Browsing by Author "Abhijeet Biswas"

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Attitude and Alertness in Personality Traits: A Pathway to Building Entrepreneurial Intentions Among University Students
(Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd, 2021) Abhijeet Biswas; Rohit Kumar Verma
The entrepreneurial intentions of individuals play a phenomenal role in establishment of new ventures, which in turn facilitates economic development. The study aims to identify the various dimensions of personality traits along with several other precursors of entrepreneurial intentions and investigates impact of the identified factors on entrepreneurial intentions of top five university students in India. The data for research were collected through a structured questionnaire employing a 7-point Likert scale based on purposive sampling technique. The identified constructs considered to be determinants of entrepreneurial intentions were need for achievement, locus of control, risk-taking propensity, innovativeness, self-efficacy, proactiveness, perseverance, entrepreneurial alertness and entrepreneurial attitude. The findings of the study reveal that ‘need for achievement’ was the most significant precursor of entrepreneurial intentions; whereas, ‘entrepreneurial alertness’ and ‘entrepreneurial attitude’ dimensions of personality traits were also found to have a positive correlation with entrepreneurial intentions of university students. Moreover, entrepreneurial alertness partially mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and proactiveness on the one hand and entrepreneurial intentions on the other. © 2021 SAGE Publications.
Augmenting bank service quality dimensions: moderation of perceived trust and perceived risk
(Emerald Publishing, 2023) Abhijeet Biswas; Deepak Jaiswal; Rishi Kant
Purpose: Permeation of private sector banks has triggered intense competitiveness in the Indian banking sector; therefore, customer satisfaction has become the epicenter of all activities. The study seeks to explicate the antecedents and reverberation of customer satisfaction in the Indian retail banking sector. Design/methodology/approach: Top six Indian private sector banks were selected based on market capitalization. Cross-sectional data from 460 retail bank customers were collected by employing a structured questionnaire and evaluated wielding structural equation modeling. Findings: The study discerns seven antecedents of customer satisfaction, namely tangibility, reliability, empathy, responsiveness, assurance, perceived service innovation and bank reputation. The results unveil that assurance, bank reputation and perceived service innovation significantly escalate customer satisfaction, which further markedly accentuates customer loyalty. However, tangibility was the only dimension bearing an insignificant relationship. In addition, both perceived trust and perceived risk significantly moderate the association between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the model. Research limitations/implications: Incorporation of merely private sector banks and considering cosmopolitans restraints generalization of findings to some extent. The study bespeaks essential determinants of customer satisfaction that might succor bank professionals to retain customers and ameliorate profitability. Originality/value: There is a paucity of literature on “perceived service innovation” and “bank reputation” in the Indian banking scenario. Therefore, the study augments the literature by integrating aforesaid important constituents along with other antecedents and reverberation. Moreover, the study uses theoretical lens to anchor its hypotheses through a comprehensive conceptual model in the backdrop of Indian retail banking. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Augmenting service quality dimensions: mediation of image in the Indian restaurant industry
(Routledge, 2023) Abhijeet Biswas; Rohit Kumar Verma
Providing top-notch services is imperative for the success of any organization in this era of globalization and competitiveness. This study aims to identify the dimensions of perceived service quality, food quality, perceived value, and restaurant image in the Indian restaurant industry and examine the impact of the identified dimensions on customer satisfaction. The data was collected from 520 customers of the top 10 restaurants in New Delhi and Bengaluru each by employing a structured questionnaire. The results reveal that the food quality, tangibility, and assurance dimensions were the most important determinants of customer satisfaction. Moreover, the restaurant image partially mediates the association between food quality and customer satisfaction, while no mediation was observed between the perceived value and customer satisfaction in the study. The results exhibit the influential drivers of customer satisfaction, restaurant image, and customer loyalty that may stimulate restaurant managers to hold on to their customer base and ameliorate profitability. There are scant studies on restaurant image, food quality, and perceived value in Indian settings. Therefore, the study enriches literature by assimilating the aforementioned constructs together based on a methodical conceptual model. It is distinctive as it unravels the mediating role of restaurant image in clarifying the relationship amongst the underlying constructs. © 2022 Taylor & Francis.
