PurposeEmployees are invaluable resources that are of significant value to a firm when it aims to perform human capital development (HCD). Eventually, any firm intending to preserve a competitive advantage over rivals must invest in HCD. Therefore, to gain a competitive edge in the digital age and to yield net benefits, this study endeavours to define the research problem, i.e. should a firm adopt artificial intelligence (AI) in HCD? For the investigation, it explores various disciplines of HCD, validates whether AI has capabilities to meet the net benefits of HCD, and measures the adoption intention.Design/methodology/approachThe source data were collected from 315 individuals through a survey with a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire. The empirical analysis is accomplished using covariance-based structural equation modelling.FindingsAI capability plays a positive role in HCD disciplines, including talent management, change management, performance management, human resource management and strategic planning. Subsequently, each AI-enabled HCD discipline positively influences net benefits. Eventually, the net benefits of AI-enabled HCD positively influence AI adoption intention. Moreover, organisational culture moderates the relationship between net benefits and AI adoption intention.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates an empirical analysis of the adoption intention of AI in HCD by presenting the theoretical underpinnings of HCD disciplines, and subsequently, building and validating the structural relationships amongst HCD disciplines, net benefits and AI adoption intention with organisational culture as moderator. In this vein, the study offers multifaceted advantages of AI-enabled HCD.

PurposeThis study examined metaverse adoption in supply chain management (SCM) through the lens of technology-task fit (TTF) and perceived value (PEV), stressing how real-time data integration, visualization and security (SEC) augment effectiveness, decision-making and collaboration.Design/methodology/approachThis study explores metaverse adoption in SCM utilizing TTF and PEV , steering how data integration, visualization and SEC boost performance by utilizing a multi-method approach such as PLS-SEM and semi-structured based qualitative interviews.FindingsThe results clearly indicate that TTF effects metaverse adoption in SCM, with data, SEC and visualization thereby advancing PEV . Although metaverse adoption enhances efficiency and collaboration in organizations, implementation of this technology is mainly hampered by cost, privacy and skill gaps.Practical implicationsTo enhance metaverse adoption in SCM, managers should improve real-time data, visualization and simulations to enhance TTF. The managers should contemplate on skill gaps and privacy risks via training and cybersecurity. Furthermore, utilizing virtual modeling and analytics can lead to agility, resilience and competitive edge.Originality/valueThis study advances the metaverse adoption research in SCM by utilizing TTF and PEV as the key constructs. The findings contribute to both theory and practice, guiding firms toward digital innovation and competitive advantage.

PurposeThis study examines how intrinsic motivations influence adventure tourism memorability and psychological well-being among tourists using self-determination theory (SDT) and basic psychological need theory (BPNT).Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a mixed-methods approach. First, a focus group discussion was conducted to collect qualitative information. Subsequently, a quantitative survey was conducted with 361 respondents to test the hypotheses. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling with Smart PLS.FindingsThe study reveals that young millennials' adventure tourism experiences are significantly shaped by their intrinsic motivations. Higher intrinsic motivation leads to more memorable adventure tourism experiences and positively influences the psychological well-being of the tourists. The findings highlight the pivotal role of adventure tourism in fulfilling psychological needs and enhancing overall life satisfaction of the participants.Originality/valueThis study extends the adventure tourism literature by applying SDT and BPNT to understand the psychological mechanisms underlying memorable experiences and well-being. This study provides new insights into how intrinsic motivation drives adventure tourism behaviour among millennials.

PurposeThe present study aims to evaluate and rank Critical Success Factors (CSFs) necessary for the adoption of Industry 5.0 (I5.0) in the manufacturing sector using a decision-making approach. Specifically, it investigates how human-centric, environmentally sustainable and digitally integrated enablers, such as system interoperability, real-time communication, upskilling, renewable energy integration and circular product design can be prioritized to support effective implementation strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe model is structured to help decision-makers recognize the critical CSFs even in the context of uncertainty and vagueness. This study adopted the Trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TraInFuTOPSIS) method as a solution methodology to assess and rank 18 critical success factors (CSFs) based on six criteria. Six criteria include operational flexibility (C1), human-centric integration (C2), customization (C3), operational efficiency (C4), innovativeness (C5) and sustainability (C6). A panel of experts assigned linguistic expressions for the criteria weights and factor ratings.FindingsThe findings of the study revealed Supply chain modularity (CSF6), Sustainable thinking (CSF3) and Employee technical assistance (CSF13) as top-priority success factors, which highlighted the need for flexibility, environmental consciousness and human-machine cooperation to adopt I5.0 with a sustainable focus. Therefore, these CSFs are essential for establishing sustainable and robust pathways for I5.0 in manufacturing.Practical implicationsThe study delivers a structured methodology to recognize and prioritize CSFs that can help industry practitioners and managers identify which factors are most important to successfully implement I5.0 and industry sustainability goals.Originality/valueThe originality of the study is the introduction of trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy numbers to the decision-making strategy in the critical evaluation of success factors in I5.0 adoption. The study is a systematic decision-making model for organizations aiming at adopting I5.0, ensuring sustainability.

