The Meaning of Yoga

<正>Last year,Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the UN General Assembly to observe June21 as the International Day of Yoga.The date is also important in Hindu philosophy as it is when Lord Shiva,the first yoga practitioner,is said to have begun imparting the knowledge of yoga to the rest of mankind,thus becoming the discipline’s first guru.On June 21,India broke two world records as thousands led by Modi performed yoga at Rajpath,a     

Examining the relationship between corporate social responsibility,corporate reputation and brand equity in Indian banking industry

This study is an attempt to explain the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate reputation, and brand equity in India's banking sector. The study uses Carroll's Pyramid of CSR and the ‘triple bottom line concept’ as the theoretical bases for proposing a conceptual model. The data pertaining to 482 saving bank customers were analysed using structural equation modelling for this study. The integrated effect of CSR and corporate reputation on brand equity has been examined using the analyses of both the direct and indirect model paths. The findings show that corporate reputation partially mediates the relationship between CSR and brand equity, and that there exists a direct relationship between CSR and brand equity. This research has significant implications for CSR managers seeking to gain a competitive advantage in the industry by focusing upon the CSR activities that help an organisation build a positive corporate reputation, leading to a high level of brand equity.     

Violence,Guns, and Suicide in New Orleans: Results from a Qualitative Study of Recent Suicide Decedents

Many Americans own guns to protect themselves against other people, but there is evidence that both victimization and gun access increase suicide risk. We conducted qualitative interviews with informants of 17 suicide cases in New Orleans of the 60 who died between January 2015 and April 2016 to understand the relationship between past trauma, gun access and storage, and suicide. Nine cases had experienced a past trauma, including three who had recently had a family member killed by homicide. Eight died via firearm; of those, seven owned the guns they used to take their lives and stored them locked (but loaded) at home or in their cars. Preventing community violence and addressing its sequelae may be important for reducing suicides. A multi‐pronged strategy consisting of policies, education, and marketing will likely be needed to address the risk of suicide conferred by gun access.     

Awareness and quality of knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS among women in India

This paper examines the determinants of women's knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS using data from a nationally representative survey in India. Although around 45 per cent of sample women had heard about the disease, their knowledge regarding its modes of transmission and prevention is found to be limited. To explore the possibility that there may be a different process that determines awareness as opposed to quality of knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS, a negative binomial hurdle model and a two-stage ordered probit model are estimated. The results show that the effect of several covariates, such as education and mass media, on awareness is different from their effect on quality of knowledge.     

Government fragmentation versus fiscal decentralization and corruption

This research examines the influence of government decentralization on corruption in the United States. Previous research has focused primarily on fiscal decentralization. We address whether the structure of local governments??measured in terms of the scope of services offered and the population served??has a bearing on corruption. Results show that government decentralization does not necessarily reduce corruption??the type of decentralization matters. Specifically, more general-purpose governments contribute to corruption. In contrast, the effect of special-purpose governments is mixed. The findings uniquely reveal the tension between fiscal decentralization and fragmented local governments in terms of impacts on corruption.