Gujarat Maritime University (GMU) is a private university located in transitory campus of GNLU, Attalika Avenue, Knowledge Corridor, Koba, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The university was established in 2017 by the Gujarat Maritime Board Education Trust through The Gujarat Private Universities (Amendment) Act, 2017.It is recognised by University Grants Commission (UGC)..
PurposeThis study examines farmers' adoption of digital crowdfarming platforms in rural India by extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Crowdfarming differs from crowdfunding and virtual crowdsourcing by outsourcing physical agricultural tasks, which raises issues of trust and perceived risk. The paper explains how cognitive and relational factors shape behavioural intention and adoption in this novel digital agriculture context.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative, positivist design was employed. Survey data from 280 smallholder farmers across four Indian states were collected through Common Service Centres. The extended UTAUT model incorporated performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions trust and perceived risk. Structural equation modelling (AMOS 23) was used to test hypotheses, with bootstrapping for mediation analysis.FindingsAll UTAUT constructs significantly predicted behavioural intention. Trust emerged as both a direct determinant of adoption and a mediator reducing the negative effect of perceived risk. Behavioural intention strongly predicted adoption. Younger and more educated farmers showed higher adoption intention, though crowdfarming appealed across farm sizes.Research limitations/implicationsUse of convenience sampling and a cross-sectional design limits generalisability and observation of long-term behaviour. Future research should adopt longitudinal, comparative, and mixed-method approaches.Originality/valueThis is one of the first empirical studies of digital crowdfarming. It extends UTAUT with trust and risk, contributing to technology adoption theory and digital agriculture practice in developing economies.
Non-persistent oil spills, involving substances such as gasoline, kerosene, and jet fuel, pose acute yet under-recognized threats to marine ecosystems due to their rapid dissipation and toxic effects. Despite existing international liability frameworks—principally the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Civil Liability Convention (CLC) 1969 and the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund Conventions—the treatment of non-persistent oil remains legally and ecologically inadequate. This article critically analyzes these conventions alongside national legal regimes, particularly the United States’ Oil Pollution Act (OPA) 1990 and India’s jurisprudence on absolute liability, to assess gaps in compensation, enforcement, and environmental redress. While the CLC imposes strict liability and sets tonnage-based limits, many jurisdictions find these provisions insufficient for addressing the full spectrum of ecological harm. The IOPC Fund provides supplemental compensation but often struggles with quantifying damage from non-persistent oil spills due to their volatile and short-term nature. The article highlights the divergence between international and domestic systems, noting that some states, like India, rely on broader constitutional mandates and judicial innovation to protect environmental rights. Through doctrinal and comparative legal analysis, this research advocates for a hybrid liability regime that blends strict and absolute liability principles, raises or abolishes compensation caps, and mandates ecological restoration for even short-lived oil spills. The study underscores the urgent need for reform in global maritime liability laws to ensure effective, fair, and science-based compensation frameworks capable of addressing evolving environmental risks.
The maritime industry facilitates over 90 percent of global trade through sea routes; however, it is facing soaring operational inefficiencies, fragmented data systems, and compulsory decarbonisation policies by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). This study investigates and empirically supports an overarching technological infrastructure that analyses the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), Blockchain Application, Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Twins (DT), and Autonomous Systems in maritime logistics. The assessment of technology adoption patterns, operational and implementation barriers within the framework of Indian smart ports is conducted using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) comprising 55 peer-reviewed publications and supported by semi-structured interviews with industry practitioners. This paper is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the Technology Organisation-Environment (TOE) model, and, as a result, nine-construct readiness model is developed. According to Structural equation modelling through partial least squares (PLS-SEM), Organisational Readiness (β = 0.498) and Perceived Barriers (β = -0.441) are the most salient predictors of overall transformation. The research provides practical suggestions to port authorities, shipping companies, and policymakers involved in the quest for sustainable digital transformation, drawing on knowledge of technological convergence, the international law of the sea, and Indian regulatory standards.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the most advanced and highly transformative technology of the 21st century. It heralds an era of prospects and challenges in every facet of life. The healthcare sector across the world is one of the major beneficiaries of AI technologies. This sector is also accompanied by myriad ethical and legal challenges, which stem from multi-layer issues such as informed consent, transparency, privacy, data security and algorithmic bias. These concerns need to be proactively addressed to ensure the highest standards of safety and security. This study reviews, evaluates and analyzes the most fundamental concerns in the integration of AI technologies in the healthcare sector and recommends a manner to utilize AI technologies within the parameters of safety and security
Clickwrap agreements represent a type of legal contract that individuals acknowledge by clicking a button or selecting a checkbox to indicate their acceptance of the terms and conditions provided to them. These agreements are frequently encountered during software installations, registration, for services or completing online transactions. Although clickwrap agreements are a simple and seamless experience for people, there can be instances where people, especially minors, may need help comprehending the terms and conditions of the contract. As easy as e-contracts may sound, they are highly complicated. The implications of such agreements on minors raise some serious questions about the enforceability of these contracts as they lack the proper understanding and, more importantly, they lack the legal capacity to consent. The paper provides an overview of clickwrap agreements, which will include their prevalence in the contemporary world the research describes the challenges in ensuring that minors possess the legal capacity to engage in binding contracts such as clickwrap agreements.
