Search results

The purpose of this paper is to explain the “good-to-good” app switching phenomenon that has not been specifically addressed in the prior switching literature. Drawing on the consumer learning theory, this study explores how external social word of mouth (WOM) and internal satisfaction influence app users’ switching intention through social learning route and analogical learning route. This study also examines the moderating effect of app heterogeneity.

An online survey was used to collect data. Two categories of mobile apps with different levels of within-category heterogeneity were targeted in survey questions. A total of 525 valid survey responses were collected.

Social WOM about a competing app increases users’ switching intention through both social norm influence and social information influence, resulting in a direct effect on switching intention and an indirect effect through the perceived attractiveness of a competing app. Users’ satisfaction with an adopted app positively influences the perceived attractiveness of an unadopted competing app, offering evidence for analogical learning in user switching. Meanwhile, users’ satisfaction imposes a direct negative effect on switching intention. A higher level of within-category heterogeneity strengthens (weakens) the positive effect of social WOM (satisfaction) on users’ perceived attractiveness of a competing app.

This study complements the existing switching literature by disentangling the “good-to-good” switching phenomenon in the mobile app market from the consumer learning perspective. This study extends the understanding of cross-category user switching by considering different levels of product heterogeneity.

As a crucial element of city planning, an adequately planned logistics center for agricultural products can improve the circulation efficiency of agricultural products, thereby contributing to a convenient lifestyle of urban residents. First, this study analyzed the functional zones of urban green logistics centers for agricultural products based on low-carbon idea. A method was also proposed to calculate the area of each functional zone. Moreover, this study proposed a layout planning innovation method of urban green logistics centers for agricultural products based on logistics motion line analysis and logistics intensity calculation. Lastly, this study analyzed the application processes of the layout planning methodology according to the topographical conditions of Huai’an logistics center project case in China. Results of the case study show that the construction innovation method proposed in this study is scientific, reasonable, and practical. The construction innovation method can be also used for the planning and designing of similar urban logistics centers.

Although an important facet of modernist architecture in which function plays a prominent role, building flexibility is not entirely a new concept. Its relevance transcends generations, allowing space and structure to evolve through time. This paper investigates the relationship among main building structures, infill elements, and space by studying examples in ancient Chinese architecture. It reveals the role of building owners, users, and craftsmen from a survey of historical documentation. In studying these examples, it is concluded that craftsmen in ancient China were involved not only during the construction phase but throughout the period of use as well. Thus, in select cases, the relationship between craftsmen and owners or users had been preserved for generations. Finally, this paper suggests potential strategies for the building industry and technology in the move towards sustainable development.

This paper aims to investigate the influence of laser energy density on microstructure and mechanical properties of the selective laser melted (SLMed) Ti6Al4V to complement the existing knowledge in additive manufacturing of Ti6Al4V for future application of selective laser melting (SLM) in fabricating Ti6Al4V parts.

Ti6Al4V alloy is fabricated by SLM by adopting various energy densities. Microstructures and mechanical properties of the Ti6Al4V deposited using different energy densities are characterized.

Both high relative densities and microhardness can be obtained in the optimized processing window. The decrease of martensite width and spacing can improve the microhardness on both XOY and XOZ sections when the applied E_V (defined as the laser energy per unit volume) increases. The width of the columnar grain increases with E_V, resulting in a stronger anisotropy in microhardness between XOY and XOZ sections. Residual tensile stresses exist in the SLMed Ti6Al4V and increase with an increasing E_V. A tensile strength of 1,268 MPa, a yield strength of 1,030 MPa, and an elongation of 4% can be obtained by using the optimized range of E_V.

The microstructure of SLMed Ti6Al4V is quantitatively analysed by measuring the size of columnar grains and the martensites. The anisotropy of microstructures and properties in SLMed Ti6Al4V is characterized and its dependence on laser energy density is established. The residual stress in SLMed Ti6Al4V is characterized and its dependence on laser energy density is established. An optimized processing window to deposit Ti6Al4V alloy by SLM is proposed.

Using the latest census data (2010), this paper investigates housing poverty conditions in Shanghai, the largest city in China. The data shows that a large fraction of Shanghai households are still living in excessively over-crowded housing. Meanwhile, the incidence ratio of housing poverty among migrants is more than five times than among natives. In particular, 45% of rural migrant households were living in housing poverty. Poverty decomposition analysis shows that approximately 70% of total housing poverty in Shanghai is attributable to rural migrants. Our finding is supported by estimating the multidimensional poverty index (MPI). The findings in this paper have significant implications to general housing policy making in urban China.

High residual stress caused by the high temperature gradient brings undesired effects such as shrinkage and cracking in selective laser melting (SLM). The purpose of this study is to predict the residual stress distribution and the effect of process parameters on the residual stress of selective laser melted (SLMed) Inconel 718 thin-walled part.

A three-dimensional (3D) indirect sequentially coupled thermal–mechanical finite element model was developed to predict the residual stress distribution of SLMed Inconel 718 thin-walled part. The material properties dependent on temperature were taken into account in both thermal and mechanical analyses, and the thermal elastic–plastic behavior of the material was also considered.

The residual stress changes from compressive stress to tensile stress along the deposition direction, and the residual stress increases with the deposition height. The maximum stress occurs at both ends of the interface between the part and substrate, while the second largest stress occurs near the top center of the part. The residual stress increases with the laser power, with the maximum equivalent stress increasing by 21.79 per cent as the laser power increases from 250 to 450 W. The residual stress decreases with an increase in scan speed with a reduction in the maximum equivalent stress of 13.67 per cent, as the scan speed increases from 500 to 1,000 mm/s. The residual stress decreases with an increase in layer thickness, and the maximum equivalent stress reduces by 33.12 per cent as the layer thickness increases from 20 to 60µm.

