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The purpose of this paper is to study the susceptibility to corrosion processes of X60, X65 and X70 steels immersed in sand-clay soil with pH 3.0, using electrochemical techniques, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

Natural acidic soil sample was collected as close as possible to buried pipes (1.2 m in depth) in a Right of Way from south of Mexico. Both steels and soil were characterized through SEM and XRD. Then, open circuit potential was recorded for all steels exposed to soil at different exposure times. Thus, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was traced, and anodic polarization curves were obtained.

The steel corrosion processes started when the active sites were exposed to natural acidic soil. However, corrosion rates decreased for three steels as immersion time increased, obtaining the highest corrosion rate for X60 steel (0.46 mm/year for 5 h). This behavior could be attributed to corrosion products obtained at different exposure times. While, 5 h after removing corrosion products, X65 steel was more susceptible to corrosion (1.29 mm/year), which was corroborated with EIS analysis. Thus, corrosion products for the three steels exposed to natural acidic soil depended on different microstructures, percentage of pearlite and ferrite phases, in which different corrosion processes could occur. Therefore, the active sites for carbon steel surfaces could be passivated with corrosion products.

The paper identifies the any implication for the research.

Some anodic peaks could be caused by metallic dissolution and was recorded using high positive polarization (high field of perturbation). In addition, the inductive effects and diffusion process were interpreted at low frequency ranges using EIS. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD), acidic soil had Muscovite containing aluminum and iron phases that were able to generate hydrogen proton at the presence of water; it might be promoted at the beginning of deterioration on low carbon steels. Steel surface cleaning after removing corrosion products was considered to study the possible diffusion phenomena on damaged steel surfaces using EIS.

This study aims to use a novel approach, focusing on the manager’s gender, to explore whether it acts as a differentiator in the following aspects of tourist accommodation companies in Extremadura (Spain): the level of information and communication technology (ICT) specialisation of employees, managers’ knowledge of ICTs and the social media and online tourism platform use intensity of managers.

A questionnaire was sent to 238 accommodation companies. The data collected from the questionnaire were analysed using statistical inference techniques and linear and logistic regression.

In general, ICT specialist profiles are more common amongst the employees of male-led companies. Male managers also use Booking and analyse online feedback more intensively. There appear to be no gender-based differences in terms of the ICT knowledge of managers.

These results highlight issues of major practical interest for the sector’s managers and decision makers, especially in Extremadura. They reveal the digital divide in certain aspects between men- and women-led firms in Extremadura. This finding has important consequences for the sector in terms of competitiveness. It highlights the need to continue working to eradicate gender gaps in digital settings.

The study shows the role of the manager’s gender as a differentiating factor in terms of the existence of specialist ICT profiles and ICT use intensity in tourism companies. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study provides the first evidence of such a finding for the tourism sector in general, as well as for the specific case of a rural destination such as Extremadura.

This is the second part of a two-part paper. The purpose of this paper is to report the results on the application of the methods that use the Response Surface Methodology to investigate an evolutionary algorithm (EA) and memory-based approach referred to as McBAR – the Mapping of Task IDs for Centroid-Based Adaptation with Random Immigrants.

The methods applied in this paper are fully explained in the first part. They are utilized to investigate the performances (ability to determine solutions to problems) of techniques composed of McBAR and some EA-based techniques for solving some multi-objective dynamic resource-constrained project scheduling problems with a variable number of tasks.

The main results include the following: first, some algorithmic components of McBAR are legitimate; second, the performance of McBAR is generally superior to those of the other techniques after increase in the number of tasks in each of the above-mentioned problems; and third, McBAR has the most resilient performance among the techniques against changes in the environment that set the problems.

This paper is novel for investigating the enumerated results.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the protective effects of Persian gum and gum Arabic on the survival of Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum PTCC 1896, Escherichia coli, Xanthomonas axonopodis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae during freeze drying.

Cultures were harvested from the early stationary phase and enumerated after dilution according to the Milse Misra method. Bacterial suspensions were mixed with protective agents and frozen at –80°C before drying in a freeze dryer. Survival rates were determined both immediately during freeze drying and after 14 days of cold storage (at 4°C).

Compared to gum Arabic 5 and 10 percent (W/V) or skim milk 10 percent (W/V), Persian gum 1 percent (W/V) showed no significantly different effects on the survival of Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum PTCC 1896 (p<0.05). Similarly, no significant differences (p<0.05) were observed between Persian gum 6 percent (W/V), gum Arabic 6 percent (W/V), the combination of Persian gum 3 percent (W/V) and gum Arabic 3 percent (W/V), and skim milk 10 percent (W/V) in terms of their effects on the survival of Escherichia coli. Skim milk 10 percent (W/V) was, however, found to have significant (p<0.05) effects on the survival of Xanthomonas axonopodis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Statistically significant (p<0.05) effects were observed after 14 days of cold storage (4°C) by Persian gum 6 percent (W/V) on the survival of Escherichia coli and by gum Arabic 6 percent (W/V) on the survival of Xanthomonas axonopodis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It was concluded that protective agents could be replaced by Persian gum for its effect on the survival rate of Escherichia coli and by skim milk for its effects on the survival of Xanthomonas axonopodis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Persian gum 6 percent (W/V) seemed to be the best protective agent for Escherichia coli during 14 days of its storage as gum Arabic 6 percent (W/V) seemed to have the same performance for Xanthomonas axonopodis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Persian gum 1 percent (W/V) was also found an alternative protective agent for the freeze drying of Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum PTCC 1896.

