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The primary goal of this study is to determine the predictors of on-demand ridesharing intention in an emerging economy. For this purpose, the study uses the theoretical underpinnings of the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

The study surveyed 347 frequent users of ridesharing services using a set of pre-validated scales. The resulting data were analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM).

The results of SEM analysis disclosed that the significant factors contributing to ridesharing intention are awareness of environmental consequences, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and attitude (towards ridesharing).

This empirical research provides statistically robust insights for developing marketing strategies that attract more individuals toward ridesharing services.

This research has remarkable significance as it is one of the pioneering studies that critically examine the determinants of ridesharing intention from a South Asian emerging economy. Further, the extended TPB framework proposed in this study explains 71.4% variance in ridesharing intention, which is significantly higher than existing studies, with none of them explaining more than 70% variance.

Consumer behavior, in the context of general insurance, is worth exploring to formulate growth strategies for insurance sector in India in light of the proposed structural changes. Indian consumers attract global players due to untapped potential and favorable policy measures initiated for higher foreign direct investments. The purpose of this paper is to understand the prevailing level of service quality as perceived by insurance customers in India in the presence of certain contextual antecedents and moderators.

Perceptions about constructs like customer risk dispositions, awareness, past experiences, customer involvement, choice overload, service quality and satisfaction of 256 customers were collected using a questionnaire survey. A variance-based structural equation modeling helped to identify significant linkages among the constructs.

In order to assess service quality levels, a 15-item scale having the infrastructure, employees, agents and product dimensions was found valid and reliable. Choice overload and customer involvement were found to moderate the influence of antecedents and service quality, respectively. The influence of choice overload on quality perceptions is insignificant. The study concludes that the existing risk beliefs are insufficient, and experiences have less predictive contribution to quality perceptions.

Theoretically, this study examined the process of satisfaction development from service quality perceptions. This study offers insights for developing theories to portray future consumer behavior where more dependence of self-service technologies is expected to dominate service delivery mechanisms in insurance. The study informs that general insurance customers in India prefer more diversified products, more customer-centric employees/agents and better technical quality.

The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the prevailing insurance consumer behavior in the general insurance sector of India and help insurance service providers in streamlining their strategies for better insurance penetration and reduced lapse rate.

This study helps in understanding the emerging trends in general insurance buying behavior in India.

While there has been an abundance of research on the positive outcomes of creative environment, little work has been done on how creative environment influences the general work outcomes of noncreative specialist workers. The paper aims to fill this void by examining the influence of creative environment on absenteeism among garden variety workers and the mediating role of job satisfaction.

The paper uses cross-sectional data of 116 noncreative specialist workers to empirically test the hypotheses. The authors used covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) through the lavaan package for the statistical software R.

Results found that, for a cross section of noncreative specialist workers, a one standard deviation increase in a worker's creative environment would decrease that worker's absenteeism by 0.447 standard deviation. The creative environment also explained 11.3% of the variance in absenteeism. Subsequent analysis showed that job satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between the creative environment and absenteeism and that the results were resistant to omitted variable bias.

The study contributes to theory and practice by showing empirically that creative environment leads to positive work outcomes, despite the innovation level required by the job. This study advances research on creative environment by targeting the garden variety workers, underscores the importance of cultivating a creative environment and calls attention to the complexity of the creativity–job affect link.

This study aims to address a comprehensive and integrated investigations pertaining to the preparation of AgNPs with well-defined nano-sized scale using the aforementioned poly (meth acrylic acid [MAA])–chitosan graft copolymer, which is cheap, nontoxic, biodegradable and biocompatible agent as a substitute for the traditionally used toxic reducing agents.

AgNPs are prepared under a range of conditions, containing silver nitrate and poly (MAA)–chitosan graft copolymer concentrations, time, temperature and pH of the preparation medium. To classify AgNPs obtained under the various conditions, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy spectra and transmission electron microscopy images are used for characterization of AgNPs instrumentally in addition to the visual color change throughout the work. The work was further extended to study the application of the so prepared AgNPs on cotton fabric to see their suitability as antibacterial agent as well as their durability after certain washing cycles.

