bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Framework for measurement of supplier satisfaction
Authors: Hudnurkar Manoj , Ambekar Suhas Suresh 
Published: June 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to design, develop, implement and validate a multi-criteria decision model for measuring supplier satisfaction through a case study.Design/methodology/approachA three-stage methodology was used to develop a framework to measure supplier satisfaction. The framework involved factors and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from literature and exploratory study. Further, using the framework, a multi-dimensional decision model to calculate Supplier Satisfaction Index was developed. The proposed decision framework was implemented as a real-world case study in an Indian manufacturing organization.FindingsThe study makes two major contributions: first, it develops a framework to measure supplier satisfaction using factors and KPIs suitable to the buyer organization; second, the model developed to calculate supplier satisfaction helps in understanding overall satisfaction of suppliers along with the level of satisfaction of each supplier. The model can also be used to suggest improvements to buyer organizations on specific factors and KPIs under each factor.Research limitations/implicationsSupplier satisfaction plays an important role in multinational companies (MNCs), so the sample of practitioners considered in this study is relevant. However, it is likely that the small sample size of only suppliers and companies selected solely from the Indian manufacturing MNCs may have introduced some bias.Practical implicationsA comprehensive framework for enhancing the relationship with suppliers will be instrumental in deciding, managing and improving the level of supplier satisfaction.Originality/valueThis approach provides purchase managers with the flexibility of selecting factors and KPIs at every level of analysis and also a single index to establish supplier’s satisfaction with a buyer company.
A study on prognostic analysis of attachment lugs under off-axis loading
Authors: Kenchappa Bharath , Chikmath Lokamanya , Dattaguru Bhagavatula 
Published: June 2019

PurposeLug joints with fasteners play a crucial role in connecting many major components of the aircraft. Most of the failures in the past were credited to the damages initiating and progressing from these types of joints. Ensuring the structural integrity of these fastener joints is a major issue in many engineering structures, especially in aerospace components, which would otherwise lead to fatal failure. The purpose of this paper is to adopting the prognostic approach for analysing these lug joints with fasteners subjected to off-axis loading by estimating the crack initiation and crack growth life of these joints. This data will be useful to estimate the remaining life of these joints at any given stage of operations, which is mandatory in structural health monitoring (SHM).Design/methodology/approachStraight and tapered lug joints are modelled using the finite element method in MSC PATRAN and analysed in MSC NASTRAN. These lug joints are analysed with a push fit fastener. The contact/separation regions at the pin–lug interface are carefully monitored throughout the analysis for various loading conditions. Critical locations in these lug joints are identified through stress analysis. Fatigue crack initiation and fatigue crack growth analysed is carried out at these locations for different load ratios. A computational method is proposed to estimate the cycles to reach crack initiation and cycles at which the crack in the lug joint become critical by integrating several known techniques.FindingsAnalysis carried out in this paper describes the importance of tapered lug joints, particularly when subjected to non-conventional way of loading, i.e. off-axis loading. There is a partial loss of contact between pin and lug upon pin loading, and this does not change further with monotonically increasing pin load. But during load reversals, there is a change in contact/separation regions which is effectively handled by inequality constraints in the boundary conditions. Crack growth in these lug joints pertains to mixed-mode cracking and is computed through the MVCCI technique.Originality/valueMost of the earlier works were carried out on in-plane pin loading along the axis of symmetry of the lug. The current work considers the off-axis pin loading by loading the lug joints with transverse and oblique pin load. The significance of taper angle under such loading condition is brought in this paper. The results obtained in this paper through prognostic approach are of direct relevance to the SHM and damage tolerance design approach where the safety of the structural components is of foremost priority.
Financial and social efficiency in the Yemen microfinance institutions
Authors: Al-Awlaqi Mohammed Ali , Aamer Ammar Mohamed 
Published: June 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discover the most important productivity determinants of Yemeni microfinance institutions. In addition, this study tests the most appropriate tool to measure productivity in such unique industry.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors applied data envelopment analysis (DEA) with the variable return to scale after testing the technology return to scale assumption. Then, they used DEA with bootstrapping technique to overcome the borne biasness in the conventional DEA analysis. Finally, the authors presented the Hicks–Moorsteen (total factor productivity [TFP]) as the most suitable tool for the technology presented in this study.

