ShodhPrabandhan: Journal of Management Studies
ShodhPrabandhan: Journal of Management Studies, is a quarterly journal of studies focused on Management studies, in which research papers are published in Hindi and English language. This journal combines all topics related to Management studies. Management studies is an academic discipline that focuses on the theory and practice of managing organizations and businesses. It encompasses a wide range of topics related to managing people, resources, and processes to achieve organizational goals efficiently and effectively. Editor-in-chief: Dr. Praveen Kumar S. (Professor and Dean, Department of Commerce, School of Commerce and Management, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) Managing Editor: Dr. Tina Porwal (Ph.D., Maharani Laxmibai Girls P.G. College, Indore, India)
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author. It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board. This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
IMPACT OF GREEN MARKETING STRATEGIES ON CONSUMER PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS IN GWALIOR CITY
Green marketing has moved from a niche positioning tool to a mainstream strategic response as firms attempt to align their offerings with rising consumer concern for the environment. Yet whether green marketing efforts actually translate into greener purchase behaviour, particularly in smaller Indian cities, remains an open empirical question. This study examines the impact of green marketing strategies on consumer purchase behaviour towards eco-friendly products among 100 consumers in Gwalior city, Madhya Pradesh. Using a structured questionnaire covering green marketing strategy perception, environmental awareness, green purchase intention, and green product consumption pattern, data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, simple and multiple linear regression, an independent-samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA. Green marketing strategy perception was found to be a significant positive predictor of overall green consumer behaviour (r = 0.73, R² = 0.537, p < 0.001), and this predictive strength improved further when environmental awareness was added as a second predictor (R² = 0.579). Female consumers reported significantly higher green consumer behaviour scores than male consumers (t = –2.29, p = 0.024), while no significant differences emerged across education levels or occupational categories. These findings suggest that well-designed green marketing communication, especially when it also builds environmental awareness, can meaningfully shift consumer behaviour towards eco-friendly products even outside India’s metro markets, and they point to gender-sensitive targeting as a potentially useful refinement for green marketers operating in the Gwalior region.
Copyright (c) 2026 Farheen Khan, Dr. Swarna Parmar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES: NEEDS ANALYSIS AS A COURSE DESIGN PROCESS AND DETERMINING THE CONTENT FOR THE COURSE WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO THE ENGLISH FOR TOURISM SYLLABUS IN KARNATAKA
ESP is an international movement that originated because of the demand for exclusive and focused learning of the second language for limited purposes at a higher level of education. Thus, ESP has its prominent features. ESP teaching is fundamentally built on the consideration of distinct purposes and the functions for which English is required. Furthermore, ESP teaching focuses more on language in context than on teaching English language aspects like grammar, vocabulary, and sound system. ESP is to develop procedures applicable for learners whose primary purpose is learning English for a purpose instead of just learning the language system. The course designer must produce the teaching and learning material after carrying out a limited text analysis and then writing out the course syllabus. ESP is always based on the practical outcomes of learning the course. The dominating feature of ESP is that it deals with domains of knowledge of an average speaker. It deals with the subject-specific matter. There are certain precise features that we have to consider when we design an ESP course. A needs analysis is always situated within the methodology of English for Specific Purposes. This paper explores why a needs analysis is necessary to design a course paper for an ESP course like English for Tourism and determine the content. There is a need for careful analysis to structure a multi-layered syllabus with elements of functions, topics and vocabulary with definite reference to the register analysis and the rhetorical and discourse analysis and genre analysis to get valuable information about the target situation language used.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Naveen A. H. Dias (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION: A CONTEXTUAL APPROACH IN A GLOBAL WORKPLACE
Intercultural communication has lately become the central focus in ESP. English has developed into the lingua franca of the world. ELT has to update its teaching methodology and linguistic approaches to modernise its teaching methods, synchronising them with ICT. Communication skills are the talk of the day, and teaching this skill is very important to meet the demands of the international standards in which the language is now used. Communicative competence has given place to intercultural communicative competence in the fast-growing business world, specifically the tourism and hospitality industry. This paper focuses on the necessity to include this component in the business communication paper for MBA and BBA students who specialise in Tourism and Hospitality Management in Karnataka and the sub-continent on the whole. Tourism has now become a way of life. Recognising the importance of the sociocultural context of English as a lingua franca is essential. It is necessary to look at this from a contextual approach in a global workplace.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Naveen A. H. Dias (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
EVALUATION OF STATISTICAL TRENDS OF THE COST OF DEBT CAPITAL IN INDIA FOR ENERGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Debt financing is a core component of energy and infrastructure finance in most countries of the world and has direct impact on project valuation, feasibility, and profitability. This work analyses openly available data from the last one decade on the costs of debt finance in India, focusing on two major instrument classes - bank loans and debt securities like bonds issued over the last one decade. Bank loan rate data from the Reserve Bank of India from 2014 to 2025 show that loan interest rates have ranged from 8.75 ± 1.33% per annum to 11.18 ± 0.88% per annum, depending on type of bank considered, with private sector bank interests showing the highest range of values. The analysis of 10-, 15-, 30- and 40-year government bonds as a form of debt security shows that the annualized bond yields have been 7.25 ± 0.80%, 7.36 ± 0.60%, 7.43 ± 0.55% and 7.18 ± 0.28% respectively. Thus, in general, the bond yields have been lower than the bank lending rates. Comparison with 10-year bond yield data from 14 economies shows that developed economies have typically had bond yields much lower than that for India and other developing markets, indicating that infrastructure finance is costlier to access in developing nations where most infrastructure build out is needed to support their development objectives.
