Jiaming Ma, Zhi Li, Zi-Long Zhao and Yi Min Xie
Furniture plays a significant role in daily life. Advanced computational and manufacturing technologies provide new opportunities to create novel, high-performance and customized…
Abstract
Purpose
Furniture plays a significant role in daily life. Advanced computational and manufacturing technologies provide new opportunities to create novel, high-performance and customized furniture. This paper aims to enhance furniture design and production by developing a new workflow in which computer graphics, topology optimization and advanced manufacturing are integrated to achieve innovative outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Workflow development is conducted by exploring state-of-the-art computational and manufacturing technologies to improve furniture design and production. Structural design and fabrication using the workflow are implemented.
Findings
An efficient transdisciplinary workflow is developed, in which computer graphics, topology optimization and advanced manufacturing are combined. The workflow consists of the initial design, the optimization of the initial design, the postprocessing of the optimized results and the manufacturing and surface treatment of the physical prototypes. Novel chairs and tables, including flat pack designs, are produced using this workflow. The design and fabrication processes are simple, efficient and low-cost. Both additive manufacturing and subtractive manufacturing are used.
Practical implications
The research outcomes are directly applicable to the creation of novel furniture, as well as many other structures and devices.
Originality/value
A new workflow is developed by taking advantage of the latest topology optimization methods and advanced manufacturing techniques for furniture design and fabrication. Several pieces of innovative furniture are designed and fabricated as examples of the presented workflow.
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Mengsha Bai, Junning Li, Long Zhao and Yuan Wang
The purpose of this study is to reveal the significant contribution of MXene on enhancing tribological properties and to obtain the influence mechanism of various factors on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to reveal the significant contribution of MXene on enhancing tribological properties and to obtain the influence mechanism of various factors on friction characteristics of rolling bearing under extreme conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
Under extreme working conditions, the friction characteristics of rolling bearings directly determine the safety and reliability of the transmission system. In this study, MXene is added to the origin lubricating grease (OLG) of rolling bearing to enhance their friction characteristics. Then, the effects of inner ring speed, radial load, grease filling volume and other factors on the friction coefficient of rolling bearing are analyzed using the Taguchi method.
Findings
The results indicate that the ranking of various factors affecting the friction coefficient is: radial load, inner ring speed, MXene additive content in grease and grease filling volume. Especially, the radial load and inner ring speed exhibit extremely significant effects, while the MXene additive content in grease (P < 0.05) has a significant influence on the friction coefficient of rolling bearing. The optimal condition for rolling bearing lubricated with MXene additives lubricating grease (MALG) achieves the lowest friction coefficient of 0.0049 under 1,000 rpm, 9 kN and 35% grease filling volume.
Originality/value
This study could offer reference solution for utilizing MXene nano-lubrication to fufill the demands of precision, heavy-load, or long-lifespan bearings. Furthermore, the lubrication approach has the potential to be expanded into aerospace, defense, and various industrial fields, thereby significantly promoting its practial engineering applications.
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Allan KK Chan, Caleb Huanyong Chen and Long Zhao
area E-Business; Corporate Strategy; Strategic Management; Operation Management.
Abstract
Subject
area E-Business; Corporate Strategy; Strategic Management; Operation Management.
Study
level/applicability Senior undergraduate; MBA; EMBA.
Case
overview After development for 10 years, JD was now China’s second largest business-to-customer (B2C) e-retailer and the largest in self-operated sector. It was September 2015 when Liu Qiangdong was deciding whether to persist with JD’s self-operated model and the heavy investment in the self-built logistics system. JD’s business model had been functioning well. However, as JD grew bigger and bigger, it became too expensive to expand its logistics system. JD had not made a profit since it raised funds from investors. Liu had to come up with a good proposal before the next monthly meeting to convince them that JD would finally overtake its biggest rival, Alibaba which ran on a different business model. In addition, JD was exploiting the rural and the global markets, as well as a new business in internet finance. Facing challenges and dilemmas, should JD persist with its model? How could Liu align short-term profitability with long-run development? How could JD overcome attacks from Alibaba and other competitors?
Expected
learning outcomes This case is appropriate for courses in e-business and strategy, particularly those with a strong focus on doing e-business in emerging markets (e.g. China). After studying the case, students should be able to: understand the e-commerce market in China; understand business models and key strategies of e-retailers; identify and analyse the pros and cons of the self-operated business model and self-built logistics system in e-commerce; learn how to evaluate performance, strategies and business models of e-commerce companies; and extract key trends in the market and compare different strategies.
Supplementary
materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Subject code:
CSS 11: Strategy.
