bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimization of machining parameters for abrasive water jet drilling of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite material using Taguchi method
Authors: Karatas Meltem Altin , Gokkaya Hasan , Nalbant Muammer
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to optimize the machining parameters to obtain the smallest average surface roughness values during drilling of the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite material with abrasive water jet (AWJ) and analyze the damage of the delamination.

Design/methodology/approach

CFRP composite material had been fabricated having fiber orientations frequently used in the aerospace industry (0°/45°/90°/−45°). Three different stand-off distances (1, 2 and 3 mm), three different water pressures (1,800, 2,800 and 3,800 bar) and three different hole diameters (4, 8 and 12 mm) were selected as processing parameters. The average surface roughness values were obtained, and delamination damage was then analyzed using Taguchi optimization. Drilling experiments were performed using the Taguchi L27 orthogonal array via Minitab 17 software. The signal/noise ratio was taken into account in the evaluation of the test results. Using the Taguchi method, the control factors giving the mean surface roughness values were determined. Analysis of variance was performed using the experimental results, and the effect levels of the control factors on the average surface roughness were found.

Findings

It was found that water pressure and hole diameter had a higher effect on average surface roughness, while water pressure and stand-off distance were effective on delamination.

Practical implications

Owing to their excellent thermal and mechanical properties, the CFRP composite materials show greater potential for their applications in aircraft and aerospace industry.

Originality/value

The novel approach is to reduce cost and spent time using Taguchi optimization as a result of AWJ drilling the material in this fiber orientation ([0°/45°/90°/−45°]s, which is often used in the aerospace industry).
Mobile (shopping) commerce intention in central Asia
Authors: Chung Kim Choy
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Although East Asia and South East Asia have seen growth in mobile commerce activities, the uptake of such activities in Central Asia has been relatively low. For insight, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of culture, innovation characteristics and concerns about order fulfillment on mobile commerce (shopping) intention in Central Asia.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 779 questionnaires were collected (via mall-intercept method) from cities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The data were then subjected to two-step structural equation modeling procedures (using SPSS AMOS V.25) for hypothesis testing.

Findings

This study revealed that innovation characteristics, system-based trust (trust in mobile technology), and concerns about order fulfillment affected mobile commerce intention in Central Asia. The strong uncertainty avoidance characteristics of societies in the region mean potential adoptee place great emphasis on trialability and security of mobile commerce. Uncertainty avoidance correlated strongly with concerns about order fulfillment, thereby significantly impacting mobile commerce intention. Power distance and collectivism correlated with observability as factors affecting mobile commerce intention. The innovation characteristics of compatibility, complexity and relative advantage directly impact mobile commerce intention in Central Asia.

Research limitations/implications

There are several limitations in this paper. First, the data in this study are limited to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. This might affect the generalization of this study’s findings across the whole Central Asia region. Second, the respondents in this study are exposed to mobile shopping for less than 30 min before been asked to complete the survey. This might affect respondent’s confidence in mobile commerce. Future study might involve the rest of Central Asia (Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan). Future study might also want to investigate the impact of Web assurance seal on mobile commerce intention in Central Asia.

Practical implications

Managerial/marketing implications and recommended strategies in this study would be useful for businesses (aspirant e-vendors) in Central Asia.

Originality/value

There is limited study about mobile commerce in Central Asia. Furthermore, extant literature on mobile commerce in the region lacked age varieties or lacked multi-national and logistical perspective. This is important given the wide geographical spread of the region. This study addressed these gaps by collecting data from all segments of society in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to test propositions regarding innovation characteristics, culture, and concerns about order fulfillment as factors impacting mobile commerce intention in Central Asia.
A gradient algorithm for the identification of interconnected discrete time varying systems
Authors: Ghoul Yamna
Published: October 2019

Purpose

An identification scheme to identify interconnected discrete-time (DT) varying systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The purpose of this paper is the identification of interconnected discrete time varying systems. The proposed technique permits the division of global system to many subsystems by building a vector observation of each subsystem and then using the gradient method to identify the time-varying parameters of each subsystem. The convergence of the presented algorithm is proven under a given condition.

Findings

The effectiveness of the proposed technique is then shown with application to a simulation example.

