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The purpose of this paper is to highlight the significance of the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) as a management tool for organisational restructuring.

The paper presents the personal view of the author, based on research findings and practical experience.

The paper advances the viewpoint that to attain the competitive edge and to survive in the current turbulent times, it is essential for the management to right size their organisations. It is imperative for them to look for the right kind of strategies to overcome the redundancy. They have to choose the most viable options considering its financial and legal implications. This would not only help management in maintaining the healthy industrial relations but also enhance the overall organisational profitability and well-being.

The paper highlights the pros and cons of the VRS. It reflects the financial and legal implications of the same on the employer and employees in the organisations.

This paper depicts how VRS (acts as a management tool and helps in improving organisational efficiency. It basically talks about exercising the VRS and its related legislation in an Indian context.

The purpose of this paper to explore the factors that act as motivators or demotivators from the perspective of academics in higher educational institutes, especially in the management context.

The qualitative research methods were employed in this study, which involved in-depth interviews via semi-structured interviews for the collection of data because of little or none of it has been conducted. Qualitative study consisted a naturalistic approach that provided the opportunity to study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of and to understand phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them.

The study highlighted the motivational and demotivational elements associated with participation in research activity. The following research study found that mostly the motivating factors are centered upon individual, e.g., career growth, whereas the demotivating factors are majorly extrinsic, e.g., mandate policy and framework.

The generalization of this study’s results to circumstances in other parts of the country may not be possible because the target population comprised of the academics working in the institutes of NCR region of India. Further in order to improve the possibility of generalizing the study can be conducted to find differences in relation to the organizations for eg., private and public institutes in higher education.

The study will help the regulatory authorities and employers in higher education to revisit their policy frameworks and come out with the strategies to uplift the motivation level of the teachers to conduct academic research in the fields of their interests. The study will also help to gain deeper insights into the factors that motivate and demotivate teachers to get involved in academic research.

Whistleblowing is one of the most imperative instruments to unveil wrongdoing. The purpose of this study is to explore the whys and wherefores of undertaking the act of whistleblowing by Indian nurses. This study also delves into the reasons that would stimulate the nurses' whistleblowing intentions and, on the contrary, the reasons that would keep them silent on encountering any wrongdoing.

This study incorporates interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative method aiming to provide a detailed examination of the personal lived experiences of the nurses. This technique helps to understand the individual perspective of nurses. It, thus, allows the researchers to generate common themes from the data giving insightful and in-depth knowledge about the same.

The findings of this study suggest that nurses felt a sense of morality and responsibility toward the hospital, which motivated them to raise their voices to the concerned authorities within their organizations before reaching out to external agencies. The other motivators include peer and management support regarding the surety that appropriate action would be taken if reporting is done against the wrongdoer. On the other side, job loss or fear of harassment from peers and supervisors demotivates and discourages them from involving in the act of whistleblowing, especially in cases where they had dependents.

This study implies that hospitals/health-care units should provide an affirmative organizational culture to the nurses through sensitivity training that spreads awareness and a sense of responsibility. Also, setting favourable examples would help nurses gain motivation from the organization's past experiences. Having independent agencies to investigate whistleblowing complaints can be more encouraging than in-house management. Additionally, assurances by the government to protect the interest of the nurses who blow the whistle through anonymous whistleblowing and stringent rules for the job security of whistleblowers need to be aligned.

This study highlights the whistleblowing intention of Indian employees of the health-care sector, that is, nurses, which is the pioneer research work in the Indian context. In India, the profession of nurses is subjugated by females; hence, this study would contribute to the literature by looking at whistleblowing through gender predisposition. As the work of nurses is wholly based on patient advocacy, the ethical dilemma of raising their voices or remaining silent is very natural. This study brings about specific concerns related to the whistleblowing of women nurses and talks about the solutions that can be undertaken to encourage them to engage in the act of whistleblowing.

This study aims to perform a systematic literature review to organize the abundance of information on employee relations (ER) and sustainable organizations. Moreover, this study identifies the research gaps by investigating the review of ER’ mediating and moderating variables and the relationship between ER and sustainable organizations.

This study is based on the systematic literature review methodology involving 257 studies in the final stage. The Scopus and Google Scholar databases with search criteria “employee relations” and “employee relations and sustainable organization” were used to achieve the research objective. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, researchers come to the distribution of the articles based on the subthemes, geographical region, types of methods, top authors with affiliation and complete research articles based on the citation. In the final stage, this study concluded with the conceptual model comprising mediators and moderators of ER as well as the mediating and moderating variables of the relationship between ER and sustainable organizations.