Copyright (c) 2026 Rupsha Bhattacharyya (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
SHORT-FORM VIDEO PLATFORMS AND CONSUMER BUYING INTENTION: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK EXTENDING THE UNIFIED THEORY OF ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Short-form video platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, Facebook Videos, and Snapchat have changed consumers' experience of the commercial information they encounter, consider, and act upon. Previous scholarship has demonstrated the persuasiveness of such content, but not in three respects. First, technology acceptance research has focused mainly on modelling the intention to use or continue using technology rather than on buying it. Second, there has been a focus on a single platform (TikTok), which has restricted the ability to draw comparisons between the broader short-form video landscape. Third, the psychological process that translates perceptions of acceptance into purchase decisions is generally taken for granted rather than defined. This paper extends the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model in three ways: by including learning value as a context-specific predictor, by positioning consumer engagement as a mediating factor between acceptance perceptions and buying intention, and by identifying digital literacy as a moderator between consumer engagement and buying intention. The framework is theoretically connected to the Stimulus–Organism–Response paradigm and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the latter of which is a confirmed framework for understanding the reasons for engagement, being the correct organismic state and why intention is the correct proximal outcome. Twelve propositions are advanced, and a methodological path is proposed to validate them empirically using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling in the empirical study in the Tricity region of northern India. The framework extends UTAUT2 with a consumer-behaviour model, provides a diagnostic model of the success or failure of short-form video persuasion for marketers, and provides a testable framework for further empirical research.
Copyright (c) 2026 Gursharan Kaur, Dr. Nidhi Gupta (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
IMPACT OF ONLINE REVIEWS AND RATINGS ON CONSUMER PURCHASE DECISIONS: A STUDY OF CONSUMERS IN THE BUNDELKHAND REGION OF UTTAR PRADESH
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of online reviews and ratings on consumers’ purchase decisions, with special reference to the Bundelkhand Region of Uttar Pradesh, India. The study specifically compares the influence of star ratings and written reviews and examines the relationship between the importance of the number of online reviews and purchase decisions. Methodology: The study adopts a quantitative, descriptive and analytical research design. Primary data from 186 respondents were collected through an online questionnaire using convenience sampling. Data were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, paired samples t-test, Pearson correlation and simple linear regression. Findings: The findings show that written reviews have a great influence on purchase decisions than star ratings. The mean score for written reviews was 4.258 compared with 3.735 for star ratings, and the difference was significant (p < .001). The importance of the number of online reviews also showed a significant positive relationship with purchase decisions (r = 0.609, p < .001). Regression analysis showed that this factor explained 37.1% of the variation in purchase decision scores. Originality/Value: The study provides region-specific primary evidence on the role of different characteristics of online reviews in consumers’ purchase decisions in the Bundelkhand Region of Uttar Pradesh.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Vivek Kumar, Dr. Himani (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A COMPREHENSIVE EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION INTO PARENTAL ACCEPTANCE, PERCEPTIONS, AND ADOPTION OF EDUCATIONAL TOYS FOR GENERATION ALPHA CHILDREN
Generation Alpha, born from 2010 onwards, stands out as the first cohort to grow up entirely in the digital age. As the children of Millennials and the younger siblings of Generation Z, they wield surprising influence over brands and family purchases, even in their early years. Their upbringing is marked by experiences unlike any before them. The toys parents choose and how they engage with their children’s playtime play a powerful role in shaping young minds and perceptions of gender. Studies reveal that younger parents, those with less education, and fathers are more likely to hold traditional gender views, while older, more educated parents and mothers tend to be less conventional. Yet, when it comes to judging which toys are desirable, parents’ age, education, or gender make little difference. This research adopts a quantitative approach to explore these dynamics. Interestingly, what parents buy often does not match what their children truly want. This paper aims to uncover what draws children to certain toys, what drives parents’ purchasing decisions, and what expectations parents hold when shopping for toys. The goal is to pinpoint the main factors behind parents’ toy choices, using both theory and real-world data.
