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The robotics laboratory of the Universidad Carlos III of Madrid has developed the ROMA climbing robots, which are able to travel along 3D complex environments to carry out inspection tasks. The ROMA robots family is able to self‐support its locomotion system and moves in a similar way to a caterpillar. During this motion the robots generate in real‐time an optimal path and grasp planning in order to ensure a stable self‐support and avoid obstacles in the environment. In order to move the robots in a teleoperated or automatic way a man‐machine interface has been developed. The robots were developed primarily for use during the inspection of complex metallic structures. There are a large number of operations to be performed on metallic structures such as those encountered in bridges, oil rigs and building skeletons which represent a danger for human operators. Nevertheless, they are not limited to these structures due to fact that they are equipped with the necessary tools for new environments like concrete.

Human care and service demands will need innovative robotic solutions to make the day‐to‐day life of elderly and disabled people in home and workplace environments easier. The main objective of this work is to develop a new concept of climbing robot for this type of service applications.

ASIBOT is a 5 DOF self‐containing manipulator that includes the entire control system on‐board. The main advantage of this robot is its light weight, about 11 kg with 1.3 m reach. The robot is totally autonomous and only needs a power supply to be operated.

The robot is an arm able to move between different points (Docking stations (DS)) of the rooms and, if necessary, “jump” to (or from) the environment to the wheelchair. In this way the ASIBOT robot could become a home companion and assistance for numerous people.

ASIBOT is a 5 DOF self‐containing light weight manipulator that includes the entire control system on‐board.

This paper reviews recent developments in marketing-related sustainable business practices (SBP) that macromarketing scholars have researched and debated for four decades. Such SBPs should be regarded as positive steps toward a future where business does more good than harm in society.

Using the approach of a literature review, this paper highlights the actions of entrepreneurs and firms to implement SBPs resulting from analysis of the interplay between markets, marketing and society. Such analysis is in the tradition of macromarketing scholarship.

The study identifies important developments about an important shift toward adopting SBPs among many firms, as well as among consumers − especially, in developed countries of the world.

The study suggests that taking a macromarketing view offers scholars a broad lens on current complex marketplace phenomena that will prove effective in better understanding sustainability issues.

The results of the study underline the value of macromarketing scholarship through the last four decades. By being daring enough to consider other stakeholders other than marketers and owners of firms, macromarketers have provided scholars a more holistic understanding of business’ role in society.

Today, enlightened practitioners who utilize knowledge from macromarketing scholarship can gain a competitive advantage as they navigate markets increasingly influenced by a wider set of stakeholders. Such influential stakeholders include partner firms, employees, society and local communities, NGOs, media, government, as well as the environment and future generations. Scholars can gain perspective on the phenomena they investigate with such a macromarketing lens.

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of the evolution of modern food retailing in Tanzania (from both retailers and suppliers’ perspectives).

The qualitative case approach was used in this study. Participants were drawn from three sets of actors: retailers, local food suppliers, and government institutions. Data were collected using semi-structured interview format. Thematic qualitative analytical technique was used for the data analysis.

According to the results of the study, seven major factors that account for the evolution of modern food retail in the country were identified. These are availability of suppliers, acceptance of trade credit, innovation, lifestyle change, institutional support, convenience, and availability of consumers.

The study has expanded the knowledge of the evolution of modern food retail in developing economies by using the relationship marketing theory. Furthermore, the study employed some major actors in the food value chain to understand determinant factors that accelerated the evolution of supermarkets in Tanzania.

The International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management is a leading international journal in the field of hospitality and tourism management. It was started in 1989, and it turns 30 years old this year. To celebrate this anniversary, this paper presents a bibliometric overview of the publication and citation structure of the journal over the past 30 years. The purpose of this paper is to identify the relevant issues in terms of keywords and topics and who is achieving better results in terms of authors, universities and countries.

The Scopus database is used to collect the bibliographical material. A graphical mapping of the bibliographic data is developed by using VOSviewer software. It produces graphical maps with several bibliometric techniques, including co-citation, bibliographic coupling and co-occurrence of keywords.

