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The effectiveness of the Just-in-Time (JIT) production system in non-Japanese contexts is a topic of diverse findings. This study conducts a meta-analysis of empirical research on JIT and its relationship with performance, focusing on studies published since 1995. Additionally, it examines the moderating influence of National Culture (NC) values on JIT outcomes.

A total of 59 empirical studies with 211 effects and 17,008 observations from 18 countries are meta-analyzed. A meta-regression using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) is performed to explore how four dimensions of National Culture (NC) moderate the impact. (viz. institutional collectivism, uncertainty avoidance future orientation, and power distance,) based on the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) culture model.

The meta-analysis results show that improved production efficiency, product quality and reduced wastes achieved through JIT deployments translate into the overall performance of organizations. The meta-regression results shed light on how local cultures influence the effectiveness of JIT across different countries.

The findings of meta-analysis have implications for multinational manufacturers in realizing efficacy of JIT. The research adds to the international operations management literature by examining how NC values influence strategies and decisions in operations management.

To supply temporary pressure testing devices with favorable performance for emergency environments, this paper aims to present a pressure sensor with a central boss and straight-annular grooves. The structural feature is modeled and optimized by neural network-based method, and the device prototype is fabricated by 3D printing techniques.

The study initially compares mechanical properties of the proposed structure with two conventional designs using finite element analysis. The impacts from structural dimensions on sensor performance are modeled using a Backpropagation neural network and optimized through genetic algorithms. The sensing diaphragm is fabricated using stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, while the piezoresistors and necessary interconnects are realized with screen printing techniques.

The experimental results demonstrate that the fabricated sensor exhibits a sensitivity of 2.8866 mV/kPa and a nonlinearity of 6.81% within the pressure range of 0–100 kPa. This performance is an improvement of 118% in sensitivity and a decrease of 54% in nonlinearity compared to flat diaphragm structure, highlighting the effectiveness of proposed diaphragm configuration.

This research offers a holistic methodology that encompasses the structural design, optimization and fabrication of pressure sensors. The proposed diaphragm and corresponding modelling method can provide a practical approach to enhance the measurement capabilities of pressure sensors. By leveraging SLA printing for diaphragm and screen printing for circuit, the prototype can be produced in a timely manner.

This study empirically evaluates the effect of China’s 2016 Green Financial System (GFS) framework on corporate green development, focusing on the role of green investment in achieving sustainability.

This study uses a quasinatural experiment design to combine difference-in-difference and propensity score matching methods for analysis. It examines 799 polluting and 1,130 nonpolluting firms from 2013 to 2020, enabling a comprehensive assessment of the GFS framework’s influence.

This study affirms a statistically significant positive influence of the GFS framework on escalating green investment levels in polluting firms. Robust sensitivity analyses, encompassing parallel trend assessment, entropy balancing test, and alternative proxies, corroborate these findings. A mediation analysis identifies the implementation of an environmental management system as the potential underlying mechanism. A cross-sectional analysis identifies high financial slack, high profitability, mandatory CSR regulations, and marketization level as the influencing factors.

The study’s findings have critical implications for policymakers, regulators, and companies. Demonstrating the effectiveness of the GFS framework in driving green investment underscores the importance of aligning financial systems with sustainability goals.

This study contributes novel empirical evidence on the positive effect of China’s GFS framework on corporate green development. The quasinatural experiment design, coupled with comprehensive sensitivity analyses, strengthens the robustness of the findings.

The idea of value co-creation involves the benefit actors gain from integrating resources through activities and interactions within a service network, with the environment enabling high-quality collaboration. This paradigm highlights customers’ ability to co-create value with service providers and other customers. This idea is gaining traction in health care. These days, patients are no longer passive recipients of health-care services; rather they have started taking proactive roles in their self-health management. This study aims to understand the phenomenon of value co-creation among patients within online health communities (OHCs).

A systematic literature review of papers published from 2003 to 2024 in Web of Science-indexed journals was conducted. The review highlights theories, contexts, characteristics and methodologies in this area, synthesizing insights from previous research and presenting a future research agenda for underexplored and unexplored contexts using emerging theoretical perspectives and analytical methodologies.

The review illuminates theoretical and empirical studies on value co-creation among patients in OHCs. Previous research shows that value co-creation among patients leads to cognitive, affective and physical benefits such as reduced anxiety and stress, increased assurance and self-confidence, improved quality of life, enhanced patient empowerment, acceptance of disease and treatment effectiveness and a sense of self-worth and well-being.

This review synthesizes insights from previous works and outlines a research agenda for future studies in underexplored and unexplored contexts using new theoretical perspectives and methodologies. Considering the role social media plays in an individual’s life, this work will help in deep diving into the role of such online communities in the health-care sector.

This paper aims to develop an optimal maintenance and spare parts policy for an urban micro wind power system, focusing on two urban micro wind farms (UMWF). The reliability and efficiency of these systems are sought to be enhanced by considering the relationship between urban wind parameters and wind turbine degradation.

A proportional hazards (PH) model is utilized to describe how urban wind conditions impact turbine degradation. The maintenance strategy includes preventive maintenance (PM), corrective maintenance (CM) and opportunistic maintenance (OM). A multi-objective optimization algorithm is developed to optimize the joint policy of OM plans and spare parts resource allocation.

The proposed maintenance and spare parts policy effectively balances the trade-offs between PM, CM and OM strategies. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the policy improves the reliability of UMWF, reducing downtime and maintenance costs while ensuring the availability of spare parts when needed. The results show a significant enhancement in system performance compared to traditional maintenance approaches.

A novel maintenance policy and spare parts management approach for urban micro wind power systems is proposed. A multi-objective optimization algorithm is developed to optimize the OM schedule and maintenance spare parts resource management strategy for wind farms in urban wind environments.

