the month of
March to September, 2020
Data Analysis
• Data collected through questionnaires is represented in the
percentage form.
• Accessibility of the traditional and cloud kitchen in pre
and during COVID-19 period is analyzed using the
student's t-test. Out of 53 respondents, only 25
respondents were aware of the concept, as n<30 and t-test
is used to test the significance.
• Various problems faced by the brick and mortar restaurant
business model isanalyzed through articles published in
newspaper, journals and government websites.
Limitations
• Sample size is not true and fair representation to the
population of Bengaluru
• Time and resources constraint
7. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Factors curtailing the business growth of Brick and
Mortar restaurant model during COVID-19:
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 A Study on Consumer Preferences for the Cloud Kitchen
The unprecedented COVID-19 changed the eating habits of the
populace to contend their health with the pandemic, which
ceased the cash flows and revenues to the restaurants. In
addition to changing eating habits, prowling in the travel and
tourism industry is adding to the new normalcy. Change in the
place of work, remote working has locked the opportunities for
pantries. Schools and colleges going online, Digitalization of
Education has closed the business for canteens. The crashed
Entertainment segment is waiting to unlock its food courts,
restaurants, eat outs etc. Job cuts, layoffs, furloughs have
reduced the discretionary spending of the people.
Lock down measures plummeted the sales of restaurant
business to only 10% of Pre COVID levels in the month of
May and June, which could not even suffice rent and other
overheads. Salaries of the staff were pinching the pockets of
the owners. Exodus of migrant laborers’, Work from Home,
fear of infection has also ceased the cash flows of this
business.
In the post lock down period, volume of business accelerated
to 40% to 50% of Pre- COVID-19 levels, but sanitization
charges, social distancing norms, license fees, insufficient
staff, indirect taxes are mounting up issues of the industry.
Restaurants in Bengaluru city, a city with 21, 000 restaurants is
still battering for its survival
Consumer awareness of the cloud kitchen
Data collected from 59 respondents in the Bengaluru city from
August-2020 to September - 2020, clearly indicates the lack of
awareness of the concept. Only 47% are familiar with business
model
Consumer preferences for the cloud kitchen during
the pandemic:
During Covid-19 pandemic, the Hotel industry has been highly
affected because of the inability of maintaining social distance.
When customers were asked about their preference for cloud
kitchen during COVID, 24% of the customers showed their
interest to use cloud kitchen, 40% of the customers were not
sure and the rest 32% of the customers did not prefer using
cloud kitchens during the pandemic. As the majority of the
customers are not sure, the Cloud Kitchen industry has a
chance of convincing by implementing effective strategies
such as sanitization and better delivery systems.
Value generation by the aggregators:
Cloud Kitchen is a one stop solution for buying a variety of
saviors’ from different hotels under one roof. Aggregators can
utilize such a system for cost effectiveness, as it reduces the
transportation cost. 28% of respondents strongly agree and
64% of respondents agree that aggregators like Zomato,
Swiggy are generating value as intermediaries between the
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
virtual kitchen and the consumer. Hence we can depict that
Cloud Kitchen has better scope in future.
Feasibility of contact less payment:
Contact less payment facilitates maintaining social distance.
The adaptability of contactless payment such as Google pay,
Paytm, Phone pay is much higher when compared to
traditional kitchens. 16% of the respondents are not sure, but
remaining 84% agree that Cloud Kitchen facilitates contact
less payment system.
High initial investment and operational cost is high in
traditional restaurant:
Restaurant business involves high initial investment as it
involves more fixed costs such as land and building,
machinery and furniture. Because of higher initial investment
time taken to yield profits over investment is greater. 76% of
the respondents agreed Cloud Kitchen reduces the burden of
initial investment and operational cost to set up a restaurant
business. Apparently, respondents have analyzed that the
traditional kitchen can pinch their pockets in this economic
crunch.
Home delivery momentum increases due to cloud
kitchen:
Efficient order management systems are a significant factor in
the dark kitchen. The time gap between the cooking and the
consumption can alter the taste, flavor and experience, which
is well managed by these kitchens. 92% of the customers have
agreed that delivery management is efficient in Cloud Kitchen.
Order management efficiency:
Cloud Kitchens have a good customer base record in their
systems which is easy for them to keep a record of their
preferences and previous orders. 68% of the customers agree
and 28% of the customers are not sure about the efficiency of
order management in cloud kitchen.
Efficient marketing management:
Survey indicates that 68% users of the Cloud Kitchen are
influenced and satisfied by the marketing system. But,
inclusive of users and non users, there is a significant
information gap to be filled by the efficient marketing system.
Data analytics is the key to the customer satisfaction:
Data is the fuel of modern business. Data analytics provides
valuable insights to the business to move in the right direction.
And76% consumers assent to the fact of an efficient data
analytics management system in the cloud kitchen.
Cloud kitchens are technologically advanced:
84% Consumers have accepted Cloud Kitchen as
technologically feasible, which is the sign of heydays to this
business model.
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 A Study on Consumer Preferences for the Cloud Kitchen

Cloud Kitchen facilitates Start-ups: Cloud Kitchen

Start-ups face financial crunch to set-up any kind of business,
In case of cloud kitchen as most of the assets are set out in the Pre COVID- During COVID-
kitchen it helps the business to run smoothly and 88% of the 19 19
respondents agree to the same. Mean 3.6 3.56

Testing the significance of Accessibility factor in pre Variance 1.083333333 0.84

and during COVID-19
Observations 25 25
T-Test
Pearson Correlation 0.725063679
Traditional Kitchen
Hypothesized Mean 0
Pre COVID- During COVID- Difference
19 19
df 24
Mean 3.52 3.16
t Stat 0.272165527
Variance 0.843333333 0.973333333
P(T<=t) one-tail 0.393911265
Observations 25 25
t Critical one-tail 1.71088208
Pearson Correlation 0.686162769
P(T<=t) two-tail 0.78782253
Hypothesized Mean 0
Difference t Critical two-tail 2.063898562

df 24
H0: Accessibility of Traditional Kitchen is same in Pre-
t Stat 2.377217447 COVID and during COVID period

H1: Accessibility of Traditional Kitchen is not same in Pre-

P(T<=t) one-tail 0.012880422
COVID and during COVID period
t Critical one-tail 1.71088208 In the output of the T-test of Cloud kitchen accessibility the P
value is 0.78782253, which is more than standard significance
P(T<=t) two-tail 0.025760845
level that is 0.05, thus the null hypothesis is accepted. Hence it
is noticed that there was no difference in accessibility of Cloud
t Critical two-tail 2.063898562
kitchen in Pre-COVID and during COVID period.

H0: Accessibility of Traditional Kitchen is same in Pre-
COVID and during COVID period
H1: Accessibility of Traditional Kitchen is not same in Pre-
COVID and during COVID period
In the output of the T-test of traditional kitchen accessibility
the P value is 0.025760845, which is less than standard
significance level that is 0.05, thus the null hypothesis rejected.
Hence it is noticed that there was a difference in accessibility
of Traditional kitchens. Additionally the mean has decreased to
3.16 from 3.52, which means it is less accessible during
COVID-19 period.
When both the T-tests are compared it is observed that Cloud
Kitchen has better scope as there is no difference during both
pre COVID and during COVID, Hence it can sustain during
pandemic situations. To add on, the mean value of Cloud
Kitchen is 3.56 during COVID period which is greater than
Traditional kitchen that is 3.16, which means Cloud Kitchen
had greater accessibility when compared to Traditional
Kitchen.
8. OPPORTUNITIES TO THE CLOUD KITCHEN
Economic times on 9th October, 2020 have reported that 30%
of restaurants have permanently shut down in the country due
to the pandemic. Implementation of social distancing norms,
sanitization, fear of infection has disrupted the functioning of
this industry. Low turnover has led to high operational costs,

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 A Study on Consumer Preferences for the Cloud Kitchen
like overheads, salary, sanitization charges, license fees, taxes
etc are increasing burden leading to closure of the business.
According to the estimates of Data labs by Inc 42, the cost of
setting up a normal restaurant is 3.05 times higher than that of
Cloud Kitchens. As fine dining is eliminated in the cloud
kitchen, it reduces initial investment cost. Comparatively with
lesser staff this model can be operated, thereby reducing the
hassle of shortage of labor. Sanitization expenses and other
overheads are relatively lesser, which decreases the operational
cost, adding to the profit margin of the business, which offers
more opportunities for business expansion. The focus of the
business will be on cooking and order management, which
allows to have more dishes in the portfolio and wide customer
base. Number of licenses required to operate this model is four
to five, which is sometimes double or triple in case of regular
restaurants.
It enables the business to reach out to a wide geographical
area, enhancing the customer base. Instant feedback from
consumers and aggregators helps to enhance product and
service quality. It reduces the need to travel for food, which
lessens the traffic levels in the city. Also it is a self
employment generation for many aspiring entrepreneurs
during this economic downturn.
In recent times it is noted that in the urban families, where both
husband and wife are working, cooking time has considerably
reduced, but frequency of consumption has increased. This
business model can fill up that gap adding to the convenience
of time and place to consumers. In the work from home era,
this can be a little blessing to the working women, juggling
with work and household management.
As it eliminates the need to travel for food, it shrinks the risk
of infection. It also offers a wide variety of dishes from its
menu, making it more lucrative. Stringent norms of
sanitisation turn it safer for the users.
9. CHALLENGES
Cloud kitchen is still in its nascent stage in India. With its
limited brand presence, it has a challenge for deep penetration
to the market. Lack of visibility of kitchen and service
providers, makes it tougher to gain customer confidence. As
technical infrastructure is required to book orders, it may limit
the customer base to digitally literate people.
Strong technical back end infrastructure is vital to operate this
business, which is not malleable for traditional restaurant
owners. Strong delivery network or support of aggregators is
required to efficiently operate this business, which reduces
25% to 35% profit margin. Also lack of an independent
delivery channel makes the model dependent on aggregators
for connectivity.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Efficient order management is another challenge. Delay in
order delivery, inappropriate packing can alter the taste,
flavour and experience of the consumer, which can
permanently shut down the opportunities to the business.
Customer Relationship Management which is quintessential
for the long term business growth is the most challenging task
of this business. If orders are placed through phones and
websites, cloud kitchens will have access to customer
databases, otherwise if it is ordered through aggregators, it is
opaque and there is no access to data. This also weakens the
data analytics system of the business.
10. FINDINGS
• Reduced turnover and increasing costs have challenged
the functioning of brick and mortar restaurant business.
30% of the restaurants have permanently shut down.
• Consumers agree that Cloud kitchen is a technically
feasible model, which has contact less payment facility,
operated through value generating aggregators are
efficiently handling order and delivery systems.
• Lack of consumer awareness of the business model is
curtailing the growth of this business.
• This model has wider opportunities for deeper penetration
to the market, by employing efficient marketing systems.
11. SUGGESTIONS
The study suggests that absence of an efficient marketing
system is hindering the growth of this model. Promotional
offers, wide publicity, push and pull advertisement strategies,
frequent advertisements in newspapers, proper usage of
outdoor media can surge the opportunities to this business.
12. CONCLUSION
Reduced sales and piling up of costs have led to the permanent
closure of 30% restaurants in brick and mortar restaurant
model business. Accessibility of traditional kitchens have
reduced due fear of infection from COVID-19.
Accessibility of Cloud kitchen has remained constant in pre
and during COVID-19. Also, Consumers agree that cloud
kitchens are technically feasible, efficient in order management
and offer higher food options, satisfying the taste buds.
Reduced initial investment, Operating costs and hassles are a
silver lining to this business. Efficient marketing system allows
deep penetration of Cloud kitchen, indicating the heydays of
this business.
13. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
[1] A research on cloud kitchen prerequisites and branding
strategies. (2020). International Journal of Innovative
98
 A Study on Consumer Preferences for the Cloud Kitchen

Technology and Exploring Engineering, 9(3), 983-987.
https://doi.org/10.35940/ijitee.c8188.019320
[2] Choudhary, N. (2019). Strategic analysis of cloud kitchen
– A case study. Management Today, 9(3), 184-190.
https://doi.org/10.11127/gmt.2019.09.05
[3] Anita Vinaik, Richa Goel, Seema Sahai, Vikas Garg
(2019).-The Study of Interest of Consumers In Mobile
Food Ordering Apps.International Journal of Recent
Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) ISSN: 2277-3878,
Volume-8, Issue-1, May 2019. https://www.ijrte.org/wp-
content/uploads/papers/v8i1/A9219058119.pdf
[4] Dr.Vijaya lakshmi Kanteti (2018) studied the strategies of
online food delivery startups and found that technology
and innovation are driving change in the food sector
[5] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/covid-
19-hits-food-biz-in-bengaluru-10-restaurants-up-for-
sale/articleshow/75988860.cms
[6] https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-
politics/coronavirus-impact-what-the-future-holds-for-
battered-restaurant-industry/story/404694.html
[7] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/covid-
19-hits-food-biz-in-bengaluru-10-restaurants-up-for-
sale/articleshow/75988860.cms
[8] www.economictimes.com

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 21.
An Empirical Study on the Impact of Covid 19 Pandemic on Green Banking
Products and Services from Customer Perception
Christy Rajan
III Semester M.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
christy.gk11@gmail.com
Abstract: The expression of ‘Green’ corresponds to the terms
of eco-friendly, ozone friendly, and sustainable environment.
This has laid the foundation for the evolution of the concept
of ‘Green Banking’ in today’s banking world. Thereby,
Green Banking lend a hand to channelize the banking
operations for the betterment of the country as well as the
environment. As a part of initiating Green Banking in India,
the banks have developed strategies for sustainable economic
development. As a result, Green Banking includes products
like Green certificates of deposits, Green Car loan and
services like ATM, online banking, bill payment,
NEFT/RTCG, etc. for the reduction of Carbon footprint.
The onset of the unexpected pandemic COVID 19 has led the
world to a boundless economic crisis and to come across
roadblocks due to shutdowns and social distancing. This can
enable the Indian banking sector to channelize the
respondents to turn the huge challenges to great
opportunities’. The banking sector can focus on innovative
financing strategies to strengthen the economy through
Green Banking. This study covers the effect and influence of
Green Banking products and services in the minds of the
customer during the pandemic period in the Kottayam
district, Kerela.
Keywords: Green Banking, Covid-19 pandemic, Impact,
Awareness, Perception, and Usage
1. INTRODUCTION TO GREEN BANKING
PRACTICES
1.1 INTRODUCTION
What makes the term ‘Green Banking’ a buzzword in today’s
banking world? Why does ‘Green Banking”’ deserves an entire
economy’s zealous and most undivided attention? Is it an
appellation that is more influential in today’s economy?
The answer to all the above questions requires a look back to
the traditional banking system. The traditional banking system
contributed to pollution by their operations, increasing the
outpouring of carbon dioxide through the use of air conditions,
electronic and fuel equipment, endowing environmental
polluting projects. It had also lead to the disruption of a
healthy environment. And to narrate an unhealthy
environment, it includes risk on the efficiency of man force,
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
long working hours, environmental pollution, climate change
and thus hampering on the economic growth and development.
Thus, this requires a plan of action for a sustainable
environment. And it is achievable by a change in the current
pattern of growth, consumer habits, etc. Thereby, for the past
few decades, traditional banking is forced to transform and
upgrade to an innovative sector. Therefore, ‘Go green’ is a
long term project. The challenges are global and require
essential efforts to tackle the environment and economic
development.
As a part of the initiative to the plan of action on sustainable
economic growth, the banking sector is introduced with the
expression of ‘Green Banking’. Further, to enumerate on the
concept of Green Banking and its practices in India.
1.2 ABOUT GREEN BANKING
Green Banking is correlated with the term Corporate Social
Responsibility that aims to protect the environment and reduce
the emission of the carbon footprint from the banking services.
It makes the bank to put effort into eco-friendly services. It has
enabled the bank to priorities its internal and external
operations for an increase in energy efficiency,
environmentally friendly investments, reduces high paper
wastage, etc. The focus of the bank is to prioritize the
environment and society first.
The achievement of Green Banking is accomplished when the
same is beneficial to the customers, banks, industries, and the
economy. By enhancing green banking practices in India, the
following goals are attained:
a. Responsibly employing the organization resource.
b. Enabling the environment inhabitable for a longer period.
c. To save energy and achieve cost and efficiency.
1.3 GREEN BANKING PRODUCTS AND
SERVICES
The initiation of Green Banking in India is done through
twofold:
i. Green Banking Products and Services:
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 An Empirical Study on the Impact of Covid 19 Pandemic on Green Banking Products and Services from Customer Perception
a. Green Mortgage Loan
This is a type of loan given to the customer at a lower interest
rate who intended to construct houses or buildings with
energy-efficient designs like solar panels, geothermal heaters,
bio wastage.
b. Green Car Loans
The loan is provided to respondents who are interested to
purchase vehicles with the intention of saving energy like
electric cars.
c. Mobile Banking
This service has enabled the respondents to check their account
balances, statements of account, etc through mobile phones.
d. Online Banking
The facility of the bank has enabled the respondents to access
the bank from any place with the support of the internet. It has
enabled online bill payment, transfer of funds.
e. ATM
ATM is the pioneer of Green Banking. It is the branchless
banking service that facilitates the customer to withdraw
money, balance cheque without a visit to the bank.
ii. Carbon Footprint Reduction:
Carbon footprint is the emission of total greenhouse gases
primarily carbon dioxide, to the atmosphere by the action or
event of an individual, organization, society, etc. The
following are the activities performed for the reduction of
carbon footprint in the banking sector in India:
a. Paperless Banking
b. Use of Solar and Wind Energy
c. Energy Saving
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
V.Kanchana Naidu and Dr. Sri Paramasivan, ‘A study on
Green Banking Trends in India’ (2015). Through the study it
is been suggested the diversification of Green Banking is not
alone to cooperative banks but also the extension of to service
providers, asset management firms, insurance companies.It
also promoted the greening of banking shall facilitate in
improving the asset quality of the banks in the future.
Dr. Bibhu Prasad Sahoo and Amandeep Singh, ‘Adoption
of Green Banking in India: Challenges and Prospects’
(2016). The study call attention to the increase in usage among
the young generation compared to middle age and senior age
people. It also observed the necessity of creating awareness
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
about Green Banking products and services among middle age
and senior age individuals.
Dipika, ‘Green Banking in India: A study of various
strategies adopted by banks for Sustainable Development’
(2015) The study highlighted the boosting of Green Banking to
improve the environment and promote economic growth. The
necessity of implementing Green Banking sincerely and will
act as an effective ex-ante deterrent for the polluting industries.
And to take Green Banking as a business model in Banking
Industries.
Ravi Meena, ‘Green Banking as an initiative for Sustainable
Development’ (2013). The study emphasized that RBI and
India Government should play an eminent role to formulate
green policy guidelines and financial initiatives.
Dr. R Ganeshean and A Bhuwaneshwari, ‘Consumer
Perception towards Green Banking’ (2016).The study noticed
the requirement of a periodic campaign that has to be
conducted mandatory to educate people about Green Banking
services. The study also recommended various changes in
banking services like attaining a certificate for the building by
the Government stating the entire building is green,
Saloni Arora and Priyanka Marwah, ‘Customer Awareness
and Adoption of Sustainable Green Banking Practices: An
Empirical Study on Banks in Delhi’. The study indicated both
age and technological efficiency play a vital role in the
adoption of Green Banking. And emphasized on RBI and
Government should make policies to Green Banking and to
educate the public on the usage of Green Banking products and
services.
Dr. Ganjan Agrwal, ‘A Comparative Study of usage of
Green Banking in India’ (2020). The study focused on the
usage of green banking products across the various level of
education. The study also emphasized on creating awareness
about green banking products usage among middle and senior
age groups.
3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM AND NEED
OF THE STUDY
Green Banking products and services are being initiated for
more than two decades in the banking sector of India. At the
onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an upheaval to
the social and economic life of the country. The fall in the
global economy resulted in far more contraction than the Great
Recession that ended in 2009. The practice of social distancing
meaning staying home is the initial prevention method that has
been adopted across the world for the decline of the spread of
the Covid-19 pandemic.The effects of the pandemic navigated
an increase in the usage of Green Banking services with a view
of enabling social distancing across the country. Thus, this
study focuses on the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on
customer perception of green banking practices.
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 An Empirical Study on the Impact of Covid 19 Pandemic on Green Banking Products and Services from Customer Perception

4. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY the relative term. Data analysis statistical tools like ANOVA
test, T-test has been conducted to evaluate the working
a. To identify the effect of awareness of respondents on hypothesis.
green banking products and services.
6. DATA ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY
b. To evaluate the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on
the usage of Green Banking products and services by the 6.2 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE
respondents.
SAMPLES
5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The first part of the data analysis includes the analysis and
interpretation of the demographic profile collected through a
5.1 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
questionnaire of the 60 samples represented in below Table: 1
The present study is confined to the semi-urban areas of
Kottayam district, Kerela. The study includes respondents at TABLE 1: Demographic Profile of Respondents
the age group category of 18-34 years, 35-59 years, and 60 and
above years respectively to understand the influence of green No. of
banking practices. The study is conducted between the two Group Respondents Percentage (%)
months of September and October of 2020. The study confines Gender
to the awareness and usage of green banking products and
services. Male 24 40
Female 36 60
5.2 SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION
Total 60 100
The study comprises of both Primary and Secondary sources of
data collection. Primary data is collected with the help of a Age Group
questionnaire provided to respondents. Secondary data is
18-34 20 33.33
collected from reputed journals, websites, reports, etc.
35-59 20 33.33
5.3 SAMPLE DESIGN
60 and above 20 33.33
Samples of 20respondents from each age group have been Total 60 100
selected on simple random sampling design. A total of 60
samples were collected to conduct the study of certain semi- Marital Status
urban areas of Kottayam district, Kerela.
Married 43 71.67
5.4 WORKING HYPOTHESIS Single 17 28.33
a. H1: There is a significant difference in awareness of Total 60 100
green banking products and services concerning different Banks
age groups.
State Bank of India 22 36.67
b. H1: There is a difference in the usage of green banking
products and services in the pre-Covid-19 period and Federal Bank 11 18.33
during the Covid-19 period. HDFC 3 5.00
c. H1: There is a significant impact on the usage of green South Indian Bank 13 21.67
banking products and services.
Others 11 18.33
5.5 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY Total 60 100
a. The pandemic scenario has restricted on a wide range of Source: Primary Data
collection of data due to social distancing.
The demographic profile of the respondents is based on the
b. The sample size was not enough to generate the result. gender, age groups, marital status, and banks of the
Lack of knowledge on the technical aspect of the respondents. respondents. Based on the demographic profile, the Male
gender accounted for 40% and females 60%. Age group
5.6 STATISTICAL TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS. accounting to 33.33% for each group of 18-34, 35-59, and 60
and above respectively. And for the marital status, 43%
The study makes use of descriptive statistics like weighted accounted for married and 17% for single.
mean. The percentile technique is used to explain the data in

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 102
 An Empirical Study on the Impact of Covid 19 Pandemic on Green Banking Products and Services from Customer Perception

6.2 AWARENESS OF GREEN BANKING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

TABLE 2: Awareness of Green Banking Practises in different age groups

Age Group
Awareness regarding Green Banking
18-34 35-59 60 and above Sum
Aware and Use 13 5 0 18
Not aware and Use 9 15 12 36
Not aware and No Use 0 0 6 6
Sum 22 20 18 60

The above Table: 2 represents the awareness and usage level of the respondents on the various green banking products and
services. It is being evident that more than 70 % of the age group 18-34 are aware and use green banking products and services
when compared to the other two age groups. 60% of the respondents are being unaware of green banking practices irrespective of
the usage of green products and services.

TABLE 3: ANOVA: Two-Factor Without Replication

SUMMARY Count Sum Average Variance

Aware and Use 3 18 6 43
Not aware and Use 3 36 12 9
Not aware and No Use 3 6 2 12

18-34 3 22 7.333333 44.3333333

35-59 3 20 6.666667 58.3333333
60 and above 3 18 6 36

ANOVA
Source of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit
2.42553 0.20423 6.94427
Rows 152 2 76 191 4 191
0.04255 0.95876 6.94427
Columns 2.666667 2 1.333333 319 7 191
Error 125.3333 4 31.33333
Total 280 8

Ho: There is no difference in awareness of green banking
products and services concerning different age groups
H1: There is a significant difference in awareness of green
banking products and services concerning different age groups.
INTERPRETATION: The above Table 3 portrays the
ANOVA Test: Two Factor without Replication that is been
conducted to examine the significant difference in the
awareness of green products concerning the different age
groups. As per the result, the null hypothesis is accepted, as the
P-values between the rows and with respect to columns, ie,
0.20 and 0.95 respectively are morethan 0.05. This result
indicates that there is no difference in awareness of green
banking concerning the different age groups.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 103
6.3 IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE USAGE OF GREEN BANKING PRODUCTS AND
SERVICES.
Table-4: Usage of Green Banking Products and services by Respondents during Covid-19
On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest)
Never Rarely Often Always
(1) (2) Sometimes (3) (4) (5) Sum Mean
Green Mortgage Loan 59 1 0 0 0 60 12
Green Car Loan 59 1 0 0 0 60 12
Green Certificate of Deposits 59 1 0 0 0 60 12
NEFT/RTCG 43 8 6 2 1 60 12
Online Saving Account 19 13 16 8 4 60 12
Online Bill Payment 12 8 10 14 16 60 12
Net Banking 11 5 12 14 18 60 12
ATM 8 9 7 15 21 60 12
Mobile Banking 11 3 11 13 22 60 12
Source: Primary Data

Table-4 represents the usage of the various Green products and services by the respondents during the Covid-19 period. It is being
measured on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest. As per the survey, there is an insignificant usage of Green Mortgage Loan, Green
CAR Loan, and Green Certificate of Deposits, whereas in the case of Online Bill Payment, Net Banking, ATM, and Mobile
Banking the usage is high by the respondents.

