Indian reality tourism - a critical perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper to find out the tangible potential and opportunities of reality-tourism in India and other parts of the world. Do we expose our nudity, weaknesses and poverty to tourists or can it be used as an unconventional revenue source for local development of such backward areas? Design – The paper defines the concept of reality-tourism which is prevailing in India at a slow pace and provides a critical analyses about pros and cons of this type of tourism. It also analyses the view of all the stakeholders such as the tourists, the tour operators and the people from slum areas. The paper highlights the various means of reality-tourism, the modus operandi, the various factors affecting reality-tourism through a proposed model, ending up with satisfaction level measurement of the all the players involved. Methodology – Based on an extensive literature review, the author proposes a model to check the various criticisms against the reality tourism also calculate the impact of reality tourism on the daily life of slum dwellers with a case study approach followed by descriptive analysis. Findings – The paper finds a positive trend about reality-tourism. Three different case studies reflects three different scenario of reality-tourism in India about their direct and indirect positive impact on daily life routines of slum dwellers, their business, their health and their education. The paper can also serve as a basis for further research to check the authenticity of proposed model and can frame out some better tourism policies for such niche segment of consumers. “Vasudhaive Kutumbkam”- For a prudent person, the whole earth is one family

Moderation Effect of Intermediaries' Role in Selecting Channels between Digital and Traditional in Buying Health Insurance: A Study of Hyderabad

Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to investigate the relationship between technology adoption and workforce productivity within the insurance industry. The study aims to identify the role of Intermediaries in assisting choice of channel.   Theoretical Framework: The study adopts a qualitative strategy and utilizes content analysis to analyze a significant amount of secondary data from theoretical and empirical reviews. Additionally, interviews with members of the relevant community were conducted to gather specific data for an unstructured questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to validate the proposed theoretical framework.   Design/Methodology/Approach: Data was collected from 384 software employees in Hyderabad, selected due to their likelihood of using both digital and traditional channels for purchasing insurance. The study employed a Likert scale questionnaire to measure respondents' perceptions of various factors influencing channel selection. SPSS 26 and AMOS were used for data analysis, including exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.   Findings: The exploratory factor analysis revealed a six-factor channel selection model that explained 77.443% of the variance. All factors demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α > 0.883), and the final model consisted of 39 items. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the suitability of the model, as all fit indices met the criteria for absolute and incremental fitness.   Research, Practical & Social Implications: The study provides insights into the factors influencing channel selection in the context of health insurance purchases. It highlights the importance of intermediaries in the decision-making process and their role in moderating the relationship between various factors and channel selection. These findings have practical implications for insurance providers and intermediaries in developing effective marketing strategies and improving customer experience. Socially, the study contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics between digital and traditional channels in the insurance industry. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the existing literature by examining the moderation effect of intermediaries on the relationship between factors influencing channel selection in the context of health insurance. The research extends the theoretical understanding of channel selection and provides empirical evidence in a specific geographical setting. The findings have practical implications for insurers, intermediaries, and policymakers, enhancing the value of this research in the insurance industry

Locating Legal Certainty in Patent Licensing

This open access book presents global perspectives and developments within the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, and discusses the bearing they have on policy initiatives that are relevant to the larger digital technology and communications industry. Drawing on key developments in India, the USA, UK, EU, and China, it explores whether key jurisdictions need to adopt a different legal and policy approach to address the unique concerns that have emerged within the technology-intensive industries. The book also examines the latest law and policy debates surrounding patents and competition in these regions. Initiating a multi-faceted discussion, the book enables readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of complex legal and policy issues that are beginning to emerge around the globe

Complications and Quandaries in the ICT Sector: Standard Essential Patents and Competition Issues

With technology standards becoming increasingly common, particularly in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, the complexities and contradictions at the interface of intellectual property law and competition law have emerged strongly. This book talks about how the regulatory agencies and courts in the United States, European Union and India are dealing with the rising allegations of anti-competitive behaviour by standard essential patent (SEP) holders. It also discusses the role of standards setting organizations / standards developing organizations (SSO/SDO) and the various players involved in implementing the standards that influence practices and internal dynamics in the ICT sector. This book includes discussions on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms and the complexities that arise when both licensors and licensees of SEPs differ on what they mean by “fair”, “reasonable” and “non-discriminatory” terms. It also addresses topics such as the appropriate royalty base, calculation of FRAND rates and concerns related to FRAND commitments and the role of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in collaborative standard setting process. This book provides a wide range of valuable information and is a useful tool for graduate students, academics and researchers

Comparative evaluation of different pretreatment methods on biogas production from paddy straw

