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The purpose of this study is to examine the buyers’ preferences influencing the purchase of privately developed affordable housing in Kolkata and to determine whether unsold houses result from misalignment with these preferences.

The literature review and user-opinion survey identified 119 independent variables that indicate buyers’ preferences. A questionnaire survey of 383 households in affordable housing units from 32 housing complexes in Kolkata recorded buyers’ preferences and satisfaction against the independent variables grouped under five levels of characteristics. The product weights of variables derived from the rank sum method and percentage satisfaction give the Utility Score. Multivariate regression and univariate linear regressions were conducted to determine the significance of each Level of characteristics and each variable, identifying the significant variables that would affect the sale of affordable houses.

The multivariate regression analysis has indicated that 68.56% of the variation in the percentage of unsold houses was explained by the five utility scores, which affirms that misalignment with buyers’ preferences significantly affects the sale of privately developed affordable houses. Furthermore, building and neighbourhood-level utility show the highest significance as predictors, while city-level and miscellaneous utility have moderate significance, but housing complex-level utility lacks statistical significance.

This study addresses a research gap in privately developed affordable housing in Kolkata, enhancing understanding of buyer preferences in this segment.

Electric street car (ESC) is a globally popular clean and safe electric transport system for urban agglomeration. India envisions achieving “all-electric transport” by 2030, yet ESC as a modal transport alternative is not distinct in the policy discussion. The emerging market for electric transportation in urban spaces requires a detailed demand study at the service user level to remove behavioural barriers and design integrated energy planning in developing economies. This paper explores the probabilistic uptake intentions of the daily public transport commuters for ESCs over e-buses from the only Indian city with operational ESCs, Kolkata.

Using a random utility model on primary survey data from daily commuters, the authors identify demographic, psychometric and socio-economic factors influencing probabilistic uptake of ESC over e-buses.

It estimates that 38% of the commuters demand ESC over e-buses, given the alternatives' comparative details. Factors like frequent availability and technological upgradation would increase the uptake of ESCs.

The study highlights that even though there are infrastructural challenges in the implementation of ESC, so does any other electric transport system; it is worth considering as a decarbonising transport alternative, given the high up-take intension of the users.

This is the first attempt to study the demand for ESC in developing economies, identifying the factors which may be considered in the sustainable urban transportation policy perspective.

Oral health is an integral part of general health. Different population groups have been assessed for oral health status in India, but still, many have been neglected; one such group is the prisoners. The prison population is a unique and challenging one with many health problems, including poor oral health, which may be due to lack of knowledge about good oral health practices. This study aims to assess effectiveness of oral health education on oral health knowledge, attitude and practices and oral hygiene status among the male prison inmates of central jail in Kolkata, India.

An interventional study was done among 240 male convicts. The data was elicited using a structured proforma; oral health status was assessed by recording OHI-S index, and the severity of gingivitis was assessed by recording the gingival index. Oral health education was delivered by using audio-visual aid. Oral health knowledge, attitude, practices and oral hygiene and gingival status were reassessed among the inmates before and after dental education at the end of three and six months.

A significant change in oral health knowledge, attitude and practices was seen, which in turn resulted in an appreciable decrease in the mean gingival index score (1.73 ± 0.382 to 1.20 ± 0.321) and OHI-S (3.31 ± 0.815 to 2.57 ± 0.551) in all the inmates after oral health education program over the period of time.

The oral health education with reinforcement proved to be an effective tool to instil good oral hygiene practices in the inmates.

This study aims to conduct an exploratory research to find out the evolving constructs and variables of digital literacy, as seen by researchers since its inception. This research also includes an empirical study to identify and further analyze the digital literacy dimensions of university students studying fashion design program in Kolkata, India.

The exploratory study is based on a review of extant literature, whereas the empirical study is carried out through a self-assessment survey based on UNESCOs Digital Literacy Global Framework competences after validating their relevance with respect to the fashion and apparel industry. A total of 120 university students studying four years Bachelor of Design (Fashion Design) program were asked to rate their digital literacy competences on a five-point Likert scale, with a self-reported truth response against each statement. The results were analyzed using multivariate statistical tools.