Findings
In this paper, the authors found a prolonged deterioration in the productivity scores of microfinance institutions in Yemen. This study highlights the importance of operating in rural areas to improve micro finance institutions’ (MFIs’) productivity. In contrast, they found no significant differences in productivity, neither between microfinance banks and non-governmental organizations nor between Islamic and non-Islamic MFIs.

Research limitations/implications
This study extends previous research in the area of productivity and its determinants. It also adds to the body of productivity knowledge and methodology within the context of the microfinance industry in Yemen.

Originality/value
The study discovered new productivity determinants and re-assessed the importance of some already known ones. These determinants have been studied for the first time in Yemen’s microfinance industry and have contributed to answer the question of what is the most suitable productivity method that should be used. This study proved that the Hicks–Moorsteen TFP and the variable return to scale assumption are the only suitable methods to study productivity in the microfinance industry.
Factor influencing flexibility in new product development: empirical evidence from Indian manufacturing firms
Authors: Mishra Ruchi , Mishra Onkar Nath 
Published: June 2019

PurposeA significant amount of work has been done on new product development (NPD); however, studies on the flexibility aspect in NPD are scant. This study aims to investigate the relationship between NPD flexibility and five infrastructural factors, namely, marketing and manufacturing integration practices (MMIPs), advanced human resource practices (AHRPs), supplier integration practices (SIPs), operational improvement practices (OIPs) and advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs).Design/methodology/approachThe study applies a questionnaire-based survey approach to examine the proposed relationships between different variables and NPD flexibility. Using a 39-item questionnaire, 262 valid and usable responses were collected from Indian manufacturing firms. Data were analysed using principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Further, structural equation modelling was applied to examine the contribution of different infrastructural factors to NPD flexibility.FindingsIn light of the empirical evidence produced in this study, the study suggests that MMIPs, AHRPs, SIPs, OIPs and AMTs have a direct, positive and significant influence on NPD flexibility. Among all the predictors, SIPs are the strongest predictor of NPD flexibility, followed by OIPs and AMTs.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings extend prior studies of NPD by broadening the theory related to NPD flexibility. Practitioners should take a macro approach and focus on several practices to enhance flexibility in NPD.Originality/valueUnlike earlier studies that provide limited empirical evidence on NPD flexibility and deal with the concept in isolation, this empirical study applies a systematic approach to understand factors influencing NPD flexibility.
Predicting manufacturing employee turnover intentions
Authors: Skelton Angie R. , Nattress Deborah , Dwyer Rocky J. 
Published: June 2019

Purpose
Employee turnover expenses can cost businesses more than 100 per cent of a single employee’s annual wages and negatively affection an organization’s production and profits. High employee turnover also could affect community tax collections, social programs and physical and mental health issues. Therefore, understanding contributors to higher employee turnover remains essential for organizational managers from both a corporate and societal standpoint. This paper aims to provide an analysis of how job satisfaction and job embeddedness could predict employee turnover intent.

Design/methodology/approach
A randomly selected survey which consisted of Andrews and Withey’s (1976) job satisfaction questionnaire, a global job embeddedness scale (Crossley et al., 2007) and a three-item turnover intent questionnaire derived from a survey created by Mobley et al. (1978) using a Likert-type measurement to survey randomly selected individuals used within manufacturing plants located in the Southeastern USA.

Findings
The results of the multiple regression analysis showed a significant relationship between job satisfaction, job embeddedness and turnover intent; and that satisfied and committed employees are less likely to plan to leave their employment.

Originality/value
Limited current information is available on how job satisfaction and job embeddedness predict turnover intentions in US Southeast manufacturing. This study includes information that shows the importance of job satisfaction and job embeddedness on retaining employees in this region and industry. Given the importance of employee retention on corporate productivity, morale and profits along with the ability to improve the organization’s positive contribution to society, it is important for managers to understand these factors and their effect on employee turnover intent.
The effects of advertising appeals on consumers’ behavioural intention towards global brands
Authors: Raza Syed Hassan , Abu Bakar Hassan , Mohamad Bahtiar 
Published: June 2019

Purpose
This study aims to examine the effects of the advertising appeals (AP) on consumers’ behavioural intention, specifically to use global brands. In addition, the study investigates how attitude operates as a process variable that mediates the relationship between AP and behavioural intention (BI). This paper also explores the congruity of individuals’ norms in advertising appeal–intention relationship. Centred on the theory of planned behaviour, this study proposes a model that encompasses norm congruence, in which the degree of individuals’ uncertainty avoidance (UA) moderates the relationship between advertising appeal (AP) and behavioural intention (BI), and attitude towards advertising appeal (AT) serve as key causal mechanism that mediates advertising appeal–behaviour relationship.

