Abhishek Shrivastava, Anand Kumar S. and Samrat Rao
This study used an indentation-based mechanical testing framework for the mechanical characterization of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processed Inconel 718 on a wrought Inconel…
Abstract
Purpose
This study used an indentation-based mechanical testing framework for the mechanical characterization of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processed Inconel 718 on a wrought Inconel 718 substrate. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the effectiveness of the indentation-based approach for localized mechanical evaluation.
Design/methodology/approach
The LPBF-processed wrought substrate was sectioned into three sections for microstructural and mechanical characterization. A 3D heat source model was used for the thermal analysis of the interface region. The developed interface region is probed using the Knoop hardness indenter in different orientations to determine the textural anisotropy and mechanical behavior of the region.
Findings
LPBF process develops a melted interface zone (MIZ) at the deposition-substrate interface. The MIZ exhibited a coarse grain structure region along with a larger primary dendritic arm spacing (PDAS), signifying a slower cooling rate. FE modeling of the LPBF process reveals heat accumulation in the substrate along with intrinsic heat treatment (IHT) induced due to layer-wise processing. The obtained yield locus shows strong anisotropy in the deposition region, whereas reduced anisotropy with a nearly uniform ellipse locus for the MIZ regions. This reduced anisotropy is attributable to IHT and heat accumulation in the substrate.
Originality/value
An alternative localized mechanical characterization tool has been investigated in this work. The approach proved sensitive to thermal variations during LPBF processing in an isolated region which extends its suitability to variable geometry parts. Moreover, the approach could serve as a screening tool for parts made from dissimilar metals.
Details
Keywords
Sheereen Fauzel, Verena Tandrayen-Ragoobur and Shashi Jeevita Matadeen
The service sector has witnessed an important transformation due to technological disruption. The widespread adoption of digital technologies has enabled service providers to…
Abstract
The service sector has witnessed an important transformation due to technological disruption. The widespread adoption of digital technologies has enabled service providers to automate various tasks and processes. Blockchain technology, for instance, has transformed payments, remittances, and financial transactions in the financial services sector by providing greater transparency and security. The travel and hospitality industry has also seen changes through online booking platforms, review aggregators, and AI-driven recommendations. Other activities like entertainment, education, logistics, and transportation as well as retail have been disrupted by technologies leading to increased accessibility and efficiency and shaping the service economy into a customer-centric business model. This literature survey reviews the technological disruption in the services sector, including the health, education, financial, transport, tourism, and communications sectors. Across the subsectors reviewed, an average of 30 articles were reviewed and analyzed during the period 2000–2023.
Details
Keywords
This study aims to review the current literature on the positive and negative effects of digitalisation in preventing corruption. It analyses existing research patterns and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to review the current literature on the positive and negative effects of digitalisation in preventing corruption. It analyses existing research patterns and provides recommendations for future studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper employed bibliometric analysis and systematic review to scrutinise 190 papers from the Web of Science database from 2000 to 2023. Biblioshiny on R Studio was used for advanced bibliometric analysis to determine publication dynamics, influential journals, publications and impactful authors and a three-field plot to analyse relationships among countries, keywords and journals.
Findings
This study provides a bibliometric analysis of the past and actual developments in the field related to the effects of digitalisation on corruption. Based on the systematic literature review on a sample of the 50 most influential articles, this study identified background theories employed, the primary research methodologies adopted and valuable insights into both the positive and negative aspects of the impact of digitalisation on corruption.
Originality/value
This study provides an extended overview of the effects of digitalisation on corruption and advances new avenues for further research related to this field. The white and dark sides of the effects of digitalisation on corruption are highlighted. Furthermore, the study identifies the need for further research in this field to gain a more in-depth understanding of the nexus between digitalisation and corruption.
Details
Keywords
Zhongju Liao, Chao Huang, Yubing Yu, Shufeng (Simon) Xiao, Justin Zuopeng Zhang, Abhishek Behl, Vijay Pereira and Alessio Ishizaka
This study aims to investigate the causal relationships within an experimental culture of improvisation capability and firm performance, following the logic of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the causal relationships within an experimental culture of improvisation capability and firm performance, following the logic of “culture-capability-performance” and building on informal institution theory and dynamic capability theory.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was mainly collected via on-site questionnaires from firm managers, and 196 valid questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the relationship among experimental culture, improvisation capability and firms’ performance.
Findings
Trust and support had a positive impact on firm spontaneity, while the effect of action promotion and error tolerance was not significant. Action promotion, trust and support demonstrate substantial positive effects on the creativity of a firm. Both dimensions of improvisation capability positively and significantly influence a firm’s performance.
Research limitations/implications
The research respondents were firm managers. Cross-sectional data were used to analyze the model, which may cause common method variance. The research context was limited to China, and the generalizability of the results needs to be considered.
Practical implications
Firms can cultivate a culture of trust and support to enhance their spontaneity and improvisation capability. They can encourage cross-departmental communication, empower employees with autonomy in decision-making, provide appropriate resource support for employees’ decisions and use praise and reward incentives to spur further innovation achievements.
Originality/value
This study addresses the gaps in a firm’s improvisation capability within a Chinese market context by theoretically and empirically examining the role of experimental culture and assessing the relationship among each of the dimensions of improvisation capability in relation to firm performance identified in this study.
