This article offers a historically grounded analysis of the evolution of feminism in India, tracing its trajectory from nineteenth-century social reform movements to the complex feminist politics of the present. Using historical analysis and thematic synthesis, we map how feminist concerns shifted across distinct periods, from early reform efforts and Brahminical feminism to nationalist mobilizations, post-independence state-led organizations, ecofeminist and autonomous movements and the rise of fundamentalist feminism. The study challenges longstanding misconceptions that portray feminism as Western, homogeneous or detached from local socio-political realities. Instead, it shows how feminist politics in India has been shaped by caste, class, religion, region and colonial as well as postcolonial state structures. We advance three archetypes of Indian womanhood: Traditional Emancipated De-sexualized Women, Autonomous yet Marginal Women and Global Consumerist Detached Women, which illuminate the varied modes of agency and constraint experienced by Indian women across time. Finally, we employ a strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results (SOAR) framework to interpret how these historical trajectories inform contemporary strengths, opportunities, aspirations and outcomes for feminist mobilization. Together, these contributions provide a comprehensive, context-sensitive account of Indian feminism’s past, present and future.

The implementation of mechanism design in education markets in India and the scope of improvement are explored. The explored implementations are in three different types of markets: the first application is related to admission to the MBA programme at top-tier business schools, the second application is related to admission at the undergraduate level at the University of Delhi, while the last problem is related to admission to higher secondary level schools in the state of Bihar. All three problems are distinct in different aspects, such as the size of the market, the level of stakes in making a decision, the level of competition, etc. We compared the characteristics of the markets with the literature and observed that the Indian markets are suffering from issues of under-admissions, over-admissions, strategic behaviours in agents, congestion and lack of truthfulness. It is established that there is indeed a scope for the implementation of a fair matching mechanism based on deferred acceptance. The existing issues are identified, which lead to undesirable admission assignments, and a solution is discussed for the associated issues in each market.

Credit risk is one of the most important risks faced by lenders and can affect not only their financial health but also economic growth and financial stability. It is therefore crucial to assess the potential losses from credit risk as conservatively as possible and to manage it effectively. A systematic review of the academic literature was conducted to answer these questions. The results of the review showed that models that examine the relationship between sustainability and credit risk most commonly use the environmental factor as an indicator of sustainability (72% of the studies analysed). The Altman Z-score was the most used credit risk estimator in the reviewed studies. The second most popular estimate was bond and credit default swap spreads. In summary, the studies reviewed show that lending to more sustainable companies improves: The quality of the loan portfolio and reduces credit risk, leading to better credit ratings, and lower borrowing costs for the lenders themselves; lenders’ reputation, which makes it possible to attract a larger number of depositors and investors. However, the lender should consider not only the sustainability of the borrower but also the sustainability of the loan collateral, which is seen as a credit risk mitigant.

The current study examines the impact of sustainability practices on sustainable performance in the context of hill road projects in the Indian Himalayan region, to identify factors that contribute to a sustainable practice of road construction, thereby enhancing Himalayan road sustainability. The study used exploratory research to identify the factors, followed by descriptive research, to study the proposed relationships. Findings suggest that sustainability practices positively influence the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainable performance. Though environmental performance positively influences the economic performance, social performance has a non-significant impact on the economic dimension. To enhance the sustainable performance of hill road projects, it is suggested that the identified sustainability be implemented by the practitioners religiously. As there are negligible studies on hill roads exploring the impact of sustainability practices on sustainable performance of hill road projects, the present study is a modest attempt to bridge this gap and help hill road practitioners and policymakers create sustainable societies.

Upper-middle-class working women, due to their aspirational consumption behaviour, social mobility and high engagement in fashion trends, are a key segment for masstige brands. Their high involvement in social media makes it the right platform for masstige fashion brands to interact with them for elevated engagement. This study examines the impact of social media marketing activities like entertainment, interaction, trendiness, advertisements and customization on the dimensions of masstige brand value and its subsequent impact on brand loyalty and word of mouth among upper-middle-class working women. A quantitative approach was used to examine the correlation among the identified variables of the study. To analyse the projected relationships of the study, the authors examined the data by following a three-step approach: (a) exploratory factor analysis to identify underlying constructs, (b) confirmatory factor analysis to validate measurement models and (c) structural equation modelling to test hypothesized relationships. Results indicate that masstige brand value is enhanced by strategically designed social media marketing activities, strengthening brand loyalty and encouraging positive word of mouth. The findings of this study offer valuable implications for masstige fashion brands looking forward to optimizing their social media marketing strategies for building long-term consumer relationships.

This research investigates the interplay of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within firms in India, with a specific focus on the often-overlooked dimension of caste in organizational policies and practices. It aims to explore the relationship between DEI atmosphere, psychological well-being and workplace respect and integrity. A quantitative research design was employed, collecting data from respondents through a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationships among psychological well-being, DEI atmosphere and workplace respect and integrity and to examine the mediating role of DEI atmosphere and the moderating effect of caste. The findings reveal that the DEI atmosphere mediates the relationship between workplace respect and integrity and psychological well-being. Psychological well-being significantly influences workplace respect and integrity, with this effect being mediated by DEI atmosphere. Additionally, caste significantly moderates the relationship between psychological well-being and DEI atmosphere, but not psychological well-being and workplace respect and integrity, as well as DEI atmosphere and workplace respect and integrity. This study makes a novel contribution by highlighting the significance of caste-based DEI considerations in the Indian corporate sector, addressing a critical gap in existing DEI literature and practice. It extends current DEI frameworks by incorporating socio-cultural dimensions unique to the Indian context, such as caste.

This study introduces a theoretical framework of women’s labour force participation (LFP) decision as a manifestation of two opposing forces—the labour market’s ‘push’ in favour of, and social institutions’ ‘pull’ away from participation. The socioculturally diverse southwestern Indian state of Kerala is chosen as the ideal setting to test this framework. Using data from two rounds of the Kerala Migration Survey (KMS)—2013 and 2018—the study finds that higher levels of education reduce the likelihood that women participate in the labour force. This article also addresses the impact of a shock to migration—the Nitaqat system—on women’s LFP and finds evidence that long-standing social norms that prevent women’s LFP can change under economic crises such as the Nitaqat system that caused a large-scale return migration of Muslim emigrants from the Gulf countries. We find that prior to the migration shock, in the Muslim-dominated Malabar region, the strong social norms of the Sunni Muslims permeates across religions, which discourages women's LFP. Due to the return migration of predominantly Muslim men prompted by the Nitaqat system, we find evidence of a more favorable attitude towards women's labor force participation (LFP) in the Malabar region. By studying women’s LFP in Kerala, which has a significant proportion of Hindus, Christians and Muslims, the article finds support for LFP decisions as influenced by categorical identity affiliations.

This article aims to identify, categorize and review the literature on e-commerce applications at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP). A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost and ProQuest. Sixty-seven articles were reviewed and categorized into three major themes. The findings revealed that the attention paid to the role of e-commerce in emerging BoP economies has increased over the last five years. We found that the literature can be grouped into three categories: the role of e-commerce in the context of BoP entrepreneurs, consumers and private and non-profit organizations. The review findings were classified into a framework. This is the first SLR to provide an overview of e-commerce in the BoP context. The framework classifies the literature on e-commerce, highlights research gaps and provides suggestions for future research.