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This study aims to understand how climatic drivers of change will affect rural communities living in the hot semiarid region of Bhokardan Taluka of Jalna district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. In the context of the economic and social change they are experiencing, the concern is to evolve ways that enable them to cope with, adapt to and benefit from these challenges.

The focus of most of the climate change studies is on the short- to long-term trends of weather parameters such as rainfall, temperature and extreme weather events. The impact of climate variability and changing patterns on the local communities, the local economy, livelihoods and social life in specific geographies is less explored.

As the impacts of climatic and nonclimatic drivers of change are cross-sectoral, diverse, multidimensional, interlinked and dynamic, this study has adopted a transdisciplinary “research-in-use” approach involving multidisciplinary teams covering the aspects such as changes in land use and land cover, surface and groundwater status, edaphic conditions, crops and livestock, climate analysis including projected changes, socioeconomic analysis, people’s experience of climate variability and their current coping strategies and resilience (vulnerability) analysis of communities and various livelihood groups.

The study was based on the peoples’ perspective and recommendation based on the local communities ability to cope up with climate change. However, a statistical analysis perspective is missing in the present study.

Based on these findings, a set of implementation-focused recommendations are made that are aimed at conserving and enhancing the resilience of the foundations that uphold and sustain the social and economic well-being of the rural communities in Bhokardan taluka, namely, land, water, agriculture, livestock, food and nutrition security, livelihoods, market access and social capital.

This study aimed to address the underexplored domain of organisational vulnerability, with a specific focus on understanding how vulnerability is understood in organisations and the underlying pathways leading to vulnerability.

This study utilised a narrative literature review methodology, using Google Scholar as the primary source, to analyse the concepts of organisational vulnerability in the context of disaster risk studies. The review focused on relevant documents published between the years 2000 and 2022.

The analysis highlights the multifaceted nature of organisational vulnerability, which arises from both inherent weaknesses within the organisation and external risks that expose it to potential hazards. The inherent weaknesses are rooted in internal vulnerability pathways such as organisational culture, managerial ignorance, human resources, and communication weaknesses that compromise the organisation’s resilience. The external dimension of vulnerability is found in cascading vulnerability pathways, e.g. critical infrastructure, supply chains, and customer relationships.

As the frequency and severity of disasters continue to increase, organisations of all sizes face heightened vulnerability to unforeseen disruptions and potential destruction. Acknowledging and comprehending organisational vulnerability is a crucial initial step towards enhancing risk management effectiveness, fostering resilience, and promoting sustainable success in an interconnected global environment and an evolving disaster landscape.

Despite the deployment of state-of-the-art methodologies for project management, employee turnover in projects remains high. Such turnover has significant costs in terms of replacing personnel, potential deadline overruns and financial expenditure. Employee turnover in project contexts may stem from time-related issues associated with multiple parallel projects and short deadlines. Using person–environment fit and time congruence theories, this research examines the relationship between employee turnover intentions and individual–organizational (I–O) polychronicity fit, which captures the degree of match between individuals’ and organizational preferences for focusing on multiple tasks simultaneously.

Survey data were collected from 309 software project employees in Pakistan. Hypotheses were tested using polynomial regressions and response surface modeling.

I–O polychronicity fit is related to turnover intentions. Turnover intentions are lower when I–O polychronicity fit occurs on the lower end of the polychronicity continuum, whereas turnover intentions are higher when fit is observed on the higher end of the polychronicity continuum. The relationship between I–O polychronicity fit and turnover intentions is significantly explained by exhaustion and perceptions of work overload.

The study’s insights provide recommendations for organizations to optimally manage multitasking to help retain project employees.

These findings extend our understanding of the underlying mechanisms between I–O polychronicity fit and turnover intentions. Furthermore, this research expounds on how employee exhaustion and perceptions of work overload explain the relationship between I–O polychronicity fit and turnover intentions.

Upon completion of the case study, students will be able to assess the business environment a firm faces and develop strategies to match its strengths and weaknesses vis-à-vis opportunities and threats; formulate growth/expansion strategies for a firm; and evaluate resources of the firm to develop a competitive advantage.

