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The purpose of this paper is to develop a concept and design to cast Al alloys/metal matrix composites (MMCs) by continuous casting process. The various steps involved in the evolution of the design have been reported and discussed in this study.

On the basis of developed design concept, initial prototype design has been prepared in this study. The casting process's melt flow pattern was studied via computer simulation, and the resulting changes were implemented in the original design. The single-phase fluid flow pattern through bottom feeding technique is studied. The equipment was fabricated based on computer simulation and water modelling studies. Finally, validation was performed for the preparation of Al alloys/ MMCs after parameter optimisation. The results were observed in the optical metallography to confirm the alloying and Al MMC preparation.

The developed continuous casting process with bottom feeding technique for the addition of constituent particles shows more efficiency in comparison to the existing batch processes. The final manufactured setup demonstrates effective Al alloy/MMC production as the basis for final fabrication has been accomplished by both computer simulation and water model test. In addition, the microstructure exhibits homogeneous distribution, validating the reliability of the setup.

Integrating continuous casting with continuous reinforcement or master alloy addition is novel in this area. The constraints that batch production had that have been rectified will also lower the contemporary cost of production.

Purpose: This chapter provides a thorough explanation of the growth of community-based tourism in Bangladesh, encompassing its historical background, challenges faced, and potential strategies for future advancement.

Methodology: We employed a descriptive analysis based on the literature review of the development and expansion of community-based tourism in Bangladesh. This study looks at the development of community-based tourism (CBT) throughout history, as well as the innovative contributions made by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and local groups in CBT initiatives, government policies, international recognition, challenges encountered (such as environmental and economic concerns), and potential strategies for future expansion.

Findings: The chapter suggests various methods for future growth, including developing policies, involvement of the private sector, execution of marketing strategies, and empowerment of the community through training and enhancing their abilities.

Value: The study provides insightful information regarding the distinctive characteristics of community-based tourism in Bangladesh, drawing attention to the country's long-standing tradition of extended hospitality and cultural heritage. Moreover, the study analyzes the difficulties and opportunities that CBT efforts encounter in the region and the proposition of individualized solutions for sustainable growth.

Implications: This study not only improves the quality of experiences that tourists have, but it also gives a voice to underrepresented groups by prioritizing local communities. In addition, it instills a sense of ownership and pride in the community's residents, motivating them to make a long-term commitment to preserving the legacy of developing CBT in Bangladesh.

Purpose: To examine the hotel industry’s evolutionary journey, charting it from the era of digital manufacturing to the current epoch of Industry 5.0, the emergence of the digital society. Industry 5.0 signifies a fundamental change, where the physical and digital aspects merge to establish a more engaging and integrated hospitality experience.

Study design: Using secondary sources, the transformation’s complex difficulties and possibilities are analyzed. We have designed this chapter based on the importance of trust, ethical data use, and teamwork in successfully navigating the complexity of digital production to the digital society based on the Industry 5.0 era. The industry deals with rising cybersecurity threats, ethical concerns about artificial intelligence (AI), and the critical need for a highly skilled digital workforce. This chapter emphasizes the importance of cross-industry collaboration and knowledge exchange as strategic imperatives.

Findings: The importance of developing a highly skilled workforce capable of effectively navigating the complexities of Industry 5.0. Promoting cross-industry collaborations and knowledge exchange is part of the suggested answer. These collaborative efforts are necessary to create a sustainable and fully connected future for the hospitality sector. This chapter promotes a comprehensive approach to implementing Industry 5.0 in the hotel sector.

Originality: The value of this chapter is that amid a growing dependence on digital connections, this chapter emphasizes the pressing requirement for the hotel industry to confront cybersecurity issues and maintain ethical principles when implementing AI in the hospitality industry.

This study aims to investigate the influence of consumer value on women’s attitudes towards their intention to adopt menstrual cups. Drawing on consumer value theory, the research seeks to provide an empirical investigation of value-attitude-behaviour, an extant exploration of value concept in behaviour.

Data for this study was collected through survey questionnaires administered to 304 Indian women and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling.

The study’s finding indicate that emotional values (EVs) significantly predict women’s attitudes towards their intention to use menstrual cups. In addition, the desire for knowledge, price and quality considerations and awareness of the environmental impact were also found to influence women’s attitudes towards their behavioural intention to adopt menstrual cups.

This study contributes valuable empirical evidence supporting the importance of consumer values in shaping attitudes and behavioural intentions towards menstrual cups in a social marketing context. By understanding the role of EVs, social marketers can design more effective campaigns to encourage the adoption of menstrual cups. Promoting the sustainable aspects of menstrual cups, such as reduced environmental wastage, can further facilitate behaviour change among women.

This study demonstrates the value-attitude-behaviour framework, which has been a subject of very little research in the context of menstrual cup adoption in a developing country.