Design/methodology/approach
The proposed model was tested using a 2 × 2 experimental design with a sample size of 372.

Findings
Results showed that the relationship between AP and BI based on global brands is significantly mediated by attitude towards AP and moderated by uncertainty avoidance. These findings have yielded partial validation of the proposed model and have provided empirical support for the roles of uncertainty avoidance and attitude towards AP.

Practical implications
The authors propose that marketers should reduce the level of consumers’ uncertainty. Uncertainty avoidance effects can be achieved through the dissemination of norm-congruent advertisement appeals and by placing more weight on social compatibility attributes which may gratify consumers’ interest, sebsequently enhance the intention of Muslim consumers to use global brands.

Originality/value
A moderator is a variable that affects the strength of the relation between the predictor and criterion variable. This paper also explores the congruity of individuals’ norms in advertising appeal–intention relationship. Previous studies did not capture any effects of culturally congruent advertising appeals by considering the level of uncertainty avoidance influence on individuals’ intention to use global brands in a Muslim country context. In response to the recent calls for research to re-examine the antecedents of the theory of planned behaviour, this study re-evaluates the roles of attitude towards AP and the interaction of cultural norms.
Green purchasing capabilities, practices and institutional pressure
Authors: Foo Meow Yee , Kanapathy Kanagi , Zailani Suhaiza , Shaharudin Mohd Rizaimy 
Published: June 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to ascertain the green-purchasing capabilities required to ensure the successful implementation of green-purchasing practices under the forces of institutional pressure. Specifically, this paper explores the green-purchasing capabilities of buyer firms under the influence of institutional pressures in supplier selection, development, collaboration and evaluation in support of environmental purchasing.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaire survey method was used to gather data from 163 ISO 14001-certified manufacturing firms in Malaysia. Partial least squares was used for hypotheses testing.FindingsGreen-purchasing capabilities, such as manufacturing, financial, intraorganisational and integration capabilities, have a significant positive effects on green-purchasing practices. However, innovation capabilities have no significant effect on green-purchasing practices. Regulation, customer and competitor pressure positively moderate the relationships between green manufacturing capabilities and practices.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights the importance of green-purchasing capabilities in enhancing the green-purchasing practices of firms. The findings that pertain to moderating effect could be used to assist policy makers, particularly in setting appropriate policies and strategies to improve green purchasing.Originality/valueAlthough more studies on green purchasing have been conducted in recent years, issues, such as the effect of green-purchasing capabilities on green-purchasing practices, are still unspecified. Besides, this study considers institutional pressure as the moderator when a model is constructed to exemplify the relationship between green-purchasing capabilities and practices.
Creative nonfiction and narrative inquiry
Authors: Levine-Rasky Cynthia 
Published: June 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe, situate and justify the use of creative nonfiction as an overlooked but legitimate source of text for use in social inquiry, specifically within the ambit of narrative inquiry. What potential lies in using creative writing, creative nonfiction specifically, as a source of text in social research? How may it be subjected to modes of analysis such that it deepens understandings of substantive issues? Links are explored between creative nonfiction and the social context of such accounts in an attempt to trace how writers embed general social processes in their narrative.

Design/methodology/approach
Three exemplars from literary magazines are described in which whiteness is the substantive theme. The first author is a woman who writes about her relationship with her landscaper, the second story is written by a man who is overwhelmed by guilt after uttering a racial slur, and the third text is by a man who describes his attempts to help a homeless couple. The authors’ interpersonal experiences with people unlike themselves tell something significant about the relationship between selfhood and power relations.

Findings
No singular pattern emerges when analyzing these three narratives through the critical lens of whiteness. This is because whiteness is not a subject position or static identity but a practice, something that it is done in relation to others. It is a collective capacity whose value is realized only in dynamic relationship with others. As a rich source of narratives, creative nonfiction may generate insights about whiteness and middle classness and how their intersections give rise to complex and contradictory sets of social relations.