Originality/value

In the past decade, there has been a renewed interest in interconnected systems that are multidimensional and composed of similar subsystems, which interact with their closest neighbors. In this context, the concept of parametric identification of interconnected systems becomes relevant, as it considers the estimation problem of such systems. Therefore, the identification of interconnected systems is a challenging problem in which it is crucial to exploit the available knowledge about the interconnection structure. For time-varying systems, the identification problem is much more difficult. To cope with this issue, this paper addresses the identification of DT dynamical models, composed by the interconnection of time-varying systems.
Perceived organizational support: the interactive role of coworkers’ perceptions and employees’ voice
Authors: Stinglhamber Florence , Ohana Marc , Caesens Gaëtane , Meyer Maryline
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a focal employee’s perception of organizational support (POS) is shaped by the social context or, more specifically, by his/her coworkers’ POS. The authors further aim to identify the conditions under which coworkers’ POS may have more influence or, on the contrary, less or even no influence.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained from questionnaires distributed among a sample of 195 employees and among their supervisors.

Findings

Coworkers’ levels of POS are positively related to the focal employee’s POS with positive consequences in terms of job satisfaction and, finally, organizational citizenship behaviors. This influence of coworkers’ POS is strengthened when the focal employee experiences low voice in the workplace.

Research limitations/implications

Overall, this research contributes to organizational support theory by showing that POS may also develop based on a socially constructed process and not only on an individual-level psychological process.

Practical implications

Our findings have practical implications for HR policies employed by practitioners to socialize newcomers and to manage perceived support in a context of organizational change.

Originality/value

Building on a few recent studies suggesting that the social context may influence employees’ perceptions of organizational support, the present study is the first to show that the influence of the social context is more likely to occur under specific conditions, i.e. when employees experience low voice.
Investigating the relationship between managerialist employment relations and employee turnover intention
Authors: Oruh Emeka Smart , Mordi Chima , Ajonbadi Akeem , Mojeed-Sanni Bashir , Nwagbara Uzoechi , Rahman Mushfiqur
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between managerialist employment relations and employee turnover intention in Nigeria. The study context is public hospitals in Nigeria, which have a history of problematic human resource management (HRM) practice, a non-participatory workplace culture, managerialist employment relations and a high employee turnover intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a qualitative, interpretive approach, this paper investigates the process by which Nigerian employment relations practices trigger the employee turnover intention of doctors using 33 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in public hospitals.

Findings

This study found that Nigeria’s managerialist employment relations trigger the employee turnover intention of medical doctors. Additionally, it was found that although managerialist employment relations lead to turnover intention, Nigeria’s unique, non-participatory and authoritarian employment relations system exacerbates this situation, forcing doctors to consider leaving their employment.

Research limitations/implications

Studies on the interface between managerialism and employment relations are still under-researched and underdeveloped. This paper also throws more light on issues associated with managerialist employment relations and human resources practice including stress, burnout and dissatisfaction. Their relationship with doctors’ turnover intention has significant implications for employment policies, engagement processes and HRM in general. The possibility of generalising the findings of this study is constrained by the limited sample size and its qualitative orientation.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the dearth of studies emphasising employer–employee relationship quality as a predictor of employee turnover intention and a mediator between managerialist organisational system and turnover intention. The study further contributes to the discourse of employment relations and its concomitant turnover intention from developing countries’ perspective within the medical sector.
The impact of heterogeneous anisotropy of porous media on density-driven convection
Authors: Li Qian , Cai Weihua , Tang Xiaojing , Chen Yicheng , Li Bingxi , Chen Ching-Yao
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The aim of this study is to numerically simulate the density-driven convection in heterogeneous porous media associated with anisotropic permeability field, which is important to the safe and stable long term CO2 storage in laminar saline aquifers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses compact finite difference and the pseudospectral method to solve Darcy’s law.

Findings

The presence of heterogeneous anisotropy may result in non-monotonic trend of the breakthrough time and quantity of CO2 dissolved in the porous medium, which are important to the CO2 underground storage.

Originality/value

The manuscript numerically study the convective phenomena of mixture contained CO2 and brine. The phenomena are important to the process of CO2 enhanced oil recovery. Interesting qualitative patterns and quantitative trends are revealed in the manuscript.
Optimization of four models flatbread bakery machines in Iran
Authors: Sadripour Soroush , Estajloo Mohammad , Hashemi Seyed Abdolmehdi , Chamkha Ali J. , Abbaszadeh Mahmoud
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to reduce energy consumption in bakeries. Due to fulfill this demand, quite a few parameters such as energy and exergy efficiency, energy waste and fuel consumption by different traditional flatbreads bakeries (Sangak, Barbari, Taftun and Lavash should be monitored and their roles should not be neglected.