Copyright (c) 2024 Dr. Sudheesh Kumar K. (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
FACILITATING SOCIAL SERVICE DELIVERY THROUGH PARTICIPATORY PROJECT MANAGEMENT: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES,AND INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE
The growing complexity of social challenges has increased the need for project management approaches that are collaborative, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of different stakeholder groups. Traditional management models often struggle to address issues that require continuous dialogue, shared decision-making, and long-term cooperation among public institutions, civil society organizations, communities, and development partners. Against this background, participatory project management has emerged as a practical approach for improving the planning, implementation, and sustainability of social service delivery. This review article examines how stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and digital technologies contribute to more effective social project management. Drawing on contemporary management literature, international policy documents, and the experience of organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the OECD, and the European Commission, the paper explores the principles that support successful collaboration in social projects. It also discusses recent developments in Azerbaijan to illustrate how participatory approaches and digital transformation are influencing the management of social services. The review indicates that facilitation should be regarded as a strategic management competency rather than merely a communication technique. Meaningful stakeholder engagement improves the quality of decision-making, while digital technologies strengthen transparency, coordination, and evidence-based project management. The findings further suggest that sustainable social service delivery depends on integrating participatory governance, professional facilitation, and digital innovation within the project management process. By bringing together these complementary perspectives, the paper offers an integrated conceptual framework that can support managers, policymakers, and development practitioners in designing and implementing more effective and sustainable social projects.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nurengiz Mikayilova (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND STUDENT SATISFACTION: A CASE STUDY OF ORIENTAL UNIVERSITY, INDORE
This paper examines academic excellence, institutional development, and student satisfaction at Oriental University, Indore, a private university in Madhya Pradesh. It draws on publicly available institutional data together with student and alumni reviews collected across several independent education-information platforms to examine changes in placement outcomes, faculty and curriculum perception, and campus infrastructure across recent batches. Overall, the evidence presents a clearly positive picture of institutional development. Placement participation has widened, the average package has increased, and the recruiter base has become increasingly diverse. Faculty support and curriculum relevance are also viewed favourably across multiple reviews, while the university continues to maintain its accreditations and ranking position. Feedback relating to hostel amenities and campus discipline provides constructive opportunities for further strengthening an already developing student experience. Taken together, the findings indicate sustained institutional progress, with particularly strong positive sentiment on the dimensions most closely connected with academic quality and student outcomes.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Ramanpreet Kaur (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
IMPACT OF GREEN INITIATIVES ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT & ENHANCEMENT TOWARDS WORK PERFORMANCE IN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRIES
In recent years automobile industries have developed rapidly and employee’s engagement in green initiatives has become more important in the automobile industries. As industries want to protect the environment and work more effectively employees should take part in eco-friendly activities. Employees engaging in green initiatives such as reduce waste, save energy and protect the environment. By implementing green initiatives in automobile industries, it can achieve dual benefits like promoting sustainable practices and improving employee performance. Organization can support employees by providing training, motivation, and awareness program these can encourage employees to adopt eco-friendly behaviours in their daily work. The strong employee engagement leads to more successful green initiatives and helps industries to achieve long-term sustainability goals. The aim of the study to examine the level of employee engagement in green initiatives and to determine employees actively participate work activities by implementing green initiatives in industries. A total 163 Employees Participated in the study responding to a structured questionnaire consisting of 32 questions. SPSS Software and applied ranking tools to determine which factors were most concerning to employees. Independent Sample t Test on male and female employees towards green initiatives, Employee Engagement, Work Performance. One-way Analysis of Variance on in Green Initiatives, Employee Engagement, and Work Performance based on employees' income levels. Correlation Analysis on significant relationship between dependent variables. The findings of the study that green initiatives on employee engagement have a positive influence in Automobile industries. Employees working in industries actively reduce waste in their daily work and follow energy saving practices, industries implement eco-friendly activities in the workplace and provide training programs on green activities.
Copyright (c) 2026 D. Dhivyaa, Dr. K. Yasmin (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT MARKETING STRATEGIES ON FMCG PRODUCTS
The paper “Effectiveness of Different Marketing Strategies on FMCG Products” draws from comparative literature on traditional marketing, digital marketing, and hybrid techniques used across various consumer communities. Using mixed methodologies including survey studies, interviews, focus group discussions, and campaign analysis, the literature reveals the effectiveness of traditional media like print, radio, and television in creating trust, cultural relevance, and brand awareness amongst the rural and elderly consumers. On the other hand, digital campaigns using social media platforms, SEO optimization, and influencers perform well in engaging consumers, creating conversions, and establishing enduring relations with the young, urban and digitally savvy populations. Hybrid techniques, which combine the trust and brand equity created through traditional marketing with interactive and engaging nature of digital campaigns, prove to be most effective and create better results. The most valuable part of the literature is its comparative framework that illustrates the value of hybrid techniques and the need for contextualizing the campaigns to suit the needs of specific demographics Baker (2007), Bustinza and Chamorro-Premuzic (2013). However, there still exist several research gaps in this area, including lack of longitudinal study on consumer loyalty, cross-cultural analysis, understudied consumer behaviour, and sustainable marketing practices. Future opportunities in this regard will thus be to carry out longitudinal studies in order to study changing preferences, use AI to personalize and predict behaviour, design sustainability-based marketing campaigns due to the growing trend of ethical consumption, and utilize hybrid marketing techniques based on affordability, reliability, and adaptability to the digital world. Agarwal and Srivastava (2022), Agarwal and Srivastava (2023).
