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This paper aims to explore the factors inhibiting the internet adoption among base of pyramid (BoP) and to develop further insights of such factors.

Researchers used a mixed-method study with QUAL/QUAN sequence in this research. Given the dearth of research on the internet usage by the BoP segment in India, the authors began with the exploratory qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews in local language were carried out with the people belonging to the BoP segment in India using common interview protocol. Face-to-face interviews were conducted for 20-30 min with ten people. Thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) was conducted on the interview transcripts which lead to five themes. These themes were identified as the potential inhibitors to the internet adoption by the BoP segment in India. This step was further followed by a confirmatory quantitative study.

The results confirm that the factors such as lack of digital literacy, complexity and language barrier play a significant role in inhibiting the internet adoption by the BoP segment. However, there is no impact of perceived risk and cost on the internet adoption. The significant relationship between lack of digital literacy and intention to use implies that if the BoP segment is capable to locate, evaluate and use digital information, it is more likely to use the internet. Similarly, the relationship between complexity and the intention to use suggests that if the BoP segment finds it easy to use and understand the internet, it is more likely to use it.

This research has the implications for government departments and policymakers that are responsible for promoting use of the internet. Therefore, such departments and policymakers are advised to channelize their effort on resting the digital literacy, especially in terms of internet adoption. Findings of this study show that digital literacy, complexity and language barriers are major inhabitants in the internet adoption. Directed and focused government policies and initiatives such as subsidized seminars and training programmes specially designed for the BoP segment can help in increasing internet adoption.

The adoption and use of the internet services by BoP have major implications for digital equality. Therefore, it would be important to explore the factors inhibiting the internet adoption among BoP.

This paper not only explores the factors inhibiting internet adoption among BoP in developing countries such as India but also provides deeper insights to these factors by collecting first-hand information from target segment. The finding of this research provides meaningful inputs to policymakers and also to industry to remove digital divide in the target population. This is how this research adds value to the existing knowledge available in this domain and it also provides agenda for future research.

Public Sector Management and Strategy

This case will be useful for courses in information technology (IT) innovation, public–private partnership (PPP) and strategic management. However, the use of the case will differ on the basis of the target audience who could be students of master's course or executive development course. Detailed discussion can be done on co-innovation strategy followed in a public–private partnership and to understand how a PPP can be successful in enterprise solutions. Further, the understanding on how e-procurement and e-tendering solutions work can be gained through this case. This case should be positioned when the discussion for the planning strategy of IT innovation takes place.

SAP was a market leader in enterprise application software and empowered people across the globe to work more efficiently. The e-procurement solution for OILGIAN was managed by SAP LABS India. OILGIAN entrusted SAP with the task to design and implement the e-tendering solution. SAP appointed Ramakrishna Potluri, Lead Consultant, SAP, to manage the design and implementation of the e-tendering module as a part of e-procurement solution for the public sector. The reporting and the security concerns were stated by OILGIAN, and Potluri reassured that his competent team would comply with the needs. The main predicaments that he was going through were that how best he could take the proposition forward. Should he create the innovative solutions in-house or co-create with the customers? Which business models should he follow for this public–private co-innovation to be a predecessor of successful projects?

The case illustrates the following objectives: to discuss the co-innovation strategy followed in a public–private partnership; to understand how a public–private partnership can be successful in enterprise solutions; and to understand how e-procurement and e-tendering solutions work.

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The increasing importance of electronic health (e-health) has raised the significance of exploring the factors influencing the users’ acceptance of e-health applications. There has been an extensive usage of the technology acceptance model (TAM) in e-health applications acceptance research. However, not all TAM relationships are borne out in all the studies. There is a variation in predicted effects in several studies with different user type and application type. The purpose of this paper is to bridge a research gap by providing a holistic view of the e-health applications acceptance research by integrating the findings of existing relevant literature.

A statistical meta-analysis of the effect size of causal relationships between common TAM constructs was conducted on 111 peer-reviewed academic studies published in various journals.

