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As physical evidence, servicescapes play a crucial role in tangibilizing service value. Since value creation and consumption are inseparable in many services, servicescapes also contribute significantly to consumer experiences. By reviewing the role of design factors on the physical and psychological safety of customers, particularly in different service contexts based on social factors, this paper aims to provide insights into how servicescape frameworks may be re-examined from a safety perspective.

Based on a critical review of studies in multidisciplinary domains, including environmental psychology, community medicine, architecture and engineering, this paper proposes a conceptual model anchored in stimulus–organization–response (S-O-R) theory and presents related propositions for safer servicescape designs.

The study reveals the need for re-evaluating current servicescape design frameworks by incorporating the concept of servicescape safety, discusses the significance of various interior factors and presents the moderating effects of social factors and service types on perceived safety.

With no robust models currently available to evaluate the impact of servicescape designs on users' physical and psychological safety, this paper provides guidelines based on a multidisciplinary review of studies. A healthy and safe servicescape requires interdisciplinary investigations, the results of which will reshape future design approaches.

Through empirical research anchored in environmental psychology, the paper presents formative indicators that form an evaluation set “S.E.E.” (service environment evaluation), to simplify and systematize the measurement of visual aesthetics of servicescapes through consumers' perspective.

The authors adopted formative index development methodology, employing a one-shot experimental design using photographic surrogates of four different servicescapes (n = 1400), and testing the index with eight noted global servicescape images.

Findings reveal that visual aesthetics of servicescapes can be captured using the composite index we developed with five dimensions: complexity, coherence, legibility, mystery and novelty. Also, service type: hedonic/utilitarian, does influence how consumers evaluate servicescape visual appeal.

Formative indicators constituting S.E.E. enables assessment of subjective visual aesthetics of servicescapes holistic, objective and an effortless task for marketers, designers and decision-makers; and helps them reliably decide on and skillfully design servicescapes with the required visual appeal.

It is proposed that to reach a state of generative learning, an organization requires a “generative learning manager”: a person who understands the importance of development and directing of knowledge. The purpose of this study was, therefore, both to explain mechanisms like knowledge distribution, goal setting and symbolic convergence from a cognitive psychological perspective on organizations, as well as to reach conclusions on a hypothetical model for the function of generative learning management. The study was accomplished by a theoretical analysis. The results suggest that a goal setting manager – who has the ability to help the organization communicate more as a network, where procedural and declarative knowledge, as well as multi‐intelligent aspects of knowledge can move in a more widely distributed procedural fashion between co‐workers – has the potential to become a generative learning manager.

Recent debates in urban studies and urban anthropology have revolved around the growth of neoliberal economies and their impact on postcolonial cities such as Bengaluru and invoke the phenomenon of the death of the commons. Rather than focusing on a dialectical existence of infrastructures, which suggests a life and death binary, in 2020, I turned my attention to the possibility of a life between and beyond these two binaries through the game of football and its place in Bengaluru. This essay is based on a study of two different types of football fields in Koramangala, Bengaluru, and through this exercise, it intends to examine a potential move towards the viewing of commons as sites of knowledge production for sport, culture, and the city. One of the key ideas around which urban commons are looked at in this essay is through an examination of Bengaluru as a postcolonial city, one which was supposed to uphold a Nehruvian vision, and its transformation into the Information Technology hub of India through a neoliberal turn in urban development. A major concern raised here with neoliberal models of urban development is how people who do not have the monetary capacity to access sports infrastructure end up playing in the postcolonial, neoliberal city.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influences of parent brand characteristics and brand-extension fit on attitude towards the extension in the context of services-to-goods (SG) brand extension compared with services-to-services (SS) brand extension.

A survey design was used to collect data from 626 individual respondents. The respondents were selected using probability sampling from two cities in India. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The study indicated that context (SS or SG) moderated the influence of factors on attitude toward brand extension. A favorable attitude towards the parent brand had a greater positive influence on SS brand extension compared with SG brand extension. Quality variance among service types under the parent brand had a higher negative impact on attitude towards SG brand extension than on attitude towards SS brand extension.

Managers may prefer extending a service brand to another service rather than a good when consumers have a favorable attitude towards the brand. Furthermore, when the perceived quality of service types under a service brand varies substantially, extension of the brand to a good requires greater concern than extension to a service.

The unique contribution of this study is the examination of the moderating influence of the characteristics of an offering (SS vis-à-vis SG) on the link between brand extension attitude and its influencing factors.

The purpose of the study is to obtain and analyze vibro-acoustic characteristics.

A unified analysis model for the rotary composite laminated plate and conical–cylindrical double cavities coupled system is established. The related parameters of the unified model are determined by isoparametric transformation. The modified Fourier series are applied to construct the admissible displacement function and the sound pressure tolerance function of the coupled systems. The energy functional of the structure domain and acoustic field domain is established, respectively, and the structure–acoustic coupling potential energy is introduced to obtain the energy functional. Rayleigh–Ritz method was used to solve the energy functional.

The displacement and sound pressure response of the coupled systems are acquired by introducing the internal point sound source excitation, and the influence of relevant parameters of the coupled systems is researched. Through research, it is found that the impedance wall can reduce the amplitude of the sound pressure response and suppress the resonance of the coupled systems. Besides, the composite laminated plate has a good noise reduction effect.

This study can provide the theoretical guidance for vibration and noise reduction.

This study explores how excellence models can leverage digital transformation on the path to sustainable development in organisations.

A survey was used to study the different facets of digital capabilities and their impact on sustainable development success of organisations holding an external recognition from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). Partial Least Squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) combined with Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) were used to analyse data.

Internalising excellence practices is decisive in mediating effective digital capabilities to achieve sustainable development. To achieve high levels of sustainable development success, organisations must achieve high levels of excellence practices internalisation, which are much more important than the excellence model external recognition.

This study addresses essential issues with theoretical and practical value but is limited to a sample of organisations with EFQM recognition in two countries. Future studies should address different organisations and cultural environments.

The findings are relevant for organisations facing digital transformation and sustainable development challenges. They are essential for managers leveraging digital capabilities to capitalise on practices and processes and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. Organisations can benefit from a multidimensional approach to digital capabilities when struggling against external challenges.

This study closes a research gap regarding the impact of digital capabilities on sustainable development success. It is the first empirical study to combine sufficiency and necessity conditions analyses to explore the mediating role of excellence practices internalisation and one of the first to address digital capabilities from a multidimensional perspective.

This study aims at identifying various socioeconomic variables that influence the development of work alienation among Indian bank employees.

Data were collected from a sample of 552 employees working in ten public and ten private sector banks in Punjab. Statistical techniques such as the independent sample t-test, Welch’s F-test and Games–Howell procedure were used for data analysis.

Results of this study indicated that socioeconomic variables, namely, age, educational qualification, monthly income and work experience, significantly influence work alienation among bank employees. In contrast, gender, marital status, type of bank and cadre did not have any significant relationship with work alienation.

This study is one of the limited research studies that has examined the linkage between socioeconomic variables and work alienation in the context of the banking sector of a developing nation like India.

The case is aimed at providing students with an opportunity to understand various aspects of corporate governance and the consequences of poor corporate governance. The case addresses the following objectives: The students need to assess the role of the board in implementing corporate governance. The students should be able to explain the conflicts experienced by various stakeholders in an organization. The students need to evaluate the balancing act of growth and governance in a startup. The students should be able to determine the current state of business sustainability of the high-growth startups in India.

The case presents the challenges faced by the CEO of BharatPe, Suhail Sameer. Beginning in 2022, Bharatpe was in deep trouble as there were allegations of financial mismanagement, toxic work culture and widening losses. Co-founder Ashneer Grover and his wife Madhuri had to leave the company following charges against them. As Grover was the face of the company, Sameer would have to quickly act on filling the void and reassuring investors. Because of the uncertainty, scores of employees had already quit or were looking for other jobs. Questions were also raised about the board’s inaction and lack of proactive measures. After a meteoric rise for three years, BharatPe was struggling to survive the whole episode and put its focus back on business.

The case is intended for MBA students in corporate governance, organizational behaviour, business ethics and strategic management areas. As the case reveals the impact of poor corporate governance, it can also be used for executive training purposes on corporate sustainability, governance and leadership with a special focus on Indian startups.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.