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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the overall morbidity prevalence and their differentials among emigrants’ and non-emigrants’ wives in Kerala, India.

The study is based on the third round of The Kerala Migration Survey-2007 data. The third round of KMS was perhaps the first survey which has collected data on Indian emigration and morbidity scenario during 2007 at the household and individual level. Descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression models, and Oaxaca decomposition models were used to examine the disease differentials among emigrants’ and non-emigrants’ wives.

The paper shows that household size is negatively associated with chronic disease and incidence of morbidity is much lower among emigrants’ wives. The result also shows that among women, those who stay with a husband or whose husbands are elsewhere in India show a higher incidence of morbidity than those whose husbands are abroad, owing to the limited scope of activity as well as freedom in lifestyle and for taking independent decisions. Thus, it can be concluded that for women, the scope of activity and the freedom to live are important factors contributing to the level of morbidity. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition results show that non-poor households and non-Muslim religion are in a disadvantageous position in terms of chronic morbidity.

This paper is based on the cross-sectional nature of data; this is an obvious limitation on the effect of emigration on morbidity differentials among emigrants’ and non-emigrants’ wives.

There are few or rare studies conducted so far to investigate the effect of migration on the health of the spouses or families left behind.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and rank different dimensions of strategic orientation and firm’s performance using the approach of interpretive structural modeling.

The study uses interpretative structural modeling and the MICMAC technique to establish a hierarchical relationship among different dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and manufacturing performance of Indian SMEs.

The final outcome of interpretative structural modeling and the MICMAC analysis revealed a relationship between the variables under study along with the categorization of all in two different categories, depending upon their driving power and dependency, which decision-makers can also use while devising their strategy to improve performance.

To date, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no significant contribution about such interrelationship was reported; therefore, this study is one of its types to fill this gap.

The study is an attempt to explore much talked but less understood issue of “blockchain in logistics industry” in modern perspective. The customers' acceptance of blockchain technology in logistics and supply chain is tested through “Technology Acceptance Model” by using attitude, perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), behavioral intention and use behavior.

Data has been collected through online and offline medium, where active 240 responses have been collected finally using convenience sampling. Confirmatory factor analysis with structural equation modeling (SEM) was carried out for data analysis.

The customers' acceptance of blockchain technology in logistics and supply chain is tested through “Technology Acceptance Model.” The findings reveal model fit where PEOU, PU and attitude are the major constructs of the model to realize the substantial gains in logistics process efficiency.

Convenience sampling has been considered for the study to collect the data of online users of various technology applications for tracking and shipment detail, whereas a more specified method sampling can be considered for the future research. The study has been conducted in the Indian context, which has been considered as the limitation pertaining to generalization across countries and industries.

The findings of this study will be helpful for market practitioners to build transparency between customers and industry to overcome the frictions in logistics. Blockchain will help in monitoring the performance history and previous commitments of logistics professionals resulting in selecting a responsible logistics solution provider. Access to critical data by the authorized member of the supply chain will reduce unsubstantiated disputes.

Blockchain technology will be available to everyone on the network. This will bring transparency and help logistics professionals such as carriers, shippers and brokers to detect early frauds and prevent thefts. It will increase customer trust toward any financial transaction for tracking the ownership of titles.

Blockchain technology is envisioned to be a technology that could be a game-changer for decentralizing infrastructure, introducing transparency and building trust in the supply chain. The current study is a novel addition to the literature where blockchain technology enables the indisputable storage of verified data that was previously kept in safeguarded silos.

Market-driven skill development initiatives are essential in India as a large segment of its educated workforce is unemployed or unemployable, with little or no job skills. The “Skill India Mission” aims at endowing the youth with skills that can increase their employability and productivity in jobs. The success of the Mission depends on State-level initiatives in tandem with the Mission. This paper analyzes the impact of job offers extended to the youth of Jharkhand State as an outcome of State-level skill development initiatives. Its broad objective is to assist the Government in the delivery of skill-based training programs.

Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered across various districts of Jharkhand to capture the perceptions of trainees and training centers. The final sample of 498 had attended training in apparel, retail, security, automotive, food and beverage service, IT/ITES, electronics and construction.

Statistical analysis reveals a significant increase in the economic status of trainees after joining jobs. Other findings include apathy toward migration, a mismatch between skills gained and jobs, and a dearth of qualified trainers.

The authors recommend counseling and attitudinal restructuring of the youth, designing multi-skill training programs and promoting entrepreneurial spirit. The authors also propose a stakeholder-based approach for curriculum development to fill the demand–supply gap of training and ensure better trainee retention. The Government could benefit by focusing the skilling programs on the career adaptability of trainees. Skill development and vocational education and training may not operate in silos. Training programs could be planned to be conducted jointly through ITIs and State-level training institutions under the Skill India Mission.

This research could increase the effectiveness of skill development initiatives across India, thereby improving the socioeconomic status of the youth thus trained. The authors emphasize developing a people-centric perspective in skilling, shifting attention from the existing industry-driven approach, to strike a balance between the demand and supply sides. This perspective can optimize skill development initiatives by reducing the gap between employment demand and skill development.