Veera Harsha Vardhan Jilludimudi, Daniel Zhou, Eric Rubstov, Alexander Gonzalez, Will Daknis, Erin Gunn and David Prawel
This study aims to collect real-time, in situ data from polymer melt extrusion (ME) 3D printing and use only the collected data to non-destructively identify printed parts that…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to collect real-time, in situ data from polymer melt extrusion (ME) 3D printing and use only the collected data to non-destructively identify printed parts that contain defects.
Design/methodology/approach
A set of sensors was created to collect real-time, in situ data from polymer ME 3D printing. A variance analysis was completed to identify an “acceptable” range for filament diameter on a popular desktop 3D printer. These data were used as the basis of a quality evaluation process to non-destructively identify spatial regions of printed parts in multi-part builds that contain defects.
Findings
Anomalous parts were correctly identified non-destructively using only in situ collected data.
Research limitations/implications
This methodology was developed by varying the filament diameter, one of the most common reasons for print failure in ME. Numerous other printing parameters are known to create faults in melt extruded parts, and this methodology can be extended to analyze other parameters.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of a non-destructive evaluation of 3D-printed part quality using only in situ data in ME. The value is in improving part quality and reliability in ME, thereby reducing 3D printing part errors, plastic waste and the associated cost of time and material.
Details
Keywords
Chi Zhou, Yong Chen, Zhigang Yang and Behrokh Khoshnevis
The purpose of this paper is to present a mask‐image‐projection‐based stereolithography (MIP‐SL) process that can combine two base materials with various concentrations and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a mask‐image‐projection‐based stereolithography (MIP‐SL) process that can combine two base materials with various concentrations and structures to produce a solid object with desired material characteristics. Stereolithography is an additive manufacturing process in which liquid photopolymer resin is cross‐linked and converted to solid. The fabrication of digital material requires frequent resin changes during the building process. The process presented in this paper attempts to address the related challenges in achieving such fabrication capability.
Design/methodology/approach
A two‐channel system design is presented for the multi‐material MIP‐SL process. In such a design, a coated thick film and linear motions in two axes are used to reduce the separation force of a cured layer. The material cleaning approach to thoroughly remove resin residue on built surfaces is presented for the developed process. Based on a developed testbed, experimental studies were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the presented process on digital material fabrication.
Findings
The proposed two‐channel system can reduce the separation force of a cured layer by an order of magnitude in the bottom‐up projection system. The developed two‐stage cleaning approach can effectively remove resin residue on built surfaces. Several multi‐material designs have been fabricated to highlight the capability of the developed MIP‐SL process.
Research limitations/implications
A proof‐of‐concept testbed has been developed. Its building speed and accuracy can be further improved. The tests were limited to the same type of liquid resins. In addition, the removal of trapped air is a challenge in the presented process.
Originality/value
This paper presents a novel and a pioneering approach towards digital material fabrication based on the stereolithography process. This research contributes to the additive manufacturing development by significantly expanding the selection of base materials in fabricating solid objects with desired material characteristics.
Details
Keywords
Yong Chen, Chi Zhou and Jingyuan Lao
Most current additive manufacturing (AM) processes are layer based. By converting a three‐dimensional model into two‐dimensional layers, the process planning can be dramatically…
Abstract
Purpose
Most current additive manufacturing (AM) processes are layer based. By converting a three‐dimensional model into two‐dimensional layers, the process planning can be dramatically simplified. However, there are also drawbacks associated with such an approach such as inconsistent material properties and difficulty in embedding existing components. The purpose of this paper is to present a novel AM process that is non‐layer based and demonstrate its unique capability.
Design/methodology/approach
An AM process named computer numerically controlled (CNC) accumulation has been developed. In such a layerless AM process, a fiber optic‐cable connected with an ultraviolet (UV) LED and related lens is served as an accumulation tool. The cable is then merged inside a tank that is filled with UV‐curable liquid resin. By controlling the on/off state of the UV‐LED and the multi‐axis motion of the cable, a physical model can be built by selectively curing liquid resin into solid.
Findings
It is found that the cured resin can be safely detached from the accumulation tool by applying a Teflon coating on the tip of the fiber‐optic cable, and controlling an appropriate gap between the cable and the base. The experimental results verified the curing and attaching force models.
Research limitations/implications
A proof‐of‐concept testbed has been developed based on a curing tool that has a diameter around 2 mm. The relatively large tool size limits the geometry resolution and part quality of the built parts.
Originality/value
By incorporating multi‐axis tool motion, the CNC accumulation process can be beneficial for applications such as plastic part repairing, addition of new design features, and building around inserts.
