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Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the association of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths with mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms for the USA, the UK, India and worldwide using Google Trends. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use Spearman's rank correlation coefficients to assess the relationship between relative search volumes (RSVs) and mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms, with the total confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as deaths in the USA, UK, India and worldwide. The sample period starts from the day 100 cases were reported for the first time, which is 7 March 2020, 13 March 2020, 23 March 2020 and 28 January 2020 for the US, the UK, India and worldwide, respectively, and ends on 25 June 2020. Findings: The results indicate a significant increase in anxiety, depression and stress leading to sleeping disorders or insomnia, further deteriorating mental health. The RSVs of employment are negatively significant, implying that people are hesitant to search for new jobs due to being susceptible to exposure, imposed lockdown and social distancing measures and changing employment patterns. The RSVs for financial terms exhibit the varying associations of COVID-19 cases and deaths with the stock market, loans, rent, etc. Research limitations/implications: This study has implications for the policymakers, health experts and the government. The state governments must provide proper medical facilities and holistic care to the affected population. It may be noted that the findings of this study only lead us to conclude about the relationship between COVID-19 cases and deaths and Google Trends searches, and do not as such indicate the effect on actual behaviour. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt to investigate the relationship between the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the USA, UK and India and at the global level and RSVs for mental health-related, job-related and financial keywords. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the under-researched dynamics of gender, workplace support, and perceived job demands in two different contexts, the United States and India. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws from two studies conducted in different contexts (the United States and India) via different methodological approaches (quantitative and qualitative, respectively). In Study I of this paper, data was collected using questionnaires from a nationally representative sample of adult workers in the United States. In Study II, interviews were conducted with 48 workers in India, selected using convenience sampling. Findings: It was found that both in the United States and India, women perceived considerably greater job demands than men. In terms of workplace support, both the studies found that workplace culture and supervisors' support influenced the perception of job demands, but the same was not true for coworkers' support, which mainly helped in coping rather than actually reducing the perception of job demands. Research implications: The article contributes to research by concluding that job demands as a construct are not clearly segregated from gender demands or expectations, especially in the way women "perceive" it. Women construct job demands as "job-family" demands and workplace support as "job-family" support. Moreover, being a woman in the workplace, women feel the "burden" of gender. Practical implications: It would be useful for organizations and policy makers to understand that women remain "conscious" of their gender in the workplace, and for them, the meaning of job demands and workplace support are "job-family" demands and "work-family" support, respectively. Social implications: This research intends to contribute toward thinking about gender relations and empowerment of people within organizational and work settings from a new light. Originality/value: The present study provides an alternative way of thinking about gender, job demands, and workplace support. Its value underlies in the way it raises the voices of women workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a historical overview of the health service sector in India. The development in the healthcare sector from the late eighteenth century into current times is examined from the prism of the role played by British and US healthcare systems in influencing change in the Indian setup.Design/methodology/approach Online databases searched were PubMed and JSTOR, using the search terms, “Indian health service system in transition”, “British influence on the Indian healthcare setup” and “American neo-liberal influence on Indian healthcare sector”. The authors then examined titles and abstracts of selected articles for short-listing relevant articles. Reference lists of selected articles were examined for further locating related studies. While this constituted the secondary literature for the current paper, reports by governmental and non-governmental organisation reports on the Indian health service system too were utilised as primary data sources.Findings Influenced by the British and later by the American healthcare system, the Indian healthcare network has undergone numerous changes. In the present era, the Indian healthcare system is increasingly veering towards the American model of healthcare delivery. Health is increasingly being conceived of as a commodity to be traded in the market, with the state’s role curtailed towards provisioning for and facilitating access of the weakest sections of the society through a means-tested insurance system. This has happened without adequate checks and balances on the private sector to ensure that the needs of the people accessing the system are adequately met.Social implications By tracing the development of the health service sector in India and the motives that guide such change, the paper depicts how the thrust of the system has altered from one providing universal healthcare services to the people, irrespective of their ability to pay, at the time of independence to commercialisation in present times. With the