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Climate change is one of the most critical socio-economic and environmental problems in India. Although India's per capita emission is very low compared to other developed nations, the economic impacts are very high as millions depend on climate sensitive sectors for instance, agriculture and forestry etc. Given the above context, this paper discusses the status of climate change, its economic impacts, especially for agriculture and forestry, climate change and financial gaps and other climate policy initiatives in India. In addition, this paper also discusses the four aspects such as climate change and macro-economic impacts, distributional aspects, social cost of carbon, and finally finance and technological aspects. There arises an urgent requirement to conduct a vulnerability assessment for reducing future poverty and inequality associate to climate change in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse how financial literacy (FL) is conceptualised and operationalised in the Indian context. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) protocol. Thirty-six articles published between 2010 and 2020 were considered for analysis. The FL conceptualisation was examined based on knowledge, ability, skill, attitude and confidence elements. The FL operationalisation was analysed using the modified version of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 model for organising the domain for an assessment framework. Findings: The findings indicate that, despite offering operationalisation details of the FL, 13 out of 36 studies did not include a conceptual definition of FL. Of the 23 studies that mentioned a conceptual definition, 87% are primarily focused on the "knowledge" element and only 39% have combined knowledge, ability/skill and attitude elements in defining FL. As in the developed countries, the Indian studies also preferred investment/saving-related contents in their FL measures. The volume of content focusing on the financial landscape is meagre amongst the FL measures used in India and developed countries. The survey instruments of most studies have been designed in the individuals' context but have failed to measure the extent to which individuals apply the knowledge in performing their day-to-day financial transactions. Further, it was found that 20 out of 36 studies did not convert the FL level of their target groups into a single indicator or operational value. Originality/value: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that explores the FL's assessment practices in India. Further, this study offers new insights by comparing the contents of FL measures used in Indian studies with those used in developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper explores the current state of Robo-advisory services in India. This paper further highlights the problems experienced by the service providers in disseminating the innovative business model among the Indians. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a qualitative approach to investigate the industry experts by conducting semi-structured interviews. The data collected were transcripted and further analyzed using the content analysis technique. Finally, the authors utilized categorization and coding techniques to frame broad study themes. Findings: The study findings reveal that the three pillars of Robo-advisory are ease and convenience, the time factor and transparency in operations. Robo-advisory services are still at a nascent stage in India. Furthermore, keeping the sentiments of Indians in mind, FinTech companies could combine automated Robo-advisory with a human touch of a wealth manager for optimal advisory services. Research limitations/implications: Since the present study is qualitative, the authors cannot generalize the study results. Future research can focus on empirically proving the constructs of the study using quantitative methods. Practical implications: Robo-advisors have a well-established market in developed nations but are still nascent in developing countries like India. The current focus of service providers and regulatory authorities must be to increase awareness among investors by educating the investors and building trust. Originality/value: The present study is the first to qualitatively synthesize the challenges faced by the FinTech service providers in the Indian market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-filing is one of the e-government facilities that have been embraced by various developed countries, where the public has to release their obligation to the government through online tax filing. E-filing of taxes has been adopted by many countries and India is no exception. One protruding type of e-government is the introduction of the e-filing system for income tax. Through this system, taxpayers are able to submit their tax returns electronically to the tax authorities. However the success of such systems depends on citizen's satisfaction and intention to re-use the e-filing system. This paper attempts to analyze the factors that influence individual assesee in adopting electronic tax-filing services. A survey has been used to collect primary data and questionnaire approach was used in final analysis. This paper deals with the primary data collection method through questionnaire of primary data filled stabilized and analyzed to use SPSS. The overall results of the study point out that tax payer are enthusiastic as regards new technology. By paying overt attention to intended tax users' technology inclination may assist the tax authority in formulating strategy to accelerate the acceptance of e-filing system more easily among the people in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon footprints (CFs) are the measure of extent of green house gases (GHGs) emitted from any organization or activity. Reporting of extent of CFs in terms of CO 2 e from educational campus may be considered as a first step towards sustainable educational practices. The present study employs a bottom up approach where CFs due to consumption of resources from each academic department is evaluated separately and net is obtained by adding contributions from individual departments. This method has the advantage of avoiding the potential overlaps in the calculation. Hence this approach to calculate carbon footprints can lead to their precise CF evaluation. In order to justify above hypothesis, CF evaluation was carried out at Shikshana Prasarak Mandali's Sir Parashurambhau College, Pune for three consecutive years starting from 2015 to 2016. The average carbon footprints over the study period were 3630.57 ± 296.79 tones CO 2 e per year with per capita emission of 0.81 ± 0.06 tones CO 2 e. The emission density determined from the average value was found to be 0.0361 ± 0.0029 tCO 2 e m−2 of the campus. It was observed that emission sources classified as scope-1, scope-2 and scope-3 contribute 28%, 48% and 25% respectively to total emission. Out of all the emission sources identified, apart from human contribution through respiration, electricity (35%), biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, stationary paper, 7%, use of chemicals in the laboratories (5%), paper for official purpose (12%), LPG (3%) and transport (27%) were main contributors. As this is a multi faculty college, science faculty contributes almost 62%, commerce 9% and arts 11% of the total emission. • Present paper highlights carbon footprints from an Indian HEI using bottom up approach. • A questionnaire based survey was used to arrive at departmental and net footprints. • Carbon footprints of HEI in India are much less as compared to developed countries. • The carbon footprints of Indian HEIs are expected to grow at 5–6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to develop a holistic understanding of the state of implementation of the Basel III regulation in India. It offers essential insights related to its impact on the macroeconomy, non-performing assets, capital flows and modifications required for the Indian banking sector. Another central aspect of this study is the identification of challenges faced by bankers in implementing Basel III in India. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted with the help of a well-structured close-ended questionnaire. It was based on six themes identified after a comprehensive review of the literature. Seven experts validated the construction of the questionnaire. A total of 18 responses (42.8%) were received. Findings: The findings substantiate the importance of Basel III regulations. Although high costs and roadblocks are involved in its implementation, yet, the benefits are notable. Banking experts sense the necessity to modify the Tier 1 ratio, risk-weights and ratings. It is felt that credit ratings will impact the capital and investment flows received by India. Research limitations/implications: The number of responses limits the ability to conduct several statistical tests. Practical implications: The findings support the industry's view that Basel III focuses more on industrialized countries and that many emerging countries lack the technology and infrastructure to implement it. Originality/value: Since the implementation of Basel, the norm is a continuous process; the findings provide vital insights to regulators and academicians focusing on the Indian banking sector about its current state to aid in developing a future roadmap. This paper delivers important values as follows: a holistic view of banking experts on Basel III in India, required modifications, its impact and future scope of research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:Global Financial liberalizationhas increased the integration of the stock market worldwide. The conditional volatility of the financial market is an important factor responsible for the stock market return and reaping the benefits of diversification for investors. The purpose of the paper is to estimates the interdependence of volatility of stock indices of countries like India, China, USA, and Japan. Design/Methodology:GARCH model has been used to find the co-movement and volatility transmission among the stock markets. Daily closing prices of NIFTY (India), SENSEX (India), NIKKEI (Japan), NASDAQ (U.S.) and, SHANGHAI (China) over the period from January 2008 to December 2019S has beenusedinthestudy. Findings: The result indicates that ARCH and GARCH effect is significant among Nifty, SENSEX and NASDAQ but not significant for SHANGHAI and NIKKEI stock indices. Research Implication:The volatility interactions between Nifty and NASDAQ are more prominent as compared to other stock indices considered. The US market act as an leading indicator for the Indian stock market. Practical Implication: The research can aid the investors in forming a diversification strategy. The comovement of stock indices can aid in developing an optimum portfolio that maximizes return and reduces risk. The policymakers can also benefit from the study in establishing a lead-lag relationship of the transmission among stock indices. Investors and researcher also have a keen interest to study the interdependence of the financial market are suggested to study the movements of NASDAQ before making investment decision for Nifty. Originality / Value: The study adds to the body of literatureby exploring the financial integration among various indices. The research also discusses lead-lag relationship of selected stock market specifically post subprime crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The policy and practice link in conducting the disciplinary proceedings is pertinent. The primary goal of this manuscript is to contrast India's approach to government employee discipline with that of eight other advanced nations. The gap between policy and practice in disciplinary proceedings involving accused employees is critically examined in the paper. Nonetheless, the main focus of this research is to investigate how unjust proceedings have affected society. With the help of real-time forensics, this article evaluates the gap between the employee suspension policy and practice. The forensics divulges the abuse of power in the disciplinary process sufficient to compel this article to critically highlight the adverse impacts of the detrimental practice on society. Informed personal interviews with the stakeholders (N = 34) reveal that the employee suspension practice deviates from the policy. Employee suspension evolved as a "state-sanctioned oppression", a "cruel joke to unemployment", and a "safe instrument to screen the offence of the powerful". The two significant findings of the study are, firstly, faulty disciplinary practice increasing social injustice, unemployment and resultant youth violence, and secondly, usage of suspension as an instrument to suppress or screen the traces of offence. Relying on the definitions provided in the verdicts of Indian courts, the manuscript calls for a revisit to the practice in the context of misconduct, malpractice, and victimization. We choose research areas that have not received much attention and create an agenda for the future to decrease the discrepancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research on the relationship between financial resource availability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) has presented contrasting theoretical arguments and evidence. While the relationship has been theorized to be positive in developed countries, it has been argued to be negative in emerging economies due to institutional differences. However, prior theorization in the context of emerging economies has failed to consider the possibility of a non-monotonic relationship between financial resources and CSR. Although due to the high costs of obtaining external finance in emerging economies, firms may choose to prioritize capital retention over engaging in CSR activities when financial resource availability is low, this behavior is likely to change beyond a point when the level of available financial resources has crossed a reasonable threshold. In this paper, we develop this perspective and predict a U-shaped relationship between financial resource availability and CSR in emerging economies. We test and find support for this prediction on a sample of the top 500 listed firms in India. Further, we also predict and find that three dominant ownership structures (i.e., family ownership, business group affiliation, and state ownership) differentially condition this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper seeks to study the evolving policy paradigm of Indian outward foreign Investment, especially from the year 2000 till the present. Indian overseas investment has gone through a multitude of overhauls since the liberalization and globalization era of the 1990s.. The study, while highlighting the changing sectoral and geographical composition of Indian OFDI from 2000-2021, underpins the pivotal role played by the Indian Government in fostering gradual but steady policy reforms for calibrating the suitable ecosystem for overseas investment by Indian MNCs. The paper’s findings suggest that developed nations are preferred over developing ones owing to the desire of acquiring strategic assets while the service sector grabs the larger share over the manufacturing sector with respect to cross-border OFDI deals from India. The research suggests further liberalization of services like communication, education and personal services to augment the contribution of the service sector in India's OFDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the discussion in favor of simplicity of legal rules and against complex regulation is rooted in economically developed countries with strong state capacity. With economic development and state capacity comes the presumption that complex rules will be enforced. Therefore, analysis focuses on the administrative and error costs, and the unintended consequences of complex rules that are enforced. This paper argues that the Epsteinian insight is even more relevant to the developing world where countries often lack enough state capacity to even take on simple governance tasks. Developing countries often have less than 20 percent of the state capacity of developed countries. However, this does not mean they limit the regulatory structure to a fifth of the tasks. Under-enforcement or non-enforcement of complex rules imposes different costs and unintended consequences on society. Using examples from India, this paper highlights problems of enforcement swamping, deadweight loss, and corruption arising from the under-enforcement of complex rules. To avoid these problems, the paper concludes that a fortiori less developed countries should favor simple rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives a review of energy scenario in India and other countries. Today’s demand of the world is to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, during the production of electricity. Henceforth over the world, the production of electrical power is changing by introducing abundantly available renewable energy sources like sun and wind. But, because of the intermittent nature of sustainable power sources, the electrical power network faces many problems, during the transmission and distribution of electricity. For resolving these issues, Electrical Energy Storage (EES) is acknowledged as supporting technology. This paper discusses about the world electrical energy scenario with top renowned developed countries in power generation and consumption. Contribution of traditional power sources changed after the introduction of renewable energy sources like sun and wind. Worldwide Agencies are formed like International Energy Agency (IEA), The Central Intelligence Agency, (CIS) etc. The main aim of these agencies is to provide reliable, affordable and clean energy. This paper will discuss about the regulatory authority and