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This chapter elucidates the wage differential between male and female informal workers in urban labour market by using employment and unemployment survey 61st (2004–2005) round, 68th (2011–2012), and Periodic Labour Force Survey 2019–2020 data of National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) unit level data. This study found that gender inequality not only increased during getting job but also persists after getting job during wage distribution. Based on the Oaxaca–Blinder (OB) decomposition, it is revealed that gender wage inequality is more in the labour market due to the labour market discrimination, that is, unexplained components. Hence, this study helps researcher, policy makers and government to fix the gender wage discrimination issues exist in the Indian labour market. This will enhance economic growth through the rise of the women labour force participation.

Visits to locations connected to historical atrocities, tragedy, suffering, or presumably dreadful events are referred to as “dark tourism”. While Bangladesh may not be widely known for dark tourism, several unexplored avenues may be of interest to those who engage in this type of unique and unconventional tourism experience. In addition to creating job opportunities and income generation in Bangladesh, it can achieve educational objectives, communicate with a broad audience, raise awareness of events of the past, and quench people's thirst for information, which can help them to comprehend a society. Though Bangladesh has several somber locations connected to tragic events including World War II, liberation war sites, mass killing sites, shipbreaking yards, Rohingya refugee camps, riots, and the mother language movement, traditional tourism predominates there. If managed responsibly, these varied resources, somber locations, and histories, some of which date back to 1800, could make Bangladesh a dark tourism destination. Although dark tourism in Bangladesh has the potential to contribute to historical awareness, preservation, educational opportunities, and socioeconomic development, it is yet unexplored due to a lack of knowledge, experience, policy, effective marketing, and some controversies. By approaching responsibly, Bangladesh can leverage its history to attract visitors' interests in exploring the darker aspects of the country's past. Hence, this chapter is designed to explore the status and potential significance, prospects, and challenges of dark tourism in Bangladesh. The findings will help policymakers, tourists, and other stakeholders to explore and enjoy enormous benefits from Bangladesh's untapped dark tourism opportunities.

Technology and a gig economy have affected how people are employed, with shorter-term, more flexible, and technologically mediated work arrangements increasingly becoming the norm. The digital platform, which acts both as a marketplace and a “shadow employer,” makes this possible, with workers provided with unprecedented autonomy and flexibility. The authors examine the interplay between the gig economy and the concept of the smart city – an urban environment reliant upon information and communication technologies – and focus on how technological integrations such as blockchain, the collective network of connected devices, and the technology that facilitates communication between devices and the cloud, as well as between the devices themselves (Internet of Things [IoT]), and 5G, bolster opportunities for gig workers to carve out an existence in a perpetually changing landscape. Examples are provided for the global giant Amazon and the regional businesses Talabat and Raha in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Application of real-time tracking, precision-driven management, and decentralized transactions, provides gig workers new opportunities for employment in their evolving digital smart-city environment.

Nowadays, the electricity supply chain is significant for most societies, so it is necessary to use new technologies such as blockchain in the electricity industry. This study aims to identify and prioritize the factors influencing the adoption of blockchain technology in the electricity supply chain of the US.

In this study, after reviewing the research literature, the influential factors of blockchain adoption in the electricity industry are identified and the consensus of the experts is reached. Experts have a thorough understanding of blockchain technology and the US electricity industry. Data is collected using a Step-Wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) questionnaire from November 2022 to July 2023. Using the SWARA questionnaire, experts compared 16 influential subcriteria of blockchain adoption. Then, using the Fuzzy SWARA method, the following influential subcriteria of blockchain adaptation in the US electricity industry are evaluated and prioritized.

The results show that the most significant subcriterion among the 16 influential subcriteria for the adoption of blockchain technology in the electricity supply chain is reducing cost, whereas the collaborating with supply chain partners subcriterion is recognized as the least important subcriterion.

The present study helps managers improve their knowledge to apply blockchain technology and also have the best performance for applying blockchain technology in the electricity supply chain.

Blockchain technology (BCT) can play a vital role in manufacturing industries by providing visibility and real-time transparency. With BCT adoption, manufacturers can achieve higher productivity, better quality, flexibility and cost-effectiveness. The current study aims to prioritize the performance metrics and ranking of enablers that may influence the adoption of BCT in manufacturing industries through a hybrid framework.

Through an extensive literature review, 4 major criteria with 26 enablers were identified. Pythagorean fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to compute the weights of the enablers and the Pythagorean fuzzy combined compromise solution (Co-Co-So) method was used to prioritize the 17-performance metrics. Sensitivity analysis was then carried out to check the robustness of the developed framework.

According to the results, data security enablers were the most significant among the major criteria, followed by technology-oriented enablers, sustainability and human resources and quality-related enablers. Further, the ranking of performance metrics shows that data hacking complaints per year, data storage capacity and number of advanced technologies available for BCT are the top three important performance metrics. Framework robustness was confirmed by sensitivity analysis.

The developed framework will contribute to understanding and simplifying the BCT implementation process in manufacturing industries to a significant level. Practitioners and managers may use the developed framework to facilitate BCT adoption and evaluate the performance of the manufacturing system.

