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Esther reimagined: feminist essence in Sara Josephs narrative
Gynocentric approaches to biblical women uncover narratives of liberation and empowerment. These perspectives highlight the gaps and omissions in the representation of women within the overarching metanarrative of the Bible. Sara Josephs novel, Esther, serves as a feminist reimagining of the biblical story of Esther, offering a pluralistic lens through which to examine the experiences and lives of women against the backdrop of patriarchy. This paper utilises the feminist hermeneutic method to critically engage with the narrative, drawing on the feminist frameworks established by scholars such as Elizabeth Fiorenza and Esther Fuchs. It argues that biblical women can be reinterpreted as positive role models, saviours, heroines, and vital contributors to an extraordinary narrative of survival and redemption. 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. -
Fostering civic engagement and community development through service-learning capstone courses in higher education: An in-depth analysis of department models in Indian universities
A nation's strength is intricately linked to the education of its citizens, and the evolving landscape of higher education is evident in the changing role it plays. The National Education Policy (NEP) established on July 29, 2020, provides a framework that opens avenues for experiential learning, emphasizing hands-on experiences to complement theoretical knowledge. Keeping this in mind, this chapter introduces the Service-Learning Capstone Course Model designed to cultivate civic responsibility, empathy, and risk management while fostering the holistic growth of learners as responsible citizens in this century. The study demonstrates how the inclusion of a service-learning component in the syllabus can develop personal, professional, and academic growth in a learner through the knowledge gained. 2024, IGI Global. All rights reserved. -
Theoretical and experimental validation of thermal and heat transfer performance of novel ethylene glycol - Cr2AlC nanofluids
Synthesizing stable nanofluids with favourable thermal properties that can cater to practical applications is a challenge over the past few years. This paper presents the preparation and analyzes the thermal efficiency of the novel nanofluid prepared by the suspension of nanocrystalline Cr2AlC MAX phase powder in ethylene glycol (EG). Incorporation of h-BN, MoS2, Al2O3, and Cr2AlC showed a thermal conductivity enhancement at 303 K when compared to EG. Accurate experimental models for the thermal conductivity and the viscosity of EG + Cr2AlC nanofluids are estimated. The theoretical analysis of the flow profiles of EG + Cr2AlC/Al2O3/MoS2/h-BN nanofluids is carried out with Blasius and Sakiadis flow models. The Cr2AlC MAX phase possesses both ceramic and metal properties that help these nanofluids to show high heat transfer performance. The results show that 0.50 wt% EG + Cr2AlC nanofluid displays maximum improvement in heat transfer performance. There is a substantial rise in the thermal conductivity when both temperature and weight fraction increase. The simulated flow of the nanofluid past a plate indicated superior heat transfer and thermal profiles for the EG + Cr2AlC nanofluids. For the flow past a moving plate, the nanofluid possesses less skin friction at the plate, which is favourable for various practical applications. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
Extraction of Fungal Chitosan by Leveraging Pineapple Peel Substrate for Sustainable Biopolymer Production
The cost-effective production of commercially important biopolymers, such as chitosan, has gained momentum in recent decades owing to its versatile material properties. The seasonal variability in the availability of crustacean waste and fish waste, routinely used for chitosan extraction, has triggered a focus on fungal chitosan as a sustainable alternative. This study demonstrates a cost-effective strategy for cultivating an endophytic fungus isolated from Pichavaram mangrove soil in a pineapple peel-based medium for harvesting fungal biomass. Chitosan was extracted using alkali and acid treatment methods from various combinations of media. The highest chitosan yield (139 0.25 mg/L) was obtained from the pineapple peel waste-derived medium supplemented with peptone. The extracted polymer was characterized by FTIR, XRD, DSC, and TGA analysis. The antioxidant activity of the fungal chitosan was evaluated using DPPH assay and showed an IC50 value of 0.22 mg/L. Subsequently, a transparent chitosan film was fabricated using the extracted fungal chitosan, and its biodegradability was assessed using a soil burial test for 50 days. Biodegradation tests revealed that, after 50 days, a degradation rate of 28.92 0.75% (w/w) was recorded. Thus, this study emphasizes a cost-effective strategy for the production of biopolymers with significant antioxidant activity, which may have promising applications in food packaging if additional investigations are carried out in the future. 2024 by the authors. -
Integrating dye-sensitized solar cells and supercapacitors: portable powerpacks for future energy applications