Based on UNESCO competences, it came out that there are eight digital literacy dimensions. ANOVA further confirms that the dimensions requiring higher-order cognition, such as “software management competence” and “digital citizenship competence,” increase with progress in the graduate program. However, lower-order competence dimensions remained unchanged over time.

The research instrument used for this empirical study, its identified dimensions and the fact that higher-order competence dimensions are enhanced with progression in university education may be helpful for similar research in other fashion-related programs.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the sources of noise generation in a library and suggest the implementation of a sound masking system to provide acoustic comfort, maintain speech privacy and create an environment more engaging for the users.

Analyzing the existing literature and exploring the existing practices as observed in different libraries, the study gives an overview of the sound masking initiatives in libraries.

With practical examples of libraries, the study demonstrates how a sound masking system has been implemented to invoke better acoustic design in the library. The expansion of various activities in the library and a gradual shift from individual attention to a collaborative approach necessitates a strong focus on the acoustic design architecture of the library. The study showcases how the libraries adopt sound masking with the introduction of acoustic panels, dual panel partitions, sound-absorbent false ceilings, sound insulation, sound isolation and noise-dampening measures, installing furniture with sound containment features, adopting vibration control mechanism, mounting of white noise machines, etc., keeping the aesthetic quotient of the library alive.

The study attempts to show the current practices of the adoption of the sound masking system in libraries and promotes collaborative reading with the creation of an acoustic design-influenced library environment to control noise and reverberation and provide a comfortable reading environment.

The purpose of the present study is to explore the factors that influence the residential location choice of households in the Indian context.

Two sub-urban towns of Kolkata, i.e. Biddhanagar Municipal Corporation and Rajarhat Newtown, are taken as case studies. In total, 34 variables are considered related to the household's socioeconomic background (10), dwelling (3), travel (2) and level of importance of neighborhood characteristics (19). A revealed preference household survey is conducted, which resulted in the collection of 390 samples. Firstly, 19 level of importance variables are deduced to 3 latent factors using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. After that, a utility function is estimated using a multinomial logit regression to identify significant factors.

The results indicate the significance of car ownership, work travel time, work mode, monthly income, proximity to work, proximity to family/relative/friends, proximity to quality schools, quality of physical infrastructure such as water availability, power availability and housing typology among others in the residential location choice of households.

Kolkata, a major metropolitan area in eastern India, has been experiencing space constraints to cater to the housing demand of the ever-increasing population. Although satellite towns are being developed, the infrastructure landscape in such towns is uneven, resulting in more housing demand in one area than another. The study furnishes significant findings to develop more informed policies to attract households in low-demand areas and manage high-demand areas to achieve sustainable planning.

Considering the importance of geographical context, it is the first study on residential location choice, providing a perspective of household behavior from eastern India. It also shows the importance of physical infrastructure attributes in residential location choice for developing countries, which is seldom employed in the current practice. Moreover, previous studies (although few) done in India consider the objective value of location characteristics. The present study focuses on subjective value or the level of importance perceived by respondents.

Online shoppers feel insecure due to the various unethical practices of e-tailers. It is, therefore, crucial for online retailers to alleviate customer concerns. Extant literature indicates that country-of-origin (COO) cues influence consumer perception. A relatively underexplored phenomenon in an emerging market context, the COO image of the online retailer, i.e. a foreign-origin online retailer (FOOR) or an Indian-origin online retailer (IOOR), needs validation. The current study investigates customer expectations of online retailers' ethical behaviour against the backdrop of online retailer-based signals in emerging markets.

The researchers floated an online questionnaire using a seven-point Likert scale. The authors sought recipient responses in Google Forms shared via e-mails and social media connections. The authors analysed 1,018 useable responses using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in Smart PLS 3.

The empirical study examined the influence of the consumer perception of ethics of online retailers (CPEOR) and COO on consumer purchase intention. It validated the proposed research model. The research findings inform that the CPEOR and the COO influence purchase intention through the mediation effects of trust and satisfaction. Results indicate that privacy, security, non-deception, fulfilment, customer service, FOOR and IOOR strongly predict consumer trust. In contrast, privacy, non-deception, fulfilment, customer service and FOOR strongly predict consumer satisfaction. However, security and IOOR did not influence consumer satisfaction.

