bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of bioceramic textiles used in physical activity or sport: a systematic review
Authors: Pérez-Soriano Pedro , Sanchis-Sanchis Roberto , Aparicio Inmaculada , Martínez-Nova Alfonso
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Performing physical activity and sports generates a wide range of physiological alterations and adaptations. Several different textiles can help to improve some of these processes. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature addressing the physiological effects of textiles with bioceramic materials in physical activity and sports.

Design/methodology/approach

A search was carried out in the scientific literature available in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and SportDiscus. In total, 295 records were identified through the database search; after removing duplicates and reading the title and abstract, only 4 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. These were thus included in the qualitative synthesis.

Findings

The use of bioceramic garments affects thermoregulation, helps to reduce body temperature during physical activity, provide better sweat evacuation and lower bacterial growth, improves performance, and facilitates recovery after exercise.

Originality/value

There are few scientific studies that analyse the use of bioceramic garments; however, it is difficult to demonstrate the validity of this type of garment. Therefore, future studies are necessary to analyse their suitability in this area.
Towards addressing respect for people during lean implementation
Authors: Coetzee Rojanette , van Dyk Liezl , van der Merwe Karl Robert
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate, report and interpret the true, original meaning of the Toyota Way Respect for People (RFP) principles as intended by their creators.

Design/methodology/approach

The investigation was conducted by means of a systematic literature review, and findings are reported in an RFP framework and interpreted by proposing a conceptual RFP lean implementation framework.

Findings

It was found that the literature on the subject is fragmented, though consistent, among various sources. No single framework was found that explained the RFP principles. The difference between and necessity for two value streams were discovered – a traditional product value stream that highlights problems and an additional people value stream that delivers people that can solve these problems. Furthermore, key emerging themes of RFP were found to be teamwork, develop and challenge people, motivation, develop people as problem-solvers, safety, remove waste and display people’s capabilities.

Research/limitations implications

The conceptual RFP lean implementation framework remains untested. Future research should, therefore, focus on gathering empirical data concerning the applicability and validity of the proposed conceptual RFP lean implementation framework in different contexts.

Practical implications

The explanation of the two different value streams allows organisations to shift their focus towards developing employees’ career paths, which will subsequently contribute towards improved organisational performance. The conceptual framework can also assist managers in providing the necessary psychological support during the change process of lean implementation. Thus, the proposed implementation framework suggests how to show RFP during lean implementation by assisting organisations to have a more balanced focus between the lean tools and techniques and the human side of lean management.

Originality/value

A contribution is made to the prevailing lean implementation literature by reporting the true, original meaning of the RFP principles as a single recapitulated framework. Furthermore, a conceptual RFP lean implementation framework is proposed that incorporates these RFP principles, according them the significance they are due. This review offers an understanding of the people aspect of lean implementation and proposes a practical means of addressing this often-neglected factor. The RFP framework and the RFP lean implementation framework could, therefore, possibly assist organisations in achieving more successful lean implementations.
Q-methodology: theoretical framework for policy making in the Croatian wine sector
Authors: Jakšić Lucijano , Ivanjko Edouard , Njavro Mario
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show the application of Q methodology in the practice of policymaking, namely, in the field of the wine business. Today, Q methodology has a rising significance in all aspects of human behavior where there is a need for gathering and analyzing qualitative data. This paper discusses the applicability of Q methodology as a participative bottom-up tool for extracting priorities for tailor-made sectorial policies in the field of the wine business.

Design/methodology/approach

Developed by William Stephenson almost a century ago, Q methodology was primarily used to study human behavior in different psychoanalysis practices and personality tests. But it can be used also as a tool to extract important opinions of stakeholders in the process of making new sectorial policies. To prove the applicability of Q methodology for this task, data collected from 30 small and medium Croatian winemakers are used as a case study. Selected winemakers originate from coastal and continental regions of Croatia covering the whole country. Gathered data were analyzed using the PQMethod ver. 2.35 software.

Findings

The results of the data analysis have given an insight into Croatian small wine business perspectives, rapidly revealing factors which matter the most to them (luck, value added tax, import lobby, margins in HORECA). On the other side, factors like automated grape harvesters, subsidized fair participation were identified that matter the least, and factors like prices and procedures for mandatory analyses, paperwork for exports and development of new sales channels are considered as neutral.

