While automotive digitalization is well documented, the transition from physical ownership to performance-based subscriptions creates specific cognitive and emotional friction for fleet operators. Tyre-as-a-service (TaaS) has emerged as a prominent model that promises to enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. This study investigates post-adoptive customer satisfaction with TaaS, addressing the gap in the existing research that predominantly focuses on technological and operational aspects. By adopting a comprehensive approach, this research applies a post-adoption lens to contextualize the expectation–confirmation model within automotive servitization. The main goal is to explore customers’ perceptions of TaaS benefits and challenges, the factors influencing their satisfaction, and the impact of TaaS on the overall customer experience in the automotive sector. Utilizing a mixed-methods methodology, this study collected quantitative data from a TaaS provider and its customers, complemented by qualitative data from in-depth interviews with service providers and consumers. This research aims to provide valuable insights for stakeholders on the critical factors affecting customer satisfaction and the overall impact of TaaS on the automotive customer experience. The findings contribute to the understanding of post-adoptive customer satisfaction with connected technologies in the automotive industry, extending beyond basic understanding by considering users’ emotions and experiences after choosing TaaS.
This article determines the effect of gamification in influencer marketing on consumer motivation, engagement, and purchase intention (PI) with the use of a quantitative, descriptive, and explanatory research design. A structured questionnaire in the form of an interview using the pre-validated scales was used to collect data on 400 active social media users aged between 18 and 40 years in the Tricity region comprising Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula. To confirm the validity and reliability of constructs related to gamification perception (GP), intrinsic motivation (IM), extrinsic motivation (EM), customer engagement (CE), and PI, the dimensionality and reliability of their constructs were validated based on the employment of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Factor analysis was deemed adequate by the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value of 0.920 and a significant Bartlett test. The formulation of hypothesized relationships was tested by structural equation modelling, and all relationships proved to be significant. Results showed that GP has a significant effect on IM and EM, which affect CE, resulting in higher PI in the end. Further mediation analysis also indicated that IM and EM back-to-back mediate the effect of the GP on PI by the CE. These findings highlight the psychological processes by which gamified influencer content induces consumer behaviour and will be of strategic value to marketers interested in increasing engagement as well as conversion within online settings.
Commercial bank efficiency is of paramount importance for the sustenance of the financial sector. In view of this, the study seeks to evaluate and explain the technical efficiency of Indian private and publicly owned banks for a seven-year period (2017–2018 to 2023–2024) using the data envelopment analysis approach. However, the present study does not follow the Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation approach, which has been followed in the extant efficiency literature. Instead, the study uses a Gaussian distribution for deriving the prior and posterior probability distributions. For modelling the weights, we have used the Dirichlet distribution to ensure non-negativity. The study finds two key results. First, no definite trend of superiority/inferiority of publicly owned commercial banks over the private ownership banks is found. Second, efficiency has a significant and positive relationship to asset composition. The impact of bank size, however, was found to be negative.
Financial literacy should empower women in emerging economies such as India, where there still exist gender disparities in financial access and decision-making. In this study, the researcher examines the influence of financial literacy on the financial management of salaried women in India, with financial coping behaviour mediating and self-efficacy moderating the situation. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on 657 urban and semi-urban working women. Analysis using SEM showed that financial literacy has a significant effect on financial management behaviour (30.5) (β = 0.428, p < .001), and financial coping behaviour interposes this relationship. This was reinforced by financial self-efficacy (β = 0.183, p < .001), but there were specific financial behaviours that were influenced by financial knowledge (β = 0.291) compared to awareness (β = 0.334). The findings indicated high urban–rural differences, with urban respondents expressing better financial behaviour. This implies that specialized financial education initiatives should be designed to meet cognitive (knowledge/awareness) and psychological (self-efficacy) aspects of semi-urban communities. The study fits in the financial empowerment literature by confirming a holistic framework of comprehending the financial habits of Indian women and offering evidence-based suggestions to policymakers and financial institutions to improve the financial inclusion of women.
The present article aims to develop an understanding of how sustainability is depicted in the Instagram posts of Indian sustainable luxury fashion (ISLF) brands. Since sustainability and luxury are two diverse and distinct fields, luxury fashion brands must tread carefully in their communications to avoid greenwashing accusations. Consequently, we analyse the Instagram posts of five ISLF brands, namely, Grassroot by Anita Dongre, Fabindia, No Nasties, Nicobar, and The Summer House. For this end, the article uses the netnography approach, examining the Instagram posts as a visual document and captions and hashtags attached to them to fully comprehend the characteristics of cultural intermediaries. The findings show that images are the most preferred choice for ISFL brands, and it depicts how they are able to generate user engagement based on them. The study also highlights relevant implications for social media managers, ISFL brands, and consumers, which is useful for an emerging economy like India.
