Search results

More than 40% of Indian households still rely on unclean cooking fuels, exposing particularly women and children to adverse health effects. This paper explores the factors determining a household’s cooking fuel choice in India.

The study used the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (2019-21) dataset. A chi-square test and a logistic regression were used for empirical analysis. Cooking fuel was categorized as “clean” and “unclean” cooking fuel.

The result shows that around 47% of the households are still using unclean cooking fuel in India. Households with a better-educated or female head, those with smaller family sizes, those with a higher level of wealth and those located in urban areas are more likely to use clean cooking fuel. Similarly, households headed by younger individuals and Muslim households are linked to more usage of clean cooking fuels. However, Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) households and those headed by older individuals are less likely to use clean cooking fuels.

The cross-sectional nature of data enables us to draw only associations between the variables and not causal relationships between them. The findings of this study have important implications for household energy policies in India and other developing nations. There is a need for policymakers to seriously consider socioeconomic factors in addressing issues and challenges associated with household energy consumption.

The study extends the empirical literature on determinants of household cooking fuel choice using the latest round of National Family Health Survey data from India.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-12-2023-0988

An undergraduate civil engineering programme is assessed for its relevance to the building construction sector. Its contrast from the existing curriculum structure is also highlighted.

The curriculum is clustered into 15 groups based on disciplines. A pairwise comparison of groups is conducted by experts from the building construction sector. Expert judgements are analysed using Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) to determine the groups' order based on their importance in preparing students for a career in the building construction sector.

Concrete Technology, Structural Design and Analysis, and Building Technology and Town Planning emerged as the three most essential course groups, followed by Construction and Project Management, Surveying, and Geotechnical and Allied. Foundational Science and Math, Hydrology/Water Resource Engineering, and Computing and Programming came last in the order.

Relying on a curriculum from a specific region, generalizability to other geographical areas is limited. The perspective of building construction sector professionals excludes the views of other stakeholder groups within the sector.

The study allows universities in general to enhance students' job prospects in construction by calibrating course group priorities and aligning skills with industry needs, thereby potentially improving employability, and boosting the industry-academia relationship.

Fuzzy AHP has been utilized by building construction industry experts to assess the relevance of an undergraduate civil engineering curriculum. Findings serve as a valuable reference for implementing positive curriculum changes to potentially enhance student employability.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to understand key stakeholders’ current and future role in a family business using techniques like Gersick 3 Axes Model, understand the power dynamics in a family business, understand the power struggles seen in the family business and understand the challenges in the implementation of a deed of family settlement (DFS) with multiple stakeholders.

Kirloskar group was established in 1888 by Laxmanrao Kirloskar. He started with farm manufacturing equipment and later diversified into various kinds of engine manufacturing units. Kirloskar Group today is an Indian conglomerate multinational company with its headquarters in Pune, Maharashtra; India exports to more than 70 countries, most of which are from Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe. The group was managed as a cohesive unit until Chandrakant Kirloskar was at the helm as the chairman. Each brother’s family was managing a business and companies in the fold in which they started. The Kirloskar Group had first split in 2000 when Bengaluru-based Vijay Kirloskar (Ravindra Kirloskar’s son, fourth son of Laxmanrao Kirloskar) moved out of the group with Kirloskar Electrical while the Pune-based Kirloskar brothers moved out with Kirloskar Oil Engine Engines, Kirloskar Brothers, Kirloskar Pneumatics and related subsidiaries. In 2009, a DFS was signed among the family members, including a noncompete clause against each other regarding the usage of the Kirloskar brand name and the tagline “Kirloskar Enriching Lives.” The current dispute started in 2020 when first Vijay filed a suit against his nephews regarding illegal usage of the Kirloskar brand name for the companies not eligible to use it and second when Sanjay Kirloskar also filed a similar lawsuit against his brothers for illegally using the brand name and violating the noncompete clause. The high court, in its judgment, sent the case for arbitration, but Sanjay approached the Supreme Court of India regarding the stipulated arbitration process. With both sides taking a hard stance, there did not seem to be a quick resolution to this dispute.

This case study is suitable for both undergraduate and postgraduate level in entrepreneurship course and family business course.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

The accelerating business transformation through Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is expected to create significant value in the manufacturing industry by delivering considerably high productivity, superior quality, better efficiency and effectiveness. However, its evolutionary processes have far-reaching challenging for humanity. This has triggered a need to analyze the impact of I4.0 on various people-centric variables (PCVs).

