Mustabshirha Gul, Md. Abul Kalam, Nurin Wahidah Mohd Zulkifli, Masjuki Hj. Hassan, Md. Mujtaba Abbas, Sumra Yousuf, Omar Sabah Al-Dahiree, Md. Kamaleldin Gaffar Abbas, Waqar Ahmed and Shahab Imran
The purpose of this study is to improve the tribological characteristics of cotton-biolubricant by adding nanoparticles at extreme pressure (EP) conditions in comparison with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to improve the tribological characteristics of cotton-biolubricant by adding nanoparticles at extreme pressure (EP) conditions in comparison with commercial lubricant SAE-40.
Design/methodology/approach
This research involved the synthesis of cotton-biolubricant by transesterification process and then the addition of nanoparticles in it to improve anti wear (AW)/EP tribological behavior. SAE-40 was studied as a reference commercial lubricant. AW/EP characteristics of all samples were estimated by the four-ball tribo-tester according to the American Society for Testing and Materials D2783 standard.
Findings
The addition of 1-Wt.% TiO2 and Al2O3 with oleic acid surfactant in cotton-biolubricant decreased wear scar diameter effectively and enhanced the lubricity, load-wear-index, weld-load and flash-temperature-parameters. This investigation revealed that cotton-biolubricant with TiO2 nano-particle additive is more effective and will help in developing new efficient biolubricant to replace petroleum-based lubricants.
Research limitations/implications
Cotton biolubricant with TiO2 nano-particles appeared as an optimistic solution for the global bio-lubricant market.
Originality/value
No one has not studied the cotton biolubricant with nanoparticles for internal combustion engine applications at high temperature and EP conditions.
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Muhamad Sharul Nizam Awang, Nurin Wahidah Mohd Zulkifli, Muhammad Mujtaba Abbas, Muhammad Syahir Amzar Zulkifli, Md Abul Kalam, Mohd Nur Ashraf Mohd Yusoff, Muhammad Hazwan Ahmad and Wan Mohd Ashri Wan Daud
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the lubricity of palm biodiesel (PB)–diesel fuel with plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO) and waste cooking biodiesel (WCB).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the lubricity of palm biodiesel (PB)–diesel fuel with plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO) and waste cooking biodiesel (WCB).
Design/methodology/approach
Three quaternary fuels were prepared by mechanical stirring. B10 (10% PB in diesel) fuel was blended with 5%, 10% and 15% of both PPO and WCB. The results were compared to B30 (30% PB in diesel) and B10. The lubricity of fuel samples was determined using high-frequency reciprocating rig in accordance with ASTM D6079. The tribological behavior of all fuels was assessed by using scanning electron microscopy on worn steel plates to determine wear scar diameter (WSD) and surface morphology. The reported WSD is the average of the major and minor axis of the wear scar.
Findings
The addition of PPO and WCB to B10 had improved its lubricity while lowering wear and friction coefficients. Among the quaternary fuels, B40 showed the greatest reduction in coefficient of friction and WSD, with 7.63% and 44.5%, respectively, when compared to B10. When compared to B30a, the quaternary fuel mixes (B40, B30b and B20) exhibited significant reduction in WSD by 49.66%, 42.84% and 40.24%, respectively. Among the quaternary fuels, B40 exhibited the best overall lubricating performance, which was supported by surface morphology analysis. The evaluation of B40 indicated a reduced adhesive wear and tribo-oxidation, as well as a smoother metal surface, as compared to B20 and B30b.
Originality/value
Incorporation of PPO and WCB in PB–diesel blend as a quaternary fuel blend in diesel engines has not been reported. Only a few researchers looked into the impact of PPO and WCB on the lubricity of the fuel.
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This study aims to develop a talent selection model for learning organizations capable of connecting two groups, candidates in a talent hiring process and managers of the hiring…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a talent selection model for learning organizations capable of connecting two groups, candidates in a talent hiring process and managers of the hiring company, in a reliable process, promoting organizational learning and increasing employee satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper integrates egalitarian principles, an artificial intelligence mechanism founded on stable matching algorithms, and evaluating critical soft skills to enhance recruitment practices within learning organizations. The authors conduct a numerical real-world application in Python to showcase the model’s effectiveness. Five candidates were evaluated for five job positions. Moreover, 26 soft skills were analyzed by the five company leaders, relating them to the requirements of each job position and by all candidates, as a self-assessment process.
Findings
The model promoted egalitarian talent management because it motivates the candidates to choose the preferred position in a company, and the employers hire the best candidate. It is satisfactory for all participants in a company’s hiring process if the parties intend to be fair and egalitarian. The benefits of the process can be considered isolated (parties’ satisfaction) or a part of a company’s effort to stimulate an egalitarian culture in organizational values.
Practical implications
The information generated by the model is used to refine its selection process and improve its understanding of the job requirements and candidate profiles of the company. The model supports this idea, using the concepts of indifference, stability, egalitarianism and the soft skills required and identified to be more effective and learn about themselves.
Social implications
This paper discusses an egalitarian point of view in the recruitment process. It is satisfactory for all participants in a company’s hiring process if the parties intend to be fair and egalitarian. The process’s benefits can be considered part of a company’s effort to stimulate an egalitarian culture in organizational values.
Originality/value
This paper brings an excellent future perspective and points to the company’s development of talent retention. The model simultaneously solves the evolution of talent management processes through new technologies and soft skills emerging in the postpandemic scenario.