TABLE 5: ANOVA: Single Factor

ANOVA: Single Factor

SUMMARY
Groups Count Sum Average Variance
Never 9 281 31.22222 541.1944
Rarely 9 49 5.444444 18.52778
Soemtimes 9 62 6.888889 34.86111
Often 9 66 7.333333 46.25
Always 9 82 9.111111 96.86111

ANOVA
Source of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit
Between Groups 4218.444 4 1054.611 7.148021 0.000193 2.605975
Within Groups 5901.556 40 147.5389
Total 10120 44

H0: There is no significant impact on the usage of between
green banking products and service
H1: There is a significant impact on the usage of between green
banking products and services
the Covid-19 through ANOVA: Single Factor. As per the
above result, the null hypothesis is rejected, since the P-value
is less than 0.05, ie, 0.0001. This indicates there is a significant
impact on the usage of green banking products and services.

INTERPRETATION: The Table:5 indicates the result of the

usage of various Green Banking products and services during
6.4 PRE COVID-19 AND DURING COVID-19 IMPACT ON THE GREEN BANKING PRODUCTS AND
SERVICES BY THE RESPONDENTS

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 An Empirical Study on the Impact of Covid 19 Pandemic on Green Banking Products and Services from Customer Perception

TABLE: 6 Comparison of Green Banking Practises between Pre Covid-19 and During Covid-19 period

During
Amount of Usage
Pre-Covid-19 Covid-19
Daily 3 15
Weekly 13 20
Monthly 14 9
Occasional 22 9
Never 8 7
Sum 60 60
Mean 12 12
Source: Primary Data.

TABLE: 7: t-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means

Pre-Covid-19 During Covid-19

Mean 12 12
Variance 50.5 29
Observations 5 5
Pearson Correlation -0.228645872
Hypothesized Mean Difference 0
Df 4
t Stat 0
P(T<=t) one-tail 0.5
t Critical one-tail 2.131846786
P(T<=t) two-tail 1
t Critical two-tail 2.776445105

The above Table 6 depicts to outline the impact of the Covid-
19 pandemic on the usage of green products and services.
Respondents were being asked to differentiate their usage
beforethe pandemic and during the pandemic on the basis of
daily, weekly, monthly, occasionally, and never. As per the
result, it is observable that there is a decline in the occasional
usage of green banking by more than 40% by the respondents.
And increase by more than 60% and 20% in the usage of daily
and weekly respectively.
H0: There is no difference in the usage of green banking
products and services in the pre-Covid-19 period and during
the Covid-19 period
H1: There is a difference in the usage of green banking
products and services in the pre-Covid-19 period and during
the Covid-19 period.
INTERPRETATION: The above Table:7 express the impact
of Covid-19 before and during the usage of the green products
and services through T-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means.
As per the test, the P-value is 1, i.e., more than 0.05.
Therefore, the null hypothesis is accepted which means there is
no difference in the usage of green banking products and
services in the pre-Covid-19 period and during the Covid-19
period.
7. MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
a. Most of the customers are not aware of the concept of
Green Banking and its benefits and irrespective of
awareness, there is a high amount of usage of Green
products and services. The study also observed that the
young generation contributes the largest in the category
of awareness and use, whereas the middle age and senior
citizens are contributing less on the basis of awareness
and usage of green banking products and services. And
the study also indicates there is no difference in
awareness of green banking with regard to the different
age groups.
b. It is also perceived that during the Covid-19 pandemic
period, to ensure social distancing as a pat of prevention
of the pandemic, there is an increasing amount of usage

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 105
 An Empirical Study on the Impact of Covid 19 Pandemic on Green Banking Products and Services from Customer Perception
of the various green banking products and services.A
high increase in the usage of various other products like
Online Bill Payment, Mobile Banking. The study also
outlines the usage of ATM is high during the pandemic
period.
c. In the study, it is also beingoutlined that there is an
insignificant or narrow difference in the use of green
products and services between the Pre-pandemic period
and during the pandemic period. The study also showsa
decline in the usage of Green products and services
occasionally during the pandemic period in large
percentile and notable escalation to weekly and daily
usage of Green products and services during the
pandemic period.
8. SUGGESTIONS TO THE STUDY
a. As the study found that there is not much significant
awareness of the Green Banking products and services,
but the usage is high among the various age groups, it is
suggested to provide much awareness and promotion on
the concept of Green Banking and its benefits by the
banks through emails, SMS, campaigns, training of the
customers, through rewards, etc.
b. Based on the study, there is a positive impact on the
usage of Green Banking during the pandemic period.
This shows the increase in the likelihood of Green
Banking in India. The banks have to identify the factors
that increase the customer's interest and thus promoting
Green Banking and achieve the goal of a sustainable
environment and economic growth.
c. The pre and during the pandemic period suggest a narrow
difference in the usage of Green Banking products and
services by the customers. Customer perception of Green
Banking is confined due to the fear of cyber frauds, lack
of confidence in online transactions, etc. Thus, the banks
can train the customers to enhance their hands-on Green
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
products and services through advertisements, animation
movies, introducing the concept through web series, etc.
9. CONCLUSION
The concept of Green Banking is getting entrenched in minds
of customers for the past two decades.The study outlined that
there is significant usage of Green products and services in the
absence of awareness in the term of Green Banking.
As the outbreak of the Covid-19 has created havoc to the
economy of the country. The pandemic has provided a more
and perfect platform for Green Banking to get uprooted to the
customers. The study shows a notableelevation in theshort run
of 7 months’ pandemic period on the usage of Green Banking
products and services during the pandemic period and also
keeping in mind that there is a narrow difference in the pre-
Covid-19 and during Covid-19 period.
The banks can take this opportunity through the concept of
Green Banking to impart the knowledge of global warming
and its consequences to the customers. Through this banks can
take the compact opportunity to impart the ‘Go Green’ as a
slogan to the customers and enhance an eco-friendly economy
in the country.
REFERENCES
[1] Dr. Amita Charan, Dr. Rekha Dahiya, Ms. Manpreet Kaur,
“Customers Perception Towards Green Banking
Practices in India”, Think India (Quarterly Journal),
Volume 2, Issue 4, October-December 2019, ISSN 0971-
1784
[2] Kavitha Jane Crasta, Dr. Giridhar K.V, “A study on Green
Marketing Practices in Selected Banks”, International
Journal on Management and Social Science, Volume 5,
Issue 12, December 2017, ISSN 2321-1784
[3] Shobha C. K, Dr.K.S. Sarala, "Customer Perception on
Green Banking Practices in Public Sector Banks”,
International Journal on Management and Social Science,
Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2018, ISSN 2321-1784.
WEBLINKS
[1] www.shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/208282
[2] www.businessgreen.com/news/4020637/green-finance-
institute-spearheads-drive-scale-national-green-banks-
worldwide
[3] www.worldwidejournals.com/paripex/recent_issues_pdf/2
016/August/August_2016_1471081740__117.pdf
106
 22.
Mental Health of Working Women during Covid -19
19 Pandemic
Chinmayi R.
III Semester M.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077

Abstract: The psychological health of people who wwork on a
8 to 12 hour scale everyday has many affects on their own
personal self. Especially that of women, because their
lifestyle isn't as same as men as they have lots of
responsibilities on their shoulder despite the fact whether
they're married or not.. When an unheard pandemic like this
Covid-1919 occurred, many humans suffered a lot. The
suffering was most seen in those who were working and were
on the verge of losing jobs due to no economy caused by the
lock-downs.
downs. This resulted in the mental breakdown of many
people. But women who were still working now had many
responsibilities on their head.
This paper is totally based on how those working women
handled all the challenges during pandemic by working at
home for hours together, taking care of family an
and children
and also how it affected their mental health( in case of
married women). This paper gives a slightly clear sketch on
how different women are facing and handling both work and
family all at once.
A questionnaire was conducted and based on the resresponses
received by a few married and also non-married
married women, a
collective analysis has been put down here which gives
answers to various set of questions amongst which the main
objective behind every question was to find out whether
women are actually comfortable
ortable working from home and
how many aren't and also how is it affecting their normal
lifestyle before this pandemic and during the course of this
pandemic.
The outcome of this paper establishes how many women are
actually happy and are leading a normal
normal/better lifestyle
compared to before. Also if they are facing issues in mental
health or family issues as well.
As mentioned above, married women have higher
responsibilities, which many a times leads to many
psychological problems such as frustration, depression, in-
in
marriage conflicts, mental fatigue anger and many more.
Sometimes these work pressures affects a women to such
extent where it has led to suicidal attempts and homicide.
These also applies to unmarried women. Various studies have
shown that working and non-working
working women do not have the
same mental health.
2. OBJECTIVES
Main motive of this paper is to analyze whether/
w how women
are able to manage both professional and personal life, if they
are facing any trouble in managing the same, are they facing
any stress or not and are they able to lead the same life as they
used to before and after starting their professional
profess career.
Questionnaire was sent virtually using google forms consisting
of 20 questions relating to various problems faced by them.
Based on the answers given by the respondents, the study was
conducted to know how many ladies are comfortable working
from home and who face difficulties for the same
3. RESULTS / FINDINGS
A clear outcome of the answers showed us how many of them
were actually comfortable working at home and how many
others were stressed for the same.

1. INTRODUCTION
Mental health is one of the major health issue globally. A
sound mind in a sound body has been recognized a social idea
for many centuries.
nturies. Sound mind and health is a basic essential
for every human being irrespective of the gender. Professional
life doesn’t only give money, but also welcome’s constant
stress and strain. 21st century has shown that not only men but
women are also equally lly given opportunities to work for
various reasons. But then, women who are married have higher When the respondents were asked if the they were stressed or
responsibilities than those who are not, because for those who relaxed when they were asked to work from home, 39.4% of
are married, there lies huge responsibility of handling both respondents told that they are stressed working from home and
professional and family life.

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 Mental Health of Working Women during Covid -19 Pandemic

60.6% of respondents told they are relaxed working from

home.

Based on the response given, it shows that they are relaxed

working from home.

For the above question, 60.6% answered No and 39.4%

answered Yes.

From the above observation it is seen that working from home

is affecting the lifestyle of women.

When the respondents were asked if they have worked from

home before, 72.7% of respondents answered no and 27.3% of
the respondents answered that they have worked from home
before.

Based on the answer given by the respondents iit shows that

most of them have not worked from home before this
pandemic.

For this productive question, 39.4% of them answered they are

more productive 24.2% of them answered that they are less
productive and 36.4% of them are equally productive.

Based on this we can observe that the percentage

productiveness has increased.

• When the respondents were asked if they have established

a good working routine
• 15.2% respondents answered No
• 36.4% respondents answered Yes and
• 48.5% respondents answered Maybe.
Based on the response received, we can clearly see that they 36.4% answered No and 63.6% answered Yes, regarding the
are not very sure about this. workspace, which shows that they have a comfort zone.

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 Mental Health of Working Women during Covid -19 Pandemic

57.6% answered No and 42.4% answered yes regarding the

90.9% answered Yes and 9.1% answered no regarding regular question of health issues which clearly shows that not many
contacts which clearly showed that almost every person were were affected by work from home process.
in regular contact with the team head.

During a pandemic like this, when this question was raised, The question regarding mental health gave us responses in
81.8% them Yes and 18.2% answered no, which clearly proves which 75.8% said it was moderately effecting remaining
that many companies stood up to support the women 15.2% were of the opinion that it highly effected and 9.1%
employees. resorted to saying that it didn’t affect at all.

When this was asked, 69.7% answered Yes and 30.3% said no 60.6% answered office work and rest 39.4% answered house
which proved that everyone had the available resources to work which when seen shows that office works affected
continue with their work. women more.

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 Mental Health of Working Women during Covid -19 Pandemic
45.5% of the respondents answered rarely they were stressed,
27.3% responded they were very often stressed and 27.3%
answered they were often stressed for the above qu
question. This
conveys us that not many of them are stressed by working
from home.
When asked, 54.5% of them responded No and 45.5%
answered yes which again proves that not many liked the
option of working from home.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid
Covid-19:
19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Finally when this was asked, majority,
majorit that is, 51.5%
respondents answered that the work load had increased, 42.4%
resorted to answering as moderate and remaining 6.1% were of
the opinion that it had decreased which gave a clear image that
the work load was moderate.
4. CONCLUSION
The responsess received to the questionnaire showed that even
in this pandemic time, though the companies were having hard
time, they made sure that the women employees are not much
burdened and also the companies made sure that the work from
home policy never troubled the women in their personal life.
REFERENCES
[1] M. Prince, V. Patel, S. Saxena et al., “No health without
mental health, ” The Lancet, vol. 370, no. 9590, pp. 859–
859
877, 2007.View at: | Publisher Site
[2] K. Park, “Concept of health and disease, ” in Parks'
Textbook
ook of Preventive and Social Medicine, M/S
Banarsidas Bhanot, 22nd edition, 2013.View at: Google
Scholar
[3] F. Almeida, I. Lessa, L. Magalhaes et al., “Social
inequality and depressive disorders in Bahia, Brazil:
interactions of gender, ethnicity, and social class, ” Social
Science and Medicine, vol. 59, no. 7, pp. 133Publisher
Site9–1353,
1353, 2004.View at: | Google Scholar.
Scholar
110
 23.
Work from Home During Covid-19: Employees
Perception, Experience and Challenges
Ashika B
III Semester M.Com FA, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
ashibala18@gmail.com
Abstract: This paper attempts to find out the perception,
experience and challenges of the employees in working from
home when compared to working from office.And also to
know people’s reactionsor opinion in working from home
and how working from home have changed employee’s
professional life, With presence of other family members.
The current pandemic Covid-19 is becoming an dismaying
situation all around the world, where the entire global
economy is locked down since March 2020, Covid-19
pandemic has enforced the concept Work From Home into a
strictly government enforced rule, This novel corona virus
has forced national government across the world to order
people to work from home (WFH), Unless the situation
becomes normal, and the government have asked people to
not go out of house unless they have jobs of highly necessity
or important. Now work from home concept is implemented
in all the sectors, from IT sectors to teaching sectors.The
concept of work from home is new to majority of employees.
As the Covid-19 situation has enforced almost all the
employees of all sectors to work from home(WFH) for the
first time. Theresearch mainly focused on the understanding
the various factors which are considered to be challenging
for the employees who are at Working from Home during the
lockdown situation caused by Novel coronavirus. For the
purpose of study, a sample of 100 respondents was collected
and their perception wereanalysed statistically using SPSS
software.
Keywords: COVID-19, Work From Home, and Employees
1. INTRODUCTION
The current pandemic situation Covid-19 is changing day by
day, which has put the entire economy into a dismaying
situation. The outbreak of corona virus was first identified in
December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and has been
ongoing pandemic. On 5th October, the World Health
Organisation (WHO) said that one in ten people around the
world may have been infected with Covid-19, As of 8th oct
2020, 36millions case have been reported across 188 countries
with more than 1.05 million deaths. Even though the first case
in India was reported on 30th January 2020. The country had
taken various measures to fight against corona virus one of its
measures was lockdown. The government had announced a
series of lockdown to control the spread of virus and there are
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
few enforced measures by the government that has to be
followed by the people to control the spread of virus, those are
handwashing, social distancing, quarantining, after coughing
and sneezingshould keep unwashed hands away from face.
Many small and large firms, start-upsin India and across the
globe are following government measures to limit the spread
of corona virus. As lockdown was announced by government
many companies around the world had asked their employees
to work from home until the condition becomes normal. Work
from home is not a new concept it is been existing from a very
long time. Here the employee do not have to commute to a
central and single work place. Many people find it difficult to
working from home. Even though employees can get in touch
with office, they’ll not have a constantsupport from their
colleagues and supervisor. But when it comes to work in office
environment employees will have supervision and restrictions,
but they will also get knowledge and support from bosses and
colleagues. So being with the intelligent people the other
employee will get motivated. In work from office employees
can walk over to someone desk and ask them for any query.
They will have meetings that doesn’t happen in video
conferencing. They can get together with colleagues.
Employees may find it benefit personally. When employee are
happy and satisfied they become more active and productive
employee.
The aim of study was to knowemployees reactions of working
from home, how they collaborated and organised work from
home and what are the experience in working from home and
how did they manage to do.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Dingel and Neiman (2020) Concluded that the amount of jobs
that could be performed at home is an important input to
predicting the economy’s performance during the subsequent
periods of social distancing and they also stated that an
individual workers productivity may differ considerably when
working from home rather than workplace. And also there are
difference between job that can be performed at home and
those that cannot performed from home.
Ajay K Garg, Jan Vander Rijst stated that working from home
is a worldwide trend and effect companies in various ways and
the relationship between structural factors and relational
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 Work from Home During Covid
Covid-19: Employees Perception, Experience and Challenges
hallenges

factors with perceived virtual work experience was found
positive. Professional isolation and job performance
wasshowed highly negatively correlated. And this study found
that work independence, interpersonal trust and stress had
weak positive relation to experience with virtual work on
employees and the questions about experience with work from
home, the professionals working from home would have a
better work-life
life balance and their productivity would increase.
Tracey Crosbie and Jeanne Mooreconcluded that home
working is not just
ust the way for modern working life. But he
stated with example that those who have a tendency to work
long hours outside of the home, might find that home life is
even further marginalised by work life. Pravinah Marimuthu
and Hemaloshinee Vasudevan revealed ed in their study that the
situation had caused most organisations and employees to
conduct their work effectively, especially to work from the
limitless boundaries at home for business survival during the
MCO (Movement Control Order). The pandemic is the first of
its kind throughout the world, and it had created many
challenging issues, and caused many harm mentally and
psychologically. This paper has also provided a small window
into looking at how one employee working from home had to
endure various issueses such as IT technical issues, sharing
workplace with family and having distractions while
maintaining mental wellbeing and also state it is worth
acknowledging that such a situation needs more focus.
• This study mainly focused on employees Working from
Home.
• The questionnaire is designed based on my research topic.
• The study is limited to a period of 2 weeks.
5. RESEARCH
RCH METHODOLOGY
The present study is based on the response of 100 respondents
working from home during Covid-19. 19. That consists of 53 Male
and 47 Females. For the purpose of data collection structured
questionnaire was prepared by using google form and was
distributed to employees who are working from home.
Majority of employees are from IT sector. The data collection
duration was 1 week (7 Days) of the month of October 2020.
All the respondents of this study are working from home since
the corona virus outbreak.
reak. The response received from the
employees was analysed using statistical tools such as
Frequency distribution and ANOVA. And the analysis was
carried out using SPSS software.
Secondary data was collected from various journals and
websites.
6. ANALYSIS AND
ND FINDINGS
Chart 1.1- Gender

Amabile and Kramer (2013) stated that work from home is

helping the employees to balance both professional life and
personal life. The study further states that work from home
saves time, increases employee productivity and finishes the
work and also helps the employees to spend their time for
personal life.

Batia M Wiesenfeld, SumitaRaghuram and Raghu Garud

(2000) This study stated employees working from home needs
work-based
based social support. They experiences are balance
forces associated with stronger organizational recognition and
their results suggested that at managers may strengthen
The study includes 53% Male and 47% Female who are
recognition among employees working from home who may
not be motivated to identify with the organization by providing working from home during Covid-19.
19.
social support. And the result also stated that when recognize Chart 1.-Employees
Employees Age
work based social support it is relatively high, individual
differences in need for association are less impactful.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To study the challenges faced by the employees during
the Work from Home condition of Covid
Covid-19.
2. To know the opinion of respondents towards Work from
Home.

4. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

• This study is done on the basis of data provided by 100
Respondent.

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 Work from Home During Covid
Covid-19:
19: Employees Perception, Experience and Challenges

From this chart we are able to see that 5% of the employees are Attributes Categories Frequency Percentage
from 10-20
20 years, 86% of the employees are from 221-30 years, (%)
4% of the employees are from 31-40 40 years, 4% of the
I get Strongly 15 15
employees are from 41-5050 years, and 1% of employee is from
disturbed by disagree
above 60 years. Majority of respondents are from age group
other people Disagree 29 29
21-30 years.
in my home
Agree 40 40
Chart 1.3-Do
Do employees have healthy work life
balance when working from home. Strongly 16 16
agree
I miss Strongly 6 6
getting out disagree
of home Disagree 16 16
Agree 55 55
Strongly 23 23
agree
I do not get Strongly 15 15
enough disagree
exercise Disagree 14 14
when I am
Among the 100 respondent 33% of employees have very good Agree 58 58
not at my
work life balance, 44% of employees have some what good
workplace Strongly 13 13
work life balance, 11% of employees have some what poor
work life balance, 12% of employees have very poor work life agree
balance. The work I Strongly 7 7
do from disagree
TABLE 2.1: Frequency distribution of various factors that home is not Disagree 24 24
hinder Work From Home situation during Covid
Covid-19. as interesting
as the work I Agree 48 48
Attributes Categories Frequency Percentage do at my Strongly 21 21
(%) workplace agree
I do not get Strongly 8 8 It requires Strongly 4 4
to see my disagree more effort disagree
colleagues as Disagree 10 10 from me that
much as I Disagree 23 23
I cannot use
liked to Agree 58 58 Agree 57 57
my normal
Strongly 24 24 routines Strongly 16 16
agree agree
I need Strongly 9 9 I feel tired to Strongly 6 6
physical disagree my computer disagree
equipment to Disagree 28 28 to a greater
do my work Disagree 17 17
extent that at
which I do Agree 48 48 Agree 53 53
my
not have Strongly 15 15 workplace Strongly 24 24
access to at agree agree
home
I am Strongly 8 8
I find Strongly 12 12 concerned disagree
difficult to disagree that there are
keep focused Disagree 26 26
Disagree 29 29 work tasks I
on work want to do Agree 49 49
when I am Agree 43 43
but cannot Strongly 17 17
alone Strongly 16 16 do from agree
agree home

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 Work from Home During Covid-19: Employees Perception, Experience and Challenges

Reveals the various challenges and hinderances faced by the Sl. Challenging factors Signifi Interpretatio
employees during work from home. Majority of employees No during the Work From cant n
feels that they do not get to see colleagues as much as they Home Value
wished to while they are working from home. Almost 48%
employees require physical equipment to do work which they exercise when they WFH accepted
do not have access to at home for e.g.: (Desk, chair, devices).
Almost 40% of them agree that they get disturbed by other 5 Less time for personal 0.179 H0 is
people in home. And they are unable to keep focused on work. activities accepted
Due to Covid-19, 55% respondents agree that they miss getting
out of home. Almost 48% of employees feels that work they 6 They are concerned 0.071 H0 is
do from home is not as interesting as the work they used to do about work tasks that accepted
at workplace. It is identified that 57% of employees do not get they want to do but
time for the personal activities. Almost 53% of respondents cannot do from home
feel tired to their computer to a greater extent that of their
workplace. Also 49% of respondents are concerned that work Factor 1:
tasks that they wanted to do but cannot do, since they are From the hypothesis testing it is found that the P value
working from home. obtained is 0.134 which is greater than 0.05 (P>0.05) hence the
alternative hypothesis is rejected and the null hypothesis is
ANOVA Analysis- for testing the following hypothesis
accepted. There is no significant relationship between the
based on Gender
gender andneed for physical equipment to do work which are
H0: There is no significant relationship between the Gender not available at home.
of the respondents and the various challenging factors
during Work from Home condition of Covid-19. Factor 2:
From the hypothesis testing it is found that the P value
H1: There is significant relationship between the Gender of
obtained is 0.501 which is greater than 0.05 (P>0.05) hence the
the respondents and the various challenging factors
alternative hypothesis is rejected and the null hypothesis is
during Work from Home condition of Covid-19.
accepted. There is no significant relationship between the
The following are some major challenging factors that are gender and the difficulties to keep themself focused on work
discussed in the table below using ANOVA significant values. when they are alone.