Research limitations/implications

The selected participants are a small, but representative, group of Croatian winemakers and generalization of findings to the whole winemaking sector should be undertaken with caution. Q methodology is primarily an explorative technique, which brings a sense of coherence to the relation of the research question and contested answers, but prone to straightaway change.

Practical implications

Q methodology enables a participatory approach, rapid analysis and focus on the most important factors for changing relations and effects of planning and execution of sectoral policies. It can be used to effectively extract relevant factors common to group of different individuals acting in the same sector with the same goal.

Originality/value

This research provides an insight into potentials of Q-methodology approach when considering the theoretical framework for the policy making process. Therefore, it also widens its applicability in research of subjective viewpoints on different issues in a particular business sector.
Analysis of velocity slipping at wall boundary under rarefied gas condition based on the effect of viscosity
Authors: Yang Shaohua , Long Wei , Ning Fangwei
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Velocity slipping model, based on the stratification theory (the film in inflatable support area of aerostatic guide way was divided into near wall layer, thin layer and continuous flow layer in the direction of height), was established, and the model was combined with viscosity changes in each layer.

Design/methodology/approach

Simulated and analyzed by LAMMPS and two-dimensional molecular dynamics method, some relevant conclusions were drawn.

Findings

At a high temperature, viscosity is low, velocity slipping is large and velocity gaps in near-wall layer and thin layer are large. When the temperature is constant, the dimensionless slipping length and Kn number are linear.

Research limitations/implications

The effect of the equivalent viscosity on gas slipping model is proposed. viscosity is smaller, gas velocity slipping is greater, temperature is higher, gas velocity slipping is greater, velocity gap of near wall layer and thin layer is larger. When the temperature is constant, the dimensionless slipping length ls and Kn number are linear.

Originality/value

The global model of lubricating film velocity slipping between plates was established, and mathematical expression of slipping model in each layer, based on the stratification theory, was presented.
Thermal stress analysis of dry friction clutches
Authors: Abdullah Oday Ibraheem , Schlattmann Josef , Jobair Hussein , Beliardouh Nasser Eddine , Kaleli Hakan
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to compute accurately the distributions of the frictional heat generated, contact pressure and thermal stresses at any instant during the sliding period (heating phase) of the single-disc friction clutch system works in the dry condition and the complex interaction among them.

Design/methodology/approach

Numerical work was achieved using the developed elastic and thermal finite element models (axisymmetric models) to simulate the engagement of the single-disc friction clutch system.

Findings

The change of distribution of contact pressure during the sliding period (heating phase) affects significantly the magnitude and distribution of the produced thermal stress. The high local heat generated appeared in the contacting surfaces because of the non-uniformity of the distribution of contact pressure during the heating phase (sliding time) and this will dramatically increase the thermal stresses.

Originality/value

Sequentially coupled thermal-mechanical approach was developed to investigate the thermal stresses problem in automotive clutches under dry conditions. This approach is considered a promising approach to investigate the effect of material, sliding time, torque function, etc., on the thermal stresses of different types of friction clutch.
Tribological properties and mechanism of the bilayer iron based powder metallurgy materials
Authors: Zhang Guotao , Yin Yanguo , Xu Ming , Li Congmin
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to obtain high mechanical strength and good self-lubricating property of iron-based powder metallurgy materials. A new type of bilayer material with dense substrate and porous surface was proposed in this paper to obtain high strength and good self-lubricating property.

Design/methodology/approach

The materials were prepared by powder metallurgy. Their friction and wear properties were investigated with an end-face tribo-tester. Energy dispersive spectrometer, X-ray diffraction and the 3D laser scanning technologies were used to characterise the tribological properties of materials. The tribological and bearing mechanisms of the monolayer and bilayer materials were compared.

Findings

The results show that adding proper TiH2 can effectively improve the porosity and hardness. With the TiH2 content increased from 0 to 4 per cent, the average friction coefficients increase slowly, and the wearability decreases first and then increases. When containing 3.5 per cent TiH2, high strength and good self-lubrication characteristics are obtained. Besides, the tribological properties of monolayer materials are better than those of bilayer materials when the load is between 980 and 1,470 N, while the opposite result is obtained under the load varied from 1,470 to 2,450 N. In the bilayer material, the porous oil surface can lubricate well and the dense substrate can improve the mechanical property. So, its comprehensive tribological and mechanical properties are better than those of monolayer material.

