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Social media remarkably changed the way of interaction between the consumers and organizations. The increased acceptance of social media has given rise to social commerce (s-commerce) and s-commerce usage is gradually increasing over the last few years. The progressive development of technologies suggests that s-commerce will become the mainstream for marketing and a literature survey indicates that there have not been many studies in this area. The purpose of this paper is to predict the factors influencing consumer intention towards the adoption of s-commerce.

This study uses a survey approach with reference to important behavioural factors such as satisfaction, ethics, trust, enjoyment/easiness, social pressure and awareness. The research model was developed to be in line with the available literature. The data were collected using a five-point Likert scale and the research model was tested using least square regression.

The results showed that user intention is significantly and positively related to perceived trust, enjoyment/easiness, social pressure, satisfaction and awareness. Also, “intention” was found to be a significant mediating factor for actual usage.

First, the questionnaire was a “snap-shot” instead of longitudinal study. Second, future research should use other moderating variables that may affect the usage of social media. Also the study could apply a variant of research methods to include other techniques such as interviews, which allow for deeper understanding of the problem and issues.

Social media represents an important platform for electronic commerce and has one of the most metamorphic impacts on business. Therefore, investigating the usage of s-commerce with reference to important behavioural factors could provide valuable information for companies in establishing policies and strategies. It could also be useful for management studies and researchers in understanding the consumers’ attitude towards usage of social media for commercial purposes.

S-commerce creates opportunities for firms. Based on findings this research provides insights with major implications for marketers, who would like to generate direct sales on social network platforms.

Existing literature focusses largely on the effectiveness of social media. Only a handful has endeavoured to analyse s-commerce systems and the literature on consumers’ behaviour in using s-commerce is not mature yet. This study is one of the few studies in this field, and aims to predict and explain the user acceptance of social media for commercial purposes.

A low power flip-flop circuit is designed for energy-efficient devices. Digital sequential circuits are in huge demand because every processor has most of the parts of digital circuit. The sequential circuits consist of a basic data storing element, a latch is used to store single bit data. The flip-flop takes a sufficient portion of the total chip area and overall power consumption as well. This study aims to the low power energy-efficient applications like laptops, mobile phones and palmtops.

This paper proposes a new type of flip-flop that consists of the only 16 transistors with a single-phase clock. The flip-flop has two blocks, master and slave latch. In this design, the authors have focused on only master latch, which includes a level restoring circuit. It is used to help the master latch in data retention process. The latch circuit has two inverters in back-to-back arrangement. The proposed flip-flop is implemented on 65 nm complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology using Cadence Virtuoso environment and compared with other reported flip-flops.

The proposed flip-flop architecture outperformed the peak percentage, i.e. 79.25% as compared to transmission gate flip-flop and a minimum of 20.02% compared to 18 T true single phase clocking (TSPC) improvement in terms of power. It also improved C to Q delay and power delay product. In addition, by reducing the number of transistors the total area of the proposed flip-flop is reduced by a minimum of 13.76% with respect to 18TSPC and existing flip-flop. For reliability checking the Monte Carlo simulation is performed for thousand samples and it is compared with the recently reported 18TSPC flip-flop.

This work is tested by using a test circuit with a load capacitor of 0.2 fF. The proposed work uses a new topology to work as master-slave. Power consumption of this technique is very less and it is best suitable for low power applications. This circuit is working properly up to 2 GHz frequency.

This paper aims to review the recent advances in processing and utilization of Madhuca longifolia flowers to address its potential as an industrial ingredient.

The paper analyzes the harvesting practices of flowers and recent works on the value addition.

Mahua flowers are rich source of natural sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc.) and hence are deliberately used for liquor production by tribal besides various food products, namely, Mahua ladoo, barfi, kheer, sweet puri and as grain staple. Mahuain medicine has been curing people since ages such as in rakhtpitta, diarrhoea and skin diseases and as aphrodisiac, galactagogue, carminative, antihelmenthic, antibacterial and antioxidant. Mahua candy, cake, ready to serve beverages, toffee, squash, ladoo, bars, etc. have been developed as value-added products. However, such a wonderful nature’s gift remains underused due to post harvest spoilage.

Improvement in storage facilities and processing of flowers after harvesting and drying will lead to enhanced availability of flowers for industrial purposes for food, feed and fodder. More value-added products can be prepared by the preparation of flower-juice concentrate, as well as efforts are made to produce powder from the flowers.

Post-harvest spoilage of Mahua flowers due to improper collection and handling practices, and filthy storage conditions is the major limitation of Mahua flowers to be used as a potential industrial ingredient. An improvement in collection, handling and pre-processing practices can diversify its use from liquor production to various value-added and functional food products at an industrial scale.

This review discusses the concept of edible nanocoatings (ENCs), the biomaterials used in the coating matrices, techniques of coating development, applications, challenges and safety regulations associated with nanotechnology in food products. These ENCs are capable of imparting increased shelf life, improved appearance, better physiological qualities and bioactive potentials such as antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. ENCs can be developed using the layer-by-layer method which forms multiple alternative layers adhered together primarily by electrostatic interactions.

