Review
First Five Years of FIIB Business Review
The recent years have seen emerging new trends in the field of ma nagement in both the sides, of academia and industry. Trends and pr actices such as: E-commerce, Social Media, Big Data have become a buzzword in the marketing space. Business firms are being driven by the need to be sustainable ventures. Startups have become major players as st andalone entrepreneurs. Globalization has brought about a sweeping change in how organizations function. New models of technology hinging on social medial have shattered old systems. Digital banking has brought in new players in form of payment gateways, mobile wallets, etc. These ch anges have also marked a paradigm shift in management research. FI IB Business Review with its objective of bringing fresh insights into management research has tried to bridge the gap between management academia and management practices by trying to bring them under one umbrella. FI IB Business Review (FBR) an international journal is official pu blication outlet by Fortune Institute of International Business (FIIB). FIIB Business Review, since its inception is focusing to promote applied research in emergent themes that improve the practice of management. The Journal is acting as a vehicle of communication, between those who study management and those who practice it. Publishing space of FBR is not limited to academic research, space is equally prioritized to articles that are both research-based and practice-based. In these five years FBR ha s tried to build a knowledge network of management academicians, policy makers and practitioners by establishing a dialogue through articles th at provide insightful perspectives on emerging managerial themes, management research of value to professional managers and academics, and management cases on contemporary managerial issues. In these first fi ve years, the journal has published articles both nationally as well as in ternationally touching upon various themes of management domain. The Editorial Advisory Board is a mix of national and international, young an d experienced members from the field of academia and renowned en trepreneurs. The Editors and Editorial Advisory Board of the journal have not only been experts in their field, out also represent the diversity of the subject itself. This has enabled FBR to bring out articles on covering almost every field of Management.
The present paper attempts to cover the journey of FBR right from its inception in the year 2011 to 2016. The journal is a double blind peer FIIB Business Review, Volume 6, Issue 1, January-March 2017
Business Review
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by Ms. Shruti Chandra & Sudhir Rana
Ms. Shruti Chandra is a Ph.D. Scholar at Centre for Political Studies, Ja waharlal Nehru University. She ho lds an M.Phil in Development Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia. Her areas of interest include gender and politics, Indian politics, development studies and gender studies. She has also presented re search papers at national and international conferences and has published papers in journals of repute. She can be reached at shruti4chandra@ gmail.com.
Dr . Sudhir Rana is MBA and Ph.D. wi th M.H.R.D. Scholarship from Go vernment of India. His research pr ofile is followed by reputed and world class publications into several AB DC Ranked and indexed journals published by Emerald, Inderscience, Ne lson, Malaysian Management Review, Indian In stitute of Management etc. He is Editor of FIIB Bu siness Review (An official Journal of Fortune In stitute of International Business) and has recently acted as Guest Editor for a special edition with 'Journal of international Business Education' (A n ABDC 'B' Ranked Journal) the Volume 11, 20 17. He is also an active member of Editorial Advisory Board and Review Committee of journals such as: Management Research Review, Journal for Gl obal Business Advancement, Metamorphosis, In ternational Journal of Marketing Studies, Ad vances in International Marketing and AIMS In ternational Journal of Management etc. He can be reached at
[email protected]
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Review reviewed journal with high standards of quality. It has been innovative so far as it not only publishes research and perspectives, but has also published website reviews, film reviews conference reviews. The publication basket is its uniqueness, that carrying four sections: Perspective, Research, Case and Review.
Table 1. FBR: Overview of Sections Name of Section
Description of Section
Perspectives
It is an opinion based paper covering sociocultural and economic issues, and their micro or macro level impact on business, society and economy. It addresses important issues and challenges concerning businesses and public policy with socio-economic relevance.
Research Case Review
It is based on original empirical research and emerging trends both in India and globally in themes such as management, economics, finance, marketing etc. It can be based on either primary or secondary research. Case study and analysis of issues, companies, departments and special initiatives taken by academicians and practitioners. Reviews of recently published books on themes related to business and management, websites and conferences.