According to the current investigation, the optimal conditions for AgNPs formation of nearly 3–15 nm in size are 5 g/l, poly (MAA)–chitosan graft copolymer and 300 ppm AgNO₃ in addition to carrying out the reaction at 60°C for 30 min at pH 12. Besides, the application of the so prepared AgNPs on cotton fabric displayed a substantial reduction in antibacterial efficiency against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria estimated even after 10 washing cycles in comparison with untreated one.

To the best of the authors’ information, no comprehensive study of the synthesis of AgNPs using poly (MAA)–chitosan graft copolymer with a graft yield of 48% has been identified in the literature.

This paper empirically investigates the effect of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on the UK money demand stability during the inter-war period (1920–1938). Both a narrow definition (M0) and a broad definition (M3) of money are investigated.

The empirical investigation is conducted by employing the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration.

Results presented indicate a stable demand for both definitions of money only when EPU is included as one of the determinants of demand function. The EPU imposes a negative effect on the demand for both definitions of money. The causality test results further indicate long- and short-term causality from the determinants (including EPU) to both forms of money demand.

Significant presence of the economic uncertainty weakens the effects of the monetary policy on the economy.

This is a historical economics paper. Given the turmoil and uncertainty associated with the inter-war period, an empirical investigation of UK money demand is an interesting exercise. This is the first such paper.

As the development and vaccination of the COVID 19 vaccine is accelerating worldwide, it is important to investigate the ways to improve immunity and immune responses to vaccines. This study aims to investigate the association between history of nutritional supplements intake and body mass index (BMI) in the severity of COVID-19 vaccine side effects after vaccination.

A total of 465 vaccinated participants with the Sinopharm vaccine (females and males in the 18–65 age range) participated in the study. Anthropometric measurements were taken on the first visit. In addition, nutrient supplement history and demographic information were collected. Moreover, the participants’ phone numbers were collected and they were contacted. Participants were asked to report if they experienced systemic (whole-body) and/or local side effects after vaccination, in the following eight days. Then, participants were grouped into four categories: no symptoms (n = 232), mild symptoms (n = 121), moderate symptoms (n = 55) and severe symptoms (n = 57).

There was a significant difference between the consumption of nutritional supplements by different groups of participants in the last six months (considering the severity of the symptoms) (p < 0.001). The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the incidence of side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine increased in the Q3 of BMI (range 22.94–26.34) in Modes 2 and 3: [OR: 1.85, (95% CI: 1.14– 3.00), p-for trend = 0.08] and [OR: 1.89, (95% CI: 1.16– 3.09), p-for trend = 0.09] based on logistic regression models.

In this study, the history of nutrient supplement intake affects the severity of side effects after the vaccination with COVID-19. Furthermore, based on logistic regression models, side effects were more prevalent in the BMI range 22.9–26.3 when compared to BMI < 20.2 so further study is necessary.

The knowledge cloud links people and ideas while also providing worldwide resources for putting them into action. This paper aims to see how the knowledge cloud affects the stimulation of subordinate creativity. The impact of the knowledge cloud on transformational leadership and its impacts on subordinate creativity are examined in this investigation. Also, this study checks out the influence of knowledge cloud on motivational goal orientation and the impact of motivational goal orientation on subordinate creativity. It investigates the influence of knowledge cloud on self-efficacy and feelings of it on subordinate creativity. Moreover, this research examines the impact of the knowledge cloud on employee empowerment and its impact on subordinate creativity.

Knowledge sharing is known as a human rationale for information. It promotes learning, human performance, decision-making and problem-solving at the job; thus, innovation and creativity need novel knowledge. Knowledge cloud is a knowledge source that provides a base for knowledge co-creation. This investigation explores the structural relationships among knowledge cloud, transformational leadership, motivational goal orientation, self-efficacy, employee empowerment and subordinate creativity. Here, a model is improved and experimentally examined based on the knowledge cloud, transformational leadership, motivational goal orientation, self-efficacy and employee empowerment to improve subordinate creativity using partial least squares (PLS) and data from car factories' employees in Beijing.

The study results show that knowledge cloud, transformational leadership, motivational goal orientation, self-efficacy and employee empowerment are strongly related to subordinate creativity. In addition to using the Sobel test, all four variables' mediating role (transformational leadership, motivational goal orientation, self-efficacy and employee empowerment) is confirmed.

