bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TRIZ application in marketing model to solve operational problems for Taiwanese aquatic products with food traceability systems
Authors: Lee Tzong‐Ru (Jiun‐Shen) , Hsu Min‐Chih , Dadura Anieszka M. , Ganesh K.
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and investigate analyzed core operational problems of aquatic products with food traceability system and their performance in the Taiwanese market and to develop the marketing strategies to solve these core operational problems.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on all of the core operational problems derived from the literature, the paper interviewed distributors and aquatic product producers and collected their ideas to resolve the above problems. Then, the study applies the TRIZ theory to find the improving and worsening parameters for those issues, based on which the study can develop strategies to improve the marketing model of aquatic products with food traceability systems to solve operational problems.

Findings

The findings of the study are of three fold: identified seven core problems of aquatic products with food traceability systems; identified seven strategies for improving marketing model to solve operational problems of aquatic products with food traceability systems and developed the new marketing model to solve operational problems for aquatic products with food traceability systems.

Practical implications

Promoting the food traceability certification comprehensively cannot only improve the food safety in Taiwan but also improve the competitiveness of Taiwanese industries as well as help to expand to the international market.

Originality/value

The contribution of this study lies in extending the body of knowledge of application of TRIZ methodology in marketing model for aquatic products with food traceability systems. The findings of this study can be used as a reference for aquaculture products with traceability systems in other countries, as food safety is a globally growing trend.
PCB failure analysis related to the ENIG black pad problem
Authors: Ramanauskas Rimantas , Selskis Algirdas , Juodkazyte Jurga , Jasulaitiene Vitalija
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to verify the principal conclusions, done during the implementation of FP7 ASPIS project objectives in fundamental research of ENIG‐related failures by investigating real problematic PCB samples of different suppliers.

Design/methodology/approach

SEM, EDS and XPS techniques were applied for morphology and composition studies of ENIG coatings of three PCB samples (A, B and C), while electrochemical measurements were used to determine the porosity of EN and IG layers.

Findings

The surface morphology analysis of the un‐soldered pads of PCB A disclosed the fact that the surface of substrate was not pre‐treated in a proper manner before EN deposition, which generated structural defects such as cracks and opening pores in the EN layer, which in turn could produce the voids in the solder layer during the soldering process. The results of PCB B analysis confirmed the authors' observation that Au layers deposited on EN substrate from IG solution contaminated with Cu ions are highly porous and loosely adhering to EN coating, which, in addition, undergoes serious corrosion damages and may be the principal reason for the black pad defect occurrence. High porosity of IG deposit and the presence of the intermediate layer between Au and Ni‐P, which was enriched in Cu and O, were the main reasons for the black pad issue in the case of PCB C.

Originality/value

The gained knowledge on the mechanism of ENIG‐related failures, which cause reliability problems in PCB manufacture, makes it possible to elaborate potential non‐destructive techniques for detecting ENIG problems.
Processes of substantiations and contributions through theory building towards theory in business research
Authors: Svensson Göran
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The objective of this article is to describe processes of substantiations and contributions across contexts and over time through theory building towards theory in business research.

Design/methodology/approach

The article provides a seed for discussion, debate and consideration regarding scholarly substantiations and contributions through theory building towards business theory.

Findings

The importance of cumulative processes in terms of substantiations and contributions in business research should not be neglected, but its logic and value is currently argued to be often underestimated or ignored.

Research limitations/implications

Sound theory requires sound foundations based upon processes of substantiations and contributions. It is essential that the processes of substantiations and contributions are cumulative and parallel through theory building towards theory.

Practical implications

An important lesson learned is that an original study should not be seen as providing a genuine substantiation and making a solid contribution to business theory until it has been successfully replicated and validated across contexts and over time.

Originality/value

The author concludes that current practices of substantiations and contributions through theory building towards theory are insufficient and contain fatal flaws potentially undermining the well‐being of business research and the perception of business theory being seen as a solid and credible management discipline among other academic disciplines in the worldwide research community.
New maids – new butlers? Polish domestic workers in Germany and commodification of social reproductive work
Authors: Palenga‐Möllenbeck Ewa
Published: August 2013

Purpose

In the last decades, migration of domestic workers and, in particular, care workers has grown into a significant part of movement from the global South to the global North. This phenomenon is referred to as the “new international division in social reproductive work” – outsourcing domestic chores to (mostly) migrants enables families in the global North to escape from the tensions arising from balancing productive and social reproductive work. This paper seeks to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering two empirical examples of stereotypically male and female migrant domestic work – Polish handymen and elderly care workers – this paper puts the phenomenon in the context of the broader feminist debate on care work, global care chains and social policies.