The study examines how the micro, meso and macro-levels influence learning (forward-facing and backward-facing) and opportunity identification among young entrepreneurs in the UK and China starting green and conventional businesses.

The study is based on 20 young (18–30) entrepreneurs in the UK and China. Thematic and content analysis identified and categorised various themes. The data were then analysed using ORIGIN GraphPad software to identify statistical differences and their significance levels.

General influences on starting a business were relatively evenly spread across the micro (individual), meso (family and social networks) and macro levels (institutional) for the two groups; the only exception was the higher micro-level influences for the green entrepreneurs. The barriers to startups were concentrated at the meso and macro levels, but there were significant differences between the green and conventional startups.

A noteworthy finding was the dominance of experiential over cognitive learning among entrepreneurs, including those starting green businesses. Considering the importance of young people establishing environmentally friendly companies, this lack of focus on forward-looking cognitive learning represents a significant educational gap. Greater emphasis should be placed on encouraging green entrepreneurs to devote more attention to the forward-facing, cognitive dimensions of learning.

The findings demonstrate the importance of considering the interplay between micro, meso and macro levels on both forward-facing cognitive and backward-facing experiential learning in entrepreneurship. The multilevel impacts provide a more nuanced understanding of the influences shaping entrepreneurial learning and opportunity identification among young entrepreneurs starting businesses with different sustainability orientations.

This paper aims to study the influence of different seal structure parameters and working conditions on the air-oil two-phase flow characteristics and leakage characteristics of the seal cavity in the bearing cavity of the aero-engine spindle bearing tester.

In this paper, the VOF method and RNG k-ε turbulence model are used to explore the flow characteristics and leakage characteristics of the labyrinth seal cavity of an aero-engine spindle bearing tester under the condition of air-oil two-phase flow.

The distribution of the lubricating oil is related to the sealing clearance and the air-oil ratio. The amount of oil leakage increases with increasing of sealing chamber clearance, air-oil ratio and inlet velocity and decreases with increasing curvature and speed. The amount of air leakage increases with sealing clearance and inlet velocity.

In comparison to the pure air-phase flow field, the air-oil two-phase flow field can more accurately simulate the lubricating oil flow in the sealing chamber.

The emergence of green banking (GB) as a pivotal force in fostering environmentally and socially responsible economic practices has gained significant traction in recent years. This paradigm shift within the banking sector advocates for the rise of Green financial technology (Fintech), serving as a catalyst for innovative digital tools promoting environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments and sustainable banking practices. This study aims to investigate the impact of green banking awareness (GBA) on green FinTech adoption (GFA) further affecting ESG investments, perceived profitability (PP) and sustainable banking (SB).

The study employed a quantitative approach, utilizing partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data collected through an online administered questionnaire. The sample comprised registered users of various FinTech products and services in the North Indian regions, with 196 respondents.

The study identified a significant positive relationship between GBA and GFA, suggesting that heightened awareness of green banking positively influences the adoption of sustainable FinTech solutions. Additionally, GFA was found to be positively associated with increased ESG investments, perceived profitability and sustainability of personal investment portfolios. These findings underscore the potential of GFA to drive financial empowerment and environmental responsibility.

This research contributes to the concept and application of ESG-driven investments at the individual level. It provides a new discourse and proposes an Eco–Ed nexus framework focusing on strategic insights for stakeholders, guiding the implementation of transformative measures to advance sustainable finance and green economic growth.

The concept of frugal innovation has been scholarly discussed from different perspectives. It is a concept that has in the recent years been receiving much attention. In this view, much of the scholarly attention has been given to the benefits of frugal innovation. However, sparse and little attention has been given to the possibilities and challenges of frugal innovation in attaining sustainable development in African Nations. Much of the work has explored the benefits of disruptive frugal innovation. Given this background, this chapter, therefore, seeks to contribute to disruptive frugal digital innovation by highlighting the challenges and possibilities frugal innovation brings in an attempt to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially SDG 1 that aims to end poverty in all forms as well as SDG 8 that aims to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation. Hence, this chapter aims to unleash some possibilities and challenges that can be brought by frugal innovation. Using literature analysis from 21 articles from Google Scholar, the chapter pre-empts key definitions and highlights the SDGs, the possibilities and challenges brought by frugal innovation in achieving economic and social sustainability in Africa. It is through these insights that the chapter seeks to inform theory, practice and policy in the context of SDGs in Africa.

This paper aims to enhance the machining accuracy of hybrid robots by treating the moving platform as the first joint of a serial robot for direct position measurement and integrating external grating sensors with motor encoders for real-time error compensation.

Initially, a spherical coordinate system is established using one linear and two circular grating sensors. This system enables direct acquisition of the moving platform’s position in the hybrid robot. Subsequently, during the coarse interpolation stage, the motor command for the next interpolation point is dynamically updated using error data from external grating sensors and motor encoders. Finally, fuzzy proportional integral derivative (PID) control is applied to maintain robot stability post-compensation.

Experiments were conducted on the TriMule-600 hybrid robot. The results indicate that the following errors of the five grating sensors are reduced by 94%, 93%, 80%, 75% and 88% respectively, after compensation. Using the fourth drive joint as an example, it was verified that fuzzy adaptive PID control performs better than traditional PID control.

The proposed online error compensation strategy significantly enhances the positional accuracy of the robot end, thereby improving the actual processing quality of the workpiece.

This method presents a technique for achieving online error compensation in hybrid robots, which promotes the advancement of the manufacturing industry.

This paper proposes a cost-effective and practical method for online error compensation in hybrid robots using grating sensors, which contributes to the advancement of hybrid robot technology.