Integrating energy storage and harvesting devices have been major challenges and significant needs of the time for upcoming energy applications. Photosupercapacitors are combined solar cell-supercapacitor devices which can provide next-generation portable powerpacks. Owing to advantages like economic and environmental friendliness, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) offer vast potential for being integrated with energy accumulation devices like supercapacitors. Over the past few years, various types of harvesting cum storage power devices combining DSSCs and supercapacitors have been reported. Over time the devices have improved in both performance and stability providing a broad outlook to possible future advancements including commercialization. We still have many challenges that are yet to be resolved in order to take these powerpacks to the next level of applications in portable and wearable electronics and communication devices. In this context, a detailed analysis and comparison of already reported photo-powered integrated supercapacitors based on DSSCs would give further insights into future advancements. In this review, we have discussed the development of photosupercapacitors, their fabrication strategies, and different materials used as counter electrodes, electrolytes, and dye sensitizers. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.) The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024. -
Esther reimagined: feminist essence in Sara Josephs narrative
Gynocentric approaches to biblical women uncover narratives of liberation and empowerment. These perspectives highlight the gaps and omissions in the representation of women within the overarching metanarrative of the Bible. Sara Josephs novel, Esther, serves as a feminist reimagining of the biblical story of Esther, offering a pluralistic lens through which to examine the experiences and lives of women against the backdrop of patriarchy. This paper utilises the feminist hermeneutic method to critically engage with the narrative, drawing on the feminist frameworks established by scholars such as Elizabeth Fiorenza and Esther Fuchs. It argues that biblical women can be reinterpreted as positive role models, saviours, heroines, and vital contributors to an extraordinary narrative of survival and redemption. 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. -
I Cant Talk to You: Reflecting on the Situated Knowledge of Women Researchers in Ethnographic Contexts in South Asia
This research employs an autobiographical approach to reflect on ethnographic challenges from the perspective of a woman ethnographer in Kerala, India. South Asia is not just a geographical concept but also a metaphor of exclusion, silencing, and marginalisation of underserved populations (Dutta & Visweswararv, 2019). Drawing on Jyothsna Latha Belliappas arguments on positionality and reflexivity, the findings show that ethnographic frameworks should be adapted to reflect intersectional realities and socio-cultural dynamics. Even though scholarly studies on feminist ethnography exist, there remains a huge gap in scholarship concerning how women researchers navigate kinship and religion in gendered spaces. As a woman ethnographer in the field for five months, I unlearned, re-learned, and co-learned how female nature is inscribed in various cultural locations (Sobritchea, 2002). Rethinking ethnography functions as a knowledge production system rather than merely writing a thick description of the study area. 2026 by IGI Global Scientific Publishing. All rights reserved. -
Rural Tourism and Sustainable Innovation Road to Artisans Social and Economic Well-being the Charaka (Cooperative Society) Way
Rural tourism promotes rural life, art, culture, and heritage in rural areas, which benefits the local community in socio-economic development. It provides an ethnic and rustic ambience and facilitates interaction between tourists and the community for a more fulfilling tourism experience. The tourism industry contributes to the diversification of local economies by generating income, investments, and employment. Its a contemporary idea where tourism and the promotion of handicraft and craft products are combined in one place. This study focusses on the role of rural tourism in building an inclusive society. The study examines how rural tourism empowers local artisans and weavers to enhance their social and economic well-being, and the role of handloom tourism in building innovation capabilities that contribute to the regions sustainable development and creating tourist experiences through the Charaka Cooperative Society all-women cooperative. The chapter proposes new possibilities of innovation in handloom weaving and marketing as a tourist attraction. 2026 Dr Manpreet Arora, Dr Anukrati Sharma, and Dr Che-Jen Su. Individual chapters 2026 The authors. -
Cooperative Social Entrepreneurship Among Rural Artisans: A YouTube-Based NLP Analysis of Environmental Practices and Livelihood Outcome
This paper presents a novel data-driven study of rural artisans in Karnataka by leveraging YouTube video transcripts and natural language processing (NLP) to examine how cooperative social entrepreneurship (CSE) relates to environmental practices and livelihood outcomes. CSE initiatives in India typically rely on primary surveys to understand how artisanal groups adopt eco-friendly practices and how this affects their livelihoods, but such data are costly to collect and difficult to scale. We investigate whether publicly available video narratives can serve as a scalable secondary data source for studying CSE among rural artisans. We compile a corpus of YouTube videos on banana-fibre craft, Anegundi/Hampi artisan collectives, and Karnataka handicrafts. Audio is transcribed using an automatic speech recognition pipeline, and the resulting bilingual/multilingual text (English-Hindi-Kannada) is processed with a rule-based NLP tagger to identify three constructs central to our CSE perspective: (i) artisan and community references (CSE signals), (ii) environmental practices (e.g., "banana waste to fibre,""eco-friendly,""sustainable"), and (iii) livelihood/product mentions (e.g., baskets, mats, runners) as observable proxies for livelihood outcomes. On top of this, we apply text mining techniques topic modeling, sentiment analysis, and supervised classification with fine-tuned transformer models (BERT) to classify transcript segments (e.g., environmental focus vs livelihood focus) and extract key thematic topics. Experimental results show that our BERT-based classifier achieves over 90% accuracy, substantially outperforming traditional baselines such as TF-IDF+SVM and LSTM. The videos frequently encode both CSE signals and explicit environmental practices, and a non-trivial subset articulates marketable products, suggesting that platform narratives can partially capture the CSE-environment-outcome chain without questionnaires. However, explicit statements about market, seasonality, or constraint variables remain sparse, revealing limitations of video-based secondary data. The study contributes methodologically by integrating digital media analytics into rural development research, offers complexity and performance analysis of the employed algorithms, and stresses reproducibility through transparent documentation of data sources, model architectures, training configurations, and evaluation metrics. 2025 IEEE. -
Corporate Social Performance and Firm Location: Empirical Evidence
The study addresses the relationship between firm location and the corporate social performance (CSP) of manufacturing enterprises in India. The study argues that a higher number of multinational corporations (MNCs) at a location leads to higher social performance. An environment and social involvement (ESI) index, based on ISO26000 and National Voluntary Guidelines, has been used to measure the corporate social performance of manufacturing enterprises. The data are obtained through questionnaires from a survey of 121 medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in the national capital region in India and analyzed through one-way ANOVA and linear regression. Results reveal that the presence of MNCs at the location of enterprises is significant to their CSP. The findings of the study aggregate to make original and substantive contributions to the CSP literature on the geography of strategic management. This research is valuable for social responsibility practitioners in developing countries for start-ups and small and medium enterprises who are seeking to enhance their understanding to formulate pragmatic and effective strategies to improve CSP. 2023 IGI Global. All rights reserved. -
Does Credit Rating Revisions Affect the Price of Common Stock: A Study of Indian Capital Market
The current investigation aims to assess the effect of credit assessment changes on the share prices of Indian companies from 2009 to 2019. The data of top 100 companies listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) across 10 industries stem from CMIE databases. The excess stock return is compared with the market in a 15-day window around credit rating changes. The event effect on share prices is more in the pre-event window compared to the post-event window. Positive abnormal stock returns around upgrades through downgrades are statistically significant compared to upgrades. Credit ratings are not significant across industries, and agency nationality is a critical factor for calculating the intensity of price reaction. 2021 K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management. -
Can financial markets help attain carbon goals? Evidence from systematic literature review, bibliometric analysis and topic modelling
Purpose: This paper presents a conceptual framework based on an extensive literature review. The aim of this study is to deepen understanding of the relationship between carbon performance and the financial market by applying qualitative research approaches. Design/methodology/approach: The investigation has identified 372 articles sourced from Scopus databases, subjecting the bibliographic data to a comprehensive qualitativequantitative analysis. The research uses established protocols for a structured literature review, adhering to PRISMA guidelines, machine learning-based structural topic modelling using Python and bibliometric citation analysis. Findings: The results identified the leading academic authors, institutions and countries concerning carbon performance and financial markets literature. Quantitative studies dominate this research theme. The study has identified six knowledge clusters using topic modelling related to environmental reporting; price drivers of carbon markets; environmental policy and capital markets; financial development and carbon emissions; carbon risk and financial markets; and environmental performance and firm value. The results of the study also present the opportunities associated with carbon performance and the financial market and propose future research agendas on research through theory, characteristics, context and methodology. Practical implications: The results of the study offer insights to practitioners, researchers and academicians regarding scientific development, intricate relationships and the complexities involved in the intersection of carbon performance and financial markets. For policymakers, a better understanding of carbon performance and financial markets will contribute to designing policies to set up priorities for countering carbon emissions. Social implications: The study highlights the critical areas that require attention to limit greenhouse gas emissions and promote decarbonisation effectively. Policymakers can leverage these insights to develop targeted and evidence-based policies that facilitate the transition to a more sustainable and low-carbon economy. Originality/value: The study initially attempts to discuss the research stream on carbon performance and financial markets literature from a systematic literature review. 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited. -
Corporate social responsibility: a cluster analysis of manufacturing firms in India
Purpose: This paper aims to identify the corporate social responsibility (CSR) patterns of Indian manufacturing firms using a CSR index based on ISO26000 and Indias National Voluntary CSR Guidelines. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 121 manufacturing enterprises in the national capital region (NCR) were surveyed. The questions related to the involvement of CSR in business strategy, involvement in CSR planning, involvement in environmental activities, involvement in social activities, monitoring, evaluation and involvement in CSR, reporting and policy and deployment of CSR. A two-step cluster analysis using log-likelihood measures was used to identify groupings in the data set based on their performance across the seven issues. Findings: The two distinctive segments identified adopted intermediate CSR activities, and one undertook advanced CSR activities. Research limitations/implications: This study has several limitations. First, the survey data were drawn exclusively from medium-sized enterprises in the NCR. Second, all the indicators in the CSR index were equally weighted. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the literature by grouping manufacturers CSR activities based on seven dimensions suggested in ISO26000 and Indias National Voluntary Guidelines. The results of this study can help managers, boards and regulators better understand CSR and identify ways to improve it further. 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited. -
Barriers to corporate social responsibility implementation in the medium size manufacturing sector: an interpretive structure modelling approach
Purpose: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices are gaining momentum globally but their implementation becomes problematic due to the presence of barriers. So, this study aims to identify the barriers to CSR implementation among manufacturing enterprises, develop their classification and establish relationships among the barriers. Design/methodology/approach: An exhaustive list of barriers was identified from the literature, and following surveys and expert opinions, 19 critical barriers were extracted. Interpretive structure modelling was used to understand the hierarchal and contextual relationships among barriers of CSR implementation. Findings: The results show that are no autonomous variables present in the study. The proposed conceptual framework presents the hierarchy and interlinkage of barriers to CSR implementation in manufacturing enterprises. The results also indicate that rigidity in culture and corruption in the system and within the governance system of the country are the two most influential barriers that impede CSR implementation in manufacturing enterprises. Originality/value: The interactions among CSR barriers provide policymakers, industrial practitioners and managers with a framework to recognise and evaluate mutual relationships and interlinking among barriers. CSR training and undertaking CSR in collaboration can help medium enterprises overcome these barriers and prepare strategies to mitigate their impact. 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited. -
How Can Small and Medium Enterprises Effectively Implement Corporate Social Responsibility?: An Indian Perspective
The current study is a strategic approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR); the aim is to put forward the factors of CSR activities that enhance its effectiveness for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). To achieve this objective, the factors were extracted from the literature and described along with trusteeship theory of Mahatma Gandhi, and an exploratory study was conducted and data were collected using structured questionnaire based on pretested scale from 158 SMEs and tested using partial least square regression (PLSR). The statistics shows the overall model fit, and the findings indicate a significant relationship with effective CSR. The results of the study are in accordance with the previous research work, and we also find that environment-related CSR and partnership are crucial for the effectiveness of CSR in SMEs, stakeholders role are important and SMEs CSR practice is still informal. The variables identified from study will help SMEs in establishing a formal approach towards CSR and meeting the needs of business and society in the twenty-first century. 2019 International Management Institute, New Delhi. -
Promoting Sustainability Through Corporate Social Responsibility: Insights and Barriers of Medium-Sized Manufacturing Enterprises in India
The current study aims to explore if effective corporate social responsibility leads to corporate sustainability in medium-sized manufacturing enterprises. Using the factors, an exploratory examination was performed to assess their suitability in Indian context, and data were collected from 121 manufacturing companies using structured questionnaire based on pretested scale, and the proposed relationships were tested through partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show overall model fit and empirical examinations support causal relationships between effective corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability (CS). The results indicated that effective CSR mediated the relationships between corporate sustainability and integration of CSR into corporate policy and priority of the board towards CSR. The results of this study are useful for medium-sized enterprises to establish a formal approach towards CSR and meet the needs of business and society in the 21st century. Copyright 2022, IGI Global. -