Findings

It attempts to analyze how the employment of Polish handymen or elderly care workers in Germany results from and recreates social inequalities based on gender, class and ethnicity/citizenship.

Originality/value

For this purpose, it looks at both “ends” of this specific European “care chain” – the employing families in Germany as well as the migrant's families in Poland.
An exploration of the psychological factors affecting remote e‐worker's job effectiveness, well‐being and work‐life balance
Authors: Grant Christine A. , Wallace Louise M. , Spurgeon Peter C.
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of remote e‐working on the key research areas of work‐life balance, job effectiveness and well‐being. The study provides a set of generalisable themes drawn from the key research areas, including building trust, management style and the quality of work and non‐working life.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an exploratory study into the psychological factors affecting remote e‐workers using qualitative thematic analysis of eleven in‐depth interviews with e‐workers, across five organisations and three sectors. All participants worked remotely using technology independent of time and location for several years and considered themselves to be experts.

Findings

The paper provides insights into the diverse factors affecting remote e‐workers and produces ten emerging themes. Differentiating factors between e‐workers included access to technology, ability to work flexibly and individual competencies. Adverse impacts were found on well‐being, due to over‐working and a lack of time for recuperation. Trust and management style were found to be key influences on e‐worker effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the exploratory nature of the research and approach the research requires further testing for generalisability. The emerging themes could be used to develop a wide‐scale survey of e‐workers, whereby the themes would be further validated.

Practical implications

Practical working examples are provided by the e‐workers and those who also manage e‐workers based on the ten emerging themes.

Originality/value

This paper identifies a number of generalisable themes that can be used to inform the psychological factors affecting remote e‐worker effectiveness.
Interest‐based bargaining: efficient, amicable and wise?
Authors: Michael Boniface , Michael Rashmi
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw on previous research and propose a framework for evaluating interest‐based bargaining (IBB) around three criteria: efficient, amicable and wise, where mutual gains are not self‐evident.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews both survey and case study research on IBB in the USA and Canada. Based on trends discerned in the data, the paper uses the three criteria to present research and propositions on evaluating the IBB process.

Findings

IBB connects front stage acts by negotiators during collective bargaining with backstage environments and fosters collaboration hinging on dialogue across competing values involving online and offline processes during negotiations. Where mutual gains are not self evident, there these findings underpin criteria for evaluating the IBB process’s potential to serve enduring values of industrial democracy and employee voice and the newer values of collaboration and partnership in strategic decision making.

Research limitations/implications

The amicable criterion predisposes the framework favorably towards amicable relations, which creates a favorable bias within the framework towards the IBB process when compared to other bargaining processes. There is a need for updated quantitative data on IBB trends at a national level, similar to the three FMCS surveys last reported in 2004, and a need for institutional linkages that will increase case study research on IBB, similar to recent research on Kaiser Permanente.

Practical implications

Negotiators, trainers and policy makers will gain from the criteria listed here to evaluate IBB where mutual gains are not self‐evident.

Originality/value

The framework presented in the paper advances an original framework to evaluate IBB.
Enhancing graduate employability through work‐based learning in social entrepreneurship
Authors: Huq Afreen , Gilbert David H.
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible benefits of a work‐based learning (WBL) model in “social entrepreneurship” for enhancing graduate employability and an appreciation for “responsible” entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

Pre‐ and post‐course experience surveys were conducted with the yearly cohorts, followed by focus group discussions with students in each semester between 2008 and 2011. In addition, ten not‐for‐profit (NFP) industry partners were interviewed for their feedback on the enhanced curriculum.

Findings

The findings strongly validate the adoption of WBL curriculum for social entrepreneurship in enhancing graduate employability and opportunities for responsible entrepreneurship education. The case study also provides insights into how to overcome the key challenges relating to designing and implementing WBL models through a curriculum innovation in social entrepreneurship.

