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Article
Publication date: 10 February 2022

Hemant Kumar and Gautam Sharma

Grassroots innovations, developed by local people using locally available resources, have shown the potential to provide low-cost technological solutions to the problems faced by…

Abstract

Purpose

Grassroots innovations, developed by local people using locally available resources, have shown the potential to provide low-cost technological solutions to the problems faced by underserved consumers in the global south. This paper aims to link the concept of grassroots innovations to energy use in the context of India.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes three case studies from the list of technologies scouted and nurtured by the National Innovation Foundation to critically discuss the potential of grassroots innovations for the dissemination and diffusion of urban sustainable energy uses. The data for this study has been collected from various secondary sources. It discusses the opportunities and challenges in promoting grassroots innovations for sustainable energy uses in urban settings.

Findings

The paper discusses the opportunities and challenges in promoting grassroots innovations for sustainable energy uses in urban settings.

Originality/value

Although the concept and understanding of grassroots innovations have well developed, its linkages with sustainable energy use in urban settings have received scarce or no attention in the literature.

Details

Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4620

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 July 2021

Stuti Haldar and Gautam Sharma

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of urbanization on per capita energy consumption and emissions in India.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of urbanization on per capita energy consumption and emissions in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study analyses the effects of urbanization on energy consumption patterns by using the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology in India. Time series data from the period of 1960 to 2015 has been considered for the analysis. Variables including Population, GDP per capita, Energy intensity, share of industry in GDP, share of Services in GDP, total energy use and urbanization from World Bank data sources have been used for investigating the relationship between urbanization, affluence and energy use.

Findings

Energy demand is positively related to affluence (economic growth). Further the results of the analysis also suggest that, as urbanization, GDP and population are bound to increase in the future, consequently resulting in increased carbon dioxide emissions caused by increased energy demand and consumption. Thus, reducing the energy intensity is key to energy security and lower carbon dioxide emissions for India.

Research limitations/implications

The study will have important policy implications for India’s energy sector transition toward non- conventional, clean energy sources in the wake of growing share of its population residing in urban spaces.

Originality/value

There are limited number of studies considering the impacts of population density on per capita energy use. So this study also contributes methodologically by establishing per capita energy use as a function of population density and technology (i.e. growth rates of industrial and service sector).

Details

International Journal of Energy Sector Management, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6220

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2019

Gautam Sharma and Hemant Kumar

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the commercialisation mechanisms of the innovations that emerge from the informal sector of Indian economy. Also known as grassroots…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the commercialisation mechanisms of the innovations that emerge from the informal sector of Indian economy. Also known as grassroots innovations, they are said to better fit with the local market demands and conditions in the developing nations of the world. The paper discusses the grassroots innovation ecosystem in India and the role that is played by the state in providing institutional support.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on an exploratory study using both the primary and secondary sources of data. Primary data are taken from the interview of the innovators during the field work, whereas secondary data are acquired from research articles published in various journals indexed in Scopus and web of sciences, government publications and reports. The annual reports of National Innovation Foundation are analysed to gather information and to build the arguments for this paper. The secondary data are also collected and evaluated from the database of the grassroots innovators available on Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network.

Findings

The paper provides insight into how the grassroots innovations are commercialised in India through different pathways such as social entrepreneurship, technology transfer and open source technology. It takes four case studies to discuss the institutional support to the grassroots innovator and the challenges in the diffusion of the grassroots innovations.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the chosen research approach, the results cannot be generalised on all grassroots innovations. Researchers are encouraged to conduct a survey of more grassroots innovations in order to derive generalised outputs.

Practical implications

The paper includes implications for understanding the diffusion process of grassroots innovations that can be useful for all the emerging and developing nations.

Originality/value

The paper fulfils an identified need to study the diffusion modes of informal sector innovations and management of grassroots innovations.

Details

South Asian Journal of Business Studies, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-628X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 May 2019

Gautam Sharma

Innovation and entrepreneurship are regarded as the key drivers to steer the engine of economic development in any nation. As a result, to understand the context and process of…

Abstract

Purpose

Innovation and entrepreneurship are regarded as the key drivers to steer the engine of economic development in any nation. As a result, to understand the context and process of innovation and entrepreneurship there has been a steady rise in scientific literature and empirical studies. The purpose of this paper is to study the trends and progress of academic research on innovation and entrepreneurship in India by identifying the key articles, journals, authors and institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

Scientometric methods especially bibliometrics is used, for measuring the maturity of this research field in the country. The paper studies the research landscape in innovation and entrepreneurship in India by doing a bibliometric analysis using data from publications indexed in the Scopus database from the year 2000 to 2018. The study takes a multidisciplinary review of the literature in innovation and entrepreneurship research in India and could be used as a reference for future studies in this theme.

