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Development of personalized diet and exercise recommender system based on clinical data
The present health scenario indicates that thyroid diseases are a common challenge experienced by most individuals. According to the statistics in India, one out of eight women suffer from thyroid-related conditions. Hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, or thyroid cancer are categories of thyroid disorder. It is imperative to maintain optimum levels of secretion of the thyroid hormones as the imbalance could lead to thyroid diseases. Therefore, thyroid patients must be vigilant regarding their iodine intake and follow a customized daily diet and exercise plan. The diet plan, along with balanced iodine levels, must also be able to meet the patient's nutritional needs. A personalized diet plan could help thyroid patients to be more aware and focused on their body metabolism. Existing recommender systems usually provide generic diet recommendations, and unfortunately, it may not be beneficial to patients suffering from a specific disease. Content-based Neighborhood-Conditional RBM (CB-NCRBM) model has posited to recommend Top-3 diet and exercise plans for thyroid patients. The proposed model considers the joint probability distribution of different scores using the user profile. Similarly, preference and health scores are estimated based on content features. The model feeds these scores as visible units to conditional RBM. The proposed model also integrates several content-based features such as users' physiological profiles, thyroid disease information, food, and exercise preferences. The proposed recommender model validates the experimental results using recommendation error and classification accuracy metrics. The proposed hybrid model outperforms several popularly used recommendation models, such as collaborative filtering, content-based, and pure RBM models. The system also provides a feedback loop to enhance the quality of the recommended diet and exercise plans based on user experience. -
Preparation characterization and applications of mixed oxides ceria-samaria supported on rice husk ash as catalysts for organic synthesis
Catalysis is a well-established scientific discipline, dealing with fundamental principles involved in the preparation, properties, applications and mechanisms of catalytic reactions of various catalysts. The preparation of silica from agricultural waste rice husk is an economical and environmentally benign process. Mixed oxides of ceria and samaria are a multifunctional catalytic system that has attracted wide-range of research in different fields. These mixed oxide catalysts are generally used for redox reactions and acid-base reactions in organic synthesis. The catalytic activity of these materials can be enhanced by using silica as a support system. To achieve the best structural and morphological features, different synthetic protocols were tried out while incorporating CeO2 and Sm2O3 on SiO2 to maximize the catalytic efficacy. In the present study, bimetallic oxides of ceria and samaria supported on silica catalysts were prepared by ultra sonicator, rota vapour method, wet impregnation and incipient wet impregnation methods. Further modification of ceria-samaria-silica catalysts using MoO3, La2O3 and mixed forms of MoO3 and La2O3 led to the formation of tri or tetra metallic mixed oxides on silica system. A detailed physico chemical characterization of the prepared catalysts using different spectroscopic and non-spectroscopic methods was carried out to understand the nature, stability and the functional groups present in the system. The heterogeneous catalytic route for organic synthesis is of major interest as it is sustainable and eco-friendlier. Utilizing biowaste like rice husk and its modified forms to synthesize useful and industrially significant organic compounds has been attempted with success in the present work. Thus, the prepared catalysts were subsequently evaluated for their catalytic activity towards oxidation, esterification, transesterification and Friedel Crafts' benzylation reactions. To achieve maximum yield and good selectivity, the different reaction parameters were optimized for all the reactions that were studied. Oxidation of cyclohexanone with benzyl alcohol to caprolactone and benzaldehyde has been studied after optimizing the reaction parameters. Recycle and leaching studies were conducted to understand the stability and reusability of the catalytic system for the above-mentioned reactions. These catalysts were also found effective in the synthesis of caprolactone, which is an intermediate in the synthesis of biodegrading polymers. Selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde too has been achieved using these catalysts. Surface area and acidity have played major roles in these reactions. Finally, dibenzyl toluene was synthesized by benzylation of toluene using benzyl chloride. In all the studies, plausible mechanisms involving the catalyst have also been suggested. Thus, a comprehensive study of rice husk silica-supported ceria and samaria systems and the multi metal oxide silica systems has been conducted and it has proved to be an efficient, recoverable, stable and eco-friendly catalyst combined with simple workup for industrially important organic syntheses. -
Perceived organizational support and its influence on employee engagement in informatiom technology organizations