Research limitations/implications

Further research with longitudinal data is needed to validate the link between students undertaking work‐based learning and enhanced graduate employability. Future research should also investigate whether there is a major difference in the associated benefits and challenges of WBL initiatives between “social” and “for‐profit” enterprises.

Practical implications

Higher education providers could consider incorporating WBL as part of their response to the employability agenda, in a climate where employers are increasingly seeking graduates who possess entrepreneurial skills and an awareness of ethical and environmental concerns emerging from the new post‐global recession economic era.

Originality/value

Social entrepreneurship has received scant attention within the field of WBL. This case study demonstrates how this field can inform the WBL model to enhance graduate employability. It also provides a case for how WBL within the NFP sector can produce more socially responsible graduates who are capable of adding value to the CSR initiatives of organisations across sectors.
Debating: a catalyst to enhance learning skills and competencies
Authors: D'Souza Clare
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine if training through debates can be used as a rationale to enhance learning skills. In particular, it investigates whether debating can be useful in developing both, key graduate capabilities skills (critical thinking and communication skills) and the process to facilitate learning (motivation, intellectual challenges and learning in depth). The research validates some of the previous findings and argues that integration of debates into a curriculum enhances learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Third‐year undergraduate students participated in this exercise. The University invited the United Nations Association to administer their model conference that involved debating. A survey questionnaire was distributed to the students. Given that the sample was small, the data were analysed using cross tabulations.

Findings

The research found that learning through debates for developing both, key graduate capabilities skills (critical thinking and communication skills) and the process to facilitate learning (motivation, intellectual challenges and learning in depth) were statistically significant. Not all students reflect a positive attitude to debating.

Research limitations/implications

Knowledge can be conceived as being based on inter‐subjective reasoning processes that students are likely to adopt. This is dependent on how students want to learn, as they have different learning approaches, expectations, motivations, and meta‐cognition.

Practical implications

The implications of these findings are essential for training, learning, and open opportunities for further research.

Originality/value

Findings from this study demonstrate quite clearly that debating is statistically significant on several learning outcomes that are desirable for graduate capabilities and learning processes.
The rainbow of diversity versus the rain of fragmentation: the futures of multicultural marketing in the UAE
Authors: Epps Alun , Demangeot Catherine
Published: August 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the challenges and opportunities faced by the contemporary marketer looking to the future of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a review of the literature, futures studies and concepts originating from expert opinion, this paper explores futures studies, multiculturalism and international vs local branding in the context of the UAE.

Findings

The main challenges of operating in this environment include the cultural diversity and sensitivity of its consumers and short‐termism. Firms most likely to succeed in such a market are those which choose to honour and celebrate differences, thus promoting a form of common, multicultural identity among residents. A consideration of futures scenarios is essential for successful marketers in such a different and new market.

Practical implications

The difficulties of marketing in such a diversified marketplace and service‐scape as the UAE should be addressed. A culture of patience, tolerance and empathy needs to be established. With such a range of highly non‐homogeneous consumers, commonalities need to be embraced through acknowledging and celebrating differences, and a culture of multicultural inclusion practised. By looking at what has happened in a very short space of time and extrapolating forwards, an impression of what is to come in the UAE, and to a certain extent other locations, is envisaged. The need for marketers to build strategic flexibility to adapt to changes in the social, political and cultural environment is highlighted.

Social implications

It is intended that such collaborative efforts as those reported in the paper and the opinions generated therein will engender deeper understanding and progress for the future of the UAE and the region.

Originality/value

The paper presents a novel and progressive approach to marketing to multicultural populations, bearing in mind a range of possible futures.
Women's leadership as narrative practice
Authors: Robson Ian
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The paper discusses the “narrative practices” utilised by women leading in a small sample of Early Years services in the North East of England. These Early Years settings are presented as an alternative site for studying women's experiences of leadership. It examines the way in which these women use narrative strategies and approaches to work in collaborative, community based services for young children and their families.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is drawn from a larger study into narratives of professional identity and their relation to interactional contexts. The study follows an interpretive paradigm, and used narrative and participative methodology and methods to work with a small number of participants purposively sampled from cohorts of the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL). Participants were involved in reflective conversations about their leadership supported by interactive, visual methods in five extended sessions over the course of twelve months. Data from the larger study which related to the theme of “narrative practices” was subsequently coded and interpreted to inform this study.

