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The purpose of this paper is to investigate into the improvement strategies for lead time reduction of military aircraft major overhaul (enhance the overhaul task from present seven to nine-plus aircrafts as agreed to customer) for ABC Company.

This research has been conducted based on the available knowledge and extensive experience gained while working in the overhaul unit of the case organization for a long period of time. The research employs an integrated approach of multi-criteria decision method (in specific analytic hierarchy process (AHP)), theory of constraint (TOC) and simulation for M/M/1/K queuing environment for investigating the improvement strategies for lead time reduction in major overhaul of military aircraft. This has mainly included: Step 1: analysis of existing activity network using actual overhaul data; Step 2: ranking of constraint activities that most affects the lead time using AHP; Step 3: revised flow activity network using time buffers (TBs) concept of TOC; Step 4: mathematical model formulation for effective utilization of TB using single server finite queuing approach (M/M/1/K queuing environment); Step 5: discrete event simulation representing present overhaul conditions and revised overhaul conditions with different scenarios; and Step 6: sensitivity analysis and interpretation of results. The proposed methodology has been tested on an industrial case study dealing with an aircraft overhaul in India (namely ABC Company).

The proposed overhaul lead-time reduction plan points out the augmentation of resources in order to achieve more than 50 per cent reduction in lead time and waiting time under two scenarios – with overtime and without overtime.

An integrated approach proposed has so far been applicable to the specific aircrafts (Jaguar/Mirage/Kiran) of the ABC Company overhaul division. However, the particular methodology can be proved potentially useful and highly practical when applying to other aircraft types.

The results indicate several problems with the current overhaul strategies that need focused process improvements and a need for capacity augmentation for achieving the enhanced overhaul task of nine+ aircrafts per year with reduced overhaul lead time. The proposed approach also provides the maintenance planners with a platform for decision analysis and support often ignored the capacity augmentation.

Introduction: Historically, the corporate governance (CG) framework was designed primarily to safeguard the economic interests of shareholders, as a result of political and legal interventions, developing into an effective instrument for stakeholders and society in general.

Purpose: The core objectives of the study include: identifying journals/publications responsible for publishing CG studies in India, key CG issues covered by CG researchers, the amount of high-impact CG literature across different time periods, sectors/industries covered by CG researchers and different research instruments (quantitative or qualitative) used in CG studies in India.

Design/methodology: The chapter used a sample of 130 corporate governance studies that fulfil the selection criteria, drawn from the repository of over 100 reputed journals that are either recognised by the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) or indexed by SCOPUS. A systematic literature review has been carried out pertaining to CG issues in India, based on various statistical tools, data, industries, research outlets & citations, etc.

Findings: The results show an overwhelming number of studies have assessed the relationship between CG variables and firm performance, which could be measured through a variety of performance metrics such as ROA and ROI. Apart from empirical analysis, many conceptual studies use repetitive basic statistical tools like descriptive statistics or regression analysis. The chapter offers insights into current achievements and future development.

Originality/value: This bibliometric study is a useful guide for policymakers, corporate leaders, research organisations and management faculty to draw insights from work produced by eminent researchers in GC in India.

This study investigated the potential of partially replacing cement with red mud (RM) in concrete and examined its effects on its mechanical properties and microstructure. This study aims to explore sustainable alternatives to traditional cement and evaluate the performance of concrete mixtures with varying percentages (%) of RM as cement replacement.

This research aims to comprehensively understand the impact of RM on concrete, aiming for both environmental sustainability and improved construction materials. Subsequently, concrete mixtures were prepared with varying RM contents, ranging from 0% to 21% in increments of 3%, replacing cement. The workability of these mixtures was evaluated using the Slump Cone Test, whereas their mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength and split tensile strength) were assessed through standardized tests. The durability was further investigated via water absorption, acid attack, rapid chloride permeability tests, open porosity test and Sorptivity test. To gain deeper insights into the internal structure of concrete, microstructure analysis was conducted using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Finally, the results were analyzed and quantified.

The finding demonstrates that substituting 12% of cement with RM not only boosts the mechanical characteristics of concrete but also mitigates waste disposal. The microstructural analysis identified a denser cement matrix and improved bonding between the cement paste and the aggregates, suggesting potential improvements in strength and durability.

These results suggest that RM can be efficiently used to produce sustainable concrete with potential applications in construction projects with environmental considerations.