This study can be considered as the first attempt to the best of the author’s knowledge as no such hybrid framework combining enablers and performance indicators was developed earlier.

This study aims to assess the impact of participation in self-help group (SHG) on the psychological empowerment of rural tribal women.

Primary data was collected using multistage random sampling from the rural women of Jharkhand, India. The propensity score matching method was adopted using the psmatch2 command in STATA.

The results show a significant positive change in women’s self-esteem, self-confidence, self-efficacy, autonomy, knowledge and skills, reduction in agony and quality of life after participation in SHG. This reveals that participation in SHG has a significant positive impact on the psychological empowerment of rural tribal women.

Despite the numerous studies on rural women’s empowerment, there is little evidence of literature focusing on the impact of participation in SHG on psychological empowerment, specifically in the tribal context. This study primarily focuses on women belonging to the scheduled tribe category of Jharkhand, one of the poorest states of India.

This study attempts to enrich the digital content marketing (DCM) literature by identifying consumer-based DCM consumption motives and the preferable content dissemination platforms and formats to fulfil these motives exclusively in the context of beauty brands.

Thematic analysis has been used as the qualitative technique for the study. In-depth interviews in a semi-structured format were conducted with 30 consumers who were mandated to be active followers of at least one beauty content creator on digital/social media platforms. Utilising NVivo 11.0, transcripts were analysed.

The findings reveal seven consumer-based DCM consumption motives: authenticity, economic, exploration, functional, hedonic, suitability and purchase decision. Further, the findings also demonstrate the most preferred content dissemination platforms and formats, namely digital channels of content creators, customers' reviews and social media (Instagram and YouTube) to fulfil these motives.

The study advances the existing literature by exploring novel consumer-based DCM consumption motives postulated as “antecedents to digital content marketing”. Moreover, it also enriches practical knowledge as the efficient and effective application of the research findings can prove fruitful to beauty brands employing DCM as the primary marketing tool.

This study makes a distinctive contribution by promoting work on unexplored areas of digital content marketing. It proposes content strategies for beauty brands and digital content creators to augment the digital content creation, dissemination and evaluation process. Furthermore, it also outlines the research topics that future scholars can focus on to advance the DCM literature.

The aim of this paper is to explore and analyse the challenges in effective implementation of blockchain by human resource management (HRM) functions. This paper also aims to assess the interplay between the barriers in causing the challenges during blockchain execution.

Ten barriers are discovered from the past studies. Based on the expert views on the identified barriers interpretive structural modelling (ISM) is administered to understand the interplay of these 10 challenges resulting in ineffective or non-implementation of HR blockchain.

The application of ISM has helped in categorizing the variables into strategic, operational and performance outcomes. Results of ISM indicate key barriers like lack of expertise, data privacy, technical infeasibility, complexity in implantation and lack of used cases.

The research is limited to 10 barriers. There can be other barriers that can also be studied. Second, the research is proposing a conceptual model that needs further validation.

This paper has significant implications for the theoretical and practical body of knowledge. So far, most studies are exploring and describing HRM from a digital perspective. Most HR studies are on artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and smart HRM. Previous studies on blockchain for HRM are mostly describing the advantages of going for it.

Based on the findings, it can also be suggested that policy formulators must advance the technical regulatory framework. Blockchain technology can be effectively implemented only if the top management is committed to it because they can only frame the rules and right control framework, affirm the governance process and strategize improvement.

The study offers insights into the organization's decision makers for effectively implementing blockchain into their HR systems. Some specific recommendations based on the results are also made. The paper is an innovative attempt to analyse the barriers to HR blockchain.

This review paper delves into the comprehensive understanding of Ashwagandha, spanning its botanic occurrence, conventional applications, extraction techniques and pivotal role in addressing various disorders.

Introduction Ashwagandha, also known as Withania somnifera, is a remarkable botanical resource with a rich history of use in traditional medicine.

In botany, Withania somnifera thrives in diverse ecosystems, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Its extensive distribution across regions, the Canary Islands, South Africa, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, India and China underscores its adaptability and resilience. The traditional uses of Ashwagandha in Ayurvedic and indigenous medicine systems have persisted for over 3,000 years. With over 6,000 plant species utilized historically, India, often regarded as the “botanical garden of the world,” has firmly established Ashwagandha as a cornerstone in traditional healing practices.

Extraction methods play a pivotal role in harnessing the therapeutic potential of Ashwagandha. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography are among the techniques employed to obtain the key bioactive compounds. Ashwagandha’s significance in modern medicine is underscored by its potential to address a spectrum of health issues. The multifaceted bioactivity of Ashwagandha is attributed to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, heart conditions, metabolic disorders, renal ailments, hepatic diseases and adaptogenic properties, making it a subject of increasing interest in contemporary medical research. This review synthesizes the assorted perspectives of Ashwagandha, from its botanical roots and conventional employments to its advanced extraction strategies and its intention to basic well-being challenges, advertising important bits of knowledge for analysts, specialists and healthcare experts alike.