Businesses today face serious challenges as they take a step forward through unprecedented economic uncertainty, and further, with the advent of strategic tools in management process, it is evident that a new approach towards the business problems becomes imminent. The bottomline is that digital innovation has disrupted the whole business landscape and thus, the old case studies are no longer relevant to replicate and solve identical problems in the changing times. Following this spirit, many upcoming scholars are devoting their attention to the emerging trends in the business world with a critical mindset. The current issue makes an attempt in this direction by focusing on contemporary challenges faced by the business organizations in the light of macroeconomic developments.

The story of Indian economy in the post-independent era has been a saga of ups and downs in tune with various external and internal factors. Adding a new dimension to the existing literature, the study of monetary policies in relation to exchange rates is an interesting element of this issue. In the first paper, “The Relation Between Policy Rates and Exchange Rates: An Indian Perspective”, the authors, C N M Lavanya and Shivappa, throw light on the relationship between policy rates like repo and reverse repo rates, in addition to the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rates in the light of changing global scenarios, to bring out the intricacies of policy making. By taking insights from policy rates, the authors attempt to examine how during the period 2011-2016, the different dynamics influenced the exchange rate fluctuations. The findings of the paper go a long way in providing directions to the policy analysts.

Any attempt to sustain the business in the volatile business cycles in the wake of changing customer preferences is to be based on certain strategic policy imperatives and it becomes more evident in the case of Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs). In the second paper, “Financial Sustainability: A Study on the Current Status of Farmer Producer Companies in Northeast India”, the authors, Shivam Kakati and Arup Roy, study for the first time the business models followed by FPCs operating in Northeast India from the business viability angle. The core financial indicators like economic performance, bankruptcy, working capital flows, net financial liabilities, asset sustainability, and cash flow from operating activities are considered in this paper.

In-depth study of agro-based industries like poultry farming which create tremendous work engagement in the rural economy by engaging the unorganized labor force is another step towards improving the understanding about the agro industries, leading to a new direction in policy making. In the third paper, “Non-Contract Broiler Poultry Farming in Visakhapatnam District: Problems and Profitability”, the authors, Sabbineni Poojitha and Rajeshwari Panigrahi, bring to the limelight some of the problems faced by the non-contract poultry farmers in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. The study suggests a cooperative model to help the farmers overcome these constraints. Further, it highlights that financial support needs to be extended to them to help them progress.

The concept of universalizing the life insurance coverage without any discrimination has become an interesting topic of research in recent times. In the last paper, “Universalization of Life Insurance Scheme: A Feasibility Study”, the authors, Manu Jain and Lalitagouri Kulkarni, present the concept of extending life insurance coverage to the vulnerable sections of Indian population by debating the viability of the existing schemes. This is another good piece of research as it goes a long way in identifying the loopholes in the system.