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This paper examines the problem of lack of historical data and inadequate consideration of factors influencing demand in the forecasting of demand for fast fashion clothing and proposes an improved Bass model for the forecasting of such a demand and the demand for new clothing products.

From the perspective of how to solve the lack of data and improve the precision of the clothing demand forecast, this paper studies the measurement of clothing similarity and the addition of demand impact factors. Using the fuzzy clustering–rough set method, the degree of resemblance of clothing is determined, which provides a basis for the scientific utilisation of historical data of similar clothing to forecast the demand for new clothing. Besides, combining the influence of consumer preferences and seasonality on demand forecasting, an improved Bass model for a fast fashion clothing demand forecast is proposed. Finally, with a forecasting example of demand for clothing, this study also tests the validity of the method.

The objective measurement method of clothing similarity in this paper solves the problem of the difficult forecasting of demand for fast fashion clothing due to a lack of sales data at the preliminary stage of the clothing launch. The improved Bass model combines, comprehensively, consumer preferences and seasonality and enhances the forecast precision of demand for fast fashion clothing.

The paper puts forward a scientific, quantitative method for the forecasting of new clothing products using historical sales data of similar clothing, thus solving the problem of lack of sales data of the fashion.

During the industrial design process, a product is usually modified and analyzed repeatedly until reaching the final design. Modifying the model and regenerating a mesh for every update during this process is very time consuming. To improve efficiency, it is necessary to circumvent the computer-aided design modeling stage when possible and directly modify the meshes to save valuable time. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method for mesh modifications.

In contrast to existing studies, which focus on one or a class of modifications, this paper comprehensively studies mesh union, mesh gluing, mesh cutting and mesh partitioning. To improve the efficiency of the method, the paper presents a fast and effective surface mesh remeshing algorithm based on a ball-packing method and controls the remeshing regions with a size field.

Examples and results show that the proposed mesh modification method is efficient and effective. The proposed method can be also applied to meshes with different material properties, which is very different with previous work that is only suitable for the meshes with same material property.

This paper proposes an efficient and comprehensive tetrahedral mesh modification method, through which engineers can directly modify meshes instead of models and save time.

The advent of the new retail era witnessed the consumers’ demand shift from on the traditional product quality to on the full supply chain service quality, and product service and service manufacturing is gradually taking shape. The purpose of this paper is to propose whether there is a “quality bridge” in the dynamic evolution process of retail service supply chain (RSSC) and discuss the system role, steady-state characteristics and dynamic evolution mechanism of service quality in this dynamic evolution process.

This paper proposes the dissipation system structure of the RSSC under the steady-state quality constraint, constructs a Markov chain model (MCM) for the evolution of the service quality of RSSC, and tests the objective existence of the steady-state distribution of the service quality by taking Chinese HJ retail enterprises as samples.

The research value of this study is summarized as follows. The research finds that the evolution of service quality of RSSC is a dynamic and non-linear growth process, which has significant characteristics of complex adaptability and steady-state convergence. The study finds that the quality evolution process of the RSSC is a steady-state convergence process, and there is a steady-state distribution of quality in its co-evolution, in which different process input levels have a significant positive impact on the stable level of quality state. The study finds that the steady state of quality plays a crucial role in the collaborative evolution of the RSSC, that is, when the service quality reaches a certain steady state distribution, the operating efficiency and profit level of the whole chain will show an “explosive” growth trend.

Quality bridge, an original concept in this paper, represents the role of quality steady-state in the operation of RSSC. Based on Markov chain and system simulation tools, this paper verifies the existence of steady-state service quality and its positive effect on the co-evolution and sustainable development of RSSC. When the service quality reaches a certain steady distribution, the operating efficiency and income level of the whole chain will show n trend of explosive growth.

Based on the analysis of the dissipative structure of the retail service supply chain (RSSC), this paper divides the system into two internal and external dissipative mechanisms, including the internal performance dissipation mechanism and the perceived quality dissipation mechanism outside the system. Based on the prediction of RSSC performance, this paper aims to discuss the application of Hidden Markov Model (HMM) in this field and puts forward a set of complete process of forecasting the service supply chain (SSC) performance based on HMM model.

