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The study explores the potential barriers to data science (DS) implementation in organizations and identifies the key barriers. The identified barriers were explored for their interconnectedness and characteristics. This study aims to help organizations formulate apt DS strategies by providing a close-to-reality DS implementation framework of barriers, in conjunction with extant literature and practitioners' viewpoints.

The authors synthesized 100 distinct barriers through systematic literature review (SLR) under the individual, organizational and governmental taxonomies. In discussions with 48 industry experts through semi-structured interviews, 14 key barriers were identified. The selected barriers were explored for their pair-wise relationships using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and fuzzy Matriced’ Impacts Croise's Multiplication Appliquée a UN Classement (MICMAC) analyses in formulating the hierarchical framework.

The lack of awareness and data-related challenges are identified as the most prominent barriers, followed by non-alignment with organizational strategy, lack of competency with vendors and premature governmental arrangements, and classified as independent variables. The non-commitment of top-management team (TMT), significant investment costs, lack of swiftness in change management and a low tolerance for complexity and initial failures are recognized as the linkage variables. Employee reluctance, mid-level managerial resistance, a dearth of adequate skills and knowledge and working in silos depend on the rest of the identified barriers. The perceived threat to society is classified as the autonomous variable.

The study augments theoretical understanding from the literature with the practical viewpoints of industry experts in enhancing the knowledge of the DS ecosystem. The research offers organizations a generic framework to combat hindrances to DS initiatives strategically.

This chapter examines the significant role of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and blockchain technology in fostering a sustainable economy in the metaverse. Blockchain allows the saving and transfer of decentralized and secure data. As a primary component of the metaverse economy, NFTs are distinct and secure virtual assets saved on the blockchain. These assets facilitate possessing, trading, and monetizing digital assets. These advancing technologies have also revolutionized the method by which creators and artists test and exchange their digital work, introducing a novel period of ownership and value in the digital realm. However, the negative environmental effects of some blockchain technologies constitute a considerable constraint, pushing a shift to a sustainable economy. Platforms like The Sandbox have implemented initiatives to address environmental concerns. As a case study, The Sandbox play-to-earn model with tokenized assets showcases its ability to create value and encourage user participation. It shows the ability of NFTs and blockchain to support a sustainable economy.

The emergence of consumerism has led to regulatory measures being integrated into business practices, but the influence of consumers in developing countries remains limited, resulting in businesses being less responsive. The digital retail landscape is undergoing a transformative revolution, driven by Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 technological advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI), wearables, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and blockchain technology. This development focuses on convenience, personalisation, and emotional connections. Companies are adapting to modern consumer behaviour through various strategies, including online shopping, mobile commerce, data analytics, technology integration, user reviews, and contactless payments. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this seismic shift in the retail industry, and online retail is expected to continue to grow post-pandemic, driven by these technologies. AI enhances the customer experience, wearables provide interactive engagement, VR offers immersive shopping, AR merges online and physical shopping, and blockchain ensures secure transactions in the emerging metaverse. As retail converges with the metaverse, the potential for borderless and personalised shopping experiences is enormous. Advances in VR technology could lead to interconnected virtual spaces that seamlessly connect physical and digital retail, providing immersive and personalised shopping experiences. However, challenges such as cost, learning curves, digital security, legal ambiguity, data privacy, financial risk, and ethical considerations need to be addressed through vigilant and informed consumer engagement in this evolving digital landscape.

