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1 – 10 of 516Muhammed Sajid, K.A. Zakkariya and Myriam Ertz
The zero-waste lifestyle (ZWL) is considered a reasonable step towards controlling waste generation and minimizing the consequences of human activities on the environment. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The zero-waste lifestyle (ZWL) is considered a reasonable step towards controlling waste generation and minimizing the consequences of human activities on the environment. The main aim of this study is to examine the behavioral antecedents of ZWL.
Design/methodology/approach
The study draws on the theoretical underpinnings of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the norm activation model (NAM) to develop a conceptual framework to understand the antecedents to ZWL. A cross-sectional survey among 349 randomly-selected consumers provided data analyzed with the partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology.
Findings
The results demonstrate that personal norms, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control positively influenced the intention to adopt ZWL. Additionally, the study showed that the awareness of consequences influenced personal norms, attitudes and subjective norms. However, the study identified an intention–behavior gap in adopting ZWL.
Originality/value
This study serves as a pioneering exploration of the behavioral factors that impact the adoption of ZWL. Additionally, the paper endeavors to elucidate the underlying reasons behind the intention–behavior gap within this particular context. Consequently, the study offers substantial theoretical and practical implications aimed at promoting and fostering greater adoption of ZWL practices.
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Yuan Li, Yanzhi Xia, Min Li, Jinchi Liu, Miao Yu and Yutian Li
In this paper the aim is that Aramid/alginate blended nonwoven fabrics were prepared, and the flame retardancy of the blended nonwoven fabrics was studied by thermogravimetric…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper the aim is that Aramid/alginate blended nonwoven fabrics were prepared, and the flame retardancy of the blended nonwoven fabrics was studied by thermogravimetric analysis, vertical flame test, limiting oxygen index (LOI) and cone calorimeter test.
Design/methodology/approach
The advantages of different fibers can be combined by blending, and the defects may be remedied. The study investigates whether incorporating alginate fibers into aramid fibers can enhance the flame retardancy and reduce the smoke production of prepared aramid/alginate blended nonwoven fabrics.
Findings
Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that alginate fibers could effectively inhibit the combustion performance of aramid fibers at a higher temperature zone, leaving more residual chars for heat isolation. And vertical flame test, LOI and cone calorimeter test testified that the incorporation of alginate fibers improved the flame retardancy and fire behaviors. When the ratio of alginate fibers for aramid/alginate blended nonwoven fabrics reached 80%, the incorporation of alginate fibers could notably decreased peak-heat release rate (54%), total heat release (THR) (29%), peak-smoke production rate (93%) and total smoke production (86%). What is more, the lower smoke production rate and lower THR of the blends vastly reduced the risk of secondary injury in fires.
Originality/value
This study proposes to inhibit the flue gas release of aramid fiber and enhance the flame retardant by mixing with alginate fiber, and proposes that alginate fiber can be used as a biological smoke inhibitor, as well as a flame retardant for aramid fiber.
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Xiaowen Chen, Wanlin Xie, Song Tang, Meng Zhang, Hao Song, Qingzheng Ran and Defen Zhang
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of MoS2 on the microstructure and characteristics of micro-arc oxidized (MAO) ceramic coatings created on ZK60 magnesium alloy…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of MoS2 on the microstructure and characteristics of micro-arc oxidized (MAO) ceramic coatings created on ZK60 magnesium alloy through the addition of varying concentrations of MoS2 particles to the electrolyte, aiming to enhance the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloy.
Design/methodology/approach
The surface morphology, roughness and phase composition of the coatings were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, a hand-held roughness tester and an X-ray diffractometer, respectively, and the corrosion resistance of the MAO coatings prepared by the addition of different contents of MoS2 particles was tested and analyzed using an electrochemical workstation.
Findings
The results demonstrate that MoS2/MgO composite coatings have been successfully prepared on the surface of magnesium alloys through micro-arc oxidation. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of the ZK60 magnesium alloy prepared with the addition of 1.0 g/L MoS2 was the best compared to the other samples.
Originality/value
MoS2 particles were able to penetrate the coatings successfully during the micro-arc oxidation process, acting as a barrier in the micropores to prevent the corrosion medium from touching the surface, thus improving the corrosion resistance of the sample. The electrochemical workstation was used to study the corrosion resistance of the MoS2/MAO coating on the ZK60 magnesium alloy.
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Shekhar Rathor, Weidong Xia and Dinesh Batra
Agile principles have been widely used in software development team practice since the creation of the Agile Manifesto. Studies have examined variables related to agile principles…
Abstract
Purpose
Agile principles have been widely used in software development team practice since the creation of the Agile Manifesto. Studies have examined variables related to agile principles without systematically considering the relationships among key team, agile methodology, and process variables underlying the agile principles and how these variables jointly influence the achievement of software development agility. In this study, the authors tested a team/methodology–process–agility model that links team variables (team autonomy and team competence) and methodological variable (iterative development) to process variables (communication and collaborative decision-making), which are in turn linked to software development agility (ability to sense, respond and learn).
