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This paper aims to investigate the effect and mechanism of O atom single doping, Ce and O atoms co-doping on the interfacial microscopic behavior of brazed Ni-Cr/diamond.

Using first-principles calculations, the embedding energy, work of separation, interfacial energy and electronic structures of Ni-Cr-O/diamond and Ni-Cr-O-Ce/diamond interface models were calculated. Then, the effect of Ce and O co-doping was experimentally verified through brazed diamond with CeO₂-added Ni-Cr filler alloy.

The results show that O single-doping reduces the interfacial bonding strength between Ni-Cr filler alloy and diamond but enhances its interfacial stability to some extent. However, the Ce and O co-doping simultaneously enhances the interfacial bonding strength and stability between Ni-Cr filler alloy and diamond. The in-situ formed Ce-O oxide at interface impedes the direct contact between diamond and Ni-Cr filler alloy, which weakens the catalytic effect of Ni element on diamond graphitization. It is experimentally found that the fine rod-shaped Cr₃C₂ and Cr₇C₃ carbides are generated on diamond surface brazed with CeO₂-added Ni-Cr filler alloy. After grinding, the brazed diamond grits, brazed with CeO₂-added Ni-Cr filler alloy, present few fracture and the percentage of intact diamond reaches 67.8%. Compared to pure Ni-Cr filler alloy, the brazed diamond with CeO₂-added Ni-Cr filler alloy exhibit the better wear resistance and the slighter thermal damage.

Using first-principles calculations, the effect of Ce and O atoms co-doping on the brazed diamond with Ni-Cr filler alloy is investigated, and the calculation results are verified experimentally. Through the first-principles calculations, the interface behavior and reaction mechanism between diamond and filler alloy can be well disclosed, and the composition of filler alloy can be optimized, which will be beneficial for synergistically realizing the enhanced interface bonding and reduced thermal damage of brazed diamond.

Based on a dynamic capability (DC) view, the purpose of this paper is to explore whether market orientation (MO) (external) and learning orientation (LO) (internal) facilitate internationalizing small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (ISMEs) global dynamic capabilities (GDCs) – i.e., their global marketing and product-design capabilities – and promote firm performance.

Empirical data are randomly selected from Taiwanese ISMEs, yielding 206 valid responses. Informants’ (CEOs, vice presidents, senior managers) knowledge about and shouldering of firm responsibilities are explored.

A significant increase in global marketing and product-design capabilities is found to affect firm performance. MO and LO positively influence GDCs, which increase firm performance. Furthermore, LO and MO support GDCs’ development.

The sample is reasonably diverse in terms of demographics including firm location, size, industry, and market type. Disaggregation results are generally robust regarding model parameters. However, future research should target different countries to assess result generalizability.

The findings reveal two practical implications for managers. First, successful GDCs help firms spread the costs of designing products or components across many contexts and to offer appealing products to consumers worldwide. Second, it is important that managers foster development of MOs and LOs.

The study contributes to the literature in two ways. First, by conceptualizing GDCs of ISMEs, DC literature is expanded based on a global context. Second, the complexity of extending DC literature into ISMEs may arise from the fact that ISMEs, as separate and living entities, devise their own organizational culture, which significantly affects their GDC development.

The soil water retention curve (SWRC) and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (UHC) are crucial indices to assess hydraulic properties of porous media that primarily depend on the particle and pore size distributions. This study aims to present a method based on the discrete element model (DEM) and the typical Arya and Paris model (AP model) to numerically predict SWRC and UHC.

First, the DEM (PFC^3D software) is used to construct the pore and particle size distributions in porous media. The number of particles is calculated according to the AP model, which can be applied to evaluate the relationship between the suction head and the moisture of porous media. Subsequently, combining critical path analysis (CPA) and fractal theory, the air entry value is applied to calculate the critical pore radius (CPR) and the critical volume fraction (CVF) for evaluating the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity.

This method is validated against the experimental results of 11 soils from the clay loam to the sand, and then the scaling parameter in the AP model and critical volume fraction value for many types of soils are presented for reference; subsequently, the gradation effect on hydraulic property of soils is analyzed. Furthermore, the calculation for unbound graded aggregate (UGA) material as a special case and a theoretical extension are provided.

The presented study provides an important insight into the relationship between the heterogeneous particle and hydraulic properties by the DEM and sheds light on the directions for future study of a method to investigate the hydraulic properties of porous media.

The purpose of this study is to examine job engagement and creativity of employees in the hospitality industry of Pakistan as outcomes of empowering leadership through the mediating role of creative self-efficacy.

An electronic survey was conducted to collect data from 373 employees of food-chain restaurants in Pakistan. The data was analyzed by applying structural equation modeling (SEM) through Smart PLS 3.

Results indicated that empowering leadership has a positive association with job engagement and employee creativity in the hospitality industry. Further, creative self-efficacy has been found as mediating the relationship of empowering leadership with job engagement and employee creativity.