government policies/incentives taken by different countries. At the end of this paper, author focuses on obstacles in implementation, development and benefits of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the state-wise impact of literacy rates on the financial literacy rates in India. The OECD defines financial education as, "the process by which financial consumers/investors improve their understanding of financial products, concepts and risks and, through information, instruction and/or objective advice, develop the skills and confidence to become more aware of financial risks and opportunities, to make informed choices, to know where to go for help, and to take other effective actions to improve their financial well-being." Financial literacy has been gaining popularity more rapidly than ever in the recent past, amid both developing and developed countries alike. The objective of this paper is to the relationship between literacy rates on the financial literacy rates in India. The methodology employed is a statistical analysis of secondary data collected. The findings show that there exists a positive relationship between literacy levels and financial literacy levels. It is not a particularly strong relationship, though statistically significant. The paper concludes with recommendations and suggestions that could help improve financial literacy rates in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to assess the perceptions of stakeholders as regards the practices of Indian companies vis-à-vis climate change seeking underpinnings from stakeholder theory and collecting data using a structured questionnaire. Design/methodology/approach: This paper used a descriptive analytical research design based on the data collected from a diverse sample of stakeholders of Indian companies through a cross-sectional, self-administered online survey questionnaire. Findings: The study attaching significance to the stakeholders' perception as a useful tool underscores that Indian companies have started to engage in preventive measures to minimize the externalities of climate crisis taking cognizance of the stakeholders' interests amidst their increased awareness, also underlining that their perceptions substantially determine climate strategy proactivity (CSP) in their quest of competitive advantage beyond regulatory compliances. The study finds that incessant growth in the stakeholder awareness has not left companies to remain reluctant from analyzing effects and adopting suitable strategies in India also which, as a fast growing developing country, has witnessed immense growth in the post-liberalization era. Research limitations/implications: This study would help decision-makers in businesses, policymakers, practitioners and standard-setters by providing further insights on the relevance of stakeholders' perspectives in CSP in the developing countries. Stakeholders' perceptions though representing varied categories hint that the actions beyond regulatory compliances need to be in focus in future studies. Originality/value: The paper elaborates the significance of CSP in developing countries to eliminate the impact of inadequacies that previous studies undertook primarily in developed countries have failed in contextualizing these issues of developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand the specific reasons why developed countries could easily start implementing innovative alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. electric vehicles or EVs) while the implementation in developing countries looks so far-fetched, with respect to infrastructure and downstream activities, and suggest the steps that can be taken to effectively address these issues. Design/methodology/approach: This research undertakes case study – Tesla (USA), Mahindra and Mahindra (India) and Tata Motors to bring out the problems being faced by manufacturers from developing countries vis-a-vis the developed countries. The consumers' side has been adequately represented though an in-depth survey. An analysis is also carried out as to how Tesla has accrued competitive leverage by innovating and vertical integration of up as well as downstream systems. Findings: EV infrastructure remains grossly inadequate in developing countries like India. Two key areas that remain significantly unexplored are the installation of charging stations at parking lots and at the housing clusters and lack of competitive leverage in the services, processes and other downstream systems due to limited research and development capabilities. The performance metrics of domestic EVs lag those of conventional vehicles as well as foreign competitors like Tesla. Range anxiety is ranked as number one in the major concerns among the potential mass buyers of electric vehicles in India. Originality/value: The value of the paper lies in an in-depth analysis of the relationship between horizontal and vertical perspectives as well as the impact of the product eco-system innovation on both the upstream as well as downstream nodes in the supply chain. Whereas the consumer attitudes and perspectives on e-mobility are inferred from a survey, the impact analysis matrix is used for analyzing the competitive leverage of Tesla through several features in the upstream, downstream and servitization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recent papers on target capital structure show that debt ratio seems to vary widely in space and time, implying that the functional specifications of target debt ratios are of little empirical use. Further, target behavior cannot be adjudged correctly using debt ratios, as they could revert due to mechanical reasons. The purpose of this paper is to develop an alternative testing strategy to test the target capital structure. Design/methodology/approach: The authors make use of a major "shock" to the debt ratios as an event and think of a subsequent reversion as a movement toward a mean or target debt ratio. By doing this, the authors no longer need to identify target debt ratios as a function of firm-specific variables or any other rigid functional form. Findings: Similar to the broad empirical evidence in developed economies, there is no perceptible and systematic mean reversion by Indian firms. However, unlike developed countries, proportionate usage of debt to finance firms' marginal financing deficits is extensive; equity is used rather sparingly. Research limitations/implications: The trade-off theory could be convincingly refuted at least for the emerging market of India. The paper here stimulated further research on finding reasons for specific financing behavior of emerging market firms. Practical implications: The results show that the firms' financing choices are not only depending on their own firm's specific variables but also on the financial markets in which they operate. Originality/value: This study attempts to assess mean reversion in debt ratios in a unique but reassuring manner. The results are confirmed by extensive calibration of the testing strategy using simulated data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the power to change the economy and lives. This paper highlights how AI can transform Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India. It explores the competencies which an organization can gain by linking its socially responsible activities with AI. Unlike developed countries, AI is in a very nascent stage in India. On the other hand, it is mandatory for the organization to undertake CSR initiatives in India. Results reveal that organizations can be more efficient in their business operations if they incorporate AI technology with CSR. The amalgamation of AI and CSR can work wonders for an organization to be sustainable in India. This study tries to conceptualise AI into CSR through a theoretical model which needs further feasibility testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the determinants of stated individual support towards environmental action. The analysis is realized by means of an original Partial Least Squares Path model of Environmental Awareness-Social Capital-Action and it is based on survey data provided in the fifth wave of the World Values Survey (2005–2009) regarding 34.612 individuals from 42 different countries. Besides the global estimates obtained on the whole set of countries, the paper proposes a subsample analysis for developed and developing countries, as well as country analyses for four major economies: China, India, Germany and the United States. We find that environmental awareness and trust in not-for-profit organizations are important determinants of individual action in support of environmentally friendly policies. In general, trust in science and technology does not crowd-out individual support towards the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste Management has become a burning issue all over the world for the last few decades. The repercussions of many years of unrestricted and