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The purpose of this paper is to present an exhaustive review of research studies and activities in the inkjet printing of conductive materials.

This paper gives a detailed literature survey of research carried out in inkjet printing of conductive materials.

This article explains the inkjet printing process and the various types of conductive inks. It then examines the various factors that affect the quality of inkjet printed interconnects such as printing parameters, materials and substrate treatments. Methods of characterising both the inkjet printing process and the electrical properties of printed conductive materials are also presented. Finally relevant applications of this technology are described.

Inkjet printing is currently one of the cheapest direct write techniques for manufacturing. The use of this technique in electronic manufacturing, where interconnects and other conductive features are required is an area of increasing relevance to the fields of electronics manufacturing, packaging and assembly. This review paper would therefore be of great value and interest to this community.

Companies are interested in engaging consumers in spreading the word about their products or brands. Although more and more studies are analysing word of mouth marketing (WOMM), the topic is still very recent, thus very little is known about how to develop a WOMM campaign effectively. This chapter develops a literature review on WOMM in social media for better understanding on how to manage WOMM.

The studies reviewed have allowed us to identify the main decisions that should be taken when planning a WOMM campaign: the selection of the seed, the type of message and the inclusion of incentives.

We identify the two types of objectives that companies can follow with WOMM: information diffusion or consumers’ persuasion. Depending on the campaign objectives, the strategy to be used in order to be successful is different.

This chapter can be useful to both, marketers, by showing them how to develop a WOMM campaign effectively; and researchers, by showing them the main gaps on WOMM that should be addressed in future studies.

This is one of the first attempts to review the literature and organize knowledge on WOMM. Concepts that have been treated as synonymous by many researchers such as opinion leaders, market mavens, innovative consumers, and hubs are clarified and distinguished one from the other which may help in improving previous knowledge on this field.

The aim of this paper is to advance the understanding of the droplet deposition process to better predict and control the manufacturing results for ink-jet deposition.

As material interface has both geometric and physical significance to manufacturing, the approach the authors take is to study the interface evolution during the material joining process in ink-jet deposition using a novel shape metric and a previously developed powerful simulation tool. This tool is an experimentally validated numerical solver based on the combination of the lattice Boltzmann method and the phase-field model that enabled efficient simulation of multiple-droplet interactions in three dimensions.

The underlying physics of two-droplet interaction is carefully examined, which provides deep insights into the effects of the printing conditions on the interface evolution of multiple-droplet interaction. By studying line printing, it is found that increasing impact velocity or decreasing fluid viscosity can reduce manufacturing time. For array printing, the authors have found the issue of air bubble entrapment that can lead to voids in the manufactured parts.

The array of droplets impinges simultaneously, in contrast to most ink-jet printers. Sequential impingement of lines of droplet needs to be studied. Also, impingement on non-planar surfaces has not been investigated yet, but is important for additive manufacturing. Finally, it is recognized that the droplet hardening mechanisms need to be incorporated in the simulation tool to predict and control the final shape and size of the arbitrary features and manufacturing time for ink-jet deposition.

The research findings in this paper imply opportunities for optimization of printing conditions and print head design. Furthermore, if precise droplet control can be achieved, it may be possible to eliminate the need for leveling roller in the current commercial printers to save machine and manufacturing cost.

This work represents one of the first attempts for a systematic study of the interface dynamics of multiple-droplet interaction in ink-jet deposition enabled by the novel shape metric proposed in the paper and a previously developed numerical solver. The findings in this paper advanced the understanding of the droplet deposition process. The physics-based approach of analyzing the simulation results of the interface dynamics provides deep insights into how to predict and control the manufacturing relevant outcomes, and optimization of the deposition parameters is made possible under the same framework.

