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•This is a theoretical study on growth pattern of small Pt clusters on penta-B2C.•Pt1, Pt2 and Pt4 clusters, especially Pt1, have high stability on penta-B2C.•Stable Ptn on penta-B2C ...are potential catalysts with Ptn as main active sites.•The system of Pt1 on penta-B2C preferably catalyzes reduction.•O2 molecules can be activated on Pt1, Pt2 and Pt4 clusters on penta-B2C.
Using dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D), we systematically investigated the growth pattern of small platinum (Pt) clusters on pentagonal B2C (penta-B2C). Firstly we calculated the bonding energy of the single Pt atoms on (2 × 2), (3 × 3) and (4 × 4) penta-B2C supercells, and chose (3 × 3) penta-B2C for the subsequent simulations. Secondly we confirmed that the single Pt atom on penta-B2C is stable. And then we stepwise investigated the growth pattern of Pt clusters. The result indicates that the Pt1, Pt2 and Pt4 clusters on penta-B2C are stable, and the single Pt atom on penta-B2C is the most stable structure. Based on the analysis of the electronic structure and the frontier molecular orbitals, the Pt1, Pt2 and Pt4 clusters on penta-B2C have the potential to be used as the efficient catalysts.
El crecimiento del comercio electrónico (e-commerce) y de los sistemas de distribución de empresa a consumidor (business-to-consumer, B2C) está repercutiendo significativamente en diversos sectores ...de nuestras ciudades. Esto se refleja claramente en el entorno ambiental, ya que la intensa circulación de vehículos dedicados a la entrega de paquetes a domicilio contribuye a la congestión y al aumento del uso de las vías públicas. Asimismo, se observa un impacto negativo en el comercio urbano tradicio-nal, pues parte de la actividad comercial se ha trasladado de los establecimientos locales tradicionales a plataformas en línea. Como respuesta a esta situación, en los últimos años los poderes públicos han estado explorando medidas para gravar con tributos estas actividades. Una de las últimas iniciativas es la introducción de una tasa de reparto para el e-commerce en la ciudad de Barcelona, la cual deben abonar ciertos operadores postales que cumplan con determinados requisitos. Este trabajo no solo examina la estructura legal de dicha tasa, sino que también explora las tensiones surgidas entre el sector y el ayuntamiento, ya que algunos actores han impugnado judicialmente la aplicación de esta tasa. Además, se abordan algunas consideraciones para el futuro, dado que el crecimiento continuo de estos sistemas de distribución es inevitable, y es probable que muchos otros municipios apliquen tributos similares en sus territorios.
The photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) has mild reaction conditions and only requires sunlight energy as a driving force to replace the traditional ammonia synthesis method. We herein ...investigate the catalytic activity and selectivity on Penta-B2C for NRR by using density functional theory calculations. Penta-B2C is a semiconductor with an indirect bandgap (2.328 eV) and is kinetically stable based on molecular dynamic simulations. The optical absorption spectrum of Penta-B2C is achieved in the ultraviolet and visible range. Effective light absorption is more conducive to generate photo-excited electrons and improving photocatalytic performances. Rich B atoms as activation sites in Penta-B2C facilitate capturing N2. The activated N2 molecule prefers the side-on adsorption configuration on Penta-B2C, which facilitates the subsequent reduction reaction. Among considered NRR mechanisms on Penta-B2C, the best pathway prefers the enzymatic mechanism, only required a low onset potential of 0.23 V. The hydrogen evolution reaction is inhibited when the hydrogen adsorption concentration is increased or N2 molecules first occupy the adsorption sites. Our results indicate Penta-B2C is a highly reactive and selective photocatalyst for NRR. Our work provides theoretical insights into the experiments and has guiding significance to synthesize efficient NRR photocatalysts.
Rich B atoms as activation sites in Penta-B2C facilitate capturing N2. In particular, the activated side-on N2 is further reduced to NH3 through an enzymatic mechanism with an onset potential of 0.23 V. Display omitted
•B2C platforms with dual-format model host self-run and third-party stores.•Gift card (GC) and cash coupon (CC) are adopted for trade-ins on B2C platforms.•GC can only be redeemed in the self-run ...store while CC can be used in both stores.•No payment (i.e. GC or CC) is always beneficial to B2C platforms.•Launching trade-in efforts may lead to a lower trade-in rebate but a higher profit.
