bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mitigating uncertainty for industrial service operations: a multi case study
Authors: Durugbo Christopher , Erkoyuncu John Ahmet 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
This article aims to explore the evolution of industrial service uncertainties and the approaches for mitigating these uncertainties. The article also sheds light on how the interplay of potential uncertainties due to service operation challenges shapes the decisiveness of product-centric businesses.

Design/methodology/approach
To better understand how industrial firms mitigate uncertainties of industrial service provision by their supply chains, we adopted a qualitative multi-case logic methodology. Our approach is based on a research model of uncertainty avoidance and uncertainty reduction which we applied in an exploratory study with three major multi-national firms in the aerospace industry: BAE systems, Lockheed Martin and Rolls-Royce.

Findings
From the analysis, we found that to mitigate industrial service uncertainty, there is a need for aftermarket-oriented organisation, audit-oriented governance, relationship-oriented intelligence and lifecycle-oriented contracts. We also found that value uncertainty originating from unpredictability in client needs and project scope and structural uncertainty caused by volatility and variability of business structures are also important quandaries in decision making situations of firms towards their supply chains for industrial services.

Originality/value
The article makes two useful contributions. First it provides an assessment of the nature of uncertainty within operations for providing industrial services. Second, the paper identifies orientations for industrial service uncertainty mitigation. Whereas product-centric businesses firms tend to vary in their states for uncertainty avoidance and reduction, our work suggest similar orientations for uncertainty mitigation across these firms.
Signaling strategies for ISO 26000: a firm-level approach
Authors: Moratis Lars 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this article is to shed light on some important limitations of the ISO 26000 standard for corporate social responsibility (CSR) for the credible communication of corporate CSR claims. The article aims to identify and explore firm-level strategies to signal adherence to the standard effectively and their legitimacy consequences for the standard.

Design/methodology/approach
The identification of firm-level signaling strategies is mainly derived from an institutional description of the ISO 26000 standard and based on anecdotal evidence from current business practice, initiatives that have been taken worldwide by organizations such as national standards institutes, the ISO 26000 text and adjacent ISO documents, including ISO post-publication surveys. The article is grounded in signalling theory.

Findings
Five signaling strategies for firms are derived and explored which may reduce information asymmetries and engage in efficacious signaling of their underlying CSR quality and thus guide the communication of firms’ adherence to the ISO 26000 standard.

Research limitations/implications
The findings urge to empirically investigate the use of ISO 26000 signaling strategies including their legitimacy consequences for firms.

Practical implications
The findings of this article have implications for decisions firms make when considering working with ISO 26000 and communicating their adherence, notably regarding the enhancement of the credibility of their CSR claims. Also, it offers suggestions for certification organizations, national standards bodies and policy makers that want to encourage the adoption of CSR standards, ISO 26000 in particular.

Originality/value
This article is the first one to address inherent signaling problems of ISO 26000 and to identify signaling strategies to counter these problems in a structured way.
A supplier development adoption framework using expectancy theory
Authors: Chen Liang , Ellis Scott C. , Suresh Nallan 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
We apply expectancy theory to advance a conceptual framework which identifies factors that motivate and affect the adoption of supplier development activities.

Design/methodology/approach
We conduct a comprehensive literature review to identify salient contributions and conceptual gaps within prior supplier development studies. These conceptual gaps motivate our use of expectancy theory and the broader management literature to develop a conceptual framework of supplier development adoption.

Findings
Our study results in the development of a two-stage conceptual framework in which two behavioral constructs – supplier development expectancy and valence – play an important role in mediating the effects of activity-, firm-, interfirm-, and environment-level factors on the adoption of supplier development activities. Accordingly, we advance eleven testable propositions that underlie the logical development of our framework.

Research limitations/implications
Our application of expectancy theory facilitates the integration of constructs culled from disparate theories into a cohesive conceptual framework. Highlighting the central role of motivational force, our conceptual development provides a behavioral explanation for the indirect effects of activity-, firm-, interfirm-, and environment-level factors on supplier development adoption.

Practical implications
We advance a set of factors associated with three successive stages of the supplier development planning process – partner selection, activity selection, and scope selection – that managers should consider when adopting a supplier development activity.

