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Reducing purchasing costs remains an ongoing concern for most organizations. The standard purchasing process that works well for large purchases, however, generates proportionately much higher overhead and administrative costs for small purchases leading to purchase delays, high error rate, and poor vendor participation. There is a need to develop separate purchasing processes for small and large purchases and evaluate underlying factors that affect such process transformation. This paper aims to analyze a successful purchasing process transformation conducted at a utility company for small purchases.

It uses a case study methodology to examine the transformation in detail and understand related issues such as benefits realization, resistance to change, and risk management involved in such transformation projects.

It compares original and transformed purchasing processes and identifies resultant benefits to the company, participating vendors, banks, and employees. It finds that a company receives many operational, informational, and accounting benefits in addition to purchasing cost savings.

It provides guidelines for similar restructuring for small purchases in other organizations.

The paper offers a generic business process model for small purchases and employs equity‐implementation model to explain the factors leading to the success in this purchasing process transformation and possibly other similar organizational transformations.

This paper aims to examine the role of knowledge management (KM) processes in enhancing competitive strategies of differentiation and cost-effectiveness and its impact on innovativeness in knowledge-intensive service organizations (KISOs) in India.

This study collected data from 293 employees working in Indian KISOs through a questionnaire survey. After checking for reliability and validity of data, this study tested the hypotheses by structural equation modeling using AMOS 26.

The results show that KM processes have a significant and positive relationship with competitive strategy and innovativeness. Competitive strategy partially mediates the relationship between KM processes and innovativeness. These KM processes promote differentiation and cost-effectiveness, which in turn enhances innovativeness. A differentiation strategy has a stronger positive relationship with KM processes and innovativeness than a cost-effective strategy.

This study's cross-sectional design limits its ability to establish a general cause–effect relationship. Even so, theoretically, the results corroborate the contingent view of KM in emerging economies such as India. The findings show the mediating role of competitive strategy on the relationship between KM and its processes with innovation and competitiveness – providing a better cost-effectiveness relationship and organizational differentiation capacity.

This study suggests managers to adopt KM processes such as creation-sharing, acquisition and knowledge base enabling firms to be different and cost-effective than their competitors. This study provides evidence on how KISOs can leverage their innovativeness by using KM processes in congruence with its competitive strategy and gain competitive advantage.

This study emphasizes the development of KM processes in the management of KISOs, which contributes substantially to India’s economic growth via Gross domestic product and employment. On the social side, this study suggests to manage cultural issues in KM processes, arising because of presence of multi-cultural workforce and a high-power distance society.

This study bridges a research gap of previous studies providing empirical evidence regarding the mediating effect of competitive strategies in the relationship between KM processes and innovativeness. This study adds proof to the KM contingency view of firms, suggesting when KM processes are formulated to achieve competitive strategy; substantial benefits such as innovativeness can be realized. This study adds evidence from the emerging economy of India, where KISOs are increasingly creating value and employment.

This study aims to examine the influence of some prominent corporate governance (CG) mechanisms such as board size (BS), board independence (BI), role duality (RD), board’s gender diversity (GD), ownership concentration (OC), audit committee independence (ACI), nomination and remuneration committee (NRC) and risk management committee (RMC) on voluntary disclosure (VD), as well as different types of VD after controlling the effect of some firm-specific factors for Indian firms.

The study selects market capitalization-based top 100 non-financial and non-utility firms listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange as on 31st March 2014. Data are drawn from the Capitaline Plus database over the period of 2014–2018. Appropriate panel data regression model is applied to examine the influence of CG on VD.

The study reveals a significant negative influence of BI on VD while GD and RMC exhibit a significant positive influence on the same. The remaining CG mechanisms such as BS, RD, OC, ACI and NRC appear to have no significant influence on VD. Analysis into the relationship between CG mechanisms and different types of VD reveals that BI, in particular, has a strong negative influence on corporate strategic disclosure (CSD) and forward looking disclosure (FWLD) while GD and RMC both exhibit a significant positive influence on CSD, FWLD, CG disclosure and financial and capital market disclosure. Notably, none of the CG mechanisms under consideration influence human and intellectual capital disclosure.

The study considers annual reports as the only medium of making VD and ignores all other sources such as websites and press releases. Besides, it mainly emphasizes on corporate board structure, board committees and OC while other ownership structure-related variables family ownership, managerial ownership are not covered, which can be analysed in future studies.

The study offers some important theoretical, as well as practical connotations for regulators and practitioners operating in India, as well as other emerging economies having similar institutional settings.

The study is the first of its kind in India that examines the influence of various CG mechanisms on different types of VD and thereby contributes novel findings in the context of an emerging economy.

The case aims around transition and threats to survival in a brick kiln family business. Second, it stimulates an understanding on the need toward collective decision making by the family during the maturity stage of the family business. The purpose of this paper besides addressing entrepreneurship is to examine the “family-ness” in a family business and its benefits, the transition management issues and to understand the difficulties in handling conflicts during succession and transition cycle in a closely held family business.

The case is based on primary research, which is exploratory and secondary information followed by testing the case several times. To authenticate information, multiple sources of information with individual interviews both structured and unstructured at different levels have been used in a time frame of over one year.

The competency of the business purely lies in the quality of the product, utilization of market opportunity, harnessing capability, honesty and complete involvement in business. Undoubtedly, the family business has reflected growth but its existence in near future is doubtful due to certain exogenous uncontrollable factors, such as restriction by government regulation. The subsequent generation desires to actively participate in the family business. However, it is constrained by the new government regulations and the business life cycle. Thus, the family is reluctantly compelled to start focusing on newer alternatives or business ideas. Transitions, both in business and in family, have posed a challenge to the founder. Should the family continue in the same business with added constraints or the next generation starts building on a new idea as an option and spin-off from existing family business? These are scenarios for trade-offs.

The case is restricted to transition in business and in family, within a traditional family business of brick kilns. It is about a strategic choice impending with the founder and his siblings. Interpretations may be connected with related family businesses; however, riders exist, as different firms falling under different industry verticals undergo unique scenarios.

The outcome of the research-based case study shall assist entrepreneurs in the brick kiln industry to understand transition issues and challenges imposed upon due to changing government regulations.

Implications exist for practitioners who may like to anticipate conflict arising due to transition and have mitigation techniques in place.

The case is original, while the new generation is looking to switch or diversify the business.

In this work, minimum energy based interpolation has been done for an optimal well path and effects of energy and fitting coefficients have been studied. An optimal well path also maintains the given radius of curvature and satisfies drilling requirements. Interactive incremental design concept has been used in this work which, controls length and other geometric properties of well path. In the first part of the research, whole well segment has been taken for optimization. Geometric constraints are put to satisfy the drilling requirements. In the second part of the research only the curved portion of well segment has been taken for optimization. Geometric perspective of the well has been considered in this formulation.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of an internally finned tube for different flow conditions.

Numerical investigation have been performed by solving the conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy with two equation-based k-eps model to determine the wall temperature, outlet temperature and Nusselt number of an internally finned tube.

It has been found from the numerically investigation that there exists an optimum fin height and fin number for maximum heat transfer. It was also found that the heat transfer in T-shaped fin was highest compared to other shape. The saw type fins had a higher heat transfer rate compared to the plane rectangular fins having same surface area and the heat transfer rate was increasing with teeth number. Keeping the surface area constant, the shape of the duct was changed from cylindrical to other shape and it was found that the heat transfer was highest for frustum shape compared to other shape.

The present computations could be used to predict the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of an internal finned tube specifically used in chemical and power plants.

The original contribution of the paper was in the use of the two equation-based k-eps turbulent model to predict the maximum heat transfer through optimum design of fins and duct.

This study aims to quantify and compare the environmental impacts of Marble-stone and Kota-stone flooring options widely used for buildings in India. The study discusses the possibility of carbon sequestration through Bamboo cultivation in India.

The study has followed a standard life cycle assessment (LCA) framework based on ISO 14040 guidelines. Three distinct phases have been compared on midpoint and endpoint assessment categories – raw material, polishing and disposal. Primary data has been collected from the construction site in India, and secondary data has been collected from the Ecoinvent 3.0 database. Previous studies have been referred to discuss and calculate the area of bamboo cultivation required to sequestrate the generated carbon from the flooring.

The study has found that endpoint category damage to resources, and midpoint categories of climate change, metal depletion and agricultural land use are highly impacted in building floorings. The study has also found that the Marble-stone floor generates higher environmental impacts than the Kota-stone floor in most of the midpoint and endpoint impact categories. This difference is significant in the raw material phase due to the different compositions of stones. The study also found that Bamboo has excellent potential to act as a carbon sink and mitigate the generated carbon.

This study excludes human labour, cutting and distribution of floor tiles made of Marble-stone and Kota-stone. The researcher can use the study to evaluate, compare and benchmark the various building flooring options from the environmental perspective. The study aids to the body of knowledge available on the various building flooring options by presenting the LCA or the environmental impacts generated by two flooring options. It is expected that the architects and builders can use these results to develop carbon-neutral buildings. This study provides a methodology for governments, constructors, builders and individuals to evaluate, compare and benchmark the various construction materials from the environmental perspective by computing the environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of the materials.

This study compares two widely used building flooring options using the LCA methodology and evaluates the potential of bamboo cultivation near the buildings for carbon sinks. The study is unique because it shows the environmental impacts of two flooring options and the carbon sequestration method to mitigate/absorb the generated environmental impacts in or around the building itself through bamboo cultivation. This study may set the foundation for carbon-neutral buildings.

This paper presents a unique method to recognize circular holes from 3D models in the STL format. The topological information generated by this method enables identification of holes and tool path generation for holes which should be drilled rather than milled.

A method based on a set of developed algorithms is used to identify closed loops from a STL model, identify which closed loops correspond to cylindrical holes, find hole orientations, locations and diameters, and calculate the depth for the recognized holes. The developed procedure and algorithms have been implemented in Visual C++ to illustrate the efficacy of the method.

The implementation results showed that the developed algorithms can successfully recognize circular holes of differing sizes on both simple and complex surfaces, and in any orientation. Tool paths can thus be generated from STL models to more efficiently and accurately machine circular holes.

The developed method requires that at least one simple closed loop exist for each potential hole.

A new and unique hole recognition method for use with STL models was developed. This method is useful for accurately and efficiently machining parts with circular holes from STL models as well as finish machining near‐net shape parts with circular holes created using rapid prototyping.