Based on the theory of dissipative structure, this paper selects the RSSC as the research object, analyzes the system characteristics of the dissipation structure of RSSC from three aspects, such as system opening type, distance from equilibrium state and nonlinear order and describes the quality fluctuation process of RSSC as a Hidden Markov process. Taking the RSSC of J Company as an example, this paper makes use of the observed state value of customer perceived service quality from 1997 to 2016, predicts the performance status of the enterprise's RSSC.

The research results show that: RSSC is a dissipative structure system, and its performance is the internal entropy flow of the system, and the customer perceived service quality is external, their interaction determines the dynamic evolution of the system dissipation structure, and the Markov property between supply chain performance and perceived service quality. There is a Markov property between supply chain performance and perceived service quality. Using the perceived service quality observation state data of the external consumers of the system can effectively predict the implicit state of RSSC performance. Based on this prediction result, the strategy adjustment and optimization of the action mechanism of internal and external entropy flow in the dissipative structure system can be carried out to promote the sustainable development of the RSSC.

This paper thinks that RSSC is a dissipative structure system and the SSC performance and customer perceived service quality are the internal and external entropy flow of the system, which determines the dynamic evolution of the system dissipation structure. There is a Markov property between supply chain performance and perceived service quality. The hidden state of SSC performance can be predicted effectively by using a hidden Markov model and observing state data of perceived service quality from consumers outside the system.

The purpose of this paper is to study corrosion behavior and corrosion mechanism of carbon steel in natural freshwaters with humic acid (HA).

The weight‐loss method, electrochemical measurements and surface analysis technique were used to study the corrosion behavior of carbon steel in freshwaters with HA.

General corrosion occurred when carbon steel was exposed to test solutions (fresh lake water with and without HA). The presence of HA in test solution can accelerated the corrosion rate of carbon steel.

There have been few reports on the effect of HA on the corrosion behavior of carbon steel. In this study, it is clearly shown that the presence of HA in fresh lake water can accelerate the corrosion rate of carbon steel. This research not only can offer theoretical guidelines for the prevention of pipelines and facilities from corroding, but also can provide a reference for suitable material selection and the further protection of carbon steel in hydraulic engineering.

The purpose of this paper is to properly calibrate the laser tracking system (LTS) prior to using it for metrology and improving the measuring accuracy of LTS.

A kinematics model that describes not only the motion but also geometric variations of LTS is developed. Effects of tracking mirror mechanism dimension errors on measured coordinates and target reflector alignment errors on sensor reading are investigated.

Through error analysis of the proposed model, it is claimed that gimbals axis misalignments and tracking mirror center offset are the key contributors to measure errors of LTS. Intensive simulation studies are conducted to check the validity of the theoretical results and various practical issues are also explored in the simulations. The simulation results demonstrate that under realistic conditions the 10‐parameter model is the minimal and complete model.

This model, together with its error model which is also presented in this paper, can be used for design, calibration, and control of LTS.

This paper develops a kinematics model that describes not only the motion but also geometric variations of LTS, and demonstrates that gimbals axis misalignments and tracking mirror center offset is the key contributor to measuring errors of LTS.

In the new retail era, the supply chain synergy produced by quality integration has become the new direction of service supply chain research. The purpose of this paper is to study how to promote the sustainable development of the retail service supply chain (RSSC) by comparing and analyzing the optimal quality behavior, optimal returns, and the combination of conditions and strategies of the participating members of the RSSC.

From the perspective of quality function development and service quality concern, this paper considers RSSC as a two-level supply chain structure composed of functional service provider and retail service integrator. In this paper, a dynamic optimization model of quality input-cooperation-coordination of RSSC is proposed under two quality cooperation modes of decentralization and integration. This paper adopts the differential game method to compare and analyze the optimal quality behavior, optimal income, forming conditions and strategic combination of the participating members of the RSSC in different situations.

(1) Compared with quality dispersion, quality integration has more significant Pareto improvement effect on quality behavior and optimal revenue of RSSC. (2) In the case of quality integration, the optimal revenue obtained by the service sharing model is generally better than that obtained by the retail alliance collaboration model. (3) Benefit distribution ratio and quality cost allocation determine the optimal quality behavior of participating members of the RSSC, and also become the key factors for participating members to choose the collaborative mode in the case of quality integration.