The results indicate that English-speaking countries are producing the highest number of articles in the journal, followed by Asian institutions, with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as the most productive institution.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there are no papers that present a general overview of the publication and citation structure of this journal. Its 30th anniversary is a good moment to develop this study.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and development of “Pylon-Climber II”, a 5-DOF biped climbing robot (degree of freedom – DOF) for moving on the external surface of a tower and assisting the electricians to complete some maintenance tasks.

The paper introduces a pole-climbing robot, which consists of a 5-DOF mechanical arm and two novel grippers. The gripper is composed of a two-finger clamping module and a retractable L-shaped hook module. The robot is symmetrical in structure, and the rotary joint for connecting two arms is driven by a linear drive mechanism.

The developed prototype proved a new approach for the inspection and maintenance of the electricity pylon. The gripper can reliably grasp the angle bars with different specifications by using combined movement of the two-finger clamping module and the retractable L-shaped hook module and provide sufficient adhesion force for the Pylon-Climber II.

The clamping experiments of the gripper and the climbing experiments of the robot were carried out on a test tower composed of some angle bars with different specification.

This paper includes the design and development of a 5-DOF biped climbing robot for electricity pylon maintenance. The climbing robot can move on the external surface of the electric power tower through grasping the angle bar alternatively. The gripper that is composed of a two-finger gripping module and a retractable L-shaped hook module is very compact and can provide reliable adhesion force for the climbing robot.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and development of “Pylon-Climber”, a pole climbing robot (PCR) for climbing along the corner columns of electricity pylon and assisting the electricians to complete maintenance tasks.

Introduces a PCR that is composed of a simple climbing mechanism and two novel grippers. The gripper consists of two angle-fixed V-blocks, and the size of V-block is variable. The clamping method of the angle bar meets the requirement of the force closure theorem. The whole design adopts symmetrical design ideas.

The developed prototype proved possibility of application of PCRs for inspection and maintenance of pylon. The novel gripper can provide enough adhesion force for climbing robot.

The robot is successfully tested on a test tower composed of different specification steel angles, oblique ledges and overlapping steel struts.

Design and development of a novel climbing assistive robot for pylon maintenance. The robot is able to climb along the column of electricity pylon and pass all obstacles. The gripper can reliably grasp the angle bar with different specification and overlapping steel struts from multiple directions.

The paper aims to present the concept, the layout design and the evaluation performed of a flexible field factory for construction industry. Both the concept and layout are focused on flexibility and mobility factors, providing a versatile system for manufacturing and assembly that can be transported to construction sites without need of special permissions.

The design is based on the design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) principles, lean manufacturing, and construction industry experts' knowledge.

The developed factory layout is dimensioned to fit in a standard 20‐feet‐long container. Simulation processes have been run to verify the viability of the system. The time estimates calculated in the simulations are compared with traditional in and off‐site construction method estimates, providing quantified cost and time benefits.

This paper presents the concept of the robotized field factory designed for on‐site prefabrication, the design of which began during the EU 6FP ManuBuild Project. This reconfigurable and flexible system is oriented to the production of small and medium size modular systems. The viability of the field factory has been evaluated thanks to the application of a modular system for building installations called Service Core. Its design has been based on DFMA and lean principles as well as the expertise from construction partners from the ManuBuild Project.

This chapter discusses the findings of a study at a public university in Malaysia, which reflect the country’s evolving situation regarding sustainability education. The study aimed to explore the knowledge of and attitudes to sustainability of the academic staff at the university, and the pedagogical approaches they used in curricula. Through a mixed method approach, primary data were collected through an online quantitative survey containing 90 statements related to Education for Sustainable Development Goals, knowledge, attitudes, pedagogical techniques, and learning objectives. Following the survey, a focus group discussion was conducted involving several academic staff from the university to explore their perspectives on current sustainability teaching practices and to identify emerging issues. Findings revealed that there were generally positive levels of understandings and attitudes among the academic staff toward education on sustainability development (ESD). Furthermore, the staff agreed highly with ESD learning objectives, and various pedagogical approaches were in use. These are important findings as the levels of awareness and attitudes among academics play a key role in shaping successful implementation of a range of pedagogical techniques for ESD goals. As well as the challenges identified in the study, the chapter puts forward useful insights and key aspects to enhance ESD practices at all levels in the country. Options for policy and practice to move beyond sustainable development as a goal or aspiration for teaching and learning to a practical and pedagogical reality of ESD practices in Malaysian higher education institutions are also discussed.