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In the digital transformation era, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India face both opportunities and challenges in adopting Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies. To ensure successful I4.0 implementation, the study aims to develop a digital readiness assessment model based on stakeholders’ perceptions.

This research adopts a mixed-method framework to develop a comprehensive maturity model to assess the digital readiness of SMEs. The framework uses systematic literature review to comprehend I4.0 solution dimensions, followed by empirical validation of dimensions through a questionnaire survey and hypothesis formulation.

The digital readiness model is applied to companies working in four SME sectors, namely, automobile, machinery and equipment, pharmaceutical and agriculture. The findings highlight the necessity for sector-specific strategies to enhance digital capabilities, addressing unique challenges and leveraging opportunities for growth.

The proposed readiness assessment model, developed based on the 14 solution dimensions, 41 prerequisites and six levels, enables the respondents in SMEs to make factual assessments of their digital readiness and initiate efforts toward successful I4.0 implementation.

This research uniquely combines expert insights, multi-dimensional assessment and rigorous statistical validation to provide a robust conceptual framework for SMEs to navigate their digital transformation journey effectively.

In the context of promoting sustainable development in SMEs, the present study aims to investigate the relationship among solution dimensions based on the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) concept.

The study employs a comprehensive methodology that includes a systematic literature review, workshop, grounded theory and interpretive structural modeling. Various dimensions concerning I4.0 sustainability are tested and evaluated using a questionnaire design followed by hypothesis formulation. Further, grounded theory is used to extract the key solution dimensions that capture the essence of I4.0 implementation in SMEs. Finally, the solution dimensions for I4.0 sustainability are modeled using the ISM approach to understand the structural interdependencies among them, and Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Applied to a Classification (MICMAC) analysis is done to understand the driving and dependence power among these dimensions.

The study identified 14 solution dimensions for the implementation of I4.0 in SMEs for sustainable development. Out of the 14 solution dimensions, human resource training programs (D4) appear at level 11, followed by top management commitment (D1), strategic collaborations (D3) and coordination among key stakeholders (D5) at level 2 in the hierarchical interpretive structural modeling (ISM) model. Also, these dimensions have an effect size of more than 0.50 which indicates a substantial correlation between the sustainability dimensions and Industry 4.0 implementation in SMEs.

The study contributes to the overall goal of fostering sustainability within the SME sector, which can pave the way for various stakeholders for the successful implementation of I4.0 sustainable solution dimensions.

This case study is best suited for courses in career management, stress management, work–life management or science of well-being in organization behavior (OB) or human resources management (HRM). This case study is targeted at the MBA or executive development programs. The learning outcomes of this case study are as follows: to analyze the challenges in balancing Suraj Kumar’s (the protagonist) work–life balance situation and identifying the main causes of such a conflict. What are some strategies that could be used to address these issues? To develop a plan to balance work responsibilities with family and personal life. What specific actions could he take to achieve this balance? To design a training program for employees that addresses work–life balance issues. What topics would you cover in the training, and what methods would you use to deliver the content? To create a proposal for a flexible work arrangement program that an organization could offer to its employees. What would be the benefits of this program, and how would it be implemented and managed? To develop a business case for why an organization should prioritize work–life balance for its employees. What are the potential benefits of doing so, and how can the organization measure the impact of its efforts?

This case study discusses conflicts due to competitive priorities that people face in balancing the pressures, roles and responsibilities between their professional life (careers) and their personal life, and the trade-offs that they make across these multiple aspects of their lives. This case study revolves around Suraj Kumar, a successful consultant, who was offered a promotion as the executive director for the social sector. This promotion would require extensive travel and time away from his family. Kumar was struggling to balance his work responsibilities with his family life and his involvement with the Smile and Shine Foundation, which supports the education of children from economically weaker sections of society. He was reflecting on his past and present and trying to figure out how to prioritize his commitments while also achieving his personal and professional goals.

