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As the COVID-19 epidemic ravages the world in the fourth industrial revolution era, the manufacturing sector faces its worst situation in a century. Lean philosophy, renowned as a “warrior philosophy,” can be an able rescuer to these industries. This study aims to identify the hurdles to lean strategy implementation and conduct an analysis to provide cognizance to policymakers, practitioners and decision-makers.

This study aims to identify the obstacles that obstruct lean implementation into seven primary barriers/components, with the fuzzy DEMATEL approach being used to evaluate the critical factors as well as the cause and effect factors among them. Expert opinions are sought to obtain the relevant data for evaluation purposes.

The results reveal that a firm should focus on firm cultural conflict scenario, resources–responses incapability, improve on suppliers’ attitude and execute a proper planning and logistics equation to alleviate the hindrances of implementing lean. As these causal factors influence the effect factors, namely, top management vision, management–employee relationship and human resource building, focusing on them automatically improves the effect factors; thus, the surge to overcome resistance to lean implementation is alleviated.

This research aids in identifying and analyzing lean implementation issues in the manufacturing and industrial sectors. The observations, results and insights drawn can act as a guiding force to rupture the resistance envelope covering the domain of lean implementation and possibly reinstating industries to survive and excel in the business post-COVID era.

This research introduces barriers to lean implementation in a unique way, as it articulates all sections of an industry and group the barriers based on the classification. It further prioritizes the barriers for their importance in the Indian industrial scenario. This would help the industry professionals and managers access the barriers and generate insight on how and where to start implementing lean.

Acceptance of remanufactured products by the consumers is highly essential for the success of closed loop supply chain and for achieving the goal of circular economy. However, the literature shows that consumers are reluctant to purchase remanufactured products. Therefore, the study of attitude and purchase intention (PI) of the consumers toward remanufactured products becomes inevitable for popularizing these products. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

This research proposes a conceptual model to examine the critical factors influencing the PI of Indian consumers toward remanufactured products. Further, this model is empirically tested, using structural equation modeling technique, based on the data obtained from 1,534 respondents.

The findings of this research suggest that PI of consumers is influenced by attitude, personal benefits, remanufactured product knowledge, risk perception, subjective norm and market strategy. However, perceived behavior control and green awareness have a non-significant impact on the PI of Indian consumers.

The proposed conceptual model is tested only against the data received from the students of Indian universities who possess electronic gadgets.

The circular economy can be realized through remanufacturing if the attitude of consumers is shaped positively toward remanufactured products through the dissemination of comprehensive product information.

This research is the first attempt to assess the PI of Indian consumers by developing and testing the conceptual model. Further, this research provides guidelines to remanufacturing firms for attracting the consumers toward the purchase of remanufactured products.

This study aims to understand the impact of underlying theme in the communication on social media on funding received by early-stage start-ups.

The study is based on empirical testing of data of 849 start-ups and more than 130K tweets. Machine learning (ML) model has been used for text classification of 130K+ tweets. Causal mediation analysis with bootstrapping is carried out for hypothesis testing.

Tweets addressing quality-related uncertainty are a predictor of amount of funds raised. Audience response acts as a mediator between tweets focusing on relational orientation and amount of funds raised.

The authors advance signaling theory by theorizing and investigating the importance of signal content. Endogenous signal of quality directly influences the start-ups outcomes, while exogenous signal helps disseminate information and influence the success.

Entrepreneurs should put in concerted effort to reduce uncertainty about the start-ups. Value creation is a central concept for start-ups; however, communicating value should be the dominant part of social media strategy.

Computer-based language processing techniques have amplified the research focused on content. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study that explores underlying themes of communication of start-ups and their impact on acquiring funds.

This study aims to examine the impact of signaling through social media (SM) on funding achieved by start-ups.

This study follows a causal research design and is based on unique data set compiled from Crunchbase-Pro and Twitter. The sample size is 1,672 Indian start-ups. Heckman’s model and ordinary least squares regression is used to test the hypothesis.