In this chapter, we explore the dark side of the metaverse and the need for user protection. While the metaverse offers multiple opportunities it also poses significant risks for users, such as privacy concerns, addiction, harassment, and cyberbullying. First, we discuss the various threats that users may encounter such as online harassment, assaults, cyberbullying, hate speech, identity theft, and virtual property theft. As per the Center for Countering Digital Hate, an incident of violation occurs every seven minutes within VRChat, a popular virtual reality game. The level of misconduct in the metaverse can surpass the extent of internet harassment. Virtual reality gaming has been associated with various health issues like sleep deprivation, and insomnia as well as mental health concerns such as depression, anger, and anxiety. We examine how these issues may impact user’s physical and mental health. The sensors and devices used in the metaverse collect a vast amount of user biometric data and spatial data. Interactions between users and metaverse could be leaked. We examine different methods that improve user protection, including everyone from enhanced security protocols via the application of privacy-enhanced technology to several avatars, two-factor authentication, and user educational and awareness programs. Moreover, we explore how the newest technologies, like blockchain and artificial intelligence, play a role in making user safety more important. We finished the course with the study of the case of Second Life, the virtual reality gaming platform, and pointing out some of the problems that exist within it.

It has become obvious to companies that the metaverse may help maximize profits. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the uses and possibilities of metaverse-based virtual and augmented reality technologies in the future. Brands can now engage with customers at a completely new level of interaction through Metaverse, which cannot be achieved within current marketing channels. Immersive XR environments may require decision makers to reexamine customer journeys, demographic characteristics, and customer personas. The main purpose of this chapter is to present an overview of metaverse applications. Further this section reveals the ways in which the business and education industry can benefit through metaverse applications. Additionally, this section reveals the real-world applications of technology in metaverse for avatar, gaming, and prospects. Finally, this chapter sheds light on the academics and practitioners by showing how metaverse elements can contribute for business processes.

The metaverse is considered an evolution of the Internet, and it engages users with digital content more seamlessly due to its enhanced immersion and diverse applications. The current study examines factors affecting the intention to adopt the metaverse. Existing studies on metaverse were found insufficient in explaining users’ intention to adopt metaverse, for which the companies are investing vast amounts of money for its implementation. The study fills the research gaps in the literature and applies the UTAUT2 (Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use of Technology) and PAD (Pleasure, Arousal, Dominance) theory in the SOR (Stimulus-Organism-Response) framework. The study proposes a conceptual model by including effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, social influence, security personalization as stimuli, arousal, dominance, pleasure, immersive experience and perceived value as organismic variables and intention to adopt metaverse as the response variable, with gender as a moderator.

The study used purposive non-probability sampling approach and total of 420 responses were collected to examine the model. The partial least squares (PLS) technique is used for data analysis using Smart PLS software.

The study’s findings suggest that social influence and immersive experience have the highest impact on perceived value which affects users’ intention to adopt metaverse. Results indicate that individuals perceive value on using metaverse when it provides enjoyment and fun as well as security. Hence, it is important to ensure not only that individuals feel hedonically motivated but also feel secured and exert less effort to use the metaverse.

The study contributes to the existing literature on metaverse and extends its association with immersive experience and the theories applied. The fundamental qualities of metaverse that contribute to its immersive and enjoyable nature can influence users' behavioral responses. Our research emphasizes the importance of executives acknowledging the development of organismic experience within metaverse.

The insights derived from this study will serve to expand the knowledge of metaverse application developers, offering valuable guidance in incorporating these factors into their development processes. By prominently displaying security measures, metaverse brands can demonstrate their commitment to mitigating risks associated with virtual interactions. This includes clearly communicating the security protocols in place to protect user data and privacy and providing detailed information about security features can build trust and alleviate concerns.

The study highlights how the metaverse features affect individuals toward its adoption intent. Specifically, the study reveals that social influence and security affect the metaverse, further affecting the adoption intent of the metaverse. This has implications for enhancing customer relationships and value cocreation with different stakeholders. The research also recognizes that security measures are necessary for metaverse technology. These reactions could include placing regulations and standards in place to deal with the social and economic effects, making sure that data is collected and used ethically, and giving privacy and security measures priority.

This paper contributes to the body of knowledge as it is the first of its kind to explore and link immersive experience, pleasure and perceived value from the metaverse’s point of view to explore the user’s adoption intention. The study also contributes to the SOR framework with UTAUT2 and PAD theories by applying it to the metaverse context, which is used in limits.