Various keywords such as edible coatings (ECs), safety aspects and nanocoatings were used to search the literature from Google Scholar, Research Gate, ScienceDirect, Springer Link, Taylor and Francis and PubMed. After searching enough literature, 113 articles and research papers were examined, which provides the updated overview of different aspects of edible nano-coatings.

Consumers today are very much aware of the food quality and its safety. They demand food products with longer shelf life, which are minimally processed with natural or no preservatives. ECs based on biopolymers is an alternative technique, which is biodegradable and can be consumed as such without posing any safety risks. The emergence of nanotechnology in food processing has provided new insights to develop ECs at the nanoscale with improved mechanical and barrier properties

ECs are beneficial to consumers and to the environment. ECs have generated significant attention over years as an alternative to fossil-based plastics, considering their renewable and biodegradable features

This work is proposed for low power energy-efficient applications like laptops, mobile phones, and palmtops. In this study, P-channel metal–oxide–semiconductor (PMOS)’s are used as access transistor in 7 transistors (7 T) Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cell, and the theoretical Static Noise Margin (SNM) analysis for the proposed cell is also performed. A cell is designed using 7 T which consists of 4 PMOS and 3 NMOS. In this paper write and hold SNM is addressed and read SNM is also calculated for the proposed 7 T SRAM cell.

The authors have replaced N-channel metal–oxide–semiconductor (NMOS) access transistors with the PMOS access transistors, which results in proper data line recovery and provides the desired coupling. An error is likely to occur, if the read operation is performed too often probably by using the NMOS pass gate. It results in an improper recovery of the data line. Instead, by using PMOS as a pass gate, the time required for read operation can be brought down. As we know the mobility (µ) of the PMOS transistor is low, so the authors have used this property into the proposed design. When a low signal is applied to its control gate, the PMOS transistor come up with the desired coupling, when working as a pass gate.

Feedback switched transistor is used in the proposed circuit, which plays an important role in the write operation. This transistor is in OFF state and PMOS’s work as access transistor, when the proposed cell operating in read mode. This helps in the reduction of power. This work is simulated using UMC 40 nm technology node in the cadence virtuoso environment. The simulated result shows that, write power saving of 51.54% and 61.17%, hold power saving of 25.68% and 48.93% when compared with reported 7 T and 6 T, respectively.

The proposed 7 T SRAM cell provides proper data line recovery at a lower voltage when PMOS works as the access transistor. Power consumption is very less in this technique and it is best suitable for low power applications.

In complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic circuits, there is a direct square proportion of supply voltage on dynamic power. If the supply voltage is high, then more amount of energy will be consumed. Therefore, if a low voltage supply is used, then dynamic power will also be reduced. In a mixed signal circuit, there can be a situation when lower voltage circuitry has to drive large voltage circuitry. In such a case, P-type metal-oxide-semiconductor of high-voltage circuitry may not be switched off completely by applying a low voltage as input. Therefore, there is a need for level shifter where low-voltage and high-voltage circuits are connected. In this paper the multi-scaling voltage level shifter is presented which overcomes the contention problems and suitable for low-power applications.

The voltage level shifter circuit is essential for digital and analog circuits in the on-chip integrated circuits. The modified voltage level shifter and reported energy-efficient voltage level shifter have been optimally designed to be functional in all process voltage and temperature corners for VDDH = 5V, VDDL = 2V and the input frequency of 5 MHz. The modified voltage level shifter and reported shifter circuits are implemented using Cadence Virtuoso at 90 nm CMOS technology and the comparison is made based on speed and power consumed by the circuit.

The voltage level shifter circuit discussed in this paper removes the contention problem that is present in conventional voltage level shifter. Moreover, it has the capability for up and down conversion and reduced power and delay as compared to conventional voltage level shifter. The efficiency of the circuit is improved in two ways, first, the current of the pull-up device is reduced and second, the strength of the pull-down device is increased.

The modified level shifter is faster for switching low input voltage to high output voltage and also high input voltage to low output voltage. The average power consumption for the multi-scaling voltage level shifter is 259.445 µW. The power consumption is very less in this technique and it is best suitable for low-power applications.

This study aims to explore organizational factors that impact women’s career advancement. Knowledge of organizational practices that promote or obstruct women’s career progress is vital for women, firms and governments.

A total of 237 women participated in the study from the service sector in Johannesburg (South Africa). Participants were selected using a convenient sampling approach. Researchers used a questionnaire, consisting of demographic and open-ended questions, to gather data. Comments were analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach.

Findings reveal that prioritizing women, offering skills development opportunities, providing growth opportunities, assisting women in managing their careers, offering mentorship and having work-family support initiatives are practices that promote women’s career advancement. Conversely, practices that foster stagnation of women’s careers, distrust in women’s leadership abilities, preference for external candidates, people–related malpractices, male domination/preference, lack of role models and work-family balance support, hamper women’s career advancement.

