bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of nonlinear substrate elasticity in the wrinkling of thin films
Authors: Hutchinson John W.
Published: May 2013

The role of substrate nonlinearity in the stability of wrinkling of thin films bonded to compliant substrates is investigated within the initial post-bifurcation range when wrinkling first emerges. A fully nonlinear neo-Hookean bilayer composed of a thin film on a deep substrate is analysed for a wide range of the film–substrate stiffness ratio, from films that are very stiff compared with the substrate to those only slightly stiffer. Substrate pre-stretch prior to film attachment is shown to have a significant effect on the nonlinearity relevant to wrinkling. Two dimensionless parameters are identified that control the stability and mode shape evolution of the bilayer: one specifying arbitrary uniform substrate pre-stretch and the other a stretch-modified modulus ratio. For systems with film stiffness greater than about five times that of the substrate the wrinkling bifurcation is stable, whereas for systems with smaller relative film stiffness bifurcation can be unstable, especially if substrate pre-stretch is not tensile.
The dynamical integrity concept for interpreting/ predicting experimental behaviour: from macro- to nano-mechanics
Authors: Lenci Stefano , Rega Giuseppe , Ruzziconi Laura
Published: May 2013

The dynamical integrity, a new concept proposed by J.M.T. Thompson, and developed by the authors, is used to interpret experimental results. After reviewing the main issues involved in this analysis, including the proposal of a new integrity measure able to capture in an easy way the safe part of basins, attention is dedicated to two experiments, a rotating pendulum and a micro-electro-mechanical system, where the theoretical predictions are not fulfilled. These mechanical systems, the former at the macro-scale and the latter at the micro-scale, permit a comparative analysis of different mechanical and dynamical behaviours. The fact that in both cases the dynamical integrity permits one to justify the difference between experimental and theoretical results, which is the main achievement of this paper, shows the effectiveness of this new approach and suggests its use in practical situations.

The men of experiment are like the ant, they only collect and use; the reasoners resemble spiders, who make cobwebs out of their own substance. But the bee takes the middle course: it gathers its material from the flowers of the garden and field, but transforms and digests it by a power of its own. Not unlike this is the true business of philosophy (science); for it neither relies solely or chiefly on the powers of the mind, nor does it take the matter which it gathers from natural history and mechanical experiments and lay up in the memory whole, as it finds it, but lays it up in the understanding altered and digested. Therefore, from a closer and purer league between these two faculties, the experimental and the rational (such as has never been made), much may be hoped.

(Francis Bacon 1561–1626)

But are we sure of our observational facts? Scientific men are rather fond of saying pontifically that one ought to be quite sure of one's observational facts before embarking on theory. Fortunately those who give this advice do not practice what they preach. Observation and theory get on best when they are mixed together, both helping one another in the pursuit of truth. It is a good rule not to put overmuch confidence in a theory until it has been confirmed by observation. I hope I shall not shock the experimental physicists too much if I add that it is also a good rule not to put overmuch confidence in the observational results that are put forward
until they have been confirmed by theory
.

(Arthur Stanley Eddington 1882–1944)
On the nucleation and growth of kink and shear bands
Authors: Hunt G. W. , Dodwell T. J. , Hammond J.
Published: May 2013

Similarities and differences between the phenomena of kink banding in compressed layered structures and shear banding in compressed granular media are explored. Simple models are introduced for both, and the focus is directed onto how they can nucleate from the perfectly flat state. A convincing scenario is found for each in which a mode develops from an initial bifurcation into a periodic state, followed by rapid localization under falling load, while retaining decaying but wavy tails. At a certain lower critical load, the tails lose their waviness, and the expected form of the kink or shear band appears. In each case, good numerical evidence is provided for the existence of this form of behaviour. A second potential instability for the layered case is also explored, linked to the appearance of a critical force dipole that overcomes bending stiffness locally at some point along the length. This mode, which should appear with non-wavy decaying tails at the lower of the two critical loads mentioned earlier, proves somewhat elusive. Evidence is found for its existence in the linearized approximation to the layered model, but the search for numerical solutions to the underlying nonlinear equation is hindered by a shortage of suitable boundary conditions.
The mechanically based non-local elasticity: an overview of main results and future challenges
Authors: Di Paola Mario , Failla Giuseppe , Pirrotta Antonina , Sofi Alba , Zingales Massimiliano
Published: May 2013

