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Purpose: The purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, the study has investigated the changing scenario of gender bias in households' education expenditure and the socioeconomic factors responsible for it. Secondly, the study has estimated the inequality in education expenditure for the male and female students and determined the significance of socioeconomic variables in gender discrimination. Design/methodology/approach: To address the above-mentioned issues, this paper has used the unit-level data of NSSO 52nd, 64th, 71st and 75th rounds from 1995–1996 to 2017–2018. The log linear regression model is applied to estimate factor impending average education expenditure dynamics. The Oaxaca–Blinder Decomposition method has been employed to measure gender discrimination, and the Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient are used to assess inequality among girls experiencing prejudice. Findings: The study has discovered an gender bias in education expenditure against females during the study period in India. Further, it has been found that gender discrimination against girl students is decreasing. Moreover, the factors such as age, religion, castes, MPCE (income quantile), type of institution, present enrolment and type of education are responsible for this gender differences. Originality/value: This paper uses 20 years of household-level data for study and suggests that discriminatory behaviour of households and credit constraints of the underdeveloped countries prevent investment in girl's education. Therefore, the state must pay for education of girls by offering scholarships and free or heavily subsidized education. In addition to this, awareness programs for gender equality should also be implemented by the government, especially in rural areas. Peer review: The peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-08-2022-0537. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine the influence of sustainability education in 15 Indian universities and the mediating role of the theory of planned behavior in predicting students' intentions to start an enterprise supporting sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: The data, which consists of 422 samples, was collected from 15 universities in India. It was analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling, which is frequently used for prediction models. The model was further checked for goodness-of-fit using Amos. Findings: The results suggested that personal and subjective norms play a mediating role in shaping the intentions of students to choose entrepreneurship in the sustainability field. Education on sustainability has a significant influence on personal and subjective norms, and these norms further help to develop entrepreneurial intentions. Practical implications: The study will be helpful for researchers and universities in understanding the importance and stake of including courses on sustainability. Social implications: As the results suggest, social norms play a significant role in determining entrepreneurial intentions; therefore, the study will develop a societal culture of start-up education and ethos. Originality/value: The research is original and one of the first to examine the mediating role of the theory of planned behavior on the relationship between education and intentions to start a sustainable enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Given that the policy is rather comprehensive and detailed, this paper aims to identify some of the key features and discuss the mechanisms by which the benefits of the policy might reach all sections of society. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, we analyse India's new education policy (NEP) and discuss how it might impact education and employment in India and the neighbourhood. Findings: This paper believes that the NEP (2020) is likely to alter the educational landscape of India and make education accessible to all sections of society. In addition, the impact of this bill will be felt in the Indian workplace. Research limitations/implications: This paper would urge the policymakers, educationists and corporate leaders to conduct research on the benefits of the NEP in two phases. In the short run, they could study the implementation – in the long run, all three stakeholders should track the changes in the quality of graduates being produced as a result of the new policy. Originality/value: This is the first known critique of the NEP (2020) written by five Indian-origin academics and practitioners, offering insight into the policy for scholars and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore an employability enhancement initiative, the Additional Skills Acquisition Programme (ASAP) project in the state of Kerala, India, as a case for the inclusive development of employability in college and university students. Design/methodology/approach: ASAP is applied as a case study to examine the employability enhancement initiative in India. Findings: Participation in the ASAP project led to increased measures of employability. These increases were most pronounced in women and individuals living below the poverty line. Partnerships between educational institutions and organisations focusing on students' technical and skill development can help overcome local and national talent shortages. Originality/value: The theoretical implications come from addressing the lack of representation of skills based employability initiatives among students from India in the vocational behaviour literature. Practical implications come from knowledge sharing of innovative strategies to enhance the employability outcomes of individuals entering the labour market. New ways to overcome the reported mismatch in business education between curriculum content and the development of employability skills in graduates are presented. Benefits for diversity and inclusion are also provided. [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]

Purpose: The primary purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of educational attainment on crime rates across 33 Indian states over the period 2001 to 2013. This paper also examines the role of various macroeconomic, socio-economic and demographic factors in determining the variation of crimes in India. Design/methodology/approach: First, this paper provides a representative theoretical model and discusses the possible relationship between crime and education. Second, the paper applies a dynamic panel data (DPD) model to extract more precise, unbiased and reliable estimates of the effect of education in abating different crime rates. The main advantage of using the dynamic panel model is to address the problem of endogeneity in some regressors and capture the time persistent effect of education on crime. Findings: Empirical findings reveal that a 1% increase in gross enrolment ratio leads to the reduction of total crime by 8%. However, a unique finding identifies a positive association between tertiary education and economic crime. This finding further goes against the general belief that criminals tend to be less educated than non-criminals. Practical implications: This paper recommends that instead of punishment and mandatory law enforcement for offenders, increase in government expenditure and different educational attainment ratios can go a long way to combat crime in India, which has posed a serious threat to the stability of society. Furthermore, utilizing the information on offenders' educational attainment in examining the crime rates can be a future research agenda for policymakers. Originality/value: This study contributes to the empirical debate of 'crime-education nexus' by examining the role of education on crime in India. This study is the first of its kind that focuses on the aspects of crime and education more recently and investigates the relationship between crime and education due to the recent changes in educational attainment ratios and crime rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelation between two important dimensions of gender segregation: education and occupation. It further investigates the gender wage gap. Design/methodology/approach: The author uses a three-way additive decomposition of the mutual information index – an index based on the concept of entropy. A non-parametric wage decomposition method that uses matching comparisons is used for measuring the wage gap. Findings: The results show that the extent of gender segregation in India is higher in urban areas than that in rural areas. Most of the observed segregation in rural labour markets originates from educational outcomes, whereas in urban markets it is due to occupational profile of individuals. The findings of the wage decomposition analysis suggest that education in rural areas also explains a sizeable part of the gender wage differential. Nevertheless, a large share of the wage gap remains unexplained in both rural and urban areas. Originality/value: While much research has looked at occupational segregation, less attention has been paid to educational segregation. The paper uses a unique approach to understand the joint effect of occupation and education in explaining gender segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Non-farm employment has transitioned from a residual to a dominant livelihood option in rural India. Despite the sector's diverse welfare implications, it is still a male-dominant sector with limited scope for female's participation. Several socio-economic and cultural factors are responsible for such disparities in occupational choices. The purpose of this study is to examine this gender dimension of occupational diversification for rural India and focuses on the role of education, caste and land ownership in explaining employment probabilities across gender. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses secondary data on employment and unemployment from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) for rural India and pooled the data for three periods that include 61st (2004–2005), 66th (2009–2010) and 68th (2011–2012) round comprising a total of 235,722 individuals. The study applies a multinomial logit regression model. Findings: The results show that education facilitates females to diversify to sectors like manufacturing, mining and construction while educated males are more likely to diversify to services. However, the likelihood of diversification by educated females is low for those belonging to land-owning households. On the contrary, land ownership facilitates educated males to join sectors like mining and quarrying and services. It is also found that females belonging to Scheduled Tribe/Scheduled Caste (ST/SC) households diversify to low return activities like manufacturing and construction while males are more likely to join services. Originality/value: This study has contributed to the literature on employment diversification by considering not only the gender aspect of diversification but also examining how education, caste and land would explain occupational choices between males and females. It is evident from the findings that education can be a liberating factor for females to participate actively in sectors outside agriculture but the status quo associated with land ownership in rural India declines their possibility of economic participation compared to males. Even educated females are confined to manufacturing and construction in the absence of proper non-farm employment opportunities for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nutrition education plays a significant role in inculcating lifelong healthy dietary behaviours among adolescents. The purpose of this paper is to understand the opinions of parents and teachers regarding nutrition education in private Indian secondary schools. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional, self-administered, paper-based survey comprising both closed- and open-ended questions was completed by 32 teachers and 280 parents who were recruited from five private English-speaking secondary schools in Kolkata, India. Descriptive and cross-tabulation analyses were conducted to compare the responses of teachers and parents. Thematic data analysis informed by template analysis technique was performed to evaluate the qualitative data. Findings: While the curriculum was considered interesting and easy to understand, the gendered nature of the curriculum, excessive rote learning and lack of synchrony between the curriculum and school food services were highlighted as shortcomings of the existing curriculum. The need for the dissemination of food skills either through a compulsory food and nutrition curriculum or through extra-mural activities was expressed by most respondents. Both these ideas were indicative of strong support and motivation for modification in the current curriculum. Practical implications: These findings emphasise the support for a skills-focussed food and nutrition curriculum to inculcate experiential culinary skills and comprehensive nutrition knowledge in Indian adolescents, thus improving their nutritional and health profiles. Originality/value: This is the first cross-sectional survey to investigate the views of parents and teachers about the status of food and nutrition education in private Indian secondary schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Using survey data of a developing country city, this study aims to examine the impact of different socio-demographic factors on the choice of less-polluting modes of transport for purposes other than work. Design/methodology/approach: Stratified random sampling technique is employed and data on socio-demographic characteristics and mode of transport used is collected. Descriptive statistics complemented with a logit model of choice probabilities is implemented on the data obtained. Findings: Majority of the population in the city uses motorized means of transportation irrespective of the socio-demographic changes existing among them. Women, the individuals belonging to the youngest age group, the least economically well-off group of people, the least educated and the non-working are the individuals more likely to use more of less-polluting modes and less of more-polluting modes for non-work purposes as compared to their counterparts. Research limitations/implications: The study also calls for the development of an efficient and secured system of public transportation and non-motorized transportation in the city in such a way so as to neither hamper the goal of sustainability nor the goal of empowerment. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first time a comprehensive analysis of the influence of socio-demographic factors on choice of type of mode of transport is carried out in this region of the developing world. This analysis will facilitate the policy makers in catering to the transportation needs of different segments of the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the context of India, this article proposes an integrated multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) regression-based methodology to evaluate input-level performance of the schools and investigate the impact of this performance along with contextual factors, i.e. medium of instruction and location of the school, on the school's output level performance, i.e. student pass rate. Design/methodology/approach: First, Shannon entropy-based approach is applied for the weight assignment to different parameters. Then, integrated VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS)-based methodology is devised to measure the input-level performance of a school. Finally, multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis is incorporated to study the effect of input-level performance and above-mentioned contextual factors on the school's output-level performance. Findings: Proposed methodology is applied to assess the input-level performance of 82,930 primary and secondary schools of West Bengal, India. All the factors have a significant impact on boys' pass rate, whereas only input-level performance and location of the school have a significant influence on the girls' pass rate. Practical implications: The entropy-based approach highlights the importance of scientific weight assignment. Integrated MCDM demonstrates the significance of aggregation due to the variation in scores related to input-level performance across the methods. Regression analysis facilitates the exploration of determinants influencing the output-level performance of the schools. Originality/value: This work depicts a holistic picture of the performance measurement system of the schools. It encompasses scientific weight assignment to the evaluation criteria, integrated input-level performance assessment of the schools and investigation into the effect of this performance, as well as other contextual factors on the output level performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate gamification-based training program through the lens of self-determination theory and in the context of corporate training programs. It integrates the self-determination theory, game elements and learning outcomes in gamified training programs to derive insights. Data is sourced from software development companies operating in the city of Bangalore in India. It applies the partial least square structural equation modeling to investigate the relationship between the self-determination learning theory and game elements and the impact it has on learning outcomes. As a precursor to the development of a game-like learning ecosystem, the authors study the perception of trainers and human resource managers toward game-based training programs in the organization. The authors find that game-based learning makes training more engaging, immersive and contextual for the learners. The study is based on a specific sector, i.e. software development companies, and so the results may lack in generalizability. Future research, therefore, may consider other industrial sectors such as manufacturing, banking and telecom to understand the relationship between the constructs. This study provides insights for the trainers, human resource managers and academicians on the effectiveness of gamification-based training programs. It also provides information on how the learning theory can be leveraged to understand gamification-based training programs. This work fulfills an identified need of the training industry to understand new methods of training with an aim to improve the learning outcomes among the learners. This study provides a deep understanding on the effectiveness of training tools such as gamified training programs in enhancing and improving the learning outcomes among the learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The research aims to measure the effectiveness of collaborative learning exchanges transpired through digital tools and technologies (DT&Ts) employed by the mentor universities during the COVID-19 pandemic by conducting an empirical study on undergraduate students in Indian higher educational institutions (HEIs) under the mentorship program based on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. The pandemic scenario, its impact on the mentor university's social responsibility and the way DT&Ts can assist are investigated in this article. Design/methodology/approach: The interactions with experts and students were conducted to explore the DT&Ts for learning exchanges. Next, structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to validate the model and perform regression analysis. The quantitative data collection was made through questionnaires during the second deadly wave of COVID-19 that hit India. Findings: The independent variables (IVs) such as the IT infrastructure support (IT_IS), virtual collaborative tools (VCTs) and future-oriented technologies (FOTs) have a significant impact on the CSR learning outcomes (CSR_LOs) of undergraduate students under the mentorship program. However, IV research instruments for innovation could not make a significant effect. Research limitations/implications: The IVs IT_IS, VCTs and FOTs influence the CSR_LOs, while RII does not have an influential impact. Practical implications: As the online learning environment is expected to stay at least in a blended form, adequate CSR funding in infrastructure is necessitated to harness the full potential of this important resource, technology. The results of this empirical investigation affirm that IT_IS, VOTs and FOTs significantly impact CSR_LOs during the crisis. The study findings would encourage the mendtor universities and their stakeholders, including the mentee universities, to evolve and create an ecosystem for effective management of these resources to attain positive outcomes. The study findings can guide the mentor universities in managing uncertainties like pandemics and effectively using the earlier-mentioned critical resources for social responsibility. This research also allows the development of future applications adnd models in mentor-mentee universities for social responsibility, post-pandemic transformation and resilience. Social implications: The DT&Ts came to the immediate rescue during the pandemic and positively affected collaborative CSR_LOs by the mentor universities, but they have not evolved to a level where offline learning can be replaced entirely. Hence, it can be inferred that a hybrid model is preferable. The study also improves the understanding of how DT&Ts are being harnessed to aid collaborative learning in