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This paper aims to address the thesis that poverty is best alleviated by a policy emphasising the growth of per capita average income, a strategy that affords little room for direct pro-poor interventions or a movement towards a more equal distribution of incomes. This policy prescription is based on the empirical finding that cross-country variations in poverty are largely explained by variations in growth rates of average income.

The paper contends, as has been done in other commentaries on the subject, that inferring the dictum that “growth is [virtually the only thing] good for poverty” from cross-country evidence on poverty, growth and inequality is neither logically plausible nor normatively compelling. This is sought to be established both through conceptual reasoning and (secondary) data-based analysis. In particular, the thesis under review implicitly rejects the value of counter-factual analysis. Such a hypothetical illustrative analysis is attempted here, using evidence relating to urban poverty, growth and inequality in India.

The paper concludes, without undermining the salience of growth, that there is little basis for the pre-eminence accorded to it as the instrument for poverty redress.

This paper has not been published elsewhere. A collaborative paper by one of the present authors with another scholar, on a similar theme is, however, under preparation for publication.

Circular economy has emerged as one of the most important approaches to addressing environmental challenges. Organizations have begun to act on their abilities to enhance their sustainability management to enable a circular economy. The role of organizational learning and green human resource management in the transition to a more circular economy remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the inter-relationship between the factors of organizational learning and green human resource management, and it aims to rank the identified factors of manufacturing small and medium businesses (SMEs) based on their driving and dependency power and to detect the most substantial factors.

This study identified 11 organizational learning and green human resource management (GHRM) factors after conducting a thorough literature analysis and consulting with experts. To investigate the interaction of the indicated factors and to build their structural hierarchy, this study used the total interpretive structural modeling method. Further, Matriced Impact Croises Multiplication Applique (MICMAC) analysis was used to establish each factor’s driving and dependent power.

This study discovered that factors “Green separation” and “Organizational learning culture” were found to be significant; “Green performance management” and “Green health and safety management” were observed to be extremely reliant on the remaining GHRM factors.

The recommended framework has been established in the Indian background and is restricted to manufacturing SMEs. Still, the same framework can be applied to other sectors by slightly modifying it. Also, the analysis is based on the experts’ view and this may be biased. The findings of this study will help human resources managers and SME owner-managers clarify the most and least significant factors of organizational learning and GHRM and their relationships, leading to increased awareness of organizational learning and GHRM practices for enlightened environmental performance.

The proposed framework might facilitate decision-makers and practitioners to comprehend the relations between organizational learning and GHRM factors. This will support SME owner-managers in understanding the influence of one factor on another factor in manufacturing SMEs.

Until now, the protruding interest of researchers has been focused mostly on large manufacturing enterprises. However, manufacturing SMEs, which are much smaller when compared to large manufacturing companies, significantly contribute to the economy as well as environmental pollution. Thus, this study provides a vital contribution to the current literature by determining the suitable relationship between the organizational learning and GHRM components, as no previous studies focused on exploring the same using the total interpretive structural modeling approach in the Indian manufacturing SMEs environment.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a major source of employment and revenue growth in developing nations like India, but they also face challenges from resource shortages, shifting consumer demand and heightened competition. This research aims to discover the aspects that enhance SMEs' competitiveness and performance.

By analyzing literature and consulting experts, 10 factors that boost a firm's competitiveness were identified. The total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) method was then used to determine their interaction and structural hierarchy. Neutrosophic-MICMAC analysis was employed to assess the driving-dependence power of each factor.

The study discovered that the factor, namely “entrepreneurial orientation,” was found to be a significant one. “Manufacturing strategy” was found to be extremely dependent on the remaining competitive advantage factors.

This SME-focused framework can be adopted by large businesses to enhance organizational performance by focusing on critical factors. The study depends on experts' judgment, which might be biased. Findings will assist SMEs in identifying significant factors influencing competitive advantage and relationships, increasing awareness of factors contributing to competitive edge.

The results of the research may encourage SME sector managers and practitioners to prioritize the factors that contribute to a firm's competitive advantage.

The majority of research on SME competitive advantage focuses on individual aspects. To add to the body of knowledge on the subject, this study applies the TISM technique to Indian SMEs to identify the contextual interactions among factors that increase long-term competitiveness.