The aim of this chapter is to study catastrophic pandemics which have occurred in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and their disruptive impact on tourism mobility. A detailed study of past pandemics is conducted starting from the black death or bubonic plague of 1346 to the recent COVID-19 outbreak and effect of these diseases on the tourism and economy of the infected countries. Studies show that influenza pandemics will prove to be the most dangerous in future, and the next outbreak could occur from any of the 16 known HA (haemagglutinin) subtypes. Also, it is found that tourism itself has been responsible for spread of pandemic outbreaks as countries around the world put an enormous emphasis on increased growth of tourist numbers. Among recent pandemics, it was severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that caused the major decrease in international tourist arrivals although for a short term. Such pandemics have a negative effect on tourism destinations by damaging their image and competitiveness, and as a result, leading to disruptions in mobility of tourists, with Asian countries being the most at risk of such disruptions. Therefore, the findings of this study stress the need for pre-crisis management to handle such outbreaks, better traveller tracking system to check infected persons and the need for tourism destinations to diversify their economies to reduce dependency on tourism.

While the prior research suggests that leadership has important influences on IT acceptance and use, there has been little empirical investigation that identifies the specific managerial behaviors associated with adoption success. This study attempts to address this issue by exploring the influence of empowering leadership on knowledge management system (KMS) adoption through its effects on task‐technology fit and compatibility.

To test the proposed research model, data were collected through a questionnaire survey sent to IT managers of 500 large companies in Taiwan.

The results show that empowering leadership has an indirect effect on KMS usage. Empowering leadership was positively related to both task‐technology fit and compatibility, which in turn were both positively related to usage of KMS.

There are two limitations to this study, requiring further examination and additional research. First, the sample was drawn from Taiwanese organizations. Hence, the research model should be tested further using samples from other countries, because cultural differences may exist between Taiwan and other countries. Second, this study obtained just 151 completed questionnaires for a 30.2 percent response rate. The limited number of respondents in the survey also causes concern. As a larger sample that brings more statistical power can provide more stable and consistent results, the study should be verified with a larger sample to increase generalization.

This study suggests that practitioners should not only focus on the technology issue (i.e. providing suitable knowledge to meet user needs and accruing high compatibility with user working style), but also be concerned with the impact of leadership style. Managers should consider how to empower subordinates appropriately, a decision that can indeed facilitate the development of an environment where employees participate in knowledge management activities more spontaneously. Without such appropriate leadership, however, even though firms may introduce a well‐built KMS, it is unlikely that system would effectively exert its full range of benefits.

The results of the study will be useful to practitioners in understanding the type of leadership that should be employed in the context of KMS, thus increasing the success rate for adopting the system and further achieving knowledge management goals.

The current study explores the emergence of well-being, a fundamental human goal, in the crowdfunding process by investigating entrepreneurs and backers' interactions within reward and donation campaigns.

The study is based on interviews with 64 entrepreneurs and 50 backers of rewards and donation campaigns.

The analysis revealed that the crowdfunding experience triggers all three aspects of well-being––hedonic, eudaimonic and social––for both entrepreneurs and backers. These aspects emerged in the course of the campaign's life stages.

The study establishes well-being as a core aspect of entrepreneur–backer interaction and shows how entrepreneurs' well-being feeds back into backers' well-being and vice versa. Furthermore, it illustrates how well-being, in its various aspects, develops during the different stages of the crowdfunding process to facilitate a full well-being experience and a sense of accomplishment for both types of participants.

Serial crowdfunders are vital to the advancement of crowdfunding, either by launching subsequent campaigns or by mentoring novice (first-time) crowdfunders. However, research on crowdfunders’ drivers has focused on either novice crowdfunders’ motivations or the factors contributing to serial crowdfunders’ success. The present study aims to complement existing knowledge on serial crowdfunders by exploring behavioral and well-being aspects that drive novice crowdfunders to become serial crowdfunders.

Data on crowdfunders were retrieved through in-depth interviews with 42 novice and 17 serial crowdfunders on a list provided by the largest crowdfunding platform in Israel. Complementary data were collected from interviews with the chief executive officers (CEOs) of two leading rewards and donations platforms in Israel and from the contents of the pages of crowdfunding campaigns. A four-stage process of content analysis was applied.

Novice and serial crowdfunders follow different logics. While novice crowdfunders’ motivations and behavior can mostly be explained by the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and follow a more rational process, serial crowdfunders’ motivations and behavior are guided by aspects of well-being.

The findings show that the more rational process described by the TPB and the dimensions of well-being interacts in a circular way to motivate serial operations by crowdfunders. Well-being is also manifested in the maintenance of social ties and the development of social capital, which are crucial for serial entrepreneurs.