Anchal Gupta, Rajesh Kr Singh and Shivam Gupta
The purpose of this study is to identify factors that are important for logistics organizations from the perspective of manpower readiness for digitization of logistics…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify factors that are important for logistics organizations from the perspective of manpower readiness for digitization of logistics operations. The study also prioritizes the identified factors and also evaluates the readiness index of manpower for the digitalization of logistics processes.
Design/methodology/approach
The factors for manpower readiness are identified through literature review and analysis of a case study. Three major categories of factors are identified. These are organizational, behavioural and technological factors. Under these three major categories of factors, 18 sub-factors are identified. Thereafter, with experts' inputs, the factors are prioritized using Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Further, a case illustration of an Indian logistics company has been taken to understand the current processes, technical capabilities, manpower skills and organization culture. After the case analysis and expert inputs, the manpower readiness index has been evaluated by using graph theory matrix approach (GTMA).
Findings
The prioritization of manpower readiness factors has been done using Fuzzy AHP. Organizational factors are found to be the most important factors which require quick attention. Sub-factors that are most important for building competencies in the logistics sector are providing the right training on functional skill development (0.129), top management support and commitment for digitalization (0.117), and organizational culture for process digitalization (0.114), etc. Finally, framework for evaluation of manpower readiness index for logistics operations in the digital age has been illustrated for a case company.
Practical implications
Indian logistics companies can benchmark their readiness index with respect to the best in the industry. Based on the readiness index, logistics companies can analyse their position, gaps from best and worst and can also identify potential areas for improvement.
Originality/value
The novelty of the study lies in the development of a framework for manpower readiness for digitalization in the logistics sector. In literature, this field is very less researched and provides the scope for developing strategies for improving manpower competencies for Industry 4.0. Logistics companies can improve their performance by making their manpower ready based on results obtained for readiness index.
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Anchal Gupta and Rajesh Kumar Singh
The purpose of this study is to analyze sustainability issues in the context of logistics service providers (LSPs) and to evaluate the sustainability index of an LSP in the Indian…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze sustainability issues in the context of logistics service providers (LSPs) and to evaluate the sustainability index of an LSP in the Indian scenario.
Design/methodology/approach
The case study method is used to understand the sustainability issues of an Indian LSP. The situation–actor–process (SAP) and learning–action–performance (LAP) framework has been applied to critically examine the sustainability issues of the case organization. The information about the case study is collected from both primary and secondary sources, and a detailed analysis of different sustainability issues in the context of an Indian case has been done. The sustainability index for the case organization has been also evaluated.
Findings
It can be observed from the in-depth case analysis that LSPs have started making use of green practices for long-term sustainability, but adoption is very slow in developing countries such as India. Based on SAP-LAP analysis of an Indian LSP, suitable actions are recommended for improving the performance of LSPs.
Practical implications
Adoption of sustainable practices by LSPs can lead to sustainable performance. Sustainability index can assist LSPs to benchmark their sustainability performance to meet the market requirements.
Originality/value
The novelty of this study is to analyze the issues related to implementation of sustainable practices in an Indian LSP through SAP-LAP framework. It also illustrates the evaluation of sustainability index.
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Anchal Gupta and Rajesh Kumar Singh
Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are facing major difficulties with working capital, need of digitalisation and lack of skilled workforce during this crisis situation…
Abstract
Purpose
Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are facing major difficulties with working capital, need of digitalisation and lack of skilled workforce during this crisis situation. Managing resilience post pandemic is again a huge challenge for MSMEs. Therefore, the main objective of the study is to identify the critical barriers for recovery of MSMEs from the pandemic outbreak and recommending potential solutions for avoiding vulnerabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The most significant barriers, which will impact MSMEs resilience issues are extracted from vast literature review, discussed with nine experts from MSMEs and further categorised into organisational, operational and technical barriers. Best–worst method (BWM) has been used to find the importance rating of barriers for developing resilience in MSMEs.
Findings
It can be observed that the organisational barriers (0.507) are the most significant, followed by operational barriers (0.300) and then, technological barriers (0.192). Liquidity crunch and inadequate technical skills of employees are the most significant barriers for MSMEs resilience during COVID-19, whereas fluctuation in input cost, unavailability of containers on time and decreased process efficiency are the least significant barriers for recovering MSMEs post COVID-19.
Practical implications
Findings imply that MSMEs should try to overcome major barriers such as resource constraints, lack of skills and knowledge and inefficient inventory planning.
Originality/value
Findings of study will be of immense use for MSMEs in efficient management of operations and in developing resilience during uncertain business environment.
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Anchal Gupta, Rajesh Kumar Singh, K. Mathiyazhagan, Pradeep Kumar Suri and Yogesh K. Dwivedi
This study aims to identify service quality dimensions for logistics service providers (LSPs) and to examine their relationships with customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify service quality dimensions for logistics service providers (LSPs) and to examine their relationships with customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
Service quality dimensions are identified from vast literature review. Customers who take services from LSPs were surveyed to collect data on basis of developed survey instrument. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is applied to test the proposed research hypotheses.
