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This study aims to using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive Xray spectrometer to identify different automotive coatings for forensic purpose.

Two four-layered samples in a hit-and-run case were compared layer by layer with three different methods. FTIR spectroscopy was used to primarily identify the organic and inorganic compositions. Raman spectrum and scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive Xray spectrometer (SEM-EDS) were further used to complement the FTIR results.

Two weak and tiny peaks in one layer found between two samples by FTIR, Raman microscope and SEM-EDS verified the result of differences. The study used the three instruments in combination and found it’s effective in sensing coatings, especially in the inorganic additives.

Using these three instruments in combination is more accurate than individually in multilayered coating analysis for forensic purpose.

The three different instruments all present unique information on the composition, and provided similar and mutually verifiable results on the two samples.

With this method, scientists could identify and discriminate important coating evidences with tiny but characteristic differences.

The agricultural resources of China vary with its different geographic regions. China is divided into six geographic regions and the climate, flora and fauna of each are described, together with the ecological relationship between them. Suggestions are given of how best to exploit, utilise and protect these resources.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the total cost function of an inventory system with a reorder point/order quantity policy where the lead time is controllable based on the cost paid by the buyer for the service.

Cost functions are presented to investigate how the changes in lead time affect different components of inventory cost in the present of random demand. Two methods including an iteration technique and Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm are presented to deal with the cost optimization issue. The application of proposed model is illustrated using numerical case scenarios.

The cost functions show that besides ordering cost, change in stochastic demand during lead time is the major factor that affects the other cost components such as holding and penalty costs. This finding is validated by numerical study. Results also show that performance of SA algorithm is highly similar to iteration methodology, while the former one is easier in application.

This paper develops less complex, more pragmatic methods, easily adoptable by logistics managers for cost minimization. This paper also analyzes and highlights the unique characteristics and features of these two approaches that can help practitioners in making the right choice when faced with the identified logistics issue.

This research explicitly investigate impacts of changing lead time on inventory cost components which enables informed decision making and inventory system planning for cost optimization by logistics practitioners. Two methodologies that can be easily used by practitioners without deep mathematical analysis and is cost effective are introduced to solve the optimization problem. Detailed roadmaps of how to implement proposed approaches have been illustrated by different case scenarios.

Little is known about the effects of supply chain finance (SCF) adoption on organizational performance (OP). This study aims to address this relevant research gap, and hence draws on the dynamic capability view of the organization under the contingent effect of environmental dynamism (ED) and supply chain risk (SCR) to investigate the effects of SCF adoption on OP.

A conceptual framework is developed and then tested using survey with data collected from a cross section of 217 organizations in China.

The findings show that SCF significantly mitigates the SCR, which therefore has a strong positive effect on OP (e.g. cost performance and operational performance). Moreover, the findings indicate that when ED is high, then the relationship between SCF and SCR is stronger, whereas when ED is low, the relationship between SCF and SCR is weak. Further, SCR mediates the relationship between SCF and OP. Hypothesis regarding the moderating effect of ED on the paths joining SCF and SCR was also confirmed. SCR has a strong negative effect on OP. However, hypothesis regarding the effect of ED on SCR was rejected.

This paper has the following limitations. First, the authors conducted the study with organizations in China, which may result in low generalizability. Moreover, the authors used survey method and cross-sectional data design in this paper, which may cause the potential issue of common method bias. However, this research provided some significant theoretical and managerial implications for organizations, practitioners and researchers, while exploring different factors such SCF, SCR and ED, and their effect on organizational output.

