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The purpose of this research is to apply a simulation experiment to investigate the impact of new components purchasing and used components recovery strategies on multiple performance measures. The research compares the effectiveness of these strategies, given different levels of uncertainty for the return flow from the contingency perspective.

The experimental design is implemented using an ARENA simulation model. Simulation results are used to test the proposed research model. Multivariate analysis of variance is used for data analysis.

The results demonstrate that while a proactive purchasing strategy reduces total system cost, it also negatively affects service level. While there are some general conclusions, it is equally important to make decisions under specific business contexts.

The primary implication is that a firm has to align its purchasing strategy and recovery strategy with its business strategy. Given the tradeoff on multiple performance dimensions, the business strategy guides the selection of the appropriate purchasing and recovery strategy.

This paper demonstrates that using multiple performance measures is necessary to accurately assess cost and service trade‐offs related to a proactive purchasing strategy. Considering a wide range of circumstances, this paper suggests that the contingency perspective is a valid approach for investigating closed‐loop supply chains.

This study aims to advance understanding about quality management (QM) practices by clarifying how competitive strategy conditions the impacts of exploitative and explorative QM practices on performance.

The authors apply partial least squares structural equation modeling to data from a sample of German pharmaceutical firms.

The results show that the impact of exploitative and explorative QM practices on firm performance is contingent on the competitive strategy pursued. Explorative QM practices are significantly more relevant for firms following a differentiation strategy, whereas exploitative QM practices are significantly more relevant for cost leaders. Furthermore, for strategically ambidextrous firms that follow simultaneously a cost and a differentiation focus, the interplay of the two QM practices matters.

This paper contributes to understanding which kind of management practices, exploitative and/or explorative, have greater performance impacts under certain competitive strategy conditions.

This paper aims to present a hybrid control approach that combines learning-based reactive control and affordance-based deliberate control for autonomous mobile robot navigation. Unlike many current navigation approaches which only use learning-based paradigms, the authors focus on how to utilize the machine learning methods for reactive control together with the affordance knowledge that is simultaneously inherent in natural environments to gain advantages from both local and global optimization.

The idea is to decompose the complex and large-scale robot navigation task into multiple sub-tasks and use the hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL) algorithm, which is well-studied in the learning and control algorithm domains, to decompose the overall task into sub-tasks and learn a grid-topological map of the environment. An affordance-based deliberate controller is used to inspect the affordance knowledge of the obstacles in the environment. The hybrid control architecture is then designed to integrate the learning-based reactive control and affordance-based deliberate control based on the grid-topological and affordance knowledge.

Experiments with computer simulation and an actual humanoid NAO robot have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid approach for mobile robot navigation.

The main contributions of this paper are a new robot navigation framework that decomposes a complex navigation task into multiple sub-tasks using the HRL approach, and hybrid control architecture development that integrates learning-based and affordance-based paradigms for autonomous mobile robot navigation.

Using survey data from Shandong, Henan and Guizhou provinces of China, the purpose of this paper is to accurately measure the impact of rural residents’ financial education on financial literacy.

This paper chooses one province from the Eastern, Central and Western Regions of China, namely, Shandong, Henan and Guizhou, respectively, and 1,565 samples are obtained through a questionnaire survey. First, the paper constructs a financial literacy assessment framework and, then, scores the financial literacy of the respondents. Second, using ordinary least squares, feasible generalized least squares method and forward search method, the paper estimates the impact factors of financial literacy level. To avoid sample selection errors and endogeneity problems, the authors divide the respondents into treatment group (participated in financial education) and control group (non-participating in financial education) and, then, adopt propensity score matching (PSM) to analyze the impact of rural residents’ financial education on financial literacy.

The results show that education level and risk level have significant impact on rural residents’ participation in financial education, and some unobservable abilities and qualities also affect their participation. Therefore, the process of rural residents’ participation in financial education exists, which gives rise to self-selection and endogeneity problems; financial education is promoting rural residents’ financial literacy, but the effect of promotion becomes smaller after taking into account sample self-selection and endogenous problems. Rural residents of female, higher age, single, higher education level, higher parental education level, agricultural type, higher family annual per capita income and lower risk level show stronger effects on their financial literacy level, if they participate in financial education.

The survey sample was drawn from three provinces randomly but the site selection was not random. The implication is in rural China, financial education has positive effect on residents’ financial literacy level but considering the sample self- selection and endogenous nature, its impact becomes smaller.