Design/methodology/approach

In the present study, experimental measurements and mathematical modeling are used to scrutinize and investigate the effects of the aforementioned parameters on energy consumption by bakeries.

Findings

The results show that by doing reported methods in this paper, the wasted energy of the walls can be decreased by about 65 per cent; and also, by controlling the combustion reaction to perform with 5 per cent excess air, the wasted energy of excess air declines by about 90 per cent. And finally, the energy and exergy efficiency of bakeries is increased, and as a result, the annual energy consumption of Sangak, Barbari, Taftun and Lavash bakeries diminish about 71, 59, 57 and 40 per cent, respectively.

Originality/value

As evidenced by the literature review, it can be observed that neither numerical studies nor experimental investigations have been conducted about energy and exergy analyses of Iranian machinery traditional flatbread bakeries. It is clear that due to a high preference of Iranians to use the traditional bread and also the popularity of baking this kind of bread in Iran, if it is possible to enhance the traditional oven conditions to decrease the loss of natural gas instead of industrializing the bread baking, the energy consumption in the country can be optimized.
Assessing building performance in residential buildings using BIM and sensor data
Authors: Rogage Kay , Clear Adrian , Alwan Zaid , Lawrence Tom , Kelly Graham
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Buildings and their use is a complex process from design to occupation. Buildings produce huge volumes of data such as building information modelling (BIM), sensor (e.g. from building management systems), occupant and building maintenance data. These data can be spread across multiple disconnected systems in numerous formats, making their combined analysis difficult. The purpose of this paper is to bring these sources of data together, to provide a more complete account of a building and, consequently, a more comprehensive basis for understanding and managing its performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Building data from a sample of newly constructed housing units were analysed, several properties were identified for the study and sensors deployed. A sensor agnostic platform for visualising real-time building performance data was developed.

Findings

Data sources from both sensor data and qualitative questionnaire were analysed and a matrix of elements affecting building performance in areas such as energy use, comfort use, integration with technology was presented. In addition, a prototype sensor visualisation platform was designed to connect in-use performance data to BIM.

Originality/value

This work presents initial findings from a post occupancy evaluation utilising sensor data. The work attempts to address the issues of BIM in-use scenarios for housing sector. A prototype was developed which can be fully developed and replicated to wider housing projects. The findings can better address how indoor thermal comfort parameters can be used to improve housing stock and even address elements such as machine learning for better buildings.
Push and pull factors influencing Mainland Chinese MEd students in Hong Kong
Authors: Cheung Alan , Guo Xin , Wang Xiaorui , Miao Zhuang
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors affecting Mainland Chinese students pursuing a Master of Education degree in Hong Kong on their study abroad decision and return intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study employed a mixed-methods approach to investigate factors that affect Mainland Chinese students pursuing MEd degrees in Hong Kong. Participants were first invited to fill out a questionnaire. After collecting and analyzing the survey data, in-depth interviews with a selected group of students were carried out by the research team to obtain useful qualitative data to triangulate the survey findings. A purposeful and convenience sampling method, carried out through the personal network of the research team, was used to recruit MEd Mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong to participate in the current study.

Findings

The findings provided compelling evidence that Hong Kong was an attractive study destination to this particular group of MEd Chinese students. The findings also indicated that academic factors were more important than social, cultural and economic factors when it came to choosing their study destination. In contrast to previous studies, participants expressed a much stronger desire to return home upon graduation. The three most influential predictors of their decision to return were the lack of a Hong Kong teaching certificate (r=+0.36), the opportunity to contribute to their hometown (r=+0.31) and the inclination to be closer to family and friends (r=+0.20).

