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An eigenvalue method is presented for solving the transient heat conduction problem with time‐dependent or time‐independent boundary conditions. The spatial domain is divided into finite elements and at each finite element node, a closed‐form expression for the temperature as a function of time can be obtained. Three test problems which have exact solutions were solved in order to examine the merits of the eigenvalue method. It was found that this method yields accurate results even with a coarse mesh. It provides exact solution in the time domain and therefore has none of the time‐step restrictions of the conventional numerical techniques. The temperature field at any given time can be obtained directly from the initial condition and no time‐marching is necessary. For problems where the steady‐state solution is known, only a few dominant eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenvectors need to be computed. These features lead to great savings in computation time, especially for problems with long time duration. Furthermore, the availability of the closed form expressions for the temperature field makes the present method very attractive for coupled problems such as solid—fluid and thermal—structure interactions.

This study aims to identify the marginal impact of introducing a signal attribute of pasture-raised beef on consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for other independent attributes.

The study is divided into two steps. The first, qualitative, consisted of investigating the values consumers have regarding beef production. To this end, 52 interviews with Brazilian and US consumers were conducted using laddering. In the second, quantitative, six experiments, (face to face and online) with 267 consumers of beef were performed.

As a result, the main value found for the Brazilians was security, while for the Americans was self-direction. For consumers, the WTP for animal welfare was the most important in the choice experiments where this information was present.

These findings offer an alternate beef differentiation, enabling it to be sold with higher added value by integrating these.

This research aims to investigate how organisational and contextual factors affect supply chain collaboration and how that, in turn, influences firms' competitive advantage in the garment industry in the context of Vietnam, a developing country.

Following a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with senior managers who are involved in supply chain collaboration in twelve garment companies in Vietnam. The data were recorded, transcribed and analysed using NVivo 12. Based on the literature and interview findings, a research model underpinned by the relational view (RV) and institutional theories, with organisational and contextual factors being the antecedents and competitive advantage as the outcome of supply chain collaboration, was proposed.

The findings showed that organisational and contextual factors induce both internal, supplier and customer supply chain collaboration. There is also a positive relationship between supply chain collaboration and competitive advantage. Based on these findings, a strategy matrix for supply chain collaboration is also put forward.

This is one of the first empirical attempts to investigate the role of organisational and contextual factors as potential antecedents of supply chain collaboration and its effects on competitive advantage in the garment industry. The research is expected to enrich both the literature and management practices on supply chain collaboration in the context of developing countries.

The concept of third-party logistics service provider (3PLSP) has been considered as an essential organizational philosophy to achieve profits. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and examine the contextual relationship among the critical success factors (CSF) of 3PLSPs practices in the cement manufacturing industry.

In this paper, the total 20 critical selection criteria with nine processes for the 3PLSPs, of an Indian cement manufacturing industry have been identified through an exhaustive literature review and opinions of the experts i.e. academics and industries. Interpretive ranking process (IRP) methodology has been presented to find out the rankings of the individual criteria and the mutual influence in the selection process.

The proposed model establishes the dominance of relationship among identified criteria, which plays a vital role in the 3PLSPs selection process which are experience in similar product, quality of management, information technology capacity, flexibility in operation and delivery, compatibility with the users.

An empirical research approach has not been used to collect primary data to rank different criteria for effective 3PLSPs implementation in the Industry. In this paper, an example of Indian cement industry is presented to show the real world applicability of the proposed model.

This model would help a decision maker to decide the issues related to a selection of 3PLSPs. The third party service provider comprises the use of external companies who controls and delivers logistic activities. The paper discusses very practical issues in an analytical manner, using the case base method.

Government administrative data have enormous potential for public and individual benefit through improved educational and health services to citizens, medical research, environmental and climate interventions and better use of scarce energy resources. The purpose of this study (part of the Administrative Data Research Centre in England, ADRC-E) was to examine perspectives about the sharing, linking and re-use (secondary use) of government administrative data. This study seeks to establish an analytical understanding of risk with regard to administrative data.