Copyright (c) 2026 Shijith M T, Chandni P M, Ratheesh K Nair (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ASSESSING THE ROLE OF KARNATAKA INDUSTRIAL POLICY IN PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE FOOD PROCESSING MSMES IN MYSURU
The food processing industry in Mysuru is an important economic hub for Karnataka. It contributes significantly to employment generation, value addition, and regional economic development, making sustainable manufacturing a strategic priority for long-term industrial competitiveness. Its transformation towards sustainable manufacturing is constrained by managerial, technological, financial and institutional challenges. The study aims to assess the role of Karnataka Industrial policy 2025-30 in promoting Sustainable manufacturing practices among food processing MSMEs in Mysuru district. By understanding the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), this literature review adopts the Triple Bottom Line concept to understand the impact of Karnataka Industrial Policy 2025–30. The various policy enablers include financial subsidies and technology infrastructure, which help in cleaner production. However, limited awareness, inadequate technical expertise, financial constraint, and weak institutional coordination continue to hinder the effectiveness implementation among MSMEs. The review also examines scholarly publications to identify existing research trends, implementation challenges and opportunities for improving sustainable manufacturing practices among food processing MSMEs, The study adopts a systematic literature review approach by analysing existing research on sustainable manufacturing industrial policy and MSME development. The findings indicate that financial incentives, Technology support, and infrastructure development positively influence the adoption of sustainable manufacturing practices, whereas limited awareness and financial constraints remain significant barriers.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mrs. Shruthi Patel, Dr. K. Veena Rani (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
FROM CONCERN TO COMMITMENT: ANALYSIS OF THE DETERMINANTS OF GREEN PURCHASE INTENTION AMONG INDIAN CONSUMERS
Sustainable consumption has been brought from the periphery into the mainstream of public, commercial and academic debate as a result of increasing environmental degradation, but there has been a long-standing disconnect between consumer declared attitudes and actual consumption patterns. The theoretical and practical need to understand what converts convert into commitment is thus critical. The study examines the cognitive, attitudinal and economic factors influencing green purchase intention in one integrated framework by integrating the concepts of environmental studies and marketing and consumer psychology. The descriptive and analytical approach used in this research was cross-sectional type, where primary data was obtained by distributing a structured questionnaire with five scales Likert in the middle level, which used purposive-convenience sampling technique to the consumer number 312. Reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, hierarchical multiple regression and one-way ANOVA with post hoc comparisons were used to analyze the data. Attitude towards green products, perceived consumer effectiveness, environmental concern and willingness to pay a premium all had significant positive effects on green purchase intention, with attitude being the most important, and these four above variables accounted for 46% of the variance, in addition to the demographic baseline. The purchase intention for green products was also found to be significantly different according to monthly household income. The results suggest that intention is more influenced by positive product attitudes, beliefs about personal efficacy and the perceived ability to incur a cost than by abstract awareness, and highlight the potential for policy and/or marketing measures based on targeted messaging and credibility.
Copyright (c) 2026 Meenu (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
TRADITIONAL TIMBER TRADE IN INDIA - DIGITALIZATION AND INDIAN TRADE POLICY
Indian Trade policy in the recent years has undergone some major transformations to smoothen the trade of the country at the national and international scenario. From a system of physical incentives and Red Tape it has moved to the digital first and trust based environment. In the year 2026 the Foreign Trade Policy FTP 2023 remains the most foundational document, but now it is prominent by the Digital Trade Facilitation Bill 2026 which is resting on the three important pillars of E Commerce Exports, Process Automation and Digital Public Infrastructure DPI. The Digital Trade Facilitation Bill 2026 is the recent update in the Indian Trade Policy and provides a legal niche for a paperless work and trade environment in which even the electronic trade documents, bills and invoices have the same legal standing as the original paper counterparts.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gaurav Pandey, Dr. Sandeep Soni (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION STYLES AND ITS RELATION TO COMMITMENT, SATISFACTION AND WORK CULTURE IN INDIAN IT/ITES ORGANISATIONS - EMPLOYEE PREFERENCES FOR LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION STYLES
It is now well accepted that leadership communication is vital in shaping employee attitudes and organisational effectiveness. Despite a large amount of work investigating leadership styles, little attention has been paid to employees’ preferences for the leadership communication behaviours described. The present study is an attempt to study the employees’ choice of leadership communication styles and its relation with the employees’ organisational commitment-related factors such as organisational commitment, job satisfaction, work culture, and their performance in Indian IT/ITES organisations. The present study is based on data collected from 161 people working in the Indian IT/ITES industry. Different forms of leadership communication behaviours were ranked according to four employee outcome dimensions: task accomplishment; organisational pride; job satisfaction; and work culture. They were classified in 6 sub-dimensions of communication styles: Expressiveness, Preciseness, Questioningness, Verbal Aggressiveness, Emotionality and Impression Manipulativeness. Our results show clear preference for expressive, inclusive and precise modes of communication. Communication habits that demonstrated hostility, a tendency to blame, emotional volatility and an authoritarian style consistently scored lower. Performance was ranked highest in the research. Employees related expressive communication with a positive atmosphere at work and precise communication with job accomplishment. The study emphasises the significance of the quality of communication in influencing employees' perspectives and is of practical relevance for leadership development in knowledge-intensive organizations.
