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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the surface integrity features, including surface roughness (SR), recast layer (RL), material migration, topography and wire wear pattern in rough and trim-cut wire electric discharge machine (WEDM) of hybrid composite (Al6061-90%/SiC-2.5%/TiB₂-7.5%).

Effects of four important factors, namely, rough-cut history (RCH), pulse on time (T_on), peak current (IP) and wire offset (WO) have been assessed on the responses of interest for trim-cut WEDM. Box–Behnken design (RSM) was used to formulate the experimentation plan. Quantitative indices of surface integrity, namely, SR and RL, and selected samples have been investigated for qualitative analysis, namely, surface topography, material migration and wire wear pattern.

T_on and IP are found to be most significant, whereas RCH and WO are found insignificant for SR. T_on and WO were found to be the most significant factors affecting RL. After trim cut, an RL of thickness 8.26 µm is observed if the initial rough cut has been accomplished at high discharge energy setting. Whereas the best value of RL thickness, i.e. 5.36 µm, can be realized with low level of RCH. A significant decrease in the presence of foreign materials is recorded, indicating its strong correlation with the discharge energy used during machining.

Investigation on surface integrity features for machining of hybrid composite through rough and trim-cut WEDM has been reported by only a limited number of researchers in the past. This study is attempted at fulfilling few vital gaps by addressing the issues such as evaluation of the efficacy of trim cutting under different discharge energy conditions (using RCH), analysis of wire wear pattern in both rough and trim-cut modes and investigation of the wire breakage phenomenon during machining.

Based on theory Z of leadership, this research aims to investigate the direct relationship between participative leadership (PL) and creative idea validation (CIV) fostering both radical (RC) and incremental creativity (IC). Additionally, by utilizing attribution theory, it explores the moderating effect of coworkers’ knowledge-sharing behavior (KSB) on both the direct and indirect relationships.

Data were collected through a descriptive approach and convenient sampling from three sources – leaders, subordinates and coworkers – in R&D departments at multi-levels within 97 high-tech firms in China. Data comprised 446 employees (subordinates and coworkers) and 94 leaders, and multilevel path analysis was conducted using Mplus software.

The results indicate that PL exhibits both a direct and indirect positive association with RC and IC through the CIV. Moreover, the relationship is enhanced by coworkers’ high-KSB.

Our study offers implications that managers can leverage to foster employee creativity. Leaders are encouraged to embrace a PL style for collective idea validation. However, to overcome coworkers’ reciprocal behavior, they may facilitate trust and team-building exercises, enabling employees to strengthen relationships and share critical information and knowledge resources for the development and validation.

This study is the first to empirically extend the relationship between PL and CIV, utilizing a multilevel approach to assess its impact on distinctive types of creativity – namely, radical and incremental. Further, it testifies the significance of coworkers’ knowledge as an attribution effect influencing the relationships.

The study aims to investigate the impact of perceived brand localness (PBL) and perceived brand globalness (PBG) on brand authenticity (BA) to predict consumers' attitudes toward local and global brands in two Asian markets. Further, the study examines the moderating role of uncertainty avoidance (UA) after controlling the effects of brand familiarity (BF) in Asian markets (China and Pakistan).

In accordance with the non-probability technique and through an online survey, the study collected 1,880 responses (on local and global brands) from China and Pakistan. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is the most robust technique applied to examine the proposed hypotheses in the Asian environment.

After controlling the effects of BF, the findings revealed that PBL and PBG positively influenced consumers' perceptions of BA, which had a significant impact on consumers' brand attitudes toward both local and global brands in Asian markets. Further, the research identified that BA was an essential mediator from the Asian perspective. The interaction effects of UA and PBL on BA were discovered positively significant in Pakistan, whereas the effects of UA and PBG on BA were found negatively significant in Pakistan and had no effects in China.

The research focused on two Asian countries (China and Pakistan). However, future researchers may collect additional data from other Asian countries in order to generalize the findings in all Asian markets.