This qualitative study focused on the secondary use of government administrative data by academic researchers. Data collection was through 44 semi-structured interviews plus one focus group, and was supported by documentary analysis and a literature review. The study draws on the views of expert data researchers, data providers, regulatory bodies, research funders, lobby groups, information practitioners and data subjects.

This study discusses the identification and management of risk in the use of government administrative data and presents a risk framework.

This study will have resonance with records managers, risk managers, data specialists, information policy and compliance managers, citizens groups that engage with data, as well as all those responsible for the creation and management of government administrative data.

First, this study identifies and categorizes the risks arising from the research use of government administrative data, based on policy, practice and experience of those involved. Second, it identifies mitigating risk management activities, linked to five key stakeholder communities, and it discusses the locus of responsibility for risk management actions. The conclusion presents the elements of a new risk framework to inform future actions by the government data community and enable researchers to exploit the power of administrative data for public good.

This Paper presents a few examples of Descriptive Geometry applied to the Undercarriage design:(1) Retraction mechanism geometry.(2) A method of checking clearances between moving undercarriage parts and the surrounding structure.(3) The control by an undercarriage leg, or any other swinging member, of another swinging member, when their axes of rotation are in different planes in space.

The purpose of this paper is to study the 14 principles of Edwards Deming and create significant relationships between them. No research has been reported on the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) using Deming’s 14 principles. To fill this gap, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) and MICMAC analysis have been developed to understand mutual interactions among variables and find both the dependence and driving power of these variables.

The research paper discusses a blend of practical applications and introduces a theoretical framework. An ISM-based methodology is used to study and examine interactions between identified variables, while MICMAC analysis is used to identify the dependence and driving power.

This research utilizes Deming’s 14 quality principles, with experts from academia and industry consulted to identify contextual relationships among variables. The result shows that the stated principles “take action to accomplish the transformation,” “institute training,” “encourage education to employees” and “institute leadership” are strategic requirements, while “drive out fear,” “break down barrier between staff areas” and “eliminate numerical quotas” are tactical requirements. “Adopt the new philosophy,” “create constancy in improvement of product and service” and “cease dependence on mass inspections” are operational requirements for TQM applications.

An ISM-based quality framework, dependence power and driving power of variables using MICMAC analysis have been recommended to the service and manufacturing industry as a new focus area in the implementation of TQM.

This paper addresses the effect of different procurement methods (traditional, design and build and management contracting) on project cash flow. Historical data relating to the periodic cost of 150 construction projects were collected. Four criteria were identified to classify the projects: type of project, size, company and type of procurement. The effect of these criteria on the S‐curves was then examined using ANOVA. Results confirmed that differently procured projects with different sizes produce different patterns. The company and type of project did not significantly affect the shape of the S‐curve. Standard S‐curves were then modelled for the three aforementioned procurement routes. These curves were used to calculate the relevant cash flows using a computer based cash flow forecasting model. A series of simulation tests were conducted to evaluate the extent of variation in cash flow, given different contract conditions. Results revealed that, in some cases, the variation in procurement routes has a significant effect on contract cash flows.

The purpose of this paper is to study price discovery and price convergence in securities trading within a fragmented market environment where stocks are traded on multiple venues. The results provide novel empirical insights questioning the generalizability of the current literature and aim to expand the understanding of price determination in a fragmented market microstructure.

This paper provides an empirical data analysis based on an event study methodology. The authors applied Thomson Reuters Tick History data covering German blue chip stocks listed on multiple venues in 2009 and 2013. Different time aggregations up to one second are applied to provide an in-depth analysis.

The paper empirically discovers a persistent price leader-follower relationship not only during intraday auctions but also in subsequent continuous trading. The authors found that trading on alternative venues instantly dries out in case the dominant market switches to a call auction. In these situations, alternative markets await and adopt the official price signal of the dominant market although prices on alternative venues still indicate a certain extent of price discovery. This phenomenon remains persistent at different levels of market fragmentation, indicating that alternative trading venues fully accept the price leadership role of the dominant market, no matter their own market share.

This paper provides an innovative empirical setup to analyze price co-movement and convergence based on high-frequent data. Further, the results provide novel and robust insights into the price determination process in fragmented markets that clarify the role of price follower and price leader.