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The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of consumption values on customer satisfaction and intention to consume millet-based foods. This study examines both tangible and intangible values of the millet-based food to the customer.

Based on consumption value theory (CVT), the present study evaluates the impact of consumption value factors such as emotional, epistemic, health, price, prestige and taste/quality values on satisfaction and intention to use millet-based foods and develops a unique research model. Later, leveraging a dataset comprising more than 410 responses from Pune city in India, a rigorous empirical examination of the proposed model was conducted employing SmartPLS 4.0 software.

The study's finding unveils both the significant and insignificant impacts of various consumption values, both from the tangible and intangible consumption value perspectives on satisfaction and intention to consume millet-based foods. The study also provides a validated food consumption model which can be used for other similar food consumption behaviour of the customers.

This study provides insights as to how different consumption values impact the satisfaction of the customers for the millet-based food. This study illuminates additional aspects of the tangible and intangible factors impacting the satisfaction level of customers to consume millet-based products. Also, this is a cross-sectional study, and the respondents are only based in Pune, India. Thus, the study results cannot be generalised.

This study employs CVT to explore the unexplored impact of consumption values on satisfaction and intention to use millet-based foods, which is unexplored in the past literature. Moreover, this study develops a theoretical model with high explanatory power, and the research model adds value to the existing body of literature from areas such as food preference, consumer behaviour and value consumption insights.

The study identifies barriers all stakeholders face in the returns management process. The pressing issue of online product returns significantly erodes the net profit margins, demanding urgent action. Existing returns management systems are often complex, time-consuming and costly, failing to address this issue effectively. In this regard, persuasive technologies like gamification can effectively influence behaviour and enhance motivation towards reducing return by striking a balance between psychological and behavioural factors. Therefore, the study proposes a framework that combines the theory of planned behaviour and Octalysis to identify intentions to reduce product return rates in the e-commerce business.

A qualitative exploratory research design using a multiple case study-based approach with in-depth interviews conducted with 96 varied stakeholders was used to provide insights into the behavioural aspects for reducing return rates in e-commerce.

The results reveal three facets of effective returns management in e-commerce. Customers and delivery partners prioritize return processes, policies and rewards, emphasizing efficiency. Meanwhile, mid- and strategic-level employees are optimistic about return process enhancements. Interdepartmental integration and cross-functional communication are found to be vital, suggesting the need for a gamified framework in returns management.

This research enriches the returns management literature on gamification solutions and responds to the need for theoretical anchoring by applying the theory of planned behaviour at the organizational level to improve efficiency and customer centricity in the return process.

The purpose of this research was to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to explore supply chain resilience and operations management practices in the construction industry, with a particular focus on the transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0. The study addressed a significant gap in the literature regarding the impact of these advanced technologies on the construction sector’s ability to anticipate, respond to and recover from disruptions.

The methodology employed a bibliometric analysis using the Scopus database to identify key trends, influential publications and emerging research areas using keywords such as “supply chain”, “operations management”, “Industry 4.0”, “Industry 5.0” and “construction”. This approach allowed for a quantitative evaluation of existing literature, offering insights into the intellectual structure of the field.

The findings revealed that while Industry 4.0 technologies, such as IoT and AI, have enhanced the construction industry’s supply chain visibility and efficiency, the shift towards the Industry 5.0 paradigm introduces a human-centric approach that further strengthens resilience through collaboration and sustainability.

The study’s practical implications suggest to both industry and academia that embracing Industry 5.0 principles could significantly enhance the construction industry’s resilience, enabling it to withstand disruptions better and maintain project quality, timelines, and budgets in an increasingly complex global environment.

This research examines the shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 within construction supply chains, offering a novel perspective on integrating these technologies.

The agricultural supply chain is susceptible to disruptive geopolitical events. Therefore, agri-food firms must devise robust resilience strategies to hasten recovery and mitigate global food security effects. Hence, the central aim of this paper is to investigate how supply chains could leverage digital technologies to design resilience strategies to manage uncertainty stemming from the external environment disrupted by a geopolitical event. The context of the study is the African agri-food supply chain during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The authors employ strategic contingency and dynamic capabilities theory arguments to explore the scenario and conditions under which African agri-food firms could leverage digital technologies to formulate contingency strategies and devise mitigation countermeasures. Then, the authors used a multi-case-study analysis of 14 African firms of different sizes and tiers within three main agri-food sectors (i.e. livestock farming, food-crop and fisheries-aquaculture) to explore, interpret and present data and their findings.

