Search

This paper uses discourse theory to obtain a broader understanding of how research impact of sustainable tourism research develops in the environmental policy domain. Discourse theory shifts emphasis from the substance of science versus policy to the use of science in policy processes and explains the political dimensions of policymaking. We first review a well-documented science-policy gap in sustainable tourism research on climate change to develop an alternative conceptualisation of research impact. Then, using a case study approach, we investigate this framework by evaluating the impact of a PhD thesis about aviation's global CO2 emissions on the Dutch aviation policy process. The case study shows research impact is entwined with various other elements, and embedded in a specific governance context. Research influenced contrasting science-policy interactions and contributed to conflicting policy actions and reactions. The impact of research in this case was manifested through the formation and interplay of multiple knowledge objects that were both embraced and marginalised. In settings like this, research is used to legitimise pre-existing policy positions rather than to develop new policies. We discuss the implications of narrow conceptions of research impact. The paper highlights the need for advanced policy analysis in sustainable tourism research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ball-end milling is widely used in industrial applications, such as mold manufacturing and aerospace industries. One of many difficulties in milling research is the milling force, which is often crucial to the component's processing efficiency and quality. In this paper, a method for predicting ball-end cutter milling force and its probabilistic characteristics is presented. First, a model of milling force prediction is established by integrating the differential milling forces. Then, a method of identifying milling force coefficients is suggested based on the proposed model, which considered both the mean value and the amplitude of the milling force. Based on the proposed milling force prediction model, milling force probabilistic analysis while considering randomness of cutting parameters is performed. To improve computational efficiency, the function relationship between cutting parameters and the milling force is reconstructed by adaptive Kriging model. Furthermore, trained Kriging model is employed to analyze the probabilistic characteristics of the milling force. Both experimental and computational results indicate that the method proposed in this paper has high accuracy and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial robots have been increasingly adopted in precision manufacturing applications such as aerospace drilling. However, achieving the strict tolerance requirements of the aerospace industry has been a major challenge due to the relatively poor accuracy of robots. One of the major sources of error which has a detrimental effect on the quality and circularity of drilled holes is the static friction in robot joints. These errors are particularly pronounced when one or more joints reverse direction. To improve robot motion for better hole quality, this paper proposes an optimization framework to eliminate or minimize joint reversals throughout a drilling motion. A general robotic drilling motion with a redundant degree of freedom due to the twist of the tool is first modeled. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is then used for strategic pose selection considering the entire drilling motion. Experimental tests performed on a KUKA KR 6 R700-2 show a 40% reduction in the tool deviation envelope. The proposed technique can be readily implemented on any commercial robotic drilling cell without interfering with the controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two to three decades, the balance of influence within the electronics industry has shifted decisively toward the consumer electronics and information technology products, away from the defense or aerospace markets. This shift toward the commercial markets has changed certain ground rules in the electronics industry. Reliance of the aerospace industry, in particular, on components from supply chains dedicated to other products, or cross-vertical product integration, creates a supply web and introduces significant risks that are not necessarily present for volume-driven electronic products. Many of the unique risks in the aerospace industry emanate from the key characteristics of this industry. Although selection and usage of commercial electronics in NASA flight hardware is possible at a comparable (and in many cases lower) level of risk to that of employing parts that are screened to military or NASA specifications, for a large majority of flight projects it is difficult to distinguish the difference in on-orbit performance or reliability for parts screened at any level, or commercial parts that have no additional screening performed by the government. This paper identifies several bases for establishing context and developing unique or alternative approaches for successful parts selection and application within NASA and across the commercial space community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates which intermediary practices among European aerospace clusters support their diverse membership. Using a configurational approach, we find nine successful sets of practices spanning cluster members with varying levels of internal resources. We unpack important trade-offs, with no single approach to intermediation being ideal in every context. However, the presence of mutual trust is necessary, hinting that its importance in brokered networks has been understated by past research. Furthermore, equifinality exists even for similar types of members, suggesting the need for future research to be attentive to the existence of multiple viable approaches to cluster intermediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article measures and discusses the continuities and changes in the procurement process in Europe by examining the influence of national preferences in terms of sovereignty, industrial issues, and strategic needs on procurement strategies. We focus on the aerospace defense industry and study four aircraft markets (fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs) in 30 European countries during the post-Cold War era. Our results reveal significant heterogeneity in terms of strategies. They suggest that European countries lack coordination in their aircraft procurement strategies; if a country has sufficient industrial capacity, it will seek to maximize national industrial benefits in its procurement choices, to the detriment of its European partners; conversely, if a country has no industrial capacity, transatlantic suppliers would be preferable to European ones. Members of the former USSR and Warsaw Pact have phased out old Soviet-era aircraft at different rates, depending on the market, with European suppliers benefiting more from this process than American ones. Overall, our study provides a comprehensive and nuanced perspective on the defense aircraft industry in Europe that can inform policymakers and stakeholders in this sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides evidence on how dividend policy affects earnings management. Our goal is to contribute to the literature by employing data from a sector (aerospace and defence) that to the best of our knowledge has never been studied before in terms of the relationship between earnings management and dividend policy. Our sample consists of 17 listed companies in the U.S. Stock Exchanges, examined for the 2012-2019 period. We employ panel data linear regression