Achieving gender equality is crucial both as a fundamental human right and as a cornerstone of sustainable development. This study presents a decision-making framework to support stakeholders, particularly policymakers, in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) by identifying and addressing the barriers that perpetuate discrimination against women. The framework enables informed policy and intervention strategies by rank-ordering potential barriers and analysing causal relationships among them. Employing a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, the framework integrates Fermatean fuzzy sets to manage uncertainty, the logarithmic percentage change-driven objective weighting (LOPCOW) method for weighting expert opinions, and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method for prioritization and causal analysis of the barriers, effectively capturing multi-attitudinal perspectives on the issue. Key findings highlight that prevalence of traditional viewpoints and lack of awareness regarding women's rights and policies are primary barriers, with causal impact analysis indicating that factors lack of awareness regarding women's rights and policies, economic inequality and lack of access to education and training stem from the causes prevalence of traditional viewpoints, lack of effective laws and policy interventions, explicit and implicit biases, and lack of male engagement in gender equality. Sensitivity analysis confirms the decision framework's robustness and helps determine the barriers' final rank ordering. The framework proposed not only advances decision-making in gender studies but also offers a readily applicable tool for policymakers focused on gender equality, making a valuable contribution to research on discrimination reduction strategies.

The investigation intends to contribute to the growing interest among academics and practitioners worldwide by advancing knowledge of how manufacturers can improve their 3P (planet, profit, and people) performance through systemic mechanisms. The objectives of this research are to (1) assess the effect of lean six sigma practices and green culture on developing circular manufacturing capabilities among manufacturers and (2) assess how such developed circular manufacturing capabilities translate into better 3P performance in the backdrop of Industry 4.0 technologies. In pursuit of the stated objectives, the research team conducted a survey of 232 manufacturers and analyzed the collected data using the structural equation modeling approach. The assessment demonstrates that the enactment of lean six sigma practices and the adoption of a green culture have a significant and positive influence on the development of circular manufacturing capabilities. This, in turn, leads to improvements in environmental, economic, and social performance (i.e., 3P performance). Further, it has been found that the utilization of Industry 4.0 technologies by manufacturers has a significant moderating effect on the impact of their circular manufacturing capabilities on their 3P performance. The results have substantial implications for administrators looking to streamline their adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and lean six sigma practices and cultivate a green culture to enhance their competitive advantage and boost their reputation.

Grounded in Career Construction Theory, Heavy Work Investment Theory, and the Job Demand Resources Model, our study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between individual career calling, the heavy investment in work roles (work engagement and harmonious work passion), and the availability of organizational support impacting job performance and well-being (psychological distress) within the distinctive context of transitioning from a corporate career to a freelance academic role. 313 full-time senior executives who proactively opted for visiting faculty positions in reputed Indian B-schools and are presently working full-time in 12 sectors such as biotech, manufacturing, insurance, information technology (IT), and healthcare in the Indian subcontinent were a part of our multi-phased (3-wave) study. The findings of the study provide actionable insights for organizations aiming to optimize the contributions of freelance visiting professionals, enhance their well-being, and bolster their job performance.

Psychological empowerment plays a crucial role in motivating individuals to pursue their goals. This research explores a unique method to empower consumers in their goal pursuit: anthropomorphizing goals as dependent persons in need of care. Through three studies, including an incentive-compatible study and a field study conducted at a hypermarket, we demonstrate that viewing personal goals as dependent persons who require care and nurturance (e.g., presenting a goal as a dependent person in a health app) can significantly enhance goal pursuit (e.g., choosing healthy snacks) by boosting psychological empowerment. We find that this motivational boost does not occur when a goal is simply anthropomorphized as any person (Study 1), when it is depicted as a dependent object (Study 1), or when it is anthropomorphized as an independent person (Study 2). This research contributes to a deeper understanding of motivation in goal pursuit and offers practical implications for marketers. Specifically, by using marketing communications to frame goals as entities that require care, marketers can help individuals foster a more engaging and empowering relationship with their aspirations.

