bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Maintenance strategy selection for optimum efficiency – application of AHP constant sum
Authors: Martin Hector , Mohammed Fey , Lal Kevin , Ramoutar Shannon 
Published: January 2020

PurposeThere are limited studies addressing how choosing a maintenance strategy can contribute towards maximising outputs from given inputs, thereby minimising costs and improving a company’s competitiveness. The analytic hierarchy constant sum method (AHCSM) is used to access the appropriateness of maintenance strategies for improving the overall efficiency of a structural steel fabrication construction company.Design/methodology/approachA semi-structured interview was formulated with the stakeholders of the quality department to understand the company’s maintenance portfolio and its current functional capability. The information from this case study was then dissected to represent the factors that the company deemed appropriate for evaluating their maintenance strategy. The AHCSM approach provided a framework, which ranked the importance of factors that are sensitive to the construction industry and rank the suitability of maintenance strategies.FindingsFactors affecting the selection of maintenance strategies to improve business efficiency are productivity, quality, reliability, cost, safety and work environment, morale, inventory and flexibility. Total productive maintenance strategy produces the most desirable outcome; however, the predictive or condition-based maintenance strategy provides an optimum solution for the case study company while considering the equipment usage, frequency of production and the current economic climate.Originality/valueThe approach presented allows practitioners to consider ways to increase the level of production and improve the efficiency of construction businesses without a high increase in investment. The findings can inform gaps in existing maintenance approaches in achieving business objectives.
Board gender diversity, corporate governance, and earnings management
Authors: Orazalin Nurlan 
Published: January 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine whether board gender diversity and other board characteristics affect earnings management practices of top public companies in Kazakhstan.

Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzes data of top public companies for the period 2010-2016. Data on corporate governance were manually collected from annual reports and investment memorandums, and financial data were collected from audited financial statements.

Findings
The empirical results show that companies with greater board gender diversity are more effective in constraining earnings management. The findings also indicate that companies with larger boards adopt a more restrained approach to earnings management practices, thus supporting the theoretical framework of the study. However, the results provide weak evidence of the association between board independence and earnings quality.

Originality/value
This study is the first to investigate the relationship between gender diversity and earnings management in emerging markets such as Kazakhstan that offers managerial and policy implications.
The theory of planned behaviour and student banking in Australia
Authors: Tucker Mark , Jubb Christine , Yap Chee Jin 
Published: January 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the three constructs associated with the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) can explain student banking intentions and assist in understanding their bank satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach
This research issue was investigated using a mixed methods approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods. Convenience sampling was used. Factor analysis and logistic regression were used to ascertain the relevance of the TPB in explaining student banking intentions.

Findings
Using factor analysis, perceived behavioural control was shown to be the key determinant in explaining student banking intentions. Using a logistic regression, the TPB was shown to have strong application in predicting customer satisfaction with all three of its constructs significant, but weaker application for predicting the likelihood of a bank switch, with subjective norms and attitude significant, and even less for the likelihood of recommending the bank to a friend, with only perceived behavioural control significant.

Research limitations/implications
The use of an online survey which limits the pool of respondents to internet users, together with the sample size, limit the generalisability of findings.

Practical implications
Banks can better target and understand the drivers that influence both student banking intentions and customer satisfaction. This knowledge will allow banks to better attract and retain student customers.

Originality/value
Provides insight to and a better understanding of how the TPB can explain and predict student banking intentions. This study fills a gap in the literature by concentrating on student banking behaviour in Australia, a substantial segment of bank customers that has received little research.
Uncertainty evaluation of measurement of orientation repeatability for industrial robots
Authors: Chuangui Yang , Liang Mi , Xingbao Liu , Yangqiu Xia , Teng Qiang , Han Lin 
Published: January 2020

