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During the forming process, aluminum alloy sheets develop various types of textures and are subjected to cyclic loading as structural components, resulting in fatigue damage. This study aims to develop polycrystalline models with different orientation distributions and incorporate suitable fatigue indicator parameters to investigate the effect of orientation distribution on the mechanical properties of Al-7.02Mg-1.78Zn alloys under cyclic loading.

In this study, a two-dimensional polycrystalline model with 150 equiaxed grains was constructed based on optical microscope images. Subsequently, six different orientation distributions were assigned to this model. The fatigue indicator parameter of strain energy dissipation is utilized to analyze the stress response and fatigue crack driving force in polycrystalline models with different orientation distributions subjected to cyclic loading.

The study found that orientation distribution significantly influences fatigue crack initiation. Orientation distributions with a larger average Schmid factor exhibit reduced stress response and lower fatigue indicator parameters. Locations with a larger average Schmid factor experience greater plastic deformation and present a higher risk for fatigue crack initiation. RVE with a single orientation undergoes more rotation to reach cyclic steady state under cyclic loading due to the ease of deformation transfer.

Currently, there are no reports in the literature on the calculation of fatigue crack initiation for Al-Mg-Zn alloys using the crystal plasticity finite element method. This study presents a novel strategy for simulating the response of Al-7.02Mg-1.78Zn materials with different orientation distributions under symmetric strain cyclic loading, providing valuable references for future research.

This study investigates whether Chinese local governments’ environmental attention can mitigate corporate “greenwashing”, focusing on the extent of environmental content in annual government work reports as indicative of government environmental attention. This study aims to determine whether enterprises respond to changes in local governmental attention by improving the quality of their environmental information disclosures.

Data from China’s A-share listed companies spanning 2013–2021 were sourced from the CSMAR database and company annual reports. Environmental attention data were manually gathered from local government work reports published on official local government websites by using text analysis methods. These datasets were analyzed empirically to assess the impact of local governments’ environmental attention on corporate greenwashing behavior.

Results show that increased governmental environmental attention significantly reduces corporate greenwashing behavior by alleviating corporate financing constraints, enhancing independent engagement in environmental initiatives and bolstering stakeholder oversight. Moreover, heterogeneity analysis indicates that the influence of government environmental concerns is pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises, firms with subpar audit quality and those exhibiting myopic management tendencies.

This study enriches the existing literature on the government–business nexus. It also introduces methodological innovations by employing a lexical analysis of environmental themes in local government work reports instead of using typical event study approaches. Furthermore, it uses a mediating effect model to identify the mechanisms through which government environmental attention influences corporate greenwashing, namely, government subsidies, corporate environmental initiatives and external stakeholder oversight.

Scanning projection-based stereolithography (SPSL) is a powerful technology for additive manufacturing with high resolution as well as large building area. However, the surface quality of stitching boundary in an SPSL system has been rarely studied, and no positive settlement was proposed to address the poor stitching quality. This paper aims to propose an approach of multi-pass scanning and a compensation algorithm for multi-pass scanning process to address the issue of poor stitching quality in SPSL systems.

The process of multi-pass scanning is realized by scanning regions repeatedly, and the regions can be cured simultaneously because of the very short repeat exposure time and very fast scanning. Then, the poor stitching quality caused by the non-simultaneous curing can be eliminated. Also, a compensation algorithm is designed for multi-pass scanning to reduce the stitching errors. The validity of multi-pass scanning is verified by curing depth test, while the performance of multi-pass scanning as well as proposed compensation algorithm is demonstrated by comparing with that of a previous SPSL system.

The results lead to a conclusion that multi-pass scanning with its compensation algorithm is an effective approach to improve the stitching quality of an SPSL system.

This study can provide advice for researchers to achieve the satisfactory surface finish with SPSL technology.

The authors proposed a process of multi-pass scanning as well as a compensation algorithm for SPSL additive manufacturing (system to improve the stitching quality, which has rarely been studied in previous work.

In this chapter, we consider the model of call center incoming call forecasting and staffing-level optimization. We first present the structure of the model and how an agent-based modeling technique could enrich the decision rule and the model. A matrix layout is introduced to present the model so that it can be understood in an efficient way from the perspective of a programmer. The agent-based queuing model will be used in forecasting. We then utilize the bisection method and stepwise method to optimize the staff level to satisfy a target range service-level criteria. Call center management could use the model in practice for their management forecasting and optimization decision-making process in terms of how many agents they need to achieve the target business efficiency goal.

The purpose of this paper is to emphasise the importance of the study of ethics in an international context in business courses.

The paper begins with proposed learning outcomes. It examines, using contemporary examples, the increased importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the implications of national and international legislation concerning ethical issues and the need for sound overall corporate governance. It concludes with analysis of recent progress towards sustaining ethical standards. The various key ethical dilemmas which occur in business are examined using recent examples, both from the UK and internationally.

