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The aim of this paper is to study the effect of laser shock peening (LSP) on mechanical behaviour of the laser-directed energy deposition (LDED)-based printed 15-5 PH stainless steel with U and V notches. The study specifically concentrates on the evaluation of effect of scan strategy, machining and LSP processing on microstructural, texture evolution and fatigue behaviour of LDED-printed 15-5 PH steel.

For LSP treatment, 15-5 PH steel was printed using LDED process with bidirectional scanning strategy (XX [θ = 0°) and XY [θ = 90°]) at optimised laser power of 600 W with a scanning speed of 300 mm/min and a powder feed rate of 3 g/min. Furthermore, LSP treatment was conducted on the V- and U-notched fatigue specimens extracted from LDED-built samples at laser energy of 3.5 J with a pulse width of 10 ns using laser spot diameter of 3 mm. Post to the LSP treatment, the surface roughness, fatigue life assessment and microstructural evolution analysis is performed. For this, different advanced characterisation techniques are used, such as scanning electron microscopy attached with electron backscatter diffraction for microstructure and texture, X-ray diffraction for residual stress (RS) and structure information, Vicker’s hardness tester for microhardness and universal testing machine for low-cycle fatigue.

It is observed that both scanning strategies during the LDED printing of 15-5 PH steel and laser peening have played significant role in fatigue life. Specimens with the XY printing strategy shows higher fatigue life as compared to XX with both U- and V-notched conditions. Furthermore, machining and LSP treatment led to a significant improvement of fatigue life for both scanning strategies with U and V notches. The extent of increase in fatigue life for both XX and XY scanning strategy with V notch is found to be higher than U notch after LSP treatment, though without LSP samples with U notch have a higher fatigue life. As fabricated sample is found to have the lowest fatigue life as compared to machines and laser peened with both scan strategies.

This study presents an innovative method to improve the fatigue life of 15-5 PH stainless steel by changing the microstructure, texture and RS with the adoption of a suitable scanning strategy, machining and LSP treatment as post-processing. The combination of preferred microstructure and compressive RS in LDED-printed 15-5 PH stainless steel achieved with a synergy between microstructure and RS, which is responsible to improve the fatigue life. This can be adopted for the futuristic application of LDED-printed 15-5 PH stainless steel for different applications in aerospace and other industries.

This study introduces a novel approach to preventing construction quality problems by examining the complex interrelations among such issues. Recognizing the overlooked coupling between problems is essential, as it can exacerbate quality issues, triggering chain reactions that compromise project success. The research justifies its focus on these interrelations by highlighting the insufficiency of traditional quality management methods, which often fail to account for interconnected quality problems in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry.

At the core of this research is the establishment of a knowledge base for construction quality issues, marking a pioneering effort to systematically organize unstructured textual data on construction quality problems and their interconnections. This base serves as a platform for the subsequent application of advanced analytical techniques. Specifically, the study leverages preprocessing, text similarity algorithms and association rule mining to dissect and illuminate the nuanced coupling relationships among construction quality issues, a facet not thoroughly explored in prior research.

The innovative analytical methodology employed here reveals significant insights into the dynamics of construction quality issue coupling. These insights not only deepen the understanding of these complex interactions but also guide the development of targeted intervention strategies. The practical applicability and effectiveness of the proposed approach are demonstrated using selected textual materials as experimental evidence. The findings show that understanding and addressing these couplings can significantly mitigate potential chain reactions of defects, thus enhancing overall project quality.

The originality of this study lies in its threefold contribution: the creation of a dedicated knowledge base for construction quality issues, the application of novel analytical methodologies to decipher coupling relationships and the extension of text analysis techniques to the realm of construction quality problem prevention. Together, these innovations open new avenues for research and practice in construction management, offering a robust framework for the systematic identification and mitigation of quality issues in construction projects.

Over the years, the impact of the business cycle on firm strategy has been neglected in the area of strategic management and remains one of the most important but least developed research streams in management scholarship. Studies in this area are scattered across time and domains, therefore, there is a need to consolidate this fragmented literature to provide a comprehensive review and thus avenues for further research. This study aims to address this gap.

In this study, the systematic literature review (SLR) method is used to select and examine research articles in the area of firm responses and decisions during recession. This SLR examines 127 studies and carries out a thematic synthesis of the literature.

Based on the SLR and thematic synthesis of the literature, the themes identified in this study include – severity of recession impact (Theme 1); firm specific characteristics (Theme 2); resource adjustment activities (Theme 3); and firm performance (Theme 4), based on these themes and analysis this paper maps and proposes various relationships and linkages in this research domain that can be explored further for the development of scholarship in this field of study.

This paper fulfills the need for a systematic review of the extant literature on firms’ responses during recession. The study synthesizes literature and carries out a thematic analysis from 1980 till the period February 2024 to provide directions to advance this domain of literature.

Globalization and population explosion have worsened postharvest losses (PHL) in developing countries. This study looks to identify numerous controllable variables to reduce these losses and make the fresh produce supply chain more efficient.

The study employs the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) technique to develop a hierarchical model to comprehend the intricate relationships between the variables influencing PHL. These variables are further classified based on the relative levels of importance in terms of their driving and dependence powers.

The findings of this research provide variables for enterprises operating in fresh food supply chains to understand the specific risks that that supply chain faces and how these risks interact within the system. The fuzzy MICMAC analysis also classifies and highlights critical risk factors in the supply chain to aid implementation of PHL mitigation measures. The study highlights the importance of devising policies, legislation and efforts to regulate and curtail PHL across the global food supply chain.

