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To provide an efficient numerical eigenvalue solution for open waveguides with lossy anisotropic materials.

Vector edge elements are used to represent the core of the problem, and an adaptive perfectly matched layer (PML) is used to truncate the surrounding region. The parameters of the PML are allowed to change at each frequency to obtain accurate results using small number of unknowns.

The method is able to solve many configurations, and considerable reduction in mesh size has been reported. In addition, by adapting the solution according to some error criterion, it will be possible to minimize the dependence on human experience and rely more on automated algorithms.

There is a need to improve the performance of the adaptive algorithm by building an automatic adaptive procedure that can work without human intervention.

A systematic full‐wave algorithm for solving practical electromagnetic engineering problems associated with open waveguides, such as planar transmission lines and optical waveguides, using relatively small computer resources.

Proposed a new “dimension” of adaptation for PML, besides the classical h‐/p‐/hp adaptation methods available in literature. Thus, the requirement for smaller computer resources makes this method cost‐effective for industry in the design of practical open waveguides.

The purpose of this paper is to present a new calculation method for increasing the shielded volume in which the external electromagnetic field is maximally reduced. In a space shielded in the way mentioned in this paper, it is possible to introduce measurement instruments and increase the accuracy of results obtained with them, as well as reduce the risk of unwanted electrostatic field influence on living organisms.

A new numerical procedure for the optimization of the coaxial ring conductor system for electrostatic shielding is developed in the paper. The optimization of the functional that consists of electrostatic energy density and a system of equations derived from the equipotential character of the conductor system is used. The system of nonlinear equations is obtained and then numerically solved by minimizing this functional. The first presented optimization procedure is based on the analytical optimization method using the Lagrange coefficients and gradient of the objective function.

It is possible to design a large number of protective ring formations. Applying the differential evolution optimization method, an optimal arrangement can be obtained for any specific number of rings. The differential evolution optimization method, which belongs to the class of evolutionary algorithms, is used for solving this very complex optimization problem. In combination with the above-mentioned method, excellent results in the elimination of the external electric field have been obtained. Although a larger number of rings provides more efficient protection, this number is limited from the economic point of view. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve a compromise between the number of rings, the size of volume shielded and the quality of protection.

There are few papers that address this problem, although the elimination of the influence of the external electromagnetic field has gained more importance lately. The presented method can be applied to increase the reliability of measured data, protection of the environment, in space research, etc. The main limiting factor for using a larger number of rings that provide better protection is the economical one.

The proposed method is suitable for the generalization of procedures, for the protection of the space where the external electric field needs to be reduced or eliminated.

Purpose: This study investigates internal/own shock in the domestic market and three external volatility spillovers from India, the UK, and the USA to the Sri Lanka stock market.

Need for the Study: The external market’s internal/own shocks and volatility spillovers influence portfolio choices in domestic stock market returns. Hence, it is required to investigate the internal shock in the domestic market and the external volatility spillovers from other countries.

Methodology: This study employs a quantitative method using ARMA(1,1)-GARCH(1,1) model. All Share Price Index (ASPI) is the proxy for the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) stock return. It uses daily time-series data from 1^st April 2010 to 21^st June 2023.

Findings: The findings revealed that internal/own and external shocks substantially impact the stock price volatility in CSE. Significant volatility clusters and persistence with extended memory in ASPI confirm internal/own shock in the market. Furthermore, CSE receives significant volatility shock from the USA, confirming external shock. This study’s findings highlight the importance of considering internal and external shocks in portfolio decision-making.

Practical Implications: Understanding the influence of internal shocks helps investors manage their portfolios and adapt to market volatility. Recognising significant volatility spillovers from external markets, especially the USA, informs diversification strategies. From a policy standpoint, the study emphasises the need for robust regulations and risk management measures to address shocks in domestic and global markets. This study adds value to the literature by assessing the sources of volatility shocks in the CSE, employing the ARMA-GARCH, a sophisticated econometrics model, to capture stock returns volatility, enhancing understanding of the CSE’s volatility dynamics.

This study aims to explore the impact of system quality dimensions, namely, ease of use, accessibility, interactivity and website innovativeness on service quality (SQ) and customer satisfaction.

The study used a quantitative approach, by using a survey method. The unit of analysis was the individual. A total of 618 questionnaires were randomly distributed to university students and staff in Jordan. The partial least square path-modeling method was used in the estimation of causal relationships of the constructs examined in the study.

The outcomes of this study showed that ease of use, interactivity and website innovativeness have significant positive relationships with the SQ. Consequently, SQ significantly influences customer satisfaction.