India is a horticultural-based agricultural economy, particularly in the hill states such as Himachal Pradesh, where the fruits and vegetables feed the small and medium farmers. Nevertheless, the success of horticultural supply chains is questionable, especially the ability of the farmers to access post-harvest infrastructure and reasonable prices. In this context, existing research has focused mostly on the problem of logistics and technology, neglecting the perspective of farmers themselves regarding supply chain performance. Therefore, this research article uses a perception-based model to evaluate the role of four supply chain elements, namely, grading and sorting, cold storage, transportation, and market price realization, in influencing the perceptions of farmers about the effectiveness of the entire supply chain. The findings are based on primary data of 500 horticulturists in the area of Shimla, Kullu, and Kinnaur districts, and it is found that the largest impact is positive in relation to the use of grading and cold storage facilities, with only a small influence on transportation. Market-pricing mechanisms are also fair and transparent, and this increases the trust and satisfaction of farmers. The findings support the significance of enhancing post-harvest infrastructure and enhancing the pricing discovery systems to enhance confidence in the supply chains in horticulture. The research incorporates the farmers’ view, facilitates a more comprehensive view of agricultural logistics, and offers realistic information to policymakers and stakeholders in the agribusiness industry to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of the hill horticulture systems.
Risk tolerance (RT) is the key component in determining an investor’s investment decision (ID) in the stock market. By evaluating existing literature, this study attempts to establish the pattern and link between elements that influence an individual’s RT, leading to irrationality in their ID. The study adopts a bibliometric approach that uses the VOSviewer software to analyse 70 articles from the Scopus database between 2000 and 2024. This study highlighted key trends, influential authors, journals, publications, and countries that published papers related to RT. This research identifies the gap in the previous studies and provides direction for future research. Keyword analysis was used to identify emerging themes in RT. Results demonstrate that psychological, socioeconomic, and demographic factors affect the investors’ ability to tolerate risk. Findings show that RT is an emerging topic among researchers and it is important to assess RT for making informed IDs for retail investors.
Social media platforms are crucial for the government to connect with its citizens, especially during a crisis, when information dissemination is crucial. It enables the timely dissemination of information and allows the public to start a real-time dialogue with the government. This investigation offers a systematic review of scholarly papers from over 20 years (2003–2023), such as Citizen Engagement on Government Social Media (CEGSM), during a crisis. The documented knowledge is analysed through theories, contexts, characteristics, and methodology (TCCM framework). The review highlights that although the field has gained recent popularity, the use of theories remains sparse. There is also a need for more research to extend beyond the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic. It analyses the gaps in the field of CEGSM, thereby providing directions for future research. These findings can help the government and crisis managers to use social media for more effective and efficient communication that drives more engagement by using the framework proposed in the article that integrates various crisis communication theories. Improved CEGSM can also increase the management of the crisis by spreading meaningful information to the desired people quickly and removing doubts through more engagement.
The transportation industry is a significant contributor to air pollution, primarily due to its substantial CO 2 emissions. Governments and international agencies seek to reduce car emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. However, the adoption rate of green cars remains insufficient as it faces various challenges, such as insufficient charging stations, discrepancies in the lithium-ion battery market, limited driving range, and high ownership costs. Among these, the high cost of green vehicles represents the most significant barrier. This study synthesizes earlier studies on the relationship between consumers’ intention to adopt green cars and government incentives with a comprehensive systematic literature review. The study included 62 papers from 23 sources using the Scopus database for review. The resulting trend topics and thematic mapping techniques have provided insight into the field’s major and under-explored themes. Content analysis provides insights into research methodologies, significant variables, and findings of previous studies. The suggested research directions in this review can serve as a guide for future studies. It will also help policymakers, manufacturers, and researchers improve green car adoption.
The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review of faculty engagement research within higher education, identifying gaps and proposing suitable avenues for future exploration in this field. The study employs a systematic literature review approach, analysing 70 published research articles through content analysis methodology. The study’s findings highlight the absence of a conceptual framework for faculty engagement within higher education. It introduces a framework outlining diverse antecedents, consequences, mediators, and moderators of faculty engagement in higher education, while also outlining various models and theories from the reviewed literature. These findings offer an insight into the prevailing trends and research patterns in this domain. Finally, the study identifies key research gaps, presenting them as future research areas to be explored. This study can assist higher education institutions in comprehending the primary factors influencing faculty engagement and in devising strategies to enhance it within their respective institutions. Additionally, this literature review can serve as a fundamental reference and road map for senior management in both public and private universities, assisting them in formulating suitable faculty development strategies. The study utilized only two databases, exclusively targeting peer-reviewed journals, and was limited to accessing full-text articles. This study is a first attempt at conducting a systematic literature review of faculty engagement in higher education and to present a conceptual framework.
