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The learning outcome of this case study is to help students identify issues of the electric two-wheeler industry in India, revisiting conventional business models and transitioning toward sustainable business models. Eventually, this case study will enhance students’ analytical, qualitative analysis, multidisciplinary approach and strategic decision-making skills.

This case study can be used to discuss Michael Porter’s five forces model, TOWS matrix and Michael Porter’s generic strategies for competitive advantage.

Bounce was established in 2014 by Vivekananda Halkere, Anil G. and Varun Agni. The startup was an on-demand service provider of scooters. It also claimed to be the world’s fastest-growing scooter rental startup. As of March 2020, Bounce operated in 12 Indian cities, namely, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Hassan, Kolar, Mysore, Bhuj, Udaipur, Belgavi, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Hampi and Delhi. Bounce’s revenue grew to INR 1,000m in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 compared to INR 160m in FY 2019. Halkere was happy and proud of what his friends and he had achieved in the past two years. However, he was concerned about competition. What plan of action was needed to help thwart competition. What would be the best strategy to achieve growth and monetize operations? and How would Bounce address these major challenges to capture market share?

This case study can be taught in advanced undergraduate, MBA or executive-level programs dealing with strategic management. This case study helps students in dealing with issues pertaining to a given market sector where a firm is operating and the strategies to thwart competition.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS11: Strategy.

It is well known in the mining industry that the increase in failures and breakdowns is due mainly to a poor maintenance policy for the equipment, in addition to the difficult access that specialized personnel have to combat the breakdown, which translates into more machine downtime. For this reason, this study aims to propose a remote assistance model for diagnosing and repairing critical breakdowns in mining industry trucks using augmented reality techniques and data analytics with a quality approach that considerably reduces response times, thus optimizing human resources.

In this work, the six-phase CRIPS-DM methodology is used. Initially, the problem of fault diagnosis in trucks used in the extraction of material in the mining industry is addressed. The authors then propose a model under study that seeks a real-time connection between a service technician attending the truck at the mine site and a specialist located at a remote location, considering the data transmission requirements and the machine's characterization.

It is considered that the theoretical results obtained in the development of this study are satisfactory from the business point of view since, in the first instance, it fulfills specific objectives related to the telecare process. On the other hand, from the data mining point of view, the results manage to comply with the theoretical aspects of the establishment of failure prediction models through the application of the CRISP-DM methodology. All of the above opens the possibility of developing prediction models through machine learning and establishing the best model for the objective of failure prediction.

The original contribution of this work is the proposal of the design of a remote assistance model for diagnosing and repairing critical failures in the mining industry, considering augmented reality and data analytics. Furthermore, the integration of remote assistance, the characterization of the CAEX, their maintenance information and the failure prediction models allow the establishment of a quality-based model since the database with which the learning machine will work is constantly updated.

Purpose: The study aims to extract insights into five significant industries, pharmaceutical, space, defence, renewal energy, and information technology (IT), which have huge potential to make India achieving a five trillion-dollar economy in the future.

Design/methodology/approach: The authors focus on future-driven industries which are not only making India a third highest gross domestic product (GDP) producer country but also reviewing the different aspects of these industries and how they can assist India in achieving a five trillion-dollar economies along with determining India’s self-reliance through different governments initiatives in this direction.

Findings: The findings highlight the importance of inclusiveness of policymakers, stakeholders, private players, foreign investors, and the masses. Their significant contributions especially in the pharmaceutical, space, defence, renewal energy, and IT sectors in terms of creativities, innovations, intellect, executions, implementations, and improvements can assist India in achieving its five trillion-dollars economy soon.

Practical implications: This study offers (1) convincing insights into five key industries, pharmaceutical, space, defence, renewal energy, and IT, which have huge potential to increase total GDP volume shortly and (2) the investment areas for the masses where they can see their world not only self-reliant but also will see huge growth in their invested amount in these industries in future.

Originality/value: The insights of five key industries, pharmaceutical, space, defence, renewal energy, and IT, highlight that India has the potential to achieve a five trillion-dollar economy in the future; however, it does not ignore the significant contribution of other industries in making of total GDP.

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of artificial intelligence (AI) and other AI-enabled technologies and to describe how COVID-19 affects various industries such as health care, manufacturing, retail, food services, education, media and entertainment, banking and insurance, travel and tourism. Furthermore, the authors discuss the tactics in which information technology is used to implement business strategies to transform businesses and to incentivise the implementation of these technologies in current or future emergency situations.

