bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Why minimum wage order implementation is a challenge to human resource managers in Langkawi hotels
Authors: Ahmad Rozila , Scott Noel , Abdul-Rahman Rohana 
Published: June 2016

Purpose
This paper aims to explore the human resource (HR) challenges faced by hotel managers in Langkawi due to the implementation of the minimum wage order (MWO).

Design/methodology/approach
This study collected qualitative data from 18 managers and two owners from 19 hotels of various sizes and levels of service, including budget and boutique resorts on Langkawi Island, Malaysia. A semi-structured interview was used to ask the question “What are the challenges faced by hotel managers due to the implementation of an MWO?”

Findings
The challenges faced by the managers are: low employee productivity levels, many employees with a salary below the minimum wage rate, difficulty paying staff because of low revenue and conflicting laws and guidelines relating to the issues related to the service charge.

Research limitations/implications
This study provides an initial qualitative exploration of an important current legal development bearing on hotel managers in Malaysia. It provides some initial findings from Langkawi, but the findings may not represent the attitudes of hotel managers in other parts of Malaysia.

Practical implications
This study contributes to HR management literature by providing an insight into challenges faced by hotel managers in a developing country. To the managers, the MWO guideline is a serious challenge, as some of their employees are not productive enough to be paid at the minimum wage rate. To address the increasing labour cost, some have turned to the employment of foreign workers, whereas others have increased their casual employee numbers. These insights may serve to guide policy-makers and hotel managers in other developing countries that are planning to introduce an MWO.

Social implications
For the MWO to be effective, it is crucial for the government to develop effective guidelines for its implementation and for hotel employees amongst the Langkawi community to increase their level of productivity.

Originality/value
The Malaysian MWO policy was introduced in 2012. The policy affects employees’ remuneration and provides a challenge in implementation for the Malaysian hotel industry, especially in Langkawi. Although many studies on MWO implementation have focused on unemployment, this study provides the managers’ perspective on the challenges faced due to the implementation of this policy and identifies reasons why the unemployment rate for local workers may increase after the implementation of an MWO.
Determinants of tourism hotel market efficiency
Authors: Ben Aissa Sami , Goaied Mohamed 
Published: June 2016

PurposeThe purpose of this paper to study the hotel performance determinants by examining the impact of the internal and the external environment of the hotel on its performance.Design/methodology/approachA bootstrapped truncated regression model is used following the evaluation of efficiency score for hotels using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The effects of the cited variables are discussed to determine the best development strategy for increasing hotel performance.FindingsThis paper has four major contributions. First, the test results confirm that macro-contextual factors, such as international attraction and market competition, have a direct influence on hotel efficiency. Second, hotel efficiency depends on hotel characteristics, such as hotel age, hotel type, management type and the location of the hotel. Third, the tenure of the general manager, education level of the board staff and number of managers influence hotel efficiency. Finally, general tourism wages increase the efficiency score of the corporate hotel performance.Research limitations/implicationsTourism employment studies require further improvement, and their challenges should be highlighted when countries develop tourism strategies. Moreover, hiring employees with a better educational background appears to be an effective human resource strategy to reduce inefficiency in the hotel sector. Tourism performance and development need a thorough investigation into tourism wages to attract the best students and the best graduates to the tourism sector to bring out the needed number and skills of employees.Practical implicationsThe conclusions of this paper are consistent with the literature results. However, it is important to separate market concentration from market competition for whose literature concluded an opposite influence on the hotel performance. The authors explain this contrast by the measure choice.Social implicationsThe performance of the hotel depends not only on the physical resources and on the destination characteristics but also on the management characteristics.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to test empirically the influence of destination attractiveness, competition level, hotel size, hotel age, management contract, hotel type, location, advertising, manager’s tenure, tourism education and wages on the hotel performance in Tunisia.
Social entrepreneurship in Portugal
Authors: Parente Cristina 
Published: June 2016