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Long Zhao, Zuanshi Liu, William Wei and Bernadette Andreosso-O’Callaghan
The purpose of this paper is to argue that financial development, measured by private credit in the economy, affects exports in an inverted U-shaped manner. The authors use the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to argue that financial development, measured by private credit in the economy, affects exports in an inverted U-shaped manner. The authors use the new trade theory model and empirical data to analyze whether the financial system is the reason of global imbalance.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper builds a simple production model to connect financial development with a country’s export or outward foreign direct investment (ODI) decision. Using a panel data covering 108 countries for the period 1990-2011, the authors find strong evidence to show that when a country is at a lower financial development level, further advancements of its financial system will boost exports.
Findings
First, an inverted U-shaped relationship between exports, imports and financial development is found in the study of 108 countries over the period 1990-2011; second, ODI provides a substitute effect to exports for financially advanced countries. These findings have provided an alternative explanation to international trade imbalances and contribute constructively to the discussion regarding whether exports and financial development are positively related or not.
Originality/value
As a result, the findings shed some light on the issue of global current account imbalances between developing and developed countries from a new perspective.
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Long Zhao, Xiaoye Liu, Linxiang Li, Run Guo and Yang Chen
This study aims to realize efficient, fast and safe robot search task, the belief criteria decision-making approach is proposed to solve the object search task with an uncertain…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to realize efficient, fast and safe robot search task, the belief criteria decision-making approach is proposed to solve the object search task with an uncertain location.
Design/methodology/approach
The study formulates the robot search task as a partially observable Markov decision process, uses the semantic information to evaluate the belief state and designs the belief criteria decision-making approach. A cost function considering a trade-off among belief state, path length and movement effort is modelled to select the next best location in path planning.
Findings
The semantic information is successfully modelled and propagated, which can represent the belief of finding object. The belief criteria decision-making (BCDM) approach is evaluated in both Gazebo simulation platform and physical experiments. Compared to greedy, uniform and random methods, the performance index of path length and execution time is superior by BCDM approach.
Originality/value
The prior knowledge of robot working environment, especially semantic information, can be used for path planning to achieve efficient task execution in path length and execution time. The modelling and updating of environment information can lead a promising research topic to realize a more intelligent decision-making method for object search task.
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Yueyong Wang, Yimin Zhang and Risheng Long
This study aims to investigate the effect of compound pit textures on the tribological properties of thrust cylindrical roller bearings (TCRBs) using several parameters, such as…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effect of compound pit textures on the tribological properties of thrust cylindrical roller bearings (TCRBs) using several parameters, such as compound type, pit diameter, pit depth and pit area density.
Design/methodology/approach
The surface texture parameters of the shaft washer (WS) raceway include pit diameter (D; 100, 300 and 500 µm), pit depth (H; 10 and 20 µm) and pit area density (S; 10%, 13% and 18%). Pits were produced on the WS of the TCRBs using laser marking equipment. The friction and wear performances of compound pit-textured TCRBs under starved lubrication conditions are studied using a friction and wear test rig. The influence mechanisms of the compound pit texture on the friction and wear properties of TCRBs are discussed through real tests and discussions.
Findings
Compared with nontextured bearings, the average coefficient of friction (ACOFs) and wear loss of TCRBs with single/compound pit textures are reduced when rotating under starved lubrication. D has the greatest effect on the COFs curve. When D = 300 µm, H = 10 µm and S = 10%, the ACOF and wear loss are the lowest, that is, 0.0207 and 3.38 mg, respectively. Under the same lubrication conditions, compared with the nontextured bearing group, the COF and wear loss are reduced by 41.4 and 59.6%, respectively.
Originality/value
This study provides a useful reference for the raceways of textured TCRBs.
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Ryan Rudy and Wiah Wardiningsih
This study aimed to determine the peak impact force and force attenuation capacity of weft-knitted spacer fabrics intended for padding that can be used for human body protection…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to determine the peak impact force and force attenuation capacity of weft-knitted spacer fabrics intended for padding that can be used for human body protection against impact.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of five weft-knitted spacer fabrics were fabricated with four different diameters of nylon monofilament yarns and one doubled monofilament yarns, respectively. The impact performances of the weft-knitted spacer fabrics were tested using a drop test method with a customized test rig to simulate falling. Impact tests were conducted on single- and multilayered experimental spacer fabrics to investigate the peak impact force and force attenuation capacity.
Findings
It was found that weft-knitted spacer fabric with a coarser or larger diameter of monofilament spacer yarn generated lower impact force and higher force attenuation capacity, thus resulting in better impact performance. Greater force attenuation can be achieved by utilizing a higher number of spacer fabric layers. However, the increase in thickness must be considered with the spacer fabric end use.
