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This study aims to analyse entrepreneurial behaviour in the context of crowdfunding and investigate various behavioural factors that impact entrepreneurs’ capacity to secure capital for their businesses through crowdfunding. It highlights gaps in the literature and offers insights into entrepreneurial crowdfunding behaviour.

The study conducted a hybrid literature evaluation, utilizing both bibliometric analysis and a Theory-Context-Methodology (TCM) framework-based approach. For quality assessment of the articles we use Qualsyst Analysis tool. A total of 177 relevant publications, published between 2013 and 2024, were reviewed to provide a comprehensive overview of the research in this field.

The analysis reveals a growing body of literature on entrepreneurial crowdfunding behaviour, with a significant increase after 2018. Business & Management emerged as the field with the most publications (64), and the United States contributed the highest number of studies (45), followed by Germany (25) and France (14). The study categorizes the literature and identifies a niche area that remains under-explored.

The study provides actionable insights for entrepreneurs on how to adapt crowd-funding campaign strategies, with particular attention to the growing trend of sustainability in business. Additionally, it offers a road-map for future researchers to build on existing theories, methodologies, and contextual factors related to entrepreneurial crowdfunding behaviour.

This review is one of the few studies combining bibliometric analysis with the TCM framework to map the entrepreneurial crowdfunding literature. It identifies key gaps in research and offers future directions for the development of this field.

This study investigates the impact of contract farming in onion, okra and pomegranate production on profits of smallholder farmers in India. It also investigates the determinants of farmers’ participation in contract farming. The study is based on a survey of 1,131 farmers from Maharashtra, India engaged in the cultivation of these three crops.

This study uses instrumental variable regressions and quasi-experimental methods to decipher the impact of contract farming.

The study reveals that contract farming ensures higher returns for smallholders, enables their access to high-end markets and brings in risk-sharing with protection during price fluctuations. Farm size and farmers’ risk perceptions are significantly associated with their participation in contract farming.

The study is based on cross-sectional data, which presents limitations on considering unobserved farmer-level individual heterogeneity.

The study shows that contracts highlight the functioning of the contractor/integrator on both the input and output sides of the market. By providing better-quality inputs on credit and at discounted prices and by providing training, the integrator helps small farmers meet international food safety and quality standards, a historically difficult challenge for smallholders in India.

Motivated by the evidence highlighting the role of sentiments and cognitive biases in investors' decision-making, this study examines a novel behavioral finance-based asset pricing model incorporating the prospect theory framework in the Indian equity market. Specifically, the study’s primary objective is to investigate the importance of Prospect Theory Value (PTV) in the cross-sectional pricing of stocks.

The empirical findings rely on data taken from NIFTY 500 and BSE S&P 500 stocks, encompassing daily, weekly and monthly observations. The analysis employs diverse statistical techniques, including Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Fama–Macbeth Cross-section Regressions, Panel Fixed Effect and Quantile Regression.

The study demonstrates an asymmetric association between PTV and subsequent stock returns. The findings maintain their robustness even when factoring in stock-specific attributes such as market capitalization and book-to-market ratio, market beta and indicators related to lottery-like behavior such as skewness and MAX. This observed pattern persists when analyzing data at various frequencies, including daily, weekly and monthly intervals. Loss aversion behavior dominates among Indian equity investors, contrary to lottery preferences in the US equity market.

As far as the authors are aware, the study is the first to introduce a new behavioral finance-motivated stock return predictor (PTV) in the Indian stock market. The study also marks the pioneering use of a novel method that evaluates the predictability of PTV across various sections of the conditional return distribution using quantile regression.

The adoption of the design thinking approach (DTA) within organizations is crucial for generating creative and innovative solutions to complex business and societal problems. However, the integration of DTA into organizational practices is progressing slowly and needs immediate attention. Numerous interrelated and interdependent barriers hinder the integration of DTA into organizational practices. This study aims to identify and categorize barriers to DTA adoption within organizations into cause and effect (C–E) groups.

Barriers to the implementation of DTA were identified through a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with eight professionals to gather insights into real world barriers. The study follows the resource-based view (RBV) theory to identify the barriers. Following this, the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method was applied to categorize the barriers into C–E groups.