Purpose– This paper provides a reflection about the usefulness of the concept of social entrepreneurship to Portuguese third sector organizations (TSOs) with the purpose of understanding the paths undertaken by the latter. Departing from a theoretical synthesis inspired by different approaches to social entrepreneurship, the purpose of this paper is to offer an operative view of the concept in light of the problematics of social innovation and organizational innovation.Design/methodology/approach– The empirical analysis focuses on the intervention models and management models of these organizations. It uses a sequential methodological approach that combines extensive and intensive analyses.Findings– The author has concluded that Portuguese TSOs show a fragile form of social entrepreneurship. This includes, among others, state dependency both in terms of models of financial management and the definition and regulation of activities, recipients and social intervention. This leads the author to claim, even though cautiously, that management models influence intervention models.Originality/value– The originality of this paper lies on the use of an analytic framework that offers an eclectic approach to social entrepreneurship. This approach goes beyond some hidden contradictions between Anglo-Saxon schools of thought, namely, the earned income school of thought, and the school of social innovation, as well as the European perspective on social enterprises, and the Latin-American school of solidarity economy. These schools have been reconciled for the purposes of this analysis, which attempts to operationalize the notion of social entrepreneurship in the Portuguese TSOs.
Fighting cultural marginalisation with symbolic power in a Parisian banlieue
Authors: Downing Joseph 
Published: June 2016

Purpose– There exists a significant literature detailing the role of voluntary associations as important actors in mitigating forms of marginalisation under austerity. However, neglected in this literature is the role that such voluntary associations can play in forming and deploying “symbolic power” to fight post-colonial, cultural forms of marginalisation. This is important, especially given conditions where material forms of fighting marginalisation are limited by austerity. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– This paper employs a case study analysis, drawing on data collected during fieldwork and through archival research in France. This methodology allows for the investigation of the multitude of ways by which this association utilises post-colonial symbols to fight marginalisation.Findings– This paper finds that under conditions of austerity, the case study of this association demonstrates three important themes of analysis. First, the association, while not receiving funds outright from municipal authorities, actually is granted privileged access to municipal resources and is given significant personal support from local politicians. This support facilitates the second and third inter-related themes of analysis – namely the abilities to fight marginalisation using history and public culture.Originality/value– This paper seeks to clarify this role of voluntary associations in the important field of “symbolic power” (Bourdieu, 1990) through the use of cultural and historical symbols from a colonial/post-colonial repertoire in France.
Selection and industrial applications of panel data based demand forecasting models
Authors: Ren Shuyun , Choi Tsan-Ming 
Published: June 2016

Purpose– Panel data-based demand forecasting models have been widely adopted in various industrial settings over the past few decades. Despite being a highly versatile and intuitive method, in the literature, there is a lack of comprehensive review examining the strengths, the weaknesses, and the industrial applications of panel data-based demand forecasting models. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by reviewing and exploring the features of various main stream panel data-based demand forecasting models. A novel process, in the form of a flowchart, which helps practitioners to select the right panel data models for real world industrial applications, is developed. Future research directions are proposed and discussed.Design/methodology/approach– It is a review paper. A systematically searched and carefully selected number of panel data-based forecasting models are examined analytically. Their features are also explored and revealed.Findings– This paper is the first one which reviews the analytical panel data models specifically for demand forecasting applications. A novel model selection process is developed to assist decision makers to select the right panel data models for their specific demand forecasting tasks. The strengths, weaknesses, and industrial applications of different panel data-based demand forecasting models are found. Future research agenda is proposed.Research limitations/implications– This review covers most commonly used and important panel data-based models for demand forecasting. However, some hybrid models, which combine the panel data-based models with other models, are not covered.Practical implications– The reviewed panel data-based demand forecasting models are applicable in the real world. The proposed model selection flowchart is implementable in practice and it helps practitioners to select the right panel data-based models for the respective industrial applications.Originality/value– This paper is the first one which reviews the analytical panel data models specifically for demand forecasting applications. It is original.
Experimental comparison of drag-wiper and roller-wiper glass-cleaning robots
Authors: Zhou Qiang , Li Xin 
Published: June 2016

