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This paper aims to explore the ethical perspectives surrounding adopting metaverse technologies in libraries. It focuses on critical areas such as privacy, security, intellectual property, accessibility and equity, providing insights into the challenges and opportunities these technologies present for library services.

This study uses a theoretical analysis of existing literature and ethical frameworks related to digital privacy, intellectual property and digital inclusion. Drawing on prominent theories and guidelines, this paper examines how libraries can navigate the ethical implications of integrating metaverse technologies into their services.

Integrating metaverse technologies into libraries presents significant ethical challenges, including protecting user privacy and security, managing intellectual property rights and ensuring equitable access and inclusion. Libraries must develop comprehensive ethical guidelines, invest in robust data protection measures and advocate for digital inclusion to address these challenges effectively.

This paper comprehensively analyzes the ethical implications of metaverse technologies in libraries, highlighting the need for tailored ethical guidelines and practices. It contributes to the ongoing discourse on digital ethics in library services and offers a framework for libraries to responsibly navigate the complexities of virtual environments.

There is a renewed interest among economists and policymakers in striking a perfect balance between the market, state, and the community for equitable and sustained development. Inclusive development is the need of the hour and healthcare cooperatives provide the perfect means to deliver that. The cooperatives can and should have an important role to play in this scenario. However, there is an important need to provide an enabling environment for the genesis and growth of Healthcare Cooperatives in India and to learn from the best models and practices across the world. The chapter discusses the effectiveness of healthcare cooperatives.

This research aims to explore the fine-grained relationships between nurse staffing and hospital operational performance with respect to care quality and operating costs. The authors also investigate the moderation effect of competition in local hospital markets on these relationships.

A six-year panel data is assembled from five separate sources to obtain information of 2,524 USA hospitals. Fixed-effect (FE) models are used to test the proposed hypotheses.

First, nurse staffing is initially associated with improved care quality until nurse staffing reaches a turning point, beyond which nurse staffing is associated with worse care quality. Second, a similar pattern applies to the relationship between nurse staffing and operating costs, although the turning point is at a much lower nurse staffing level. Third, market competition moderates the relationship between nurse staffing and care quality so that the turning point of nurse staffing will be higher when the degree of competition is higher. This shift of turning point is also observed in the relationship between nurse staffing and operating costs.

The study identifies three ranges of nurse staffing in which hospitals will likely experience simultaneous improvements, a tradeoff or simultaneous decline of care quality and operating costs when investing in more nursing capacity. Hospitals should adjust nurse staffing levels to the right directions to achieve better care or reduce operating costs.

Nurses constitute the largest provider group in hospitals and profoundly impact care quality and operating costs among all health care professionals. Optimizing the level of nurse staffing, therefore, can significantly impact the care quality and operating costs of hospitals.

This paper aims to study the various developments taking place in the field of gas sensors made from polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites, which leads to the development of high-performance electrical and gas sensing materials operating at room temperature.

PANI/ferrite nanocomposites exhibit good electrical properties with lower dielectric losses. There are numerous reports on PANI and ferrite nanomaterial-based gas sensors which have good sensing response, feasible to operate at room temperature, requires less power and cost-effective.

This paper provides an overview of electrical and gas sensing properties of PANI/ferrite nanocomposites having improved selectivity, long-term stability and other sensing performance of sensors at room temperature.

The main purpose of this review paper is to focus on PANI/ferrite nanocomposite-based gas sensors operating at room temperature.

This multiple case study aims to investigate the frugal business model innovation exemplified by three pioneering organisations in India: Aravind Eye Care System (AECS), ChotuKool and SELCO India. This study elucidates the key factors contributing to their success and explores the broader implications for frugal innovation in addressing societal challenges in emerging markets.

The authors use a qualitative case study methodology to analyse the approaches of AECS, ChotuKool and SELCO India towards product development, distribution strategies and financing mechanisms and their impact on underserved communities. Data is collected through archival research and analysis of secondary sources.

The findings of the study reveal common themes and unique characteristics of frugal business model innovation across the three organisations. Key findings include innovative approaches to product/service design, distribution channels tailored to reach underserved populations and the implementation of flexible financing mechanisms to make products/services accessible to low-income consumers.

This study enhances the understanding of frugal innovation in emerging markets and highlights the importance of affordability, accessibility and sustainability in driving positive social impact. Limitations include focus on only three case studies and the qualitative nature of the research, which may limit generalisability.

This study offers insights for managers and decisionmakers on implementing frugal innovation strategies to address societal challenges and promote inclusive growth in emerging markets. Key managerial implications include the importance of understanding local contexts, building partnerships and leveraging innovative financing mechanisms. The study provides guidance for practitioners and social entrepreneurs in developing scalable and sustainable solutions for underserved communities. Practical implications include the adoption of decentralised distribution models, customisation of products/services and investment in capacity-building and training programmes.

The study highlights the significant impact of frugal business model innovation on underserved communities, including improved access to essential services, enhanced quality of life and socioeconomic empowerment. Implications for society include the potential for frugal innovation to address pressing societal challenges and promote inclusive growth.

The originality and value of this study lie in its comprehensive analysis of frugal business model innovation across multiple sectors in the Indian context. By examining the experiences of AECS, ChotuKool and SELCO India, the study contributes to the literature on frugal innovation and provides actionable insights for businesses, policymakers and development practitioners seeking to create positive social impact in emerging countries.

