Search results

In recent years, 3D printing technologies have been widely used in the construction industry. 3D printing in construction is very attractive because of its capability of process automation and the possibility of saving labor, waste materials, construction time and hazardous procedures for humans. Significant researches were conducted to identify the performance of the materials, while some researches focused on the development of novel techniques and methods, such as building information modeling. This paper aims to provide a detailed overview of the state-of-the-art of currently used 3D printing technologies in the construction areas and global acceptance in its applications.

The working principle of additive manufacturing in construction engineering (CE) is presented in terms of structural design, materials used and theoretical background of the leading technologies that are used to construct buildings and structures as well as their distinctive features.

The trends of 3D printing processes in CE are very promising, as well as the development of novel materials, will gain further momentum. The findings also indicate that the digital twin (DT) in construction technology would bring the industry a step forward toward achieving the goal of Industry 5.0.

This review highlights the prospects of digital manufacturing and the DT in construction engineering. It also indicates the future research direction of 3D printing in various constriction sectors.

The present work is devoted to investigating the sensitivity analysis of the electroosmotic peristaltic motion of non-Newtonian Casson fluid with the effect of the chemical reaction and magnetohydrodynamics through the porous medium. The main focus is on flow efficiency quantities such as pressure rise per wavelength, frictional forces on the upper wall and frictional forces on the lower wall. This initiative is to bridge the existing gap in the available literature.

The governing equations of the problem are mathematically formulated and subsequently simplified for sensitivity analysis under the assumptions of a long wavelength and a small Reynolds number. The simplified equations take the form of coupled nonlinear differential equations, which are solved using the built-in Matlab routine bvp4c. The response surface methodology and artificial neural networks are used to develop the empirical model for pressure rise per wavelength, frictional forces on the upper wall and frictional forces on the lower wall.

The empirical model demonstrates an excellent fit with a coefficient of determination reaching 100% for responses, frictional forces on the upper wall and frictional forces on the lower wall and 99.99% for response, for pressure rise per wavelength. It is revealed through the sensitivity analysis that pressure rise per wavelength, frictional forces on the upper wall and frictional forces on the lower wall are most sensitive to the permeability parameter at all levels.

The objective of this study is to use artificial neural networks simulation and analyze the sensitivity of electroosmotic peristaltic motion of non-Newtonian fluid with the effect of chemical reaction.

Given the unprecedented rise in environmental problems today, global manufacturing businesses are strategically diverting their attention toward green sustainability. Green sustainability emphasises environmental management throughout manufacturing processes to address firms’ sustainable performance. This study investigates whether green sustainability and eco-regulatory compliance, as strategic management approaches, influence manufacturers’ economic, social and environmental performances.

Using structured questionnaires, this quantitative-based explanatory research obtained a usable dataset of 385 from manufacturing firms in Ghana, a developing country. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modelling.

The study found green sustainability and eco-regulatory compliance to influence manufacturers’ sustainable performance positively. Also, eco-regulatory compliance partially mediated the green sustainability-sustainable performance nexus in a developing economy, particularly Ghana.

The study’s conceptual model is limited to manufacturing industries in developing economies, particularly Ghana. It was also limited to the natural resource-based view, quantitative approach and cross-sectional design.

The study found green sustainability and eco-regulatory compliance to influence manufacturers’ sustainable performance positively. Also, eco-regulatory compliance partially mediated the green sustainability-sustainable performance nexus in a developing economy, particularly Ghana.

The study raises awareness among industry players, consumers and the public about the significance of green sustainability practices in manufacturing. This will foster support and heavy investments in eco-friendly manufacturing businesses. Also, the study promotes local initiatives that advocate for sustainability, contributing to higher community involvement in environmentally conscious efforts. It contributes to waste and pollution (emission and water) minimisation while improving water, land and air quality by emphasising green sustainability and eco-regulatory compliance throughout manufacturing operations.

The study contributes significantly to the growing debate on sustainability in manufacturing by unearthing how green sustainability and eco-regulatory compliance enhance firms’ sustainable performance. It also demonstrates the intervening role of eco-regulatory compliance in the green sustainability–sustainable performance interplay.

The rapid shift in the emerging pedagogies of customer behavior has changed the business preferences in the hotel sector. This study prioritizes the hotel's main task to develop customer re-patronage intention. Keeping in line with these factors, this study investigates the impact of customer empowerment on re-patronage intentions through customer value co-creation in the hotel sector of Pakistan. Furthermore, the study examines the moderating impact of sensation-seeking on customers.

A total of 350 potential customers participated in the online survey using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Partial least square structural equation modeling was employed using Smart PLS-3 to test the projected hypotheses.

This study reveals that empowered customers improve their behavior and involvement in value co-creation, which, in turn, increases the prospects of re-patronage intention. Moreover, sensation-seeking moderates between consumer empowerment and customer value co-creation.

Customer-dominant logic and sense-making theory present interesting insights where customer empowerment and value co-creation have a positively significant impact on customer re-patronage intention. Findings also elaborate on a significant mediating role of customer value co-creation activities, which is an interesting call for hotel managers to add thought-sharing ecosystems. The suggested factors add long-lasting results in terms of revenues, performance and global GDP.

It provides guidance for the hotel managers through novel factors that activate the customer to augment an intention to re-patron. Moreover, it provides a direction to add sensation-seeking strategies that strengthen the effects on customer empowerment and value co-creation.

This study has its uniqueness in introducing an environment in hotels where customers are empowered to further actively participate in value co-creation initiatives, along with sensation-seeking acting as a stimulus among them. These factors have greatly impacted the hotel's objectives (i.e. re-patronage intention).

This study aimed to examine the direct impact of work–life balance on employee retention and turnover intentions among doctors in Pakistan. Further, it also aimed to test the mediating role of job satisfaction on these relationships.

This study's data were collected from 394 doctors working in public hospitals in Pakistan, using survey-based questionnaires and stratified random sampling technique. For data analysis, structural equation modelling was utilised to investigate the direct and indirect associations among the variables, while Statistical Software for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data management.

Work–life balance was found to have a positive association with employee retention and a negative association with turnover intention. Results suggest that a fair work–life balance is a significant predictor of employee retention and turnover intention. Also, job satisfaction significantly mediated the relationship between work–life balance and employee retention and between work–life balance and turnover intention.

This study's focus was limited to doctors working in public hospitals. Thus, future research can extend the scope to other segments such as nurses, paramedics and pharmacists from both public and private organisations.

Human resource (HR) executives can improve employee retention and turnover intentions through strategic implementation of work–life balance practices. Policymakers should stress upon hospitals to implement favourable working hours that are satisfactory to employees to reduce turnover intention.

In the healthcare industry, suitable work–life balance strategies will help improve employees' lifestyle, which will positively impact their family and social relationships.

This study is expected to contribute to the existing healthcare literature in the context of Pakistan by explaining the process by which work–life balance affects employee retention and turnover intention. Specifically, job satisfaction is the mechanism that explains these relationships.

The Quadrilateral Group for Security Dialogues (QUAD), comprising Japan, Australia, India, and the USA, has experienced a noteworthy escalation in both environmental depletion and economic performance over the preceding 2 decades. Consequently, it becomes crucial to outline strategies through which the QUAD can attain a harmonious equilibrium between sustainable economic growth and ecological well-being. This research endeavors to dissect the intricate relationships among trade globalization, regulatory quality, and environmental sustainability within the QUAD for the period 1990–2021. The study checks for the Pollution Haven Hypothesis (PHH), and Pollution Halo Effect Hypothesis (PHEH).

The long-run association is based on the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model and bounds test approach to cointegration while divergence or convergence is studied with the help of decoupling index (DI). Results have been verified by applying serial correlation LM test, autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (ARCH), and cumulative sum of recursive residuals (CUSUM) tests to ensure the robustness and stability of the model.

The empirical results of this study affirm the applicability of the PHEH in the contexts of India, Japan, and the USA, whereas the PHH is validated in the case of Australia. Furthermore, the analysis reveals the existence of relative decoupling solely in the case of India. This testifies that the rate of growth of the Indian economy surpasses the rate of growth in ecological footprint (EF), indicating a relative reduction in the intensity of environmental impact per unit of economic growth.

The empirical findings of our study suggest that countries with effective regulatory systems are better positioned to control and mitigate the potential adverse environmental effects resulting from increased global trade. Thus, policymakers are prompted to reassess the development policies for sustainable economic growth that will minimize adverse environmental repercussions. The implication of the negative relation between urbanization and EF is paramount for policymakers in developing countries seeking strategies for balanced urban development that aligns with environmental sustainability.

The present study is a unique exploration of the impact of trade globalization and regulatory quality on EF, specifically on PHH/PHEH in the context of QUAD.

The study has two objectives: (1) expand our knowledge of the relationship between unethical behaviour and both trust and satisfaction and (2) demonstrate that unethical behaviour research should be examined multi-dimensionally.

Data were collected by resorting to a mixed methods approach. First, individual interviews were performed with 31 bank consumers from six main commercial banks in Bukavu city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Interview notes were submitted for content analysis to identify items and components that underpin the unethical practices construct. Second, a quantitative survey was conducted with 410 consumers from the same six banks. An aggregated-disaggregated structural equations modelling approach was used to test the impact of unethical practices on relationship outcomes through two studies. Study 1 tested a model that links unethical behaviour as a one-dimensional construct to trust and satisfaction. Study 2 tested a model that directly connects the four specific unethical behaviour components to both trust and satisfaction.

Results from study 1 reveal that perceived unethical behaviour negatively influences consumer trust. Results also confirm that trust positively influences customer satisfaction. Results from study 2 confirm that unresponsive, disrespect and lying behaviours negatively influence both trust and satisfaction. Banks which are involving in those specific unethical behaviours can neither satisfy their consumers, nor maintain a sustainable and profitable relationship with them. Therefore, unethical behaviours harm the relationships outcomes in the banking sector.

The perceived unethical behaviour scale derives from a single data set and its reliability and validity need to be improved. Relationships between constructs are tested in a more direct way and ignore moderating variables. Perceived unethical behaviour is connected to relationship outcome variables while its impact on firms’ metrics have been ignored.

Banks have to understand customers’ perception of unethical behaviours and find a way to overcome them. Banks should recruit, motivate and retain employees who demonstrate an ethical inclination in the service encounter and create structures and mechanisms in order to monitor and manage unethical practices.

Banks employees' unethical behaviour and practices not only damage the trust and reputation of banks but also can lead to frustration on the part of customers and damage their relationship with the institution. Our paper is a warning of this danger and might improve the social interactions between organisations (in general) and customers.

Unethical behaviour is measured with a four-component scale in contrast to previous studies that have used bi-dimensional or one-dimensional scales. The study tests a disaggregated model that links four components of perceived unethical behaviour to relationship outcome variables. Perceived unethical behaviours are analysed from the customers’ perspective by resorting to mixed methods strategy.