fulfilling the mentors' CSR in fatal emergencies. The purpose is to equip the education system through mentorship so that universities can sustain, innovate and grow even in trying times. Also, it discusses the dynamics of various DT&Ts for creating a sustainable learning environment and utilizing them to make the teaching prolific and influential. Originality/value: There is a scarcity of literature regarding the learning outcomes realized through CSR initiatives and collaboration between mentor-mentee institutions. There is a need to understand how these knowledge exchanges continued despite the physical restrictions during the pandemic. In this direction, this study helps to understand how the DT&Ts played a critical role in continuing learning and keeping abreast in a knowledge society from the perspective of resource-based view (RBV) in these precarious situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify challenges for management education in India and explain their nature, significance and interrelations using total interpretive structural modelling (TISM), an innovative version of Warfield’s interpretive structural modelling (ISM). Design/methodology/approach – The challenges have been drawn from literature and validated by an empirical study conducted through questionnaires administered electronically and personally to 250 management graduates. TISM has been applied to 14 finalised factors. Findings – All the identified factors, except accreditation, were found to be important. Ineffective regulatory bodies and ineffective leadership emerged as the biggest roadblocks. Several significant interrelations were found which were sometimes not revealed by plain observation. Originality/value – The existing literature has discussed the challenges for management education but not their interrelations. This paper uses TISM to demonstrate the relationships between different challenges and to explain the logic behind the relationships. The results would be useful for the owners (or managers) of management institutes faced with the same challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Quality education is a key requirement of a burgeoning country, like India as it aims to establish a sustained growth. However, the current situation of Indian education system is extremely poor. Although efforts are being made nationwide to improve the present situation, it is incontrovertible that different complications ail different Indian states. Some states suffer from a poor gross enrollment ratio, while others have an extremely high student-teacher ratio. The purpose of this paper is to compare the educational performance of 28 Indian states in order to identify those which require immediate attention.Design/methodology/approach For fulfilling this objective, a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework utilizing preference ranking organization method for enrichment of evaluations and geometrical analysis for interactive aid methods is adopted.Findings The results indicate that the educational performance of Goa is the best amongst all the considered alternative states, while Bihar is the laggard in this direction.Research limitations/implications From the results, the states which fare to be the worst can easily be identified along with the specific areas/criteria, where they are falling behind. Based on these findings, necessary remedial actions can be undertaken so as to improve the educational performance of the ailing states.Originality/value This paper employs a novel geographic information system (GIS) method and a hue-saturation-value color coding scheme in order to determine the influence of individual criterion on the overall state rank, thereby representing an integration of MCDM and GIS which has never been applied before for educational performance evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the choice of employment sector for women is driven by the structure of the labour market or determined by the household socioeconomic condition. Design/methodology/approach: Data for the study were drawn from the National Sample Survey 68th round (2011–2012). The sector of employment was assessed through females' participation as an unpaid labour, employer/own account worker, informal wage worker, formal wage worker and unemployed. A multinomial logit model was used to examine the factors that determine the sector of employment. Findings: Although education increases formal employment among women, most of them are unemployed or entering into informal employment. It indicates that the labour market has not been able to integrate educated women into formal employment. Research limitations/implications: Increase in female education accompanied by a slow growth of employment creates the challenge to accommodate the educated and skilled women in formal employment. Originality/value: This study examines the factors determining the sectoral participation of employment to assess the responses of the current labour market for the females, especially educated females who have not been adequately addressed. The findings of the study have significant implications for formulating appropriate labour market policies for the educated female labour force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Taking a multidimensional perspective, the study aims to identify and examine the factors that are essential for employability. The study pursues to understand the underlying causes that facilitate the development of appropriate skills and attitudes that influence the development of employability in an individual. Design/methodology/approach: The study pursued an exploratory research design followed by a descriptive. It explored the employability factors from the perspectives of the recruiter, student (candidate) and trainer. Additionally, it followed a causal research approach to examine the relationship between factors related to the personal environment, academic system, recruiter's bias, industry and job attributes and overall employability. The antecedents of employability and their impact were examined with all the constructs taking the recruiter, student and trainer data sets. Findings: The study identifies and analyses the antecedent factors that influence the employability development among college graduates and undergraduates. With its findings, the study identifies the changes or improvements required in teaching and learning mechanisms, grooming students and societal practices, social and economic biases in accessibility to facilities leading to employability. It also calls for a reflection on individual's own attitude, motivation and abilities. The study calls for an assessment of the education systems and academic quality to develop employability among students. It conjures that the alignment of teacher and learner with industry requirements is an imperative requirement for the expansion of the industry and, in particular, the retail sector. Practical implications: The study will be of significance to the policymakers and academicians while designing the retail-specific courses and aims toward addressing the mismatch amidst the demand and supply of manpower in the retail industry. The study has been designed to make it highly relevant for the students who are potential manpower to the retail sector as well as the employees who have already entered the industry. It addresses the major factors required for India to develop a cohesive and inclusive ecosystem that provides for the benefit of millions of youths in India. Originality/value: The literature lacks a coherent meaning and measurement of employability and identifies the need to empirically explore and examine employability skills. Furthermore, the scant empirical research focuses largely on employee or student perspective, even when the role of recruitment in the assessment of employability is most critical. This study empirically evaluates the market from the perspective of students, employees, employers, trainers and academicians and develops a model that gives a holistic picture of the causes that influence the development of employability in an individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline tools and techniques to ensure innovative management education in India. Design/methodology/approach – The paper addresses the challenges in the present Indian management education and outlines a blueprint with innovative solutions. Findings – It calls for support from all stakeholders including industry, educators, students, educational institutions, government and thought leaders to innovate Indian management education as per the global standards to create world class managers and leaders. Practical implications – These tools and techniques can be customized in other countries to ensure quality management education. Social implications – The social implications of this research suggests that stakeholders must strive to ensure innovative management education to create effective managers and leaders globally. Originality/value – It overhauls Indian management education as per international standards. It explains management education from the perspective of Henry Mintzberg. It reinvents management education as per the dynamic global business environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Quality education can be provided to underprivileged section in developing economies by the collaborative effort of private-paid schools. The purpose of this paper is to explore and highlight the model which can be adopted by a private school in imparting education to girls coming from lower income strata. It also highlights how synergies could be attained by sharing of resources in terms of infrastructure and utilities.Design/methodology/approach Data are gathered through multiple sources via literature and interviews with variety of people including CEO, principal and students. Data on profile of students were provided by the school.Findings Achieving quality education for girls of low-income strata is possible by efficiently utilizing the resources of a private-paid school. The school operates in second shift when the infrastructure is lying idle without any use. The mammoth cost of building a school can be saved and funds can be diverted for running it. Successful experiments like Prerna shows very distinctively how well-defined intervention strategies and innovation to methodologies using existing infrastructure can provide meaningful access to education not only to girls but to all.Research limitations/implications Can the model be adopted by government of developing economies by making it compulsory for every private-paid school.Practical implications Findings confirm that quality education to underprivileged girls is a reality at a minimum possible cost.Social implications A learned and well-informed girl