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Purpose: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)-based English textbooks and question papers in developing second-language higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Design/methodology/approach: Descriptive analysis establishes a causal relationship between learning objectives and second language (L2) writing proficiency. Content analysis is used to compare and analyze tabulated data for textbooks and question papers for the English language by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and CBSE. This method categorizes the materials and their assessments under HOTS and lower-order thinking skills to ascertain the relationship between learning objectives and L2 writing proficiency. Findings: The study highlights teaching material and assessment shortcomings and their alignment with learning outcomes to enhance students' writing skills. It underscores the need for HOTS-focused materials, discussing their impact on writing skills. The study also explores how textbook–question paper mismatch hampers Bloom's taxonomy-based cognitive skills. Practical implications: This research illuminates the efficacy of teaching and learning English as a second language (ESL) writing skills to improve the quality of education, which has real-world implications. The study highlights flaws in the educational system in India and suggests curricular and pedagogical changes. Originality/value: The research examines NCERT and CBSE ESL textbooks and question papers to align teaching and assessment methods. The results aim to improve education through ESL writers' HOTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to evaluate the progress made in achieving sustainable development goal-2 (SDG 2) in India, with a focus on ending hunger, ensuring food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. The assessment uses data from SDG Index reports, which offer a comprehensive overview of the advancements made by 28 states and 8 union territories (UTs) in India. Design/methodology/approach: The evaluation is based on information derived from three editions of the SDG Index reports, initially published in 2018 and subsequently in 2019 and 2020. These reports provide a detailed analysis of the status and achievements of different states and UTs in relation to SDG 2. The categorization of states and UTs into aspirant, performer, front runner and achiever categories serves as a crucial framework for assessing the progress. Findings: Despite concerted efforts by India, the majority of states and UTs are positioned in the aspirant and performer categories, suggesting that significant challenges persist in achieving SDG 2 targets. The results emphasize the necessity for stronger measures to elevate states and UTs to the categories of front-runners and achievers. The persistent challenges of malnutrition, hunger and their economic ramifications require immediate and strategic interventions to address these pressing concerns. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of the progress towards SDG 2 in India, using the insights from the SDG Index reports. The categorization framework used in this assessment offers a nuanced understanding of the challenges faced by different regions, highlighting the original contribution of this study. The findings underscore the urgency of targeted efforts to address malnutrition, hunger and related issues, emphasizing the importance of sustained commitment to achieving SDG 2 for the overall well-being of vulnerable populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Reference voltage or current generators are an important requirement for an analog or digital circuit design. Bandgap reference circuits (BGR) are most common way of generating the reference voltage. This paper aims to provide a detailed insight of design of a folded cascode operational amplifier (FC op amp) and a BGR circuit. The complete study flow from design to layout of the circuits on 180 nm semiconductor laboratory (SCL) process leading to bonding diagram for possible tape-out is discussed. This study work has been supported by MeitY, Govt. of India, through Special Manpower Development Project Chip to System Design. Design/methodology/approach: This paper provides a detailed insight in design of a FC op amp and a BGR circuit. The complete study flow from design to layout of the two circuits on 180 nm SCL process leading to bonding diagram for possible tape-out is discussed. Section 2 shows the design of FC op amp, beta-multiplier circuit and their simulation results. Section 3 describes the comparison of design of conventional BGR and the proposed BGR with other state-of-art BGR circuits. Section 4 gives the comparison of their performance. The conclusion is given in Section 5. Findings: The post-layout simulation of FC op amp show an open-loop gain of 64.5 dB, 3-dB frequency of 5.5 KHz, unity-gain bandwidth of 8.7 MHz, slew rate of 8.4 V/µs, CMRR of 111 dB and power of 25.5µW. Among the two BGR designs, the conventional BGR generated 693 mV of reference voltage with a temperature coefficient of 16 ppm/°C the other BGR, with curvature correction generated 1.3 V of reference voltage with a temperate coefficient of 6.3 ppm/°C , both results in temperature ranging from −40°C to 125°C. The chip layout of the circuits designed on 180 nm SCL process ensures design rule check (DRC), Antenna and layout versus schematic (LVS) clean with metal fill. Research limitations/implications: Slew rate, stability analysis, power are important parameters which should be taken care while designing an op amp for a BGR. Direct current gain should be kept higher to reduce offset errors. Input common mode range is decided by the operating temperature range. A higher power supply rejection ratio will reduce BGR sensitivity to supply voltage variations. Input offset should be kept low to reduce BGR error in reference voltage. However, this paper emphasis on the flow from schematic to layout using simulation tools. As part of the study, the bonding diagram for tape-out of BGR and FC design in the given SCL frame size with seal ring is also explored, for possible tape-out. Practical implications: Reference voltage or current generators are an important requirement for an analog or digital circuit design. BGR are most common way of generating the reference voltage. This paper provides a detailed insight in design of a FC op amp and a BGR circuit. The complete study flow from design to layout of the circuits on 180 nm SCL process leading to bonding diagram for possible tape-out is discussed. The chip layout of the circuits was designed on 180 nm SCL process ensuring DRC, antenna and LVS clean with metal fill using Cadence virtuoso and Mentor Graphics Calibre simulation tools. Social implications: BGR are most common way of generating the reference voltage. This paper gives a detailed insight of a BGR design using a folded-cascode operational amplifier. The FC op amp is biased using a beta multiplier circuit and high-swing cascode current mirror circuit. The paper discuss FC circuit design flow from schematic to layout. Originality/value: FC op amp is biased using a beta multiplier circuit and high-swing cascode current mirror. The paper discusses FC design flow from schematic to layout. The circuits were designed on 180 nm SCL technology with 1.8 V of power supply. The post-layout simulation show an open-loop gain of 64.5 dB, 3 dB frequency of 5.5 KHz, unity-gain bandwidth of 8.7 MHz, slew rate of 8.4 V/µs, CMRR of 111 dB and power of 25.5 µW. BGR were designed using FC op amp. The proposed BGR generated 1.3 V of reference voltage with a temperature coefficient of 6.3 ppm/°C in the range from −40°C to 125°C in schematic simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine the cryptocurrency adoption (CA) level among Indian retail investors who use cryptocurrency as an investment and mode of transaction. Design/methodology/approach: Through self-administered survey questionnaires, data is collected from 397 retail investors of Haryana (India). This study adopted a quantitative method using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings: This paper offered a robust model with a high explanatory value for CA in which four of the five proposed factors of diffusion of innovation theory (trialability, compatibility, complexity and observability) and one of the two proposed factors of consumer behavioral theory (perceived value) significantly influences CA. More specifically, the absence of regulatory support is a barrier to the broad adoption of cryptocurrencies, as its regulations are necessary to mitigate or minimize uncertain outcomes. Research limitations/implications: This research primarily focuses on CA in India. Thus, it can be extended to cover diverse other countries for more precise results. Practical implications: The results provide insights to the government to design the policies, better regulate and make investment strategies that can ultimately enhance CA. In addition, the study's results also inform financial educators, policymakers, employers and academicians about the significance of several variables affecting CA in India. Social implications: From a social standpoint, this study is an advance that directs central banks and governments to develop, regulate and manage digital currencies and implement a digital currency ecosystem. Moreover, the results assist in understanding investors' perceptions and decision-making perspectives toward cryptocurrencies through the country's digitalization. Originality/value: This paper fills the study gap to assist policymakers and cryptocurrency experts in broadening their knowledge base and recognizing prioritized intentions. Additionally, this study provides a theoretical model with the latent variable for a present and pertinent matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The primary objective of the paper is to examine the asymmetric Cointegration and asymmetric causality between financial development and poverty alleviation on annual data in Indian context over the period from 1980 to 2019. Design/methodology/approach: First nonlinearity test by Brooks et al. (1999) is applied to ascertain the nonlinear behavior of the variables used. Once the nonlinear behavior of variables is confirmed, asymmetric and nonlinear unit root tests by Kapetanios and Shin (2008) are applied to check for the order of integration of selected variables. Next, nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model (NARDL) is employed to analyze the asymmetric Cointegration. Finally, Hatemi-j- asymmetric causality tests is applied to work out the direction of asymmetric causality. Findings: The empirical findings document the existence of asymmetries in the short-run as well as long-run between poverty and financial development. The asymmetry reveals that negative financial development shocks leave a more profound impact on poverty alleviation than their positive equivalents. The findings of Wald's test also confirm the presence of asymmetric Cointegration. The asymmetric cumulative dynamic multipliers used to examine the behavior of asymmetries and adjustments with respect to time lend credence to the results calculated using NARDL estimator. This result exhibits the robustness of the model. Furthermore, the result emanating from recently introduced asymmetric causality test reveals a unidirectional asymmetric causality between negative shocks in financial development and poverty. The findings of the present study necessitate the need for investigating asymmetric and nonlinear effects in finance–poverty nexus, which existent literature has completely neglected, in order to have relevant policy conclusions. Research limitations/implications: The study used "Per capita consumption expenditure" as a measure for poverty due to lack of continuous time series data on headcount ratio. In future, researchers can extend this study by incorporating headcount ratio as a measure of poverty in their respective works. There is further scope of research on this issue by finding out the impact of formal and informal sources of credit on poverty separately. A panel data study for developing countries over a period of time could further confirm/negate the findings of the present study. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge none of the studies in Indian context has scrutinized asymmetric and nonlinear impact of financial development on poverty. To dredge up asymmetric structures at work, the authors have used the highly celebrated NARDL estimator. To enrich the existent body of knowledge along the lines of asymmetric (nonlinear) linkages, the authors have also used recently introduced asymmetric causality test by Hatemi-j-(2012) to find out the direction asymmetric causality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper gives a model of collusion formation and a method of measuring the degree of it among the traders/bidders in the agricultural commodity markets in India. The important assumption is that the bidding is repetitive with a set of common bidders. The theory has been derived based on the behavior of the wholesale market of agricultural commodities in India. The paper is based on full information in the collusion formation. The paper first derives the theoretical structure of the bidders' behavior and thereafter derives a measure of collusion formation with the help of real-life data. Design/methodology/approach: The paper used the standard theory of optimization and the theory of auction and probability statistics. Findings: This is a complete information model of cartel formation. The bidding is repetitive and continues forever in discrete time. Hence bidders behavior is observable. Using the proposed method, if the APMC measures for each market and publishes on a periodic basis, say weekly basis, then it will be easier to break the collusion in the market where relative collision is present. For example, if a farmer has three options to sell in three different markets, then the published data would help them to select the market where the degree of collusion is relatively lower. Moreover, the undesirable loss can be avoided based on the right choice of market. As a result, transaction costs will be optima. Originality/value: The paper first derives the theoretical structure of the bidders' behavior and thereafter derives a measure of collusion formation with the help of real-life data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Given the dominant share of India in global production of fruits and vegetables, this paper intends to analyze the export competitiveness of India and other major food exporters in the world trade. The purpose of this study is to examine export structure, substitutability and complementarity of selected fresh and processed fruits and vegetables of top ten food exporters for the period 2010-20. Design/methodology/approach: Balassa's (1965) revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index was used to measure RCA indices of selected fruits and vegetables under study. Also, revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) and normalized RCA (NRCA) indices have been calculated. Further, Spearman rank correlation coefficients were computed to analyze changes over the study period for India and other competing countries. The export data have been sourced from UN Comtrade, an electronic database of United Nations, as well as World Trade Statistical Review, a database of World Trade Organization. The analysis was undertaken at Harmonized System (HS) four-digit classification for the period 2010-20. Findings: The results disclosed an improvement in India's comparative advantage over the period of 2010-20 in HS 07 product category, whereas the advantage ceded to other competitive nations in HS 08 product category. Further, Spearman rank correlation coefficients revealed that India faces competition from countries like China, Indonesia, Brazil, Thailand, Argentina and European Union for HS 07 product category, while countries like Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil and Thailandare the major competitors of India in HS 08 product category. Originality/value: The paper expands the existing agricultural trade literature in three ways. First, it is one of the very few studies that have analyzed RCA for Indian fresh and processed fruits and vegetables using three different types of indices, namely, Balassa's RCA, RSCA and NRCA. Second, the authors provide a number of comparisons related to RCA for Indian fruits and vegetables with other top food exporters in the world for a period of 10 years (2010-20). Third, the authors contribute to agricultural trade literature by assessing the substitutability or complementarity of India in the export of fruits and vegetables with other competing nations by using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aimed to capture student experience during virtual internships by identifying the facilitators and barriers during their experiential learning journey. The students were pursuing their Master's in Business Administration (MBA) program at a business school in India. The authors shed light on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the current education system, specifically experiential learning through virtual internships. Design/methodology/approach: About 38 Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted from July to September 2022 with the students of a business school located in Pune, India. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed to generate new themes for ascertaining the facilitators and barriers to virtual internships. Interpretative Phenomenology Analysis was undertaken to analyze the lived experiences of the respondents. Findings: Students viewed virtual internships positively in terms of mentor support, active learning, flexibility, and an easy onboarding process. Poor work-life balance, lack of peer learning and infrastructure issues were some of the barriers/challenges faced by the students. Practical implications: The study discusses various managerial and administrative implications. The findings help educationists design effective pedagogy by drawing insights from constructivist learning theory, where students' active role during virtual internships must be given primary attention. Corrective measures in the pedagogy can be taken while designing a virtual internship, considering the barriers found in this study. Originality/value: The themes identified in the study are a novel contribution to the growing body of knowledge on virtual experiential learning. The study empirically captures student experience regarding a relatively new phenomenon of virtual internships, which is the uniqueness of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the impact of remittance inflows on sustained economic growth in India. Design/methodology/approach: This study has taken a time series dataset for the period of 1976–2021, and a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model technique (NARDL) has been applied to check the impact of remittance inflows along with other control variables, including broad money and service sector performance, on the sustained economic growth of India. Findings: The results of the study indicated that in both the short and long runs, any positive shock in remittance inflows has a positive impact on the economic growth of India, while negative shocks do not affect economic growth. Practical implications: The economic policymakers of India can use the findings of the study by implementing remittance-friendly policies. Moreover, NITI Aayog, the body working toward achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) in India, can also use this study as a reference while making strategies to achieve SDG. Originality/value: Economic growth has always been an area of interest among economists, researchers and policymakers. However, achieving sustained economic growth requires an analysis of those factors that themselves have sustained performance over a long period of time and have the potential to sustain it over the upcoming years. This study has taken remittance inflows as one such factor and investigated its impact on the sustained economic growth of India. At present, there is an evident gap in the literature that very little attention has been given to sustained Indian economic growth. Moreover, there is no study available in which the nonlinear impact of different variables has been tested on the economic growth of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study sought to determine the role of green human resource management (GHRM) in fostering employees' environmental performance (ENVP). This study aims to advance knowledge related to the role of firms' GHRM activities in cultivating eco-responsible behaviors among employees, considering green innovation (GI) as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach: For this study, data of 579 respondents were collected from employees working in the manufacturing industry in India. In all, 579 employees from the manufacturing sector in India participated in the study. The proposed model was tested using SMART PLS 3.3. Findings: The findings of this study stated that GHRM was found significantly to predict ENVP in the Indian manufacturing industry, and GI exhibited partial mediation. This study emphasizes that GHRM activities carried out by firms encourage employees to engage in innovation to develop green products and find novel green operation processes to improve firms' ENVP. Research limitations/implications: As this study is limited to manufacturing organizations in India, the results of this study cannot be generalized; future studies may examine the proposed model in different contexts to generalize findings. Originality/value: This study encourages policymakers to devise laws to enable organizations to implement GHRM practices. This study contributes to the existing literature on the environmental aspects of corporate social responsibility and environmental management. This study is one of the few attempts that seek to assess the relationship between GHRM, ENVP and GI in the Indian manufacturing industry. The contribution of this paper is significant to limit GHRM literature, as it empirically investigates the association between GHRM and ENVP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to establish and empirically investigate a research model examining the effect of four dimensions of the technology readiness index – optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and insecurity – on customer engagement that further influences purchase intention in the context of online shopping through artificial intelligence voice assistants (AI VAs). Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected in India from 429 customers in a self-administered online survey. Data analysis uses the structural equation modelling technique. Findings: Technology readiness dimensions, e.g. optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and insecurity, are critical factors driving customer engagement. Customer engagement further results in purchase intention in online shopping through AI VAs. Research limitations/implications: This study adds to the literature by understanding how customers' technology readiness levels drive engagement and purchase intention. However, this study includes customer engagement as a unidimensional construct. Further research can consist of customer engagement as a multidimensional construct. Practical implications: The findings offer guidelines for e-retailers to enhance customer engagement that matches their personality traits, thereby strengthening their purchase intention through AI VAs. Originality/value: The research contributes to the literature by empirically investigating a research model, revealing optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and insecurity as crucial parameters for customer engagement and purchase intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to apply systems modeling to explore the usability of the online learning platform in the future compared to its usefulness during the pandemic era. Design/methodology/approach: The applied systems research methodology has been used to develop a stock-flow model encompassing enablers and constraints for learning platform usage from the primary data collected through a survey of 163 respondents. Findings: The model simulation observed promising trends over one year for online learning platforms provided the challenges are reduced in seven to eight months. Challenges linked to the Internet and interaction need must be removed for future usage. Research limitations/implications: The results of the survey and model simulation suggest actions for product planning and development of online learning platforms based on customer insights. Product customization and feature enhancement will be required for the continued usability of online learning products. Actions for Internet service providers are to capture the online learner market by removing issues of Internet access bandwidth, and quality of content. Also, there should be sufficient teacher–student interaction in the online learning mode. Originality/value: This is an original study using systems modeling to evaluate factors contributing to students' intention to use online learning conducted at Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed to be University) Dayalbagh Agra, UP, India, 282005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to gain insights into how students perceive online examination practices and evaluation, as well as identify the key factors that impact their intentions toward online exams. Design/methodology/approach: This empirical study conducted in India utilized an online survey method between May 24 and June 14, 2022. The data were collected from 712 undergraduate and postgraduate students through a Google Docs questionnaire. Descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), regression and reliability analysis were conducted to analyze the data. Findings: There are many studies related to the adoption of online learning. However, there are limited studies that explore the adoption and acceptance of online examinations and evaluations. This paper intends to fill this gap and tries to highlight important factors influencing online examination usage by the students. Five important factors emerged in the study include "pedagogy, validity, reliability," "practicality," "security," "facilitating condition" and "intention," The study concludes that taking tests online is preferred for several reasons, including the perceived increased dependability of grades and the decreased cost, time and effort associated with taking exams. Research limitations/implications: This research explores students' perceptions of learning management systems (LMS)-based online exams and provides insights for students to better prepare and adapt. It assists policymakers in developing fair assessment policies and improving LMS platforms. The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of e-learning and calls for further research to enhance the effectiveness of online exams. It identifies gaps in existing literature and recommends larger sample sizes, broader representation, longitudinal data collection and conversational methods for future research. Originality/value: This study shows increasing research on e-learning and online examinations, mostly using quantitative methods. The important variables for understanding students' perceptions of online exams are "pedagogy, validity, reliability," "practicality," "security," "facilitating condition" and "intention." Concerns raised include validity, fairness and security. Electronic exams are more suitable for formative evaluation, and validity, reliability, security and adaptability are key pillars for successful online testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Housing policies in India (last modified in 2017) define "affordable housing" on three main parameters – income of the target group, dwelling unit size and house price to income ratio. The Covid-19 pandemic has questioned the robustness of the defining parameters of affordable housing. This paper aims to study the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on housing affordability and adequacy for the urban poor and highlights how one pandemic has directly challenged the practicality of the affordable housing criteria in urban India. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on a pilot test conducted through interviews with the consumer group. Furthermore, the affordable housing policies of urban India were studied in conjunction with the pandemic guidelines laid down by the World Health Organization. The consumer responses were analyzed in relation to the policies and guidelines to arrive at the inferences. The secondary case examples of the Dharavi slums in Mumbai and the Savda Ghevra slum resettlement colony in Delhi, along with the findings of the primary survey in the economically weaker section category, are used to formulate the conclusions. Findings: The pilot test conducted for the target consumer group clearly indicates that (i) the pandemic has severely affected the housing purchase capacity of the target consumer, thereby questioning the "affordability" of housing; (ii) proposed housing solutions are inadequate to enable livability, thereby questioning the "adequacy" of housing; and (iii) proposed housing solutions are inept to accommodate pandemic protocols. The Covid-19 pandemic and the conditions it imposed on the built environment clearly highlight the inadequacy of affordable housing parameters being followed in urban India. Research limitations/implications: Further research may be conducted on global best practices in housing, which may advise the housing policies in India. Practical implications: The study suggests key areas that need intervention and modification to make the housing policies more robust and effective. Social implications: The study explores the social sustainability aspects of housing, which are often considered secondary in policies. Originality/value: Because housing has a direct bearing on the physical, social and mental well-being of society, it is imperative to find housing solutions that are safe and resilient for a sustainable future. This paper is an original attempt by the author to question and highlight how the current affordable housing solutions adopted in urban India will continue to fail under any external adverse conditions unless modifications are considered in the existing housing parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As Covid-19 became a pandemic, numerous people were forced to stay at home, leading to increased intimate partner violence (IPV) in many countries, particularly in developing and least-developed ones. This paper aims to highlight the IPV based on 15 different cases formed from the practical evidence of five developing countries. Design/methodology/approach: The authors interviewed 15 women from five countries who were the victims of IPV during the early periods of Covid-19 outbreak. Due to geographical remoteness, the authors conducted informal telephone interviews to collect the participants' personal experiences. The conversations were recorded with participants' permission; afterwards, the authors summarized participants' experiences into 15 different cases without revealing their original identities (instead, disguised names were used). Findings: It was revealed that the women were the primary victims of such violence, particularly from their intimate partners (husbands). In most cases, such IPV, as reported by the interviewees, originated or increased after the pandemic when they were forced to stay at home, losing their partners' jobs or income sources. Originality/value: The authors summarized the causes of IPV and put forward a few action recommendations based on the interviewees' practical experience and existing literature. This paper will open a new window for research investigations on IPV during emergencies such as Covid-19 outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Indian government initiated several skill development policies and different types of vocational education and training (VET). Yet the participation in skill education is low because of poor labour market outcomes. This paper aims to calculate returns to skill education to understand the type of training that will have better labour market outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper nationally representative data from the periodic labour force survey (PLFS), collected by the national sample survey office for 2017–2018, are used to estimate the returns to formal and non-formal VET obtained (after different levels of general education) with the help of Heckman's two-stage method. Findings: Nearly 8% of the working-age population has received some form of VET (mostly non-formal), generating poor returns. For the overall population, formal on-job training (OJT) and full-time VET influence wage positively and significantly. Full-time VET obtained after secondary and below levels of education generates positive returns, whereas part-time VET is profitable only to those without formal education. At the graduate level, technical education obtained along with VET is associated with better wages. Originality/value: In India where a considerable proportion of the workforce is employed in the informal sector, different types of skill training like full-time, part-time and OJT influence labour market outcomes. This finding has policy implication for countries with large informal sector and calls for further research in such countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article attempts to highlight the defining role that community media engagements play during times of the pandemic. It is argued that the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic forced community news media houses to reinvent their news reporting practices to cover issues pertaining to the marginalized and underprivileged sections of the society. It explores the role of community media in engaging and empowering the citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Central to our study is the analysis of the news model of "Video Volunteers" (henceforth VV), an independent community-based online news platform based in India. To understand the level of citizen participation and engagement in the making and dissemination of news during the pandemic, the authors conducted 13 interviews with different stakeholders of VV, including founders and news audiences. Findings: It seeks to reveal that when the mainstream media have failed to represent the issues of a local community, it is the independent media platforms like VV which function as a veritable source of information and sharing of knowledge. Most importantly, this paper emphasizes that the communicative model of independent community-based online platforms has been most successful in the coverage of the pandemic and the level of engagement with the citizenry. Originality/value: The study contributes to the aspects of reciprocity and collaborative journalism in community news media and its potential impacts on news creation and dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to measure and investigate the determinants of corruption across Indian states. Design/methodology/approach: This research begins by developing a corruption index (CI) based on official data on corruption cases. Second, the authors also create an adjusted corruption index (ACI) using the stochastic frontier modelling approach to address corruption case under-reporting. Third, they use a panel feasible generalised least square (FGLS) technique to discover corruption determinants. Findings: The results show that approximately 77% of corruption cases in India go under-reported, which is a major concern. The results also show that per capita income, government spending, law and order and urbanisation are the important factors affecting corruption at the regional level. Practical implications: The findings of the study emphasise the need to address the huge under-reporting of corruption data. From a policy perspective, the governments need to emphasise factors like per capita income, government spending, law and order and urbanisation to tackle corruption in India. Originality/value: Corruption is a complex global phenomenon, and several studies have conducted detailed research on the causes of corruption at all levels (regional and cross national), but this study differs from previous studies in the following ways. First, the authors used a more objective measure of corruption by developing a CI at the state level. Second, the study uses stochastic frontier analysis, which is novel in the literature on corruption analysis, to address the most critical component of under-reporting in corruption data. Finally, the study attempts to examine the factors of corruption at the regional level, which is again innovative in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Assistive technology (AT) is like the eyes of visually impaired users (VIUs) and plays a vital role in making them independent in accessing a wide range of library resources and services. It is a revolutionary way to improve the academic performance of VIUs and amalgamate them into mainstream library services. This paper aims to explore the familiarity and understanding of AT among VIUs in accessing library resources and services of three special institutes of Haryana state, India. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a survey method, and data were collected using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of closed-ended questions focused on participants' familiarity, understanding and key barriers VIUs face in accessing existing AT facilities. Scope of the study is to include three special institutions' libraries serving to VIUs in Haryana (India). Purposive sampling technique was adopted for data collection. The data are tabulated and analyzed with descriptive statistics methods using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.0, and the results are presented in tables, diagrams and graphs. Findings: The study found that most of the VIUs are highly familiar and reported an expert understanding of Daisy player and digital voice recorder, whereas refreshable Braille display, Braille printer/embosser and scanning and reading devices are least familiar with and reported poor understanding. In the software category, it is noted that VIUs are more familiar with screen reading and speech synthesizer software than other software, and participants confirmed a good understanding of the said software. Practical implications: The literature review revealed that the majority of library staff in the institutions being investigated had limited knowledge about the availability of the most suitable AT tools. So, the study will be beneficial for them to select the most popular AT tools for their libraries to amalgamate VIUs. The study also highlights some barriers VIUs face in using the existing AT facility of their respective libraries that may be helpful for librarians to understand the root cause of low utilization of available AT tools and how to address this problem effectively. The study can also help policymakers in formulating AT policies for academic libraries. Findings will also help to develop a cost-effective AT workstation suiting the needs of VIUs. Originality/value: This study will provide an idea to library professionals about which AT hardware and software are more popular among VIUs and useful for developing/improving cutting-edge AT facilities in their libraries to amalgamate VIUs in the mainstream of the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Following a crucial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the coronavirus has affected every academic institution, particularly libraries and information centres. To address this unprecedented scenario, libraries' staff has decided to provide their services via digital access while staying close to the users. To predict users' intention to use digital libraries after COVID-19, the authors combined the technology acceptance model (TAM), the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and perceived risk. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected via a paper-based questionnaire using a convenient sampling method which was distributed at two major libraries; Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University and Dr Zakir Husain Library, Jamia Millia Islamia in India. Findings: Empirical findings suggested that all the proposed hypotheses were supported, and the integrated model had strong explanation power as the proposed model explained a 74.5% variance in users' intention to use digital libraries after COVID-19. Research limitations/implications: This study offers substantial information to librarians, digital libraries, universities, institutes and other stakeholders and sheds light on the potential for a developing nation to transition to an economy with a strong digital infrastructure. The scope of the study is constrained to the users in India only, hence, leading to the possibility that it may be challenging to generalize the findings. Originality/value: According to the best of the authors' knowledge, it is one of the few studies to predict users' intentions for using digital libraries after COVID-19 by applying the integrated model of TPB and TAM in an emerging economy. It helped understand the users' attitudes towards using the digital services and resources available at the respective libraries. It also contributed considerably to the argument that users have grown accustomed to harnessing digital libraries during the post-COVID-19 period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Prisoners are at a higher risk of HIV infection compared to the general population. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of HIV and related risk behaviours among inmates of the Central Prisons in four states of North India. Design/methodology/approach: The HIV sentinel surveillance was conducted in seven Central Prisons in four states of North India from February to April 2019. Four hundred inmates were included from each prison. The interviews were conducted at the Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre located within the prison premises. The Ethics Committee of the National AIDS Control Organization, New Delhi, granted ethical approval before the start of the surveillance. Findings: Overall, 2,721 inmates were enrolled in this study. The mean (SD) age was 38.9 (13.9) years. One-third of prison inmates had comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS. The proportion of convict (54%) and undertrial (46%) inmates was almost equal. The overall prevalence of HIV infection among inmates was 0.96% (95% CI 0.65–1.40). The odds of being HIV positive were significantly higher in never married inmates, undertrials, inmates who were in the prison for more than three months to one year, inmates incarcerated for multiple times, inmates with history of injecting drug use and inmates with history of intercourse with a commercial sex worker. Originality/value: The findings from the very first HIV sentinel surveillance in central prisons in North India have been presented in this paper. This has huge implications for future policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: India is a rapidly developing economy with a rapidly expending internet infrastructure and among the largest Generation Z population. This generation is tech savvy and the access to technology and network creates a conducive environment for such usage. Internet banking for the same reasons is growing leaps and bounds. The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) has created disruptions in the traditional banking also. This paper aims to analyze the comfort level and usage of AI-enabled banking services by Generation Z. Design/methodology/approach: The data is collected from 272 Generation Z members. The differential aspects, that is, the relationship of independent variables with dependent variables (AI-enabled internet banking), were analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach. Findings: Defining factors for AI-enabled internet banking were identified. The results of factors were consistent with previous studies. It was found that the usage of AI-enabled internet banking services is insignificant, indicating that Generation Z does not perceive any advantage in using AI-enabled internet banking services. Research limitations/implications: This paper does not incorporate age groups other than Generation Z. Further research could throw light on the difference based on age groups. Further research is required to deeply understand why Generation Z does not perceive AI-enabled internet services as very important. Practical implications: It has been observed that internet banking is important for Generation Z, but they also place greater importance on interpersonal communication. Banks need to consider this in designing their internet banking services. Originality/value: This paper addresses the gap between comfort with and usage of AI-enabled internet banking services, by Generation Z. This paper indicates that the comfort with AI-enabled internet banking services does not translate to usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Even after COVID-19 pandemic, several organizations intend extending work-from-home (WFH), to the extent of making it permanent for many. However, WFH's impact on productivity remains uncertain. Therefore, this paper aims to study personal and job factors determining the likelihood of amount of work done at home being same/more vis-à-vis office. Design/methodology/approach: Employees' basic psychological needs and job crafting tendencies; job-related aspects of task independence, technology resources and supervisory support; and several demographic factors are examined as determinants. Firth logistic regression analysis of data from 301 Indian white-collar employees is performed. Findings: Demographically, longer exposure to WFH, greater work experience and being a support function worker increased the likelihood of same/greater amount of work done at home. Being a woman or married reduced the likelihood, while being a manufacturing/services worker was non-significant. Among psychological needs, greater needs for autonomy and relatedness decreased and increased the likelihood of same/greater amount of work done at home, respectively. Regarding personal and job resources, job crafting to increase structural job resources and supervisor support increased the likelihood of same/greater amount of work done at home versus office. Originality/value: This paper adds to the limited India-centric literature on WFH; uniquely examining influences of individual personal attributes on amount of work done by combining job demands-resources (JD-R) model and basic psychological needs theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to carry out the literature search on manufacturing organizations and total productive maintenance (TPM). This research aims at studying TPM attributes and barriers in line with the TPM framework for effective implementation of TPM. This study identifies the barriers in TPM implementation and the critical success factors (CSFs) for effective TPM implementation. Design/methodology/approach: In this manuscript, the study of TPM in the manufacturing sector has been considered a broad area of the research and emphasis on the TPM literature review, which primarily relates to the contribution of manufacturing sector and employment availability. Next sections covers TPM history, importance, justification, pillars, obstacles and TPM implementation procedure and models. Thereafter author identified the gaps in existing literature. Findings: The existing literature shows that very few TPM implementation models are available for the manufacturing sector. The study also found that there is no systematically conducted large-scale empirical research