TABLE 2.2 Factor 3:

From the hypothesis testing it is found that the P value
ANOVA for understanding the differences between obtained is 0.001 which is less than 0.05 (P<0.05) hence the
Gender and their challenging factors during the alternative hypothesis is accepted and the null hypothesis is
Work from Home condition. rejected. There is a significant relationship between the gender
and employee getting disturbed by other members at home
Sl. Challenging factors Signifi Interpretatio while WFH.
No during the Work From cant n
Home Value Factor 4:
1 Need for physical 0.134 H0 is From the hypothesis testing it is found that the P value
equipment to do work accepted obtained is 0.061 which is greater than 0.05 (P<0.05) hence the
which are not available at alternative hypothesis is rejected and the null hypothesis is
home. accepted. There is no significant relationship between the
gender and employees not getting enough exercise when they
2 Finding it difficult to 0.501 H0 is WFH.
keep themself focused on accepted
work when they are Factor 5:
alone
From the hypothesis testing it is found that the P value
3 They get disturbed by 0.001 H0 is rejected obtained is 0.179 which is greater than 0.05 (P>0.05) hence the
other members at home alternative hypothesis is rejected and the null hypothesis is
while WFH accepted. There is no significant relationship between the
gender and the feeling of Less time for personal activities.
4 They do not get enough 0.061 H0 is

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 Work from Home During Covid-19: Employees Perception, Experience and Challenges
Factor 6:
From the hypothesis testing it is found that the P value
obtained is 0.071 which is greater than 0.05 (P<0.05) hence the
alternative hypothesis is rejected and the null hypothesis is
accepted. There is no significant relationship between the
gender and they’re concern about work tasks that they want to
do but cannot do from home.
7. CONCLUSION
The study was done to know the challenges, hinderance
experienced by the employees from various sectors who are
forced to work from home during corona virus outbreak
situation caused lockdown. This study considered the
perspective of both gender. It was understood that both male
and female employees are going through same type of
challenges during Covid-19 and it is also understood that
employees daily activities have also changed when they work
from home and the feel that the work that they do from home
is not that interesting as much as the work they do in
workplace. And majority of employees have agreed to the
statement that they get disturbed by other members in home
and most of them have stated that it is difficult for them to
balance both personal life and work life in the same place and
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
they are facing health related issues. The objective of the study
was framed to understand the hinderance, challenges faced and
to know the opinion based on gender of the employee who are
working from home. For the purpose of analysing gender
based opinion in working from home ANOVA and Frequency
distribution statistical tool was used. And the analysis was
carried out using SPSS software. Therefore, companies have to
understand the needs and views of employees and provide
support accordingly by which employees productivity and
willingness to work will increase.
REFERENCES
[1] Jonathan I. Dingel& Brent Neiman (2020). How many
jobs can be done at home? Becker Friedman Institute
white paper.
[2] Amabile & Kramer (2013). Working from home: A work
in progress. Harvard Business review,
https://hbr.org/2013/07/working-from-home-a-work-in-pr
[3] Tracey Crosbie and Jeanne Moore (2004). Work life
balance and work from home .Social policy and society.
[4] Dr Shareena P & Mohammad Shahid (2020). Work from
home during Covid-19: Employees perception and
experiences.
115
 24.
Impact of Covid-19 in Higher Education Sector
Apoorva N
III Semester M.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
apoorvaappu433@gmail.com
Abstract: COVID-19 or 2019-nCoV, the novel corona virus
looms over the planet earth as an imminent threat to
mankind. The impact of covid-19 is observed in every sector
around the world. The education sector of India as well as
world is badly affected by this. It has enforced the world wide
lock down creating very bad effect on the students life and as
well as on the parents. Around 32 crore learners stopped to
move schools or colleges and all education activities halted in
India. The outbreak of covid-19 as taught us that change is
inevitable. It as worked as a catalyst for the educational
instution to grow and opt for plat forms with technologies,
which has not been used before. This paper highlights some
of the measures taken by the government, to provide seamless
education in the country and some fruit full suggestions are
also pointed out to carry out educational activities during the
pandemic situation.
Keywords: covid -19, educational institution, crisis,
educational activities.
1. INTRODUCTION
Corona virus is a communicable disease caused by a newly
detected corona virus. The outbreak was first found in Wuhan,
Hubei, China, in December 2019 and this was declared as a
pandemic by the WHO on March 11th. It had a great impact on
education system of India. Indian Higher Education structure
had been engaged in shifting itself since the 90s. There have
been many basic changes in higher education. To meet the
needs of education in the post-liberal economy, UGC has set
up several E-schools, Smart Classroom; Audio, Video, and
Digital Based Education.
The centre was starting to develop. The management is not
leaving any stone unturned for arranging/ scheduling study
material via various platforms. Most of the Information and
Communication Technology tools are SWAYAM, MOOC
(Massive Open Online Courses), E-Pathsala, SWAMP
RABHA, e-SHODH, SINDHU, etc. At the time of the Corona
disaster, our needs have detached the basic arrangement of the
higher education system. Since society itself is bounce to
transform itself into virtual social space, the concept of the
classroom will become virtual in education as well. We will
gradually be transformed into a society where direct
communication is almost over. Everything will remain in the
form of effective, online, and digital techno dialogues. This
new virtual change of higher education may lead us to
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
betterment. It may move the field of education in the direction
of more original, equitable, and capacity development. But in a
society like India, we must insist on keeping, using, and
maintain internet connectivity in social groups in poor,
neglected, and remote areas. Today the digital form of teaching
has been familiar, instead of face-to-face communication in the
classroom, virtual classrooms like mobile laptops, etc. It is
very beneficial for working people for whom it is difficult to
get normal education. Online programs will be very helpful for
them in success new jobs or promotions. For regular students
pursuing traditional education in various degree programs,
online courses will also be able to increase their information
and skills as an add-on course. Besides, for students from poor
or remote areas who do not have very good teachers or rich
libraries, online study stuff prepared by the best institutions
will prove to be a boon.
2. LITERATIURE REVIEW
HOW COVID-19 SPREADS:
Literature evidence shows that the original source of the
COVID-19 is from animal and recently virus is spreading from
human to human {ECDC, 2020}. Recently there is no
reasonable fact to identify how easily viruses are transformed
from person to person. However, the virus basically transferred
through respiratory droplets that human beings sneeze, cough
or exhale. The exposure to the virus and onset symptoms of
COVID- 19 is currently determined at between 2-13 days. At
the stage, we aware that the virus can be delivered when those
infected show flulike symptoms {WHO, 2020}
Swayam Prabha has 32 DTH TV channels transmitting
educational contents on 24 x 7 bases. These channels are
available for viewing all across the country using DD Free
Dish Set Top Box and Antenna. The channel schedule and
other details are available in the portal. The channels cover
both school education (classes 9 to 12) and higher education
(undergraduate, postgraduate, engineering Out-of-school
children, vocational courses and teacher training) in arts,
science, commerce, performing arts, social sciences and
humanities subjects, engineering, technology, law, medicine,
agriculture.
e-PG Pathshala is for postgraduate students. Postgraduate
students can access this platform for e books, online courses
and study materials during this lockdown period. The
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 Impact of Covid-19 in Higher Education Sector
importance of this platform is that students can access these
facilities without having internet for the whole day.
3. CHALLENGES
We have many challenges to higher education in Corona time.
In such a state of affairs, one has to make our higher education
located in this time by bring new changes in the semester,
teaching, assessment work, evaluation method. Secondly, we
have to make ourselves strong and striking parallel to the big
higher educational institution of the world. Thirdly, to keep
higher education as broad, neglected and most disused groups
of Indian the world also have to be associated with this digital
change.
It seems that in the upcoming, teaching and research in higher
education will change with the occurrence of live faces in the
get on and screen of the devoid. In that process, human faces
will not be directly. In such a situation, we have to imagine a
virtual community and make a habit of communicating with it.
There will be teachers as well as students, but both will be on
screen. Now maybe our sociality will also hang on the screen,
which we will remove from the keyboard and then droop it on
the screen. There is an untimely breakdown of technology like
internet speed, connectivity problems, compulsion to learn
through the help of online tutorials, even if there is no one to
attend and teach at the time of lockdown; demo, making notes,
making digital copies of them, communicating with students,
etc. There are many challenges before the education
community, but still by will, the extra time and efforts our
teachers are doing it, the courses are being completed. Students
are adapting themselves to get an education through the
teaching method through a new medium which is an promising
sign.
4. OBJECTIVES
The present research paper focused on the following objectives
1. To bring out the measures took by the Government of
India during the Pandemic period.
2. It also brings the negative and positive impact of
COVID-19.
5. SUGGESTION
The education system of India needs more elasticity or
agreement between the universal and technical tracks. It should
focus more on social behaviorual skills such as self-efficacy
and cooperation and, it should ensure that exact universities
can become clusters of valuable innovation in the future. For
example, as part of the Start up India initiative, seven new
research parks were established on the Indian Institute of
Technology campuses to support innovation through mutual
collaboration between universities and private sector
companies. Such initiatives need to be additional promoted.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
India also wants to make radical changes in its short-term
skilling programs.
6. MEASURE TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMNET
wherein it has been stated by Department of Higher Education
under Ministry of HRD thereafter Central Board of Secondary
Education and other State Boards that "Creating awareness
among the students, preventive interventions such as frequent
hand washing, respiratory etiquettes (using handkerchief over
mouth while coughing / sneezing, use of tissue paper or using
the sleeve of shirt covering the upper arm, staying away from
school when sick, avoiding public gatherings, etc.) would help
in preventing/reducing transmission of not only this diseases
but also a large number of another communicable disease,
notably flu-like illnesses. Because, such informed youth can be
agents of changes for their family, community and beyond."
wherein it has been stated by University Grants Commission
that "avoid large gathering, wearing of the mask if any
symptoms related to Corona virus, use of alcohol-based
sanitizer or soap in restrooms, 14days home quarantine to
students/teachers who have travelled history to any of COVID-
19 affected countries, contact the helpline number if found any
symptoms of corona virus (fever, coughing, difficulty in
breathing, etc.), avoid the use of biometric-based attendance,
and so on. "These are the guidelines issued by UGC which
depict that these measures were taken by the institution for
taking care of their students, teachers and other stakeholders".
Wherein it has been stated by CBSE that "all ongoing and
upcoming examinations of the board for classes-X and XII will
be rescheduled after 31st March 2020. “This clearly shows that
the early decisions were taken by the Educational Institution
for the prevention of stakeholders to break the speedy spread
of COVID-19 among them.
7. CONCLUSION
It is a new type of alteration that has ushered in alteration on a
large scale. It can have a wide impact in the upcoming times. It
was being promoted at the national and international stage in
the education world as well, but it was not getting the
necessary support from all the partners. It is only due to the
situation arising out of the ill effects of Covid-19 in front of
the in general education system that this truth of digital
education is causing us to collectively interview. In this way,
the Government of India, during its various regulatory bodies,
was always trying to keep ourselves ready in the opposition of
openness of quality and quality education accessible
internationally. Institutions or ranking agencies like the
University Grants Commission, Ministry of Human Resource
Development, All India Council for Technical Education,
National Institutional Ranking Framework, NAC i.e. National
Assessment and Accreditation Council, tried to encourage
open education platform. The world's rare books were made
presented to millions of students in digital form. New
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 Impact of Covid-19 in Higher Education Sector

opportunities for online education were provided by the
NPTEL i.e. National Program on Technology Enhanced
Learning. The change of various courses into digital format
was encouraged. In shaping the eligibility to apply at the time
of appointment of professors in universities and degree
colleges, the hard work made in these items have been made an
necessary part in the form of marks so that the trainer
community can increase their interest in digital teaching.
otherwise, online education is a requirement during the Corona
Crisis, but it will prove to be most useful as an adjunct to
traditional orbital education for the overall development of
India in usual days and not as an alternative. A large section of
teachers will also have to become trained in innovative uses of
digital media. Our government and educational institutions
will also have to develop novel projects for higher research.
There will be a big money problem because Corona will create
a crisis in our economy, which will finally affect our worth of
higher education.
BIBLOOGRAPHY
[1] Website: https://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/
[2] Website: https://swayamprabha.gov.in/
[3] Chaturhary pooja, Sharma Kulwant, “Implementation of
digital strategy in higher education in India” conference
paper, Feb 2019
[4] AISHE (2019): “All India survey on Higher Education
2018-19.” Department of Higher Education, Ministry Of
Human Resource Development, Government of India,
New Delhi.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 118
 25.
A Study on the Impact of Covid-19 on Cement Industry in Karnataka: With
Special Focus on JSW Cement Ltd
Annu Kuria Kose
III Semester M.Com, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru – 560 077
Abstract: The Coronavirus has brought the entire world to a
halt.The various restrictions imposed has made movement
difficult across the nation which has caused massive
operational dislocations. The pandemic has not only been a
human tragedy it has also impacted almost every business.
While almost all businesses are affected, the real estate
industry has been one amongst the hardest hit. In this paper
an attempt has been made to understand the impact of these
operational difficulties on the Cement Industry in Karnataka
in the post lockdown period, while focusing on JSW Cement
Ltd, one of the leading companies in PSC variant of cement
in South India having two of its major production units in
Bellary, Karnataka.The analysis is done on Secondary data
collected on the company’s performance with respect to the
industry standards for the same period.The data collected has
been analysed based on Null Hypothesis that there is no
significant difference between performance of the company
and that of the industry in the same period. The statistical
analysis and interpretation is done by comparing means
using Independent Samples T-Test. From the analysis it has
been found that the industry as whole is affected severely
with huge plunge in sales. The results obtained has been
investigated to understand the factors specific to the company
that resulted in the same.
Keywords: Null Hypothesis, Comparison of Means,
Independent Samples T-Test
1. INTRODUCTION
CEMENT INDUSTRY KARNATAKA
The Cement Industry in any developing country has a very
important link with the nation’s growing economy as its
related to the infrastructural growth of the country. India being
a transitioning and developing economy itself, Cement
Industry in India meets not only the direct needs of the
immense infrastructural requirements as well as contributes by
generating employment opportunities. The Indian Cement
industry qualifies as the world’s second largest Cement
Industry in the world.
JSW Cement Ltd
JSW Cement is a leading manufacturer of PSC variant of
cement in South India. PSC is Portland Slag Cement which is
categorised as green cement owing to the process of generation
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
of this cement being an environment friendly process,
involving low release of carbon dioxide during the
process.JSW also has a lead in promoting GGBS (Ground
Granulated Blast Furnace Slag), which is a better alternative to
the ordinary concrete.
The Present Situation
The World Health Organisation has proclaimed this outburst of
disease as Pandemic on 11th March, 2020. The Indian economy
has been facing major crisis due to the pandemic which is
evident from the fall in GDP which came down to 4.7% by
March 2020. The pandemic called for the imposition of
lockdown as a means to prevent further spread of the deadly
virus, while the restrictions have disrupted businesses and
affected trade and commerce. Several small businesses had to
temporarily shut while the major businesses were forced to cut
down on their operations. Everyone is combating with the
situation trying to find ways to lower footfalls. The Cement
Industry is not saved from this trouble.
The sudden stoppage of construction works leading to fall in
demand for cement has lowered revenues and cash flows for
cement manufacturing companies. Sales in cement industry is
run on contract basis, and travel restrictions, lack of
availability of workers and transport means implies that they
would not be able to meet their contractual obligations timely.
Also as the engineering and construction industry requires
presence of massive labour force, which is restrained and thus
causing operations to halt. In this paper the impact of the
pandemic and lockdown on the operations of the Cement
industry is studied and based on the analysis survival strategies
has been suggested which can be implemented by businesses
to emerge strongly in the post pandemic period.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
As part of this research, papers and other research work has
been studied to understand the functioning of cement industry
in India and in Karnataka, the impact of Covid-19 on sectors of
the Indian economy.The following review of literature has
been found useful for this study.
2.1 Impact of Covid-19 on Sectors of Indian
Economy and Business Survival Strategies
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 A Study on the Impact of Covid-19 on Cement Industry in Karnataka: With Special Focus on JSW Cement Ltd
DebdasRakshit&Ananya Paul (2013) This article studies the
reverberation of Covid-19 on various areas of the Indian
economy, how India being a developing economy it can
benefit in the post pandemic period andwhat business
endurance techniques can be adopted to ensure that the country
benefits and comes out of this predicament. The findings
reveal that in the primary sector, the mining industry has had
to suspend its operations causing immense fall in revenues. In
the secondary sector it is the engineering and construction
industries that have faced severe hit. In the service sector, the
industries that have been severely crippled are tourism and
transportation industries. The global withdrawal from
dependency on china can prove beneficial for Indian economy
with more foreign investments in India in the post pandemic
period. PESTEL analysis and proper disaster management plan
should help companies cope up with the disaster.
2.2 India: Impact of Covid-19 on Construction and
Engineering Sector
Abin Raj R.S (2010) The construction and engineering sector
has been one amongst the most affected sectors due to the
global pandemic. Being a service industry their activities had
to be halted which meant no revenues during the
lockdown.Time being the essence of such contracts, factors
like reverse migration, manpower shortages, disruption of
supply chain lead to inability to complete contract obligations,
which also had multiple legal implications on these service
providers. The study suggests that with development of digital
technologies in the engineering sector can prove beneficial
with any future pandemic situations.The paper sites various
technological developments that are available and can be
adopted to remotely monitor construction works. Various
survival strategies such as prioritizing projects, delivery
strategy, building resilience and strengthening contractual
provisions have been suggested in the paper.
2.3 The Impact of Covid-19 on the Cement Industry
(International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group)
Developing economies would substantiate how essential
cement industry, being the building block of infrastructure.The
industry has been facing overcapacity and lack of demand ever
since the pandemic began.The impact of Covid on the sector
has been brutal, from lack of demand, restrictions affecting
utilization rate to fluctuations in stock prices and foreign
exchange risks. IFC has launched a sector crisis response
facility to help companies facing difficulty in serving their
current clients. IFC also supports advanced planners in this
industry in adopting better technologies and lower their carbon
footprint so as emerge stronger in the post pandemic period.
3. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Covid-19 has brought economies around the world to a
standstill. The pandemic called for a lockdown which has
impacted several businesses especially the real estate business,
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
because of which the Cement Industry has faced huge distress.
The impact of this pandemic on the performance of Cement
Industry in Karnataka has been taken up for study in this
paper.This paper focuses on the industry’s overall performance
for the period following the pandemic and analysing the
performance of one company in the industry in comparison to
industry standards. The company taken for this is JSW Cement
Ltd, Karnataka.
4. RESEARCH DESIGN
Descriptive Research design is used in this study.
5. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
• To analyse the impact of Covid-19 on the performance of
JSW Cement Karnataka and Cement Industry in
Karnataka
• To compare the performance of JSW Cement Ltd with
respect to the industry performance in the post lockdown
period.
6. HYPOTHESIS
H01: There is no significant difference between performance
of JSW Cement Ltd from that of the Industry during the
pandemic period.
Ha1: The performance of JSW cement Ltd is significantly
different from the Industry’s performance.
7. SCOPE OF STUDY
The study is focused on the period following the lockdown
during the pandemic, period of five months from April to
August. The study is conducted on the Cement Industry in the
state of Karnataka and Karnataka operations of JSW Cement
Ltd .
8. DATA COLLECTION SOURCES
Secondary Data
The data has been collected from a number of secondary
sources: journals, newspaper articles, published data, websites
and e-resources relevant to the study.
The company specific data has been collected from a personal
interview conducted with the Vice President of Marketing
department, JSW Cement Ltd, Karnataka.
9. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The data collected has been analysed using SPSS and Excel
Software.The following statistical tools have been applied:
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 A Study on the Impact of Covid-19 on Cement Industry in Karnataka: With Special Focus on JSW Cement Ltd
• Independent Samples T-Test has been used to perform
the testing on the performance of JSW Cement in
comparison to industry performance, for analysis during
the pandemic period.
• Percentage analysis:. Percentage analysis has been used
to understand the change in the company’s performance in
Current period(2020-21) over the Previous Year’s
period(2019-20).
10. RESEARCH GAPS
• Study is limited to one company’s performance and
factors which were specific to the company, which may
not be representative of all the companies in the
industry.However extending the study to include more
companies, big and small, can help get a better
understanding of the overall scenario.
• This study was focused on the operations of only one
state, Karnataka.Extending the study to the other
production units of the company in Maharashtra and
Andhra Pradesh can help get a better picture of the
performance of the company as a whole. Also doing a
state-wise comparative performance study can help
Graph 1
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
understand if there is variability because of the political,
infrastructural and economic scenarios of different states.
11. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
• The sales performance of the company and of the Industry
is studied over the period of pandemic and compared with
the corresponding months in previous year. Descriptive
analysis is done using percentages.
• After calculating the percentage change in sales, the
company’s performance is compared to that of the
industry standard to establish if the averages of the two are
close. This has been tested using statistical tool of
Independent Samples T-Test.
11.1 Percentage Analysis-Cement Industry
Karnataka
The sales volume of Cement Industry in Karnataka in the
period following the lockdown is compared against the
corresponding months in the Previous year to understand the
impact of lockdown on the performance of the industry. The
data pertaining to the months of April, May, June, July and
August in 2019 and 2020 is represented in the form of a bar
graph shown below to clearly depict the difference.
121
 A Study on the Impact of Covid-19 on Cement Industry in Karnataka: With Special Focus on JSW Cement Ltd

INTERPRETATION 11.1.2 PERCENTAGE ANALYSIS-JSW CEMENT

The graph(1) of Cement Industry in Karnataka shows the sales
volume in months of April, May, June, July and August of
2020 as compared to the same period in 2019 for the industry
as a whole. From the graph it can be seen that the sales has
fallen down severely in comparison to corresponding months
in previous year. However from the graph a declining trend
can be seen in percentage fall in sales through the months of
April, May, June, July and August of 2020 over 2019. The
magnitude of decline is reducing from April to August as it is
going down from -75% in April to -17% in August.
Ltd
The sales volume of JSW Cement Ltd in the period following
the lockdown is compared against the corresponding months in
the Previous year to understand by how much has the sales
performance been affected. The data pertaining to the months
of April, May, June, July and August in 2019 and 2020 is
represented in the form of a bar graph shown below to clearly
depict the difference. Descriptive analysis is done with
percentages.

Graph 2

*Data for this graph is sourced from Cement Manufacturers Association Karnataka

INTERPRETATION 2020 has increased when compared to the sales in April

The graph (2) of JSW Cement Ltd shows the sales volume in
months of April, May, June, July and August of 2020 as
compared to the same period in 2019. From the graph it can be
seen that the sales of JSW Cement Ltd in the month of April
2019.This is depicted by the increase in sales percentage of
28% over prior year’s. However, the sales shows a declining
trend for the months of May, June and July 2020 in
comparison to the same period in 2019, depicted by the change
in percentage as, -11%, -8% and – 6% for the respective

