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‘Dalits’ are considered to be the marginalized section in India. In the social milieu of this country, they are excluded from the variants of life. This chapter is a modest attempt to construct an aggregative picture of social exclusion of Dalit Groups at district level in India. It is generally claimed that social exclusion is captured in brackets of non-attainment, particularly in the spheres of livelihood, education and health. However, a true index of exclusion should include of not only non-attainment but the pangs of injustice meted out to them. Such injustice may take various forms (such as crime against Dalits, non-caring of the girl child and so on). Such injustice eats into the gains of social attainment. The speciality of our index is that it includes these variables of social injustice together with the traditional indicator of non-attainment. For the construction of this index, the study has used the standard techniques of principal component analysis (PCA) with negative weights for the attributes of injustice. In order to arrive at a comparable figure, standardization of the variables is encapsulated. In explaining the differences of index value, it has taken recourse to a large fallacy of robustness that is to arrive at the conclusion. Fiducial methods have been used to arrive at a more commendable figure. The analysis shows a close relationship between Dalit Exclusion Index (DEI) and a number of variables. General impression is that as the general wellbeing of people rises, there is a fall in the Dalit exclusion. Also, it is shown that public policy have strong effect on redresser of Dalit exclusion.

It is recognised that environmental air pollution is one of the global problems and is a common problem for both developing as well as developed countries. In the era of globalisation, it is the most important global environmental issue. In general, urban air quality is becoming vulnerable especially in the developing countries due to adopting various developmental schemes. Air pollution problem in Kolkata, capital city of West Bengal, is under serious for a long day. As per guidelines of World Health Organization, for residential areas, air pollution level in Kolkata is considerably higher than the standard enumerated. There are several types of air pollutants which are continuously exposing the air of Kolkata. West Bengal pollution control board (WBPCB) has been monitoring ambient air quality (AAQ) for the parameters viz. suspected particulate matters (SPM), respiratory particulate matters (RPM), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and lead (Pb) in Kolkata throughout the years. Present study has been designed to determine the vertical floor-wise air quality status of the city of Kolkata and the seasonal variation of the pollutants over the consecutive years from 2011 to 2017. It is demonstrated that the air pollution is the highest in the winter due to dry weather, second is festive season followed by winter due to heavy movement of vehicles and pedestrians for festival shoppings as well as pandel hoppings and then next is summer. But coming to the point of rainy season, this is the lowest due to wetted air or wind of monsoon. This chapter attempts to understand the long-run trend of air pollution as the periodical average value suggests.

Mangroves constitute an important ecosystem because of their global extent and high productivity. These plants thrive in the intertidal zones of the tropics and subtropics that are characterized by regular tidal inundation and fluctuating salinity. Mangrove species are well adapted, both morphologically and physiologically, to survive under saline conditions, but in hypersaline environment their growth is reduced. The present chapter is a critical analysis on the impact of salinity on the growth of a common mangrove species (Hertiera fomes). The analysis has been carried out in the framework of Indian Sundarbans, which has contrasting salinity profiles in different segments owing to barrage discharge and siltation phenomena. Analysis of the decadal profile of salinity indicates a gradual lowering in the western Indian Sundarbans due to Farrakka barrage discharge and run-off from catchments. The central sector, however, exhibits a contrasting picture of increment of aquatic salinity through time, mainly due to disconnection of the Bidyadhari River with the Ganga–Bhagrirathi–Hooghly River system (in the western part). This has made the Matla River in the central Indian Sundarbans hypersaline in nature (that used to get water from the Bidyadhari River) finally leading to an insecure ecological condition for the growth and survival of mangroves. The possible remedial measures to combat the situation have also been listed considering the ecological framework of the study zone.

This report provides a framework to better understand how constraints faced by companies and their customers in emerging markets can be converted into competitive advantage and thereby into factors for growth.

Based on a literature review, a framework is developed to understand how companies can generate competitive advantage from constraints that affect companies, their customers or both. The framework is explained with case studies of Indian companies and multinational organizations (MNCs) operating in India.

A multitude of constraints affect companies operating in emerging markets such as India. India is an emerging market where MNCs would like to have a presence but are deterred by constraints. Some of these constraints affect companies, while others affect customers. Although many multinational organizations are struggling to meet their business goals in India, many local companies and some MNCs have successfully navigated the constraints and managed to grow by building these constraints into their business models. They gained competitive advantage by either differentiating their products and services or modifying their processes.

We provide a framework that will guide executives on how companies can generate competitive advantage through products and processes by working around constraints. We also provide guidelines on how to sustain these competitive advantages generated from constraint‐driven strategies. Failure to include these constraints into business models will adversely affect the growth plans of companies operating in India and other emerging markets.

The paper makes a unique contribution in articulating how competitive advantage can be generated from the very constraints that threaten the growth of business. This study also makes a distinction between constraints that can affect companies and those that affect customers of goods and services. This understanding will guide executives on where to focus their efforts while navigating constraints. Further, this paper shows how executives can consider a parallel stream of innovation for growth while operating in emerging markets.

Food supply chains (FSCs) are becoming increasingly complex and vulnerable to recall risks due to quality failures. Measures for supply chain risk management can minimize these recall risks. However, this responsibility must be shared by all stakeholders in the chain. This study aims to analyze the roles of different stakeholders in managing risks in the events of food recalls.

A systematic literature review was carried out, and 110 articles were explored to identify risk management actions and to link them to the role of stakeholders involved in FSC recall.

The study found that nine stakeholders were responsible for 25 hazard management actions related to food safety and traceability systems, regulatory and preventive measures, and control and response mechanisms for food recalls in the FSC.

This article contributes to the literature by proposing an explanatory map associating risk management actions to different stakeholders in food recall. The actions were grouped according to whether they were prevention actions to avoid a food recall or contention actions to limit the negative economic effects and maintain the health of the population.