which deals with TPM implementation. In order to bridge this gap, an investigation into the successful implementation of TPM in is truly needed. The finding of the literature shows that there is a need of TPM model specially developed for the manufacturing sector. The identified critical factors derived from the extensive literature review help to overcome the barriers for effective TPM implementation. Research limitations/implications: This review study is limited to Indian manufacturing industries. The identified TPM CSFs are based on the TPM pillars and their sub-factors. This cross-sectional study was based on the existing TPM model. Practical implications: This paper can increase the significance of TPM strategy, which could help managers of organizations to have a better understanding of the benefits of implementing TPM and therefore enable patient satisfaction within their organizations. Originality/value: The literature review covers methodical identification of TPM barriers and critical factors for maintenance performance improvements. It allows the practitioners to apply these identified CSFs for TPM implementation to achieve an improvement in industrial performance and competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a global phenomenon. IPV is a public health, social policy and human rights concern across the globe. It remains a serious issue in Indian context as well. This paper aims to identify the factors associated with IPV using India's nationally representative National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data. Design/methodology/approach: To identify the factors associated with IPV in India, the authors have used binary logistic regression to estimate two models. The outcome variables are women facing physical violence in the first model and sexual violence in the second. The explanatory variables are broadly socio-economic indicators related to the women and a few other indicators related to the characteristics of the household. Findings: The authors found that urban and working women face higher odds of violence. Alcohol consumption by the husband increases the risks of IPV, whereas risk decreases with women's autonomy. Even though the prevalence of physical and sexual violence has decreased by 6.8% and 3.9% from 2005–2006 to 2019–2021, the data shows that women across social, economic and regions still face violence from their partners. However, the physical violence increased from 2015–2016 to 2019–2021. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is a distinct attempt to use pooled data of the nationally representative sets NFHS-3 (2005–2006), NFHS-4 (2015–2016) and NFHS-5 (2019–2021) to study the factors associated with IPV in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Jamun is an underutilised fruit crop of India whose utilization needs to be considerably increased. Despite its impressive nutritional profile and several health benefits, its cultivation is still very limited. Hence, this study aims to highlight the essential nutrients, health benefits and value-added products of jamun fruit and seed. Design/methodology/approach: Major sources of bibliometric information such as Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar were extensively searched with keywords such as nutritional composition of jamun, bioactive compounds, health benefits and jamun-based food products to obtain a database of 317 papers. Thirty four publications met the criteria for review. Findings: Jamun fruit (Syzygium cumini L.) is known for its attractive colour, astringent taste, enormous nutrients and nutraceutical properties; nevertheless, this fruit is seasonal, perishable and underutilised. Furthermore, the fruit is used for the treatment of diabetes and also possess anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity and cardio-protection properties. Investigations were done on the production of value-added food products such as read-to-serve beverages, jam, cookies and cake from jamun due to their several health benefits. The present review was an attempt to provide spotlights on the health benefits and food product applications of jamun fruit and its by-products. Originality/value: This review systematically collates evidence from various published sources regarding the nutritional profile, development of food products from jamun and their health benefits. The compiled information will help researchers and professional become aware of the significance of jamun fruit and thereby enhances its processing and applications in food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Equity research in experimental psychology reveals investors' overreactions to bad news events. This study of asymmetric price structures in equity markets investigates whether such behavior predicts stock returns in an emerging market of India. Design/methodology/approach: The research decomposes Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex returns into Extremely Positive Returns (EPR) and Extremely Negative Returns (ENR) based on extreme values at first and then tests their lead–lag relations. Findings: The empirical finding is consistent with the existing evidence of asymmetric news effects on stock returns in India. In precise, ENR robustly predicts one-month-ahead EPR for the sample period from January 1991 to March 2020. This predictive power persists even in the presence of popular valuation ratios and business cycle variables. Practical implications: The paper explains the rationale of extreme value modeling in price forecasting. Investors can find additional utility gains from market cycle information while predicting extreme returns in Indian stock market. Originality/value: The paper is unique to understand business cycle effects in extreme return reversals in emerging markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To understand the new non-linear pricing in E-commerce. The present paper aims to put forth an idea of using tie-in agreement in the electronic commerce market in the name of trust in India. According to the Indian antitrust law, tie-in agreement is not allowed to use as compulsory in an offer to the buyer. This means that a tie-in agreement cannot be a compulsion or only an option to the buyer. This means it can be an extra option. Design/methodology/approach: The paper shows that using this logic the sellers are giving two options simultaneously to the buyer: (1) a commodity with a tie-in agreement and (2) the same commodity without a tie-in agreement. Therefore, there are two price mechanisms that are present. Now it is the decision of the buyer to choose between the two. These two price mechanisms create a new variable called trust. If the buyer selects the first option, then that buyer will not be treated as a trustworthy buyer, but in the second case, the buyer would be treated as a trustworthy or the affianced buyer. Therefore, the buyer would be leaning toward the second option. The paper proves that in the second option it would be difficult to minimize the consumer expenditure. As a result, there would be a situation of non-linear pricing in the name of trust which is hidden in the offer. The present work gives both theoretical models and empirical justifications. Findings: We find that E-wallet is often used when a consumer orders food online but offline cash payment is preferred. Therefore, the offer does matter for the consumer. Hence, the offer can be used to make a tie-in arrangement. Therefore, even if there is a tie-in arrangement in online food servicing applications, the Competition Commission of India can restrict such practices as for illegal tying, the firm has to have the monopoly power in one market and there should be compulsory tie-arrangement in another market. But it does not mean that E-wallet tie-arrangement cannot be ignored as the monopoly power in the online food servicing market can influence the market share in the E-wallet market. Tie-in arrangement is also important, as the consumer has to spend more under cashback offer conditions which reduce the long-run gain of consumers. Originality/value: The paper considered trust as a new element in forming non-linear pricing. This is new to this literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to extend existing theories and fills research gaps regarding the acceptance and use of new technologies by consumers by exploring the adoption of app-cab services in India. Through the application and comparison of a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and UTAUT 2/expanded-UTAUT (E-UTAUT) models, this paper empirically tests the relationships between important constructs related to technology adoption, acceptance and utilization in India's emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 612 responses to a questionnaire of active and regular users of app-cab services in India are examined. Path analysis and structural equation modeling presents interesting findings indicating that the expanded models have huge implications for the Indian app-cab industry. Findings: This paper finds that the UTAUT 2/E-UTAUT models are a good fit for consumers and their behavior toward technology-based services. In particular, this study, one of the first of its kind, examines consumer acceptance and use behavior and identifies the factors that influence customer behavior with regard to new technology (app-cab services) in an emerging economy (India). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Originality/value: Very few studies are available on app-cab adoption in emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine the association between productivity growth and job reallocation in terms of job creation and job destruction. It also finds this productivity employment relationship for heterogeneous labor market institutions of the Indian states. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses longitudinal data of the Annual Survey of Industries of Indian manufacturing from 2009–2010 to 2015–2016 and employs fixed-effect multinomial logistic regression. Findings: The paper finds a mixed result of total factor productivity (TFP) increase on employment. An increase in TFP is positively associated with employment by reducing the probability of destroying jobs, while adversely associated with employment by reducing the probability of creating jobs. The negative association of the increase in TFP on employment is more in the Indian states with strict labor regulations. Research limitations/implications: The relationship between TFP and employment can be endogenous. TFP is calculated as output changes that are not explained by inputs, capital and labor. So, job creation/destruction may affect TFP by changing the composition of employment and/or returns on labor/capital. In addition, this study is only restricted to Indian organized manufacturing. Practical implications: The results from this study help deeply understand the Indian labor market. In particular, it provides valuable insights into the "jobless growth" in Indian manufacturing and the recent changes in labor laws. Social implications: The findings from this study provide useful information to enhance the robust growth of productive jobs and efficient reallocation of labor. Originality/value: Unlike most papers, which analyzed the relationship between productivity growth and net employment changes, the present paper finds the relationship between improvement in productivity and job reallocation in terms of simultaneous creation of new jobs and destruction of existing jobs. In addition, the paper links this relationship with the existing heterogeneous labor laws of the Indian states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the significance of board gender diversity (BGD) on the firm's intellectual capital (IC) performance of 272 Indian firms listed on the National Stock Exchange during 2007–2019. Considering the recent regulatory amendment by the Indian regulatory system (Security Exchange Board of India, 2018) which mandates at least one female independent directors on boards of all