Originality/value
There is very little precedence for using creative nonfiction as text for analysis in any discipline in the social sciences despite its accessibility, its richness and its absence of risk. Inviting the sociological imagination in its project to link the personal to the political, it opens possibilities for the analysis of both in relationship to each other. As a common form of narrating everyday understandings, creative nonfiction offers something unique and under-valued to the social researcher. For these reasons, the paper is highly original.
The case for a Chinese methodology in educational research
Authors: Liu Wei 
Published: June 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to recover the identity of Chinese intellectual discourse, arguing for the necessity of a Chinese methodology in educational research to be constructed on the basis of the Chinese philosophical traditions and the Chinese social norms for the aim of solving Chinese educational issues within the Chinese cultural context.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a theoretical paper, arguing for the ontological, epistemological and methodological basis for a Chinese methodology in educational research.

Findings
The major ontological issue of Chinese social and educational research, also the ultimate goal of the Chinese governance, is social harmony through harmonious personal relationships. The key to social harmony has been seen in the Chinese philosophical tradition as residing in people’s personal morality and obligation, which constitutes the epistemology of Chinese research. And the golden mean of moderation by synthesizing and balancing the dualist extremes of views and actions should be adopted as the methodological paradigm to researching social and educational issues in China.

Practical implications
The elaboration of these three entities holds promises in the construction of the Chinese methodological system on Chinese social terms and merits.

Originality/value
The author has long sensed that the extensive methodological borrowing from the West by Chinese scholars in educational research might be problematic, given the vast structural differences in the two social worlds that the author and other scholars have observed. A paper in English to argue for the necessity of constructing a uniquely Chinese methodology for educational research in China is an absolute necessity.
From apparent competition to facilitation: Impacts of consumer niche construction on the coexistence and stability of consumer‐resource communities
Authors: Picot Aurore , Monnin Thibaud , Loeuille Nicolas 
Published: June 2019

Abstract

In addition to their direct trophic effects, some consumers have a positive indirect effect on their resource, due to niche construction. A predator can facilitate its prey resource acquisition, through prey transport, or through modifications of nutrient cycling. Alternatively, a predator may defend its prey against other predators, or actively manage it, as in agriculture, which is found in numerous taxa such as humans, ants, beetles, fishes and microbes.

Here, we investigate the ecological consequences of considering such positive effects in a simple two‐resource–one‐consumer module, in which the consumer has a positive effect on one of the resources.

We consider several scenarios, in which the positive effect on the resource is either not costly, that is resulting from a by‐product of the consumer phenotype such as nutrient cycling, or costly. The cost either decreases the exploitation of the cultivated resource or the opportunity to forage the alternative resource. We investigate how the intensity of niche construction impacts species coexistence, the distribution of biomass among the three species and the stability of the community.

We show that by modifying the trophic interactions in the module, niche construction alters the apparent competition between the resources, thereby impacting their coexistence.

When niche construction has little or no cost to the consumer, it leads to higher consumer and cultivated resource densities, while decreasing the alternative resource density. Alternatively, when niche construction has higher costs, the alternative resource can increase in density, niche construction thereby leading to the emergence of facilitative interactions among resource species.

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Stomatal sensitivity to CO2 diverges between angiosperm and gymnosperm tree species
Authors: Klein Tamir , Ramon Uria 
Published: June 2019

Abstract

The response of tree leaf gas exchange to elevated CO2 concentrations has been investigated in numerous experiments along the past 30 years. Stomatal regulation is a major plant control over leaf gas exchange, and the response to the increasing CO2 will shape the biological activity of forests in the future.

Here, we collected 144 records from 57 species on stomatal conductance in CO2 manipulation experiments on trees (340–980 ppm CO2). CO2‐induced stomatal downregulation was calculated as the slope of the linear regression between stomatal conductance and [CO2].

Among tree species, the slope (a) of change in stomatal conductance per 100 ppm CO2 increase ranged between 0 and −151, indicating stomatal downregulation, and only four species showed upregulation. There was a significant divergence between evergreen gymnosperms (a = −3.6 ± 1.0), deciduous angiosperms (a = −16.3 ± 3.1) and evergreen angiosperms (a = −32.8 ± 7.1). Gymnosperms were less sensitive to CO2 changes than deciduous angiosperms even when considering only field experiments. The significant role of tree functional group in predicting CO2‐induced stomatal downregulation was detected in multiple mixed‐effect models, with p values ranging between 0.0002 and 0.0295.

The significantly higher stomatal sensitivity to CO2 of angiosperms versus gymnosperms might be related to the overall higher stomatal conductance of angiosperms; their thinner leaves, in turn losing water faster; and the decreasing atmospheric [CO2] at the time of their taxa diversification. We conclude that species differences must be taken into account in forecasting future forest fluxes.

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