The study identifies 18 barriers to DTA adoption within organizations in the Indian context. The results revealed that the most prominent barrier to the DTA implementation within organizations is the misfit with existing processes and structures, followed by weak organizational culture and difficulties in implementing the idea. Our findings suggest that managers should champion the adoption process. This will help in motivating employees and fostering a culture of design thinking in the organization. Organizations need an open mindset and should give employees more opportunities to experiment. There is an immediate need for measures that enable better collaboration between business organizations and educational institutions, including universities, to promote DTA.

The findings of the study will help the organizations and decision-makers in expediting the adoption of DTA within their organizations. The results categorize the barriers into C–E groups, allowing organizations to take appropriate measures to address the cause group barriers and minimize the impact of the effect group barriers.

This study is the first of its kind to utilize the RBV theory in identifying and classifying barriers to DTA adoption within Indian organizations. However, the findings are also applicable to other countries with similar business environments.

Understanding of quick commerce (q-commerce) and its relevance in modern retail.

Analysis of market entry strategies and competitive landscapes.

Insights into operational challenges and solutions in rapid delivery services.

Exploration of consumer behavior shifts and business adaptation in response to global events.

The case examines Zepto’s innovative approach in the quick commerce sector, emphasizing its strategies, challenges and the impact of the pandemic on its operations and growth.

This case study is suitable for undergraduate-level students, particularly in courses related to business management, e-commerce, marketing and supply chain management.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

This study aims to discover the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the agricultural cold supply chain (ACSC) and analyze their consequences on the performance of ACSC within the bounds of Indian topography.

The KPIs have been explored based on the literature review both in global and Indian context and domain expert's opinions. The interdependency characteristics and cause–effect relationship among the KPIs have been analyzed using a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (f-DEMATEL) approach.

The findings extracted from the empirical assessment of the problem find strong compliance with the notions of theoretical model assessment. The results highlight that the cost of product waste and operating and performance costs are the two most important performance indicators of an Indian ACSC. Furthermore, governmental policies and regulations and the effectiveness of cold chain (CC) equipment also have a high degree of influencing characteristics on ACSC performance.

To connect the study with practicalities, the assessment of the KPIs is allied with real-time practices by clustering the beliefs of Indian professionals. Therefore, the decision-making behavior of the experts might be influenced by geographical constraints. However, the key findings provide advantages to the ACSC players, a bright hope for future food security and a significant profit for farmers.

The presented paper encompasses various aspects of the ACSC, including theoretical and empirical perspectives exercised to contemplate the system dynamics, which inculcates the essence of the associated practicalities. Thus, this study has various practical contributions relevant to managerial and societal perspectives.

A secondary research method was used to collect data for this case. The authors have made use of newspaper articles and articles by experts published in the public domain.

This case discusses the dilemma faced by Amazon Prime Video in India regarding content. Amazon Prime Video attained success and rapid growth in India ever since its entry into the Indian over the top (OTT) market in 2016. However, the pursuit of attractive and bold content landed Amazon Prime Video in a legal tangle in India. Amazon Prime Video was accused of hurting the religious and political sentiments of Indians by broadcasting bold shows like Tandaav, Family Man, Mirzapur, Family Man 2, etc. Litigations against Amazon Prime Video were filed in the Indian courts by members of religious and political organizations. Protests and online campaigns on Twitter caught the attention of internet influencers in India. The key dilemma faced by the protagonist in this case is whether to continue streaming attractive content that may be controversial and may occasionally hurt the religious/political sentiments of some Indians or stream only safe content that may be deemed as boring by its young target audience.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students studying marketing management and international business courses in business management and commerce streams can use this case.

The increasing demand for advanced materials in structural applications requires components that can withstand diverse load conditions while offering a combination of mechanical properties to improve overall performance. Dissimilar material joints, such as those between IN625 and AISI316, offer promising potential due to their unique properties. However, achieving reliable and high-performing joints between dissimilar materials remains a challenge, particularly in maintaining strength, wear resistance and hardness under varying conditions. The purpose of this study is to improve the performance of friction stir welded dissimilar joints between IN625 and AISI316 alloys using nanoparticles.

This study examines the mechanical properties of friction stir welded (FSW) dissimilar joints between IN625 and AISI316 alloys, with and without reinforcement by Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ particles. The tensile strength, wear rate, coefficient of friction, microhardness and compressive strength of these joints were evaluated and compared to the base materials.