The study has substantial implications for the employees, managers and organizations of the hospitality industry as well as for the scholars of services industry research.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between positive emotion, self-efficacy, job satisfaction and turnover intention in the context of resource building during the socialization process of new faculty members, particularly in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The study utilizes a quantitative research design and employs purposive sampling to obtain 554 valid questionnaires. The study analyzes the relationship between positive emotion, self-efficacy, job satisfaction and turnover intention and examines the influence of strategic human resource management (SHRM) on these variables.

The results of the study reveal that SHRM positively influences positive emotion and self-efficacy, which, in turn, positively impact job satisfaction. However, positive emotion is negatively related to turnover intention.

This study contributes to the existing literature on human resource management (HRM) by examining the impact of strategic HRM on the socialization process of new faculty members. The findings of the study have significant practical implications for the implementation of HRM in research-oriented universities.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationships of environmental concern and risk perception with residents' waste mobile recycling behavior in the scenario of continuously increasing electronic waste (aka e-waste) around the world.

For empirically testing proposed research model, this study utilized convenience sampling strategy and collected 346 responses from residents in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) through an online survey. The hypotheses were tested utilizing the structural equation modeling (SEM) framework through Mplus 7.0 program (Muthen and Muthen, 1998–2012). Robust maximum likelihood (MLR) was used as the method of estimation.

The results revealed that environmental concern is positively associated with individuals' intentions to recycle waste mobile phones and that the relationship between concern for the environment and individuals' intention to recycle is mediated by the factors such as individuals' mobile phone recycling attitude and subjective norms. The results further indicated that individuals' information security risk perception moderates the relationship between individuals' intention for recycling and subsequent recycling behavior.

This study provides substantial theoretical and practical implications for residents' e-waste recycling behavior while considering their environmental concern and information security risk perceptions.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution, implementation and effectiveness of the Pay Equity Act in Ontario, Canada. Given that this Act is considered by many as the world's most progressive equal pay for work of equal value legislation, there are important implications for policy globally.

Through a review of relevant documents and the literature, the paper examines the need for the Pay Equity Act in Ontario, its origins, and with two decades of experience, analyze its effectiveness. A case study is also used to assess related procedures and effects of the law.

In spite of its limitations and the wide pay gap that still exists between men and women, many female workers have benefited from Ontario's progressive Pay Equity Act. In targeting the discriminatory aspect of women's work evaluations, the Act has resulted in pay increases for thousands of women, especially in the public sector.

There are many practical and social implications for jurisdictions across the globe, as they try to grapple with gender pay equities. Policy makers can learn from the successes and challenges experienced in Ontario. Pay equity legislation will unlikely achieve any significant progress in reducing the wage gap if it relies on workers to complain about the inequity in their pay. A proactive pay equity law, such as that in Ontario, will force employers to make more focused efforts to deal with gender pay discrimination. Ontario's bold “experiment” with pay equity holds valuable lessons for jurisdictions globally.

While there has been some research on the Ontario Pay Equity Act, there is a paucity of scholarly work that examines the details of the pay system that the Act has spawned. There is also little work in assessing the effectiveness of the legislation.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating role of export market orientation (EMO) in the relationship between inter-organizational relationships and export performance, and the moderating role of degree of internationalization in the relationship between EMO and export performance.

The authors sent questionnaires to the 1,000 largest manufacturers listed in CommonWealth magazine (2009), and a random sample of 500 machinery manufacturers listed in the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry Directory. The authors received 244 completed questionnaires through which to examine the hypotheses.

The findings show that trust and social interaction positively influence EMO, which then enhances export performance. However, the moderating effect of degree of internationalization has no significant impact on the EMO and export performance relationship.

Future studies should conduct two-way research on focal firms (manufacturers) and overseas partners (agents or distributors) through common variables including trust, commitment, satisfaction, etc. The results indicate that the content validity of the present study is somewhat inadequate, possibly due to the cultural differences involved.

Overseas information exchange between exporters and partners fosters firms’ export performance. Thus, closer relationships with channel partners or customers via trust and social interactions may help firms to conduct appropriate EMO activities to access overseas market information and improve export performance.

By investigating Taiwanese exporters, who tend to emphasize relational capital, the authors determine that EMO is important in understanding how inter-organizational relationships influence export performance. The authors also contribute a more comprehensive view to the literature.

The paper aims to build a greater understanding of countries transitioning from local generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Second, the study assembles prior literature and examines the issues raised during the convergence. Finally, the paper recognises the implications of successful convergence practices that may be useful to other emerging markets and particular reference to India which is transitioning from local GAAP to IFRS-based principles.

The present study is a qualitative analysis that explores the Cost-benefit outcome carried by developed nations. The paper segregates the literature into three segments: developed nations, East Asian countries and the Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) nations.

There are numerous issues and implications divulged from studies pertaining to the adoption of IFRS, i.e. corporate governance, fair value accounting and other environmental concerns. The paper further illustrates instances of dissimilarity of the Indian Accounting Standards to the IFRS.

It is evident from the literature that limited studies have been carried out in the context of East Asian countries and BRIC nations in comparison to the developed nations. Further research should provide more comprehensive empirical evidence on the outcome of mandatory adoption of IFRS on firms in emerging countries.

The paradigm practice of mandatory adoption of IFRS by developed nations can be an insight for emerging countries that participate in the capital markets and for companies in compliance with the IFRS.