Hua (Meg) Meng, César Zamudio and Robert D. Jewell
This paper aims to examine how olfactory imagery, triggered by scent brand names prior to smelling, influences scented-product purchase intention.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how olfactory imagery, triggered by scent brand names prior to smelling, influences scented-product purchase intention.
Design/methodology/approach
Five studies were conducted. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict likelihood of olfactory imagery formation. ANOVA and t-test analyses were used for scent brand name group comparisons, and serial mediation analysis was used to test how scent brand names impact purchase intention through olfactory imagery vividness and the (dis)confirmation between imagined (i.e. expected) and experienced scents.
Findings
Scent name familiarity stimulates olfactory imagery formation. Scent brand name specificity (e.g. “Lavender Bouquet” vs. “Floral Bouquet”) influences purchase intention, with specific names leading to lower purchase intention, because they generate vivid olfactory imagery and induce a disconfirmation between imagined and experienced scents.
Practical implications
Branding scents on products should be a strategic product design decision. Surprisingly, although specific scent brand names trigger vivid olfactory imagery and precise scent expectations, they mitigate purchase intention and thus are riskier. General scent brand names are safer.
Originality/value
This research contributes by extending the literature on the effect of verbal cues on scent perception by considering the role of scent brand name specificity on purchase intent. It also adds to work on how olfactory imagery influences purchase intention by incorporating olfactory imagery vividness. Finally, it proposes and tests an underlying cognitive mechanism to explain the relationship between scent brand names and purchase intention.
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Hua Meng and Hannan Sadjady Naeeni
This study aims to explain why low social conduct in corporate social responsibility (SC-CSR), especially employee exploitation, has a stronger negative impact on consumer…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explain why low social conduct in corporate social responsibility (SC-CSR), especially employee exploitation, has a stronger negative impact on consumer reactions for service firms than for manufacturing firms.
Design/methodology/approach
Five experiments compared consumer reactions to service and manufacturing firms with low SC-CSR. Study 1 used a choice-based conjoint design to examine the relative importance of various shared attributes when consumers chose services versus goods. Study 2 revealed that low SC-CSR led to more pronounced negative consumers reactions toward service firms. Studies 3A and 3B explained this difference through a serial mediation analysis. Study 4 ruled out an alternative explanation regarding the differentiated effects.
Findings
The results reveal that consumer reactions to employee exploitation in service firms are more negative compared to manufacturing firms. This is because consumers’ sense of presence (i.e. feeling of being there) is stronger in a service setting, leading to more intense empathetic emotions toward service employees.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the CSR literature by challenging the conventional notion that sweatshops are more problematic for manufacturing firms. By contrast, the results indicate a stronger negative effect on service firms. It contributes to the services marketing literature by conceptualizing a novel cognitive mechanism. Traditionally, consumers’ negative reactions are driven by anger. However, the authors show that empathetic feelings toward mistreated employees play a predominant role. While it is imperative for all firms to ensure fair treatment of their employees, the findings underscore the heightened significance of this aspect for service firms, given their susceptibility to more pronounced negative effects.
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Wei Yuan, Guangneng Dong, Kwai Sang Chin, Meng Hua and Qianjian Guo
Streak defect and dynamic harmonic excitation (DHE) loading play important roles in machine operating conditions. The purpose of this paper was to assess the effects of streak…
Abstract
Purpose
Streak defect and dynamic harmonic excitation (DHE) loading play important roles in machine operating conditions. The purpose of this paper was to assess the effects of streak defect and DHE loading on the tribological properties of surface-contact friction pairs, for example the differential gear end-face on the washer, via experimental investigation.
Design/methodology/approach
Streak defect was artificially introduced into the washer surface, which was loaded with DHE loads produced by a spring-connecting weight system. The wear scar of the washers and the monitored friction force signals were respectively scanned using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and analyzed using wavelet simulation.
Findings
The friction force curves, SEM images and discrete wavelet transform results indicate that DHE loading tends to increase friction force, to accelerate plowing damages and result in side-flow of material and plastic deformation on the surfaces of the washer. Whereas, streak oil-channel textures on washer specimen can be machined to modify the lubrication condition in the running-in stage so as to improve the tribological properties of the sliding pairs which were even subjected to DHE loading.
Originality/value
On the basis of this thesis research, the effect of streak defect and DHE loading on tribological performance of surface-contact sliding pairs is discussed. The results of wear form and friction state with the effect of streak defect and DHE loading facilitate to optimize the operating condition of mechanical parts.