The study results have theoretical and practical implications for academic researchers and online retailing managers. Future studies can validate the model in different geo-demographic scenarios and e-commerce settings.

The study enriches the extant literature on CPEOR in the Indian context. This study is pioneering work examining consumer purchase intention by adding the COO construct to the CPEOR model.

This paper aims to investigate AI literacy proficiency among LIS researchers in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. This study also aims to assess current proficiency levels, identify challenges and gaps, explore recommendations for improving skills and examine how researchers stay updated on AI advancements.

A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, then analysed using appropriate statistical methods.

Most respondents showed proficiency in various aspects of AI literacy for LIS research. However, some aspects, such as understanding AI concepts, ethical considerations and programming skills, had lower proficiency levels. Factors influencing AI literacy included limited resources for enhancement, lack of awareness and insufficient AI-related courses in LIS education.

This study presents an original assessment of AI literacy proficiency among LIS researchers in ASEAN countries, shedding light on the current state of AI knowledge in the region’s library and information science field. The findings identify specific gaps and challenges, offering valuable insights for policymakers, educators and stakeholders seeking to enhance AI literacy skills in this context.

The increasing adverse impact of human behavior toward the environment has brought in changes in research focus on environmental behavior toward the workplace. Because the employee spends one-third of his day in his workplace, the initiatives taken by the employee also have an impact on the company’s environmental stance. Therefore, the researchers gradually focus on employee green behavior (EGB) and its measurement. The study aims to devise a tool for measuring EGB.

Two studies were carried out using the survey method using the purposive sampling technique. The data were collected (Studies 1 and 2) from managers and supervisors working in manufacturing companies located in Kolkata, India.

The first study was done to extract the principal factors using an initial 30 items (N = 220). The result of the principal component analysis shows the emergence of three factors spread over 20 items with loadings above 0.40. The 20-item scale was again administered on managers and supervisors (N = 243). The second study was carried out to examine the convergent and discriminant validity as well as stability of the tool through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (N = 243). The result of CFA showed the presence of 16 items spread through three factors: practice and policy, digital use and recycle and reuse. Multiple fit indices support a three-factor model of the 16-item EGB scale.

The scale would be a good measure of EGB and can be used for further research. The EGB scale is a composite scale containing three major dimensions that can be used as a complete measure of EGB.

The present research aims to fill the current gap by building a comprehensive tool for measuring EGB. The present scale has also addressed the shortcoming of the previous scale and tried to include varied proenvironmental behaviors exhibited in the workplace.

Effective inventory management is crucial for SMEs due to limited resources and higher risks like cash flow, storage space, and stockouts. Hence, the aim is to explore how technology and know-how can be integrated with inventory practices and impact operational performance.

The basis of the analysis was collecting papers from a wide range of databases, which included Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. In the first phase of the process, a search string with as many as nine related keywords was used to obtain 175 papers. It further filtered them based on their titles and abstracts to retain 95 papers that were included for thorough analysis.

The study introduced innovative methods of measuring inventory practices by exploring the impact of know-how. It is the first of its kind to identify and demonstrate how technical, technological, and behavioral know-how can influence inventory management practices and ultimately impact the performance of emerging SMEs. This study stands out for its comprehensive approach, which covers traditional and modern inventory management technologies in a single study.

The study provides valuable insights into the interplay between technical, technological, and behavioral know-how in inventory management practices and their effects on the performance of emerging SMEs in Industry 5.0 in the light of RBV theory.

The RBV theory and the Industry 5.0 paradigm are used in this study to explore how developing SMEs' inventory management practices influence their performance. This study investigates the effects of traditional and modern inventory management systems on business performance. Incorporating RBV theory with the Industry 5.0 framework investigates firm-specific resources and technological advances in the current industrial revolution. This unique technique advances the literature on inventory management and has industry implications.