Results showed that the FSW process significantly improved the mechanical properties, with the particle-reinforced joints outperforming the non-reinforced ones. In particular, the IN625-AISI316/Al₂O₃ joint exhibited the highest tensile strength (690 MPa), lowest wear rate (1.92 × 10³ mm³/m) and the lowest friction coefficient (0.32). Microhardness testing revealed that the weld nugget (WN) region displayed the highest hardness (227 HV) due to grain refinement. The compressive strength of the IN625-AISI316/Al₂O₃ joint reached 1,583 MPa, the highest among all samples tested. These findings demonstrate the potential of using particle-reinforced FSW dissimilar joints for applications requiring superior mechanical performance, durability and wear resistance.

This study explores the enhanced mechanical and wear properties of FSW dissimilar joints between IN625 and AISI316 alloys, with and without Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ nanoparticle reinforcements. Reinforced joints, particularly IN625-AISI316/Al₂O₃, showed superior tensile strength, wear resistance, hardness and compressive strength compared to non-reinforced ones. Grain refinement in the WN region contributed to increased hardness. These findings suggest that nanoparticle-reinforced FSW dissimilar joints can significantly improve durability and mechanical performance, making them ideal for demanding structural applications.

This study aims to evaluate the failure behavior of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy (GFRE) laminate subjected to cyclic loading conditions. It involves experimental investigation and statistical analysis using Weibull distribution to characterize the failure behavior of the GFRE composite laminate.

Fatigue tests were conducted using a tension–tension loading scheme at a frequency of 2 Hz and a loading ratio (R) of 0.1. The tests were performed at five different stress levels, corresponding to 50%–90% of the ultimate tensile strength (UTS). Failure behavior was assessed through cyclic stress-strain hysteresis plots, dynamic modulus behavior and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of fracture surfaces.

The study identified common modes of failure, including fiber pullouts, fiber breakage and matrix cracking. At low stress levels, fiber breakage, matrix cracking and fiber pullouts occurred due to high shear stresses at the fiber–matrix interface. Conversely, at high stress levels, fiber breakage and matrix cracking predominated. Higher stress levels led to larger stress-strain hysteresis loops, indicating increased energy dissipation during cyclic loading. High stress levels were associated with a more significant decrease in stiffness over time, implying a shorter fatigue life, while lower stress levels resulted in a gradual decline in stiffness, leading to extended fatigue life.

This study makes a valuable contribution to understanding fatigue behavior under tension–tension loading conditions, coupled with an in-depth analysis of the failure mechanism in GFRE composite laminate at different stress levels. The fatigue behavior is scrutinized through stress-strain hysteresis plots and dynamic modulus versus normalized cycles plots. Furthermore, the characterization of the failure mechanism is enhanced by using SEM imaging of fractured specimens. The Weibull distribution approach is used to obtain a reliable estimate of fatigue life.

This study investigates the caste-based disparities in employment probabilities and wage earnings within India’s rapidly growing IT industry, using insights from the labour market segmentation theory. Our theoretical conceptualization attempts to pin down the inaccessibility of marginalised sections of the population to the high productivity job market.

We rely on the National Sample Survey rounds of 2011–2012 and 2020–2021 to estimate employment probabilities and wage differentials using linear and logic regression models, controlling for educational attainments and other important determinants of individual’s job market outcomes.

The results indicate a significant −1.24 odds differential, even after considering education and other control variables. Notably, this disparity has increased since 2011–2012, with lower caste graduate pass-outs facing a mere 13% probability of IT sector employment compared to their upper caste counterparts at 41%. Further, our findings expose gender and rural-urban differentials, highlighting the vulnerability faced by females and individuals from rural areas. The wage analysis shows a 24% and a 22% earning gap for SCs and OBCs, respectively, which remain statistically significant even after controlling for educational attainments and employment arrangements.

This is first micro-level study that counters Indian IT sector’s claim of “castelessness” and “pro-merit”, identifying significant presence of labour market segmentation in the sector. The caste-based labour market segmentation has far-reaching consequences as it can perpetuate income inequalities and hurt industrial efficiency, stifling economic growth in the long-run. Concerted policy responses are imperative to eliminate structural barriers, ensuring equitable access to quality education and employment opportunities for marginalized sections of the society.