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Dr A Parasuraman, who recently retired as Professor and James W. McLamore Chair in Marketing at the University of Miami, has been appointed the Pro-Chancellor of Academics at VijayBhoomi University, a new liberal arts university promoted by the IFIM group of institutions. Dr Parasuraman has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras, an MBA in Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Indiana University. He is the co-author of a study on services marketing, which developed the concept of Servqual. He has developed a Technology Readiness Index (TRI), which measures the degree of technological adoption in businesses

Though media reports are doing rounds that Walmart has laid off around 100 executives at the senior level, experts with whom THE WEEK spoke feel that this does not imply any slowdown in its operations and investments in India. It may even signify its expansion in the e-commerce field with Flipkart, and cutting down on its physical retail presence. It may also mean that Walmart is striving to operate more efficiently by laying off 100 senior level employees that may create a cushion of profit margin, and scope to give more discounts to customers.

Advanced estimates released by the government show India's GDP growth rate for 2019-20 at 5 per cent, a dip from the 6.8 per cent that was there in FY19.