Data Analytics and ML for Optimized Performance in Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution, has revolutionized manufacturing and production systems by integrating Data Analytics (DA) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques. Predictive maintenance, which predicts equipment malfunctions and schedules maintenance in advance, is a crucial application of DA and ML within Industry 4.0. It reduces downtime, improves productivity, and lowers costs. Demand forecasting, which uses historical data and ML algorithms to predict future product demand, and anomaly detection, which identifies abnormal patterns or events within large datasets, are also critical applications of DA and ML in Industry 4.0. They enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs. However, the adoption of DA and ML presents several challenges for organizations, including infrastructure, personnel, ethical, and privacy concerns. To realize the benefits of DA and ML, companies must invest in appropriate hardware and software and develop the necessary expertise. They must also handle data responsibly and transparently to ensure privacy and ethical standards. Despite these challenges, the integration of DA and ML in Industry 4.0 is critical for optimized performance, improved productivity, and cost savings. 2024 selection and editorial matter, Nidhi Sindhwani, Rohit Anand, A. Shaji George and Digvijay Pandey; individual chapters, the contributors. -
Efficient detection of faults and false data injection attacks in smart grid using a reconfigurable Kalman filter
The distribution denial of service (DDoS) attack, fault data injection attack (FDIA) and random attack is reduced. The monitoring and security of smart grid systems are improved using reconfigurable Kalman filter. Methods: A sinusoidal voltage signal with random Gaussian noise is applied to the Reconfigurable Euclidean detector (RED) evaluator. The MATLAB function randn() has been used to produce sequence distribution channel noise with mean value zero to analysed the amplitude variation with respect to evolution state variable. The detector noise rate is analysed with respect to threshold. The detection rate of various attacks such as DDOS, Random and false data injection attacks is also analysed. The proposed mathematical model is effectively reconstructed to frame the original sinusoidal signal from the evaluator state variable using reconfigurable Euclidean detectors. 2022, Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved. -
Impact of Franciscan philosophy on higher education accomplished by Franciscan Capuchins in India: an empirical research
The purpose of this research was to explore the relationships between the dimensions of Franciscan philosophy of educating society and the outcome achievement in higher education, as perceived by the students under the governance and guidance of the Franciscan Capuchin priests in India. The research paradigm was positivism and accordingly, a quantitative approach to research was undertaken. The survey sampling design was carried out and the data collection was through a questionnaire with 5-point Likert Scale. The questionnaire was based on standard scales measuring individual dimensions of the research. The questionnaire was administered both in hard copy and electronic form. The sample size was 300 based on the simple random sampling technique. The structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data. The results revealed that among the 16 hypotheses 12 were supported. Franciscan spirituality had a significant positive relationship with cognitive development, personality development and social and cultural development; community engagement had a significant positive relationship with cognitive development, professional development, and social and cultural development; interfaith and intercultural dialogue had a significant positive relationship with cognitive development, personality development, and social and cultural development; and service mentality had a significant positive relationship with personality development, professional development, and social and cultural development. These revelations have led to the implications in the form of suggestions to the education providers to identify the positive contribution made by the Franciscan philosophy of educating the society, and also, strengthen the system further to provide a holistic development of individuals. 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. -
Integration of Franciscan Capuchin philosophical values in higher education: a systematic literature review
This systematic literature review examines the current state of Higher Education (HE) research concerning antecedents related to Franciscan Capuchin philosophical values. Much has been discussed about Franciscan HE in past research. However, the literature lacks studies on Franciscan values integration and implementation practices in their educational institutions. This study employs a systematic literature review exploring research in higher education with particular reference to Franciscan missionaries. The systematic review will assist practitioners and researchers in determining the key factors that led catholic Franciscan missionaries to impart holistic education. It also identifies the research gaps that need to be plugged to keep the body of knowledge in integrating Franciscan philosophical values in HE up-to-date. The research is an original contribution to understanding the research in higher education on catholic philosophical values implementation through a systematic review process considering literature from 1980 to 2024. The value addition is identifying the underpinning theories to be considered in developing a holistic model in HE through the Franciscan lens. 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.