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Introduction Welding and brazing fall into the broad category of engineering joints, where the former is a stronger joint than the latter. Nevertheless, both these joints are heterogeneous and are susceptible to environmental effects, in the form of enhanced corrosion, due to their retained residual stresses and matrix heterogeneity. Partial melting, micro structural transformation, diffusional alloy layer formation, etc. are some of the phenomena met within these joints. It is argued that relief of stresses, by heating these joints to appropriate temperatures, which are below the transformation temperature range, may deactivate the stress raiser sites, so that susceptibility to micro galvanic action is considerably reduced. Such treatment may also cause thermally‐activated reorganization of the micro structure, resulting in matrix uniformity. Such structural uniformity and stress matching may pay further for reducing the corrosion loss by reduction of micro‐galvanic action.

The purpose of this paper is to conduct the synthesization of LiFePO₄-C (LFP-C) with fine particle size and enhanced electrochemical performance as the positive electrode material for Li-ion capacitors (LICs) with neutral aqueous electrolyte.

LFP-C was prepared by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a grain growth inhibitor, and the effects of the calcination temperature and PEG content on the structure and morphology of LFP-C were investigated. LICs using environment-friendly, safe and low-cost LiNO₃ aqueous electrolyte were assembled with LFP-C as the positive electrode and active carbon as the negative electrode. The electrochemical performances of LFP-C and LICs were studied.

The results show that the particle size of LFP-C decreases significantly through the introduction of PEG. Cyclic voltammetry results show that the LFP-C prepared at 550°C with 1.0 g PEG exhibits the highest C_pe of 725 F/g at the scanning rate of 5 mA/s. Compared to LFP prepared without PEG, the electrochemical performance of optimized LFP-C dramatically increases due to the decrease of the particle size. Moreover, the LIC assembled with the optimized LFP-C exhibits excellent electrochemical performances. The LIC maintains about 91.3 per cent of its initial C_ps after 200 cycles which shows a good cycling performance.

The LFP-C is the suitable positive electrode material for LICs with neutral aqueous electrolyte. LICs can be used in the field of automobiles and can solve the problems of energy shortage and environmental pollution.

Both the LFP-C with fine particle size and its optimal LIC using environment-friendly, safe and low-cost LiNO₃ aqueous electrolyte own good electrochemical performances.

SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis is a powerful approach for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of an organization with an internal perspective. The approach also takes into account the opportunities and the threats from an external point of view. These features make SWOT a commonly used approach in strategic management. The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated SWOT analysis with multiple preference relations technique, to show the application of the proposed methodology, to prioritize the strategic factors and to present alternative strategies for ABC, a case company, which is targeting to use social media more effectively.

In this study, expert opinions are used to identify SWOT factors of ABC on social media. The obtained findings are evaluated and each factor is prioritized by means of the multiple preference relations technique.

The proposed evaluation model has four main groups, namely, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, under which 17 factors are identified. As a result of the evaluations, “O2: Opportunity to contact a large number of users simultaneously at affordable cost” has the highest importance level among other factors. Alternative strategies are developed based on the obtained results.

Decision-makers who have different backgrounds or ideas can state their preferences in different formats. Multiple preference relations technique is used to combine different assessments. SWOT analysis with multiple preference relations technique with a group decision-making perspective is proposed. This is the first time the method is used in the social media-related literature. With this study, the most appropriate social media strategic factors are selected for ABC and alternative strategies are determined based on the results.

Grounded in the concept of signaling theory and instrumental-symbolic framework, the purpose of this paper is to develop a model to examine the impact of print job advertisement (ad) dimensions (message contents) and organizational familiarity on job seeker’s perception of attitude, organizational attractiveness, and application intention.

This paper is a theoretical exploration based on existing literature.

The presence of instrumental and symbolic attributes in print job advertisement such as job and work characteristics, aesthetics, employee testimonial/picture, corporate image enhancing statements, organizational culture-enhancing statements, and human resource offerings are more likely to play influential roles in creating favorable attitude, organizational attractiveness, and application intention in a job seeker. Apart from this, organizational familiarity plays a moderating role on job seeker’s attitude formation and in gaining organizational attractiveness.

The study offers a clear guideline to recruiting organizations, HR managers, recruitment agencies, or consultants on how to design a recruitment advertisement to pool a large number of potential applicants. The study also throws light on testing the effectiveness of a recruitment advertisement, similar to commercial ads. Moreover, the outcome of testing would help the recruiters understand the pulse of the job seeker toward the ad, job, and organization.

This study theoretically clarifies the role of instrumental and symbolic attributes or dimensions of job ads and the role of organizational familiarity in inducing positive attitude formation and organizational attractiveness, in the process that cultivates application intention in a potential job seeker.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the nature of intervention of job seeker’s perception of organizational attraction and attitude toward ad and organization in the application intention produced by aesthetics of print job ads.

An aesthetically appealing faculty-opening job advertisement was used as stimuli and around 250 responses to an administered questionnaire were collected from among job seekers in the academic domain. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypothesis.

According to the results of the study, aesthetic features of print recruitment ad, even though insignificant in directly inducing job seeker intention to apply, significantly enhanced their organizational attraction and attitudes, and thereby, their application intention. Therefore, job seeker’s perception of organizational attractiveness and attitude were found to full mediate this relationship, regardless of the job seekers’ degree of familiarity with the organization.

This study encourages recruiters in the academic job sectors to design and administer aesthetically appealing job advertisements to maximize the high talent pool of applicants from which to choose.

This study is the first of its kind in the Indian context in terms of print recruitment advertising. This study is also original in reporting organizational attraction and attitude towards ad and organization as mediators of application intention produced by ad aesthetics.

