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Discusses a new approach to solving optimal designing and control problems in aircraft gas‐turbine engine components. This approach is a combination of optimal designing problems with optimal control problems, allowing the formation of a single problem of optimal designing of controllable systems. The solving of this problem would involve simultaneous optimization of both design parameters and control laws. Allows the making of technically correct and substantiated decisions, taking into consideration several efficiency criteria for gas‐turbine engine components; a specific feature being the determination of a set of competitive optimal solutions in terms of different efficiency criteria values. Demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach by an example of multicriteria design optimization of a controllable axial flow compressor. Presents the results of a search of compressor blade rows geometrical parameters sets and of compressor stator blades control laws which are Edgeworth‐Pareto optimal for four operating modes. Shows a possibility of increasing compressor efficiency considerably by choosing the most preferable design parameters set and implementing in airborne digital control system a number of control laws optimal for different operating modes.

The purpose of this paper is to present original methods related to the modeling of material deposit and associated heat sources for finite element simulation of gas metal arc welding (GMAW).

The filler deposition results from high-frequency impingements of melted droplets. The present modeling approach consists of a time-averaged source term in the mass equation for selected finite elements in the fusion zone. The associated expansion of the mesh is controlled by means of adaptive remeshing. The heat input includes a volume source corresponding to the droplets energy, for which a model from the literature is expressed in coherency with mass supply. Finally, an inverse technique has been developed to identify different model parameters. The objective function includes the differences between calculations and experiments in terms of temperature, but also shape of the fusion zone.

The proposed approach for the modeling of metal deposition results in a direct calculation of the formation of the weld bead, without any a priori definition of its shape. Application is shown on GMAW of steel 316LN, for which parameters of the model have been identified by the inverse method. They are in agreement with literature and simulation results are found quite close to experimental measurements.

The proposed algorithm for material deposit offers an alternative to the element activation techniques that are commonly used to simulate the deposition of filler metal. The proposed inverse method for parameter identification is original in that it encompasses an efficient and convenient technique to take into account the shape of the fusion zone.

In attempting to solve agency issues associated with single-unit franchising and international adaptation issues with company-owned outlets, franchisors engage in multi-unit franchising. Extant research has examined the antecedents and positive outcomes of multi-unit franchising, but the dark side has largely been neglected. In a sample of 16 corporations that operate 25 brands from the period of 2005–2012, we examine how the density of multi-unit franchising impacts overall franchise system growth and internationalization growth. The results of our study show that multi-unit franchising negatively impacts franchise system growth and a franchise system’s internationalization efforts. While benefits of multi-unit franchising have been explicated by previous research, our results show that companies should be concerned about the long-term impact of multi-unit franchising and that there is indeed a dark side.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between chair–chief executive officer (CEO) demographic dissimilarities and firm internationalization.

The pooled ordinary least squares regression is used on a sample of listed firms in Malaysia from 2013 to 2017. This study considers three demographic dissimilarities between the chair and CEO, i.e. differences in age, educational background and nationality.

The results reveal that demographic dissimilarities between the chair and CEO, notably differences in nationality, may result in conflicting cognitive styles, which in turn may impede the firms’ ability to expand internationally, as compared to differences in age and educational background. The findings demonstrate the deleterious effects of demographic dissimilarity between these two individuals in the highest echelons on the firms’ internationalization strategy due to poor communication and lack of ability to cooperate when dissatisfaction and conflicts intensify between these corporate elites.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper makes the first attempt to examine the influence of chair–CEO demographic dissimilarities on firm internationalization. Previous studies examining firms’ internationalization strategy, for the most part, restricted their scope to either the board members or top management team characteristics, but had largely overlooked the nexus between nonexecutive and executive directors through the chair and CEO. A focus on the demographic dissimilarities between the co-leaders of the firm is essential to improve the understanding of the collaboration and rivalry between them, which may affect board effectiveness and firm internationalization.

The main goal of this research is to analyze and assess the barriers to Digital Transformation (DT) of the healthcare Supply Chain (SC) in developing countries and evaluate strategies to overcome such barriers. The DT has been related not only to the development of SC performance but also to the expansion of its resilience capabilities in a healthcare setting to overcome the results of unavoidable risk events and return to its previous or new state, which has at least the same or better conditions, after the occurrence of an unpredicted event.

Assessment of the barriers and determination of the importance or effectiveness of proposed strategies to handle these barriers are conducted through a hybrid Multi-Criteria-Decision-Making method consisting of an Analytical Hierarchy Process and multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (MABAC) under picture fuzzy (PiF) environment.

Based on the outcomes of the research, the most important barriers for DT in healthcare SC functions were the organizational and technological issues, including Low support from top managers (O1), Lack of digital culture (O2), and Info/data safety and privacy (T4). To handle these barriers, the prior strategy was selected as “Making breakthroughs and incentives of top managers for the DT in the industry (ST3)”.

The study may be extended to include developed countries and or experts from developed countries. Through this, the study will be generalized to a global level. The most common qualitative criteria, which include subjectivity, are considered. The research may be enhanced by including quantitative criteria in the decision-making process. The barriers related to DT for healthcare SC were considered. Thus, the study may be detailed by looking at the problem in terms of operational failure and determining the digital technology that can overcome such operational failures. The precedence or importance of any barrier may fluctuate with the upgradation of technological tools and improvements.

In terms of practical contribution, this research provides real-world suggestions to facilitate digital transformation in their SCs. Specifically, this study increases the awareness of healthcare and other industries' managers about obstacles that prevents digital transformation in SC and provides managerial path to relieve the effects of barriers.