Findings

Data coded as “narrative practices” led to the establishment of three high level categories of narrative practice found in the study. These are summarised in the metaphors of “tent making” (creating and using symbolic and narrative space with others), “skilled dancing” (improvising, and remembering with others) and “orchestration” (reflexive attuning). Data suggests that women involved in the study drew on their experience and values to develop sophisticated narrative practices that were particularly adaptive, ethically sensitive and sustainable – often in spite of “official” masculine leadership cultures.

Research limitations/implications

This specific study only draws on narrative accounts of three women leaders in Early Years services and as such is not intended to generate generalizable theory. The intention of the study is to conceptualise women's leadership as narrative practice, and in so doing to direct further study into these practices as aspects of effective leadership.

Practical implications

The study develops new ways of conceptualising and interpreting women's leadership practices and opens up opportunities for further study in this field. Access to this material also provides individuals (including women leading in UK Early Years services) and opportunity for reflection on their own leadership practice.

Originality/value

This study is unique in using a form of highly participative, reflective methodology to consider women's use of narrative in leadership interactions in the UK Early Years sector. The study is the first in this sector to look at this specific topic using aspects of Ricoeur's (1984) narrative hermeneutics and in so doing generates new questions about women's narrative practices.
Slime mould imitates transport networks in China
Authors: Adamatzky Andrew , Yang Xin-She , Zhao Yu-Xin
Published: August 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the slime mould Physarum polycephalum

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper proceeds by representing major urban areas of China by oat flakes, inoculating the slime mould in Beijing, waiting till the slime mould colonises all urban areas, or colonises some and cease further propagation, and analysing the protoplasmic networks formed and comparing with man-made motorway network and planar proximity graphs. Findings

Findings

– Laboratory experiments found that P. polycephalum

Originality/value

– The paper demonstrated the strong component of transport system built by slime mould of P. polycephalum
Logistics salience impact on logistics capabilities and performance
Authors: Ralston Peter M. , Grawe Scott J. , Daugherty Patricia J.
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this manuscript is to assess the impact of logistics salience on logistics capabilities and performance. Specifically, the impact of logistics salience on logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation is measured along with logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation effect on logistics performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Conclusions were drawn from survey data gathered from logistics and supply chain managers at US firms. Structural equation modelling was utilized to measure the statistical significance of the hypothesized model paths with all findings meeting the basic requirements of interpretation.

Findings

The results suggest that logistics salience positively impacts both logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation. Logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation both positively influence logistics performance. These findings give credence to the resource based view of the firm which states that resources lead to capabilities which leads to performance.

Research limitations/implications

Conclusions based on the study's results highlight the importance of logistics within firms and indicate that the function must be made salient throughout the firm to further capitalize on the benefits of logistics. These benefits include enhanced logistics capabilities and their eventual impact on logistics performance.

Originality/value

Using the resource based view of the firm as the theoretical framework, the manuscript supports the notion that logistics salience is an important resource for firms looking to provide differentiated services and innovative logistics operations to their customers.
Correlates of poverty in Fiji
Authors: Gounder Neelesh
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper uses household survey data to model the correlates of household consumption and poverty in Fiji. A multivariate empirical analysis is conducted to ascertain those household and community characteristics that correlate with household welfare and poverty. In particular, the results will show how a particular characteristic will affect household poverty conditional on the level of other characteristics that are also potential determinants of poverty.

Design/methodology/approach

The key approach in this paper is similar to Mukherjee and Benson and is based on ordinary least squares (OLS) modeling of the natural logarithm of total per capita consumption of households, which serves as the household welfare indicator, against a set of exogenous determinants such as household and community characteristics. For robustness checks, a probit regression is also estimated with the probability of a household being in poverty as the dependent variable and an identical set of independent variables used in the OLS regression.

Findings

The results show that higher levels of education, supporting agricultural growth policies in rural areas and reallocation of labour into the formal sector of the economy will prove effective in reducing poverty at the household level. These results can have important policy implications for design and implementation of poverty reduction policies.

