Digital technology has transformed financial transactions worldwide, but rural India is slowly adopting it. This study compares digital payments in rural Punjab to identify challenges and opportunities for adoption. Digital payment methods are becoming more popular, but they face significant obstacles. Like Poor internet connectivity, limited financial literacy, and cultural change resistance are major obstacles. However, government initiatives like Digital India can improve digital infrastructure and financial literacy. Financial institutions and technology providers should tailor solutions to rural communities' needs. Policymakers, financial institutions, and technology providers can use this study's recommendations to increase rural digital payment adoption and efficiency. The study emphasizes the need for ongoing engagement with rural populations to understand their needs and preferences. Financial literacy and internet infrastructure upgrades can close the digital payment adoption gap between urban and rural areas. Government, financial institutions, and tech firms must work together to drive the digital payment revolution and make financial services more accessible and inclusive for rural communities.

The study examined the causes burnout and stress among doctors and proposed the interventions to reduce it. Secondary data was collected from research papers and different studies. The study showed that the changes in the medical industry's operations and procedures have sparked debate about whether they have a negative effect on patient outcomes. Physicians are more likely to encounter stress and burnout in the course of their work. Doctors' job stressors range from patient care to the workplace culture. Increased stress and fatigue lead to poor decision making, a negative attitude toward patients, and serious medical mistakes. Among the things that lead to burnout in healthcare professionals' employment are stressors associated with workload, managing patients' suffering, and disagreements at work. The effects on doctors' physical and mental health are obvious, but there is also the issue of their staffing shortage. The study recommended that a positive work environment reduces burnout by promoting work-life balance and job security. Positive work environments can be created through increasing resilience and work engagement at the individual doctor level. Stress management techniques are also essential for medical faculty because they enhance job satisfaction, which in turn promotes better doctor-patient outcomes and fewer medical errors. By addressing burnout symptoms, meditation and mindfulness training may help lower anxiety and work-related stress. Individualized professional coaching for stress management has also been acknowledged as a successful strategy by several studies.

The purpose of this study was to survey retail investors to determine the relationship between investment literacy and demographics. For this purpose, age, gender, education, annual household income, occupation, marital status, number of dependents in the household, and area of residential are considered demographic factors, and their relationship with investment literacy is studied. The sample for the study consisted of 434 retail investors from the northern region of India. Data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of 16 questions. The first category comprised questions such as gender, age, educational qualification, area of living, annual household income, occupation, marital status, and number of dependents in the household. The second category comprised 8 multiple-choice questions that tested retail investors' knowledge of basic investment calculations, their understanding of financial markets and products, and their knowledge of risk and diversification. One-way ANOVA was used to find out the relationship between demographic factors and investment literacy. The findings showedthat age, education, marital status, gender, and number of dependents did not significantly influence the level of investment literacy among retail investors. In contrast, the area of living, occupation, and annual household income showed significant effects. Retail investors from Delhi/NCR and Chandigarh, salaried individuals, and those with higher household income reported a higher level ofinvestment literacy compared to their counterparts from rural areas, those self-employed or not regularly employed, and those with lower household income.

This study examines gender differences in personality traits and emotional intelligence (EI) among 150 graduate-level management students in Punjab. By utilizing the Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI) and the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), the research investigates how personality traits affect EI across genders. The findings reveal significant differences in specific personality traits and EI components, particularly in agreeableness, neuroticism, empathy, and interpersonal relationships. These results highlights the need for gender-specific approaches in management education to improve the development of leadership and emotional skills in both male and female students.

Women's participation in Indian agriculture is crucial for ensuring food security and economic sustainability. Despite their significant contributions, women often remain marginalized, with limited access to resources, decision-making, and recognition within the agricultural sector. This paper explores the dynamics of women's participation in agriculture by analyzing their roles as cultivators, laborers, and entrepreneurs. The study examines the challenges faced by women, including wage disparities, lack of access to credit, and inadequate technological support, and also examines the government schemes and programs. An analysis of the paper assesses the role of women in the agriculture sector based on census data. It studies work participation in agriculture and non-agricultural sectors by gender, including the proportion of agricultural workers as a share of total workers and the ranking of women among agricultural workers. The interplay of government policies, rural development initiatives, and grassroots organizations is also evaluated to understand their impact on empowering women in agriculture. The findings suggest that economic empowerment for women is essential; financial inclusion through easily available credit, microfinance, and women-friendly banking services is crucial. Policies should incorporate gender-sensitive strategies into agricultural planning, provide safe working conditions, and enforce wage equality.