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 122
 A Study on the Impact of Covid-19 on Cement Industry in Karnataka: With Special Focus on JSW Cement Ltd
months. Again in August the sales show an increase over last
year depicted by an increase in percentage of 17% over 2019.
11.3 INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T-TEST
The percentage change in sales volume in current period over
previous year’s of JSW Cement Ltd and of the Cement
Industry in Karnataka has been compared here. The period of
analysis taken here is five months period(April, May, June,
July and August) in current year 2020-21 over the same
period(April, May, June, July and August) in 2019-20.
INTERPRETATION
Independent Samples T-Test
The Independent Samples T-test or two means test is an
inferential statistics test. It helps show whether there is
significant difference between the means of two independent
groups. The data studied has two independent groups, one is
the sales of JSW Cement Ltd, and the other is of the
Industry.The mean of the percentage change in sales volume
for the two groups is tested for over a period of five months.
The Levene’sTest :
Null Hypothesis-The variance in performance of the two
groups does not differ significantly.
T Statistic value=0.033
P value=0.860,
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
The means of the percentage change in sales has been
compared by using Independent Sample T-Test. The
independent variables (groups) are the JSW Cement Ltd and
Cement Industry. The test variable is the percentage change in
sales volume.
Null Hypothesis - There is no significant difference between
mean of the percentage change over previous year in sales
volume of JSW Cement Ltd from the mean of the Industry.
The results of the testing is dispalyed as below:
As the p value is greater than 0.05, equality of variance is
assumed. Thus we can proceed to check the equality of means.
T-test for equality of means:
P value= 0.018
As the p value is lesser than 0.05 hence Null Hypothesis is
rejected and Alternative Hypothesis is accepted which implies
that there exists significant difference between the mean of
sales of the two independent groups.
Thus it is established that the performance of JSW Cement Ltd
although impacted due to the pandemic, as its sales has fallen
in comparison to its previous year’s figures, yet the company
has performed better in comparison to the industry’s overall
performance during this period. The difference in the
performance is quite significant also as is proved from the
testing.
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 A Study on the Impact of Covid-19 on Cement Industry in Karnataka: With Special Focus on JSW Cement Ltd
12. FINDINGS
The announcement of a lockdown was abrupt, leading to
sudden shutting down of work at all construction sites, starting
the 3rd week of March. This impacted the demand for all
construction materials including cement, which can be seen in
the huge plunge in overall industry sales in the month of April,
which was down by a -75% as compared to the sales in
previous year same period.
A gradual recovery is observed through the months of May,
June, July and August which can be understood as the
Companies slowly adapted to the changed circumstances and
arranged for operating within the limitations.
Surviving through several rounds of lockdowns, the economy
slowly picked up, with infrastructure work also seen to have
resumed by July-August. This is depicted in the improved
change in sales for the Industry, while the sales for JSW
Cement has in-fact increased over the same period in previous
year.
Several daily wage contractual workers were forced to return
to their hometown because of non-availability of work during
the lockdown. Some of these workers returned while most
couldn’t after the lockdown was lifted which could be because
of various reasons. This was the major reason why the
companies couldn’t carry on with their operations in full
capacity after the lockdown was lifted in the months of June,
July and August.
13. SUGGESTIONS
• Infrastructure and cement business being run on
contractual basis need to consider how they are going to
mitigate the implications of non-performance of their
contractual obligations. It is important that they take
decisions based on legal advice so that they can be
appropriately excused from default in performance.
• As time is the essence of construction contracts, those
companies that are going to enter into new contracts need
to ensure that their contract lists out the potential
disruption that can be faced further because of the
pandemic.
• As the impact of this pandemic is alarming and swift, its
important that businesses come up with strong strategies
to come out of this predicament and benefit in the post
pandemic period.
• It is suggestible that companies scrutinize their costs and
eliminate any non-essential expenses that can be done
without and focus only on those that are absolutely
essential for the current level of operations.
• Because of the pandemic and economic slowdown people
have also become more of environmental issues that are
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
detrimental to health, thus if the Cement manufacturing
companies try to come up with better energy efficient and
environment friendly processes they can better position
themselves in the post pandemic period once the market
revives.
• In the post pandemic period it is important that the
companies categorize their contracts on priority basis to
see completion of which ones can help them balance their
cash flows soon. As well as withdrawing credit lines and
suspend dividend payments.
• The possibility for social distancing in construction sites is
next to impossible, thus certain steps if taken by the
construction and engineering businesses, like remote
working wherever possible as well as with the
development of digital technologies and adopting them
into the working practices can prove to be beneficial in the
future pandemic situations if any.However this is a time
taking process.
14. CONCLUSION
The pandemic has clearly impacted several sectors of the
economy. The impact on the Cement Industry has been severe
and the reasons for the same are all round from health risks of
workers and employees, lack of demand from customers,
travel restrictions, transport restrictions, etc.
Housing segment construction work accounts for 60-65% of
demand in the cement industry. The slowdown in economic
growth, has affected people from all spheres of life. The rising
unemployment and fear of loss of job in future has caused
people to hold onto their savings, which is likely to affect
discretionary spending amongst people for over the next few
months at-least. This means lesser expenditure in housing
segment growth, and thus less demand for the cement industry.
Capital expenditure by the government is also expected to
shrink owing to the current need to meet the public health
emergency. Government capital expenditure accounts for one-
fourth of the demand in the cement industry.
Cement is an essential element for infrastructural growth of the
state. Also there is no alternative to this element in the
construction industry.As the state is advancing on the road of
development, the future ahead seems to be bright for the
cement industry in Karnataka.
The cement industry is expected to survive the crisis.They
must strengthen their sustainability and competitiveness. It is
important for their long term viability that they come up with
energy efficient process that can lower their carbon footprints.
The situation has forced companies to resort to cost cutting
measures which involves cutting down on salary hikes, laying
off workers and employees. In a wake to survive and provide
for their families amidst such unexpected times where no one
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 A Study on the Impact of Covid-19 on Cement Industry in Karnataka: With Special Focus on JSW Cement Ltd
could assure what the future holds, the daily wage earners were
people surely the most affected of all.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
[1] The Impact of Covid -19 on the Cement
Industry.International Finance Corporation, World Bank
Group. Retrieved fromhttps://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/
connect/industry_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/
manufacturing/resources/covid-19-impact-on-cement-
industry
[2] Debdas Rakshit., Ananya Paul. Impact of Covid-19 on
Sectors of Indian Economy and Business Survival
Strategies. International Journal of Engineering and
Management Research. Retrieved from
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3620
727
[3] Abinraj RS. India: Impact of COVID-19 on Construction
and Engineering Sector. Research Gate. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340966338_IND
IA_IMPACT_OF_COVID-
19_ON_Construction_and_Engineering_Sector
[4] Naveen Donthu., Anders Gustafsson. Effects of COVID-
19 on business and research. Science Direct Journals and
Books.Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/
science/article/pii/S0148296320303830
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
[5] https://www.cmaindia.org/media-events/shs-campaign-
2019/karnataka/
[6] http://www.conventuslaw.com/report/covid-19-and-its-
impact-on-businesses-in-india/
[7] http://www.conventuslaw.com/report/covid-19-and-its-
impact-on-businesses-in-india/
[8] https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/allied-
industries/cement-demand-to-decline-45-50-in-q1-fy21-
due-to-covid-19-ind-ra/75063597
Interview Questions
[9] Have you observed any major change in your performance
due to Covid-19 and the lockdown?
[10] What factors do you think can be linked to the fall in
sales?
[11] What measures did the company take to withstand the
fixed expenses with such low revenues?
[12] How do you think your company performed in
comparison to its competitors?
[13] What is the plan for the next couple of months?
[14] How many categories of customers do you have?
[15] Demand from which sectors were impacted the most?
Housing or Industrial?
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 26.
An Exploratory Study: On The Role of Paperless Banking & Digital
Marketing During Covid’19
Dhanya Mathai1, Gloria Mary Raju2
1.2
PG Department of Commerce, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bengaluru
1
dhanyamathai02@gmail.com, 2solideogloria95@googlemail.com
Abstract: Digitalization has been reshaping the face of
banking industry at a slower pace, especially in India.
Banking and Digital Marketing was getting into the groove
with other nations, when the unexpected happened. The
pandemic led to the acceleration in these sectors at a massive
scale. Humans never imagined that such a pandemic would
have a significant effect neither in the history nor in the
future of the economy. The study aims to notify the upturn
and correlation of digital marketing and paperless banking
(One of the segments of green banking) during Covid-19.
This cross-sectional study will be conducted using simple
random sampling method among 200 respondents who are
general citizens of the productive age group in Karnataka.
The data was collected using validated structured
questionnaire and analyzed through proper statistical
techniques as the Pearson’s Correlation coefficient and the
Fishers Exact Test. The secondary data was collected from
various articles, research papers and newspapers. The
research has been conducted on the observation and analysis
made over a period of one month. The study found thatthere
is a statistically significant positive correlation between
banking and digital marketing. Digital marketing shows a
statistically significant growth during the period of COVID at
5% level of significance. While, online banking doesn’t show
any significance. This research would be beneficial in
understanding the development of banking due to Digital
platforms and also enables the entrepreneurs to excel in their
field identifying more strategies to make an impact in the
economy.
Keywords: Covid-19, Customers, Digitalization, Digital
Marketing, Paperless Banking, Pandemic.
1. INTRODUCTION
Finance has played a significant role in one’s life. The need for
the banking industry has also grown over time with the rise of
finance in the economy. The evolution of green banking in
India began in 1990, when green funds and paperless banking
were launched under the leadership of Green Banking. The
establishment of paperless banking has revolved around the
notion of environmental protection. Yet citizens were still
based on conventional banking business approaches. Even
with the growth in India's population, the number of young
people is far higher than that of the older generation. "The
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
productive age group has been declared by the World Health
Organization to be between 16-55 years," and roughly 66
percent of the productive age group is comparable to the
population of India. Hence it has been important to analyze if
all the banks have adopted the environmental friendly banking
practices and understand how many among the population is
aware of the various facilities given in the online platforms.
With the onset of Covid’19 in the world, the pandemic has
made a huge impact both on the banking and digital sector.
People have switched from the traditional methods to the
digital platforms for all the necessities. Through the report, we
will be able to understand if these efficient groups have used
paperless banking facilities and whether the banks have
reached out to consumers with regard to different digital
network facilities. At the end of the research study, you will
learn how digital marketing has enriched the banking sector,
especially during the pandemic, and also about the relationship
between digital marketing and banking.
2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
While most of the digital banking facilities have been adopted
by both public and private sector banks, most of the citizens
are either not aware of or have not yet adopted these services.
The conventional ways of depositing currency, exchanging
money, raising loans, opening a new scheme and much more
were still continued to be used by citizens.
Today, with the arrival of Covid'19, clients have been made
more aware of internet banking or net banking, which is one of
the segments of green banking services. During the pandemic,
banks have used more electronic tools, such as internet media,
telemarketing, ads, etc., to reach their target audience. During
this period, the number of users and downloads of bank
applications has grown. Via digital ads and networks, the
pandemic has effectively provided more room for digital
banking. The digital banking mode has its own pros and cons,
which, when it promotes more sustainable activities, support
the overall development of the economy as well as the climate.
3. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Using the internet, smart devices, social media, search engines
and other platforms to attract customers is digital marketing
(Barone, 2020). In order to protect the climate and preserve
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 An Exploratory Study: On The Role of Paperless Banking & Digital Marketing During Covid’19
natural resources, Digital Banking is like a conventional bank
that takes into account both social and environmental or
ecological considerations. It is often referred to as an ethical or
sustainable bank (Ashutosh Mittal, 2016). Green Banking and
Digital Marketing by means of effectively and efficiently
utilization of IT and physical infrastructure aims not only for
business development but also focuses on social and
environmental issues and in reduction of carbon footprints
(Sathya, 2015). Statics prove that consumers are responding to
the digital marketing strategy by purchasing goods and
services online. Also consumers availing the usage of Banking
product can be inferred from the statics which shows the
awareness of the Green Banking products (Ganesan &
Bhuvaneswari, 2016). Techniques adopted for Green Banking
are online savings account, Net banking facilities, paperless
statement, online bill payments, rewards on debit and credit
card usage, mobile banking etc.(Naidu & C, 2015). SEO
(search engine optimization), content marketing and PPC (pay
per click) ads are the new developments in digital marketing.
Digital marketing strategies such as Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and other social media sites are micro influencers.
Another trending tool used in digital marketing is the chat box.
In the digital marketing room, YouTube ads is also gaining
rapid interest (Haworth, 2020). Green Banking strategies show
that not only the financial products are designed to be eco-
friendly but also promoting energy conservative tactics on the
building premises as well as at the ATM by using solar energy.
Mass transportation of officials to workspace contribute to the
agenda of Ecological Banking (Bahl, 2012). Digital Marketing
strategy plays a prominent role in business growth and market
capture in this era of digital world. Identifying the target
market, defining the brand, developing the customer personals
help to achieve the end goal of digital marketing (Khorey,
2018). Targeting the right audience, understanding the online
audience and capturing their attention, online branding admits
the larger/key market players, adapting to the rapidly changing
trends and online security risks are some of the challenges
faced in digital marketing(Ahmad, 2016). Banking sector can
be at reputational risk if they are undertaking a project that
damage the environment also if found providing credit
assistance to business involved in activities damaging the
environment. Banks are new to the concept of Green Banking
hence they are not fully equipped to adapt to the necessities
Of Green banking technologies. Above all Green Banking
involves higher operating cost as banks are in the startup face
in this sector and generating profit can take longer duration say
2-5 years (Reddy et al., 2017).
4. OBJECTIVES
The research study was conducted with the following
objectives:
a) To examine the growth of digital marketing and
paperless banking individually
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
b) To analyze the awareness of a Paperless banking among
the citizens
c) To study if digital platforms has caused any development
in paperless banking during the Pandemic.
5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
To meet the objectives of the research paper. Primary data was
collected from a total of 200 respondents using a well-
structured questionnaire. The respondents were selected from
Karnataka State by using a simple random sampling method.
The study focused on the productive age group declared by the
World Health Organization as between 16 to 55. The responses
for the questionnaire were collected using Google forms in
Google Docs. These questions were broadly classified into 3
major segments: the baseline characteristics for the citizens,
Assessment on digital banking and digital marketing in
specific. The responses were then analyzed in the SPSS
statistical tool, using the Fishers exact test and the Pearson’s
Correlation coefficient. Through this correlation analysis, the
research provided a conclusion to understand the relationship
between the demographic variables, digital marketing and
banking. Along with primary data even secondary data was
collected from various articles, papers to apprehend the state
and growth of the sector before the pandemic period.
6. HYPOTHESIS
H01 : There is no significant correlation between paperless
banking and digital marketing
H02 : There is no significant growth in paperless banking and
digital platforms during the pandemic
H03: There is no significant association between demographic
variables like age, monthly income & expenditure with digital
marketing
H04: There is no significant association between Active bank
accounts & awareness of paperless banking with digital
marketing platforms
H05: There is no significant association between the variables
such as employment, size of family and the use of digital
payment application and digital banking
7. BACKGROUND STUDY
ROLE OF DIGITAL MARKETING IN BANKING
INDUSTRY
It was important for banks to reach out to their customers
through online platforms as everything was micromanaged by
them technologically. This grew at an increasing rate and also
with the benefit of serving the environment, Digital banking
methods was launched. Majority of financial institutions did
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 An Exploratory Study: On The Role of Paperless Banking & Digital Marketing During Covid’19

not cut their broadcast and offline marketing budgets over the
last 12 months, according to the Digital Banking Survey. As in
2017, 34 percent of financial institutions committed 50 percent
or more of their marketing budgets to mass media. There was a
lack of dedication to new platforms, as was the same last year,
with just 15% of companies pledging more than 50% of their
budgets to new media, compared to 14% in 2017. Similarly,
almost no bank has spent more than 40% of its mobile
marketing budget, with only 2% of companies contributing
more than 50% of their mobile marketing budget. In reality,
the mobile spending curve was almost exactly the same as in
2017.
3 Major Opportunities that Banks can achieve through digital
marketing and online platforms are:
• Focusing on interaction and experience. Spending on
digital media could boost user service and increase
interaction, as opposed to conventional product-based
direct mail and email marketing. A well implemented
digital identity strategy will improve the experiences of
consumers and benefit from social media
• Media Networks Utilizing. Social networking platforms
will facilitate financial education, innovative technologies,
digital banking opportunities, and messaging to particular
markets about business culture, which in turn promote
green banking practices
• New Markets entrance. For younger, hard-to-reach
customers, digital media platforms may create brand
recognition and encourage financial education. In order to
reach new markets, create awareness and encourage
corporate culture content, banks may also use digital
media campaigns too.(Marous et al., 2018)
8. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
The research study was done in the productive age range, with
40% belonging to the 16-25, 28% to the 26-35 category and
26% to the 36-45 age groups. From the research we
comprehend that all respondents were trained above a graduate
level in the range of all age classes, this demonstrates how
much of an influence even education has in one's role in
building bank accounts or even in the matter of finance. While
at this particular point in time there has been an equivalent
number in respondents who are working and unemployed, we
see that all 200 respondents have an active bank account with
cash inflow and outflow over a daily time period. With an
annual expenditure of below Rs.20, 000 (50 percent of
respondents), the monthly average revenue of the respondents
is less than Rs.50, 000 (68 percent). Few Variables such as the
marital status and the gender of the respondent does not have a
greater association to the banking sector, as these are in equal
proportions.

TABLE 1: Descriptive assessment on digital marketing and paperless banking

Variable Frequency Percent

Active banks accounts altogether 1 46 23.0
2 71 35.5
3 47 23.5
4 and more 36 18.0
Awareness on the concept of Green banking Yes 69 34.5
No 109 54.5
Maybe 22 11.0
Usage of digital payment application Daily 71 35.5
Weekly 65 32.5
Monthly 41 20.5
Yearly 5 2.5
Never 18 9.0
Service app used immensely during COVID period Banking Apps 122 61.0
Entertainment Apps 39 19.5
Shopping App 39 19.5

Source: Primary Data, Questionnaire

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Most of the respondents are still ignorant of the green banking
concept especially paperless banking, which is clearly seen in
Table 1, but the applications for bank transfers were the most
commonly used by people during the pandemic. This
illustrates how much effect the pandemic has had on people
who were oblivious that they were already able to access
emerging channels on a regular, weekly and monthly basis
(constituting 87%).
H01: There is no significant correlation between paperless
banking and digital marketing was analyzed through the
below scattered plot
1Fig: Scatter plot: Analysis of correlation between Digital
banking and digital marketing

Pearson correlation (r) = 0.294: p = <0.001, which is considered as statistically significant

Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to determine the
relationship between banking and digital marketing. There is a
statistically significant positive correlation between banking
and digital marketing. We see that digital marketing has helped
in the growth of digital banking (paperless). This is not only
during the Covid but even at any point in time Digital
platforms has played a key role in the enhancement of
digitalization in banking sector in the economy. From the
above test we can see that there is a positive relationship,
hence the null hypothesis (H01) has been rejected.
H02: There is no significant growth in paperless banking
and digital platforms during the pandemic, analyzed
through an Exact Test

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 An Exploratory Study: On The Role of Paperless Banking & Digital Marketing During Covid’19

TABLE 2: Association of Paperless banking and digital marketing during the time of COVID

> 1 year < 1 year

Years of using (Total = 158) (Total = 42) p value
15 10 0.043
Poor (9.5%) (23.8%)
95 22
Digital Marketing
Average (60.1%) (52.4%)
48 10
Good (30.4%) (23.8%)
6 2 0.738
Poor (3.8%) (4.8%)
101 29
Paperless Banking
Average (63.9%) (69.0%)
51 11
Good (32.3%) (26.2%)
Exact Test: p value < 0.05 shows statistical significance

Digital marketing (p value = 0.043) shows a statistically
significant growth during the period of COVID at 5% level of
significance. While, online banking doesn’t show any
significance (p value = 0.738). Hence in the case of digital
marketing the null hypothesis has been rejected, as there is
statistically significant growth during the Covid, in association
to digital marketing. Even though digital marketing has growth
this has not made much effect in digital banking platforms
during the Pandemic.
H03: There is no significant association between
demographic variables like age, monthly income &
expenditure with digital marketing
H04: There is no significant association between Active
bank accounts & awareness of paperless banking with
digital marketing platforms
Both the hypothesis was examined through an exact test

TABLE 3: Association of demographic variables and digital marketing

Digital Marketing
Variable Name Poor Average Good Total p value
Age 16-25 7 49 24 80 0.038
(8.8%) (61.3%) (30.0%)
26-35 6 28 22 56
(10.7%) (50.0%) (39.3%)
36-45 8 32 12 52
(15.4%) (61.5%) (23.1%)
46-55 4 8 0 12
(33.3%) (66.7%) (0.0%)
Monthly income (Rs.) 25001-50000 14 34 21 69 0.014
(20.3%) (49.3%) (30.4%)

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Digital Marketing
Variable Name Poor Average Good Total p value
50001-75000 0 24 11 35
(0.0%) (68.6%) (31.4%)
75001 and above 4 12 12 28
(14.3%) (42.9%) (42.9%)
Less than 25000 7 47 14 68
(10.3%) (69.1%) (20.6%)
Monthly expenditure 20001-40000 6 29 25 60 0.017
(10.0%) (48.3%) (41.7%)
40001-60000 0 17 10 27
(0.0%) (63.0%) (37.0%)
60001 and above 4 9 2 15
(26.7%) (60.0%) (13.3%)
Below 20000 15 62 21 98
(15.3%) (63.3%) (21.4%)
(4.5%) (77.3%) (18.2%)
Exact Test: p value < 0.05 shows statistical significance
Association of other variables and digital marketing
Active banks accounts 1. 9 24 13 46 0.029
altogether
(19.6%) (52.2%) (28.3%)
2. 14 39 18 71
(19.7%) (54.9%) (25.4%)
3. 0 31 16 47
(0.0%) (66.0%) (34.0%)
4 and more 2 23 11 36
(5.6%) (63.9%) (30.6%)
Aware of the concept Maybe 1 17 4 22
of digital banking
(4.5%) (77.3%) (18.2%)
No 21 67 21 109
(19.3%) (61.5%) (19.3%)
Yes 3 33 33 69
(4.3%) (47.8%) (47.8%) <0.001
Exact Test: p value < 0.05 shows statistical significance

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 An Exploratory Study: On The Role of Paperless Banking & Digital Marketing During Covid’19

Age (p value = 0.038), Monthly income (p value = 0.014),
monthly expenditure (p value = 0.017), active banks accounts
altogether (p value = 0.029) & awareness of the concept of
paperless banking (p value = <0.001) are found to be
significant factors associated with digital marketing at 5%
level of significance. Hence the null hypothesis (H03, H04) is
rejected.
H05: There is no significant association between the
variables such as employment, size of family and the use of
digital payment application on digital banking. This was
examined using an exact test

TABLE 4: Association of demographic variables and Paperless banking

Paperless Banking
Variable Name
Poor Average Good Total p value
Employment status Employed 0 80 37 117
(0.0%) (68.4%) (31.6%)
0.002
Unemployed 8 50 25 83
(9.6%) (60.2%) (30.1%)
Size of the family 14 and above 0 0 1 1
(0.0%) (0.0%) (100.0%)
4-8 5 98 40 143
(3.5%) (68.5%) (28.0%)
9-13 2 2 2 6 0.028
(33.3%) (33.3%) (33.3%)
Less than 4 members 1 30 19 50
(2.0%) (60.0%) (38.0%)
Usage of digital payment Daily 0 42 29 71
application
(0.0%) (59.2%) (40.8%)
Monthly 1 29 11 41
(2.4%) (70.7%) (26.8%)
Never 4 11 3 18
0.006
(22.2%) (61.1%) (16.7%)
Weekly 2 45 18 65
(3.1%) (69.2%) (27.7%)
Yearly 1 3 1 5
(20.0%) (60.0%) (20.0%)
Exact Test: p value < 0.05 shows statistical significance

The null hypothesis assumed that, Employment status (p value 9. CONCLUSION

= 0.002), size of the family (p value = 0.028) & usage of
digital payment application (p value = 0.006) are not found to
be significant factors associated with digital banking at 5%
level of significance using the Fishers exact test. The null
hypothesis has been rejected, as there is a significant
association.
The study concluded that citizens, unaware of the concept of
environmental friendly banking, indirectly contributed to the
growth of digital banking in the country during the period of
the Pandemic. Awareness of digital marketing platforms has
been strictly followed with the help of more digital marketing