Based on the quality function development of RSSC, this paper introduces the concept of steady service quality, and discusses the relationship between the quality cooperation stability and the mode selection of RSSC. This provides a theoretical basis for how to build a RSSC with efficient operation and stable quality.

The aim of this study is to analyze the possible relationship between board characteristics and integrated reporting quality in an international setting.

To test the study's hypotheses, the authors applied linear regressions with a panel data, and the authors collected data from the Thomson Reuters database (ASSET4) and from the annual reports from European companies to analyze data of 253 listed companies selected from the environmental, social and governance (ESG) index between 2010 and 2019.

The reached empirical results prove to indicate well that both of the board size, independence and diversity appear to have a significantly positive effect on the integrated reporting quality. Noteworthy, also, is the fact that the appointment of an independent nonexecutive chairman is positively associated with the integrated reporting related quality, and holds for firms with a nonindependent chairman.

Beyond the theoretical implications, our study also has several practical implications. These findings are particularly relevant for managers, shareholders, and policymakers. Thus, stakeholders should consider the accuracy of disclosure in determining the optimal reporting strategy (reducing risk estimation, returns' stock volatility, increasing long-term shareholder value and reputation of the firm).

This article is motivated by the low number of works in the context about the corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues. It makes an important contribution to the academic literature by adding to the limited body of research on integrated reporting and corporate governance in an ESG company setting. The study is also important for practitioners seeking to improve the quality of their integrated reports.

This paper examines the effect of lockdown on a firm's financial performance. The authors aim to fill in the debate over the corporate world's repercussions from governments' COVID-19 response. Therefore, it is imperative to understand what effect the lockdown policy has on firm financial performance.

The study data are cross-sectional, covering a sample of 246 listed firms in Indonesia. The lockdown policy and period data were retrieved from the Indonesian Ministry of Health COVID-19 special task force website. The authors’ empirical model for performance specification is based on annual data, following a common performance function in economics and finance literature. In addition to controlling for the standard error and province effect, the authors also controlled the COVID-19 cases and the province effect.

The lockdown deteriorates the firm's profitability, but it is not up to making the firms at financial distress level. Simply put, lockdown erodes the profitability significantly, leading to declining performance; however, it does not mean the firms generate default.

Several shortcomings in the authors’ empirical setup need to be tackled for future research. For example, the study findings may limit the short-run effect but not the long-run effect (5–10 years after the pandemic). The findings also do not give room to justify that lockdown should not be imposed due to its deteriorating effect on the corporate world. Therefore, the authors leave this as a scope for future research.

This research is among the pioneer papers evaluating the effect of the government policy for mitigating the repercussions of COVID-19, and it reveals how this policy affects corporations.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between some corporate characteristics, audit quality and managerial entrenchment in Tunisian companies.

The multivariate regression model is used for hypothesis testing using a sample of 224 listed observations on Tunisian Stock Exchange during 2014–2020. An exploratory factor analysis of four variables (chief executive officer (CEO) duality, CEO tenure, CEO seniority and CEO age) is used for calculating a unique index assessing the managerial entrenchment.

The results show a negative and significant relationship between audit quality and managerial entrenchment. The authors also find that firm characteristics affect management entrenchment. Precisely, corporate financial performance and firm leverage show positive connections with managerial entrenchment (ME). Additional analysis confirms the negative impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on managerial entrenchment level.

The study’s findings have practical implications that may be useful to different stakeholders, policymakers and regulatory bodies interested in reducing management entrenchment. This study offers signals to shareholders about specific governance attributes, namely audit quality, that control the extent of manager's entrenchment.

The originality of this paper consists in focusing on developing countries, namely the Tunisian context; while the managerial entrenchment phenomena has been widely examined in developed markets. Moreover, contrary to the overwhelming majority of previous studies that has used individual indexes for evaluating the entrenchment, the authors calculate a mixed index of managerial entrenchment using the principal component analysis based on four governance mechanisms (CEO duality, CEO age, CEO seniority and CEO tenure).