The inopportune organization of spice supply chains (SSCs) results in aided risks, resource wastages, and sustainability issues. Nevertheless, practitioners and academicians alike must investigate spice supply chain management (SSCM) in terms of long-term sustainability. This study draws on the available literature to compile a collection of characteristics and maintain sustainable spice supply chain management techniques which come up with associated risks and relevant obstacles. Existing studies claim that due to a lack of resources, the associated risks are the root of poor SSCM performance. As a result, the goal of this study is to identify the primary risk variables using qualitative data; nevertheless, the attributes must be converted into a scale that is comparable. The fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) was used to obtain valid and reliable attributes from qualitative data, while the fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (FDEMATEL) was used to address uncertainty and interrelationships simultaneously. FDM results suggest that there are eighteen critical risk variables and seven risks threatening effective SSCM. FDEMATEL results reveal qualitative data translated into crisp, comparable values in order to investigate causal linkages between variables and confirm the compatibility of the theoretical structure with industry realities. The findings show fluctuation in the Price (C8), diseases and pests (C20), human contamination (C23), spice adulteration (C24), and loss of food quality, and quantity (C36) are all important risks and sub-risks in these causative interrelationships. The primary risks involved in enhancing SCM include Financial Risk (A5), Ergonomic Risk (A8), and Operation and Management Risk (A10). The study recommends that industry professionals use future marketing tools to protect themselves from price changes which allow them to assess supply and demand circumstances and manage price risks over distance and time. Spices are the key contributors to earning a sizable amount of foreign currency through export in a developing country. It suggests to policymakers, regulatory organizations, and practitioners to develop regulations, raise farmer understanding about pest control, impose stiff penalties on vendors and businesses proven to be involved in spice adulteration, and develop a sustainable fertilizer distribution system. These corresponding action plans for improving the SSC sector and comparing it with agro-food and short-supply chains are investigated. This study contributes to theory by utilizing FDM and FDEMATEL methods for addressing the uncertainty and interrelationship among associated risks that hinder SCM from attaining sustainability.

One of the most pernicious and pervasive threats to the integrity of governments, economies, and societies worldwide is the insidious and corrosive influence of corruption. E-government, everywhere, is expected to play a pivotal role in combating corruption. Nevertheless, academic research has yielded varying outcomes. To address the inherent variability, this study employed data from 188 countries to thoroughly investigate the impact of e-government on corruption. Using a path modeling approach and following New Institutional Theory, this study examined the association between the two. We found an inconsistent relationship between e-government and corruption, primarily owing to a nonlinear association between the two and an omitted mediator variable of an institutional nature. Further, accountability, a social instrument, mediates this relationship. Our study offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between e-government and corruption by establishing the crucial role of accountability in the context of corruption.

The rapid increase in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the utilization of fossil fuels to meet global energy needs has made the transition to cleaner energy sources imperative. Past studies show that energy transition not only improves the environment that we live in but is also a means to fulfill many of the United Nation's sustainable development goals. Even though studies as early as the 1980s focused on energy transition, there has been a spurt in the volume of literature in the mentioned area over the last five years (post-2018). Consequently, researchers face a daunting task in scanning through this large literature body and identifying the key research trends and gray areas in energy transition research. The current study tries to address this problem by the use of an unsupervised machine learning technique topic modeling via latent Dirichlet allocation model implemented on the abstracts of 1221 research articles (related to energy transition) extracted from the Scopus database. The topic modeling approach reveals eight meaningfully interpretable unique topics. The use of technology and models for energy transition, energy transition and policy, environmental impacts of energy transition, and the impact of transition on energy markets are the most researched topics. However, benefits from energy transition, energy distribution, importance, and socio-economic impacts of energy transition are largely understudied. The study not only conducts a comprehensive analysis of the energy transition literature but also provides lots of implications and future research directions for the benefit of various stakeholders.

