This article includes a review of the literature on marine debris in an Indian context and introduces a replicable, scientific, and inexpensive collection method to build capacity and inform policymakers. We share baseline data resulting from ten cleanups using these methods in India. This method was introduced in a 2019 workshop to train Indian researchers, leading to local-led collections in three states and two Union Territories (8 beaches, 2 riversides) yielding 33,474 individual pieces of debris weighing a total of 599.15 kg. Plastic was the most frequently found material at all ten collection sites, comprising from 45% to 89% of all items found. The research establishes a baseline data collection at ten locations, with debris density at sites ranging from 0.38–3.86 items/m2. Application of the Clean Coast Index yields resulting rankings of moderate (1 site), dirty (2 sites), and extremely dirty (7 sites). Researchers also identified 2461 brands in analysis at six sites, 76% of which were Indian in origin. Replication of the methods in other Indian regions among the community of thirty-three practitioners was below target for collection (41%) and brand audit (8.3%) with 25% of teams sharing data with the community of practitioners and 12.5% sharing results with local policymakers. The analysis indicates debris is overwhelmingly composed of plastic from residential activities. The methods empower practitioners to collect and report on debris, ground-truthing global debris estimates, and illuminating the missing plastic problem.
Nudges have been emerged as a prominent technique in human resource management through linking the productivity and performance of employees with the gentle alterations made in the existing work environment. The suitability and appropriateness of workplace nudges during the period of COVID-19 need to be assessed to incorporate them in innovative human resource practices and their effectiveness has to be determined in the context of employee engagement and empowerment leading to improved organisational commitment and better work culture. This study focuses on analysing the impact of nudges and their contribution to the productivity and performance of employees during times of chaos. An extensive literature review is conducted to strengthen the theoretical models of nudges in the modified work environment. Multiple cases have been analysed to support the primary and secondary data. Results evidenced categorisation of the strategical measures of corporates as nudge initiatives. The study shows that nudges have positive and negative influences on the behaviour of employees and they check whether the nudges are in alignment with rationality. The paper attempts to determine the effectiveness of nudges in the workplace contributing to increased productivity and improved work culture. It adopts extracts from case studies and insights from reviews offering a comprehensive idea about the implications of workplace nudges during the period of a pandemic.
Climate crisis has become a crucial concern for humankind as extremes in climate have grown manifold, mainly originating from anthropogenic activities. Growth and development are indispensable but worthless if our survival is under threat. Therefore, it demands prompt action from all stakeholders. However, colossal requirements of funds for climate sustainability remain a principal concern. India is one of the most active fintech markets in the world using domestic technologies like Unified Payment Interface (UPI), showing a fantastic growth trajectory in terms of international adoptions. With the boom of fintech solutions in India, the possibility of a novel fintech model with a climate action motive, known as climate fintech or green fintech, garnered entrepreneurial attention. Therefore, we intend to explore the concept of climate fintech and understand the state of the art using an inductive qualitative approach. With the help of the insights drawn from a systematic review of existing studies, a case study was conducted, followed by sentiment analysis, to reaffirm the results. Our findings suggest considerable scope for the climate fintech model to be beneficial for attaining the country’s climate targets. Our research anticipates that the area and climate fintech applications will advance in future.
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