Originality/value

While a number of studies have been carried out to study why Mainland Chinese students chose Hong Kong as their study destination to pursue their teacher training degree, none of these studies focused exclusively on fee-paying MEd Chinese students. Hong Kong is facing keen competition from both traditional host countries and emerging host countries to recruit students from Mainland China. It is therefore crucial to understand the needs of these Mainland Chinese students in a competitive, globalized, tertiary education market, as the satisfaction of students, in the form of positive discussion among alumni, promotes a university’s reputation and sustains its advantage in attracting students.
The creative chain of activities towards educational management transformation
Authors: Lemos Monica , Liberali Fernanda
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore a formative intervention project that was developed for the Municipal Secretariat of Education in São Paulo, Brazil for the broad development of all levels of educational management (teacher educators, coordinators, principals, teachers and students). Thus, the creative chain of activities is a key theoretical framework for promoting critical collaboration in order to cross the boundaries of educational management organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use data from the Management in Creative Chains Project (Liberali, 2012), as a way to enable the wide development of all levels of educational management. Data comprise formative meetings in which different educational managers system take part in two settings, the regional board with 25 schools and one of the participating schools. The analysis is based on thematic content and argumentative organization, and on critical situations and the potentials they entailed.

Findings

The study guides to the conclusions of the process of creative chain as a possibility to expand management in the educational system and its community.

Research limitations/implications

Every time there is a change in the mayors, there are changes in the way of addressing school management in the city. However, after the project, considerations about the needs of the communities became part of the public policy regardless of who is in charge of the city and its educational system.

Practical implications

This study can be used for transformation in the management and teaching and learning activities and improvement of the school-community relation.

Social implications

Socially this study can lead to improvement in the quality of life in the community and at school.

Originality/value

Differently from a top down educational management, which enables a reproductive chain, educational management in a creative chain, considering the community needs, enables subjects to become interdependent to expand and transform the activities in the educational system and hence the communities’ reality.
School leadership, teacher’s psychological empowerment and work-related outcomes
Authors: Kõiv Kersti , Liik Kadi , Heidmets Mati
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of teacher’s psychological empowerment between school leadership style and teachers’ work-related outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 711 teachers from 31 Estonian schools were surveyed with a questionnaire measuring four dimensions of psychological empowerment (competence, meaning, self-determination and impact), school leadership characteristics (leadership style, leader’s empowering behavior and trust in leader) and teacher’s work-related outcomes (job satisfaction and workplace attachment). AMOS path analysis was used to investigate the direct and indirect relations between the teachers’ perceptions of school leadership, their psychological empowerment and their workplace attachment and job satisfaction.

Findings

This study found that psychological empowerment (subscales meaning and impact) mediates the relationship between perceived leadership empowerment behavior and teachers’ work-related outcomes. Also, the psychological empowerment (meaning and impact) mediates the relationship between perceived leadership style and teachers’ work-related outcomes. Trust in the principal has direct and indirect effect (through psychological empowerment) on job satisfaction, whereas there only seems to be indirect effect on workplace attachment through two components of psychological empowerment.

Practical implications

The mediating role of psychological empowerment includes an important message for school principals – in order to empower employees it is not sufficient to merely delegate formal power and decision-making rights. To facilitate the development of psychological empowerment, it is important to provide employees with an opportunity to experience agency, to experience that their voice and opinions are taken into account (perceived impact) and the purpose and targets of the whole organization are discussed with the employees and formulated in collaboration with them (perceived meaning).

Originality/value

Psychological empowerment as a mediating variable has not been widely researched, especially in school environment. The results will provide important signals for school principals, where and how to find leverage to improve teachers’ job satisfaction and workplace attachment.
Performance of Islamic banks
Authors: Musleh Alsartawi Abdalmuttaleb
Published: October 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the composition of Sharīʿah supervisory boards (independence and frequency of meetings) and the performance of Islamic banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The study developed a multiple linear regression model, and data were collected from the annual reports of 48 standalone Islamic banks listed in the GCC countries covering the period between 2013 and 2017.

Findings

The results showed a statistically significant and negative relationship between the composition of the Sharīʿah supervisory boards and the performance of Islamic banks.

Research limitations/implications

As the current study used only one indicator, that is Return on Assets to measure performance, it is recommended to expand the framework of this study, through the addition of market-based performance indicators such as Tobin’s Q.