This paper attempts to analyze the interrelationship dynamics between the PCVs in the current digital-industry ecosystem using a focus-group approach and causal loop diagrams. Application of the SWARA (stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis) methodology has provided its prioritized ranking in terms of importance.

The study has highlighted that I4.0 has a significant influence on five of the 13 PCVs – human quality of life, digital dexterity, high-skilled talent, low-skilled employment and creativity which contribute to 80% of the total impact.

The prioritized weights of the human factors from the SWARA approach have facilitated the assessment of the Human Resource Development Index (HRDI). The study is also contributing in enriching the literature on the human impact of the growing I4.0 and triggered the researchers to study further its adverse impact on critical human factors.

1. The paper pertains to debates on a very critical issue of impact of integration of the current intelligent digital technologies in manufacturing and services to transform businesses to be more flexible and agile.

2. This paper features I4.0 as a technology that allows integration of new products in the existing production lines, one-off manufacturing runs and high mix manufacturing.

3. The paper also highlights major adjustments in operational activities, processes, supply chain, and organizational redesign due to I4.0 adoption.

4. The current research study has significantly enriched the literature on the I4.0 impact on people-centric variables (PCVs) using the SWARA method. The use of the Causal Loop Diagram has very aptly brought out the type of causality (polarity) between the different PCVs in the growth of I4.0.

The paper pertains to debates on a very critical issue of impact of integration of the current intelligent digital technologies in manufacturing and services to transform businesses to be more flexible and agile.

This paper features I4.0 as a technology that allows integration of new products in the existing production lines, one-off manufacturing runs and high mix manufacturing.

The paper also highlights major adjustments in operational activities, processes, supply chain, and organizational redesign due to I4.0 adoption.

The current research study has significantly enriched the literature on the I4.0 impact on people-centric variables (PCVs) using the SWARA method. The use of the Causal Loop Diagram has very aptly brought out the type of causality (polarity) between the different PCVs in the growth of I4.0.

This study aims to examine the relationship between tool adoption and information literacy within smallholder farmers (SHFs).

A structured questionnaire was used to gather data for this quantitative study from 225 SHFs. Structural equation modelling was done to test the hypotheses.

The findings established that tool adoption dimensions (Information and communication technologies (ICT) acceptance, language use and information culture) positively and significantly influenced information literacy. Information culture had the strongest impact.

The study enriches the situated learning theory (SLT) literature by introducing tool adoption as a predictor of information literacy in a new context of SHFs. Use of tools as independent variables is a positive deviation from previous studies that have used them as mediating variables. Despite the contributions, the cross-sectional design study undermines the ability to solicit more detailed perspectives from the lived in experience of the respondents.

Managers should promote usage of context-specific tools like local radio stations and mobile phones, but also use language tailored to farmer contexts when disseminating information. Policymakers should leverage on social and cultural settings when designing information interventions.

The study highlights critical factors that significantly promote information use for improved productivity for SHFs, cumulatively increasing the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Socially, findings may reduce on their poverty levels of farmers.

This study offers a novel perspective in information literacy domain by using the SLT to delineate contextual tools that are paramount in predicting of information literacy in an under research informal context of SHFs.

The present study aims to examine the households’ attitudes and intentions to adopt an indoor air purifier against the smog crisis in India by using a comprehensive theoretical framework based on the combination of the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 also emphasized ensuring a healthy and safe life, especially by achieving SDG-3, SDG-11 and SDG-13.

Using purposive sampling, the data were collected through a survey questionnaire distributed to 382 households, and study hypotheses were assessed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling employing SmartPLS.

The results revealed that mental health risk perception (MHRP) was the most influential determinant of households’ attitudes toward adopting air purifiers, followed by smog knowledge, physical health risk perception (PHRP), information seeking and product knowledge. Notably, results revealed that households’ attitude is a leading determinant of their adoption intention toward the air purifier compared to subjective norms (SN) and perceived behavioral control (PBC).

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first to provide new insights into an individual’s protective behavior response toward ecological hazards by examining the households’ adoption intention toward the air purifier against the smog crisis using PADM and TPB model inclusively. In addition, the present study analyzes the impact of both PHRP and MHRP on individuals’ protective behavior separately. Also, this study provides theoretical contributions and important practical implications for the government, manufacturers and air purifier sellers.