is in a better position to take life decisions. In a country like India, where cost act as a deterrent to girl child education this model provides a solution to an extent, bringing relevance of education in their lives by right empowerment approach through focused discussions in the form of critical dialogues on sensitive issues related to marriage, sexual abuse, domestic violence, health and others.Originality/value This paper provides case-based evidence of how a successful private-paid school can participate in bringing a paradigm shift in providing quality education to underprivileged girls. It helps in understanding dynamics of sustaining such project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose School-based nutrition education programmes have the potential to reinforce healthy dietary behaviours in adolescents. The purpose of this paper is to understand the views of secondary school students in Kolkata, India, regarding the food and nutrition curriculum, food skill acquisition at school and home and barriers to learning food skills.Design/methodology/approach The sample of 1,026 year nine students was drawn from nine private, English-speaking secondary schools in Kolkata, India to participate in a cross-sectional, self-reported paper-based survey. Data analyses including descriptive statistics and χ2 analyses were performed.Findings The majority of the respondents (65.3 per cent) were female. Biology, Home Science and Life skills classes were the main places in which students acquired food and nutrition knowledge. Almost two-thirds of the respondents acknowledged the importance of acquiring food-related knowledge and skills. Approximately half (48.3 per cent) reported that the food and nutrition curriculum involved excessive memorisation while around the same proportion described the curriculum as interesting (47 per cent) and easy to comprehend (50.3 per cent). However, relatively few students said they enjoyed attending food and nutrition classes (38.7 per cent). Only a minority reported receiving food skills training, i.e. cooking skills (23 per cent), meal planning skills and food purchasing skills (12.3 per cent) at school. Despite some parental support received at home, time constraints (50.5 per cent) and lack of interest (26.3 per cent) were cited as prominent barriers to learning food skills.Practical implications These data underscore the need for a skills-focussed food and nutrition curriculum to improve Indian adolescents’ food-related skills, nutritional knowledge and dietary behaviours.Originality/value This is the first cross-sectional survey to investigate the delivery of nutrition education and food skills in the Indian school context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Management education is at its peak in India. But pedagogy and modes of delivery are not always innovative compared to top international Business Schools. It is through experimentation that the paper may be able to discover what works best in our context. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness of intensive mode of delivery vs traditional semester-wide teaching of management courses among MBA students of a leading Business School, through one such experiment. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 19 dimensions were used in this study. The questionnaire was tested on two different groups. An independent sample t-test was conducted for each dimension, to find out if the group that was subjected to this experiment had opinions different from the group that did not undergo the accelerated version. Findings – The results indicated perceptions on most of the dimensions disconcerting, barring increase in commitment, engagement, focus, and concentration with intensive mode. Further, this negative perception augmented towards intensive delivery mode, after experiencing traditional delivery. Practical implications – The literature does appear to show controversial outcomes related to intensive mode but more studies are in support of intensive modes of delivery format. The issue of whether students learn better in a semester/trimester of traditional length or with a compressed schedule is a key concern to the innovations in higher education scheduling today. Findings of this study pose a serious threat to all those management institutions which are planning to attempt to speed up the delivery of programmes and courses within them in order to reduce cost or other reasons. Originality/value – In education literature, significant amount of research has been carried out using a time compressed in developed countries. This study is one of the first studies, which focuses on determining the effectiveness of intensive teaching against traditional trimester/semester wide teaching among MBA education in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to analyse factors that influence child schooling outcomes in India, specifically the role of gender. Design/methodology/approach - This paper uses data from the nationally representative Indian National Family Health Surveys 1995-1996 and 2005-2006 and estimates Heckman sample selection, cluster fixed-effects and household fixed-effects econometric models. The dependent variables are the child's enrolment status and conditional on enrolment child's years of schooling. Findings - This analysis finds statistically significant evidence of male advantage both in schooling enrolment as well as years of schooling. However, using a cluster fixed-effects model, our analysis finds that within a village, conditional on being enrolled, girls spend more years in school relative to boys. Other results show that parental schooling has a positive and statistically significant impact on child schooling. There is statistically significant wealth effect, community effect and regional disparities between states in India. Originality/value - The large sample size and the range of questions available in this data set, allows us to explore the influence of individual, household and village level social, economic and cultural factors on child schooling. The role of gender on child schooling within a village, intrahousehold resource allocation for schooling and regional gender differences in schooling are important issues in India, where education outcomes remain poor for large segments of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine resource allocation under the centrally sponsored scheme Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and its impact on development of elementary education in India. First, the author describes the current educational disparity across states in terms of state funding. Second, the author shows that interstate disparities in education resources have more to do with capacity of states to finance elementary education. For this, the author examines funding mechanism under SSA, focusing on principles of adequacy and absorptive rates. Third, the author analyzes the impact of additional funding on the progress of elementary education across states. Fourth, the author demonstrates how funding under SSA reinforces rather than reduces interstate disparity in school funding. Finally, the author concludes with certain policy implications for reforming federal transfers in Right to Education (RTE)-SSA, which can easily be extended to Rashtria Madhya Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) to be more responsive to educational inadequacy, effort and capacity across states. Design/methodology/approach -- The author uses box plots for illustrating interstate disparity across various indicators on financing and growth of elementary education. Box plots are good at portraying extreme values and illustrate differences between distributions. Because the thrust of the paper is examining difference in distribution across and within states, box plots appropriately portray the distribution of both. Further, coefficient of variation is estimated in education funding and its impact variables. Findings -- Interstate disparity in additional to the funding of SSA through discretionary transfers is examined by looking at two principles of inter-governmental transfers, viz., adequacy and absorptive rates. In a way, it appears that the educationally backward states getting the highest shares and also as per the requirement of the child population, but not necessarily so in terms of their relative proportions of enrolment, schools and teachers. Yet another revelation is that actual absorptive rates are much less than apparent absorptive rates. Unambiguously, additional resources coming from the Center for Development of Education can have a positive influence only after states have achieved a certain threshold level of absorptive capacities. As evidenced, fiscal disability is not compensated by transfers via SSA, as matching shares are uniform across states. Research limitations/implications -- One significant limitations of the study is its use of administrative data. Often, administrative data from developing countries especially on social sector like education report inflated figures. The study uses primarily such but published secondary data sources. Practical implications -- Finally, the author suggests certain policy implications for reforming federal role in the current RTE-SSA, which can easily be extended to RMSA, a CSS in secondary education, to be more responsive to state effort and capacity. Social implications -- Though SSA attempts to address regional imbalance, the accumulated initial advantage of better-off states with uniform norms under SSA funding widens the interstate disparity rather than reduce it. It is, hence, mandated to look at building capacities and enable states for a level-playing field. Originality/value -- It adds value to existing studies in two ways: rarely studies examine SSA expenditures and its impact on development and financing of elementary education, and examine a question on horizontal equalization mechanism whether additional allocation under SSA induce or reduce interstate disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Educational institutes must embrace the principles of total quality management (TQM) if they seek to remain competitive, and survive and succeed in the long run. An educational institution must embrace the principles of quality management and incorporate them into all of their activities. Starting with a theoretical background, the paper outlines the results of a study conducted on both internal and external customers of the educational system, with select engineering and management institutes as foci of study. The study is an attempt toward developing an integrated customer-centric model of quality management in education, through the use of multiple methodologies so as to be able to evaluate service quality; prioritize improvement of service; and guide and develop educational services by incorporating the voice of the customer (VOC). The purpose of this paper is to establish the prioritization for improvement of service design of an educational system through incorporation of the VOC, be it internal or external customers, through the use of multiple methodologies, leading to generalization of results. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses multiple methodologies with various techniques for analysis through the application of the SERVQUAL; quality function deployment (QFD); interpretive structural modeling (ISM); and path analysis. The SERVQUAL was applied to identify the gap and determine the level of service quality. Following this, QFD, ISM and path analysis were used to identify the set of minimum design characteristics/quality components that would meet the requirements the various internal and external customers of the educational system. The QFD was used to identify the set of minimum design characteristics/quality components that meet the requirements of the various internal and external customers of the educational system. The ISM and path analysis were used to identify and prioritize the design characteristics/quality components that would meet the requirements the various internal and external customers of the educational system. Findings – The findings from the various techniques were amalgamated, and proposed as an integrated model of TQM in higher education. The study helped identify with a customer perspective, the quality components which would help design TQM for higher education institutions in India. Research limitations/implications – The paper could be useful to government bodies, funding agencies, policy makers and administrators in developing a system that could lead to satisfaction of both internal and external customers of the educational system. Originality/value – The study includes within its scope the varied customers of the educational system, namely, internal and external customers of the educational system; the internal customers being the faculty and the administrative staff, and the external customers being the students and the industry (as the employer). This is yet to be seen in other research studies. Also, the integration of the multiple tools and their application to the field of higher education in India, has not yet been made available in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The paper aims to discuss current Technical Education scenarios in India. It proposes modelling the factors affecting quality in a technical institute and then applying a suitable technique for assessment, comparison and ranking. Design/methodology/approach – The paper chose graph theoretic approach for quantification of quality-enabled model. Further, the paper has validated the approach by taking examples of institutions and applying the methodology. Findings – The paper provides a systematic methodology to build a quality model for quantification of various factors in a technical institute. The qualitative effect represented in form of a single numerical index is a novel method for such representations. The illustrated methodology in the paper is equally useful for comparison and ranking of a set of institutes. Research limitations/implications – Because of the chosen factors in the approach, the methodology may not be equally suitable based on type and size of institute and the geographical location. Practical implications – The paper includes demonstration on application of methodology for comparing the quality in a quantitative manner. The dynamic model allows changing factors and/or their effects as per requirement. Social implications – In future, the methodology can be taken up by government/regulatory bodies and can convey the comparisons of institutions to stakeholders including students and parents. Originality/value – This paper attempts to develop a novel method for comparing quality that can be used by accreditation bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose and value of management education was always under the critics’ scanner but the proliferation of institutes impelled a serious debate on its quality. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting quality of management education in India and explains their nature, significance and mutual influences using interpretive structural modelling (ISM). Design/methodology/approach – The factors were listed through literature review. They were then validated by empirical research conducted through questionnaires administered electronically and personally to 220 master of business administration students and alumni. On 13 such factors finalised, a qualitative and interpretive tool, ISM was applied. Findings – Leadership emerged as the most important factor followed by organisational structure and practices. Interrelations otherwise not easily observable established their prominence. An important fact that evolved is that almost all the factors have strong interdependence and have to be seen in coherence when analysing their impact on students. Originality/value – The literature until now has been highlighting the factors and their association with management education largely in isolation. This paper contributes to the existing literature by proposing a framework of the interrelationships of the factors which have a role in improving the quality of management education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to take a close look at factors that influence the choice and quality of healthcare received by ailing and elderly people in rural north India. The author is primarily interested in seeing what role is played by the presence of sons in the family, particularly co-residence with sons. In the absence of some broad-based social security arrangement in countries like India, older adults traditionally turn to living arrangement where the older adults are supported by their children or extended family. In a patriarchal society as India, such responsibility lies with the sons if one has son/s. Such dependence on sons explains preferential treatment towards younger sons as a justification for the care parents receive from sons in their advanced years. This culture of son preference behavior provides the context for this paper. Design/methodology/approach -- The empirical model is based on testing three inter-related research questions. First, the author asks whether having grown sons or living with son/s leads to up-front better quality of healthcare for parents. If the empirical analysis does not show support for this research question, the author broadens the research question to ask whether those with grown son/s or those that live with their son/s have a higher probability of seeing a trained medical professional as compared to some traditional healer. If the empirical analysis does not support the second question, the author further broadens the research question and asks whether those elderly who are sick are more likely to receive any healthcare (medical or traditional) if they have grown son/s or live with their son/s. Findings -- The results show that co-residence with a son does not have a statistically significant impact on the quality of healthcare received by the elderly individual. Additionally, not having a son also does not have a statistically significant impact on quality of healthcare received. Research limitations/implications -- For the purpose of the empirical analysis, the author utilizes World Bank's Living Standard Measurement Survey (LSMS) data collected from rural villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in India in 1997-1998. The dataset may be somewhat dated, but it provides relevant information which transcends time. Additionally, with economic growth and modernization, more and more young people in India have migrated away from rural areas in the recent decade. Thus, surveys carried out in the last decade by the National Family Health Surveys in India show very little evidence of elderly parent in rural areas living with their adult children. This practice seemed to be much more prevalent at the time of the LSMS survey of 1997-1998. Practical implications -- Contrary to popular expectation, the results show that co-residing with a son has no statistically significant impact on healthcare received by parents. Additionally, not having sons does not matter either. Originality/value -- The author finds relatively fewer studies done on factors that determine the choice of healthcare for the elderly, particularly relating to those that are ailing (for reasons other than simply aging) and with reference to their living arrangement. The present paper addresses this void in the literature and is expected to make a meaningful contribution in bridging this gap in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Rising trends in alcohol consumption and early drinking initiation pose serious health risks especially for adolescents. Learner’s prior knowledge about alcohol gained from the social surroundings and the media are important sources that can impact the learning outcomes in health education. The purpose of this paper is to map adolescents’ perceptions of alcohol in Punjab, India and how these perceptions are related to their attitudes towards their social surroundings and the media.Design/methodology/approach The questionnaire was created after informal discussions with local people who consume alcohol and discussions with alcohol-related experts. Students from five schools (n=379, average age=13.6 years) in the urban region of Punjab, India, filled in a questionnaire. Quantitative tests were performed on the questionnaire data. Summative content analysis was performed for the textbook content about alcohol from classes 1 to 10.Findings Data suggest that students gain knowledge about alcohol from multiple sources, including society, the media and education. While society and the media can give misinformation, education did not provide them with factual scientific information about alcohol. Students from financially marginalized social surroundings experience the presence and use of alcohol more frequently; they trust the media and celebrities somewhat unquestioningly and, hence, are more at-risk.Research limitations/implications All participants in informal discussions as well as all participating schools in the study were from urban regions. Data about individual’s socio-economic conditions was not collected.Originality/value This research investigates perceptions of alcohol that are derived from adolescents’ social surroundings, perceptions of the media and perceptions gained through educational guidance in a developing country. Such multi-dimensional investigations have not been conducted earlier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Supply chain flexibility has been acknowledged as a necessity in the context of constantly changing operational and service requirements in the global marketplace. However, limited research has focused on analyzing and empirically testing the dynamics of achieving enhanced flexibility performance. Drawing upon the knowledge-based view of the firm, the purpose of this paper is to address this research gap by introducing supply chain learning (SCL) and integration as key factors in the process.Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected in India. Structural equation modeling technique was used as the main analysis method to test the proposed conceptual model on SCL, integration, and flexibility performance.Findings Research findings indicate that the supply chain integration construct (in its internal and external dimensions) mediates the proposed SCL-flexibility performance relationship. The analysis also confirms the positive relationship between cross-functional integration and inter-firm integration.Research limitations/implications Focusing on only one country may limit the generalizability of the findings. Also, cross-sectional data collection may not be the ideal approach for evaluating the impacts of SCL. Therefore, future research with longitudinal data and in different contexts is warranted to validate the research results of this study.Originality/value The proposed conceptual model adds to the limited existing knowledge body of SCL and links SCL, integration, and flexibility performance. It also provides a new venue for future research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to discuss how management education in India can benefit from applying a Vedic Learning style. It argues that transformational learning, a key to transforming mindset, also increases the importance of ethical behavior in management education. Design/methodology/approach -- The paper is based on a literature review of Vedic education principles and transformational learning. It focusses on how to apply it in the management education. Findings -- It presents an analysis of Vedic Learning, the Indian mindset and the role of transformational learning in Indian management education. While there is a decline in practicing Vedic Learning in India, in fact, it carries a huge potential for all-round development which would transform management education. The paper proposes ingredients for management education following Vedic Learning in terms of philosophy, designing programs, teacher's role, teaching environment and by integrating different types of skills for management. Practical implications -- It implies that management education can be designed in a Vedic Learning style for revitalizing practical wisdom for facing the challenges of modern society, both in India and other parts of the world. Originality/value -- It strengthens the relevance of the concept of Vedic Learning and shows its similarities with transformational learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the careers of skilled migrants from Indian Punjab. This study complicates the normalization of skilled migration as a "win-win" situation by examining the career trajectories of skilled migrants from the Indian Punjab who are trying to establish themselves in Britain. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines 20 life history interviews undertaken with skilled migrants from the Indian Punjab to Britain, in IT, media, law and hospitality industries, health and welfare professionals, and student migrants. Findings – Skilled migrants were able to migrate on their own auspices through migration economies in Punjab. Once in Britain, however, they were directed to universities and labour markets in which they were not able to use their skills. They experienced under-employment, devaluation of their qualifications and downward mobility, which forced them into ethnic and gendered markets within their home networks and created ambivalence about migrant success and issues of return. Research limitations/implications – The study emphasizes the need to take a transnational lens when looking at skilled migration, address how migrants' career trajectories are limited by racism, anti-immigration sentiment and gender inequality, and consider temporality and uncertainty. Originality/value – The paper raises questions concerning the ways in which rapidly changing "managed migration" policies in Britain have burdened individual migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The environmental challenges of digitalization, globalization, and industrialization, which are growing at a fast pace, require serious attention. As a result, the old structures of the education system established in pre-independent India and in place during most of the twentieth century are now required to undergo drastic changes. The introduction of ICT and knowledge management systems (KMSs) in Indian education for achieving these new visions would require enormous changes in the system. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze the perception of teachers about KM orientation in Indian engineering institutions in the National Capital Region and to propose a conceptual model to assess KM orientation in private engineering institutes in India. Design/methodology/approach – Research data were collected using a questionnaire from teachers of private engineering colleges of the National Capital Region in India. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed to the teachers in private engineering colleges of the National Capital Region in Ghaziabad covering about ten private engineering colleges in the region. The validity of the constructs was assessed by means of factor analysis and the reliability of the scales was judged using Cronbach's α. Findings – Factor analysis produced five factors of KM orientation after deleting those items with a factor loading of less than 0.50. The results indicate that five attributes – i.e. knowledge acquisition, knowledge dissemination, leadership, culture and technology – are important dimensions of knowledge management orientation in engineering institutions. Research limitations/implications – This paper can provide reflections and inputs to other technical institutions for developing a successful knowledge management framework. Practical implications – The paper reveals the knowledge infrastructure and resources used by Indian engineering institutions as a benchmark for better performance. Originality/value – From an examination of the literature, only a few studies of application of knowledge management in engineering colleges have been reported in India, which reveals that KM as a tool in higher education has not received much attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper aims to study the relation between the employment of mothers and the activities of children with the aim of contributing to the understanding of child work in India. Design/methodology/approach -- Multinomial logit specifications of children's activities and mothers' employment are estimated on survey data drawn from the National Family Health Survey 1998-1999 for all India. The joint specification combines four states of children aged 6-14 (studying, working in the market, working for the family or being inactive) with the employed/not employed status of mothers. Findings -- The results show that the mother's preferred choice is not working and sending children to school. This is especially true for more educated mothers. Also the father's education is positively (negatively) related to child schooling (work), but the effect is smaller as compared to that of mothers. All specifications yield the result that the probability of children working increases if their mothers work. Higher levels of household wealth play a fundamental role in lowering the risk of child work. Research limitations/implications -- This empirical model does not take into account the unobserved heterogeneity of two types -- namely, the residual correlation among the outcomes of mothers and children, and the residual correlation among children of the same mother. Practical implications -- The evidence that children of employed mothers have a higher risk of working suggests that the problem may be related to the low quality and pay of jobs accessible to women in India, especially in rural areas. The policy indication would then be to improve the condition of women in the labour market and also to improve the welfare of their children. Originality/value -- While women's and children's time allocation has been studied in separate settings, in this paper these two aspects are analysed together for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Child labour in several low-income households is rather pursued for gaining experience and at times for meagre incomes, which are possibly spent on household food expenditure. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the incidence of child labour and identifies the factors which explain participation of the children in the labour market. It also focuses on some of the outcomes of labour market participation of the children. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the primary survey of the slum households in four Indian cities this paper applies certain quantitative techniques to estimate child labour and the factors that explain their participation in the labour market. Findings – Though the contribution made by the child labour to the overall well-being does not turn out to be substantial, without child labour these households would have been much worse off than the households which can afford not to have child labour. The probability of working is higher for a male child compared to a girl child. This is because the girl children are often engaged in household activities and even when they are engaged in income earning jobs they are shown as helpers. Parents' income as such may not be having a positive impact on child's education. Originality/value – The study is based on a primary survey. It employs certain indirect methods to arrive at a more realistic estimate of the incidence of child labour. Besides, it focuses on the quantitative methods to identify the factors that explain child labour. Finally the policy implications are brought out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – E-learning is emerging as a potential delivery medium for education and training. This is evident from the increasing number of educational institutions and organizations adopting e-learning. In India, there has been an upsurge in the number of students going for management education. But, before management institutes embark on this e-learning journey, it is important to assess student readiness for this medium. The purpose of this paper is to examine the awareness levels, degree of