It is estimated that the recent ongoing supply chain disruptions have forced a transition in the traditional food supply chain business models. Organizations across all sectors are now adopting digital transformation strategies for embracing the new normal. Food security in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is threatened by country's heavy reliance on food imports. Innovative urban farming systems are anticipated to improve the food security and sustainability to a great extent. Using a survey-based methodology, the present study aims to develop, validate, and apply a multi-dimensional innovative urban food production system framework for UAEs agricultural sector. Based on the data collected from 299 stakeholders across the whole agri-food supply chains in the UAE, the study determines ways of reducing dependency on food imports by scaling up technology-driven and resource-efficient innovative urban farming systems. Data were analysed and the model were moderated using Analysis of MOment Structures (AMOS) and Partial Least Squares- Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings from the study highlight that digital technology moderates the relationship between innovative urban farming systems and sustainable urban farming. Resource efficiency and conservation practices were positively associated with sustainable urban farming. The study offers several managerial and theoretical insights.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks pose a challenging threat to the availability and performance of cloud-based Software-Defined Networks (SDNs). Detection and classification of DDoS attacks in such dynamic and highly virtualized environments is critical to maintaining network stability and ensuring uninterrupted services. Therefore, this study develops a metaheuristic with Multi-Layer Ensemble Deep Reinforcement Learning for DDoS Attack Detection and Mitigation (MMEDRL-ADM) technique in the Cloud SDN Environment. The presented MMEDRL-ADM technique leverages metaheuristics with deep learning model for the recognition of DDoS attacks in the SDN data plane. To accomplish this, the presented MMEDRL-ADM technique initially preprocesses the network data. Next, the MMEDRL-ADM technique designs African buffalo optimization algorithm-based feature selection (ABO-FS) to reduce the computation complexity and increase the detection rate. For DDoS attack detection, the multilayer ensemble deep reinforcement learning (MEDRL) technique is used. To adjust the hyperparameter values of the MEDRL technique, an improved grasshopper optimization algorithm (IGOA) is exploited. The design of MEDRL approach with IGOA based hyperparameter tuning demonstrates the novelty of the work. The experimental validation of the MMEDRL-ADM system is tested under a benchmark dataset. The comparison study highlighted the improved performance of the MMEDRL-ADM technique over other models.

The study highlights that banks in India recommend mutual funds based on higher commissions rather than superior performance. We further show that bank recommendations and distributor commissions can both significantly influence the growth of fund assets -under -management (AUM). JEL classification: D82, D140, G18, G28

Information security policy (ISP) compliance has emerged as a significant challenge for contemporary businesses. This underscores the crucial role of employing fear appeals to encourage employee compliance with ISP. However, the existing literature is rife with mixed and inconsistent findings regarding the influence of fear appeals on employees' intentions to comply with ISP. In an effort to address this inconsistency and delve into the mechanisms through which fear appeals impact ISP compliance, we expanded the Protection Motivation Theory by incorporating the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. Notably, we introduced a positive emotion, eustress, into the mediating mechanism alongside fear. Our hypothesis posited that fear appeals not only generate fear but also evoke eustress, subsequently positively influencing ISP compliance. We conducted a study among financial sector employees and validated our hypothesis using structural equation modeling techniques. Our primary theoretical contributions include highlighting the critical role of eustress in enhancing ISP compliance and proposing a parallel mechanism through which fear appeals impact ISP compliance. From a practical standpoint, we demonstrate that eustress plays a more significant role in motivating employees to comply with ISP. Furthermore, we provide insights into how organizations can design fear appeal messages by incorporating the concept of eustress, thereby optimizing their effectiveness in promoting ISP compliance.

