Prem Chand, T.A.V. Murthy and K. Prakash
Purpose ‐ Reports on the INFLIBNET sponsored conference on the Promotion of Library Automation and Networking (PLANNER) in North Eastern Region of India…
Abstract
Purpose ‐ Reports on the INFLIBNET sponsored conference on the Promotion of Library Automation and Networking (PLANNER) in North Eastern Region of India. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Provides a brief report of the conference held in November 2004. Findings ‐ Those professionals and participants at this conference were able to update their knowledge and experiences. More than 150 professionals from Manipur and other states in the region and also from neighboring Bangladesh took part. There was also diversity among the authors of the papers with more than half being women. Originality/value ‐ Outlines the main points of a conference of interest to information management professionals.
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Prem Chand and Suresh K. Chauhan
The purpose of this article is to describe the union databases maintained by the INFLIBNET for university libraries in India. INFLIBNET maintains union databases of serials…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to describe the union databases maintained by the INFLIBNET for university libraries in India. INFLIBNET maintains union databases of serials, books, theses and an “experts” database. Efforts to collect the raw data, maintain it and make it available to the end user via the internet are also discussed.
Design/methodology/approach
The article describes the workflow of maintaining union databases and the steps involved are discussed. Various software are being used to provide a systematic approach to these databases and to ensure that the searching for needed documents is user friendly; the user should be able to go automatically to the document supply system with a single click of the mouse button.
Findings
If the library system is large, it becomes most important to know the location of documents. The Indian educational system is one of the largest in the world. INFLIBNET maintains union databases of various types of documents for more than 150 university libraries and membership is growing rapidly to accommodate all university and college libraries. Many best procedures on bibliographic standards and guidelines have been adopted and are updated regularly. UniCat, an in house software package has been used to process bibliographic raw data which is then hosted on the website for access by users.
Originality/value
This article is significant to researchers and librarians in India and also more widely.
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The purpose of this paper is to describe the initiative of the University Grants Commission of India in setting up the Infonet Digital Library Consortium (The Information and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the initiative of the University Grants Commission of India in setting up the Infonet Digital Library Consortium (The Information and Library Network) in order to provide access to scholarly communication to the academic community in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The context of higher education in India and the expansion and establishment of universities under the five‐year plan is given along with details of e‐resources that are being provided. The usage trends of e‐resources from various publishers during 2004‐2007 are detailed.
Findings
The paper finds that there has been a qualitative increase in overall usage, but use is also dependent on a high‐bandwidth connection.
Originality/value
The study provides evidence of increased use of consortial services for access to e‐resources in Indian higher education.
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The paper seeks to emphasize the necessity of evaluating the library resources in terms of their quality, cost benefit and usefulness.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to emphasize the necessity of evaluating the library resources in terms of their quality, cost benefit and usefulness.
Design/methodology/approach
In the context of subscribing to the latest e‐journal databases in university libraries, different types of usage studies are discussed, including the recent application of usage log data or vendor reports. The genesis, standardization of usage reports and the significance of COUNTER statistics in establishing the usefulness of the e‐journals are described. The use of various electronic databases by the University of Hyderabad academic community is referred to according to these statistics/reports, mentioning the way in which it is helpful to university library in assessing their actual usage and usefulness.
Findings
The paper highlights the application of usage reports by the university library in decision making during renewals/subscriptions, i.e. the selection of databases, upgrading the versions, increasing licences, cancellation of subscriptions, etc.
Practical implications
All in all, it is established that the usage reports are to be taken as a support to library decision‐making activity, since it reflects the true value of e‐journals/databases.
Originality/value
This study provides necessary direction to library management regarding the utilization of log data for assessing the true value of e‐journals/databases. Thus the usage statistics can be studied and this analysis will invariably support the complex decision‐making activity of serials management in university libraries.
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Sanjeev Gupta and Sachin Kashyap
– The paper aims to evaluate different artificial neural network models and to suggest a suitable model for forecasting inflation in G-7 countries.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to evaluate different artificial neural network models and to suggest a suitable model for forecasting inflation in G-7 countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The study applies different combinations of neural networks with hyperbolic tangent function using backpropagation learning with the steepest gradient descent technique to monthly data on Consumer Price Index (a measure of inflation) of the USA, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.
Findings
Predictions of inflation based on the Consumer Price Index for all the seven countries divulged that it is expected that the rate of inflation will decline marginally in the near future.
Practical implications
The results proposed in this study will be a benchmark for policy-makers, economists and practitioners to forecast inflation and design policies accordingly.
Originality/value
The paper’s findings provide strong evidence for policy-makers that while constructing models for forecasting inflation, the suggested models can be used to track the future rates of inflation and, further, they can apply that model in framing policies.
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Jessika Eichler and Sumit Sonkar
The CoViD-19 pandemic has brought about a panoply of institutional challenges both domestically and in the international arena. Classical constitutional theory thereby underwent a…
Abstract
Purpose
The CoViD-19 pandemic has brought about a panoply of institutional challenges both domestically and in the international arena. Classical constitutional theory thereby underwent a reinvention by the executive for the sake of speedy policy action and to the detriment of institutional control while favouring authoritarian forms of governance. This paper concerns itself with institutional responses to such developments, placing emphasis on the role of the judiciary and people*s in contesting emergency decrees and other executive orders, especially where fundamental rights are infringed upon. The paper aims to explore the difficulties arising with exerting absolute executive powers during the health crisis, the respective role assumed by constitutional courts and the impact of the new governance paradigm on forms of public contestation, also as a means of quasi institutional control.