irresponsible industrialisation, globalisation, and consumerism are being faced today. Many countries have started taking precautions to reduce the dire environmental and health effects caused by improper and irrational waste management. This paper's primary objective is to analyse the Indian municipal solid waste management systems (MSWs), their challenges, threats, current systems in place, and, more importantly, to understand the opportunities to improve and implement better strategies. However, it is also essential to understand how developed countries are faring with managing their waste and where India stands in comparison globally. In this paper, waste generation and the composition statistics of 5 selected countries - the USA, Canada, Germany, China, and India, are also evaluated with an overview of their respective management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to test a model in which the effect of strategic information technology (IT)-business alignment capability (hereafter referred to as "strategic alignment") on organizational performance is examined via the mediating role of organizational agility [studied as operational adjustment agility (OAA) and market capitalizing agility (MCA)] along with the moderating influence of environmental uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach: The research uses survey data accumulated from 220 managers (IT and bank managers) working in the regional rural banks of Odisha, India. A structural equation modelling approach is used to investigate the strategic alignment-performance relationship. Findings: The findings demonstrate the positive effect of strategic alignment on agility (studied as OAA and MCA). This paper finds the positive effects of strategic alignment and both OAA and MCA on organizational performance. The moderation analysis reveals that in an uncertain environment, strategic alignment has more impact on MCA than OAA. However, the test of mediation exhibits OAA as a more significant mediator promoting the strategic alignment-performance linkage, than MCA. This was further validated from the moderated-mediation analysis. Originality/value: Although previous research studies (mostly conducted in the context of developed countries) have reported about the positive strategic alignment-agility-performance linkages, yet the literature is silent regarding the influence of external contingent factors on these relationships from a rural banking perspective in a developing country setting (such as India). The research extends the strategic alignment-agility-performance theories and provides empirical support for these unique associations in the context of rural banking in India and thereby, greatly contributes to the existing strategic alignment literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the subsequent investment success of EMNCs after their strategic asset-seeking foreign direct investments (FDIs), while internationalization trajectories of multinational corporations from emerging economies (EMNCs) have been extensively studied, Post-internationalization investment success of EMNCs is defined as extensive technological knowledge access and transfer for knowledge combination. This paper focuses on EMNC explicit knowledge access and transfer. Design/methodology/approach: This study analyzes US patents granted between 2000 and 2014 to leading innovation-oriented EMNCs from China and India as well as to their key competitors from mature industrialized countries (MMNCs). Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test is used to compare the explicit technological knowledge access and transfer patterns of EMNCs and MMNCs. With MMNCs as the benchmark, the comparison allows to imply the patterns and extent of technological knowledge access and transfer of EMNCs. Findings: While subsidiary reverse knowledge transfer is largely missing, EMNCs adopt a parent-centric approach in which the parent directly accesses and transfers explicit knowledge from the external environment of host locations. In doing so, EMNCs at least partially achieve the knowledge access and transfer goals of strategic asset-seeking FDIs. Originality/value: This study contributes to an in-depth understanding of EMNCs by empirically testing key predictions in extant EMNC literature, namely, the strategic asset-seeking in host locations and the systematic integration of accessed knowledge and resources with home country activities. This study also pioneers the use of the US patent and citation data to empirically study EMNCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focused on the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in India. The BPO is a service industry. It is contributing to a great extent to the Indian economy, as per the Indian Brand and Equity Foundation. The major research question is how and why the BPO industry has emerged in India, a developing country. A descriptive research analysis has been conducted in this research paper. It is found that the Indian workforce is laborious, efficient, and proficient in speaking English to manage businesses around the world. So it is easier to attract the BPO industry to India. It is also observed that the workforce in India is available at a cheaper cost in comparison to other developed countries in the world. So it provides cost advantages to those companies who want to outsource them. The other reason may be the liberalisation of government policies in India for investment by companies around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productivity rise as a source of growth has high potential to uplift millions out of poverty. Mitigating the productivity gap can play vital role in helping developing countries to offset with developed countries. In this regard, present study attempts to scrutinize the relationship and significance of various determinants of total factor productivity (TFP) in India for the period 1990-1991 to 2019-2020. To this end, autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing approach has been utilized. The results pinpoint that trade openness and unemployment have a positive impact on total factor productivity. On the other hand, inflation has a negative but insignificant relationship with total factor productivity, both in the short and long run. The results imply that exports need to be diversified, and import of capital goods should be encouraged to enhance TFP in the long run. Further, foreign-owned business entities need to be encouraged to hire domestic workers, which would result in enhanced TFP in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reviews the literature on accounting conservatism and its different dimensions. In literature, accounting conservatism is classified into two classes, namely, conditional accounting conservatism and unconditional accounting conservatism. Accounting conservatism plays an important role in shaping the corporate governance of any firm. It also interacts with other dimensions like board structure and ownership structure to decide the firm level of corporate governance. Board structure and accounting conservatism act as a substitute to each other. Accounting conservatism literature mainly focuses on advanced or developed nations, while research on emerging nations needs more attention. As there are institutional differences between advanced and emerging nations, the results generated from advanced nations cannot be generalized for the emerging nations. There are many unattended research gaps in the context of emerging nations like India, where ownership structure is concentrated and business group affiliation is a rule rather than exception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Bank branching plays a significant role in a wide range of economic activities. Existing studies on determinants of bank branching activities largely focus on developed countries; studies devoted to developing countries are scant. The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of bank branching activities in one of the largest developing country India. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employ a unique longitudinal data to study the determinants of bank branch location in India. These data are collected at the state level covering 25 Indian states for the period 2006–2017. The authors employ Poisson regression that are better suited for modeling counted dependent variable. Findings: First, region and bank specific factors such as size of population and bank deposits influence location of bank branches. Second, the relationship between these factors and branch locations is heterogeneous across different types of banks and across states with different business environments. Practical implications: First, from the view of banks, considering the factors of branch location are crucial in order to set out branching strategy. Irrespective of policy measures aimed at promoting financial inclusion in India, the authors show that banks consider economic activities in the region in locating their branches. Second, from the view of policy makers and regulators, such branching strategy could potentially contribute to financial exclusion. As a result, population in the less developed regions may be excluded from accessing financial services. Hence, policy makers and regulators should take into this account when formulating policies aimed at promoting financial inclusion. Originality/value: First, while existing studies largely focus on developed countries, studies devoted to developing countries are scant. To the best of our knowledge, the authors have not come across any study that investigates the determinants of bank branch location in India, so the authors reasonably believe that this study is a first-of-its-kind. Second, the study provides a new perspective concerning how regional and bank specific factors influence banks of different ownership in locating branches. Third, while traditional regression used to be a method of choice among early studies, the authors employ Poisson regression that is better suited for modeling counted dependent variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital humanities is a result of the convergence of digital technology with social sciences and humanities. It is one of the key research areas around the world by the library and information science profession, and in cognate areas such as art and archeology. Focus groups, digital humanities centres are created for intensive researches which are located mainly in libraries as their core programmes. The library techniques and methods such as knowledge organisation, knowledge management, search and retrieval design, education, and emerging areas such as metadata, semantic mapping, ontology, thesaurus construction, digital curation, discovery services, find application in digital humanities. A new area of study, historical informatics complements the digital humanities. India has vast potential application of digital humanities with its diverse culture, customs and languages and so on. India is reckoned as one of the advanced countries in the IT sector, hence recognising the socio-cultural legacy and diverse historical background, it is viewed that digital humanities has many opportunities and applications for LIS professionals in India to contribute substantially. This paper brings together the concepts, tools, and applications of digital humanities and proposes a course of study in LIS curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer detection is a crucial topic in the healthcare sector. Breast cancer is a major reason for the increased mortality rate in recent years among women, specifically in developed and underdeveloped countries around the world. The incidence rate is less in India than in developed countries, but awareness must be increased. This paper focuses on an efficient deep learning-based diagnosis and classification technique to detect breast cancer from mammograms. The model includes preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction, and classification. At the initial level, Laplacian filtering is applied to identify the portions of edges in mammogram images that are highly sensitive to noise. Subsequently, segmentation is done using modified adaptively regularized kernel-based fuzzy C means (ARKFCM). Feature extraction is accomplished using the morphological, texture, and moment invariants. The corresponding feature values are provided as inputs to a deep neural network (DNN) model that classifies the normal and abnormal portions in the mammogram images. The performance of the proposed model is validated with the Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) database. The efficiency of the proposed classifier is experimentally proved by comparing the various classifiers with respect to their statistical performances. On an applied database, the proposed model offered a maximum classification with the highest accuracy level of 99.13%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cement is a basic requirement of today's society and is the only thing that humans consume more volume than water, but cement manufacturing is the most energy- and emission-intensive process. Hence, the cement industry is currently under pressure to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions. Climate change mitigation strategies implemented in the industry leads to GHGs reduction, climate risks, pollutants, and another adverse impact on the environment. In order to implement climate change mitigation strategies in the cement industry, a careful analysis of barriers that hinder the emission reduction must be taken. However, most existing research on the barriers to mitigation measures is focused on developed countries. Among the most important emerging economies, India, the second-largest producer and consumer of cement, faces challenges to implement emission reduction measures. To bridge this gap, this paper identifies and evaluates the barriers and solutions to overcome these barriers in the context of India. This study employs a three-phase methodology based on fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to identify barriers and solutions to overcome these barriers to climate change mitigation strategies adoption in Indian cement industry. Fuzzy AHP is employed to prioritize these barriers, and to rank solutions of these barriers, Fuzzy TOPSIS is employed. Ten Indian cement manufacturing industry is taken to illustrate the proposed three-phase methodology. Finally, the result of the analysis offers an effective decision support tool to the Indian cement industry to eliminate and overcome barriers to mitigation strategies adoption and build their green image in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization is the process of international integration arising from interchange of the world’s views, products, ideas and other aspects of the culture. Ayurveda has holistic approach towards health and diseases, lifestyle, using medications, diet and their fewer side effect .Globalization helps to propagate Ayurveda worldwide with the help of health tourism. India is emerging as a great destination for health tourism because it has several factors like excellent medical treatment at low cost, easy accessibility, picturesque locations for excellent holidays etc. Health tourism is not only beneficial for the foreigners but our country can also be benefitted financially. It will also help to spread the importance of Ayurveda worldwide. The physician can extend a helping hand in globalization of Ayurveda by being in their own motherland. Patients from industrialized nations seek health tourism because of high quality treatment at low cost. Panchakarma is one of the specialty of Kayachikitsa presents unique approach of Ayurveda with shodhana procedures of the body. Panchakarma provides promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilative aspect. There has been phenomenal increase in the demand for Panchakarma. Sharad ritu is the time for Pitta prakopa. The pitta which was accumulated in Varsha ritu gets provoked by ushna guna during this season. If proper care is not taken during this time, it will cause Pittaja vikara. Virechana is the method of purification, conducted in Sharad ritu for preventing and controlling pitta prakopa as a part of Ritukalina shodhana. In this current paper, we would like to discuss different aspects of health tourism with special reference to Sharadiya Virechana, which will contribute to propagate Ayurveda globally [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several developing countries have become world leaders in the field of renewable energy, of which China, but also Brazil and India stand out. This research paper focuses on the positions they occupy in the world rankings of hydro, wind, solar and bio energy capacities, as compared to the developed countries. At the same time, the investigation points to specific catalysts or, on the contrary, deterrents of the "green revolution" in the developing world. Hydropower is the most important form of renewable energy in all the three countries included in this evaluation. It is underscored that China is the first one in each of the four world rankings, taking into account the total installed capacity of renewable energy: hydro, wind, solar and bio. It is also the largest investor in renewable energy capacity worldwide. Brazil ranks second as regards hydropower and bioenergy capacities, while India ranks fourth in wind and bioenergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global health diplomacy has gained significant importance and undoubtedly remained high on the agendas of many nations, regional and global platforms amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Many countries have realized the importance of the health sector and the value of a healthy workforce. However, there is little control on issues related to trade that impact on human health due to the dominance