The effective management of Human Resources (HR) or People Resources of an organization through proactive and futuristic design of HR policies is pivotal for an organization s growth. Many of the current challenges faced by businesses globally are owing to industry slowdowns, loss of clientele, lower margins, stiff competition for skilled resources, and high attrition. A diverse set of workforce belonging to different generations having aspirations and expectations galore has entered the corporate sector. This diversity and advent of the generational workforce needs to be taken into consideration while designing HR policies, Reward systems and benefits; as also the factors such as changing family structures and the emergence of a gender equal workforce. Human Resources professionals and organizations are hence tasked with the responsibility of employing different ways and means to fine-tune existing HR strategies and develop new one s that could potentially increase Employee Engagement (EE) and reduce the Intention the Quit (ITQ) among the Information Technology (IT) workforce. The prime emphasis of the current study has been on assessing appropriate HR strategies that can increase engagement and retention at a minimal or no cost to the organization. This study leveraged upon organizational support and care variables such as Perceived Organizational Support (POS), Perceived Supervisor Support (PSS), and Flexible Work Options (FWO) in increasing Employee Engagement (EE) and reducing the Intention to Quit (ITQ). This study goes on to prove that by leveraging upon organizational support and care variables such as POS, PSS, and FWO; organizations can increase the level of engagement of employees, as well as improve employee retention. -
Green synthesis of modified ceria nanoparticles and their catalytic activity studies
Catalysis is a phenomenon where a reaction is taken through an alternative pathway involving lesser energy. Thus, it has an energy saving dimension implicit in its definition. This thesis involves the study of catalysts, synthesized by the solution combustion method. The fuel required for the newlinecombustion is aqueous extract obtained from the leaves of selected plants which gives added credence to the ecofriendly aspirations that dominated our work. A series of ceria based nano sized catalyst materials, pure and modified using rare earth metal oxides, transition metal oxides and a non-metallic substance have been synthesized by the above method. The catalysts have then been newlinecharacterized for their composition, crystallinity, morphology, surface properties, thermal stability etc. The prepared catalysts were subsequently evaluated for their catalytic and photocatalytic efficacy. The photocatalytic potential of the catalysts was evaluated on the degradation studies of two dyes Malachite Green (MG) and Congo Red (CR) under visible light and one antibiotic drug ciprofloxacin (CIP) under UV light. The catalysts were found to show good photocatalytic efficiency newlineon all the three substances mentioned above. The catalytic efficiency was evaluated on two chemical reactions. One, the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol and the other, the synthesis of compounds of Biginelli reaction. To achieve maximum reduction the experimental conditions for the catalyst were newlineoptimized. Biginelli reaction involves the condensation of ethyl acetoacetate, newlinebenzaldehyde and urea in presence of modified ceria catalysts to form dihydropyrimidines. The reaction was performed with different catalysts and the one which gave the best yield was selected for further optimization of other reaction conditions. Employing the optimized conditions, a set of different newlinedihydropyrimidinone derivatives were synthesized by varying the precursor newlinealdehydes and ketones. Reusability studies for the catalysts were conducted for all the reactions mentioned above. -
Collaboration between gram panchayat and women self-help groups on rural development in karnataka
Mahatma Gandhi said, Indiaand#8223;s development relays on development in rural India. To see a developed India, we must develop villages in India. India is trying to improve the living standard of rural people since Independence. Government, Non-Government Organizations, Voluntary Groups, and many individuals are making continuous efforts for decades to improve rural condition. There is a positive change and growth, but the achieved results are not satisfactory in relation to need, the available resources, opportunities, and the efforts made. What are the root causes of failures? Are there necessary coordination and collaboration among the development efforts to optimize the fruits and minimize the loss of human and material resources? Gram Panchayat Institutions and Self-Help Groups by women are two of major efforts which became very powerful means to empower and develop rural people. The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 became a land-mark by establishing Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRI) in Indiaand#8223;s effort for rural development and reaching out the democracy to grass-root level by newlineforming Panchayat Raj Institutions with three tier system. The Reservation policy of 72nd newlineAmendment Act was another turning point in empowering effort. NGOs initiated Self-Help newlineGroups in India in early 1990s and later Government also supported and promoted the newlineinitiative. Will the Collaboration between the Gram Panchayat Institutions and Women SelfHelp Groups enhance development of rural area through higher level of Community newlineParticipation is the research question here. newlineThere are many writings, studies and evaluations on Gram Panchayat Institutions and SelfHelp Groups by women to assess the existing condition, and to make the efforts more efficient and effective towards rural empowerment and development. Still, studies on impact of collaboration between Gram Panchayat and Women Self-Help Groups on rural newlinedevelopment are missing. -
