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1 – 10 of 523Bangyi Li, Juan Tang, Zhi Liu and Bengang Gong
The purpose of this paper is to investigate remanufacturing operational strategies considering uncertain quality of end-of-life (EOL) products and differential consumers’…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate remanufacturing operational strategies considering uncertain quality of end-of-life (EOL) products and differential consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for new products and provide suggestions on the remanufacturing mode selection for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
Design/methodology/approach
This study considers three remanufacturing modes, i.e. in-house, outsourcing and authorization modes. By establishing and comparing decision models of three modes from the perspectives of profit, consumer surplus and environment, the optimal remanufacturing mode is discussed.
Findings
The results suggest that if the OEM’s remanufacturing capability is high, the in-house mode brings to the highest environmental performance, OEM’s profit and consumer surplus. Otherwise, the outsourcing mode (authorization) is the best benefit to environment (consumers if the unit production cost of new products is not too high). As for the preference of two decision-makers to outsourcing and authorization modes, if the difference of consumers’ WTP for new products is low, the OEM prefers the outsourcing mode; otherwise, the OEM prefers the authorization mode. The preference of the third-party remanufacturer (TPR) to remanufacturing mode is affected by consumers’ WTP for remanufactured products, WTP difference for new products and remanufacturing quality level standard.
Practical implications
These results can provide operational insights into how to select remanufacturing mode when the quality of EOL products is uncertain and consumers’ WTP for new products is different under three remanufacturing modes.
Originality/value
This paper is among the first to investigate the joint effects of EOL products’ uncertain quality and differential consumers’ WTP for new products on the operational strategies and performance under different remanufacturing modes.
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Yang Liu, Qian Zhang, Jialing Wang, Yawei Shao, Zhengyi Xu, Yanqiu Wang and Junyi Wang
The purpose of this paper is to enhance the compatibility of titanium dioxide in epoxy resins and thus the corrosion resistance of the coatings.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to enhance the compatibility of titanium dioxide in epoxy resins and thus the corrosion resistance of the coatings.
Design/methodology/approach
In this work, TiO2 was modified by the mechanochemistry method where mechanical energy was combined with thermal energy to complete the modification. The stability of modified TiO2 in epoxy was analyzed by sedimentation experiment. The modified TiO2-epoxy coating was prepared, and the corrosion resistance of the coating was analyzed by open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and neutral salt spray test.
Findings
High-temperature mechanical modification can improve the compatibility of TiO2 in epoxy resin. At the same time, the modified TiO2-epoxy coating showed better corrosion resistance. Compared to the unmodified TiO2-epoxy coating, the coating improved the dry adhesion force by 61.7% and the adhesion drop by 33.3%. After 2,300 h of immersion in 3.5 Wt.% NaCl solution, the coating resistance of the modified TiO2 coating was enhanced by nearly two orders of magnitude compared to the unmodified coating.
Originality/value
The authors have grafted epoxy molecules onto TiO2 surfaces using a high-temperature mechanical force modification method. The compatibility of TiO2 with epoxy resin is enhanced, resulting in improved adhesion of the coating to the substrate and corrosion resistance of the coating.
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Qianling Jiang, Chao Gu, Yan Feng, Wei Wei and Wang-Chin Tsai
Mobile e-commerce has brought convenience to consumers. But for goods such as shoes, mobile e-commerce has failed to provide the same experience as consumers would have in…
Abstract
Purpose
Mobile e-commerce has brought convenience to consumers. But for goods such as shoes, mobile e-commerce has failed to provide the same experience as consumers would have in physical stores, and that also causes problems for online merchants, such as high return rates. As a result, the augmented reality (AR) virtual shoe-try-on function appeared. The way that AR virtual shoe-try-on study different from other AR virtual try-on studies is that AR virtual shoe-try-on study only satisfies consumers' visual experience and consumers cannot judge whether the shoes are comfort or not. Whether consumers would accept AR virtual try-on function to help them make purchase decision due to the visual experience provided by AR virtual try-on function is worth discussion. Measuring users' perceptions and preferences can help companies design AR shoe-trying functions and provide services more cost-effectively.
Design/methodology/approach
To promote the continuous use and better development of such mobile e-commerce based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study explored the influencing factors for users' intentions to continue using the AR virtual shoe-try-on function, including the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, system quality, perceived playfulness and attitude.
Findings
The results of this study showed that TAM is a powerful theoretical tool of the new technology in mobile e-commerce and that the system quality and perceived playfulness also have a positive impact on the original variables of TAM. System quality and perceived playfulness are important predictors of users' continuance intentions to use the AR virtual shoe-try-on function.