A knowledge cloud can improve the stimulating subordinate creativity of employees through transformational leadership, motivational goal orientation, self-efficacy and employee empowerment. First, the human resources department must have some programs to improve the knowledge cloud's incentive. Second, creating an atmosphere of cooperation and trust among employees should enhance the knowledge cloud's effects.

To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that addresses the knowledge cloud's role in subordinate creativity in firms. This investigation also assists the creativity literature by testing the mediating effect of motivational goal orientation, transformational leadership, feelings of self-efficacy and employee empowerment.

This study aims to investigate the influence of religiosity (intrinsic and extrinsic) and halal literacy on the intention of Muslim consumers to purchase halal branded food products in India. An extended version of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was used as a framework. Apart from religiosity and halal literacy, the influence of attitude, social norms and perceived behavioural control of halal on buying intention were also tested.

The study uses a survey design. The data were collected from 350 individual respondents, using a closed-ended, structured questionnaire. The quality of the measurement model has been assessed through reliability testing, factor loading, average variance extracted and Fornell-Larcker criterion. The test of hypotheses was conducted by performing the partial least square structural equation modelling.

The result of hypotheses testing shows that both intrinsic and extrinsic types of religiosities did not have a direct influence on buying intention. However, religiosity (extrinsic and intrinsic) and halal literacy have significant relationships with most of the antecedents of the intention of the TPB. In addition, both kinds of religiosities (extrinsic and intrinsic) and halal literacy had a significant indirect effect (through TPB antecedents) on buying intention.

Muslim population in India is one of the largest in the world, yet there is a lack of popular halal branded food products in the market. Nevertheless, few researchers have attempted to study the consumer behaviour of the Muslim population for halal products in India. A large amount of research work on halal food behaviour is from countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, where the Muslim population is in the majority and halal brands are already popular. Further, this paper studies the impact of dimensions of religiosity, which has been overlooked by researchers studying the halal food purchasing behaviour. The study also explores the impact of halal literacy, an understudied construct in halal marketing literature. The present study is amongst the earliest empirical research based on Muslim consumers in India on the topic of halal branded food products.

This study aims to develop, propose and test an integrated framework of brand love and brand experience in the context of halal industry. Particularly, this study investigates the relationship of brand experience and brand love concepts with several outcome variables such as brand trust, brand satisfaction, brand loyalty purchase intention and word of mouth.

A structured questionnaire has been constructed using scales from past studies. Hypotheses have been tested using partial least square structural equation modelling methodology.

This study has found that brand experience is a significant determinant of brand love. Further, brand love has a significant influence on trust, satisfaction and loyalty. Both variables, brand experience and brand love, have either direct or indirect influences on several branding-related outcome variables such as brand trust, brand satisfaction and brand loyalty.

This study has been conducted only using cross-sectional sample of one country, which may limit the generalisations. However, the results of this study offer valuable insights for the brand managers in the halal sector.

Previous studies pertaining to halal food consumption have focussed more on understanding the attitude or the buying intention of the consumers. Only few studies have attempted to investigate the branding aspect of halal food consumption. This study is one of its kinds, which offers a comprehensive framework by incorporating important brand-related antecedents and outcome variables to understand the branding aspect of the halal food consumption behaviour.

The purpose of the paper is to address money demand instability and investigate the impact of economic uncertainty, stock market uncertainty and monetary uncertainty on money demand in India over the period 2003Q1–2019Q4.

The study checks the stationarity of the variables through standard unit root tests. Based on the mixed order of variables' integration, the authors adopt the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to confirm the cointegration and check the stability of the money demand function (MDF).

The findings confirm the presence of cointegration and reveal a well-specified MDF, which exhibits stable parameters. Besides the conventional variables, all forms of uncertainties emerge as the essential long-term determinants of money demand. Long-run findings show that people demand more money to avoid the future financial crunch amid high economic, monetary and stock market uncertainties.

The paper recommends, based on the findings, incorporating the monetary aggregates in the monetary policy framework as one of the essential information variables to control the fluctuation in the price level under the current flexible inflation targeting (FIT) regime.

The findings also add to the knowledge of economic agents in terms of the overall response of individuals to changes in different forms of uncertainties, thereby helping to formulate their portfolios more diligently.

The current work is the first of its kind in the Indian context. The incorporation of uncertainty measures in the MDF adds to the existing knowledge on money demand.