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 An Exploratory Study: On The Role of Paperless Banking & Digital Marketing During Covid’19
platforms, allowing the segment to grow. Even though there
has been a positive correlation between both paperless banking
and digital marketing, during the pandemic we see only a
growth in the Digital marketing sector than that of the digital
banking. We are also now more conscious of how digital
marketing can be used to make online banking more
competitive and this can better enrich the segment. Customers
should also gain an understanding of banking that generates
more visibility, such that it has an effect on the nation's over-
ecological development.
REFERENCES
[1] Ahmad, A. (2016, June 9). 8 Modern Day Digital
Marketing Challenges And How To Overcome Them.
https://www.wigzo.com/blog/digital-marketing-
challenges/
[2] Ashutosh Mittal. (2016, January 26). Green banking
[Business].
https://www.slideshare.net/123456789ASHU/green-
banking-57517096
[3] Bahl, S. (2012, February). Green Banking - The New
Strategic Imperative. Undefined. /paper/Green-Banking-
The-New-Strategic-Imperative-
Bahl/aa42a6d13a5bda6609bf67d0a2efd80b2f023e9c
[4] Barone, A. (2020, September 24). Digital Marketing.
Investopedia.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/digital-
marketing.asp
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
[5] Ganesan, Dr. R., &Bhuvaneswari, A. (2016). Customer
Perception towards Green Banking. IOSR Journal of
Economics and Finance, 07(05), 05–17.
https://doi.org/10.9790/5933-0705010517
[6] Howarth, J. (2020, June 10). 5 new trends in digital
marketing you might have overlooked | SmartBrief.
https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2020/06/5-new-
trends-digital-marketing-you-might-have-overlooked
[7] Khorey, M. (2018, January 22). What is Digital Marketing
& Digital Marketing Strategy? (With Examples). Equinet
Academy. https://www.equinetacademy.com/what-is-
digital-marketing/
[8] Marous, J., Br, C.-P. of T. F., Report, O. of the D. B.,
&podcast, host of the B. T. (2018, October 1). How
Banking Brands Are Using Digital Marketing To Win
Consumers. The Financial Brand.
https://thefinancialbrand.com/75882/financial-banking-
digital-advertising-marketing-media-trends/
[9] Naidu, V., & C, P. (2015). A Study on Green Banking
Trends in India. Research Explorer, 4, 2349–1647.
[10] Reddy, A. P., M.B.S, S., &Bhanu, S. R. (2017, June 24).
Green Banking: Challenges & Opportunities. Banking
Finance - News, Articles, Statistics, Banking Exams,
Banking Magazine. https://www.bankingfinance.in/green-
banking-challenges-opportunities.html
[11] Sathya, P. (2015). A Study on Digital Marketing and its
Impact. 6(2), 3.
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 27.
A Study on Issues and Challenges of Green Banking Services in Kerala
Abin P Jose
Assistant Professor in Commerce
St Gregorios College, Kottarakkara
Abstract: The Study entitled “A Study on Issues and
Challenges of Green Banking Services in Kerala” is an
attempt to understand the. Issues and Challenges of Green
Banking Services in Kerala. Banking sector occupies a
unique and highly significant role in modern life. An
efficient banking system offers safe and sound economy of
an individual and a nation. Today, the way we are recklessly
consuming resources on earth, the question arises what we
will leave for future generation. The concept of sustainable
development that is taking care of the need of present
generation without compromising the needs of future
generation, has given rise to green marketing and then green
banking. Green banking is different from conventional
banking as convention is based on the principal of security
and profitability and morality has a very little role. Green
banking is a new concept that considers environmental and
socially responsible investing.
1. INTRODUCTION
Green Banking has created a buzz in the financial world. It
banks on social and environmental impacts, preservation of
environment, reliability, cost effectiveness and time saving.
Although a new phenomenon, several countries have
successfully adopted it in their routine financial activities.
Green banking comes in many forms. It means promoting
environment friendly practices for sustainable growth and
reduces the carbon footprint from the banking industry. Using
online banking instead of branch banking, paying bills online
instead of mailing them and opening online bank account are
few step forward in this direction. Green banking is
comparatively new to the financial world. Green banking is a
step to change client habits in the banking sector for the
sustainable development in future. Online banking is the
easiest way to green banking.
It is paperless banking which will reduce the cost of banking
activities. In December 2007, RBI issued a circular (RBI 2007-
2008, 1216) highlighting the importances for bank to act with
responsibility and contribute to sustainable development so
that the impact of global warming can be reduce with the help
of banking industry. Green banking means to promote
environment friendly practices and to reduce the carbon
footprint from banking operation.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
An educated citizen in the real sense is one who perceives the
call of the hour and mends his ways and means accordingly.
The world is rapidly changing in the era of technology. Things
are becoming electronic and virtual. From physical money to
plastic money and now electronic money (e.g. bitcoin) there
are numerous options available and one has to be savvy which
one to opt. The unquenchable demand of the human race has
increased the environmental carbon level so much in recent
century that we need to seriously think and amend our
lifestyle. Banking is the need of every individual who earns
and Therefore, it touches everyone in the world. An ultimate
solution to the entire banking related problem specifically in
today’s scenario is green banking. Green banking means
promoting environmental friendly. practices and reducing
carbon footprint from banking activities. There is a wide range
of applications available that help performing banking
transaction in an eco-friendly way. Gone are the days of long
queues and tons of papers which used to define typical branch
of a bank. A bank is now just a click away on internet 24X7.
Movie tickets or education loan, recharging mobile or
transferring funds, reserving train seats or sending gifts online
without carrying the burden of adding more to the carbon level
of the environment is now possible.
Green Banking helps to create effective and far reaching
market-based solutions to address a range of environmental
problems, including climate change, deforestation, air quality
issues and biodiversity loss, while at the same time identifying
and securing opportunities that benefit customers. Many Indian
banks like SBI, ICICI, HDFC and Axis have started to realize
the importance and they are taking up various GREEN
BANKING initiatives: like promoting E banking activities,
spreading awareness and educating people in the respective
field. Therefore, it creates a need to study the issues and
challenges prevailing in adopting concept of Green banking in
India.
Objectives of the Study
1. To understand how the green banking strategies are
developed by Indian banks.
2. To find out the challenges in implementation of green
banking in India.
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 A Study on Issues and Challenges of Green Banking Services in Kerala
3. To find out the necessary steps required for proper
implementation of green banking in India.
4. Reduce CO2 emissions from electricity consumption and
transportation, increase recycling (paper, PET, toners,
cartridges and batteries) and increase the use of green
products by bank branches.
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The present study is descriptive in nature. For the collections
of required information, secondary method of data collection
are used. Data The secondary data has been collected from the
available literature from Text books, Journals, Magazines,
Newspapers, Annual reports and from various websites.
4. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Sahoo and Nayak (2008) explored the relevance of Green
Banking and site international experience in this respect. The
researchers found that there has not been much initiatives by
banks in India and Thus, policy measures are needed to
promote Green Banking in India. The researchers revealed that
none of the Indian banks have adopted equator principle and
none of them is signatory to UNEP financial initiative
statement. Indian banks should use environmental criteria for
funding projects.
In the study of Bahl (2012) the means of creating awareness
about Green Banking to ensure sustainable growth have been
highlighted. Garrett’s ranking technique is used to analyze the
most significant strategies in respect of Green Banking. If the
goal is to attain sustainable development then this can be
achieved only through creating awareness and imparting
education. Among the internal sub systems emphasis should be
given to publications, newsletters so as to create awareness and
effective means for external sub systems are event meetings,
media and websites. A proper formulated green policy
guideline is needed for effective Green Banking.
A research study undertaken by Yadav and Pathak (2013)
stated that the Green Banking progress chosen by private and
public bank for environment sustainability. Using case study
approach, they find that Indian banks have understood the
relevance of taking positive steps towards the environment.
Moreover, results of the study conducted in private sector only
ICICI bank’s approach is a feasible approach.
5. GREEN BANKING
The financial institutions influence the economic growth and
development of the country both in terms of ‘Quality’ and
‘Quantity’, there by adopting various strategies for economic
growth. As environmental issues gain greater attention,
pressure is being placed on financial institutions to implement
Green Initiatives. Banking sector plays a crucial and decisive
role in promoting environmentally sustainable and socially
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
responsible investments as it increases the value and lowers
loss ratio as higher quality loan portfolio results in higher
earnings. Thus, encouraging environmentally responsible
investments and prudent lending should be one of the
responsibilities of the banking sector. The Green initiatives
taken by Banks or a concept of Green banking means using all
of the banks resources with responsibility and care, avoiding
waste and giving priority to choices that take sustainability into
account. It also means promoting environmental-friendly
practices and reducing your carbon footprint from your
banking activities. The reasons for going green are manifold,
and the key among them are increasing energy consumption
and energy prices, growing consumer interest in
environmentally-friendly goods and services, higher
expectations by the public on Bank’s environmental
responsibilities and emerging stricter regulatory and
compliance requirements. This comes in many forms.
Evolution of Green Bank:
First Green Banking was founded in 2009 in the state of
Florida. Based in Eustis and Clermont, Florida, USA, First
Green Banking is a customer-driven community bank
providing personalized service, localized decision- making and
proven technology by promoting a positive environment that is
acceptable to the community.
State Bank of India, India’s largest commercial bank, took the
lead in setting high sustainability standards and completed the
first step in its ‘Green Banking’ initiative with Shri O.P.Bhatt,
Chairman, SBI inaugurating the bank’s first Wind farm project
in Coimbatore. Recent Green Banking initiatives include a
push for solar powered ATM’S, paper less banking for
customers, clean energy projects and the building of Wind
mills in rural India. SBI is a leader in Green Banking.
6. RISKS IN GREEN BANKING
A. Credit Risk:
It can arise indirectly where banks are lending to customers
whose businesses are adversely affected by the cost of cleaning
up pollution or due to changes in environmental regulations. It
has been observed that due to global warming there had been
extreme weather condition which affects the economic assets
financed by the banks thus leading to high incidence of credit
default.
B. Legal Risk:
Banks like other business entities face legal risk if they do not
comply with relevant environmental regulation. They also face
risk of direct lender liability for cleanup cost for damages in
case they actually take possession of pollution causing assets.
C. Reputation Risk:
Due to increasing environmental awareness banks are prone
for reputation risk if their direct or indirect actions are viewed
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 A Study on Issues and Challenges of Green Banking Services in Kerala
as socially and environmentally damaging. Reputation risks
emerge from the financing of environmentally objectionable
projects.
Green Banking Financial Products:
• Green Mortgages: In general Green mortgages also
known as Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEM’S), provide
retail customers with considerably low interest rates
compare market rates for clients who purchase new energy
efficient homes or invest in retrofits, energy efficient
appliances or green power. Banks can also choose to
provide green mortgages by covering the cost of switching
a house from conventional to green power, as well as
include this customer benefit when marketing the product.
• Online Banking: Online banking, also known as internet
banking, e-banking or virtual banking, is an electronic
payment system that enables customers of a bank or other
financial institution to conduct a range of financial
transactions through the financial institution’s website.
• Green Car Loans: Many green car loans encourage the
purchase of cars for below market interest rates, which
demonstrate higher fuel efficiency.
• Green Credit Cards: A green credit card allows
cardholders to earn rewards or points which can be
redeemed for contributions to eco-friendly charitable
organizations. These cards offer an excellent incentive for
consumers to use their green card for their expensive
purchases.
7. STRATEGIES OF GREEN BANKING
Indian Banks can adopt green banking as business model for
sustainable banking. Some of following strategies little
reflected in their banking business or must be adopted by
banks.
A. Carbon Credit Business (CBS):
All Nations must reduce greenhouse gases emission and
reduce carbon to protect our environment. These emissions
must be certified by Certified Emision Reductions commonly
known as Carbon Credit
B. Green Banking Financial Products:
Banks can develop innovative green based products or may
offer green loans on low rate of interest. As Housing and Car
loan segments constitute the main portfolio of all banks so they
adopt green loans facility.
C. Paperless Banking:
All banks are shifting on CBS or ATM platform providing
electronic banking products and services. So there is a scope
for banks to adopt paperless banking. Private and foreign
banks are using electronics for their o�ce but in PSU banks
are still using huge paper quantity.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
D. Energy Consciousness:
Banks have to install energy efficient equipment’s in their
office. Banks have to transform this green banking in
hardware, waste management, energy efficient technology
products. Banks can donate energy saving equipment to
schools and hospitals.
E. Mass Transportation System:
Banks have to provide common transport for groups of
officials posted at one office.
Green Banking Initiatives in India
1. The State Bank of India (SBI)
SBI is the first bank in India to promote green banking
by launching green banking policies and promoting green
projects. SBI has also set up windmills in the states of
Tamil Nadu, Gujarat & Maharashtra that produce 15
MW power.
2. IDBI
IDBI provides services to its clients in the field of Clean
Development Mechanisms (CDM)
3. Yes Bank
Yes Bank has launched projects in areas of clean
technology & alternative energy
4. Bank of Baroda
BOB funds projects which help in earning carbon credits
such as Biomass, windmills, and solar panel projects.
The also funded some commercial projects as part of
their green banking initiatives.
5. IndusInd Bank
The IndusInd Bank has installed solar powered ATMs in
different cities across India, to save energy and reduce
the emission of CO2.
6. Canara Bank
Canara Bank has adopted several eco-friendly initiatives
such as mobile banking, telephone banking, solar-
powered biometric operations and internet banking as
part of their contribution towards green banking.
8. CONCLUSION
Green banking refers to the initiatives taken by banks to
encourage environment friendly investment. Green banking as
a concept is a proactive and smart way of thinking towards
future sustainability. It is very important for the banks to be
proactive and accelerate the rate of the growth of the economy.
As there is a continuous change in the environmental factors
leading the banks face intense competition in the global
136
 A Study on Issues and Challenges of Green Banking Services in Kerala

market. Banks needs to apply morality of sustainability and “Environmental Disclosure, regulatory costs andchanges
responsibility to their business model, strategy and formulation in firm values”, Journal of Accounting and Economics.
for products and services, operations and financing activities [2] Down to Earth, “Enter the Green Rating Project (science
and become stronger. By adopting the environmental factors in & Environmental Fortnight) Juli31, 1999.
their lending activities banks can recover the return from their [3] Guptha. S. (2003), “Do Stock market Penalise
investments and make the polluting industries become Environment, unfriendly behaviour, Evidence fromIndia”
environment-friendly. These are the major information about Delhi School of Economic working paper.
Green Banking in India.
[4] Jeucken, M and Bouma J.J (1999) The changing
REFERENCES Environment of Banks” GMI Theme issue, GMI27,
Autumn, 1999.
[1] Blacconiere, Water and Dennis Pattem, (1993),

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 137
 28.
Customer Perception towards GST Rates on Home Appliances
Dr. Krishnamoorthi M.1, Dr.T.K. Murugesan2, Dr. Muhammad Ashiq A.M.3
1
Assistant Professor, 2Associate Professor, 3Assistant Professor
1,2,3
Faculty of Commerce & Management
Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru - 77
1
krishnamoorthi@kristujayanti.com,2murugesan@kristujayanti.com, 3ashiq@kristujayanti.com

Abstract: The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax
(GST) is an important step taken by the government towards
the prevailing reforms of indirect taxation in India. GST is
an indirect tax which is based on consumption and is
ultimately borne by the final consumer who purchases the
good or avails the service. It is an indirect tax which is
applicable wide India.the purpose of the study is to analyse
the perception level of household consumers regarding GST
rates for the Home Appliances The present study is
descriptive nature. In order to under to understand the
impact of GST on the consumption of home appliances by
the households, the researcher in this study has used Primary
data is a first-hand data which is collected by the researcher
through the structured questionnaire from a particular group
of respondents or people that is from the households of a
particular area in Kochi city.Under this study, the researcher
uses Convenience Sampling for the collection of primary
data and the sample size is 145 respondents. Finally this
study conclude that the people of this country now see GST
as a burden to the society and since the presence of GST in
the prices of Home Appliances has led to the less
consumption of that product the government must think ways
to reduce the GST percentage on various products so as to
increase the consumption and boost the economy.
Keywords: GST, Home appliance, Tax rate, Pre and Post
GST.
1. INTRODUCTION
GST is an indirect tax based on consumption which is
ultimately borne by the final consumer who purchases the
good or avails the service. Goods and Services Tax is an
indirect tax applicable wide India. It was introduced by
honorable Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi on 1st July, 2017,
who addressed it as Goods and Simple Tax (GST). On 1 July,
2017, the Goods and Services Tax was initiated at midnight by
the former President of India and the Prime Minister. The
initiation of GST was marked by a historic session in both the
houses of the parliament, who were summoned at the Central
Hall of Parliament. GST replaces the multiple cascading taxes
imposed by both the Governments Central and State. It is
applicable on the goods and services at national level with the
purpose to achieve overall economic growth.
At present, the customers are obliged to pay indirect taxes on
goods and services as Value Added Tax, Customs Duty, etc.
Each State is given the right to impose taxes on the goods
which come under their jurisdiction for sale and consumption,
whereas the Centre levies the taxes on the manufactured goods.
On 19th December, 2014 Finance Minister ArunJaitley
introduced The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-
Second Amendment) Bill, 2014 in the LokSabha and a bill was
passed in the house by 6 May 2015 and has received 352 votes
for the implementation and 37 against it. The Chairman of the
GST council, governing the GST is the Finance Minister of
India. The goods and services under GST are taxed at
following tier rates 0%, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%.There are
special rates levied on precious stones, which are out of the
above stated bracket. On rough precious stones and semi-
precious a special rate of 0.25% is levied and on gold 3% is
levied. Furthermore, a cess of 15% or more on top of 28%
GST is applicable on items such as aerated drinks, tobacco
products and luxury cars.
GST is commonly accepted across the world and around more
than 160 countries has acknowledged it and in most of the
countries it ranges between 15%-20%. The idea behind the
implementation of GST across India in 29 states and 7 Union
Territories is that it offers a win-win situation. The
manufacturers and traders will benefit from fewer filing of
taxes, transparent rules, easier process of book-keeping and the
consumers would be paying a lesser amount for goods and
services and the government will generate more revenue. The
subsuming of different indirect taxes which are levied at the
State and Central level under the single tax regime, were
proposed to be amended under the GST Bill. The amendment
is expected to have broadened the tax base, reduce the
economic distortion, income tax compliance and reduces the
cascading effect. GST will be imposed on the supply of goods
and services with full Input Tax Credit (Input Tax Credit is a
tax paid in the earlier stages of the production and distribution
of goods and services utilized for the production) mechanism
on the consumer tax base. By improving the efficiency of the
factors of production and distribution in respect of all the inter-
state and intra-state transactions, it is expected to create a
common market all over the country. GST will cover every
item taxable under its umbrella, which enables easier
compliance and monitoring of the same. It would also improve

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 138
 Customer Perception towards GST Rates on Home Appliances
the GDP ratio of the country and also prevent inflation. GST
allows the businesses registered to claim to the value of GST
they paid on purchase of goods or services as part of their
normal commercial activity. The self-policing feature is the
basic fundamental of GST, which allows the business to claim
their input tax credit by the way of automatic deductions in
their accounting system. This process eases the part of the
government and the businesses on their administrative
procedures.
2. HOME APPLIANCES
Home appliances play a major role in the domestic life of the
modern man. It has always had a significant place in the life of
man ever since the Stone Age when man began to use tools.
Today, the twenty-first century human beings use more
sophisticated tools and home appliances for his daily life. The
more we try to make our life convenient and comfortable, the
more significant the role of appliances turns out to be in
determining the life style of man. Home appliances are
electrical/mechanical appliances which accomplish some
household functions, such as cooking or cleaning. Household
appliances are the important appliances which are used in our
household for the various day to day functions like cooking,
cleaning, exercising, purifying, food preservation etc. The
majority of household domestic appliances are the large
machines usually used in the bed rooms, bath rooms, halls and
in kitchen. The appliances which are used in a kitchen
accomplish some routine housekeeping task such as cooking,
food preservation and cleaning. The household appliances have
a major role in the stylish appearance of any home décor. This
makes the ambience of any room quite beautiful and at good
appearance. An air conditioner and refrigerator are now
commonly used due to the hot climate. This will give some
sort of cooling and refreshment. The refrigerators help to keep
the food items and vegetables fresh for a long time. The major
appliances used in every household include refrigerators, mixer
grinder, grinder, gas stove, pressure cooker, TVs, air
conditioner, music players, home theatre, digital players,
ceiling fan, air purifier, personal computers, vacuum cleaners,
iron boxes, water purifier, water heater, digital clocks etc. It
incurs a big investment on 65 purchasing these household
appliances essential for the present modern life. The uptrend’s
in technology and innovations made the home appliances more
user friendly making the home routines as quick as possible.
3. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Ahmed E and et al. (2009) have conducted a study on the
reforms of GST and also on the Inter Governmental
consideration in India. They are of the view that the Goods and
Services Tax introduction will come as a relief, as it would
provide simpler and transparent taxation system which would
lead to an increase in the economic output and productivity.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Alappatt and et al. (2014) have studied that some of the major
concerns in the society of charging GST in the country could
be the increase in social problems, increase in the inflation
rate, negative effects on the middle and low income groups,
and increase in the prices of food, healthcare facilities, medical
products, public transportation and many other essential
services.
Ahmad and et al. (2016) have argued that the negative
perception of consumers towards the implementation of the
Goods and Services Tax was due to lack of information on the
goods or services which are exempted from GST, and the
impact of inflation of price on the economy.
Chouhan V (2017) in his paper titled “Measuring Awareness
about Implementation of GST: A Survey of Small Business
Owners of Rajasthan” studies to evaluate the awareness of
GST among the business owners and the difficulties they face
in current awareness about it. An analysis on 148 Small
business owners from Rajasthan State was done in order to
identify the GST awareness and to which extent relief is
provided and the implementation of various provisions under
the GST law.
Empowered Committeeof the Finance Ministers have
introduced their First Discussion Paper on the Goods and
Services Tax in India which analyzes if the GST structure has
any loopholes in it.
Garg (2014)in the article “Basic Concepts and Features of
Goods and Services Tax in India” summarized and has
published about the impact of GST on the Indian Tax structure
and finds out whether the GST will strengthen the economy
and development of the nation, published in the International
Journal of Scientific Research and Management, 2(2).
Gupta N (2014) in her study states that the GST
implementation in the Indian framework leads to commercial
benefit which remained untouched under the Value Added Tax
(VAT) system and it will eventually lead to the development
of the economy.
Jaiprakash (2014) in his study mentioned that industry, trade,
agriculture, are expected to be given a greater relief by the
implementation of GST at the State and Central level, as it
would give a comprehensive and wider coverage of the input
tax set-off, which subsumes the number of different taxes
under GST and phasing them out of the Central State Tax
(CST).
Kumar N (2014) in his article “Goods and Service Tax- A
Way Forward” concludes that GST implementation in India
has helped in removing the economic distortions by the present
indirect taxation system and has expected to encourage the
unbiased tax structure which in geographical locations is
indifferent.
139
 Customer Perception towards GST Rates on Home Appliances

Kanoji. N (2014) has made an attempt to study the Goods and
Services Tax in India. It has been studied that the reasons for
adopting GST is that the prevailing indirect taxes system is not
able to increase the competition between industries, companies
and the exports. The paper also focuses on how GST comes as
an improvement over VAT and other indirect taxes.
K. R. Sakthi (2017) has conducted a study on the “Awareness
of Taxpayers Towards GST Implementation” and attempts to
find out the level of awareness and Satisfaction the GST
taxpayers receive. The study concludes that the level of
awareness is moderate and the majority of respondents posses
a negative impact towards GST.
4. RESEARCH GAP
There are no studies as of now regarding the GST impact on
the consumption of home appliances. The present study is to
find out the impact of GST on the consumption of Home
Appliances in Kochi, Kerala.
consumption pattern of Home Appliances. The study also
provides an understanding of the household consumers’
perception on the implementation of GST. The study will also
provide an understanding on the awareness of GST and GST
rates on home appliances among the households.
6. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
• To analyse the perception level of household consumers
regarding GST rates for the Home Appliances.
7. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In order to under to understand the impact of GST on the
consumption of home appliances by the households, the
researcher in this study has used Primary data. Primary data
is a first-hand data which is collected by the researcher through
the structured questionnaire from a particular group of
respondents or people that is from the households of a
particular area in Kochi city.

5. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Under this study, the researcher uses Convenience Sampling
for the collection of primary data and the sample size is 145
The households are likely to be affected by the new reform in respondents.
the taxation system and their spending habits would be
impacted due to the implementation of GST. The present study
will be helpful so as to understand the impact of GST on the

8. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION HOME APPLIANCES OWNED BY RESPONDENTS

TABLE 1: Home Appliances owned by Respondents

Home Appliances Sample Size No. of Respondents Percentage

Television 145 141 97%
Refrigerator 145 136 94%
Washing Machine 145 127 88%
Kitchen Stove 145 132 91%
Microwave Oven 145 95 66%
Induction Cooker 145 70 48%
Vacuum Cleaner 145 73 50%
Air Conditioner 145 86 59%
Heater 145 66 46%
Water Boiler 145 64 44%
Fan 145 132 91%
Others 145 73 50%

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 140
 Customer Perception towards GST Rates on Home Appliances

97% 94%
88% 91% 91%

66%
59%
48% 50% 46% 50%
44%

Fig. 1. Home Appliances owned by Respondents

Interpretation: ‘Microwave Oven’, 70 respondents (48%) owns

‘Induction Cookers’, 73 respondents (50%) owns
Out of the total 145 respondents, 141 respondents
‘Vacuum Cleaners’, 86 respondents (59%) owns
(97%) owns ‘Televisions’, 136 respondents (94%)
‘Air Conditioners’, 66 respondents (46%) owns
owns ‘Refrigerators’, 127 respondents (88%) owns
‘Heaters’, 64 respondents (44%) owns ‘Water
‘Washing Machines’, 132 respondents (91%) owns
Boilers’, 132 respondents (91%) owns ‘Fans’ and 73
‘Kitchen Stove’, 95 respondents (66%) owns
respondents (50%) owns ‘Other Home Appliances’.

9. PERCEPTION OF GST RATES OF HOME APPLIANCES

TABLE 2: Perception of GST rates of Home Appliances among Respondents

Perception of GST rates of Home Appliances by Respondents

High Medium Low
Home Appliances
N % N % N %
Television 63 43.4 72 49.7 10 6.9
Refrigerator 67 46.2 68 46.9 10 6.9
Washing Machine 64 44.1 66 45.5 15 10.3
Kitchen Stove 38 26.2 84 57.9 23 15.9
Microwave Oven 53 36.6 77 53.1 15 10.3
Induction Cooker 41 28.3 79 54.5 25 17.2
Vacuum Cleaner 49 33.8 68 46.9 28 19.3
Air Conditioner 80 55.2 58 40 7 4.8
Heater 46 31.7 72 49.7 27 18.6
Water Boiler 43 29.7 78 53.8 24 16.6
Fan 39 26.9 80 55.2 26 17.9
Others 40 27.6 70 48.3 35 24.1

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 141
 Customer Perception towards GST Rates on Home Appliances

High Medium Low

57.9

55.2

55.2
54.5

53.8
53.1
49.7

49.7

48.3
46.9

46.9
46.2

45.5
44.1
43.4

40
36.6

33.8

31.7

29.7
28.3

27.6
26.9
26.2

24.1
19.3

18.6

17.9
17.2

16.6
15.9
10.3

10.3
6.9

6.9

4.8

Fig. 2. Perception of GST rates of Home Appliances among Respondents

Interpretation: rates of Vacuum Cleaner as ‘High’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’

respectively.
• Out of the total 145 respondents, 63 respondents (43.4%),
72 respondents (49.7%) and 10 respondents (6.9%) • Out of the total 145 respondents, 80 respondents (55.2%),
perceive the GST rates of Television as ‘High’, ‘Medium’ 58 respondents (40%) and 7 respondents (4.8%) perceive
and ‘Low’ respectively.67 respondents (46.2%), 68 the GST rates of Air Conditioner as ‘High’, ‘Medium’ and
respondents (46.9%) and 10 respondents (6.9%) perceive ‘Low’ respectively.Out of the total 145 respondents, 46
the GST rates of Refrigerator , the 64 respondents respondents (31.7%), 72 respondents (49.7%) and 27
(44.1%), 66 respondents (45.5%) and 15 respondents respondents (18.6%) perceive the GST rates of Heater as
(10.3%) perceive the GST rates of Washing Machine. ‘High’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’ respectively.

• Out of the total 145 respondents, 38 respondents (26.2%), • Out of the total 145 respondents, 43 respondents (29.7%),
84 respondents (57.9%) and 23 respondents (15.9%) 78 respondents (53.8%) and 24 respondents (16.6%)
perceive the GST rates of Kitchen Stove. 53 respondents perceive the GST rates of Water Boiler as ‘High’,
(36.6%), 77 respondents (53.1%) and 15 respondents ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’ respectively.Out of the total 145
(10.3%) perceive the GST rates of Microwave Oven as respondents, 39 respondents (26.9%), 80 respondents
‘High’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’ respectively. (55.2%) and 26 respondents (17.9%) perceive the GST
rates of Fan as ‘High’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’
• Out of the total 145 respondents, 41 respondents (28.3%), respectively.Out of the total 145 respondents, 40
79 respondents (54.5%) and 25 respondents (17.2%) respondents (27.6%), 70 respondents (48.3%) and 35
perceive the GST rates of Induction Cooker as ‘High’, respondents (24.1%) perceive the GST rates of Other
‘Medium’ and ‘Low’ respectively.Out of the total 145 Home Appliances as ‘High’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’
respondents, 49 respondents (33.8%), 68 respondents respectively.
(46.9%) and 28 respondents (19.3%) perceive the GST

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 142
 Customer Perception towards GST Rates on Home Appliances

10. PRE – GST CONSUMPTION LEVEL OF HOME APPLIANCES

TABLE 3: Pre-GST Consumption Level of Home Appliances among Respondents

Pre - GST Consumption Level of Home Appliances of Respondents

High Medium Low
Home Appliances
N % N % N %
Television 40 27.6 81 55.9 24 16.6
Refrigerator 45 31 83 57.2 17 11.7
Washing Machine 33 22.8 82 56.6 30 20.7
Kitchen Stove 46 31.7 76 52.4 23 15.9
Microwave Oven 26 17.9 77 53.1 42 29
Induction Cooker 22 15.2 76 52.4 47 32.4
Vacuum Cleaner 20 13.8 75 51.7 50 34.5
Air Conditioner 26 17.9 85 58.6 34 23.4
Heater 18 12.4 84 57.9 43 29.7
Water Boiler 19 13.1 82 56.6 44 30.3
Fan 55 37.9 73 50.3 17 11.7
Others 31 21.4 79 54.5 35 24.1

High Medium Low

58.6

57.9
57.2

56.6

56.6
55.9

54.5
53.1
52.4

52.4

51.7

50.3
37.9
34.5
32.4
31.7

30.3
29.7
31
27.6

29

24.1
23.4
22.8

21.4
20.7

17.9

17.9
16.6

15.9

15.2

13.8

13.1
12.4
11.7

11.7

Fig. 3. Pre-GST Consumption Level of Home Appliances among Respondents

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 143
 Customer Perception towards GST Rates on Home Appliances

Interpretation: • Out of 145 respondents, the Pre – GST Consumption level

• Out of 145 respondents, the Pre – GST Consumption level
of 40 respondents (27.6%) was high, 81 respondents
(55.9%) was medium and 24 respondents (16.6%) was
low with regard to Televisions.Out of 145 respondents, the
Pre – GST Consumption level of 45 respondents (31%)
was high, 83 respondents (57.2%) was medium and 17
respondents (11.7%) was low with regard to
Refrigerators.Out of 145 respondents, the Pre – GST
Consumption level of 33 respondents (22.8%) was high,
82 respondents (56.6%) was medium and 30 respondents
(20.7%) was low with regard to Washing Machines.
• Out of 145 respondents, the Pre – GST Consumption level
of 46 respondents (31.7%) was high, 76 respondents
(52.4%) was medium and 23 respondents (15.9%) was
low with regard to Kitchen Stoves.Out of 145 respondents,
the Pre – GST Consumption level of 26 respondents
(17.9%) was high, 77 respondents (53.1%) was medium
and 42 respondents (29%) was low with regard to
Microwave Ovens.Out of 145 respondents, the Pre – GST
Consumption level of 22 respondents (15.2%) was high,
76 respondents (52.4%) was medium and 47 respondents
(32.4%) was low with regard to Induction Cookers.
of 20 respondents (13.8%) was high, 75 respondents
(51.7%) was medium and 50 respondents (34.5%) was
low with regard to Vacuum Cleaners.Out of 145
respondents, the Pre – GST Consumption level of 26
respondents (17.9%) was high, 85 respondents (58.6%)
was medium and 34 respondents (23.4%) was low with
regard to Air Conditioners.Out of 145 respondents, the Pre
– GST Consumption level of 18 respondents (12.4%) was
high, 84 respondents (57.9%) was medium and 43
respondents (29.7%) was low with regard to Heaters.
• Out of 145 respondents, the Pre – GST Consumption level
of 19 respondents (13.1%) was high, 82 respondents
(56.6%) was medium and 44 respondents (30.3%) was
low with regard to Water Boilers.Out of 145 respondents,
the Pre – GST Consumption level of 55 respondents
(37.9%) was high, 73 respondents (50.3%) was medium
and 17 respondents (11.7%) was low with regard to Fans.
• Out of 145 respondents, the Pre – GST Consumption level
of 31 respondents (21.4%) was high, 79 respondents
(54.5%) was medium and 35 respondents (24.1%) was
low with regard to Other Home Appliances.