Practical implications

This study recommends the GCC countries to follow a more proactive Sharīʿah governance model to strengthen their frameworks from both regulatory and non-regulatory aspects.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the Sharīʿah governance and Islamic banking literature relating to the GCC countries as previous studies gave no attention to the composition of Sharīʿah supervisory boards.
Development of sustainable value stream mapping (SVSM) for unit part manufacturing
Authors: Mishra Aatish Kumar , Sharma Ayush , Sachdeo Moraldeepsingh , K. Jayakrishna
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the current state of a bonnet-manufacturing industry and to optimize the process by designing a future state map using simulation approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study approach has been proposed to highlight the applicability of value stream mapping (VSM) in an Indian bonnet manufacturing organization. The methodology used relies on formulation of VSM being the main tool used to identify the opportunities for classifying and eliminating bottlenecks with the help of various lean techniques. A contrast of present and past scenarios is highlighted to underscore the importance of using VSM with ARENA simulation.

Findings

Application of the proposed simulation approach has helped the organization reduce the cycle time significantly by 30 per cent over the entire production time. The average number of work-in-progress pieces has also decreased by about ten. In addition, enhancements have been seen with respect to ecological parameters, e.g. carbon footprint has been reduced to 83.7 percent across the process.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed approach of using a simulation-based VSM helps in reducing the time involved in traditional VSM method. This approach is also easy to implement at any organizational level.

Practical implications

It is believed that this paper will aid not just industrialists but also academic professionals to appreciate the role of simulation using ARENA in helping them understand how to attack the various problems faced by industries. The results of the study indicate that by applying this methodology, there will be a reduction not only in cost but also in environmental impacts.

Originality/value

The paper incorporates a real case study, which shows application of VSM for implementing lean principles in a bonnet-manufacturing industry. Break-even analysis presented fills the gap which previous literatures have been missing.
Are traineeships stepping-stones for youth working careers in Italy?
Authors: Cappellini Elena , Maitino Marialuisa , Patacchini Valentina , Sciclone Nicola
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an evaluation of traineeships as an active labour policy for young people in Italy. The role of traineeships as a formative experience for improving youth employment is stated by law and the specific evaluation of the regional Quality Traineeships Programme allowed for a more in-depth analysis of the role quality criteria plays in traineeship implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

Such evaluation relies on administrative data, while a counterfactual approach was used to compare trainees to unemployed young people registered with Public Employment Services. The impact of traineeships on youth careers was measured in terms of employment probability, but innovatively, the actual placement was measured in terms of both hiring and along a “quality” metric with respect to entry in the labour market. It is reasonable to assume that young people are interested in traineeships as an investment towards a more satisfying career (not just as a gateway to recruitment). At last, the authors introduce a persistency analysis of the effects on youth employment rates.

Findings

The results show that traineeships hinder rapid transition to work, but they are effective stepping-stones for young people seeking a quality career. A benefit of 7 percentage points was estimated on the probability of finding a quality job after completing the traineeship and a long-lasting effect on trainees’ employment rate is demonstrated by the persistency analysis. These benefits are strengthened for participants in the Quality Traineeships Programme, confirming the relevance of desirable learning and contractual conditions in supporting the effectiveness of internships in Italy.

Originality/value

As far as the authors know, this paper is the first study that specifically refers to traineeships as an active policy in Italy and the questions resulting from the research suggest new trends in the debate over the role of policies for supporting youth employment. The administrative archives used in the analysis and the persistence effects on youth employment rates are further innovations to the empirical literature on the effectiveness of Italy’s training programmes.
Fatigue assessment based on hot-spot stresses obtained from the global dynamic analysis and local static sub-model
Authors: Viana Cristiane Oliveira , Carvalho Hermes , Correia José , Montenegro Pedro Aires , Heleno Raphael Pedrosa , Alencar Guilherme Santana , Jesus Abilio M.P. de , Calçada Rui
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the fatigue process through the dynamic analysis of the global structural model and local static sub-modelling in a critical detail using the hot-spot stress approach. The detail was studied in three different positions at the “Alcácer do Sal” access viaduct, and the methodologies from the IIW and Eurocode EN 1993-1-9 were compared.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the fatigue life process based on the hot-spot stress approach was evaluated using a global dynamic analysis and a local sub-modelling based on a static analysis of welded connections in the “Alcácer do Sal” railway structure, Portugal, taking into consideration the recommendations from IIW and Eurocode EN 1993-1-9. The hot-spot stresses were calculated through the static analysis of the sub-model of the welded connection for each vibration mode with the aim to obtain the temporal stresses using the modal coordinates and modal stresses of the extrapolation points. The Ansys® and Matlab® softwares were used for the numerical analysis and the hot-spot stress calculations, respectively.