Tech start-ups (TSs) functioning in different domains have a responsibility of ensuring that domestic knowledge and capabilities are leveraged to minimize dependence on foreign organizations. Despite the growth of the ecosystem, while numerous TSs emerge, very few of them are able to survive, and of those that survive, very few scale up. The aim of this study is to identify the factors influencing the competitiveness of technological start-ups and to study the interrelationship and interdependence of these factors.

Modified total interpretative structural modeling (m-TISM) was employed for the current research. The analysis of what factors have an effect on competitiveness, how they affect it and why they affect it should be explored. The study begins by developing the list of factors through literature search, and further it is validated by expert opinion. A hierarchical model has been developed using m-TISM and MICMAC analysis to analyze the driving and dependency power of factors at each level.

Results show that the competitiveness of TSs is affected by organizational agility and internationalization. Factors present at the bottom level, namely entrepreneurial intensity, act as a strong driver for TSs. Team member commitment, transformational leadership, strategic alliances, knowledge sharing and organizational ambidexterity are middle-level factors.

This study is among the few articles that have explored competitiveness of TSs in the Indian context.

Textile industry is considered to be one of the largest consumers of water. There needs to be an alternative for water in textile wet processing. Solvent dyeing can be an approach to replace the use of water in dyeing for water conservation.

In this study, the dyeing of polyester was carried out using conventional and solvent dyeing methods. The solvent used was non-aqueous, deep eutectic solvent (DES) prepared using choline chloride and urea. Dyeing parameters such as time, temperature and pH were optimized for a concentration of dye using the solvent and were compared with the conventional dyeing.

The prepared solvent was characterized in terms of Fourier-transform infrared resonance and ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance to analyze the reaction between choline chloride and urea. Dyeing performance in terms of K/S and fastness properties of dyed fabrics were evaluated and found to be at par against conventional dyeing.

Use of DES as a dyeing medium is a novel approach in the textile industry.

To become a sustainable lean manufacturing (LM) system, an organization must be first distinctly cognizant of the terms “lean” and “sustainability” as they relate to the state of affairs of their particular industry and business. Next, the organization must identify and acquire the necessary qualities it needs to become sustainable in lean philosophy and its practices in the organization. The LM paradigm has been a top priority for many businesses; thus, this article is based on actual research done in Indian small and medium scale organizations to see how widely it is understood and implemented.

A framework was developed based on literature review and academic research. A preliminary analysis of a small number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that, conceptually, summarizes and demonstrates the concerted efforts that a company may undertake to increase its leanness. This conceptual model was employed to create a questionnaire that was administered to survey the SMEs of India. The information gathered through this questionnaire was analyzed using the model developed by the researchers. Then fuzzy logic and systems approach were used to find out the effectiveness index (EI) of the organization.

The EI for system leanness at different organizational levels within an organization is determined using fuzzy logic and systems approach for 48 SMEs in different clusters. The average EI of the system was found to be 0.336 on a scale of 0–1 which indicates that the current state of lean implementation and its sustainability is very low and poor in Indian SMEs. This article outlines the key model components and describes how they were applied to analyze the data gathered from an industry study.

The research aims to make lean continuously sustainable by surfacing and eliminating the wastes in the Indian SMEs whenever it appears rather than using it as a cleaning tool. The present study was focused on India’s southern industrial areas and it was difficult to gather the information around the country due to its diverse industrial culture and geography. Hence, more research and the comparative study of the same that takes into account the various regions of the nation’s industrial lean behavior can be conducted.

The generalized sustainable lean framework analyzed using fuzzy logic and systems approach gives the current effectiveness of the leanness in SMEs of south India. This model can be effectively implemented in other areas of the nation to identify the scenario of lean and its sustainability and a final comprehensive model can be developed.

There is a dearth of comprehensive studies on the assessment of sustainability of the lean philosophy in Indian SMEs. With the help of combined fuzzy logic and systems approach, the model developed in this study evaluates the sustainability of the lean methodology using the EI used in SMEs by taking into account both the lean and sustainability factors as well as enablers like customer satisfaction, ethics, innovation and technology.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the fiber from Curcuma longa (turmeric) stems. The fiber’s properties were used to assess its potential for textile yarn production.

The natural fiber used in this investigation was extracted from agricultural waste through a cold water-retting process.