The mechanically based non-local elasticity has been used, recently, in wider and wider engineering applications involving small-size devices and/or materials with marked microstructures. The key feature of the model involves the presence of non-local effects as additional body forces acting on material masses and depending on their relative displacements. An overview of the main results of the theory is reported in this paper.
The impacting cantilever: modal non-convergence and the importance of stiffness matching
Authors: Melcher John , Champneys Alan R. , Wagg David J.
Published: May 2013

The problem of an Euler–Bernoulli cantilever beam whose free end impacts with a point constraint is revisited from the point of view of modal analysis. It is shown that there is non-uniqueness of consistent impact laws for a given modal truncation. Moreover, taking an
N
-mode compliant, bilinear formulation and passing to the rigid limit leads to a sequence of impact models that does not converge as

. The dynamics of such truncated models are studied numerically and found to give rise to quite different dynamics depending on the number of degrees of freedom taken. The simulations are compared with results from simple experiments that show a propensity for multiple-tap dynamics, in which higher-order modes lead to rapidly cycling intermittent contact. The conclusion reached is that, to derive an accurate model, one needs to avoid the impact limit altogether, and take sufficiently many modes in the formulation to match the actual stiffness of the constraining stop. mechanical engineering, applied mathematics
Estimation of the physical properties of nanocomposites by finite-element discretization and Monte Carlo simulation
Authors: Spanos P. , Elsbernd P. , Ward B. , Koenck T.
Published: May 2013

This paper reviews and enhances numerical models for determining thermal, elastic and electrical properties of carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer composites. For the determination of the effective stress–strain curve and thermal conductivity of the composite material, finite-element analysis (FEA), in conjunction with the embedded fibre method (EFM), is used. Variable nanotube geometry, alignment and waviness are taken into account. First, a random morphology of a user-defined volume fraction of nanotubes is generated, and their properties are incorporated into the polymer matrix using the EFM. Next, incremental and iterative FEA approaches are used for the determination of the nonlinear properties of the nanocomposite. For the determination of the electrical properties, a spanning network identification algorithm is used. First, a realistic nanotube morphology is generated from input parameters defined by the user. The spanning network algorithm then determines the connectivity between nanotubes in a representative volume element. Then, interconnected nanotube networks are converted to equivalent resistor circuits. Finally, Kirchhoff's current law is used in conjunction with FEA to solve for the voltages and currents in the system and thus calculate the effective electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite. The model accounts for electrical transport mechanisms such as electron hopping and simultaneously calculates percolation probability, identifies the backbone and determines the effective conductivity. Monte Carlo analysis of 500 random microstructures is performed to capture the stochastic nature of the fibre generation and to derive statistically reliable results. The models are validated by comparison with various experimental datasets reported in the recent literature.
The decision in Jones v Ruth and its impact on the construction industry
Authors: Donohoe Steve
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to look at the recent UK Court of Appeal decision in Jones v Ruth and explores whether building works are capable of being construed as harassment by the Courts.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper looks at the concept of harassment as used in the Prevention of Harassment Act 1997 and how this applies in the context of building operations. It adopts a black letter or doctrinal approach to the study.

Findings

Whilst it is confirmed that a certain amount of inconvenience due to building operations is not actionable in English law, the Court of Appeal in this case has confirmed that in cases where harassment is proven, then substantial damages may be imposed on the offending party. This has implications not only for building contractors but for construction professionals such as architects or building surveyors who are involved in supervising contractors.

Research limitations/implications

This research takes the subject of construction law into uncharted territory. Previously it was thought by many observers that the Prevention of Harassment Act was confined to cases involving employment law and/or sexual or racial discrimination. Jones v Ruth shatters this previous thinking in this area and confirms that “harassment” cases can be applied in building projects. It is arguable that were Jones v Ruth merely a High Court decision, then only a limited weight might be given to the verdict. However, Jones v Ruth now is a Court of Appeal decision which gives an authoritative voice to the verdict by some of the most powerful judges in the land.

Practical implications

The practical implication is that building surveyors supervising building works need to be aware of the law to avoid being sued for harassment.

Social implications

It might have been taken for granted that all building works involve noise, dust, vibration, etc. Jones v Ruth confirms that in extreme circumstances it is possible to recover large damages for harassment and that all persons involved in the construction process ought to take note.

