Search results

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of low-cost chemical vapour treatment process on geometric accuracy and surface roughness of different curved and freeform surfaces of fused deposition modelling (FDM) specimens build at different part building orientations.

Parts with different primitive and curved surfaces are designed and modelled to build at three different part orientations along X orientation (vertical position resting on side face), Y orientation (horizontal position resting on base) and Z orientation (upright position). Later, the parts are post-processed by cold vapours of acetone. Geometric accuracy and surface roughness are measured both before and after the chemical treatment to investigate the change in geometric accuracy, surface roughness of FDM parts.

The results indicate that surface roughness is reduced immensely after cold vapour treatment with minimum variation in geometric accuracy of parts. Parts build vertically over its side face (X orientation) provides the overall better surface finish and geometric accuracy.

The present study provides an approach of post-built treatment for FDM parts and observes a significant improvement in surface finish of the components. The present approach of post-built treatment can be adopted to enhance the surface quality as well as to achieve desired geometric accuracy for different primitive, freeform/curved surfaces of FDM samples suitable for functional components as well as prototypes.

In the present work, a numerical method, based on the well established enthalpy technique, is developed to simulate the growth of binary alloy equiaxed dendrites in presence of melt convection. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The principle of volume-averaging is used to formulate the governing equations (mass, momentum, energy and species conservation) which are solved using a coupled explicit-implicit method. The velocity and pressure fields are obtained using a fully implicit finite volume approach whereas the energy and species conservation equations are solved explicitly to obtain the enthalpy and solute concentration fields. As a model problem, simulation of the growth of a single crystal in a two-dimensional cavity filled with an undercooled melt is performed.

Comparison of the simulation results with available solutions obtained using level set method and the phase field method shows good agreement. The effects of melt flow on dendrite growth rate and solute distribution along the solid-liquid interface are studied. A faster growth rate of the upstream dendrite arm in case of binary alloys is observed, which can be attributed to the enhanced heat transfer due to convection as well as lower solute pile-up at the solid-liquid interface. Subsequently, the influence of thermal and solutal Peclet number and undercooling on the dendrite tip velocity is investigated.

As the present enthalpy based microscopic solidification model with melt convection is based on a framework similar to popularly used enthalpy models at the macroscopic scale, it lays the foundation to develop effective multiscale solidification.

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between the real time requirements of guests and efforts made by hoteliers to optimize revenue and guest service excellence.

Prior studies have demonstrated the impact of room rates on profitability. The majority of these studies assumed an algebraic relationship between room rates and room demand to obtain the optimal solution by applying calculus to the revenue or profit function. This study adopts an alternative approach by seeking to better understanding the ever changing needs of hotel guests and how their behavior patterns have evolved over time together with innovative approaches that revenue managers need to adopt to optimize revenue. In today’s environment, revenue management has evolved into a more holistic approach and the study assimilates information from senior professionals from a range of hotels in India based on semi-structured interviews.

Revenue management is no longer about forecasting supply and demand based on historical data. This paper yields insights on emerging areas of importance for revenue management and advocates a systematic approach that hoteliers can adopt and apply to every department to secure a bigger impact on revenue management.

The findings can be used by hoteliers to fine-tune the room rates determined by conventional methods to arrive at a realistic and definitive value for optimal room rates.

This study highlights the issues that arise from viewing revenue management in isolation and it also considers innovative, customer-focused ways to optimize revenues.

The purpose of the study is to understand the evolution of the state-of-the-art of corporate social responsibility (CSR) research in the domain of marketing.

The top-ranked journals in the domain of marketing have been chosen for the purpose of this study, and the papers related to CSR concept published in those journals between 1930 and 2018 have been reviewed. A lucid framework has been used to structure the reviewing process.

The study finds that the CSR concept in marketing context has become more complex, its dimensions have evolved and increased in number, affecting diverse stakeholders leading to different outcomes.