Construing drivers of firm competitiveness: coalescing pursuit of excellence with entrepreneurial competencies
(Emerald Publishing, 2023) Abhijeet Biswas
Purpose: The burgeoning population has an adverse impact on the employability prospects in the emerging economies and has triggered entrepreneurial activities to steer this predicament. The purpose of this study is to explicate the major entrepreneurial competencies that drive firm competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach: Three industrial estates were selected from the two major industrial districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. The study used a cross-sectional design and responses from micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) entrepreneurs were collected by employing a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was applied to empirically validate the proposed hypotheses in the study. Findings: The study discerns the enablers of firm competitiveness and pursuit of excellence. The results reveal that the need for achievement and locus of control competencies strikingly augment firm competitiveness while risk-taking capability and innovativeness competencies aggrandize pursuit of excellence competency. The study further adduces that pursuit of excellence partially mediates between the liaison of risk-taking capability and innovativeness on the one end and firm competitiveness on the other. Research limitations/implications: The study demonstrates the compelling determinants of firm competitiveness and pursuit of excellence that might embolden training institutes and banks to emphasize the identified competencies for enhancing firm competitiveness and advancing loans. Originality/value: There is a paucity of literature on “pursuit of excellence” and “firm competitiveness” regarding the MSME sector in India. Therefore, the study contributes to the literature by synthesizing these constructs in an epigrammatic conceptual model. The study is distinctive because it is one of the rare studies to explore the mediating effects of the pursuit of excellence entrepreneurial competency. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Deciphering Predictors of Tourists’ Value and Intention amid COVID-19: The Interplay of Scarcity, Enjoyment, Visual Presentations, and Pandemic Threat
(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2024) Abhijeet Biswas
The study investigates the factors influencing tourists’ online booking intentions. This study employed structural equation modeling to evaluate the online booking intentions of tourists after the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in India, extending the application of reactance theory in tourism and hospitality services. Mediation and moderation analysis facilitated the unfurling of direct and indirect linkages among the constructs. The findings suggest that online hotel reviews, perceived scarcity, and perceived enjoyment aggrandize tourists’ perceived value quotients, escalating their online booking intentions. Besides, visual presentations improve the strength of the linkage, while perceived pandemic threat weakens the linkage between tourists’ perceived value and online booking intentions. The research demystifies critical facilitators of tourists’ perceived value and online booking intentions that may assist hotel owners in engaging potential tourists and maximizing their hotels’ bottom line. The hotel industry lacks research on perceived scarcity, visual presentations, and perceived pandemic threat. This research adds to the body of knowledge by combining the abovementioned factors through a coherent theoretical framework. It makes prospective tourists cautious about COVID-19’s virulence and the devastating consequences. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Decoding the Investment Dilemma: The Interplay of Interest, Trust, Information, and Financial Awareness
(Springer Publishing Company, 2025) Apoorva Singh; Abhijeet Biswas
The study identifies the facilitators shaping investors’ intention to invest in India’s two prominent metro regions. Our study evaluated the continuance intention to invest of 645 investors utilizing structural equation modeling under the guidance of three theories, that is, the theory of reasoned action, information processing theory, and perspective theory. The direct and indirect linkages in the proposed model were examined using mediation and moderation analyses. The results indicate that interest in investment is magnified by perceived trust, investors’ attitudes, and the source of information, escalating continuance intention to invest. Furthermore, the association between interest in investment and continuance intention to invest is enhanced by financial awareness, whereas it is weakened by perceived uncertainty. © 2025 Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education®.