The results confirm the validity and robustness of the TAM in e-health applications acceptance research. Further, a moderator analysis based on user type and e-health application type demonstrated that the effect size of causal relationships between TAM constructs majorly depends on the user type, but not on e-health application type.

This research provides a ready reference of the existing studies on e-health applications acceptance to the researchers. Further, if researchers or practitioners want to learn more about the particular user or application type, they may find the results valuable.

This research suggests that the general public can be used as the surrogates for patients in e-health applications acceptance research. The implementation strategy found successful for medical staff may not work for general public and patients. This research also suggests ways to enhance acceptance of e-health applications among different user groups.

The research is original and is based on the existing literature and its interpretation.

With the increasing prevalence of social media in everyday life, scholars have argued the need of exploring enterprise social media (ESM) for workplace outcomes. This study investigates the relationship between ESM use and organizational learning capability (OLC) by focusing on the mediating role of informal learning (INFL) and the moderating role of social capital (SC).

The paper developed and tested a mediated moderated model explaining the impact of ESM on OLC. The study used temporally separated data of 281 respondents collected in two waves from firms in India that use organizationally facilitated ESM platforms for internal workplace communication.

An analysis of temporally separated two-wave data indicates that INFL mediates the relationship between ESM use and OLC. Also, SC is found to moderate the effect of ESM use on INFL, and INFL mediated the moderation effect of SC on relationship between ESM use and OLC such that the relationship will be stronger when employees have a higher rather than lower level of SC.

The study theoretically contributes and extends the literature on ESM and learning in organizations. The study provides important practical implications to support and institutionalize learning at work. The results of the study provide evidence that ESM are not just networking tools but a platform for learning. Findings of the study suggest that ESM can be one such tool to promote and capture employee INFL. The results also show that SC plays a critical role in predicting the extent to which employees learn informally using ESM, thereby building OLC. This result suggests that organizations should make conscious and concerted efforts to build employee SC. The above findings also have interesting implications for learning and development (L&D) and information technology (IT) managers who wish to implement technology for collaborative purposes.

Addressing the underlying processes that explain how ESM positively influence OLC was highlighted as a critical research gap that needs attention. The paper is novel in its approach as it provides empirical evidence for the relationship between ESM and its impact on employee outcomes, an area pertinent in today's digital economy, however, received sparse attention by management scholars so far. It also provides empirical grounds toward a meaningful shift in the social media discourse – transition from being traditionally viewed primarily as “a networking platform” to “a learning platform.”

The study aims to understand enterprise social media usage at work and explore its impact on employee outcomes, particularly learning behaviors. The scope of the paper is limited to organizationally facilitated enterprise social media (ESM) used internally for workplace communication and draws upon ESM affordances highlighted by the theory of communication visibility.

The study used a qualitative research design based on Miles and Huberman framework (1994) as the research question was exploratory in nature. Thematic analysis was conducted using QSR-NVivo to arrive at the dominant themes and to understand their relationship between enterprise social media use at work. Each emergent theme was generated from the behavioral indicators labelled as nodes. Drawing on qualitative data, the study explored the lived-in experiences of employees using enterprise social media for workplace interactions.

The thematic analysis using QSR-NVivo provided qualitative evidence for the phenomenon of enterprise social media use in the form of four emergent themes: patterns of enterprise social media usage by employees, employees' informal learning behaviors, employee social capital and organizational learning capability.

The study provides theoretical insights into the lived-in experiences of employees using ESM at work and unravel thematic behavioral impact on their learning, social capital and organizational learning capability. The findings of this study support recent research work on impact of ESM on knowledge sharing behaviors (see Sun et al., 2019) and other significant work on co-creation of knowledge (see Wagner et al., 2014). Thus, adding to the body of knowledge management literature.