Originality/value
This study employed relatively coarse nylon monofilament yarn as spacer yarns to gain knowledge on the impact performance of weft-knitted spacer fabrics compared to warp-knitted spacer fabrics which are more common. The results showed that the diameter of spacer yarn significantly influenced the impact performance of the experimental weft-knitted spacer fabrics. These results could be useful for designing and engineering textile-based impact protectors.
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Dangzhi Zhao and Andreas Strotmann
This study continues a long history of author co-citation analysis of the intellectual structure of information science into the time period of 2011–2020. It also examines changes…
Abstract
Purpose
This study continues a long history of author co-citation analysis of the intellectual structure of information science into the time period of 2011–2020. It also examines changes in this structure from 2006–2010 through 2011–2015 to 2016–2020. Results will contribute to a better understanding of the information science research field.
Design/methodology/approach
The well-established procedures and techniques for author co-citation analysis were followed. Full records of research articles in core information science journals published during 2011–2020 were retrieved and downloaded from the Web of Science database. About 150 most highly cited authors in each of the two five-year time periods were selected from this dataset to represent this field, and their co-citation counts were calculated. Each co-citation matrix was input into SPSS for factor analysis, and results were visualized in Pajek. Factors were interpreted as specialties and labeled upon an examination of articles written by authors who load primarily on each factor.
Findings
The two-camp structure of information science continued to be present clearly. Bibliometric indicators for research evaluation dominated the Knowledge Domain Analysis camp during both fivr-year time periods, whereas interactive information retrieval (IR) dominated the IR camp during 2011–2015 but shared dominance with information behavior during 2016–2020. Bridging between the two camps became increasingly weaker and was only provided by the scholarly communication specialty during 2016–2020. The IR systems specialty drifted further away from the IR camp. The information behavior specialty experienced a deep slump during 2011–2020 in its evolution process. Altmetrics grew to dominate the Webometrics specialty and brought it to a sharp increase during 2016–2020.
Originality/value
Author co-citation analysis (ACA) is effective in revealing intellectual structures of research fields. Most related studies used term-based methods to identify individual research topics but did not examine the interrelationships between these topics or the overall structure of the field. The few studies that did discuss the overall structure paid little attention to the effect of changes to the source journals on the results. The present study does not have these problems and continues the long history of benchmark contributions to a better understanding of the information science field using ACA.
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Min Zhang, Xiande Zhao, Baofeng Huo and Barbara Flynn
This study aims to examine the relationships between power, relationship commitment and customer integration by replicating and extending Zhao et al. (2008) in China and the USA.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the relationships between power, relationship commitment and customer integration by replicating and extending Zhao et al. (2008) in China and the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
This study collects data from 210 manufacturers in China and 202 manufacturers in the USA. In this study, structural equation modelling is used to analyse the data.
Findings
This study finds that normative relationship commitment is positively associated with customer integration and expert and referent power are positively associated with normative relationship commitment in China and the USA. Reward and coercive power are positively associated with instrumental relationship commitment in China, whereas referent power is negatively associated. Referent, legal legitimate and reward power are positively associated with instrumental relationship commitment in the USA, whereas expert and legitimate power are negatively associated.
Originality/value
This study provides empirical evidence on the distinct impacts of different bases of mediated and non-mediated power in China and the USA, contributing to the development of the power-relationship commitment theory. The findings also provide insights into where and when the theory applies. The results can provide guidelines for managers to adjust the use of power to improve relationship commitment and customer integration in China and the USA.
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Baofeng Huo, Chen Liu, Mingu Kang and Xiande Zhao
The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework involving dependence, relationship commitment, logistics outsourcing and service quality to exhibit the roles of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework involving dependence, relationship commitment, logistics outsourcing and service quality to exhibit the roles of the relational factors involved in logistics outsourcing and their outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on data collected from 361 companies in Greater China, the authors use the structural equation model approach to examine the hypothesized relationships.
Findings
Both normative and instrumental relationship commitment are necessary for third party logistics (3PL) users to cope with their goal dependence on 3PL providers. However, only normative relationship commitment is necessary when users perceive switch dependence. Normative relationship commitment also plays a more important role than instrumental relationship commitment in facilitating the adoption of 3PL logistic outsourcing. In addition, both basic and advanced outsourcing practices have a positive effect on service quality.
Originality/value
This study contributes to both 3PL theories and practices by clarifying how relationships between 3PL users and providers in China are managed.