Determinants and Consequences of Customer Satisfaction in Indian Retail Banks: Moderation of Bank Reputation
(Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd, 2022) Abhijeet Biswas; Deepak Jaiswal; Rishi Kant
The entry of private sector banks in the Indian market has compelled all the banks to determine the drivers of customer satisfaction (CS). This research aims to assess the drivers of CS and its implications in the Indian retail banking (IRB) sector. The top six Indian private sector banks were chosen according to market capitalization. A standardized questionnaire was used to gather responses from IRB customers and then evaluated using structural equation modelling (SEM). Five factors of CS are identified in the study, viz. effective complaint handling (ECH), service convenience (SC), perceived fairness (PF), perceived market performance (PMP) and relationship commitment (RC). The results unveil that SC and RC have a strong positive influence on CS, which further augments customer word of mouth (WoM) and repurchase intention (RI). In addition, bank reputation (BR) moderates the model’s relationship between CS and its consequences. Considering only private sector banks may limit the generalization of findings to a certain extent. The study presents vital enablers that escalate CS and might help bank professionals to identify thrust areas. There is a shortage of research on ‘BR’ and ‘RC’ in India’s context of the banking sector. Therefore, the research adds to the current literature by including the components mentioned above and other essential determinants and consequences. Furthermore, the study accentuates the complexities of relationships among the determinants and consequences of CS through a meticulous conceptual model of an IRB sector. © 2022 Management Development Institute.
Dissecting investment frequency: examining the role of social influence, investors’ perception of gender discrimination, involvement, access to information and risk tolerance
(Emerald Publishing, 2024) Apoorva Singh; Abhijeet Biswas
Purpose: The recent economic changes in India and the gender discrimination practices of the patriarchal society have forced Indian women to turn to the financial sector as an essential means of generating returns. This study aims to identify the factors influencing investors’ investment frequency in India’s two most recognized metropolitan areas. Design/methodology/approach: The authors applied structural equation modeling to augment Allport’s consumer behavior model and the social influence theory for assessing the frequency of investments made by 690 investors. The direct and indirect linkages in the proposed model were evaluated using moderation and mediation techniques. Findings: The study’s findings show that investors’ perceptions of gender discrimination practices and social influence considerably increase investors’ involvement, magnifying their investment frequency. In addition, access to reliable information reinforces the relationship between investors’ involvement and their frequency of investments, whereas the low-risk tolerance weakens this association. Research limitations/implications: The findings could help policymakers, investors, financial media outlets, financial experts, educational institutions and society strengthen India’s financial sector by leveraging the linkage between the underlying constructs and investors’ behavior. Originality/value: The aspects of involvement and gender inequality have not garnered enough attention in the previous studies on behavioral finance. The study delves deeper into investor behavior by establishing a link between the underlying constructs and broadening the horizons of prominent consumer behavior models. It also unfurls the moderating role of access to information and risk tolerance to comprehend the association better. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Do narcissism and resilience personality traits ignite university students' desirability and entrepreneurial intentions? Moderation of pursuit of excellence and risk
(Emerald Publishing, 2023) Manisha Chaudhary; Abhijeet Biswas
Purpose: A nation's economic development is adversely affected by the rising population and the lack of employment opportunities, necessitating the promotion of entrepreneurial activities. This study aims to unfurl the critical factors shaping university students' entrepreneurial intentions (EI) in an emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach: The study assessed the EI of 640 university students across India's top 5 central universities through structural equation modeling by extending the entrepreneurial event model (EEM) and dark triad theory. Mediation and moderation techniques were used to examine the model's direct and indirect linkages. Findings: The results show that propensity to act (PTA), perceived resilience (PRS) and narcissism (NAR) magnify desirability, significantly increasing students' EI. The association between the underlying constructs is partially mediated by the PTA and perceived desirability (PD). In addition, the linkage between PD and students' EI is strengthened by the pursuit of excellence (PoE) and weakened by perceived risk (PR). Research limitations/implications: The study's findings could assist educators, universities, aspiring entrepreneurs, financial institutions, policymakers, investors, venture capitalists, incubators and accelerators in reinforcing entrepreneurial culture in India by establishing a link between crucial personality traits and intentions to start entrepreneurial ventures. Originality/value: Personality traits such as NAR, resilience and the PoE have not received much attention in the entrepreneurship literature and call for a rigorous inquiry. The study tries to embrace these dominant personality traits by broadening the perspectives of EEM and dark triad theory via a comprehensive conceptual model. It also explores the role of the PoE and PR as moderators to examine the possible association between the identified constructs. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Do narcissism and resilience personality traits ignite university students' desirability and entrepreneurial intentions? Moderation of pursuit of excellence and risk
