Search results

This study aims to discuss the influences of surface severe plastic deformation (S²PD) on the electrochemical corrosion, pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion, stress corrosion cracking of aluminum (Al) alloys and attempt to correlate the microstructural/compositional changes with the performances.

This study provides a novel gradient design of structure/composition caused by S²PD for the purpose of enhancing Al alloys’ corrosion resistance.

S²PD has a significant effect on corrosion behavior of Al alloys through tuning the grain size, residual stress, composition, grain boundary phase and second phase particle distribution.

Although Al alloys are known to form a protective Al₂O₃ film, corrosion is a major challenge for the longevity of Al structures across numerous industries, especially for the infrastructures made of high-strength Al alloys. Traditional strategies of improving corrosion resistance of Al alloys heavily relied on alloying and coatings. In this review, gradient design of structure/composition caused by S²PD provides a novel strategy for corrosion protection of Al alloys, especially in the enhancement of localized corrosion resistance.

This paper aims to study the Zabdah housing project residents’ satisfaction on both dwelling and neighborhood levels. In addition, the determinants of residents’ satisfaction are studied.

A mixed methodology approach was used, merging quantitative and qualitative methods. The questionnaire was developed and filled out through structured interviews. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were used to understand the residents’ satisfaction levels. In addition, the chi-square test of independence was used to determine whether demographics and dwelling type were related to residents’ satisfaction.

It was found that the residents’ satisfaction level with Zabdah housing was moderate on both dwelling and neighborhood levels. On the dwelling level, the tiny dwelling areas were a fundamental problem. On the neighborhood level, good neighborhood services were crucial to the success of this project, while the lack of green spaces negatively affected the quality of life of its residents. In addition, the number of family members and dwelling types were critical determinants of residents’ satisfaction.

The findings can be developed into guidelines to govern the creation of better affordable residential environments. Furthermore, the successful dwelling typologies in this project can be modified to be adopted in the future.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to explore the relationship of demographics and dwelling type with residents’ satisfaction in affordable housing in Jordan.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the innovation decisions of Emirati women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

This study uses a two-phased approach. In the first phase, empirical research on 50 Emirati female entrepreneurs is conducted to discover the extent of innovation in their ventures. In the second phase, the study uses an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritize factors considered important in facilitating business innovation among SMEs. The AHP model is developed with 9 criteria and 25 sub-criteria based on the previous literature. Face-to-face interviews are conducted with Emirati female entrepreneurs operating nascent (n = 10), start-up (n = 10) and established innovative (n = 10) businesses to collect data for the AHP study. The data collected are interpreted and a priority vector is assigned to each criterion and sub-criterion.

Female SME owners prioritize government policies, research and development, innovation strategy and skill development as the main criteria that influence their innovation decisions. Family support, access to external financing, social networks and the allocation of funds are the main sub-criteria affecting their decisions to be innovative. Furthermore, respondents who are in the nascent business stage consider family motivation as the greatest influence on initiating new ideas through financial and moral support. Among all respondents, the nascent business owners rank skill development the highest because they are still in the initial stages of their business journeys, and thus, obtaining these skills could help them increase innovation and success in their ventures. However, respondents in the established stage rank innovation strategy the highest.

The study results can help policymakers and women’s associations, such as businesswomen councils, identify the specific inhibitors and facilitators linked to innovation and, thereby, help develop various effective policies to promote innovation among Emirati women-owned SMEs.

The study is one attempt to facilitate innovation among Emirati women-owned SMEs through its efforts to discover the determinants of innovation efforts at nascent, start-up and established business stages as defined by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (2012). The study can help Emirati women-owned SMEs understand the critical factors influencing innovation and can encourage them to incorporate innovative characteristics for business growth and resilience. Furthermore, the study can provide insights for policymakers, financial institutions and non-governmental organizations on factors hindering innovation among Emirati women-owned SMEs, which may serve as a tool for creating resilience among female entrepreneurs.

The purpose of this paper is to examine individuals' levels of work ethic amongst current and recent university attendees across three countries. This article presents the results of a survey of 537 respondents from the United States of America, Korea and China, thus extending the previous research into work ethic, often conducted from a Western perspective. The comparative study aims to enhance the understanding of cross-cultural and gender differences and similarities whilst probing for the levels of work ethic amongst the respondents.

A comparative research method was adopted because the authors' aim was to probe similarities and differences across three societies. Multiple analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-tests were utilised to explore gender and country-related differences. Cluster analysis was applied to probe for segments highly similar to each other in the levels of work ethic of the respondents.

The results confirm the hypothesised differences between countries as well as across gender groups, with American females having the highest levels of work ethic, closely followed by Chinese males and females. Three distinct segments – low, medium and high levels of work ethic – were found in all three countries, indicating that there are individuals in each of the societies who could benefit from strategies for increasing the individuals' levels of work ethic.

Novel gender comparisons of the three country groups revealed American females as having the highest levels of work ethic and Korean females the lowest, whilst the identification of clusters of low, medium and high levels of work ethic provides evidence of the need to increase levels of work ethic to enhance productivity, regardless of the country of origin.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the corrosion resistance of the 6061-Al alloy as the battery pack material for electric vehicles, and the nano-SiC/MAO composite coating was prepared.

The corrosion resistance of coatings was evaluated by the global electrochemical test, and the local electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (LEIS) was used to study the local corrosion mechanism. The laser confocal microscope, scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) were used to characterise coatings.

Results showed that the impedance of nano-SiC/MAO coating was 1–2 times higher than MAO coating, and the main corrosion product was Al(OH)₃. LEIS results showed that the impedance of the nano-SiC/MAO coating was two times higher than the MAO coating. The defective SiC/Micro-arc oxidation coating still had high corrosion resistance compared to the MAO coating.

The physical model of the local corrosion mechanism for SiC/MAO composite coating in “cavity-fracture collapse” mode was proposed.