Originality/value

The friction and wear properties of a new type bilayer materials were investigated. And their tribological mechanisms were proposed. This work can provide a theoretical reference for developing high-performance iron-based oil materials under boundary lubrication.
Turning strategies for the bounding quadruped robot with an active spine
Authors: Wei Zhong , Song Guangming , Sun Huiyu , Qi Qien , Gao Yuan , Qiao Guifang
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to study the turning strategies for the bounding quadruped robot with an active spine and explore the significant role of the spine in the turning locomotion.

Design/methodology/approach

Firstly, the bounding gait combining the pitch motion of the spine with the leg motion is presented. In this gait, the spine moves in phase with the front legs. All the joints of the legs and spine are controlled by cosine signals to simplify the control, and the initial position and oscillation amplitude of the joints can be tuned. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed gait, the spine joints are set with different initial positions and oscillation amplitudes, and the initial position and oscillation amplitude of the leg joints are tuned to make the virtual model do the best locomotion in terms of the speed and stability in the simulation. The control signals are also used to control a real robot called Transleg. Then, three different turning strategies are proposed, including driving the left and right legs with different strides, swaying the spine in the yaw direction and combining the above two methods. Finally, these strategies are tested on the real robot.

Findings

The stable bounding locomotion can be achieved using the proposed gait. With the spine motion, the speed of the bounding locomotion is increased; the turning radius is reduced; and the angular velocity is increased.

Originality/value

A simple and flexible planning of the bounding gait and three turning strategies for the bounding quadruped robot are proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed bounding gait, along with the beneficial effect of the spine motion in the yaw direction on the turning locomotion is demonstrated with the computer simulations and robot experiments. This will be instructive for the designing and actuating of the other quadruped robots.
Becoming lean: the employee perspective
Authors: Lauver Kristy J. , Nahm Abraham Y. , Opall Brent S. , Keyes James P.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This study aims to explore how placement of lean practices (removal of waste from all areas of an organization’s value stream) (Worley and Doolen, 2006) within different organizational strategic contexts can affect the factors that lead to lean implementation success.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use empirical data to examine how strategy affects various factors that are identified as prerequisites for successful lean implementation. Specifically, this study uses Venkatraman’s (1998) measures to examine various types of strategy within organizations, how they correlate with both the workers’ mindset (perceived job security and perceived personal benefits of lean) and the processes in implementation (training on lean concepts and techniques).

Findings

Findings indicate that a relationship exists between strategy and factors needed for lean implementation success. Perceived job security had a positive relationship with all four types of strategies examined (proactiveness, defensiveness, analysis and futurity) (Venkatraman, 1998). Moreover, perceived personal benefits of lean had a positive relationship with futurity but negative relationships with proactiveness and defensiveness strategies. Finally, training on lean concepts and techniques was positively related to analysis and futurity strategies but negatively related to proactiveness strategy.

Originality/value

The authors’ research illustrates the positive impact of aligning lean with strategy. This topic may be of particular interest to executives, especially middle managers, looking to improve firm performance.
Early supplier integration in the US defense industry
Authors: Cohee Garrett Lane , Barrows Jeff , Handfield Rob
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Each year, the US defense industry outsources nearly $400 bn of domestic goods and services through competitive bids. These procurement activities are quite often complex and specialized in nature because of a highly regulated federal acquisition contracting environment. Ongoing calls to improve supplier management and drive innovation in the defense industry offers an opportunity to adopt Early Supplier Integration (ESI) initiatives that have proven successful in the private sector. This paper identifies critical ESI activities and acquisition practices that the defense industry should adopt to ensure enhanced effectiveness in new product development.

Design/methodology/approach

Leveraging a conceptual ESI model derived from the research, an in-depth case study of 12 product development projects from a major defense contractor was performed. In the context of project performance, critical ESI activities and moderating effects were assessed.

Findings

Three key ESI activities have the greatest impact on aggregate project performance: system design involvement, design adjustment opportunities and design for manufacturability/assembly/testability involvement. Use of formal supplier agreements also significantly impacts project performance during the development phase. In addition, project complexity and product team maturity were identified as environment moderators; higher complexity projects tended to negatively moderate the impact of ESI upon performance, and higher team maturity levels tended to positively moderate the impact of ESI upon performance.

Originality/value

The results provide a sound framework for empirical validation through future quantitative studies and defense industry analyses. In addition, insights and recommendations for interpretation and adaptation of federal acquisition regulations to allow increased utilization of ESI within the defense industry are substantiated.
Institutional barriers to venture capital financing: an explorative study for the case of Iran
Authors: Shojaei Saeed , Motavaseli Mahmood , Bitaab Ali , Chitsazan Hasti , Mohammadi Elyasi Ghanbar
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the barriers that constrain the venture capital (VC) financing in Iran based on the institutional theory.