Copyright (c) 2026 Shumita Mahajan, Dr. Radheshyam Jadhav (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
EVALUATING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION (RTE) ACT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF THE GWALIOR DIVISION
This study provides an empirical assessment of the implementation status of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in secondary schools, specifically within the Gwalior division. The RTE Act is a significant policy initiative in India aimed at ensuring the universalization of education and educational equity by providing free and compulsory education to children aged 6 to 14 years. While the implementation of this Act has been widely observed at the primary level, there is a lack of sufficient research regarding its effectiveness and compliance status at the secondary level. Primary data for this study were collected from selected government and private secondary schools in the Gwalior division using questionnaires and interviews. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques (such as mean, t-test, and ANOVA) were employed to analyze the data. The findings indicate that several challenges—including infrastructure, teacher availability, resource distribution, and administrative monitoring—persist in the implementation of the RTE Act. Additionally, significant disparities in implementation levels were observed between government and private schools. The study concludes that effective implementation of the RTE Act requires policy-level reforms, equitable distribution of resources, and a regular monitoring system. This research offers valuable insights for policymakers, educational administrators, and researchers. Right to Education (RTE) Act, Secondary Education, Implementation Assessment, Educational Equity, Gwalior Division.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mamta Kailashiya, Alka Gupta (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN TALENT ACQUISITION AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES
Artificial Intelligence has become one of the most important technological forces reshaping modern Human Resource Management. Among different HR functions, talent acquisition and employee performance management are two areas where AI-based tools are being used widely for screening applications, shortlisting candidates, scheduling interviews, analysing skill gaps, predicting employee potential, monitoring performance indicators, and supporting managerial decision-making. The present paper examines the role of Artificial Intelligence in talent acquisition and employee performance management with special reference to emerging opportunities and organizational challenges. A descriptive cum analytical survey design was adopted for the study. A sample of 120 HR professionals and managers working in selected private-sector organizations was taken through purposive sampling. Data were collected with the help of a self-constructed structured questionnaire covering three areas: AI adoption in recruitment, AI use in performance management, and organizational challenges related to AI implementation. The reliability of the tool was found to be 0.84 through Cronbach’s alpha. Frequency, percentage, mean, and chi-square test were used for analysis. The findings revealed that the major opportunities of AI in talent acquisition were faster resume screening, reduction in manual workload, better candidate matching, improved recruitment planning, and data-based hiring decisions. In the area of performance management, AI helped in continuous feedback, identification of training needs, performance prediction, and objective tracking of employee contribution. At the same time, the major challenges were algorithmic bias, lack of transparency, data privacy concerns, high implementation cost, limited technical knowledge among HR staff, and employee fear regarding surveillance. The chi-square test confirmed a significant association between AI adoption and perceived improvement in talent acquisition, and also between AI-based performance management and perceived decision-making effectiveness. The paper concludes that AI can strengthen HR practices only when it is used as a supportive tool with human judgment, ethical governance, transparency, and employee trust.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ms. Neetu Bhadoria, Dr. Rahul Kushwah (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
MACROECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF BANK PROFITABILITY: EVIDENCE FROM RETURN ON EQUITY OF SCHEDULED COMMERCIAL BANKS IN INDIA
The study using Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) examined the short- and long-term impact of macroeconomic variables on the profitability of scheduled commercial banks in India. For the study the annual data from 2005-2006 to 2022-23 were collected where return on equity (ROE) used as independent variable and FDI, GDP, IIP, inflation and unemployment rate as dependent variable. The outcome revealed that, in long term all macroeconomic variables exerted an insignificant impact on ROE. Inflation and FDI show a positive association, whereas GDP, IIP and unemployment was negatively correlated. In the short-run FDI, GDP, inflation and unemployment displayed significant negative effects on profitability, while IIP showed no significant impact. The findings suggested that macroeconomic shocks influenced banking performance differently depending on the time horizon. Thus, the study is useful for policymakers, regulators and bank managers in framing strategies to safeguard financial stability. By understanding both the short- and long-term effects of macroeconomic changes enable stakeholders to improve their capacity to withstand and recover from external shocks while developing effective adaptive strategies.
Copyright (c) 2025 Shagufta Khatoon Sheikh, Dr. Arpan Parashar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
DESIGNING A SMART MODEL FOR GRANTING BANK FACILITIES BASED ON BIG DATA
Granting bank facilities and identifying customers for facility provision has always been considered important, as it leads to greater assurance for banks in this regard. With the advent of the digital age and big data, the large volume of data helps banks gain better insights into decisions regarding facility provision and utilize Smart approaches. Therefore, in this research, a Smart model for granting bank facilities based on big data was designed. For this purpose, customers' financial and credit histories from internal bank systems were used, and machine learning, clustering, and regression analysis models were employed for data analysis. Using K-means clustering, customer groups were categorized into three risk levels: low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk. Then, a random forest model was used to predict credit risk, which showed 96% accuracy. Subsequently, a combination of hierarchical analysis and particle swarm optimization algorithm was utilized to optimize the facility allocation process, and the results indicated a reduction in risk and an increase in bank productivity. Finally, the Smart model for granting bank facilities can help identify better customers for facility allocation and also reduce the risk of facility provision by banks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mohammad Taleghani (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN TRANSFORMING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND DECISION-MAKING IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the nature of Human Resource Management by making employee-related decisions more data-driven, timely, and analytical. Earlier HR practices mainly depended on manual records, supervisor judgment, employee surveys, and periodic review systems. In the present digital workplace, AI-supported tools are being used to understand employee engagement, predict dissatisfaction, analyse employee feedback, recommend learning opportunities, identify workplace concerns, and support managerial decision-making. The present paper examines the role of Artificial Intelligence in transforming employee engagement and decision-making in Human Resource Management. A descriptive cum analytical survey design was adopted for the study. A sample of 120 HR professionals, team leaders, and employees working in selected private-sector organizations was selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected with the help of a self-constructed structured questionnaire covering three areas: AI-supported employee engagement, AI-based HR decision-making, and organizational challenges in AI implementation. The reliability of the tool was found to be 0.85 through Cronbach’s alpha. Frequency, percentage, mean, and chi-square test were used for analysis. The findings revealed that AI contributes to employee engagement through real-time feedback systems, personalized learning suggestions, employee sentiment analysis, digital communication platforms, recognition tools, and predictive identification of disengagement. In HR decision-making, AI supports workforce planning, employee retention decisions, learning and development decisions, internal mobility, grievance analysis, and policy planning. However, the study also found important challenges such as data privacy concerns, employee fear of monitoring, lack of emotional understanding in AI systems, algorithmic bias, low trust, and overdependence on technology. The chi-square test confirmed a significant association between AI-supported engagement practices and perceived improvement in employee engagement. It also confirmed a significant association between AI-based analytics and effectiveness of HR decision-making. The paper concludes that AI can transform employee engagement and HR decision-making only when it is implemented with transparency, ethical safeguards, human supervision, and employee trust.
