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This study attempts to determine the optimal pricing and warranty strategies for remanufactured products offered by independent remanufacturers (IRs). Specifically, it takes into account price competition and warranty service competition between the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and IR, ultimately providing recommendations on the selection of warranty service modes for IRs.

This study considers two warranty modes for IRs: in-housing and outsourcing. Based on game theory, this study identifies the conditions under which the warranty service for remanufactured product is outsourced to retailers in IR-remanufacturing mode. Furthermore, this study investigates how this strategic decision affects closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) operations by comparing the two modes in terms of profit, consumer surplus (CS), quantity and overall social welfare (SW).

Firstly, the provision strategy for IRs' warranty on remanufactured products depends mainly on the retailer’s warranty cost. If retailers have lower costs for warranties, IR opts to outsource the remanufactured product warranty to the retailer. Second, when retailers offer warranties at a lower cost, IRs prefer outsourcing remanufactured product warranty to retailers. In this way, it will maximize both the remanufacturer’s and retailer’s profits while achieving the optimal total profit for the entire supply chain. However, it’s not beneficial for the OEM. Third, the IR’s preference for warranty service provision strategy is influenced by customers’ acceptance of remanufactured product, customer sensitivity toward remanufactured product warranty and economies of scale in warranty service.

The findings offer operational insights into IR decision-making in selecting warranty service provision strategies for remanufactured products.

This study is among the first to examine warranty provision strategy for IRs in CLSC.

A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor was designed to measure the door gap of automobile bodies.

The gap sensor was designed through a combination of the sliding wedge and cantilever beam, involving a magnetic force installation and arc structure of the force transmission point. Moreover, the sliding block adopted an anti-magnetic and wear-resistant material and the temperature compensation of the two FBGs was conducted. The magnetic force and contact stress of the sensor were examined to ensure that the sensor exhibited a certain magnetic attraction force and fatigue life. The performance of the gap sensor was examined experimentally.

The sensor could measure gaps with dimensions of 5 mm to 11 mm, with a sensitivity and measurement accuracy of 150.9 pm/mm and 0.0063% F.S., respectively. Moreover, the sensor exhibited a small gap sensitivity, with a repeatability error of 0.15%, anti-creep properties and magnetic interference abilities.

The sensor is compact and easy to install, as well as use for multiple sensor locations, with a maximum size of 43 mm, a mass of 26 g and installation type of magnetic suction. It can be used for high-precision static and dynamic measurements of the door inner clearance with a resolution of 0.013 mm to improve the efficiency of internal clearance on-line analysis and assembly quality inspection.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a balanced and nuanced understanding of the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and employee thriving at work by aiming to consider the “dark-side” of HPWS and to uncover the “black box.”

This research draws from data from 377 employees nested in 77 work teams and tests a multilevel moderated mediation model using multilevel path analysis.

The findings indicate that employees appraise HPWS as both a challenge and a hindrance simultaneously. The challenge appraisal associated with HPWS positively influences employees' thriving at work whereas hindrance appraisal of HPWS negatively influences thriving experience. The results also support the hypothesized relationships in which servant leadership moderates the indirect effect of HPWS on employee thriving via challenge and hindrance appraisals accordingly.

This research demonstrates both positive and negative sides of HPWS as evaluated by employees in relation to an important employee outcome of thriving at work. It enriches the strategic HRM literature by identifying the “black box” of HPWS-employee outcomes and associated boundary condition from the theoretical perspective of cognitive appraisals.

The aim of this paper is to develop a tool measuring individual intellectual capital (IIC) and investigate the relationship between self-reflection and IIC.

This study developed a theoretical model based on social cognitive theory and the literature of self-reflection and intellectual capital (IC). This research collected responses from 502 dyads of employees and their direct supervisors in 150 firms in China, and the study tested the research model using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The results indicate that three components of self-reflection, namely, need for self-reflection, engagement in self-reflection and insight, significantly contribute to all the three components of IIC, such as individual human capital, individual structural capital and individual relational capital. The findings suggest that need for self-reflection is the weakest component to impact individual human capital and individual relationship capital, while insight is the one that mostly enhances individual structural capital.

