SEM-based Analysis Research Articles

Organizational Ambidexterity, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and I-Deals: The Moderating Role of CSR

The interaction between static and dynamic facets in organizational ambidexterity produces “change” energy for the organization. The purpose of the research therefore is to examine the predicting role of organizational ambidexterity for entrepreneurial orientation and idiosyncratic deals (i-deals). The moderating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the effect of organizational ambidexterity on entrepreneurial orientation was also investigated. The cross-sectional data for SEM-based analysis were garnered from 427 supervisor-subordinate dyads from software companies in Vietnam business setting. The research findings confirmed the positive relationship between organizational ambidexterity and entrepreneurial orientation, which was moderated by CSR. Entrepreneurial orientation was also found as a strong predictor of i-deals.

Consumer purchasing behaviour and e-commerce adoption factors

The present research draws on Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour and extends Keeney's work on understanding internet purchasing behaviour. This study uses SEM-based analysis to provide a rich set of contexts to understand e-commerce while building upon earlier analysis of customers' attitude and behaviour toward internet purchasing. Earlier approaches have emphasised the needs for decision makers to know more about what customers fundamentally value and need in order to make informed decisions about the products and services to be offered on the internet. The development of SEM-based theoretical and empirical analyses in this study has research and practical implications.

Mineral characterisation by EPMA mapping

The demand for accurate composition and phase distribution analyses in complex ore assemblages is increasing rapidly as mineral processing studies become more sophisticated. In response to this need, an EPMA-based microanalysis procedure for characterising minerals was developed. The method uses an electron microprobe to collect combined X-ray, backscattered electron and cathodoluminescence (CL) maps. By scanning over a specified target area, CL wavelength and X-ray element distribution maps of grains are acquired in parallel enabling direct comparison between elemental concentrations and textural features. Composition data can be displayed on element scatter diagrams enabling clusters, each representing individual mineral phases, to be readily identified. For systems characterised by highly complex mineral phase assemblages, an automated cluster recognition technique has been developed. The mapping technique has proved beneficial in a range of mineral characterisation studies where traditional SEM-based analysis methods were not applicable.

Fabrication of high-aspect ratio, micro-fluidic channels and tunnels using femtosecond laser pulses and chemical etching

We present novel results obtained in the fabrication of high-aspect ratio micro-fluidic microstructures chemically etched from fused silica substrates locally exposed to femtosecond laser radiation. A volume sampling method to generate three-dimensional patterns is proposed and a systematic SEM-based analysis of the microstructure is presented. The results obtained gives new insights toward a better understanding of the femtosecond laser interaction with fused silica glass (a-SiO(2)).

Microstructural characterization of cemented carbides using SEM based automatic image analysis

Methods for SEM based automatic image analysis of cemented carbide microstructure were developed. Two different categories of hard metal were investigated: WC-Co grades and WC-γ-Co grades, i.e. cemented carbides containing cubic carbides (γ-phase) as well as tungsten carbide WC. The materials represented a wide range in grain size, chemical composition and structure complexity. Automatic object detection and evaluation of carbide grain size, carbide contiguity and volume fractions were possible through the combination of optimized specimen preparation, high resolution microscopy and image processing in a software oriented image analyzer. The importance of careful specimen preparation in order to obtain maximum contrast and structure definition was emphasized. High spatial resolution in SEM was achieved by working at low accelerating voltages. Two different back scattered electron contrast modes were utilized: atomic number (Z) contrast and channelling contrast. Mean values of WC and cubic carbide (γ-phase) grain size in the range 0·–2 μm were measured; values which were considerably lower than values obtained according to conventional methods. The difference was explained by the low detection limit in the SEM based analysis, enabling detection of fine carbide grain populations. Binder mean free path increased and carbide contiguity decreased with increasing binder volume and with increasing carbide grain size in the WC-Co alloys. The results of the automatic measurements were of fully sufficient accuracy for a wide range of hard metals. In cases of very weak contrast, limited manual editing was sufficient to obtain results close to actual values. It was concluded that automatic methods can be successfully applied to the characterization of complex cemented carbide microstructures.