Limitations of this research were related to the unit of analysis, as it was conducted within the geographical region of Jordan and the university context, where the culture and level of the technological advancement may be different than other countries.

This research can assist mobile commerce (m-commerce) service policymakers to formulate significant policies that could enhance the nature of services being rendered and thus bring greater benefits to the customers.

This research has extended the body of knowledge on emerging trends in m-commerce innovation adoption, more specifically in the university context. Furthermore, it offers insight on the importance of m-commerce in the minds of customers, in such a way that it will bring about the intention to repeat patronage in the future.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a supply chain consisting of a producer and multiple suppliers of a type of component needed for the production of a certain product. The effects of carbon emission taxes, quality of components and human inspection errors as well as the collaboration among the supply chain members are considered.

A mathematical model is formulated for a non-collaborative supply chain, and the optimal policy is shown to be the solution of a constraint optimization problem. The mathematical model is modified to the case of a collaborative supply chain and to account for inspection errors. Algorithms are provided, and a numerical example is given to illustrate the determination of the optimal policy.

This study offers a new conceptual and analytical model that analyzes the production problem from a supply chain perspective. Human resource management practices and environmental aspects were incorporated into the model to reduce risk, optimally select the suppliers and properly maximize profit by accounting for human inspection error as well carbon emission taxes. Algorithms describing the determination of the optimal policy are provided.

This study provides practical results that can be useful to researchers and managers aiming at designing sustainable supply chains that incorporate economic, environmental and human factors.

This study can be useful to researchers and managers aiming for designing sustainable supply chains that incorporate economic and human factors.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the level of nurses’ competencies while providing care to COVID-19 patients.

A descriptive, correlational design was used to collect data from nurses who were providing care to COVID-19 patients at four public hospitals.

A total of 377 nurses (64.5% females) aged 23–50 consented to participate and completed the survey. The mean score of nurses’ competencies in providing care to COVID-19 patients was 2.5 (SD = 0.81). The results of correlation coefficient tests disclosed a significant positive correlation between reported competence level and sex r_pb (377) = 0.18, p < 0.01; working area r_pb (377) = 0.2, p < 0.01; disaster experience r_pb (377) = 0.16, p < 0.01; disaster education r_pb (377) = 0.25, p < 0.01; and disaster training r_pb (377) = 0.31, p < 0.01.

The COVID-19 pandemic response heavily relied on nurses. However, they had a gap in clinical competencies that indicates an urgent need to incorporate disaster management courses in basic nursing education and to update training in hospitals based on nurses’ needs to improve their capabilities in dealing with COVID-19 pandemic.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that investigated the perceived level of Jordanian nurses’ competencies in providing care to COVID-19.

Following the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies, social commerce has been viewed as an inseparable part of today’s business environment. Social commerce is a recent version of e-commerce, which has rapidly become a new interesting field for both practitioners and academics. To improve social commerce success, managers should be aware of what encompasses social commerce quality, how consumers sense it and how it is assessed. Though, despite the importance of social commerce, designing of scales for measuring the social commerce quality has rarely been explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a new scale for measuring the social commerce service quality comprehensively.

To obtain the research objective, in the first step, a comprehensive literature review along with focus group discussions was conducted to theoretically conceptualize service quality dimensions and measures. Then, for evaluating the proposed scale via social commerce customers, the survey method was used. Finally, the verified measures were weighted and ranked using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process.

The findings showed that social commerce service quality is a hierarchical and multidimensional construct consisting of six key dimensions including information quality, social interaction quality, design quality, functional quality, social trust/security and social support.

The study results assist managers to improve the quality of social commerce services through increasing the awareness of customers’ perceptions and expectations concerning social service quality. They further help managers to understand systematically all dimensions of social commerce service quality, which may lead to reduce the risk of social commerce adaptation failure and consequently increase the customers’ satisfaction.

The role of service quality in acceptance and success of social commerce has been emphasized by many academics and practitioners. However, review of the previous literature shows that inadequate studies in this field have been conducted so far. The main contribution of this study is conceptualization and development of a validated scale for measuring the social commerce service quality. This scale provides a useful instrument for researchers who wish to measure the service quality of social commerce and for managers who want to improve the perceived quality of their services.