This research has shown that a case discussion and role-play can be effective for a less experienced audience. Instructors can provide multiple perspectives to stimulate reflection and debate. For executive MBA or executive development programs, a self-reflection exercise is recommended. Participants in these programs may have personal experience dealing with or may know others who have dealt with work–life balance issues, making self-reflection a valuable tool.

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CSS 6: Human resource management.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model of antecedents and consequences of service excellence (SE) in the retail industry.

Based on an extensive literature review, this paper has come up with the definition of potential antecedents and their consequences for SE in the retail service.

While the seven factors, service leadership, service culture, quality management and business excellence, service innovation, customer engagement, service brand image and service encounters have been proposed as antecedents of SE in retail service, employee loyalty, employee pride, customer delight, customer commitment and brand love, have been identified as consequences.

A major limitation of the study is that the developed model is not empirically validated.

The current research asserts that leadership in service firms has to build a professional service culture system in order to achieve business/competition advantages of SE.

This paper has emphasised that businesses cannot only act with the perspective of gaining short-term profit on every customer transaction. Customers have to be valued and firms have to focus on building long-term relationships with their customers.

This study has extended the research on SE by developing a new model with possible antecedents and outcomes in the retail context.

Innovation is becoming the key approach for firms to achieve sustainable competitive advantages. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether government public R&D subsidies have a positive impact on firms' private R&D investment (RDI) under globalization; this paper also investigates the impact of international trade on firms' private RDI in China.

The paper empirically tests the government support and international trade on firms' private RDI. An online survey was conducted as well as collaborated with the Department of Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province in 2006. The sample was obtained from more than 1,000 firms in high‐tech industries in Zhejiang province, and covers the year 2003‐2005. Linear regression was used for the firm‐level estimations.

The empirical results indicate that public R&D subsidies and disembodied technology imports positively and significantly impact on firms' private RDI, while non‐high‐tech product exports and embodied technology imports do not have positive effects. Moreover, the results show that high‐tech product exports are positively associated with firms' private RDI but not significantly.

The paper's findings extend the existing understanding of the determinants of firms' RDI in less developed countries, such as China. Moreover, unlike most extant studies, the authors investigate different types of exports and imports and their impacts on firms' RDI, respectively.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the dispersion and damping behaviors of Love-type waves propagating in an irregular fluid-saturated fissured porous stratum coated by a sandy layer.

Two cases are analyzed in this study. In case-I, the irregular fissured porous stratum is covered by a dry sandy layer, whereas in case-II, the sandy layer is considered to be viscous in nature. The method of separation of variables is incorporated in this study to acquire the displacement components of the considered media.

With the help of the suitable boundary conditions, the complex frequency relation is established in each case leading to two distinct equations. The real and imaginary parts of the complex frequency relation define the dispersion and attenuation properties of Love-type waves, respectively. Using the MATHEMATICA software, several graphical implementations are executed to illustrate the influence of the sandiness parameter, total porosity, volume fraction of fissures, fluctuation parameter, flatness parameters and ratio of widths of layers on the phase velocity and attenuation coefficient. Furthermore, comparison between the two cases is clearly framed through the variation of aforementioned parameters. Some particular cases in the presence and absence of irregular interfaces are also analyzed.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, although many articles regarding the surface wave propagation in different crustal layers have been published, the propagation of Love-type waves in a sandwiched fissured porous stratum with irregular boundaries is still undiscovered. Results accomplished in this analytical study can be employed in different practical areas, such as earthquake engineering, material science, carbon sequestration and seismology.

The present study aims to assess the effect of barriers and knowledge sharing facilitators on organisational innovation in Iraq. Fundamentally, this paper seeks to answer “whether knowledge sharing can improve organisational innovation in firms listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange”.

For the study, the research method is practical, in the form of an objective and descriptive survey. The study sample includes all financial managers of manufacturing companies listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange. The sampling method of the present study is based on Cochran comprising of 467 participants; a total number of 211 questionnaires were completed as the study's sample. This paper uses PLS tests to assess the effect of independent variables on dependent variables.