marketisation of healthcare, the focus has shifted from serving people to profiting from the provisioning of healthcare.Originality/value The paper throws light on the underlying inadequacies of the Indian healthcare setup and the need for more active participation by the government in this sector in the future if it aims to make healthcare more equitably accessible to its vast population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Extant literature provides insights about consumers' purchase intentions (PI) and willingness to pay for reconstructed products but does not capture cross-cultural differences. The purpose of this paper is to understand consumers' PI for reconstructed products in a cross-cultural setting for the development of circular economy.Design/methodology/approach The sample includes consumers from two diverse societies (India and the USA). The authors conduct two sets of analyses in this paper. The first analysis attempts to identify the difference between the Indian and US consumers' PI for reconstructed products, who are residing permanently in their home countries. In the second analysis, the authors investigate the impact of socio-cultural norms on PI, for reconstructed products, of the Indian (USA) consumers relocated to the USA (India). In-depth interviews are conducted for data collection. Subsequently, data analysis was carried out using thematic analysis approach.Findings The results indicate that US consumers: possess altruistic buying behavior; are eco-centric toward waste disposal; strictly follow the regulations and socio-cultural norms; and have harmony orientation toward nature. In contrast, Indian consumers: possess utilitarian buying behavior; demonstrate anthropocentric attitude toward waste disposal; do not necessarily follow the regulations; and have mastery orientation toward nature.Practical implications At policy level, government in emerging economies should formulate regulations that promote the use of reconstructed products. At firm level, firms should exploit promotional and advertisement efforts to enhance awareness about reconstructed products.Originality/value The study is an early attempt in the literature to capture cross-cultural differences for reconstructed products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the place of religion in civil society and how that relates to the problem of social order. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory comparative case study was conducted of flood relief in Mumbai with the relief following the Katrina disaster in the summer of 2005, using a qualitative content analysis of regional media documents. Findings – A more fluid and less clearly defined division between religion and government in the USA was found that created opportunities by which a much larger response by religious institutions occurred. Religiously-based disaster relief in the US case is conducted more through groups and networks, while in the Indian case, religious-based relief takes place more through values and norms. These conditions led to more immediate social order following the floods in Mumbai but less intensive cooperation and coordination that was not tied to religious institutions. After Katrina in the US case, coordination and cooperation were less immediate but of higher intensity and explicitly tied to religious institutions. Research limitations/implications – This research offers new categories for understanding the role of religion in civil society by focusing on disaster relief in a comparative manner, proposing a framework based on qualitative and exploratory research for pursuing more deductive and explanatory quantitative analyses in the future. Originality/value – Finally, instead of assuming religion as either a source of conflict or a source of social order, dependent on the nature of a given religious group, this paper shows the additional complexity and variation in social order that is dependent on the relationship between religion and state and the social context in a given time and place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of cultural factors on environmental CSR attitudes and purchase intentions among publics in a developed (USA) country and a developing (India) country. Design/methodology/approach: Using a 2 (location of the company: India vs USA) × 2 (location of the CSR activity: India vs USA) between-subjects experimental design, the study examines individuals' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a company's environmental CSR activities in each respective country. Findings: Two structural equation models were created for US publics and Indian publics. Results indicated that cultural factors, specifically the uncertainty avoidance dimension, play an important role among both Indian and US residents' attitudes toward a company's environmental CSR efforts and their intention to purchase its products/services. Among Indians, the power distance dimension acted as a mediating factor. Originality/value: This study is novel in its examination of the impact of cultural factors among residents in India and the USA. This information can be utilized by multinational companies to implement effective CSR activities and enhancing their global CSR communication efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this research is to explore the reasons for service failure in restaurants. The paper aims to give insights into customers' perceptions and response regarding service failure and recovery and to try to draw a parallel between consumers in a developing economy like India and the same in a developed society, such as USA. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is empirical and involves data from 200 respondents from India and the USA. The sampling unit is individual restaurant customers and the data collection instrument is a structured, non-disguised questionnaire. The questionnaires have been administered through personal interviews. Findings - The study found conclusive results on the reasons for service failure in the restaurant business in the context of developed and developing economies. It also sheds light on the behavioral aspects of customers' perception towards these failures and their responses to the same. The paper further looked into the recovery strategy employed by restaurants and the customers' perception towards the recovery strategies. Practical implications - The study has important managerial implications as it facilitates the understanding of where and how the failure-points occur and how customers perceive and react to them. The paper is also helpful in designing policies and procedures to proactively weed-out such failure-points and, in case of their occurrence, design responses to the same. Originality/value - The paper is valuable as very little has been done in the Indian context. It also creates a comparative perspective as to service failure in the restaurant sector between a developed and a developing country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine relationships between internationally educated nurses’ (IENs’) performance in a registered nurse competency assessment process and the outcomes of their nursing registration applications. Assessments of nursing practice competencies, IEN applicant characteristics and registration outcomes were explored.Design/methodology/approach This is a secondary statistical analysis of a subset of IEN application data from a previous study in combination with assessment data from an additional database. Application data between 2008 and 2011 were analyzed using univariate/bivariate analyses and regression models to explore the relationship of performance in the assessment process and outcomes of the registration process.Findings Competency categories IEN applicants had difficulties with (from least to most) were Professional Responsibility and Accountability, Ethical Practice, Self-Regulation, Service to the Public, Knowledge-Based Practice: Specialized Body of Knowledge and Knowledge-Based Practice: Competent Application of Knowledge. IENs educated in the UK and USA had the highest scores and odds of meeting competencies. Applicants educated in India and Asia had lower scores and odds ratios. All national entry-to-practice examination and registration eligibility competencies were significantly related to registration outcomes. Applicants passing the exam had higher competency scores while applicants ineligible for registration had lower competency scores.Research limitations/implications Limitations include integrity of data extracted from active databases, IEN motivation to complete the RN registration process and conversion of assessment scales for research analysis.Originality/value Results inform regulation policies that improve IEN registration processes and may be informative to regulators, assessment centers, educational institutions and IENs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Supply chain management plays a vital role in deciding the final cost of products. A huge number of non-value-added activities are performed throughout supply chain process. Lean principles are useful to identify and eliminate waste activities across the supply chain management processes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the validity and reliability of the existing lean supply chain management (LSCM) frameworks in the Indian manufacturing industry through questionnaire survey methodology.Design/methodology/approach The present study collected empirical data from 180 top- and middle-level management personnel from the Indian manufacturing industry. Factor analysis was performed to check unidimensionality of LSCM frameworks by using empirical data. Cronbach’s α value of each selected LSCM framework was calculated to find out its reliability. Finally, frequency distribution analysis was performed on the selected framework to identify and reveal critical constructs of LSCM.Findings It was found that nine LSCM frameworks show unidimensionality. The study established that most of the selected frameworks exposed a high level of reliability. The frequency distribution analysis revealed that the larger part of the constructs had a high mean score and mode. It is concluded that there is a need for a new LSCM framework to fulfill the requirements of the Indian manufacturing industry.Originality/value The present study is focused on checking the suitability of existing LSCM frameworks in the Indian manufacturing sector. It is anticipated that the study will be helpful to the professionals who wish to execute appropriate LSCM framework in the manufacturing organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an instrument to measure the dimensionality of Indian expatriate adjustment. Design/methodology/approach – In an effort to measure the dimensionality of Indian expatriate adjustment in the USA, Black's instrument was used in this paper. Findings – The factor analysis gave a different factor structure from that proposed by Black. Expatriate scores did not merge into three dimensions of expatriates' adjustment; rather they merged into two dimensions. Unlike Black's study, interaction with host nationals was not found to be a separate dimension. A possible explanation is that linguistic skills and the presence of Indian diaspora support Indian expatriates during their interactions with Americans. Research limitations/implications – The exploratory character of this study with its small convenience sample of Indian expatriates makes the findings tentative. Practical implications – The paper is a useful source of information for students planning to make a career in international business and practitioners already engaged in international business activities. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified information need and offers help in expatriate adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The issuance of sweat equity shares has recently created controversies. The limitations backing the conservatism of sweat equity shares issuance can be ascribed to confabulating recipient recognition process, uneasy tax treatment and procedural inconsistencies. This paper aims to study the theoretical and legal underpinnings, rightful recipients and the procedure for issuing sweat equity shares. Design/methodology/approach – The authors choose the jurisdictions of India, the USA and Japan to study the problems plaguing issuance of sweat equity shares. The USA's prototypical reference and burgeoning technical soundness coupled with the sound venture capitalism of India and Japan has inspired the choice. The regulatory regime subsisting in the above jurisdictions governing sweat equity is studied comprehensively and comparatively. The structuring of sweat equity transactions and the tax treatment of sweat equity shares in the USA, India and Japan are discussed. Findings – It is found that due to the absence of set standards and precedents the method for identifying the right recipients has trembled abysmally. Originality/value – The paper focuses on the issues surrounding the practice of employees contributing to an organization being remunerated through shares. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose ? The purpose of this paper is to introduce and provide an insight into the benefits of outsourcing the procurement function for engineering commodity items. Design/methodology/approach ? Research into the literature presents the development of outsourcing procurement functions and this manuscript adds to the body of knowledge through introducing the outsourcing of engineering commodity procurement, illustrated with the case study example. Findings ? A US Aerospace Fortune 50 company has made savings by outsourcing the procurement of commodity engineering parts. This has occurred in two stages. Firstly the commodity procurement was locally outsourced and staff migrated to the service provider to whom commodity procurement was a core competence enabling them to offer cost savings. Secondly the back office and telephone service was moved to India, further reducing cost whilst enhancing the service through an increased headcount. Originality/value ? The paper provides the first example of the two stages of outsourcing engineering commodity procurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore 232 service providers' and policymakers' experiences of supporting children's well-being during the pandemic, across sectors, in 22 countries – including Kenya, the Philippines, South Africa, India, Scotland, Sweden, Canada and the USA, in the last quarter of 2020. Design/methodology/approach: A smartphone survey delivered via a custom-built app containing mostly open-ended questions was used. Respondents were recruited via professional networks, newsletters and social media. Qualitative content analysis was used. Findings: The findings reveal numerous system-level challenges to supporting children's well-being, particularly virus containment measures, resource deficiencies and inadequate governance and stakeholder coordination. Those challenges compounded preexisting inequalities and poorly affected the quality, effectiveness and reach of services. As a result, children's rights to an adequate standard of living; protection from violence; education; play; and right to be heard were impinged upon. Concurrently, the findings illustrate a range of adaptive and innovative practices in humanitarian and subsistence support; child protection; capacity-building; advocacy; digitalisation; and psychosocial and educational support. Respondents identified several priority areas – increasing service capacity and equity; expanding technology use; mobilising cross-sectoral partnerships; involving children in decision-making; and ensuring more effective child protection mechanisms. Practical implications: This study seeks to inform resilience-enabling policies and practices that foster equity, child and community empowerment and organisational resilience and innovation, particularly in anticipation of future crises. Originality/value: Using a novel approach to gather in-the-moment insights remotely, this study offers a unique international and multi-sectoral perspective, particularly from low- and middle-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – While there is a growing body of studies on the people's views of community policing, there have been a very few cross-national studies. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast students’ views on community policing from India and the USA. Design/methodology/approach – The data were from a survey from a total of 434 Indian and 484 US college students. Findings – Punitive orientation had a significant effect on attitudes toward community policing, but was related to an increase in the support in India and reduction of support in the USA. Among the Indian respondents, concern for crime and support for aggressive policing had positive associations with support for community policing, and police involvement in the community had a negative association. Among the US respondents, age, educational level, and perceptions of police effectiveness had positive associations with support for community policing, and holding a punitive orientation had a negative association. Originality/value – This study represents the attempt to examine Indian perceptions of community policing empirically. Uncovering factors that affect public support for community policing can provide useful references for police administrators to develop policies and practices that encourage more active community involvement in crime control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct and indirect effects of individuals' self-concept, product-oriented variables (i.e. consumer's need for uniqueness (NFU), and clothing interest), and brand-specific variables (i.e. perceived quality and emotional value) on purchase intention toward a US retail brand versus a local brand that are available in the Indian market. Design/methodology/approach - Data obtained from 405 college students in India were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings - This study found that Indian consumers' self-concept and NFU had indirect effects on purchase intention of the US brand and the local brand. Both self-concept and NFU positively influenced clothing interest. Clothing interest positively influenced perceived quality and emotional value for the US brand, but not for the local brand. Emotional value was found to be an important factor influencing purchase intention toward the US brand and the local brand as well. However, perceived quality did not affect Indian consumers' purchase intention of the US and local