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By incorporating I4.0 technologies, the agri-food supply chain (AFSC) can become leaner, faster, more robust and greener. However, many challenges must be overcome to fully realise I4.0 in this context. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the challenges that hinder the adoption of I4.0 technologies on the development of the Lean, Agile, Resilient and Green (LARG) AFSC.

The approach adopted was to identify challenges addressed in the literature with expert opinion and Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) for adaptation. In addition, a Weighted Influence Non-linear Gauge Systems (WINGS) methodology has been developed that uses expert opinion to generate a power and influence matrix.

The results show that lack of commitment and understanding of top management (X12), lack of long term vision (X17) and lack of incentives and government support (15) are the most important challenges.

This study does not explore the effectiveness of the concluded challenges of I4.0 and their strategy to overcome them. Also, the authors relied on a limited sample size for this study, which might not cover the detailed challenges within LARG AFSC. Finally, this study lacks in future advancement of I4.0, which may further affect the challenges.

By mentioning the key challenges, this study empowers LARG AFSC organisations to build a targeted strategy for smoother I4.0 implementation.

Industry 4.0 challenges remain unexplored in LARG AFSC. This improved awareness equips managers to navigate better the potential issues and complexity that may arise when adopting I4.0 in the LARG AFSC.

The study aims to assess how e-agri supply chain coordination (SCC), supply chain integration (SCI) and competitive capabilities (COC) impact both market performance (MO) and operational performance (OP). It particularly emphasizes the critical role of information flow for the benefit of farmers, intermediaries and end-consumers, shedding light on the broader implications of these factors within the agricultural supply chain.

Data are collected online from farmers, intermediaries engaged in buying/supplying agri-products and consumers using a semi-structured questionnaire of 25 items adapted from the extant literature measuring SCC, SCI, COC, OP and MP. The survey instrument is validated for its reliability, convergent and discriminant validity tests. Purposive and convenient sampling is used for data collection. Finally, 280 responses were analyzed using SEM to conclude the study.

Findings underscore information flow’s significance in the e-agri supply chain, addressing various stakeholders’ needs. Technical excellence, featuring robust transaction capabilities and cost-effective maintenance is pivotal. Enhanced supply chain coordination fosters integration and efficient information sharing, enhancing agricultural market performance and sectoral efficiency.

The study explores technology adoption, understands information flow and coordination impact, enhances efficiencies, empowers farmers and promotes transparency, sustainability and consumer benefits.

The study promotes efficient information flow, digital adoption, collaborative planning, tech investment and enhanced responsiveness for agricultural sector managers.

The study bridges the rural-urban divide, empowering farmers, providing fair pricing, sustainable practices, transparency, informed consumers, responsible consumption and income distribution.

The novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive information flow study, new theoretical model and e-agri-specific sub-constructs that define coordination and integration, aiding efficiency and competitiveness.

The study aims to explore the dimensions of Quality 4.0 adoption, prioritization of these dimensions and the influential dimensions and their causal relationships that can guide the smooth adoption of Quality 4.0 to boost organizational performance.

The Quality 4.0 dimensions are explored from the extant literature. The qualitative data were captured from 12 highly experienced experts from diverse industries and academia through structured interview questions and group discussions in multiple phases. The inputs obtained from the experts were analyzed using Fuzzy-Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution for dimension priority, and Fuzzy-Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory was employed to reveal the influential relationship between them.

The analysis reveals that quality scalability, quality culture and quality conformance are investigated as primary drivers of Quality 4.0 adoption. Data-driven analytical thinking and customer centricity emerge as dynamic dimensions that act as quality deliverable ends. Integrating these methodologies provides a robust framework for understanding and managing Quality 4.0 complexities, offering actionable insights for prioritizing initiatives and addressing interdependencies to ensure successful adoption and implementation.

The practical implications guide industries in creating strategic action plans tailored to their needs and fostering a quality-focused culture. The study also offers valuable insights into government policies, promoting sustainability, efficiency and a circular economy.

The study’s novelty lies in its prioritization and examination of the most influential causes and effects within the Quality 4.0 dimensions. This approach highlights core drivers and critical factors, providing a comprehensive framework for successful implementation.

This study aims to enhance the success of Sponsored Institutional R&D Projects (SIRPs) by investigating the influence of risk dimensions over four criteria Cost overrun, Time overrun, Schedule overrun, and Quality of projects. The study identifies risk dimensions and prioritizes and explores causal relationships to guide risk mitigation strategies during project execution.

This study was conducted with qualitative data obtained through a systematic questionnaire from 10 domain experts associated with SIRPs. Through an extensive literature review, the study identifies the ten risk dimensions, Fuzzy TOPSIS was employed for prioritizing the explored risk dimensions and Fuzzy DEMATEL explored the qualitative causal relationships among these dimensions. The sensitivity analysis was conducted to validate the robustness of findings by adjusting the weightage assigned to experts.

