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Recently, a number of research projects have been focused on an emerging additive manufacturing process, termed ultrasonic consolidation (UC). The purpose of this paper is to present an analytical energy model aimed at investigating the effects of process parameters on bond formation in UC.

In the model, two factors are defined, energy input to the workpiece within a single cycle of ultrasonic vibration (E₀) and total energy input to the workpiece (E_t), to evaluate to the magnitude of transmitted energy into the workpiece during UC.

It is found that linear weld density, E₀ and E_t are affected by process parameters in similar manners.

The current model is developed based on several simplifying assumptions, and energy dissipation and bond degradation during UC are not considered in the model.

The current model gives a useful understanding of the effects of process parameter on the bond formation in UC from an energy point of view.

This study examines how project uncertainties (environmental uncertainty and participant uncertainty) affect guanxi and contractual governance and assesses the mediating role of guanxi governance between project uncertainty and contractual governance.

Data were collected in two stages from Chinese contractors. First, in-depth interviews were conducted with nine construction engineering project practitioners in different contracts as a pilot for questionnaire designing. Second, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with professionals and practitioners of construction enterprises to collect primary data. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test seven hypotheses based on data collected from 198 respondents.

Project environmental uncertainty promotes the use of guanxi governance, while project participant uncertainty hinders it; the relationship between both types of uncertainty and contractual governance is the same as with guanxi governance. Furthermore, guanxi governance promotes contractual governance and partially mediates project environmental uncertainty and contractual governance and a complete mediating role between project participant uncertainty and contractual governance.

As the interviewed samples are mainly from China, the study should be replicated using large representative samples from East Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of guanxi governance. Further, while the internal consistency reliability and convergent validity of the questionnaire data in this study align with the standards, a larger sample size would improve the reliability and validity of the research results and better represent the overall work situation of contractors, owners and public policymakers.

The results provide insights into project governance research and have implications for construction practitioners in deploying governance-related resources.

This research explores how playful TikTok video content influences customers’ attitudes towards travel destinations and their intention to share. It examines the role of mental imagery in shaping these responses and investigates how perceived novelty moderates the relationship between playfulness and mental imagery.

We conducted a scenario-based online survey using an actual video from a real Chinese influencer, with 701 tourists participating. In the second study, we used an experimental research design and created a video specifically for the experiment, where we manipulated the playfulness of the content, involving 402 participants.

The results show that the playfulness of TikTok videos enhances mental imagery, which mediates the positive effect on customers’ attitudes and sharing intentions. Novelty further strengthens the impact of playfulness on mental imagery, highlighting the importance of both factors in destination marketing.

Data were collected in mainland China, where the travel short video content was shared by the blogger. Future research should validate these findings with travellers from different countries and destinations, expanding the understanding of consumer engagement on social media for destination marketing.

This research has significant implications for creating destination marketing strategies on TikTok. Marketing managers and influencers should prioritise crafting playful video content while considering the unique appeal and novelty of the travel destination. This approach is crucial for fostering active customer engagement online.

This research advances our understanding of how playfulness and novelty in TikTok videos influence mental imagery, impacting consumer attitudes and behaviour. It contributes to destination marketing by highlighting the mediating role of mental imagery and the moderating effect of novelty in shaping customer responses and sharing intentions.

In the process of undertaking overseas construction projects, relational governance has become indispensable for project stakeholders. This study examines how relational governance influences contractors' adaptability to foreign situations and whether such associations are positively moderated by international environmental complexity.

A crosssectional survey methodology was applied to collect primary data through questionnaires sent to domestic contractors in China and South Korea (hereafter Korea). Multiple regression analysis was used to test the effects of four dimensions of relational governance on contractor adaptability. Thereafter, the Chinese and Korean subsamples were tested separately through moderated regression analysis to explore differences in the influence of relational governance on adaptability.

The results showed that quality communication, favor exchange and establishing an emotional relationship significantly and positively affected a contractor’s adaptability. However, there were significant differences between the Chinese and Korean international contractors in terms of the moderating effects of international environment complexity.

East Asian engagement in international development is not limited to China and Korea alone, and the study should be replicated using large representative samples from more countries, such as Japan, to gain a fuller understanding of the influence of relational governance.

The results have great significance for the managers of international contractors in East Asian countries and contribute to the research on relational governance and contractor adaptability.

This study aims to design and validate a theoretical model for capacitive imaging (CI) sensors that incorporates the interelectrode shielding and surrounding shielding electrodes. Through experimental verification, the effectiveness of the theoretical model in evaluating CI sensors equipped with shielding electrodes has been demonstrated.

The study begins by incorporating the interelectrode shielding and surrounding shielding electrodes of CI sensors into the theoretical model. A method for deriving the semianalytical model is proposed, using the renormalization group method and physical model. Based on random geometric parameters of CI sensors, capacitance values are calculated using both simulation models and theoretical models. Three different types of CI sensors with varying geometric parameters are designed and manufactured for experimental testing.

The study’s results indicate that the errors of the semianalytical model for the CI sensor are predominantly below 5%, with all errors falling below 10%. This suggests that the semianalytical model, derived using the renormalization group method, effectively evaluates CI sensors equipped with shielding electrodes. The experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the theoretical model in accurately predicting the capacitance values of the CI sensors.

The theoretical model of CI sensors is described by incorporating the interelectrode shielding and surrounding shielding electrodes into the model. This comprehensive approach allows for a more accurate evaluation of the detecting capability of CI sensors, as well as optimization of their performance.