familiarity and readiness to accept e-learning environment. Design/methodology/approach – Exploratory study and personal interviews were conducted to design the instrument which was administered to 240 students pursuing management education at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), which is a premier business school in India. A total of 154 duly filled questionnaires were used for data analysis. Factor analysis, cluster analysis and chi-square test were carried out to meet the objectives of the study. Findings – Factor analysis resulted in identification of five factors which were given names. Further, two clusters were identified among the respondents. To examine if the cluster profile varied in demographic variables, a chi-square test showed that none of the demographic variables are statistically related to the clusters. Research limitations/implications – The sample was comprised of students of a business school and therefore it may not be representative of all students studying business management. Second, since the sample comprised only 17 female students, generalization of results is difficult. Practical implications – The research holds relevance, as an assessment of prior exposure to technology and comfort level, attitude, behavior and motivation may determine the e-learners' readiness to adopt or not adopt this medium. Originality/value – The paper brings forth student readiness for e-learning as a medium of education in India. This may serve as a guide to those business schools which have started delivering management education or plan to deliver online education in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences in the rural household agricultural income by farmers’ education while exploiting a nationally representative household survey data set, i.e. the India Human Development Survey-2005, in the rural Indian context. The author seeks to answer the question: how much variation in the household net agricultural income per acre of land cultivated can farmers’ education explain? Design/methodology/approach – The author has employed the ordinary least squares regression model with village fixed effects. The author also analysed the data using some exploratory statistics. Findings – The author finds that farmers’ education significantly increases the net household farm income per acre of land cultivated last year. The results are robust to the inclusion of the five educational degree categories (dummies) in lieu of the years of schooling variable. The results are also robust to its decomposition into that for men and for women separately. Women farmers’ education has an amplified impact on farm incomes. The author also confirms the inverse relationship between the household agricultural income and land area cultivated, which is consistent with the huge literature on the negative relationship between land size-class and farm productivity. Practical implications – In a developing country with a not-so-modernized agriculture sector and low adoption of newer farming technologies, this validated importance of education in explaining the differences in rural farm earnings has guiding policy implications in that a positive return to farmer schooling signals the need for increased investments in the farmers’ education and awareness so as to enhance farm incomes and productivity. The special policy thrust on education of women and women farmers is critical to ensuring higher farm incomes and outcomes. Originality/value – The literature on the impact of farmers’ education on rural household agricultural income is very sparse. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this issue has not been addressed before in the Indian context. The author explains the contribution of farmer education to farm income in rural Indian households. The author also revisits the negative relationship between farm income and land size holdings in the Indian agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- MBA education in India is facing the same challenges as business. Upheaval of technology, changing customer expectations, global competition, online courses and societal responsibility are the major concerns. Failure to adapt to these challenges will question the academic contribution to business practice. Business school (B-school) branding is crucial to distinguish the services provided by one B-school from another. Considering the importance and relevance of adapting to the changing market forces, the purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model of brand-building for Indian B-schools. Design/methodology/approach -- A range of published literature related to the topic is thoroughly searched. The paper examines the viewpoints of various scholars with regard to the role of a student in a B-school. The services marketing perspective is analyzed and the gaps are identified through a robust literature survey. Based on the literature survey, an original conceptual model for brand-building for B-schools is proposed. Findings -- Some B-schools have adopted certain branding activities, but extant literature review reveals that B-schools in India do not practice an organized holistic approach to branding activities. Originality/value -- The proposed conceptual model is stage one in the process of understanding what goes into building a B-school brand. Stage two would empirically test the proposed conceptual model of brand-building. The proposed model is holistic, considering the role of important stakeholders such as students, faculty and corporate. This conceptual model will help B-school management to understand the role and importance of branding B-schools. It will provide an insight into the various parameters on which a B-school brand has to be built. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the initiative of the University Grants Commission of India in setting up the Infonet Digital Library Consortium (The Information and Library Network) in order to provide access to scholarly communication to the academic community in India. Design/methodology/approach - The context of higher education in India and the expansion and establishment of universities under the five-year plan is given along with details of e-resources that are being provided. The usage trends of e-resources from various publishers during 2004-2007 are detailed. Findings - The paper finds that there has been a qualitative increase in overall usage, but use is also dependent on a high-bandwidth connection. Originality/value - The study provides evidence of increased use of consortial services for access to e-resources in Indian higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The recent expansion in tertiary education in India, an increased student enrollment as well as global competition have created a challenge for the existence of the institutes. It has been realized that a quality of service is associated with customer satisfaction and it is one of the key points for survival for any organization as it minimizes the various risks associated with an organization. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an empirical study conducted to obtain the impact of various academic systems on student's satisfaction across the institution. Second, it focusses on minimizing various risks by providing an optimum combination of parameters of different academic activities. Design/methodology/approach – This empirical research investigates customer satisfaction on support services of academic process and focus on minimizing various risks by finding an optimum combination of parameters of academic activities. Findings – It identifies the levels of sensitivity of the various factors affecting the academic process of technical education that might influence the management to design the technical curricula to increase student's satisfaction. Practical implications – The study demonstrates the impact of statistical process control (SPC) and Taguchi parameter design to monitor the academic process of the institution and finding an optimum condition of the various parameters involved with the process, which would maximize customer satisfaction across the institution. The result suggests that this approach may add more value to both academics and practitioners. Originality/value – It is an original contribution to integrate SPC and Taguchi robust parameter design in assessing customers' satisfaction in Indian scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper seeks to discuss the characteristics that describe a rubric. It aims to propose a systematic method for developing curriculum wide rubrics and to discuss their potential utility for program quality assessment. Design/methodology/approach - Implementation of rubrics is a recent phenomenon in higher education. Prior research and theoretical issues related to rubric design and development are discussed. The proposed method for rubric development is illustrated by deriving generic analytic scoring rubrics for two assessment methods, namely projects and cases in a Master's level business program in India. Aspects related to the validity of the rubrics developed are investigated and results of reliability study conducted using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) are reported. Findings - Upon testing, the rubrics were found to be reliable and valid grading tools. Results of inter-rater and intra-rater reliability analyses illustrated that the rubrics supported standardization of the manner in which cases and projects could be evaluated in different business courses. Practical implications - Whereas previous studies on rubric construction have largely concentrated on task specific rubrics, this study focuses on development of curriculum wide rubrics that can be employed for assessment of students' learning at both course and program level. Originality/value - To date there has not been any published work on issues of assessment of student learning through project and case analysis rubrics within diverse courses in a business program. The method detailed in the study can guide the development of generic rubrics for alternative assessment methods employed in business programs as well as in other disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information about an argument for investing in information and communication technologies for building up of quality human resource capital for the economic uplifting of India. On-line learning and e-learning have been explored as a way to increase quality human resources in higher education for developing countries such as India. This paper provides a descriptive account of the current situation in India with regard to education, especially e-learning. The research advocates the urgency for traditional institutions to put an emphasis on investment in communication technologies.