(Emerald Publishing, 2025) Manisha Chaudhary; Abhijeet Biswas
Purpose: A nation's economic development is adversely affected by the rising population and the lack of employment opportunities, necessitating the promotion of entrepreneurial activities. This study aims to unfurl the critical factors shaping university students' entrepreneurial intentions (EI) in an emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach: The study assessed the EI of 640 university students across India's top 5 central universities through structural equation modeling by extending the entrepreneurial event model (EEM) and dark triad theory. Mediation and moderation techniques were used to examine the model's direct and indirect linkages. Findings: The results show that propensity to act (PTA), perceived resilience (PRS) and narcissism (NAR) magnify desirability, significantly increasing students' EI. The association between the underlying constructs is partially mediated by the PTA and perceived desirability (PD). In addition, the linkage between PD and students' EI is strengthened by the pursuit of excellence (PoE) and weakened by perceived risk (PR). Research limitations/implications: The study's findings could assist educators, universities, aspiring entrepreneurs, financial institutions, policymakers, investors, venture capitalists, incubators and accelerators in reinforcing entrepreneurial culture in India by establishing a link between crucial personality traits and intentions to start entrepreneurial ventures. Originality/value: Personality traits such as NAR, resilience and the PoE have not received much attention in the entrepreneurship literature and call for a rigorous inquiry. The study tries to embrace these dominant personality traits by broadening the perspectives of EEM and dark triad theory via a comprehensive conceptual model. It also explores the role of the PoE and PR as moderators to examine the possible association between the identified constructs. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Does M-payment service quality and perceived value co-creation participation magnify M-payment continuance usage intention? Moderation of usefulness and severity
(Emerald Publishing, 2023) Neha Kumari; Abhijeet Biswas
Purpose: Demonetization and pandemic-related restrictions in India propelled the usage of mobile payments (M-payments). The culture of online smartphone transactions is expected to rise over the coming years, even after things return to normal. This study aims to unveil the factors that escalate the satisfaction levels of M-payment users and eventually stimulate them to continue using M-payments for their daily activities. Design/methodology/approach: This study evaluated the intention to continue using M-payments for 710 users utilizing structural equation modeling and augmenting the technology acceptance model (TAM) as well as the expectation confirmation model (ECM). Mediation and moderation analysis examined the proposed model's direct and indirect relationships. Findings: The findings unveil that perceived value co-creation participation, service quality and cognitive processing magnify user satisfaction, significantly escalating M-payment continuance usage intention. Perceived value co-creation participation and user satisfaction with M-payment partially mediate the linkage among the constructs. Furthermore, perceived usefulness strengthens the link, while perceived severity of security threats weakens the linkage between user satisfaction with M-payment and continuance usage intention. Research limitations/implications: The study's findings could benefit M-payment service providers, users, policymakers and the telecom industry to strengthen India's digital payment framework. Originality/value: The perceived value co-creation participation and cognitive processing domain have not garnered much attention in the M-payment literature. The study strives to comprehend these constructs by widening the purview of TAM and ECM models. It also measures the moderating role of perceived severity of security threats and perceived usefulness to unfurl potential linkages between the identified constructs. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Elucidating the role of digital technologies in bridling the ramifications of COVID-19 in restaurant services: moderation of pandemic susceptibility and severity
(Emerald Publishing, 2023) Abhijeet Biswas
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to augment the perceived service quality (PSQ) dimensions as well as evaluate the effects of pandemic susceptibility and severity by appending crucial enablers of customer satisfaction (CS) in the restaurant industry (RI). Design/methodology/approach: The top 10 restaurants from Mumbai and Kolkata were selected based on the Conde Nast Traveller Magazine List, 2020. The study used a cross-sectional design to collect responses from 840 respondents across the two major metropolitans of India after the second wave of COVID-19 by employing a structured questionnaire. The proffered hypotheses in this study were validated using factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques. Findings: This research espies pivotal facilitators of CS and customers' perceived value (CPV). The results divulge that food quality (FQ) and tangibility dimensions markedly enhance CS while the FQ and digital technologies (DT) dimensions augment CPV in Indian restaurants. The study asserts that CPV acts as a partial mediator between FQ and DT on the one hand and CS on the other. In addition, perceived pandemic susceptibility (PPSU) and perceived pandemic severity (PPSE) moderate the association between CPV and CS in restaurants. Research limitations/implications: This study exemplifies the critical enablers of CS and CPV that may invigorate restaurant owners, managers and policymakers to prioritize the identified dimensions to aggrandize CS and CPV quotients. Originality/value: The study enriches the literature by assimilating DT and CPV dimensions in a comprehensive theoretical framework. The research is unique in attempting to unfurl the moderating effects of PPSU and PPSE in the RI. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Engine of entrepreneurial intentions: revisiting personality traits with entrepreneurial education
