Search results

In recent years, it is imperative to establish the structure of manufacturing industry in the context of smart factory. Due to rising demand for exchange of information with various devices, and huge number of sensor nodes, the industrial wireless networks (IWNs) face network congestion and inefficient task scheduling. For this purpose, software-defined network (SDN) is the emerging technology for IWNs, which is integrated into cognitive industrial Internet of things for dynamic task scheduling in the context of industry 4.0.

In this paper, the authors present SDN based dynamic resource management and scheduling (DRMS) for effective devising of the resource utilization, scheduling, and hence successful transmission in a congested medium. Moreover, the earliest deadline first (EDF) algorithm is introduced in authors’ proposed work for the following criteria’s to reduce the congestion in the network and to optimize the packet loss.

The result shows that the proposed work improves the success ratio versus resource usage probability and number of nodes versus successful joint ratio. At last, the proposed method outperforms the existing myopic algorithms in terms of query response time, energy consumption and success ratio (packet delivery) versus number of increasing nodes, respectively.

The authors proposed a priority based scheduling between the devices and it is done by the EDF approach. Therefore, the proposed work reduces the network delay time and minimizes the overall energy efficiency.

Entrepreneurship, family business.

MBA, executive MBA

PN Rao Fine Suits, famously known as the “best tailors” for men's suits and groom wear, started with their first shop in 1923 as a small business of a tailoring shop catering to the needs of the British ladies in Bangalore, India, and by 2013, had four showrooms spread across Bangalore and Chennai, with an annual turnover of INR360 million. Over the years, the patrons of PN Rao have grown not only in Bangalore but across the globe, from countries such as the USA, the UK, Germany, Japan, Denmark, Sweden and The Netherlands. The PN group had three business arms: the PN Rao showrooms, Rupasi and PN Rao Creations. This family business has survived nine decades in business, with the third generation of family now actively involved in the operations and expansion of the business. Chandramohan Pishe and Machender Pishe, the second-generation brothers in the business, believe in a conservative growth path for their brand, compared to the third-generation cousins, Naveen Pishe and Ketan Pishe. Naveen and Ketan are aware of the market opportunities and the competition and often look for the differentiator that their brand can offer. They are very enthusiastic about their future expansion plans and would like to open 100 showrooms by 2023, their centennial year. The market indicators are favourable and, if leveraged strategically, do offer opportunities to fulfil their expansion plans. Naveen and Ketan firmly believe in the need of instituting a family constitution as they move forward with their expansion plans. The second generation is not very confident of this idea, however, as they believe the family values to be strong enough to continue in the same fashion.

Understand the challenges of a small business and the importance of re-inventing by leveraging a mix of market opportunities to grow and sustain; to evaluate the need and importance of family constitution at the PN Rao Group to sustain, scale and govern in a manner so as to avoid any kind of future family business conflicts.

teaching notes are available for educators only. please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

This paper aims to predict the traffic and helps to find a solution. Unpredictable traffic leads more vehicles on the road. The result of which is one of the factors that aggravate traffic congestion. Traffic congestion occurs when the available transport resources are less when compared to the number of vehicles that share the resource. As the number of vehicles increases the resources become scarce and congestion is more.

The population of the urban areas keeps increasing as the people move toward the cities in search of jobs and a better lifestyle. This leads to an increase in the number of vehicles on the road. However, the transport network, which is accessible to the citizens is less when compared to their demand.

The demand for resources is higher than the actual capacity of the roads and the streets. There are some circumstances, which will aggravate traffic congestion. The circumstances can be the road condition (pot holes and road repair), accidents and some natural calamities.

There is a lot of research being done to predict the traffic and model it to find a solution, which will make the condition better. However, still, it is an open issue. The accuracy of the predictions done is less.

This paper aims to investigate the microstructure, hardness and tribological properties of hypoeutectic (Al-7Si) matrix reinforced with fixed quantities of 3 Wt.% graphite (Gr) and x Wt.% SiCp (x = 3, 6 and 9) hybrid composites.

The composites were fabricated by stir cast technique. The microstructure, hardness and tribological measurements were carried out on the base alloy and composites. The tribological investigation was carried out on pin-on-disc wear testing machine under dry sliding condition.