The study examines the impact of neobanking elements on consumer banking practices in Kerala, focusing on the impact on customer satisfaction and financial inclusion. The research highlights the importance of understanding the adoption and effects of neobanking practices in a rapidly changing financial environment. The study found that cost-effectiveness and personalization are the most influential factors, accounting for 65.1% of the variation in customer banking behaviours. Digital accessibility is a key component, providing convenience and simplicity of use. Customer experience and personalization are essential for building loyalty and trust. Cost-effectiveness and security significantly influence client satisfaction, improving operational effectiveness and protecting client information. The study’s findings have practical implications for Keralan banks, urging them to prioritize these factors in their plans to increase customer loyalty and happiness. By utilizing digital technologies, banks can enhance service delivery, cut costs, and provide personalized experiences, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and financial inclusion.
This study investigates the dynamic effect of geopolitical risks (GPR) from certain Southeast Asian nations—most prominently the Philippines and China—on the Indian stock market, in terms of significant domestic macroeconomic determinants such as the INR–USD exchange rate, inflation, and crude oil prices. With the aid of advanced econometric techniques, such as the F-bounds test, Johansen cointegration test, vector error correction model, and variance decomposition analysis, the study presents strong evidence of long-run cointegration of the Indian stock market and the GPR of the Philippines, and high sensitivity to the GPR from China. The empirical results show that whereas the Philippines’s GPR has a positive correlation with Indian market performance—suggesting a possible regional safe-haven effect—China’s GPR has a negative correlation, in line with the principles of geographical proximity and systemic spillover. Further, domestic macroeconomic determinants, especially the exchange rate and inflation volatility, have a significant influence on market dynamics. These findings have significant implications for investors and policymakers concerned with cross-country risk transmission and in devising strategic interventions in increasingly turbulent regional environments.
On 20 May 2024, the Kerala High Court ruled that the Revenue (Income Tax) Department should accept an assessee’s inventory valuation derived by consistently applying the last-in-first-out (LIFO) method before the retrospective amendment to Section 145A introduced with effect from 1 April 2017. It observed that as the assessee consistently applied the LIFO method and filed his returns, the retrospective amendment would not be applicable against him for the assessment year 2017–2018. However, upholding the retrospective amendment, the Court ordered the Revenue Department to accept the assessee’s opening and closing inventory value derived by applying the LIFO method or to permit him to switch to the FIFO or weighted average cost method. It validates the retrospective amendment, binding on all assessees, but indicates that in a conflicting scenario with fundamental accounting principles such as consistency, the tax laws shall prevail. It creates an opportunity for new vistas of accounting and taxation research.
Social entrepreneurship’s role is essential for a country’s progress since it involves tackling community problems, encourages new ideas, and boosts the economy with an intent towards the well-being of the people. Students’ social entrepreneurial intention is the driving force for the development of social ventures. This study investigates the social entrepreneurial intention among management students. Based on social cognitive and need for achievement theories, the aim is to examine how the critical thinking self-confidence, as the independent variable, and need for achievement as a mediator, enhances the students’ intention to be a social entrepreneur. The study conducted a quantitative data analysis on 383 responses collected through a questionnaire survey using a simple random sampling technique. Structural equation modelling was applied to test the hypothesized paths of the proposed model to draw inferences. The two key findings emerge from the empirical analysis. First, both critical thinking self-confidence and need for achievement of students enhance the intention to become a social entrepreneur. Second, the need for achievement was found to partially mediate, which eventually led to starting a social venture. This research provides valuable insights and practical implications for colleges as well as students, with key takeaways on how to enhance their social entrepreneurial intentions through cognitive and motivational factors while pursuing their studies.
The progression in the technology field has resulted in a lack of physical activity and poor diets, leading to health problems. Many individuals are turning to mobile health applications (mHAs) to manage their health and well-being. Despite significant investment in developing mHA, research indicates that the adoption rate of mHAs remains low, with inadequate user acceptability being a primary reason. Therefore, this study aims to propose a framework that provides a deeper understanding of the factors that influence users’ decision-making towards mHA. The study used a single cross-sectional design to collect 353 responses from both users and non-users, using a purposive sampling technique. The collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) using Smart PLS 4.0 software. Additionally, the study validates a more vigorous behavioural model, providing a comprehensive understanding of the adoption of mHA. The findings of the study accentuate the significant influence of PU, PV, PEOU, and attitude on the intention to adopt mHA. Additionally, the study investigated the mediation role of attitude and PU. Furthermore, the study examined the moderating role of FOMO on the underlying relationships. The study will provide a holistic model grounded on three theories, namely, TAM, self-determination theory, and protection motivation theory, to determine consumers’ intention to adopt mHA. Also, the study advances the existing literature by investigating the interactive role of FOMO on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and health beliefs. Furthermore, this study aims to develop a deeper understanding of user acceptance by analysing the behavioural pattern to create a more user-centric mobile health solution and provide developers and marketers with insights to enhance user acceptability and improve the overall adoption rates of mHAs. Previous literature on mHAs has mainly focused on the utilitarian factors; however, the technology acceptance behaviour of a consumer is influenced by the utilitarian and symbolic dimensions. The relevance of symbolic elements, particularly FOMO, has, somehow, eluded the attention of scholars towards mHAs. Further, there is a limited understanding of how symbolic beliefs interplay with the TAM and health beliefs. Therefore, this study introduces TAM, PMT, and SDT in the context of mHAs to provide a holistic view of the influence of utilitarian, symbolic, and health dimensions on users’ intention to use mHAs.