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Mihir Dash, Suprabha Bakshi and Arpana Muthyala
The abrupt closure of educational institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic had a serious impact on students and their studies. Classes were shifted online, many exams were…
Abstract
The abrupt closure of educational institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic had a serious impact on students and their studies. Classes were shifted online, many exams were cancelled, many students had to discontinue things that they were working on, and some students lost good job offers that were promised to them. This turn of events resulted in widespread anxiety among the students. The purpose of this research is to analyse the social and psychological aspects of the impact of the lockdown on students. The study was based on an online survey of undergraduate and postgraduate management students from different parts of India. The key findings of the study were that the most important impact of the lockdown on students has been an improvement in their relationships with family, friends, and society, followed by an adverse effect on students’ physical and mental health, and finally an enhancement of students’ self-actualisation. This last aspect has given students new motivation and hope to face the future with.
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Xueli Wu, Xianghui Lu, Hua Meng, Ran Zhen and Fanhua Meng
The purpose of this paper is to propose a kind of fuzzy adaptive control method to control non‐linear system that has the characteristic of small time delay and fast respond speed.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a kind of fuzzy adaptive control method to control non‐linear system that has the characteristic of small time delay and fast respond speed.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper analyzes the production process and the actual condition of the preheat process of the plating zinc and painting plastic scribbled of double layer welded pipe that has the small time delay and fast respond speed, and also gives the preheat process mathematical model. Fuzzy adaptive control method with hierarchical structure is used which aims at one non‐linear system that has the characteristic of small time delay and fast responds speed. Through the simulation, it proves the mentioned method is effective to control the temperature system for double layers welded pipe in welding process.
Findings
Based on the mathematical model proposed about the production process and the actual condition of the preheat process, the fuzzy adaptive control method is effective to control the temperature system for double layers welded pipe in welding process.
Research limitations/implications
The paper proposes fuzzy adaptive control method with hierarchical structure which has the basic fuzzy control grade, adaptive adjust grade, and process state judgment grade.
Practical implications
A very useful method in welding process for double layers welded pipe.
Originality/value
The new mathematical model is proposed about the production process, and the new control method is used in the temperature system for double layers welded pipe in welding process.
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Hui Zhang, Guangneng Dong, Meng Hua, Feifei Guo and Kwai Sang Chin
– The main purpose of this paper is to understand and model the hydrodynamic influence of surface textures on journal bearings.
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to understand and model the hydrodynamic influence of surface textures on journal bearings.
Design/methodology/approach
In the model, a rectangular array of circle dimples is used to modify the film thickness expression. In full film and cavitation regions, classical Reynolds equation and Reynolds boundary condition are used as the governing equations, respectively. By setting high load bearing capacity as the main optimal goal, the influence of textures on tribological characteristics is studied to get the optimal distribution and parameters of textures.
Findings
The results suggest that the load bearing capacity of a journal bearing may be improved through appropriate arrangement of textures partially covering its sleeve. The reduction of the cavitation area may also be achieved by arranging the textures in divergent region. With a high density distribution of textures which have step depths varying linearly along the circumferential direction of the bearing, the load bearing capacity enhancement seems to give good performance. Comparing with smooth bearing, the load bearing capacity enhancement of such textures is about 56.1 per cent, although the influence of texture diameters for the same area density seems insignificant.
Originality/value
The paper shows how surface textures can be designed on journal bearing to improve its tribological performances.
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Wu Xueli, Zhang Jianhua, Guan Xinping and Meng Hua
The purpose of this paper is to examine the criteria of uniqueness of the equilibrium point and the new stability criteria for stability of the equilibrium point. The new…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the criteria of uniqueness of the equilibrium point and the new stability criteria for stability of the equilibrium point. The new stability condition is dependent on the size of delays.
Design/methodology/approach
The global asymptotic stability of a class of delayed bi‐directional associative memory (BAM) neural networks is studied. Some new sufficient conditions are presented for the unique equilibrium point and the global stability of BAM neural networks with time delays by constructing Lyapunov functions and using the linear matrix inequality. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Findings
Based on the mathematical method and matrixes inequality skill, some criteria are obtained which contain the unique equilibrium point and the global stability of BAM neural networks.
Research limitations/implications
The paper proposes the new Lyapunov function and new skill to compose matrixes inequality.
Practical implications
A very useful method for BAM neural network to judge the uniqueness of the equilibrium point and stability.