To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first study to examine barriers of DT required for the promotion of resilient healthcare SCs in this concept. In addition, no previous research applied PiFSs-based AHP and MABAC integration to assess barriers and develop strategies for the DT of healthcare SC. The findings may be references for governmental institutions, policymakers, decision-makers, and stakeholders to develop proper strategies for a successful DT in healthcare SC resilience and the healthcare industry.

Knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial firms succeed when they can better marshal their knowledge resources into productive advantages, necessitating entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and knowledge management (KM) processes of knowledge acquisition, application, conversion and protection. However, configurations of EO and KM processes are unaccounted for in extant theory, and the differences between the operating context of knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial firms are unclear. Therefore, this study investigates the configurational combination of EO and KM processes in two different contexts as native and immigrant entrepreneurial firms.

Drawing on the knowledge-based theory, the authors apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and necessity analysis of QCA (NCA) to data from Malaysian native (N = 185) and immigrant (N = 146) service-oriented entrepreneurial firms.

The results demonstrate that immigrant entrepreneurial firms’ performance relies on knowledge processes of knowledge acquisition and application to ensure intelligent effectuation of EO; but for native entrepreneurial firms, the critical knowledge processes for performance success are knowledge conversion and protection. The NCA suggests that EO is critical for both firms; however, conjunctional causations differ based on KM processes.

This study enriches the emerging knowledge-based theory of the entrepreneurial-oriented firm by advancing the theory and conversation by revealing how EO, KM processes and context link in which the profile of the EO–performance relationship is configurationally dependent. The study advances the knowledge-based theory of entrepreneurially-oriented firms to account for entrepreneurship in context.

The vulnerability of customers to malware attacks through weak supplier links has prompted a need for collaboration as a strategic alternative in improving supply chain cybersecurity (SCC). Current studies overlook the fact that the effectiveness of cybersecurity strategies is dependent on the form of interfirm relationship mechanisms within which supply chain digital assets are embedded. This paper analyses the association between interfirm collaborative cybersecurity management capabilities (ICCMC) and cybersecurity parameters across a supply chain and proposes an agenda for future research.

A systematic literature review (SLR) is conducted, employing text mining software to analyse content extracted from 137 scholarly articles on SCC from January 2013 to January 2022.

The co-occurrence analysis strongly confirms the potential of ICCMC to reinforce SCC. Furthermore, we establish that relational factors could have multiple roles: as antecedents for ICCMC, and as factors that directly affect SCC parameters. The analysis reveals knowledge gaps in SCC theory grounding, including a fragmented and sparse representation of SCC parameters and the potential presence of an omitted variable – SCC – that could improve subsequent testing of causal relationships for theory development.

The paper’s contribution is at the intersection of interfirm collaboration and mandating cybersecurity requirements across a supply chain. Our paper contributes to closing a social-technical gap by introducing social aspects such as the Relational View and the importance of developing ICCMC to reinforce SCC. We offer a method for testing co-occurrences in SLRs, a comprehensive definition of SCC, and a framework with propositions for future research on increasing the effectiveness of collaborative cybersecurity management. We position collaboration as a necessary condition for the transition from cybersecurity of a firm to cybersecurity across a supply chain, and its ecosystem.

Guided by resource-based theory, this study unpacks the relationship between an export entrepreneurial marketing orientation (EMO) and export performance. This is undertaken by investigating quadratic effects and the moderating role of export coopetition (cooperation amongst competitors in an international arena).

Survey responses were collected from a sample of 282 smaller-sized wine producers in Italy. This empirical context was ideal, as it hosted varying degrees of the constructs within the conceptual model. Put another way, it was suitable to test the underlying issues for theorising purposes. The hypotheses and control paths were tested through a three-step hierarchical regression analysis.

An export EMO had a non-linear (inverted U-shaped) association with export performance. Furthermore, this link was positively moderated by export coopetition. With too little of an export EMO, small enterprises might struggle to create value for their overseas customers. With too much of an export EMO, owner-managers could experience harmful performance outcomes. By cooperating with appropriate industry rivals, small companies can acquire new resources, capabilities and opportunities to help them to boost their export performance. That is, export coopetition can stabilise some of the potential dangers of employing an export EMO.

The empirical findings signified that an export EMO has potential dark-sides if these firm-wide behaviours are not implemented effectively. Nevertheless, cooperating with competitors in export markets can alleviate some of these concerns. Collectively, unique insights have emerged, whereby entrepreneurs are advantaged by being strategically flexible and collaborating with appropriate key stakeholders to enhance their export performance.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between strategic orientations as well as the role played by them to impact the performance of industrial firms.

The paper formulates some hypotheses from the literature review. These hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling with data collected from 292 randomly selected firms operating in several industrial sectors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The findings of this study showed the importance of these strategic orientations in enhancing the performance of Saudi industrial firms and emphasized the mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation in the relationships of market orientation and technology orientation to new product development performance and firm performance.

The study discusses the findings and advances certain limitations and research and managerial implications for future research avenues. It proposes some recommendations to help Saudi firms to choose more than one orientation simultaneously and adopt an appropriate configuration of orientations. Future research has to consider the interplay between these strategic orientations and the impacts of environmental turbulence in terms of market and technology turbulence on strategic orientations – performance relationship.

The study suggests that managers of Saudi industrial firms should utilize a mix of aspects from several strategic orientations such as market and technology through entrepreneurial capabilities and resources that enhance higher levels of performance.

This study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship and strategic management by showing the reliability of scales used and the confirmatory of the factor structure. It also contributes to business practices by showing the importance for Saudi firms to combine different strategic orientations and provide more attention to the interplay of these orientations in order to perform better in such a transitional context.