A simple model is proposed to understand the amalgamation of CSR concept in marketing literature. The study also highlights extant gaps in the literature and suggests the directions for future research.

The notion of CSR goes beyond the economic and regulatory obligation of the firm. Hence, for it to be duly implemented, practitioners must have a holistic understanding of this multi-faceted construct. This paper examines the changing role of CSR in the context of marketing over a period of almost a century. It thereby helps marketers to understand and visualize their changing responsibility toward the society at large and thereby co-create a sustainable relationship with all the stakeholders. The study provides both tactical and strategic pointers to practitioners.

The study draws upon extant literature and documents the positive impact of CSR on marketing variables and thereby gives a compelling reason to the marketers to be socially responsible. Compilation of persuasive evidence would encourage the adoption of CSR concepts by the marketers. This would elicit a more socially responsible action which will have a positive impact on the society that the marketer serves.

This is an in-depth study depicting the journey of CSR construct in marketing literature and provides a holistic understanding of the construct in the context of marketing.

The extant literature provides much-needed support to understand marketing accountability and how marketing actions are related to financial performance (FP). However, we have limited understanding of the relationships between marketing actions and firms' social performance (SP) and environmental performance (EP). Understanding these links is critical to enhancing sustainable FP, SP, and EP. Moreover, the literature provides limited understanding of the measures by which SP and EP may be operationalized, or the data necessary to reach a conclusion. This study bridges these gaps by extensively reviewing the extant literature to offer a set of measures and data sources to operationalize SP and EP, and empirically show their relationships with marketing actions. We find that greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, environmental disclosure score, waste reduction, energy consumption, and recycling are prominent measures of EP, and that social disclosure score, philanthropy or community spending, and diversity of gender and race are prominent measures of SP. The KLD, ASSET4, and Bloomberg are prominent sources of data that can be used to operationalize SP, to which CDP may be added for EP. We also show that marketing actions positively affect EP and SP. This study contributes to the extant literature on SP and EP by identifying measures and data sources and linking marketing actions to both performance types. It contributes to policy development by identifying the importance of EP and SP and how marketing actions can help achieve such performance.

This chapter deals with an important but neglected aspect of female labor force participation (FLFP) in urban India. Contemporary literature typically focuses on the entire urban sector and ignores one important aspect of urban living – the slums and its dwellers. This study fills that critical gap by examining two different household surveys side-by-side: a primary survey of households living in slums and slum-rehabilitated colonies, and the nationally representative Indian Human Development survey-II. This study brings outs a comparative picture of nature/type of FLFP and its various correlates from both slum and non-slum areas of three metro cities of India, viz. Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. It further explores the similarities and the differences of the correlates for FLFP among the slum clusters of these cities. It is found that despite being poorer and marginalized, the slum dwelling women’s LFP rate is not extra-ordinarily high vis-á-vis their non-slum urban counterparts. In slums, a higher proportion of women are engaged in self-employment (including family business) and casual employments (includes domestic helps), whereas in non-slum areas relatively more women are engaged in regular salaried jobs. Regression analysis identifies correlates that have similar effects, but with different intensity, across-the-board – relationship between education and FLFP reflects a flat-bottom J-shaped pattern; being married, higher child dependency ratio and household heads with higher education significantly constrain women’s work choice; strong income effect of other household members earning on FLFP, but asset holding has no bearing. However, there are other factors that affect FLFP differently in slums and non-slum areas. Policy prescriptions are drawn.

This study aims to assess the biodiversity of the study area and estimate the carbon stock of two dry deciduous forest ranges of Banka Forest Division, Bihar, India.

The phytosociological analysis was performed and C stock estimation based on volume determination through nondestructive methods was done.