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data from one hundred and sixty software development professionals were analyzed using structural equation modeling methods.
Findings
The results support the team/methodology–process–agility model. Process variables (communication and collaborative decision-making) mediated the effects of team (autonomy and competence) and methodological (iterative development) variables on software development agility. In addition, team, methodology and process variables had different effects on the three dimensions of software development agility.
Originality/value
The results contribute to the literature on organizational IT management by establishing a team/methodology–process–agility model that can serve as a basis for developing a core theoretical foundation underlying agile principles and practices. The results also have practical implications for organizations in understanding and managing holistically the different roles that agile methodological, team and process factors play in achieving software development agility.
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Mingqiong Mike Zhang, Jiuhua Cherrie Zhu, Helen De Cieri, Nicola McNeil and Kaixin Zhang
In a complex, ever-changing, and turbulent business world, encouraging employees to express their improvement-oriented novel ideas through voice behavior is crucial for…
Abstract
Purpose
In a complex, ever-changing, and turbulent business world, encouraging employees to express their improvement-oriented novel ideas through voice behavior is crucial for organizations to survive and thrive. Understanding how to foster employee promotive voice at work is a significant issue for both researchers and managers. This study explores how to foster employee promotive voice through specific HRM practices and positive employee attitudes. It also examines the effect of employee promotive voice on perceived organizational performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed a time-lagged multisource survey design. Data were collected from 215 executives, 790 supervisors, and 1,004 employees in 113 firms, and analyzed utilizing a multilevel moderated serial mediation model.
Findings
The findings of this study revealed that promotive voice was significantly related to perceived organizational performance. Innovation-enhancing HRM was positively associated with employee promotive voice. The HRM-voice relationship was partially mediated by employee job satisfaction. Power distance orientation was found to significantly moderate the relationship between innovation-enhancing HRM and employee job satisfaction at the firm level. Our findings showed that innovation-enhancing HRM policies may fail to foster promotive voice if they do not enhance employee job satisfaction.
Originality/value
This study challenges some taken-for-granted assumptions in the literature such as any high performance HRM bundles (e.g. HPWS) can foster employee promotive voice, and the effects of HRM are direct and even unconditional on organizational outcomes. It emphasizes the need to avoid potential unintended effects of HRM on employee voice and the importance of contextualizing voice research.
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Hao Li and Changhui Cao
This paper investigates the buy online and pick up in-store cooperation (BOPSC) of online and offline retailers. Specifically, this study solves the following questions: (1) What…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the buy online and pick up in-store cooperation (BOPSC) of online and offline retailers. Specifically, this study solves the following questions: (1) What is the impact of BOPSC on their optimal price and sales volume of products? (2) When should an online retailer and an offline retailer conduct the BOPSC strategy with each other?
Design/methodology/approach
The paper first establishes two game models to explore the equilibriums of online and offline retailers in non-BOPSC and BOPSC. Then the condition for online and offline retailers to implement BOPSC strategy are determined. Furthermore, the applicability of the BOPSC strategy is enhanced by incorporating numerical analysis.
Findings
The study’s findings reveal that BOPSC strategy will not always beneficial to online and offline retailers, which depends on the total cost of online shopping and the product valuation of consumers. BOPSC strategy leads to the increase of prices and online orders, and the demand of offline retailer is eroded. Moreover, BOPS cooperation between different retailers is easier to achieve than omni-channel integration strategy. When the convenience difference between offline shopping and BOPSC pick-up is moderate, the effectiveness of BOPSC strategy can be improved.
Originality/value
This study has the following two main contributions: Firstly, the authors investigate the effects of BOPSC strategy on the prices of online and offline retailers. The study results show that the BOPSC strategy alleviates price competition and promotes a win–win situation between online retailers and offline retailers. Secondly, this paper mainly studies the cooperative behavior between online and offline retailers and reveals the optimal conditions for online and offline retailers to adopt BOPSC strategy. It can help small- and medium-sized online and offline retailers to choose suitable products for BOPSC strategy, so as to achieve the purpose of increasing profit.
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Liang Ma, Qiang Wang, Haini Yang, Da Quan Zhang and Wei Wu
The aim of this paper is to solve the toxic and harmful problems caused by traditional volatile corrosion inhibitor (VCI) and to analyze the effect of the layered structure on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to solve the toxic and harmful problems caused by traditional volatile corrosion inhibitor (VCI) and to analyze the effect of the layered structure on the enhancement of the volatile corrosion inhibition prevention performance of amino acids.
Design/methodology/approach
The carbon dots-montmorillonite (DMT) hybrid material is prepared via hydrothermal process. The effect of the DMT-modified alanine as VCI for mild steel is investigated by volatile inhibition sieve test, volatile corrosion inhibition ability test, electrochemical measurement and surface analysis technology. It demonstrates that the DMT hybrid materials can improve the ability of alanine to protect mild steel against atmospheric corrosion effectively. The presence of carbon dots enlarges the interlamellar spacing of montmorillonite and allows better dispersion of alanine. The DMT-modified alanine has higher volatilization ability and an excellent corrosion inhibition of 85.3% for mild steel.