Findings

The proposed methodology/approach to obtain fatigue assessment is based on the modal analysis of the global structural model and local static sub-modelling. The modal analysis was used to extract the boundary conditions to be used in the local model to determine the temporal stresses of the extrapolation points. Based on the modal superposition method, the stresses as function of time were obtained for fatigue life evaluation of a critical detail by the hot-spot stress approach. The detail was studied in three different positions.

Originality/value

In the present study, a global-local fatigue methodology based on dynamic analysis of the global structural model and local static sub-modelling of the critical detail using the hot-spot stress approach is proposed. Herein, the modal analysis of the global structural model supported by the modal superposition method was used to obtain the matrix of modal coordinates. The static analysis of the local sub-model for each mode from the modal analysis of global structural model was done to estimate the hot-spot stresses. The fatigue damage calculation was based on S-N curve of the critical detail and rainflow method. The IIW recommendation proved to be more conservative compared to the proposed rules in the Eurocode EN 1993-1-9. The global-local modelling based on dynamic analysis is an important and effective tool for fatigue evaluation in welded joints.
Root iterative method for static performance analysis of aerostatic thrust bearings with multiple pocketed orifice-type restrictors based on ANSYS
Authors: Wu Yangong , Qiao Zheng , Xue Jiadai , Liu Yutao , Wang Bo
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel numerical approach to analyze the static performance of aerostatic thrust bearings by adopting a general finite element method calculation program.

Design/methodology/approach

The characteristics of a gas film are described by the Reynolds equation and the pressure distribution is solved using the finite element method. A root iterative method is proposed to meet the requirement of the mass-conservation law because multiple pocketed orifice-type restrictors are treated as a series of special boundary conditions.

Findings

The static performance of a rotary table using aerostatic thrust bearings, including load carrying capacity and stiffness, can be predicted by the method; moreover, it can be further confirmed through experiments on the designed rotary table.

Originality/value

The method combining the finite element and root iterative methods is highly accurate and has a low time-cost for analyzing aerostatic thrust bearings with multiple pocketed orifice-type restrictors.
The role of Guanxi on international business-to-business relationships: a systematic review and future directions
Authors: Dobrucalı Birce
Published: October 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the extant empirical body of knowledge regarding the impact of Guanxi on international Business-to-Business (B-to-B) relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

After the collection and refinement of studies that appeared in marketing, business and management literature during 1995-2018 period, a systematic review was conducted to discover the current situation and future research directions on the subject.

Findings

Theoretically, vast majority of the reviewed studies lacked a theoretical foundation, with the remainder anchored primarily on the resource-based view, social network theory and social exchange theory. Methodologically, Ganqing, Xinren and Mianzi are the most frequently investigated dimensions, whereas Renqing is the least investigated dimension. Data are mostly obtained from both Chinese and Western counterparts through survey and analyzed through univariate and multivariate data analysis techniques. Empirically, extant research focused on many diverse outcomes including trust, financial performance, cooperation, satisfaction, time orientation, opportunism and liability of foreignness, while under-examining the drives of Guanxi.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides a synthesis of extant line of research on the subject that are published in peer-reviewed international journals, which publish research in English. A meta-analysis may be conducted for providing a further detailed framework.

Originality/value

This study contributes to international marketing literature by providing an in-depth and synthesized inventory of knowledge to scholars; deriving a comprehensive analysis of theoretical foundations, methodological approaches and findings addressed by scholars in the field; noticing theoretical, methodological and empirical gaps to be examined; and providing future research directions.
Customer orientation and success in introduction of new products: an empirical study in an emerging economy
Authors: Jiang Wanxing , Li Ji , Yan Haifeng , Li Hao , Chen Mengyuan
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether, when and how customer orientation may contribute to success in introduction of new products (SINP).

Design/methodology/approach

With a multi-phase and multi-source data collection approach, this study tested the proposed theoretical model by applying multiple regression with SPSS Process Macro.

Findings

Customer orientation positively influences cross-functional integration (CFI), which in turn facilitates SINP; a firm’s new product introduction (NPI) strategy moderates customer orientation–CFI link.