Devising a thoughtful SM strategy, should be an integral part of the overall strategy of the start-ups looking out for funds. LinkedIn presence is in itself a positive signal. Active usage of Twitter and feedback from other Twitter users has a positive impact on funds raised by the start-up. Posting retweets and repetitive usage of URLs and media is not a predictor of funds raised by the start-up.

An early-stage strategy on SM adoption, especially Twitter can play an important role in attracting interest and attention of stakeholders. To capitalize SM, entrepreneurs should maintain an active SM account of the start-up.

India has emerged as one of the start-up hubs of the world. However, there is a dearth of literature on SM usage by start-ups in India. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is first of its kind and establishes the results empirically based on more than 100k tweets for a large pool of Indian start-ups.

This paper aims to investigate trainee doctors' experience of clinical audits and to explore solutions for identified problems.

Psychiatry trainees from all the deaneries in the UK were invited to participate in a semi‐qualitative online survey. It focused on estimating the quantity and quality of the clinical audits done by the trainees, exploring their experience and possible solutions for identified problems. Descriptive statistics and framework analysis were used to analyse the data.

A total of 2,267 audits were carried out by 504 respondents. Of the respondents, 42 per cent completed at least one audit‐cycle. Nearly half of the audits were presented locally and 37 per cent were submitted to the local audit departments. Recommendations from two‐thirds of all the audits went unnoticed because of inadequate dissemination and implementation. Suggestions for improvement included: formal training, participation by non‐medical colleagues, emphasis on quality of audits rather than quantity, and better co‐ordination by audit departments.

Trainees identify that local audits do not result in service improvement. Suggested changes may lead to improved effectiveness of the local clinical audit programmes.

Audit activities by the trainee doctors lay the foundation of their involvement in clinical governance later on. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to capture the clinical audit activities by the trainee doctors at the national level in the UK.

There is widespread consensus that unchecked growth of e-waste is a major challenge to global sustainability transition. Current research has failed to connect e-waste with principles of circularity and sustainability from the consumption perspective. This paper aims to answer the following questions: What kind of environmental behaviors (EBs) exist among consumers in relation to e-waste?; In what ways are these consumers different from and similar to each other based on their EBs in relation to e-waste?; How do consumers and their EBs contribute to sustainable waste management?

Based on primary data from an Indian sample of information and communication technology consumers, EBs relevant to e-waste management are identified. In the next stage, a behavior-based segmentation and profiling of consumers is performed.

The first phase of analysis produced eight distinct EBs which were then used in the next phase to obtain a consumer typology of three segments. The three consumer segments differed significantly with each other on general environmental behavior and awareness about e-waste.

The paper develops a comprehensive conceptual framework for studying the demand-side circularity transition for sustainable e-waste management.

For business stakeholders, findings of the study and the proposed framework can inform behavior change interventions to customize offerings for different right consumer segments.

The paper adds new knowledge to the intersectional area of e-waste, consumer behavior and sustainability through the development of consumer typology and a conceptual framework.

3D food printing technology is an emerging smart technology, which because of its inbuilt capabilities, has the potential to support a sustainable supply chain and environmental quality management. This new technology needs a supportive ecosystem, and thus, this paper identifies and models the enablers for adopting 3D printing technology toward a sustainable food supply chain.

The enablers were identified through an extensive literature review and verified by domain experts. The identified enablers were modelled through the hybrid total interpretive structural modelling approach (TISM) and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach.

It emerged that stakeholders need technical know-how about the 3D printing technology, well supported by a legal framework for clear intellectual property rights ownership. Also, the industry players must have focused and clear strategic planning, considering the need for sustainable supply chains. Moreover, required product innovation as per customer needs may enhance the stakeholders' readiness to adopt this technology.

The framework proposed in this research provides managers with a hierarchy and categorization of adoption enablers which will help them adopt 3D food printing technology and improve environmental quality.