This study provides evidence for the role of enterprise social media in developing organizational learning capability by offering support and platform for employees' informal learning and building their social capital. Thus, organizations should leverage enterprise social media not only a social networking tool but more as a strategic learning resource. Hence, organizational leaders must encourage employees to be involved on such platforms in order to promote their informal learning. Also, this study captures the role of employee social capital in explaining the enterprise social media, informal learning and organizational learning capability relationship. This shows that enterprise social media can help employees to learn informally when they have good relationships. Hence, this study provides implications for both HR and IT managers and consultants who plan to implement technology for collaborative purposes, should not undermine the importance of building employee social capital. Only then can they utilize the potential of ESM as a learning tool. Last, this research may also influence the general attitude towards social media use at work and further impact the design and implementation of organizational social media policies.

The paper is novel as the qualitative investigation offers deeper insights into the impact of ESM usage on employee and organizational learning behaviors. The paper draws on theoretical underpinnings to present useful linkages between emergent concepts and makes valuable contribution to the literature on enterprise social media use and learning at work.

In mobile banking (m-banking), knowing and understanding trust-related factors can enable bank managers to design suitable strategies for enhancing its overall uptake. Based on this premise, the present study assesses the relationship of trust in m-banking with technology acceptance and use factors, quality factors, risk factors and a personal factor as well as behavioral outcomes. The study further investigates the moderating influence of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions on these relationships.

The present study synthesizes the outcomes of 63 quantitative studies on trust in m-banking by using the meta-analysis technique.

The study finds a significant relationship of trust in m-banking with technology acceptance and use factors, quality factors, risk factors, a personal factor and behavioral outcomes. Additionally, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, namely power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity and uncertainty avoidance, significantly moderate the majority of the hypothesized relationships.

By reviewing the extant literature, this study provides a comprehensive framework that explains the antecedents and behavioral outcomes of trust in m-banking and determines how these relationships effectively vary across cultures.

The study helps m-banking service providers to understand how trust in m-banking can be enhanced. The study also shows which factors are more impactful in a particular culture.

This is an original study that contributes to the m-banking marketing literature.

Research on sustainability has progressed from a singular focus on one aspect to a simultaneous focus on more than one aspect of the triple bottom line. However, there is a dearth of research that explains why sustainability-related decisions in business often do not bear the expected results. Research that provides managers with a tool to achieve environmental sustainability of logistics without compromising the economic sustainability is scarce. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to bridge the above gaps and to explore the factors that affect investment in technology to balance environmental and economic sustainability of logistics. A model based on system dynamics approach explains the simultaneous interplay of these factors. Simulating the model helps the managers of logistics function decide the size of investment in technology, to achieve environmental efficiency without negatively influencing the economic performance.

A model based on system dynamics approach explains the simultaneous interplay of these factors. Simulating the model helps the managers of logistics function decide the size of investment in technology, to achieve ecological efficiency without compromising with the economic performance.

Collaboration with regulatory authorities and with players within the same industry and across industries is a must so that eco-logistics does not become an economic burden for businesses. The decision to invest in technology for eco-logistics is further accentuated if the technology promises some added economic benefits.

From a theoretical perspective, the research has added to the less extensive literature on system dynamics modelling, which is a mixed methodology, combining both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The research is also one of the few attempts that have attempted to simultaneously study more than one aspects of sustainability in business, quantitatively through simulation. Simulation was demonstrated through a single case study, Future works can aim to apply the causal loop diagram to firms in varied sectors.

The managers can use the causal loop diagram to assess the environmental performance of logistics and decide on appropriate level of investment to balance ecological and economic performance of logistics.

The causal loop diagram has been developed through primary data collection via semi-structured interviews. The results were validated by presenting them to respondents to ensure they represent their view points. The results are, therefore, practical and original. This research does not build upon an existing data set or aims to test the applicability of any existing model. The model for this research has been developed from the grass-roots level.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the social entrepreneurship focussed organizations in the context of challenges faced and strategic actions adopted by them during the different stages of self-sustainable business model design and implementation.

