Lijun Shang, Qingan Qiu, Cang Wu and Yongjun Du
The study aims to design the limited number of random working cycle as a warranty term and propose two types of warranties, which can help manufacturers to ensure the product…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to design the limited number of random working cycle as a warranty term and propose two types of warranties, which can help manufacturers to ensure the product reliability during the warranty period. By extending the proposed warranty to the consumer's post-warranty maintenance model, besides the authors investigate two kinds of random maintenance policies to sustain the post-warranty reliability, i.e. random replacement first and random replacement last. By integrating depreciation expense depending on working time, the cost rate is constructed for each random maintenance policy and some special cases are provided by discussing parameters in cost rates. Finally, sensitivities on both the proposed warranty and random maintenance policies are analyzed in numerical experiments.
Design/methodology/approach
The working cycle of products can be monitored by advanced sensors and measuring technologies. By monitoring the working cycle, manufacturers can design warranty policies to ensure product reliability performance and consumers can model the post-warranty maintenance to sustain the post-warranty reliability. In this article, the authors design a limited number of random working cycles as a warranty term and propose two types of warranties, which can help manufacturers to ensure the product reliability performance during the warranty period. By extending a proposed warranty to the consumer's post-warranty maintenance model, the authors investigate two kinds of random replacement policies to sustain the post-warranty reliability, i.e. random replacement first and random replacement last. By integrating a depreciation expense depending on working time, the cost rate is constructed for each random replacement and some special cases are provided by discussing parameters in the cost rate. Finally, sensitivities to both the proposed warranties and random replacements are analyzed in numerical experiments.
Findings
It is shown that the manufacturer can control the warranty cost by limiting number of random working cycle. For the consumer, when the number of random working cycle is designed as a greater warranty limit, the cost rate can be reduced while the post-warranty period can't be lengthened.
Originality/value
The contribution of this article can be highlighted in two key aspects: (1) the authors investigate early warranties to ensure reliability performance of the product which executes successively projects at random working cycles; (2) by integrating random working cycles into the post-warranty period, the authors is the first to investigate random maintenance policy to sustain the post-warranty reliability from the consumer's perspective, which seldom appears in the existing literature.
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Hanbing Xue, Qianzhou Du, Jin Liu and Yongjun Li
This study aims to investigate the moderating effects of individual social engagement on the effectiveness of freemium strategies in digital content platforms.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the moderating effects of individual social engagement on the effectiveness of freemium strategies in digital content platforms.
Design/methodology/approach
This study involved conducting a randomized field experiment with 74,758 consumers on a prominent e-book platform in China, comparing the effects of offering the first 50 chapters for free against no free content. Additionally, a causal random forest machine learning algorithm was applied to analyze data and optimize strategies based on individual social engagement levels.
Findings
This study indicates freemium strategies on digital content platforms can increase consumer willingness to pay but may reduce social community participation. These effects are moderated by consumers' prior social engagement, with excessive interaction leading to diminishing returns.
Practical implications
The study offers actionable insights for digital content managers, showing how tailored freemium strategies can effectively balance consumer engagement and revenue generation. The findings suggest that platforms can significantly enhance profitability by moderating free content offerings based on detailed analysis of consumer engagement histories.
Originality/value
This study enhances the understanding of freemium strategies by showcasing their dual impact on consumer willingness to pay and social engagement, and detailing the complex, non-linear effects of individual social engagement, which challenges the traditional linear assumptions in existing literature. Additionally, it provides insights for implementing mixed marketing strategies on digital platforms, where multiple strategies often interact, guiding the effective management of these complexities.
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Jia Wang, Haiyang Sun, Ding Chen, Yongjun Huang, Tao Dong, Hai Li, Lingnan Shen and Ziyu Yang
The paper aims to accurately measure the key motion parameters, such as velocity, azimuth and pitch angle, of the small flying object with a non-uniform curve trajectory. It…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to accurately measure the key motion parameters, such as velocity, azimuth and pitch angle, of the small flying object with a non-uniform curve trajectory. It proposes a measurement method and its calculation model of non-uniform curve trajectory using a photoelectric sensor array.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the basic composition of the measurement system and mechanism of photoelectric sensor array are described, respectively. Second, a non-uniform curve mathematical measurement model is constructed differently from the traditional linear trajectory, taking into account the influence of gravity and air resistance. Third, the measurement error of the system is analyzed through numerical simulation. Finally, the accuracy and feasibility of the approach are verified by live-ammunition experiments.
Findings
The results show that the systematic error of the hitting point coordinates can be reduced by 9% compared to the traditional linear measurement model. Consequently, this method can meet the higher measurement requirement for the key motion parameters of the small flying object under the non-uniform curve trajectory. Research limitations/implications (if applicable)- although the approach itself is generalizable, the method is unable to detect the motion parameters of multiple small flying objects.
