Search

This paper explores the evolution of the postmodern novel in Indian writings in English, with a specific focus on The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor. Through a close analysis of the novel's themes, structures, and techniques, the paper argues that The Great Indian Novel represents a significant shift in the trajectory of Indian literature, moving beyond the constraints of colonial and nationalist narratives. Drawing on the theories of postmodernism and postcolonialism, the authors examine how Tharoor's novel challenges traditional notions of history, identity and power, and instead offers a complex and nuanced vision of India's past and present. The study also considers the reception of The Great Indian Novel, both within India and abroad, and discusses its impact on the broader field of Indian literature. Overall, the paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the postmodern novel in India and its role in shaping contemporary literary discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient sugarcane production is crucial in today’s competitive agricultural landscape. Traditional planting methods are cost-intensive and time-consuming and often fail to achieve adequate compression of buds due to the stalk planting nature of sugarcane. To address these challenges, a novel approach using machine vision to identify and plant sugarcane nodes is proposed. Sugarcane holds significant economic importance in India and various other countries, making its cultivation a cornerstone of many economies. The development of a sugarcane node cutting machine aims to revolutionize the process of preparing sugarcane seedlings. This machine streamlines the time-consuming task of cutting nodes, thereby reducing waste and effort associated with traditional methods. The paper focuses on designing and testing a machine for efficiently cutting sugarcane buds, intending to mechanize the preparation stage of sugarcane seedlings. By cutting undamaged bud-containing sugarcane stalks, this machine eliminates the need for laborious manual cutting, providing a timesaving and cost-effective solution for farmers. Furthermore, by measuring cutting force and power requirements, the research aimed to optimize the efficiency of sugarcane cutting processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the extent of corporate disclosure in the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) reports of companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. A sample of 55 companies is taken, and based on the disclosure checklist containing 52 information items, the extent of disclosure is measured both at the aggregate level and with respect to different reporting areas of the MD&A report. It is found that average level of aggregate disclosure is 64.8%, which is moderately high. The maximum disclosure score is 90% and minimum 25%. The variation in the extent of disclosure among the sample companies is measured by range and standard deviation, which are 65% and 11.2%, respectively. As far as disclosure in specific areas of the MD&A report is concerned, a few companies have made 100% disclosure in respect of industry structure and development, risk and concern, and segment reporting, while some have made no disclosure about outlook information. The overall results suggest that there exists scope for improving the quality of disclosure in MD&A reports of Indian companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There exists a lacuna in nonaudit services (NAS) literature regarding its determinants. This study is an attempt to provide preliminary evidence on various drivers of NAS in the context of an emerging nation like India. It is based on secondary data of the top 50 nonfinancial firms listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, spanning the period 2017-2021. NAS is measured by natural log of NAS (LnNAS) and NAS fee ratio (FEERATIO), calculated as NAF divided by the sum of audit fee and nonaudit fee (NAF). The study uses Random Effects Model to identify the determinants of NAS. To check the robustness of the results, the study further employs generalized estimating equation (GEE) model. The findings bring to light growth, liquidity, audit committee effectiveness, brand name of auditor, audit tenure and audit fees as intrinsic factors influencing the NAS purchase decisions of a firm. Interestingly, the study does not find any significant influence of firm size and board size on both the employed measures of NAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) policy of free and fair trade has led to persistent decline in the average world trade tariff rates. It also ensured prior ratification of non-tariff measures implemented by countries. At the same time, countries across the world have introduced trade facilitation measures to ensure smooth flow of goods across borders. Despite these, countries still face substantial trade barriers. Against this backdrop, using data from India, the present paper aims at analyzing the impact of trade barriers on its exports by calculating a bilateral trade restrictiveness index based on tariff, non-tariff and border administrative and regulatory measures. The results show that trade restrictions faced by a country depend on its export basket composition, specific export products and its export destinations and hence are unique to each country. They confirm the existence of substantial trade barriers for a country, as against the general perception that trade restrictions have declined over the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the root of the second wake of export pessimism is the argument that exportled growth (ELG) models suffer from a fallacy of composition. Under constrained global demand, all exporting nations cannot simultaneously pursue ELGs, and the ensuing battle for markets would eventually cause more competitive exporters to drive out or displace less competitive ones. Considering how the Indian economy has witnessed a deceleration in her export of services since the mid-2000s, this paper enquires whether similar export-displacements could have lent to this status quo. Using bilateral service trade data for the years 2005-2015, the paper tests the displacement or crowding out of India’s export of services to advanced OECD nations by exports from other developing and emerging market economies. Our results show the remarkable presence of complementarity between service exports from India and that from other exporting powerhouses like China, Singapore and Vietnam, though the country appears to have been losing markets for her prime services to certain emerging exporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in shaping the export trajectory of the Indian automobile sector. The study uses VECM technique to determine the existence of cointegration between FDI inflows and exports of automobile industry, and to check the long-run and short-run dynamism among the variables. It uses annual time series data on exports and FDI inflows in the