Design/methodology/approach

To answer the question, “How institutional barriers constrain the VC financing in Iran?”, 31 detailed interviews were conducted, and the interviewed data were analysed by using the grounded theory method.

Findings

There exist several institutional barriers (formal and informal) in different stages of the VC investment process in Iran. Major formal institutional deficiencies include lack of appropriate financial regulations, inefficacy in tax, labour, property rights, financial disclosure, bankruptcy, investor’s protection laws and regulations, lack of credit rating/scoring system, inefficacy in small and medium-sized enterprise-supporting policies and capital market underdevelopment. Moreover, there exist some informal institutional barriers such as culture of capitalism disapproval, culture of secrecy, individualistic customs and weakness of managerial skills that constrain VC activities in Iran.

Research limitations/implications

The research findings imply that the government’s role should change from “establishment of government-sponsored VC funds” to “enforcement of institutional reforms that lead to an appropriate framework for VC investment”.

Originality/value

This paper has made three key contributions. First, it has provided comprehensive insights into how institutional barriers constrain the VC investment in a developing country. Second, a new stage-wise model is proposed for analysing the VC investment process. Third, existing knowledge about the role of both formal and informal institutions in the VC investment is extended.
Small entrepreneurship development in Belarus
Authors: Andras Iryna
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The aim of the study is to determine the key development stages of small entrepreneurship in Belarus depending on the impact of reformative activity of authorities on socio-innovative activity of entrepreneurs. Also we seek to determine the projective behavioral strategies of entrepreneurs in the context of contradictory socio-economic processes in Belarus.

Design/methodology/approach

Historico-sociological approach to the development of small entrepreneurship in Belarus is based on the analysis of books, articles, official documents and official statistics available mostly in the Russian and Belarusian languages. Expert survey is used as the most effective method of survey to predict further development of small entrepreneurship. Within the framework of the activity-structure concept, (T. Zaslavskaya) combination of both approaches allows presenting quantitative and qualitative changes in business structures in order to coordinate socio-economic progress.

Findings

In Belarusian transition economy the reformative activity of the authorities is absolutely dependent on politico-administrative influence. That is why the behavioral strategies of entrepreneurs are formed as reaction-adaptive behavior under mounting pressure of state policy.

Research limitations/implications

The results are primarily applicable for post-Soviet republics and countries with transition economy.

Practical implications

This paper implies that in post-Soviet economies like Belarus socio-economic integration of entrepreneurs is overly dependent on politico-administrative activity of the authorities.

Originality/value

This study includes two approaches: historico-sociological and expert survey as a forecasting method. This sociological approach gives the opportunity to characterise the continuity in behavioral strategies of entrepreneurs.
Terrorism, organised crime and threat mitigation in a globalised world
Authors: El Siwi Yara
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The gruesome attacks of 11 September 2001 signalled a powerful paradigm shift in international politics: governments previously accustomed to military menaces were now being increasingly threatened by independent, non-state actors. Consequently, a plethora of literature emerged, looking to better understand the nature of these actors. An aspect that has attracted substantial interest is the inter-relation between terrorism and organised crime (OC). This paper aims to answer the question as to whether, for the purpose of controlling and mitigating the threat they pose to society, there is meaning in differentiating between terrorist organisations (TOs) and organised crime groups (OCGs).

Design/methodology/approach

The first section of the paper will provide an account of the various kinds of threats posed by OCGs and TOs. The subsequent section will question whether it is possible, in today’s globalised era, to distinguish between these two actors, while the last sections will ask if such a differentiation is desirable.

Findings

OCGs and TOs display a clear divergence: the former’s motivation is financial while the latter’s political. With the end of the Cold War, however, each type of organisation has been building up the capabilities of the other, helped by the force of global networks. As such, these two actors now exist within the same body – a continuum – that renders their separation difficult. As to the question of desirability, the separation of the two phenomena has often led to the adoption of highly disproportionate militarised and securitised measures, resulting in a dangerous blending of law enforcement and security service methodology.