Fabrication of electrochemical sensors for pharmaceuticals and biologically significant molecules
Newer properties of electrochemical sensors for various target molecules are being developed in continuum. Such sensors have attracted a lot of attention due to their simplicity, high sensitivity and trace-level detection of analytes in real samples. Sensor is a system that on stimulation by any form of energy undergoes change in its own state which helps to analyze the stimulant qualitatively and quantitatively. In the thesis studies presented, we have also described the development of electrochemical sensors for the determination of pharmaceuticals and biologically significant molecules. This can be achieved by modifying newlineelectrodes by electrochemical method. Electrode modifiers like metal nanoparticles dispersed on conducting polymers and carbon nanospheres were employed for modification of carbon fiber paper working electrode substrate. These modified electrodes were physicochemically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning newlineelectron microscopy (FESEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron newlinespectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemically characterized using Cyclic voltammetry and Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). newlineThe modified electrodes have exhibited remarkable electrocatalytic behaviour towards oxidation or reduction of chosen analytes. These modified electrodes were used as electrochemical sensors after optimization of experimental conditions. Under optimal conditions, the sensors have displayed significantly an ultra-low level detection limit with wide linear response and high selectivity towards analyte in the newlinepresence of other interfering substances. newlineThe ultrasensitivity and reliability of the fabricated sensors towards analyte of interest were effectively determined in real samples. -
The role of internal control and firm specific characteristics on firm value
Firm value is considered as a vital aspect in analysing a company s financial health. It is the total value of a company. This study determines the role of firm-specific characteristics such as firm size, firm age, newlineliquidity, firm complexity, board independence, institutional ownership, newlinenon-performing assets, annual volatility of stock returns, leverage and internal control represented by Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and Big4 auditor on the firm value measured using Tobin s Q, Return On Equity (ROE) and Return On Assets (ROA). This proposition was addressed with the sound statistical investigation of 127 companies listed in the NSE financial services and manufacturing sectors by utilising annual newlinepanel data for 11 years from 2007-17. Regression results indicated that in the financial services sector, the purchasers consider firm size, firm age, liquidity, the volatility of stock returns and non-performing assets. ROA shows that the management has to focus on firm size, firm age and volatility of stock returns. ROE informs that the investors will look into newlinefirm size, firm age, institutional ownership, non-performing assets, leverage, firm complexity and volatility of stock returns. Whereas in the manufacturing sector, the purchasers focus on adoption of ERM, firm size, firm age and liquidity. ROA showed that management has to give importance to ERM, firm size, firm age, firm complexity, liquidity, and leverage. ROE revealed that the investors look into firm size, firm newlinecomplexity, liquidity and leverage. These findings are of particular interest newlineto investors, researchers and practising managers in the financial services and manufacturing sector. -
Psychological contract and oragnisational commitment in the aviation sector
Psychological contract and the organisational commitment in the Aviation sector is the topic chosen for the study. The researcher tries to map the effects of four types of psychological contracts viz: transactional, transitional, behavioural and balanced on the three components of organisational commitment namely Affective, Normative and continuance. The study tries to focus whether the type of company and work experience act as moderating variables in this exploration. The study also checks whether employers Psychological Contract has any medaiating effect in the relationship between employees Psychological newlineContract and Organisational Commitment. Researchers in the past have not considered the Airline sector as far as these two variables are concerned and hence the specific reference to this industry. The study throws light on what type of psychological contracts the airline companies need to foster to get the desired organisational commitment keeping in mind the tenure of the employee and the type of industry. The researcher gathered the employees of the airlines and explained the items in the questionnaire to them and later administered the same. The critical impact of the research is that and#8215;Relational contract obligations and and#8215;Balanced contract obligations are the most important predictors of the employees organisational commitment in the Indian aviation industry. Therefore, airline companies need to adapt measures to foster these contracts inorder to boost the desired commitment. -