It was estimated that 450 million people would take vacations during the Chinese Spring Festival in early 2020, yet the outbreak of the pandemic resulted in a sudden brake of travel business. This caused an unparalleled damage to the industry for tourism cities in China. Among those cities, Hangzhou was the first to activate the First Level Public Health Emergency Response, indicating an immediate lockdown. However, within one month, the city started to reopen its public facilities, parks and gardens for residents. From then, the city has witnessed a well-controlled pandemic and steady recovery of tourism. Therefore, the author intends to explore (1) what contributes to the tourism recovery in Hangzhou; (2) how the policy was implemented efficiently and (3) the casual relations between the safe destination image and the recovery of tourism industry. From a longitudinal perspective, the research adopted qualitative methods to collect data from policy documents, interviews and auto-ethnographic reflections. Thematic analysis indicates that effective control of the pandemic, early application of tracing app, seamless linkage between administrative levels and the cooperation of local residents are important to create a positive and safe destination image; traditional values and the authority of the government are equally important for implementing measures and policies successfully; more importantly, the safe image of a destination is considered as the most important reason for Chinese to make a travel decision. The research will contribute to destination management under crisis and exemplify the possibility to build the destination resilience with those effective.practices.

The development of zero-carbon buildings (ZCBs) is beneficial to the society and biodiversity. Despite the benefits of ZCBs, there are challenges limiting its development in construction industry. The current study seeks to examine the technology-related factors affecting the development of ZCB in Lagos Nigeria.

The study designed a questionnaire to achieve the main objective. Data were collected using non-probability and snowballing sampling methods. Questionnaires were distributed, and 272 valid responses were collected. Thereafter, data were analysed using mean value, percentage, frequency distribution, normality test, Kruskal Wallis test and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance.

The results from data analysis showed that, “less technical expertise in new technological advancements”, “research outcomes are not translated effectively into technology innovations”, “high cost of maintenance on ZCB”, “poor knowledge on renewable technologies” and “industry’s ability to embrace ZCB technologies (policy initiatives and industry practices)” were the topmost five technology-related factors hindering development of ZCBs in Lagos, Nigeria. Also, the results from the study show a statistically significant degree of agreement between various groups of construction organisations in Lagos, Nigeria concerning the technology-related factors hindering the development of ZCBs.

The study contributed to more effective ZCB studies by drawing attention to technology-related factors hindering the development of ZCBs in construction industry. An understanding of these challenges can help construction stakeholders, organisations, policymakers and governments in devising strategies targeted at minimising these challenges and fostering the development of ZCBs in the construction sector. The identified results on technological barriers to ZCBs development can guide targeted interventions and policy adjustments, promoting more effective implementation of ZCBs in Lagos Nigeria and serving as a model for addressing similar challenges in other developing countries. Recommendations for future research on ZCBs were also highlighted.

The present study aims to trace out the science research output of top Indian universities from 2015 to 2019, as reflected in the Web of Science (WOS) database.

The present study has selected the Science Citation Index (SCI) of WOS core collection for selecting top Indian universities in terms of total publications in the last five years (2015–2019). The University of Delhi (DU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Anna University (AU), Jadavpur University (JU) and Punjab University (PU) have been selected. The study identified the most prolific authors, collaborating countries, collaborating institutions and the impact of their output in terms of citations per paper (CPP) and relative citation impact (RCI). For visualizing purposes, VOSviewer was used. The study also identified frequently used keywords and channels used for communicating research results.

The authors retrieved 26,173 documents consisting of journal articles, review papers and proceeding papers. The consistent growth of science research output has been observed. The University of Delhi (DU) has the maximum science publications. The study reflects that multi-authored papers have more research impact in terms of citation received. The USA, South Korea and Germany are the most collaborating countries. The top Indian Universities have a major collaboration with Anna University, Indian Institute of Technology, Center for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of India.

The present study reveals how the science research output of top Indian universities has grown in the last few years. The findings of the study can be used for identifying specific science research areas where special attention can be given.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a stochastic detailed schedule for a preventive/scheduled/periodic maintenance program of a military aircraft, specifically a rotorcraft or helicopter.

The new model, entitled the military “periodic aviation maintenance stochastic schedule” (PAM-SS), develops a stochastic detailed schedule for a PUMA SA 330SM helicopter for the 50-h periodic inspection, using cyclic operation network (CYCLONE) and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) techniques. The PAM-SS model identifies the different periodic inspection tasks of the maintenance schedule, allocates the resources required for each task, evaluates a stochastic duration of each inspection task, evaluates the probability of occurrence for each breakdown or repair, develops the CYCLONE model of the stochastic schedule and simulates the model using MCS.

The 50-h maintenance stochastic duration follows a normal probability distribution and has a mean value of 323 min and a standard deviation of 23.7 min. Also, the stochastic maintenance schedule lies between 299 and 306 min for a 99 per cent confidence level. Furthermore, except the pilot and the electrical team (approximately 90 per cent idle), all other teams are around 40 per cent idle. A sensitivity analysis is also performed and yielded that the PAM-SS model is not sensitive to the number of technicians in each team; however, it is highly sensitive to the probability of occurrence of the breakdowns/repairs.