Originality/value
The new mathematical model is proposed about the production process, and the new control method is used in the temperature system for a double layers welded pipe in welding process.
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Wei Yuan, K. S. Chin, Guangneng Dong and Meng Hua
This paper aims to optimize the operating condition of mechanical parts, whose working surfaces have macro-crack defects, and surface wear properties with macro-cracks are…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to optimize the operating condition of mechanical parts, whose working surfaces have macro-crack defects, and surface wear properties with macro-cracks are assessed through experimental investigation.
Design/methodology/approach
Macro-cracks perpendicular to the direction of sliding were manufactured on discs by electric discharge machining. Tribological tests under oil lubrication were conducted on a ball-on-disc test rig. Their wear processes were monitored with on-line visual ferrography. The cross-sectional profile and morphology of the wear track were analyzed using a T200 profilometer and a scanning electron microscope, respectively. Effects of different crack numbers and various applied normal loads on the wear behavior were studied.
Findings
The macro-cracks tend to promote plastic deformation on the contact disc surfaces, and material plastic deformation of the crack edges varies with the magnitude of applied normal loads. Relationship of the duration of running-in period and root mean square index of the particle coverage area with the numbers of crack is approximately linear.
Originality/value
The wear properties of surfaces with macro-cracks were assessed with various crack numbers and with different applied normal loads, and the relationship between the index of particle coverage area and the wear rate was established.
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Fanjing Meng, Minghua Pang and Kun Liu
Granular lubrication can solve some lubrication problems under many extreme operating conditions. Meanwhile, the flow constitutive relation is one of its unsolved problems in…
Abstract
Purpose
Granular lubrication can solve some lubrication problems under many extreme operating conditions. Meanwhile, the flow constitutive relation is one of its unsolved problems in fully understanding its rheological mechanism.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a plane shear cell under granular lubrication is established by the discrete element method to study the flow constitutive relation and its mechanical mechanism of the hard granular lubricants.
Findings
Research results show that the flow regimes in granular flow lubrication strongly rely on the dimensionless parameter I, in which it is called the inertial coefficient. When the inertial coefficient I increase, the flow regimes of the granular lubricants also evolve from a quasi-static state to a collisional state accordingly. Comparing to the influence of the restitution coefficient, the friction coefficient of the hard granular lubricants has a strong influence on its constitutive relation of the granular flow lubrication. Finally, it is shows that the dimensionless parameter I has strong influence on the contacts and flow states of this granular lubrication system than the influence of the dimensionless parameter R.
Originality/value
These findings reveal the constitutive relation and mechanical mechanism of granular lubrication and can also offer the helpful reference for the design of the new granular lubrication bearing.
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Sajad Pirsa and Fardin Mohammad Nejad
The purpose of this paper is to construct an array of sensors using polypyrrole–zinc oxide (PPy–ZnO) and PPy–vanadium (V; chemical formula: V2O5) fibers. To test responses of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to construct an array of sensors using polypyrrole–zinc oxide (PPy–ZnO) and PPy–vanadium (V; chemical formula: V2O5) fibers. To test responses of sensors, a central composite design (CCD) has been used. The results of the CCD technique revealed that the developed sensors are orthogonally sensitive to diacetyl, lactic acid and acetic acid. In total, 20 different mixtures of diacetyl, lactic acid and acetic acid were prepared, and the responses of the array sensors were recorded for each mixture.
Design/methodology/approach
A response surface regression analysis has been used for correlating the responses of the sensors to diacetyl, lactic acid and acetic acid concentrations during the gas phase in food samples. The developed multivariate model was used for simultaneous determination of diacetyl, lactic acid and acetic acid concentrations. Some food samples with unknown concentrations of diacetyl, lactic acid and acetic acid were provided, and the responses of array sensors to each were recorded.
Findings
The responses of each sensor were considered as target response in a response optimizer, and by an overall composite desirability, the concentration of each analyte was predicted. The present work suggests the applicability of the response surface regression analysis as a modeling technique for correlating the responses of sensor arrays to concentration profiles of diacetyl, lactic acid and acetic acid in food samples.
Originality/value
The PPy–ZnO and PPy–V2O5 nanocomposite fibers were synthesized by chemical polymerization. The provided conducting fibers, PPy–ZnO and PPy–V2O5, were used in an array gas sensor system for the analysis of volatile compounds (diacetyl, lactic acid and acetic acid) added to yogurt and milk samples.