This study explores how variations in workplace composition, particularly leadership roles held by individuals of different genders and cultural backgrounds, relate to the overall effectiveness of multinational organizations. Using secondary data from 15 multinational firms across various industries, focusing on the representation of female and minority leaders in senior positions, and any association with financial performance indicators, including Return on Assets (ROA) and profit margin. The results from multiple linear regression indicate that ethnic minority representation in leadership has a moderately positive effect on ROA, with a correlation coefficient of 0.53. However, the regression had an overall p-value > 0.05, which is expected given the small sample size. The observed trend suggests that ethnic diversity in leadership may contribute more meaningfully to performance than gender diversity alone. Correlation analysis also indicated a notable alignment between ROA and profit margin, validating the financial consistency of the sample data. Overall, the findings highlight the potential strategic advantage of fostering leadership diversity, particularly ethnic representation, within multinational organizations. Future research using larger and potentially more granular data projects might assist in strengthening the generalizability of these findings.

The digital era marks a critical inflection point in the evolution of talent acquisition, driven by the convergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous AI agents, and skills-based workforce architectures. This study examines how these digital transformations are reshaping talent acquisition practices and their implications for sustainable talent management across organizations. Adopting a qualitative secondary data analysis methodology, the research synthesizes insights from leading industry reports published between 2023 and early 2026, including Korn Ferry, Deloitte, Mercer, Gartner, and Employ Inc. Findings indicate that a significant majority of talent leaders plan to integrate AI into recruitment processes, while predictive analytics in hiring can reduce unwanted turnover by up to 50%. However, only a small proportion of organizations are adequately prepared to manage the transition, highlighting a significant in gap governance and capability. In response, the study proposes the Human–AI Talent Orchestration (HATO) framework, which integrates digital recruitment infrastructure, analytics, employer branding, and ethical governance to align talent acquisition with long-term sustainability goals. The findings offer important implications for HR leaders and policy-makers in designing resilient, inclusive, and future-ready workforce strategies in an AI-driven environment.

The study explores how features of influencer content and influencer trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness help produce user-generated content (UGC) on social media, through their important roles in perceived value and customer engagement. The research surveyed 220 active Instagram users between 18 and 35 from Chandigarh (tricity), using a clear online questionnaire. The analysis revealed that, when an influencer is authentic, informative, and credible, consumers value the interactions more, which increases their engagement and contribution of user-generated content. Both perceived value and engagement by consumers help to link influencer characteristics to fans creating content. The research provides suggestions to influencers and marketers. If brands pay more attention to engaging and meaningful content, many users might be encouraged to join in the discussion. This study builds on the field of influencer marketing by exploring how people move from learning about products to engaging in activities related to those products.

The incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in music streaming platforms has altered the methods by which users discover, engage with, and consume music. AI driven innovations have transformed personalization, content curation, and user engagement, enhancing the precision and customization of music recommendations to align with individual interests. Streaming systems such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora utilize AI-driven recommendation models, including collaborative filtering, content-based filtering, and hybrid methods, to improve user experience and boost retention. Moreover, AI is employed for the development of dynamic playlists, mood oriented recommendations, and predictive analytics, providing consumers with meticulously tailored and responsive listening experiences. In addition to recommendations, AI is essential for enhancing audio quality, automating metadata tagging, and identifying copyright infringements, hence improving the efficiency of music streaming services. The integration of AI poses challenges like algorithmic bias, data privacy issues, and ethical considerations related to automated decision-making in content dissemination. Notwithstanding these hurdles, AI continues to transform the music streaming sector, affecting consumer behavior and redesigning company tactics. This study investigates the influence of AI on the transformation of music streaming services and highlights its effects on users and the industry. Using academic literature, business patterns, and case studies, this paper offers a thorough examination of the ways in which AI is influencing the future of digital music consumption and improving music streaming.

The proliferation of social media has reshaped consumer culture globally, exerting a profound influence on purchasing behaviours, identity construction, and aspirational desires. In parallel, the counterfeit luxury industry has expanded into a multi-billion-dollar phenomenon, undermining legitimate markets and raising ethical, economic, and social concerns. While extant research has explored economic and demographic factors in counterfeit consumption, limited scholarly attention has been paid to the role of social media in normalizing counterfeit luxury purchases. This paper offers a theoretical exploration of how social media exposure — via influencers, aspirational content, and peer comparisons — contributes to counterfeit luxury consumption. Drawing on Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Neutralization Theory, Social Learning Theory, and Aspirational Consumption perspectives, this study proposes a conceptual framework linking social media exposure, consumer attitudes, and counterfeit purchase intentions, with moderators such as age, culture, and perceived risk. The paper contributes to theoretical development by integrating digital media studies with counterfeit luxury research and provides implications for brand managers, policymakers, and academics.