Originality/value
In contrast to prior research, which largely draws from economic or strategic theories, we employ a behavioral approach to advance a novel set of factors that influence supplier development adoption.
Waste in NPD processes of German SMEs
Authors: Woschke Tino , Haase Heiko , Lautenschläger Arndt 
Published: April 2016

Purpose– This study deals with waste in New Product Development (NPD) processes of SMEs. The purpose of this paper is to reveal opportunities for SMEs to overcome resource constraints in their NPD process.Design/methodology/approach– The authors employed qualitative key informant interviews. This design was chosen because research in this field is still limited. The authors performed 49 interviews in engineering-oriented German SMEs to examine the dimension of waste in NPD processes. The data were collected by conducting semi-structured, face-to-face interviews.Findings– The study highlights substantial waste types such as waiting times, rework and duplication of work. In contrast to contemporary literature, waste of material is considered to be relevant in particular for NPD processes of SMEs. In addition to that, the authors found that waste drivers differ to a great extent between the study and the hitherto literature on larger companies.Research limitations/implications– The overall outcome of this study can help organisations to address waste in NPD more thoroughly. The research presented was not specifically designed to draw statistical generalisations. For this reason, the results may not be applicable to all SMEs.Practical implications– Based on waiting times as the major waste type in NPD processes of SMEs, the authors claim that firms should pay special attention to disruptions of these processes.Originality/value– The paper gives insights into current waste types in the NPD processes of SMEs. Moreover, it uncovers the NPD activities which can lead to waste.
Influence of human factors on organisational performance
Authors: Habtoor Nasser 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of human factors in quality management on quality improvement practices and organisational performance in the Yemeni industrial sector.

Design/methodology/approach
– Data were collected via a quantitative survey with a questionnaire distributed to 261 managers from 87 industrial companies. Replies from 210 managers give a response rate of 80 per cent. Data were analysed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 16.0, including factor analysis, reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, and correlation analysis. Structural equation modelling was carried out using Amos to evaluate the model and hypotheses.

Findings
– Human factors influence positively quality improvement practices and organisational performance. Quality improvement practices positively influence organisational performance. Human factors indirectly and significantly influence organisational performance via the mediator of quality improvement practices.

Research limitations/implications
– The findings will be useful to both researchers and managers, especially those in Yemeni industrial companies. For further work, this study can be expanded to cover companies in other Middle East countries, and it may include more human factors.

Originality/value
– The study is one of a few that investigate the influence of human factors on quality management. Additionally, this study is the first to carry out such research in the Yemen and the Middle East region.
Towards lean warehouse: transformation and assessment using RTD and ANP
Authors: Sharma Sanjay , Shah Bhavin 
Published: April 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to represent a unique combined Real time Delphi (RTD) – analytic network process (ANP) approach considering efficient decision making with practical validation.Design/methodology/approach– An ANP model encounters invisible relationship and interdependency among qualitative and quantitative criteria for assessment. RTD supports continuous assessment and improvement in team building, modeling, developing, implementing and validating the procedure. To illustrate practical validation of the model, the authors apply it in a manufacturing firm. A case illustrating the model, finds improved results and judgments followed by conclusion.Findings– A case illustrating the model, finds improved results and judgments. This model improves warehouse performance by integrating lean and people issues. The outcome results in an efficient decision making and consensus judgments. It also fosters high trust and coordination level among people in warehouse.Originality/value– Previous studies have assessed leanness either at enterprise or manufacturing level. As lean transformation and assessment both are continuous and long-term procedure, first the concept should apply to single function and should lead toward enterprise level. A web-based approach and multi criteria decision-making techniques like analytic hierarchy process, and ANP had been applied individually to measure leanness at enterprise level. Because of the warehouse contributing significantly to the total wastes and costs for an organization, such operations are considered presently.
Characteristics of relationships, types and strategies in a Brazilian cluster
Authors: Tristão Hélcio Martins , Oprime Pedro Carlos , Pimenta Márcio Lopes 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the theoretical development of the theme by the proposition of an industrial cluster typology method considering that the set of local variables related to the firms characteristics are essential for the strengthening of the interfirms’ relationship and consequently their performance.

Design/methodology/approach
– The theoretical basis of this study are the types of clusters found in literature and the research. A survey with several types of actors were performed with companies from footwear production chain in the region of Franca, Brazil. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics techniques as well as multivariate exploratory methods.

Findings
– This study highlight multiple characteristics derived from different cluster typologies within the same productive chain.