The Curcuma longa fiber had a crystallinity of 50%. Cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin were detected in the fibers’ Fourier transform infrared spectra. A Curcuma longa fiber bundle contains several constituent fibers. The fibers exhibited an irregular cross-section, with a variable oval shape for the lumen. The fibers of Curcuma longa averaged 30.22 cm in length. The fineness of the fibers was 6.58 Tex. In this study, Curcuma longa fibers had an 11.30% moisture regain. The tensile strength of the fibers was 19.18 g/Tex. Curcuma longa fibers showed a break elongation of 9.79%. The fiber coefficient of friction was 0.3.

Curcuma longa has characteristics that make it appropriate for industrial uses like spinning. Thus, it is possible to use Curcuma longa fiber as a raw material for textiles.

Small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) that operate with modest financial investments and commodities face numerous challenges to remain in business. One major philosophy used by SMEs these days is the implementation of lean manufacturing to get solutions for various issues they encounter. But is lean getting sustained over time? The purpose of this research is to design a Sustainable Lean Performance Index (SLPI) to assess the sustainability of lean systems and to pinpoint the variables that might be present as potential lean system inhibitors which hinder the sustainability of leanness.

A multi-level sustainable lean performance model is constructed and presented based on the literature research, field investigation and survey conducted by administering a questionnaire. Fuzzy logic approach is used to analyse the multi-level model.

SLPI for the SMEs is found using fuzzy logic approach. Additionally, the ranking score system is applied to categorise attributes into weak and strong categories. The performance of the current lean system is determined to be “fair” based on the Euclidean distance approach and the SLPI for SMEs.

This work is concentrated only in South India because of the country’s vast geographical area and rich and wide diversity in industrial culture of the nation. Hence, more work can be done incorporating the other parts of the country and can analyse the lean behaviour in a comparative manner.

The generalised sustainable lean model analysed using fuzzy logic identifies the inhibitors and level of performance of SMEs in South India. This can be implemented to find out the level of performance in the SMEs after a deeper study and analysis around the SMEs of the country.

The sustainable assessment of lean parameters in the SMEs of India is found to be very less in literature, and it lacks profundity. The model established in this study assesses the sustainability of the lean methodology adopted in SMEs by considering the lean and sustainability attributes along with enablers like technology, ethics, customer satisfaction and innovation with the aid of fuzzy logic.

Although the debate about the interplay between quality management and organizational culture is long established, extant knowledge about their link is not consistent. This article attempts to fill such a gap by integrating current perspectives and insights through a literature review.

A domain-based literature review has been conducted, which followed the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews. The knowledge core consisted of 76 items, which were analysed through bibliographic coupling and co-citation analysis. An interpretive approach was taken to articulate the study findings.

The current scholarly debate unfolds through four research streams, which emphasize the need for joint optimizing quality management and organizational culture embracing a longitudinal perspective. Similarly, the theoretical roots inspiring reviewed contributions are distributed in four clusters, which rely on the assumption that organizational excellence derives from the harmonization of quality management and organizational culture.

Quality management necessitates a supportive organizational culture to set the ground for excellence. At the same time, it modifies the inner traits of the organizational culture. Such cultural changes should be carefully handled to ensure a dependable quality orientation. Achieving organizational excellence involves mastering the interplay between quality management and organizational culture.

This article delivers an unprecedented systematization of the scientific literature. It identifies the main research streams through which the debate on quality management and culture evolves, shedding light on the main conceptual roots inspiring recent scholarly advancements. Alongside overcoming the fragmentation of the extant debate, this review enables the envisioning of an agenda for further developments.

The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of Cordyline Australis fibers as an alternate raw material for textile.

The water retting method was used to extract the fiber. Cordyline Australis fibers were characterized in terms of the morphology of fibers (fiber cross-sectional and longitudinal), fiber chemical functional groups, tensile strength and elongation, fineness, fiber length, moisture regain and friction coefficient.

Cordyline Australis fiber strands consist of several individual fibers. At the longitudinal section, the fiber cells appeared as long cylindrical tubes with a rough surface. The cross-section of the Cordyline Australis fibers was irregular but some were oval. The key components in the fibers were cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The tensile strength of the fiber per bundle was 2.5 gf/den. The elongation of fibers was 13.15%. The fineness of fiber was 8.35 Tex. The average length of the fibers was 54.72 cm. Moisture Regain for fiber was 8.59%. The friction coefficient of fibers was 0.16. The properties of the fiber showed that the Cordyline Australis fiber has the potential to be produced into yarn.

To the best of the author's knowledge, there is no scientific article focused on the Cordyline Australis fibers. Natural fibers from the leaves of the Cordyline Australis plant could be used as an alternate material for textile.