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The difficulties of a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can lead to behaviours that are quite challenging for parents to understand and address. Most of the parental studies of ASD focus on the challenges faced by the parents. This study aims to adopt a strength-based model that investigates the mediating role of parental playfulness in the association between parent–child relationship and parental competence.

This study is a quantitative study that adopts a correlational research design. The mediation analysis explores the role of parental playfulness as a mediator in the association between parent–child relationship and parental competence. The sample consisted of 120 parents of children diagnosed with ASD from India, selected using a purposive sampling technique.

The mediation analysis results indicate that playfulness among parents of children with ASD was found to function as a partial mediator in the relationship between parent–child relationship and parental competence. This could suggest that more playful parents have better parent–child relationships and are competent in parenting.

These findings have importance in understanding the role of playful interaction on parent–child relationships and parenting competence, having implications for further research. Enabling playfulness in parenting will enhance children and parents to promote their relationship and thus feel competent to bring positive light in their lives.

Most often, the clinicians are concerned with addressing only the autistic symptoms; it is also essential to look into parental well-being. Practical playful interaction training should help parents establish a rapport, understand, adjust and adapt with their child.

Practical intervention and training plans can be suggested to all family members to improve the condition of the child and the family’s general well-being. As the study focused on the clinical population, the findings could provide useful inputs for mental health professionals and counsellors.

There are some theoretical and empirical evidence that support positive outcomes of playfulness on personal well-being (Atzaba Poria, in press; Yue et al., 2016; Proyer, 2014). Although there has been some interest in the impact of children’s playfulness on their development (Bundy, 1997), little is known about the influence of parental playfulness on parents and children. Therefore, addressing these gaps, this empirical study focusses on investigating the role of parental playfulness in parent–child relationship and parental competence, rather than considering external challenges of parents based on the ASD child’s behavioural challenges and autistic features.

Research on caregiving has been considering the positive effects experienced by the mothers of children with disabilities. This paper aims to examine whether positive perceptions mediate the relationships between coping strategies used and psychological well-being among mothers of children with intellectual disabilities.

The study opted for a quantitative approach that includes a correlation research design to examine the relationships between the variables of coping, positive perceptions and well-being among mothers of children with intellectual disabilities attending special schools in the metropolitan city Bengaluru, India. The four-factor structure of Brief COPE examined were active avoidance coping, problem-focussed coping, positive coping and religious-denial coping. “Positive perceptions” refer to the positive contributions for the mother from the experiences of raising a child with intellectual disability. Mediation analysis explored the relationship between the variables.

Problem-focussed coping was the most commonly reported coping factor and was associated with higher levels of well-being. Active-avoidance coping was the least commonly reported coping strategy. Positive perceptions partially mediated the relationship between the four coping factors and maternal well-being. These findings indicate that positive maternal perceptions have important implications for the employment of effective coping strategies that are associated with enhancement of psychological well-being.

The focus on positive perceptions would help in understanding the use of coping strategies and planning of support services or interventions. The positive mental health of mothers paves the way for positive developments in the child’s physical and psychological health.

The importance of sustainable development has become increasingly significant in today’s fast-paced world. The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to solve a range of environmental, economic and social challenges, which requires global collaboration among governments and private organisations. In light of this, social entrepreneurship has garnered significant attention as it combines the social purpose of non-profits with the market-driven approach of for-profits to address SDG goals. Yet the cognitive processes underpinning the career decisions of social entrepreneurs remain underexplored. This study aims to develop and validate a scale to measure social entrepreneurial career decisions based on the appraisal of perceived challenges.

The study followed the steps of tool development and was carried out in three phases: item analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

The final 20-item scale focuses on the appraisal components in pre-entry social entrepreneurial career decision-making and has four factors, which are relevance, coping potential, knowledge and resources and normative significance.