Originality/value

This study empirically tests whether, why and when customer orientation may contribute to SINP. By suggesting the important role of customer orientation in improving SINP, the mediating effect of CFI and the moderating effect of NPI strategy, the current study should enrich the extant literature on customer orientation, CFI and NPI.
The effect of the social network of the top management team on innovation in cultural and creative industries
Authors: Jiao Hao , Wang Yupei , Liu Minjia
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore how the influence of the social network of the members of top management teams affects the firms’ innovation performance through organizational learning in cultural and creative industries in China.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on cultural and creative industries, this paper focuses on how the social network of members of top management teams affects innovation through organizational learning. Using upper Echelon theory and social capital theory, the paper puts forward the relationship between the top management team’s social network, organizational learning and innovation performance.

Findings

Drawing on the paradigm of organizational strategy duality (input-process-output), this paper constructs the conceptual model of “relational network – organizational learning − innovative performance” and attempts to reveal the relationship between the network, represented by the senior management network and organizational learning, and the mechanism behind their role in innovation performance. Finally, future research prospects are explored.

Research limitations/implications

Based on the analysis of the internal mechanism between the top management team network, organizational learning and innovation performance, the influence mechanism framework for the cultural and creative industries’ executive team social network on enterprise innovation is finally obtained, which provides theoretical guidance and a practical operation path for enterprise management innovation.

Originality/value

This research makes a theoretical contribution to the duality of organizational strategy and provides a practical operation path for enterprises to build a social network, and thereby promote innovation capabilities.
An examination of different perspectives on philanthropic corporate social responsibility
Authors: Chung Angie , Kinsey Dennis F.
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify different perspectives on philanthropic corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by using the mixed-method approach and Q methodology. In addition, this study examines why people consider the revealed perspectives to be important factors.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the authors used a structured sampling of 30 CSR-related statements (a Q sample) and had participants rank-order the statements from “most important” (+4) to “most unimportant” (−4).

Findings

The results, from the factor analysis and correlation using the Q method software program PQMETHOD, revealed two distinctive perspectives. The first group emphasized the importance of supporting environmental-related activities. The second group ranked supporting arts-related activities as the most important factor of philanthropic CSR activities.

Research limitations/implications

The goal of Q methodology is not the generalizability of the results but to identify the different views that exist regarding a topic, even minority ones. The findings are discussed in terms of practical implications for how this framework can be used to understand the subjective papers of different types of stakeholders.

Originality/value

This study identifies the different perspectives that exist regarding philanthropic CSR activities by using Q methodology, which is a good alternative to other research methods that provides a unique way of uncovering subjectivity from the participants’ point of view.
Creating consumer-based brand equity for customers by brand experience
Authors: Feiz Davood , Moradi Hadi
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of brand experience on brand equity dimensions in the perspective of customers (including brand identification, physical quality, staff behavior quality, brand awareness, ideal self-congruence and life style-congruence) on brand satisfaction and loyalty in Iranian banking industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The author designed the conceptual model of the research based on the existing relationships between the research variables and the proposed hypotheses. By a questionnaire, the opinion of 288 customers and clients of selected branches of Melli and Tejarat banks were collected in two Provinces, including East and West Azerbaijan Provinces. The research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results of the paper showed that the brand experience directly affected all dimensions of brand equity. Also, the results indicated that except for lifestyle congruence, other dimensions of equity directly affected the customers' brand satisfaction.

Originality/value

This paper is significant, because it addresses the experience relationships and brand equity with the perspective of the customers of banks in an Islamic country, which affects the development of branding literature.
Employee involvement, financial participation and firm performance
Authors: Jones Derek C. , Mygind Niels , Sen Patrick
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether performance is enhanced if firms use employee involvement (EI) in decision-making and financial participation (FP) in an emerging market economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use representative data for Estonian firms. The authors estimate diverse forms of production functions. Some are restricted to individual forms of EI (including membership on boards by nonmanagerial employees) or individual forms of FP (such as employee ownership and profit sharing). To investigate the complementarity hypothesis findings, the authors construct systems of EI and FP and estimate diverse specifications.

Findings

For individual forms of EI, cross-sectional estimates indicate that alone, typically such mechanisms have little impact. However, panel estimates do provide support for some forms of FP such as employee ownership and profit sharing increasing business performance. Tests of the complementarity hypothesis provide only weak evidence in support of the synergies between EI and FP.