The residual stress distribution and effect of process parameters on the residual stress of SLMed Inconel 718 thin-walled part are investigated in detail. This study provides a better understanding of the residual stress in SLM and constructive guidance for process parameters optimization.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility of an enhanced continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) with a porous track-etched membrane as the oxygen-permeable window, which is prepared by irradiating polyethylene terephthalate membranes with accelerated heavy ions.

Experimental approaches are carried out to characterize printing parameters of resins with different photo-initiator concentrations by a photo-polymerization matrix, to experimentally observe and theoretically fit the oxygen inhibition layer thickness during printing under conditions of pure oxygen and air, respectively, and to demonstrate the enhanced CLIP processes by using pure oxygen and air, respectively.

Owing to the high permeability of track-etched membrane, CLIP process is demonstrated with printing speed up to 800 mm/h in the condition of pure oxygen, which matches well with the theoretically predicted maximum printing speed at difference light expose. Making a trade-off between printing speed and surface quality, maximum printing speed of 470 mm/h is also obtained even using air. As the oxygen inhibition layer created by air is thinner than that by pure oxygen, maximum speed cannot be simply increased by intensifying the light exposure as the case with pure oxygen.

CLIP process is capable of building objects continuously instead of the traditional layer-by-layer manner, which enables tens of times improvement in printing speed. This work presents an enhanced CLIP process by first using a porous track-etched membrane to serve as the oxygen permeable window, in which a record printing speed up to 800 mm/h using pure oxygen is demonstrated. Owing to the high permeability of track-etched membrane, continuous process at a speed of 470 mm/h is also achieved even using air instead of pure oxygen, which is of significance for a compact robust high-speed 3D printer.

The purpose of this research is to investigate how generalisable the public service motivation (PSM) observed in Western society is to China and to examine the effects of public service motivation on job satisfaction.

Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis techniques are applied to survey data of 191 public servants in China to investigate the generalisability of Western PSM. Using hierarchical regression analysis, the paper examines the effects of the dimensions of PSM on job satisfaction.

The results show that the public service motivation observed in the West exists in China, but the generalisability of the construct is limited. Three of the four dimensions of public service motivation (attraction to public policy making, commitment to the public interest, and self‐sacrifice) exist in China, but the fourth dimension (compassion) is unconfirmed.

The paper is the first to examine the generalisability and instrumentality of PSM as observed in Western society to China. The results indicate that the public service motivation observed in the West also exists in China, but that the generalisability is limited. Public service motivation emerges from the results as a positively significant predictor of job satisfaction in the public sector of China. It enhances the applicability and meaningfulness of the concept of public service motivation across political and cultural environments.

With the dramatic transformation of China’s industrial landscape, since the late 1990s, adaptive reuse of industrial heritage for cultural purposes has become a widely occurring phenomenon in major Chinese cities. The existing literature mainly focusses on specific cases, yet sees heritage conservation similarly at both national and regional scale and rarely identifies the main factors behind the production of China’s industrial-heritage reuse. The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences in heritage reuse outcomes among three Chinese mega-cities and explore the driving factors influencing the differences.

This paper compares selected industrial-heritage cultural precincts in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, and explores the local intervening factors influencing differences in their reuse patterns, including the history of industrial development, the availability of the nineteenth and/or twentieth century industrial buildings, the existence of cultural capital and the prevalence of supportive regional government policy.

The industrial-heritage reuse in the three cities is highly regional. In Beijing, the adaptation of industrial heritage has resulted from the activities of large-scale artist communities and the local government’s promotion of the city’s cultural influence; while in Shanghai, successful and more commercially oriented “sea culture” artists, private developers in creative industries and the “creative industry cluster” policy make important contributions. Chongqing in contrast, is still at the early stage of heritage conservation, as demonstrated by its adaptive reuse outcomes. Considering its less-developed local cultural economy, Chongqing needs to adopt a broader range of development strategies.

The paper contributes to knowledge by revealing that the production of industrial-heritage cultural precincts in Chinese mega-cities is influenced by regional level factors, including the types of industrial heritage, the spontaneous participation of artist communities and the encouragement of cultural policy.

Mobile Applications (App) privacy has become a prominent social problem. Compared with privacy concerns, this study examines a relatively novel concept of privacy fatigue and explores its effect on the users’ intention to disclose their personal information via mobile Apps. In addition, the personality traits are proposed as antecedents that will induce the personal perception of privacy fatigue and privacy concerns differently.

Data were collected from 426 respondents. Structure equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.

The findings describe that App users’ intention toward personal information disclosure is determined by privacy fatigue and privacy concerns, but the former has a greater impact. With minor exceptions, the two factors are also influenced by different personality traits. Specifically, neuroticism has positive effects on privacy fatigue, but agreeableness and extraversion have presented the opposite results on the two variables.

This research is very scarce to examine the joint effects of privacy fatigue, privacy concerns and personality traits on App users’ disclosing intention. In doing so, these results will be of benefit to App providers and platform managers and can be the basis for a variety of follow-up studies.

While previous research just focuses on privacy concerns, this study explores the critical roles of privacy fatigue and opens up a new avenue of emotion-attitude analysis that can further increase the specificity and richness of users’ privacy research. Additionally, implications for personality traits as antecedents in the impact of App users’ privacy emotions and attitudes are discussed.