listed companies. Design/methodology/approach: Based on theories and literature reviews, hypotheses were developed. This paper uses the proportion of female director on board and proportion of female independent directors to measure BGD and modified value-added intellectual coefficient (MVAIC) methodology to measure firms' IC performance. Two-step system-generalised method of moment panel data regression analysis has been employed to identify the variables that significantly affect IC performance. Findings: This paper finds female representation on boards has a significant impact on MVAIC; capital employed efficiency shows the strongest association with female directors on board, followed by structural capital efficiency and human capital efficiency, while relational capital efficiency shows no significant effect. The results further demonstrate that female independent director has a significant but negative impact on IC. Research limitations/implications: As the study is limited to the listed firms of an emerging economy with a mandatory female quota for boards. Thus to increase the generalizability of findings, future research can be extended to include all listed and non-listed firms from another emerging economy with a mandatory female quota. Practical implications: From the practical perspective, this study bridges the gap between theory and practice in terms of providing a deeper understanding to the policymakers and Indian regulatory bodies like the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Securities Exchange Board on the importance of including female members on board as a vital contributing factor for leveraging firm's intangible performance. Originality/value: Using resource dependency theory and agency, this study extends the literature on IC efficiency and female representation on boards by presenting the research outcome for Indian listed firms. This paper, addressing the recent changes introduced by Indian regulators and using the female independent directors on board, is amongst the first attempts to assess the relevance of BGD and IC performance. This issue has still not been discussed and analysed by researchers in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Rehabilitation facilities available for persons with intellectual disabilities are low in India. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate an action research programme undertaken in Thrissur district, Kerala, India, to provide institution-based vocational training to selected beneficiaries of BUDS rehabilitation institutions. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 40 students were selected for the training programme. Different vocational activities were included according to criteria such as the abilities of students, sustainability and therapeutic value. Findings: The results of data analysis showed that fraternity, engagement and collectivism were the themes that emerged from the conversations with students, teachers and parents. Some students showed marked improvements in various areas of functioning. Research limitations/implications: Larger replication studies could provide more evidence for wider implementation. Practical implications: There is a possibility of scaling up the model at the state or national level. Social implications: This model could be adopted for providing better services to persons with intellectual disabilities in similar low- and middle-income settings. Originality/value: To the best of the author's knowledge, this paper is the first known attempt at examining the utility of vocational activity training as therapeutic intervention for persons with intellectual disabilities in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) leaves Indian business teetering on the edge of survival. This paper aims to set out to assess the impact of the pandemic shocks on the small and medium business segments in India. The research also explores the strategies that potentially take the segments back to recovery and growth. Design/methodology/approach: The findings draw on the perspectives of academic and business people, and the authors use linear and nonlinear regression modelling under three recovery scenarios to support our arguments. Findings: Evidence suggests that the shocks to business are manifold and the severity of most of the issues will aggravate as the recovery prolongs. Practical implications: The paper explains the rationale of realistic strategies and compares its effects across potent recoveries. The findings are useful for both academics and business and relates to the strategic decisions that would be taken by small and medium enterprises to expedite recovery from the crisis. Originality/value: The research is unique in surveying the academics and entrepreneurs about the impact of COVID-19 on Indian business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to perform a psychometric evaluation of the internal green marketing (IGM) scale in the context of consumer, industrial and service industry from a developing economy. Drawing on IGM theory, this study validates the measurement scales to operationalize IGM as green internal communication (GIC), green skill development (GSD) and green rewards (GRs). Design/methodology/approach: The sample was drawn from the consumer, industrial and service industries in Jammu and Kashmir, India, using a random sampling method. Data were collected from consumer, industrial and service industries in two phases through a self-administrated questionnaire-based survey. In total, 137 managers responded during the first phase, and 368 managers responded during the second phase. During the first phase, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to uncover the underlying dimensions of IGM, and during the second phase, data were analyzed to test the validity of the IGM scale through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Findings: EFA suggested a three-dimension scale (green internal communication (GIC), green skill development (GSD), and green rewards (GR)) which was confirmed by CFA. The findings of the study demonstrate that IGM is a valid and reliable scale to capture the individual-level perception of the employees with respect to the green internal marketing of an organization. Practical implications: This paper is expected to provide valuable insights into the area of internal green marketing (IGM) about an industry that can be of immense help to domestic and international marketers in formulating human resource (HR)/marketing strategies. Further, it provides a wide-ranging scale that can act as a base for future research studies that aim to explore internal green marketing (IGM) in different organizational settings. Originality/value: IGM is embedded in three underlying elements as GIC, GSD and GRs. It is suitable to the practitioner and researchers to operationalize IGM as a second-order construct in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a model developed through a thorough qualitative analysis of pertinent stakeholder perceptions that can be used to map Master of Business Administration (MBA) students' aspirations, goals, strengths and weaknesses to create optimal interventions and enable better employability. Design/methodology/approach: This study used an exploratory research design. The authors conducted interviews with 60 stakeholders to identify themes that form constituents of the E-Career Canvas for Individuals (E-CCI) model. To assess the impact of the proposed initiative, 30 random participants were chosen for interviews from among alumni, present students, faculty, recruiters and the university administration across five years. Findings: The proposed model captures the short-term and long-term goals of students concerning their career aspirations. This study has qualitatively explored the impacts of the E-CCI initiative on graduating students' outcomes. The impacts are positive. The findings also suggest that recruiters do experience an incremental difference among graduates who have participated in the E-CCI program at an educational institute in India. Practical implications: Business schools may adopt this model to create profiles of their MBA students. Students, as well as institutional administration, may work on mitigating the shortcomings and weaknesses identified through E-CCI initiatives and target the roles matching the profiles of students during placements. Originality/value: This paper presents a novel model of E-CCI to capture the aspirations of MBA graduates and direct them to fulfil their goals. This study takes into consideration the viewpoints of key stakeholders involved to map the effectiveness of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper explores why local disaster scholars often fail to put the needs of local people at the centre of their research. Specifically, it explores two questions: (1) why local concerns are often not reflected in the research agenda? And (2) why we are falling behind in generating locally applicable disaster knowledge? The paper engages with the experiences of local disaster researchers to answer the research questions. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was undertaken to conduct the study. In total, 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with practitioners and academics working in the domain of disaster studies in different regions of India. Criterion sampling was employed to recruit the participants. An interview guide with open ended questions was used to conduct the interviews. The data were thematically analysed utilizing qualitative data analysis software to arrive at the findings. Findings: The participants identified three potential reasons behind the lack of locally relevant disaster research. First, the existing concepts and terminologies which guide disaster research are often inadequate to represent the local reality. Second, "foreign" funders and policymakers often influence the agenda and emphasis of the research which creates barriers in developing research agenda relevant to the local needs. The time-bound project format of research is often problematic. It resembles looking at the community through a peephole which hardly gives the whole picture. Third, resource constraints also create substantial hindrances in conducting locally relevant research. Research limitations/implications: The sample only included participants who believed that disaster research is often not relevant locally in India. Participants having different standpoints on the issue were not included which remains as a limitation of the study. Practical implications: The research highlights the challenges that local researchers face while conducting locally relevant research and how they can be overcome. The author expects that the findings of the research will help in challenging and transforming established practices in disaster studies and bridging the gap between disaster research and vulnerable people. Originality/value: This paper is valuable because it documents the perspectives of local researchers on the barriers that need to be overcome to produce locally relevant disaster research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate empirically the perceptions of the stakeholder regarding their relevance based on their perceived preference in terms of climate strategy proactivity (CSP) which is an outcome of the importance and influence of the category of the stakeholders of Indian companies. Revolutionized by the liberalization–privatization–globalization, the practices and strategies of the companies in the developing country such as India have been marked by dynamic changes in the several past decades. In these circumstances, it has become imperative to understand the relevance of the stakeholders in terms of CSP displayed by these companies to seek help in developing appropriate strategies in the emerging competitive market. Design/methodology/approach: This paper used a research design comprising descriptive analytical method using non-probability purposive sampling method to collect data from a sampled 701 