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This experimental study aims to deal with the improvement of process performance of electric discharge drilling (EDD) for fabricating true blind holes in titanium alloy Ti6Al4V. Micro EDD was performed on Ti6Al4V and blind holes were drilled into the workpiece.

The effects of input parameters (i.e. voltage, capacitance and spindle speed) on responses (i.e. material removal rate, tool wear rate and surface roughness [SR]) were evaluated through response surface methodology. The data was analyzed using analysis of variance and multi-optimization was performed for the optimized set of parameters. The optimized process parameters were then used to drill deeper blind holes.

Blind holes have few characteristics such as SR, taper angle and corner radius. The value of corner radius reflects the quality of the hole produced as well as the amount of tool roundness. The optimized process parameters suggested by the current experimental study lower down the response values (i.e. SR, taper angle and corner radius). The process is found very effective in producing finished blind holes.

This experimental study establishes EDD as a feasible process for the fabrication of truly blind holes in Ti6Al4V.

The purpose of this paper is to predict the machining performance of electrical discharge machining of Ti-13Nb-13Zr (TNZ) alloy, a promising biomedical alloy, using artificial neural networks (ANN) models.

In the research, three major performance characteristics, i.e. the material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR) and surface roughness (SR), were chosen for the study. The input parameters for machining were the voltage, current, pulse-on time and pulse-off time. For the ANN model, a two-layer feedforward network with sigmoid hidden neurons and linear output neurons were chosen. Levenberg–Marquardt backpropagation algorithm was used to train the neural networks.

The optimal ANN structure comprises four neurons in input layer, ten neurons in hidden layer and one neuron in the output layer (4–10-1). In predicting MRR, the 60–20-20 data split provides the lowest MSE (0.0021179) and highest R-value for training (0.99976). On the contrary, the 70–15-15 data split results in the best performance in predicting both TWR and SR. The model achieves the lowest MSE and highest R-value for training in predicting TWR as 1.17E-06 and 0.84488, respectively. Increasing the number of hidden neurons of the network further deteriorates the performance. In predicting SR, the authors find the best MSE and R-value as 0.86748 and 0.94024, respectively.

This is a novel approach in performance prediction of electrical discharge machining in terms of new workpiece material (TNZ alloys).

The purpose of the study is to measure the performance level of halal compliance practices by the halal-certified restaurants in Malaysia and rank and rate them based on several dimensions of halal compliance.

A total of 320 halal restaurants were surveyed. The absolute measurement approach of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was applied to rank and rate the restaurants. Finally, ANOVA and independent t-test were applied to assess if there is any significant difference in halal compliance performance between different groups of the respondents.

The AHP application resulted in only 19 restaurants (5.94%) achieving an “Excellent” rating. A significant difference has been observed between different groups of the respondents regarding their halal compliance performance.

An onsite audit and ranking of all the restaurants in Malaysia were beyond the scope of the study. The research was able to rank only 320 restaurants across Malaysia.

The findings and methodology of the study will provide policymakers with a clear roadmap for establishing a comprehensive rating system in the fields of the halal food industry to enhance the quality and integrity of the halal food management system.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time an empirical approach, like AHP, has been used to determine how Malaysia’s halal-certified restaurants stack up against one another. Similar studies can be carried out in other sectors of the halal industry as well as in similar context.

Construction professionals are the major contributors to developing a sustainable construction industry, whereas architects, engineers and quantity surveyors are the key construction professionals who must play extraordinary roles in achieving better sustainable construction. Therefore, this study aims to identify the job attributes of key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing challenges associated with climate change.

The study adopted a mixed research approach. A literature review and preliminary semi-structured interviews were used to appraise the job roles of architects, engineers and quantity surveyors in addressing challenges associated with climate change. The data collected through the qualitative approach were used in an online questionnaire survey, and the findings were analysed using the relative index method.

The findings highlight that regardless of the knowledge of the professional category on green rating tools, carbon footprint, adaptation of renewable energies for the reduction of energy consumption, building information modelling-related applications and waste management concepts/practices are the foremost job attributes required for the key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing challenges associated with climate change.

The results from this study provide a handful of guidance to construction industry professionals, national and international professional institutions, non-governmental organisations and other relevant authorities to address climate change within the built environment by identifying ways for improving the relevant key job attributes of construction industry professionals.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that explores the job attributes of key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing the challenges associated with climate change.

Several initiatives have taken part in the sustainability assessment tools, especially on the neighbourhood scale. These tools have been developed as neighbourhood sustainability assessment tools (NSATs) in global and local settings. Despite the widespread use of NSATs over the last two decades, research on NSATs in Global South cities is currently limited. This review article synthesizes literature themes and provides research priorities for NSATs.

This paper presents a systematic review of 48 research articles on NSATs in cities of the Global South, conducted and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. A thematic synthesis of 18 articles was reviewed using content analysis to provide a thematic classification and research priorities that outline approaches and actions for implementation.

The results revealed five themes of NSATs for research tackling cities in the Global South, with one dominant theme related to case study-based frameworks and tools. The findings indicate a high level of affiliation contribution and research content focus within the Asian continent compared to the African continent and MENA region.

This study contributes to the bibliometric analysis of where the current body of research stands in NSATs. The added value highlights research priorities based on themes, spatial regions and tools.

Sustainable investments (SI) represent a promising class of investments, combining financial returns with mitigating environmental challenges, achieving SDG goals and creating a positive business impact. An enhanced global focus on climate change developments in the backdrop of COP26 and COP27, raised the need for comprehensive literature mapping, to understand the emerging themes and future research arenas in this field.