The findings of this study will contribute to women’s empowerment. Organizations should provide a conducive atmosphere by instituting practices that promote their female employees' career advancement. Firms also should intentionally take practical steps to address practices that impede women’s career progression. The results of this study will also help the government to design appropriate policies that will promote the career progression of women employees.

This study presents findings from an analysis of qualitative data collected from 237 women to provide insight into the experiences of women working within the service industry in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Today, the employees stand firm as an integral part of the organization and are a precious asset. They are willing to learn, accept challenges and strive hard to deliver their level best. The role of the employees has become pronounced and significant, and it is no more conventional. They are now taking up responsibilities in strategic planning and development of the organization. Thus, HR department plays a profuse role in planning for the human resource of the firm to optimize the utilization of their potentials that would help support and meet the business as well as strategic goal of the firm. These HR planning programs ensure managing people within a planned framework and make them develop their performance that becomes a source of sustained competitive advantage for the firm. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

A descriptive research has been conducted with cross-sectional survey through a formalized questionnaire. Multistage sampling has been used in the study. Primary data have been collected from different manufacturing industries of India. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis have been conducted on the hypothesized research model. Structural equation modeling has been done to specify the relation between the measured and latent variables.

The HR planning programs, namely, staffing plan and succession plan, yield a better result in addressing the strategic goal of the company. Succession plan, staffing plan and talent management strategies augment the efficacious performance of the firm. Effectual performance aids in gaining a competitive advantage for the firm in a substantial way. Job analysis and design have no impact in achieving the strategic intent of the organization.

The study gives a comprehensive scenario of the HR planning programs that can help the organization to meet and uphold their strategic goals. The study provides a model that can solidify and bind the organization toward securing organizational intent and leading a steadfast business process in this dynamic competitive marketplace.

The momentum of globalization has helped the organization to gain new insights into the domain of human resources (HRs). The changing nature of work has affected the coherence of the workplaces. Today, it is essential to preserve and nurture the cognitive and creative abilities of the diverse group of employees so that concrete outcomes and actions can be achieved. Human resource planning (HRP) is one of the processes that facilitate the development of employees and the integration of their individual goals with the business plans. This paper aims to produce useful predictions and unprecedented direction to boost organizational performance amidst cyclical business fluctuations. The innovative HRP programs minimize the dysfunctional aspects of employee handling through proper assessment of their skills and abilities. This inclusive approach initiates a sustainable journey for the firm and heightens its competitive edge.

A descriptive study has been conducted through a structured questionnaire. Primary data were collected from respondents working in the HR department of different manufacturing companies in the state of West Bengal, India. A multistage sampling technique has been used. Data analysis has been conducted through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Through structural equation modeling, the researchers examined a series of dependence relationships simultaneously and represented unobserved concepts.

The current study ratifies the overall model and reflects that the HRP activities, namely, retention plan, professional training and development, job analysis and design, succession planning and redeployment plan vitalizes the performance of the firm. A recruitment plan has a negative and non-significant impact on the functional performance of the organization. Succession planning practices immensely affect the firm’s competitive edge followed by the retention plans. The results also uphold that the efficacious performance of the firm brings in strategic sustainability for it.

HRP activities sufficiently address the HR concerns facilitating the organization to coalesce the needs of the employees and the business. It helps to adopt a long term perspective to foster productivity, innovation and quality. It encourages employees to believe in their competencies to deliver their best. Such practices involve the workforce; coordinate their efforts to contribute meaningfully in this intricate business network. Thus, HRP practices drive to accomplish challenging tasks, focus on creative work-related projects, enhances an employee’s coping skills and morale to establish strategic sustainability for the firm.

The study sheds light on the fact that in this complex and dynamic business system where the authors find multigenerational workforce, it is essential to nurture the subtle aspects of the employees rather than continuous monitoring and controlling them. HRP activities provide such a platform that maximizes employees’ potential and will to fit into a firm’s business strategy and translate a strategic plan into action. Such practices have the capability to intensify the positive aspects and ideas in an organization.

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the impact of NHGSFP on rural communities in Nigeria.

This paper adopts a survey research technique, aimed at gathering information from a representative sample of the population, as it is essentially cross-sectional, describing and interpreting the current situation. A total of 2,400 households were sampled across the six geopolitical regions of Nigeria.

The results from the use of a combined propensity score matching and logit model indicate that NHGSFP makes significant contributions to improving the health and educational status of rural school children, stimulates job creation and boosts rural economy.

This implies that a well-designed and integrated Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) can make significant contributions to improving food security at the household level, spurring job creation and boosting agricultural markets.

This suggests the need for a purposeful engagement and support from all stakeholders to ensure the success of HGSFP.

This research adds to the literature on school feeding in low-income countries. It concludes that school feeding programmes have been shown to directly increase the educational and nutritional status of recipient children and indirectly impact the economic and social lives of themselves and their family.