industry by considering Indian rupee real effective exchange rate (REER) and world GDP as control variables. The study finds that FDI inflows positively and significantly affect the exports of automobile industry in India in the long run. The findings also validate the J-curve theory of effect of depreciation on the exports of automobile industry that depreciation of Indian rupee has a favorable effect on the exports or trade balance of this industry. The study finds a significant relationship between FDI inflows and exports in only one direction, i.e., running from FDI inflows to exports of the industry. Furthermore, the results show that there is bidirectional causality between India’s rupee REER and FDI inflows in automobile industry. The results suggest that providing a conducive environment to foreign players would positively impact the exports of the automobile industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how household inflation expectations relate to realized inflation, and uses biased expectations hypothesis (BEH) to understand the association between inflation expectations and realized inflation in the food sector. Household survey data, wholesale price index (WPI), and consumer price index (CPI)-based data on inflation are used in the study and the data was sourced from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, Government of India. The obtained results were cross-validated using auto-SARIMAX algorithm in a machine learning (ML) framework. The study finds that expected and realized inflation have significant causal relationships; this further supports BEH and reveals how household inflation expectations impact actual market inflation, and vice versa. Hence, these are broadly complementary. However, changes may occur in these aspects, and households and markets must prepare for these changes and plan their future accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is embracing ‘smart tourism’ by leveraging technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, mobile apps and augmented reality (AR) to provide personalized experiences for visitors. This technology revolution is transforming India’s tourism industry, but challenges such as cyber security and cultural authenticity remain. An empirical study reveals significant connections between positive perceptions of AI, AR and technology’s role in ecofriendly initiatives and sustainability within smart tourism. This study looks at future where technology seamlessly blends with India’s unique tourism offerings, creating unforgettable experiences, while ensuring responsible and sustainable development. The analysis reveals significant correlations between respondents’ opinions regarding various aspects of smart tourism such as AI integration, AR usage, technology in ecofriendly initiatives and sustainability. These technologies improve crowd management, resource optimization and visitor experience, transforming tourism perception and engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary international relations, the term 'Indo-Pacific' has started acquiring tremendous significance. The very conceptualization of Indo-Pacific is perceived from multiple vantage points, however, the geo-strategical dimension appears to be dominating. Almost all the major powers have started reorienting their policies towards the region. India has also welcomed the Indo-Pacific construct, as it opens up an array of opportunities by expanding India's sphere of interest to the Pacific. This renewed orientation of the new spatial construct inevitably compels India to relocate its priorities in terms of responding to the changing regional balance of power equations as well as addressing the plethora of traditional and non-traditional security concerns in the extended neighborhood. India, therefore, needs to opt for a more pragmatic approach to effectively engage in the region without jeopardizing its national interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has heightened tourists' environmental awareness resulting in a desire for green hotels. Existing literature has extensively examined tourists' attitudes and behaviors towards green hotels, but there is a scarcity of research on employees' perceptions of these accommodations. The study investigates the determinants of green behavior among 220 green hotel employees from India using an established behavioral theory called Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R). Structural equation modeling and related statistical techniques are employed to analyze the data gathered from a structured survey. The primary findings indicate that green purchases largely impact normative objectives, implying inadequate significance. Green product and process innovations have a significant impact on employees' green workplace behavior by influencing their hedonic, gain, and normative goals. The study examines human resource management sustainability in Indian hospitality and tourism sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns had a deleterious impact on violence against women. Infact, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres even called a halt to the "global surge in domestic violence" and pressed for a domestic violence "ceasefire." The UN termed violence against women a "shadow pandemic." The National Commission for Women in India reported that there was a surge in complaints related to domestic violence during the lockdown. Officially reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg, as underreporting of these crimes is a major problem. In light of this background, the paper seeks to find a correlation between domestic violence and other crimes against women. It highlights that domestic violence and other crimes against women may have common underlying causal factors. Knowledge of the interlinkage between the two can help in devising strategies to counter all crimes against women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of technology and its advancements have brought various fundamental and structural changes to various sectors of the economy, including the banking sector. In India, the move towards e-banking was initiated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) by relying upon several recommendations provided by high-level committees formed for promoting the growth of information technology in the field of banking. In the current scenario, digital payment methods have replaced conventional paper-based methods due to their costefficiency and expediency. However, it is accompanied by certain challenges, such as poor security measures followed by institutions, which in turn create reputational, operational, or legal risks as they might lead to the disclosure and misuse of sensitive personal information of customers. In order to combat such risks and meet the challenges, the legal framework needs to be strengthened and made more stringent, while specific laws governing electronic payments need to be complied with. The paper examines the relevance of the growing electronic