The government should encourage rural residents to participate fully in financial education activities, especially those with a low educational level, low risk preference and mainly engaged in agricultural production.

The effect of financial education on financial literacy has not reached a consistent conclusion, and there is fewer quantitative discussion about this issue. The originality of this paper is based on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development evaluation index system; this paper constructs the evaluation index system of rural residents’ financial literacy in China and uses the PSM method to accurately measure the effect of financial education on financial literacy.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the association between total quality management (TQM) and small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) performance. In particular, it examines whether organizational culture (OC) has a mediating effect on the TQM–SME performance relationship.

The conceptual model for this study was developed based on the literature review of TQM, OC and SME performance. As the research framework, a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from managers/owners of SMEs in the Riyadh, Mecca and Eastern regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The instrument was evaluated for its validity and reliability. A structural equation model was designed to examine the relationships, using PLS 3.0.

Statistical outcomes add to the literature through displaying a positive direct effect of TQM and OC on SMEs’ performance, and a significant and positive indirect effect of TQM on SMEs’ performance through OC.

The quantitative cross-sectional research design investigated a sample of manufacturing SMEs. Future research could use qualitative techniques or a case study approach for further information analysis.

The findings of this research provide insights into SMEs’ owners/managers in today’s dynamic manufacturing environment, focussing on TQM as a mechanism for improving their performance. The results can help SMEs by providing guidance on OC, because of its effect on the successful implementation of TQM, therefore improving the level of performance.

The research extends the literature of TQM with a comprehensive understanding of TQM from the perspective of SMEs in Saudi Arabia. It fills the gap in empirical studies that investigate the joint effect of TQM and OC on SMEs’ performance. This paper highlights the theoretical contribution and managerial implications as well as making recommendations for future research.

Health-care delivery organizations (hospitals) constitute a complex adaptive system; hence, a contingency perspective is imperative to guide the design of customized approaches to quality management in different health-care settings. Accordingly, this paper aims to propose a contingency framework to advance the understanding of the relationship between situational factors and effectiveness of quality approaches in health-care organizations (HCOs), such as hospitals in India.

Related literature was reviewed to identify existing research and theories related to quality and quality approaches, situational factors of the HCOs (hospitals) and some existing logical evidence on public and private hospitals in India. Then a contingencies framework for quality and quality approaches was conceptualized.

This paper proposes contingent determinants arise out of conceptualization of the HCOs (hospitals) from different system perspective such as rational system, natural system, open system and integrative system; uncertainty because of physicians’ behaviour, nurses’ approach and a dual line of authority; and the task environment such as patients, competition and economic pressure. These determinants represent situational constructs to the quality enhancement of any attempt at quality approaches. While these determinants have an influence on the quality and quality approaches of the HCOs (hospital), it is imperative to build any quality improvement strategy to work effectively, i.e., quality approach is dependent on determinants of the contingencies of the hospital’s environment, be it external or internal. Propositions for future research are also incorporated.

This paper proposes a conceptual model as well as research propositions that need to be validated and confirmed empirically. It advances the research and theory related to quality and quality approaches in a health-care setting. It can enable policymakers, hospital managers to analyze and gauge the appropriateness of quality approaches in a given context before implementing them and could help to improve the introverted quality approaches and quality dimensions currently followed in HCOs (hospitals).

Contingency framework is a new approach for research on the effectiveness of quality approaches in hospitals. The fundamental idea behind this framework is that effectiveness of quality approaches can be understood best by examining its contingent determinants. Thus, it has the capacity to contribute to the efforts of government and policymakers to make the quality of care affordable to all in India. Essentially, we examine the contexts and variables that determine the effectiveness of quality approaches.

This study aims to measure social enterprises’ (SEs’) social objectives under the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, and explore the impact of SEs’ social objectives on their choices of legal forms.

This study used semi-structured questionnaires followed up by field interviews and observations of the sampled SEs. The survey sample includes 80 participants of Social Entrepreneurs Stars Competition in Zhejiang Province of China. The authors conduct content analysis to measure the objectives of SEs. The authors also perform descriptive analysis, chi-square test and regression analysis on the data.