(Emerald Group Holdings Ltd., 2022) Abhijeet Biswas; Rohit Kumar Verma
Purpose: The intent to start an entrepreneurial venture is predisposed by certain personality traits. The study aims to analyze the impact of various identified personality traits and entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intentions of management students. Design/methodology/approach: The data for the study were gathered from 440 students of top 5 management institutes in India. The study used a cross-sectional design and structured questionnaire based on seven-point Likert scale and was administered employing a purposive sampling method. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to validate posited hypotheses in the study. Findings: The study discerns that apart from agreeableness dimension of personality traits, all remaining identified dimensions along with entrepreneurial education had a significant influence on entrepreneurial intentions of management students with need for achievement emerging as the most important enabler. Conscientiousness was the major dimension among big five personality traits bearing a positive influence, while neuroticism registered a negative impact on entrepreneurial intentions. In addition, results bespeak that entrepreneurial education partially mediates the effect of need for achievement, locus of control and innovativeness on entrepreneurial intentions. Research limitations/implications: The compendious model proffered in the study might be helpful for students, educators, consultants, financial institutions and policymakers in appreciating the gravity of underlying personality traits. Originality/value: There is a dearth of research on big five personality traits and entrepreneurial education as enablers of entrepreneurial intentions. The study attempts to integrate big five personality traits model with dimensions of need for achievement, locus of control, innovativeness and entrepreneurial education for management students in India. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.
From chaos to clarity: investigating the role of mindfulness, mental well-being and spiritual awakening in shaping Kumbh Mela revisit intention
(Emerald Publishing, 2025) Peu Saha; Abhijeet Biswas; Neha Kumari
Purpose – Mental well-being is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle and a positive outlook toward life. For centuries, religiosity and spirituality have played a significant role in supporting mental health. The study explores how the religious festival of “Kumbh Mela” contributes to mental well-being by examining the factors that shape thought transformation and the Kumbh Mela revisit intention (KMRI). Our research is grounded in a contemplative psychology framework to deepen our understanding of these transformative experiences. Design/methodology/approach – We employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to extend the contemplative psychology framework within the context of the religious festivals. A survey was conducted with 635 individuals who visited the Maha Kumbh Mela. Mediation analysis also explored direct and indirect relationships within the model. Findings – Our findings suggest that thought transformation is positively influenced by mental well-being, mindfulness and the acquisition of spiritual and religious knowledge, which ignite KMRI. Furthermore, thought transformation, mindfulness and mental well-being mediate the relationships between the underlying constructs. Research limitations/implications – The study’s findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, local communities, NGOs, saint akhadas, pilgrims and visitors. Originality/value – Many pilgrims participate in the Kumbh Mela for spiritual solace and personal transformation. However, there is limited empirical evidence on how this sacred experience influences psychological resilience, emotional healing, knowledge gain and spiritual awakening. This study makes a theoretical contribution by deepening the understanding of the relationships among mental well-being, mindfulness, spiritual and religious knowledge gain and thought transformation in the context of religious festivals. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited
From mindset to market: unveiling the nexus of cognition, behavior and environment in igniting students’ E-entrepreneurial intentions
(Emerald Publishing, 2024) Manisha Chaudhary; Abhijeet Biswas
Purpose: India has witnessed a significant surge in internet users in recent years, creating an ideal environment for E-entrepreneurship. With the rise of E-commerce and the growth of the digital economy, there is tremendous potential for online businesses in developing nations. Our study outlines the behavioral, cognitive, and environmental aspects shaping students' E-entrepreneurial intentions (EEI). Design/methodology/approach: Our study incorporated structural equation modeling (SEM), social cognitive theory (SCT), and entrepreneurial event model (EEM) to evaluate the EEI of 460 students from India's top five engineering institutes. The direct and indirect linkages in the model were examined by employing mediation and moderation analysis. Findings: Our findings reveal that behavioral, environmental, and cognitive factors facilitate evaluating feasibility, further igniting students' EEI. The cognitive factors and E-entrepreneurial feasibility (EEF) mediate the relationship between the underlying constructs. Furthermore, financial resource availability (FRA) strengthens, and loss aversion bias(LAB) weakens the linkage between EEF and EEM. Research limitations/implications: The study's findings may benefit online innovation communities, potential technopreneurs, financial institutions, and policymakers in improving the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Originality/value: The study integrates psychological and sociological perspectives to understand the key facilitators of EEF and EEI. The study combines SCT and the EEM by appending crucial constructs such as FRA and LAB to broaden the horizons of EEI. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.
