Owing chiefly to the lack of suitable technology solutions, India is experiencing both shortage and wastage of blood units. In addressing such a challenge, we explore the unique role of Blockchain and Internet-of-things technologies in the overall blood supply chain management as an appropriate technology solution. Our study employs an integrated Task-Technology Fit and Technology Acceptance Model to empirically test and identify key factors influencing the adoption intention of the Blockchain and Internet-of-things enabled system. With the need to preserve donor and recipient data integrity and data privacy, the respective state and national health departments strictly regulate blood banks. Accordingly, our study also explores the role of government in supporting and overseeing security concerns in the future adoption of the Blockchain and Internet-of-things technologies. Finally, a solution based on the Blockchain and Internet-of-things technologies to ensure the sufficient availability of blood units at the national level is envisioned.

Despite the increasing pace of digital transformation initiatives across many industry verticals, lack of understanding among business leadership is cited as one of the major barriers for successful implementation of business transformation. This article explores the imperatives of business models and digital transformation from practical perspective and proposes an improvised business model framework with particular focus on digital services providers. Extant literature covering the trends of business models and digital transformation were reviewed qualitatively along with select reports pertaining to challenges faced by communications service providers. Key findings of this article suggest, a practical framework and business model representation to mitigate the challenges of business models and digital transformation. The authors believe, such an approach shall open up new and innovative opportunities for communication service providers to become true digital service providers which will help their business customers to plan and empirically progress with their business transformation efforts.

The purpose of this article is twofold. First is to ascertain and establish the collaboration required between different stakeholders in the fundamental process of New Product Development (NPD). Augmentation of the process with the IoT origin real time data to enrich the efficacy of the New Product Development process forms the second part of the study. The primary data is collated from over 100 plus professionals while the qualitative data required for the second part is collated with the help of focused group interviews. The Likert scale with five points was deployed to record the opinions. The empirical analysis supports the theory that an effective collaboration is required between the different entities such as Sales, Marketing, R&D and going beyond the organizational boundaries Suppliers & Customers for the new product to be fruitful and successful in the market. The impact of using the IoT origin real time data on the effectiveness of the New Product Development is evaluated. In the current scenario for an organization to lead the market, it is essential that it has a descent product roadmap and an effective NPD. The current study reveals the importance of the NPD and contributes towards making it more effective with the IoT origin real time data.

<p>One of the defining technological forces which are reshaping world today is the easy accessibility to the Internet. The Internet has changed the way people communicate with each other. Social media whose development was first marshaled by Web 2.0, has revolutionized the entire world of communication. The most intriguing fact is that the world of social media is constantly changing. The platforms which are topping the charts today may not be tomorrow. Also, it can be observed that the power has shifted from the hands of marketers to the hands of users which in turn have empowered users. The objective of the present study is to explore the different facets of social media in detail. These facets form the base for the world of social media and can be referred to as the 7 Cs of social media. These seven Cs are - content, community, conversation, capital (social), culture, collaboration, and conversion respectively. With an enhanced understanding of all these Cs of social media, the study proposes a conceptual model depicting the relationship between these seven Cs and social media. Companies should analyze each of these Cs in detail and design their social media strategies accordingly. This will not only assure the efficient and effective use of social media but also will help managers to decide where and how to allot firm resources in a better fashion.</p>

Currently, industry is going through the fourth Industrial Revolution, also termed Industry 4.0. It is characterized mainly by the cyber-physical systems dominated by digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT). Organizations are making significant effort to understand customer needs and subsequently align them to the business goals for achieving market leadership. It is imperative for the longevity of the organization that goods and services be made available to the customer at the most appropriate place, time, and price. Supply chains are contributing to achieving this organizational goal. A paradigm shift was observed in the past few decades when organizations competed as supply chains in the market more than an individual brand. This shift brought forward the importance of collaborative supply chains. Researchers in this study have presented the impact of IoT origins on real-time data on a collaborative supply chain model, including internally and externally aligned parameters. The study recommends the best model basis for the goodness of fit from the customer and vendor perspective for the automotive industry in India.