Output of the Journal
FIIB Business Review is a quarterly journal, one volume is published along with four issues every year. Therefore, in these five years, 5 volumes carrying 20 issues have been published as regular output of FBR. Additionally, 2 special issues have also been served. Articles from Volume One focused on sustainability, the cornerstone of FIIB, covering various facets of sustainability such as green purchasing, socially responsible investing, etc. The first Special Issue published in 2012 had a broad range of articles focusing mainly on finance and international business. The second special issue was published in 2016. This special issue was an initiative of FIIB Case Resource Centre (FCRC). Cases presented in this special issue have gone through to a three stage sequential process. At first stage submissions were invited from authors to participate in Katastasi, 2016. At second stage selected cases were presented before expert committee. And top 10 presented cases were selected for this special issue at the final stage. This special issue is an endeavor to highlight the importance of case studies in management education and serve with more recent industry cases ready to be used for classroom teaching. FIIB Business Review, Volume 6, Issue 1, January-March 2017
Table 2. Output of FBR Year
Research
Perspective
Case
2011-12
15
10
4
15
44
2015
12
12
4
16
44
2013
2014
2016
12
12
12
4
12
14
Review Total 12
4
10
40
13
14*
41
8
46
*Includes FBR Volume 5 Special Issue which contained top 10 cases from Katastasi 2016
FBR has tried to focus upon ongoing research in the field of management. Table 2 presenting the output of the journal provides a glimpse into the number of paper of papers published since the inception of the journal. The focus has been increasingly to publish research based and perspective articles. In 2011-12, the first volume of the journal was published primarily centered on the issues of sustainability, which is also the motto of the institute. FBR is a vehicle which recognizes the talent of research scholars and students pursuing management degrees. A special issue (FBR Volume Special Issue) featured top 10 case studies from Katastasi the annual case study event organized by FIIB.
Overview and Coverage of Articles
Articles published in FBR reflect the diversity of the journal not just in terms of regional diversity but also in terms of the diversity in coverage of topics.
Table 3. International Representation of Articles in FBR Year
No of Papers Received
National
International
2011-12
55
55
-
2013
2014 2015 2016
74 85 78
111
73
1
105
6
82
75
3 3
Table 3 provides an insight into the fact that international participation in the journal has increased over the years. The articles are not only from neighboring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but also from the European continent as well. 29
Review Table 4. Rejection Rate Year 2011-12 2013 2014 2015 2016*
No of Papers Received 55 74 85 78 111
Papers Accepted
Papers Rejected
Rejection Rate
44 40 41 44 46
11 34 44 34 40
20% 45.9% 51.7% 43.6% -
Includes papers which are under review
A journal’s improving quality can be judged from the fact that it is selective in publishing articles. Table 4 throws light upon the fact that with increase in number of papers, the rejection rate has also seen an upward trend. In the years 2014 & 2015, almost 50% of the articles received were rejected, indicating the improving quality of the papers. The results also infer that, based upon its quality focus FBR is continuously attracting more number of submissions every year. This practice has also helped in getting the journal indexed with various citation indices such as J-Gate, Google Scholar, EBSCO Discovery and CNKI Scholar.
Subject Coverage
During these five years, FBR focused on diversified and exhaustive coverage of management domain. Field of Study General Management Finance HR Marketing & Organizational Behaviour Social Media Public Policy Sustainability Strategy & Leadership Entrepreneurship Supply Chain Ecommerce International Behaviour Consumer Behaviour Others
No of Papers 18 35 16 14 8 17 15 9 17 12 8 8 12 26
FIIB Business Review, Volume 6, Issue 1, January-March 2017
FIIB Business Review is not just a management journal, but is trying to make a mark in becoming an interdisciplinary journal which focuses upon recent trends and phenomenon both in management and public policy which is an essential part of the management process. The articles published in the last five years reflect a diversity of topics within the field of management. Maximum number of papers have been published in the field of finance. The focus on sustainability has been a recurring theme. E-commerce and digitalization of everyday life has been captured by the journal. Website Reviews are an important component of the journal reflecting the changing nature of the market, where e-commerce sites like zomato, makemytrip, bigbasket, etc have become major player and are challenging the brick and mortar stores by their constant engagement with their customers. Articles on public policy have focused on various issues such as SMES, Agricultural and Rural Credit, NPAs, etc. This overview of the first five years of FBR has been an attempt to highlight how the journal has shaped up in its foremost years. Reviewers from renowned institutes and universities both nationally as well as internationally have brought their expertise in the quality of reviews given by them. The reviews and editors coming from various fields have enriched the journal. The journey of the first five years of FBR is indicative of the journal’s intent to become a renowned name in management research and education in the forthcoming years.
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