Originality/value

There is an expanding body of law dealing with compensation for inconvenience and disturbance, however there is a paucity of literature dealing with the implications of this for building surveyors and construction professionals. This paper explores claims for harassment through the lens of a major Court of Appeal decision in a succinct and practical way to allow academics and practitioners an insight into this expanding area of construction law.
On the misuse and misinterpretation of dimensions of national culture
Authors: de Mooij Marieke
Published: May 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to respond to the article by Brewer and Venaik (IMR

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on experience in the study of consumer behavior, a critical analysis of applications of dimensional models of national culture in the existing marketing literature is presented.

Findings

– Differences between models are caused by confusing value types, design and type of questions used.

Practical implications

– Researchers tend to select one of several models for analyzing cross-cultural variables in consumer behavior, marketing and advertising without understanding the basic differences between the models. Ignorance of the fundamental and conceptual differences may cause the formulating of wrong hypotheses.

Originality/value

– Next to highlighting the misuse of dimensions to individuals, this paper focuses on the origin of the differences between the models from a marketing point of view.
VaR and time‐varying volatility: a comparative study of three international portfolios
Authors: Obi Pat , Sil Shomir
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the market risk exposure of three international equity portfolios using value‐at‐risk (VaR). This risk metric calculates the worst case loss for a business in the course of its daily transactions. To ensure that the calculated VaR reflects emerging risk characteristics, this paper introduces an approach that incorporates time‐varying volatility.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the GARCH technique to calculate the volatility metric with which VaR estimates are obtained. The out‐of‐sample performance of the VaRs is then assessed by comparing them to the actual market risk losses in that period.

Findings

Empirical results show that regardless of market conditions, the VaR calculated with this (GARCH) approach is more robust and more reliable than the traditional methods. Pursuant to the banking regulation on market risk capital stipulated by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the out‐of‐sample VaRs are at least equal to actual daily market risk losses at the 99 percent confidence level.

Practical implications

The key goal of banking regulation is to ensure that financial firms have sufficient capital for the types of risks they take. Determining the right amount of capital requires these firms to first estimate their worst case loss, which is the value‐at‐risk. The approach to the calculation of VaR introduced in this paper enhances the accuracy in the measurement of market risk capital for financial institutions.

Originality/value

This paper recognizes that for VaR to fully account for market risk losses, the risk metric must be correctly measured. The unparalleled approach in this paper of incorporating time‐varying volatility in VaR calculations offers banking institutions a more reliable means of determining their capital adequacy.
The impact of the global financial crisis on firm‐level risk of the S&P 500
Authors: Loviscek Anthony , Riley Elven
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the impact of the global financial crisis of 2007‐09 on the risk structure of S&P 500 firms by examining their market, active, and residual risks before and during the crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

The classic one‐factor model is estimated for each firm in the S&P 500 to decompose risk into market, active, and residual components. Five sets of regression estimates based on monthly return data are used: 2002‐06, 2003‐07, 2004‐08, 2005‐09, and 2006‐10. The estimates provide insight into the risk structure of S&P 500 firms before and during the crisis.

Findings

The average correlation coefficient between S&P 500 firms rose during the crisis from 0.20 to 0.35, an increase of 75 percent. Although the results indicate that active and residual risks are significant across the firms and across the periods, the impact of the financial crisis was mostly on market risk. The increase in risks was pronounced for financial firms, especially insurance companies, and industrial firms, especially “hard” manufacturing.

Research limitations/implications

Because the study focuses on the global financial crisis of 2007‐09, researchers should be careful about generalizing the results to the post‐crisis period.

Practical implications

Investors should be aware that equity portfolio risk reduction during major crises can be hard to achieve because the average correlation coefficient between stock returns may rise significantly, crimping the efficacy of diversification.

Originality/value

It was very difficult for equity investors to shield themselves from the risk associated with the global financial crisis of 2007‐09.
Relationship between the preference styles of music and fashion and the similarity of their sensibility
Authors: Na Youngjoo , Agnhage Tove
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The recent influence of the mass media communication emphasized the visionary image of the music and eventually the close relationship between the music and fashion industries was formed. Consumers who share a similar taste in music could relate to each other more actively, and as a result, they began to develop similar aesthetic views and emotions. From this matter, the aim of this research is to conduct a survey that would go over a variety of music and fashion preferences of the consumers in order to analyze the relationship between the two. The main objective was to investigate how strongly the preference styles of music and fashion match each other and find similarity of their sensibility.