Design/methodology/approach
Indeed, the right to health may be translated into political discourse and become foundational to security and public interest paradigms. This may result in a shrinking public space given the constraints to the freedom of movement. In the name of public safety, the (collective) right to assembly, expression and protest have been submitted to major limitations in that regard.
Findings
Ultimately, this re-opens debates on the meaning of absolute rights and contextualities of derogations, as well as the reconcilability of civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights. It also exposes social inequalities, social justice dimensions and vulnerabilities, often exacerbated by the health crisis; migrant rights demonstrably face particularly severe and intersectional forms of violations.
Originality/value
Particular values lie with the interdisciplinary approach embraced in this paper; the authors draw on a variety of social sciences disciplines to shed light on this very current issue. Both theoretical and empirical methods are used and combined here, making sense of the underlying logic of virus governance and its impacts on fundamental rights.
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Kaveri Kala, Nomesh B. Bolia and Sushil
The purpose of this paper is to determine the socio-economic factors related to household solid waste generation and its type based on field surveys in South Delhi Municipal…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the socio-economic factors related to household solid waste generation and its type based on field surveys in South Delhi Municipal Corporation area in Delhi, India.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper develops a framework to systematically identify the socio-economic factors related to household waste generation and its type. The framework uses both primary and secondary data. The primary data are collected through the instruments of questionnaire and interviews, and the secondary data are collected from the literature available in public domain. Multinomial logistic models are developed. The models are analyzed using the SPSS software version 22.0.
Findings
The study reports that socio-economic parameters like monthly income of the family, number of family members, occupation, education are statistically significant predictors. Further, detailed disaggregated models reveal more insights that are not apparent otherwise, such as the number of females can also be a significant factor for a targeted socio-economic group.
Practical implications
The results can help in forecasting the resource requirement for waste collection, establishment of processing facilities and other policy planning measures for effective waste management, as summarized in the discussion.
Originality/value
A systematic process to determine resource requirement according to socio-economic (and consequently spatial) group constitute an important component of the novelty of this study. Further, it provides new insights on the role of various socio-economic factors in determining the quantity and composition of household waste, e.g. quantity and type of waste can also be affected by male and female qualification within a socio-economic category.
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Veepan Kumar, Ravi Shankar and Prem Vrat
In today’s uncertain business environment, Industry 4.0 is regarded as a viable strategic plan for addressing a wide range of manufacturing-related challenges. However, it appears…
Abstract
Purpose
In today’s uncertain business environment, Industry 4.0 is regarded as a viable strategic plan for addressing a wide range of manufacturing-related challenges. However, it appears that its level of adoption varies across many countries. In the case of a developing economy like India, practitioners are still in the early stages of implementation. The implementation of Industry 4.0 appears to be complex, and it must be investigated holistically in order to gain a better understanding of it. Therefore, an attempt has been made to examine the Industry 4.0 implementation for the Indian manufacturing organization in a detailed way by analyzing the complexities of relevant variables.
Design/methodology/approach
SAP-LAP (situation-actor-process and learning-action-performance) and an efficient interpretive ranking process (e-IRP) were used to analyze the various variables influencing Industry 4.0 implementation. The variables were identified, as per SAP-LAP, through a thorough review of the literature and based on the perspectives of various experts. The e-IRP has been used to prioritize the selected elements (i.e. actors with respect to processes and actions with respect to performance) of SAP-LAP.
Findings
This study ranked five stakeholders according to their priority in Industry 4.0 implementation: government policymakers, industry associations, research and academic institutions, manufacturers and customers. In addition, the study also prioritized important actions that need to be taken by these stakeholders.
Practical implications
The results of this study would be useful in identifying and managing the various actors and actions related to Industry 4.0 implementation. Accordingly, their prioritized sequence would be useful to the practitioners in preparing the well-defined and comprehensive strategic roadmap for Industry 4.0.
Originality/value
This study has adopted qualitative and quantitative approaches for identifying and prioritizing different variables of Industry 4.0 implementation. This, in turn, helps the stakeholder to comprehend the concept of Industry 4.0 in a much simpler way.
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Mahesh Joshi, Prem W. Senarath Yapa and Diane Kraal
The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of professional accountants from three countries from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in order to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of professional accountants from three countries from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in order to evaluate their perceived benefits associated with the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in their respective nations as well as the implications of these standards for the accounting and auditing professions in their country of practice. It also explores the extent to which the adoption of IAS/IFRS accounting standards have been supported by the state, media and local professional accounting bodies.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses survey approach to seek perceptions of professional accountants in these three countries with a view to understanding their perceptions regarding the socio-economic issues related to the adoption of the IFRS and role of social institutions. The study also uses appropriate statistical tests for interpretation of the data.
Findings
The analysis of the data shows that accounting professionals in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia strongly supported IFRS adoption; their opinions did not differ significantly by place of training, experience or professional qualifications. Respondents agreed that their countries benefited economically from harmonisation with global accounting standards. The surveyed accountants believed that pressure from international agencies was instrumental in the adoption of IFRS in the region. The findings also show that governments, the media and professional accounting bodies have supported the adoption, communication and application of IFRS.
Originality/value
This is the first study examining the role of social and professional institutions in the adoption of the IFRS and one which also provides an inter-country comparison of accountant’s perspectives on adoption of the IFRS among three ASEAN countries.