Originality/value

Many have argued for the separation of the “terrorist” from the “criminal”, on the grounds that the former is particularly heinous and deserving of more severe measures. Others have studied the evolution of these two phenomena to understand whether the lines separating them have been blurring and the extent to which this affects law-enforcement. This paper goes beyond notions of feasibility and poses the following question: has the traditional separation of these phenomena led to a desirable regime?
Terrorism financing and money laundering: two sides of the same coin?
Authors: Compin Frederic
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how terrorism financing can be assimilated with money launderning when the amounts ofmoney involved differ so markedly. Not only is the cost of financing terrorist attacks minimal compared to the huge sums often at stake in financial crimes, but also the psychological profile of terrorists, who are reclusive by nature, contrasts starkly with that of financial criminals, who are usually fully integrated members of society. When terrorism financing is equated with money laundering this represents a utilitarian approach in that it facilitates the creation of a security strategy and stifles criticism of criminogenic capitalismthat turns a blind eye to tax evasion.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is conceptual, focussing on the assimilation of terrorism financing with money laundering. There is an interview with a French magistrate, specialized in the fight against corruption and white-collar crime, and data have been collected from international organizations and scholarly articles.

Findings

The fight against money laundering and money dirtying has clearly sparked numerous controversies around evaluation, scope, criminal perpetrators and a lack of vital cooperation between administrative and judicial services.

Social implications

This paper raises questions about the reasons behind the linking of money laundering and money dirtying by states and players in public international law and why the fight against money laundering is very much overshadowed by their focus on terrorist financing in dealing with the growing threat of Islamic State, otherwise known as ISIS or ISIL, in the Middle East and West Africa.

Originality/value

The paper enables the reader to raise the question of similarities between the fight against money laundering and the fight against terrorism financing.
Workplace fraud and theft in SMEs
Authors: Yekini Kemi , Ohalehi Paschal , Oguchi Ifeyinwa , Abiola James
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate employee fraud within small enterprises in the Nigerian mobile phone sector. It also seeks to understand the key factors that motivate employees to engage in fraudulent behaviours against their employers, and the consequences of these fraudulent behaviours on small businesses (SMEs) in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical study involves the use of quantitative research. Data were collected through structured questionnaires from 159 business owners, sales representatives, cashiers and suppliers. Frequency distribution, percentages, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the collected data.

Findings

The findings from this research show a significant relationship between personal and organisational factors and employee theft. Particularly, organisational factors made the strongest positive contribution to employee theft. The research also revealed that employee theft had significant effects on employers but less significance on employees. In addition, the research revealed that many businesses did not have preventive measures against employee theft in their firms. The findings of this study were compared with existing literature.

Originality/value

This study shows the relationship between different factors that could cause an employee to engage in fraudulent behaviours, particularly in SMEs in Nigeria.
Corporate disclosure on anti-corruption practice
Authors: Issa Ayman , Alleyne Antonio
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to determine the extent of anti-corruption information disclosure in the sustainability reports originating from Gulf countries.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilizes a deeply rooted content analysis technique of corporate sustainability reporting, covering 66 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) firms during 2014.

Findings

Strengthened by the application of the institutional theory, insight into the results points to a state of limited maturity regarding the disclosure of anti-corruption procedures in the region. More specifically, the results highlight the compliance in the reporting of conduct code, while reporting information on whistleblowing was significantly less in comparison. Firms in Qatar and the UAE ultimately release better informed reports, inclusive of detailed information on internal anti-corruption practices.

Originality/value

The aim of this study is to determine the extent of sustainability reporting in GCC companies under coercive isomorphism concept, with a special interest in the disclosure of anti-corruption practices. Ultimately, addressing the following questions: To what extent the GCC companies disclose their anti-corruption practices in the sustainability reports? What areas of anti-corruption disclosure the GCC is more concerned in their sustainability reports? To what extent do external forces under coercive isomorphism explain the extent of anti-corruption?
Anti-bribery compliance incentives
Authors: Teichmann Fabian Maximilian Johannes
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss an innovative approach to eliminating bribery in multinational corporations. In particular, the concept of using incentive systems to fight corruption is assessed.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the analysis of ten formal and ten informal expert interviews with both prevention experts and corrupt employees, a combination of bonus-malus payments is developed.

Findings

A performance matrix could be used to incentivize both compliance and productivity.

Research limitations/implications

This study’s findings are limited to the perspectives of 20 interviewees. Hence, it is possible that a study with a larger sample conducted in different countries or at a different time would have led to different results.

Practical implications

The identification of gaps in existing anti-bribery compliance mechanisms is meant to provide compliance officers and legislators with valuable insights into how undesirable behavior could be prevented.