The reviewed literature shows that employee relation is an optimal strategy for retaining employees via proper disclosure of human resources (HRs) and ER Index. This study included the top six publishers, namely, Emerald, Elsevier, Sage, Springer, Taylor and Francis and Wiley Online Library, to do an exhaustive review on a specific topic. The findings indicate that after COVID-19, the ER index, HR disclosures and the sustainability of ER are among the new and required paradigm shifts needed to manage a crisis impact and perform productively. The mediator and moderator variables that can improve employee–employer relationships are organizational trusts, organizational justice, perceived job satisfaction, organizational structure and firm ownership. On the other hand, variables that mediate and moderate the relationship between ER and sustainable organizations are organizational climate, organization trust, organization culture, perceived organization support, psychological empowerment, firm ownership, leadership behavior and attitude, respectively. The findings concluded that harmonious and cordial ER are pertinent in building sustainable organizations and accomplishing organizational goals.

The mediating and moderating variables that have been identified can be helpful for enthusiastic researchers in contributing to empirical research. Practitioners and managers can use the findings in making an effective organizational model that develops good employee–employer relationships and helps create a culture of trust and harmony. This study focuses on exploring the variables of ER, which strengthens employee–employer relationships and supports organizations to stay agile and attain sustainability to endure in the future.

This study insights on the specific mediating and moderating variables of ER and sustainable organizations. Till date, studies exploring constructs of ER and sustainable organizations are still in deficit. Better employee relation reflects and leads to a more resilient organization. Future researchers should explore the connection between pandemics and ER which is done insufficiently in the present time.

The study aims to evaluate the components of entrepreneurship education and training (EET) in India. The paper proposes a framework for an effective EET regime for amalgamating entrepreneurship education as fundamental to mainstream higher education in India.

The current study utilises a qualitative research technique, that is, the narrative inquiry methodology based on in-depth interviews. The study respondents included sixteen educators who are actively engaged in EET and related activities for a minimum of ten years.

The study identified five broad “meaning units” or “themes,” that is, “incremental pedagogical efficiency and flexible evaluation systems,” “entrepreneurial experience of the faculty,” “extended support,” “holistic mentoring” and “experiential learning” as components of an effective EET regime.

The study will help the policymakers and higher education institutions (HEIs) revisit their policy frameworks and practices to promote entrepreneurial capacity and entrepreneurial intentions among students. The study will also help to gain deeper insights into EET components and will propose a framework for an effective EET regime based on its findings.

This paper aims to explore the key factors which influence whistleblowing intentions of teachers working with higher education institutions (HEIs) in India. Both internal and external whistleblowing intentions of the HEI teachers are studied by examining their relative intentions to report a potential wrongdoing to the authorities within the management of the institution and to the external statutory bodies. The reporting intentions of the HEI teachers are measured through the use of three vignettes related to academic frauds. Whistleblowing intentions are proposed to be determined by the individual, organizational and situational factors.

Survey method of descriptive research design has been used to obtain the primary data regarding the individual, organizational and situational variables deemed to influence HEI teachers’ internal and external whistleblowing intentions. A self-administered structured questionnaire is used as survey instrument for primary data collection. The respondents’ internal and external whistleblowing intentions are measured through the use of three vignettes related to academic frauds. Non-parametric tests such as Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test and Spearman correlations have been used to test the research hypotheses.

The study has found that the HEI teachers are more likely to blow the whistle internally if there is a proper communication channel in their organization for reporting wrongdoings. However, they do not hesitate to blow the whistle externally in the absence of internal reporting channel, especially in those cases of wrongdoings where they perceive the cost of reporting to be high. The high status of the wrongdoer and high costs of reporting discourage the teachers to blow the whistle internally. However, if the wrongdoer holds a very powerful position in the organization, then the teachers prefer to report his wrongdoing to external agencies as they are afraid of the likely negative repercussions of reporting against him internally. In case of serious wrongdoings, the teachers intend to blow the whistle within the organization rather than going to external agencies probably because they do not want to spoil the image of their organization in the external world.

The first limitation is that because of the unavailability of pre-tested vignettes in the context of academic frauds, the study has used three vignettes which have been developed on the basis of few case studies. Second, the results showed the existence of social desirability bias across all the three vignettes. Also, the study has been conducted among teaching professionals; therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to the professionals of other sectors.

The findings of the study may bring awareness to the board of management of HEIs, regarding the importance of whistleblowing in their educational institutions. They should encourage the teachers working with their institutions to report the wrongdoings internally as external reporting may cause damage to their institute’s reputation. Proper reporting mechanisms should be designed and shared with the employees as a part of institutional culture.