Design/methodology/approach

The participants were directed to choose their preference styles of music and fashion, grade their interest in music and fashion and evaluate their sensibilities by grading their feelings about ten polar paired adjectives.

Findings

There indeed is a close relationship between music and fashion. People who are more interested in music and fashion tend to have a stronger correlation between their preferences.

Practical implications

Through the analysis of variance it was found that the sensibility associated with different music and fashion styles are not the same. Furthermore, the authors could group the sensibility words into three common factors. Here it was found that music requires more diverse expressional adjectives as representatives compared to fashion.

Originality/value

The close relationship between preference styles of the two artistic elements and the similarity or their sensibility could be visualized through the distance of each style and adjectives in a correspondence map.
The effect of physical‐mechanical properties on dynamic pressure of compression garment
Authors: Wang Yongrong , Zhang Peihua
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This study aims to clarify the key factors among physical‐mechanical properties of fabrics in relation to the dynamic pressure performance of compression garment.

Design/methodology/approach

The physical‐mechanical properties of 16 different fabrics were measured using a KESF standard evaluation system and INSTRON tensile tester, and the garment pressure was measured by dynamic pressure measuring system. Grey correlation analysis is used to determine the correlation degree of fabric physical‐mechanical properties and dynamic pressure magnitude.

Findings

The mechanical behaviors (e.g. tensile, shearing, and bending) and physical characteristics are different in elastic fabrics with varied content of elastic fiber, kinds of yarn, et al. Grey correlation analysis is a valid method to analyze the indices of a system, quantize them and put them in order. All the degrees of Grey correlation are more than 0.6. The degree of grey correlation between tensile force (F), shearing rigidity (G) and bending rigidity (B) are higher than others, hence it is conducted that these would significantly effect on garment pressure. The quantitative regression equations between pressure magnitude at extension of 50 percent and the individual key parameters (mean values in wale and course directions) of tested samples are illustrated.

Research limitations/implications

The other parameters (e.g. fabric structure, yarn fineness, and pre‐tension, et al.) should be taken into account. Further, an integrative mathematic model would be established, which could predict the garment pressure directly from the physical‐mechanical properties of fabric.

Originality/value

The present study indicates that pressure magnitude of elastic fabric is an integrative action performed by physical‐mechanical properties. The developed illustrative equations and method offer a rational and practical tool for assessing pressure functional performance of elastic fabric in the stages of design and product development.
Researching into the methodology for the evaluation of deformed soft furniture upholstery
Authors: Jucienė Milda , Vobolis Jonas
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The main aim of this work is to evaluate upholstery deformation by using resonant vibrations of separate zones of the soft part.

Design/methodology/approach

Provided methodology allows assessing the upholstery deformation of separate parts of soft furniture by exciting resonant vibrations in it.

Findings

By recording the value of resonant frequency at separate points of the plane, it becomes possible to obtain the graph of deformation distribution. It is compared to the graph that demonstrates how rigidity distributes itself in different directions within the upholstery fabric. This enables the authors to evaluate the unevenness of upholstery deformation that is present in different directions.

Originality/value

Provided methodology allows assessing the quality of soft furniture assembly and predicting the exploitation time for its upholstery.
Monetary policy and the trade weighted dollar
Authors: Warburton Christopher E.S.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the performance of the trade‐weighted US dollar from 1973 to 2011 as a result of monetary policy.

Design/methodology/approach

Relevant time series variables – the money supply, the federal funds rate, general financial conditions, national income and interest rate spread are used to investigate the impact of shocks on the US trade‐weighted dollar and to explain the predictive power the variables hold over the weighted dollar. This is accomplished by using the conventional procedures of variance decomposition and Granger causality tests.

Findings

The paper finds that unexpected changes in national financial conditions, the federal funds rate and the velocity of money account for more variation in the performance of the trade‐weighted US dollar than do surprises associated with the interest rate spread (the variable that tracks quantitative easing (QE), quantitative contraction (QC) and neutrality).

Practical implications

This article is unique in adding to the literary discourse by incorporating international trade and other national conditions as key indicators of the long‐term value of a trade‐weighted currency and its propensity to increase national income. It provides an opportunity for further analysis of the role of QE in currency valuation when the short‐term interest rate becomes an inadequate monetary policy instrument for economic stabilization and determining the value of a currency.