The authors apply a quali–quantitative approach of bibliometric methods coupled with content analysis, to review 1,022 articles obtained from the Web of Science (WoS) database for 1991–2023.

The results identify the leading authors and their collaborations, impactful journals and pioneering articles in sustainable investment literature. The authors also indicate seven major themes of SI to be financial performance; fiduciary duty; CSR; construction of ESG-based portfolios; sustainability assessment tools and mechanisms; investor behavior; and impact investing. Further, content analysis of literature from 2020 to 2023 highlights emerging research issues to be SDG financing via green bonds and social impact bonds; investor impact creation via shareholder engagement and field building strategies; and governance related determinants of firm-level sustainable investments. Finally, the authors discuss the research gaps across these themes and identify future research questions.

This paper crystallizes research themes in sustainable investment literature using a vast coverage of globally conducted studies published in reputed journals till date. The findings of this study coupled with future research questions provide a well-grounded foundation for new researchers to further explore the emerging dimensions of this field.

In recent times, there has been a lot of research focused on performance measurement (PM) in project-based sectors. However, there are very few studies that were reported on the significance of PM in the construction sector. Keeping track of an organization in achieving organizations goals and objectives seems an important way. One of the major challenges faced by the industry is unavailable of an appropriate PM system for assessing organizational performance. Most of the PM approaches consider the traditional project triangle assessment of project success. Based on the limitations identified in existing PM models, the purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive PM model, i.e. Modified Project Quarter Back Rating (MPQR) applicable for construction projects.

A detailed list of performance areas as a method for PM is analyzed in the construction industry context. Also, industry-specific professionals conducted semi-structured interviews to assess whether these performance areas are sufficient to measure and understand the PM systems.

The research finding focuses on developing the MPQR model that considers both financial and non-financial areas for performance assessment to provide a holistic assessment of project performance.

MPQR model provides an opportunity to set the benchmark for overall performance for construction organizations.

The findings of the study are expected to provide guidelines to construction professionals for implementing the performance model that will improve performance in the construction industry.

Interest rate derivatives (IRDs) are the essential components of financial risk management and are used across various industry sectors. The objective is to analyze the differences in approach to managing interest rate risks between the Indian corporates that execute IRDs and the ones that do not.

Interest rate fluctuations require Indian corporates to hedge their exposures in foreign currency interest rates. This is all the more true for mid-sized corporates because of their balance sheet exposures. Additionally, they may not have the resources to formulate risk management policies. This paper analyzes data collected from financial statements of a diverse set of companies that use IRD and helps in formulating such a strategy.

The results indicate significant differences for some of the parameters like information asymmetry and agency cost between users and non-users of IRDs. The study further suggests causality between users of derivatives and parameters like size, growth and debt.

The study compares users and non-users of IRDs, thereby identifying factors unique to users of IRDs. It also studies causality relations which explain the motivation to do IRDs. Thus, it enables risk managers to use this as a reference point to decide on their strategies.

While there are multiple studies across geographies and sectors including commercial banks in India on the usage of interest rate swaps, this study focuses on Indian mid-tier corporates. Furthermore, the study distinguishes between users and non-users based on financial parameters, which in turn would provide a framework for decision-hedging strategies.

This study aims to appraise and synthesize evidence examining the effects of toxic leadership on the nursing workforce and patient safety outcomes.

This is a systematic review in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol. Five electronic databases (SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL and Psych INFO) were searched to identify relevant articles. Two independent researchers conducted the data extraction and appraisal. A content analysis was used to identify toxic leadership outcomes.

The initial literature search identified 376 articles, 16 of which were deemed relevant to the final review. Results of the content analysis identified 31 outcomes, which were clustered into five themes: satisfaction with work; relationship with organization; psychological state and well-being; productivity and performance; and patient safety outcomes. Seven mediators between toxic leadership and five outcomes were identified in the included studies.

Organizational strategies to improve outcomes in the nursing workforce should involve measures to build and develop positive leadership and prevent toxic behaviors among nurse managers through theory-driven strategies, human resource management efforts and relevant policy.

The review findings have provided modest evidence suggesting that working under a leader who exhibits toxic behaviors may have adverse consequences in the nursing workforce; however, more research examining if this leadership style influences patient safety and care outcomes is warranted.

The researchers analyzed factors affecting the adoption of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green-building certification system in Jordan, including financial performance of certified projects along with broader barriers that may impact developers’ interest in LEED.

The authors first reviewed online data for all LEED registered and certified projects in Jordan, recruited LEED-certified project stakeholders, collected documents related to LEED projects and conducted LEED category credit summaries, financial cost-benefit analyses and spot-checking reported values in local markets. The authors then visited projects sites and interviewed various project stakeholders to understand better stakeholders' decision-making processes concerning LEED and relevant factors (financial, branding, cultural, political, etc.).

Obtaining LEED certification in Jordan was financially feasible as evinced in both the quantitative analysis and interviews. However, the authors found that there was very limited interest in LEED among Jordanian developers. Barriers included widespread cynicism toward green building concepts as well as a lack of local expertise in installing and maintaining green technologies. To overcome these barriers, the authors recommend that green building initiatives place a greater emphasis on education and public-promotion activities.

The research data were limited to projects that had successfully achieved LEED certification. Broader qualitative research conducted across the Jordanian building community could provide additional insights, but such an investigation is beyond the scope of the current study.

The complexity of adapting a Western green building standard (LEED) to a non-Western context is discussed in detail. The findings suggest that understanding regional development challenges, local markets and cultural differences is vital for successfully implementing green building certification systems.