11. POST – GST CONSUMPTION LEVEL OF HOME APPLIANCES

TABLE 4: Post-GST Consumption Level of Home Appliances among Respondents

Post - GST Consumption Level of Home Appliances of Respondents

High Medium Low
Home Appliances
N % N % N %
Television 26 17.9 66 45.5 53 36.6
Refrigerator 65 24.1 76 52.4 34 23.4
Washing Machine 31 21.4 68 46.9 46 31.7
Kitchen Stove 29 20 74 51 42 29
Microwave Oven 21 14.5 55 37.9 69 47.6
Induction Cooker 20 13.8 60 41.4 65 44.8
Vacuum Cleaner 16 11 58 40 71 49
Air Conditioner 19 13.1 69 47.6 57 39.3
Heater 16 11 57 39.3 72 49.7
Water Boiler 18 12.4 66 45.5 61 42.1
Fan 37 25.5 72 49.7 36 24.8
Others 25 17.2 66 45.5 54 37.2

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 144
 Customer Perception towards GST Rates on Home Appliances

High Medium Low

52.4

49.7

49.7
47.6

47.6
51
46.9
45.5

45.5

45.5
49
44.8

42.1
41.4

39.3

39.3
37.9

37.2
36.6

40
31.7

25.5
29

24.8
24.1

23.4

21.4
17.9

17.2
20

14.5

13.8

13.1

12.4
11

11
Fig. 3. Post-GST Consumption Level of Home Appliances of Respondents

Interpretation: respondents (39.3%) was medium and 72 respondents

(49.7%) was low with regard to Heaters.
• Out of 145 respondents, the Post – GST Consumption
level of 26 respondents (17.9%) was high, 66 respondents • Out of 145 respondents, the Post – GST Consumption
(45.5%) was medium and 53 respondents (36.6%) was level of 18 respondents (12.4%) was high, 66 respondents
low with regard to Televisions.Out of 145 respondents, the (45.5%) was medium and 61 respondents (42.1%) was
Post – GST Consumption level of 65 respondents (24.1%) low with regard to Water Boilers.Out of 145 respondents,
was high, 76 respondents (52.4%) was medium and 34 the Post – GST Consumption level of 37 respondents
respondents (23.4%) was low with regard to (25.5%) was high, 72 respondents (49.7%) was medium
Refrigerators.Out of 145 respondents, the Post – GST and 36 respondents (24.8%) was low with regard to
Consumption level of 31 respondents (21.4%) was high, Fans.Out of 145 respondents, the Post – GST
68 respondents (46.9%) was medium and 46 respondents Consumption level of 25 respondents (17.2%) was high,
(31.7%) was low with regard to Washing Machines. 66 respondents (45.5%) was medium and 54 respondents
(37.2%) was low with regard to Other Home Appliances.
• Out of 145 respondents, the Post – GST Consumption
level of 29 respondents (20%) was high, 74 respondents 12. FINDINGS
(51%) was medium and 42 respondents (29%) was low
with regard to Kitchen Stoves.Out of 145 respondents, the • Majority of the respondents are Male, which consists of 75
Post – GST Consumption level of 21 respondents (14.5%) respondents out of 145 respondents, with a percentage
was high, 55 respondents (37.9%) was medium and 69 level of 51.7.Majority of the respondents belong to the age
respondents (47.6%) was low with regard to Microwave category of Below 30, with a percentage level of 60.7 (88
Ovens.Out of 145 respondents, the Post – GST respondents out of 145 respondents).Most of the
Consumption level of 20 respondents (13.8%) was high, respondents are Single, with a percentage of 59.3 (86
60 respondents (41.4%) was medium and 65 respondents respondents out of 145 respondents).68 respondents are
(44.8%) was low with regard to Induction Cookers. private employees out of the total 145 respondents, with a
total percentage of 46.9.Maximum respondents (ie., 52
• Out of 145 respondents, the Post – GST Consumption respondents out of 145 respondents) earn an annual
level of 16 respondents (11%) was high, 58 respondents income of less than INR 2,50,000, with a total percentage
(40%) was medium and 71 respondents (49%) was low of 35.9.Most of the respondents live in a nuclear family,
with regard to Vacuum Cleaners.Out of 145 respondents, with a percentage of 88.9 (128 respondents out of 145
the Post – GST Consumption level of 19 respondents respondents).
(13.1%) was high, 69 respondents (47.6%) was medium
and 57 respondents (39.3%) was low with regard to Air • Majority of the respondents (70.3%) live in family having
Conditioners.Out of 145 respondents, the Post – GST a family size of 4 – 6 members.97% respondents owns
Consumption level of 16 respondents (11%) was high, 57 televisions.71% (103 respondents out of 145 respondents)

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 145
 Customer Perception towards GST Rates on Home Appliances
are aware of the GST rates on Televisions.68.3% (99
respondents out of 145 respondents) are aware of the GST
rates on Refrigerators.66.2% (96 respondents out of 145
respondents) are aware of the GST rates on Washing
Machines.
• 53.8% (78 respondents out of 145 respondents) are aware
of the GST rates on Kitchen Stoves.53.8% (78
respondents out of 145 respondents) are aware of the GST
rates on Microwave Ovens.51.7% (75 respondents out of
145 respondents) are aware of the GST rates on Induction
Cookers.55.9% (81 respondents out of 145 respondents)
are aware of the GST rates on Vacuum Cleaners.64.8%
(94 respondents out of 145 respondents) are aware of the
GST rates on Air Conditioners.
• 53.1% (77 respondents out of 145 respondents) are aware
of the GST rates on Heaters.49% (71 respondents out of
145 respondents) are aware of the GST rates on Water
Boilers.53.8% (78 respondents out of 145 respondents) are
aware of the GST rates on Fans.50.3% (73 respondents out
of 145 respondents) are aware of the GST rates on other
home appliances.
• 63.4% (92 respondents) of the total respondents had an
increase in their family budget due to the implementation
of GST.78.6% respondents respond that there will be an
increase in the retail prices of home appliances after
implementation of GST.66.9% respondents respond that
there will be an increase in the manufacturing costs of
home appliances after the implementation of GST.Out of
the total 145 respondents, 64.1% (93 respondents) are
against the implementation of GST.Out of 145
respondents, 117 respondents agree that the ideal rate of
GST should be 12%.
13. CONCLUSION
This study is undertaken primarily to determine the impact of
GST on the consumption of Home Appliances with special
reference to Kochi city. The study proved that most of the
respondents are affected by GST implementation. The
respondents, the households have suffered changes in their
spending pattern and also it has affected Indian economy as a
whole. GST has a greater impact on households as a whole.
The prices have gone high, but the tax burden has reduced as
there has been a replacement of the cascading taxes. The lack
of information available on GST has left the respondents with
a negative perception towards its implementation. The
implementation of GST is still facing many challenges, but has
also given way to many benefits. The government needs to
take necessary steps and provide more information to make
households have better awareness about GST. GST has a
positive impact and it will be accepted in the society. It can
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
also be concluded that the implementation of GST will come
as a relief to everyone and it will subsume the various taxes
which were levied under the previous tax regime and had
burdened the people to a great extent.
However, the people of this country now see GST as a burden
to the society and since the presence of GST in the prices of
Home Appliances has led to the less consumption of that
product the government must think ways to reduce the GST
percentage on various products so as to increase the
consumption and boost the economy.
REFERENCE
[1] Dr.YogeshKailashchandraAgrawal. (2017). Goods and
services tax and its impact on Indian economy. IOSR
Journal of Business and Management, 19(10), 26-30.
[2] GirishGarg. (2014). Basic concepts and features of good
and service tax in India. International Journal of scientific
Research and Management, 2(2), 542-549.
[3] Ahmad, E & N. Stern. (1991). The theory and practice of
tax reforms in developing countries. UK: Cambridge
University Press.
[4] Mohammed BabaganaShettima. (2017). Impact of GST on
the Indian Economy. International Journal of Engineering
Technology Science and Research, 4(10), 293-298.
[5] Poddar, Satya&AmareshBagchi. (2007). Revenueneutral
rate for GST.The Economic Times. Available at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/revenue-
neutralrate-for-gst/articleshow/2541490.cms.
[6] Rajesh Kumar Singh. (2016). India closer to biggest tax
reform in decades. Top News, Business. Available at:
http://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-india-
movescloser-to-biggest-tax-reform-in-decades-as-lok-
sabhapasses-gst-bill-2083905.
[7] V.S. Datey. (2017). GST ready reckoner. (4th ed.). India:
Taxmann.
[8] Dr.BalwinderBedi&Mr.Kavish Sharma. (2017). Moving
to goods and service tax in india: impact on india’s
growth. International Journal of Engineering Research &
Management Technology, 4(3), 120-128.
[9] Nitya Tax Associates. (2016). Basics of GST. (1st ed.).
India: Taxman.
[10] Saurabh Gupta, Sarita, Munindrakumar Singh, Komal, &
CA Hemraj Kumawat. (2017). Good and service tax: An
international comparative analysis. International Journal
of Research in Finance and Marketing, 7(5), 29- 38.
[11] Suraj M. Shah & Dr. Nirav R. Joshi. (2017). Tax reform
for developing viable and sustainable tax systems in India
with special reference to GST. International Journal of
Management, 8(1), 119-126.
146
 29.
An Empirical Study on Student Perspective towards Adoption of Digital Wallets
Dr. Pushpa A.1, Prof. Madhu Druva Kumar2, Dr. Krishnamoorthi M.3
1
Assistant Professor, 2Associate Professor, 3Associate Professor
1,2,3
Faculty of Commerce and Management, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bangalore
1
pushpa@kristujayanti.com, 2madhumalathi@kristujayanti.com, 3krishnamoorthi@kristujayanti.com

Abstract: Digital wallet services is the latest phenomenon
produced due to technology advancement in India. digital
wallets are virtual wallet, where consumers preload a certain
amount in their account created with the mobile wallet
service provider, and spend it at online and offline merchants
listed with the mobile wallet service provider. The present
study was conducted with an objective to understand the
behavioral intentions of adopting the digital wallet services.
Four key constructs: performance expectancy, effort
expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions were
considered for the study. The data was collected from 150
young undergraduate and post graduate students between the
ages of 18 to 22 from Bangalore city of Karnataka, India.
The results showed that all the factors have a significant
impact of student’s behavior to adopt the technology. The
results provide implications for digital wallet services
providers in designing wallet services based on an
understanding of determinants of consumer intentions to use
the digital wallets.
Keywords: Behavioral intention, performance expectancy,
social influence, facilitating factors, and effort efficiency.
1. INTRODUCTION
Plastic money and virtual Wallet are financial instruments that
give access to immediate credit or debit facility with
convenience, ease of use and security. The use of cards and
wallets is linked with the benefits they offer. While plastic
money offers easy access to money and credit in the form of
credit card, debit card and pre-paid cards, virtual wallet
technology offers convenience, electronic records facility and
automatic management of accounts or taxes for the users. As
virtual wallet is an application on the mobile device so the
wallet is a handy application that is available round the clock.
Perception and benefits of this technology associated with
Plastic money and virtual wallets drive the usage and benefits
for the users. Evolution of technology is the key enabler for the
proliferation of financial instruments and also changes the
usage and transaction patters of users which in turn are based
on user perception.
According to a recent study in 2017, the number of
smartphones in India is estimated to reach around 300 million
people. It is no surprise that such an ever- increasing user base
is now increasingly drawn to these digital payment wallets.
The User Interface of these Wallets are simple and easy to use.
Navigation through different options can be done without
much training. The customers can choose their language (to
operate the apps) from a wide list of languages. This is done
keeping in mind the rural and the senior citizens. This would
make it easier for them to use, operate and become familiar
with these types of wallets. The aesthetics of these digital
platforms are easy on the eye and very carefully placed, such
that the users are drawn to the right options. Some design
features of these websitesinclude:
Choosing between the different payment methods with so
many digital wallets that have now come into the Indian
market, people now have a wide variety of options to choose
from. Some of the many example include: BHIM (Bharat
Interface for Money) launched by the Indiangovernment,
Paytm, MobiKwik, FreeCharge, OxygenWallet. Also, along
with these digital wallets customers have other online payment
options availablelike: Debit Card, CreditCard, NetBanking,
Mobile Banking, NEFT, RTGS.Various factors are considered
by the customers before deciding on the usage or adoption of
the payment options.
Young students are of particular interest as they are heavy
mobile users and they are more likely to adopt new
technology. Review of articles justify ample of factors
including choice of payment options. The unified theory of
acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) is a
technologyacceptance model formulated by Venkatesh and
others in "User acceptance of information technology: Toward
a unified view". The UTAUT aims to explain user intentions to
use an information system and subsequent usage behavior. The
theory holds that there are four key constructs: 1) performance
expectancy, 2) effortexpectancy,3) social influence, and 4)
facilitating conditions.The present study draws knowledge
from the UTAT model and proposedthe present research
model with four key variables and attempts to investigate the
adoption behaviour of customers. The four variables are
explained: Performance expectancy [PE] is defined as the
degree to which an individual believes that using a particular
system will help him or her to attain gains. Effort expectancy
[EE] is considered as the degree of ease associated with the use
of the particular information system. To the extent that
promoted effort expectancy leads to improved performance.
Social influence [SI] is defined as the degree to which an

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 147
 An Empirical Study on Student Perspective towards Adoption of Digital Wallets
individual perceives that important persons believe he or she
should use the new system. Facilitating conditions [FC] refer
to the availability of resources needed to engage in behaviours,
such as time or money.
Previous literature suggested social influence was a strong
predictor of behavioural intention in shaping an individual’s
intention to use a new technology system. In the context of E-
wallets, it indicates that social influence will strongly affect
user intention to accept and use E-wallets for digital payments.
Literature suggested that facilitating conditions had a
significantly positive effect on an individual’s use of an
information system. In the context of E-wallets, user’s
satisfaction and decisions are affected by the perception of the
support from digital payment apps, functionality of systems,
and so forth. Hence, facilitating conditions appear to be an
important factor influencing the user’s intention and
thusbehaviour.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
KartikeyaBolar (2014)In his research paper End-user
Acceptance of Technology Interface In Transaction Based
Environment stated that Creators and investors of technology
need informationabout the customers evaluation of their
technology interface basedon the features and various quality
dimensions to make strategic decisions in improving
technology interfaces and compete on variousquality
dimensions. Balazs Vinnai, general manager, Digital Channels,
Misys(April 25, 2016), says that It is critical for banks to
consider new digital channels as part of an integrated strategy
and evolve from first to second generation digital banking:
switching digital from a supporting role, to the primary sales
and communication channel for banks, says Vinnai.
Reengineering processes around the customer is not easy, but
banks must embrace digital banking to remain competitive
andrelevant.Rakesh H M, Ramya (2014) In their research
papers titled “A Study on Factors InfluencingConsumer
Adoption ofInternet Banking in India” tried to examine the
factors that influence internet banking adoption. Using PLS, a
model is successfully proved and it is found that internet
banking is influenced by its perceived reliability, perceived
ease of use and perceived usefulness. In the marketing process
of internet banking services marketing expert should
emphasize these benefits its adoption provides and awareness
can also be improved to attract consumer’s attention to internet
banking services.Dr. Vipul Patel (2016) in this study, the
performance expectancy has significant and positive effect on
intention to use mobile wallet services. Consumer perceives
that the mobile wallet services are useful and increase their
efficiency as a buyer. In this study, hypothesis of positive
effect of effort expectancy on intention to use mobile wallet
services is not supported by the data, which does not comply
with the UTAUT theory. This is an unexpected finding of this
paper. Wang et al. (2006) state that perceived ease of use will
depend on an individual’s expertise, with more experience
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
users find it easier to use. Smart phones are very popularamong
youngsters. Hem Shweta Rathore, Bharati Vidyapeeth (2017)
states that smart phones have spread all over the markets and
people have now started to make different kinds of payments
through mobile phones. He also explores various challenges
faced by digital wallet users. Customers, banks and financial
institutions are benefitted by the use of Digital wallets. Tech-
savvy customers are increasing at a tremendously faster speed..
Nikhilpahwa (2016). This article states that due to
Demonetization black money was eradicated but it has given
more space for technology to grow rapidly. This paper
confirms that there is a positive and negative side of digital
money. It concludes telling that cashless economy leads to
transparency issues conflicting the interest of individuals.
Bappaditya Mukhopadhyay (2016) in his article concludes that
India is moving or taking transition towards a cashless
economy and by it proves theoretically that the decision made
by the consumers and sellers was to proceed with cashless
payments and this paper also analyzes that Make in India
initiative helps in moving towards a cashless economy.Sriram
K.V and Rodrigues Lewlyn LR (2017). This article studies the
effect of demonetization focusing on economic, political, and
social aspects. Due to Modi's government, India is doing well
in the economy and demonetization has helped to flush out or
reduce the black money in the economy which results in the
developments of the economy.
3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study aims to describe the impacts of digital wallet in
Bengaluru area among students. Now a days transactions are
made through internet and social interactions made through
digital formats. When everything is mobile, the payments have
to be mobile too; we have to be able to pay for goods and
services no matter where we are. Thus there is a need for an
electronic wallet, an e-wallet, with which mobile, laptop,
computer payments can be made and gaining more importance
after demonetization.
4. OBJECTIVES
• To examine the impact of performance expectancy, effort
expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions on
adoption intention of digital wallets.
• To identify the most effective factors showing significant
impact on student’s adoption behaviour.
5. HYPOTHESIS
Hypothesis 1 (H1): Performance expectancy (PE) is positively
related to behavior intention (BI) to use E-wallets.
Hypothesis 2 (H2): Effort expectancy (EE) is positively related
to behavior intention (BI) to useE-wallets.
Hypothesis 3 (H3): Social influence (SI) is positively related to
behavior intention (BI) to use E-wallets.
148
 An Empirical Study on Student Perspective towards Adoption of Digital Wallets

Hypothesis 4 (H4): Facilitating conditions (FC) are positively was analysed with regression analysis to measure the
related to behavior intention to use E-wallets. objectives and test the hypothesis.

6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 7. FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS

This research paper examines the various factors affecting
adoption of digital wallets; the performance expectancy, effort
expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions. Also
the paper aims to find the factors encouraging and
discouraging the adoption behavior among students. A
structured questionnaire was circulated among the students of
various colleges in Bengaluru city, 150 complete responses
were considered for analysis. Using SPSS software the data
The regression analysis technique was realistic to measure the
relationship between the factors of adoption and Behavioral
intention. The regression results are shown in Table 1. The
table shows that all the four factors viz. the effort expectancy,
social influence, facilitating conditions and performance
expectancy showed a significant influence on the student’s
adoption behavior intention.

TABLE 1: Regression Weights

Hypothesis Independent Variable β Std. Error t Sig (p) Result

H1 Effort Expectancy .541 .051 8.017 .000 Accepted
H2 Social influence .165 .066 2.085 .039 Accepted
H3 Facilitating conditions .849 .039 19.974 .000 Accepted
H4 Performance expectancy .445 .052 6.190 .000 Accepted

Based on the regression results shown in the table 1, the concept model was developed and shown in Figure 1. The model clearly
shows the relationship between the four variables and the consumers’ students’ behaviour intention towards adoption of digital
wallets. The beta scores show that all the factors have significant influence on student’s adoption behaviour. The beta value shows
the weightage of the variables. Higher the beta value, the stronger the relationship between the independent variable and the
dependent variable is.

Effort
Expectancy H1-β =.541

Social
Influence
H2-β =.165
165 Behaviour
Facilitating intention
H3-β =.849
conditions

Performance H4-β =.445

Expectancy

Fig. 1. The Structural Model

8. THE IMPACT LEVEL OF THE ADOPTION As shown in the above table 1, Effort expectancy shows a
FACTORS AMONG STUDENTS IS significance value (p) 0.000 which is less than 0.05. It signifies
DISCUSSED BELOW. that the factor effort expectancy has a significant relationship
with behavior intention. Having third highest beta value i.e.,
Impact of Effort expectancy on students behavior 0.541, this factor is ranked as second among the other factors.
intention Hence H1 is accepted.

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 An Empirical Study on Student Perspective towards Adoption of Digital Wallets
Impact of Social influence on students behavior
intention
According to the results, Social Influence has a p-value 0.039
which denotes the significant impact on student’s adoption
behaviour intention towards digital wallets at 5% significant
level. Hence, the result of this research shows that the social
influence has strong influences with the adoption behaviour.
Hence H2 is accepted. As the beta value 0.165, this technique
is considered as the fourth important factor and is ranked as the
least factor having influence on students behaviour on
adoption of digital wallets/
Impact of Facilitating conditions on students behavior
intention
The regression results of the study show that facilitating
conditions with a significant p value of 0.000 which is less
than 0.05 level of significance. This indicates that the
facilitating factors influences the adoption intention of
students. Thus accepting H3. The beta value of facilitating
conditions is 0.849, the highest among all the other factors. It
means that students adopt digital wallets due to the facilitating
factors.
Impact of Performance expectancy on students
behavior intention
The outcome of the regression analysis shows that the
performance expectancy scored the p-value 0.000 which
denotes that there is a significant relationship with adoption
behavior of students as the p < 0.05. Hence the H4 is accepted.
The beta value of 0.445 indicates that the factor is ranked third
among the other factors/
9. CONCLUSION
The study aims at investigating the impact of user’s
perspective on adoption of digital wallets among students. The
results show that all the factors affecting the adoption of e-
wallets [Performance expectancy (PE), effortexpectancy (EE),
socialinfluence (SI), facilitatingconditions (FC)] are positively
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
related to behaviourintention (BI) on adoption of E- wallets.
The study confirmed that students are highly motivated by
facilitating factors among the four factors followed by effort
efficiency, performance expectancy, and social influence. The
results imply that there is a need for promoting the digital
wallets. The results provide implications for digital wallet
serviceprovidersindesigningwalletservicesbasedonanunderstan
dingofdeterminantsofconsumerintentionstousethedigitalwallets
.
REFERENCE
[1] Mukhopadhyay, B. (2016 a, December). Understanding
cashless payments in India. Financial Innovation, 2 (27) .
DOI: 10. 1186/s40854-016-0047-4.
[2] James Joseph & K. V. Sriram & LewlynL. R. Rodrigues
& Asish Oommen Mathew & K. C. Gana, 2018.
"Anempirical study on customer adoption of mobile
payment application in India, "International Journal of
Enterprise Network Management, Inderscience
Enterprises Ltd, vol. 9 (3/4), pages363-375.
[3] Mukhopadhyay, B. (2016b). Going cashless but thinking
cash. Ideas4India, November20, 2016. Retrieved from
https://www. Ideas for india. in/topics/money-
finance/going-cashless-but-thinking-cash. html.
[4] Dr. Hem Shweta Rathore (2016) April. Adoption of digital
wallet by consumers. Vol. 8 Issue 69.
[5] Post demonetization, which digital payment to use?
http://mfsys. com. pk/post-demonetisation-which-digital-
paymentmethod-to-use/.
[6] Rakesh HM & Ramya TJ. (2014). “A study on Factors
Influencing Consumer Adoption of Internet Banking in
India”, International Journal of Business and General
Management, 3 (1), 49-56.
[7] Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F.
D. (2003), “User Acceptance of Information Technology:
Towarda Unified View,” MIS Quarterly, pp. 425-478.
[8] Wang, Y. S., Lin, H. H. andLuarn, P., (2006), “Predicting
Consumer Intention to Use Mobile Services,” Information
Systems Journal, Vol. 16 (2) , pp. 157-79.
150
 30.
Critical Success Factors (CSFS) of Six Sigma – En Empirical Study of
Manufacturing Firms at Bangalore
Dr. T.K. Murugesan1, Dr. Krishnamoorthi M.2, Madhu Druva Kumar3
1
Associate Professor,2Assistant Professor,3Assistant Professor
1,2,3
Faculty of Commerce & Management, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru-77
1
murugesan@kristujayanti.com; 2krishnamoorthi@kristujayanti.com; 3madhumalathi@kristujayanti.com