The Whistle Blowers Protection Act passed by the Parliament of India in 2011 should be amended to include the private sector employees, especially the teachers working in higher education sector. This will encourage the HEI teachers to report the academic frauds fearlessly which will put a serious check on the growing number of frauds and wrongdoings in the education sector.

Previous research studies have discussed the factors influencing whistleblowing intentions in the context of various non-academic organizations. However, existing research has not adequately provided a better understanding of the influencing factors of whistleblowing intentions in higher education sector. The present paper addresses this gap by empirically examining the key factors which influence HEI teachers’ intentions of blowing the whistle and reporting the wrongdoings occurring in their institutions, in Indian context. An attempt has been made to identify the influencing factors of both internal and external whistleblowing intentions by using three different vignettes related with academic frauds.

The purpose of this work was to develop a new trispiperazido phosphate-based reactive diluent (diphosphate-piperazine hydroxyl acrylate [DPHA]) and used as a flame retardant with an epoxy acrylate (EA) in ultraviolet (UV)-curable wood coating.

The concentration of reactive diluent was varied from 0% to 20% in the UV-curable formulation with constant photoinitiator concentration. The effect of DPHA concentration on film properties was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, gel content, water absorption and limiting oxygen index.

The results showed that the viscosity of the prepared formulation decreased by increasing reactive diluent (DPHA) concentration which leads to improving the coating efficiency. A high concentration of reactive diluent (DPHA) of the cured films shows good resistance against stain, mechanical and thermal properties, which results in an increased glass transition temperature (T_g) and cross-linking density of the films.

The new trispiperazido phosphate-based reactive diluent was used in wood coating formulation, which resulted in excellent flame-retardant properties with higher cross-linked density with good stain resistance. This material can provide a wide range of application for coating industries to produce a glossy finish.

This paper aims to present a practical and sequential application of the theory of constraints (TOC) to eliminate the critical barriers to Indian power transmission system (IPTS) that were limiting the entire power service quality.

This study uses a well-known management technique known as TOC, which has the capability and positive force to eliminate the barrier through sequential managerial procedures. TOC framework can provide practical guidance to stakeholders of the power transmission sectors through situational assessment, conflict resolution, planning and implementing changes required in the IPTS.

This study explains the utility of five-steps thinking process (TP) of TOC especially in the IPTS sector. The study also describes how each step of TP can improve the performance of IPTS against its specified goal. The study brings management’s attention on the system’s weak links that must be leveraged by eliminating them from the system. Major types of constraints are related to the restrictive policy of the sector that mainly include lack of strategic planning, lack of investments and lesser participation of the private players in the IPTS. This study further identifies and suggests various strategies to eliminate the critical barriers of IPTS.

The five-step process of TOC has been successfully applied in manufacturing sector and service sector processes, such as banking and medical services. This paper has uniquely applied TOC in the area of power sector, which is considered as one of key service sectors that form an important share for the Indian economy.

Food gives us essential nutrients to lead a healthy lifestyle but lately it has been found that many food products have become hazardous due to contamination and lead to many diseases. The rampant use of pesticides and chemical-based fertilizers in agriculture has, increased the productivity but at the same time they have created an alarming situation for the environment. The demand of the hour is to therefore to encourage organic farming and offer a better choice to consumers as well as save the environment. The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand the factors affecting perception of consumers on organic food products in Indian context.

The study used a structured survey of 150 respondents covering Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) of Ghaziabad, Noida and Faridabad (India). Exploratory research was used to know the variables from the literature that affect the perception of consumers regarding organic food. Descriptive research was used to understand the demographic profile of the organic food consumer’s. Conclusive research design was used to test the hypotheses based upon the motivating and inhibiting factor in the growth of organic food.

The data collected from the survey were analyzed using t-test, χ ² test, factor analysis and multiple linear regression tests. Results indicated that the intention to purchase organic products was impacted by the consumer’s belief on the safety and health aspect of the product, trust and certification, information and availability and lifestyle and are hence drivers of growth. And certain impeding factors were identified like doubt in the professed quality of organic food, lack of awareness and price parity.

There are enough evidences of fertile land being converted into wasteland because of use of agro- chemical-based fertilizers in farming. There are also enough incidents of polluted water (ground and surface) due to agrochemical-based farming. Heavy use of pesticides leads to adverse effect on the health of farmers also. There were many reports of farmers committing suicide because of debt due to heavy investment on pesticides and fertilizers. Organic farming is a win-win proposition for environment, farmers and consumer’s.

The study was an effort to understand awareness and perception of organic food consumers in urban India post-agriculture revolution. The result would help the organic food producing and marketing companies to understand the factors that influence the belief of consumers when they purchase organic food and henceforth they can formulate communication strategies and marketing policy based on consumer’s expectations.