Originality/value

Empirical studies on the determinants of household consumption and poverty are non‐existent in Fiji. This thus is the first study which attempts to model the determinants of poverty at the household level and is the major contribution of this paper.
Experimental approach to assessing actual wine purchase behavior
Authors: Barber Nelson A. , Taylor D. Christopher
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The use of intentions to forecast behavior follows from the assumption that intentions are a strong indicator of an individual's actual purchase behavior. Yet most studies found the relationship between intent and actual behavior varies considerably. The purpose of this study was to explore how marketers should combine expressed measures of intention with other available data to forecast the probability of purchase and thus to set pricing decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a two‐stage approach, this study measured consumer psychographics and expressed purchase intention to predict actual purchase behavior using an online survey, the Vickrey auction method, and logistic regression.

Findings

The results found that individuals' attitudes and intentions are strong predictors of actual behavior. However, of particular interest are lower‐purchase‐intention individuals, who acted in line with their expressed willingness to pay more than individuals with higher purchase intentions.

Research limitations/implications

The study was restricted to the investigation of one product. The model should be tested with different styles of wine products purchased on a regular basis.

Practical implications

Most product positioning research focuses on individuals who express high levels of purchase intention, positive attitudes, and positive values. However, basing a wine product's pricing on a high‐purchase‐intention group may lead to an overpriced product and a lack of follow‐through on the part of consumers.

Originality/value

Results suggest a new method to approach purchase intention using a combination of actual purchase data and survey data.
The impact of expert opinion in consumer perception of wines
Authors: Chocarro Raquel , Cortiñas Mónica
Published: August 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the way in which consumers integrate experts' opinions into their own evaluations of a selection of red wines.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conduct an experiment to measure the influence of experts' opinions in relation to the complexity of the information, the level of consensus between different experts, and the consumer's level of category knowledge.

Findings

Confirmation is found for the effect of received information on consumers' product evaluations. Variation is found in relation to the consumer's level of category knowledge. Expert ratings have a stronger influence on individuals with low knowledge of the wine category than on those with high knowledge. The level of consensus between experts and the complexity of the information in this case have no effect on the impact of their opinions.

Originality/value

This paper takes a deeper look into the effect of “weak‐tie” personal information sources, particularly the opinions of experts regarding wine. Scientific research into the effect of expert judgments on consumer perceptions is still scant and businesses also need to assess the factors underlying its impact, given that the influence of expert judgment can be as crucial as quality to a product's success. The main feature that distinguishes this paper from the previous literature is that it integrates all three moderating effects in a single experiment: level of expert consensus, the complexity of the information provided and the prior knowledge of the consumer.
Estimating internet users: an evidence-based alternative in the absence of survey data
Authors: Lucas Gunaratne Roshanthi , Samarajiva Rohan
Published: August 2013

Purpose

–There are significant shortcomings in the current method of estimating the indicator “Proportion of internet users” by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in countries where demand-side data are unavailable. In the absence of demand-side surveys, governments calculate the proportion of internet users on the basis of the number of subscriptions and a multiplier, which leads to arbitrary values. Errors in such base indicators ripple through the system, causing significant errors in composite indicators, and should be minimised. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new evidence-based methodology, in the absence of demand-side surveys, to estimate the proportion of individuals using the internet.

Design/methodology/approach

–This study found the drivers of internet use to be income and education. A regression analysis was conducted between internet users per 100 in countries that employed demand-side surveys and a new index based on the income and education components of the Human Development Index (HDI).

Findings

–The regression analysis showed a strong correlation between the proportion of internet users in a country and the new income and education index. Using these data, a new methodology was developed that creates incentives for governments to conduct demand-side surveys and reduce the errors yielded by the previous methodology.

Social implications

–It is proposed that this evidence-based estimation method be used by the ITU in the absence of demand-side surveys, instead of arbitrary multipliers applied to estimated subscription numbers provided by governments. If governments believe that their national circumstances justify higher numbers, they can conduct demand-side surveys.

Originality/value

–This paper explores the possibility of using the readily available HDI data to define a new index that will provide a more accurate estimate of the proportion of individuals using the internet.
ICT access and usage among informal businesses in Africa
Authors: Deen-Swarray Mariama , Moyo Mpho , Stork Christoph
Published: August 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the extent to which informal businesses employ information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their daily activities and the challenges they face in making use of ICTs.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study uses nationally representative data for informal businesses in residential and semi-residential areas, as defined by national census sample frames for nine African countries.