The research assists local and global managers in designing and implementing various targeting, positioning and segmentation strategies for successfully managing businesses in Asian markets.

The novel research is based on signaling theory that contributes to the local and global branding domains from the Asian perspective (China and Pakistan).

The purpose of this study is to understand the mediating role of psychological need and immersive experience on graduates' skill gaps on massive open online courses (MOOCs) adoption intention.

The proposed research model is developed by combining two popular theoretical models, namely, the self-determination theory, network externalities theory along technology adoption theory. Data are collected from 318 respondents to test the model. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied to analyze the data.

The study reveals that the sense of psychological needs and immersive experience mediates the influence of skill gap and social interaction on MOOC adaption willingness. However, immersive experience alone cannot influence adoption intention. Similarly, psychological needs cannot have a significant impact on adoption intention without the graduate skill gap.

This study specifically focuses on investigating the mechanism of how psychological needs satisfaction mediates the relationship between graduates' skill gap and MOOC adoption intention. The findings suggest us to develop a course that will increase learners employability skill. This study also contributes by incorporating the idea of immersive experience to facilitate improved virtual social interaction.

This study, based on motivated information processing theory and theories of leadership (contingency and functional), investigates how servant leadership (SL) could be an effective leadership style for employee creative deviance engagement (CDE) to foster radical (RC) and incremental creativity (IC) in two different goal-oriented organizations: learning (LGO) and performance (PGO) goal-oriented organizations.

This study employed descriptive and comparative approaches and surveyed two sources (leaders and team members). Using multi-source data involving 486 LGO-based and 498 PGO-based employee–supervisor dyads from 104 LGO-based and 104 PGO-based high-tech firms in China, the authors distinguish comparative support for assumed hypotheses by using the Monte Carlo simulation technique for the indirect effects and Mplus for multilevel path analysis.

The study outcomes found that SL transmits the effects of employee CDE directly and nurtures RC and IC indirectly. It identified that an organization's LGO strengthens the direct and indirect relationships between SL and creativity via employee's CDE when the organization's LGO is high. However, an organization's PGO strengthens the direct relationship when it's low and strengthens the indirect link between SL and IC when it's high. In addition, the organization's PGO demonstrated an insignificant effect on the indirect relationship between SL and RC.

This study is the first to verify SL as the specific leadership style for responding employee's CDE and identify its distinctive effects on RC and IC. Additionally, there has been no effort to associate SL with employee's CDE for nurturing distinctive types of creativity under the different organizational dispositions (LGO and PGO).

This study aims to investigate the impact of social media fitness influencers (SMFIs) on buyers’ purchase decisions by analyzing the factors that determine their influence. Furthermore, it aims to determine the relative influence of different genders of SMFIs on buyers’ decisions regarding supplement purchases.

The research consisted of two phases: a contextual study examining the characteristics of social media influencers and their impact on supplement purchase decisions and a comparative study comparing the influence of different genders of social media influencers. A survey was conducted online involving 426 Thai social media users who follow influencers to obtain the results for both phases.

The results revealed that information credibility and expertise were significant characteristics of SMFIs that had a significant impact on buyers’ purchase decisions. However, other characteristics such as the number of followers, content and attractiveness of SMFIs did not show any correlation with the buyers’ purchase decisions. Additionally, the study identified a positive influence of gender matching between SMFIs and respondents on purchase decisions.

This study emphasizes how the characteristics of social media influencers in Thailand influence buyers’ decisions to purchase dietary supplements.

The study aims to explore and classify the key enablers of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) implementation in business schools.

By applying the Interpretive Structural Model (ISM) approach, it builds a hierarchical model of the identified enablers of AACSB implementation. Additionally, the Fuzzy Matriced Impacts Croises-Multiplication Applique and Classement (FMICMAC) technique is used to classify and determine the influence of these enablers on the implementation of AACSB accreditation.