Purpose
Glass-cleaning robots were developed to perform the difficult, time-consuming and dangerous job of cleaning windows that had traditionally been done by humans. The wiping mechanism is the most important functional component of a glass-cleaning robot, which indirectly affects the design of the adsorption and transport mechanisms. This study aims to compare two types of wiping mechanisms – the drag-wiper and roller-wiper –through an analysis and an actual experiment, providing theoretical and measured data that can be applied to the optimization of the design of future glass-cleaning robots.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors undertook a theoretical force and energy consumption analysis of glass-cleaning robots and, based on the obtained results, undertook an analysis the two wiper types. They verified the theoretical analysis by conducting several experiments including studying the relationship between a wiper’s friction force and rotational speed, measuring the contact normal forces of the suckers, wiper and crawlers relative to the glass wall, measuring the energy consumed to drive the robot and studying the relationship between the vacuum pump’s power consumption and the adsorption force. The authors also compared the wiping efficacy of the drag-wiper robot and roller-wiper robot.

Findings
The drag-wiper offers the advantages of simplicity while being able to wipe the area around the edge of a window frame. Meanwhile, the use of a roller-wiper not only improves the robot’s driving performance and reduces the required adsorption force but can also reduce the amount of energy consumed to drive both the robot itself and also the vacuum pump; in addition, the roller-wiper is more flexible and energy- and time-efficient when dealing with dirt that is difficult to remove.

Originality/value
This study has, through a detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of a drag-wiper and roller-wiper robot, from the three aspects of force analysis, energy consumption and wiping efficacy, obtained theoretical and measured data that can be applied to the optimization of the design of future industrial and household glass-cleaning robots.
Mobile robot vision system using continuous laser scanning for industrial application
Authors: Lindner Lars , Sergiyenko Oleg , Rodríguez-Quiñonez Julio C. , Rivas-Lopez Moises , Hernandez-Balbuena Daniel , Flores-Fuentes Wendy , Natanael Murrieta-Rico Fabian , Tyrsa Vera 
Published: June 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is the presentation and research of a novel robot vision system, which uses laser dynamic triangulation, to determine three-dimensional (3D) coordinates of an observed object. The previously used physical operation principle of discontinuous scanning method is substituted by continuous method. Thereby applications become possible that were previously limited by this discretization.

Design/methodology/approach
The previously used prototype No. 2, which uses stepping motors to realize a discontinuous laser scan, was substituted by the new developed prototype No. 3, which contains servomotors, to achieve a continuous laser scan. The new prototype possesses only half the width and turns out to be significantly smaller and therefore lighter than the old one. Furthermore, no transmissions are used, which reduce the systematic error of laser positioning and increase the system reliability.

Findings
By using a continuous laser scan method instead of discontinuous laser scan method, dead zones in the laser scanner field can be eliminated. Thereby, also by changing the physical operation principle, the implementation of applications is allowed, which previously was limited by the fixed step size or by the object distance under observation. By using servomotors instead of stepping motors, also a significant reduced positioning time can be accomplished maintaining the relative positioning error less than 1 per cent.

Originality/value
The originality is based on the substitution of the physical operation principle of discontinuous by continuous laser scan. The previously used stepping motors discretized the laser scanner field and thereby produced dead zones, where 3D coordinates cannot be detected. These stepping motors were substituted by servomotors to revoke these disadvantages and provide a continuous laser scan, where dead zones in the field of view get eliminated and the step response of the laser scanner accelerated.
The role of robots in the battlefields of the future
Authors: Bogue Robert 
Published: June 2016

Purpose
This paper aims to provide an overview of robots presently in use by the military and an insight into some that are under development.

Design/methodology/approach
Following a short introduction, this paper first considers existing applications of robots in the military field, including details of Russian weaponised ground robots. It then highlights a range of military robot developments and concludes with a brief discussion.

Findings
Drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) and small unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are among the most widely used robots by the military. Russia is developing a growing armoury of heavily weaponised UGVs, some of which were recently deployed in Syria. Some topics of development include humanoid robots, powered exoskeletons, load-carrying robots, micro-air vehicles and autonomous land vehicles. Robots will play an ever-growing role in military actions, and while some developments offer longer-term prospects, others are expected to be deployed in the near future.

Originality/value
Robots are playing an increasingly important role in military conflicts, and this provides details of present-day and anticipated future uses of robots by the military.
Emotionally engaging customers in the digital age: the case study of “Burberry love”
Authors: Straker Karla , Wrigley Cara 
Published: June 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how companies can design digital channels to evoke desired emotions.