Drawing from the stimulus–organism–response framework and advertisement value theory, this study investigates how Instagram advertisements influence consumers’ impulse buying behaviour among young Instagram users. The study was conducted among young Instagram users who were randomly selected from Kerala, India. The data were collected from 200 sample respondents using a structured questionnaire. The data were analysed using the structural equation model. The finding of the study reveals that ad value elements, namely informativeness and credibility, influence impulse buying intentions among young Instagram users. The current study’s outcome will be helpful to enhance social media marketing initiatives, particularly on Instagram. The results will be useful in identifying which aspects should receive more attention and how much weight should be assigned to each when designing, creating and implementing promotional content on Instagram. The study looked at how young users’ impulsive buying intentions are impacted by perceived value aspects in Instagram advertisements. Since young people make up the bulk of Instagram users, the study’s factors are examined with young Instagram users. The tested variables can be used by social media platforms, marketers, and producers of promotional content to analyse, test, and oversee social media advertising campaigns.
The primary aim of this research article is to identify and analyse the key factors influencing the actual adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in India, with a specific focus on their role in mitigating climate change and reducing fossil fuel dependency. A systematic literature review (SLR) was mainly conducted using the antecedents–decisions–outcomes (ADO) framework. The academic literature indexed in the Scopus database served as the basis of the analysis. The review specifically focused on studies relevant to the Indian context and the evolving EV ecosystem. The review highlights several antecedent factors, including psychological factors, socio-economic conditions, infrastructural readiness, government incentives, and pricing. These particular antecedents primarily shape consumer decisions, such as attitudes towards EVs, perceived barriers, awareness levels, and the purchasing process. The resulting outcomes include purchase intention, behavioural acceptance, and the market potential of EVs in India. Despite growing environmental awareness and supportive government policies, EV adoption in India is constrained by the psychological, technical, and socio-economic challenges. These barriers must be addressed through targeted, localized policies and public awareness campaigns to accelerate adoption and also to strengthen the sustainable transportation sector. By consolidating fragmented research on EV adoption in India, this study offers a clear understanding of consumer behaviour, market barriers, and policy gaps. The insights contribute to the formulation of effective strategies for enhancing EV adoption, thereby supporting India’s broader climate and sustainability goals.
This case study revolves around a dispute that unfolded between Stellar Media Corporation, one of India’s largest media companies, and one of its biggest Foreign Institutional investors, Intraco Capital, and it created a lot of bad press for the former. The case delves into corporate governance–related issues that become dire and include the independence of the board of directors, transparency, and conflicts of interest. The events reach the court because of the severe issues of governance and a proposed merger between Stellar and Horizon Networks, blaming the organization for grossly mismanaging the company, not abiding by the laws made for shareholder rights, and legal action. Also, the legal suit filed by another lender to recover the dues complicates the situation further. The case offers various issues and will let the users understand the importance of how a balance must be maintained between managerial powers, influence of shareholders, and issues that may lead to corporate governance failure.
The growing concerns about the exorbitant energy usage by the cryptocurrency market have become a topic of much discussion lately. With the aim of achieving the 17 SDG goals by 2030, finding effective solutions for making cryptocurrencies sustainable is important. One such solution is sustainable cryptocurrencies. This article employs time-varying parameter vector autoregression to examine the linkages between the sustainable cryptocurrencies (Ripple and Cardano), and fiat currencies of G7 and BRICS nations. The study considers the daily closing prices of the variables from 6 June 2019 to 6 June 2024 to identify the total connectedness among these variables, the net transmitters, and the net receivers of shocks. The analysis concludes that there is moderate connectedness among the variables. The findings reveal that Ripple, Cardano, Chinese Yuan, and Japanese Yen were net transmitters during the period studied. The study also concludes that global catastrophic events have little influence on the connectedness among the variables. The article has important implications for both investors and policymakers. Investors can rely on sustainable cryptocurrencies as hedges against fiat currency fluctuations, and policymakers can devise regulatory frameworks promoting more use of sustainable cryptocurrencies for a sustainable future.
