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The purpose of this paper is to explore the applicability of technology acceptance model (TAM) to explain the widespread acceptance and usage of social media (SM) for travel purposes by Indian outbound leisure travellers during their travel cycle.

The study has adopted a qualitative approach involving in-depth interviews of 30 respondents, who had taken at least one international vacation in the last 12 months. Content analysis was used to arrive at the conclusion.

Findings of the study are used to develop a conceptual model which upholds the validity of the TAM with perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU) as determinants of SM usage. The model has been extended to include perceived trust (PT) and social capital (SC) as important constructs to explain the travellers’ use of SM. Disposition readiness (DR) of the user towards SM was found to have an effect on all the four constructs.

Theoretically, this study suggests a modification to the existing TAM, which shows a unidirectional effect of PU and PEU on attitude. This study suggests that the effect would be bi-directional where the attitude (DR) of the traveller towards SM usage will affect PU and PEU. Furthermore, this study extends the TAM to include PT and SC as important constructs to explain SM usage by travellers. This study provides valuable insights into the hospitality and tourism sector which might help in further segmentation of travellers leading to more customised service offerings.

After each of the COVID-19-induced lockdowns, an unprecedented surge in leisure travel was observed, resulting in tourists flocking to places of tourist interest. This phenomenon was termed revenge travel in popular literature. The purpose of this study is to explore the phenomenon of revenge travel in detail through an academic lens. It examines the psychological and emotional motivations for revenge travel while studying the differences in travel behaviour pre- and post-pandemic.

The study applies an interpretive phenomenological approach to explore post-pandemic travel behaviour. Data were collected via personal in-depth semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the transcripts was conducted to arrive at discussion themes.

Drawing on the established theories, the findings of the study indicate that lockdown fatigue coupled with mortality salience induced individuals towards leisure travel. This in turn led to mood alleviation and compensation for the deprivation undergone.

The study reveals important insights into post-pandemic preferences of travel destinations (off-beat locations near urban clusters), accommodation options (more travellers choosing home stays and stand-alone properties) and vacation itineraries (a gradual shift towards slow tourism with more focus on immersive experiences). Further, there are indications that hotels may develop “workcations” and “staycations” as a new line of offering.

The study adds to the small body of knowledge on revenge travel. It adopts a phenomenological approach, thereby capturing the “lived experiences” of the participants and providing an in-depth look into the psychological and emotional motivations of revenge travel that have not been explored previously. The study provides insights into the travellers' psychology post a period of withdrawal and restraint.

This chapter takes on the role of the metaverse in skill development, such as skilling, reskilling, and upskilling in the digital age. Metaverse is instrumental in revolutionizing skill development in the digital age and bringing the paradigm shift in learning. This chapter will cover the capability of the metaverse to transform the ways of learning and developing skills in the evolving digital landscape. Individuals can be part of tailor-made solutions for their needs through innovative methodologies and interactive experiences. This chapter takes through real cases to get deeper insights about conventional methods that transform how an individual experiences learning to acquire skills to get exposed to the rapidly changing digital world, allowing people to customize their learning experiences to adapt their unique requirements through cutting-edge methodologies and digitally responsive encounters. It then deliberates the importance of the metaverse in the individual-led industry in a manner that allows people to reach their potential. Individuals succeed in the evolution of the metaverse dynamic by continually upskilling granted to them.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the leadership style of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) and perceived organizational climate of an Indian public sector bank.

For the present study data were collected using mixed-method approach including both semi-structured interview and inventories. Sample included the top, middle, and senior-middle level officials of the bank.

Data were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics. Findings indicated that: the perceived leadership style of CMD is a combination of transformational leadership and positive leadership; there is a positive organizational climate prevalent in the bank; and positive transformational leadership style of CMD has played a considerable role in the development of positive organizational climate in the bank.

Present study provides valuable insights regarding contemporary leadership style in an Indian organization which is the combination of both positive and transformational leadership style and its contribution to building positive organizational climate.

Metaverse is one of the technologies that has the most promise for the future. However, there is less discussion about teaching using the metaverse. It is possible that most of the educators are ignorant of the metaverse’s features and its potential uses. The objective of this chapter is to define the metaverse precisely and discusses the various applications, characteristics, and challenges of metaverse in Education. This chapter explores the pioneering efforts in leveraging the metaverse for educational purposes, highlighting key examples and their impact on the learning experience. The possible applications of metaverse and research encounters in context to education are further reviewed and then explained and included the Artificial Intelligence (AI) functions in the world of metaverse along with learning based on metaverse. Researchers in the domains of educational technology and computer science shall advance an inclusive insight of the metaverse and its potential applications in education using various metaverse techniques like gamified learning, virtual learning, etc. Also, the metaverse role in education starting from the perception of AI has been covered.

The Metaverse, an emergent Web 3.0 platform, offers users immersive virtual reality experiences. This study employs a case study approach to explore the concept of sustainability within the Metaverse. It examines the environmental, social, and economic implications of virtual interactions and the role of sustainable technologies in shaping user behavior and virtual economies. Through selected case studies, the research provides insights into the potential and challenges of integrating sustainable practices in the Metaverse, with implications for stakeholders ranging from policymakers to end-users.

Vadderas are an indigenous community, from the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, India, and are basically soil-diggers and stonecutters by occupation. As per folklores, they were king’s men once upon a time who lost their glory eventually. Their women enjoyed an affluent lifestyle and were reportedly physically active and went for small game very often. Men were a warrior class, and the folklores prove that they fought with valor but moved to forests after they lost wars and were at the mercy of their enemy. To save face, they became forest dwellers and gradually became construction-site laborers which brought transitions in their family structures. In earlier times, they had good progeny, but with lapse of time and over generations, they are conscious of family planning. In this chapter, the authors discuss the transitions in family structure as observed from the field among the Vadderas. A narrative style of discussion is adopted wherein first the family and its importance and reasons for its disintegration are discussed followed by approaches of study of prominent anthropologists/sociologists. Focus is drawn on Vadderas, and the granularities are discussed in a deconstructive manner, that is, going in detail and linking of current practices to the ones in the past and as mentioned in the folklores so as to understand the transitions evident in family structures of Vadderas. Ethnographic account has been knitted with this deconstructive approach as the authors observed the Vadderas from close corners. This chapter ends with summing of current trends as evident in the field.

This chapter reviews the Metaverse’s inception and digitalization’s impact on the fashion and apparel retail industry. This review demonstrates how digital clothing rooted in the Metaverse assists industry environmental sustainability, the planet, and consumers, providing business strategies for growth through research in theory and an analysis of practices. Virtual checkout uses digital tools to help marketers and designers better understand their target audience. In the foreseeable future, the Metaverse of our works will be a well-known and safe space for budding designers. Designers will find it much simpler to bring their concepts to life thanks to the immediate relationship that Metaverse technology creates with humans.

Eco-friendly methods and technology found in the Metaverse will transform the industry. Expanding acceptance of Metaverse could lead to a 97% decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide in approximately per item 4,000 L of water, reducing its carbon footprint by around thirty percent during the company’s design and development phases.

Digital apparel may be extremely helpful leading up to the real physical manufacturing of a garment, applied to sampling, marketing and modeling prior the actual variants are put into manufacturing, significantly lowering the environmental impact of a clothing item’s entire lifecycle. Computer-generated representations of clothing cannot replace real garments entirely, and they can help reduce waste and help address overproduction-related difficulties.

This chapter clarifies how digital fashion based on the Metaverse assists business environmental sustainability, users, and acts as a resource to improve approaches.