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The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry supply chains (SCs) in emerging markets. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of these external stakeholders’ elements to the demand-side and supply-side drivers and barriers for improving competitiveness of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry in the way of analyzing supply chain. Considering the phenomenon of recent change in the RMG business environment and the competitiveness issues this study uses the principles of stakeholder and resource dependence theory and aims to find out some factors which influence to make an efficient supply chain for improving competitiveness. The RMG industry of Bangladesh is the case application of this study. Following a positivist paradigm, this study adopts a two phase sequential mixed-method research design consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. Qualitative field study is then carried out to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. A survey is carried out with sample of top and middle level executives of different garment companies of Dhaka city in Bangladesh and the collected quantitative data are analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling. The findings support eight hypotheses. From the analysis the external stakeholders’ elements like bureaucratic behavior and country risk have significant influence to the barriers. From the internal stakeholders’ point of view the manufacturers’ and buyers’ drivers have significant influence on the competitiveness. Therefore, stakeholders need to take proper action to reduce the barriers and increase the drivers, as the drivers have positive influence to improve competitiveness.

This study has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study represents an important contribution to the theory by integrating two theoretical perceptions to identify factors of the RMG industry’s SC that affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. This research study contributes to the understanding of both external and internal stakeholders of national and international perspectives in the RMG (textile and clothing) business. It combines the insights of stakeholder and resource dependence theories along with the concept of the SC in improving effectiveness. In a practical sense, this study certainly contributes to the Bangladeshi RMG industry. In accordance with the desire of the RMG manufacturers, the research has shown that some influential constructs of the RMG industry’s SC affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. The outcome of the study is useful for various stakeholders of the Bangladeshi RMG industry sector ranging from the government to various private organizations. The applications of this study are extendable through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.

This study was conducted to analyse the socio-ecological problems faced by the Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary and understand its potential and challenges for developing ecotourism following Triple Bottom Line (TBL) principles. The study also benchmarked best ecotourism practices across the globe to create an ecotourism plan that would provide alternative livelihood and help in sustainable management of the area by reducing poverty, dependency on forests and biodiversity protection.

Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary was chosen because this area has several socio-ecological crises with limited livelihood options, and there is an urgent need for alternative livelihood opportunities in the form of ecotourism. The study followed an ethnographic approach through observation, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews. Content and thematic analysis was conducted through Atlas Ti9.0 software for data analysis. Subsequently, benchmarking best ecotourism practices through a literature review was done to develop an ecotourism action plan.

The First finding was related to the study area divided into three themes: problems, potential for ecotourism development, and challenges for ecotourism development. The second finding was related to benchmarking best practices and suggesting an action plan.

This work studied an area not sufficiently acknowledged by academicians and policymakers concerning ecotourism development. The work also benchmarks the best practices for ecotourism and proposes a sight-specific ecotourism action plan in accordance with TBL.

While COVID-19 temporarily created worldwide immobility, the gradual opening up of borders spurred one of the largest return migration episodes ever, and it continues to this day. Disappearing jobs, decreasing wages, inadequate social protection systems and networks, xenophobia, wage theft and overall uncertainty are among the prominent factors that have influenced this movement. Emigrants from the Gulf-India Migration Corridor were particularly affected by these forces and returned en masse, uncertain of their future. When people come back to their home country after living abroad, particularly due to exogenous shocks, it raises concerns about whether their decision to return was truly voluntary, their ability to adjust to being back home and the long-term effects on their reintegration. Additionally, it is uncertain what kind of impact return migrants have on their home country’s development. In this chapter, the authors examine the recent trend of return migration since the outbreak of COVID-19 and how it affects the Gulf-India corridor. The authors also take a closer look at the state of Kerala through a unique survey conducted by the authors and provide possible future scenarios for emigration in this region, along with recommendations for policy.

Introduction: The bank plays a significant role in financial intermediation and serves as market-makers and agents. The emergence of new financial technology, commonly known as “FinTech”, is anticipated to revolutionize these industries. FinTech encompasses technological advancements in the financial sector to enhance consumer satisfaction, streamline operational procedures, create novel products, and foster greater competition.

Purpose: The primary aim is to discuss the banking industry’s current and potential future state with the emergence of financial technology. The specific objective is to explore the emergence of new-age technologies in the banking industry and the challenges faced in their implementation.

Methodology: A qualitative method is employed to analyze the FinTech landscape. Researchers conducted an extensive literature review and analyzed recent news articles to explore the banking industry’s digital transformation through FinTech. The literature review encompassed academic journals, industry reports, and relevant books to provide a theoretical framework and historical context to capture current developments, real-world applications, and emerging trends.

Findings: The evolution and impact of financial technology on the global economic landscape have been explored. It highlights how FinTech innovations, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and mobile payments, have revolutionized traditional banking, enhancing efficiency, accessibility, and security. It discusses regulatory challenges and the need for a balanced approach to foster innovation while ensuring consumer protection. The findings underscore FinTech’s potential to drive economic growth and the importance of continuous adaptation to evolving technological trends.

The research of Swarts in Belgium in the early nineties underlines organic fluorine chemistry and the industry that has grown around it. Swarts and co‐workers studied the reaction of antimony trifluoride with chlorine‐containing hydrocarbons in great deals as a means of replacing chlorine with fluorine.

The implementation of value management (VM) principles in stealth construction projects is explored comprehensively in the chapter. It elucidated how VM positively influences various facets of construction, including environmental protection, health and safety, project delivery duration, economy, and aesthetics. Applying VM techniques, such as proactive risk management, resource optimisation, and stakeholder collaboration, is essential for achieving project objectives while ensuring sustainability, efficiency, and stakeholder satisfaction. Furthermore, the chapter emphasises VM’s benefits, challenges, and relevance across all stages of the construction lifecycle, from pre-construction planning to post-construction evaluation, underscoring its integral role in driving continuous improvement and innovation in the construction industry. Overall, the discourse emphasises the importance of VM in optimising outcomes and maximising value in stealth construction projects.

This study aims to overcome the “time blind spot” by exploring the multifactorial synergistic effects that enhance the utilization levels of open government data (OGD) portals over time. The objective is to provide theoretical contributions and practical value for research related to open government data.

This study applies the dynamic qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method to analyze panel data from 29 municipal portals spanning 2019–2023. Specifically, it examines the trends in the utilization levels of China’s OGD portals over time and identifies configurations of conditions that consider both spatial and temporal factors.

There are no necessary but insufficient conditions affecting the utilization levels of OGD portals. Instead, rather than being controlled by a single factor, the utilization levels are influenced by the combined effect of multiple factors. A sufficiency analysis of condition combinations identifies three configuration paths: portal and data resource development driven by fiscal support, portal development and public demand driven by government leadership and portal and data resource development driven by government leadership. In particular, the level of data portal development is identified as a core factor in achieving high utilization levels of OGD portals. Furthermore, while the configuration analysis results do not show significant temporal effects, there are case effects caused by a certain degree of spatial differences.

This pioneering study combines the dynamic QCA method based on panel data with the theme of OGD. Using panel data from 29 municipal platforms over the period from 2019 to 2023, this research addresses the shortcomings of limited time frames that have been encountered in previous studies. Moreover, it explores the configurational paths to enhancing platform utilization over time, aiming to provide both theoretical contributions and practical value for research related to the utilization of OGD portals.

In a wireless sensor network (WSN), the sensor nodes are distributed in the network, and in general, they are linked through wireless intermediate to assemble physical data. The nodes drop their energy after a specific duration because they are battery-powered, which also reduces network lifetime. In addition, the routing process and cluster head (CH) selection process is the most significant one in WSN. Enhancing network lifetime through balancing path reliability is more challenging in WSN. This paper aims to devise a multihop routing technique with developed IIWEHO technique.

In this method, WSN nodes are simulated originally, and it is fed to the clustering process. Meanwhile, the CH is selected with low energy-based adaptive clustering model with hierarchy (LEACH) model. After CH selection, multipath routing is performed by developed improved invasive weed-based elephant herd optimization (IIWEHO) algorithm. In addition, the multipath routing is selected based on certain fitness functions like delay, energy, link quality and distance. However, the developed IIWEHO technique is the combination of IIWO method and EHO algorithm.

The performance of developed optimization method is estimated with different metrics, like distance, energy, delay and throughput and achieved improved performance for the proposed method.

This paper presents an effectual multihop routing method, named IIWEHO technique in WSN. The developed IIWEHO algorithm is newly devised by incorporating EHO and IIWO approaches. The fitness measures, which include intra- and inter-distance, delay, link quality, delay and consumption of energy, are considered in this model. The proposed model simulates the WSN nodes, and CH selection is done by the LEACH protocol. The suitable CH is chosen for transmitting data through base station from the source to destination. Here, the routing system is devised by a developed optimization technique. The selection of multipath routing is carried out using the developed IIWEHO technique. The developed optimization approach selects the multipath depending on various multi-objective functions.

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the relationship between organizational commitment (OC) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as mediated by employee engagement (EE). The impact of different facets of OC (affective, continuance and normative) and EE (alignment, affectiveness and action-orientation) is examined with respect to OCB.

Insights from the literature underpin the hypotheses on how EE mediates the relationship between OC and OCB. Primary data using survey questionnaire were collected from 881 permanent employees of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in India. Hayes' model 4 has been used for the mediation analysis.

The analyses show that only one facet of OC- affective commitment and the alignment and action-orientation dimensions of EE positively affect OCB. The relationship between OC and OCB is fully mediated by EE.

The results imply that engaging employees is pivotal for effectively fostering citizenship behavior among employees. Organizations should be willing to implement strategies and interventions which enhance the emotional experience of employees to foster a sense of belongingness with the organization and engage them.

The paper draws on a unique data set of a prestigious organization in India to provide insights with substantial degree of generalizability into the relationship between OC, OCB and EE, whilst applying a comprehensive definition of these constructs. It is the first study to examine the inter-relationship among different facets of these constructs.

With the continuous development of the global COVID-19 epidemic, mobile learning has become one of the most significant learning approaches. The mobile learning resource is the basis of mobile learning; it may directly affect the effectiveness of mobile learning. However, the current learning resources cannot meet users' needs. This study aims to analyze the influencing factors of accepting open data as learning resources among users.

Based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), this study proposed a comprehensive theoretical research model. Data were obtained from 398 postgraduates from several universities in central China. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the reliability and validity of the measurement model. Data has been analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software.

The results suggested that perceived usefulness, performance expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions have a positive influence on accepting open data as learning resources. Perceived ease of use was not found significant. Moreover, it was further shown in the study that behavioural intention significantly influenced the acceptance of open data as learning resources.

There is a lack of research on open data as learning resources in developing countries, especially in China. This study addresses the gap and helps us understand the acceptance of open data as learning resources in higher education. This study also pays attention to postgraduates' choice of learning resources, which has been little noticed before. Additionally, this study offers opportunities for further studies on the continuous usage of open data in higher education.