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This paper reviews the role of alloying elements in aluminium and alloy fabrication on performance during surface treatment and surface finishing. Such elements may be present in solid solution as fine segregates, strengthening phase and equilibrium phases. For surface treatment and finishes, which generally proceed in the presence of alumina film, knowledge of the processes proceeding at the alloy/film and film/electrolyte interfaces, and those within anodic alumina films, gives rise to the possibility of controlling features of nanoscale dimensions, for improved performance, arises. Its influence on nanotextures at treated surfaces and compositionally and morphologically modified films is explained briefly.

Anodizing is used widely in the surface treatment of aluminium alloys for aerospace applications. Considers recent advances in understanding of the influences of alloying elements in anodizing of aluminium alloys and, in particular, their applicability to second phase particles during anodizing of commercial alloys. Through more precise knowledge of the response of second phase materials to anodic polarization, improved anodizing and related surface treatment processes may be developed in order to enhance the performance of aluminium alloys.

The purpose of this paper is to understand how augmented reality (AR) try-on experiences facilitate consumers’ shopping decision. Focusing on the immersion and psychological ownership, the study investigated how the properties of AR experiences (environmental embedding (EE) and simulated physical control (SPC)) affect decision comfort.

This research theoretically and empirically analyzes how each property of AR experiences affects consequential psychological states and then further increases decision comfort by employing an existing AR try-on mobile application. A total of 99 valid responses were used for the partial least square structural equation modeling analysis. One’s prior AR try-on experience was predicted as a moderator and analyzed using SPSS-based PROCESS macro.

The results demonstrated that EE and SPC evoke immersion and the feeling of ownership of a virtual product, which increased decision comfort. The moderating effect of one’s prior AR try-on experience showed that the impact of EE and SPC on immersion was attenuated for those with prior experience. Further, immersion mediated the effect of EE but SPC on the feeling of ownership, which corroborated the direct effect of SPC on the feeling of ownership.

Firms must consider technological and user-experience features that can induce users to perceive high levels of AR characteristics such as EE and SPC. Practitioners should develop realistic content that can correctly place virtual products on users to enhance EE. Including more interactive features is encouraged to provide users with a feeling of control toward the virtual product that directly leads to ownership and positively affects decision making. Further, practitioners need to be cautious about consumers getting used to the new technology; retailers and marketers need to focus on creating new and innovative content to continually engage customers.

This study adopted EE and SPC to determine how each property of AR experience forms the consequential psychological states, particularly depending on one’s prior experience. Methodologically, the study provided external validity in conducting an experiment by adopting an existing AR mobile application available in the market and employing an objective measure of respondents (e.g. prior AR try-on experience).

COVID-19 accelerated change within the UK retail market. It encouraged the growth of online shopping, providing the necessary demand for grocers to invest in their operations, and transformed the economics of their businesses. As innovative new business models emerged, some existing retailers collapsed leading to significant changes on the high street. Landlords were also affected. As some retail tenants struggled to pay their rents, other parts of the sector prospered and sought additional warehouse capacity to cope with rising demand. Not only does this illustrate how different parts of the retail sector faired during COVID-19, but it also demonstrates how the move online has resulted in the emergence of new opportunities.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the careers of skilled migrants from Indian Punjab. This study complicates the normalization of skilled migration as a “win‐win” situation by examining the career trajectories of skilled migrants from the Indian Punjab who are trying to establish themselves in Britain.

The paper examines 20 life history interviews undertaken with skilled migrants from the Indian Punjab to Britain, in IT, media, law and hospitality industries, health and welfare professionals, and student migrants.

Skilled migrants were able to migrate on their own auspices through migration economies in Punjab. Once in Britain, however, they were directed to universities and labour markets in which they were not able to use their skills. They experienced under‐employment, devaluation of their qualifications and downward mobility, which forced them into ethnic and gendered markets within their home networks and created ambivalence about migrant success and issues of return.

The study emphasizes the need to take a transnational lens when looking at skilled migration, address how migrants’ career trajectories are limited by racism, anti‐immigration sentiment and gender inequality, and consider temporality and uncertainty.

The paper raises questions concerning the ways in which rapidly changing “managed migration” policies in Britain have burdened individual migrants.

In this study, the effect of Friction Stir Welding on a 6061 aluminium alloy reinforced with 20% of alumina particles metal matrix composite was analysed. The sheets were joined by employing a tool rotating speed of 700 RPM and a welding speed of 250 mm/min. The optical and scanning electron microscopy observations performed on the different zones of FSW joints cross section revealed the different structures of the nugget, the thermo‐mechanical affected zone and the heat affected zones thanks to the difference in reinforcing particles dimensions as a consequence of friction process. After FSW the material was aged in a 3.5% NaCl solution for 1, 10 and 90 days. The aim of this work is to apply thermoelastic stress analysis to the study of crack formation and propagation of friction stir welded MMC sheets, during cyclic fatigue tests. Fatigue tests were carried out under the axial total stress‐amplitude control mode with R=omin/omax = 0.1 using a resonant electro‐mechanical testing machine (TESTRONICTM 50 25 KN by RUMUL (SUI)). All the mechanical tests were performed on as‐FSW and aged samples up to failure. The TSA measurement system allowed the crack evolution to be observed in real‐time during fatigue cycles and stress fields to be derived on the specimens from the temperature variation measured.