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DIGITAL PAYMENT IN RURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF GWALIOR DISTRICT (MP): CHALLENGES, SATISFACTION AND IMPACT
While digital payment has spread rapidly across India, its users continue to encounter obstacles, and the experience of using digital payment differs considerably between rural and urban settings. This study undertook a comparative analysis of the challenges faced in using digital payment, the satisfaction users derive from it, and its impact on financial behaviour, between the rural and urban areas of Gwalior district in Madhya Pradesh. A descriptive and comparative survey design was adopted, and data were collected from 400 respondents—200 urban and 200 rural—through a structured questionnaire. The findings show that rural users face significantly greater challenges than urban users, chiefly poor internet connectivity, low digital literacy, and concerns about fraud and security, whereas urban users report relatively higher satisfaction with speed and convenience. Digital payment was found to influence financial behaviour in both settings—encouraging record-keeping, reducing dependence on cash, and supporting savings—though the effect was stronger among urban users. The study concludes that addressing rural-specific challenges is essential to translate access into satisfying and beneficial use, and it offers recommendations for providers and policy-makers.
Copyright (c) 2026 Disha Yadav, Dr. Rahul Kushwah (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DIGITAL PAYMENT IN RURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF GWALIOR DISTRICT (MP): AWARENESS AND ADOPTION
India has witnessed an extraordinary expansion of digital payment in the past decade, driven by rising smartphone penetration, the spread of the Unified Payments Interface, and policy initiatives such as Digital India. This growth, however, has not been uniform, and a persistent gap separates the adoption of digital payment in urban centres from that in rural areas. The present study undertook a comparative analysis of the awareness and adoption of digital payment systems between the rural and urban areas of Gwalior district in Madhya Pradesh, and examined the factors that influence adoption in each setting. A descriptive and comparative survey design was adopted, and data were collected from 400 respondents—200 from urban Gwalior and 200 from the rural blocks of the district—through a structured questionnaire. The findings reveal that awareness and adoption of digital payment are significantly higher among urban respondents than among rural respondents, and that the dominant mode of digital payment in both areas is the mobile-based Unified Payments Interface. Adoption is shaped by smartphone and internet availability, education, income, and trust, and the relative weight of these factors differs between the two settings. The study concludes that bridging the rural-urban gap requires targeted attention to connectivity, digital literacy, and trust, and it offers recommendations for policy and practice.