The findings confirm the theoretical discussions that SEs’ choices of legal forms reflect SEs’ strategies toward achieving social objectives. Similar to certain countries, some SEs in China register as nonprofit entities to concentrate on nonprofitable sustainability objectives, while others register as commercial enterprises or hybrid organizations to generate profits. However, some SEs focus on profitable non-sustainability issues and fail to prioritize social objectives over economic objectives. There are positive effects of social entrepreneurs’ background similarity and negative effects of social entrepreneurs’ educational level on their SEs’ choices to register as commercial enterprises.

Due to the small size and nonrepresentative sample this study is based on, the findings need be further tested by a larger sample. SEs in different service domains rely on different types of financial resources (Mair et al., 2012; Doherty et al., 2014). In future research, the model can be expanded to test the effects of service domains and types of financial sources on SEs’ choices of legal forms.

To encourage more societal resources being allocated toward achieving the United Nations’ SDGs, policymakers and SE certification programs are recommended to explicitly incorporate sustainability objectives into the evaluation standards and supportive policies for SEs. Social entrepreneurs who aim to balance the social and economic objectives in their business are suggested to target the population with whom they share similar community background. Training or consulting programs for social entrepreneurs are suggested to provide advice tailored to their socio-economic background and personal experiences.

To the best of the authors’ this study is the first quantitative analysis to identify factors that associate with SEs’ choice of legal forms in China. The authors developed new instruments to measure SEs’ social objectives and service targets, access to financial resources and social entrepreneurs’ social-economic backgrounds.

The authors explore complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory as an updated theoretical perspective for managing product returns that better matches the chaotic nature of recent consumer behaviors. CAS theory highlights the importance of agents who create and self-organize to help systems adapt in unpredictable environments.

This research utilizes data collected from return managers in an online survey and applies regression analyses to estimate the influence of the focal variables.

Empirical evidence of the firm flexibility–firm adaptability link is established, and return processor creativity positively relates to this link. The firm flexibility–firm adaptability link fully mediates the relationship between return processor creativity and returns management performance and partially mediates the relationship between return processor creativity and relationship quality. Nonmediated effects were observed for turnover and revenue size.

Managers of returns who embrace an adaptability approach become facilitators of returns by supporting processor creativity. Enhancing the autonomy of processors in their day-to-day work increases the knowledge-creation capabilities of the firm, which helps the firm move forward and adapt in an uncertain environment.

This research presents empirical evidence of the underlying mechanisms of CAS theory in the product returns context by studying processor agents and argues that CAS theory better fits the current dynamics of the product returns environment. Further, this paper extends work by Espinosa et al. (2019) and Nilsson (2019) by studying how a specific human characteristic – creativity – impacts product returns management.

Given the lacuna in sustainability studies which investigate collaborative supply chain relationships in the context of the circular economy (CE), the purpose of this paper is to explore how farmers manage stakeholder relationship in the supply chain to reduce food waste within the CE framework.

A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews is used to collect primary data for this research. Interviews are conducted with farmers across different farming types in the UK. A thematic analysis is used to discuss the most prominent themes.

The findings extend previous research investigating collaboration in sustainability settings. Farmers adopt collaborative relationships to manage exchanges of food waste and to share knowledge of waste management practices. However, contrary to extant literature, the study finds that geographic proximity is still relevant in the CE framework, although its importance is determined by the type of exchange: i.e. physical or non-physical.

Based on the study’s findings, recommendations for further research are proposed. The study also advises on practical considerations for supply chain managers wishing to adopt collaborative relationships to support circular models of supply chains.

The study contributes to the sustainability literature by adding new knowledge to the relatively new theory of the CE. It demonstrates that factors of collaboration identified in previous sustainability research are still relevant in the CE framework, and thus require further investigation into the significance of collaboration. The study is also of relevance to supply chain managers wishing to adopt the CE framework in the transition to more sustainable supply chains.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of selective laser sintering (SLS) method on morphology and performance of polyamide 12.

Crystallization behavior is critical to the properties of semi-crystalline polymers. The crystallization condition of SLS process is much different from others. The morphology of polyamide 12 produced by SLS technology was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, polarized light microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and wide-angle X-ray diffraction.

Too low fill laser power brought about bad fusion of powders, while too high energy input resulted in bad performance due to chain scission of macromolecules. There were three types of crystal in the raw powder material, denoted as overgrowth crystal, ring-banded spherulite and normal spherulite.

In this work, SLS samples with different sintering parameters, as well as compression molding sample for the purpose of comparison, were made to study the morphology and crystal structure of sintered PA12 in detail.