PurposeDrawing on the conservation of resources theory, the current study examines the mechanisms by which individual-focused transformational leadership (i.e. individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation) is associated with employees' taking charge by investigating the mediating roles of psychological capital and thriving at work.Design/methodology/approachA three-wave research study was conducted, and the data for the study included 220 employees'-supervisors' dyads from Indian IT (information technology) organizations. Further, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was utilized to assess the measurement model, and study hypotheses were tested using Process macro.FindingsThe study results showed that individual-focused transformational leadership (IFTL) is strongly associated with psychological capital, thriving at work and taking charge. The findings of Process macro analyses indicated that IFTL, directly and indirectly, impacts taking charge behavior via psychological capital and thriving at work.Practical implicationsThe study offers significant practical implications to managers, counsellors and HRM practitioners for crafting workplace interventions to augment employees taking charge behavior. The study findings would aid HRM practitioners in designing individualized-oriented leadership programs for building employees' positive psychological capabilities and thriving experiences for taking charge.Originality/valueThis paper broadens the existing leadership literature by proposing new pathways through which IFTL encourages employees to take charge. Mainly, research studies need to shed more light on leadership characteristics that influence employees' positive psychological behavior, that is psychological capital and thriving at work. Consequently, this study examined the underlying mechanism through which leadership, psychological capital and thriving interact to stimulate employees taking charge behavior.

PurposeDigital lean implementation can solve the dual problem of stagnating quality and rising costs in healthcare. Although technology adoption in healthcare has increased in the post-COVID world, value unlocking using technology needs a well-thought-out approach to achieve success. This paper provides a prescriptive framework for successfully implementing digital lean in healthcare.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a mixed-method approach to achieve three research objectives. Whilst it uses a narrative review to identify the enablers, it uses qualitative thematic analysis techniques to categorise them into factors. The study utilises the delphi method for the thematic grouping of the enablers in the broader groups. The study used an advanced ordinal priority approach (OPA) to prioritise these factors. Finally, the study uses concordance analysis to assess the reliability of group decision-making.FindingsThe study found that 20 identified enablers are rooted in practice factors, followed by human resource management (HRM) factors, customer factors, leadership factors and technology factors. These results further counter the myth that technology holds the utmost significance in implementing digital lean in healthcare and found the equal importance of factors related to people, customers, leadership and best practices such as benchmarking, continuous improvement and change management.Originality/valueThe study is the first of its kind, providing the prescriptive framework for implementing digital lean in healthcare. The findings are useful for healthcare professionals and health policymakers.

PurposeThe present study examines the nexus between workplace relationship conflict, perceived sincere apology, interpersonal forgiveness, trust restoration and future cooperation at work after a trust violation episode has occurred.Design/methodology/approachThe data for the analysis were collected from 226 employees using scenarios and survey methods and quantitative techniques were applied to analyze the data.FindingsThe results show that perceived sincerity of apology serves as a mediating variable in the link between workplace relationship conflict and interpersonal forgiveness. Interpersonal forgiveness is found to be positively related to future cooperation at work with the mediating role of trust restoration.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study have practical implications for strategy makers, human resource managers and practitioners interested in stimulating future cooperation at work after a trust violation episode has occurred. The study advocates that sincere apology and interpersonal forgiveness serve as an important link to recovering from trust violation damages and cultivating future cooperation at work after a relationship conflict has occurred.Originality/valueThe findings of the present study bring new insights on the role played by sincere apology and interpersonal forgiveness in facilitating trust restoration and future cooperation at work after a relationship conflict episode has occurred.

PurposeDrawing on the transformational leadership theory, this study empirically tests the relationship between individual-focused transformational leadership (IFTL) (i.e. individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation) and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (Ch-OCB), proposing the mediating mechanism of job crafting. Also, this study examines the moderating role of employee resilience on the relationship between job crafting and Ch-OCB.Design/methodology/approachA nested data model using a 4-wave time-lagged sample of 210 employees-supervisors dyads from Indian information technology (IT) organizations was tested using hierarchical linear modeling.FindingsThe study results showed a significant association between IFTL and Ch-OCB. Furthermore, job crafting mediated the relationship between IFTL and Ch-OCB. Additionally, the findings indicate that the positive relationship between job crafting and Ch-OCB was found to be stronger when employee resilience levels were higher.Practical implicationsThe study offers significant practical implications to managers, counselors and human resource management (HRM) practitioners for stimulating Ch-OCB. The study findings would aid HRM practitioners in designing individualized-oriented leadership programs to encourage employees to exhibit proactive job-crafting behavior, further augmenting Ch-OCB.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the existing transformational leadership literature by proposing new pathways through which IFTL stimulates job crafting, further leading to enhanced Ch-OCB. Mainly, research studies need to shed more light on leadership characteristics that influence employees' proactive and adaptive work behavior, i.e. job crafting and Ch-OCB. Essentially, this study examined the underlying mechanism through which IFTL relates to employees' Ch-OCB.