Findings

– The results show that mobile phones remain the most commonly used ICT among informal businesses, while the use of other ICTs, such as fixed-line telephones, computers and the internet remains negligible. Businesses were found to communicate more with their suppliers than with their customers via mobile phone. The lack of use of the different kinds of ICTs was attributed to issues around need, affordability, availability and access.

Research limitations/implications

– The data are not representative of formal businesses.

Practical implications

– There is little money to be wasted on gadgetry in the informal sector and only technologies that add value (i.e. bring in money in the short term) will be used. There is the need to be concerned about creating a business environment that allows informal businesses that have the skills and ambition to grow and become formal and sustainable. ICTs, in particular the mobile phone and mobile internet, have the potential to facilitate this. ICTs may allow for a deepening of the distribution and procurement channels of businesses. Doing business over distance could become more affordable through the mobile phone and mobile money.

Social implications

– Policy makers have many choices in addressing affordability and access to ICTs in the informal sector, ranging from introducing competition and removing import duties on prepaid airtime, to supporting mobile application development for informal businesses in general.

Originality/value

– This paper uses primary data that allow a better understanding of informal businesses and their use of and access to ICTs. It adds to the literature on the informal sector in which Africa's poor find their livelihood and from which base the formal economy operates.
Centrist television in the democratic South Africa: policymakers fail to answer the regional/local question, 1990-2011
Authors: Armstrong Chris
Published: August 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the disconnect between policy intent and policy implementation in relation to regional/local (sub-national) TV deliverables in South Africa between 1990 and 2011, and evaluate the impact of this disconnect in pursuit of public interest objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

– The article is based on a research case study in which data extracted from policy documents and interviews were qualitatively analysed via the Kingdon “policy streams” framework and the Feintuck and Varney public interest media regulation framework.

Findings

– It was found that ruptures in deliberative policymaking, and policy implementation missteps, undermined sub-national TV delivery and, in turn, undermined pursuit of the public interest.

Originality/value

– By combining a political science conceptual framework with a media policy conceptual framework, the article provides unique insights into South African TV policymaking in the early democratic era.
Mobilising upland Filipino youth to serve as infomediaries
Authors: A. Manalo IV Jaime
Published: August 2013

Purpose

–The purpose of this paper is to operationalise infomediaries in an agricultural context, specifically upland rice farming. Infomediaries are people who facilitate access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). This offers a socially grounded solution to the nagging issue of the digital divide.

Design/methodology/approach

–This research is predominantly qualitative. The methods used were time transects, mobility mapping, photovoice, individual and key informant interviews. In total, 38 farmers' children from the upland communities in the provinces of Albay and Aurora participated in this research. Theoretically, this paper aims to contribute to literature on ICT 2.0.

Findings

–The participants showed strong desire to help their parents on the rice farm, directly or indirectly. They had varying levels of proficiency in using ICTs. Average weekly expenditure on purchasing prepaid mobile phone credits was US$1.50. Evidence of mobile addiction (sending more than 200 text messages daily) was noted. Their youth's intimate relationship with ICTs increases hope that they can serve as infomediaries for their farmer-parents.

Research limitations/implications

–This research is anchored on giving context-specific solutions to ICT issues. Transferability is emphasised over generalisability.

Practical implications

–Based on the mobility maps of the participants, their respective schools can serve as the nuclei for agricultural extension. The schools serve as their convergence point. This offers an alternative to the difficulty of individually visiting the farmers in the area, which is confounded by the scarcity of agricultural technologists tasked to do the job.

Originality/value

–The paper offers an alternative extension mode, drawn from the intimate relationship between young people and ICTs. This is a welcome initiative, particularly because such initiatives to engage youth in agriculture, directly or indirectly, remain scarce. The ideas forwarded in this paper will benefit agricultural agencies in the Philippines and other developing countries.
Research on detection of welding penetration state during robotic GTAW process based on audible arc sound
Authors: Lv Na , Xu Yanling , Zhong Jiyong , Chen Huabin , Wang Jifeng , Chen Shanben
Published: August 2013

Purpose

Penetration state is one of the most important factors for judging the quality of a gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) joint. The purpose of this paper is to identify and classify the penetration state and welding quality through the features of arc sound signal during robotic GTAW process.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper tried to make a foundation work to achieve on‐line monitoring of penetration state to weld pool through arc sound signal. The statistic features of arc sound under different penetration states like partial penetration, full penetration and excessive penetration were extracted and analysed, and wavelet packet analysis was used to extract frequency energy at different frequency bands. The prediction models were established by artificial neural networks based on different features combination.