fund transfer systems in India, issues associated with them, existing statutory provisions, and directions issued by the RBI to combat such challenges, and offers suggestions to strengthen the legal framework in order to protect customers as well as participating institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As organizations strive to address environmental challenges and achieve sustainability goals, the adoption of Green Information Systems (GIS) emerges as a promising solution. This study explores the utilization of GIS to promote sustainable business processes and mitigate the environmental impact of traditional information systems. With a focus on energy efficiency and resource utilization, the study highlights the need for organizations to transition towards GIS for a more environmentally conscious approach. A comprehensive literature review identifies the key constructs pivotal for GIS adoption. Additionally, the study incorporates case studies to examine real-world examples of GIS implementation and its impact on organizations. These case studies provide valuable insights into the strategies, challenges, and outcomes associated with GIS adoption. The literature also emphasizes the role of government policies in incentivizing and supporting the implementation of GIS in organizations. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing insights and recommendations for organizations and policymakers seeking to integrate GIS into their IT operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex Predicates (CPs hereafter) are multi-verbal constructions where Light Verbs (LVs hereafter) play a vital role (Alsina et al. 1997). Dravidian languages spoken in the southern part of India abound in CPs. The semantic and syntactic intricacies of LVs reveal a great deal of combinatorial possibilities with other verbal/nonverbal elements with respect to CP constructions in Telugu. Telugu, a language with rich morpho-syntactic features, has abundant CP constructions in which the LVs exhibit various syntactic and semantic behaviors, some of which are particular to Telugu and some universal in nature. Certain LVs in Telugu can even change the transitive value of the lexical verbs they go with and thus impact the argument structure, which in turn affects the semantic content of the whole CP construction. There is a special account of meanings expressed by LVs of Telugu, which in turn contributes to the study of LVs in particular and to the universal grammar at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guru-shishya parampara (GSP), a longstanding tradition in Indian education system, emphasizes a spiritual teacher-disciple relationship for knowledge transmission. However, recent changes in Indian education system and rapid sociocultural and economic transformations have significantly altered the dynamics of GSP. This study explores unique tenets of GSP and changes observed in the tradition across ages. Through a systematic literature review, it identifies seven tenets constituting the bedrock of GSP. The study further investigates the transformation of the teacher-student relationship within contemporary Indian campus fictions (ICFs) employing Theme Framework Analysis on five ICFs. The findings suggest that the portrayal of the teacher-student relationship in contemporary ICFs starkly contrasts with ancient and medieval times. This study outlines the tenets of GSP, suggesting a departure from traditional norms. It implies a shift from the prescriptive GSP norm to a reinvented framework, adapting to a fast-paced, consumerist workforce, influenced by ICT and market-driven employability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's gig economy professionals often transition into successful startups, attracting seed funding for growth. Their success is attributed to their expertise, niche focus, market relevance, local insights, adaptability, innovation, networking, government support, scalable business models, and effective pitching skills. The journey from gig economy worker to startup success in India is marked by a blend of digital marketing acumen, adaptability, and understanding of local market dynamics. This study analyzes data from 232 freelancers who have applied for seed funding to have startups in Tamil Nadu, assessing their expectations and satisfaction levels. The study uses Confirmatory Factor Analysis, AVE, HTMT, and SEM to examine the relationships between digital marketing, seed financing, and freelancers' satisfaction. The study result shows that the freelancers are satisfied with their work as they get work flexibility and timing, and it is also found that when seed financing is made available to these freelancers, they could build their own startup and provide employment opportunity to others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines consumer insights on fixed line broadband Internet services and attempts to find out how the users perceive various products offered by Internet service providers in North India. A survey was conducted among broadband Internet users and descriptive research design with non-probability type sampling were used for necessary data collection. The study used descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Tukey Test, Games Howell Test, Welch ANOVA, and Levene test of homogeneity to analyze the data. The study has extracted qualitative infrastructure variables, reliable services variables and value for money variables. The results reveal that age and geographical area differ for qualitative infrastructure variables; income variable differs for reliable services variables; and occupation variable differs for value for money variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study is to segment the consumers of organic products based on two constructs, viz., concern for the environment and buying behavior. Data was collected through an electronic survey of 110 customers of organic products in the state of Goa, India. Descriptive analysis and cluster analysis were employed, in SPSS 26, to analyze the data and segment the consumers. The results reveal three chief clusters of consumers of organic products based on the select constructs. Besides, the preferred mode of purchase of organic products and motives for purchase of organic products are also highlighted. The factors and their influence on the different segments of consumers identified in this study provide significant implications for individual learners, marketers, researchers and other stakeholders with regard to using and marketing of organic products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, Goods and Services Tax (GST), introduced on July 1, 2017, has immensely affected the functioning and financial performance of different manufacturing companies. DuPont analysis model is used in this paper for scrutinizing the essential financial performance of such companies. It is an expedient system for decomposing the different drivers of Return on Equity (ROE) that help investors to focus on the key