The efficiency of the food supply chain contributes not only to economic sustainability but also to broader goals such as food security, better utilisation of global resources and sustainability in the supply chain.

It also highlights the significance of well-informed government policies, laws and regulations in successfully controlling and reducing PHL.

This study compares factors contributing to PHL in the fresh produce supply chain and emphasises the stakeholders’ critical role in alleviating these losses. It also highlights the significance of well-informed government policies, laws and regulations in successfully controlling and reducing PHL.

This study introduces three variables related to brands that have the potential to enhance university students' advocacy intentions. The research explores how university brand identification, the perceived prestige of the university brand and the social benefits associated with the university brand impact students' advocacy intentions. Additionally, the study examines the moderating role of gender in these relationships.

Cross-sectional surveys of 326 undergraduate students enrolled in a Spanish university, and structural equation modeling was used to test and validate the conceptual model.

The findings from the structural equation modeling indicate that university brand identification, perceived university brand prestige and university brand social benefits significantly influence students' advocacy intentions. Furthermore, the multigroup analysis reveals a gender difference in the factors influencing advocacy intentions. Female students demonstrate significance in all three antecedents, whereas male students only show significance in university brand identification and perceived university brand prestige.

The current study's findings provide several insights for higher education institutions in developing enduring and committed relationships with their students.

This study offers relevant insights into the body of research on university branding, explaining the students' advocacy intentions through the variables of university brand identification, perceived university brand prestige and university brand social benefits. Also, this study is a novelty in introducing empirical evidence for the importance of the moderating role of students' gender.

Autoethnography as a methodology has proved increasingly attractive to higher education researchers in recent years, particularly those in marginalized positions. This article examines the extant research literature, focusing on the origins and meaning of the approach, how it has been applied in practice and the issues and critiques that have been raised. It concludes that collaborative forms of autoethnography probably offer the best way forward.

This study investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic, as a unique environmental factor, influences Australian supermarket customers’ satisfaction and behavioural loyalty intentions through contactless self-checkout systems (SCSs). It examines the role of customer perceptions of service quality and vulnerability in shaping these outcomes and explores how customer perceptions of COVID-19 risk moderate these relationships.

Employing the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theoretical framework, this research analyses responses from 428 Australian supermarket customers who use contactless self-checkout systems. The study integrates service quality and customer vulnerability as stimuli, examines their impact on customer satisfaction (the organism) and assesses how these factors influence customers' behavioural loyalty intentions (the response). Additionally, it explores how customer risk perceptions related to COVID-19 act as a moderator within these relationships.

The findings demonstrate that both SCS service quality and customer vulnerability significantly enhance customer satisfaction, positively affecting behavioural loyalty toward the supermarket. Furthermore, the study reveals that higher levels of perceived COVID-19 risk strengthen the impact of customer vulnerability on customer satisfaction and the effect of customer satisfaction on loyalty intentions.

This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the underexplored area of SCS usage and customer perceptions of service quality during an emerging pandemic among Australian consumers. It uniquely combines elements of consumer vulnerability and pandemic-related risk perceptions with traditional service quality metrics to offer new insights into customer behaviour in the retail sector. The study’s insights are valuable for supermarket management and marketing practices, particularly in adapting to and capitalizing on changes in consumer behaviour in response to global crises.

The timeliness and quality of information provided to board members are crucial for them to effectively monitor and advise a firm. This study examines the influence of board composition and structure on (1) the board’s actions to mitigate the information asymmetry problem by implementing enterprise information systems (EIS) and (2) the board of directors’ awareness of information asymmetry, their perception of its causes and their efforts to address it.

Our research employs a mixed-methods approach. First, using data from 115 publicly listed Chinese companies, we empirically assess the likelihood of top-level EIS modules adoption at the firm level. Subsequently, through 23 semi-structured interviews, we aim to gain deeper insights into the behavioral motivations behind directors’ attempts to reduce information asymmetry.

The study reveals that boards with a higher number of independent directors or with a strategy committee – indicative of a greater concern regarding information asymmetry problems – are more inclined to adopt top-level EIS modules. Additionally, we identify three primary sources of information asymmetry that directors consider significant in prompting the adoption of top-level EIS modules to alleviate perceived information asymmetry.

This study contributes to both the corporate governance and information systems literature. The implementation and utilization of EIS at the board level have not been extensively explored previously. Moreover, while the issue of information asymmetry at the board level is recognized as a critical governance challenge, the ways in which directors perceive and address this issue remain largely unknown. Our research seeks to illuminate this relatively less-explored area.

This study aims to propose a service robot option to address shortages of human frontline employees (FLEs) in long-term care (LTC) service settings. With a field study, the authors investigate the effect of psychological comfort with robot reminders of LTC residents and human FLEs on acceptance and attentive engagement, ultimately resulting in effort and willingness to interact with the service robot. The outcomes provide valuable insights into human-robot interaction in the LTC sector.

The 45 residents and 49 human FLEs who participated in the field study completed a survey measuring various perceptual variables after deploying a service robot.

Both the residents’ sample and the FLE sample demonstrate that psychological comfort with robot reminders increases robot acceptance. This increased acceptance evokes greater attentive engagement, ultimately leading to a higher willingness to exert effort to interact with the service robots.

This study highlights service robots with well-received reminder functions and the ability to prompt efforts by both residents and employees during their implementation at LTC services. The findings suggest further research avenues for designing service robots that can be effectively integrated.

This study leverages a service robot in a field study involving LTC residents and human FLEs rather than hypothetical scenarios, which is rather limited in current studies. The findings are both timely and relevant, considering the gradual implementation of service robots into LTC services.