Findings
The study shows that all the five service quality constructs, i.e. “Operational Quality”, “Resource Quality”, “Information Quality”, “Personnel Contact Quality” and “Customization and Innovation Quality” have direct relationship with customer satisfaction. They also have indirect relationship with customer loyalty, implying the full mediation of customer satisfaction.
Practical implications
The results of the study suggest that the logistics service quality (LSQ) can be measured multi-dimensionally. It provides clear implications to LSPs for improvement of service quality. The present research work is expected to be useful for both, logistics service providers and the customer organizations, which take services from LSPs. LSPs can develop strategies to improve their service quality on basis of findings from this study.
Originality/value
The present research will help in extending the existing literature on service quality in context to LSPs.
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Anchal Gupta and Rajesh Kumar Singh
The purpose of this study is to identify sustainability practices and to propose a framework for evaluating the sustainability index of logistics service providers (LSPs).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify sustainability practices and to propose a framework for evaluating the sustainability index of logistics service providers (LSPs).
Design/methodology/approach
Sustainable practices followed by LSPs are identified through literature review and analysis of a case study. Thirteen such sustainable practices are identified. Thereafter, with expert inputs, nine sustainable practices are shortlisted and considered for the evaluation of the sustainability index in the proposed framework. Graph Theory Matrix Approach has been applied to evaluate the sustainability index of an LSP.
Findings
Major practices identified for evaluating sustainability index include the use of recyclable packaging, use of renewable energy sources, green procurement, reduction in carbon emissions, use of CNG/electric vehicles, rainwater harvesting and so on. The sustainability index of an LSP is evaluated by using the proposed framework.
Practical implications
LSPs can benchmark their sustainability index with respect to the best in the industry. Based on it, LSPs can also identify potential areas for improvement.
Originality/value
Novelty of the study lies in the proposed framework for evaluation of sustainability index which can be used to develop strategies for green logistics. LSPs can also improve their performance in terms of sustainability measures by adopting green logistics.
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Anchal Gupta and Rajesh Kumar Singh
The purpose of this paper is to understand how logistics service providers manage their operations for sustainable service quality and operational excellence. This study is also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand how logistics service providers manage their operations for sustainable service quality and operational excellence. This study is also trying to propose a framework for measuring service quality index along with some research propositions for analyzing service quality and operational excellence.
Design/methodology/approach
The detailed case analysis on sustainable practices of Indian logistics service providers (LSPs) has been done on the basis of case study approach suggested by Eisenhardt (1989). After this case analysis, service quality index is evaluated for the given company based on Cleveland et al. (1989) framework. The SWOT and performance analysis of the case organization has been also done, which is further followed by development of framework and propositions for analyzing service quality and operational excellence for LSPs.
Findings
It can be observed from in-depth case analysis that LSPs are making use of green practices to conserve resources for long-term sustainability. LSPs optimize their resources and use sustainable practices in the form of use of reusable and recyclable packaging materials, rain water harvesting, use of solar panels, innovations such as trucking cube, safety concern toward goods and contribution toward environment and society.
Practical implications
Resources optimization and green management practices are essential for LSPs for benchmarking environmental performance and for improving service quality and operational excellence.
Originality/value
This study has tried to analyze green logistics practices for sustainable service quality and proposed a framework for quantifying sustainability.
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Salman Khan and Shafaqat Mehmood
The purpose of this study investigate the antecedents the adoption of tour itineraries from smart travel apps. Travelers are progressively expanding their smart travel planning…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study investigate the antecedents the adoption of tour itineraries from smart travel apps. Travelers are progressively expanding their smart travel planning applications to organize their trip-related activities. With the help of these apps, users achieve their favorite tour itineraries and choose their preferred destinations.
Design/methodology/approach
This study aimed to examine the results of smart tour itineraries on travelers and elucidate the motivations for their continual use and why travel experts are increasingly using smart tour itineraries. Innovation resistance and experiential consumption theories were used in this study. SmartPLS 3.2.8 was used to consider 682 valid samples using structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings
This analysis identified the following crucial factors: usage, value, risk and traditional barriers. Moreover, utilitarian and hedonic values significantly affected barriers. Finally, theoretical and practical suggestions are presented along with future research directions.
Originality/value
This study encompasses the tender of innovation resistance theory to travel itineraries by integrating experiential consumption theory in the context of smart tourism apps.
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Sanjay Gupta, Anchal Arora, Simarjeet Singh and Jinesh Jain
In the present era, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming and redefining the lifestyles of society through its applications, such as chatbots. Chatbot has shown tremendous…
Abstract
Purpose
In the present era, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming and redefining the lifestyles of society through its applications, such as chatbots. Chatbot has shown tremendous growth and has been used in almost every field. The purpose of this study is to identify and prioritize the factors that influence millennial’s technology acceptance of chatbots.