This paper suggests that managers can enhance employees' IIC by facilitating their self-reflection. Managers can develop appropriate strategies based on findings of this study, to achieve their specific goals.

First, this study develops a tool for measuring IIC. Second, this study provides an enriched theoretical explanation on the relationship between self-reflection and IIC – by showing that the three subdimensions of self-reflection, such as need, engagement and insight, influence the three subdimensions of IIC, such as individual human capital, individual structural capital and individual relational capital.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the cross-level effect of servant leadership on employee innovative behavior by studying the mediating role of thriving at work and the moderating role of team reflexivity.

This research collected data from 199 dyads of employees and their direct supervisors in 55 work units, and tested a cross-level moderated mediation model using multilevel path analysis.

The findings suggest that thriving at work mediates the relationship between servant leadership and innovative behavior. The results also show that team reflexivity positively moderates the relationship between servant leadership and thriving at work and the mediating effect of thriving at work.

The empirical findings suggest that organizations should make efforts to promote servant leadership and encourage team reflexivity. Moreover, managers should make efforts to stimulate employees’ thriving at work, thereby facilitating employee and organizational development.

This research identifies thriving at work as a key mediator that links servant leadership to innovative behavior and reveals the role of team reflexivity in strengthening the effect of servant leadership on employee innovative behavior.

This paper aims to understand the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) mechanism in the molten pool under different modes of magnetic field. The comparison focuses on the Lorenz force excitation and its effect on the melt flow and solidification parameters, intending to obtain practical references for the design of magnetic field-assisted laser directed energy deposition (L-DED) equipment.

A three-dimensional transient multi-physical model, coupled with MHD and thermodynamic, was established. The dimension and microstructure of the molten pool under a 0T magnetic field was used as a benchmark for accuracy verification. The interaction between the melt flow and the Lorenz force is compared under a static magnetic field in the X-, Y- and Z-directions, and also an oscillating and alternating magnetic field.

The numerical results indicate that the chaotic fluctuation of melt flow trends to stable under the magnetostatic field, while a periodically oscillating melt flow could be obtained by applying a nonstatic magnetic field. The Y and Z directional applied magnetostatic field shows the effective damping effect, while the two nonstatic magnetic fields discussed in this paper have almost the same effect on melt flow. Since the heat transfer inside the molten pool is dominated by convection, the application of a magnetic field has a limited effect on the temperature gradient and solidification rate at the solidification interface due to the convection mode of melt flow is still Marangoni convection.

This work provided a deeper understanding of the interaction mechanism between the magnetic field and melt flow inside the molten pool, and provided practical references for magnetic field-assisted L-DED equipment design.

Tourists’ destination image is crucial for visiting intentions. An ancient capital with diverse characteristics is an important component of China’s urban tourism. The purpose of this paper is to address the following questions: what are the differences and commonalities of the perceived destination image of ancient capitals? What makes the difference of the perceived destination image in these cities? Aside from the exterior factors, are there internal factors of cities that influence tourists’ cognition and perception of destination image?

The comment text data of Baidu tourism website were used to determine the differences in the destination images of China’s four great ancient capitals: Beijing, Xi’an, Nanjing and Luoyang. ROST content mining and semantic network analysis were for differences and commonalities of the perceived destination image, and correlation analysis was used to explore the internal factors of cities that influence tourists’ cognition and perception of destination image.

Though the same as ancient capital, the four ancient capitals’ images are far apart; historical interests are the core of tourism experience in ancient capital city; image perception is from physical carrier, history and culture, and human cognition; tourist’ destination affect of ancient capital is most from its history and culture; protecting identity and maintaining daily life are crucial for ancient city tourism.

Previous studies on ancient capitals have focused on the invariable identity of ancient capitals’ destination images, and left a gap on determining from where the invariable identity comes in general and how much it influences destination image. This gap was addressed in this study, by analyzing the destination images of four ancient capitals in China as cases. In this way, this study provided reference to the other ancient cities worldwide.

Although consumers are viewed as one of the important target groups of new product preannouncements (NPPs), little existing literature focuses on the NPP's consequences from consumer perspective. To fill up this research gap, this paper explores how a NPP signal influences consumer purchase intention and how its influences vary across consumers.