Findings

The study finds an increase in the scholarly studies in innovation and entrepreneurship in India in the last decade. It was also found that a large number of publications were joint-authored and collaborations between Indian and foreign universities is happening. The paper also highlights the authorship patterns, top journals and the most cited papers.

Research limitations/implications

A major limitation of this study is that it has considered publications which are indexed in Scopus. This paper has contributed by highlighting the growth of studies in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Indian context. The results can be used by future studies in this area as a starting point to highlight the nature of this research area.

Originality/value

The study attempts to present a trend analysis of published literature on innovation and entrepreneurship in India.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 September 2022

Mohammad Reza Mohammadi, Seyed-Ali Mostafavi and Aref Khalkhali

Nutrition Bio Shield (NBS) supplement is a natural product that is processed from whole wheat grains. This study aims to determine its effects on depression, anxiety, stress and…

Abstract

Purpose

Nutrition Bio Shield (NBS) supplement is a natural product that is processed from whole wheat grains. This study aims to determine its effects on depression, anxiety, stress and food craving in women with depression and obesity in a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

Design/methodology/approach

Fifty-six eligible clients with body mass index ≥ 25 and mild or moderate depression signed the informed consent form. They were randomly assigned to receive daily 5 g of NBS or placebo. The assessments included the depression, anxiety and stress-21 questionnaire, food craving questionnaire, visual analogue scale for appetite, precise anthropometric measurements and body composition analyses. The assessments were conducted at the baseline and repeated after four and eight weeks. One month after the study completion, the participants’ weight was assessed. The authors analyzed the data by independent sample t-test, repeated measures analysis of variance and multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA).

Findings

At the baseline, no significant differences were observed between the groups regarding the main and demographic variables. After four weeks, stress reduced significantly in the NBS group (p = 0.04), and after eight weeks, anxiety (p = 0.02), stress (p = 0.008) and food craving (p = 0.05) reduced significantly in the NBS group compared with the placebo. After controlling for the demographic variables and baseline measurements, MANCOVA model revealed a significant effect of NBS in reducing anxiety (Eta-squared = 0.28; p = 0.001) and stress (Eta-squared = 0.19; p = 0.009). Fisher’s exact test showed no significant difference regarding side effects between NBS and placebo (p = 0.47).

Originality/value

NBS supplement is a patent and natural product that is processed from whole wheat grains. This product was efficient in reducing stress and anxiety after controlling for demographic variables and baseline measurements compared with the placebo and was safe.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science , vol. 53 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2023

Masoumeh Atefi, Mohammad Hassan Entezari and Hamid Vahedi

This paper aims to examine the effect of sesame oil (SO) on fatigue and mental health status in women with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) undergoing a weight-loss diet.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effect of sesame oil (SO) on fatigue and mental health status in women with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) undergoing a weight-loss diet.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 60 women with NAFLD were randomly assigned to receive 30 g/day of either SO (n = 30) or sunflower oil (n = 30). All the patients received a hypocaloric diet (−500 kcal/day) for 12 weeks in a double-blinded controlled trial. Anthropometric indices, dietary intake, physical activity, fatigue and mental health status were measured at the baseline and the trial cessation.

Findings

In total, 53 participants completed the intervention. Significant reductions in anthropometric indices were observed in both groups (p-value = 0.001). Following SO, fatigue (p-value = 0.002), anxiety (p-value = 0.011) and depression (p-value = 0.013) scores were significantly reduced, while no significant changes were observed in stress scores.

Originality/value

In summary, the present study was conducted to assess the efficacy of SO consumption on fatigue and mental health status among patients with NAFLD. The results revealed SO consumption significantly reduced fatigue, anxiety and depression scores in comparison with the control group, but not for stress scores. Further clinical trials, different doses, with a longer duration of intervention, in different groups, are necessary to confirm the veracity of the results.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science , vol. 53 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2020

Massoud Moslehpour, Alaleh Dadvari, Wahyudi Nugroho and Ben-Roy Do

The present paper aims to explore the antecedents and consequences of social media marketing (SMM) subsets on consumers’ purchase intentions of Indonesian airline products and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The present paper aims to explore the antecedents and consequences of social media marketing (SMM) subsets on consumers’ purchase intentions of Indonesian airline products and services. We propose a research framework to empirically test the influence and interaction of factors, including entertainment (ENT), and interaction (INT) through the effect of trust (TR), and perceived value (PV) as mediators on purchase intention (PI).

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs an online survey to collect data. We collect 301 qualified questionnaires and employ structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the proposed model. The research findings enrich our understanding of the mediating role of TR and PV. Trust and perceived value significantly mediate the relationship between SMM factors and PI during initial stages of decision-making toward purchasing airline products and services.