Details
Keywords
Kriti Priya Gupta, Rishi Manrai and Utkarsh Goel
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing the behavioral intention to adopt payments banks services by Indian underbanked and unbanked population.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing the behavioral intention to adopt payments banks services by Indian underbanked and unbanked population.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed model has assimilated factors from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) along with perceived credibility. The factors of UTAUT include performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitation of conditions and social influence. Apart from testing the direct relationships of the model constructs with the behavioral intention to adopt payments banks services, the study has also explored mediating and moderating effects of certain constructs. The research model has been empirically tested using 660 responses from a field survey conducted in New Delhi – the capital city of India – by using the structured equation modeling (SEM) technique. The target respondents of the study are small businessmen and migrant laborers who are either underbanked or unbanked.
Findings
The findings of the study reveal that the model is able to explain 67.5 per cent of the variance in behavioral intention. The results indicate that all the factors are direct determinants of behavioral intention. Perceived credibility is found to be the strongest influencer of behavioral intention. The findings also indicate that perceived credibility partially mediates the relationships between “social influence and behavioral intention” and “performance expectancy and behavioral intention.” The relationship between performance expectancy and behavioral intention is also found to be moderated by facilitating conditions and effort expectancy.
Research limitations/implications
As this study is based on a convenience sample of respondents of only one city of India, this could negatively reflect on the generalizability of results across other cities. Moreover, the study has only focused on the perceptions of small businessmen and migrant laborers. This raises concerns regarding the applicability of the results for other segments of the current population that have different demographic characteristics (e.g. occupation, income, education level and technology experience). Modifying the conceptual model presented in this research to include “experience” and “age” as moderators can also be worth considering in future. Although this study has extended the UTAUT to include perceived credibility, the results of the explanatory power of the model indicate that there is still room for improvement. Therefore, including other constructs, e.g. hedonic motivation, perceived risks and trialability, could be a fruitful path forward. Future studies may also examine the factors influencing the actual use behavior of payments banks, rather than just behavioral intention.
Practical implications
The study looks forward to providing the payments banks service providers in India with suitable guidelines for effectively implementing and designing payments banks services. Specifically, the results of this study have provided clues for Indian payments banks service providers about the crucial role of perceived credibility in influencing the behavioral intention to adopt payments banks. Therefore, service providers have to initially be sure that payments banks are able to conduct financial transactions efficiently, securely and within less time, along with the availability of information required by customers to successfully use the services. Service providers should enhance customer confidence and trust by providing secure and reliable services. They should also emphasize on the positive safety measures of the payments banks during any marketing campaign rather than just creating brand awareness.
Originality/value
The study represents a substantial contribution to the existing knowledge regarding mobile payment channels in particular and technology acceptance area in general. In fact, this study presents a worthwhile direction by examining payments banks services, which, so far, have not been well evaluated in the Indian context. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is an early attempt toward a holistic and integrative approach to explain adoption of payments banks in India. Although prior studies have addressed mobile banking and mobile payment adoption, the strength of this research lies in combining the UTAUT constructs with perceived credibility. This is evidenced by the high explanatory power (67.5 per cent) of the research model adopted in this study.
Details
Keywords
Fatima Alali, Zhou (Daniel) Chen and Yue (Laura) Liu
The study examines sustainability reporting in the government and not-for-profit organizations (GNFPs). Using a descriptive approach, data from the Global Reporting Initiative…
Abstract
The study examines sustainability reporting in the government and not-for-profit organizations (GNFPs). Using a descriptive approach, data from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) are utilized to identify GNFP’s sustainability reporting trends and incentives over the period from 2001 to 2016. The study shows improvement in the GNFPs’ sustainability reporting over the analysis period, especially by larger organizations. In specific, results show that the number of GNFPs that reported has increased over the analysis period, and the number of social, economic, and environmental issues that are reported on has also increased although fragmentally across different GNFPs. In addition, a few GNFPs integrate their sustainability report with their financial report or obtain external assurance. The study shows that GNFPs’ sustainability reporting is motivated by meeting stakeholders’ needs and achieving business goals. Based on these findings, the study identifies future reporting opportunities for GNFPs to improve informativeness and reliability of sustainability reporting with the ultimate goals of improving transparency and accountability. The data used in this study capture only the GNFPs that reported or registered in the GRI database. Thus, future studies may use other data sets or conduct field and case analyses to obtain further insights into the process of adopting and reporting on sustainability and the roles that different stakeholders play in pursuing such efforts. In addition, the study identifies other future research opportunities. The study contributes to the extant literature on sustainability and social responsibility during periods of changing regulatory framework in less-researched organizations that contributes significantly to society.
Details
Keywords
There is significant evidence of increasing global implementation failures in enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects; and, for this reason, critical success factors (CSF) on…
Abstract
Purpose
There is significant evidence of increasing global implementation failures in enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects; and, for this reason, critical success factors (CSF) on implementation success (IS) are of notable concern to manufacturing organizations. This paper aims to focus on these factors and the role they played toward implementation success of ERP projects in India. Furthermore, this paper will also seek to explore whether the implementation success is moderated (i.e. influenced) by the organizational culture. This will help other manufacturing organizations take appropriate decisions about the ERP implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
In the proposed model, the authors propose organizational culture as the moderator toward the implementation success of ERP projects in India. A survey methodology is used for the study, and a structured questionnaire was developed to get the information.