This chapter focuses on unearthing the metaverse technology impacts on banking services, both the underlying opportunities it brings and the challenges it imposes, along with its long-term effects on the industry. The tremendous strides made in the field of technology have impacted every industry, and banking is no different. Metaverse technology further catapults banking services into an unknown realm of possibilities and challenges since the advent of modern technology. Metaverse technology is an upcoming virtual interconnected universe where users can connect with each other and digital entities at the same time in real time. Banking will open up a lot of avenues to redefine customer experience, build new financial products and make the customers sticky. Deploying metaverse technology in a banking system comes with a whole host of challenges, including technical complexity, security, privacy and compliance. More insights on the dos and don'ts of this as well as what to measure in terms of success would be found by looking at cases from those banks that have successfully rolled out metaverse technology. So, for banks to come out of their shells and sustain themselves in a competitive world of financial services, understanding metaverse technology in banking is essential. This chapter attempts to uncover the subtlety of metaverse technology on banking services, their promise and perils and the consequences that may stick with this industry forever.

Metaverse is going to change the landscape in every field, sector, and business. This chapter aims to explore the role of marketing in the metaverse focusing on each sector and business. This chapter has adopted bibliometrics analysis to explore the importance of metaverse marketing. The results suggest that the publication and citation of articles have seen a huge jump from 2022 onwards. Keyword co-occurrence analysis shows that metaverse with blockchain, marketing, education, and virtual reality (VR) are hot words in the upcoming time. Metaverse marketing shows that innovation, mixed reality, and extended reality will change the landscape of marketing. Analysis suggests that China, the United States, South Korea, and India are the top contributing countries in the research of metaverse. By understanding the implications of the metaverse on purchaser conduct and promoting systems, organizations can draw in the main interest group and gain esteem in this new advanced scene.

This chapter reviews the Metaverse’s inception and digitalization’s impact on the fashion and apparel retail industry. This review demonstrates how digital clothing rooted in the Metaverse assists industry environmental sustainability, the planet, and consumers, providing business strategies for growth through research in theory and an analysis of practices. Virtual checkout uses digital tools to help marketers and designers better understand their target audience. In the foreseeable future, the Metaverse of our works will be a well-known and safe space for budding designers. Designers will find it much simpler to bring their concepts to life thanks to the immediate relationship that Metaverse technology creates with humans.

Eco-friendly methods and technology found in the Metaverse will transform the industry. Expanding acceptance of Metaverse could lead to a 97% decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide in approximately per item 4,000 L of water, reducing its carbon footprint by around thirty percent during the company’s design and development phases.

Digital apparel may be extremely helpful leading up to the real physical manufacturing of a garment, applied to sampling, marketing and modeling prior the actual variants are put into manufacturing, significantly lowering the environmental impact of a clothing item’s entire lifecycle. Computer-generated representations of clothing cannot replace real garments entirely, and they can help reduce waste and help address overproduction-related difficulties.

This chapter clarifies how digital fashion based on the Metaverse assists business environmental sustainability, users, and acts as a resource to improve approaches.

Metaverse is an immersive technology that has transformed the way we connect, interact, and work, providing massive opportunities for different sectors. The prevailing trends in the metaverse encompass various aspects such as multi-user virtual environments facilitating real-time interaction between users and digital objects, the utilization of virtual and augmented reality (AR) technology to generate immersive and captivating experiences, social and gaming encounters, virtual currencies, data, and analytics for personalization and targeting of experiences, live streaming, e-commerce, and other related developments. AR is a key component of the metaverse. Because of its increased accessibility and interactivity, AR has the potential to operate as a bridge between the present and the future. AR superimposes the virtual objects in the real environment, enabling mixed-reality experiences that enable users to have immersive experiences.

This chapter examines the role of AR in metaverse platforms. It navigates through the multifaceted platforms within the metaverse and underscores its transformative potential in various sectors, fueled by the demand for remote working tools and the growing embrace of Web 3.0 technologies. It also explores the technical elements of integrating AR, providing a comprehensive explanation of how AR-enabled devices like glasses, headsets, and smartphones are used to generate immersive user experiences.