financial aspects, demonstrating the strengths and weaknesses of different companies. The study empirically analyzes the impact of GST on the financial performance of selected manufacturing companies in India, using five-step DuPont model, whereby the Net Income Margin has been brokendown to demonstrate how tax and interest affect ROE, considering financial performance before and after implementation of GST. Moreover, statistical tools like mean, standard deviation, paired correlation, matrix paired t-test and ANOVA test have been used to analyze the data and justify the objectives of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goods and Services Tax (GST) completed its four years in July 2021. It was expected that by implementing GST in the country, the governments (Central and States) would be able to solve many tax-related problems such as tax evasion, cascading effect, increasing competition among states for inviting investment, and most importantly increasing states' tax revenue, more autonomy and expenditure. Has the imposition of GST in India impacted the tax revenue of states? Has the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic impacted the GST of all the states and union territories? The paper deals with these specific questions constituting a sample of all states and some union territories for the period 2015 to 2021 categorized into pre-GST (2015-2017) and post-GST (2017-2021) period. The secondary data comprises average proportion of own tax revenue of states in their total revenue, and the data has been analyzed to find out whether imposition of GST has impacted the collection of own tax revenue of states, and whether the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the collection of SGST and UTGST of states and union territories. The tools and techniques applied for testing the hypothesis are Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test, paired t-test and Kruskal-Wallis H-test. The findings reveal that imposition of GST has no significant impact on own tax revenue of states, but Covid-19 significantly impacted SGST and UTGST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the different aspects of corporate tax in India. Apart from discussing the historical background and reviewing the relevant literature, efforts have been made to analyze certain significant structural aspects of corporate tax in India. The study involves an extensive review of literature and analysis of secondary data obtained from government records. The findings indicate that corporate tax contributes a significant portion of the total direct tax revenue of the government and even exceeds the share of personal income taxes in recent years. In 2020-21, however, revenue generation from corporate tax was less than the revenue collected from personal income taxes due to the Covid-19 pandemic and reduced corporate tax rates for certain domestic companies. The buoyancy coefficients calculated for corporate tax and personal income tax (in response to changes in GDP) indicated that these coefficients were generally greater for personal income tax than for corporate tax. Therefore, there is ample scope for enhancing corporate tax revenue through further simplification of tax laws and procedures, rationalization of rates and effective check on evasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the effect of eleven Audit Committee (AC) characteristics on Firm Performance (FP). It identifies characteristics that significantly influence FP and develops an index to provide a holistic approach to the relationship between AC effectiveness and FP. It applies cross-sectional time-series FGLS regression and checks robustness using panel-corrected standard error regression after identifying heteroscedasticity, autocorrelation, and cross-sectional dependence of 375 observations. The study finds a significant positive effect of AC expertise, attendance in AC meetings, and the absence of executive directors in AC on both Return on Assets (ROA) and market capitalization of the firms. Gender diversity is exclusively significant for ROA, while shareholding positively impacts firm's market capitalization. This study is the first to use some new individual AC characteristics like the absence of executive directors in AC and AC charter and representation of AC members in board meetings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of embedded location options on Indian agricultural commodity futures returns has not been investigated systematically, despite the available anecdotal evidence suggestive of significant impact. Any significant impact on futures returns translates directly to an impact on hedging effectiveness of the futures. This paper investigates whether the addition of a return term due to the location option helps in explaining futures returns better relative to cash market and storage returns alone for the Chana contract when using regression analysis. Relative importance analysis is used to assess the relative contributions of regressors, and regression coefficients are tested for significance. It is found that the adjusted coefficient of determination improves significantly on adding location option returns as a regressor, and its regression coefficient is significant for the majority of the contracts studied. Relative importance analysis of the regressors shows that location option, on average, accounts for 28% of the explained variability of excess futures. These results suggest that location option impacts futures prices and returns significantly and is a key reason for the poor hedging effectiveness of Indian agricultural commodity futures. These results guide exchanges, regulators and policymakers to reduce the impact of embedded location options by optimizing contract delivery specifications to make futures contracts more useful to hedgers such as farmer producer organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effect of economic variables and investors' behavior on monthly returns from Indian stock market. The results show that the growth in industrial production did not have significant effect on such returns during the pre-pandemic as well as pandemic period, whereas the net inflows from foreign institutional investors (FIIs) in equity shares listed in India effected returns on BSE 500 significantly during both the periods, but the effect of FII investments in equity shares on such returns decreased during the pandemic period, except during January to March 2020. Interestingly, the flight of FII investment out of India in March 2020 exerted much higher effect on such returns. During the entire period of study, net investments by domestic mutual funds (MFs) in equity shares listed in India were found to be highly negatively correlated with net inflows from FIIs in equity shares listed in India, implying that the former variable might have shown opposite effect on returns on BSE 500. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business enterprises consume the resources of the society for manufacturing of goods and services. Now in the process of creation of business utilities like form utility, time utility, ownership utility, etc., both the ecosystem and the society get severely affected due to Green House Gases (GHG) emission and other hazardous activities, thereby creating a social obligation on the corporate houses to take care of the society and uphold the tenet of 'People', 'Planet' and 'Profit'. In view of the growing importance and mandatory requirements under Companies Act, 2013, for the companies to undertake Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) subject to certain requirements, it is of paramount research interest to reconnoiter the social and financial dimensions of select companies of eight core sectors of Indian economy, i.e., Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity. The basis for undertaking a study of the above-mentioned core sectors are that most of the core sector-based companies by nature of their activities emit GHG, utilize non-renewable resources, constitute 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), contribute substantially to the Gross Domestic Product of India, etc. The social and relationship capital will be studied for both public and private sector companies and correlation analysis among CSR expenditure and Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) and CSR and Profits After Tax (PAT) will be done to understand the relationship between CSR activities and the mentioned financial variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India, as a rising global power, has been furthering its political, economic and sociocultural interests in every part of the world, including Africa. Having had close historical relations with the continent, India however did not actively get involved in most of the African nations for much of the latter part of the 20th century. It is only in recent times that India has started to rekindle its ties with the continent. This paper examines the developing relationship between India and Zimbabwe in light of the various high-level meetings held and agreements reached covering several sectors between the two countries over the past few years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's automobile sector is one of the world's strongest and most rapidly developing sectors. India surpassed Germany and Japan to become the thirdlargest vehicle market globally as of 2022. In India, the automobile industry is valued at over $100 bn, accounts for 8% of the nation's total exports, and generates 2.3% to GDP. Although considered risky, the equity market is regarded as one of the most lucrative options for investment purposes. Investors must do a common stock analysis and comprehend the attributes associated with risks and returns of equity share valuations and sectors in which they choose to invest. This study examines the valuation of equity shares of automobile companies listed on the National Stock Exchange in India. The study will be of use to prospective investors in making well-informed and logical investment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the level of job satisfaction and its determinants amongst working adults in India. The findings indicate that more than 50% of the population surveyed were satisfied with their current working conditions. Nature of job and salary were identified as the most important factors determining a person's job satisfaction, while flexibility of working hours was found to be the least important. Also, amongst different types of satisfaction measured through Opatha's analysis, social satisfaction was given the highest and psychological satisfaction the least priority by the sample surveyed. Interestingly, the findings also showed that earnings fell if employees switched more than four jobs and were highest for those who retained their first jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University vice chancellor (VC) appointments are plagued by recurring controversies. Whispers abound about political influence, questionable considerations, disregard for excellence, and ethical concerns, leading to terminations, post-tenure investigations, and allegations of disproportionate wealth. These issues raise red flags about the appointment process and the conduct of some individuals entrusted with such a crucial position. The VC plays a pivotal role in shaping the university's trajectory. As academic leader and administrative head, the VC bridges the gap between these two vital wings. Since India's independence, Commissions chaired by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, D S Kothari, T G Gnanam, and Ramlal Parikh have all emphasized the critical importance of this post for the overall development of any university. It noted, as per the norm, the VC should be an eminent academician, an excellent administrator, and also someone who has a high moral stature. The recent controversy surrounding VC appointments has opened a new chapter in the already strained relationship between the central government and states. The lack of transparency and fairness in VC appointments has fueled demands for reform. In several southern states, independent voices have urged political parties contesting assembly elections to include a promise of high-level investigations into appointment irregularities and broader higher education reforms in their manifestos. Given this context, this study delves into the legal and constitutional complexities surrounding VC appointments in Indian universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 2022 is significant for international environmental law (IEL) and governance as it marks the 50th anniversary of United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, 40th anniversary of adoption of United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea (UNCLOS), 30th anniversary of Rio Declaration, and the adoption of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Convention on Biological Diversity. Despite these and numerous other international efforts, India is currently facing a number of environmental difficulties that distance us from meeting international commitments like Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nonetheless, there is still a chance for us to overcome these problems through radical transformation. What was intended by the Indian Constitution is directly reflected in the country's environmental laws. India's constitutional system and international commitments both take into account the need for environmental preservation, protection, and sustainable resource usage. The study focuses on the legal provisions in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In marketing domain, emotion is an important research topic as it unveils the hidden aspects of consumer psychology that shape consumer behavior. The paper aims to find out whether emotional state of buyers in the pre-purchase stage has influence over the information search process and investigate the predictive power of emotional state over the selection of