The PAM-SS model is specifically developed for military rotorcrafts, to manage the different resources involved in the detailed planning and scheduling of the periodic/scheduled maintenance, mainly the 50-h inspection. It evaluates the resources utilization (idleness and queue), the stochastic maintenance duration and identifies backlogs and bottlenecks.

The PAM-SS tackles military aircraft planning and scheduling in a stochastic methodology, considering uncertainties in all inspection task durations and breakdown or repair durations. The PAM-SS, although developed for rotorcrafts can be further developed for any other type of military aircraft or any other scheduled maintenance program interval.

The purpose of this paper is to present a quick inspection method based on the post-flight data to examine static aeroelastic behavior for transport aircraft subjected to instantaneous high g-loads.

In the present study, the numerical approach of static aeroelasticity and two verified cases will be presented. The non-linear unsteady aerodynamic models are established through flight data mining and the fuzzy-logic modeling of artificial intelligence techniques based on post-flight data. The first and second derivatives of flight dynamic and static aeroelastic behaviors, respectively, are then estimated by using these aerodynamic models.

The flight dynamic and static aeroelastic behaviors with instantaneous high g-load for the two transports will be analyzed and make a comparison study. The circumstance of turbulence encounter of the new twin-jet is much serious than that of four-jet transport aircraft, but the characteristic of stability and controllability for the new twin-jet is better than those of the four-jet transport aircraft; the new twin-jet transport is also shown to have very small aeroelastic effects. The static aeroelastic behaviors for the two different types can be assessed by using this method.

As the present study uses the flight data stored in a quick access recorder, an intrusive structural inspection of the post-flight can be avoided. A tentative conclusion is to prove that this method can be adapted to examine the static aeroelastic effects for transport aircraft of different weights, different sizes and different service years in tracking static aeroelastic behavior of existing different types of aircraft. In future research, one can consider to have more issues of other types of aircraft with high composite structure weight.

This method can be used to assist airlines to monitor the variations of flight dynamic and static aeroelastic behaviors as a complementary tool for management to improve aviation safety, operation and operational efficiency.

This paper aims to explore the effects of director network on open innovation. As an informal institutional arrangement, the director network is an important source for the enterprise to obtain external information, which provide resource basis for open innovation. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as the top of management team could make short-sighted decisions for personal interests; this paper also investigates the moderating role of CEO short-sightedness between director network and open innovation.

This paper takes 4,102 Chinese listed companies from 2007 to 2020 as the research sample. By introducing network centrality and structural hole to measure director network and using data mining to extract key words related to CEO short-sightedness from annual reports, this paper constructs several multiple linear regression models to analyze the impact of director network on open innovation and the moderating role of CEO short-sightedness.

The analysis finds that director network can facilitate corporate open innovation. Enterprises can acquire more external resources in high centrality and structural hole of director network and promote ability for corporate open innovation. The relationship between director network and open innovation is negatively moderated by CEO short-sightedness. When the level of corporate governance and analyst attention is high, the negative effect of CEO short-sightedness on the innovation effect of directors’ networks is suppressed.

This is the first empirical paper to investigate the promotion effect of director network on open innovation as well as the negative moderating role of CEO short-sightedness. The findings bring new perspectives to the open innovation and enlightenments for practical activities from social relationship aspect.

Upon completion of the case study, the students will be able to understand brand differentiation and marketing challenges faced by small businesses in emerging markets; recognize the significance of marketing strategies for a growing business in emerging markets; assimilate paid, owned and earned media to improvise the effectiveness of firm’s communication and digital marketing strategy; analyze the relevance of social media marketing in developing a brand; and create a content marketing strategy.

The case dilemma involved a possible course of action that Fusion Creations faced at the beginning of 2022 about marketing strategies across paid, earned and owned media. “Fusion Creations” was the creation of two sisters who were avid cake bakers since young age. They identified the demand for homemade cakes and the growing number of home bakers in India. It was during the Covid-19 pandemic that they faced challenges in terms of lockdown and scarcity of supply for baking essentials. Moreover, although the pandemic had brought most sections of the society worldwide to a standstill, home bakers were thriving. After the pandemic, these home bakers turned their passion into full-time profession. It was time for the sisters to view this stage as a challenge because of competition from aspiring entrepreneurs and rising home bakers, and convert it into an opportunity. Can Fusion Creation leverage the online social media platforms for their product sales and marketing? With presence established on various social media platforms, were they doing it right, or was there a better way? A few questions lay in front of Chaitali and Kena, owners and bakers of Fusion Creations.

This case is written for use in digital and social media marketing classes for graduation-level courses. The focus of the case aligns well with discussions of digital and social media marketing strategy. The case also has application in discussions regarding implementation of digital marketing strategy. Instructors that choose to emphasize social media strategies could assign this case to explore online marketing and digital communication.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS8: Marketing.