Based on a scenario‐based survey with different new cellular phone preannouncement contexts, this paper examines impacts of brand, prior vaporware history, and innovativeness conveyed by NPP signals, as well as consumer characteristics, on purchase intentions. A logit regression and a hierarchical Bayesian Logit regression are applied to test effects of NPP signal and consumer factors, respectively.

The empirical results show that consumers may mainly rely on brand and prior vaporware history to decide whether to purchase this new product after it is launched. They are more likely to purchase a preannounced new product with strong brand, or from a company without prior vaporware. The results also demonstrate that the brand and vaporware impacts on purchase intention are moderated by consumer product knowledge, NPP experience, and risk attitude.

Following the competitive signal interpretation process model in signaling theory, this paper first provides and empirically examines an overall framework of NPP impacts on purchase intentions from the consumer perspective, which may contribute to the preannouncement literature. The findings also provide useful insights to help companies to make right NPP decisions.

Self-crosslinked long fluorocarbon acrylate polymer latex has good hydrophobic and oleophobicity, weather resistance, aging resistance, stability and other excellent properties, which make the polymer be widely used in coatings, dyes, adhesives and other products. The purpose of this study is to prepare self-crosslinked long fluorocarbon acrylate polymer latex via semi-continuous seeded emulsion technology and carry out comparative study on two different cross-linked monomers.

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl acrylate (BA) were used as the main monomers, dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFMA) as the fluoromonomer, hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA) and N-methylol acrylamide (NMA) as cross-linked monomers, and 1-allyloxy-3–(4-nonylphenol)-2-propanol polyoxyethylene (10) ether (ANPEO10) and 1-allyloxy-3–(4-nonylphenol)-2-propanol polyoxyethylene (10) ether ammonium sulfate (DNS-86) as compound emulsifiers via the semicontinuous-seeded emulsion polymerization.

The properties of the polymer emulsions, which are prepared with two different cross-linked monomers, are compared and discussed, and it is concluded that HPMA is more suitable for the preparation of self-crosslinked polymer emulsions. The formula of the polymer latex is ANPEO10: DNS-86 = 1:1, and the mass ratio of the monomers used in the polymer is MMA: BA: DFMA: HPMA = 14.40:14.40:0.60:0.60.

Self-crosslinked long fluorocarbon acrylate polymer latex can be used in many fields such as coatings, dyes, adhesives and other products.

The self-crosslinked long fluorocarbon acrylate polymer latex is prepared by mixing the nonionic emulsifier ANPEO10 and the anionic emulsifier DNS-86 when potassium persulfate is used as the thermal decomposition initiator and the semicontinuous-seeded emulsion technology is adopted and the comparative study on two different cross-linked monomer is carried out, which is not reported in the open literatures.

At present, the conventional method of preparing cationic fluorinated acrylic latex is to emulsify copolymerised monomers with cationic surfactants. However, there has been a wide concern about using Gemini surfactants to prepare cationic polymer latex to improve its properties. The purpose of this paper was to focus on the synthesis of novel self-crosslinked cationic fluorinated acrylic latex (SCFAL), during which the copolymerised monomers were initiated with a water soluble azo initiator and emulsified with mixed surfactants of Gemini emulsifier and alkyl polyglycoside (APG).

The novel SCFAL was prepared successfully by the semi-continuous seeded emulsion polymerisation of butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, hexafluorobutyl methacrylate (HFMA) and hydroxy propyl methacrylate (HPMA) in aqueous medium.

The conversion is the maximum and the coagulation percentage the minimum when the amounts of emulsifier and initiator are 8 and 0.6 per cent, respectively. The average particle size of the latex is significantly reduced with the increase of the amount of emulsifiers used. However, the average particle size of the latex is increased with the increase of the amount of HPMA. The particle size of the latex is of a unimodal distribution, which means that the particle size was reasonably uniform. Contact angle is increased with the increase of the amount of the HFMA.

The novel SCFAL can be widely used as significant components in the field of coatings, leather, textile, paper, adhesives and so on.

SCFAL, which was emulsified with novel mixed surfactants of Gemini surfactant and APG, has been prepared successfully. Influences of amount of initiator, emulsifier, HPMA and HFMA on emulsion polymerisation and/or properties of novel latex are investigated in detail.