Purpose: This chapter aims to give thought to tourism marketing and local community development of Kuakata, and we strive to determine how community-centric marketing initiatives contribute to the sustainable development of the tourism sector and the local community in Kuakata, Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach: We employ this chapter with secondary data from the previous literature of the relevant study of research papers. The design allows for an understanding marketing strategies’ impact on community development in beach tourism marketing in Bangladesh.

Findings: The findings reveal that community-centric marketing initiatives in Kuakata impact beach tourism and local community development. Collaborative efforts, such as community-led tours and cultural festivals, contribute to increased tourist engagement, revenue, and improved community well-being in the tourism industry in Bangladesh.

Research limitations: The study is based on marketing concepts and local community development in Kuakata. Future research could explore additional marketing factors influencing the success of community-centric marketing and assess their applicability in diverse settings intended for tourism development in Bangladesh.

Practical implications: Practically, this study provides valuable insights for tourism stakeholders, policymakers, and local communities seeking to enhance the symbiotic relationship between tourism marketing and community development.

Originality/value: The study’s originality lies in exploring community-centric marketing strategies as catalysts for positive change, providing valuable lessons for sustainable tourism development globally. The study emphasizes collaborative approaches’ potential in fostering mutually beneficial outcomes for tourists and local communities.

This study explores the factors impacting user adoption and trust in blockchain-based food delivery systems, with a spotlight on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). In the evolving food delivery sector, blockchain offers transparency and efficiency. Through the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) lens, this research provides insights for businesses and policymakers, highlighting the importance of blockchain’s integration into food delivery.

The research employed the UTAUT and its extensions as the theoretical framework. A structured questionnaire was developed and disseminated to users of the ONDC platform, and responses were collected on a seven-point extended Likert scale. The analyses were undertaken employing the partial least squares (PLS) methodology and structural equation modelling (SEM).

Key factors like performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence were found influential for adoption. Trust played a central role, while perceived risk didn’t significantly mediate the adoption process. Digital culture didn’t significantly moderate the adoption intention.

This research adds to the existing body of knowledge by providing empirical insights into user adoption and trust in blockchain-based food delivery platforms. It is among the pioneer studies to apply the UTAUT model in the realm of blockchain-based food delivery platforms, thereby offering a unique perspective on the dynamics of user behaviour in this emerging field.

A “state-driven” approach suggests that colonists use census categories to rule. However, a “society-driven” approach suggests that this state-driven perspective confers too much power upon states. A third approach views census-taking and official categorization as a product of state–society interaction that depends upon: (a) the population's lay categories, (b) information intellectuals' ability to take up and transform these lay categories, and (c) the balance of power between social and state actors. We evaluate the above positions by analyzing official records, key texts, travelogues, and statistical memoirs from three key periods in India: Indus Valley civilization through classical Gupta rule (ca. 3300 BCE–700 CE), the “medieval” period (ca. 700–1700 CE), and East India Company (EIC) rule (1757–1857 CE), using historical narrative. We show that information gathering early in the first period was society driven; however, over time, a strong interactive pattern emerged. Scribes (information intellectuals) increased their social status and power (thus, shifting the balance of power) by drawing on caste categories (lay categories) and incorporating them into official information gathering. This intensification of interactive information gathering allowed the Mughals, the EIC, and finally British direct rule officials to collect large quantities of information. Our evidence thus suggests that the intensification of state–society interactions over time laid the groundwork for the success of the direct rule British censuses. It also suggests that any transformative effect of these censuses lay in this interactive pattern, not in the strength of the British colonial state.

Smartphone demand has been driving people towards refurbished electronic products. However, a lack of transparency in refurbished product pricing makes purchases time-consuming and reduces customer trust. Thus, our research aims to help practitioners and researchers understand how product life and usage characteristics, technical attributes and crowdsourced product reviews and sentiments affect exchange prices for refurbished/remanufactured smartphones.

Our five-stage exchange price predictive framework begins with data gathering and predictor variable identification. Thereafter, customer review data were scraped to populate both customer ratings and textual content, enabling sentiment analysis for the various smartphone configurations. Stepwise regression was used to find statistically significant factors and validate the predictive model. Testing for nonlinear effects, normality, outliers and homoskedasticity warrants power transformation of the target variable. The analysis used data from GSMArena.com and Amazon.com.

Our study validates extant findings and provides several novel insights for functional yet hedonistic products like smartphones. Unlike other pure hedonistic products, refurbished phone buyers care more about usage duration than life. Besides having a strong affinity for the sleekness of the phone, such customers are strongly dissuaded by the presence of negative textual content in the customer reviews.

Our study augments the current understanding of exchange price modelling by bringing in perspectives from life cycle characteristics, technical attributes and product reviews.