FACTORS CREATING JOB STRESS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN JHENAIDAH DISTRICT, BANGLADESH
The study aims to investigate the job stress experienced by primary school teachers in Bangladesh, highlighting its implications for educational effectiveness. A quantitative research approach was adopted, focusing on the Jhenaidah district's six upazilas: Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Shailkupa, Kotchandpur, Maheshpur, and Harinakunda. Data was collected through structured interviews, surveys, and observations using a non-probability sampling technique. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, validity, reliability, confirmatory component analysis, F-test, and regression analysis. The study revealed that in primary schools Work Overload, Job Security, Co-Workers’ Relation and Supervision of Authority are the significant factors for job stress. The teachers of primary schools think that Salary and Use of Technology are not so significant factors for job stress. Excessive job stress among primary school teachers leads to an unhealthy societal impact, diminished productivity, and low teacher morale. The negative effects extend beyond the workplace, affecting teachers' psychological and physical health. The study's findings are confined to the Jhenaidah district and may not be generalizable to other regions or contexts within Bangladesh. This research underscores the critical need to address job stress among primary school teachers to enhance educational outcomes and promote a healthier teaching environment, ultimately benefiting student engagement and achievement.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sukanto Kumar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN AWARENESS AND CHOICE OF INVESTMENT AVENUES: EVIDENCE FROM JHARKHAND
Informed decision-making and investment awareness can enable an individual to choose an appropriate avenue of investing. An understanding of the difference in terms of investment awareness between different demographic groups is important in the context of financial inclusion and making investments through formal financial channels. This research seeks to identify the gender differences in the awareness of investment avenues of people in Jharkhand. The research is quantitative in nature, being descriptive and comparative in approach. Data were collected from 276 respondents in the form of primary data using a five-point Likert scale-based questionnaire. The respondents were selected using convenience sampling method. It can be observed from the results that awareness about investments among males is comparatively higher as compared to that of females. Through the Independent Samples t-test, a statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of awareness level and therefore, the null hypothesis had to be rejected. It can thus be said that gender continues to remain an essential demographic factor when it comes to investment awareness. Based on the results of the study, it can be inferred that there is a need for effective financial education programs for both males and females to encourage investment in Jharkhand.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Sudhanshu Priyadarshi (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
DETERMINANTS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE ADOPTION: A PRISMA-BASED SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS AND BEHAVIOURAL INTENTIONS IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT
Purpose: Despite the bold EV penetration targets set in India and in the state of Punjab, and significant fiscal and infrastructural incentives provided for the adoption of EVs, the actual uptake of EVs does not match the policies. This study aims to integrate the existing, disparate findings from the empirical literature on the determinants affecting consumer perceptions, attitudes, behavioural intentions and actual EV adoption, and identify a research agenda, particularly in the Indian and Punjab context. Design/Methodology/Approach: 1,229 records were retrieved after performing a structured search in Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar (2009–2025) and supplemented by using reference chaining, following the PRISMA 2020 protocol. Following the removal of duplicates, title/abstract screening and assessment of full text for eligibility, 20 studies were selected for thematic synthesis of their qualitative results. The study context, design, determinant–outcome associations reported in the study, and sample were identified and extracted, and evidence was synthesized with the five behavioural theories (TPB, TAM, DOI, VBN and the S–O–R framework). Findings: Charging infrastructure, perceived/upfront cost and environmental concern were the most commonly reported determinants while social influence, technological convenience, and range anxiety were reported next. Government incentives and policy were a recurring moderator of the intention–adoption relationship and were not a direct cause. The synthesis verifies a long-standing finding of intention–action gaps (positive attitudes and intentions do not always lead to actual purchase), and most evidence from India is based on convenience, small, urban samples, that lack the heterogeneity found across regions and demographics. Originality/Value: The review combines determinant-level evidence in an attitude–intention–adoption relationship moderated by policy and provides a unified conceptualization and prioritized policy research agenda for EV markets in emerging economies based on theory, longitudinal, and regionally representative approaches.
Copyright (c) 2026 Rupinder Kaur, Dr. Tavneet K Reen (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
COLLECTIVE ACTION AND EMPOWERMENT: EVALUATING FARMER PRODUCER ORGANISATIONS IN THE RICE BOWL OF CENTRAL INDIA
Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) have emerged as a pivotal institutional mechanism for agrarian transformation in India, enabling smallholder farmers to collectively access markets, credit, technology, and value-chain integration. Despite significant policy emphasis at the national level, empirical evidence on the functional status, perceived benefits, and structural challenges of FPOs in the tribal-agrarian landscape of Chhattisgarh remains sparse. This study investigates the status of FPOs in Chhattisgarh, identifies the opportunities available for member farmers, and delineates strategic interventions necessary for their empowerment. A multi-stage random sampling procedure was employed to survey 385 farmer-members across five purposively selected districts — Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Bastar, and Surguja. Structured questionnaires incorporating five-point Likert-scale items were administered, and data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics v.26. Statistical tools included descriptive analysis, reliability testing (Cronbach's alpha), exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with principal component extraction, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA with Tukey's HSD post-hoc comparison, and multiple linear regression. Cronbach's alpha for composite scales ranged from 0.791 to 0.863, confirming adequate internal consistency. EFA yielded four latent constructs — Institutional Support, Market Linkage, Financial Inclusion, and Capacity Building — explaining 62.34% of cumulative variance. Regression analysis revealed that market linkage (β = 0.387, p < .001) and institutional support (β = 0.312, p < .001) were the strongest predictors of farmer empowerment. ANOVA indicated statistically significant income differentials across FPO membership tenure groups (F(3, 381) = 14.72, p < .001, η² = 0.104). Findings underscore systemic deficits in governance transparency, professional management, and last-mile digital infrastructure as barriers to optimal FPO performance. The study recommends a Chhattisgarh-specific FPO Acceleration Framework comprising cluster-based business planning, gender-inclusive governance mandates, digital market platform integration, and dedicated concessional financing windows.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Dipti Baghel, Dr. Archi Dubey (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