Originality/value
– From a theoretical standpoint, the research results extended the perspective about the strategic role played by the local cooperation and also offer to managers and representative institutions a possibility to reflect on different types of governance principles adopted in collective actions.
Quality costing: a survey in Greek supermarkets using multiple correspondence analysis
Authors: CHATZIPETROU EYRIKLEIA , Moschidis Odysseas 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
The present paper is an effort towards an integrated depiction of the quality costs of supermarkets in Greece. The purpose of the survey was to investigate to what extent the P-A-F model is used by Greek trade companies in the years of economic turmoil. Furthermore, it analyses how the quality costing process differentiates itself according to a number of demographic variables (size, number of employees, number of branches, ISO/HACCP certification).

Design/methodology/approach
The survey was conducted in 159 Greek supermarkets via a questionnaire. The method of Multiple Correspondence Analysis was successfully implemented in the process of answering the above mentioned questions.

Findings
The survey highlighted the limited use of quality costing practices among supermarkets. The way companies monitor quality costs proved to be highly dependent on their size, the economic circumstances and other variables (i.e. ISO/HACCP certification). Furthermore, our research provides evidence that prevention plus appraisal costs “balance” with failure costs at 83% of quality conformance.

Originality/value
The present study offers a first insight into the attitude of Greek supermarkets towards quality costing implementation. Moreover, it is enriched with empirical findings on the interrelations among the quality cost categories, which support and verify “the new COQ model”. Finally, given the fact that the majority of published research papers focus on quality costing in manufacturing companies, we chose to examine supermarkets, as a first attempt towards the analysis of quality costing in retail companies in Greece.
The impact of TQM practices on organizational learning
case study: automobile part manufacturing and suppliers of Iran
Authors: Yazdani Bita , Attafar Ali , Shahin Arash , Kheradmandnia Manouchehr 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the correlations between TQM and organizational learning in the context of automobile part manufacturing and suppliers of Iran.

Design/methodology/approach
A research project is carried out in 191 automobile part manufacturing and suppliers plants, using the questionnaire method. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) is applied to assess the measurement instrument reliability and validity. The correlations between latent constructs are examined through Partial Least Squares (PLS) method.

Findings
Findings indicate that, both, the core and infrastructure aspects of QM practices have significant positive effect on organizational learning. At the lower levels, HRM and information and analysis contribute to enhancement of the organizational learning.

Research limitations/implications
It is recommended that a more complete construct be designed for measuring the organizational learning. Some contextual factors such as culture need to be noticed in future researches.

Practical implications
in this article some beneficial insights are addressed to assist managers in recognizing the organizational problems which weaken the organizational learning.

Originality/value
This study contributes to the TQM advance, organizational learning research literature and provides better foundations for organizational learning improvement through TQM practices in the Middle East. By investigating the correlations between infrastructure and core QM practices and organizational learning, this study fills the current gap in this field.
A system dynamics model of the nutritional stages of the Colombian population
Authors: Meisel Jose D , Sarmiento Olga L. , Olaya Camilo , Valdivia Juan A , Zarama Roberto 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
– Overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity have in recent years become an important public health problem worldwide. Investigations that study obesity using a systemic approach in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to study the nutritional stages dynamics within the Colombian urban population.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors used a population-level systems dynamics (SD) model that captures the transitions of population by body mass index (BMI) categories. The authors proposed a heuristic to estimate the transference rates (TRs) between BMI categories using data from the Colombian Demographic and Health Survey 2005 and 2010.

Findings
– The Colombian urban population is moving to overweight and obese categories. The TRs from not overweight to overweight and from overweight to obese (0.0076 and 0.0054, respectively) are higher than the TRs from obese to overweight and from overweight to not-overweight (1.025×10e−7 and 3.47×10e−7, respectively). The simulation results show that the prevalences of overweight and obesity will increase by 6.2 and 7.5 percent by 2015, and by 13.4 and 18.9 percent by 2030, respectively.

Originality/value
– Investigations that study obesity using a systemic approach in LMICs are limited. A SD model was proposed to examine changes in the population’s nutritional stages using population accumulation structures by BMI categories. The authors propose a heuristic to estimate the TRs of individuals between BMI categories. The proposed model can be used to study the effects of policy interventions to prevent overweight and obesity. The authors analyze a few policy intervention strategies.
Developing a general scientific methodology on tenets from Mario Bunges philosophy
Authors: Adriaenssen Daniel Joh. , Johannessen Jon-Arild 
Published: April 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present a general scientific methodology on tenets from Mario Bunge’s philosophy.Design/methodology/approach– Systemic thinking and conceptual generalisation.Findings– A general scientific methodology based on tenets from Mario Bunge’s philosophy of social science.Research limitations/implications– Using quantitative methods to conduct a research to test Asplunds motivation theory and North’s action theory.Practical implications– How to conduct a research based on a systemic perspective.Social implications– An advantage of linking a systemic perspective to organisational psychology studies is that it may result in new ways of looking at old problems and bring new perspectives to the methods used. One explanation may be the fact that while researchers within various organisational psychology subject fields are largely specialists, the systemic perspective is oriented towards general scientific methodology.Originality/value– The authors have not seen anybody who have tried to apply systemic thinking as a general methodology for research.
Case study
Authors: Yang Tsung-Han , Ku Cheng-Yuan , Liu Man-Nung 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
– In recent years, many development projects of the medical systems encounter difficulties and eventually fail. Failure is often due to very complicated and changeable medical procedures and the inconsistent understanding between system stakeholders, especially the healthcare providers, and information technology staff. Many research results also indicate that poor communication easily results in negative consequences during the implementation of the medical information system. To effectively overcome this obstacle, the purpose of this paper is to propose an enhanced Delphi method to assist in reaching consensus during the software development with some additional steps.

Design/methodology/approach
– As an alternative to the traditional way to elicit pertinent feedback from respondents, the enhanced Delphi method stresses the systematic, flexible, and cyclic stages to construct a questionnaire with viewpoints from different types of panelists and a self-assessment procedure as a validating step to measure the improvements in the system implementation.

Findings
– The better communication between the members of project team does increase the comprehensive assessment of a project.

Originality/value
– Based on a practical case, the enhanced Delphi method really demonstrates good performance and effectiveness.
Posture labeling based gesture classification for Turkish sign language using depth values
Authors: Saykol Ediz , Türe Halit Talha , Sirvanci Ahmet Mert , Turan Mert 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper to classify a set of Turkish sign language (TSL) gestures by posture labeling based finite-state automata (FSA) that utilize depth values in location-based features. Gesture classification/recognition is crucial not only in communicating visually impaired people but also for educational purposes. The paper also demonstrates the practical use of the techniques for TSL.

Design/methodology/approach
– Gesture classification is based on the sequence of posture labels that are assigned by location-based features, which are invariant under rotation and scale. Grid-based signing space clustering scheme is proposed to guide the feature extraction step. Gestures are then recognized by FSA that process temporally ordered posture labels.

Findings
– Gesture classification accuracies and posture labeling performance are compared to k-nearest neighbor to show that the technique provides a reasonable framework for recognition of TSL gestures. A challenging set of gestures is tested, however the technique is extendible, and extending the training set will increase the performance.

Practical implications
– The outcomes can be utilized as a system for educational purposes especially for visually impaired children. Besides, a communication system would be designed based on this framework.

Originality/value
– The posture labeling scheme, which is inspired from keyframe labeling concept of video processing, is the original part of the proposed gesture classification framework. The search space is reduced to single dimension instead of 3D signing space, which also facilitates design of recognition schemes. Grid-based clustering scheme and location-based features are also new and depth values are received from Kinect. The paper is of interest for researchers in pattern recognition and computer vision.
Personality Factors and Dress Style Tribes of Undergraduate Students
Authors: Johnson Tricia Widner , Francis Sally K. 
Published: April 2016

Consumers become members of style tribes when a specific style of dress is adopted. Personality may be one variable related to consumers' personal style of dress. Students in a fashion trend analysis course identified and described eleven style tribes on a university campus in the United States. Eight of the eleven style tribe descriptions’ were associated with designer names, brands, and/or specific retailers. The style tribe data were used to develop a questionnaire for the present study.
Data were then collected from 277 undergraduate college students who completed two questionnaires: 1) the NEO PI-R, an instrument designed to measure the five personality factors of the Five Factor Model and 2) a questionnaire with eleven style tribe descriptions.
Data were analyzed using canonical correlation. The major finding from the present study was that although personality was related to dress style, subjects reportedly adopted multiple dress styles. The findings of this investigation have theoretical implications regarding the social/psychological aspects of appearance and dress, and the marketing and retailing of appearance management products associated with designer names, brands, and/or retailers.