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Mohammad Omar Farooq, Mohammad Dulal Miah, Md Nurul Kabir and M. Kabir Hassan
This paper aims to examine the impact of bank’s capital buffer on return on equity (ROE) in the context of Islamic and conventional banks in GCC countries.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impact of bank’s capital buffer on return on equity (ROE) in the context of Islamic and conventional banks in GCC countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collect data from 83 commercial banks comprising of 49 conventional banks and 34 Islamic banks for the period 2010–2019. The final data set comprises of 744 bank-year observations. The authors apply generalized methods of moments estimation technique and panel least square to analyze the data.
Findings
The authors document that Tier-1 capital, total regulatory capital (TRC) and equity to asset ratio (EAR) negatively affect banks’ ROE. However, the impact disappears for conventional banks and sustains for Islamic banks if these two clusters of banks are treated separately. Furthermore, the negative impact of equity capital on earning is more pronounced for large and listed commercial banks.
Practical implications
Findings of this research imply that Islamic banks in GCC countries has scope to manage equity capital more efficiently. Hence, they should concentrate on using banks equity wisely to successfully compete with the conventional banks.
Originality/value
Since the global financial crisis of 2009, Islamic banks of GCC countries have been reporting lower ROE compared to their conventional counterparts. On the other hand, Islamic banks maintain higher level of Tier-1 capital, TRC and EAR. This evidence hypothetically suggests that Islamic banks are overly cautious in managing their capital buffer that results in lower ROE. To the best of the author’s/authors’ knowledge, no other study in the literature tests this hypothesis in the GCC context.
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Irfan Ullah, Raja Mazhar Hameed and Abid Mahmood
The purpose of the contemporary research study is to develop and empirically investigate antecedents of innovative work behavior (IWB) in organizations by applying the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the contemporary research study is to develop and empirically investigate antecedents of innovative work behavior (IWB) in organizations by applying the broaden-and-build theory, associating both personal and contextual factors in encouraging employees' IWB.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model has been developed, examining the influence of proactive personality and psychological capital (PsyCap) on innovative performance. Data were collected through an in-person administered questionnaire-based survey from the employees working in the software houses of Pakistan.
Findings
The analysis revealed that proactive personality and PsyCap have a significant impact on employee innovative performance, given that proactive personality and PsyCap are the critical antecedents of IWB.
Originality/value
This contemporary research study is original and will impart constructive contribution for a substantial number of reasons. First, this research study provides suggestions on proactive personality, which relate remarkably to innovative work behavior. Second, this research study observes the relationship between several organizational aspects and employees' creativity for the evaluation and advancement in the results of prior classic research studies conducted in the given field. This research study integrates both personal and organizational dynamics to evaluate the innovative and creative ability not only in the perspective of multinational, but also in the national corporations.
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Muhammad Bilal Zafar and Mohd Fauzi Abu-Hussin
This study aims to dissect and understand the latent themes of Islamic work ethic (IWE) and explore the driving factors of IWE research.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to dissect and understand the latent themes of Islamic work ethic (IWE) and explore the driving factors of IWE research.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural topic modeling (STM), a sophisticated machine learning technique, was used to analyze a corpus of 205 articles sourced from the Scopus database. These articles cover the 36 years of research on IWE, from 1988 to 2024. Moreover, negative binomial regression was applied to examine the driving factors of IWE research.
Findings
The STM analysis unfolds ten topics in conjunction with IWE including individual success, workplace dynamics, organizational work ethics, knowledge management, employee citizenship behavior, financial ethics, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, performance enhancement and leadership. The further STM outputs included word clouds, prevalence proportions, correlation matrix, heatmap, relationship of topics with metadata, topic prominence in the publishing journals and, finally, illustrating trends and future prospects of research on IWE. The results of negative binomial regression reveal that number of authors, article age, journal indexing, authors from multiple countries and number of references are strong drivers of fostering research in IWE, by having significant positive impacts on total citations.
Social implications
The insights from this study provide valuable guidance for businesses and organizations looking to integrate IWE principles into their operations. By promoting values such as fairness, hard work and ethical behavior, organizations can foster a more inclusive and morally grounded workplace culture. This, in turn, may lead to enhanced employee satisfaction, greater organizational commitment and improved overall performance. Additionally, the emphasis on ethical practices can contribute to broader societal benefits, such as increased trust in business practices and a stronger alignment with social responsibility initiatives.
Originality/value
This is a unique study that explores the latent themes and characteristics of the IWE literature through STM and provides insights on the future research directions. In addition, this study also examines the driving factors of IWE research.
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Ewaoche John Okampo and Nnamdi I. Nwulu
Reverse osmosis (RO) has become an important method of desalination to meet the ever-growing water needs around the world. Its integration with renewable energy source (RES…
Abstract
Purpose
Reverse osmosis (RO) has become an important method of desalination to meet the ever-growing water needs around the world. Its integration with renewable energy source (RES) reduces the environmental impact of gas emissions and cost of conventional fossil energy sources. The optimal sizing of energy sources to power RO desalination system is intended mainly to minimize the annualized cost of the system and by extension minimize freshwater cost while maximizing production.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, a mathematical optimization approach is used to determine the optimal energy mix, which includes grid power, diesel generator and a photovoltaic (PV) module to supply an RO desalination unit. Three cases of optimal sizing approach were compared. Case 1 is a system with only grid power and diesel generator as energy sources; Case 2 has PV incorporated in the energy supply mix while Case 3 has the three energy sources and a Time of Use (TOU) demand response program on the demand side.
Findings
The results of implementing the optimization models show that Case 3 turnout the highest freshwater production (1,521 m3/day) at a unit cost of 1.36$/m3 when compared to Case 1 with daily freshwater production of 1,250 m3/day at a unit cost of 1.68$/m3 and Case 2 having a daily freshwater production of 1,501 m3/day at a unit cost of 1.33$/m3.
Originality/value
The integration of RES to power desalination system with application of TOU demand response is the significance of this study.