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This research paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the ergonomic risks faced by employees in the IT industry who work from home (WFH). With the increasing prevalence of remote work, understanding and addressing ergonomic challenges are crucial to ensure the well-being, productivity and long-term health of IT professionals.

The data are gathered through a survey questionnaire which includes demographic factors, job-related factors, quick video display terminal (VDT) workspace evaluation factors, quick chair design usability evaluation factors and the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) in order to measure the ergonomic risks among them. The risk factors associated with each body part are determined using ordinal logistic regression.

Highest occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders was observed in the neck, hip and lower back among WFH employees. By identifying and prioritizing these risks, organizations and individuals can implement effective strategies to promote a healthy and ergonomic work environment for remote IT employees.

This research contributes new insights that will be helpful for researchers and practitioners working in the areas of ergonomic risks, improving performance of work from home employees and provides suggestions for future research to explore and enrich the existing knowledge base.

Ports handle a significant portion of international cargo, so the performance of ports plays a major role in the economic development of a country. This paper aims to study how port performance depends on various interdependent factors and how it requires a holistic approach, which accounts for all the necessary criteria that contribute to the overall efficiency and performance.

An integrated fuzzy DEMATEL-TOPSIS approach with an objective to evaluate the operational capability and financial performance of the ports is proposed. A case study is presented with an analysis of the major South Indian ports to assess port operational performance and evaluate various financial ratios to assess financial performance.

Through a review of the literature and based on the inputs from experts, six criteria affecting the operational performance and six financial criteria were identified. The debt coverage ratios turned out to be the most important, while the liquidity ratios were the least important. The six operational criteria have almost similar importance. The final results indicate a consistent overall performance by the Ennore Port, except during one financial year.

The proposed solution approach helps to identify and concentrate on the criteria that affect port performance. It will also help to evaluate and understand the dynamics involved in the performance of ports.

This work highlights the key measurable operational and financial criteria that affect the efficiency of ports. The integrated fuzzy DEMATEL-TOPSIS approach provides a better way to evaluate and benchmark port performance.

Nowadays, firms are keen on improving the quality culture in the organizations. The proven success of Lean and Six Sigma has given rise to the synergetic Lean Six Sigma (LSS) approach that has been catching fire in the past one decade. However, there exists a gap between the understanding and implementation of LSS in the organizations, especially in the emerging economies. Taking this as a valuable opportunity, the purpose of this paper is to present a development of LSS training module.

This study starts with a literature review of LSS to reinforce the understanding of the research subject in scope of manufacturing sector. Then, an online questionnaire was designed and used to collect responses from 181 companies located in the Indian sub-continent. Subsequently, the results obtained from the survey were analyzed using COARSE approach.

This study reveals two key findings and associated contributions. First, it was found that the overall awareness of LSS within the responded manufacturing firms is about 70.4 percent. Second, there is no single standard training module that exists in any of the sampled firms to cater to their quality programs. Hence, in order to improve the LSS awareness which could subsequently help managers as a resource for creating an efficient workplace, this paper presents a structured LSS training framework.

Although this paper presents the importance of LSS and associated awareness level among the responded firms, more empirical evidence is required to generalize the model findings. Second, this study is scoped to firms that work out of the Indian sub-continent, and this provides a future opportunity to expand the scope of this research toward a global study for a comparison between emerging and developed economies. Third, this study is limited to manufacturing firms and hence paves an opportunity to research on a similar theme in services context as well.

Before embarking on an LSS journey, an organization can use the LSS training module proposed in this study to assess the employee awareness on LSS. Furthermore, organizations that already have a mature LSS practice can incorporate the LSS training module for periodic evaluation of the employees for effective change management.

The training module presented in this paper is the original contribution by the authors. This is no association to any single identifiable organization or associated funding. The direct practical implication of its application in real time is the value that managers could derive from the proposed LSS training framework.