Research limitations/implications
Although the approach itself is generalizable, the method is unable to detect the motion parameters of the multiple small flying objects.
Practical implications
It is evident that the proposed non-uniform curve measurement model is more precise in quantifying the essential characteristics of the small flying object, particularly in consideration of the environmental conditions.
Social implications
The precise measurement of the key motion parameters of the small flying object can facilitate the enhancement of the protective performance of protective materials.
Originality/value
A novel approach to measurement is proposed, which differs from the conventional uniform trajectory model. To this end, the space construction of the photoelectric sensor array is optimized. The number of the sensors is revised.
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Matamela Makongoza, Peace Kiguwa and Simangele Mayisela
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a social issue that continues to haunt humans globally. Despite the magnitude of research that has been conducted, the Sustainable Developmental…
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a social issue that continues to haunt humans globally. Despite the magnitude of research that has been conducted, the Sustainable Developmental Goals target 5.2, and the South African proposed National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, South Africa experiences high incidences of IPV. In heterosexual couples, violence incidences are a concern that requires further research by scholars because cohabiting relationships are an increasing phenomenon within the African context. This study attempts to theorize from an African philosophical stance, focusing particularly on the African psychological perspective. In this chapter, The authors illuminate the nature and forms of violence that manifest in cohabiting relationships. This research explores participants’ experiences of IPV in cohabiting relationships.
This enquiry has been conceptualized using a qualitative constructivism paradigm with in-depth, unstructured one-on-one interviews. Interviews were conducted with 10 participants between the ages of 18 and 24 years recruited from the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme in Vhembe District in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Thematic analysis was used to generate themes while narrative analysis was used for the participants’ stories. Participants shared their self-reflections on their IPV experiences, deciding to leave their relationships, and threats from their partners when they tried to leave the relationships.
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Grace Li and Margaret J. Penning
This chapter focuses on the heterogeneous pathways (including marital and cohabiting union and parenting histories) through which people navigate their family life courses from…
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the heterogeneous pathways (including marital and cohabiting union and parenting histories) through which people navigate their family life courses from adolescence through mid-life, and their implications for union dissolution in middle and later life. The analyses draw on data (retrospective, cross-sectional) from the 2011 and 2017 Canadian General Social Surveys. The study sample includes individuals aged 50 and over (n = 14,547) who were in a union at age 50. Sequence analyses are used to identify the most common family life course trajectories among these individuals from adolescence through midlife (ages 15–50). Logistic regression analyses then address the implications of these trajectories for union dissolution in middle and later life (ages 50+). The results reveal four main family trajectories that characterize the earlier years of the adult life course: married with children, cohabiting with children, single or cohabiting without children, and married without children. These family trajectories, together with their level of complexity, play an important role in relation to both marital and cohabiting union dissolution outcomes in later life.
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Peng Yin, Yongjun Hou and Xianjin Wu
The purpose of this paper is to obtain the combination of working parameters suitable for pulsating negative pressure shale shaker through simulation, which is conducive to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to obtain the combination of working parameters suitable for pulsating negative pressure shale shaker through simulation, which is conducive to efficient recovery of clean drilling fluid and relatively dry cuttings.
Design/methodology/approach
Shale shaker is still one of the main equipment in solid–solid and solid–liquid separation processes in drilling industry. This research is based on a new drilling fluids circulation treatment device, namely pulsating negative pressure shale shaker. In this work, a numerical study of particle flow and separation in the pulsating negative pressure shale shaker is carried out by coupling computational fluid dynamics/discrete element method (CFD-DEM). The effect of vibration parameters and negative pressure parameters are studied in terms of conveyance velocity and percent through screen.
Findings
The results show that, conveyance velocity of particle is mainly affected by vibration parameters, negative pressure in pulsating form can effectively prevent cuttings from sticking to the screen. Vibration parameters and pulsating airflow velocity peak have great influence on percent through screen, while vibration frequency and screen slope have influence on the time when the percent through screen reaches stability.
Originality/value
In this paper, the authors put forward a new kind of drilling waste fluid treatment equipment, and focused on the study of particle movement law. The results have important guiding significance for the selection of structural design parameters and rational use of equipment. In addition, the new device provides a new idea for solid–liquid separation method, which is one of the hot topics in current research.
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Hamza Saleem, Yongjun Li, Zulqurnain Ali, Muhammad Ayyoub, Yu Wang and Aqsa Mehreen
This paper aims to investigate the use of big data (BDU) in predicting technological innovation, supply chain and SMEs' performance and whether technological innovation mediates…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the use of big data (BDU) in predicting technological innovation, supply chain and SMEs' performance and whether technological innovation mediates the association between BDU and firm performance. Additionally, this research also seeks to explore the moderating effect of information sharing in the association between BDU and technological innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
Using survey methods and structural associations in AMOS 24.0., the proposed model was tested on SME managers recruited from the largest economic and manufacturing hub of China, Pearl River Delta.