to conclude that the dividend policy positively affects the management's practice of discretionary accruals manipulation. Consequently, our results support the signalling hypothesis that points to the importance of a stable dividend policy. Specifically, we provide relevant and robust information on management decision making regarding value return to the shareholders of U.S. aerospace and defence companies. Finally, we provide future research proposals that may shed more light on this obscure relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sandwich panels are widely used in various industries, including the aerospace industry, where they have long been regarded because of their light-weight and high energy absorption capacity. This research introduces a novel type of sandwich panel whose raw material is widely used in the automotive industry. The materials used for manufacturing the sandwich panels addressed in this research are currently used in the cooling radiator structure for the engine of conventional vehicles. Such a radiator is nothing but a lattice of a set of B-shaped tubes and cooling fins. In this research, the crashworthiness properties of such a lattice are extracted along with various directions (samples A, B, and C). Moreover, the applicability of the considered lattices as the core of sandwich panels was studied. This research showed that the considered structures tend to exhibit maximum strength when the loading plane is parallel to the cooling fins. It was further figured out that the addition of aluminum shells to specimens A, B, and C can increase their energy absorption capacity by 85, 268, and 13%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a framework to assess the robustness of manufacturing systems. Robustness, which is an indicator of the system's ability to maintain its desired performance in face of disturbances, is quantified considering the variance of manufacturing system performance indicators. According to the framework, key objectives are first explicitly defined to guide a thorough exploration of the manufacturing system structural and dynamic characteristics. Several simulation experiments, orchestrated methodically through experimental design, are run and statistically analysed through analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests, including also financial implications. The framework has been tested and validated against a case study where the robustness of the manufacturing system with regard to six aerospace product types is evaluated. The mentioned case study proved that the framework has the potential to improve the robustness of manufacturing systems, identifying the most and least disruptive dispatching policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aerospace industry is one of the main drivers of the economies of Portugal and Andalusia (Spain), where it generates more than 30,000 jobs and sales of over 4000 million euros. This study analyses the needs and capacities regarding innovation of companies and R&D centres in the aerospace sector of both regions. 277 entities of Portugal and Andalusia provided valid responses to a questionnaire concerning 107 innovation resources. Regional and cross-border collaboration opportunities have been detected utilizing the survey data. The results show that the productivity and innovation capacity of companies in the sector could increase in both territories through better use of the existing resources. A significant set of identified needs can be addressed by capacities existing in the neighbouring region, which supports the urgency to enhance cross-border collaboration. Additionally, a basis for the prioritization of future investments is provided through the identification of several fields with weak innovation capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The visions of the primary protagonists of the development of outer space diverge in terms of both their motives for and means of extending life into the cosmos. The present article analyses the implications for sustainability associated with the visions of three prominent entities – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the 'space entrepreneurs' who lead the private spaceflight industry (such as Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Jeff Bezos), and transhumanists. This latter category aims to accelerate evolutionary processes to transform humans into a new 'posthuman' species which will be imbued with a greatly extended lifespan and other capabilities that enhance survivability in outer space. Due to the inchoate nature of safer and more affordable spaceflight, it is currently unclear which vision of space development will come to fruition. As explored in this article, the proposals advocated by NASA, space entrepreneurs, and transhumanists are associated with divergent implications for sustainability. Trade-off decisions must be made in terms of whether to minimise impacts on Earth, other celestial bodies, or the human form. While it is currently unclear which vision will eventuate, the process of space exploration and settlement is poised to considerably alter current conceptualisations of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current emergence of a new space economy is leading to the exploration of outer space towards unforeseen futures. Space tourism is a new addition to the tourism industry, prompted in large part by adventure-seeking individualism and potentially lucrative private business prospects. However, in light of the current megatrend of environmentalism, different space tourism activities are facing climate change-related challenges to convince the greater public of their necessity, especially as the high cost involved for suborbital space travel limits it to a niche adventure activity for the wealthy. This article explores the views held by the Finnish populace in relation to space tourism and sustainability through an empirical study. The data are derived from two surveys: the first gathering Finnish public opinion on space tourism's sustainability with the use of principal component analysis; the second utilising a professional Delphi panel for qualitative explanations. The findings, analysed using grounded theory, can be compressed into four dimensions – "virtual travel", "comparative fairness", "technological innovations" and "ecopolitics" – through which actions towards sustainability in space tourism might be enhanced in different national planning strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses if the objectives of the EN 9100 framework, EN 9100 standard, and its certification schema developed by the International Aerospace Quality Group have been reached and if they have been beneficial for aerospace companies. Fewer studies have been conducted on the EN 9100 framework than on other standards, and studies on the compulsory component are also rare. This in-depth interview study aims to address that gap. Case selection is conducted by identifying experienced actors in the sector, high-level managers from all layers of the Spanish aerospace supply chain (Tiers 0, 1, and 2), and certified auditors. The results show that the framework has been beneficial for the companies, even though some of its objectives – such as sharing best practices and cutting additional customer requirements – have not been achieved. Opinions regarding the framework's benefits vary according to the supply chain level. The most favourable view is found in larger companies, all of which highlighted company motivation as a prime factor. These firms consider that EN 9100 is not focused on innovation but on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the established strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]