Drawing on the literature of eco-innovation and institutional theory, this research aims to answer two fundamental questions: Does eco-innovation improve or harm firm value in emerging markets? and How institutional environments moderate the relationship between eco-innovation and firm value? We explicate the regulatory, normative and cognitive pillars of institutions, manifested as regulation intensity, environmental agency pressure and public pressure, respectively.

For this study, a cross-sectional panel data set was assembled from multiple archival sources, including data coded from the corporate annual reports and social responsibility reports, statistical yearbooks, China Stock Market Financial Database (CSMAR) and other secondary sources. A hierarchical regression method was used to test the hypotheses. The data comprised 88 firms sampled over four years. The model using feasible generalized least squares (FGLSs) to control heteroscedasticity in errors due to unobserved heterogeneity was estimated.

Empirical findings from a data set compiled from multiple archival sources reveal that both eco-product and eco-process innovation negatively relate to firm value. The interactions between eco-innovation and regulation intensity, environmental agency pressure and public pressure are positively related to firm value.

First, this study extends the literature of eco-innovation by investigating the impact of eco-innovation on firm value. Contrary to the conventional anecdotal evidence of the beneficial effect of eco-innovation, it was found that eco-innovation relates negatively to firm value. Second, this study develops and tests an institutional contingent view of eco-innovation by accounting for the moderating role of regulatory, normative and cognitive pressures.

Although there have been a considerable number of studies regarding subsidiary role typology in multinationals’ management literature, there appear to be few studies that consider knowledge-based role typology from the network-based perspective. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap and extend the study of Gupta and Govindarajan (1991). Thus, the study focuses on answering the following research question: Do subsidiaries have different roles in terms of knowledge flows within a multinational company (MNC)?

This empirical study has been carried out as an explorative single case study. An MNC with 15 foreign subsidiaries headquartered in Turkey, which operated in the manufacturing of household appliances and consumer electronics, has been selected as the case. Knowledge transfer is analyzed in this MNC from the network perspective.

Four role typologies are detected for subsidiaries of the MNC: collector transmitter, collector diffuser, converter transmitter and converter diffuser.

Findings of this study are specific to this case. Testing the findings in a sample consisting of subsidiaries of MNCs producing transnational products may contribute to the generalizability of these roles.

This study offers potentially important findings for MNC managers to use. First, in this study, knowledge flows' route could be defined within MNCs’ dual network. Second, role typologies could inform MNC managers to design their MNCs’ knowledge network.

The suggested typologies are expected to more accurately define the roles of subsidiaries within contemporary MNCs which are accepted to be transformed from hierarchical structures to network-based organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to study the role of slack (both moderating and mediating) to stimulate the relationship between total quality management (TQM) factors and innovation outcomes relative to gaining competitive industry advantages.

The research methodology includes a multi-item scale questionnaire completed in three waves between 2016 and 2017, and later analysed in 2018. A final response rate of 29.5 per cent was obtained, representing 190 organisations from both manufacturing and service industries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the multi-collinearity, moderation and mediation analysis.

Analysis confirmed that factors such as continuous improvement (CI), human resource management (HRM) and information measurement (IM) were positively linked to innovation. However, when slack was introduced as a moderator, innovation outcomes were stimulated through HRM and IM. The results indicate that slack acts as a full mediator for management leadership but only partially mediates supplier quality, IM, CI, HRM and process management.

In terms of geographical coverage, research was limited to the UAE. Organisations striving for excellence through innovation may benefit from the outcomes, as they help in understanding the relationship between TQM and innovation moderated and/or mediated by slack. This could also lead businesses to develop new strategies that harmonise TQM policies with “rationale” slack policies, thus, promoting innovation.

This study is the first to examine the use of slack to stimulate the relationship between TQM factors and innovation outcomes. Using slack as a mediator can help in understanding when TQM might influence innovation, while slack as a moderator could invert the relationship between the two.

The purpose of this study is to experimentally investigate the trends in shock wave Mach number that were observed when different diaphragm material combinations were used in the small-scale shock tube.

A small-scale shock tube was designed and fabricated having a maximum Mach number production capacity to be 1.5 (theoretically). Two microphones attached in the driven section were used to calculate the shock wave Mach number. Preliminary tests were conducted on several materials to obtain the respective bursting pressures to decide the final set of materials along with the layered combinations.

According to the results obtained, 95 GSM tracing paper was seen to be the strongest reinforcing material, followed by 75 GSM royal executive bond paper and regular 70 GSM paper for aluminium foil diaphragms. The quadrupled layered diaphragms revealed a variation in shock Mach number based on the position of the reinforcing material. In quintuple layered combinations, the accuracy of obtaining a specific Mach number was seen to be increasing. Optimization of the combinations based on the production of the shock wave Mach number was carried out.

The shock tube was designed taking maximum incident shock Mach number as 1.5, the experiments conducted were found to achieve a maximum Mach number of 1.437. Thus, an extension to further experiments was avoided considering the factor of safety.

The paper presents a detailed study on the effect of change in the material and its position in the layered diaphragm combinations, which could lead to variation in Mach numbers that are produced. This could be used to obtain a specific Mach number for a required study accurately, with a low-cost setup.