The case describes the journey of Praajasv Foundation, an institute that provides coaching for students pursuing civil service exams in Gujarat. Established in 2019 in a rented space in Ahmedabad, Praajasv made a name for itself in the competitive market of civil service exam coaching by 2022, thanks to its expert tutors and focus on quality education. However, with the changing dynamics of the industry, Malhar Bhatt, the COO of Praajasv, must navigate the institute to strengthen its position. The increasing number of aspirants for the Class-III cadre exams and the presence of strong national competitors pose significant challenges for Malhar in terms of strategic planning. The rise of online education as an alternative to classroom teaching has also altered the competitive landscape of the industry. How do these trends impact Malhar’s plans for Praajasv? How should Malhar plan to expand the Praajasv Foundation in the coming years?

This case can be useful for students majoring in strategic management and marketing management at the master’s level

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

This study aims to develop a novel thermal modeling strategy to simulate electron beam powder bed fusion at part scale with machine-varying process parameters strategy. Single-bead and part-scale experiments and modeling were studied. Scanning strategies were described by the process controlling functions that enabled modeling.

The finite element analysis thermal model was used along with the powder bed fusion with electron beam experiments. The proposed strategy involves dividing a part into smaller sections and creating meso-scale models for each subsection. These meso-scale models take into consideration the variable process parameters, including power and velocity of the moving heat source, during part building. Subsequently, these models are integrated to perform partscale simulations, enabling more realistic predictions of thermal accumulation and resulting distortions. The model was built and validated with single-bead experiments and bulky parts with different features.

Single-bead experiments demonstrated an average error rate of 6%–24% for melt pool dimension prediction using the proposed meso-scale models with different scanning control functions. Part-scale simulations for three different geometries (cantilever beams with supports, bulk artifact and topology-optimized transfer arm) showed good agreement between modeled temperature changes and experimental deformation values.

This study presents a novel approach for electron beam powder bed fusion modeling that leverages meso-scale models to capture the influence of variable process parameters on part quality. This strategy offers improved accuracy for predicting part geometry and identifying potential defects, leading to a more efficient additive manufacturing process.

The aim of this article is to assess the macroeconomic consequences of some specific aspects of financialization (i.e. share buy-back) using a hybrid post-Keynesian model of growth and distribution based on Kaldorian and Kaleckian characteristics.

The study follows a post-Keynesian approach and deals with financialization issues by implementing several numerical simulations.

The numerical simulations reveal the negative real impacts of massive share repurchases on the rate of accumulation because they immediately siphon off revenues directly intended for investment projects. Moreover, the negative effect of share buy-backs is reinforced especially when firms' investment decisions are more sensitive to a variation in retained earnings. Next, this macro-model also reproduces several well-known figures of the Kaleckian tradition and the paradox of costs.

The present article can be considered as a starting point for further theoretical extensions and requires empirical validation.

The Kaldor-Kalecki macro-model could be useful for policymakers who are interested in containing some of the negative excesses of financialization.

The purpose of this study is to identify the capacity needs of building professionals to deliver environmentally sustainable buildings (ESBs) globally, from a unique systems approach. Through a review of extant literature, this study contributes to knowledge of the global delivery of ESBs by identifying research trends and gaps that can be tackled in future research, and current hotspots in capacity building (CB) research within the built environment (BE). The adopted systems approach to CB postulates that the construction industry is systemized in nature, and thus, CB solutions within the industry should be approached from a systems approach.

A literature search was conducted using the Scopus search engine, augmented by Google Scholar and Web of Science, to produce 54 relevant articles for analysis. The scientometric analysis was undertaken with the use of VOSViewer to better understand the broad literature on CB in the construction industry which would not have been possible with traditional data analysis. The content analysis allowed, for a systematic review of selected articles, to reveal key themes in this study.

Through a content analysis, four levels of CB were identified within the construction industry; individual level, organizational level, industry level and state level. Nine sub-capacities were subsumed under the four identified levels adopted from Potter and Brough (2004), including but not limited to Performance capacity, Workload capacity, Supervisory capacity, Industry Role capacity and Systems capacity. Under each sub-capacity, key questions were posed to aid identify the capacity needs of BE professionals. A framework for identifying capacity needs in the BE is proposed.

The findings of this study serve as a useful reference for practitioners and policymakers to assess their level of commitment to CB efforts for ESB delivery. The findings of this study have revealed that building the capacities of BE professionals to deliver ESBs should be addressed as part of a broader framework, interdependent on the other levels of CB in the systemic construction industry.