Originality/value

The paper argues that the velocity of money has strong predictive power over the performance of the trade‐weighted dollar and that monetary policy can help to predict changes in the financial and real sectors, but not the value of the trade‐weighted dollar directly or in isolation. This is partly because the monetary policy transmission mechanism and external prices are also relevant to the weighted value of the currency over an extended period of time.
The effect of leverage mimicking portfolios in explaining stock returns variations
Authors: Gulnur Muradoglu Yaz , Sivaprasad Sheeja
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of leverage mimicking factor portfolios in explaining stock return variations. This paper broadens the focus of the current asset pricing literature by forming portfolios mimicking the leverage factor.

Design/methodology/approach

Following Fama and French's and Carhart's procedure in forming size, book‐to‐market and momentum mimicking portfolios, the authors of this paper form leverage mimicking factor portfolios to explain stock returns. A five factor model is constructed that explains the variations in stock returns better relative to the other asset pricing models including the Fama‐French‐Carhart four factor model.

Findings

The findings indicate that the leverage mimicking portfolio helps to explain stock return variations better relative to the other asset pricing models including the Fama‐French‐Carhart four factor model. Results are robust to other risk factors.

Research limitations/implications

The results lead us to explore further avenues in using other risk factors in asset pricing such as future work to consider other cross‐sectional attributes such as the stochastic behaviour of earnings or profitability that might also produce common variation in stock returns. There may be other risk factors that carry a premium and thus can be used for asset pricing.

Practical implications

The paper's findings are important in fund management when selecting or evaluating portfolio performance. The authors introduce an additional factor that has a sound theoretical appeal and show that leverage mimicking factor portfolios provide additional information in pricing assets, both in the cross section of all shares and in different sectors.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the first study of the effect of leverage mimicking factor portfolios in explaining stock return variations.
Some stylized facts of return in the foreign exchange and stock markets in Peru
Authors: Humala Alberto , Rodriguez Gabriel
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find and describe some stylized facts for foreign exchange and stock market returns, which are explored using statistical methods.

Design/methodology/approach

Formal statistics for testing presence of autocorrelation, asymmetry, and other deviations from normality are applied. Dynamic correlations and different kernel estimations and approximations to the empirical distributions are also under scrutiny. Furthermore, dynamic analysis of mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis are also performed to evaluate time‐varying properties in return distributions.

Findings

The findings include: different types of non‐normality in both markets, fat tails, excess furtosis, return clustering and unconditional time‐varying moments. Identifiable volatility cycles in both forex and stock markets are associated to common macro financial uncertainty events.

Originality/value

The paper is the first work of this type in Peru.
Maintenance of subsea petroleum production systems: a case study
Authors: Markeset Tore , Moreno‐Trejo Jorge , Kumar Rajesh
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss maintenance challenges and maintenance practices for subsea petroleum production systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Maintenance challenges, current practices and factors that influence the maintenance and support practices were identified by a literature review and by using a case study conducted in the Norwegian oil and gas industry. The case study was based on semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews with a number of experts working in the subsea systems’ design, installation and support services in the Norwegian oil and gas industry.

Findings

The paper identifies and discusses subsea petroleum production system failures, maintenance, inspection, modification and support practices. Findings from literature are validated, and new challenges are identified and discussed.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on a case study in the Norwegian petroleum industry, but may be applicable in other countries as well. The subsea production systems are critical production systems, and failures may result in long downtime and costly maintenance, inspection and support services. Hence, inspection, maintenance and modification intervention support services requires careful project planning, implementation and execution, taking into account all influencing factors.

Originality/value

The identified challenges can be used by decision makers in offshore maintenance projects.
Vibration‐ and acoustic‐emissions based novelty detection of fretted bearings
Authors: McBain Jordan , Lakanen Greg , Timusk Markus
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of a new feature reduction technique with novelty detection on vibration and acoustic‐emission sensors monitoring bearings mounted in the test benches of automotive manufacturers.

Design/methodology/approach

Signals from standard accelerometers and acoustic‐emission sensors were gathered from bearings operating under steady conditions on an accessory‐drive test bench. The bearings under test were subject to a variety of faults including fretting. These signals were processed and reduced to standard feature vectors, the dimensionality of which was reduced using a new principal‐component‐like technique optimized for novelty detection. The reduced data were analyzed with a novelty detection technique called the Support Vector Data Descriptor.

Findings

The classification results from these sensors, after being reduced with the proposed feature reduction technique, are substantially improved over those achievable with only standard novelty detection; nearly zero‐percent classification error was achieved.