Originality/value

It is found that eliminating the wrong incentives and establishing the right ones could make significant strides in advancing the fight against bribery.
Servitization as a competitive difference in humanitarian logistics
Authors: Heaslip Graham , Kovács Gyöngyi , Grant David B.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review and conceptual consideration of servitization in humanitarian logistics (HL) and provide a research agenda for HL scholars and insight for practitioners and by doing so will fill a gap in existing research and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a literature-based approach that extends concepts usually applied in a commercial context to the area of HL.

Findings

The paper initiates a discourse on the importance of taking into account servitization in developing and managing effective emergency relief chains. This paper argues that a broader servitization paradigm needs to be integrated for international humanitarian organisations (IHOs) to maintain a competitive advantage.

Originality/value

The authors investigate servitization as a management innovation in IHOs and plot a research agenda for scholars.
Effects of team unlearning on employee creativity
Authors: Matsuo Makoto
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Although unlearning is considered an essential step for creativity, little is known about the relationship between team unlearning and employee creativity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of individual reflection between team unlearning and employee creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model was tested using multisource survey data from 164 employees in 28 teams at a manufacturing firm and a service firm.

Findings

The results of the multilevel analyses indicated that team unlearning had a positive influence on supervisor-rated employee creativity, fully mediated by individual reflection.

Practical implications

It should be noted that employee creativity is not automatically enhanced through team unlearning. Managers should encourage members to reflect on their work practices following team-unlearning exercises for the purpose of enhancing their creativity.

Originality/value

The findings contribute to the existing literature by demonstrating that reflective practices play significant roles in linking team unlearning with employee creativity. This study explored preceding literature examining employee creativity in terms of the unlearning process.
Option ordering and coordination strategies for a two-periodsupply chain
Authors: Wan Nana , Wu Xiaozhi
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Due to rapid product obsolescence, there is a significant decline in the market prices, which causes that the sale season is often divided into two periods. This paper aims to consider a class of two-period supply contracts that offer the retailer the ordering flexibility in response to the market changes. This paper analyzes the two-period ordering and coordination problem with option contracts.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors incorporate call, put and bidirectional option contracts into the two-period ordering model. By applying stochastic dynamic programming, the authors derive the retailer’s optimal ordering policies for two periods. By benchmarking the case without option contracts, they highlight the advantage of option contracts. Through the mutual comparisons, the authors also explore the impacts of different option contracts. On this basis, the authors explore the conditions on which two-period supply contracts containing options can coordinate the supply chain.

Findings

This study shows that the retailer is always better off with option contracts. In addition, the effectiveness of different option contracts depends on the option contract parameters. When the parameters are the same for different option contracts, bidirectional option contracts are superior to call and put ones; otherwise, bidirectional option contracts might be superior or inferior to call and put ones. If designed properly, two-period supply contracts containing options can coordinate the two-period supply chain.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to highlight the value of option contracts as well as explore the role of different option contracts on the two-period procurement problem. The insights derived from our analysis can provide a good way on how to help the retailer work more efficiently in a two-period setting.
Parametric study and surface morphology analysis of electron beam selective melting
Authors: Qian Ya , Yan Wentao , Lin Feng
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to study the effect of processing parameters and the fundamental mechanism of surface morphologies during electron beam selective melting.

Design/methodology/approach

From the powder-scale level, first, the discrete element method is used to obtain the powder bed distribution that is comparable with the practical condition; then, the finite volume method is used to simulate the particle melting and flowing process. A physically reliable energy distribution of the electron beam is applied and the volume of fluid method is coupled to capture the free boundary flow. Twelve sets of parameters grouped into three categories are examined, focusing on the effect of scan speed, input powder and energy density.

Findings

According to the results, both melting pool width and depth have a positive relation with the energy density, whereas the melting pool length is insensitive to the scan velocity change. The balling effect is attributed to either an insufficient energy input or the flow instability; the hump effect originates from the mismatch between electron beam moving and the fluid flow. The scan speed is a key parameter closely related to melting pool size and surface morphologies.