The concept and practice of e-services has become essential in business transactions. Yet there are still many organizations that have not developed e-services optimally. This is especially relevant in the context of Indonesian Airline companies. Therefore, many airline customers in Indonesia are still in doubt about it, or even do not use it. To fill this gap, this study attempts to develop a model for e-services adoption and empirically examines the factors influencing the airlines customers in Indonesia in using e-services offered by the Indonesian airline companies. Taking six Indonesian airline companies as a case example, the study investigated the antecedents of e-services usage of Indonesian airlines. This study further examined the impacts of motivation on customers in using e-services in the Indonesian context. Another important aim of this study was to investigate how ages, experiences and geographical areas moderate effects of e-services usage.

The study adopts a positivist research paradigm with a two-phase sequential mixed method design involving qualitative and quantitative approaches. An initial research model was first developed based on an extensive literature review, by combining acceptance and use of information technology theories, expectancy theory and the inter-organizational system motivation models. A qualitative field study via semi-structured interviews was then conducted to explore the present state among 15 respondents. The results of the interviews were analysed using content analysis yielding the final model of e-services usage. Eighteen antecedent factors hypotheses and three moderating factors hypotheses and 52-item questionnaire were developed. A focus group discussion of five respondents and a pilot study of 59 respondents resulted in final version of the questionnaire.

In the second phase, the main survey was conducted nationally to collect the research data among Indonesian airline customers who had already used Indonesian airline e-services. A total of 819 valid questionnaires were obtained. The data was then analysed using a partial least square (PLS) based structural equation modelling (SEM) technique to produce the contributions of links in the e-services model (22% of all the variances in e-services usage, 37.8% in intention to use, 46.6% in motivation, 39.2% in outcome expectancy, and 37.7% in effort expectancy). Meanwhile, path coefficients and t-values demonstrated various different influences of antecedent factors towards e-services usage. Additionally, a multi-group analysis based on PLS is employed with mixed results. In the final findings, 14 hypotheses were supported and 7 hypotheses were not supported.

The major findings of this study have confirmed that motivation has the strongest contribution in e-services usage. In addition, motivation affects e-services usage both directly and indirectly through intention-to-use. This study provides contributions to the existing knowledge of e-services models, and practical applications of IT usage. Most importantly, an understanding of antecedents of e-services adoption will provide guidelines for stakeholders in developing better e-services and strategies in order to promote and encourage more customers to use e-services. Finally, the accomplishment of this study can be expanded through possible adaptations in other industries and other geographical contexts.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and test the relationship between a company’s strategic flexibility, as evidenced by new product development flexibility and market flexibility, and its operational performance (OP) in Jordanian manufacturing companies.

Using a survey questionnaire, data were collected against two strategic decisions market and new product flexibility (NPF) from 222 middle and senior managers belonging to 116 Jordanian manufacturing firms. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to investigate the effects of these two strategic decisions on OP.

Results show a significant positive relationship between both NPF and market flexibility and OP. No significant differences between small and medium enterprises and large companies are found, indicating that the model is valid for both sizes. Also, the additional analyses suggest that the proposition that both NPF and market flexibility are important for OP was correct.

Only two strategic flexibility decisions were considered in this paper, however, researcher could investigate other strategic flexibility decisions on OP.

The strategic flexibility level, in terms of NPF and market flexibility, that is needed for coping with uncertainty equips managers to handle challenges by enhancing the company’s controlled capacity through a considerable reduction in response time. An improvement in the company’s strategic flexibility enhances its overall performance and competitiveness and this, in turn, has a positive impact on its long-term sustainability.

The paper provides insights into the strategic flexibility decision practices in a Jordanian context. It provides further evidence that both market flexibility and NPF are significant in enhancing OP.

This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitudes of 420 nurses toward caring for older people in primary health-care centers in the southern region of Jordan.

Data collected through an electronic survey was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0.

The findings revealed that 91.0% of nurses had limited knowledge, with only 7.1% demonstrating average knowledge and 1.9% showing good knowledge about older people care. Furthermore, 85.2% of participants held neutral attitudes toward aged care, while 12.4% had positive attitudes and 2.4% exhibited negative attitudes. A significant correlation was observed between knowledge and attitude scores (p-value = 0.000). Gender and marital status were found to influence attitudes, with significant statistical relationships (p-values: gender = 0.000, marital status = 0.004). These results emphasize the importance of improving nursing education in geriatric care and promoting positive attitudes toward caring for older people patients.

The study highlights the need for ongoing professional development to enhance patient outcomes and the quality of care for the older people population. Further longitudinal research and comparative analyses are recommended to deepen the understanding of knowledge and attitudes across various health-care settings.

The study revealed a significant correlation between nursing practitioners’ knowledge and attitudes toward geriatric care, with gender and marital status significantly influencing attitudes, while age did not. This underscores the need for further research.