Research limitations/implications

The feature reduction technique depends, in part, on the availability of the fault type in question – potentially violating the normal novelty detection assumption of limited abnormal data. This may require the manufacturer to gather real or simulated fault data prior to running tests.

Practical implications

Incipient faults may be detectable at a much earlier stage in a manufacturer's component failure analysis. Test engineers may use this technique to reliably automate the fault detection process and enable improved root‐cause analysis through the earlier identification of faults.

Originality/value

The application of the feature reduction technique will provide manufacturers and researchers with a new means of improving fault detection in machinery components.
Weibull growth modeling of laser‐sintered nylon 12
Authors: Usher John S. , Gornet Timothy J. , Starr Thomas L.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This paper seeks to present the results of an experiment to investigate the effect of six part orientation (XY, XZ, YX, YZ, ZY, ZX) and a wide range of energy densities on ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation of laser‐sintered nylon 12 (PA‐12) test specimens.

Design/methodology/approach

ASTM Type 1 specimens were built on a DTM Sinterstation 2500+ and tensile tested on an Instron 5569 A. The resulting data were fit to non‐linear regression models based on the well‐known Weibull growth model to predict each response based on the total energy density used in each trial.

Findings

The resulting regression models provide excellent fits with low sum of squared errors and normally distributed residuals. The resulting material properties are highly affected by the energy density and the build orientation. However, once sufficient energy density is applied, properties tend to converge to consistent values. To achieve maximum UTS of approximately 52 MPa, it is recommended that values of energy density above 0.25 W‐s per mm3 be used. To achieve maximum elongation of approximately 15‐16 percent, it is recommended that values of energy density above 0.40 W‐s per mm3 be used when building parts in the XY, XZ, YX, YZ orientations. Parts built in the ZX orientation exhibit lower elongation values at or below 12 percent for even high values of energy density.

Originality/value

This paper extends previous work of Starr, Gornet and Usher on the relationship between material properties, part orientation and energy density by proposing the use of the Weibull growth model. Recommendations are provided to assist users in the selection of correct energy density to achieve desirable mechanical properties in each specified orientation.
Overcoming cop culture? Organizational justice and police officers’ attitudes toward the public
Authors: Myhill Andy , Bradford Ben
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test theories of organizational justice in the context of a police agency.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyze data from a survey of officers in a police force in England.

Findings

The SEM showed that organizational justice was associated with positive attitudes towards serving members of the public. This relationship was mediated by commitment to elements of community policing and, for community police officers, by general satisfaction with the organization.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that police managers committed to implementing process‐based policing policies may need to ensure their organizations also implement internal policies and practices that are procedurally fair.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to apply the well established literature on organizational justice to the context of policing, and the first to examine the impact of organizational justice on alignment with community policing and the service model.
Supervisor‐officer fit and role ambiguity
Authors: Ingram Jason R.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to re‐examine the nature of the sergeant‐officer attitudinal relationship. Using person‐environment fit as a framework, the current study tests the influence that sergeant‐officer attitudinal congruence concerning role orientations has on officer role ambiguity.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses survey data from 765 patrol officers and 146 sergeants across five police departments. Polynomial regression, calculated values, and response surface plots were used to examine the effect of sergeant‐officer attitudinal congruence on role ambiguity.

Findings

First, there was modest empirical evidence that the relationship between sergeant and officer views toward order maintenance and role ambiguity was nonlinear. Second, role ambiguity was lowest for officers supervised by sergeants who highly accepted order maintenance activities. Finally, role ambiguity was higher when both officers and sergeants failed to view order maintenance and law enforcement as important functions of the police role.

Research limitations/implications

The findings highlight the need to incorporate additional research approaches that capture differences in officer and sergeant views toward police work. Such differences might impact other attitudinal outcomes or officer discretionary behaviors.

Practical implications

When looking at attitudinal congruence, the results show that sergeants have the capacity to attenuate or amplify officer role ambiguity. This emphasizes the need for police administrators to ensure that sergeants communicate job expectations to their subordinate officers that are in line with the department's values.

