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Most of this concluding article is concerned with surveying the corrosion of lead and its alloys in acids and alkalis of all types. As a considerable proportion of the lead consumed each year by industry is used for making grids for lead‐acid batteries, special attention has also been given to corrosion problems in this field. The newer applications for lead include its use in nuclear energy plant as a shielding material, and as a reactor coolant, and the corrosion problems arising under such conditions are discussed.

Excellent resistance to a wide variety of corrosive media is one of the most valuable of lead's unique properties which include softness, malleability, high density and low melting point. Consumption of lead in Europe is rising despite the attractions of other alternative materials which have made considerable progress, though not on so wide a front since they lack the versatility of lead. This three‐part review covers the many facets of lead as it is employed in preventing corrosion.

As this three‐part article illustrates, the versatility of lead in preventing corrosion of other more prone materials seems to have few bounds. This second part considers lead as cable sheathing, piping and in cathodic protection applications. Its use in chemical plant cannot be overlooked and is also covered in this section. As with most other metals, adverse conditions, though relatively rare, can cause serious damage to the metal and whatever it may be protecting.

Improved production with quality, safety, and security is the biggest challenge of the food industry. Modern technologies, including robotics and automation systems, can help to cope with such issues. This chapter gives a brief view of robotics and automation for the sustainable food industry along with packaging, warehousing, distribution, marketing, and consumer services. It describes the recently implemented solutions of robotic automation in different supply chain operations and various food commodities. The benefits of robotic and automation technology for perishable and semi-perishable items have also been covered. The present research may assist the food industry professionals, supply chain managers, and academicians in implementing automation and robotics in the food industry.

Prior studies provide mixed evidence on the association of board busyness and firm productivity. Thus, this paper empirically analyzes how board busyness affects firm productivity.

To measure board busyness, this paper computes the percentage of directors on a board who sit on three or more boards. Furthermore, to calculate firm productivity, the paper employs data envelopment analysis.

Findings demonstrate that the association of board busyness and firm productivity (association) is generally negative and statistically significant but economically insignificant. In this respect, the findings reveal that the association is negative (positive) and both statistically and economically significant for firms having higher monitoring (advising) needs. Moreover, the findings demonstrate that regulatory oversight (1) weakens the general negative association; (2) changes the direction of association from negative to positive, for firms having higher monitoring needs; and (3) does not influence the association, for firms having higher advising needs.

Taken together, the findings indicate that the association of board busyness and firm productivity is conditional to monitoring/advising needs and regulatory oversight. As such, the findings enrich the current debates on the association. Furthermore, the findings offer novel perspectives to enrich the regulatory frameworks of countries which are constraining multiple directorships.

This study investigated the micro–macro link in the hospitality and tourism (H&T) sector, specifically considering whether the gender diversity, independence and board attendance rates of H&T firms' boards, alongside the moderation effect of board policies, played a significant role in tourism sector performance.

The 2011–2018 data were retrieved from the World Bank and the Thomson Reuters Eikon databases, and fixed effects panel regression was conducted.

While female directors were a significant driver of tourism sector performance in terms of tourist arrivals and tourism receipts, independent directors were effective in improving tourist arrivals only. Furthermore, moderation analyses demonstrated the inefficacy of board policies in enhancing these directors' contributions to the sector's development. Moreover, the findings revealed the inefficiency of board meetings.

Concerning the efficacy of board policies, the results suggest that firms' boards should review and revise their policies. Surprisingly, while board-diversity policies made no difference to female directors' role in the sector's development (although females were influential), board-independence policies produced unexpected results. In the absence of a board-independence policy, independent directors are influential, but if a policy exists, they are not.

Although prior firm-level studies tested whether board characteristics enhanced firms' performance in the H&T sector, they did not investigate whether board characteristics promoted tourism sector performance. Moreover, the moderating effect of board policies on boards' structures and tourism sector performance has not yet been examined.

Acknowledging the importance of work–family practices that extend beyond what is legally mandated and that cover the needs of a diverse workforce, this paper offers a conceptual model that explores the factors that can influence the provision and inclusiveness of work–family policies in organizations.

The conceptual model is based on a thorough literature review of relevant articles in the fields of management and political science.

In line with the upper echelons perspective, chief executive officers’ (CEOs') political ideology is a multidimensional concept, comprising two main dimensions (financial and social) that can influence the provision and inclusiveness of work–family practices. Moreover, the proposed conceptual model considers other important factors, such as the centrality of the CEO's political ideology, as potential moderating factors, as well as the conditional role of institutional pressures. Finally, the proposed model takes into account the important role of line managers/supervisors in the implementation of work–family policies and shows the importance of the provision and inclusiveness of work–family practices for critical organizational outcomes (organizational attraction and turnover).

The proposed conceptual model offers a more in-depth understanding of the factors that influence the provision and inclusiveness of work–family policies.

Despite the growing research interest in gender diversity, the presence of female executives and organizational outcomes, the relationship between female executives and employment relations outcomes remains under-researched. This study aims to examine the potential relationship between female executives and employment relations outcomes, with the gender gap as a focus.

A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 2,682 workers from 119 manufacturing firms in Guangdong Province, southern China.

Results show that firms with female executives are more likely to comply with labor laws and promote staff development. The association between female executives and promotion opportunities is stronger for female employees than for male employees. However, there is no significant association between female executives and employee salaries.

This research contributes to employment relations literature and extends the application of social role theory to studies of employment relations in particular societal contexts. This study also provides possible boundary conditions for the existence of queen bee behavior by using data from Chinese factories.

The interaction between customer service policy, as defined by the in‐transit delivery lead time component of the order cycle and the design of least cost distribution systems is examined. A broader view of the distribution system design problem than previously taken in the literature is given and both the firm′s network strategy (number and location of facilities) and transportation strategy (mode/method of shipment) into the planning process are incorporated. Procedures for incorporating customer service policy into the distribution system design process are discussed; the effect of alternate customer service definitions on the least cost distribution system design are evaluated; and new mathematical procedures that integrate customer service policy, network strategy and transportation strategy into a comprehensive planning model are provided. Example problems in the text illustrate the potential benefit of accepting premium transportation costs in return for reduced facility proximity to customers.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of stakeholder orientation in mediating the impact of female directors on environmental innovation. The authors argue that female directors are eco-friendly and more concerned with multi-stakeholder interests and demands. Thus, they promote environmental innovation by including more stakeholder-oriented values and beliefs in firm decision-making.

As the dependent variable in this study is a nonnegative count variable, the authors use a count data model based on Poisson regression. A sample of Chinese listed firms between 2010 and 2020 is used to test the hypotheses.

The results of this study show that female directors can enhance environmental innovation. Further, stakeholder orientation represents an intermediate channel that accounts for the effects of female directors on environmental innovation. This suggests that having women on a board can lead to better stakeholder management, which, in turn, positively affects environmental innovation. The authors also reveal that female directors contribute more to stakeholder orientation with the presence of female chairpersons.

A significant limitation in the literature is that little attention has been paid to the mechanisms linking female directors to firm outcomes. In the context of environmental innovation, while previous studies have investigated the influence of female directors on environmental innovation, the underlying channels of that influence remain largely unexplored. Therefore, the findings of this study advance the understanding of the effects of female directors on environmental innovation by revealing an important underlying channel – stakeholder orientation.