Gökhan Kara, Gencaga Purcek and Harun Yanar
The purpose of this paper is to achieve a hard and protective borided layer on commercially pure Ti (grade-2) by applying boriding, and to investigate the changes in its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to achieve a hard and protective borided layer on commercially pure Ti (grade-2) by applying boriding, and to investigate the changes in its microstructure, hardness, friction and wear behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
Pack boriding technique was used to form a hard boron diffusion layer on titanium substrate. A powder mixture of amorphous boron and anhydrous borax was used as a solid-state boriding media, and then the boriding was carried out under inert atmosphere.
Findings
A thick dual boride layer consisting of a monolithic titanium diboride (TiB2) on the top and titanium monoboride (TiB) whiskers beneath that layer formed at relatively low diffusion temperature under pressured inert argon atmosphere in a boriding media containing boron source and activator. With boriding at specified conditions, very hard (4100 Hv0.01) and thick monolithic TiB2 layer formed on the top-most layer which is required for improved tribological applications. Hardness decreased gradually through the TiB whisker layer and finally reached to the hardness of base material.
Originality/value
This paper investigates the effects of components of boriding mixture and conditions of thermal treatment on the formation of borided layer and its properties. In previous studies, boriding mixtures containing a boron source, an activator and a filler material was generally used at high temperatures around or above 1,050°C to achieve a thick monolithic layer on the top of the surface of titanium. In the present study, no filler material was used to accelerate the boron diffusion because filler materials may inhibit the diffusion of boron atom through the surface of substrate of titanium. Also, diffusion treatment was carried out under pressurized argon atmosphere at relatively low diffusion temperature to achieve boride layer with the improved hardness and durability.
Details
Keywords
Mehir Baidya, Bipasha Maity and Supriyo Ghose
There has been a lot of research on how to set marketing budgets, but the overlooked aspect was how allocating funds influences business performance in a multi-goal context. This…
Abstract
Purpose
There has been a lot of research on how to set marketing budgets, but the overlooked aspect was how allocating funds influences business performance in a multi-goal context. This study aims to examine the relationship between business performance, the process of allocating funds to multiple goals and the interaction among the goals.
Design/methodology/approach
Ratio data were generated through “a constant sum scale” from a sample of 362 managers from the B2C sector, besides data on after-tax revenue for two years. The data file was created. Then, a factor analysis was performed on the data. Furthermore, an econometric model with interaction terms was fitted to the data.
Findings
The results show that allocating funds to multiple marketing goals – demand generation, customer experience, brand image, marketing competency and purchase intention – influences business performance. Furthermore, a goal’s impact on business performance is higher when coupled with other goals than in isolation.
Practical implications
The findings of the study should assist managers in increasing revenue while spending less on marketing and shifting funds from less efficient goals and pairs of goals to highly efficient ones.
Originality/value
By extending the relevant theory on the relationship between the process of marketing fund allocation, multiple goals and business performance, this study contributes to the literature on marketing.
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Maqsood Ahmad, Qiang Wu and Muhammad Sualeh Khattak
This study aims to explore the mechanism by which intellectual capital and corporate social responsibility (CSR) influence the sustainable competitive performance of small and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the mechanism by which intellectual capital and corporate social responsibility (CSR) influence the sustainable competitive performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the mediating role of organizational innovation in an emerging economy.
Design/methodology/approach
The data collection was conducted through a survey completed by 208 owners and top managers operating in the service, trading and manufacturing sector SMEs, positioned within twin cities of Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized for data analysis.
Findings
The results of the study suggest that intellectual capital and CSR have a markedly positive influence on the sustainable competitive performance of SMEs. The organizational innovation appears to mediate these relationships.
Originality/value
This study pioneers research on the links between intellectual capital, CSR organizational innovation and sustainable competitive performance of SMEs. The current research contributes to the literature by defining intellectual capital and CSR as an antecedent and organizational innovation as an intervening variable for the sustainable competitive performance of SMEs. In addition, this study underlines the significance of intellectual capital and CSR activities as valuable intangible assets for the achievement of sustainable competitive performance of SMEs.