Research limitations/implications

Together with the results from related studies, the findings support the more general finding that FP practices have positive effects on productivity; the limited impact of EI alone and weak evidence for complementarities suggest an important role for the institutional context in accounting for the effectiveness of the mechanisms underlying EI and thus to the differences in the impact of EI and FP across institutional contexts; reinforce findings from other studies of emerging market economies of inertia in EI and FP practices during early transition.

Originality/value

This is the first study for a former transition economy/emerging market economy that uses detailed information on EI and FP to investigate individual and complementary effects.
Maintenance management of load haul dumper using reliability analysis
Authors: Jakkula Balaraju , M. Govinda Raj , Ch.S.N. Murthy
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Load haul dumper (LHD) is one of the main ore transporting machineries used in underground mining industry. Reliability of LHD is very significant to achieve the expected targets of production. The performance of the equipment should be maintained at its highest level to fulfill the targets. This can be accomplished only by reducing the sudden breakdowns of component/subsystems in a complex system. The identification of defective component/subsystems can be possible by performing the downtime analysis. Hence, it is very important to develop the proper maintenance strategies for replacement or repair actions of the defective ones. Suitable maintenance management actions improve the performance of the equipment. This paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Reliability analysis (renewal approach) has been used to analyze the performance of LHD machine. Allocations of best-fit distribution of data sets were made by the utilization of Kolmogorov–Smirnov (K–S) test. Parametric estimation of theoretical probability distributions was made by utilizing the maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) method.

Findings

Independent and identical distribution (IID) assumption of data sets was validated through trend and serial correlation tests. On the basis of test results, the data sets are in accordance with IID assumption. Therefore, renewal process approach has been utilized for further investigation. Allocations of best-fit distribution of data sets were made by the utilization of Kolmogorov–Smirnov (K–S) test. Parametric estimation of theoretical probability distributions was made by utilizing the MLE method. Reliability of each individual subsystem has been computed according to the best-fit distribution. In respect of obtained reliability results, the reliability-based preventive maintenance (PM) time schedules were calculated for the expected 90 percent reliability level.

Research limitations/implications

As the reliability analysis is one of the complex techniques, it requires strategic decision making knowledge for the selection of methodology to be used. As the present case study was from a public sector company, operating under financial constraints the conclusions/findings may not be universally applicable.

Originality/value

The present study throws light on this equipment that need a tailored maintenance schedule, partly due to the peculiar mining conditions, under which they operate. This study mainly focuses on estimating the performance of four numbers of well-mechanized LHD systems with reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) modeling. Based on the drawn results, reasons for performance drop of each machine were identified. Suitable recommendations were suggested for the enhancement of performance of capital intensive production equipment. As the maintenance management is only the means for performance improvement of the machinery, PM time intervals were estimated with respect to the expected rate of reliability level.
Consumer well-being research: integrating social marketing and service research
Authors: Johns Raechel
Published: October 2019

Purpose

While social marketing (SM) literature has increasingly incorporated service literature into the field, social marketers have paid limited attention to transformative service research (TSR). Similarly, transformative service researchers have neglected to incorporate the more traditional body of literature – SM – into their research. This paper aims to provide an extensive literature review and comparison of the bodies of literature, cautioning researchers to consider both fields of research or risk their work not being as relevant as research incorporating both literature bodies. Social value co-creation is considered as a middle-ground between the two bodies of literature.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper expands on the conceptual discussion of TSR and the more advanced empirical academic literature on SM. Framed within a context of anti-smoking, this paper explores the differences between SM and TSR, within the service ecosystem.

Findings

This paper highlights three key differences between SM and TSR. Firstly, SM focuses on changes only within a not-for-profit context, while TSR focuses on changes which may be related to both not-for-profit and for-profit objectives. Secondly, SM broadly appears to take a behavioural change from implementation perspective, with an upstream approach; while in contrast, TSR focuses more on interaction for consumer and employee well-being. Finally, when considering the service ecosystem, SM and TSR both operate at all three levels (micro, meso and macro) but may focus on different levels, depending on the initiative.

Originality/value

With the emergence of TSR, further understanding of this body of literature is necessary; otherwise, social marketers may risk their research losing ground to other bodies of literature.