Abstract: The crux of this study is to explore the critical
success factors considered to be the key for effective
implementation of Six Sigma by the manufacturing firms in
Bangalore. This study was also designed to identify the
significant benefits and stumbling blocks toward
implementation of Six Sigma. The data analyzed in this study
were collected from a structured questionnaire sent
electronically to 110 manufacturing firms in Bangalore. Out
of 110 questionnaires, 60 productive responses were received
from senior production executives and plant supervisors. The
most key critical success factors found to be adopted by the
manufacturers for achieving Six Sigma in their
manufacturing operation are reduction of customer
complaints, cost reduction, reduced process variability,
reduced cycle time, improved quality and reduction of
defects. More importantly, the results of this study indicated
that Increased Productivity, Reduced Cost of Poor Quality
(COPQ), Improved Product Quality, Increased Customer
Satisfaction, Improved Company Image, Improved Work
Culture, and Increased Worker Morale were the most
significant benefits resulted from the successful
implementations of Six Sigma.
Keywords: Six Sigma Certification, Six Sigma Program,
Critical Success Factors, Manufacturing Firms, Critical
Performance Matrices
1. INTRODUCTION
The term "Six Sigma" comes from a field of statistics known
as process capability studies. Six Sigma was pioneered and
developed by Motorola, USA in 1981. Six Sigma program was
first formulated by Bill Smith at Motorola in 1986. Six Sigma
is a registered service mark and trademark of Motorola Inc.
Other early adopters of Six Sigma who achieved well-
publicized success include Honeywell and General Electric. In
today’s global business scenario, all fortune organizations had
begun Six Sigma initiatives with the aim of reducing costs and
improving quality. Now, the concept of Six Sigma enjoys
widespread application in many sectors of industry. Six Sigma
refers to a program designed to reduce the occurrence of
defects to achieve lower costs and improved customer
satisfaction. Statistically, Six Sigma means having not more
than 3.4 Defects Per Million Opportunities (DPMO) in any
process, product or service. The Six Sigma project seeks to
improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and
removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing
variability in manufacturing and business processes.
Each Six Sigma project carried out within an organization
follows a defined sequence of steps and has quantified targets.
These targets can be financial (cost reduction or profit
increase) or whatever is critical to the customer of that process
(cycle time, safety, delivery, etc.). Six sigma programs can be
employed in design, production, service, inventory
management and delivery. It uses a set of quality management
principles, philosophies, techniques and tools. Sigma was
heavily inspired by six preceding decades of quality
improvement methodologies such as quality control, TQM,
and Zero Defects based on the work of pioneers such as
Shewhart, Deming, Juran, Ishikawa, Taguchi and others.
In six sigma terminology, a defect is any mistake or error that
is passed on to the customer. It is also known as non-
conformance. Six sigma stands for six standard deviation from
mean. It allows for only 3.4 Defects Per Million Opportunities
(DPMO) or 99.999666 percent accuracy. In Six sigma, 0.27%
of the output would be expected to fall outside the
specification limits. Sigma (Lower-case Greek Letter σ) is
used to represent the standard deviation (a measure of
variation) of a statistical population. Six Sigma's implicit goal
is to improve all processes to that level of quality or better. Six
Sigma originated as a set of practices designed to improve
manufacturing processes and eliminate defects, but its
application was subsequently extended to other types of
business processes as well. In Six Sigma, a defect is defined as
any process output that does not meet customer specifications,
or that could lead to creating an output that does not meet
customer specifications. In recent years, some practitioners
have combined Six Sigma ideas with lean manufacturing to
yield a methodology named Lean Six Sigma.
2. SIX SIGMA IMPROVEMENT MODEL
There have been many models for process improvement and
process design/redesign. Most of these models are based on
PDCA Cycle introduced by Deming (Pande et al., 2003). A
paradigm of statistical thinking is embodied in Six Sigma’s

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 151
 Critical Success Factors (CSFS) of Six Sigma – En Empirical Study of Manufacturing Firms at Bangalore
methodologies, which are used as the basis for executing
improvement projects (Siviy et al., 2005). Six Sigma projects
follow two project methodologies inspired by Deming’s Plan-
Do-Check-Act-Cycle. These methodologies, comprising five
phases each, bear the acronyms DMAIC and DMADV.
DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) is
used for projects aimed at improving an existing business
process.
DMAIC method is a five-phase improvement cycle, which was
advocated by GE (Park, 2003). This framework is used to
improve and optimize the existing processes and products
(Siviy et al. (2005). DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze,
Design, and Verify) method is used for projects aimed at
creating new product or a process design and is the most
widely used framework (park, 2003). Design for Six Sigma
(DFSS) is used to design new products and processed, and to
redesign existing products and processes that have been
optimized but have failed to meet the performance goals.
(Harry and Schroeder, 2000).
3. QUALITY MANAGEMENT TOOLS USED
IN SIX SIGMA
Within the individual phases of a DMAIC or DMADV project,
Six Sigma utilizes many established quality-management tools
that are also used outside of Six Sigma. The following are the
some of the major quality management tools and methods used
in six sigma.
• Cause & Effects Diagram or Ishikawa Diagram or
Fishbone Diagram.
• Control Charts
• Cost- Benefit Analysis
• Design of Experiment (DOE)
• Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA)
• Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
• Pareto Chart
• Process Capability
• Root cause Analysis
• Taguchi Loss Function, etc.
4. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The doctrine of Six Sigma project asserts that the continuous
efforts to achieve stable and predictable process results (i.e.,
reduce process variation) are of vital importance to business
success; the manufacturing and business processes have
characteristics that can be measured, analyzed, improved and
controlled; and achieving sustained quality improvement
requires commitment from the entire organization, particularly
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
from top-level management. It has paved the way to make an
empirical analysis of six sigma project adopted by
manufacturing companies at Bangalore. This study was done
with the primary focus on the awareness status of
manufacturing companies about six -sigma and their journey in
achieving competitiveness through implementation of six
sigma program. This study has thrown a light on the features
that set Six Sigma apart from previous quality improvement
initiatives include:
• A clear focus on achieving measurable and quantifiable
financial returns from any Six Sigma project.
• An increased emphasis on strong and passionate
management leadership and support.
• A special infrastructure of "Champions," "Master Black
Belts," "Black Belts," etc. to lead and implement the Six
Sigma approach.
• A clear commitment to making decisions on the basis of
verifiable data, rather than assumptions and guesswork.
5. OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
The major objectives of the study are summarized below.
1. To analyze the level of awareness on six sigma among
manufacturing companies.
2. To highlight the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that the
manufacturing companies need to focus for achieving six
sigma level.
3. To identify stumbling blocks encountered by
manufacturing companies for effective implementation of
six sigma programs.
4. To find out the significant reasons for not practicing six
sigma program by manufacturing companies.
6. STUDY METHODOLOGY
In the business world, manufacturing companies are generally
classified as small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale
companies. Any manufacturing company across the world can
make this classification based on its scale of operations and
production capacity. The survey reported here was conducted
at manufacturing companies located in and around Bangalore
city of India. Altogether 60 manufacturing companies were
surveyed, out of which 32 companies belong to large-scale
operation, 18 companies belong to medium-scale operation
and 10 companies belong to small scale operations.
A sample size of 60 manufacturing companies was drawn at
random. A structured questionnaire was used for this complex
research project.The data required for the study were purely
primary data collected through the personal interview with the
use of a structured questionnaire. A personal interview was
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 Critical Success Factors (CSFS) of Six Sigma – En Empirical Study of Manufacturing Firms at Bangalore

conducted among quality engineers and plant managers of 60
companies for collecting reliable data for the research paper.
In order to prepare an effective questionnaire, a pilot survey of
6 quality engineers and 4 plant supervisors was conducted in
10 manufacturing companies. During the pilot survey, most of
the respondents were felt comfortable in responding the
questionnaire. The same questionnaire was chosen for the main
survey also. The statistical tools applied for the study can
include simple average, mean and standard deviation. The t-
test was applied at appropriate places for drawing statistical
inferences about the study. The findings and conclusion about
the study are purely based on the opinions and responses given
by the respondents. The period of the study was one month
starting from November to December, 2020.
7. DATA ANALYSIS, RESULTS AND
DISCUSSIONS
The data analysis, results and discussions of the study are
summarized below:
1. General Profile of Study:
Out of 60 companies, 48 companies are aware of six sigma and
12 companies are not aware of six sigma. Out of 48 companies
aware of six sigma, 24 companies are actively practicing six
sigma. All the 24 companies have focused on the six sigma
projects of improving quality and reducing defect rates
continuously. All the manufacturing companies have observed
that financial constraint is considered as only one significant
barrier for implementing six sigma programs effectively.
Majority of the manufacturing companies have perceived that
they have achieved the significant benefits of increased
productivity and reduced Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)
constantly through the implementation of six sigma program.
Most of the companies have felt that effective training and
participation by employees are considered as most significant
Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for achieving six sigma level.
All the manufacturing companies, which are not practicing six
sigma, have clearly said that “Not a Statutory Requirement”
and “Not Demanded by Customers’ as the main reasons for not
implementing six sigma programs.
2. Critical Performance Matrics (CPMs) of Six
Sigma Projects
It is obvious from the Table 5 that all the 24 companies have
focused on six sigma projects of improving quality and
reducing the defect rates. This is mainly because of adoption of
modern manufacturing technology, high volume of production
and repetitive nature of production. Followed by this, the other
six sigma programs embarked by manufacturing companies are
cost reduction, reduction of customer complaints, reduced
process variability and reducing cycle time.

TABLE 5: Critical Performance Matrics (CPMs) of Six Sigma Projects

S.No. Performance Matrics No. of Companies Percentage (%)

1. Reduction of customer complaints 12 50
2. Cost reduction 14 58
3. Reduced process variability 10 42
4. Reduced cycle time 08 33
5. Improved quality 24 100
6. Reduction of defects 24 100

3. Significant Benefits of Six Sigma Program benefit of increased productivity and reduced Cost of Poor
Quality (COPQ) achieved through six sigma program is found
The Table 7 presents a set of benefits that the manufacturing to be most significant at 0.1 level of significance. Followed by
companies are enjoying through the implementation of six this, the other significant benefits derived by manufacturing
sigma programs. Companies were asked to rate the benefits of companies can include improved product quality, increased
six sigma program on a Likert scale of 1 to 5. It is observed customer satisfaction, improved company image, increased
from the table 7 that six sigma companies have agreed that the worker morale, improved work culture and reduced inspection.
TABLE 7: Benefits of Six Sigma Program

S.No. Benefits Mean S.D t

1. Improved product quality 3.93 1.41 0.59
2. Increased productivity 4.12 1.48 0.68
3. Increased customer satisfaction 3.83 1.21 0.69
4. Improved company image 3.72 1.72 0.48

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 Critical Success Factors (CSFS) of Six Sigma – En Empirical Study of Manufacturing Firms at Bangalore

S.No. Benefits Mean S.D t

5. Improved work culture 3.50 1.60 0.31
6. Increased worker morale 3.23 1.57 0.53
7. Reduced inspection 1.83 1.60 -0.73
8. Reduced Cost of Poor Quality(COPQ) 4.08 1.48 0.68

4. Critical success Factors (CSFs) for Six Sigma
Program
The Table 8 shows the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for
achieving six sigma programs. The companies were asked to
rate the 6 CSFs on a scale of 1to 5. The aim was to prioritize
the CSFs which the manufacturing companies have observed
to be most significant. It is clear from the Table 8 that the only
one CSF observed to be most significant by manufacturing
companies at 0.1 level of significance is effective training.
Followed by this, the other CSFs embarked on six sigma
programs are high participation by the employees,
organizational infrastructure, leadership skills, high
involvement by the management, linking six sigma to
customers and linking six sigma to employees.

TABLE 8: Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for Six Sigma Program

S.No. CSFs Mean S.D t

1. Effective training 4.33 1.71 0.78
2. High involvement by management 2.83 1.35 -0.13
3. High participation by employees 4.17 1.54 0.76
4. Organizational infrastructure 3.83 1.35 0.61
5. Leadership skills 3.50 1.35 0.37
7. Linking six sigma to customers 2.58 1.51 -0.28
6. Linking six sigma to employees 2.50 1.48 -0.34

5. Reasons for Not Practicing Six Sigma Programs: is sufficient to achieve the required quality objectives
effectively. Majority of small and medium scale companies
The reasons for not practicing six sigma programs among large have perceived that high costs associated with consultancy
and medium scale manufacturing companies were analyzed in charges and six sigma training of Master Black Belts (MBBs),
the Table 9. All the companies, which are not practicing six Black Belts (BBs) & Green Belts (GBs) have become one of
sigma, have clearly said that “Not a Statutory Requirement” as the reasons for not implementing six sigma programs. Only
the main reason for not implementing six sigma program. The very few companies have viewed lack of initiation by top
second reason for not practicing six sigma programs was found management and difficulty to understand high end statistical
to be that the six sigma is not insisted by their customers or tools of six sigma as other reasons for not practicing six sigma
clients. Some companies have felt that QMS presently adopted programs.
TABLE 9: Reasons for not practicing six sigma programs

S.No. Reasons Large Scale Medium Scale

N % N %
1. Not a statutory requirement 12 100 12 100
2. Not insisted by customers 10 83 12 100
3. QMS presently adopted is sufficient 8 67 10 83
4. Lack of initiation by top management 6 50 6 50
5. High costs (Consultancy Charges + Costs of training MBBs, BBs 4 33 6 50
& GBs)
6. No perceived benefit 0 0 0 0
7. Difficult to understand high end statistical tools 0 0 4 33

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 Critical Success Factors (CSFS) of Six Sigma – En Empirical Study of Manufacturing Firms at Bangalore
6. Stumbling Blocks for Effective Implementation of
Six Sigma Program
The Table 6 portrays the stumbling blocks that the
manufacturing companies encounter for effective
implementation of six sigma projects. The companies were
requested to rate the barriers that they feel to be significant for
TABLE 6: Stumbling Blocks for Effective Implementation of Six Sigma Program
S.No. Barriers
1. Financial constraint
2. Time constraint
3. Lack of support by top management
4. Workforce resistance
5. Improper training
8. CONCLUSION
The dynamics of global business era paves the way for the
evolution of six sigma concept. Manufacturing companies
need to practice various kinds of six sigma programs to
achieve an excellence in the competitive priorities of quality,
cost, durability, flexibility, delivery, productivity, innovations,
process capability, etc. This study reveals that out of 60
companies, 48 companies have become aware of six sigma.
Out of 48 companies, 24 companies are actively practicing six
sigma programs. It is concluded from the study that the top
management needs to be proactive in implementing six sigma
programs and focus on integrating six sigma with TS 16949
QMS for achieving competitiveness in both domestic and
international markets.
It is found from the survey that all manufacturing companies
have considered financial constraint as only one significant
barrier for implementing six sigma programs effectively. Half
of the manufacturing companies have responded that they are
not practicing six sigma because it is not a statutory
requirement and it is not demanded by their customers.
However, it is time to create a new paradigm for the
manufacturing companies to adopt six sigma methodology
effectively for achieving a continuous improvement in the
competitive priorities of the business such as quality, cost,
productivity, process capability, defect rate and customer
delight.
Limitations of the Study: The following are the some of the
drawbacks of the study:
a) This study is restricted to 60 manufacturing companies.
The sample size of 60 is not sufficient to provide
statistically significant results about the study.
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
implementing six sigma programs effectively on a Likert scale
of 1 to 5. It is clear from the above table that the manufacturing
companies have observed that only one barrier to be mostly
significant at 0.1 level of significance is financial constraint. It
indicates that it is easy to implement six sigma programs in
manufacturing companies, as only one barrier is found to be
significant out of five barriers.
Mean S.D t
4.17 1.60 0.73
2.67 1.35 -0.24
2.42 1.17 -0.50
1.83 1.48 -0.79
2.83 1.72 -0.10
b) This study is limited to manufacturing companies located
in and around Bangalore.
c) The sample size drawn for the study might not be
representative of total population.
REFERENCE
[1] Adam E and Ebert R J (2002), Production and Operations
Management: Concepts, Models and Behavior, 5th Edition,
Prentice Hall of India Publishers, New Delhi.
[2] James R Evans and William M Lindray (2005), The
Management and Control of Quality, 6th Edition, Thomson
Publishers, Bangalore.
[3] Aghazadesh S M (2003), “JIT Inventory and Competition
in the Global Environment: A Comparative Study of
American and Japanese Values in Auto Industry”, Cross
Cultural Management, Vol. 10, No. 4. Pp. 29-42.
[4] Antony J (2006), “Six Sigma for Service Processes”,
Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp.
234-248.
[5] Antony J, Kumar M and Madu C N (2005), “Six Sigma in
Small- and Medium- Sized UK Manufacturing Enterprises
Some Empirical Observations”, International Journal of
Quality and Reliability Management, Vol.22, No.8,
pp.860-874.
[6] Balasubrahmanya M H (2005), “Small-Scale Industries in
India in the Globalization Era: Performance and
Prospects”, International Journal of Management and
Enterprise Development, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 122-139.
[7] Bayati A and Taghavi A (2007), “The Impacts of
Acquiring ISO 9000 Certification on the Performance of
SMEs in Tehran”, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 19, No. 2,
pp. 140-149.
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 Critical Success Factors (CSFS) of Six Sigma – En Empirical Study of Manufacturing Firms at Bangalore

[8] Bennett D and O’Kane J (2006), “Achieving Business
Excellence Through Synchronous Supply in the
Automotive Sector”, Benchmarking: An International
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[9] Bhupta M (2007), “Dream Run”, India Today, Vol. 32,
No. 18, pp. 40-46.
[10] Dangayacha G S and Deshmukh S G (2003), “Evidence of
Manufacturing Strategies in Indian Industry: A Survey”,
International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 83,
pp. 279-298.
[11] Dedhia N S (2003), “Six Sigma Basics”, Total Quality
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567-574.
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Sigma in Indian Automotive Components Sector: A
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Management, Vol.VII, No.3, 2008.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 156
 31.
Co-Movements among Oil Price, Exchange Rate and Stock Index in India
Dr. Muhammad Ashiq A.M.1, Dr. Krishnamoorthi M.2, Dr. A. Pushpa3
1
Assistant Professor, 2Assistant Professor, 3Assistant Professor
1,2,3
Faculty of Commerce and Management, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bangalore, India
1
ashiq@kristujayanti.com, 2krishnamoorthi@kristujayanti.com, 3pushpa@kristujayanti.com

Abstract: Depending on the production and use of oil
reserves, the effects of oil shocks are likely to vary
considerably across different countries. The aim of this study
is to test the relationship between the price of oil, the
exchange rate and the stock market in the Indian context.
The cointegrating regressions are calculated using
Johansen‘s counteraction approach to know the long-run
equilibrium relationship among the variables. The study
concludes that there is a long run equilibrium relation
between the movements of stock market index, exchange rate
and crude oil prices for India.
Keywords: Oil Prices, Exchange Rate, Stock Price
1. INTRODUCTION
The demand for oil in the modern world has been increased by
urbanization and modernization. The increase in oil demand is
increasing, along with economic growth and population
growth. For decades, oil has been one of the key sources of
energy demand for all economies. Since the 19th century, oil
demand has risen with the advent of oil-based engines,
machinery and motor vehicles. One of the highly unpredictable
macroeconomic variables is the price of oil. Oil prices also
refer to geopolitics, institutional structures (OPECs), and the
dynamics of the futures market, in addition to global demand
and supply conditions (Sadorsky, 2006). Due to the extremely
fluctuating pattern of crude oil prices, the report on the
relationship between the exchange rate of oil prices and the
stock market attracted much interest among the researchers.
Between June 2014 (110 USD/per barrel) and January 2015
(55 USD/per barrel), crude oil prices fell by about 50 percent.
Exchange rates for the Rupee Dollar are also fluctuating, but
not as much as the price of crude oil. Depending on the
production and use of oil reserves, the effects of oil shocks are
likely to vary considerably across different countries. The aim
of this study is to test the relationship between the price of oil,
the exchange rate and the stock market in the Indian context.
Countries like India with less oil reserves will have to rely on
oil imports to meet their domestic demand and will have to
invest a huge amount of money. Since oil trade settlements are
typically made in US dollars, the Rupee-Dollar exchange rates
are crucial. This makes our analysis important and two
significant variables to examine are oil price and exchange
rate.
In developed economies such as the US, UK, Japan, Canada or
GCC countries, most of the current studies on the relationship
between oil price, exchange rate and stock market returns are
carried out and few studies have studied emerging markets
such as India. And these studies separately take into account
the relationship between oil prices and stock prices, or between
the exchange rate and stock prices.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Most of the empirical literature documented a negative
relationship between oil price and stock market activities
(Jones and Kaul (1996) Sadorsky (1999), E. Papapetrou
(2001), Malik and Hammoudeh (2007), Li and Majerowska
(2008), Malik and Ewing (2009), Chen (2010) Masih et.
al.(2011) Basher et. al.( 2012)). However, oil price changes
can have a positive correlation with stock prices if the prices
are driven by global aggregate demand. Studies like Apergis
and Miller (2009) Miller and Ratti (2009), Kilian and Park
(2009) were supporting this argument.
The linkage among oil prices, exchange rate and stock prices,
if any, has drawn the attention of researchers and practitioners
since the early twentieth century. From an empirical
perspective, a substantial academic and professional literature,
especially in the developed and developing countries, explores
the interaction among oil prices, exchange rate and stock
prices. This section deals with three types of literature. Some
literature demonstrated relationship between crude oil prices
and stock market, whilst some literature is related to
relationship between exchange rate and stock prices.
There were some India specific studies in this regard.In line
with the study done by Kapusuzoglu (2011), Chittedi (2012)
investigates the long run relationship between oil prices and
stock prices in India over the period from April 2000 to June
2011 through Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL)
Model. The study suggests that the changes of stock prices in
India have a significant impact on the changes of oil prices.
But a change in the oil prices does not have impact on stock
prices. Kalra (2012) explores the relationship between oil price
and some other selected macroeconomic variables and Sensex
during the period of January 2001 to December 2009. With the
help of correlation and regression analysis, she found that
forex rate, inflation rate and gold prices were the most

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 157
 Co-Movements among Oil Price, Exchange Rate and Stock Index in India
significant variables that help in forming models for
forecasting the Sensex.
Many studies have tried to investigate relationship between
exchange rate and stock prices. Unlike changes of crude oil
prices that is mainly governed by international demand and
supply, changes in exchange rate depends a lot on domestic
short term and long term fiscal policies and its implementation
in the respective economy. So, instead of considering the
above relationship in the context of developed economies, this
study is restricted within Asian countries and country-based. In
the context of Japan, there are three relevant studies.
Mukherjee and Naka (1995) conduct a study for the period
from January 1971 to December 1990 and observe that
exchange rate has made positive impact on Japanese stock
index. Later on, Kurihara and Nezu (2006) examine the
relationship between Japanese stock prices and
macroeconomic variables during March 2001 to July 2005.
Using cointegration analysis and vector error correction
method, the results demonstrate that exchange rate is not a
significant determinant of Japanese stock prices.
Ibrahim (1999) observes stock prices are caused by exchange
rate in the short run during pre-crisis period. The bivariate
analysis suggests that there is no evidence of co-integrating
relationship between the two variables. But, another study
using pre-crisis period data by Ibrahim & Aziz (2003) observes
that stock prices are negatively associated with exchange rate.
On the contrary, Majid and Yusuf (2009) observe that
exchange rate has a significant and direct impact on Islamic
stock market in Malaysia.
However, Hussin et al. (2012) find that stock market is
negatively and significantly co-integrated with exchange rate
during post crisis period. Through vector error correction
model, Kwon and Shin (1999) observe that during the period
of 1980 to 1992 production index, foreign trade balance and
money supply, along with exchange rate have significantly
influenced the Korean stock market in the short-run.
There are a lot of studies in Indian context as well. Most of the
Indian studies find either no evidence or insignificant evidence
of exchange rate influencing stock prices. Mishra (2004)
examines the dynamic relationship between the Indian stock
market and foreign exchange markets for the period April 1992
to March 2002. The major findings of their study include that
there is no Granger causality between the exchange rate
fluctuation and stock return. Reddy and Sebastin (2008) make
an attempt to study the interaction between the stock price and
the foreign exchange markets in India by using daily data on
Nifty and the exchange rate from November 1995 to March
2007. The result reveals that there exist a low level of
interaction between the stock prices and the forex markets of
India.
Rahman and Uddin (2009) revisit the issue of the interactions
between stock prices and exchange rates in three emerging
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
countries of South Asia, namely Bangladesh, India and
Pakistan for the period of January 2003 to June 2008. The
empirical result of their study shows that there is no
cointegrating relationship between stock prices and exchange
rates and no causal relationship between stock prices and
exchange rates in these countries. Similarly, Singh (2010),
Naik (2013) and Naik and Padhi (2012) examine the
relationships between the Indian stock prices and exchange
rate and do not find any significant relationship between
exchange rate and stock prices in India.
Few studies have found co-integrating relationship mbetween
exchange rate and stock prices. Nair (2008) explores the
macroeconomic determinants of stock market development in
India from 1993/94 to 2006/07. The results reveal that the
exchange rate may have significant impact on stock market in
the long run but have no significant influence on stock market
in India in the short run. Similarly, the findings of Pal and
Mittal (2011) and Sampath (2011) also reveal that exchange
rate has a significant impact on stock prices in long-run as well
as in short run.
Tripathy (2011) investigates the market efficiency and causal
relationship between selected macroeconomic variables and
the Indian stock market during the period from January 2005
to February 2011 by using Ljung-Box Q test, Breusch-Godfrey
LM test, Unit Root test, Granger Causality test. He suggests
that any change in the exchange rate, interest rate and
international market significantly influence the Indian stock
market vice-versa. There are contradictory conclusions
regarding the impact of exchange rate on stock market not only
from one economy to another economy but also within the
same economy. There are few literatures on the combined
impact of crude oil and exchange rate on stock market.
Sariannidis et al. (2010), analysing the data from January,
2000 to January, 2008, in the context of US, find that changes
in returns of crude oil prices affect negatively the US stock
market. They also observe that the exchange rate volatility
affects negatively the returns of the US stock market. Chinzara
(2011) applies the Generalised Autoregressive Conditional
Heteroscedastic and Vector Autoregression models to show
that oil price and exchange rate uncertainty significantly
influences stock market volatility in South Africa. Sujit and
Kumar (2011) have studied the relationship between stock
market with oil price, exchange rate, gold price from 1998 to
2011. They find that the exchange rate is affected by
macroeconomic variables (including crude prices) considered
in their study. However, stock market has little influence on
exchange rate.
Using monthly data from January 1988 to December 2008,
Basher, Haug and Sadorsky (2012) have tried to investigate the
dynamic relationship between oil Employing vector
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 Co-Movements among Oil Price, Exchange Rate and Stock Index in India