Originality/value
The main contribution of this study to model iteration and theoretical update is to verify the applicability of the TAM in the AR shoe-try-on function and to expand TAM model with system quality and perceived playfulness. The authors' results will help shoe enterprises win users' recognition through AR shoe-try-on function and improve users' continuance intention of use.
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Dan Mertens, Salvador G. Villegas, Marlon G. Ware, Edward F. Vengrouskie and Robert Lloyd
The purpose of this paper is to establish a supported and validated reference point for Machiavellianism as an antecedent to the contemporary management philosophy of business…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to establish a supported and validated reference point for Machiavellianism as an antecedent to the contemporary management philosophy of business process reengineering (BPR).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyzes BPR and Machiavellianism by using the seminal work of Hammer and Champy (1993) on BPR and the original writings of Machiavelli coupled with the personal correspondence of Machiavelli with his contemporaries.
Findings
The findings of this research indicate that the constructs of Machiavellian thought transcend the five centuries since the publication of The Prince, and can be found in the contemporary managerial framework of BPR. This comparison of historical leadership frameworks demonstrates how recent management decisions in companies show the rise of Machiavellian as BPR. In an analysis of these theories, the authors show similarities in five significant tenets of business leadership and argue how these repackaged ideas and prescriptions undermine employee-centric advances.
Research limitations/implications
This comparison reviews the managerial frameworks presented in Machiavelli’s The Prince and Hammer and Champy’s book Reengineering the Corporation through the theoretical tenets of leadership.
Practical implications
Employment of Machiavellianism and BPR results in an expendable utilization of followers and employees. Implications abound for modern managers, as the authors emphasize the elements and outcomes which lead to deleterious organizational outcomes.
Social implications
In an analysis of these theories, the authors argue how these strategies undermine employee-centric advances within human relations by embracing these repackaged ideas and concepts.
Originality/value
This research leverages historical perspective to provide a qualitative understanding of the follies of recycled versions of Machiavelli’s ideas. The overall study and inquiry of BPR from a leadership perspective is not robust and leaves antecedents and influences critically unevaluated.
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Sam Njinyah, Simplice Asongu and Ngozi Adeleye
The purpose of this study is to assess the interaction effect of government non-financial support and firms' regulatory compliance on firms' innovativeness. Firms' regulatory…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to assess the interaction effect of government non-financial support and firms' regulatory compliance on firms' innovativeness. Firms' regulatory compliance with environmental and safety issues has been suggested as one of the reasons why firms innovate. Such compliance provides legitimacy, improves reputation and corporate image, and enhances customer loyalty and competitive advantages, which influence firm innovativeness. However, regulatory compliance is costly and with limited resources, the role of government support is crucial as a moderator, to help firms become more compliant and influence their innovativeness.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses data from the World Bank Enterprise Innovation Survey for seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Findings
Regulatory compliance has a positive and significant effect on firm innovativeness. Increased use of government non-financial support enhances the level of firm regulatory compliance and the effect of regulatory compliance on firm innovativeness.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature on compliance and firm innovativeness in Africa by showing how the positive effect of regulatory compliance on firm innovativeness is stronger when firms benefit from government non-financial support.
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Marjan Sharifi, Majid Siavashi and Milad Hosseini
Present study aims to extend the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to simulate radiation in geometries with curved boundaries, as the first step to simulate radiation in complex…
Abstract
Purpose
Present study aims to extend the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to simulate radiation in geometries with curved boundaries, as the first step to simulate radiation in complex porous media. In recent years, researchers have increasingly explored the use of porous media to improve the heat transfer processes. The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is one of the most effective techniques for simulating heat transfer in such media. However, the application of the LBM to study radiation in complex geometries that contain curved boundaries, as found in many porous media, has been limited.
Design/methodology/approach
The numerical evaluation of the effect of the radiation-conduction parameter and extinction coefficient on temperature and incident radiation distributions demonstrates that the proposed LBM algorithm provides highly accurate results across all cases, compared to those found in the literature or those obtained using the finite volume method (FVM) with the discrete ordinates method (DOM) for radiative information.
Findings
For the case with a conduction-radiation parameter equal to 0.01, the maximum relative error is 1.9% in predicting temperature along vertical central line. The accuracy improves with an increase in the conduction-radiation parameter. Furthermore, the comparison between computational performances of two approaches reveals that the LBM-LBM approach performs significantly faster than the FVM-DOM solver.
Originality/value
The difficulty of radiative modeling in combined problems involving irregular boundaries has led to alternative approaches that generally increase the computational expense to obtain necessary radiative details. To address the limitations of existing methods, this study presents a new approach involving a coupled lattice Boltzmann and first-order blocked-off technique to efficiently model conductive-radiative heat transfer in complex geometries with participating media. This algorithm has been developed using the parallel lattice Boltzmann solver.