B2C platforms are increasingly implementing trade-in programs to boost sales. Most of these platforms have adopted dual-format retailing model including both self-run stores and third-party stores. Under trade-in program framework, B2C platforms will determine the optimal trade-in rebate, and whether to offer the rebate to consumers with gift card (GC) or cash coupon (CC). GC can only be used in self-run stores, while CC can be used in both stores. To entice more consumers to trade-in products, platforms may launch trade-in efforts in the market. To address such decision-making challenges, we consider a B2C platform who owns a self-run store and hosts a third-party store, and examine the optimal trade-in strategy for the platform by developing four theoretical models. We first present two models without considering trade-in efforts, i.e., one model regarding GC payment, and one model regarding CC payment, and then extend them by taking trade-in efforts into consideration. Some interesting findings and insights are achieved. In particular, we find that both GC and CC do not always benefit the platform. Interestingly, offering high quality and low selling price for products in both the self-run store and the third-party store are also not always beneficial to the platform. So is the competition between both stores. Launching trade-in efforts may lead to a lower trade-in rebate but a higher profit for the platform. A counterintuitive finding is obtained that a higher gift card redemption rate is not beneficial to the platform, and vice versa.
Prior IS research has not fully addressed the aligning process in the highly dynamic context of digital strategy. To address this gap, we conduct a longitudinal analysis of a B2B company's journey to ...enact its B2C digital strategy, using the dynamic capabilities approach. We found that as an organization shifts towards a digital strategy, misalignments between the emergent strategy and resources give rise to tension. Our study resulted in the development of an aligning process model that is comprised of three phases (exploratory, building, and extending) and generalizable organizational aligning actions that form the organization's sensing, seizing, and transforming capacities. These aligning actions iteratively reconfigured organizational resources and refined strategy in order to respond to both changes in the environment and internal tensions. We also recognized that there are challenges to alignment, and conceptualized them as paradoxical tensions. This provided insights as to how such tensions are triggered and how they can be addressed. Finally, by applying the dynamic capabilities approach to aligning, we also show that alignment is not separate from such capabilities, but that aligning is enacted through the sensing, seizing and transforming capacities and their attendant aligning actions.
•Digital strategy’s dynamic and complex nature requires us to focus on the process of aligning.•Our study explicates a set of organizational actions that enables aligning.•Tensions that emerge during the aligning process shape and are shaped by the aligning actions.•Organizations embrace digital strategy by adapting to the tensions between strategy and resources.•Digital department – a fusion of business and IT – is critical in aligning digital strategy.
Technology innovation has changed the patterns with its advanced features for travel and tourism industry during the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, which massively hit tourism and travel worldwide. ...The profound adverse effects of the coronavirus disease resulted in a steep decline in the demand for travel and tourism activities worldwide. This study focused on the literature based on travel and tourism in the wake global crisis due to infectious virus. The study aims to review the emerging literature critically to help researchers better understand the situation. It valorizes transformational affordance, tourism, and travel industries impacts posed by the virus COVID-19. The study proposed a research model on reviving the international tourism activities post COVID-19 pandemic to gain sustainable development and recovery. The scholars have debated seeking the best possible ways to predict a sustainable recovery of travel, tourism, and leisure sectors from the devastating consequences of coronavirus COVID-19. In the first phase, the study describes how the current pandemic can become transformational opportunities. It debates the situation and questions related to the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak. The present research focuses on identifying fundamental values, organizations, and pre-assumptions related to travel and tourism revival and help academia and researchers to a breakthrough in initiating the frontiers based on research and practice. This study aims at exploring the role of technological innovation in the crisis management of COVID-19 tourism impacts, tourists' behavior, and experiences. The travel and tourism industry's main stakeholders include tourism demand and organizations that manage tourists' destinations and policymakers. They have already experienced the stages of responses, recovery, and resetting tourism recovery strategies. The study provides valuable insight into the coronavirus consequences on travel and tourism and practical implications for global tourism and academic research revitalization.