Psychological empowerment plays a crucial role in motivating individuals to pursue their goals. This research explores a unique method to empower consumers in their goal pursuit: anthropomorphizing goals as dependent persons in need of care. Through three studies, including an incentive-compatible study and a field study conducted at a hypermarket, we demonstrate that viewing personal goals as dependent persons who require care and nurturance (e.g., presenting a goal as a dependent person in a health app) can significantly enhance goal pursuit (e.g., choosing healthy snacks) by boosting psychological empowerment. We find that this motivational boost does not occur when a goal is simply anthropomorphized as any person (Study 1), when it is depicted as a dependent object (Study 1), or when it is anthropomorphized as an independent person (Study 2). This research contributes to a deeper understanding of motivation in goal pursuit and offers practical implications for marketers. Specifically, by using marketing communications to frame goals as entities that require care, marketers can help individuals foster a more engaging and empowering relationship with their aspirations.

As Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) disclosures gain prominence among stakeholders, regulators, and investors, attention needs to be paid not just to their extent but also to their balance. While prior research has explored the board-related drivers of overall ESG disclosure and its impact on firm performance, the board-level antecedents of asymmetry between environmental and social disclosures remain underexamined. Many firms disproportionately emphasize one dimension, creating imbalances in sustainability communication. Concurrently, debates continue over whether women appointed to corporate boards, often during periods of adversity, have meaningful influence over governance outcomes. This study investigates whether board female representation is associated with reduced asymmetry between environmental and social disclosures. Grounded in signaling, institutional, and agency theories, we employ panel data from S&P 500 firms spanning 2016-2022. Our results show that higher female representation on boards is linked to relatively stronger environmental disclosures, though this relationship exhibits diminishing returns at higher levels of women representation. Additionally, we find that larger board size weakens this association, while board age has no significant moderating effect. These findings contribute to governance and ESG literature by highlighting how female-centric boards shape sustainability communication strategies and by offering practical insights for firms seeking more integrated ESG reporting.

In a labor-intensive sector such as healthcare, the work productivity of frontline healthcare workers (FHWs) is crucial to reducing costs and managing patient volume. This study explores the affordances of Gen AI HITs that enhance FHWs' work productivity and examines the mechanisms underlying this effect. A sequential mixed-methods design was employed for this study: qualitative interviews with 32 FHWs to identify the affordances that positively influence work productivity, followed by quantitative analyses using the PROCESS macro and structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess mediation by techno-eustress and moderation by job self-efficacy. The qualitative findings indicate that Gen AI HITs' information, navigation, and interactivity affordances foster work productivity among FHWs, among other affordances identified. The quantitative results highlight that techno-eustress mediates the positive impact of Gen AI HITs' interactivity and information affordances on FHWs' work productivity, but not navigation affordance. However, when accounting for FHWs' job self-efficacy, the mediation effect of techno-eustress becomes significant for all three affordances of Gen AI HIT-information, navigation, and interactivity. Specifically, the indirect positive impact of these affordances on productivity is stronger among FHWs with higher job self-efficacy. These results offer significant contributions to understanding the human-technology interaction in healthcare and provide practical insights for designing Gen AI HITs and training programs that improve adoption while enhancing work performance.

It is imperative for smart cities organisations to cultivate a nuanced understanding of the goals they aim to pursue and the value they need to add before embarking on a Knowledge Management (KM) journey. Building upon the theoretical frameworks of Institutional Theory and Knowledge-Based View, this study aims to explore the key drivers that have propelled the adoption of KM strategies in the context of smart cities. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach for data collection, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Quantitative data was gathered from 97 participants through an online survey, in which respondents assessed the significance of various drivers for knowledge management in the context of smart cities. Qualitative data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with 15 professionals across seven different organisations. The quantitative data was analysed using SPSS, while content analysis was adopted for the qualitative data. The findings of this study identified the five most significant drivers for managing knowledge in the context of smart cities. Therefore: to improve sharing of knowledge related to smart cities agenda, to protect loss of smart cities related knowledge due to key workers' departures, to help integrate knowledge assets related to smart cities agenda, to improve the capture of knowledge related to smart cities agenda, and to improve employee's productivity in implementing smart cities agenda. Using a mixed-methods research methodology, this empirical study explores the key drivers for managing knowledge in the context of smart cities. This study expands the theoretical application of KM initiatives, and further provides practical implications for the organisations implementing smart cities projects looking to implement KM strategies. The study r drew 7 K recommendations for the government, industry, and organisations to evaluate and act upon.

