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Corporate Governance in India is an authoritative discourse on the state of corporate governance in India. Beginning with an analysis of its evolution, the authors discuss the effectiveness and applicability of corporate governance mechanisms in the context of the institutional structure within which Indian companies operate.

What connects a pathography (an illness narrative) with the school of ecopoetics is poiesis: the Greek for "the act of creation". Pathographical ecopoetics is "creation-with" the natural surroundings during illness. As opposed to Thoreau's Walden where we find an autobiographical account of one's relationship with nature, in pathographical ecopoetics the same relationship is unfolded through pathos (the Greek for "pain") and disease. Illness as a method helps in bracketing out our pre-reflective involvement with the natural surroundings and paves the way for newer ways of understanding nature. As opposed to various other intersections between medicine and ecology, like ecopsychology, ecotherapy or green cure, there is a sense of Keatsian spontaneity and aesthetic wonder in pathographical ecopoetics. Elizabeth Tova Bailey's The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating (2010) is one such account. Her debilitating illness, with "severe neurological symptoms", brings her close to an unremarkable wild snail. Her world starts to get entwined with the world of the snail. The work is a curious admixture of illness memoir, biology, art, environmentalism, and more importantly a deep sense of compassion and empathy for the natural surroundings.
The paper will explore the concept of ecopoetics with the help of Bailey's pathographical account. The Sound of the Wild Snail Eating as a pathographical ecopoetics is away from the techno-scientific gaze of not only modern medicine but modernity in general. Bailey's world of illness finds effortless connections with the world of the wild snail: her spatial and temporal confinement is attuned to that of the spatio-temporality of the snail. Both the worlds posit a challenge to the speed and "homogeneous, empty time" of modernity. Both the worlds keep the enchantment and mysteriousness of the natural world alive. In general, the work provides an alternative space in the metanarrative of 21st century modernity and techno-capitalism.

Many developing countries are afflicted by persistent inequality in the distribution of income. While a growing body of literature emphasize differential fertility as a channel through which income inequality persists, this paper investigates differential child mortality - differences in the incidence of child mortality across socioeconomic groups - as a critical link in this regard. Using evidence from cross-country data to evaluate this linkage, we find that differential child mortality serves as a stronger channel than differential fertility in the transmission of income inequality over time. We use random effects and generalized estimating equations techniques to account for temporal correlation within countries. The results are robust to the use of an alternate definition of fertility that reflects parental preference for children instead of realized fertility.

Purpose – The main objective of this paper is to shed light on the confusion of terminologies related to open innovation through the development of an open innovation taxonomy. By analyzing published case studies using numerical taxonomy methods, it proposes a taxonomic classification of open innovation. Design/methodology/approach – Earlier work on firm collaboration and concepts related to open innovation in order to understand the main motivations, and conditions behind open innovation-like strategies is first to be reviewed in this paper. It then proceeds to collect and systematically analyze 20 published case studies, and using numerical taxonomy methods it produces a taxonomic classification of open innovation. As a first approach to taxonomy on open innovation strategies, the UPGMA methodology used seems very promising. The taxonomy of open innovation developed here can also be used as a decision-making tool through the comparison of open innovation strategies inherent in the taxonomy. Findings – Through the numerical taxonomy analysis the paper has been able to objectively create groups of similar cases, and strategies therein. This paper is able to draw some interesting conclusions by identifying two general strategies of collaboration - a free revealing "democratic" strategy and a formal collaboration strategy. The first involves a proliferation of partners whose technical and creative skills are specific to the industry and the source of knowledge, and where the degree of interaction plays an important role. The second broad strategy of cooperation is linked to more formal collaboration, generally firm-firm collaboration; in this group a large focus on markets features, especially technological intensity, was found. Originality/value – This paper adds objectivity to the research of different open innovation strategies by using a method developed in the natural sciences. Based on a systematic review of literature, the paper was able to identify key characters describing features and come up with a taxonomy of open innovation, which goes a significant way towards making sense of the plethora of terminology related to open innovation. Key features of different open innovation strategies are also revealed.

AbstractWe analyze the role of debt in corporate governance with respect to a large emerging economy, India, where debt has been an important source of external finance. Using cross‐sectional data on listed manufacturing firms we estimate, simultaneously, the relation between Tobin's Q and leverage for three years, 1996, 2000 and 2003. Our analysis indicates that while in the early years of institutional change, debt did not have any disciplinary effect on either standalone or group affiliated firms, the disciplinary effect appeared in the later years as institutions became more market oriented. We also find limited evidence of debt being used as an expropriation mechanism in group firms that are more vulnerable to such expropriation. In general, our results highlight the role of ownership structures and institutions in debt governance.

PurposeThis research aims to extend brand relationship theory to the domain of online gaming by augmenting the understanding of the role played by fantasy state in digital game in impacting gamers' immersive relationships with digital game brands. In this quest, the research examines how fantasy state in game (FSG) creates game brand immersion (GBI) through the mediation of emotional game brand attachment (EGBA) and the roles of individual's need for escapism (NE) and anxious attachment style (AAS) in moderating the aforementioned relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe research employs a pre-test followed by two quantitative studies. Quantitative data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro.FindingsResults from Study 1 illustrate that perceived fantasy in game generates EGBA, which, in turn, predicts GBI. Further, Study 2 establishes that the effect of fantasy in game on EGBA is moderated by gamer's NE. The moderating effect of NE is moderated by individual's AAS.Originality/valueValue of the study lies in extending consumer–brand relationship theory to digital gaming domain which enhances the understanding of how fantasy state in digital game can lead to GBI and the roles played by individual personality characteristics like escapism motivation and AAS in the process.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate various factors that shape young adult consumers' smartphone-based service app involvement and their subsequent development of brand loyalty for the app.


Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships. The survey data were analyzed using SPSS-based PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2013).


Findings
The study results show that consumer can perceive an app to be largely hedonic or utilitarian, and the perceived app design (hedonic vs utilitarian) impacts consumers' involvement with a particular service app category. Further, the findings elucidate that the impact of app hedonism on app category involvement is moderated by consumer's surfing task orientation and the extent to which app arouses their imagination. On the other hand, the impact of app utilitarianism on app involvement is moderated by consumer's information-seeking task orientation and perceived relevance of the information. Finally, app category involvement predicts loyalty toward a particular brand in the service app category. The effect of app involvement on brand loyalty is moderated by hot and cold brand relationship quality in cases of hedonic and utilitarian apps, respectively.


Originality/value
The value of this research lies in identifying relevant managerially actionable moderators that shape the relationships between perceived dominant app design (hedonic vs utilitarian), app category involvement and app brand loyalty.