Findings

The experiment results demonstrated that each feature in time and frequency domain could react the penetration behaviour, arc sound in different frequency band had different performance at different penetration states and the prediction model established by 23 features in time domain and frequency domain got the best prediction effect to recognize different penetration states and welding quality through arc sound signal.

Originality/value

This paper tried to make a foundation work to achieve identifying penetration state and welding quality through the features of arc sound signal during robotic GTAW process. A total of 23 features in time domain and frequency domain were extracted at different penetration states. And energy at different frequency bands was proved to be an effective factor for identifying different penetration states. Finally, a prediction model built by 23 features was proved to have the best prediction effect of welding quality.
Optimal trajectory planning for industrial robots using harmony search algorithm
Authors: Chen Youdong , Yan Liang , Wei Hongxing , Wang Tianmiao
Published: August 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to present a technique for optimal trajectory planning of industrial robots that applies a new harmony search (HS) algorithm.

Design/methodology/approach

The new HS optimization algorithm adds one more operation to the original HS algorithm. The objective function to be minimized is the trajectory execution time subject to kinematical and mechanical constraints. The trajectory is built by quintic B‐spline curves and cubic B‐spline curves.

Findings

Simulation experiments have been undertaken using a 6‐DOF robot QH165. The results show that the proposed technique is valid and that the trajectory obtained using quintic B‐spline curves is smoother than the trajectory using cubic B‐spline curves.

Originality/value

The proposed new HS algorithm is more efficient than the sequential quadratic programming method (SQP) and the original HS method. The proposed technique is applicable to any industrial robot and yields smooth and time‐optimal trajectories.
A method for integrating ethics into the design of robots
Authors: van Wynsberghe Aimee
Published: August 2013

Purpose

With the rapid and pervasive introduction of robots into human environments, ethics scholars along with roboticists are asking how ethics can be applied to the discipline of robotics. The purpose of this paper is to provide a concrete example of incorporating ethics into the design process of a robot in healthcare.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach for including ethics in the design process of care robots used in this paper is called the Care‐Centered Value Sensitive Design (CCVSD) approach. The CCVSD approach presented here provides both an outline of the components demanding ethical attention as well as a step‐by‐step manner in which such considerations may proceed in a prospective manner throughout the design process of a robot. This begins from the moment of idea generation and continues throughout the design of various prototypes. In this paper, this approach's utility and prospective methodology are illustrated by proposing a novel care robot, the “wee‐bot”, for the collection and testing of urine samples in a hospital context.

Findings

The results of applying the CCVSD approach inspired the design of a novel robot for the testing of urine in pediatric oncology patients – the “wee‐bot” robot – and showed that it is possible to successfully incorporate ethics into the design of a care robot by exploring and prescribing design requirements. In other words, the use of the CCVSD approach allowed for the translation of ethical values into technical design requirements as was shown in this paper.

Practical implications

This paper provides a practical solution to the question of how to incorporate ethics into the design of robots and bridges the gap between the work of roboticists and robot ethicists so that they may work together in the design of a novel care robot.

Social implications

In providing a solution to the issue of how to address ethical issues in the design of robots, the aim is to mitigate issues of societal concern regarding the design, development and implementation of robots in healthcare.

Originality/value

This paper is the first and only presentation of a concrete prospective methodology for including ethics into the design of robots. While the example given here is tailored to the healthcare context, the approach can be adjusted to fit another context and/or robot design.
Environmental consciousness, its antecedents and behavioural outcomes
Authors: Sharma Kavita , Bansal Monika
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The paper attempts to investigate the term “environmental consciousness” and identify the underlying components of environmental consciousness and its antecedents. Also, to propose the framework explaining the linkage between environmental consciousness, its antecedents, components, and behavioral outcome, and also the variables, if any, that may intervene between environmental consciousness and environmentally conscious consumer behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews extant literature to bring conceptual clarity to the term environmental consciousness and its linkages with the related variables.