The study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurial cognition, specifically focusing on social entrepreneurship. The scale could guide model testing and quantitative research in social entrepreneurial cognition. The four-dimensional structure identified in the study may also have implications for researchers interested in the antecedents and effects of social entrepreneurial decision-making.

Accurate measurement of cognitive appraisal is necessary to understand the perceived challenges and thought processes of potential social entrepreneurs. The scale could be used to examine the cognitive appraisal patterns among students. Social entrepreneurship educators and policymakers can use the scale to design and assess educational programs.

Distinct from existing studies, this scale offers a multidimensional approach that captures the stages of career decision-making, providing a robust tool to enhance our understanding of the decision-making dynamics in social entrepreneurship.

This study aims to develop and validate a multidimensional scale to measure the motivating factors that lead to opportunity recognition in social entrepreneurship among higher education institute (HEI) students.

The scale was developed through two phases; in phase 1, semi-structured interviews with social entrepreneurs and aspiring students were conducted to explore themes for item generation. Phase 2 included developing and validating the scale using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The sample included HEI students (n = 300 for EFA, n = 300 for CFA) with either academic background or volunteering experiences in social entrepreneurship.

A 24-item scale is developed in the study, with six factors measuring the motivating factors influencing opportunity recognition in social entrepreneurship: life experiences, social awareness, social inclination, community development, institutional voids and natural option for a meaningful career.

The scale facilitates the development of theories and models in social entrepreneurship. The scale also enables policymakers and social entrepreneurship educators to understand the motivating factors that lead to opportunity recognition among students. It would help them to provide target-specific support to students.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt to develop a scale that measures opportunity recognition in social entrepreneurship based on specific motivating factors. The study used the model by Yitshaki and Kropp (2016) as the conceptual framework. This study is the first attempt to triangulate the model’s findings using a quantitative methodology and through the development of a measurement scale. Besides, the scale adds value to social entrepreneurship research, which lacks empirical research on HEI students.

This paper designs an optimal closed-loop supply chain network with an integrated forward and reverse logistics to examine the possibility of remanufacturing end-of-life (EoL) ships.

Explanatory variables are used to estimate the number of EoL ships available in a closed-loop supply chain network. The estimated number of EoL ships is used as an input in the model and then it is solved by a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model of the closed-loop supply chain network to minimise the total logistic costs. A discounted payback period formula is developed to calculate the length of time to recoup an investment based on the investment's discounted cash flows. Existing ship wrecking industry clusters in the Western region of India are used as the case study to apply the proposed model.

The MILP model has optimised the total logistics costs of the closed-loop supply network and ascertained the optimal number and location of remanufacturing for building EoL ships. The capital and variable costs required for establishing and operating remanufacturing centres are computed. To remanufacture 30 ships a year, the discounted payback period of this project is estimated to be less than two years.

Ship manufacturing businesses are yet to re-manufacture EoL ships, given high upfront capital expenditure and operational challenges. This study provides management insights into the costs and benefits of EoL ship remanufacturing; thus, informing the decision-makers to make strategic operational decisions.

The design of an optimal close loop supply chain network coupled with a Bayesian network approach and discounted payback period formula for the collection and remanufacturing of EoL ships provides a new integrated perspective to ship manufacturing.

The purpose of this paper is to design and development of a patient-specific implant for zygomatic area of a patient suffering from mucormycosis (fungal infection). The paper describes how integration of computer-aided design (CAD) and 3D printing can be successfully used for developing custom implants for the sites for which readymade optimal solutions are not available.

The CT scan data of the patient were used for the generation of a 3D model. The healthy side of skull was mirrored and copied on the infected part, which served as a base for designing the implant. The prototype of the implant was printed using fused deposition modelling before finally printing in Ti6Al4V alloy using direct metal laser sintering process.

The custom designed implant fitted well to the patient’s skull during surgery. Proper facial aesthetics were maintained post-surgery.