autoregression model and impulse responses analysis they crude oil price, exchange rate and the Indian stock market
conclude that positive shocks to oil prices tend to depress indices are moving together in the long run or not.
emerging market stock prices and US dollar exchange rates in
TABLE 1: Descriptive Statistics
the short run. Batac and Tatlonghori (2013) have studied the
impact of peso-dollar exchange rate, oil prices and money SP ER OP
supply on Philippines stock market. They consider quarterly
Mean 9.63 3.88 4.38
data from 1992 to 2010 and conclude that current and several
Maximum 10.26 4.23 4.95
lagged values of the Peso-Dollar exchange rates are found to
Minimum 8.72 3.67 3.51
influence Philippines stock prices. However, crude oil price
Std. Dev. 0.35 0.13 0.31
changes do not affect significantly in the said stock market.
Skewness -0.85 0.62 -0.42
From the review of the earlier literature it is observed that a Kurtosis 3.18 2.36 2.08
large number of studies have been made to determine the No. of Observations 2399 2399 2399
relationship between crude oil price, exchange rate and stock
price movement. Undoubtedly, the above mentioned research 4. EMPIRICAL RESULTS
studies have a great contribution in this field but the findings
of these studies are mixed and inconsistent. These findings are Descriptive Statistics
sensitive to the choice of countries, methodology employed Natural Log of the data is taken and the basic statistical values
and the time period under studied. It is difficult to generalize of the variables are computed in the first phase of the analysis.
the results because each market is unique in terms of its own Descriptive statistics like mean, standard deviation Skewness,
rules, regulations, and types of investors. Kurtosis are calculated for all variables. Results of the same
are presented in Table 1.
There are several studies that also examine the impact of Note: SPBSE Sensex closing prices, ER-Exchange rate, OP-
macroeconomic variables on Indian stock market. In some Crude Oil Price.
studies, macroeconomic variables include oil prices or
exchange rate along with other variables. However, we Unit root Test Results
understand that there is no serious study on the combined
We have employed the commonly used Augmented Dickey-
impact of crude oil prices and exchange rate in Indian stock
Fuller (ADF) and Phillips Perron (PP) tests to determine the
market. Thus this paper is an attempt to assess the combined
variables‘ stationarity properties and order of integration of the
impact of crude oil prices and exchange rate on stock market.
variables. Test result shows that all the three variables are
having a unit root at level and are stationary at first difference
3. DATA AND METHODOLOGY
Data on Oil price, Exchange rate and stock market index for a Results from Johansen–Juseliuscointegration test
period of 10 years from 2003 January to 2014 December has Johansen‘s Cointegration test has been employed to see
been considered for the study. Closing prices of BSE sensex whether there is any long-run equilibrium relationship between
and Rupee Dollar Exchange rates were extracted from the stock market index, exchange rate of Indian rupee and oil
Bloomberg database and data of Oil price is taken from US price. For performing Johansen‘s cointegartion test we first
EIA (Energy Information Administration) website. Microsoft estimated VAR with default lag specification, then checked the
Excel and Eviews 8 software packages are used for the optimality of lag order and then re-estimated the Vector Error
analysis. Correction model with optimal lag order. The results of
Johansen‘s cointegration test are given below.
We have used Natural Log of all the variables and determined
the appropriate econometric test based on the statistical TABLE 2: Unit Root Test Results of Sensex, Exchange rate
characteristics of the data and the results of unit root test. Since and Oil Price
all the three variables are having a unit root at level and all are Variables Augmentd Dicky Phillips Perron
stationary at first difference (I (1)) we can use Johansens Fuller
cointegration test in the study. Level First Level First
Difference Differenc
The cointegrating regressions are calculated using Johansen‘s
cointegration approach to know the long-run equilibrium SP -1.74087 -47.0102 -1.74477 -46.9715
relationship among the variables. In econometric terms, two (0.4105) (0.001)* (0.4085) (0.0001)*
variables are said to be cointegrated if they have a long term or ER -0.03818 -36.1502 -0.17023 -47.031
equilibrium relationship between them. Appropriately, the test (0.9539) (0.0000)* (0.9397) (0.0001)*
provides us information on whether the variables, namely the OP -2.29625 -38.147 -2.37593 -38.0159
(0.1733) (0.0000)* (0.1487) (0.0000)*

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 159
 Co-Movements among Oil Price, Exchange Rate and Stock Index in India

Note: p-value given in parenthesis., Denotes 1% level of Vector Error Correction Model
significance.
The VECM model which explains the cointegration
TABLE 3: RESULTS OF COINTEGRATION TEST relationship among stock prices,

Trace Statistics
Null Alternative Statistics 95% Critical
Value
r=0 r≥1 31.96 25.87
r≤ r≥2 6.72 12.51
Maximum eigen value statistics
TABLE 5 Vector Error Correction Results
Null Alternative Statistics 95% Critical
Value Adjustment coeficient Coefficient
r=0 r≥1 25.23 19.38 ʎSP -0.001376
r≤1 r≥2 6.72 12.51 [-2.93342]
ʎER 0.000000434
Note: r stands for the number of cointegrating vectors, the lag
[0.79933]
length is determined by the LR (likelihood ratio tests)
Criterion. Denotes 5% level of significance. ʎOP 0.00000475
[1.96750]
Observing the results of Johansen‘s cointegration test given in
the table we can see that there is one cointegartion equation for Note: The value in the parenthesis is t-values
these variables. The stock market index (BSE closing prices) is
having a long run equilibrium relationship with Exchange rates VECM results indicate that the system will reach back to
and oil prices. Trace statistics results at 5% significance level equilibrium in 724 days or in other words it adjusts 0.14% on a
we can reject the null hypothesis of no cointegration between daily basis in the short-run. The coefficients of error correction
SP (stock market index), ER and OP. The maximum eigen term 0.001376, 000000434 and 0.00000475 of stock prices,
value statistics at 5% level of significance also rejects the null exchange rate and oil price respectively, which are significant
hypothesis of no cointegration. And thus the results show that at 5 percent level of significance, tell us the rate at which they
there is one cointegration but not two. correct the disequilibrium of the previous period. Thus, speeds
of adjustment towards the longrun equilibrium,
5. COINTEGRATION EQUATION
6. CONCLUSION
Cointegartion result shows that there exists a long run
relationship between stock prices, exchange rate and oil price. This paper studies the long run and short run relationship
The relationship between stock price and exchange rate and the between oil price, exchange rate and stock market in India. The
relationship between stock price and oil price are negative. study concludes that there is a long run equilibrium relation
between the movements of stock market index, exchange rate
SPt= β0+β1ERt+β2OPt+et and crude oil prices for India. The observed result is not due to
the effect of the exchange rate fluctuations, because the change
TABLE 4: Cointegratin Equation in exchange rate has no significant impact on oil prices or
stock prices in India. Evidence of this study provides a
Normalized cointegrating coefficients comprehensive understanding of the relationship among the
macroeconomic variables in India The relationship between
β1 β2 stock price and exchange rate and the relationship between
stock price and oil price are negative. The results of our study
-1.797297 -0.39152 are in line with the findings of the studies like SayedAhamed
et al. (2010), Shigeki Ono (2011) TarakNath et al. (2013). The
(0.47983) (0.24057) study will be useful for the policy makers and investors who
are interested to know the degree of determinacy of various
Note: (Standard Error in Parntheses) macroeconomic variables on the stock market performance.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 160
 Co-Movements among Oil Price, Exchange Rate and Stock Index in India
REFERENCE
[1] Arouri, M. E. H., &Rault, C. (2010a). Causal relationships
between oil and stock prices: some new evidence from
gulf oil-exporting countries. International Economics, 122,
41– 56. doi:10.1016/S2110-7017(13)60029-3
[2] Aloui, C., Nguyen, D. K., &Njeh, H. (2012). Assessing
the impacts of oil price fluctuations on stock returns in
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[3] Apergis, N., & Miller, S. M. (2009). Do structural oil-
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[7] Boyer, M. & Filion, D. 2004. Common and fundamental
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[8] Chittedi, K.R. 2012. Do oil prices matters for Indian stock
markets? An empirical analysis. Journal of Applied
Economics and Business Research 2(1): 2-10.
[9] Ciner, C. 2001. Energy shocks and financial markets:
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Nonlinear linkages. Studies in Nonlinear Dynamics &
Econometrics 5(3): 203-212.
[10] Chinzara, Z. 2011. Macroeconomic uncertainty and
conditional stock market volatility in South Africa. South
African Journal of Economics 79(1): 27-49.
[11] Dornbusch, R. & Fischer, S. 1980. Exchange rates and
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971.
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[13] Filis, G. 2010. Macro economy, stock market and oil
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[14] Papapetrou (2001) Oil price shocks, stock market,
economic activity and employment in Greece, Energy
Economics 23 2001 511 Ž . 532 Chen, S.-S., & Chen, H.-
C. (2007). Oil prices and real exchange rates. Energy
Economics, 29, 390–404.
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[15] Jones, C. M., &Kaul, G. (1996). Oil and the Stock
Markets. Journal of Finance, 51(June), 463–491.
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[16] Kilian, L., & Park, C. (2009). The impact of oil price
shocks on the U.S. stock market International Economic
Review, 50(January 2003), 57–88.
[17] Malik, F., & Ewing, B. T. (2009). Volatility transmission
between oil prices and equity sector returns. International
Review of Financial Analysis, 18(3), 95–100.
161
 32.
A Study on Urban Working Women’s Perception Towards Mutual Fund
Investment with Special Reference to Bengaluru District, Karnataka
Madhu Druva Kumar1, Dr. Pushpa2, Dr.T.K. Murugesan3
1
Associate Professor, 2Assistant Professor, 3Associate Professor
1,2,3
Faculty of Commerce & Management,
Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru–560077
1
madhumalathi@kristujayanti.com, 2pushpa@kristujayanti.com, 3murugesan@kristujayanti.com

Abstract: During the past few years, stock market and mutual
funds is the most attracted option to make investment. In
current complex financial scenario, mutual funds was an
effective investment option for women investors to diversify
their portfolio of investment. The Mutual funds are an
investment avenue that collects money from various investors
to purchase equities, bonds and other securities. It provides
benefits to the investors of good return, less risk, liquidity, tax
benefits, etc. The primary data was collected using structured
questionnaire and Secondary data which was collected from
journals, books, reports, magazines and other published
data’s. The main purpose of doing this research is to know
about the Preference of urban working women towards
various mutual fund schemes of Bengaluru district,
Karnataka (India).Using Random sampling technique,
Sampling sizes are taken from 100 working women having
different demographic backgrounds. This work analyzes the
effect of demographic situations on the attitude of women
towards mutual-fund investment.
Keywords: Investment behavior among women, Mutual
Fund, Demographic factors, saving habits.
1. INTRODUCTION
“Mutual fund may be a form of professionally-managed
collective investment theme that collects the savings of range
of investors UN agency share a standard money goal. the cash
that pooled is then invested with within the capital market
instruments like shares, debentures and alternative securities.”
Mutual funds facilitate the investors in providing the
advantages of Liquidity, high come back, tax savings,
diversification, manage inflation, convenience, etc.
A investment trust is that the best suited investment for a
typical man because it offers a chance to speculate in a very
heterogeneous, professionally managed basket of securities at a
comparatively low price. With the rise in role of girls in
monetary activities, women’s square measure known as a far
better saver as Compared to men.
Traditionally, women’s participation in the financial
investments was very less and they were mostly engaged in
household related activities. Women’s were very hesitant in
taking the decisions relating to the financial matters and
largely the decisions relating to investment were taken by
men’s in the family.
But with the rise in level of education, ladies started operating
and that they gained data concerning varied aspects of
investment and as a result they invest in varied investment
avenues like shares, debentures, commodities, mutual funds
and bank deposits. currently they contribute a larger half in
managing and saving the cash. a trial has been created to spot
varied factors that influence ladies investors’ shopping for
behavior, to judge the amount of awareness among ladies
investors and to investigate the popular investment avenues.
whereas investment, married operating ladies ar additional
wedged by varied family connected matters like kid education,
kid wedding, life protection and medical expenses than
divorced ladies.
Employed women are more motivated to save and invest
because of their earning power. They have the quality to
manage their money in an effective and better way. They are
also motivated by the investment behavior of their colleagues
at workplace. Working women in urban areas give more
precedence to their career and professional ambitions as they
want to secure their future and want to make more returns on
their investments. Their thinking and perception is changing
and they are adapting to the investment in various
financialproducts.
Women in India are now participating in all the activities such
as education, politics, science & technology, etc. With the
modification in situation and increasing awareness, they need
started collaborating in finance their cash in varied investment
avenues and aren't simply relying upon their members of the
family for his or her monetary desires. the current analysis
study focuses upon operating women’s perspective towards
investment company investment and influence of some
demographic factors like age, legal status, etc. to blame for
investment behavior of ladies.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 162
A Study on Urban Working Women’s Perception Towards Mutual Fund Investment with Special Reference to Bengaluru District,
Karnataka
2. MUTUAL FUNDS0PERATION FL0W CHART
3. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Desigan et al (2006) conducted a study 0n attitude 0f women
investors towards investment and invented that women
investor basically hesitate to invest in the mutual funds due to
the reasons like lack 0f knowledge about the investment,
market fluctuations, various risks associated with investment
and 0ther related problems. They said in past, women’s
dependence was mainly 0n his spouse’s income and they were
used to do the savings in order to be meet the contingencies
and conditions for the future activities as well. In those days,
women didnt had any knowledge about different investment
avenues. But with the courseof time, the situation has scenarios
have changed.
Beckmann and Menkhoff (2008) which studied and
identified that women tends to be more risk aware, less
confident and behaves less competitively oriented. They told
that this 3 domains as risk taking, assured deciding and hard
competition area unit extremely necessary within the monetary
business during which women’s behave indifferently.
Martenson (2008) said that women’s particularly face the
problem of what their financial situation will be at the time of
retirement because of their lack of awareness. The main reason
is which women was very less interested in managing their
money and to make long-term investments. The study analyzed
that how the pension investments were made by the Swedish
population within their state pension system. The study
revealed that men were motivated to make financial
investments and were more profit-oriented thanwomen.
Mehta and Shah (2012) did a study supported capitalist for
mutual funds of Ahmedabad and Barooda and so the analysis
reveal that major factors that influence buying behavior mutual
funds investors and so the sources that investors believe plenty
Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
of whereas making investment and fascinating mode to take a
position o mutual funds.
Singh (2012) conducted his analysis in Ranchi region to
research the impact of various factors responsible for investing
in mutual fund. The study disclosed that just about all of the
people area unit having lack of knowledge towards mutual
funds functioning. varied demographic factors such gender,
gain and level of education have vital influence on the fund
investment. Whereas the factors like age and occupation don’t
influence the investors towards decision with reference to
mutual funds investment.
Prabhavathi and Kishore (2013) studied on the investor have
their own riskssources and believe in market they are to
enterin. People have an interest towards investment on
fastened deposits that they'd realize it as a innocuous
investment choices. individuals create terribly less investment
in artifact and currency market because of lack of information
and high risk hooked up to that.
Rathnamani (2013) done a study in Trichy to evaluate the
investor’s attitudesattracted to mutual funds investment and the
research reveals that investor opt to invest in mutual fund due
to the benefits of high return as at a lower rate of level of risk,
safety and liquidity as well. Investors preferred taking
moderate and low level risk and most of the investor’s which
belongs to the moderate investment style.
Sellappan et al. (2013) conducted a study on women investor
to study the impact of age factors and marital status on the
investment in financial instruments. It was found out that the
younger womens mostly like to invest in shares, mutualfunds,
insurance and fixed depositsas compared to the older women.
It also said that married womens are more curious in making
investments than the unmarried.
Sharma and Pandya (2013) said that almost all of the folks
have lack of awareness regarding the functioning of mutual
funds. Investors ar principally attracted by the options like
come back potential, liquidity and adaptability followed by
transparency and affordability. Investors principally like
finance their cash in Bank FD’s as compared to open-end fund
investments.
Kumar and Bansal (2014) studies that mutual fundswhich
was the more preferred investment avenue among people.
Mutual fund investmentswhich helps in giving higher interest
and returns good principal amount at the end of maturity
period of the investment.The investment company corporations
ought to step forward in providing full support in planning the
investor’s portfolio, full revealing of the data associated with
capitalist, correct practice and realizing the terms and
conditions of the various investment company avenues to
satisfy the requirements of the investors.
163
A Study on Urban Working Women’s Perception Towards Mutual Fund Investment with Special Reference to Bengaluru District,
Karnataka

4. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1. To analyze the investment options preferred by
workingwomen.
2. To analyze the factors that influences most while buying
mutualfunds.
3. To analyze the investors perception and awareness
regarding Mutual fundsinvestment.
4. To analyze the preferred time of holdinginvestments.
5. To analyze the return expected on the investments made.
6. To analyze the most preferred mode for buying
mutualfunds.
5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The present study attempts to evaluate women investor’s
awareness and adoption towards mutual funds schemes. The
study is based on the primary research and Descriptive
research study is done to carry out research using convenient
samplingtechnique.
Data assortment of a hundred operating girls investors of
Bengaluru district were studied exploitation the first supply
like through direct interview form and Secondary information
that has been collected from varied books, magazines, journals,
newspapers and websites.
The data collected from the respondents vary having
completely different age teams, legal status and monthly
financial gain. The respondents taken for the study are of
various age teams starting from twenty years to fifty years &
on tops of. Among them, sixty-five are married girls and
twenty-three are unwedded. Thewomen are earning good
monthly salary and they can easily spend some part of their
income in making some investments and it would help in
raising their standard of living as wells
6. SCOPE OF STUDY
The analysis involves a general study associated with
operating girls investors’ perspective towards mutual funds
investment. The analysis would reveal results concerning the
impact of assorted demographic factors on investment
perspective of operating girls investors towards investment
firms and their perception towards finance in mutual fund .
• This study will provide working women investment
attitude to the mutual funds companies.
• It will help the mutual funds companies to identify the
attitude and awareness of various working women
investors and to improve the marketing of mutualfunds.

7. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Age Group of Respondents

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

20-25 25-30 30-35 35-40 40-45 45-50 50 & Above

No. Of Women

Chart 1: Age group of Respondents

• The respondents are ranging from a group of 20 to 60 which most among them are under 35-40 category

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 164
A Study on Urban Working Women’s Perception Towards Mutual Fund Investment with Special Reference to Bengaluru District,
Karnataka

Marital Status of Respondents

65

23
12

Married Unmarried Others

No. Of Women

Chart 2: Marital status of Respondents

• Among the respondents most of women are married with a job.

• The unmarried women are 23 which is less than half of the entire population

Monthly Salary of Respondents

40000 &Above
35000-40000
30000-35000
25000-30000
20000-25000
15000-20000
10000-15000
0-10000

0 5 10 15 20 25 30
No. of Women

Chart 3: Monthly salary of respondents.

• The monthly regular payment of the women respondents is between 10000 - 40000&it has been found that almost all of them
were earning smart travel 20000-25000 monthly.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 165
A Study on Urban Working Women’s Perception Towards Mutual Fund Investment with Special Reference to Bengaluru District,
Karnataka

The study conducted on working women attitude towards mutual funds investment shows that fixed deposits is most preferred
investment option as compared to mutual funds, real estate, post office schemes, etc. As the women’s started working and are now
earning for their livelihood, they are also thinking for their future returns. They are now not just managing their money at homes
but they have started managing their corpus by investing in various investment avenues and are reaping the returns out of them.

InvestmentAvenuepreferredbyrespondents
3% 2%
Fixed deposits
Mutual Funds
26% Real Estate
24% Gold/Silver
Stocks
Bank deposits
5% 13%
Post Office Schemes
Others
22% 5%

Chart 4: Investment Avenue preferred by respondents

Chart 4 shows that the most preferred investment option for the investors is fixed deposits and bank deposits is on 2ndnumber. 3rdis
the investment in Gold/Silver and it’s not for the purpose of investment but for the sake of making jewelry. And then the
respondents preferred making investing in mutual fund as they think it’s risky to invest and they are not sure about the returns.
Preference of the investors is to invest in the safe mode and secondly earning high returns. Respondents mainly preferred safe
destination for investment and then returns comes on the secondplace.

Factors which influence to buy Mutual Funds

Safety
Liquidity
Reliability
TaxbenefitHig
hReturns
Diversification

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

No. Of Women

Chart 5: Factors which influence to buy Mutual Funds

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 166
A Study on Urban Working Women’s Perception Towards Mutual Fund Investment with Special Reference to Bengaluru District,
Karnataka

Chart 5 shows that the factor which allures the most to respondents is safety. As women’s are risk averse and they prefer making
investment which is safe and less risky. The respondents secondly preferred mutual funds because of the factor of diversification
and then for tax benefits. As the factors like reliability, liquidity and high returns had less influence on making the decision for
investing in mutual funds. Respondents were majorly influenced by the safety factor and secondly because of its diversification
feature as they can diversify their portfolio by making investing in mutual fund.

Respondent’s awareness for Mutual FundsInvestment

2%

Totally ignorant
22%
33%
Partial knowledge of mutual funds

Aware of only specific schemes in

Which previously invested
Fully aware
43%

Chart 6: Respondents awareness for Mutual Funds Investment

Chart 6 depicts that almost half of the respondents have partial knowledge of mutual funds and because of this reason they don’t
prefer making investing in mutual fund. 33 respondents are totally ignorant about the mutual funds and 22 respondents are aware
of only specific schemes in which they have previously invested. And the remaining only 2 respondents are fully aware of the
mutual funds. The reason of less investing in mutual fund is the lack of awareness on the part of investors and thinking it as a risky
investmentoption.

Time of holding investments

More than 10Years

7-9Years

4-6Years

1-3 Years

Less than 1Year

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

No. of Women

Chart 7: Time of holding investments

Chart 7 reveals that 42 respondents prefer to hold investing in mutual fund for one-three years period, 25 respondents for four-six
years period and 19 respondents prefer to invest for lesser than that of one year . The remaining 14 respondents prefer holding their
investments in mutual funds for seven years and above time period. So, it can be concluded that 86% respondents hold their
investment for not less than six years.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 167
A Study on Urban Working Women’s Perception Towards Mutual Fund Investment with Special Reference to Bengaluru District,
Karnataka

Return expected on Investmentsmade

45
40
35
30
25
20 No. Of Women
15
10
5
0
0-5% 5-10% 10-15% 15-20% 20% &above

Chart 8: Return expected on Investments made

Chart 8 shows that 40 respondents expect 20% & above return on the investments made by them and 33 respondents expect 15-
20% return on their investment. 21respondents expect 10-15% return and the rest 7 respondents expect the return below 10%.
Investors have the attitude to earn high returns with less risk on the investments made. As most of the respondents prefer making
investments in fixed deposits, so they earn the return ranging between5-10%.

Preference upon Informationmode

3%
5%
10% TV/Radio
21% Newspaper & Magazines
Friends & Relatives

28% Brokers & Agents

Self-Decisions
33%
Others

Chart 9: Preference upon Information mode

Chart 9 depicts that the 33% respondents prefer taking help of
Brokers & agents for making investing in mutual fund and
28% respondents invest in mutual funds as per suggestions and
information given by their friends and relatives. 21%
respondents make investing in mutual fund as per their own
decisions by applying their skills and knowledge. And the
remaining respondents take help of newspapers, magazines,
television and other sources of information for making
investment as they have less knowledge of mutual funds.
8. FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS
• The respondents are ranging from a group of 20 to 60
which most among them are under 35-40 category
• The monthly regular payment of the women respondents
is between 10000 - 40000& it has been found that almost
all of them were earning smart travel 20000-25000
monthly.

Virtual National Conference on The Covid-19: Business Trends, Challenges and Opportunities 168
A Study on Urban Working Women’s Perception Towards Mutual Fund Investment with Special Reference to Bengaluru District,
Karnataka
• Most preferred investment option for the investors is fixed
deposits and bank deposits is on 2nd Number. 3rd is the
investment in Gold/Silver and it’s not for the purpose of
investment but for the sake of making jewelry
• The factor which allures the most to respondents is safety.
As womenare risk averse and they prefer making
investment which is safe and less risky.
• Almost half of the respondents have partial knowledge of
mutual funds and because of this reason they don’t prefer
making investing in mutual fund. 33 respondents are
totally ignorant about the mutual funds and 22 respondents
are aware of only specific schemes in which they have
previously invested. And the remaining only 2
respondents are fully aware of the mutual funds. The
reason of less investing in mutual fund is the lack of
awareness on the part of investors and thinking it as a
risky investmentoption.
• As most of the respondents prefer making investments in
fixed deposits, so they earn the return ranging between5-
10%.
• The 33% respondents prefer taking help of Brokers &
agents for making investing in mutual fund and 28%
respondents invest in mutual funds as per suggestions and
information given by their friends and relatives.
9. CONCLUSION
Mutual fund is the most attractive investment option for
women to diversify their portfolio and help the investor’s in
providing optimized return on their earnings. Mutual funds are
very safe with close to zero risk. Women investors can
increase their returns on their corpus by making investing in
mutual fund which will diversify their portfolio and reduce the
risk on investment made.
Women investors square measure risk loath and that they
typically like investments carrying low risk and yielding high
returns. they need lack of awareness of investment firm
investments and thanks to that they avoid finance in mutual
funds and like finance in mounted and bank deposits having
less risk. Womeninvestors value more highly to hold
investment for one to a few years amount and that they like
taking facilitate of the brokers and agents for creating finance
in investment firm. it's necessary forthe investor’s to realize
information of investment firm investments, firms within the
field, investment firm specialists, because the investors square
measure simply misguided by numerous advertisements and
offers promoted by numerous money establishments Mutual
fund companies should come forward with their full support to
help the investor’s in designing their portfolios, ensuring full
disclosure of related information, providing proper consultancy
services to the investors in understanding terms and conditions
of different mutual fund schemes and provide tax rebates from
the government on investing in mutual fund.
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