the evaluation procedures by automobile buyers. It is found that pre-purchase emotional state of automobile consumers has a significant impact on the information search process, and positive pre-purchase emotional state motivates consumers to focus on favorable information (positive review, appealing ads) received during the search process and engage in Heuristic Processing, whereas negative pre-purchase emotional state drives consumers' attention towards unfavorable information (negative reviews, bad experiences of others) and dive into systematic processing. The study will be of help to car marketers in devising marketing communication strategies so as to create an appealing image in the minds of potential consumers and to stand out amidst competition. In addition, it also provides insight into the emotional dimension of consumers' mind, which will aid car marketers in taking well-thought-out marketing decisions to influence consumers' way of processing information while they make final purchase decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the factors influencing consumer buying intention on Instagram, focusing on Gen-Z and Zillennial demographic in India. With the rapid growth of social media platforms, particularly Instagram, businesses are increasingly leveraging these platforms to connect with young consumers and stay updated on current trends. The study aims at identifying effective marketing tools on Instagram that influence the purchasing behavior of Gen-Z and Zillennials in India. Qualitative research was conducted through two focus groups, involving participants from the target demographic. The findings highlight gender differences in purchasing behavior on Instagram and demonstrate the platform's significant impact on impulse buying among Gen-Z and Zillennial consumers. The study also analyzes the influence of various users such as celebrities and bloggers on Instagram and their effective reach in the purchase decision process. Furthermore, the research explores the key influences in the consumer decision-making process among 120 respondents from India. It examines the marketing techniques employed by Instagram and their impact on online product selling. Given that Generation Z is set to become the largest consumer cohort, understanding their digital expectations and tendencies is crucial for brands seeking to tap into this market opportunity. Additionally, Zillennials, a distinct microgeneration between Millennials and Gen Z, exhibit unique characteristics and experiences, making them an appealing target audience for disruptive brands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lexical Richness (LR) is a scarcely researched subject in India. The objective of this paper is twofold: (i) To statistically inquire whether LR varies across three multimodalities: visual-only, audio-only, and audio-visual; and (ii) To see which of the two measures of LR (MATTR and Guiraud) is independent of text length and is best suited for short oral productions. 270 students across three types of schools were examined, out of whom 100 willingly completed all three oral tasks. The students were asked to retell the stories transacted in each modality in their own words. Randomization of sampling is done to mitigate the confounding modality bias. Additionally, the genre and parts of the storyline in each modality are similar. The students' oral speech samples were recorded, transcribed and analyzed on WordCruncher and TextElixir software. The results revealed that there is statistically significant variance among the modalities. Furthermore, the Moving Average Type Token Ratio (MATTR) is seen to be independent of text length compared to Index of Guiraud. This study also throws light on the observations made during the study, pertinent issues in the field of education, and future directions for research on LR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the market performance in terms of stock selection and market timing skills of fund managers before, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, with reference to selected small, mid and large cap mutual fund schemes. The study further investigates the presence of small firm effect in the Indian context by testing if small capitalization schemes of a fund house exhibit better performance than its large cap schemes. Performance evaluation has been conducted using Jensen's differential model, Treynor-Mazuy model and Henriksson-Merton model. A majority of the fund managers were successful in stock selection by identifying the underpriced securities during the pre-Covid and post-Covid periods. However, a majority of the schemes exhibited perverse market timing skills during the post-Covid period, while there was no significant evidence of market timing skills during the pre-Covid and Covid periods. The study provides valuable insights on fund performance, which can help investors to make informed decisions, fund managers to revisit their performance, and regulators to ensure a better policy framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to capture the mediating effect of technical efficiency on the relationship between credit risk and financial performance in the Indian banking sector. This paper is based on secondary data extracted from the financial reports of commercial banks operating in India for the year 2021-22. Simple mediation analysis is used to analyze the data. The technique of data envelopment analysis (DEA) was deployed to calculate technical efficiency score. The findings show that credit risk has a negative and significant relationship with both financial performance and technical efficiency when taken alone as an independent variable. Overall, the results show that technical efficiency fully mediates the relationship between credit risk and banks' profitability. The mediating effect suggests that scheduled commercial banks operating in India can achieve both technical efficiency and good financial performance through vigilant supervision of credit risk. With specific reference to India, such empirical work showing the mediating effect of technical efficiency on financial performance and credit risk has not been taken up before. The findings of the study are expected to provide a better understanding of the role of managing nonperforming assets in determining technical efficiency and financial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial technology (fintech) has seen significant growth and development in recent years. In the banking sector, understanding the interaction between customers and technology is critical for effective implementation of e-banking services. Given its low usage, the present study intends to investigate the factors important for enhancing e-banking services. Differences in the perceptions of two groups of customers--heavy users and light users of e-banking services--are also examined. The study employed survey method to collect data from bank customers in India. The results of discriminant analysis showed that only 'performance