Downstream firms (wholesalers and retailers) of the African agri-food supply chain are found to extensively use digital seizing and transforming capabilities to formulate worst-case assumptions amid geopolitical disruption, followed by proactive mitigation actions. These capabilities are mainly supported by advanced technologies such as blockchain and additive manufacturing. On the other hand, smaller upstream partners (SMEs, cooperatives and smallholders) are found to leverage less advanced technologies, such as mobile apps and cloud-based data analytics, to develop sensing capabilities necessary to formulate a “wait-and-see” strategy, allowing them to reduce perceptions of heightened supply chain uncertainty and take mainly reactive mitigation strategies. Finally, the authors integrate their findings into a conceptual framework that advances the research agenda on managing supply chain uncertainty in vulnerable areas.

This study is the first that sought to understand the contextual conditions (supply chain characteristics and firm characteristics) under which companies in the African agri-food supply chain could leverage digital technologies to manage uncertainty. The study advances contingency and dynamic capability theories by providing a new way of interacting in one specific context. In practice, this study assists managers in developing suitable strategies to manage uncertainty during geopolitical disruptions.

The purpose of this study is to find the effect of heat treatment on the mechanical proeprties of aluminum. Aluminum exhibits a good response to heat treatment, especially quenching, according to the mechanical property improvement. The presence and orientation of secondary phases (Al-Fe-Mn-Si) are greatly affected by the quenching process.

The present work deals with the effect of water quenching on the mechanical properties of welded AA 6061 plates which were joined by using metal inert gas (MIG) welding, tungsten inert gas welding and friction stir welding (FSW). Three tests like tensile, bending and hardness were considered. The microstructural variation was analyzed by optical microscopy and elemental mapping through field emission scanning electron microscope.

A significant enhancement in the tensile strength and hardness was achieved on postquenched specimens. This improvement in mechanical properties is caused by the distribution of fine alloying elements throughout the metal solution rather than precipitation at the grain boundaries. In comparison to the “untreated specimens,” an improvement of 76.7%, 25.32% and 56.81% in the tensile strength of quenched TIGW, MIGW and FSW specimens, respectively, was observed.

The quenching process has increased the strength of the MIG welded joint over the base metal. The MIG welded joint has a larger flexural modulus than the other two welded plates, according to the results of the bending test. Furthermore, a uniform distribution of hardness was observed in postquenched welded specimens. It was found that welded zone was harder than heat-affected zone. Out of all the specimens, the base metal zone has the lowest hardness.

The study examines the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) non-compliance on firm value. It also investigates the moderating roles of ownership concentration and research and development (R&D) intensity in this relationship.

For hypothesis testing, the authors utilized panel data regression models on a dataset comprising 13,760 firm-years listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, covering a period of nine years following the legislation (from March 2015 to March 2023).

Our findings reveal a detrimental effect of mandatory CSR spending on the value of non-compliance firms, consistent with the notion of deterrence theory. Further, we find that the negative impact is more pronounced among widely-held firms compared to closely-held firms, aligning with shareholder activism and information asymmetry theory. Our subsequent tests indicate that R&D intensity mitigates the negative impact, indicating a substitution relationship between CSR and R&D expenditure. Consistent with this finding, we find a lesser negative impact of CSR non-compliance on firm value of widely-held R&D intensified firms. Our findings are robust to the problem of endogeneity and self-selection bias.

Our findings highlight practical implications for managers regarding performance management. Managers should recognize that mandatory CSR spending can negatively impact performance, especially in widely-held firms, leading to shareholder dissatisfaction. To mitigate these effects, increasing R&D investment is likely to buffer against the adverse impacts of CSR mandates. Firm managers should align R&D efforts with CSR obligations to counterbalance costs and manage shareholder expectations, thereby maintaining performance and enhancing the perception of innovation among stakeholders.

It is the first study to consider the degree of compliance within firms while examining the impact of mandatory CSR spending on firm value. Also, the study is among pioneer attempts to investigate the moderating role of ownership structure and R&D intensity on the relationship.