Inter-corporate loans (ICLs) are significant issues in many developing countries, such as India, given the opportunities for wealth extraction from non-controlling shareholders. ICLs have attracted significant attention from legislators and regulators in India as part of efforts to enhance corporate governance and financial reporting quality. Recent changes in law and regulation in India require greater scrutiny of ICLs by audit committees. Using an unbalanced panel of 6074 firm-year observations from 2261 publicly listed Indian firms, we find that audit committee independence (busyness) is negatively (positively) associated with ICLs. The results have policy implications because Indian law and Indian stock exchange listing rules (a) do not require that audit committees of publicly listed companies be fully independent and (b) have very high thresholds for audit committee director busyness.

We undertake a comprehensive evaluation of stress and its determinants for Indian banks, from the viewpoint of opportunity cost incurred under diverse stress events. Using a sample of 39 banks in India over the 2005-22 period, the study reveals size, ownership and operating inefficiencies as the principal determinants of stress. A sharp rise in delinquencies draws proactive policy intervention, which mitigates stress at subsequent time periods. Higher quantum of corporate loan exposure was found to relieve banking stress. The study meaningfully augments extant literature landscape on banking default prediction by establishing efficacy of stress score as a potent Early Warning Indicator (EWI) of banking distress. Our findings pinpoint the need for rigorous monitoring of regulatory capital, liquidity and credit screening standards of Indian banks. The study offers valuable guidance for proactive policy intervention, aimed at minimizing the adverse impacts of stress on banking stability.

PurposeThis study investigates the mediation effect of financial well-being on the relationship between financial literacy, personal financial management behaviour and investment decision-making behaviour among women entrepreneurs in India.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 396 rural women entrepreneurs from four rural-dominated districts in Bihar, specifically Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda and Madhubani, was randomly selected for the study. The data collected underwent analysis using the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe study found a positive significant relationship between financial literacy and financial well-being in enhancing investment behaviour and personal financial decisions of self-employed rural women in Bihar. This underlines the importance of financial literacy and well-being in addressing rural women's investment decision-making and personal financial management behaviour.Practical implicationsAcknowledging the critical importance of financial literacy and overall well-being, policymakers can develop focused financial literacy interventions and education initiatives to improve rural women entrepreneurs' knowledge and financial skills in Bihar. The study further contributes substantially to the existing body of research, especially the Theory of Planned Behavior.Originality/valueUnderstanding rural women entrepreneurs' financial literacy, investment decision-making behaviour, personal financial management behaviour and financial well-being is novel since it propels modern society's economic and social advancements in the emancipation of women.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-05-2024-0434.

PurposeThis study investigates the role of blockchain technology (BCT) in enhancing supply chain (SC) efficiency and performance, focusing on its interaction with digital transformation-enabled dynamic capabilities (DTeDC).Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative abductive methodology, semi-structured interviews with 31 industry experts were conducted. Thematic analysis of the data revealed the mechanisms through which BCT enhances SC performance. A conceptual model was developed, and five propositions were proposed, grounded in the dynamic capability view.FindingsThe empirical findings reveal that DTeDC positively influences both operational and strategic efficiency within the SC, which in turn leads to enhanced SC performance. The study elucidates the complex interactions between BCT and DTeDC, highlighting how these dynamic capabilities facilitate the digital transformation of SCs, thereby improving their efficiency and performance.Originality/valueThis research makes a significant contribution to the existing literature by advancing our understanding of the integration of BCT in SCs. It addresses prevailing inconsistencies regarding the applicability and effectiveness of BCT, offering new insights into its role in SC efficiency and performance.

Effective solid waste management is critical to public health and environmental sustainability. However, the municipal solid waste circular supply chain (MSWCSC) often suffers from challenges related to trust, transparency, and traceability. To address these issues, this study develops and analyzes mathematical models across three scenarios: (i) MSWCSC without blockchain (Scenario I), (ii) MSWCSC with blockchain integration (Scenario II), and (iii) MSWCSC with blockchain and the removal of the transfer station (Scenario III). The models incorporate key stakeholder interactions and are evaluated using numerical simulations under realistic conditions. Findings indicate that Scenario II enhances overall supply chain profitability, particularly for recyclers, scrap dealers, and the government, although waste collectors experience reduced margins. Blockchain implementation leads to improved economic outcomes, reduced environmental and social costs, and greater supply chain sustainability. Scenario III yields the highest profitability by eliminating the transfer station, thereby reducing handling and logistics costs. Sensitivity analysis confirms that increased waste segregation significantly boosts value creation across the supply chain. The study contributes to the literature on circular economy and blockchain in waste management and offers actionable insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders seeking to improve MSW systems through digital innovation.