PurposeThe study examines the IPO resilience grounded on the firm's intrinsic factors.Design/methodology/approachWe examine the association of IPO performance and post-listing firm's performance with issuers' pre-listing financial and qualitative traits using panel data regression.FindingsIPOs floated in the Indian market from July 2009 to March 31, 2022, evince the notable influence of issuers' pre-IPO fundamentals and legitimacy traits on IPO returns and post-listing earning power. Where the pandemic's favorable impact is discerned on the post-listing year earning power of the issuer firms, the loss-making issuers appear to be adversely affected by the Covid disruption. Perhaps, the successful listing equipped the issuers with the financial flexibility to combat market challenges vis-a-vis failed issuers deprived of desired IPO proceeds.Research limitations/implicationsHigh initial returns followed by a declining pattern substantiate the retail investors to be less informed vis-a-vis initial investors, valuers and underwriters, who exit post-listing after profit booking. Investing in the shares of the newly listed ventures post-listing in the secondary market can shield retail investors from the uncertainty losses of being uninformed. The IPO market needs stringent regulations ensuring the verification of the listing valuation, the firm's credentials and the intent of utilizing IPO proceeds. Healthy development of the IPO market merits reconsidering the listing of ventures with weak fundamentals suspected to withstand the market challenges.Originality/valueGiven the tremendous rise in the new firm venturing into the primary market and the spike in IPOs countering the losses immediately post-opening, the study examines the loss-making and young firms IPOs separately, adding novelty to the study.

PurposeThis research addresses the pressing need for comprehensive studies in the rapidly evolving field of city tourism. This study aims to understand the overall performance of the International Journal of Tourism Cities (IJTC), the structure of knowledge in city tourism research and the prevalent themes and trends arising from IJTC.Design/methodology/approachA bibliometric analysis was conducted to scrutinize the publication patterns in IJTC. This involved examining parameters such as the annual count of published articles, the keywords used in them and their respective authors.FindingsThe findings reveal that IJTC has a growing and diverse publication output, establishing itself as a reputable and influential publication within urban tourism research. The results reflect various aspects and themes in city tourism research.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has certain limitations. The data used for analysis was obtained exclusively from the Scopus database. The analysis was conducted using only one software package, Bibliometrix. Other software packages may offer different features for bibliometric analysis. The study relied exclusively on quantitative methods for data analysis. Qualitative methods could have provided more nuanced interpretations of the data.Practical implicationsComparative analyses could be conducted between IJTC and other journals within urban tourism or related disciplines. Such research would yield valuable insights into the current state of the field and aid in identifying areas warranting further investigation.Social implicationsThe findings from this study can inform the decisions and actions of various stakeholders involved in urban tourism. Practitioners and policymakers can draw from this research to make informed decisions. Existing and emerging authors can identify relevant topics for their research. Readers can access pertinent information for their needs.Originality/valueThis study offers a unique contribution by thoroughly comprehending the performance of IJTC between 2015 and 2023. It progresses the existing body of knowledge on city tourism research by examining its current status and future trends.