Originality/value

The study adds to the limited body of research on frontline supervision by examining the nature of the sergeant‐officer attitudinal relationship from an alternative theoretical approach.
An empirical study on critical failure factors for enterprise resource planning implementation in Indian retail sector
Authors: Garg Poonam , Garg Atul
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Many retailers in India have decided to adopt one or another enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to improve their businesses, but implementing an ERP system can be a demanding venture. ERP implementation has always been an intricate process and is one of the challenges of the retail sector. There have been many obstacles seen in implementing ERP successfully. According to Standish Group's report, around 75 per cent of the ERP projects are classified as failures. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the process of identifying, analyzing and prioritizing the failure factors of ERP implementation using cause‐effect and Pareto analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical data were collected via a survey questionnaire/interview technique. The questionnaires were distributed to practitioners like project sponsors, project managers, implementation consultants and team members who had been involved/implementing/using ERP in retail sector.

Findings

Results suggest that 9 critical failure items namely Inadequate resources, Poor User involvement, Users' resistance to change, High Attrition rate of project team members, Lack of top management commitment, Poor project management, Inadequate project team composition, Ineffective organizational change management and Unrealistic project scheduling have a high impact on ERP implementation and therefore deserve serious attention in the process of ERP implementation.

Originality/value

This paper identifies and prioritizes the critical failure factors of ERP implementation in Indian retail sector. The awareness about these critical failure items may help the decision makers in formulating a better strategy for ERP implementation in Indian retail.
Practices of knowledge intensive process management: quantitative insights
Authors: Işik Öykü , Mertens Willem , Van den Bergh Joachim
Published: May 2013

Purpose

In contemporary businesses, the importance of knowledge workers and the knowledge intensive business processes (KIBPs) is ever increasing, yet they seem very hard to control and manage. The purpose of this paper is to grasp the specific characteristics of KIBPs and how they differ from non‐knowledge intensive business processes (non‐KIBP), also to question how organizations are using business process management (BPM) to manage and improve KIBPs. The differences in maturity and effectiveness of both types of processes are also evaluated.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this research were collected through an online survey. The survey was designed based on a previously conducted exploratory study with semi‐structured interviews as well as the literature. The target group was BPM practitioners and the final sample included 98 respondents. Due to non‐normality, the analyses were conducted with non‐parametric tests. The research questions were analysed using Mann‐Whitney U test and Spearman's correlations.

Findings

It was found that KIBP and non‐KIBP have clearly different characteristics, such as the level of complexity, repeatability and creativity required. Also it was found that these processes are not managed or improved differently than non‐KIBPs, and suggest that organizations need to take these differences into consideration while managing and improving these processes. Furthermore, the results suggest that applying methodologies that aim to provide operational improvements may not necessarily produce the best results for KIBPs.

Originality/value

The paper answers a call for further development of the body of knowledge on knowledge‐intensive business processes, a rapidly emerging field of interest for BPM practitioners, where a clear gap in literature exists.
Foreign multinational banking in Malaysia: trends, motives and activities
Authors: Zamberi Ahmad Syed
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to analyse and examine the factors affecting the international expansion and market entry of foreign multinational banks (MNBs) in Malaysia. While relevance of the theoretical perspectives is highlighted, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the present‐day phenomenon of emerging multinational banks.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs multi‐method approaches combining both questionnaires survey data and qualitative interviews.

Findings

The findings reveal the fact that profitability, trade financing, following the customers, diversifying the risk and pursuing new market opportunities are among important factors for the presence of foreign banks in the country.

Research limitations/implications

The paper highlights relevance of further research on multinational banking and outlines research avenues.

Practical implications

The paper offers important insight and practical implications for local regulators and policy makers and bankers to understand the behaviour of foreign multinational banking in emerging markets.

Originality/value

The objective of this paper is to fill in some gaps in the literature regarding this research area. The paper provides preliminary research evidence and a framework to suggest hypotheses for further research.
Impact of corporate culture on the adoption of the Lean principles
Authors: Bhasin Sanjay
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Empirical evidence suggests corporate culture and change contribute to every Lean failure. Whilst the prevailing research implies that successful Lean implementations lead to a profitable organisation, it also points towards the low numbers of organisations fully adopting the Lean principles. The purpose of this paper is to identify the existing prevalence of culture in explaining the low numbers (less than 10 per cent) of successful British manufacturing organisations that have fully adopted the concepts of Lean and to advocate preventative actions that organisations could pursue in order to improve the UK implementation records.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology predominantly used included survey questionnaires within 68 manufacturing organisations of various sizes and at differing stages of Lean; this was coupled with seven case studies and subsequently validated by an extensive Lean audit undertaken in 20 organisations.