•The aim of the study was to quantify the relationships between innovation activity and the outcomes of e-commerce.•Globalisation processes are accompanied by the dynamic use of information and ...communication technologies (ICT), which has prompted changes in global economic activities.•We find that the B2C outcomes compared to the B2G outcomes are not fundamentally different, even though lower central tendency outputs were recorded rather in B2G than in B2C.•There was no significant difference between the individual years in the macroeconomic outputs (GDP, global Innovation Index (GII), Human Development Index (HDI).
This study quantifies the relationships between innovation activity and the outcomes of business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), and business-to-government (B2G) e-commerce by companies and the economic development of EU member countries. The relationship of e-commerce with innovation activities and the economic development of countries was evaluated. The analysis input was represented by annual data from the EU from 2013 to 2021, and the indicators of the e-commerce companies (where B2C, B2B, and B2G represent one variable) were classified according to company size. Twelve e-commerce indicators were analyzed in total. The panel regression analysis confirmed that a higher rate of innovation is associated with a higher rate of e-commerce, which, in turn, is associated with a higher rate of economic development in countries. Most of the relationships explored were confirmed. Nevertheless, when specifying them, it is necessary to consider the specifics of B2C and B2B with B2G. The the cluster analysis demonstrated that Bulgaria and Romania are among the countries that should pay more attention to this issue.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to review and classify scientific publications dealing with those innovative solutions aimed at increasing the efficiency of last-mile delivery in ...business to consumer (B2C) e-commerce; and, second, to outline directions for future research in this field.
Design/methodology/approach
The review is based on 75 papers published between 2001 and 2019 in international peer-reviewed journals or proceedings of conferences, retrieved from bibliographic databases and science search engines.
Findings
Due to its importance in affecting the overall logistics costs and, as a consequence, the economic sustainability of a B2C e-commerce initiative, last-mile delivery process deserves particular attention in order to be optimised. The review highlights that, among the main factors affecting its cost, there are the probability to have failed deliveries, the customer density in the delivery areas and the degree of automation of the process. Innovative and viable last-mile delivery solutions – which may impact the mentioned drivers – include parcel lockers, crowdsourcing logistics, mapping the consumer presence at home and dynamic pricing policies. Eventually, some gaps and areas for further research activities have been identified (e.g. mapping customer behaviour, crowdsourcing logistics).
Originality/value
This review offers interesting insights to both academics and practitioners. On the academic side, it analyses and classifies relevant literature about innovative and efficiency-oriented last-mile delivery solutions, proposing directions for future research efforts. On the managerial side, it presents a holistic framework of the main factors affecting last-mile delivery cost and of viable innovative solutions that may be implemented to increase efficiency.
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•The feasibility of 2D metallic B2C was studied for Li/Na ion batteries.•The B2C possesses an extremely high capacity for Li/Na ions storage.•The B2C exhibits low average open circuit ...voltages and fast Li/Na ions diffusion.•The Li/Na-B2C systems maintain the metallic properties during adsorption.
Two-dimensional (2D) materials have garnered extensive enthusiasm and become the promising candidates as electrode materials for rechargeable ion batteries owning to their high surface area and excellent electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. Recently, a new stable 2D material named B2C was theoretically proposed and possesses metallic properties. Due to its light weight and intrinsic advantage of transportation of electrons, we further assess the feasibility of B2C monolayer to serve as Li and Na ion batteries (LIBs/NIBs) anode material by using first-principles calculations. The results reveal that B2C exhibits a very high theoretical capacity of 1596 mAh·g−1 for both LIBs and NIBs. Impressively, the structure of B2C can be well maintained at the maximum concentration (Li2B2C/Na2B2C) at 400 K, suggesting its good thermal stability. Moreover, B2C offers moderate average open circuit voltages (Li: 0.57 V, Na: 0.43 V) and fast motilities with lower diffusion barriers (Li: 0.49 eV, Na: 0.23 eV). Finally, B2C can maintain metallic properties during the whole Li/Na ion insertion processes, meaning that the material has a favorable electronic conductivity. Our findings demonstrate that metallic B2C could be a potential LIBs/NIBs anode material with high performance.
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