NAVIGATING THE VIRTUAL CART: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND COMMERCE IN THE METAVERSE
Purpose: The rapid evolution of spatial computing has initiated a paradigm shift from traditional, two-dimensional e-commerce to immersive, three-dimensional virtual commerce (v-commerce). This paper conceptualizes the foundational drivers, structural mechanics, and strategic implications of consumer behavior within the emerging metaverse marketplace. Methodology/Approach: Synthesizing Social Presence Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study provides a comprehensive conceptual framework analyzing how multi-sensory immersion, avatar-mediated identity expression, and decentralized economic frameworks alter consumer decision-making. Findings: The paper establishes that the metaverse fundamentally redefines digital consumer behavior by transforming standard transactions into identity-driven social expressions. It outlines how immersive experiential marketing stimuli (e.g., gamified storefronts, virtual try-ons) drive high emotional arousal and hedonic consumption patterns. Furthermore, the analysis maps the collapse of the traditional boundary between buyers and sellers via Play-to-Earn (P2E) and Create-to-Earn (C2E) models, re-contextualizing virtual consumers as active entrepreneurial producers within blockchain-secured economies. Research Implications: While presenting a robust conceptual blueprint for v-commerce engagement, the study highlights critical consumer inhibitors, including biometric data harvesting risks, infrastructural access barriers, and psychological virtual fatigue. Originality: This paper bridges the gap between conventional digital marketing theories and spatial mechanics. It provides actionable strategic imperatives for contemporary brands specifically detailing hybrid "phygital" retail systems, spatial analytics optimization, and community-centric governance via Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) to effectively future-proof enterprise models.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sanjana (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
VALUE PERCEPTION AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN FREEMIUM MOBILE GAMING: EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF ENJOYMENT, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC VALUE ON CONTINUED USAGE AND PURCHASE INTENTIONS AMONG INDIAN YOUTH GAMERS
The proliferation of digital game applications has resulted in the transformation of the entertainment industry in terms of usage of the freemium business model. Unlike paid game models where consumers have to pay to use an application, in case of freemium models, gamers get access to games for free, and make payment within the game through in-app purchases, virtual goods, subscription, ads and premium functionalities. While allowing companies to gain wide customer base, the main problem with such a model is the difficulty in converting free users into paying customers. Therefore, it has become crucial to comprehend the factors that determine users' intentions for continued use and purchase of games. The proposed study aims at exploring the impact of the three aspects of perceived value on continued use intention and purchase intention in freemium gaming application among youth gamers in India. According to the consumer value theory and technology adoption perspective, it is believed that youth gamers' perceptions related to entertainment, social and economic values play a major role in shaping their behavior towards freemium gaming applications. A quantitative approach will be used in the research, and data collected from youth gamers will be analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results can have great significance for gaming companies and marketers in creating effective strategies for enhancing user engagement, fostering customer relationship, and making premium buys.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gourav Bareja, Shabnam Gulati (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
WOMEN-LED SELF-HELP GROUPS AND SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN KARNATAKA: A COMPOSITE-INDEX AND SECONDARY-DATA ANALYSIS
Women-led self-help groups (SHGs) are widely used to advance financial inclusion and community development in rural India, but programme assessment still relies heavily on outreach, savings and credit indicators. This study introduces a transparent Women’s Empowerment and Rural Development Index (WERDI) for Karnataka that integrates five domains: economic agency, household decision-making, social mobility, digital-financial access and collective leadership. The index is developed from secondary evidence and explicitly identified analytical benchmark values rather than from a new household survey. Under equal domain weights, the baseline WERDI is 62.8. Household decision-making records the highest domain score, whereas collective leadership records the lowest. A coordinated scenario that improves digital access, market-linked economic agency and collective leadership raises WERDI to 68.0, a gain of 5.2 points (8.28%). Sensitivity analysis shows that the overall result remains within a narrow range under alternative policy weights, while a leadership-centred specification reveals the principal institutional constraint. The contribution of the study lies in an auditable index structure, reproducible equations and a policy-oriented decomposition of marginal gains. The framework shifts evaluation from counting groups and loans toward measuring control over income, enterprise continuity, digital capability, institutional voice and convergence with cooperatives and local governance.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nagendra N (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ASSESSING THE FEASIBILITY OF POOL MECHANISM FOR MITIGATING RISKS FOR SMES IN PANDEMIC SCENARIO
The pandemic COVID-19 was the worst catastrophic event which mankind had in last 100 years. It well started as health crisis, but the spread of the disease led to mass lockdown making it even an economic crisis of worst kind. The worst hit were the people from the informal and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Because of poor financial standing & dependence in industry & global supply chain, they experienced substantial setbacks in terms of business and revenue, leading to unemployment and financial hardship. The standard risk mitigation techniques such as insurance failed because of definition of scope but it also raised a valid question about the financing mechanism of such mega risk, even if a suitable product is designed for. This research aims to investigate the feasibility of having a pandemic pool to arrange finance for such coverage. The methodology used is basically qualitative in nature. A detailed literature review helped in understanding emerging risks in pandemic situation & the working of a "pool" mechanism. The research finding suggests that there is a theoretical potential however the practicality and effectiveness of implementing this concept in real-world scenarios remains a subject of concern and debate. It is evident that further evaluation, research, and exploration are necessary to address the lingering doubts and questions surrounding its feasibility in practical applications. This research provides a way out for insurance industry to think of getting a pandemic specific solution for SMEs seeking effective strategies to mitigate risks related with pandemic & pandemic kind situation. The research work contributes valuable insights into the feasibility and potential benefits of pool mechanisms, potentially aiding the resilience and survival of SMEs in an uncertain business environment.
Copyright (c) 2026 Manoj K Pandey, Dr. Yogesh C. Joshi (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0