Originality/value

Through a number of case studies, this paper gives a comprehensive insight of the parameter effects and mechanisms of different surface morphologies, which helps to better control the manufacturing quality of electron beam selective melting.
Analysis of the influence of polylactic acid (PLA) colour on FDM 3D printing temperature and part finishing
Authors: Soares Juliana Breda , Finamor João , Silva Fabio Pinto , Roldo Liane , Cândido Luis Henrique
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the effect of different polylactic acid (PLA) colours used on fused deposition modelling (FDM), considering the product finishing quality produced with the same process conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology adopted was to design a virtual modelling object and three-dimensional (3D) print it with FDM with different PLA colours (natural, green and black), using the same parameters. 3D scanning and scanning electron microscopy was used to analyse the model finishing of each sample. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical analysis were used to characterize the material and verify if the colour affected its thermal behaviour.

Findings

Findings showed that different PLA colours lead to distinct 3D printed finishings under the same process conditions. Thermal analysis showed a reason for the printing finishing difference. The degradation temperatures and the glass temperatures vary depending on the PLA colour. This affects the FDM working temperature.

Originality/value

This study will contribute to improving the finishing quality of 3D printed products by collaborating to the determination of its process conditions.
Assemblages of private waste management and recycling
Authors: Bortolotti Andrea
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The paper aims to build a political understanding of private waste management. Although the politics of waste is a matter of increasing interest across the social sciences, private sector choices about waste prevention and recycling – and their impacts on society – receive little attention in waste scholarship.

Design/methodology/approach

Leveraging assemblage thinking and the actor-network theory, this paper provides an empirical analysis of waste prevention and recycling practices in the marketplace of Anderlecht, in Brussels. This particular case is of interest because it concerns the largest and most popular city marketplace and a resource for the most socioeconomically precarious among Brussels’ population.

Findings

Over the past decade, under the banner of sustainability, the private company that managed the site developed multiple initiatives to prevent litter and control the costs of waste management by introducing new regulations and engaging with both the private and non-profit sectors.

Originality/value

Yet, the impact of these initiatives remains unknown with regard to the community served by the market and its vendors in particular. This paper presents the results of a series of fieldwork activities and interviews with key informants and actors in waste management conducted over more than a year since November 2016.
The Brexit Negotiations and Financial Services: A Two‐Level Game Analysis
Authors: James Scott , Quaglia Lucia
Published: October 2018

This paper examines the state of the art of the Brexit negotiations in the area of financial services. It uses a two‐level game model to first explain the positions of UK and EU negotiators on the basis of the domestic constraints they face, and second, to consider the scope for final agreement based on the ‘win‐set’ of both sides. The paper analyses the preferences and power of three main groups of players within the UK and EU: the political authorities, financial regulators, and the financial industry. We argue that the scope for agreement on financial services has been severely hampered by political and regulatory constraints which forced UK and EU negotiators to adopt early hawkish negotiating positions, and by the absence of a unified position from the financial industry. After the 2017 general election, the position of the UK government and UK financial industry briefly converged, thereby narrowing the domestic win‐set, but also increasing the scope for agreement. However, the July 2018 ‘Chequers’ deal represents a hardening of the UK government's position on financial services. We argue that this reflects the fact that the twin pressures facing UK negotiators—acute political constraints at home and bargaining weakness in Brussels—has become more, not less, acute over time.
Recalibrating social protection: Electoral competition and the new partisan politics of the welfare state
Authors: ABOU‐CHADI TARIK , IMMERGUT ELLEN M.
Published: October 2018

This article investigates the new party politics of welfare states with a particular focus on electoral competition. The argument is that welfare state politics are no longer just about more or less, but involve trade‐offs among ‘new’ versus ‘old’ social rights, and hence social investment versus social consumption. However, party priorities on these issues are highly dependent upon their electoral situation. As electoral competition becomes more intense, parties focus more on vote maximisation than on their traditional policy goals. For left parties, this means focusing more on social investment, which appeals to their growing constituency of progressive sociocultural professionals, and less on defending the traditional income maintenance programmes favoured by their core blue‐collar voters. Centre‐right parties, on the other hand, should hesitate to retrench old social rights when electoral competition intensifies because they need to prioritise their appeal to culturally conservative working‐class voters over their traditional fiscally conservative policy profiles. Using a new dataset and a recently published measure of electoral competitiveness, the article shows that as electoral competition intensifies, left governments are willing to prioritise social investment by reducing pension rights generosity in order to expand programmes for new social risks, while centre‐right governments by contrast avoid retrenchment of pension rights and pension expenditures. The findings demonstrate that this relationship is moderated by the presence of a credible radical right challenger, which increases the electoral risk of welfare state recalibration.
Drugs for hyperlipidaemia may slow down the progression of hearing loss in the elderly: A drug repurposing study
Authors: Choo Oak‐Sung , Yoon Dukyong , Choi Young , Jo Soojung , Jung Ho‐Min , An Jun Young , Choung Yun‐Hoon
Published: October 2018