Design/methodology/approach
For the present research, data were collected from 432 respondents (millennials) from Punjab. A fuzzy analytical hierarchy process was used to prioritize the factors influencing millennials’ technology acceptance of chatbots. The key factors considered for the study were information, entertainment, media appeal, social presence and perceived privacy risk
Findings
The findings of the study revealed media appeal as the top-ranked prioritized factor influencing millennial technology acceptance of chatbots. In contrast, perceived privacy risk appeared as the least important factor. Ranking of the global weights reveals that I3 and I2 are the two most important sub-criteria.
Research limitations/implications
Data were gathered from the millennial population of Punjab, and only a few factors that influence the technology acceptance of chatbots were considered for analysis which has been considered as a limitation of this study.
Practical implications
The findings of this study will provide valuable insights about consumer behaviour to the business firm, and it will help them to make competitive strategies accordingly.
Originality/value
Existing literature has investigated the factors influencing millennials’ technology acceptance of chatbots. At the same time, this study has used the multi-criteria decision-making technique to deliver valuable insights for marketers, practitioners and academicians about the drivers of millennials’ technology acceptance regarding chatbots which will add value to the prevailing knowledge base.
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Anchal Arora, Nishu Rani, Chandrika Devi and Sanjay Gupta
Organic food market has grown rapidly on a global level and so is the interest of customers. The present paper ranks the factors and sub-criteria which are taken into…
Abstract
Purpose
Organic food market has grown rapidly on a global level and so is the interest of customers. The present paper ranks the factors and sub-criteria which are taken into consideration while making organic purchase decisions resulting in understanding the behaviour of consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
The present paper considered a sample of 550 respondents in the area of Punjab. Fuzzy AHP technique was applied to understand the key factors and sub-criteria which play a major role in organic food purchase decisions. The paper is empirical and descriptive in nature. The factors considered for the study include price, consumer knowledge, trust, attitude, behavioural intentions, subjective norms, perceived personal relevance and perceived consumer effectiveness.
Findings
The three major influential factors include price, trust and attitude ranked in the same order of preference which majorly affects the purchase decisions and talking about sub-criteria the three major criteria to purchase organic food include: “Price plays a significant role in purchase decisions (P2)”, “Organic food keeps me fit and healthy (A1)” and “Organic food intake makes me feel energetic (A2)”.
Research limitations/implications
The present paper is limited to the area of Punjab and majorly eight factors have been taken into consideration. Further research can be explored on broader geographical and cultural areas with new dimensions in criteria and sub-criteria.
Practical implications
The findings of this paper will surely help the marketers to understand the behavioural intentions and preferences of the customers. Accordingly, they will strategize the policies to convert organic food market into a niche market with a high growth rate.
Originality/value
The existing literature explored various key factors. However, the present study comes up with ranking to the factors according to their priority in purchase decisions. This will definitely help marketers, business houses, practitioners and academicians about the key factors which affect purchase decisions, and it will surely add incredible knowledge into the existing database.
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Anchal Arora, Jinesh Jain, Sanjay Gupta and Ajay Sharma
In today's competitive environment, sustainability is talked out in every sphere of life. Sustainability is a key to stability and for that roots are being focused by…
Abstract
Purpose
In today's competitive environment, sustainability is talked out in every sphere of life. Sustainability is a key to stability and for that roots are being focused by incorporating sustainability in higher education. The basic purpose of this paper is to prioritize the sustainability drivers in the higher education system. This research will provide fruitful insight into the sustainability drivers in the higher education system to the education industry and policymakers.
Design/methodology/approach
The present research is conducted on the 400 students studying in four major universities in the state of Punjab. Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process was applied to prioritize the sustainability drivers in the higher education system. The primary factors considered for the present study include social-people (social responsibility), environmental-planet (sustainable environmental practices) and financial-profit (economic value created).
Findings
The most influential criteria were environmental-planet (sustainable environmental practices) and social-people (social responsibility). The five most influential subcriteria were “Student engagement in eco co-curricular activities (C21)”, Energy efficiency measures (C23)”, “The HEI as a job driver in the city (C11)”, “Total direct energy consumption (C31)” and “Support from the HEI for local initiatives and help in growing the sustainability of the community or region (C12)”.
Research limitations/implications
Although the sample survey conducted in this study was focused on a small sample selected from the state of Punjab which genuinely represented the total population, it is still considered as a limitation for the present study.
Practical implications
The outcome of this research provides policymakers with a better understanding of the sustainability drivers in higher education. This will further help them toward achieving the aim of sustainability.
Originality/value
The present research is based on the available literature on sustainability and the results of the study would add value to the existing knowledge base.