PurposeThis paper aims to propose a reasonable method to evaluate uncertainty of measurement of industrial robots’ orientation repeatability and solve the non-linear problem existing in its evaluation procedure.Design/methodology/approachFirstly, a measurement model of orientation repeatability, based on laser tracker, is established. Secondly, some factors, influencing the measurement result of orientation repeatability, are identified, and their probability distribution functions are modelled. Thirdly, based on Monte Carlo method, an uncertainty evaluation model and algorithm of measurement of industrial robot’s orientation repeatability are built. Finally, an industrial robot is taken as the research object to validate the rationality of proposed method.FindingsResults show that the measurement model of orientation repeatability of industrial robot is non-linear, and the proposed method can reasonably and objectively estimate uncertainty of measurement of industrial robots’ orientation repeatability.Originality/valueThis paper, based on Monte Carlo method and experimental work, proposes an uncertainty evaluation method of measurement of industrial robots’ orientation repeatability which can solve the non-linear problem and provide a reasonable and objective evaluation. And the stochastic ellipsoid approach is firstly taken to model the repeatability of laser tracker. Additionally, this research is beneficial to decide whether the orientation repeatability of the industrial robot meets its requirements.
How do product involvement and prestige sensitivity affect price acceptance on the mobile phone market in Vietnam?
Authors: Nguyen Ngoc Minh , Nguyen Huyen Thi 
Published: January 2020

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to incorporate the theoretically and practically appropriate affecting factors of customers’ price acceptance to develop an integrated model explaining customers’ price acceptance on the mobile phone market in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approachThis current research applied the cross-sectional design. Data was collected via questionnaires and 605 responses were left after refining. The exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling methods were applied to analyze the collected data.FindingsPrestige sensitivity and product involvement positively affect product knowledge and price mavenism. In turn, these two latter factors together with prestige sensitivity positively affect price acceptance. Besides, product knowledge and price mavenism mediated the effects of product involvement and prestige sensitivity on price acceptance in the context of complex products, rapid product innovation, social setting of using mobile phones, highly competitive market, the low purchasing power of customers and the typical cultural values of Vietnam.Practical implicationsThe high product involvement and high prestige sensitivity customers could make up attractive market segments, especially important in the case of launching new products; concentrating marketing efforts on building product knowledge and price knowledge for these market segments may enhance price acceptance, speed up market penetration as well as improve price communication.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies explaining price acceptance on the mobile phone market in Vietnam and clarifying the mediating effects of knowledge (product knowledge and price mavenism) on the causal relationships between product involvement/prestige sensitivity and price acceptance.
Structural heterogeneity in farm structures: a configurational approach
Authors: Miranda Bruno Varella , Grandori Anna 
Published: January 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a multidimensional framework for the identification, description and comparative analysis of alternative farm structures and their properties for economic development.Design/methodology/approachIntegrating previous typologies and considering a large set of examples, the authors identify six attributes that are necessary to characterize and compare farm structures: size; strategy; organizational form; legal form; who the owners are; and degree of separation of ownership and control. They also discuss potential complementarities between those organizational attributes and specific features of the institutions of developing and emerging countries, such as contract enforcement and property rights protection regime, and developed capital markets and corporate law.FindingsConceptually and empirically, effective farm structures can deviate from the templates traditionally considered – “small family-owned farm” or “large factory-like corporate farm,” combining structural attributes in diverse ways. The dimensionalization of farm structures also helps in revealing complementary institutional traits at the regional or larger system level that may foster development processes.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is limited to theory building and case-based evidence. Nevertheless, it provides dimensions that can be measured on a larger scale and by quantitative studies.Originality/valueThis paper sheds light on organizational diversity in agriculture and on a wider set of feasible development paths.
Project-based learning in robotics meets junior high school
Authors: Zadok Yair 
Published: January 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the teachers’ practice of “meaningful learning” has become an inseparable part of the educational discourse. As a result, many schools have adopted the project-based learning (PBL) approach, which represents different teaching methods. The PBL approach also changes the position of the teacher as a source of knowledge as well as teacher–student relationship. The integration of PBL into and its implementation in the teaching of the robotics profession in junior high schools have created a new reality in which teachers who use project-based learning for teaching robotics come from diverse professional backgrounds, and in many cases, they are selected by the principal of the school. In light of this reality, it is interesting to examine the experience of teachers who manage a project in a field of knowledge that is not their expertise. This study examined teachers’ perceptions of their experience in teaching using the PBL approach. The subject of robotics was chosen as the field of research, as it represents a much broader issue concerning the implications of teaching using PBL on the professional, personal and ecological aspects. The study data were collected using structured questionnaires, which also included open-ended questions. These questionnaires were answered by 173 teachers, some of whom are educators (class tutors) and some professional teachers from three fields of knowledge: human studies, sciences and engineering. Each questionnaire included attitudes relating to the PBL teaching experience and the contribution of the PBL approach to both teachers and students. The findings show a high level of general satisfaction among the teachers and a sense of self-efficacy in teaching PBL. The findings also indicate personal, professional and ecological (teacher–environment relationship) contributions that were perceived as significant. The findings additionally indicate that class tutors perceived ecological contribution more than professional teachers, and professional teachers in the fields of human studies and sciences perceived it to be more significant than engineering teachers.Design/methodology/approachThis study was based on quantitative research principles from the assumption that it can also be applied to different populations. The premise of this study is that the best way to understand phenomena is by using a large sample and numerical measurement (N = 176), which is required to avoid a result that may reflect only a partial view of the matter at hand when focusing on only a few limited cases.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of the present study is expressed in the fact that it is based on the perspective of one of the participants in the learning–teaching process – the teachers – who guided the project. The students’ perspective has not been studied. It is required to continue the study and examine the perceptions of the students who participate in PBL classes in which the teachers are not experts in the field of knowledge.
Industry structure, R&D intensity, and performance in New Zealand
Authors: Ameer Rashid , Othman Radiah 
Published: January 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test the Porter hypothesis using the Structure–Conduct–Performance (SCP) framework for a panel data set of industries in New Zealand.Design/methodology/approachThe authors developed a mutually exclusive classification of the process-led and product-led innovation strategies and examined their impact on SCP in the high (low) carbon emission industries.FindingsThe findings show that the high-level concentration provides more beneficial opportunities for product and geographical diversification that require a high level of R&D intensity. The authors find that in high-carbon emission industries, the product-led innovation strategies have a significant positive impact on the industry structure and performance which provide support for the Porter hypothesis.Practical implicationsThe findings imply that competition effects firm-level investments, in particular, capital expenditure to address carbon emissions, as such investments give firms a head start over rivals, and increase their profit margin compared to other firms over time. Overall, the empirical results lend support to the Porter hypothesis and suggest that understanding of industries’ unique R&D attributes is critical to developing regulations to support industries in smaller economies.Originality/valueIt is the first study that examines the industry structure, R&D intensity and performance in a small developed economy of New Zealand.
Institutionalising the war against corruption: new approaches to assets tracing and recovery
Authors: Esoimeme Ehi Eric 
Published: January 2020