of profit-oriented business lobbies. A balance, however, needs to be struck between economic profits and a healthy global population. This paper aimed to highlight the importance of building capacity in global health diplomacy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic so that health personnel may effectively negotiate on the multisectoral stage to secure the resources they need. The recent proposal to waive off certain provisions of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19 by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization (WTO) presents an important opportunity for all governments to unite and stand up for public health, global solidarity, and equitable access at the international level so that both developed and developing nations may enjoy improved health outcomes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper combines the concept of leapfrogging with systems-thinking approaches to outline the potentials for and barriers to enabling systemic shifts to strong sustainable consumption in the emerging economies of China and India. New urban consumers in China and India have the potential to 'lifestyle leapfrog' the high impact lifestyle models of the industrialized countries while simultaneously improving their quality of life. This paper argues that by implementing systemic approaches in the consumption domains of mobility and housing, the historical trajectory of high environmental footprints of mobility and housing can be avoided. The analysis based on systems-thinking principles identifies existing barriers and possible solutions. The importance of policies for strong sustainable consumption is highlighted to induce positive feedbacks in the areas of markets and society facilitating both efficient technology uptake and behavioural changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-wheelers (TW) constitute a major proportion of urban traffic in developing countries and therefore their effect on the saturation flow at signalized intersections could be substantial. This paper attempts to study and analyze the effect of two-wheelers on the saturation flow of signalized intersections by collecting data at a few signalized intersections in Bangalore, India. A strong correlation is observed between the measured saturation flow and the proportion of two-wheeler traffic, which suggest that two-wheelers have significant impact and should be considered in the capacity analysis of signalized intersections. In this paper, the effect of two-wheelers on saturation flow rate is incorporated in a previous model by calibrating and introducing a new adjustment factor for two-wheelers. Results show that saturation flow measured using the modified HCM equation is closer to observed saturation flow values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several countries with diverse health systems have achieved universalization (UHC). The trajectory towards universal coverage almost always has three typical features: (i) a political process driven by a range of regulatory changes to simplify access; (ii) an increase in health spending; (iii) an increase in the share of pooled spending rather than paid out-of-pocket. Therefore, a study was undertaken to understand the extent of the provider-purchaser relationship of governments to achieve UHC while reforming healthcare. The present paper focuses on extensive secondary research across countries and evaluates the experiences of select developed and developing economies with India's experiments on- Financing mechanisms, management arrangements, governance and health outcomes; to offer a comparison of practices and their impact. While Italy, the UK, Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada and most recently China are countries that have achieved UHC; countries like USA and Brazil are on the verge of achieving UHC. These nine countries represent the entire spectrum of pure purchasing models, mixed and pure provisioning models to help us leverage from their experience. All countries that have attained UHC have a well-defined package of services that the government commits to fund and provide for (both public and private). Additionalities around wellness and cosmetic care is managed through supplementary insurance. Overall funding is through an autonomous body, at arm's length of government; primarily to govern and manage the state's health priorities. And the government purely behaves as a regulator setting policy and giving directions to the providers. However, ensuring the sustenance of such a mixed model requires; (i) a well-regulated ecosystem that thrives on evidence, (ii) the governments must clearly define the role/s of each stakeholder and hold them accountable for their deliverables in attaining UHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the result of an exhaustive review of some basic sectors to identify the trends in the journey of nations to economic development. A knowledge and understanding of the past trends in the evolution of developed countries would help us to craft the strategy for betterment in terms of social and economic growth. We have attempted to answer in this paper two questions, viz.: What the developed countries did and what the developing countries must do in order to become competitive. The paper has been largely India-centric in respect of developing countries, even though reference to China has been made frequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer awareness is the key to early detection and better health-seeking behaviour. Cancer is quite common in both developing as well as developed countries, but awareness is yet poor among the general population. Poor awareness may lead to poor uptake of screening modalities and delay in diagnosis. One factor that has been consistently shown to be associated with late diagnosis and treatment is a delay in seeking help for cancer-like symptoms. This paper reviews the literature on cancer awareness among the general population and attitude towards screening modalities. The poor awareness level among the Indian population shows the need for health education and sensitisation regarding cancer and its different aspects. This will be helpful in the successful implementation of health programmes related to cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With considerable attention paid to the motives and process of idiosyncratic internationalization trajectory of multinationals from emerging economies (EMNCs), little is known on whether, and if so how, new competitive advantages of EMNCs are created and accumulated over time. MNC and EMNC literature agrees on the importance of external and internal knowledge linkages in technological competence creation. By building upon this framework, this paper aims to evaluate EMNCs' external and internal knowledge flow patterns by benchmarking their counterparts from mature industrialized countries (MMNCs). Design/methodology/approach: This study analyzes US patents granted between 2000 and 2014 to leading innovation-oriented EMNCs from China and India, and their matched MMNCs. Being the first to use the US patent and citation data in studying leading innovation-oriented EMNCs, the authors use a descriptive statistical method. Findings: The findings offer empirical insights of the scale, scope and quality of EMNC technological competence creation. Moreover, in contrast to existing EMNC literature, it is found that EMNC parents have been the most important center of EMNC technological knowledge generation. The matched group comparisons of external and internal knowledge flows further reveal detailed similarities and differences of competence creation between EMNCs and MMNCs, and among EMNCs. Originality/value: This study represents one of the first attempts to investigate the post-internationalization technological competence creation of EMNCs by using a novel data source. This study sets the foundation to deepen the understanding of EMNC technological competence creation. The findings suggest interesting propositions and offer important implications for future researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal solid waste management is creating serious environmental issues for both developing and developed countries. Proper waste management solutions should be adopted to meet technological feasibility, and it should be financially and environmentally sustainable as well as socially and legally acceptable. Developing countries like India have introduced new policy frameworks for the proper management of municipal solid waste resources along with waste-to-energy recovery and material recycling. This paper gives a deep insight into municipal waste management systems and examines the energy and environmental policy issues to identify weak points in selection criteria for suitable technology. India is facing serious issues in the management of municipal solid waste and is trying to introduce better management solutions. From a technical