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Aims to investigate the effect of chlorine on corrosion behaviours of stainless steels.

Very complicated thermodynamic calculations are needed to establish the E‐pH diagrams of commercial alloys, because they comprise of many elements. To avoid these complex calculations and facilitate corrosion prevention of AISI 316L stainless steel, the potentiodynamic method was used to construct the E‐pH diagram. The polarization curves were carefully experimented at the scan rate of 0.1 mV/s. The experimental conditions were aqueous solutions saturated with air (oxygen concentration 7.8‐8.5 ppm) containing chloride 0, 50, 500 and 5,000 ppm, pH 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, and at 25°C. The transpassive or pitting potential, the protection potential, the primary passive potential and the corrosion potential were determined from the polarization curves and plotted with respect to the pH of the solution. The ions in solution were investigated by qualitative chemical analysis and stated in the E‐pH diagrams.

The constructed E‐pH diagrams showed clearly the effect of chloride concentration in the tested conditions on the transpassive or pitting potential, the protection potential of AISI 316L stainless steels. The ion states after pitting corrosion were different at low and high pH. This may be useful information for further investigation of pitting corrosion mechanisms.

The E‐pH diagram was originally based on thermodynamic equilibrium. The potentiodynamic method was kinetically controlled and not in equilibrium. However, the experiments were kept at near stationary state as much as possible. The investigated E‐pH diagrams were limited for the solutions saturated with air containing chloride 0, 50, 500 and 5,000 ppm and at 25°C. The effects of temperature and other ions such as Fe³⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, etc. on the transpassive or pitting potential, the protection potential, the primary passive potential and the corrosion potential should be further investigated, because natural water may contain those ions and is at high temperatures which could affect on the corrosion of AISI 316L stainless steels.

The investigated E‐pH diagrams may be applicable to avoid corrosion of AISI 316L stainless steels in similar conditions. The useful application may be for fields where natural water is not able to be treated, as is carried out in industry.

There have been several investigations on the effect of chloride on the corrosion behaviours of AISI 316L stainless steels. However, those investigations were carried out in different conditions. Very few experimental E‐pH diagrams of AISI 304L have been found, but not for AISI 316L stainless steels. The investigated diagrams showed also the ion states in pitting corrosion region which were influenced by pH. This may indicate the different pitting corrosion mechanism at different pH.

This paper aims to construct the E-pH diagrams for AISI 316L stainless steel in chloride solutions containing SO₄²⁻ ions and therefore investigate the role of SO₄²⁻ ions on pitting corrosion of stainless steel.

A cyclic potentiodynamic polarisation method was performed to obtain polarisation curves at different pH. From these curves, corrosion, primary passivation, pitting and repassivation potentials were determined and plotted as a function of pH giving the E-pH diagram.

The addition of SO₄²⁻ ions to 10,650 ppm NaCl solution up to 3,000 ppm widened the passivation regime of the E-pH diagram mainly by shifting the pitting corrosion potential to the noble direction. This indicated the inhibiting role of SO₄²⁻ on the nucleation of new pits in the transpassive region. It also stabilised the pitting corrosion potential at the pH ranging from 5 to 11. However, at pH 7, it caused the pit area to increase, implying the catalytic role of SO₄²⁻ on the pit growth. Finally, it did not change the types of ions dissolved in solutions after pitting.

The diagrams can be used as a guideline in industries to determine the passivation regime of the AISI 316L stainless steel in chloride- and sulphate-containing solutions.

This paper reported the E-pH diagrams for the AISI 316L stainless steel in chloride solutions containing SO₄²⁻ ions. The roles of pH and SO₄²⁻ ions on pitting corrosion were innovatively discussed using a point defect model.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between returning consumer environmental behaviour and tourists’ propensity to stay in a green hotel, particularly in the Malaysian context. Next, the influence of a moderating variable (i.e. green hotel knowledge) on returning tourists’ propensity to stay in a green hotel is also examined.

The research used a hierarchical regression for data analysis across a sample of 400 young respondents who stayed at a green hotel at least once in a year. Their participation was purely voluntary.

Empirical analysis via hierarchical regressions confirmed that returning tourists’ intention to stay at a green hotel was influenced positively by perceived behavioural control and attitude. However, the subjective norm was found to be not significantly related to returning tourists’ intention to stay at a green hotel.

The current data were only collected from respondents within one area which may not represent the entire population of Malaysia. Hence, it is imperative that sample size be expanded, and wider geographical areas with different cultural values covered to improve generalizability of findings.

These empirical results may benefit the hotel industry involved in green initiatives and activities in formulating effective marketing strategies to review the demand of returning consumers to stay in green hotels and evaluate the acceptance level of the returning consumers towards green behaviour. The hotel industry should take its environmental and social responsibility seriously and uphold aspects of energy efficiency, natural resources and environment and indoor environmental quality in business operations in a sustainable manner besides focusing on maximizing profit.

The results of this study offer a new forward motion to the findings of prior studies on environmental behaviour, which is not much covered in the literature in the Malaysian context by providing additional information in narrowing the research gap with regard to understanding returning consumers’ intention to stay in green hotels. Next, the proposed framework could be the basis for further research investigating returning consumers’ intention to stay in green hotels, within the Malaysian context.

To provide information regarding international/intercultural communication problems, along with management tactics for coping and handling such problems occurring in the international business work setting in foreign companies operating in Thailand.

Exclusive 14 in‐depth interviews with expatriate executives and Thai senior employees were conducted in four Japanese, two German, and two multinational companies in Thailand. Both expatriates and Thai employees were asked to identify communication problems and describe how they managed such problems with international/intercultural partners, supervisors, or subordinates.

The sample was quite small. The subjects reacted to the interview protocol based upon their own personal experience working in eight foreign companies in Thailand, which might not represent the entire intercultural/international viewpoints.

This study provides guidelines for prospective expatriates who will be assigned to work in the Thai host country and for Thai newcomers who are interested in working in foreign companies and must prepare to cope with the problems they may have in working with foreign managers.

It is hoped to be beneficial for both expatriates and Thai employees to perceive and learn each other's understandings, needs, and expectations. Also, it is hoped that information presented in this paper can trigger more thoughts and generate further discussions in international/intercultural business communication classrooms. The study also provides a framework for further investigation of commonalities and differences in tactics for dealing with international/intercultural communication problems at work in other countries compared with those found in Thailand.