The findings reveal financial risk as the highest ranked and business risk as the least influential among identified dimensions. The study also highlights management risk as the most significant, followed by business risk and sensitivity analysis concludes that the findings are robust, lacking significant judgment bias.

This study contributes to risk management strategies for SIRPs, to ensure timely completion within the allocated budget. The findings of the study can be implemented in other such SIRPs. The study also informs funding agencies' policies and project monitoring mechanisms and advancing project management practices

Its originality lies in being the first to systematically identify and prioritize risk dimensions, adding significant value to SIRP management and academic discourse on project management and risk analysis.

This study aims to explore emerging trends in mental health and work performance research, identifying key themes and future research directions.

This study analyzed 743 relevant documents downloaded from Scopus database published between 2014 and 2024 using VOSviewer software for co-citation and co-occurrence analyses.

Findings reveal significant growth in research focusing mental health and work performance research. The western countries, such as USA, United Kingdom and Australia, emerge as leading contributors to the field, with medicine and psychology dominating the subject areas. The analysis highlights a complex interplay between employee mental health and work performance, underscoring the need for more interdisciplinary research. The results emphasize the necessity for customized interventions, long-term impact studies, cross-cultural research, technological innovations and policy advocacy to effectively address mental health issues in the workplace.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of current research trends on mental health and work performance for the first time in the literature and provides a foundation for future investigations. This comprehensive analysis offers valuable insights for researchers, practitioners and policymakers seeking to enhance employee well-being and optimize work performance in contemporary organizational settings.

With reference to the global financial crisis and lessons learned, advocacy for distributing suitable financial products by financial intermediaries remain key if consumers, especially the illiterate in underdeveloped financial markets, are to be absorbed into the formal financial system. Financial intermediaries such as microfinance banks should provide suitable financial products, with full disclosure of information and customer protection relating to distribution of all financial products within the financial market to prevent financial vulnerability. The main purpose of this study is to establish the mediating role of financial product suitability in the relationship between access to microfinance products and survival of women micro-agribusinesses in rural Uganda.

SmartPLS with bootstrap based on 5,000 samples was used to test for the mediating role of financial product suitability in the relationship between access to microfinance products and survival of women micro-agribusinesses in rural Uganda.

The results revealed that financial product suitability improves access to microfinance products by 29 percentage points to promote survival of women micro-agribusinesses in rural Uganda. In reality, delivering suitable financial products that suit the economic condition of poor women micro-agribusiness borrowers, can allow them to use these products to generate income to meet timely repayment obligations and business demands.

The current study selected samples from only women micro-agribusinesses operating in rural Uganda, with a specific focus on the northern region. Thus, studies involving samples selected from other rural developing countries may be necessary in future. Additionally, while the findings are significant, the data were collected from only women microenterprises who are clients of microfinance banks. Future studies focusing on women microenterprises who are clients of other financial institutions may offer insightful comparative data.

The findings from this study offer strategies for managers of microfinance banks to invent and design financial products that suit the economic status and condition of different microcredit clients, especially the women micro-agribusinesses. This can help them to solve the problem of defaults in loan repayment and delinquency common while lending to the rural poor. In fact, microfinance banks should adopt a customized loan pricing model that can promote the operational sustainability and commercial viability of women micro-agribusinesses in the current situation of mission adrift.

The current study uses the suitability rule and economic theory to elucidate the importance of microfinance product suitability to increase microfinance inclusion of women micro-agribusinesses in rural areas in developing countries. The novelty in this paper is in combining the suitability rule and economic theory with microfinance theory to promote access to microcredit by the women micro-agribusinesses in rural Uganda under the situation of mission adrift. This is limited in the existing microfinance literature and theory, especially in developing countries like Uganda.

To become a sustainable lean manufacturing (LM) system, an organization must be first distinctly cognizant of the terms “lean” and “sustainability” as they relate to the state of affairs of their particular industry and business. Next, the organization must identify and acquire the necessary qualities it needs to become sustainable in lean philosophy and its practices in the organization. The LM paradigm has been a top priority for many businesses; thus, this article is based on actual research done in Indian small and medium scale organizations to see how widely it is understood and implemented.

A framework was developed based on literature review and academic research. A preliminary analysis of a small number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that, conceptually, summarizes and demonstrates the concerted efforts that a company may undertake to increase its leanness. This conceptual model was employed to create a questionnaire that was administered to survey the SMEs of India. The information gathered through this questionnaire was analyzed using the model developed by the researchers. Then fuzzy logic and systems approach were used to find out the effectiveness index (EI) of the organization.

The EI for system leanness at different organizational levels within an organization is determined using fuzzy logic and systems approach for 48 SMEs in different clusters. The average EI of the system was found to be 0.336 on a scale of 0–1 which indicates that the current state of lean implementation and its sustainability is very low and poor in Indian SMEs. This article outlines the key model components and describes how they were applied to analyze the data gathered from an industry study.