From passion to profit: unveiling the strengths of proactive mindset, perseverance, excellence and education in the entrepreneurial success of MSMEs
(Emerald Publishing, 2024) Abhijeet Biswas
Purpose: The study investigates the linkage between personality traits and firm performance. It examines the role of the pursuit of excellence, perseverance, a proactive mindset and formal education in determining the entrepreneurial success of MSMEs. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 432 MSME entrepreneurs using a structured questionnaire from India's two major industrial towns to analyze the impact of personality traits on firm performance. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to assess the direct and indirect relationships with the help of mediation analysis. Findings: The findings assert that personality traits improve firm performance and determine the success of MSMEs. The results reveal that the need for achievement, a proactive mindset and the pursuit of excellence are crucial to firm performance. In addition, formal education mediates between perseverance and the pursuit of excellence personality attributes on the one side and firm performance on the other. Research limitations/implications: The research has various theoretical and practical implications for entrepreneurs, financial institutions and policymakers. The results could be productively used to nurture the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. Originality/value: Although research on personality traits as a driver of firm performance is growing, the pursuit of excellence, perseverance and proactive mindset attributes as enablers of firm performance have not garnered much attention. The study presents a precise conceptual model by integrating the aforementioned dimensions in the backdrop of an emerging market. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Green market segmentation and consumer profiling: a cluster approach to an emerging consumer market
(Emerald Group Holdings Ltd., 2021) Deepak Jaiswal; Vikrant Kaushal; Pankaj Kumar Singh; Abhijeet Biswas
Purpose: In the present era of green consumerism, consumers are shifting towards sustainable consumption with the rising demand of green products. Despite consumers' demand of such products, their attitudes towards eco-friendly practices can neither be the same for different consumer groups nor can be treated as they all are equally green. The purpose of this study is to operationalize the green market segmentation based on demographic, psychographic and behavioural characterization in the Indian context of green consumerism. Design/methodology/approach: The deductive approach of questionnaire survey method has been adapted to collect the responses from convenience sampling of Indian consumers using the measured constructs concerning to green consumer psychology. The data were analyzed by applying multivariate techniques of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), cluster and discriminant analysis. Findings: The results revealed that the three distinctive set of consumer groups are evolved as “keen greens”, “moderate greens” and “reluctant greens” based on the eight cognitive variables used in this study, namely environmental concern (EC), perceived environmental knowledge (PEK), perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE), perception of eco-label, perception of eco-brand and environmental advertisements, green purchase intention (GPI) and green purchasing behaviour (GPB) in the Indian context. Research limitations/implications: The research findings may lack its generalizability in the Indian context, as the survey strategy is confined with the most populated territory of India. To provide its robustness, the future studies need more heterogeneous sample across the country. The research findings could provide the key insights into policymakers and enterprises in the framing of marketing strategies to promote green consumerism in the setting of emerging economies. Originality/value: There is dearth of literature concerning to green consumer segmentation based on the “attitude–intention–behaviour” approach in the Indian context. Therefore, the present study endeavours to manifest a holistic description of green consumer classification based on demographic, psychographic and behavioural characterization. At Prima facie, the study is the first that elucidates consumers' segments profile by incorporating environmental cognitive factors from both the perspectives; “consumers” inner stimuli' and “external green marketing cues”, especially in the indigenous Indian setting. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Igniting the Flames of Entrepreneurial Intentions: Unravelling the Dynamics of Perceived Business Feasibility,  Self-perceived Altruism, Innovativeness and Uncertainty  Among University Students
(Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd, 2024) Manisha Chaudhary; Abhijeet Biswas