This study aims to investigate the impact of digital orientation (DO) on organizational resilience (OR) and explore the contingency effects of human resource slack and nature of enterprise ownership.

The model hypotheses were tested using fixed effects regression on panel data collected from Chinese A-share listed manufacturing firms spanning from 2007 to 2020.

DO has a positive effect on OR. Human resource slack positively moderates the relationship between DO and OR. Additionally, DO enhances OR more effectively in non-state-owned firms than in state-owned firms.

This study relies on data from a single industry from a single country.

The study supports that firms facing uncertainty, risk and pressure should promptly develop their DO strategy. Firms can derive greater resilience from implementing a DO strategy when they have a high-level human resource pool. State-owned enterprises will benefit from a DO strategy if they make some adaptive changes in leadership, structure, culture and mindset aspects.

This study is the first to examine the relationship between DO and OR, contributing to the existing literature on digital transformation and organizational resilience. It offers valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers seeking to adapt their organizations for the digital era and foster predictive, defensive and growth responses strategies in a dynamic business environment.

This study aims to investigate the new connotations, key antecedents, outcomes and contingency factors of value-based selling (VBS) in the context of business to business (B2B) industrial marketing.

This study develops a comprehensive conceptual framework of VBS by analyzing and synthesizing the existing literature on VBS and associated solutions.

The paper describes the research streams of VBS; proposes a comprehensive conceptual framework consisting of the factors influencing VBS at the organizational, individual, customer and environmental levels, together with 12 research propositions; and provides an agenda for future research.

The paper is conceptual; empirical studies are required for examining the suggested propositions and agenda.

VBS is a process-oriented sales approach that involves multiple value creation and plays a crucial role in industrial solution selling. The successful implementation of VBS depends on the micro-foundations of an organization’s dynamic capabilities and considers the influence of individual, customer and environmental factors.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to introduce value co-creation and dynamic capability theory into VBS research in the context of industrial marketing. It discusses the antecedents, outcomes and contingency factors of VBS in detail in the form of a comprehensive research framework and proposes a future research agenda. These discussions expand the theoretical research on VBS and provide useful implications for B2B marketing practice.

Adopting an affective events perspective, our study investigates the relationship between perceived organizational politics (POP) and employee voice by exploring the mediating role of affect and the moderating role of supervisor political support.

The hypothesized model was tested with three-wave data collected from 393 full-time employees.

Results indicate that POP indirectly impacts employee voice through influencing positive and negative affect, and that supervisor political support moderates these indirect effects by moderating the relationship between POP and affective states.

Survey data can hardly test the causal relationship. Effect of employees' POP could be further examined in the lens subjective positive experiences. Organizational politics might have positive meanings.

Our findings show that POP brings employees negative feelings and reduces their voice behaviors while supervisor political support can mitigate this inhibiting effect. Therefore, managers should learn how to use political behavior more reasonably in highly political work environment.

By highlighting the possibility that employees can be beneficiaries having a vested interest in political environment and investigating the unexplored affective explanatory mechanisms underlying the POP–voice relationship, this study provides new directions for future research on POP and employee voice.

Consumers worldwide are increasingly ordering groceries from grocery delivery platforms (GDPs). This study aimed to explore the role of brick-and-mortar (B&M) retailers and GDPs in online grocery shopping (OGS) experience, attitude and continuous purchase intention under the platform model of online grocery retailing.

This study used a mixed method approach. A qualitative analysis was conducted based on 30 in-depth interviews and relevant literature to identify key attributes of the OGS experience. Then, data from 352 online grocery shoppers was used to examine the associations between service attributes, attitude and continuous purchase intention using a structural equation model.

The authors identified six key attributes of the OGS experience related to B&M retailers and GDPs. The quantitative study results showed that customer service, price value and instant delivery significantly impact attitude towards GDPs, while product quality, product assortment, customer service, price value and attitude toward GDPs positively impact online attitude toward B&M retailers. Online attitude toward B&M retailers significantly influences continuous purchase intention.

B&M retailers and GDPs should strengthen cooperation and joint oversight.

This study identified key attributes of the OGS experience associated with B&M retailers and GDPs under the platform model, giving a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the OGS experience and behavioural intention when B&M retailers collaborate with GDPs.

Ultrasonic consolidation (UC) is a novel additive manufacturing process developed for fabrication of metallic parts from foils. While the process has been well demonstrated for part fabrication in Al alloy 3003, some of the potential strengths of the process have not been fully explored. One of them is its suitability for fabrication of parts in multi‐materials. This work aims to examine this aspect.

Multi‐material UC experiments were conducted using Al alloy 3003 foils as the bulk part material together with a number of engineering materials (foils of Al‐Cu alloy 2024, Ni‐base alloy Inconel 600^® AISI 347 stainless steel, and others). Deposit microstructures were studied to evaluate bonding between various materials.

It was found that most of the materials investigated can be successfully bonded to alloy Al 3003 and vice versa. SiC fibers and stainless wire meshes were successfully embedded in an Al 3003 matrix. The results suggest that the UC process is quite suitable for fabrication of multi‐material structures, including fiber‐reinforced metal matrix composites.

This work systematically examines the multi‐material capability of the UC process. The findings of this work lay a strong foundation for a wider and more efficient commercial utilization of the process.