perspective, both gasification and anaerobic digestion seem to be attractive when compared to traditional management approaches, but the economic feasibility of these technologies needs to be verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has joined the league of rich industrial nations which have accorded top priority to the promotion of telecommunications (both basic telephone systems and value-added services) as well as the new information technologies. The economic policy of 'liberalization' has resulted in a scramble among multinationals to invest in the Indian technology market. However, in the effort to promote these information technologies and the infrastructure necessary for their effective functioning, developing countries like India have overlooked the social and cultural consequences, besides the neglect of other priority sectors like education, employment generation, poverty alleviation, health and medical care, etc. The hope is that the new policy will stimulate industrial and economic growth. This paper takes a hard critical look at Indian government policy on telecommunications and the new information technologies, and the implications of such a policy for the social and cultural life of the nation. The critique takes the stance that information technologies are not a-historical or a-cultural and that they imagine on society in ways that aggravate social conflict, and challenge the cultural values of communities. The focus of the paper is on the possible implications of the technologies for employment, privacy, surveillance, human relations, consumerism, and efficiency in administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most developing countries have large and persistent informal sector. Historically, the literature was dominated by strict duality viewpoint, where the formal and informal sectors are treated as two separate entities. However, in recent times, a new approach has developed where the formal and informal sectors are not binary but they often co-exist and feed into each other. Most academic work on agglomeration economies is based on developed countries where almost all production takes place in the formal sector. Apriori, there is no reason to believe that agglomeration economies do not extend to the informal sector. Hence, in this paper, we hypothesize that agglomeration economies can arise from the interaction between formal and informal firms as well. To check the validity of the hypothesis, we study the geographic distribution and Coagglomeration pattern between formal and informal manufacturing firms in India. Using the firm level National Sample Survey for unincorporated enterprises and Annual Survey of Industries data, we calculate the Ellison and Glaeser Coagglomeration index at 2-digit NIC level. Further, using the Marshall's theory of agglomeration, we create four kinds of linkages to capture the nature of interdependence between formal and informal firms, i.e. Buyer, Supplier, Labor and Technology. We find that there is heavy clustering of both formal and informal manufacturing firms in India, however, mostly in different areas, with few exceptions like Western Uttar Pradesh and Southern Tamil Nadu. Out of 22 major industries, we find high coagglomeration only in 7. The average value of coagglomeration index at aggregate level decreases from 0.00536 in 2000-01 to -0.0027 in 2015-16. This indicate towards reduced interdependence over time, however in few industries it remains high. The average value of labor linkage increased from 0.1889 in 2000-01 to 0.3651 in 2015-16, during the same period buyer linkage remained constant around 0.2481 and supplier linkage fell from 0.5755 to 0.2749. The technology linkage remained low throughout in the range of 0.02-0.03. Strong buyer and labor linkage mean subcontracting of inputs is the main motive driving the interaction between formal and informal firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With ever‐growing populations, cities are increasingly interested in ensuring a well‐functioning food system. However, knowledge of variation between individual city food systems is limited. This is particularly true in countries such as India, experiencing significant issues related to food security and sustainability. This paper advances the understanding of urban food systems, by analyzing the unique food systems of nine cities within India, through the integration of multiple city‐specific data sources including demand of residents, visitors and industries, and commodity‐specific supply chains to assess nutrition, environmental impact, and supply risk. This work finds a large degree of intercity food system variability across multiple food system characteristics. Specifically, levels of undernutrition vary, with the percentage of city populations who are underconsuming protein ranging from 0% to 70%, and for calories 0% to 90%. Environmental impacts (consumptive water loss, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions) of urban food demand also show variation, largely influenced by differing composition of residential diet. Greenhouse gas emissions are also largely influenced by location of production and spatially informed energy intensity of irrigation. Supply chain distance ("food‐miles") also vary by city, with the range of 196 (Pondicherry) to 1,137 (Chennai) km/Mg—shorter than more industrialized nations such as the United States. Evaluating supply chain risk in terms of water scarcity in food‐producing regions that serve city demand finds production locations, on average, to be less water‐scarce than the watersheds local to the urban environments. This suggests water‐intensive agriculture may at times be best located at a distance from urban centers and competing demands. Key Points: Analysis finds high variability of food systems across nine Indian cities in terms of diets, inequities, nutrition, environmental impact, and supply riskIntercity variability of food systems suggests downscaling national aggregate data is not suited to inform action by individual citiesHigh local water scarcity questions urban agriculture as a prudent strategy in water‐scarce cities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have now become an important part of economy for not only developed nations but also for emerging economies. Irrespective of the benefits that can be derived, SMEs in emerging economies still lack the will to implement quality management (QM) practices. Using a comparative study, the purpose of this paper is to understand the status of QM practices in SMEs of emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach: A survey-based approach was adopted to understand the established QM practices in the SMEs. A survey instrument was designed by reviewing the literature on QM initiatives in SMEs. A sample of 270 SMEs across Southern India and 189 SMEs in Namibia was selected through stratified random sampling technique. Findings: The overall response rate was 19.52 percent for India and 26.46 percent for Namibia, respectively. There were similarities and differences in responses from SMEs in both countries. Similarities are in terms of limited implementation of QM practices, and also less use of tools and techniques. Reasons for not implementing include unknown to the authors, and the high cost of training. Differences emerged in the type of market (Indian SMEs catering to one major customer), CSFs and business performance indicators. It was interesting to find that management commitment and involvement do not have a major influence as CSF for SMEs in both the countries. Originality/value: The research is the first attempt in bringing a comparative study about QM practices in SMEs from developing countries. The insights will help emerging economies to develop policies for education and training, and thus facilitate implementation of QM practices in SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parenting is a dynamic process, influenced by socio-cultural factors. It is an important contributing factor to child development and childhood psychopathology. Research investigating association between parenting styles and child outcome are limited in India. This paper aims to review studies conducted in West and in India in order to study cultural differences in parenting styles and its outcome. We found that despite hypothesized cultural differences between the West and India, the effect of parenting styles on children appear to be similar across culture, and culture did not serve as a moderator for parenting style and child outcome. An Authoritative parenting styles was associated with better outcome than authoritarian and neglectful/uninvolved parenting style in both Western countries and in India. Findings on indulgent/permissive parenting style were mixed in both Western countries and in India. The article discusses cultural shift in the parenting styles, and its implications for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The food organisations