Findings

This research initially deciphers the prevalence of culture to Lean failures and then proceeds to recommend courses of action to facilitate higher implementation rates. The significance of culture was evident. The results reveal that a triumphant implementation requires a systematic and controlled strategy to look at the prevailing culture. Whilst Lean failures are attributable to different causes; the fundamental issues of corporate culture and change is evident.

Practical implications

Any organisation embarking upon Lean needs to unequivocally address the prevailing cultural issues. For Lean to thrive, evidently the processes, appropriate application of tools and its application across the value chain would prove futile without a conducive culture.

Originality/value

Possible remedial and preventative courses of action are advocated which should facilitate successful implementations. The implementation of Lean cannot be taken nonchalantly as there is a requirement for heavy investment in terms of both time and money. Nonetheless, when an organization pursues a conducive culture, the probability of success is improved, which secures the superior levels of performance.
Improvement of claim processing cycle time through Lean Six Sigma methodology
Authors: Ashok Sarkar Shri , Ranjan Mukhopadhyay Arup , Ghosh Sadhan Kumar
Published: May 2013

Purpose

In the service sector, reduction of cycle time is one of the key issues. Among various approaches, Lean Six Sigma became very popular as it provides the organisation the desired speed with quality. The purpose of this paper is to present a Lean Six Sigma case study for reducing cycle time in the claim settlement process in insurance or financial services.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an application of Lean Six Sigma methodology for claim settlement cycle time reduction in the insurance sector.

Findings

Lean Six Sigma is found to work very well in the insurance sector for reducing process cycle time by carrying out process changes. Mixing statistical and analytical techniques helps to improve the process speed and is very well demonstrated by Lean Six Sigma approach for service organizations.

Originality/value

This paper utilizes Lean and Six Sigma approaches in process improvement and presents an application. The main idea behind this paper is to demonstrate how combining Lean concepts/techniques with Six‐Sigma methodology can speed up problem‐solving approaches. Apart from the paper's value for managers, it can also help researchers to extend this for other areas of business processes.
Bloom or bust? A global value chain approach to smallholder flower production in Kenya
Authors: Zylberberg Ezequiel
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Integrating smallholders into high‐value global markets represents a unique opportunity to effect large‐scale poverty reduction in the countryside. The purpose of the paper is to add empirical evidence to the discussion of how to best incorporate smallholders into the formal economy sustainably and responsibly.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper first builds a theoretical framework around global value chain theory and literature on smallholder inclusion and Kenya's growing horticultural sector. It then moves to explore a Kenyan smallholder‐based business model that incorporates 4,000 flower producers through an efficient and transparent intermediary. The analysis focuses on the importance of governance, upgrading and strong intermediaries for including smallholders in horticultural value chains.

Findings

In conclusion, this paper finds that although smallholder inclusion is both favorable and feasible based on theory, literature and case study analysis, it remains limited. It proposes embracing innovative smallholder‐based business models as a viable path out of poverty in countries with low labor costs, suitable climatic conditions and basic infrastructural capacities.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations include a reliance on largely qualitative research methods due to gaps in available data.

Practical implications

Policy implications include the necessity of promoting agricultural development through investments in extension services, the creation of research and development centers and improvements in the rule of law.

Originality/value

This paper is unique in its focus on business models and global value chains as mechanisms through which to include smallholders into the global economy.
Categorizing WIP inventories in the food industry
Authors: Wilson Shellyanne
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The food and beverage industry, particularly the agro‐processing and packaging industry, plays a critical role in the economies of Latin America and Caribbean countries. To remain competitive and to increase competitiveness, companies operating in this industry must achieve operational efficiency – where one contributing factor would be the efficient management of their work‐in‐progress (WIP) inventories.

Design/methodology/approach

Constructs from related manufacturing management research areas such as manufacturing strategy and coordination theory, are incorporated into a conceptual framework to examine the reasons WIP are needed in food plants. The framework is used to inform the development of an audit tool, which is applied in a case study.

Findings

An audit tool is proposed, which can be used by practitioners to review the structural and infrastructural decisions that impact WIP.

Research limitations/implications

The audit tool is applied in one case study. Further application of the tool will test its overall comprehensiveness.

Practical implications

The audit tool can be used as part of a structured decision making process.

Originality/value

The paper brings together a number of constructs to create an audit tool that can be used in both greenfield and existing plants in the food industry.