From the managerial perspective, this study provides some relevant new insights to the supply chain managers of organizations. First, the findings of present study guide the organization executives to mitigate their organizations’ risk through risk mitigation strategies such as SCF; optimize their liquidity and working capital while getting the credit at best cost from lenders; and mitigate vulnerability. Second, organizations should adopt vulnerability strategies for improving their capability to respond promptly and cost-effectively toward uncertainties. Third, the perfect identification of factors leading to the adoption of SCF and improving OP are of incredible attractiveness for executives to discover the relevant practice of SCF. Fourth, the results also offer an opportunity to organizations and practitioners, a decision-making approach, to manage which mitigation scheme to be adopted to aid the supply chain practices of mitigation. Moreover, SCF emphasizes that the organization managers’ expand their overall supply chain by getting easy credit and reducing the risk and produce higher organizational productivity. Further, this paper offers a completive advantage for both buyers and suppliers to strengthen their relationships while collaborating with each other. The supply chain executives may explore the level of relationship amongst SCF adoption and their effects on organizational productivity. Therefore, SCF provides equal competitive advantage to both main partners of the supply chain to mitigate the overall risks and improve their competiveness.

This research fulfilled the research gap in operations management, strategic management, marketing and supply chain management by exploring the effects of SCF adoption as risk mitigation strategy but also as an instrument which can aid organizational to carry out their performance.

The purpose of this paper is to review and analyze the perishable inventory models along various dimensions such as its evolution, scope, demand, shelf life, replenishment policy, modeling techniques and research gaps.

In total, 418 relevant and scholarly articles of various researchers and practitioners during 1990-2016 were reviewed. They were critically analyzed along author profile, nature of perishability, research contributions of different countries, publication along time, research methodologies adopted, etc. to draw fruitful conclusions. The future research for perishable inventory modeling was also discussed and suggested.

There are plethora of perishable inventory studies with divergent objectives and scope. Besides demand and perishable rate in perishable inventory models, other factors such as price discount, allow shortage or not, inflation, time value of money and so on were found to be combined to make it more realistic. The modeling of inventory systems with two or more perishable items is limited. The multi-echelon inventory with centralized decision and information sharing is acquiring lot of importance because of supply chain integration in the competitive market.

Only peer-reviewed journals and conference papers were analyzed, whereas the manuals, reports, white papers and blood-related articles were excluded. Clustering of literature revealed that future studies should focus on stochastic modeling.

Stress had been laid to identify future research gaps that will help in developing realistic models. The present work will form a guideline to choose the appropriate methodology(s) and mathematical technique(s) in different situations with perishable inventory.

The current review analyzed 419 research papers available in the literature on perishable inventory modeling to summarize its current status and identify its potential future directions. Also the future research gaps were uncovered. This systemic review is strongly felt to fill the gap in the perishable inventory literature and help in formulating effective strategies to design of an effective and efficient inventory management system for perishable items.

The paper seeks to examine nature‐based tourism (NBT) impacts from business managers' perceptions in economic, cultural and environmental aspects and understands the relationship among socio‐demographic characteristics, type and level of involvement and participants' perception of impacts.

The paper uses social exchange theory to explain costs/benefits in each aspect. Several indicators including social‐demographic characteristics, attitudes toward the government, types and level of involvement are used to analyze costs/benefits of tourism impacts.

NBT has a moderate impact on participants' business – contributing approximately 30 per cent of their annual sales and 31 per cent of customers. Business managers believe benefits to the social/cultural environment are the most apparent impact in I‐Lan, followed by economic benefits. Participants believe that county government does well in tourism planning, and they believe that they could influence county government's tourism planning.

Tourism related businesses are purposely chosen for this study. Thus, the findings cannot be inferred to a larger population.

The findings support the usefulness of social exchange theory in costs/benefits aspects. County government might change its role from top‐down decision‐making style to co‐partner with local business people.

The paper provides insights into understanding of business managers' perceived impacts. Therefore, county tourism planners and researchers can have a more efficient and holistic management of NBT in the region.

This study explores how chatbot gender and symbolic service recovery may improve the satisfaction of angry customers in the context of service failures. It provides a strategy for companies to deploy chatbots effectively in customer anger.