The study seeks to elucidate the enablers shaping students’ entrepreneurial intentions across India’s top five central universities. The study evaluated the entrepreneurial intentions of 730 university students utilizing structural equation modelling and augmenting the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the entrepreneurial event model (EEM) and the social entrepreneurship theory (SET). Mediation and moderation techniques facilitated the examination of the direct and indirect linkages in the model. The findings reveal that perceived behavioural control (PBC), entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norms and self-perceived altruism magnify perceived business feasibility (PBF), significantly escalating students’ entrepreneurial intentions. PBC and PBF partially mediate the relationship among the underlying constructs. In addition, perceived innovativeness reinforces the association, while perceived uncertainty weakens the association between PBF and students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The study’s findings could help policymakers, social entrepreneurs, educational institutions, impact investors and global development agencies strengthen India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Self-perceived altruism and PBF have not received adequate attention in entrepreneurship. We attempt to embrace these constructs and crucial personality traits by extending the horizons of TPB, EEM and SET using a precise conceptual model. © 2024 International Management Institute, New Delhi.
Investigating service innovation, bank reputation and customer trust: evidence from Indian retail banking
(Emerald Group Holdings Ltd., 2022) Abhijeet Biswas; Deepak Jaiswal; Rishi Kant
Purpose: Global proliferation had a noteworthy impact on the Indian retail banking industry and mushrooming banks have entailed to emphasize on customer satisfaction (CS) quotient to remain competitive. This study aims to illuminate determinants of CS and customer trust (CT) and their denouement in Indian retail banking. Design/methodology/approach: The top six Indian private sector banks were selected hinged on market capitalization. A total of 460 responses from retail bank customers were gathered using a structured questionnaire. Direct and indirect relationships were analyzed with mediation and moderation by using structural equation modeling. Findings: The study identifies determinants of CS and CT. The results manifest that perceived service innovation (PSI) and bank reputation (BR) considerably aggrandize CS and CT. Furthermore, CS strikingly magnifies customer loyalty (CL). The study also posits that CT partially mediates between the nexus of PSI and BR on the one side and CS on the other. Moreover, perceived risk moderates the association between CS and loyalty. Research limitations/implications: The study demonstrates indispensable drivers of CS, CT and CL which may encourage bank professionals to hold on to their customers and enhance profitability. Originality/value: Here is a dearth of literature on PSI and BR in the Indian banking industry. Thus, the study supplements literature by assimilating these constructs through a compendious conceptual model. The study is distinct as it evaluates mediating effects of CT in unfurling complexities of relationships among the underlying constructs. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Join the ‘EV'olution: the interplay of mass media awareness, politics of environmentalism, and social perception in driving public EV usage intention
(Emerald Publishing, 2025) Apoorva Singh; Abhijeet Biswas
Purpose – The growing concern for environmental sustainability and emphasis on the reduction of carbon emissions have made public electric vehicles (PEVs) a promising solution to the transportation issues in metropolitan regions. The study aims to identify the drivers and inhibitors influencing public EV usage intention (PEVUI). Design/methodology/approach – The research assessed the PEVUI among 585 respondents through structural equation modeling (SEM), integrating and augmenting the media-based perception and adoption model (MPAM) with the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) framework. The study examined both direct and indirect relationships within the proposed model, providing a clear picture of the factors shaping PEVUI. Findings – Our results convey that commuters' intentions to use PEVs are driven by effort expectancy (EE), performance expectancy (PE), social perception (SP), perceived complexities, and hedonic motivation (HM). In addition, mass media awareness and the politics of environmentalism reflect a positive influence on HM and SP, further shaping PEVUI. Research limitations/implications – Our findings may help government agencies, the automotive industry, environmental organizations, daily commuters, and the broader Indian society strengthen the electric mobility sector. Originality/value – The existing literature has not emphasized the importance of mass media awareness and the politics of environmentalism in shaping EV usage intention. This study addresses these gaps to enhance the understanding and contribute to the broader discourse on PEVUI. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited