This study aims to endeavor to explore the extent of gender digital divide(GDD) in Uttar Pradesh (U.P., IT-Hub of North India), a most populous state of India, with a particular…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to endeavor to explore the extent of gender digital divide(GDD) in Uttar Pradesh (U.P., IT-Hub of North India), a most populous state of India, with a particular focus on the first and second order of digital divide, including availability, access time and use of the internet.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have adopted stratified multistage sampling procedure for this research and conducted an empirical study on the data set of 600 respondents of six districts of U.P. to perform the inter-regional analysis. Furthermore, χ2 method has been used to reveal the factors responsible for the GDD among selected districts of UP.
Findings
Statistical results clearly indicate that out of 12 sub-districts, most of the districts suffered from first order as well as second order of GDD, and this gender disparity within an increasing digitization environment is due to the existence of exclusion from basic technological skills, social norms and financial constraints.
Practical implications
The results have implications for the U.P. Government in general and policymakers behind digitization projects in particular as well as the promoters of gender equality including researchers and fellows.
Originality/value
This study is the first to illustrate the orders of the digital gender gap in a developing economy such as India and to gain an insight into the factors behind it. This research will also consider a promising avenue for future work.
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Kalpana Rajsinghot, Shashi Bala and Puja Singhal
Rural entrepreneurship is an important vehicle to drive sustainable rural development in India. The process of planning, starting, and operating a new business is termed as…
Abstract
Rural entrepreneurship is an important vehicle to drive sustainable rural development in India. The process of planning, starting, and operating a new business is termed as entrepreneurship. It has been described as having the ability and willingness to create, plan, and manage a business enterprise while accepting any risks involved to generate a profit. In India’s rural areas, enterprise and entrepreneurship are what fuel economic progress. A rural entrepreneur is someone who uses rural resources to develop products and establish enterprises that support the development of the rural economy and its growth potential. Although, these rural business owners encounter issues similar to those faced by urban business owners due to the rural setting in which they operate amplifies their difficulties. To reduce rural people’s migration and to support rural upliftment, it is necessary to encourage entrepreneurship and new employment opportunities. Consequently, rural entrepreneurship has the potential to greatly increase employment in rural areas. It is a more effective method of eradicating poverty and hunger, sustainable health and well-being, enhancing gender equality, quality education, decent work conditions, promoting innovation in industries, and ultimately reducing the inequalities which are mapped with the important agenda of the United Nation’s sustainable development goals (SDGs 2030). To bring about change, institutions must concentrate on the interactions between education, skill, entrepreneurship, and employment. This chapter explores the challenges and skills required for rural entrepreneurship in India, proposing a framework to enhance rural development through entrepreneurship.
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This chapter looks at the experiments of the Aam Aadmi Party led government’s initiatives in building teacher quality for its government schools in the capital city. Outlining the…
Abstract
This chapter looks at the experiments of the Aam Aadmi Party led government’s initiatives in building teacher quality for its government schools in the capital city. Outlining the contours of neoliberal influence on Indian education policy and its consequences on teacher quality, the chapter explores the political rationality that governs the case of Delhi. It does this by understanding the changing subjectivities of the school teachers within the educational reforms. The government schools in Delhi have been blamed for worsening school performance especially in student learning outcomes through basic educational tests conducted by various assessment and evaluation surveys. Among other reasons, poor teacher quality has been identified as one of the major causes of this poor performance of government school children. Therefore, gaps were identified in the teacher support system and efforts were made to revamp the system. The chapter brings out in detail how the state’s initiatives in educational reforms have produced paradoxical situations and unintended effects in practice as the state has retained a controlling role even though the reform strategies show a shift toward increasing autonomy and deregulation.
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S.H. Abbas, R.K. Srivastava, R.P. Tiwari and P. Bala Ramudu
This paper aims to demonstrate a Geographic Information System (GIS)‐based study on development of District Disaster Management System for floods for Allahabad Sadar Sub‐District…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to demonstrate a Geographic Information System (GIS)‐based study on development of District Disaster Management System for floods for Allahabad Sadar Sub‐District (India).
Design/methodology/approach
An approach has been designed to explore the scope for the combination of Disaster Management and GIS. The flood‐prone areas have been identified and their positions are marked using ArcView 9.1. GIS has been exploited to obtain the spatial information for the effective disaster management for flood‐affected areas.
Findings
ArcView 9.1 has been used as a tool for storing all types of relevant data for analysis and decision making. The various thematic maps include road network map, drinking water sources map, land use map, population density map, ward boundaries and location of slums.
Originality/value
The paper proposes evelopment of a GIS‐based early response system, and an emergency preparedness plan for the Allahabad Sadar sub‐district and also analysis of the impact of flood disasters in the region and its relationship to infrastructure development with a view to identifying how local governing bodies could be helped in addressing these issues. The proposed GIS‐based flood mitigation and management program would improve the current practices of disaster management process. If implemented properly, it would result in proper and quick decisions for the rescue and safety of the general public, which in turn would help in minimizing loss of life and property.
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Thi Minh Trang Tran, Kum Fai Yuen, Xueqin Wang and Kevin X. Li
Sustainable shipping management (SSM) has received much attention from shipping companies in recent years. Grounded on resource accumulation and orientation perspectives, this…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainable shipping management (SSM) has received much attention from shipping companies in recent years. Grounded on resource accumulation and orientation perspectives, this study aims to identify the antecedents of SSM and examine their effects on the performance (i.e. shippers' loyalty and financial performance) of shipping companies.
Design/methodology/approach
A model comprising a network of hypotheses that specifies the relationships between the antecedents, SSM, shippers' loyalty and financial performance was constructed. Subsequently, a survey questionnaire was designed. Survey data were then collected from 294 shipping companies located in Vietnam and analysed using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The findings indicate that the five antecedents have significant effects on the effectiveness of SSM. They are stakeholders' focus, strategic orientation, supply chain collaboration, sustainability resource development and sustainability technology development. Bootstrapping analysis indicates that SSM has significant direct and indirect effects on financial performance via shippers' loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
Applied perspectives are complementary and offer unique explanations to SSM. However, the orientation perspective offers stronger explanation. This study also improves the allocation of resources and capabilities in managing sustainability to enhance the organisational performance of shipping companies.
Originality/value
This study synthesises the sustainability and strategic management literature to identify the antecedents of SSM.
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Shashi, Myriam Ertz, Roberto Cerchione and Vikas Kumar
Despite the numerous benefits of digitalization, many business-to-business (B2B) firms have yet to rely on data-driven decision-making, wavering the decision to adopt digital…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the numerous benefits of digitalization, many business-to-business (B2B) firms have yet to rely on data-driven decision-making, wavering the decision to adopt digital marketing practices. Topical scholarship is scattered across disciplines, schools of thought and methodological approaches, leading to an inability to suggest better management practices. This study aims to review the extant B2B marketing digitalization literature and addresses these concerns.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper conducted a systematic literature review of 96 high-quality articles extracted from the Web of Science database. Thereafter, this paper carried out descriptive statistical and content analyses of these articles.
Findings
Six primary research streams have been identified, and 16 research propositions have been formulated to comprehensively overview the B2B marketing digitalization landscape. The study delves into the factors and barriers influencing the pace of B2B marketing digitalization, sales lead generation and sales performance. Additionally, it introduces B2B digital value creation frameworks, emphasizing the crucial role of marketing analytics and decision tools in effective B2B marketing. The research also underscores various digitalization strategies aimed at bridging the digitalization gap in B2B companies at both strategic and tactical levels. Finally, the study presents an agenda to stimulate future research on theoretical and managerial topics critical to enriching the field.
Originality/value
This research outlines 16 research propositions that could be further tested to get more detailed insights into the digitalization of B2B marketing. Additionally, practitioners, authorities and researchers in the field may find this review valuable as it provides a comprehensive overview of current research in the domain.
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Zobaida Khanam and Ratan Ghosh
The aim of the study has been performed to investigate the relationship between sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices and the cost performance of manufacturing…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the study has been performed to investigate the relationship between sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices and the cost performance of manufacturing firms in Bangladesh. Moreover, this paper highlights the key environment-friendly approaches and their association with financial performance in Bangladesh.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper empirically assesses sustainable supply chain performance using four major supply chain practices, including sustainable procurement, sustainable production, sustainable distribution and investment recovery, and compares it with the cost performance. Twenty-four variables were identified through different literature and distributed as a structured questionnaire among the managers appointed in different manufacturing firms in Bangladesh. An empirical study was conducted using the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to examine the hypothesized relationships.
Findings
The results find a positive relationship in two variables of sustainable supply chain practices, including sustainable procurement and investment recovery, while sustainable distribution negatively impacted cost performance. In addition, sustainable production found no effect on cost performance.
Research limitations/implications
The paper emphasizes the financial perspective of a sustainable supply chain without explicit consideration of sustainability's environmental and social dimensions.
Practical implications
This study has implications for the literature on the SSCM approaches of manufacturing firms in the least developed economies. In addition, this study could work as a guideline for some manufacturing industries that prefer a policy or standard to alter their traditional supply chain management system to a sustainable supply chain.
Originality/value
The paper provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the coordinated effect of SSCM practices on cost performance where variables of four specific activities of SSCM and cost performance are adopted from different studies. Further studies could be initiated, including some other eco-friendly supply chain variables, and the effect could be evaluated from an environmental perspective.
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Poverty, business strategy and sustainable development. International development planning and poverty alleviation strategies have moved beyond centralised, top-down approaches…
Abstract
Theoretical basis
Poverty, business strategy and sustainable development. International development planning and poverty alleviation strategies have moved beyond centralised, top-down approaches and now emphasise decentralised, community-based approaches that incorporate actors from the community, government, non-governmental agencies and business. Collective action by Bottom of the Pyramid residents gives them greater control in self-managing environmental commons and addressing the problems of environmental degradation. Co-creation and engaging in deep dialogue with stakeholders offer significant potential for launching new businesses and generating mutual value. The case study rests on the tenets of corporate social responsibility. It serves as an example of corporate best practices towards ensuring environmental sustainability and community engagement for providing livelihood support and well-being. It illustrates the tool kit for building community-based adaptive capacities against climate change.
Research methodology
The field-based case study was prepared from inputs received from detailed interviews of company functionaries. Company documents were shared by the company and used with their permission. Secondary data was accessed from newspapers, journal articles available online and information from the company website.
Case overview/synopsis
The case study is about the coming together of several vital agencies working in forest and wildlife conservation, climate change adaptation planning for ecosystems and communities, social upliftment and corporate social responsibility in the Kanha Pench landscape of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. The case traces several challenges. First, the landscape is degrading rapidly; it requires urgent intervention to revive it. Second, the human inhabitants are strained with debilitating poverty. Third, the long-term sustainability of the species of tigers living in the protected tiger reserves of Kanha and Pench needs attention as human-animal conflicts rise.
Complexity academic level
The case would help undergraduate and postgraduate students studying sustainability and corporate social responsibility.