This research offers a framework for modelling the enablers for 3D food printing to develop a sustainable food supply chain using the TISM and DEMATEL techniques.

As focal firms in supply networks reflect on their experiences of the pandemic and begin to rethink their operations and supply chains, there is a significant opportunity to leverage digital technological advances to enhance socially responsible operations performance (SROP). This paper develops a novel framework for exploring the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies for improving SROP. It highlights current best-practice examples and presents future research pathways.

This viewpoint paper argues how Industry 4.0 technology adoption can enable effective SROP in the post-COVID-19 era. Academic articles, relevant grey literature, and insights from industry experts are used to support the development of the framework.

Seven technologies are identified that bring transformational capabilities to SROP, i.e. big data analytics, digital twins, augmented reality, blockchain, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. It is demonstrated how these technologies can help to improve three sub-themes of organisational social performance (employment practices, health and safety, and business practices) and three sub-themes of community social performance (quality of life and social welfare, social governance, and economic welfare and growth).

A research agenda is outlined at the intersection of Industry 4.0 and SROP through the six sub-themes of organisational and community social performance. Further, these are connected through three overarching research agendas: “Trust through Technology”, “Responsible Relationships” and “Freedom through Flexibility”.

Organisational agendas for Industry 4.0 and social responsibility can be complementary. The framework provides insights into how Industry 4.0 technologies can help firms achieve long-term post-COVID-19 recovery, with an emphasis on SROP. This can offer firms competitive advantage in the “new normal” by helping them build back better.

People and communities should be at the heart of decisions about rethinking operations and supply chains. This paper expresses a view on what it entails for organisations to be responsible for the supply chain-wide social wellbeing of employees and the wider community they operate in, and how they can use technology to embed social responsibility in their operations and supply chains.

Contributes to the limited understanding of how Industry 4.0 technologies can lead to socially responsible transformations. A novel framework integrating SROP and Industry 4.0 is presented.

The banking sector requires a major comeback with the series of bank frauds that has shook the nation. The rising non-performing assets (NPAs) and corporate frauds find their roots in the top-level management or executive levels. The purpose of this study to analyse the behavioural component with corporate governance lapses for creating a trail and to what extent it can contribute to forensic analysis to help reduce and prevent fraud in the future.

This study is investigative in nature. This study uses case study approach by taking into account the major Advance–NPA–Fraud cases over period of 2010–2022. RBI data for bank advances, NPAs and advances-relate frauds from 2005 to 2019 were studies and interpreted for creating a trend and pattern for the reduction and prevention of frauds.

The authors found that behavioural factors and personalities affect the systems and culture of the company, thereby giving a jolt to the corporate governance mechanisms along with various entities like depositors, consumers and shareholders.

Assessing the behavioural aspects for risk mitigation remains unexplored in the banking sector. The personality dimension can help in contributing to comprehending the mental aspects and the reasons behind the combination of dark triads with economic offences.

This study is beneficial to all the beneficiaries of the banking sector and the economy at large in understanding the implications of risks because of patterns formed by emotions and vulnerability towards economic and fugitive economic crimes.

Construction workers’ health and safety (CWHS) research in India has not gained much attention among researchers. This study aims to review articles related to CWHS research in India using a science mapping approach.

A total number of 64 journal articles published between 2004 and 2019 were extracted from the Scopus database using keywords including “construction safety,” “occupational health,” “ergonomics in construction,” etc. VOSviewer software was used to examine the influential keywords, documents, sources and authors in the field of CWHS.

The study found that most of the current work focuses on safety management, safety climate, safety performance, musculoskeletal disorders and behavior-based safety. The result indicates no theoretical basis for the theories and learning methods for the existing studies.

The findings open up a research gap that researchers explore to enhance workers’ health and safety within the Indian construction environment.

The paper is the first article to provide a better understanding of current research in the field of CWHS in India by analyzing its growth through the science mapping approach.