A huge number of events can affect the operations of a long and complicated supply chain. This paper deals with the development of a supply chain risk mitigation index (SCRMI) based on a risk mitigation maturity framework. A comprehensive list of supply chain risks has been ascertained and segregated into risks faced at various supply chain echelons through a detailed literature review.

This paper is based on an extensive literature review and questionnaire to identify risks. order of magnitude analytic hierarchy process (OM-AHP) was used as the methodology to assess the prioritization of supply chain risks under two clusters, viz., Probability and severity leading to risk were tested in a distillery.

SCRMI was determined and used to categorize their maturity level in facing supply chain risks. Thus, organization can focus on improvements for their specific needs.

The model was tested in the distillery industry. It should be tested in other contexts with other methods to provide generalizability.

This research provides direction to managers for choosing risk mitigation strategies based on the global supply chain environment. SCRMI can be a performance metric for the supply chain managers.

The manufacturer's readiness to take action in the face of disruptions in the supply chain is a critical challenge in today's complex business environment and SCRMI framework is instrumental in such business environment.

Government organisations, small and medium-sized businesses, education, and the entertainment industries all use multimedia technology to communicate information and ideas across digital, print, catalogue, and advertising mediums. Any message delivered by businesses, whether digital or printed graphics, images, text, movies, or animation, is more likely to be accepted by the target audience. The financial sector is no exception. Multimedia technology refers to activities involving computers, software development, and online media distribution. Professionals and experts in computer or software development use multimedia technology to create a variety of mechanisms including product demos, web pages, news sites, and presentations to attract attention or convey any message to a specific audience. Multimedia technology such as multimedia software, transaction processing, electronic payments, voicemail, and networked communication required banks and the financial sector to adopt new practices for delivering banking services and making the financial system more user-friendly for consumers and the financial industry’s operation. Banks and other financial institutions are compelled to innovate as computer technologies advance to maintain competitiveness. Multimedia technology offers lower occupancy costs with a smaller staff and lower transaction processing expenses. New technologies in the financial sector are replacing traditional methods of operation because multimedia technology makes work simpler, faster, and more effective. The industry is trying to switch to a self-service model through technology by providing the same level of convenience at a lower price.

Purpose: The banking sector took the initiative to improve it by releasing a new blockchain application. This innovative approach connects customers from various geographic locations and also gives them a sense of banks’ global presence. Competition is one of the most important market factors because consumer tastes, interests and demands constantly change, making it difficult to meet these problems.

Methodology: Blockchain develops a Blue Ocean Approach in this competitive climate by enticing numerous market segments and giving the financial industry a fresh perspective that benefits the potential consumer. This chapter illustrates how the Blue Ocean Approach can be unlocked by a disruptive technology called blockchain, which generates value innovation and renders the competition obsolete.

Findings: This paradigm shifts the emphasis away from the present competition and generates value and demand for the product. The researcher advises that the Blue Ocean Strategy in retail banking, which uses blockchain technology, works very well since it eliminates cut-throat competition and favours costs, operations, and meeting financial targets on time.

Practical Implications: The study focuses on the bank’s real-world application of the Blue Ocean Strategy and the discovery of sustainable marketing strategies that will aid in their pursuit of innovation. It also highlights the elements introduced in the banking industry to support innovation and the development of long-lasting markets.

The purpose of this paper is to report a research conducted to apply fuzzy axiomatic design approach for selecting the design alternatives of an overflow valve.

The approach started with the identification of functional requirements (FRs) and design parameters (DPs) and the relationship between them to select the best design alternative. Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process was used to calculate the weightage of FRs. The independence and information axioms were being deployed to validate the selection process.

The most important FRs being identified include “improve manufacturability and adaptability”, “improve ease of operation” and “provide strength and reliability”. The most important DPs are design unification on washer and outlet valve, material selection for improving the strength and reliability and pressure change to check whether the valve is withstanding the pressure using flow analysis. The best design alternative (A1) which deals with material substitution is being implemented in the case organization. The proposed methodology also enables contemporary design engineers to effectively select the best design among a set of alternatives in a fuzzy environment.

