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The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively evaluate the progress in the development of trapped vortex combustors (TVCs) in the past three decades. The review aims to identify the needs, predict the scope and discuss the challenges of numerical simulations in TVCs applied to gas turbines.

TVC is an emerging combustion technology for achieving low emissions in gas turbine combustors. The overall operation of such TVCs can be on very lean mixture ratio and hence it helps in achieving high combustion efficiency and low overall emission levels. This review introduces the TVC concept and the evolution of this technology in the past three decades. Various geometries that were explored in TVC research are listed and their operating principles are explained. The review then categorically arranges the progress in computational studies applied to TVCs.

Analyzing extensive literature on TVCs the review discusses results of numerical simulations of various TVC geometries. Numerical simulations that were used to optimize TVC geometry and to enhance mixing are discussed. Reactive flow studies to comprehend flame stability and emission characteristics are then listed for different TVC geometries.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review is the first of its kind to discuss extensively the computational progress in TVC development specific to gas turbine engines. Earlier review on TVC covers a wide variety of applications including land-based gas turbines, supersonic Ramjets, incinerators and hence compromise on the depth of analysis given to gas turbine engine applications. This review also comprehensively group the numerical studies based on geometry, flow and operating conditions.

The advent and rapid spread of peer to peer (P2P) technologies warrant a paradigm shift in the way we look at concepts of trust, reputation, and reliability. Users wishing to maintain anonymity and privacy are finding it harder to transact online without ceding information to a third party. The value of the marketplace is brought out through the reviews market, but there are factors that make reviewing products unappealing for users. To explore this issue, the author analyzes some of the metrics published by Amazon.com to see how people choose to trust reviews, if they do at all, and what the author can learn from the people who want to help others on the platform. This will help us assess the urgency to create value in a centralized, verified, and accredited supply of honest information. Then, we can make a case for open, P2P, decentralized, and anonymous marketplaces since they can implement a higher bar for trust and reliability.

This paper introduces the concept of policy efficiency of banks as their efficiency in implementing the government's policies. It further compares the Indian public sector banks (PSBs) and private sector banks (PVBs) on two efficiency paradigms, operational efficiency and policy efficiency.

A three-stage analysis is carried out on data collected for 19 PSBs and 16 PVBs for ten years. Non-radial DEA with slack-based measure (SBM) is used to obtain efficiency scores of the banks for the two efficiency paradigms. The efficiency scores and the changes in efficiency and Malmquist index are further analysed by Tobit regression and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) models.

PVBs are found to be more operationally efficient than PSBs. On the contrary, PSBs are found to be more policy efficient. Among the PSBs, the older and larger banks performed better in both the paradigms. Though Indian banks have become more operational and policy efficient over the years, the rate of improvement is slowing down.

Results imply that evaluating banks, especially PSBs, only on their operational efficiency is myopic. Their efficacies must also be measured by the roles they play on social and policy front. The loss of efficiency of Indian PSBs in a competitive environment should provoke thoughts of reforms. The study suggests that the proposed merger of PSBs to form large banks might be fruitful.

The study contributes to the literature by introducing the measure of policy efficiency. It shows that the Indian PSBs are indispensable as vehicles of government policy implementation.

The purpose of this study is to empirically test a theoretical model on supply chain management (SCM) adoption in India.

The present study used a multiple case research method to study the phenomenon. The findings are based on analysis of the SCM adoption processes in three large manufacturing organizations from the aluminium, steel and fertilizer industries.

The present study tested four propositions. Three of the propositions were empirically validated and one proposition was revised. The key findings are: one, a lack of recognition by an organization of higher advantages because of SCM adoption as compared to the costs leads to SCM non-adoption. Two, a lack of organizational readiness factors such as a collaborative and innovative culture, higher absorptive capacity and slack resources leads to the non-adoption of SCM. Three, a lack of institutional pressure and marketing activities of the SCM vendors on an organization lead to the non-adoption of SCM.

The major contribution of the present study is that it has empirically validated the theoretical model for SCM adoption in India. The findings of the present study have both theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, a model of SCM adoption was validated. The study provides managerial connotations for SCM vendors, consultants, practitioners and policy implications for policymakers.

The research on supply chain risk management (SCRM) is visibly on the rise, although its literature still lacks the state of the art that critically analyzes its content. The SCRM literature seems to require studies that utilize risk typology, sources of risk, etc. for reviewing the topic. The purpose of this paper is to bridge the gap by synthesizing the information obtained from 343 articles across 85 journals. This study also presents a critical analysis of the content of SCRM in a structured manner to identify the directions for future research.

A systematic literature review (SLR) was devised and adopted, which involved the selection, classification, and evaluation of 343 research articles published over a period of 11 years (2004-2014). The content of extant SCRM literature was critically analyzed and synthesized from the perspective of the risk management process (RMP).

The analysis of extant literature shows that there is a marked rise in research in the SCRM area, especially after the year 2005. It was observed that not only risk but also different forms of uncertainties make supply chain (SC) operations difficult to manage. The SCRM actions yielded most benefits when their implementation was at chain or network level and managed strategically. The analysis also reveals that the manufacturing sector is most affected by risks and highly investigated by researchers.

A complete process for SCRM based on risk stratification, objectives of risk management, and RMP will be a guiding model for firms to manage risks. The research gaps identified and future directions provided here will encourage researchers and managers to devise new methods, tools, and techniques to address the risks in modern SC operations.