Details
Keywords
Sujo Thomas, Abhishek, Sanket Vatavwala and Piyush Kumar Sinha
BigBasket.com, an online supermarket established in December 2011 in Bangalore, India, had become one of the major players in the Indian online grocery market by the end of March…
Abstract
BigBasket.com, an online supermarket established in December 2011 in Bangalore, India, had become one of the major players in the Indian online grocery market by the end of March 2016.1 Run by Innovative Retail Concepts Private Limited, BigBasket.com was operating in more than 23 cities across the country in 2016. The online grocery market in India was in a stage of growth and transformation, fuelled by India's large urban population who sought a lifestyle of convenience and ease. It had also attracted many entrepreneurs who competed fiercely with each other in a market characterised by thin margins. Intense competition ensured that only a few companies were able to survive and sustain themselves. One of these companies was Big Basket, which succeeded in spite of the competition, attracting Series Da funding worth USD 150b million from the United Arab Emirates-based Abraaj Group in March 2016.2
Details

Keywords
Sundeep Singh Sondhi, Prashant Salwan, Abhishek Behl, Suman Niranjan and Tim Hawkins
This paper aims to derive a model that explores how the interplay between knowledge integration capability and innovation impacts strategic orientation, leading to the attainment…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to derive a model that explores how the interplay between knowledge integration capability and innovation impacts strategic orientation, leading to the attainment of sustainable competitive advantage. The study considers the constituents of strategic orientation, namely, customer orientation, competitor orientation and technology orientation, as the basis for achieving sustainable competitive advantage. The study suggests that the firm’s capacity for integrating external and internal knowledge shapes how strategic orientation influences sustainable competitive advantage through service innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
This empirical research relies on qualitative and quantitative data gathered from telecom professionals to assess how knowledge integration and service innovation influence sustained competitive advantage. Structured equation modeling is used to examine the model and its interrelationships.
Findings
The research establishes significant relationships between strategic orientations, knowledge integration capability, service innovation and sustainable competitive advantage. Knowledge integration capability and service innovation are found to mediate the relationship between strategic orientations and the achievement of sustainable competitive advantage.
Practical implications
The study highlights the significant contribution of a firm’s knowledge integration capability in driving service innovation, especially in technology-intensive service industries facing hypercompetition. It also advocates prioritizing technology orientation and integrating knowledge from internal and external sources for competitive advantage.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to model the effect of knowledge integration capability and service innovation on strategic orientation-led sustainable competitive advantage.
Details
Keywords
Suchitra Ajgaonkar, Netra Neelam, Abhishek Behl, Le Trung Dao and Le Dang Lang
This research examines the effects of the context on the relationship between work design, learning mechanism and total quality management (TQM). The exploratory study examines…
Abstract
Purpose
This research examines the effects of the context on the relationship between work design, learning mechanism and total quality management (TQM). The exploratory study examines the differential effects in context on how human resources and their activities are strategically managed for achieving TQM. Two theoretical frameworks – activity theory and contextual learning theory – are concurrently used for analysis. Specifically, the manufacturing companies, the authors examine are (1) technology-intensive company which has bought technology from a global foreign establishment (MU1), (2) technology-intensive companies having their own technology (MU2) and (3) labor-intensive units (MU3) of varying organizational sizes.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study-based research consists of 27 in-depth interviews with managers and employees of different hierarchies in each manufacturing unit. The authors interviewed them using semi-structured questions that were pre-validated by five senior HR experts from the manufacturing industry. Document analysis, multiple site visits and website content helped triangulation. The data are coded and analyzed using Dedoose software for qualitative research.
Findings
Activity diagrams for each manufacturing unit provides task and interaction analysis. Within and cross-case analysis address complexity and challenges of contextual reality, influences on work design and learning mechanism. HRD executives must recognize that there may be well-differentiated learning behaviors that align with organizational strategy. The learning behaviors may not be well-differentiated and become very dynamic. This dynamism may be characterized by double loop and single-loop learning feeding into each other.
Practical implications
This study provides substantial practical implications for HRD and other managers in the manufacturing sector.
Originality/value
The new theoretical framework adds to organizational behavior studies through multi-level and cross-contextual approach. It informs strategic combinations and interactions between internal and external context, and learning needs implicating work design and TQM.
Details
Keywords
Barkha Dhingra, Mahender Yadav, Mohit Saini and Ruhee Mittal
This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to provide a comprehensive picture and identify future research directions to enrich the existing literature on behavioral…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to provide a comprehensive picture and identify future research directions to enrich the existing literature on behavioral biases.
Design/methodology/approach
The data set comprises 518 articles from the Web of Science database. Performance analysis is used to highlight the significant contributors (authors, institutions, countries and journals) and contributions (highly influential articles) in the field of behavioral biases. In addition, network analysis is used to delve into the conceptual and social structure of the research domain.
Findings
The current review has identified four major themes: “Influence of behavioral biases on investment decisions,” “Determinants of home bias,” “Impact of biases on stock market variables” and “Investors’ decision-making under uncertainty.” These themes reveal that a majority of studies have focused on equity markets, and research on other asset classes remains underexplored.
Research limitations/implications
This study extracted data from a single database (Web of Science) to ensure standardization of results. Consequently, future research could broaden the scope of the bibliometric review by incorporating multiple databases.
Originality/value
The novelty of this research is to provide valuable guidance by evaluating the existing literature and advancing the knowledge base on the conceptual and social structure of behavioral biases.