As Iranian Persian gum is cheap due to its wide availability and seems to have effects similar to those of gum Arabic and skim milk at low concentrations, it may be considered a good candidate for industrial applications.

The concept of modularity has gained considerable traction in technology studies as a way to conceive, describe, and innovate complex systems, such as product design or organizational structures. In the recent literature, technological modularity has often been intertwined with business model innovation, and scholarship has started investigating how modularity in technology affects changes in business models, both at the cognitive and activity system levels. Yet we still lack a theoretical definition of what modularity is in the business model domain. Business model innovation also encompasses different possibilities of modelling businesses, which are not clearly understood nor classified. We ask when, how, and if modularity theory can be extended to business models in order to enable effective and efficient modelling. We distinguish theoretically between modularity for technology and for business models, and investigate the key processes of modularization and manipulation. We introduce the basic operations of business modelling via modular operators adapted from the technological modularity domain, using iconic examples to develop an analogical reasoning between modularity in technology and in business models. Finally, we discuss opportunities for using modularity theory to foster the understanding of business models and modelling, and develop a challenging research agenda for future investigations.

In this essay, we argue that understanding of meaning in relation to organizational networks warrants a more prominent place in organizational theorizing, because it fulfils a distinct role in the emergence and evolution of networks. Whereas prior studies have tended to address network structures or narrative structures, we suggest that organizational processes might be better understood when addressing the role of meaning and network structures simultaneously. We explain the implications of our argument in an online context, given the growing significance of digitally enabled networks on organizational sociality, and draw on examples in the context of organizational knowledge sharing to support our argument. We conclude by introducing a communication flow model to support the further development of research on organizational meaning networks.

The purpose of the paper is to outline a business model for product system solutions that is based on functional modularity.

The paper employs an illustrative case study design. The cases constitute two action research projects in two organisations delivering complex product systems.

The paper illustrates the viability of a movement towards a solution business model based on the use of modular networks and integrated sub-supplies for complex product systems. It develops the idea of suppliers assuming responsibility for larger functional wholes in the delivery of large capital goods.

Future research should strive to further validate and falsify the proposed model, and for other product systems too, with a particular focus on their operational phases.

The paper outlines a business model based on modularity for both main suppliers and sub-suppliers that wish to extend their scope of delivery and to share responsibility with their networks.

The proposed model is in considerable contrast to conventional models in which the main supplier typically assumes most of the responsibility itself.

In this paper, we seek to understand how changes in product architecture affect the innovation performance of firms in a complex product ecosystem. The canonical view in the literature is that changes in the technological dependencies between components, which define a product’s architecture, undermine the innovation efforts of incumbent firms because their product development efforts are built around existing architectures. We extend this prevailing view in arguing that component dependencies and changes in them affect firm innovation efforts via two principal mechanisms. First, component dependencies expand or constrain the choice set of firm component innovation efforts. From the perspective of any one component in a complex product (which we label the focal component), an increase in the flow of design information to the focal component from other (non-focal) components simultaneously increases the constraint on focal component firms in their choice of profitable R&D projects while decreasing the constraint on non-focal component firms. Second, asymmetries in component dependencies can confer disproportionate influence on some component firms in setting and dictating the trajectory of progress in the overall system. Increases in such asymmetric influence allow component firms to expand their innovation output. Using historical patenting data in the personal computer ecosystem, we develop fine-grained measures of interdependence between component technologies and changes in them over time. We find strong support for the empirical implications of our theory.

The chapter describes the phenomenon of company–community agreements in the mining sector, situates them relative to two veins of responsible investment activity, and assesses whether they might serve as a proxy for the “community relations” expectations of responsible investors.

Based on an evaluation of two recent company–community agreements and surveying of executives from mining firms that have signed agreements with Indigenous communities, it was found that: (1) though imperfect as a proxy for many of the “community relations” expectations of responsible investors, company–community agreements offer benefits and make provisions that exceed current expectations, especially with respect to the recognition of the right of Indigenous communities to offer their free, prior, and informed consent to mine developments; and (2) mining executives recognize the utility of agreement-making with communities, and are comfortable with such efforts being interpreted as recognition of the right of Indigenous communities to consent to development.

The chapter serves to introduce responsible investors to the emergence of company–community agreements in the global mining sector, and calls upon them to advocate for their further use in order to reduce the riskiness of their investments, address social justice concerns, and assist communities to visualize and realize their goals.

For the first time, the growing phenomenon of company–community agreements in the mining sector is situated within responsible investment scholarship. Additionally, drawing on both logic and evidence, the chapter challenges the responsible investment community to rethink its approach to screening and engaging the mining sector in order to advance the interests of Indigenous communities.

The purpose of this paper is to test the structural properties of a stakeholder research model of focal company business sustainability and the associated consideration of upstream, downstream, market and societal stakeholders.

Based on two industrial business samples in Norway and Spain, partial least squares– structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied to empirically test a research model consisting of five stakeholder constructs.

The model was tested in Norway and validated in Spain. An analysis of the path coefficients and levels of significance shows that all relationships in the research model were significant and meaningful.

This paper develops a model that explains and predicts company considerations of other stakeholders in the business sustainability efforts within supply chains (both upstream and downstream) and also beyond in the market and society.

The results of this study can guide companies in structuring, planning and implementing business sustainability in their supply chains, the marketplace and the society. It can also provide a foundation for monitoring and follow-up assessment of corporate decision-making.

This study contributes to supply chain management (SCM) and stakeholder theory to establish a framework for business sustainability with respect to company stakeholders in supply chains.