This paper presents the application of fuzzy axiomatic design for selecting the best design alternative of an overflow valve. The identified best design is being subjected to implementation in the case organization.

The industry decision makers were involved throughout the conduct of the study. Hence, the inferences derived from the study possess practical feasibility.

The application of the fuzzy axiomatic design approach for selecting the best design alternative of an overflow valve is the original contribution of the authors. Also, the practical feasibility of the approach is also being exemplified.

This study aims to contribute to the supply chain management (SCM) literature differently. It offers insightful information about the main enablers that affect supply chain efficacy (SCE). Therefore, this study examines the significant roles and the relationships between SC absorptive capacity, SC risk mitigation, supply chain agility (SCA) and supply chain integration (SCI) among manufacturing firms (MFs) in the Middle East region.

This paper performed a quantitative survey-based study to analyze the substantial roles of SC absorptive capacity, SC risk mitigation, SCA and SCI on SCE. Thus, the authors conducted an online survey through 260 MFs that are listed in the Chamber of the industries of Jordan, Egypt and Turkey that only responded by email. The main respondents were chief executive managers, operations managers, managers and logistics employees from both mid and top levels. The conceptual model was tested by using a hypothesis-testing deductive approach. The findings are based on covariance-based analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) using partial least squares (PLS)-SEM software.

The PLS-SEM clearly shows a significant relationship between SC absorptive capacity, SCA and SCI on SCE, while surprisingly still, SC risk mitigation does not significantly affect SCE. Further, the outcomes of this study indicate that there is a significant effect of SCA as a mediating factor in the relationship between SC absorptive capacity and SCE directly and indirectly, as well as a moderating effect of SCI in the relation, whereas there is a nonsignificant effect by SC risk mitigation. Finally, there is a significant effect of SCI in the relationship between SC absorptive capacity and SC risk mitigation on SCE as a moderating factor.

This study introduces a theoretical insight and empirically presents that both SCA and SCI are proper logistics characteristics for mediating and moderating the impact of SC absorptive capacity on SCE. Such findings of this study can provide insightful implications for managers at different levels in MFs, stakeholders and policymakers regarding the importance of using the three mentioned enablers on SCE in MFs, in the Middle East firms, in particular, and in developing countries, in general.

Ensuring high water quality is crucial for safeguarding public health, as contaminated water can pose significant risks to consumers’ well-being. This study aims to evaluate the microbiological and chemical quality of bottled water brands commonly consumed in Dodoma, Tanzania.

A total of 36 samples from 12 brands were collected between January and March 2023 and analyzed for microbiological and general water quality parameters.

Microbial analysis found that 42% of brands tested positive for coliform bacteria, while opportunistic pathogens Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were detected in 25% and 17% of samples, respectively. For chemical composition, 42% of brands exceeded the World Health Organization guideline value of 1.5 mg/L for fluoride. However, no other parameters exceeded national drinking water standards. Statistical analysis revealed significantly higher measured fluoride levels compared to values declared on product labels (paired t-test, p = 0.003). A moderate positive correlation between fluoride and conductivity (r = 0.52, p = 0.045) indicated possible geological influences on water chemistry.

To enhance the study’s comprehensiveness, exploring temporal and spatial variations among water brands, including samples from typically clean environments such as supermarkets, could have been beneficial in identifying underlying factors. Additionally, investigating the entire manufacturing process, from production to end-user, could have provided insights into unforeseen deviations in quality. Furthermore, the use of pour plating techniques at 37°C for microbial analysis, while suitable for resource-limited settings, may not have fully captured coliform diversity compared to membrane filtration and differential temperature incubation as per standard methods. This could partly explain the detection of heterotrophs without higher coliform counts in some samples.

This study provides baseline data on the bacteriological and inorganic chemical quality of bottled water in Dodoma. Detectable microbial contaminants and significant exceedances of fluoride guidelines in some products raise public health concerns.

While existing studies focus on bottled water quality at production facilities, this research highlights the overlooked risks at retail points, where consumers are directly affected.