Phytosociological analysis found total 18,888 [14,893 < 10 cm (diameter at breast height) dbh] and 2,855 (1,783 < 10 cm dbh) individuals at Banka and Bounsi range with basal area of 181,035.00 cm² and 32,743.76 cm², respectively. Importance value index was highest for Shorea robusta in both the ranges. Species diversity index and dominance index, 1.89 and 1.017 at Banka and 1.99 and 5.600 at Bounsi indicated the prevalence of biotic pressure. Decreased dbh and tree height resulted in a lowered growing stock volume as 59,140.40 cm³ ha⁻¹ (Banka) and 71,306.37 cm³ ha⁻¹ (Bounsi). Total C stock at Banka and Bounsi range was 51.8 t ha^-1 and 12.56 t ha⁻¹, respectively where the highest C stock is recorded for Shorea robusta in both the ranges (9.8 t ha⁻¹ and 2.54 t ha^-1, respectively). A positive correlation between volume, total biomass and basal area of tree species with C stock was observed. R² value for Banka range was 0.9269 (volume-C stock), 1 (total biomass-C stock) and 0.647 (basal area-C stock). Strong positive correlation was also established at Bounsi range with R² value of 1. Considering the total forest area enumerated, C sequestration potential was about 194.25 t CO₂ (Banka) and 45.9 t CO₂ (Bounsi). The valuation of C stock was therefore US$2,525.25 (Banka) and US$596.70 (Bounsi).

The research found the potentiality of the study area to sequester carbon. However, for future, the degraded areas would require intervention of management strategies for restoration of degraded lands and protection of planted trees to increase the carbon sequestration potential of the area.

Present study is the first attempt to assess the phytosociology and estimate the regulatory services of forest with respect to biomass and carbon stock estimation for the Banka forest division of Bihar.

This paper aims to study the adverse effects of performance motivation and goal setting. The study investigates the unethical behavior of knowledge hiding that requires moral disengagement. The research further investigates the influence of performance motivation on knowledge hiding, along with investigating the mediating effect of moral disengagement.

Structural equation modeling has been adopted to understand the relationships. Data was collected from 288 students from Indian higher education institutions to understand how social cognitive aspects of performance influenced knowledge hiding.

The findings revealed that students hide knowledge from peers and rationalize the hiding process through social cognition of moral disengagement to justify the hiding process. It was further observed that performance motivation has a stronger relationship with rationalized knowledge hiding as compared to evasive knowledge hiding or playing dumb.

By exploring the potential unintended yet detrimental consequences of performance motivation, this study adds to the scant literature on the drawbacks of ambitious goal setting. It also advances the performance motivation and knowledge hiding literature by exploring these constructs through the behavioral ethics lens of moral disengagement.

Awareness about the ill-effects of performance motivation of students and understanding the role of moral disengagement in the same will help administrators and policymakers to cautiously promote performance-driven culture within academia as well as in designing effective interventions for curbing the same.

The current study advances the extant literature on the negative side of ambitious goal setting and provides new insights into how it can encourage moral disengagement and knowledge-hiding behavior. Further, academic research on moral disengagement among students has been scarce. This study thus investigates how moral disengagement among students can promote detrimental behavior(s) of knowledge hiding. The study is one of the early studies to uncover moral disengagement as an antecedent to knowledge hiding.

This paper aims to provide a general overview of the international Tsunami warning system mandated by the United Nations, particularly on cataloging past studies and a strategic focus in the Indian Ocean, particularly on the Bay of Bengal region.

Present research assimilates the secondary non-classified data on the Tsunami warning system installed in the Indian Ocean. Qualitative review and exploratory research methodology have been followed to provide a holistic profile of the Tsunami rarly warning system (TEWS) and its role in coastal resilience.

The study finds the need for strategic focus to expand and interlink regional early warning cooperation mechanisms and partnerships to enhance capacities through cooperation and international assistance and mobilize resources necessary to maintain the TEWS in the Indian Ocean region. The enhanced capacity of the TEWS certainly improves the resilience of Indian Ocean coastal communities and infrastructures.

The study is original research and useful for policy planning and regional cooperation on data interlinkages for effective TEWS in the Indian Ocean region.