expectancy', 'information content', and 'selfinterest' are significant differentiators of heavy and light users of e-banking services. The findings reveal that factors for initial adoption or behavioral intentions are different from continual use post adoption of e-banking services. So, the banks, while formulating strategies and restructuring their operations, should focus more on performance, information, and entertainment to elicit more users and their usage. These factors would enhance customer engagement in e-banking, increase its usage and earn returns to banks. Policymakers can also design their economic programs and channelize public resources accordingly to achieve a cashless economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing consumerism, changing lifestyle of modern consumers, shifting needs, trends and preferences, and the recent Covid-19 pandemic have collectively resulted in mushrooming of e-commerce startups, which has subsequently led to impulsive and unsustainable consumer behavior. For facilitating and enhancing consumer satisfaction and experience 24/7, these e-commerce establishments keep innovating and launching different products and services, easy payment methods like Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), instant credit, credit card, etc. to lure consumers. Undoubtedly, the payment industry, in the form of e-wallets, has witnessed a paradigm shift recently owing to digitalization and easy Internet access. There is an increasing trend of impulsive buying among millennials and Gen Z in India currently. The study explores the impact of BNPL schemes on the impulsive buying behavior of millennials and Gen Z. Further, the risks and constraints faced by these popular cohorts are also highlighted in the study. Over 100 millennials and Gen Z were contacted personally as well as via Google Forms for the purpose of data collection. Kruksal-Wallis Test was used for analyzing the data. The findings show that BNPL schemes significantly impact the purchase behavior of millennials and Gen Z. The BNPL ecosystem shows tremendous opportunities for the growth of new fintech startups in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning from consumption of conventional to eco-friendly products is very rarely a spontaneous decision for consumers. To do so, the consumers need to have enough trust in the 'greenness' of the product and in the claims of manufacturers, as they cannot verify them even after consuming the product. The findings of this study, based on a survey in India, revealed that consumer trust acts as a mediator between awareness of green products and purchase intention. Further, trust also plays a moderating role in the relationship between concern for the environment and purchase behavior of consumers. As the world is striving hard to attain the UN Sustainable Development Goals, this study has practical implications for marketers and policymakers who build strategies and appeals to promote sustainable and responsible consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a measurement scale that can be used to study the effect of in-store environmental factors on impulsive buying behavior. A questionnaire consisting of 52 items was framed. The data structure was identified using factor analysis, and reliability of the measurement instrument was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and measures of composite reliability. Furthermore, confirmatory factor analysis was performed using Fornell and Larcker criteria to assess construct validity. This study identifies nine factors of the store environment that may influence impulsive buying of customers. In view of the limited research on store environment and impulsive buying in India, the measurement instrument developed in this study is necessary and beneficial for future research in the area. The results of this study also have practical implications for marketers in the retail industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is increasing, as it helps reduce costs, restructure processing and drives better customer experiences. It is easy to use in business units, does not require any individual to additionally learn new tools or ask IT teams for support, and does not require any changes to be made to the existing IT infrastructure of an organization. Further, it is important to recognize that in contemporary times, the procurement process has become much more than purchasing goods and services on dayto- day basis. The procurement process provides added value in the long run. The paper assesses the impact of RPA on procurement process in MNCs operating in the Indian service industry, specifically in the Delhi NCR region in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capital Structure (CS) of an organization and its composition has always affected its business performance and value creation. The selection of appropriate CS helps an organization to sustain its growth in the future. It is dependent on the level of financial leverage it is going to consider for optimal combination of CS. The study explores the impact of financial leverage on the business results of manufacturing firms in emerging economies like India for the period 2011 to 2021. The choice of appropriate combination of debt level will affect the profitability of a firm. It was found that there is an inverse association between Short-Term Debt (STD), Long-Term Debt (LTD) and size and business performance of the manufacturing industry in India. An empirical model was developed to analyze the impact on Return On Equity (ROE), Return on total Assets (ROA) and Return on Capital Employed (ROCE), which was found to be significant and established a negative association with financial leverage of firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the impact of executives having multiple directorships on the financial performance and asset quality of banks. The research has been carried out on 36 banks operating in India over a 19-year period (2001-2019) using an unbalanced panel implementing fixed effects model, with statistical evidence demonstrating its applicability. The study finds a positive significant effect of multiple directorships on bank performance, thereby confirming the “quality hypothesis” that busy directors are more likely to be better directors. In addition, it also finds significantly negative effect of multiple directorships on gross nonperforming asset ratio. Furthermore, the findings also reveal that larger board size and CEO duality are positively associated with a firm’s profitability, which helps to improve the asset quality of banks, and the total number of committees is inversely associated with the profitability of the firm. Overall, the findings suggest that despite the strain that many directorships may impose on directors, busy directors bring in more experience, knowledge, abilities and network that enhance the value of the firm. In sum, the findings imply that board effectiveness, as assessed by numerous directorships, is an important