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The paper aims to explore the problems related to the financial management of municipal corporations in India and to suggest solutions.

The study is based on primary data collected from a sample of 577 employees of municipal corporations working in four metro cities of India, namely Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi. Data were put through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis for problem identification and inferences were classified and grouped to map the solutions for these problems.

The study found that municipal corporations in India face four major problems or issues in their financial management. These problems are mainly related to the four dimensions: Power, Interruptions, Finances, and Resources. The model used to explore these four types of issues is named as “PIFR model” by the author.

The findings suggest that real-world problems can be represented through a conceptual model that helps in identifying practical suggestions which can be implemented by municipal corporations at the ground level for better financial management.

This study aims to measure the impact of loneliness, physical activity (PA) and self-esteem on the health of retired people and also checks the moderating role of living arrangements and gender of the elderly people on this relationship.

Four standardized scales were used in the study to measure four different constructs: Self-Worth Questionnaire, UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3, General Health Questionnaire-28 and Physical Activity Scale for Elders. Structural equation modelling was applied to the four constructs.

The study concluded that loneliness has a negative and significant impact on the health of retired people, while self-esteem and PA have a positive and significant impact on their health.

The study is among the few to include multiple instruments to measure abstract parameters in the field of health care. The paper brings out implications not just for academicians but also for policymakers, considering the complex situation prevailing in the emerging economy.

This paper aims to identify the dimensions of the political empowerment of Indian women and assess the factors responsible for the lacunas that hold women back in their potential.

The research was based on primary data collected through a personal interview method from a sample of 68 women managers working in five different sectors of the Indian economy, namely; IT, education, telecom, banking, and hospitality sector. Further, data on the five factors from a sample of 423 women employees from the above-mentioned sectors have been collected and analyzed using a multiple regression model with control variables (marital status and generation gap).

The major factors churned out that are needed for the political empowerment of women are namely, information or awareness, family support or family environment, legal environment, political environment, and personal ambitions or internal motivation.

The present study has presented new insight into the field of women and politics by providing a case study into the dimensions of political empowerment among Indian women. The pilot model developed in this study can be initiated and replicated across the land on being successful.

This paper aims to probe into the linkages between the corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of banks and the cross-buying intentions of banking customers. Though the authors could not find any direct link between these two concepts on theoretical ground, but an effort has been made to identify the impact of CSR on cross-buying intentions through corporate reputation and relationship quality. Like other industries, the Indian banking industry has also witnessed a balance between its social-environmental responsibilities and its clearly defined economic responsibility to earn profit.

The universe for the present study constitutes the customers of the entire Indian banking industry. Considering the cost and time constraints, the study was limited to a sample of 347 public and private bank customers in the Rajasthan region based on the convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through structural equation modeling. CSR measures included philanthropic and ethical responsibility.

Results revealed that corporate reputation and relationship quality both play a mediating role in the linkages between CSR and cross-buying intentions.

The study suggests integrating marketing strategy with its CSR strategies to encourage cross-buying intentions. While making the cross-selling agenda, they should bear reputation in mind because at the relationship development phase, customers generally rely on reputation than their evaluation of bank’s products for cross-buying.

This study is the first in marketing literature which relates the concept of CSR and the cross-buying.

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to identify the antecedents that have enabled the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Higher Education (HE) institutions at both a macro and micro level. The term adoption is in reference to the diffusion of technology that is actively chosen for use by the targeted demographic. Within the context of this paper, adoption is largely referring to the factors that influence the acceptance and use of AI as a tool for personalized learning.

To develop our understanding and appreciation of the valuable impact that AI potentially has upon personalized learning the following systematic literature review was conducted. An acceptable systematic literature review is a comprehensive method of fully analysing and evaluating all available research in the chosen area or specific research query.

The findings from this study have particular implications for personalized learning in the adoption and diffusion of AI and an increasing integration of macro, structural, and micro, individual. Developing and managing AI in education is seen, from the literature, to becoming more embedded in the teaching and learning process. The paper identifies the following: antecedents that supports the adoption of AI for personalized learning; application of AI technologies in the teaching and learning process; AI technologies that enable personalized instruction and learning; generative AI that supports intuitive learning through tracking data.