As a review study identifying capacity needs for BE professionals to deliver ESBs, this study enhances knowledge of CB within the construction industry.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of contemporary perspectives, policies, and practices relating to reported vocational education and training (VET) teacher recruitment and retention challenges, with a particular focus on England and Australia.

This position piece discusses the topic from a transnational perspective by reviewing the relevant literature and examining the impact of policies and practices in England and Australia.

The paper finds that there is a paucity of empirical research relating to VET teacher shortages, but that globally, experience in the sector suggests there are challenges in recruiting and retaining the qualified VET teaching workforce required to address current and future training needs. It recommends that further research is undertaken with an international approach to better understand the problem from the perspective of VET teachers, leaders, and education institutions, and to identify potential solutions.

The paper does not report on empirical research but suggests that further studies are required to better understand the problem and identify potential solutions based on the respective socioeconomic, demographic, and policy contexts.

While there are studies examining VET and VET teaching from the perspectives of quality, reputation, and esteem, few examine the issue and impact of VET teacher shortages, or the challenges of VET teacher recruitment and retention in the contemporary and comparable contexts of Australia and England.

School leaders can significantly influence the conditions that affect teacher retention. Yet, leaders in rural and high-poverty schools often face limited opportunities to develop their abilities to enhance these conditions. In this case study, we examine how participating in a professional community supported school leaders' efforts to increase teacher retention and student learning outcomes.

We used case study methodology to study 14 leaders from rural, high-poverty or underperforming schools with greater-than-average levels of teacher turnover. The leaders were participating in a three-year research-practice partnership intended to assist them in using improvement science to address problems of practice related to teacher retention and student learning outcomes in their schools. We collected and analyzed data from interviews, exit surveys, artifacts and participant observations over a one-year period.

Participating in this professional community helped the leaders create the conditions for increased teacher retention and student learning outcomes by providing them with opportunities to collaborate with their peers, receive leadership coaching, exchange ideas and learn in a safe space.

These findings confirm and extend extant school leadership development research. A particularly interesting finding was the role of the professional community in reducing the leaders' feelings of isolation while providing them a safe space to learn. The findings also illustrate how universities and school districts can partner to provide professional learning opportunities that enhance school leaders' professional knowledge, leadership practices and well-being.

How can managers reduce information asymmetry in dyadic manager-external stakeholder relationships in a complex and evolving environment? Addressing this question has significant implications for firm survival, growth, and competitive advantage.

We have adopted a multiparadigm approach to theory building, known as metatriangulation. We integrate the dynamic capabilities, sensemaking, and evolutionary theory literatures to theorize how managers can relate to stakeholders in a complex and evolving environment.

We propose, via a conceptual framework and three propositions, “evolutionary sensemaking” as the managerial metacognitive dynamic capability that helps managers hone their understanding based on the evolutionary changes in the stakeholder’s interpretations of information quality preferences. The framework unfolds across three evolutionary stages: sensing preferences' variation of the stakeholder, seizing preferences, and transforming for complexity alignment and retention. The propositions focus on managing complexity in stakeholder information quality preference, employing cognitive capabilities to simplify, interpret, and align interpretations for effective information asymmetry reduction.

To develop the metacognitive dynamic capability of evolutionary sensemaking, managers need to train for and foster the underlying complex cognitive capabilities by enhancing their (1) perception and attention skills, (2) problem-solving and reasoning skills, and (3) language, communication, and social cognition skills, focusing specifically on reducing the complexity embedded in stakeholder cognition and diverse stakeholder preferences for information quality. Contrary to the current advice to “keep things simple” and provide “more” information to the stakeholders for opportunism reduction, trust-building, and superior governance, our framework suggests that managers hone their cognitive capabilities by learning to deal with the underlying complexity.

The proposed framework and propositions address research gaps in reducing information asymmetry. It enriches the dynamic capabilities literature by recognizing complexity (as opposed to opportunism) as an alternative source of information asymmetry, which needs to be addressed in this stream of research. It extends the sensemaking literature by identifying the complexity sources – i.e. stakeholder preferences for diverse information quality attributes and the associated cognitive preference interpretation processes. The article enhances evolutionary theory by delving into microprocesses related to information asymmetry reduction, which the existing literature does not thoroughly investigate.