are pushing to adopt circular economy initiatives to enhance economic–ecological–social sustainability of supply chains. The adoption of circular economy and sustainability aspects is complex from the point of view of developing nations compared to the developed nations. In this sense, the purpose of this paper is to develop a model of the challenges for implementing the successful circular economy-led sustainability concepts in food supply chains in emerging economies, especially in the Indian context.Design/methodology/approach The authors recognised 11 circular economy-led sustainability-related challenges and analysed appropriate interactions among the identified challenges. The Delphi method was used for the confirmation of identified challenges. The challenges were identified initially with the help of literature. Interpretive structural modelling method was used for modelling the challenges. In addition, MICMAC analysis was used for classifying the challenges based on their dependence and driving power. A case study of diary food processing company in India was conducted.Findings According to the findings, poor government policies, lack of technology and techniques and lack of farmers' knowledge and awareness come under the driving challenges.Practical implications Understanding of circular economy-led sustainability-related challenges would help managers and policy makers in the sustainable management of natural resources in food value chains.Originality/value This is one of the initial works conducted on identifying and evaluating the challenges to circular economy-based sustainability aspects in food value chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994) (GATT) is premised on the elimination of all barriers to trade in goods. Contrary to this approach, Article XX of the GATT authorises the circumvention of this imperative. More specifically, Article XX(j) of the GATT essentially provides that GATT contracting parties are authorised to promulgate measures that are "essential" to the acquisition of products in general or local short supply. This invariably means that only measures that are "essential" will satisfy the "necessity test" contemplated under Article XX(j). The Appellate Body Report, India - Certain Measures Relating to Solar Cells and Solar Modules is the first World Trade Organisation case to elaborate on the "necessity test" of Article XX(j) of the GATT. This paper seeks to evaluate the Appellate Body's findings on the "necessity test" of Article XX(j). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great significance to conduct an international comparative study on China's and other countries' urbanization by taking the concept of "scale" as a crucial study point. This paper puts forward that countries with an area over two million km2 or a GDP over 650 billion dollars are comparable with China. Accordingly, there are 24 such countries in the world leading the global socio-economic development. For consisting of almost all types of countries, they can be considered as basic references for international comparative studies on China's urbanization. Based on the relationship between urbanization and economic levels, the 24 countries can be divided into three tiers. The first tier countries are mainly developed countries at high urbanization and economic levels; the second tier countries are later starters yet urbanized at a rapid speed, thus have fallen into the "middle-income trap" because of an imbalanced urbanization and economic development; the third tier countries including China and India are still in the starting phase of urbanization, and the key to their future development is a steady economic growth and a balanced urbanization and economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of the 70 million persons with epilepsy (PWE) worldwide, nearly 12 million PWE are expected to reside in India; which contributes to nearly one-sixth of the global burden. This paper (first of the two part series) provides an in-depth understanding of the epidemiological aspects of epilepsy in India for developing effective public health prevention and control programs. The overall prevalence (3.0-11.9 per 1,000 population) and incidence (0.2-0.6 per 1,000 population per year) data from recent studies in India on general population are comparable to the rates of high-income countries (HICs) despite marked variations in population characteristics and study methodologies. There is a differential distribution of epilepsy among various sociodemographic and economic groups with higher rates reported for the male gender, rural population, and low socioeconomic status. A changing pattern in the age-specific occurrence of epilepsy with preponderance towards the older age group is noticed due to sociodemographic and epidemiological transition. Neuroinfections, neurocysticercosis (NCC), and neurotrauma along with birth injuries have emerged as major risk factors for secondary epilepsy. Despite its varied etiology (unknown and known), majority of the epilepsy are manageable in nature. This paper emphasizes the need for focused and targeted programs based on a life-course perspective and calls for a stronger public health approach based on equity for prevention, control, and management of epilepsy in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emergence of new technologies, the potential of cyberspace is immense; however, the growing number of cyber-attacks on states' critical infrastructure has highlighted the need for cyber security. Although it is challenging to achieve foolproof security, states can maximise safety in the cyber domain through cyber partnerships with technologically advanced countries. This study finds that India is maximising its cyber security while enhancing its offensive cyber capabilities by concluding agreements with most cybersecure states. Furthermore, India's cyber capabilities are more focused on Pakistan due to longstanding tensions between the two countries. On the other hand, Pakistan lacks focus on cyber security and has yet to take sufficient measures. Pakistan can maximise its cyber security through technological advancements and taking advantage of friendly countries' expertise in the cyber security domain. Cyber security partnerships will strengthen Pakistan against threats emerging from state and non-state actors. Following a qualitative exploratory research design, this study provides a detailed understanding of India's growing cyber security partnership and cyber posture, besides highlighting Pakistan's approach towards cyber security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of Interprofessional Education (IPE) into the health sciences curriculum has been recommended over the past several decades to prepare healthcare professionals for future collaborative practice. However, due to the disparity in the adoption of IPE, this literature review attempted to examine the development of IPE and its implementation in global and Indian contexts. IPE has evolved from being fragmented and isolated initiatives to entering into the mainstream of professional education. In terms of IPE implementation, the global scan revealed that IPE was implemented in several countries to varying degrees; however, developing countries lagged behind developed countries in implementing and sustaining IPE. Scarce evidence was found regarding the implementation of IPE in India. The literature review elaborates on the transformation of health professions education from the traditional system to IPE and discusses the gap in the adoption and implementation of IPE in developing countries, including India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The websites present essential healthcare information to patients, from disease symptoms, admission, and discharge to post-care. The present study proposed the CRRAV Model (Credibility, Reliability, Readability, Acceptability, and Validity) for website quality contents of Hospitals, developed from the Expectation Disconfirmation Model, Web QIM, Web Qual Serruni Lucci Model, and Minerva Model. The study also aims to assess the internet information on heart disease and compare and evaluate the quality of HCOs in developed countries like the USA and developing countries like India. The DISCERN instrument, HONcode, and WRAPIN can improve the patient's standard of information and satisfaction and remove the growing skepticism about the website on quality issues. The websites containing heart disease information with HONcode certification and WRAPIN were only four out of 65 in the USA. Out of all the evaluated websites, only a small number meet the criteria of DISCERN instrument and are accredited by HONcode. Besides this, government agencies have no regulation, supervision, or control in USA and India. There are no single quality criteria and international agreement for quality assessment of healthcare websites, except HONcode and WRAPIN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]