The article offers information on a study on national developments inHigher education for sustainable development in India. Different educational approaches in education for sustainable development are also discussed in the study. It the study, academic program, policy statements and education projects were analyzed. It was found in the study that India's education policy has several principles of sustainable development in it where environmental education is mandated in all forms of formal education. The challenges to this initiative the government is also discussed which include lack of inter-disciplinary competence among students and staff and methods of assessment in HE.

The article offers information on the U.S. Congress concern on the rising education in India and China that would affect the U.S. Competitiveness. It informs that the Business Trends Library assumes economic growth has been very slow and does not cause society to change significantly during a human life. It reflects that increasing consumption by post-industrial countries have created increasing imports of materials from outside and for this they must find means of paying. It informs that the countries including the U.S. and Great Britain are US are moving out of the mass production phase of economic development into the new level of post industrial development.

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to examine the link between industry competency requirements and the current provisions for hospitality management education in India. Design/methodology/approach — Uses structured interviews with educationists and industrialists to identify the key issues. Findings — Shows that a gap exists in terms of ensuring that the needs of industry are met by the ongoing skills development of the workforce. Practical implications — Identifies the need for collaborative development between the educational providers and industry, especially in relation to the ongoing development of managers in the workplace. Originality/value — Focuses on the development needs of the Indian hospitality industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is a service industry. It needs to adopt the techniques of other industries in measuring the quality of its services and the satisfaction of its customers. This paper reports on a study of educational institutes in India in terms of how well they meet the needs of local industrial customers. It involves the use of quality function deployment, and a range of statistical techniques, to design and analyze a questionnaire which results in a clear demonstration of a lack of satisfaction. The analysis also identifies those factors which should be specifically addressed to improve quality and customer satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Attitude is a major factor affecting behavior. It influences the perception of objects and people, exposure to and comprehension of information, choice of friends, co-workers and so on. Attitudes are subjective attributes of people. Attitude is nothing but conceptualization of human qualities that are formed on the basis of either rational consideration or statistical evidence. Thus, people may vary along each of a number of attitudinal dimensions. Keeping this measurement aspect into consideration, the attitudes might be defined operationally by describing the measurement systems that psychologists use to measure attributes. There are many methods of attitude measurement, i.e. self-report, indirect tests, direct observation techniques, and psychological reaction techniques. This study aims at enquiring into quality of working life differentials among teachers with a view to bring to the surface some of the conditions in context of job satisfaction categorically. Design/methodology/approach – This study has been designed to address the objectives given below: to analyse quality of working life differentials among urban and rural school teachers; to compare the urban and rural teaching environment on the basis of job satisfaction criteria like teaching and welfare facilities. The research has been conducted in government schools in India. It was carried out with two samples of 200 teachers each from the urban and the rural area. Primary data were collected and factor analysis was carried out, as a tool. Findings – The analysis reveals that in case of urban teachers, the factors identified as important in quality of working life include-excellence and satisfaction at work, intra-institutional satisfaction, peer group pressure, lower self-esteem, institutional and social pressures, overall organizational satisfaction and socio-organisational behaviour. On the other hand, in the case of rural teachers, seven factors have been identified as factors determining of quality of work, which are not the same factors as identified in the case of urban teachers. Originality/value – This comparative study has implications on competitiveness of teachers and their work performance. The educational institutions those who focus on the factors determining the quality of work life will have more opportunities to emerge as successful organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined a strategic architecture for electronic learning for a traditional university like Himachal Pradesh University (H.P. University) in Simla, India, and offered guidelines for implementing electronic learning for the university of the future. It states that to venture into electronic learning, H.P. University should reengineer itself, understand how competition will change in the future and refine insights into future possibilities. It also recommends the concept of strategic thinking in the education field for implementing electronic learning.

Purpose -- This research aims to assess the significant differences in the climate profile and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) of teachers working in public and private schools of India. Design/methodology/approach -- The sample comprised of 100 teachers, out of which 50 teachers were from public school and 50 teachers were from private schools. Following data collection, significant differences regarding climate profile and OCBs were examined by using t-test. Findings -- The findings indicated significant differences in the climate profile of public and private schools. Also, there was significant difference in the exhibition of citizenship behaviors of teachers working in public and private schools. Research limitations/implications -- The research represents the beginning and not an end to the examination of climate of schools as well as exhibition of citizenship behaviors of teachers. The study makes feasible suggestions for improving the climate profile of private schools and citizenship behaviors of teachers. It also implies that to enhance the climate of private schools, appropriate strategy must be followed which can transform teachers to be creative, innovative, and flexible. Also, open communication and appropriate feedback must be encouraged which can build strong relationship between teachers and principal, which is generally stymied by the bureaucratic leadership styles of the principals. Originality/value -- This study provides further groundwork to assist administrators in identifying other areas which are sensitive to climate profile and behavioral aspects of school and aspects which can prevent from tarnishing the image of the school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]