This research relies upon a systematic literature review to propose three hypotheses, and we recruit 826 participants to examine the effect of chatbot gender on angry customers through one lab study and one field study.

This research shows that female chatbots are more likely to increase the satisfaction of angry customers than male chatbots in service failure scenarios. In addition, symbolic recovery (apology vs. appreciation) moderates the effect of chatbot gender on angry customers. Specifically, male (vs. female) chatbots are more effective in increasing the satisfaction of angry customers when using the apology method, whereas female (vs. male) chatbots are more effective when using the appreciation method.

The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence technology have significantly enhanced the effectiveness of chatbots as virtual agents in the field of interactive marketing. Previous research has concluded that chatbots can reduce negative customer feedback following a service failure. However, these studies have primarily focused on the level of chatbot anthropomorphism and the design of conversational texts, rather than the gender of chatbots. Therefore, this study aims to bridge that gap by examining the effect of chatbot gender on customer feedback, specifically focusing on angry customers following service failures.

Acknowledges that the effect of displayed inventory on retail sales is widely recognized in the logistics, marketing and operations management literature and has been empirically verified. However, neither the marketing literature (shelf‐space allocation models) nor the operations management literature (inventory control models) has appropriately modeled this effect. The displayed‐inventory news‐vendor problem is developed and analyzed, utilizing a simple model to illustrate the interdependencies between the inventory and space‐allocation decisions. The model is then extended to the multi‐item case, which can be incorporated as part of a comprehensive shelf‐management system.

The aim of this paper is to propose a novel evaluation framework to explore the “root causes” that hinder the acceptance of using internal cloud services in a university.

The proposed evaluation framework incorporates the duo‐theme DEMATEL (decision making trial and evaluation laboratory) with TAM (technology acceptance model). The operational procedures were proposed and tested on a university during the post‐implementation phase after introducing the internal cloud services.

According to the results, clear understanding and operational ease under the theme perceived ease of use (PEOU) are more imperative; whereas improved usefulness and productivity under the theme perceived usefulness (PU) are more urgent to foster the usage of internal clouds in the case university.

Based on the findings, some intervention activities were suggested to enhance the level of users' acceptance of internal cloud solutions in the case university. However, the results should not be generalized to apply to other educational establishments.

To reduce the resistance from using internal clouds, some necessary intervention activities such as developing attractive training programs, creating interesting workshops, and rewriting user friendly manual or handbook are recommended.

The novel two‐theme DEMATEL has greatly contributed to the conventional one‐theme DEMATEL theory. The proposed two‐theme DEMATEL procedures were the first attempt to evaluate the acceptance of using internal clouds in university. The results have provided manifest root‐causes under two distinct themes, which help derive effectual intervention activities to foster the acceptance of usage of internal clouds in a university.

Presents a special issue, enlisting the help of the author’s students and colleagues, focusing on age, sex, colour and disability discrimination in America. Breaks the evidence down into manageable chunks, covering: age discrimination in the workplace; discrimination against African‐Americans; sex discrimination in the workplace; same sex sexual harassment; how to investigate and prove disability discrimination; sexual harassment in the military; when the main US job‐discrimination law applies to small companies; how to investigate and prove racial discrimination; developments concerning race discrimination in the workplace; developments concerning the Equal Pay Act; developments concerning discrimination against workers with HIV or AIDS; developments concerning discrimination based on refusal of family care leave; developments concerning discrimination against gay or lesbian employees; developments concerning discrimination based on colour; how to investigate and prove discrimination concerning based on colour; developments concerning the Equal Pay Act; using statistics in employment discrimination cases; race discrimination in the workplace; developments concerning gender discrimination in the workplace; discrimination in Japanese organizations in America; discrimination in the entertainment industry; discrimination in the utility industry; understanding and effectively managing national origin discrimination; how to investigate and prove hiring discrimination based on colour; and, finally, how to investigate sexual harassment in the workplace.