The review provides the rapidly growing literature on the use of smart technology during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The 127 empirical articles the authors have identified suggest that 39 forms of smart technologies have been used, ranging from artificial intelligence to computer vision technology. Eight different industries have been identified that are using these technologies, primarily food services and manufacturing. Further, the authors list 40 generalised types of activities that are involved including providing health services, data analysis and communication. To prevent the spread of illness, robots with artificial intelligence are being used to examine patients and give drugs to them. The online execution of teaching practices and simulators have replaced the classroom mode of teaching due to the epidemic. The AI-based Blue-dot algorithm aids in the detection of early warning indications. The AI model detects a patient in respiratory distress based on face detection, face recognition, facial action unit detection, expression recognition, posture, extremity movement analysis, visitation frequency detection, sound pressure detection and light level detection. The above and various other applications are listed throughout the paper.

Research is largely delimited to the area of COVID-19-related studies. Also, bias of selective assessment may be present. In Indian context, advanced technology is yet to be harnessed to its full extent. Also, educational system is yet to be upgraded to add these technologies potential benefits on wider basis.

First, leveraging of insights across various industry sectors to battle the global threat, and smart technology is one of the key takeaways in this field. Second, an integrated framework is recommended for policy making in this area. Lastly, the authors recommend that an internet-based repository should be developed, keeping all the ideas, databases, best practices, dashboard and real-time statistical data.

As the COVID-19 is a relatively recent phenomenon, such a comprehensive review does not exist in the extant literature to the best of the authors’ knowledge. The review is rapidly emerging literature on smart technology use during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

This study aims to identify the main challenges to achieving humanitarian logistics in the context of United Nations peace missions in sub-Saharan Africa and to present suggestions for overcoming the logistical gaps encountered.

The methodological approach of the work focuses on the comparative case study of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic and The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2014 to 2021. The approach combined a systematic literature review with the authors’ empirical experience as participant observers in each mission, combining theory and practice.

As a result, six common challenges were identified for carrying out humanitarian logistics in the three peace missions. Each challenge revealed a logistical gap for which an appropriate solution was suggested based on the best practices found in the case study of each mission.

This paper presents limitations when addressing the logistical analysis based on only three countries under the UN mission as a case study, as well as conceiving that certain flaws in the system, in the observed period, are already in the process of correction with the adoption of the 2016–2021 strategy by the UN Global Logistic Cluster. The authors suggest that further studies can be carried out by expanding the number of cases or using countries where other bodies (AU, NATO or EU) work.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first comparative case study of humanitarian logistics on the three principal missions of the UN conducted by academics and practitioners.

In the current era, the focus on circular economy (CE) has gained substantial momentum among the research communities across the manufacturing world. It has become the need of the hour to act fast due to the alarming issues of unsustainability such as climate change, global warming, waste generation, environmental pollution, resource scarceness and ecological degradations. This research aims to investigate and model the CE enablers in the product development process related to the moderating effect of net zero.

The significant CE enablers are identified through literature review and expert brainstorming. The Pythagorean fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (PF-DEMATEL) technique has been used to investigate and evaluate the significant CE enablers in product development process. PF-DEMATEL determines the inter-relationship and casual dependency among the selected CE enablers. Indian automobile small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been considered as a case organization to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

The findings reveal that “Top management support and clear vision towards CE adoption” is the most important enabler and “Artificial intelligence in product value chain” is recognized as the least vital enabler. This research aids the managers, decision-makers, policy planners and workforce to develop and formulating efficient blueprints for the effective adoption of CE in Indian SMEs.

This is the first kind of research that explores CE enablers in product development process for Indian SMEs.

Tactile communication that relies on the human sense of touch replicated using vibration motors is increasingly being explored for seamless communication on construction jobsite. However, the technological efficacy cannot secure the users’ acceptability of the tactile communication devices. This study aims to assess the factors affecting the wearability of such a portable tactile device based on the responses from practicing professionals.

The investigation adapted a three-step phenomenological interviewing approach to seek feedback from construction personnel in Texas, the USA, regarding the viability of wearable tactile communication. The interviewees expressed various opinions about the on-body placement upon exposure to a portable tactile feedback prototype developed for this study, which was used to derive inferences regarding the factors affecting its on-field acceptability.

All the participants of the round-table study (11 out of 11) considered tactile feedback as a viable mode of communication on construction jobsite. Seven professionals supported the integration of a tactile device with the hard hat, whereas the rest preferred tactile eyeglasses. Weatherability, rechargeability, traceability, safety and social receptivity were identified as the major factors affecting the on-body placement of the wearable tactile communication device.

This paper presents a roadmap to gain construction industry opinion on the factors that can affect the on-body placement of a wearable tactile communication device. The five aforementioned factors impacting tactile communication acceptability were used to evaluate 10 potential on-body placements. The findings have implications for research and development of wearable tactile devices and the subsequent acceptability of such a device on the jobsite.