The research aims to make lean continuously sustainable by surfacing and eliminating the wastes in the Indian SMEs whenever it appears rather than using it as a cleaning tool. The present study was focused on India’s southern industrial areas and it was difficult to gather the information around the country due to its diverse industrial culture and geography. Hence, more research and the comparative study of the same that takes into account the various regions of the nation’s industrial lean behavior can be conducted.

The generalized sustainable lean framework analyzed using fuzzy logic and systems approach gives the current effectiveness of the leanness in SMEs of south India. This model can be effectively implemented in other areas of the nation to identify the scenario of lean and its sustainability and a final comprehensive model can be developed.

There is a dearth of comprehensive studies on the assessment of sustainability of the lean philosophy in Indian SMEs. With the help of combined fuzzy logic and systems approach, the model developed in this study evaluates the sustainability of the lean methodology using the EI used in SMEs by taking into account both the lean and sustainability factors as well as enablers like customer satisfaction, ethics, innovation and technology.

The purpose of this study is to provide a review of the existing research landscape on work-life balance and women’s career motivation. It examines the relationship between work-life balance and career motivation in the context of Indian women. Specifically, it explores how the work-life balance of women influences the motivational aspects of their careers.

The research uses a systematic literature review to identify and analyze relevant literature on work-life balance and women’s career motivation among Indian women from the Scopus database.

The study uncovers critical insights into the connection between work-life balance and women’s career decisions. It gives insight on how work-life balance significantly impacts women’s career choices. The SLR reveals a notable and consistent upward trend in the domains of work-life balance and career motivation among women.

The findings of this study can inform organizations in tailoring policies that foster women’s career growth while simultaneously supporting a healthy work-life balance. In addition, the research can empower women to make informed decisions about their careers and personal lives. Ultimately, it contributes to creating a more inclusive and gender-equitable work environment, promoting both women’s career aspirations and their overall well-being.

This research stands out in its examination of the relationship between work-life balance and women’s career motivation, particularly in the unique context of Indian women. While previous studies have explored these topics individually, this research bridges the gap by investigating their interplay. Moreover, the application of a systematic literature review approach to these variables in the context of Indian women represents a novel contribution.

Construction waste reduction (CWR) plays a vital role in achieving sustainability in construction. A good CWR practice can result in optimizing material usage, conserving natural resources, limiting environmental pollution, protecting the environment and enhancing human health. In this regard, the purpose of the current study is to identify the most relevant organizational policies that aid in waste reduction and concurrently explores the congruent measures to be adopted during the construction process in the Indian high-rise building sector.

The research findings were obtained through a mixed- method approach. Content analysis was used to identify waste reduction measures (variables) targeting on the two domains of construction – “waste-efficient execution” and “waste – mitigating organizational policies.” Furthermore, the authors explored and documented the key measures from the identified waste reduction measures using the constraint value of the relative importance index. As the next step, the study listed the theoretical hypothesis based on expert interviews and tested the theory through confirmatory factor analysis.

The results revealed that “waste sensitive construction techniques and strategies” as the most significant category under the domain “Execution” with a path coefficient of 0.85. Concurrently, the study has also determined that “control procedures for budget, quality and resources” as the most effective organizational approach in reducing construction waste in the Indian building industry, with a path coefficient of 0.83.

The current research is context-sensitive to the Indian construction sector. It presents the stakeholder’s perspective on construction waste reduction and the relevant measures to be implemented to reduce construction waste in high-rise building projects in India. It can also act as a concordance for decision-makers to further focus on CWR management and aid in formulating policies suitable for the Indian context.

This study aims to explore the gaps concerning the organizational operant resources (OORs) of logistics service providers (LSPs) expected in outsourcing relationships. The study considers the views of both manufacturing firms (M-firms) and LSPs in India and DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) seeking gaps within and across regions.

This research employed a survey targeting executives from large M-firms and LSPs in both India and DACH. The perceptions about the importance and improvement expectations of 17 OORs are analyzed. A modified version of importance-improvement analysis (A-B), a novel comparative A-B analysis (CABA) method, has been proposed to identify the importance and improvement gaps in OORs between M-firms and LSPs within and across India and the DACH region.

There are more gaps between M-firms and LSPs in India compared to DACH. Cross-country comparisons reveal that LSPs in India and DACH have similar perceptions concerning the OORs, but M-firms in India have significantly higher improvement expectations than those in DACH.

This study proposes an analytical approach that enables managers to identify improvement areas and better align with their outsourcing relationship partners. It also highlights aspects that need to be considered while entering emerging markets such as India.

The analysis approach using CABA is novel. Also, among the cross-country studies, this is the first to compare outsourcing relationships in India with the DACH region while involving both users' and service providers' perspectives.