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Michael Christopher Benson, Keith Glanfield, Craig Hirst and Susan Wakenshaw
The category captain system (CC) of retailer category management (RCM) is established, accepted, and widely adopted. The paper empirically assesses the application of this system…
Abstract
Purpose
The category captain system (CC) of retailer category management (RCM) is established, accepted, and widely adopted. The paper empirically assesses the application of this system in building collaborations between retailers and their suppliers to generate growth following COVID-19. This study applies service-dominant logic (S-D logic) to RCM and establishes the current ‘practical’ application of the five axioms of S-D logic within the CC system.
Design/methodology/approach
The researchers adopted a qualitative research design which examined both category managers and retail buyers currently involved in the CC system, using thematic analysis of transcripts from 25 practitioner participants.
Findings
The study reveals service is not a fundamental basis of exchange in the CC system. Value is uniquely, independently, and separately created by the retailer that significantly restricts the scope of the category service eco systems and the opportunity to innovate through value co-creation.
Practical implications
Significant change is required to realise value co-creation and innovation applying S-D logic to RCM. The study indicates there is potential to start this change by the formalisation of wider informal category relationships between non-captain suppliers and retailers through consumer insight technology, and by aligning suppliers and retailers to make more effective and sustainable trading decisions.
Originality/value
The study indicates that certain elements of the CC system proposed by the literature's games-based theoretic models, are not applied in practice. The lived experiences of practitioners suggest informal ways of by-passing the formal system using S-D logic.
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Xuebing Dong, Yaping Chang, Junyun Liao, Xiancheng Hao and Xiaoyu Yu
Companies are increasingly designing pro-environmental games to motivate users to implement pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). However, how different types of virtual…
Abstract
Purpose
Companies are increasingly designing pro-environmental games to motivate users to implement pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). However, how different types of virtual interactions affect PEBs in pro-environmental games is not clear. Thus, the authors propose that two types of virtual interaction, interactions with game objects and interactions with other users, can induce platform intimacy and love for nature and that platform intimacy has a direct effect on love for nature. Simultaneously, the authors examine the moderating effect of network externality on the relationship between the two types of virtual interaction and platform intimacy.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors, respectively, employed data from 92 students and 574 Chinese mobile users to empirically investigate the research framework.
Findings
The findings indicate that participants in interactions with game objects and interactions with other users reported stronger feelings regarding platform intimacy and love for nature, which, in turn, positively influences PEBs. Consumers with stronger perceptions of network externalities were more likely to be affected by the initiation effect of the interaction with game objects.
Originality/value
The authors introduce the notion of love for nature to the pro-environmental behaviors field and discuss the priming effect of two types of interactions on platform intimacy and love for nature. In addition, the authors focus on the important effect of network externality on users' emotions.
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An-Na Li, You-De Dai, Tsungpo Tsai, Giun-Ting Yeh and Yuan-Chiu Chen
This study examines the relationship between food experience, emotion, place attachment, and tourists' revisit behavioral intention. A survey questionnaire is conducted on-site in…
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between food experience, emotion, place attachment, and tourists' revisit behavioral intention. A survey questionnaire is conducted on-site in Lukang and distributed to 408 tourists. The dimensions of food experience are established through factor analysis, and a hypothesized model of the relationships between the constructs is tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that tourists' food experiences included local flavor, media recommendation, local learning, life transfer, and interpersonal sharing. In addition, food experience has a significant impact on emotion and place attachment, and emotion has a substantial effect on place attachment. Finally, place attachment significantly impacts tourists' revisit behavioral intention. The study makes a significant theoretical contribution by identifying food experience, emotion, and place attachment as the salient predictors of heritage tourists' revisit intention. Furthermore, the study suggests that food experiences enhance effective bonding at tourism destinations.
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Michelle Tytherleigh and Hannah Dunn
This chapter has been specifically written for readers interested in incorporating positive education into practice. Expanding on concepts and models first introduced in Chapter…
Abstract
This chapter has been specifically written for readers interested in incorporating positive education into practice. Expanding on concepts and models first introduced in Chapter 1, it starts with an overview of commonly used wellbeing models and frameworks from positive psychology adapted for application in schools. The chapter also explores the significance of positive education in enhancing educator wellbeing and shares experienced-based insights on how positive education has been implemented effectively, or not. As part of this, the chapter identifies common implementation challenges and offers key recommendations for achieving success. Aligned to this book’s overarching objective of connecting theory with practice, it provides empirical and practical insights, including a Positive Psychology in Practice case study of a UK educator’s experience with embedding positive education in further education (FE).
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