The empirical context involves the use of qualitative multi-case-based research methodology for data collection and analysis. The sampling involves undertaking the field study of social entrepreneurship oriented organizations, which have made the perceptible socio-economic difference in the lives of the rural and semi-urban population lying at the base of the pyramid (BoP) in India.

The findings of this study are presented in two complementary stages. The first stage involves presenting the narrative incorporating the emergent themes and key characteristics of the social entrepreneurship focussed organizations based on the field-research based data collection and analysis. The second stage involves mapping the challenges with the strategic actions thereby formulating a challenge-action framework.

The paper strengthens the belief in social entrepreneurship as a viable alternative for creating a market-based ecosystem at the BoP. This paper highlights the conception of social entrepreneurship in terms of challenges and corresponding strategic actions.

The derived challenge-action framework will enable the social entrepreneurs to learn, understand, design and implement a better informed and transparent market-based business models at the BoP resulting in reduced market risks and uncertainty.

The government needs to recognize the social entrepreneurs as partners having a separate legal entity as well as consider their inputs and on-field experiences while framing the policies in favor of the BoP. In addition, the government needs to facilitate the social entrepreneurs in leveraging the government network and institutions for reaching the BoP segment.

This study is an original contribution to the field of social entrepreneurship in number of ways. The first contribution lies in reviewing the research literature from the definition perspective. The second contribution lies in reviewing the research literature to determine the key challenges faced by the social entrepreneurs at the BoP. The third contribution lies in identifying the propositions and conceptualizing the challenge-action framework depicting the challenges faced and strategic actions required by the social entrepreneurs for successful and sustainable social intervention at the BoP.

This paper aims to study the critical role played by interorganizational control mechanisms in a mobile ecosystems and how the portfolios of control evolves when the service moves from an initial idea to a solution that reaches market acceptance. Existing literature provides limited insight into (portfolios of) control mechanisms and how (portfolios of) control dynamically evolve(s) during the various stages of service innovation.

Based on the Resource Dependency Theory (RDT), this study makes use of multiple cases to identify and validate the key roles of behavioural input and output control mechanisms and how they evolve during different phases of service development.

Based on multiple cases, it is concluded that a dominant actor uses portfolios of control to acquire complimentary resources, coordinate interdependence between multiple partners and ensure a favourable value distribution for itself. Behavioural control is used in a limited way during the implementation and commercialisation phases, while input control is mostly used during the development phase and output controls are mostly used during implementation and commercialisation phases. The high occurrence of input control in the development phase ensures the lower occurrence of behavioural controls in the implementation phase. This study is very practical in nature, and it provides important insight on how to develop mobile services in collaboration with other organisations.

A limitation of this study is that it is based on two cases in a specific regulatory, cultural and institutional environment, i.e. India, which means that further testing of the propositions, with large-scale samples and within a more international setting, would be required. However, this study does provide some interesting insights that have to be corroborated by additional case studies and a large-scale questionnaire, initially with a focus on India.

From an academic perspective, this study examines organisational controls in a less researched yet dynamic services industry, and is one of the first studies that the researchers have come across that uses RDT to explain the dynamics of control in value networks in the mobile industry. This study is also one of the very few to focus on understanding the objectives of the portfolios of control from the perspective of the structural player. As mentioned earlier, research focussing on integrating governance mechanisms and portfolios of control may provide new insights. From a practical perspective, this study may shed light on how to develop mobile services in collaboration with other organisations.

The purpose of this paper is to help students understand how companies combine and leverage their existing knowledge capabilities in order to build strategic advantage for the company. The case also throws some light on the opportunities and challenges faced by SME's of emerging markets in going international in turbulent macroeconomic scenarios.

The case has been written for the purpose of teaching and class discussion. Interviews with protagonist provided the primary data and published reports and archives of the company provided the secondary data for the case.

After the class discussion, students will be able to figure out how SME's can best leverage their existing knowledge base, efficiently manage that knowledge base and accurately assess the impact of these knowledge management activities for international expansion.

This is among the first few cases in the area of knowledge management from the perspective of SME's in emerging markets in the fragrance and other allied industries.