Although it is assumed that migration and tourism directly affect each other, neither has received enough attention in the literature. Moreover, the relationship between them remains unclear. The UNWTO interprets said relationship in two ways: tourism-led migration (TLM) and migration-led tourism (MLT). The latter is crucial for the marketing of tourism. This study aims to clarify the migration-tourism relationship in ways the relevant literature has inadequately addressed and to evaluate the significance of MLT for Turkey's tourism marketing.

The study was carried out with a qualitative research design. Document scanning was used to collect data. A time series analysis was performed based on secondary data. Vector autoregressive models (VARs), which test the relationship between two or more variables, were preferred in the analysis selection. The empirical evidence depends on annual data of German tourists visiting Turkey and persons admitted to Germany from 2006 to 2019.

The findings of the study revealed a significant short-term relationship between those immigrating to Germany and tourists visiting Turkey.

The research shows that migration is a factor in the purchasing behavior of touristic products. In this respect, the practical conclusion of the study reveals that it may be beneficial for national tourism marketers in these countries to promote touristic products through citizens who have migrated abroad.

In the relevant literature, the relationship between tourism and migration (RTM) has been limitedly examined from an MLT perspective. In this respect, the subject has not been examined in detail in many respects (distribution by years, various sampling and data collection technique, etc.). The present research helps fill this literature gap by addressing the subject directly.

The purpose of this paper was to study the corrosion resistance of water-based sol-gel coatings containing titania nanoparticles doped with organic inhibitors for corrosion protection of AA2024 alloy.

The coatings were obtained using tetraethylorthosilicate, 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, titanium (IV) tetrapropoxide and poly(ethylene imine) polymer as cross-linking agents. As corrosions inhibitors, 2-mercaptobenzoxazole and salicylaldoxime were incorporated into the sol-gel for the improvement of the corrosion resistance. The corrosion protection performance of coatings was studied using the potentiodynamic scan and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. Atomic force microscopy was used to investigate surface morphology of the coatings.

The results indicated that doping the sol-gel coatings with inhibitors leads to improvement of the corrosion protection. The comparison of doped coatings confirmed that corrosion protection performance of the sol-gel coatings doped with 2-mercaptobenzoxazole was better than for the sol-gel coatings doped with salicylaldoxime. Also the EIS results verified self-healing effects for the sol-gel coatings doped with 2-mercaptobenzoxazole.

This paper indicates 2-mercaptobenzoxazole and salicylaldoxime can be added as corrosion inhibitors to sol-gel coatings to improve their corrosion protective properties for AA2024 alloy.

Although there is evidence that adoption of mobile shopping has been slow, the increased functionality offered by smart phones offers significant potential for the development of marketing and retailing through the mobile channel. The purpose of this paper is to add to knowledge on consumer shopping behaviour through mobile devices by exploring attitudes to the use of mobiles in shopping, the use of mobile phones at different stages in the consumer decision-making process, the impact of involvement on the mobile consumer decision-making process and mobile shopping location.

An online panel survey was conducted with a UK panel of nationally representative consumers. The survey collected data in respect of the following products that were ranked on level of involvement on the basis of the importance and effort consumers' associated with their purchase: bread (lowest), washing powder, DVD, footwear, phone and TV (highest).

Use of mobiles for shopping is significant, but remains lower than use of computers in shopping. In general, respondents were more positive regarding their use of computer shopping than they were in relation to their use of a mobile. In using their mobile phone in shopping, respondents value its convenience and accessibility. There is higher use of the mobile phone in the information search and consideration of alternatives phases, than in the purchase transaction. The extent of use of mobile devices in the decision-making process is higher with higher involvement products, in relation to all stages in the decision-making process. The most frequent location for the use of their mobile in shopping is at home, which is consistent with the finding that the highest level of use of mobiles occurs in the information search and consideration of alternatives phases. Recommendations are offered for retailers and for further research.

This is the first research to explore the use of mobile phones in different stages in the consumer-decision-making process across a number of product categories.

Grounded on the concept of a value trade-off, the authors of this study seek to address the question of why some people visit an offline store before purchasing online. The authors offer a novel perspective by identifying and describing the perceived value drivers (benefits and sacrifices) associated with showrooming in the context of the branded apparel segment.

Data collected from 318 showrooming customers were analysed in the context of the proposed perceived value framework using the structural equation modelling method.

The results showed that enhanced product evaluation, monetary savings, smart shopper feelings and perceived enjoyment (positively) and search costs and online risk (negatively) influenced consumers' showrooming value perceptions as benefits and sacrifices associated with showrooming. Only perceived consumption delay emerged as insignificant. As expected, perceived showrooming value was identified as an important driver of showrooming intentions.

The application of this paper's findings is limited to the branded apparel segment. The model can be tested in other sectors with a larger sample size to gain deeper insights.

The findings can be utilized by brick-and-mortar retailers to retain showrooming customers.

The authors of the current research work contribute to a better understanding of showrooming by adopting a perceived-value-based perspective, which offers an alternative yet effective route for understanding showrooming.