The wear rate decreases with the increase of SiCp into A356-3Gr composites. The composite containing A356-9SiCp-3Gr had better hardness and good wear resistance compared to the base alloy. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electro dispersive spectrometry (EDS) images were used to study the reinforcement distribution and worn-out surface of the specimens.

The present paper brings out a clear picture of the various events that take place under the worn-out surfaces leading to the generation of mechanical mixed layer.

In the aviation sector adversity faced by female pilots stemming from stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination are well documented. Such adversity in the workplace can cause occupational stress, which may be greater for female pilots, and this influences individual resiliency, impacting job performance and wellbeing. Resilience may be a mitigating factor for coping with occupational stress and individual resilience can be factored into an organisation’s resilience as a whole. When organisations face challenges, there is a need for resilience in order to survive and adapt during disruption and adversity. Resilience with respect to employee and workplace contexts includes both personal resources among the employees as well as workplace resources that are connected to the workplace and organisational environment. As resilience continues to emerge as part of a human capital management strategy, the need to understand the role of the workplace is magnified. For aviation, understanding resilience can potentially inform organisational interventions to address the known occupational stressors and workplace adversity to increase employee performance and well-being. The role of workplace adversity and perceptions of workplace resource availability including supportive environments are discussed in relation to how they influence employee resilience specifically in the aviation industry. The aim of this chapter is to define resilience specific to employee and workplace contexts, introduce personal and workplace resources to influence employee resilience, and discuss the role of occupational stressors specifically for women in male-dominated career fields such as aviation.

The construction industry is shifting towards becoming more circular by reducing waste, reusing building materials and embracing regenerative solutions for energy generation and biodiversity conservation. Thus, construction professionals must perform diversified services to achieve a circular built environment (CBE). Implementing resource planning and waste management in CBE has already posed challenges to the quantity surveying profession; thus, quantity surveyors (QSs) should be equipped with new roles and competencies to tackle challenges in achieving a CBE. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the functions and competencies of QSs at the design and building material sourcing stages in achieving a CBE according to 3R principles.

The research apprehended a qualitative approach, including two expert interview rounds adhering to the Delphi technique with 14 and 11 experts per each round. Manual content analysis was incorporated to analyse the collected data.

The research findings revealed the important roles and competencies of QSs in achieving a CBE. In addition, essential functions and competencies were categorised according to the 3R principles (reduce, reuse, recycle) to successfully implement CBE during the Design and Building Material Sourcing stages. According to the 3R principles of CBE, cost control, cost planning, feasibility studies, measurement and quantification, risk management, value engineering and innovations and technologies were well-received by most interviewees as essential roles of QSs during the Design and Building Material Sourcing stages. Further, basic/mandatory competencies (personal, interpersonal, professional practice and business skills), economic analysis, BIM management, cost management and risk management are highly regarded by experts for QS as important competencies to achieve CBE.

With new construction trends, QSs must enhance their conventional roles and competencies and search for new skills and competencies. Those skills and competencies could be linked to the CE concept, either directly or indirectly. Since QS holds a prominent place in sustainable construction in CBE, adapting to changes in the construction industry such as CBE is timely for QSs. Further, there is a shortage of literature regarding QSs' roles and competencies in achieving a CBE; thus, this study will contribute by identifying new avenues for QSs in achieving a CBE in the practice and the research.

This paper aims to investigate the wear behaviors of aged metal matrix composites and of the as-cast Al-Si alloy by using a pin-on-disk wear testing machine at room temperature.

Hypoeutectic (Al-7Si) alloy reinforced with low volume fractions of SiC particles (SiC_p) and graphite (Gr) particles were prepared by the stir-casting process. It was found that the addition of 9 Wt.% of SiC_p and 3 Wt.% of Gr particles conferred a beneficial effect in reducing the wear rate of the composites.

The worn-out surfaces of the specimens were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM); the extensive micro cracking occurs on the surface of the Al-7Si alloy tested at lower loads. The growth of these microcracks finally led to the delamination of the base alloy surface. The reinforcements (SiCp and Gr) particles tended to reduce the extent of plastic deformation in the surface layer, thereby reducing extensively the occurrence of micro cracking in the composites.

From the results, it is revealed that the quantity of wear rate was less for aged specimens compared to the as-cast specimens. The worn-out surfaces were studied using electron dispersive spectroscopy, and wear debris was analyzed using SEM.

The study utilized a quantitative approach to investigate student satisfaction, focusing on the lecturers’ knowledge, quality of delivery, student support and evaluation. The population included second- to fourth-year undergraduates, data from a sample of 600 were collected through a structured questionnaire using stratified random sampling and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The aim of this study is to examine the various dimensions of academic staff quality that affect student satisfaction within a selected private higher educational institute in Sri Lanka, providing a clear understanding of the dimensions of academic staff quality and recognizing the important role of the said dimensions in shaping the educational experience of the students.

Results revealed that effective support for students, lectures’ broader knowledge, quality of delivery and quality of evaluation were significant predictors of student satisfaction and that they are crucial indicators of how strong the impact of the academic staff is in contributing to overall undergraduate student satisfaction.

This study filled a gap in higher education research in Sri Lanka by offering empirical evidence on the impact of academic staff quality on satisfaction among students in private universities. It serves as a valuable reference for those exploring higher education concepts, providing a novel understanding of the influence of the key component of academic staff quality.

Aluminium metal matrix composites are used in automotive and aerospace industries because of their high performance and weight reduction benefits. The current investigation aims to focus on the development of the stir cast aluminium-boron carbide composites with enhanced mechanical and tribological properties.

The aluminium-boron carbide composites are produced by stir casting process. Aluminium alloy A356 is chosen as the matrix material and three sets of composites are produced with different weight fractions of boron carbide particles. Higher particle size (63 µm) of boron carbide is chosen as the reinforcement material. Aluminium-boron carbide composites are tested for mechanical and tribological properties. The effect of process parameters like load, speed and percentage of reinforcement on the wear rate are studied using the pin-on-disc method. The interaction of the process parameters with the wear rate is analysed by DesignExpert software using RSM methodology and desirability analysis. The coded levels for parameters for independent variables used in the experimental design are arranged according to the central composite design. The worn surface of the pin is examined using a scanning electron microscope. The phases and reaction products of the composites are identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis.

Aluminium-boron carbide composites reveal better mechanical properties compared to monolithic aluminium alloys. Mechanical properties improved with the addition of strontium-based master alloy Al10Sr. The ultimate tensile strength, hardness and compressive strength increase with an increase in the reinforcement content. The wettability of the boron carbide particles in the matrix improved with the addition of potassium flurotitanate to the melt. Uniform dispersion of particles into the alloy during melting is facilitated by the addition of magnesium. Wear resistance is optimal at 8 per cent of boron carbide with a load 20 N and sliding speed of 348 RPM. The wear rate is optimized by the numerical optimization method using desirability analysis. The amount of wear is less in Al-B₄C composites when compared to unreinforced aluminium alloy. The wear rate increases with an increase in load and decreases with the sliding speed. The wear resistance increases with an increase in the weight fraction of the boron carbide particles.

The produced Al-B₄C composites can retain properties at high temperature. It is used in nuclear and automotive products owing its high specific strength and stiffness. The main applications are neutron absorbers, armour plates, high-performance bicycles, brake pads, sand blasting nozzles and pump seals.

Al/B₄C composites have good potential in the development of wear-resistant products.

In higher education, interdisciplinarity involves the design of subjects that offer the opportunity to experience ‘different ways of knowing’ from students’ core or preferred disciplines. Such an education is increasingly important in a global knowledge economy. Many universities have begun to introduce interdisciplinary studies or subjects to meet this perceived need. This chapter explores some of the issues inherent in moves towards interdisciplinary higher education. Definitional issues associated with the term ‘academic discipline’, as well as other terms, including ‘multidisciplinary’, ‘cross-disciplinary’, ‘pluridisciplinarity’, ‘transdisciplinarity’ and ‘interdisciplinary’ are examined. A new nomenclature is introduced to assist in clarifying the subtle distinctions between the various positions. The chapter also outlines some of the pedagogical and epistemological considerations which are involved in any move from a conventional form of educational delivery to an interdisciplinary higher education, and recommends caution in any implementation of an interdisciplinary curriculum.