The paper presents an optimistic analysis of recent progress made in the development of ethical standards in business, including suggestions for future good practice, both internationally and at company level.

The paper emphasises the importance of sound governance, which is fundamental to the success in fostering ethical practices in international business.

Despite an intensified anti-corruption campaign, China's economic growth and social transition continue to breed loopholes and opportunities for big corruption, leading to a money-oriented mentality and the collapse of ethical standards, and exposing the communist regime to greater risk of losing moral credibility and political trust. In Hong Kong, the setting up of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in 1974 marked the advent of a new comprehensive strategy to eradicate corruption and to rebuild trust in government. The ICAC was not just an anti-corruption enforcement agency per se, but an institution spearheading and representing integrity and governance transformation. This chapter considers how mainland China can learn from Hong Kong's experience and use the fight against corruption as a major political strategy to win the hearts and minds of the population and reform governance in the absence of more fundamental constitutional reforms, in a situation similar to Hong Kong's colonial administration of the 1970s–1980s deploying administrative means to minimize a political crisis.

With the analysis of the causes of corruption, this study aims to investigate specific anti-corruption measures that can be implemented to reform the political system and the social climate of China.

This study examines 97 severe corruption cases of high-ranking officials in China, which occurred between 2012 and 2015. As this insinuates that both institutional and social corruption are major problems in China, the analysis delves into multiple facts of corruption, including different types, four primary underlying causes, and suggestions regarding the implementation of three significant governmental shifts that focus on investigation, prevention tactics and legal regulations.

China’s corruption is not only individual-based but also it has developed into institutional corruption and social corruption. Besides human nature and instinct, the causes of corruption can be organised into four categories, namely, social customs, social transitions, institutional designs and institutional operations. For the removed high-ranking officials, the formation of interest chains was an important underlying cause behind their corruption.

This study makes a significant contribution to the literature because this study provides a well-rounded approach to a complex issue by highlighting the significance of democracy and the rule of law as ways to regulate human behaviour to combat future corruption.

The purpose of this paper is to address the topic of food fraud which has been so widely and variously reported over recent months and years. Its purposes are to set current experience into an historical context and to illustrate the tension between the science of deception and the science of detection.

This is a desk study of published literature and historical documentation, together with interviews with those professionally concerned with detection and enforcement.

The piece concludes that with all the scientific developments and analytical techniques that seem so mind‐bendingly sophisticated, there remains the basic problem of a lack of resources.

It is asserted that more is owed to the memories and the reputations of those who pioneered the effort to combat food fraud. Without a considerable increase in the resources made available for the appliance of the science currently available and that being developed, the battle will never be fully engaged, yet alone won.

This review is unique in that it seeks to take a long view of current concern, and even scandal, showing that the situation is not new and lessons should have been learned from past experience.

This paper sets out to discuss white‐collar crime and fraud in China and to draw implications for Western businesses wishing to enter the Chinese market.

The paper provides examples of recent frauds committed in China and also provides a brief review of the literature. It traces the development of China's economy, describing China's modern‐day economy, and also looks at cultural issues and differences between Western and Chinese attitudes.

Western businesses planning to enter the Chinese market need to do their due diligence before committing resources. What works in Western society may not work in another culture, like China's. However, gaining an understanding of the culture and general way of life will go a long way towards laying the groundwork for success.

Additional focus should be placed on examining how cultural differences affect judgments and behaviors.

From a practical standpoint, the paper provides insights into possible areas of disagreement between employees from different cultures that can result from their divergent opinions about individuals' responsibility for fraudulent acts.

This study aims to investigate motivators, mediator and moderator of users' sustained information seeking on academic social networking sites (ASNSs).

Drawing upon the expectancy–value theory and related information-seeking literature, the study developed a theoretical model to explain why and how users intend to continue seeking information on ASNSs. Thereafter, a field survey with 385 participants was conducted to test the model. Finally, a content analysis of participants' post-survey feedback was performed to complement the model test results by showing more fine-grained findings.

Results suggest that information usefulness and information adoption (IA) are significant to users' sustained information seeking on ASNSs, while users' satisfaction with ASNSs may play a mediating role in the relationship between information usefulness and sustained information seeking. Additionally, self-efficacy for critical thinking (SCT) weakens the impact of IA on users' satisfaction with ASNSs. The post-survey feedback analysis indicates that information usefulness is more critical to sustained information seeking for users with high SCT, whereas IA becomes more crucial to users' satisfaction with ASNSs and sustained information seeking for users with low SCT.

Although the extant literature has distinguished between information seeking and sustained information seeking, empirical research into users' sustained information seeking on ASNSs is limited. The study fills this gap by proposing and validating relevant factors and the boundary condition of users' sustained information seeking.