PurposeIn recent times, digital transformation (DT) has witnessed a surge in popularity, not only within large enterprises (LEs) but also among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Various sectors, including manufacturing, have shown a keen interest in embracing DT for their operational and supply chain needs. Beyond delivering benefits such as improved product quality, revenue growth, enhanced customer service and heightened safety measures, DT offers a range of advantages, including heightened productivity, risk mitigation and environmental protection. However, in developing countries like India, manufacturing SMEs encounter significant challenges when attempting to embrace DT. Therefore, this study aims to identify and model the obstacles that impede DT adoption within the context of Indian manufacturing SMEs.Design/methodology/approachThe literature review was used to pinpoint the barriers to adopting DT. Subsequently, these identified barriers underwent validation within the specific context of Indian manufacturing SMEs through the assessment of an expert team. The expert team proceeded to model these barriers using the interpretive structural modeling approach.FindingsThis study shows that high investment, return on investment and multiskilled workforces are the most crucial barriers to DT adoption. The proposed study aids policy and decision-makers in identifying the connections and dependencies between the barriers.Originality/valueIt provides a guideline for practitioners to deal with DT adoption barriers in the Indian manufacturing SMEs.

PurposeThis study explores the relationships among sustainability implementation barriers (resource, managerial and regulatory barriers), sustainability practices (sustainable construction materials, sustainable construction design, modern construction methods and environmental provisions and reporting) and sustainability performance (environmental, economic and social) in hill road construction (HRC).Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were collected from the 313 HRC practitioners with the help of a questionnaire, and research hypotheses were tested employing structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings reveal a mixed effect of sustainability implementation barriers. Resource (managerial) barriers are negatively related to all practices except environmental provisions and reporting (sustainable construction materials), while regulatory barriers only negatively impact modern construction methods. On the other hand, all sustainability practices positively impact environmental performance, whereas economic (social) performance is positively influenced by all practices, except environmental provisions and reporting (modern construction methods), and positively affects economic performance.Originality/valueIn order to transform HRC toward sustainability, the barriers to sustainability implementation, sustainability practices and performance need to be understood by practitioners; however, the relationships have not previously been empirically assessed in extant literature. Besides, past research appears to be predominantly focused on the environmental aspect, thereby neglecting economic and social aspects. This study is a modest attempt to bridge these research gaps.

PurposeOpportunistic and delayed maintenances are increasingly becoming important strategies for sustainable maintenance practices since they increase the lifetime of complex systems like aircrafts and heavy equipment. The objective of the current study is to quantify the optimal time window for adopting these strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe current study considers the trade-offs between different costs involved in the opportunistic and delayed maintenances (of equipment) like the fixed cost of scheduled maintenances, the opportunistic rewards that may be earned and the cost of premature parts replacement. The probability of the opportunistic maintenance has been quantified under two different scenarios - Mission Reliability and Renewal Process. In the case of delayed maintenance, the cost of the delayed maintenance is also considered. The study uses optimization techniques to find the optimal maintenance time windows and also derive useful insights.FindingsApart from finding the optimal time window for the maintenance activities the study also shows that opportunistic maintenance is beneficial provided the opportunistic reward is significantly large; the cost of conducting scheduled maintenance in the pre-determined slot is significantly large. Similarly, the opportunistic maintenance may not be beneficial if the pre-mature equipment parts replacement cost is significantly high. The optimal opportunistic maintenance time is increasing function of Weibull failure rate parameter beta and decreasing function of Weibull failure rate parameter theta. In the case of optimal delayed maintenance time, these relationships reverse.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, very few studies exist that have used mission reliability to study opportunistic maintenance or considered the different cost trade-offs comprehensively.