Findings
The DMT hybrid material provides a good template for the distribution of VCI, which can effectively improve the vapor-phase antirust property of VCI.
Research limitations/implications
The increased volatilization rate also means increased VCI consumption and higher costs.
Practical implications
Provides a new way of thinking to replace the traditional toxic and harmful VCI.
Originality/value
For the first time, amino acids are combined with nano laminar structures, which are used to solve the problem of difficult volatilization of amino acids.
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Ziyuan Ma, Huajun Gong and Xinhua Wang
The purpose of this paper is to construct an event-triggered finite-time fault-tolerant formation tracking controller, which can achieve a time-varying formation control for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to construct an event-triggered finite-time fault-tolerant formation tracking controller, which can achieve a time-varying formation control for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during actuator failures and external perturbations.
Design/methodology/approach
First, this study developed the formation tracking protocol for each follower using UAV formation members, defining the tracking inaccuracy of the UAV followers’ location. Subsequently, this study designed the multilayer event-triggered controller based on the backstepping method framework within finite time. Then, considering the actuator failures, and added self-adaptive thought for fault-tolerant control within finite time, the event-triggered closed-loop system is subsequently shown to be a finite-time stable system. Furthermore, the Zeno behavior is analyzed to prevent infinite triggering instances within a finite time. Finally, simulations are conducted with external disturbances and actuator failure conditions to demonstrate formation tracking controller performance.
Findings
It achieves improved performance in the presence of external disturbances and system failures. Combining limited-time adaptive control and event triggering improves system stability, increase robustness to disturbances and calculation efficiency. In addition, the designed formation tracking controller can effectively control the time-varying formation of the leader and followers to complete the task, and by adding a fixed-time observer, it can effectively compensate for external disturbances and improve formation control accuracy.
Originality/value
A formation-following controller is designed, which can handle both external disturbances and internal actuator failures during formation flight, and the proposed method can be applied to a variety of formation control scenarios and does not rely on a specific type of UAV or communication network.
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Muhammad Asim, Zhiying Liu, Usman Ghani, Muhammad Athar Nadeem, Umme Farva Hashmi and Yi Xu
This study, based on social exchange theory, aims to explore the association between appreciative leadership and employees' helping behaviors by investigating the mediation role…
Abstract
Purpose
This study, based on social exchange theory, aims to explore the association between appreciative leadership and employees' helping behaviors by investigating the mediation role of emotional reactions (pride, anxiety), and choosing organizational trust as a boundary condition between appreciative leadership and helping behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
A total sample of 285 reliable questionnaires were collected in three time lags from employees working in the Pakistani education and banking sectors. PROCESS macro using SPSS and AMOS are employed for data analyses of the proposed model.
Findings
The findings reveal that appreciative leadership has positive impacts on employees' helping behaviors and emotional reactions (pride, anxiety) mediate the relationship of appreciative leadership and employees' helping behaviors. In addition, the results show that high organizational trust strengthens the positive relationship between appreciative leadership and employees' helping behaviors.
Practical implications
This research has provided empirical proof between the relationship of appreciative leadership and helping behaviors and the findings are of great significance for managers, employees, and organizations. The study proposes that leaders should have appreciative behavior while treating their subordinates. Moreover, it is revealed that the role of organizational trust should be given more attention and importance because it is a factor moderating the employees' helping behaviors.
Originality/value
The present study, among the first empirical efforts investigating the relationship between appreciative leadership and helping behaviors, organizational trust as a moderator, enriches the existing academic literature of and provides worthy insight into the research on appreciative leadership and helping behaviors.
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Shuliu Wang, Qianqian Liu, Jin Wang, Nana Chen, JunHang Chen, Jialiang Song, Xin Zhang and Kui Xiao
This study aims to investigate the role of aluminium (Al) in marine environment and the corrosion mechanism of galvalume coatings by conducting accelerated experiments and data…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the role of aluminium (Al) in marine environment and the corrosion mechanism of galvalume coatings by conducting accelerated experiments and data analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
Samples were subjected to accelerated corrosion for 136 days via salt spray tests to simulate the natural conditions of marine environment and consequently accelerate the experiments. Subsequently, the samples were examined using various test methods, such as EDS, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and the obtained data were analysed.
Findings
Galvalume coatings comprised interdigitated zinc (Zn)-rich and dendritic Al-rich phases. Corrosion was observed to begin with a Zn-rich phase. The primary components of the corrosion product film were Al2O3 and Zn5(OH)8Cl2·H2O. It was confirmed that the role of Al was to form a dense protective film, thereby successfully blocking the entry of corrosive media and protecting the iron substrate.
Originality/value
This study provides a clearer understanding of the corrosion mechanism and kinetics of galvalume coatings in a simulated marine environment. In addition, the role of Al, which is rarely mentioned in the literature, was investigated.
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