Perceived emotional intelligence family environment and locus of control as predictors of well-being among adolescents
Adolescence is unparalleled in a person s life as the most important period in his/her newlinepersonality development. It is perceived that well-being is the keystone to an individual s wholesome being. In the past, well-being was discussed in the context of the absence of distress symptoms that include depression, anxiety, divergent behaviors and other disorders. In more recent times it has received a positive note where well-being is widely identified with the positive qualities, which each individual possesses to lead a healthy and happy life. Fifty percent of the mental health disorders begin during the onset of adolescence. There is a need to focus on adolescent well-being in India which has the world s largest adolescent population. Based on the related theories and studies, certain variables like perceived emotional intelligence, family environment and locus of control were selected for the study. The main aim of the study boiled down to two points, to investigate the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence, family environment, locus of control and well-being among adolescents and to research and explore the extent to which newlineperceived emotional intelligence, family environment, locus of control and the newlinedemographic variables (gender, type of family and religion) would contribute towards newlinethe development of well-being among adolescents. Accordingly psychological tools newlinewere adopted. The sample consisted of 903 students studying in plus one and plus two newline(age 16-18 years) Government aided and unaided state-syllabus schools in Parur, subdistrict of Ernakulum, Kerala. Among them 450 adolescents were from nuclear families and 453 others were from joint families. Gender-wise the sample constituted of 413 adolescents males and 490 females. A quantitative survey method design and newlinepurposive sampling method was adopted in the study. Spearman s coefficient of correlation was used to measure the relationship between the variables. -
Mathematical models in waste management
Waste management is a major issue faced by municipalities all over the world. The major problem associated with the waste managements newlineis its high cost and main part of the cost comes from its collection and transportation. This problem can be effectively overcome by the application of mathematical models. newlineAn important aspect of waste management is locating facilities like truck locations, transfer stations, compost units etc. The location of facilities when collection of waste happens at multiple time periods is newlineconsidered for cost minimization. The rapid increase in the population of cities as a result of vast urbanization and the corresponding shrinking of land has given rise to increase in apartment complexes in newlineall the cities. The waste management practices here have to be planned carefully as they are sources of large quantities of waste. They are also potential sites for recycling and composting as waste management newlinepractices can be introduced at apartment level itself, so that transportation burden is less. Components like fixed cost /maintenance cost and operational costs are considered for the study in cities as well newlineas in apartments. Testing the mathematical model is done using different scenarios and the results are used to draw conclusions. These results showed that the model works best when processing facilities are nearer to the transfer stations so that there is no additional cost incurred at that point for transportation. In addition, it was clear that the cost of the transportation is brought down using the model, as the newlineamount transported to landfills decreases. newlineScheduling a set of resources to a set of jobs can be done using resource calendar, which shows the availability of resources and the various time periods at which it a particular resource is available. There are different types of jobs and various types of resources. -
A Study of popular gujarati films using agenda setting
Indian cinema is an umbrella term used to refer to films made in different languages in India. Gujarati cinema is one of those lesser popular film industries which began in early twentieth century but today has lost its glory, popularity and grandeur. A dying film industry today, Gujarati films have been quiet popular among Gujaratis since its inception, yet there has been little or no study done to understand how these films have newlinerepresented and framed the culture of Gujarat. This thesis tries to investigate Gujarati cinema and explore some of the newlinedominant films of the golden era to see how it frames Gujarati culture through its history, folk lore, tales, and people in terms of their dress, dialect, celebrations, and other significant codes through select fifty films. The study makes an attempt to connect mise-en-scene of these films with newlineframing analysis to interrogate the way visuals have been prioritized in the films to accommodate/ideas depict any specific agenda/ideology. It is important to note that Gujarati cinema subtly but consistently shared the responsibility of restoring cultural symbols and stories within the film newlinenarrative especially post integration in 1960 to remind every Gujarati about his/her roots and work towards Gujarati asmita. -