PurposeFrugal innovation focuses on the core functionalities with the highest stakeholder benefits and directly targets user requirements. It has been widely adopted in developing countries, and extensively researched from both consumer and sustainable perspectives. However, few studies on frugal innovation consider quality, a seminal business management concept. This study focuses on this gap and uses a quality lens to understand frugal innovation.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a mixed methodology. The Delphi focus group method is first applied to identify two cases of frugal innovation in the construction industry and a cross-case analysis done. Then, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to examine eight product quality dimensions to draw the final conclusions.FindingsFrom Garvin's concept of quality, frugal innovation focuses on performance and conformance. Furthermore, it prioritises a value-based approach the most.Research limitations/implicationsThis study examines frugal innovation from quality perspective. This opens up a new line of research which contributes to both streams. The study is based on construction which is a limitation of the study.Practical implicationsA quality-based frugal innovation understanding can be helpful in the conceptualisation, implementation and acceptance of the frugal innovation business model. It can provide clarity on the innovation's value proposition and also help in operationalisation of the business model.Social implicationsFrugal encourages social entrepreneurs and understanding of the concept from quality perspective shall facilitate the operationalisation will become easier for them.Originality/valueTo the author's knowledge, this is the first study at the interface of frugal innovation and quality management. Furthermore, the use of AHP to prioritise equality approaches and dimensions is an original contribution.

PurposeWith the increasing competition and rise in the number of brands in almost every product category, consumers need help to figure out authentic brands. Thus, it becomes imperative for marketers to examine the factors that influence the perceptions of brand authenticity (PBA) and its favorable outcomes for the brand. This paper aims to explore the critical antecedents (i.e. brand heritage and brand nostalgia) and consequences [i.e. consumer brand engagement (CBE) and perceived brand ownership (PBO)] of PBA in this study.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 368 responses were collected online through a self-administered survey method and were analyzed using structural equation modeling in AMOS v 25.FindingsThe findings reveal that both brand heritage and brand nostalgia can affect PBA. In addition, PBA engenders CBE and PBO among consumers toward the brand.Practical implicationsThe study findings help the marketers to find ways to induce authenticity perceptions among consumers about their brands, which can further translate into PBO and CBE.Originality/valueThis study empirically verifies a model to enhance PBA through brand heritage and nostalgia. Further, it explores CBE and PBO as the potential outcomes of PBA.

The digitization of supply chain management lies at the crux of modern industry and similar trends are noticeable in the cold chain (CC) under the cold chain 4.0 (CC 4.0) concept. However, the extant research lacks a systematic summary of existing findings on CC 4.0. Therefore, this article provides a bibliometric and network analysis of 618 high-quality CC 4.0 publications extracted from the Web of Science. The article uses performance assessment and science mapping to investigate the impact of digital and sustainable technologies in the CC domain. Four main research streams and 19 research propositions are identified to provide an informative overview of the most recent developments in the emerging and growing domain of CC 4.0 and the interface between information systems and operations management. The article further identifies the critical role and impacts of digital-sustainable transformation and presents an agenda for future research focusing on critical theoretical and managerial areas that remain understudied.

PurposeBased on the affective events and self-concept theories, this study aims to examine the relationship between knowledge sharing system, job crafting, meaningfulness in work and employees' intention to stay with the organization.Design/methodology/approachIn the present study, the authors conducted a time-lagged survey for analyzing the association between knowledge sharing system, job crafting, meaningfulness in work and employees' intention to stay with the organization. The study sample comprises 358 Generation Y employees working in Indian IT organizations. Results were analyzed using Process and Hayes macro process.FindingsThe study findings suggest significant relationships between knowledge sharing system, job crafting, meaningfulness in work and intention to stay among Gen Y employees. Moreover, the results demonstrated that knowledge sharing system, directly and indirectly, impacts employees' intention to stay via sequential mediation of job crafting and meaningfulness in work.Practical implicationsIn today's era of hyper-competition and war for talent, retaining talented professionals has become the topmost priority for organizations. This becomes even more challenging with new generations, Gen Y and Z, entering the workforce driven by entirely different needs compared to earlier generations. Thus, the present study offers an integrated framework that organizational practitioners could utilize to enhance the retention of their young talented professionals.Originality/valueDespite the emerging interest in the concept of knowledge sharing, few studies investigated the association between knowledge sharing system and intention to stay among Gen Y employees. Also, research still lacks in examining the underlying mechanism of how knowledge sharing system may enhance job crafting and meaningfulness in work, which could fuel Gen Y employees' intention to stay with the organization.