Findings
Through this study, it has been found that the organizational culture acts as a moderator and moderates the relationship between CSF and implementation success of the ERP projects in India.
Research limitations/implications
This study offers both academicians and practitioners a model to research, assess, and identify the appropriate CSF such as Setting up ERP business goals and objectives (SEB), Cross-Functional Teams (CFT), Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Projects Tracking (PTG), and Data Analysis and Conversion (DAG) on IS of ERP projects in India and moderated by the organizational culture. The research is targeted on manufacturing organizations in India, and hence it has limitations in terms of scope. However, the results are quite encouraging with very good response (n=223) from the manufacturing organizations. Other manufacturing organizations planning to implement ERP soon will be highly benefited from the results of this study.
Originality/value
Unfortunately, few research studies define the issues related to the moderator namely the organizational culture. This paper demonstrates how this moderator played an important role in ERP implementation. The findings will encourage Indian manufacturing organizations to implement ERP when facing challenges of the competitive market for their competitive advantage. For India, this research could be among the first to its nature.
Details
Keywords
Katarzyna Czernek-Marszałek, Patrycja Klimas, Patrycja Juszczyk and Dagmara Wójcik
Social relationships play an important role in organizational entrepreneurship. They are crucial to entrepreneurs’ decisions because, despite the bleeding-edge technological…
Abstract
Social relationships play an important role in organizational entrepreneurship. They are crucial to entrepreneurs’ decisions because, despite the bleeding-edge technological advancements observed nowadays, entrepreneurs as human beings will always strive to be social. During the COVID-19 pandemic many companies moved activities into the virtual world and as a result offline Social relationships became rarer, but as it turns out, even more valuable, likewise, the inter-organizational cooperation enabling many companies to survive.
This chapter aims to develop knowledge about entrepreneurs’ SR and their links with inter-organizational cooperation. The results of an integrative systematic literature review show that the concept of Social relationships, although often investigated, lacks a clear definition, conceptualization, and operationalization. This chapter revealed a great diversity of definitions for Social relationships, including different scopes of meaning and levels of analysis. The authors identify 10 building blocks and nine sources of entrepreneurs’ Social relationships. The authors offer an original typology of Social relationships using 12 criteria. Interestingly, with regard to building blocks, besides those frequently considered such as trust, reciprocity and commitment, the authors also point to others more rarely and narrowly discussed, such as gratitude, satisfaction and affection. Similarly, the authors discuss the varied scope of sources, including workplace, family/friendship, past relationships, and ethnic or religious bonds. The findings of this study point to a variety of links between Social relationships and inter-organizational cooperation, including their positive and negative influences on one another. These links appear to be extremely dynamic, bi-directional and highly complex.
Details
Keywords
Nathan Eva, Daniel Prajogo and Brian Cooper
The purpose of this paper is to examine the interaction between personal values and the organizational context in influencing work behaviors. Specifically, it examines the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the interaction between personal values and the organizational context in influencing work behaviors. Specifically, it examines the relationships between two dimensions of personal values based on Schwartz’s value theory – self-direction and conformity; and two work behaviors – innovation and compliance.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data were collected from 187 employees in Australia. Multiple regression method was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results showed that organizational formalization moderated the relationship between self-direction values and innovative behaviors. As hypothesized, the positive effect of self-direction values on innovative behavior was strongest in less formalized organizations. the authors also found that conformity values predicted compliance behaviors, but no evidence of moderation by organizational formalization.
Practical implications
It is important for organizations seeking particular work behaviors to ensure they are hiring employees with corresponding values and structuring the degree of formalization in the organization accordingly.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the interactionist perspective, demonstrating that formalization interacts with employee values to influence work behaviors. Further, the authors extend previous studies on self-direction values and creative behaviors by understanding how personal values impact innovative behavior.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of a sustainable development course on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of a cohort of engineering students in a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of a sustainable development course on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of a cohort of engineering students in a university in Miri, Malaysia, towards sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaire survey was conducted among the cohort of students encompassing the three facets mentioned.
Findings
The respondents expressed low to medium agreement towards all the survey items related to beliefs, attitudes and intentions. A sense of moral obligation towards sustainability is linked to higher sustainability awareness, willingness to safeguard sustainability and a sense of responsibility towards sustainable development. The respondents were generally perceived to have fundamental knowledge of sustainable development.
Research limitations/implications
This study shows that a sustainable development course called Engineering Sustainable Development offered in a university in Miri, produced positive impacts on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of the engineering students towards sustainable development. Sustainable development courses are generally instrumental to impart the value and practices of sustainability among university students.
Originality/value
As limited correlational studies on whether sustainable development courses effectively shape the beliefs and attitudes of students have been previously conducted, this study provides insight into the effectiveness of one of such courses and how the course can be further improved to enhance its effectiveness.