Findings
The findings suggest that BDU is positively related to technological innovation (product and process) and organizational outcomes (e.g., supply chain and SMEs performance). Technological innovation (i.e., product and process) significantly mediates the association between BDU and organizational outcomes. Moreover, information sharing positively moderates the association between BDU and technological innovations.
Practical implications
This research provides deeper insights into how BDU is useful for SME managers in achieving the firm’s goals. Particularly, SME managers can bring technological innovation into their business processes, overcome the challenges of forecasting, and generate dynamic capabilities for attaining the best SMEs’ performance. Additionally, BDU with information sharing enables SMEs reduce their risk and decrease production costs in their manufacturing process.
Originality/value
Firms always need to adopt new ways to enhance their productivity using available resources. This is the first study that contributes to big data and performance management literature by exploring the moderating and mediation mechanism of information sharing and technological innovation respectively using RBVT. The study and research model enhances our insights on BDU, information sharing, and technological innovation as valuable resources for organizations to improve supply chain performance, which subsequently increases SME productivity. This gap was overlooked by previous researchers in the domain of big data.
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Yongjun Jin, Haihang Cui, Li Chen, Kai Sun, Haiguo Yin and Zhe Liu
This study aims to perform flow simulations inside the acinus with fine alveolar pores (Kohn pores) using hexagonal cells and bottom-up geometric modeling, which enabled the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to perform flow simulations inside the acinus with fine alveolar pores (Kohn pores) using hexagonal cells and bottom-up geometric modeling, which enabled the elimination of invalid voids using previous top-bottom methods and spherical or circular cells.
Design/methodology/approach
Regular hexagonal cells were used to construct alveoli with no gaps via tessellation. Some hexagonal cells were fused to eliminate the inner boundaries to represent the structure of the bronchial tree. For the remaining hexagonal cells, the side lengths of the shared walls were adjusted to construct alveolar pores. Periodic moving boundaries with the same phase were set for all walls to describe synchronous contraction and expansion of the bronchi and alveoli.
Findings
More realistic flow characteristics in the distal lung were obtained. The effects of pore size and the mechanism of auxiliary ventilation of alveolar pores were revealed.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first numerical simulation study on the function of multiple alveolar pores at the level of pulmonary acini, which will be helpful for simulating the dynamic process of cough and sputum excretion in the future.
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Abderahman Rejeb, John G. Keogh, Steven J. Simske, Thomas Stafford and Horst Treiblmaier
The purpose of this study is to investigate the potentials of blockchain technologies (BC) for supply chain collaboration (SCC).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the potentials of blockchain technologies (BC) for supply chain collaboration (SCC).
Design/methodology/approach
Building on a narrative literature review and analysis of seminal SCC research, BC characteristics are integrated into a conceptual framework consisting of seven key dimensions: information sharing, resource sharing, decision synchronization, goal congruence, incentive alignment, collaborative communication and joint knowledge creation. The relevance of each category is briefly assessed.
Findings
BC technologies can impact collaboration between transaction partners in modern supply chains (SCs) by streamlining information sharing processes, by supporting decision and reward models and by strengthening communicative relationships with SC partners. BC promises important future capabilities in SCs by facilitating auditability, improving accountability, enhancing data and information transparency and improving trust in B2B relationships. The technology also promises to strengthen collaboration and to overcome vulnerabilities related to moral hazard and shortcomings found in legacy technologies.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is mainly focused on the potentials of BC technologies on SCC as envisioned in the current academic literature. Hence, there is a need to validate the theoretical inferences with other approaches such as expert interviews and empirical tests. This study is of use to practitioners and decision-makers seeking to engage in BC-collaborative SC models.
Originality/value
The value of this paper lies in its call for an increased focus on the possibilities of BC technologies to support SCC. This study also contributes to the literature by filling the knowledge gap of how BC potentially impacts SC management.
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Mohamed Taoufik Khabou, Taissir Hentati, Mohamed Slim Abbes, Fakher Chaari and Mohamed Haddar
The aim of this paper is to present a theoretical model to simulate the dynamic behavior of a spur gear, taking into account its ball bearings defects.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to present a theoretical model to simulate the dynamic behavior of a spur gear, taking into account its ball bearings defects.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed model is based on the implicit Newmark‐β with Newton‐Raphson numerical integration technique in order to analyze the impact of the worn bearings on the non linear dynamic behavior of one stage spur gear transmission system.
Findings
The dynamic behavior of spur gear is studied taking into account ball bearings defects thanks to the proposed model.
Originality/value
A new numerical model is proposed to simulate the dynamic behavior of rotating spur gear system taking into account both waviness and backlash defects.