Purpose
This paper aims to critically analyse the existing framework on assets tracing and recovery in Nigeria. It will thereafter provide analysis of the asset and recovery measures of advanced countries such as the USA and the UK. The results from the analysis will yield maximum insight and help the Nigerian Government to make better policies and laws on assets tracing and recovery.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper will rely on primary and secondary data drawn from the public domain. It will also rely on documentary research.

Findings
This paper determined that the Nigeria asset recovery scheme is likely to be more effective if Nigeria adopts the approach of the UK and the USA.

Research limitations/implications
This paper will suggest new ways for assets tracing and recovery. The suggested approaches/methods are being used in advanced countries such as the UK and the USA.

Originality/value
Previous research papers have extensively discussed the problems faced with assets tracing and recovery from a prohibitive and investigative standpoint. This paper will discuss the topic from a preventive standpoint with little focus on investigative mechanisms.
Adaptation of the balanced scorecard model to measure performance of the departments at Dr Zainoel Abidin Regional General Hospital, Banda Aceh
Authors: Martunis Ashiva , Dalimunthe Ritha , Amalia Khaira , Juanita Juanita , Syahputra Hendra , Adam Muhammad , Masyudi Masyudi 
Published: January 2020

PurposeThis paper aims to determine the performance of the departments at Dr Zainoel Abidin Regional General Hospital, Banda Aceh, Indonesia, in 2016, based on the targets and realization of their work programs using balanced scorecard.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted qualitative and quantitative approaches.FindingsThe overall results of the performance appraisal using the balanced scorecard approach seen from the financial, internal business, customer and training and learning perspectives are good. Dr Zainoel Abidin Regional General Hospital has provided good services, and performance of its departments have generated the expected outcome, realized by the Hospital.Originality/valueThe novelty of the present study lies in its research model, where human resources (transformational leadership, organizational commitment and resource uniqueness) and financial management (business plans, budget and performance).
Design fiction diegetic prototyping: a research framework for visualizing service innovations
Authors: Harwood Tracy , Garry Tony , Belk Russell 
Published: January 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a design fiction diegetic prototyping methodology and research framework for investigating service innovations that reflect future uses of new and emerging technologies.

Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on speculative fiction, the authors propose a methodology that positions service innovations within a six-stage research development framework. The authors begin by reviewing and critiquing designerly approaches that have traditionally been associated with service innovations and futures literature. In presenting their framework, authors provide an example of its application to the Internet of Things (IoT), illustrating the central tenets proposed and key issues identified.

Findings
The research framework advances a methodology for visualizing future experiential service innovations, considering how realism may be integrated into a designerly approach.

Research limitations/implications
Design fiction diegetic prototyping enables researchers to express a range of “what if” or “what can it be” research questions within service innovation contexts. However, the process encompasses degrees of subjectivity and relies on knowledge, judgment and projection.

Practical implications
The paper presents an approach to devising future service scenarios incorporating new and emergent technologies in service contexts. The proposed framework may be used as part of a range of research designs, including qualitative, quantitative and mixed method investigations.

Originality/value
Operationalizing an approach that generates and visualizes service futures from an experiential perspective contributes to the advancement of techniques that enables the exploration of new possibilities for service innovation research.
Managing supply and transportation disruptions: a case of Indian fair price shops
Authors: Chakraborty Sayan , Sarmah Sarada Prasad 
Published: January 2020

Purpose
India has the largest public distribution system (PDS) in the world, working through over five million fair price shops (FPS) to distribute food grains among its beneficiaries at a subsidized rate. In this paper, the authors study the inventory system of Indian FPS. The system involves a distributor, who is solely responsible for the replenishment of the FPS. In a real-world scenario, the distributor is subjected to random supply and transportation disruptions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and minimize the impacts of such disruptions.

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors adopt a simulation-based technique to explore the impacts of various traits of disruptions like frequency and duration on the FPS inventory system. A simulation model for the Indian FPS is developed and the impacts of disruptions are investigated by a case study.

Findings
The authors use a simulation-based optimization technique to suggest a simple managerial change that can lead to a minimization of inventory shortage up to 60 per cent and system cost up to 21 per cent over the existing practice.

Originality/value
The present study addresses the FPS inventory system of Indian PDS, which is by its nature unique and has not been considered by any other previous literature. The findings of this study will be of particular interest to the policy-makers to build a more robust PDS in India.
An improved hybrid particle swarm optimization for multi-objective flexible job-shop scheduling problem
Authors: Zhang Yi , Zhu Haihua , Tang Dunbing 
Published: January 2020

Purpose
With the continuous upgrading of the production mode of the manufacturing system, the characteristics of multi-variety, small batch and mixed fluidization are presented, and the production environment becomes more and more complex. To improve the efficiency of solving multi-objective flexible job shop scheduling problem (FJSP), an improved hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm (IH-PSO) is proposed.

Design/methodology/approach
After reviewing literatures on FJSP, an IH-PSO algorithm for solving FJSP is developed. First, IH-PSO algorithm draws on the crossover and mutation operations of genetic algorithm (GA) algorithm and proposes a new method for updating particles, which makes the offspring particles inherit the superior characteristics of the parent particles. Second, based on the improved simulated annealing (SA) algorithm, the method of updating the individual best particles expands the search scope of the domain and solves the problem of being easily trapped in local optimum. Finally, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used in this paper to solve the optimal solution satisfying multi-objective optimization.

Findings
Through the benchmark experiment and the production example experiment, it is verified that the proposed algorithm has the advantages of high quality of solution and fast speed of convergence.

Research limitations/implications
This method does not consider the unforeseen events that occur during the process of scheduling and cause the disruption of normal production scheduling activities, such as machine breakdown.

Practical implications
IH-PSO algorithm combines PSO algorithm with GA and SA algorithms. This algorithm retains the advantage of fast convergence speed of traditional PSO algorithm and has the characteristic of inheriting excellent genes. In addition, the improved SA algorithm is used to solve the problem of falling into local optimum.

Social implications
This research provides an efficient scheduling method for solving the FJSP problem.

Originality/value
This research proposes an IH-PSO algorithm to solve the FJSP more efficiently and meet the needs of multi-objective optimization.