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The study aims to establish an impact of supplier relationship and information and communication technology through purchasing practices on firm performance.

Review of relevant literature resulted in constructs, namely, supplier relationships, information and communication technology, purchasing practices and firm performance. A survey of 179 manufacturing companies through structured questionnaire was conducted. The responses were analysed through structural equation modelling using the partial least squares method.

It is observed that the firm performance is directly influenced by purchasing practices and indirectly by supplier relationships and information technology. The use of information technology in materials management affects supplier relationships and purchasing practices both.

The study provides a model for purchasing practitioners by highlighting the importance of supplier relationship management. Though the firms are running after improving technology, it can only affect firm performance through proper purchasing practices.

The study provides empirical evidence to the practical notions that exist in purchasing practitioners.

β-Carotene is the most appropriate and significant precursor of vitamin A. Synthetic carotene supplements have been known to pose a threat to human health, making natural sources such as the indefensible choice for the production and extraction of carotene.

This study considers Blakeslea trispora, a filamentous fungus, as a source of production of carotenoids by fermentation and wet and dry mycelium were used to analyse and obtain better extraction results.

In this study, natural oils such as soy oil and cottonseed oil were incorporated into fermentation media to increase the production of carotene. For the optimization process, Plackett–Burman and one-factor-at-a-time (OVAT) models were identified as being of great value.

OVAT was carried out for corn starch because it plays a major role in the production of carotene and the corn starch at 30 g/L concentration has shown the maximum activity of 3.48 mg/gm. After optimizing process variables, submerged fermentation was eventually carried out under highly controlled media conditions. The resulting product was quantified using UV spectroscopy and extraction of carotene has been observed in the presence of various solvents. Among a range of solvents used, the methylene Di chloride produced-carotene at 86% recovery at a significantly lower temperature of 35°C.

Unlike multinational companies, small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) have budget constraints and, thereby, cannot invest heavily in improving the creativity of employees. They look for alternative budget-friendly ways to do the same. The authors of the current paper attempt to identify two psychological-based constructs which positively influence creativity among employees. Both these psychological constructs may be improved among the employees using suitable interventions from the human resource (HR) professionals and line managers working in the organization. This study is an attempt to test the influence of organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and psychological capital (PC) (both malleable) on creative performance behaviour (CPB) among SME employees.

Validated instruments were used to collect data. Structural equation model (SEM) was used to evaluate the 377 responses collected from the employees working in three SME's in India. All three SMEs work in the area of innovative process design and require a high level of creativity among employees.

PC fully mediates the relationship between OBSE and the CPBs of employees. Employees experiencing higher levels of OBSE will develop higher self-esteem, and these employees will exhibit more creative behaviours, increasing the likelihood of achieving creative results.

This study provides valuable inputs to the creativity literature as it describes the process of how self-esteem influences the creativity of an employee. HR professionals working in SMEs can work on enhancing the OBSE and PC (both malleable) of employees to improve creativity among employees.

To the best of the researcher's knowledge, this is the first attempt to identify frugal ways to improve creativity, especially in SMEs.

This study aims to describe the design and synthesis of two novel azo and imine chromophores-based dyes derived from two different aldehydes with intramolecular colour matching that are pH sensitive.

The visible absorption wavelength (λ_max) was extended when azo chromophore was included in imine-based systems. The dyed patterns created sophisticated colour-changing paper packaging sensors with pH-sensitive chromophores using alum as a mediator or mordant. Due to the tight adhesive bonding, the dyes on paper’s cellulose fibres could not be removed by ordinary water even at extremely high or low pH, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy analysis. The dyed patterns demonstrated an evident, sensitive and fast colour-changing mechanism with varying pH, from pale yellow to red for Dye-I and from pale yellow to brown-violet for Dye-II.

The λ_max for colour changing was recorded from 400 to 490 nm for Dye-I, whereas from 400 to 520 for Dye-II. The freshness judgement of food was checked using actual experiments with cooked crab spoilage, where the cooked crab was incubated at 37 ^oC for 6 h to see the noticeable colour change from yellow to brown-violet with Dye-II. The colour-changing mechanism was studied with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra at different pH, and thin layer chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance and FTIR spectroscopy studied the desired structure formation of the dyes. Potential uses for smart packaging sensors include quickly detecting food freshness during transportation or right before consumption.

1. Two novel azo-imine dyes have been synthesized with a pH-responsive effect. 2. The pH-responsive mechanism was studied. 3. The study was supported by computational chemistry using density functional theory. 4. The obtained dyes were used to make pH-responsive sensors for seafood packaging to judge the freshness.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive model for horizontal logistics collaboration (HLC), including the collaboration types, enablers, context influence and performance indicators.

First, this study discusses the currently available typologies and their limitations and defines relevant collaboration classification dimensions. Then, a detailed analysis of each dimension is conducted, including the identification of resulting collaboration types. Next, collaboration enablers and the context influence are discussed, as well as their implications on the logistics system, with a specific focus on agri-food supply chains (AFSCs). Additionally, adequate key performance indicators (KPIs) are selected to evaluate collaboration outcomes. Finally, the horizontal logistics collaboration concept (HLCC) is applied to an illustrative case study from AFSCs.

The results show that HLC is a complex strategy where several elements intervene in the creation of the collaboration scenario. The research also shows that the specific characteristics of AFSCs influence the partners' selection process and increase the importance of partners' similarity and information exchange.

The results provide managers with practical insights into the dynamic nature of HLC both at the operational and relational levels.

This paper provides a theoretical contribution by introducing a new comprehensive model for HLC and a practical typology that allows a deeper understanding of the mechanisms governing different HLC scenarios.