The paper presents an ISM model of the identified enablers and draws managerial insight from it. Categorization of the key enablers into four groups helps in understanding the relative influence of each group of enablers on the AACSB implementation in business schools.

The proposed model of the key enablers will help business schools that are pursuing AACSB accreditation prioritize the enablers. As the study has considered experts' opinions to establish the model, some amount of bias cannot be discounted.

The development of the ISM model of the key enablers of AACSB implementation in business schools is a unique attempt. The findings will help business schools focus on the key enablers that influence implementation of AACSB standards.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the dividend payout behavior of Indian firms and test whether the three prominent dividend policy theories (signaling, life-cycle and catering) explain the dividend policy of Indian firms.

The authors test the three theories using the methodology based on the studies of Nissim and Ziv (2001), DeAngelo et al. (2006) and Baker and Wurgler (2004). For testing the signaling theory, the authors regress the change in earnings on the rate of change in dividends using the pooled and Fama–Macbeth regressions. The life cycle theory is tested by running a logistic regression of the dividend payment decision on two proxies of life-cycle measured by the ratio of earned to total equity. Finally, the catering theory tests the relationship between the decision to pay a dividend and the dividend premium.

The results based on a sample of Indian firms from 1992 to 2017 show that the dividend policy of Indian firms can be explained using the life-cycle theory. However, there is no evidence in support of the signaling and catering theories.

It provides insights into the dividend policy of Indian firms. Though there have been a few studies examining the dividend payout in India, none of the existing studies tests these theories of dividend payout. The existing research using the Indian data provides indirect evidence about the life-cycle theory. This study is the first one to test the application of these theories for Indian firms.

This study aims to characterize the behavior of blended concrete, including metakaolin (MK) and quarry dust (QD), as supplementary cementing materials. The study focuses on evaluating the effects of these materials on the fresh and hardened properties of concrete.

MK, a pozzolanic material, and QD, a fine aggregate by-product, are potentially sustainable alternatives for enhancing concrete performance and reducing environmental impact. The addition of different percentages of MK enhances the pozzolanic reaction, resulting in improved strength development. Furthermore, the optimum dosage of MK, mixed with QD, and mechanical properties like compressive, flexural and split tensile strength of concrete were evaluated to investigate the synergetic effect of MK and quarry dust for M20-grade concrete.

The results reveal the influence of metakaolin and QD on the overall performance of blended concrete. Cost analysis showed that the optimum mix can reduce the 7%–8% overall cost of the materials for M20-grade concrete. Energy analysis showed that the optimum mix can reduce 7%–8% energy consumption.

The effective utilization is determined with the help of the analytical hierarchy process method to find an optimal solution among the selected criteria. According to the AHP analysis, the optimum content of MK and quarry dust is 12% and 16%, respectively, performing best among all other trial mixes.

There has been considerable discussion about the utilization of social media effectively in tourist research. Still, there is a paucity of information about its usage for ecotourism destination selection. The study aims to determine critical factors influencing travelers' behavioral and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) intentions to use Instagram reels to select an ecotourism destination.

This study is based on the motivated consumer innovativeness theory and technology acceptance model. Purposive sampling was applied to acquire data from Instagram users. Data were gathered from 445 respondents and 415 valid responses were analyzed using partial least square structural equational modeling.

The findings of the study confirmed the positive impact of perceived ease of use, socially motivated consumer innovativeness and hedonically motivated consumer innovativeness on travelers' attitude except for perceived usefulness. The outcomes also revealed a significant influence of travelers' attitude on behavioral and e-WOM intention.

The study's findings were intended to offer insights into traveler behavior to critical players in the tourism sector, including destination marketers, travel companies, the government and policymakers. They must comprehend how useful Instagram is for the tourist industry, which will help them better understand how to attract travelers through Instagram reels to market their destination.

The current investigation is the first attempt to investigate the travelers' behavioral and e-WOM intentions to use Instagram reels to select an ecotourism destination.