Results show that knowledge sharing barriers have no impact on the organisational innovation of firms listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange, but that knowledge sharing facilitators can enhance the organisational innovation of these firms.

This paper is the first study on the effect of barriers and knowledge sharing facilitators on organisational innovation of firms listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange, which is an emergent country with specific conditions (lack of specialised workforce and modern systematic infrastructure), therefore the results will provide helpful information that will contribute to the development of science and knowledge.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of a global challenge: the relationship between commercial development and the protection of eco-fragile systems particularly where river water is involved. It reviews and critiques the legal and political processes that underpinned the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2010 in Delhi and the building of the accommodation Village on the floodplain of the river Yamuna.

The paper covers the controversial modern history of the Yamuna river that runs through Delhi. The river is “dead” and has been subject to litigation concerning its usage and that of its flood plain. In particular, the controversy peaked prior to the CWG 2010 in Delhi and the required buildings associated with the games. The paper traces the history of the legal actions and the inter-related involvement of the various actors being the politicians, construction developers, the river bank dwellers and the local environmentalists. Close analysis is made of the statutory administrative procedures required for environmental clearance, the subsequent case law both in the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India. Additionally, usage is made of the media and its concerns over corrupt and negligent practices.

The Indian judiciary in their willingness to promote the construction of the Village failed to apply its own environmental jurisprudence. There was a failure to “lift the veil” and review flawed administrative practices that violated governing statutes. National pride, time pressures, political support, economic interests and rapid urbanisation created a pressure that the courts could not challenge. It was left to investigative committees, after the Games had concluded, to expose these wrongdoings.

The paper highlights the issue of the relationship of the courts and political and economic interests and how legally protected ecological interests are ignored.

This study aims to contribute by forming the concept of luxury hotel brand (four- and five-star hotel) coolness and revealing its promoting role to customer brand engagement with brand satisfaction and brand love as connecting components and materialism as a contingent factor.

A conditional model linking luxury hotel brand coolness and customer brand engagement is proposed and tested using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique on a data set of 284 customers.

Luxury hotel brand coolness reflecting various brand qualities fosters satisfaction and love, which facilitate CBE. Materialism positively moderates the impact of luxury hotel brand coolness on brand satisfaction and love.

Future studies should further generalize the findings by extending the current research on different hospitality services and luxury consumption. Also, more personality traits and personal values should be investigated as moderators.

Luxury hotel brand management should place brand coolness at the center of luxury hotel brand strategies.

This study fills in the gap of unraveling the central role of luxury hotel brand coolness in fostering customer brand engagement with brand satisfaction and love as catalysts and materialism as a contingent condition.

Entrepreneurship, Strategic Marketing, Retail Management.

It may be used in marketing/strategy/organisation behaviour courses of MBA programmes as well as in specific executive education programmes dealing with business strategy, sales and marketing, entrepreneurship and organisation behaviour.

In 2002, Rajan Chhibba co-founded Intrim Business Associates (IBA), a niche strategy consulting firm in India. IBA pitched for a consulting assignment for retail strategy/implementation with a steel manufacturer in India, where they were pitched against a large global consulting firm. After conducting a diagnostic study and reaching a stage where IBA had almost got the project, the client put forth a demand which was make-or-break for IBA. The case puts forth the questions faced by Rajan Chhibba at the time of replying to the client: How was IBA different from global consulting firms? Was IBA willing to compromise on quality of the project to reduce costs? Was reduction of price the only option for getting the project? What factors should Rajan Chhibba consider before making his final pitch?

This case may help students to: appreciate an entrepreneur's smart strategy up against formidable competition, analyse the resources crunch an entrepreneur faces and how he overcomes them, understand how organisations learn from their experience and appreciate the challenges in a competitive environment.

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