Determinants of profitability of private sector banks in india
Indian banking sector has undergone a sea change after the advent of Liberalisation,Privatization and Globalization polices of Government of India, newlineduring the beginning of nineties. This has resulted inthe implementation of banking sector reforms which rationalized banking system by opening of new generation commercial banks,entry of foreign banks,prudential norms for quality of asset,deregulation of interest rates and launching of banking tribunals. During newlinethe last two decades private sector banks in India have played a significant role in newlinebanking sector in terms of business, profit, network, channels and digital banking. newlineInorder to make use of technology and improve customer service banks have implemented CBS. Banking reforms, competition, growing NPA due to economic slowdown, high investments in technology, Basel Risk Management have affected the profitability of all banks in India. But private sector continues to perform well. Present study analyses the determinants of profitability of private sector banks in India and Impact of profitability after implementation of CBS. Since private sector new and old banks are the two groups in private sector banks in India their profitability and determinants are analyzed. The study focuses on select four banks each from private sector new and old banks in India for fourteen years, 2000-2001 to 2014-2015.The Global banking benchmarkon profitability of commercial newlineBanks,ROA is considered as dependent variable and Bank specific, Industry level and Macro level Independent variables are analyzed in the data analysis to find out variations, relationships andfundamental variables influencing profitability of private commercial banks in India during the period under study. -
A Model for storage optimization of brain MRI images for tumor detection using image processing technique
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a major non-invasive method for Brain tumor detection. The anatomical assessment of brain newlinetumor can be carried out using brain MRI image analysis. MRI is widely used in brain tumor identification and classification. Images generated during the diagnosis purpose are unattended after the specified diagnosis. newlineBrain MRI images in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format require large amount of storage space. newlineAccumulation of the MRI images put forward the requirement of more storage space. To store large number of images, existing storage models has to be handled wisely. Research associated with storage, process and newlinemanipulation of medical image data using modern technologies with a minimal human intervention is the need of the time. Image processing deals with the study and development of innovative technologies for newlineanalysis,representation and interpretation of the image data. In this research, the need of an efficient storage model that can help in storing the brain MRI images is studied with the help of image processing technique. To store the brain MRI images with a reduced storage space, a matrix-based method is proposed. In this model brain MRI images in newlineDICOM format are converted into matrix format. In the DICOM images, the image data and header information together hold the details of the patient and image data. These data are converted and stored in the matrix. newlineThe stored matrix is accessed as the input to the proposed model. The proposed model follows different image processing steps.The process starts with pre-processing of brain MRI images followed by clustering of newlinewhite matter (WM), gray matter (GM) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), segmentation of tumor and classification of tumor and finally it handles the storage of the MRI images. In the pre-processing step, filtering algorithms are applied on MRI to remove the noise and text artifacts. The newlinewhite matter, gray matter and CSF are separated using the K-means newlineclustering method. -
A Study on the impact of e-service quality perceived customer value and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty in online travel agencies
As the markets have become more competitive in every business sector especially in online, many companies have recognized the importance of developing a strong loyal customer base. The benefits associated with newlinecustomer loyalty include lower costs of retaining existing customers as compare to acquiring new customers, repeat business, word of mouth marketing, cross selling opportunities and so on. However, in case of newlineonline business, customers could effortlessly cover the globe at the click of a mouse in search of the lowest price and that results in break in customer loyalty. Hence, it is necessary to conduct research on newlineidentifying the drivers of customer loyalty and their influence on customer loyalty. newlineThis research explored the impact of e-service quality, perceived customer value, customer satisfaction on customer loyalty in online travel agencies. A conceptual model is proposed based on previous studies and newlinetested using structural equation modeling technique, bootstrapping estimates and multi group SEM (MSEM) analysis. The study employed newlinepurposeful sampling technique and was