Findings

Environmental consciousness – a mental state variable – is found distinct from its antecedents and associated behaviors. It is a multi‐dimensional construct varying from low general level to high product‐specific level.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides understanding for the term environmental consciousness and its relation with other variables and thus leaves the wide scope for research in the future.

Practical implications

The extent to which green marketing efforts can gainfully be taken to the market and given a required scale depends upon environmental consciousness of the consumers. According to levels of environmental consciousness, green consumer segments are obtained and “greener” consumer segments can be targeted to induce pro‐environmental purchase behavior.

Social implications

The proposed model in the study would allow the green marketers to support the whole idea of environment protection through appropriate marketing strategies.

Originality/value

Based on extant review of literature, the paper proposes the term environmental consciousness as a mental state variable, which is distinct from its antecedents and behavioural outcomes.
Liquidity creation or de‐creation: evidence from US property and liability insurance industry
Authors: Paul Choi Byeongyong , Park Jin , Ho Chia‐Ling
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study is two‐fold. The first purpose is to properly measure the level of US property and liability (P/L) insurers liquidity creation, applying the liquidity creation measure developed by Berger and Bouwman. The second purpose is to identify factors affecting P/L insurers' liquidity creation using a regression. Particularly, this paper tests two competing hypotheses regarding the relationship between the level of capital and liquidity creation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper calculates liquidity creation for the US P/L insurers. First, the paper categorizes all items in assets, liabilities and surplus into liquid, semi‐liquid, or illiquid. This process is based on the ease, cost, and time for insurers to meet their contractual obligation to obtain liquid funds or to pay off their liability. The paper also constructs the regression model to test the impact of insurers' surplus level on liquidity creation while controlling for the firm‐specific variables. The paper examines this relationship for the time period between 1998 and 2007.

Findings

Contrary to the study of depository institutions, the paper reports that P/L insurers are liquidity destroyers than liquidity creators. This paper also provides that liquidity destruction varies over time and differs among insurers in different size. The total amount of liquidity destruction ranges from 47 to 58 percent of insurer total asset. In addition, the results of a regression show that insurer capital is negatively related to the level of liquidity creation. This provides implications that insurers with lower level of capital face more regulatory requirements and are forced to meet liquidity demand more.

Practical implications

The level of liquidity creation and the trend of liquidity creation of P/L insurers are of particular interest to regulators and consumers because the level of liquidity creation as shown during the financial crisis has a significant adverse impact on the financial intermediaries.

Originality/value

The paper do not aware of any study that attempts to measure liquidity creation by insurers and its relationship with both organizational and financial characteristics. The paper reports that P/L insurers are, unlike depository institutions, liquidity destroyers. Whether or not P/L insurers create/destroy liquidity is an interesting economic question to shed light on the roles of P/L insurers as a financial intermediary.
Assessing relationship quality and its key constructs from a rival models approach
Authors: Luís Vieira Armando
Published: August 2013

Purpose

Relationship quality (RQ) is nowadays seen as a main source of competitive advantage. This study aims at enhancing our understanding of RQ by testing and comparing three alternative business‐to‐business (B2B) RQ models from an interpersonal perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

A mail survey was employed and 1,126 firm representatives provided their perceptions of their relationships with their counterparts in hotels, yielding a 48.4 per cent response rate. Data was analysed through structural equations modelling with LISREL.

Findings

Findings clarified the way RQ key constructs connect, as well as the relative importance of their dimensions. Trust was the dominant dimension of RQ, which contributed to strengthen the pivotal role of trust as a RQ key construct. Problem‐ solving behaviour and selling orientation were the most important dimensions of customer orientation.

Research limitations/implications

Due to possible limitations inherent to the chosen research approach, longitudinal studies in different research settings that may improve the generalisability of the results are suggested for future investigations.

Practical implications

Results emphasised customer orientation as an additional, crucial building block of RQ, drawing the attention to the pivotal role of (designated) relationship managers, the “part‐time” marketers who act as the “face” of the organization, in maximising B2B RQ.

Originality/value

New and relevant insights are provided regarding the relative importance of the dimensions of each RQ key construct, which will help relationship managers to evolve from a selling to a counselling approach, thereby promoting commitment, trust, and mutuality of goals, towards the improvement of the quality of the relationships between business partners.