respondents representing eleven categories stakeholders, with the help of a cross-sectional, self-administered online survey questionnaire. Findings: The findings of the study detail the evaluation of the stakeholders relevance based on their perceived preference in terms of CSP attaching significance to the stakeholders' perception as a useful tool. While the findings hint at the incessant growth of stakeholder awareness urging corporations to analyze effects and adopt appropriate strategies in developing countries, they also evaluate empirically the perceptions of the stakeholder regarding their relevance based on their perceived preference in terms of CSP which is an outcome of the importance and influence enjoyed by the category of the stakeholders of Indian companies. The findings confirmed the adequate level of awareness of the stakeholders of Indian companies responsible for making them adopt CSP. Research limitations/implications: This study had the limitations such as collection of information through a self-reported questionnaire which might have the impact of self-bias despite all the preventive and corrective measures, and the risk of creation of a subjective viewpoint due to the assessment of the perceptions of varied stakeholders. Nonetheless, meeting the objective of this study, the study succeeds in providing a stakeholder perspective to the existing body of knowledge with respect to CSP, a stakeholders-centric concept which is in infancy in the context of developing countries and their corporations. Originality/value: The paper is original as it adds value by providing empirical evidence from the perspective of different stakeholders, including but not limited to managers or shareholders only, like majority of previous studies. By doing so, it successfully attempts to contextualize them indicating the need to unlock huge potentialities and substantial significance for other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to focus on the housing situation in Indian cities and the various stakeholders involved in the housing sector. This study addresses the conflict in expectations of the supply and demand side of the housing and establishes the factors crucial to making housing successful for all the stakeholders, essential for sustainable urban development. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is developed using the content analysis of preceding independent reviews on housing sustainability by authors across the globe, a review of the current housing situation in Indian cities and a Pilot study of the desired qualitative aspects of housing by the consumer group. Findings: This paper identifies the challenges and constraints of the various stakeholders involved in the housing sector. A comprehensive list of all the parameters, both qualitative and quantitative, essential for successful housing implementation, focused on the preferences of the demand side, also referred to as the "Critical Success Factors (CSFs)" is generated. The results advocate a strict consideration and integration of these CSFs with the housing policies for all future housing projects. Research limitations/implications: Most of the studies conducted in the past have reviewed the housing situation in India from the perspective of the government authorities and the initiatives undertaken by them to improve the housing crisis. However, a gap exists in achieving a balanced understanding of the supply-side constraints, with the demand-side expectations from the housing. Focusing only on the supply without adequately understanding the consumption can only lead to further chaos in the already turbulent housing situation. Originality/value: To the best of author's knowledge, this is among the first attempts to address the housing scenario in urban centers of India, simultaneously from the perspective of both the demand side and the supply side of the housing, giving additional impetus to the expectations of the demand side which are often ignored. This study becomes more relevant in the ongoing pandemic situation to be able to provide appropriate and acceptable housing solutions to all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the present era, research data is a concern for researchers, as they are trying to find new ways to communicate their research findings and conclusions to other researchers in order to increase visibility and credibility. BRICS nations are fast emerging economies and contribute significantly in research output. This study makes an effort to analyze and explore the role of BRICS nations towards open access research data repository registered with Registry of Research Data Repositories. Design/methodology/approach: The data were gathered from re3data repository, and the search was limited to BRICS nations. The data were further analyzed and tabulated as per set parameters, namely, country-wise distribution, types of contents, subject coverage and language diversity. Findings: The findings depict that in terms of strength, India has the highest number of data repositories, thereby achieved the first rank among BRICS nations, and South Africa has the least number of data repositories, whereas in terms of content type and subject coverage, India again is leading among BRICS nations. The English language is used by repositories as the main language of the interface. Practical implications: The study helps to understand the development of research data repositories by BRICS nations. The study is further beneficial to researchers, as Registry of Research Data Repository provides a single platform to access repositories from various disciplines. Readily available data saves time, money and efforts of researchers and helps the researcher in completing their research activity in a very short span of time. Originality/value: The paper has investigated open access data repositories of BRICS nation that has not been attempted earlier. This gives readers comprehensive overview of research data repositories developed in fast emerging economies of the global. The paper can be very helpful for information managers, OA promoters and education and research policy makers to devise plans and policy bearing in mind the evolving research channels in emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aims to overview the different types of internal-led cyber fraud that have gained mainstream attention in recent major-value fraud events involving prominent Indian banks. The authors attempted to identify and classify cyber frauds and its drivers and correlate them for optimal mitigation planning. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology opted for the identification and classification is through a detailed literature review and focus group discussion with risk and vigilance officers and cyber cell experts. The authors assessed the future of cyber fraud in the Indian banking business through the machine learning–based k-nearest neighbor (K-NN) approach and prioritized and predicted the future of cyber fraud. The predicted future revealing dominance of a few specific cyber frauds will help to get an appropriate fraud prevention model, using an associated parties centric (victim and offender) root-cause approach. The study uses correlation analysis and maps frauds with their respective drivers to determine the resource specific effective mitigation plan. Findings: Finally, the paper concludes with a conceptual framework for preventing internal-led cyber fraud within the scope of the study. A cyber fraud mitigation ecosystem will be helpful for policymakers and fraud investigation officers to create a more robust environment for banks through timely and quick detection of cyber frauds and prevention of them. Research limitations/implications: Additionally, the study supports the Reserve Bank of India and the Government of India's launched cyber security initiates and schemes which ensure protection for the banking ecosystem i.e. RBI direct scheme, integrated ombudsman scheme, cyber swachhta kendra (botnet cleaning and malware analysis centre), National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) and Security Monitoring Centre (SMC). Practical implications: Structured and effective internal-led plans for cyber fraud mitigation proposed in this study will conserve banks, employees, regulatory authorities, customers and economic resources, save bank authorities' and policymakers' time and money, and conserve resources. Additionally, this will enhance the reputation of the Indian banking industry and extend its lifespan. Originality/value: The innovative insider-led cyber fraud mitigation approach quickly identifies cyber fraud, prioritizes it, identifies its prominent root causes, map frauds with respective root causes and then suggests strategies to ensure a cost-effective and time-saving bank ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore how family incivility is linked to workplace bullying among employees. This study examines the role of psychological safety as an explanatory mechanism linking both. This paper also looks into the moderating roles of optimism between family incivility and psychological safety and organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) between psychological safety and workplace bullying. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing from the conservation of resources theory and work home resources model, this study developed various hypotheses. The proposed relationships were tested using responses gathered from 260 teaching faculty across the universities in India. This study used Warp-PLS for data analysis. Findings: The findings suggest that psychological safety mediated the relationship between experienced family incivility and workplace bullying. This study also found support for the mediating role of psychological safety. Further, this study has proved that trait optimism and OBSE are boundary conditions influencing the outcomes of family incivility. Practical implications: The findings have practical implications for teachers, educational institution leaders and policymakers. This study augments the importance of cultivating optimism and OBSE to combat conflicting situations. Employees who practice optimism on a daily basis are high in psychological safety and when supported with OBSE by the institution, the impact of family incivility and its adverse effects in the workplace is reduced, curbing the instances of workplace bullying. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first studies to establish the role of "organizational resource," OBSE, as a coping mechanism in tackling the adverse effects of family incivility. From a resource perspective, this study is one of the first to look into the enablers and inhibitors of resource creation in an individual while experiencing family incivility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Unsafe food can lead to various foodborne diseases and even death, especially among children. This paper aims to assess food safety knowledge and changes in practices and concerns among adults ≥ 18 years during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted among 325 adults living in Northern India. Demographic data and information regarding their knowledge, practices and concerns about various food safety issues were collected to see if there were any changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: The results showed that the participants had slightly higher than average knowledge and good food safety practices with mean scores of 9.75 ± 2.23 and 24.87 ± 2.28, respectively. Contracting COVID-19 from food and food packaging materials was of high concern for more than 70% of the participants. Majority (> 80%) of them reported an increase in the frequency of handwashing. About 16% of the participants used chemical disinfectants for washing fruits and vegetables. An increase (57.5%) in the frequency of food label reading was also noted during the pandemic. Freshness and the general quality of food items (49.5%), safety of food (30.8%) and cost (18.2%) were the top drivers that influenced the purchase decision. Originality/value: This study highlighted the need to send out clear messages on safe food handling practices and keeping the tempo up for sustaining good hygienic practices. This will help in reducing the risk of foodborne diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper delineates the appraising and comparing the circumstances that may influence the choices and preferences of the undergraduates of National Institutes of Technology (NITs) of the north-western region of India for using library's print versus electronic resources. The author investigated the circumstances in knowing whether different situations impact their choice for using print or electronic resources concerning their demographical characteristics for their academic learning. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a survey of undergraduates at six NITs in the north-western region of India. The responses were analysed using Chi-Square, Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis statistical analysis tests, via SPSS software. Findings: The study revealed that respondents preferred a mix of both forms of sources for their academic studies under different circumstances. The results reveal that the institution of respondents affected the choice of print resources over e-resources and vice versa in many different circumstances. Respondents' year of study affected the choice of using print over e-resources and vice versa in certain situations. The residential backdrop affects the choice of using e-resources over print in some situations. Gender of respondents affects the choice of using e-resources over print under some situations. Practical implications: The study will further aid librarians at six NITs in the north-western region of India to know whether print resources still have the same importance among library users or their preference switched towards using electronic resources. Originality/value: This study offers new perspectives on the use of print verses electronic resources among the undergraduates at six NITs in the north-western region of India so that the libraries can procure desired resources rather than moving with the market trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibilities of improving the quality of existing maintenance task of the atomizer of milk powder manufacturing unit of a dairy plant. Looking to the past business volume and expected growth, the milk powder manufacturing unit forms a noticeable sector of processing plant. The lack of quality in maintenance standards leads to reliability losses of about 20–25% with low productivity and profit. Such facts and challenges of keeping the system in ready-state motivate a definite maintenance plan to be modeled based on a live failure analysis to be executed during shutdown or scheduled period. Design/methodology/approach: The deliverables are achieved by collecting the historical failure data i.e. downtime and failure frequencies; from January 2020 to July 2020 at Dudhsagar dairy, Gujarat, India. Reliability modeling is done in a view to understand the failure pattern behavior of the milk powder manufacturing unit. The atomizer is discriminated as a critical component based on these data and their functional failures, failure causes, effects and repercussions of failures with existing control and maintenance practices has been modeled based on live shop-floor study. Scores are assigned on 1 to 10 levels by analyzing attributes effects from lowest to highest concern respectively for every modes of failure through realistic brain-storming among maintenance team by incorporating some advanced attributes like maintainability, economic safety, economic cost and spares with basic criteria in this study. The maintainability criticality index (MCI) is narrated by these score values through multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) based failure analysis models like Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Findings: The primary findings of this research work are to propose improvements in the quality of the maintenance plan of critical component like; atomizer of a milk powder manufacturing unit which is commonly representing critical component in a major range of industrial processes. The case study recommended four silent maintenance strategies i.e. scheduled maintenance scheduled discard, scheduled failure finding and redesign as a qualified maintenance plan for the atomizer based on MCI and rankings of its potential failure causes. The results are helpful in upgrading quality standards for the maintenance activities of a process industry of alike or of dissimilar kinds in accordance with the failure analysis. Originality/value: Originality mainly consists of investigating the scope of enhancing the existing maintenance practices through actual failure analysis with the help of TOPSIS. The criteria employed in this study are probability of chances of failure, degree of detectability and degree of severity as basic criteria along with some advanced criteria like; maintainability, spare parts, economic cost, economic safety are selected based on the outcome of shop-floor study and reliability modeling. The notable past failure statistics (downtime, frequency of failures) of a milk powder manufacturing unit were recorded and these data are analyzed based on reliability to extract an explicative component i.e. atomizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aims to develop a new generic framework for estimating different maintenance costs (preventive, corrective and conditional based) and its distribution to original equipment manufacturer (OEM), customer and supply chain due to no fault found (NFF) events. The study extend the domain of NFF to military aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) by including broader range of cost drivers than are normally found in maintenance NFF literature. Design/methodology/approach: The research applies the soft system methodology involving 80 field surveys and five in depth semi-structured interviews with practicing experts having background in military aircraft NFF MRO. For impact analysis, authors have used an agent-based model to represent and prioritize the critical NFF cost drivers during aircraft MRO based on the cost inputs of 21 technology transfer cases. Findings: The paper provides imperial insights about how NFF cost drivers affect the OEM, customer and supply chain. It suggests that NFF cost need to be part of the commercial MRO contract, depending on its frequency pattern in different types of maintenances. Research limitations/implications: The context of the current research is military aircrafts industry and may lack generalizability to commercial aircrafts. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further. Practical implications: The developed framework will provide invaluable help in key financial decision-making during signing of MRO contract in technology transfer cases. Originality/value: This paper proposed a new prediction model for NFF cost estimation across its shareholders and current status of NFF in military aircraft NFF MRO in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the use of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technology and its barriers in human resourcemanagement (HRM) for Smart HR 4.0 and its impact on HR performance. Design/methodology/approach: The research has been conducted using the grounded theory approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 122 senior HR officers of national and multi-national companies in India after the extensive literature review. NVivo 8.0 software was used for the analysis of the interview data. Findings: I4.0 technology is used for HRM functions by HR professionals. It is revealed that Smart HR 4.0 that emerged from the I4.0 technology has leveraged the HR performance. It is also found that usage barriers, traditional barriers and risk barriers affect the use of I4.0 technology in HRM. Originality/value: A model is developed using the grounded theory approach for HR managers to understand the impact of I4.0 on HRM. This study reveals the barriers affecting the use of I4.0 technology in HRM. It also provides the model for HR performance that emerged through the use of I4.0 technology in HR and Smart HR 4.0. The research delivered key insights for the HR professionals, marketers of HR technology and technology developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: India is unique, having enshrined in law the teaching of sustainability education (SE) within all levels of formal education. This study aims to examine the integration and perceptions of SE within the higher education (HE) sector in India and identify any lessons that can be exported about the teaching of SE from the Indian HE environment. Design/methodology/approach: Focusing on a science-based teaching and research institute at a private university in India, a quantitative, cross-sectional study examined the extent to which SE was integrated into the university and how it was perceived by students and staff. Data were collected through two online questionnaires administered to lecturers and undergraduate students during the 2017 academic year. Findings: Most students reported that their university experiences had contributed significantly to their knowledge about sustainability. Results also showed there was a positive association between the teaching and learning about sustainability, although staff and students reported that this could be improved by including more active, student-centred teaching and learning approaches. However, students felt that they had learnt the most about sustainability from the informal "hidden" rather than the "formal" curriculum. This suggests that research is now required into ways to capitalise on this as a medium to further develop, not just Indian, but students' worldwide sustainability literacy. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first to present a detailed study of the perceptions of the contribution of the "formal" and the informal "hidden" curriculum to SE by students and staff at an Indian university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to document the participation of intra-household decision-making activities by older adults in India. Design/methodology/approach: This study has used a nationally representative sample of 21,662 older adults (aged 60 and above) from the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India data of 2017–2018. Intra-household decision-making participation is measured based on decision-making activities that includes marriage of daughter/son, buying and selling of property, giving a gift to the family, education of family member and arrangement of social/religious events. This paper used bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression model to examine the factors associated with the participation of older adults in the intra-household decision-making activities. Findings: The result has shown that older persons' participation declined with increased age. This study has also found a difference in the participation of intra-households decision-making activities between male and female, rural and urban older adults, poor and rich older adults. Older adults with good health status who maintain social engagement and a good lifestyle are more likely to participate in the household's decision-making activities. Practical implications: Older adults with better economic and social status are more likely to participate in intra-household decision-making activities that make their life happier than the counterpart. Therefore, emphasis should be given to those vulnerable older adults who do not have any social and economic security in the society. Originality/value: There are limited studies available on intra-household decision-making participation by older adults. This paper documents the intra-household decision-making participation by older adults in India with a nationally representative large sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]