An SLR and risk-based content classification of SCRM literature were performed. To identify, locate, select, and analyze the SCRM literature, a structured and systematic process was adopted with some very rarely used methods such as two levels of search keywords, and strings were formulated to locate the most relevant articles in major academic databases.

This paper aims to highlight on the unique aspects of Islamic microfinance based on the experience of Baitul Maal Wa Tamwil (BMT) in Indonesia.

It adopts the content analysis approach and focuses on three phases of financing, namely, pre-financing, financing and post-financing using coding and model buildings. Data are collected through in-depth interview with a sample of representatives of BMTs that offer product based on Islamic principle for the poor located in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tanggerang and Bekasi (JABODETABEK), Sulawesi Selatan, Yogyakarta and Nusa Tenggara Barat (sample chosen based on the most concentrated areas of Islamic microfinance that offered product based on Islamic principles). Ultimately, a model based on the unique features of Islamic microfinance will be developed based on the findings of the content analysis.

The proposed model incorporates the peculiarities of the poor people in pre-financing, financing and post-financing activities of micro-financing products to serve as a reference for policy makers. The paper also found that each region has unique product preferences depending on the poor’s characteristics.

This study is only conducted in four areas with BMT representation, namely, Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi (often abbreviated as JABODETABEK), Sulawesi Selatan, Yogyakarta and Nusa Tenggara Barat) in Indonesia. Despite the limited scope, the findings have wide applications to the Islamic microfinancing in general.

The paper adds value to the literature on Islamic microfinance by enabling researchers and practitioners to understand the model of three step financing (pre-financing, financing and post-financing) in Islamic microfinance in Indonesia. Although not a new issue, the paper provides the practice of pre-financing, financing and post-financing processes which may differ from the practices of Islamic microfinance in other settings because of different cultural influences unique to every region.

This chapter discusses inspiration and innovation through social transformation taking place in Asia through leadership utilizing concepts of Buddhism. In India, values of the Buddhist dhamma are grounded in a permeating esthetic system dating back to early historical times. It was lost there and revitalized in 1956. For Taiwan, inspiration came in the name of humanistic Buddhism that developed in late 19th century China. It offered a moral and practical value system for society at large.

Buddhism became socially engaged as part of a cultural ethos for over a generation with underlying integrated roots in local beliefs, esthetics, and practices. The broader question to discuss is how Buddhist values influence policy leadership. Here, we feature engaged Buddhism that emphasizes awareness, compassion, and non-violence, while embracing modern ways of organizing and communication.

Cases are provided where Buddhism has shaped leaders’ roles and aims, as well as those of followers guiding reforms for best governance. In India Dr. Ambedkar (1891–1956) embraced Buddhism as a platform for deliverance and championed social equality. His life’s struggle concerned issues of caste, as he was born “untouchable.” The second example is about Dhamma Master Cheng Yen (b. 1937) who established Tzu Chi in eastern Taiwan as a relief agency that became international. Both leaders helped life’s embetterment through Buddhism based on modernity, science, advanced technology, leadership, and democracy. These examples of engaged Buddhism have made tremendous impact pertaining to the people of their nation and serve a model for world development.

This research presents a study on the supply chain process of an Indian apparel industry considering various parameters involved. The study aims to identify the main parameters to improve the supply chain process and develop a comprehensive structural relationship to rank them to streamline the apparel supply chain process and business environment.

The team of five experts from this apparel industry was made to give scores to multiple parameters. The TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) technique is used to develop the model for eleven key parameters and then rank them.

Based on the data analysis the planning, customer and warehouse storage have emerged as top three key parameters while the non-replenishment approach, push and pull strategy and manufacturing of the product are identified as the bottom three parameters from a hierarchy level. These parameters have been ranked based on their contributing attributes in this apparel supply chain process.

The study provides an overall ranking of parameters and the implications are in the direction of helping the industry to improve its supply chain performances rather than focus only on productivity. Further, the key parameters are identified as critical inputs and show that the firms are being more proactive and well prepared comprised of the industry.

The study indicates that the key parameters are identified by this apparel brand to improve its supply chain process. The key supply chain process involves planning, manufacturing, distribution, end customer and returns logistics of the goods, etc. So, this research also provides the focused parameters on the supply chain performance received by end customer from the supplier and rank them for effectiveness and improve their overall organizational performance. It also provides a critical observation of their supply chain process improvement which includes different brand uses, strategies and approaches.

First, the authors analyze the key problems faced by the protection of digital library readers' data privacy and behavior privacy. Second, the authors introduce the characteristics of all kinds of existing approaches to privacy protection and their application limitations in the protection of readers' data privacy and behavior privacy. Lastly, the authors compare the advantages and disadvantages of each kind of existing approaches in terms of security, efficiency, accuracy and practicality and analyze the challenges faced by the protection of digital library reader privacy.

In this paper, the authors review a number of research achievements relevant to privacy protection and analyze and evaluate the application limitations of them in the reader privacy protection of a digital library, consequently, establishing the constraints that an ideal approach to library reader privacy protection should meet, so as to provide references for the follow-up research of the problem.

As a result, the authors conclude that an ideal approach to reader privacy protection should be able to comprehensively improve the security of all kinds of readers' privacy information on the untrusted server-side as a whole, under the premise of not changing the architecture, efficiency, accuracy and practicality of a digital library system.

Along with the rapid development of new network technologies, such as cloud computing, the server-side of a digital library is becoming more and more untrustworthy, thereby, posing a serious threat to the privacy of library readers. In fact, the problem of reader privacy has become one of the important obstacles to the further development and application of digital libraries.