brand. Implications for both US and Indian retailers are provided. Originality/value - As India is witnessing multitude of US retailers in its market, this paper aids in the better understanding of the Indian consumers and their perceptions toward US and local clothing brands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional models of full and open competition are generally applied for ordinary public procurement contracts, whereas special competitive procedures (such as unsolicited proposals) are permissible under various international and domestic frameworks for "Public-Private Partnership" (PPP) contracts. In case of the latter category of contracts, some concerns about relative lack of transparency and competition in the award process have begun to surface, while they are being increasingly relied upon for development of public infrastructure and services. This paper focuses on certain aspects of competition and transparency in the award of PPP contracts, vis-a-vis normal public procurement contracts. To facilitate a sharper identification of legal issues, it compares the relevant regulations and case law in India applicable to unsolicited proposals (UNPs) with that in the United States and those under available international frameworks. It concludes with recommendations on identified legal dimensions of UNPs with reference to government obligations on transparency and competition, so as to adequately preserve these elements in procurement of PPP infrastructure projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on a predictive modeling technique called virtual process simulation to examine the deployment options for improving team management. The research mentions that the modeling technique makes use of measures and metrics relating to global geographic and team issues. It informs that the virtual process simulation initiates with the development of graph models at each ontological level for the organization. It discusses the global geographic issues associated with business processes which include political, environmental, and economic phenomena. It further informs that the U.S.-based Aerospace Corp. decided to acquire a design center in India to reduce operating costs.

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 ߞ To explore the depiction of cultural values on international web sites. Design/methodology/approach ߞ To measure cultural content on the web Singh and Matsuo's conceptual framework was used. Content analysis was used to study the cultural content on web sites from China, India, Japan and the US. Findings ߞ The results indicate that local web sites of India, China, Japan and US not only reflect cultural values of the country of their origin, but also seem to differ significantly from each other on cultural dimensions. Research limitations/implications ߞ This study validates the cultural value framework of Singh and Matsuo by successfully using it to analyze the cultural content on various country web sites. The study also provides evidence to international marketers and academics that instead of a "transnational web style" a culturally unique web style is emerging on the web. Practical implications - Marketers need to culturally customize their international web sites as the web is emerging as global medium impregnated with local cultural values. Originality/value ߞ The paper extends the standardization versus localization debate to the web, a medium yet not explored in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to quantitatively assess the inter-relational aspects of personality traits, using the five-factor model of personality, and Hofstede's five dimensions of national culture for work-related values to evaluate the differences between the US and Indian cultures. Design/methodology/approach - The research method is quantitative and samples include qualified online-panel respondents, representing educated and experienced business professionals who use the internet. Data analysis includes Pearson correlation and multiple analysis of variance. Sample results show large differences in all five cultural dimensions as compared to Hofstede's 1980 data. Findings - Changes in work-related values may reflect the influence of advances in communication and internet technologies, offering insight toward problems associated with global multicultural projects. Correlations between personality traits and cultural dimensions exist for certain occupational-job categories, and provide insight on leadership characteristics. Research limitations/implications - Limitations include self-reported responses via a web-based survey, rather than actual observations in the workplace. Practical implications - Technical and cultural competence is needed for global leaders, especially with increased use of the internet and networked environments. Navigating through cross-cultural situations requires cultural insight, interpersonal skills, and an ability to build trust. Originality/value - This study extends Hofstede's 1980 original research by acquiring new, cross-culturally comparative data. It also extends the original research of Donnellan et al., regarding the Mini NEO assessment. The study provides confirmatory analysis to the exploratory work of Smith and Bond and McCrae, but only for one of the three predicted correlations: extraversion with individualism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses outsourcing in the United States information technology (IT) industry. The article notes that a large number of U.S. companies have outsourced IT work to countries such as India, and the author attempts to fully examine this issue. The author found that IT outsourcing raises such problems as class issues and ethnic tensions, as largely white-collar workers in the U.S. are finding their jobs outsourced to people of different social status and ethnicity. The article also examines how outsourcing fits into globalization.

Compares the international purchasing practices of US and Indian managers. Overseas buying; Criteria of choosing suppliers; Criteria pertaining to trading relationships with suppliers; Perception of the supplier network; Criteria concerning the performance of suppliers; Review of literature on similar studies.