The present investigations observed the effect of chemical, enzymatic, biological and micro-wave pretreatment on paddy straw for enhancement of biogas production. Chopped and soaked paddy straw was subjected to chemicals Na2CO3 (1%) and NaOH (2%) concentrations, microwave irradiation (720 watt, 30 min), fungal (spawn impregnated, 7 days) and crude silicase (24 hrs) pretreatment. The proximate and chemical analysis showed 16.0% and 12.1% reduction in lignin and silica content in the case of Na2CO3 pretreated paddy straw whereas 23.0% and 46.8% reduction was observed in enzymatic pretreatment with 43.7% and 31.1% enhancement in biogas production respectively. This clearly indi-cates that Pleurotus ostreatus MTCC 142 is silicolytic as well as ligninolytic in nature. Enzymatic pre-treatment was also compared with, microwave (30 min) and fungal pretreatment which showed 31.2% and 32.8% reduction in silica content enhancing biogas production by 19.7% and 42.6% respectively. NaOH pretreatment showed a maximum increase in biogas production i.e. 49.7% as compared to 1% pretreated sample which showed 28.5% enhancement. The results indicated that the NaOH pretreatment was one of the potential methods to increase biogas production of paddy straw

Locating Legal Certainty in Patent Licensing

This open access book presents global perspectives and developments within the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, and discusses the bearing they have on policy initiatives that are relevant to the larger digital technology and communications industry. Drawing on key developments in India, the USA, UK, EU, and China, it explores whether key jurisdictions need to adopt a different legal and policy approach to address the unique concerns that have emerged within the technology-intensive industries. The book also examines the latest law and policy debates surrounding patents and competition in these regions. Initiating a multi-faceted discussion, the book enables readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of complex legal and policy issues that are beginning to emerge around the globe

Linear fractional transportation problem with varying demand and supply

In this paper, we investigate the transportation problem with fractional objective function when the demand and supply quantities are varying. A set of mathematical programs is obtained to determine the objective value. Due to varying economic policies in the global world, it is hard to specify the supply and demand quantities for transportation problem. A transportation problem with fractional objective function is based on a network structure consisting of a finite number of nodes and arcs attached to them. After the derivation, we obtained the result in range, where the total transportation cost would appear. In addition to allowing for simultaneous changes in supply and demand values, the total cost bounds are calculated directly. This methodology would be very beneficial in the decision making. A numerical example has given in this paper for the support of theory

Ethics Standards (HRPP) and Public Partnership (PARTAKE) to Address Clinical Research Concerns in India: Moving Toward Ethical, Responsible, Culturally Sensitive, and Community-Engaging Clinical Research.

Like other emerging economies, India's quest for independent, evidence-based, and affordable healthcare has led to robust and promising growth in the clinical research sector, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.4% between 2005 and 2010. However, while the fundamental drivers and strengths are still strong, the past few years witnessed a declining trend (CAGR -16.7%) amid regulatory concerns, activist protests, and sponsor departure. And although India accounts for 17.5% of the world's population, it currently conducts only 1% of clinical trials. Indian and international experts and public stakeholders gathered for a 2-day conference in June 2013 in New Delhi to discuss the challenges facing clinical research in India and to explore solutions. The main themes discussed were ethical standards, regulatory oversight, and partnerships with public stakeholders. The meeting was a collaboration of AAHRPP (Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs)-aimed at establishing responsible and ethical clinical research standards-and PARTAKE (Public Awareness of Research for Therapeutic Advancements through Knowledge and Empowerment)-aimed at informing and engaging the public in clinical research. The present article covers recent clinical research developments in India as well as associated expectations, challenges, and suggestions for future directions. AAHRPP and PARTAKE provide etiologically based solutions to protect, inform, and engage the public and medical research sponsors

Role of Panchakarma in the management of Migraine (Ardhavabhedaka) : A Review

Headache is one among the most common reasons patients seek medical attention, on a global basis being responsible for more disability than any other neurological problem. Migraine is the 2nd most common primary headache, also known as ‘Hemicrania’, means ‘half of the head’. It constitutes 16% of the primary headache and affects ~10-20% of general population, i.e. about 15% of women and 6% of men. It is characterized by recurrent episodes of headache that is moderate to severe and pulsatile in nature and lasting for 2-72 hours. Associated symptoms are nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound, or smell. It is not a lethal disorder but it can disturb patient’s life very widely, so its treatment requires more attention and care. Unfortunately, there is no preventive medication for migraine has been stabilized so far, only symptomatic medication are available, which medications have a lot of adverse effects and make dependence. In Ayurveda it can be correlated to Ardhavabhedaka. Very elaborative treatment has been given in Ayurvedic Samhitas; especially Panchakarma offers significant relief in this disease