aspect of board operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public sector passenger road transport services in India have been established with the aim of providing economical, adequate and sustainable services to the commuters. It is a well-known fact that State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs) have become nonprofitable and are a heavy burden on government exchequers. In this context, SRTUs cannot be sustained unless they adopt a professional approach through policy initiatives. The paper examines the growth performance of three SRTUs in West Bengal, India. The objective is to identify the factors and investigate their operational implications for service cost and revenue of selected SRTUs. The results reveal that the annual income of the corporations was not sufficient to meet even half of the annual operating costs and that there exists a significant difference in the performance patterns of the selected SRTUs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accounting education today not only requires upgradation of curriculum but also trained and qualified teachers, proper facilities to nurture the growth of the students and development of relevant skills. Therefore, gaps in four aspects, namely, the faculty and teaching methods, curriculum, facilities provided in the institutions and skills imparted in the institutions, have been identified exclusively from the students’ point of view. Chi-square anaysis is used to test the association between the type of institution and the perceptions regarding various aspects of accounting education. The paper highlights the highest gap that exists between the perceptions and expectations of students and the skills imparted in institutions. Further, it is found that there is no association between the type of institutions and the gaps in skills. All types of institutions are found to be lacking in providing training or imparting skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply chain operations and the use of energy are inextricably interwoven. The supply chains, especially those operating in the food sector, which experience high competition, high implied demand uncertainty, low profit margin etc., are trying very hard to minimize their operational costs to become efficient in the marketplace. On the contrary, inflation has been one of the key issues in food supply chain operations. Irrespective of whether the food product is need-based or demand-based, inflation of essential commodities is experienced by consumers throughout the year. This paper examines how energy price fluctuations have impacted food supply chain prices in India. The time series data of energy and food resources have been modeled and validated using Machine Learning (ML)-based SARIMAX algorithm to find that High-Speed Diesel (HSD) impacts food inflation the most, keeping aside coal. In push-need-based food supply chains, the impact of HSD is relatively higher than in push-demand-based food supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the linkage between oil price, climate variability and Food Inflation (FI) in India using linear ARDL model for the period January 2001 to December 2021. The study uses monthly time series data on CPI (general index, food price index, Money Supply (M3)), oil price and trade openness (volume of Export+Import to % GDP) and temperature change retrieved from the online data base of Reserve Bank of India, FAOSTAT, MOSPI and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Since the variables are in different units, natural logarithm values are used in model estimation. The study found that a positive correlation between FI and study variables. The ARDL Model coefficient values show that Money Supply (MS) positively impacts FI, whereas lag MS negatively affects FI. Oil price has a positive impact on FI and trade openness coefficient is positive but not significant. Temperature Change (TC) has a negative impact on FI. The ARDL bound test result indicates that there is cointegration between FI and the study variables. The ARDL-VEC coefficient values indicate that oil price and TC have significant causal relationship with FI. To tackle high FI, there is a need of government and policymakers’ intervention for oil consumption diversification from crude oil to natural gas. The RBI should tighten the monetary policy and repo rate in order to lower FI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to study the trends and structure of digital payments in India in the last decade. It is important to note that the volume has increased faster than the value of digital payments. The average value of digital transactions has been coming down, which means that there has been increased usage of digital mode for smaller value payments by retail users, demonstrating widespread adoption of digital payments in the country. The paper also aims to determine whether all the digital payment methods have the same growth trend on the retail front. The Friedman test and post hoc analysis have been used to analyze the growth pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates whether there is evidence to support the concept that variations in observed ownership structures across firms result in methodical variations in observed financial performance in the Indian market. The study assesses the impact of ownership structure on corporate performance measured by both the market-based measures (Tobin’s Q, MBVR and MVA) and accounting-based measures (ROA, ROCE and ROE) of 178 NSE CNX listed nonfinancial companies for a period of 8 years from 2011 to 2018. Two different aspects of ownership structure are considered, i.e., concentration and owner identity. The results of the study could help the Indian companies, regulators, policymakers, and practitioners to adopt and sustain good corporate governance practices for value creation and for making them ready to meet the future changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish, crab, prawns and other seafood are among the animal-derived foods that are regarded as the safest in contemporary world in terms of enhancing food security. Globally, aquaculture is growing rapidly. India has a big impact on aquaculture due to its proximity to water. In the dynamic context of aquaculture ponds, the interactions between water quality factors are complicated. For instance, unbalanced temperature and pH conditions may make ammonia more dangerous. In poor quality water, fish do eat, but the calories are changed to promote health rather than development. When the water is of high quality, animals can defend themselves most effectively. In this paper, the proposed model monitors and controls fish growth, detection of aquatic animal illnesses and Water Quality Index (WQI). Automated aquaculture employing Arduino and image enhancement techniques are used mainly to spot fish infections. Additionally, management of aqua system is employed to generate high-quality aqua food for customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]