Personalized learning remains focused on customizable “choice-driven” learning and education. In addition, personalized learning and instruction is defined as being a responsive and structured method that adapts to each individual learner’s method of learning so that all may achieve their capabilities and actively participate. This solidifies the intrinsic connection between teaching and learning through personalized technologies such as AI.

Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.

This study aims to propose an architecture and presents the implementation of a unified chatbot that faces the challenges of heterogeneous communication channels. This approach enables the interaction with the chatbot to be carried out over multiple communication media on a single platform.

The chatbot was embedded in a unified communications framework. Furthermore, it has been developed and tested using the information and communications technology (ICT)Core platform. Three test scenarios have been considered in the context of a digital marketing company, which include the use of multiple channels such as text, audio and e-mail. Usability and empirical tests were performed to collect both qualitative and quantitative data.

The results indicate that the proposed model improves the completion rate and enables the chatbot to interact with the customer by capturing information over multiple channels. The findings also reveal that digital marketing organizations can use a unified chatbot in their marketing campaigns, which contributes to improving the quality of customer interaction, message personalization and continuous learning throughout the process.

While the use of a chatbot is a relatively common practice among companies, its integration into unified communications networks is an emerging topic. Proposals for integration into a unified communication channel have mainly focused on access to the same account and conversations from multiple devices or access platforms. This approach, while useful, does not allow for the integration of information from multiple sources. Alternatively, an integrated architecture is suggested in which a chatbot obtains knowledge from multiple sources and uses it to increase the quality of communication with the customer.

For decades, artificial intelligence (AI) has been utilized within the field of mental healthcare. This paper aims to examine AI chatbots, specifically as offered through mobile applications for mental healthcare (MHapps), with attention to the social implications of these technologies. For example, AI chatbots in MHapps are programmed with therapeutic techniques to assist people with anxiety and depression, but the promise of this technology is tempered by concerns about the apps' efficacy, privacy, safety and security.

Utilizing a social informatics perspective, a literature review covering MHapps, with a focus on AI chatbots was conducted from the period of January–April 2019. A borrowed theory approach pairing information science and social work was applied to analyze the literature.

Rising needs for mental healthcare, combined with expanding technological developments, indicate continued growth of MHapps and chatbots. While an AI chatbot may provide a person with a place to access tools and a forum to discuss issues, as well as a way to track moods and increase mental health literacy, AI is not a replacement for a therapist or other mental health clinician. Ultimately, if AI chatbots and other MHapps are to have a positive impact, they must be regulated, and society must avoid techno-fundamentalism in relation to AI for mental health.

This study adds to a small but growing body of information science research into the role of AI in the support of mental health.

Overall quantitative research aims to observe certain fundamental principles of logic and scientific frame of reasoning. There continues to be challenges on how quantitative research is conducted in the field of information systems.

Structured equation modelling (SEM) research identifies concerns about the standard of scientific enquiry method, the issue of the misconception of sustaining the consequent and the issue of collective validity. Therefore, rigor and robustness in instrument validity, constructs validity and path analysis validity maybe better achieved by attending to these three concerns. Measuring a multiple mediator construct in a hypothetical model continues to be a challenge for researchers in information systems research and related fields.

This paper aims to provide a thoughtful assessment of the contemporary issues of structural equation modelling methodology (SEMM), by providing rigid and robust SEMM that has several stages in specifying valid multiple mediators construct and the process to measuring in a path analysis model. This paper attempts to develop each stage of the methodology using relevant research to construct a methodology specified to test effects in multiple mediators in SEM using AMOS software. The methodology developed contains the two main phases; first is prior to data collection phase and the second phase is after the data collection, the use of this methodology design, for implementation, intended to support high methodological standards and subsequent quality in MIS research findings.

The research paper provides SEMM that has several stages in specifying valid multiple mediators construct and the process to measuring in a path analysis model.