The study aims to understand the signaling effects of two major recruitment advertisement (ad) contents – job attributes and organizational attributes (OA) – on the perceptions and application intentions (AIs) of potential job seekers.

A fictitious faculty job ad based on existing real ads was created as a stimulus and the responses to the ad were collected from 270 job seekers of the academic domain in India. The partial least square-structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothetical relationships.

Drawing from the concept of signaling theory and instrumental-symbolic framework, the results revealed that job attributes and OA exhibit strong signals that generate the following perceptual outcomes in a job seeker – organizational attractiveness, attitude and person-organization fit. These perceptual outcomes mediated effectively to induce an AI in a job seeker. Signals from information on job attributes had a more significant effect on the job seeker than signals from information on OA.

The outcome of the study provides preparatory guidelines to academicians, institutional recruiters and recruitment agencies in posting an effective job ad.

From an Indian context, this is the first paper to present distinctive job advertising strategies to be implemented in the academic institutional recruitment communication.

This study aims to investigate the impact of customer perceptions of Augmented Reality (AR) attributes such as augmentation, interactivity and vividness on attitudes towards AR mobile apps, virtual product and behavioural intentions. Also, the mediation role of customer engagement in the effect of perceptions of AR attributes on attitudes and behavioural intentions is examined using the Theory of Interactive Media Effects.

The study used a cross-sectional design. A total of 456 valid data were collected from the Millennials and Generation Z cohorts using purposive sampling. The conceptual framework was assessed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and Partial Least Squares-Multi Group Analysis (PLS-MGA).

The research revealed that customer perceptions of AR features such as augmentation, interactivity and vividness significantly influenced customer engagement, leading to favourable attitudes towards both the AR mobile app and the Virtual product as well as behavioural intentions. Furthermore, the study substantiates the role of customer engagement as a mediator in the relationship between customer perceptions of AR attributes and both attitudinal and behavioural outcomes.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to investigate the significance of perceived augmentation as an antecedent to customer engagement and the mediating role of customer engagement on the influence of perceptions of AR attributes on attitudinal and behavioural intention.

The paper explores how consumer behavior for purchasing impulse products changed in the complex and disruptive (emergency) situation of the COVID-19 pandemic when the customer is shopping in-home and not visiting the offline stores in an emerging economy context. This paper further explores how digital transformations like the use of blockchain technology can aid offline/omnichannel retailers in reviving sales via permission marketing for impulse products.

The authors followed a qualitative research design and conducted 24 personal interviews with millennials and 15 interviews with offline/omnichannel retailers from an emerging economy. The data collected were analyzed using the thematic analysis procedure.

The authors discuss their findings under three themes – customers' conscious impulse buying during the pandemic, customers' unconscious impulse buying during the pandemic, and a viable solution for retailers in response to the pandemic.

The authors suggest that marketers primarily from an offline/omnichannel store should adapt to permission marketing and use technologies like blockchain for the digital transformation of their marketing strategies. Doing so can help offline retailers minimize future damages in the retail sector during emergency situations.

This paper is one of the first that explores how impulse – pure, suggestion, planned and reminder – purchases got affected during the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions in an emerging economy. This paper is also one of the first to explore the role of permission marketing and digital transformation by the use of blockchain in helping offline retailers in forming swift trust and practice trust-based marketing.

Drawing upon the elaboration likelihood model, this study aims to illuminate contradictory findings from previous research regarding the impact of positive and negative emotions, as well as promotions, on impulse buying (IB). Specifically, this study takes a two-faceted approach to IB, considering both affective IB and cognitive IB.

A proposed model of IB is tested using a mall intercept survey.

The findings provide evidence for the two-dimensional nature of IB. Cognitive and affective IB are affected differently by promotions and emotions, and in turn, have different impacts on cognitive dissonance (CD). Specifically, promotions have a positive effect only on cognitive IB, while positive emotions have a positive effect only on affective IB. Additionally, cognitive IB positively affects CD, while affective IB does not.

Future research could explore different types of IB and unplanned purchases, consider the valence and arousal dimensions of emotions and examine how technological changes impact IB. Additionally, studying satisfaction as a mediator between IB and cognitive dissonance can contribute to the understanding of IB post-purchase outcomes.

By tailoring promotional techniques to cognitive IB and using positive emotions to stimulate affective IB, retailers can enhance the effectiveness of strategies. Furthermore, post-purchase strategies can be developed to reduce the negative effects of CD.

By exploring the different dimensions of IB and their relationships with CD, this study enhances our understanding of the underlying processes and mechanisms that drive consumer IB behavior during and after shopping trips.

The purpose of this paper is to review existing literature related to private label brands (PLBs) and to identify the antecedents and consequences involved in the private brand purchase.

The study used a systematic review approach and identified 92 significant published articles between 1960 and 2016 for evaluation using SCOPUS database exclusively in the field of marketing. The journals that have published articles on purchase intention of PLBs are taken into consideration.

The authors provide a holistic framework on the purchasing behaviour of PLBs. The antecedents that emerged out of the most frequently studied factors are grouped as determinants of store brand proneness. The factors of consequences were categorised into loyalty factors along with the moderating variables as product category and retailer related attributes. These findings will serve as a twofold guide to retailers, i.e., help them gain an understanding of the target consumer group characteristics and design strategies to enhance the purchase of private label products.

This investigation considers only published research papers bearing the title of PLBs purchase.

This study is the first attempt of its kind of systematically reviewing the antecedents and consequences of PLB consumers. Both relevant published research and emerging research issues in the field of consumer research have been identified with a view to foster future research needs.