Findings

Research findings provide support for most hypotheses regarding the significant influence of the variables proposed in the model. Furthermore, trust mediates the relationship between two of the SMM factors (INT and ENT) and purchase intention. Notably, perceived value mediates the link between entertainment and purchase intention.

Originality/value

This study successfully offers a model to examine the influence of social media marketing on Indonesian consumers’ purchasing intentions of airline products and services. Social media marketing components progressively impact the fundamentals of purchase intention, creating a new marketing communication style. These changes generate new opportunities and challenges for companies. This study provides a better understanding of how social media factors influence Indonesian consumers’ initial decision to purchase airline products and services.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 27 June 2016

Mark Peterson and Matthew B. Lunde

This paper reviews recent developments in marketing-related sustainable business practices (SBP) that macromarketing scholars have researched and debated for four decades. Such…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper reviews recent developments in marketing-related sustainable business practices (SBP) that macromarketing scholars have researched and debated for four decades. Such SBPs should be regarded as positive steps toward a future where business does more good than harm in society.

Methodology/approach

Using the approach of a literature review, this paper highlights the actions of entrepreneurs and firms to implement SBPs resulting from analysis of the interplay between markets, marketing and society. Such analysis is in the tradition of macromarketing scholarship.

Findings

The study identifies important developments about an important shift toward adopting SBPs among many firms, as well as among consumers − especially, in developed countries of the world.

Research implications

The study suggests that taking a macromarketing view offers scholars a broad lens on current complex marketplace phenomena that will prove effective in better understanding sustainability issues.

Practical implications

The results of the study underline the value of macromarketing scholarship through the last four decades. By being daring enough to consider other stakeholders other than marketers and owners of firms, macromarketers have provided scholars a more holistic understanding of business’ role in society.

Originality/value

Today, enlightened practitioners who utilize knowledge from macromarketing scholarship can gain a competitive advantage as they navigate markets increasingly influenced by a wider set of stakeholders. Such influential stakeholders include partner firms, employees, society and local communities, NGOs, media, government, as well as the environment and future generations. Scholars can gain perspective on the phenomena they investigate with such a macromarketing lens.

Article
Publication date: 28 December 2021

Nalin Somani, Y. K. Tyagi and Nitin Kumar Gupta

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the sintering temperature on the microstructural, mechanical and physical properties of Cu-SiC composites.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the sintering temperature on the microstructural, mechanical and physical properties of Cu-SiC composites.

Design/methodology/approach

The powder metallurgy route was used to fabricate the samples. Cold compaction of powders was conducted at 250 MPa which was followed by sintering at 850°C–950°C at the interval of 50 °C in the open atmospheric furnace. SiC was used as a reinforcement and the volumetric fraction of the SiC was varied as 10%, 15% and 20%. The processed samples were metallurgically characterized by the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Mechanical characterization was done using tensile and Vickers’ micro-hardness testing to check the hardness and strength of the samples. Archimedes principle and Four-point collinear probe method were used to measure the density and electrical resistivity of the samples.

Findings

SEM micrograph reveals the uniform dispersion of the SiC particles in the Cu matrix element. The results revealed that the Hardness and tensile strength were improved due to the addition of SiC and were maximum for the samples sintered at 950 °C. The addition of SiC has also increased the electrical resistivity of the Cu-SiC composite and was lowest for Cu 100% while the relative density has shown the reverse trend. Further, it was found that the maximum hardness of 91.67 Hv and ultimate tensile strength of 312.93 MPa were found for Cu-20% SiC composite and the lowest electrical resistivity of 2.017 µ- Ω-cm was found for pure Cu sample sintered at 950 °C, and this temperature was concluded as the optimum sintering temperature.

Research limitations/implications

The powder metallurgy route for the fabrication of the composites is a challenging task as the trapping of oxygen cannot be controlled during the compaction process as well as during the sintering process. So, a more intensive study is required to overcome these kinds of limitations.

Originality/value

As of the author’s best knowledge, no work has been reported on the effect of sintering temperature on the properties of the Cu-SiC composites which has huge potential in the industries.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 1997

Vibha Pinglé

State‐owned enterprises (SOEs), in general, have not been successful. Their indifferent performance has been at the center of the debate about the role of the state in the…

Abstract

State‐owned enterprises (SOEs), in general, have not been successful. Their indifferent performance has been at the center of the debate about the role of the state in the economy. To economists, the performance of SOEs is evidence of what is wrong with state intervention. And in recent years privatization has increasingly been regarded as the only way of improving the performance of SOEs. Yet, while unsuccessful SOEs abound, a few high‐performing SOEs such as POSCO (South Korea), Airbus Industrie (France), EMBRAER (Brazil), and MUL (India) can also be found.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 17 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

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