conducted on a sample size of 405 respondents working in information and communication technology organizations set up in Bengaluru. The study also tested the mediating effect of perceived customer value and customer satisfaction on the relationship between e-service quality and customer loyalty. The study also made an attempt to test the moderating effect of switching cost on newlinerelationship between e-service quality and customer loyalty, perceived customer value and customer loyalty as well as customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Results indicated that e-service quality, perceived newlinecustomer value and customer satisfaction has a significant and positive impact on customer loyalty.Results of the study also indicated that perceived customer value and customer satisfaction partially mediate the newlinerelationship between the antecedent and outcome variables. -
Synthesis and characterization of heterocyclic derivatives and studies on their photophysical properties
Photophysical properties such as absorption, fluorescence, quantum yields and lifetime of fluorescent heterocyclic compounds have been a subject of extensive research interest. Absorption and fluorescence emission of fluorescent molecules results in electronic transitions between ground and singlet excited state. The bathochromic or hypsochromic spectral shift brings a considerable change in dipole moment of both the electronic states through solute-solvent interactions. We have synthesized some heterocyclic compounds and studied thier photophysical properties. Different derivatives such as Schiff base, chalcone, maleimide and pyranopyrazole were synthesized and characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. Photophysical properties of synthesized compounds have been studied through absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and DFT calculations. We have used solvatochromic approaches such as Bilot-Kawski, LippertMataga, Bakhshiev, Kawski-Chamma-Viallet and Reichardt's solvent polarity parameters to evaluate dipole moments of ground state and singlet excited state of the synthesized heterocyclic compounds. The influence of specific and non-specific interactions on spectral properties was also investigated by using Kamlet-Abboud-Taft and Catalan multiple linear regression equations. X-ray diffraction analysis of hydroxyl Schiff base derivative has been carried out due to the presence of strong inter and intra molecular hydrogen bonding. Solvatochromic analyses of synthesized compounds were done using Bilot-Kawski, Lippert-Mataga, Bakhshiev, Kawski- Chamma-Viallet and Reichardt methods. All Solvatochromic graphs have been plotted for spectral parameters against solvent polarity parameters using Origin 8 software. The obtained experimental results from all methods were compared with theoretical results. The correlation coefficient between microscopic solvent polarity parameter and spectral Stokes-shifts were higher in comparison to bulk solvent polarity functions. Graphs for each molecule provided good correlation based on least square analysis. Dipole moment values of ground and excited states were calculated using slopes of different solvatochromic methods. Higher value of singlet excited state dipole moment indicated that the molecules were more polarised in the singlet excited state. Kamlet-Abboud-Taft and Catalan multiple linear regression (MLR) analyses were used to analyse the solvent effects on absorption, emission and difference in spectral energies of the synthesized molecules. Single point method was used to calculate the quantum yields of the synthesized compounds in ethanol using an ethanolic solution of anthracene as a reference compound. Edwards atomic increment method was applied to calculate the Onsager cavity radii of all the molecules using van der Waals volume. DFT/TD-DFT was used for quantum mechanical calculations of all the molecules. The geometrical structures of the synthesized molecules were optimized using B3LYP/6-311G(d, p) basis set. The positions of HOMO-LUMO orbitals were identified and the band gaps for all the molecules were calculated. Mulliken atomic charges and electrostatic potential surface (MEP) have also been evaluated for all the molecules to identify the ICT pathway and evaluate electrophilic and nucleophilic reactive sites around the molecules . The fluorescence quenching studies of a chalcone derivative by aniline in n-butanol and 1,4-dioxane was performed at 25 ? C which indicated that quenching reactions are diffusion limited. -
Influence of e-service quality on customer retention in commercial banks
Keeping in mind the dynamic changes that have been taking place in the Indian banking scenario, since the introduction of technology and the advancement of the internet even into the remote regions of the country, the proposed study is designed to determine the impact of e-service quality newlineon the retention of banking customers in the city of Bangalore. Most of the existing studies are based on conceptual understanding and are not based on model testing. The proposed study is relevant to Bangalore as it is a tier one city with a dynamic and fast-paced lifestyle having the best newlinetechnological facilities among the tier one cities in India. The literature review initiates an exhaustive discussion of various newlineconstructs that are outcomes of e-service quality and determinants of customer retention. Based on references from the literature review,constructs identified for e-service quality