It was Macy’s (a department store in the U.S.) which introduced the concept of ‘omnichannel’ in 2010 for the first time, and, at present, representative U.S. retailers have also adopted the approach. In Japan, the effort to interlock real and Internet stores started around the same time. Big retailers have promoted its omnichannel strategies by providing services in which customers can order merchandise on the Internet and receive it in a store. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the characteristics of the Japanese type of omnichannel by comparing it to the U.S. type. Rigby (2011) defines omnichannel as “an integrated sales experience that melds the advantages of physical stores with the information-rich experience of online shopping.” Lazaris & Vrechopoulos (2014) refer to it as “the use of both physical and online channels combined with the delivery of seamless shopping experiences.” Kondo (2015) understands it as “a marketing approach that integrates all (omni) channels and provides consumers with a seamless shopping experience.”

Since the arrival of omni-channel retailing, which promotes seamless experience for consumers and zero effort commerce, channel integration has been a big issue in both the domestic and the international retail industry. Some researchers have identified problems that can occur in the process of channel integration, such as cannibalization and channel conflict (Coelho & Easingwood, 2003). However, many studies on channel integration report its positive impact on a firm’s revenue growth through improved trust (Schramm-Klein & Morschett, 2006), higher consumer conversion rates (Neslin et al., 2006), and greater cross-selling opportunities (Berry et al., 2010). Regarding the issue of effectively establishing channel integration in order to bring positive synergy to a company, the present study intends to identify a solution within a company’s internal factors. This study aims to provide a strategic perspective on channel integration formation of domestic fashion retailers by identifying some of the key organizational components that drive a firm’s channel integration in this omni-channel era, when the boundaries between online and offline markets are disappearing. This study predicts that organizational structure and strategic orientation are the key components of a fashion retailer’s channel integration implementation in an omni-channel environment. As shown in previous studies, channel integration has a positive impact on a firm’s performance through active and innovative transformation of the organization’s hardware and software (Cao & Li, 2015; Yan, Wang, & Zhou, 2010). In particular, this study introduces channel (extension) strategies (number of different types of channels in both online and offline markets) into channel integration as one of the crucial variables, in addition to the two existing variables. The data were collected through a survey targeting mid-level executives or above, within a business unit of Korea’s fashion companies with over $10 million revenue. Through this selection, a total of 120 samples were used in the final analysis. Hierarchical regression modeling was used to prove the study’s hypothesis. The revenue size of a parent company and SBU was used as a control variable in the level 1 model; channel strategies in the level 2 model; organizational structure in the level 3 model, and organization strategic orientation in the level 4 model, which was used as an independent variable. Integrated back-end system and integrated human resource management, which are the highest levels of channel integration (Cao & Li, 2015; Oh, Teo, & Sambamurthy, 2012), have been used as dependent variables. The main findings of this study are as follows: In a back-end system integration model, organization strategic orientation was identified as the highest level when the organizational structure becomes more centralized, whereas the system integration level is the highest when the model is competitor-oriented and innovation-oriented. In the human resource management integration model, the human resource management integration level is at its highest when the organizational structure becomes formalized and specialized, and organization strategic behavior becomes more competitor-oriented and innovation-oriented.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of outlook project for olive flounder, from the view point of price stabilization, market efficiency, and causality of the prices in different distribution channels. Analytical results show that the volatility of producer price of olive flounder has been significantly mitigated after the implementation of the outlook project. The market efficiency is estimated to be improved after implementing the outlook project although there is an inefficiency on price determination process in some producing regions. The causality test on the producer and wholesale price shows that producing stage leads the wholesale stage in forming the prices. It is found that Jeju leads the flounder price on the size of 500g and 2kg, while Wando leads the price of 1kg size. These estimation result as whole indicate that outlook project for olive flounder has accomplished the intended goals.

The most time consuming operation during the tryout of new parts is the compensation of geometric deviations induced by springback. The variation of springback due to the noise factors such as material properties and forming conditions increase the difficulties of the compensation operation. If the forming process includes a drawing operation followed by a restriking operation, a robust design for springback compensation is needed for both operations. In this study, a new 2-stage procedure for robust springback compensation using Taguchi's orthogonal array experiments combined with the Pick-the-Winner rule and the design space reduction method is proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown with an example of the sidewall curl springback compensation in U-channel forming.

This study presents the possibility of control of nano-fluidics in the bio-inspired nano-sized ion channel using a field effect transistor (FET) structure. We analyzed effects from main dominant factors to control the ion flow in nano-sized channel such as electro-osmosis, Diffusion effect, Coulomb force between ions and pressure force. Additionally, we suggest a strategy to control the ion flow accurately at the specific position in the nano channel by handling the viscosity, ion molecular density, pressure, gate and trans-cis voltages of FET structure.

The volume of fluid method is applied to study the effects of the gas channel wall contact angle on the removal characteristics of a water slug in a right angle PEMFC gas channel. While maintaining the same GDL surface contact angle, two different contact angle distributions on the control area in the corner region are compared via the water coverage ratio and water volume fraction. The water coverage ratios of the hydrophobic channel corner case mainly show smaller values than that of the hydrophilic case except around 27 ms. The water volume fraction of the hydrophobic corner case is supposed to drop down quickly around 27 ms due to the dynamic movement of the liquid water compared to the hydrophilic case. In overall, the hydrophobic corner case shows better water slug removal characteristics.