The work describes the application of CAD-based image processing software and additive manufacturing in the development of a custom implant for the sites for which no readymade optimal solution is available.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate computationally the hydrothermal characteristics for forced convective laminar flow of water through a channel with a top wavy wall and a flat bottom wall having metallic porous blocks.

The governing equations are solved computationally using a finite element method–based numerical solver COMSOL Multiphysics® for the following range of parameters: 10 ≤ Reynolds number (Re) ≤ 500 and 10^–4 ≤ Darcy number (Da) ≤ 10^–1.

The presence of porous blocks significantly influences the heat transfer rate, and the value of local Nusselt number increases with the increase in Da. The value of the average Nusselt number decreases with Da for the top wall and the same is enhanced for the bottom wall of the wavy channel with porous blocks (WCPB). The value of the average Nusselt number for WCPB is significantly higher than that of the wavy channel without porous block (WCWPB), plane channel without porous block (PCWPB) and plane channel with the porous block (PCPB) at higher Re. For PCPB, the performance factor (PF) is always higher than that of WCWPB and WCPB for Da = 10^–4 and Da = 10^–3. Also, PF for WCPB is higher than that of WCWPB for higher Re except for Da = 10^–4. Further, the value of for WCPB is higher than that of PCPB at Da = 10^–2 and 10^–1 at Re = 500.

The current study is useful in designing efficient heat exchangers for process plants, solar collectors and aerospace applications.

The analysis of thermo-hydraulic characteristics for laminar flow through a channel with a top wavy wall and a flat bottom wall having metallic porous blocks have been analyzed for the first time. Further, a comparative assessment of the performance has been performed with a wavy channel without a porous block, a plane channel without a porous block and a plane channel with porous blocks.

In part-I of this review series, research from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka was reviewed. The purpose of this paper which is part-II of the series, is to review management research from India and Pakistan over a 25-year period from 1990 to 2014.

A systematic review approach was adopted for this research. As a quality standard for inclusion, articles were restricted to journals rated A*, A, or B by the Australian Business Deans Council in 2013 and either Q1 or Q2 in the Scopus/Imago classification system. The divisions and interest groups of the Academy of Management were used as framework to organize the search results.

A total of 1,039 articles related to India (n = 930) and Pakistan (n = 112) emerged from the search process, with three articles being related to both countries. The research was published in 163 different journals that met the quality criteria. The period under review coincides with the advent of economic liberalization in India and this emerged as a major theme in the India-related research. Other context-specific insights for these two countries are also derived from an ecological and institutional theory perspective.

This research represents the first comprehensive and systematic review of management research in India and Pakistan. As in part-I, the unique review approach allows for strict adherence to a predetermined quality standard while including a wide variety of journals and research traditions.

This paper analyzes how information systems (IS) can serve as tools of neo-colonial control in offshore outsourcing of research and development work. It draws on critical work examining business and knowledge process outsourcing.

The paper reports an empirical study of how laboratory information management systems (LIMS) shape offshore outsourcing practices involving Western client firms and Indian contract research organizations (CROs) in the pharmaceutical industry. The study adopted a multi-actor perspective, involving interviews with representatives of Western clients, Indian CROs, system validation auditors, and software vendors. The analysis was iterative and interpretative, guided by postcolonial sensitivity to themes of power and control.

The study found that LIMS act as tools of neo-colonial control at three levels. As Western clients specify particular brands of LIMS, they create a hierarchy among local CROs and impact the development of the local LIMS industry. At inter-organizational level, LIMS shape relationships by allowing remote, real-time and retrospective surveillance of CROs’ work. At individual level, the ability of LIMS to support micro-modularizing of research leads to routinization of scientific discovery, negatively impacting scientists’ work satisfaction.

By examining multiple actors’ perceptions of IS, this paper looks beyond the rhetoric of system efficiency characteristic of most international business research. As it explores dynamics of power and control surrounding IS, it also questions the proposition that outsourcing of high-end work will move emerging economies upstream in the value chain.