are customer satisfaction, newlinecustomer commitment and customer retention. The constructs that are outcomes of customer satisfaction were identified as customer trust, commitment and loyalty, which in turn influences customer retention. Thus, commitment, loyalty, commitment and e-service quality were concluded to be influencers of customer retention, with commitment being newlinea construct that mediates the relationship between e-service quality and customer retention. Through extensive literature review, hypotheses were derived and the proposed conceptual model is developed. newlineObjectives of the proposed study are to empirically validate a model to establish the relationship between e-service quality and customer retention, linking customer satisfaction, commitment, trust and loyalty with select antecedents. Research methodology gives an explanation of the population newlinefrom which the samples are collected, the justification for using the particular sampling technique and also the tool employed for data collection. Detailed explanations have also been given for checking the newlinereliability and validity of the tool and pilot data. -
Product knowledge attitude and motivation on purchase intention towards organic food products
India is credited to have the largest area under organic food cultivation. The size of the area earmarked with organic food cultivation is akin to countries like newlineArgentina, Brazil, China and Uruguay. newlineDelhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Pune are four cities in India that are experiencing increased consumer interest towards organic food products. This increased consumer interest has led to the emergence of many retailers to sell organic food products that have their presence across the above mentioned four cities. Conscious Foods, Eco Farms, Morarka Organic Foods, Navdanya, Organic India, Sresta etc are some of the retailers doing business in the organic food market segment. The consumer demand for food products that are cultivated organically in India for the period between 2012 and 2017 was predicted to increase at a CAGR of approximately 19%. In India, consumer demand for organically produced food products between the period 2015 and 2020 is expected to increase at a CAGR above 25% (India Organic Food market, 2020). Domestic demand towards organically produced food products for the Indian market presently is approximated at 40,000 million Indian Rupees. This figure is poised to increase by 100,000 million to 120,000 million Indian Rupees for the year 2020 with an identical increase in exports business towards organic food products ( Big Basket keen on collaborating with organic farmers in Karnataka, 2017). Although India is a developing economy, the market for organic food products is immature. Country specific research undertaken by AC Nielsen in the year 2006 revealed that despite Indians being one of the top ten buyers of food fortified with additives for general well-being; do not have access to organic food products. Poor infra-structure conditions in the country such as transportation facilities, storage, warehousing, etc leads to low volume of the newlineproducts for transaction which further increases selling price of organic food newlineproducts. -
Influence of positive psychological capacities emotional intelligence and subjective well being of nurses in healthcare sector
The aim of this research is to address the insufficient empirical investigation of newlinepositive psychological variables among the nurses in the healthcare sector in India. Here we explore positive psychological capacities proposed by Luthan and team 2007), newlinecomprising of self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience their influence on emotional newlineintelligence; a concept of empirical interest among the nursing population (Freshwater newlineand Stickley 2004) and subjective well-being. Gill (2011) has mentioned that the health newlineworker determines the quality and nature of services offered in any healthcare system. newlineAdhering to the conceptual framework of positive psychology, psychological capital, newlineconservation of resource and broaden-and-build theory, this study is an exploration of newline(a) the positive psychological capacities, (b) its influence on emotional intelligence, and (c) subjective well-being of nurses (n=302) across government, private and trust newlinehospitals in Bangalore. The hospitals were chosen based on stratified sampling with the nursing respondents identified through random sampling and judgemental sampling. A pilot newlinestudy was carried out (n=100) to validate the standardized scales used for measuring the newlinevariables. An explanatory sequential mixed method design was proposed through which newlinethe quantitative analysis using a detailed descriptive statistics and regression analysis suggested that efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience influenced emotional newlineintelligence. While resilience and optimism influenced subjective well-being of nurses newlinethere was no influence of emotional intelligence, self-efficacy and hope. A qualitative follow-up interview was executed (n=15) to understand the reason for no influence. The findings substantiated that most of the nurses viewed themselves as happy individuals despite their work-related dissatisfactions as almost all saw their profession as service to mankind. The implications of these findings are traced along with the suggestions for future research.