This research is to investigate the performance analysis of methanol fuel cell for flow channel with four different types of the channel (Serpentine I, II, Inter-digitated, Parallel) in the fuel cell stack. Velocity, pressure, temperature and density distributions of fluid over the flow domain of the flow channel are numerically calculated for the optimum design of flow channel with uniform inlet velocity. According to better water discharge and mutual gas reaction with low pressure drop and high density difference between inlet and outlet in the flow channel, Serpentine I type is of highest performance of the flow channel shapes in the present methanol fuel cell models.

The volume of fluid (VOF) method is applied to study the effects of the gas channel cross-section shape on the removal characteristics of a water slug in a trapezoidal PEMFC gas channel. Two different open angles 50 and 60 degrees are selected to investigate the effect of cross-section shape on the behavior of a liquid water slug. In comparison to the 50 degrees case, the water slug is removed slightly faster for the 60 degrees case.

To study the effects of the gas channel wall contact angle on the behavior of a liquid water slug, numerical simulations are performed with the volume of fluid (VOF) method. Two different contact angle combinations on the side and top channel walls are selected. In comparison to the reference case, the water slug is removed faster when the hydrophobic contact angle is applied selectively in the corner section.

This study aims to analyze causalities among Hairtail prices by distribution channel using a vector autoregressive model. This study applies unit-root test for stability of data, uses Granger causality test to know interaction among Hairtail Prices by distribution channel, and employes the vector autoregressive model to estimate statistical impacts among t-2 period variables used in model. Analyzing results of this study are as follows. First, ADF, PP, and KPSS tests show that the change rate of Hairtail price by distribution channel differentiated by logarithm is stable. Second, a Granger causality test presents that the producer price of Hairtail leads the wholesale price and then the wholesale price leads the consumer price. Third, the vector autoregressive model suggests that the change rate of Hairtail producer price of t-2 period variables statistically, significantly impacts change rates of own, wholesale, and consumer prices at current period. Fourth, the impulse response analysis indicates that impulse responses of the structural shocks with a respectively distribution channel of the Hairtail prices are relatively more powerful in own distribution channel than in other distribution channels. Fifth, a forecast error variance decomposition of the Hairtail prices points out that the own price has relatively more powerful influence than other prices.

Numerical simulations of liquid water droplets interacting with gas channel walls in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell are performed with the volume of fluid (VOF) method. To investigate the effect of channel wall wettability, the contact angles of gas diffusion layer (GDL) and the side/top walls are varied as 45, 90, and 140 degrees. Two different water injection inlet locations are selected to investigate the interactions of liquid water with the different gas channel walls. As the GDL contact angle increases, the GDL surface water coverage ratio and the water volume ratio decrease. When the water injection hole is located near the side wall, the GDL surface water coverage ratio decreases and the water volume ratio increases as the contact angle of the side and top walls decreases. In conclusion, the GDL surface water coverage ratio and the water volume ratio may compete with each other to determine the fuel cell performance.

Intensity interferometry, based on the Hanbury Brown–Twiss effect, is a simple and inexpensive method for optical interferometry at microarcsecond angular resolutions; its use in astronomy was abandoned in the 1970s because of low sensitivity. Motivated by recent technical developments, we argue that the sensitivity of large modern intensity interferometers can be improved by factors up to approximately 25 000, corresponding to 11 photometric magnitudes, compared to the pioneering Narrabri Stellar Interferometer. This is made possible by (i) using avalanche photodiodes (APD) as light detectors, (ii) distributing the light received from the source over multiple independent spectral channels, and (iii) use of arrays composed of multiple large light collectors. Our approach permits the construction of large (with baselines ranging from few kilometers to intercontinental distances) optical interferometers at the cost of (very) long-baseline radio interferometers. Realistic intensity interferometer designs are able to achieve limiting R-band magnitudes as good as mR ≈ 14, sufficient for spatially resolved observations of main-sequence O-type stars in the Magellanic Clouds. Multi-channel intensity interferometers can address a wide variety of science cases: (i) linear radii, effective temperatures, and luminosities of stars, via direct measurements of stellar angular sizes; (ii) mass–radius relationships of compact stellar remnants, via direct measurements of the angular sizes of white dwarfs; (iii) stellar rotation, via observations of rotation flattening and surface gravity darkening; (iv) stellar convection and the interaction of stellar photospheres and magnetic fields, via observations of dark and bright starspots; (v) the structure and evolution of multiple stars, via mapping of the companion stars and of accretion flows in interacting binaries; (vi) direct measurements of interstellar distances, derived from angular diameters of stars or via the interferometric Baade–Wesselink method; (vii) the physics of gas accretion onto supermassive black holes, via resolved observations of the central engines of luminous active galactic nuclei; and (viii) calibration of amplitude interferometers by providing a sample of calibrator stars.

The dynamic interaction of liquid droplets emerging from the gas diffusion layer surface is modeled to study the behavior of liquid water inside the gas channel of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell with the volume of fluid (VOF) formulation. The surface contact angle of gas diffusion layer is varied as 45, 90, and 140 degrees. The air inlet velocity in the gas channel is varied as 5, 10, and 15 m/s. The water inlet velocity from micro pores is varied as 0.5, 1, and 2 m/s. As the contact angle increases, water coverage ratio increases. As the air inlet velocity and the water inlet velocity increase, water droplets move faster toward the channel exit as evidenced from the water front location plots. In summary, the hydrophobic wall contact angle and higher air/water inlet velocities provide better water removal characteristics.