Hearing loss in the elderly causes communication difficulties, decreased quality of life, isolation, loneliness and frustration. The aim of this study was to identify the modifiable variables that may affect the progression of hearing loss in the elderly. A case‐control study was conducted using two data sets. Data were extracted from the health examination survey of Ajou University Hospital (2010‐2014) and the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2009‐2012) data sets. Audiometry data were evaluated according to variables such as age, sex and drug use for underlying diseases. Logistic regression analysis was performed on the entire study population, and middle‐aged and elderly groups using odds ratios (ORs). Factors including older age, female gender and diabetes mellitus were significantly associated with hearing levels in all age groups (OR [95% confidence interval, 95% CI], 0.375 [0.388‐0.415], 1.202 [1.195‐1.208], and 1.427 [1.183‐1.721], respectively). However, when the results from the middle‐aged and elderly groups were compared, medication for hyperlipidaemia had a significantly positive effect on the preservation of hearing in the elderly group (OR [95% CI], 0.713 [0.567‐0.897]), but not in the middle‐aged group (OR [95% CI], 0.967 [0.791‐1.183]). People, especially those in the elderly group, exposed to medication for hyperlipidaemia are likely to have better hearing than those not exposed to such drugs. Thus, drugs prescribed for hyperlipidaemia may maintain hearing in the elderly. However, to overcome potential confounding—by unmeasured variables—that is present in this study, further studies must be performed with more elaborate research design and methodology.
Novice teacher technology‐enhanced learning design practices: The case of the silent pedagogy
Authors: Nguyen Giang N. H. , Bower Matt
Published: October 2018

There is increasing social and political pressure to prepare teachers of the future with strong technology‐enhanced learning design capabilities, yet little is known about how teachers in training actually go about technology‐enhanced learning design processes. This study involved an in‐depth analysis of three groups of three pre‐service teachers as they completed a five‐week collaborative technology‐enhanced learning design project. Recordings of all in‐class group discussions and out‐of‐class use of social media were analysed in order to understand the focus of the novice teachers' technology‐enhanced learning design processes. Post‐project interviews were also conducted to determine the reasons for the novice teachers' design approaches, and to better understand what constrained and supported their design efforts. A key finding of the study was that, despite the intentions of the pre‐service teacher education program, participants rarely mentioned or thought about pedagogy during their collaborative design activities. In addition, tutor support, technological capabilities and group collaboration were identified as strongly influencing the technology‐enhanced learning design process. The implications of the study are discussed in terms of furthering the capabilities of novice teachers as designers of TEL interventions.
Subicular hypotrophy in fetuses with Down syndrome and in the Ts65Dn model of Down syndrome
Authors: Stagni Fiorenza , Giacomini Andrea , Emili Marco , Uguagliati Beatrice , Bonasoni Maria Paola , Bartesaghi Renata , Guidi Sandra
Published: October 2018

Intellectual disability in Down syndrome (DS) has been attributed to neurogenesis impairment during fetal brain development. Consistently with explicit memory alterations observed in children with DS, fetuses with DS exhibit neurogenesis impairment in the hippocampus, a key region involved in memory formation and consolidation. Recent evidence suggests that the subiculum plays a unique role in memory retrieval, a process that is also altered in DS. While much attention has been devoted to the hippocampus, there is a striking lack of information regarding the subiculum of individuals with DS and DS models. In order to fill this gap, in the current study, we examined the subiculum of fetuses with DS and of the Ts65Dn mouse model of DS. We found that in fetuses with DS (gestational week: 17–21), the subiculum had a reduced thickness, a reduced cell density, a reduced density of progenitor cells in the ventricular zone, a reduced percentage of neurons, and an increased percentage of astrocytes and of cells immunopositive for calretinin—a protein expressed by inhibitory interneurons. Similarly to fetuses with DS, the subiculum of neonate Ts65Dn mice was reduced in size, had a reduced number of neurons and a reduced number of proliferating cells. Results suggest that the developmental defects in the subiculum of fetuses with DS may underlie impairment in recall memory and possibly other functions played by the subiculum. The finding that the subiculum of the Ts65Dn mouse exhibits neuroanatomical defects resembling those seen in fetuses with DS further validates the use of this model for preclinical studies.