Design/methodology/approach
– The successful business case of retailer Burberry has been examined to understand the strategy and customer engagement of digital channels implemented by decoding the emotional intensions.

Findings
– Results illustrate that the ability to create engaging interactions via digital channels with customers has a significant impact on growth, revenue and brand advocacy. Findings from this study provide a new empirical support for the proposition that emotions can be utilised to guide company digital strategy for building digital channel relationships with customers.

Originality/value
– This is the first study to examine the relationship between digital channels, emotion and customer responses to digital engagements. The inclusion of an emerging theory model is outlined to explain the successful process of reformulating business strategy through a dynamic and creative process of intersecting emotion, strategy and digital channels.
Evaluation of awareness level knowledge and understanding framework personality disorder training with mental health staff: impact on attitudes and clinical practice
Authors: Ebrahim Selma , Robinson Sally , Crooks Samantha , Harenwall Sari , Forsyth Angus 
Published: June 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of knowledge and understanding framework (KUF) awareness-level training with mental health staff in a UK NHS Mental Health Trust.

Design/methodology/approach
– In total, 181 mental health professionals completed three day KUF awareness-level training to promote understanding and positive attitudes in working with personality disorder (PD). Attitudes to PD were evaluated using the PD – Knowledge and Skills Questionnaire (Bolton et al., 2010) at pre and post training and at three and six months follow up. Quantitative data were analysed and descriptive statistics were obtained. Qualitative methods were also used to evaluate the integration of learning into work-based practice with five participants.

Findings
– Participants reported a favourable reaction to the training. Understanding and positive emotions about working with PD increased significantly post training (gains maintained at three and six months follow up). Capability in working with PD was increased post training and at three, but not six months. Qualitative analysis suggests clinical practice was positively impacted upon three months following training.

Research limitations/implications
– This research suggests awareness-level KUF training can have a positive impact on the attitudes, understanding and clinical practice of mental health practitioners towards people with a PD. It confirms earlier research on a decrease in capability post training, and explores strategies to further develop capability with this client group.

Originality/value
– Despite the promotion of KUF awareness-level training by the Department of Health there is limited evaluation of the approach with mental health professionals in practice. This study reports on an evaluation of KUF training within a large mental health trust with three and six months follow up data. Qualitative evaluation three months after course completion indicates improved practice and application of course principles when working with individuals with PD.
A hybrid firefly and support vector machine classifier for phishing email detection
Authors: Adewumi Oluyinka Aderemi , Akinyelu Ayobami Andronicus 
Published: June 2016

Purpose
– Phishing is one of the major challenges faced by the world of e-commerce today. Thanks to phishing attacks, billions of dollars has been lost by many companies and individuals. The global impact of phishing attacks will continue to be on the increase and thus a more efficient phishing detection technique is required. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and report the use of a nature inspired based-machine learning (ML) approach in classification of phishing e-mails.

Design/methodology/approach
– ML-based techniques have been shown to be efficient in detecting phishing attacks. In this paper, firefly algorithm (FFA) was integrated with support vector machine (SVM) with the primary aim of developing an improved phishing e-mail classifier (known as FFA_SVM), capable of accurately detecting new phishing patterns as they occur. From a data set consisting of 4,000 phishing and ham e-mails, a set of features, suitable for phishing e-mail detection, was extracted and used to construct the hybrid classifier.

Findings
– The FFA_SVM was applied to a data set consisting of up to 4,000 phishing and ham e-mails. Simulation experiments were performed to evaluate and compared the performance of the classifier. The tests yielded a classification accuracy of 99.94 percent, false positive rate of 0.06 percent and false negative rate of 0.04 percent.

Originality/value
– The hybrid algorithm has not been earlier apply, as in this work, to the classification and detection of phishing e-mail, to the best of the authors’ knowledge.
Transaction costs in construction projects under uncertainty
Authors: Guo Lei , Li Huimin , Li Peng , Zhang Chengyi 
Published: June 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to find how those uncertainty factors influence transaction costs generated and to identify ways to minimize the transaction costs borne by the construction owner.

Design/methodology/approach
– The literature indicates that there is no consensus on a standard definition of transaction costs in the construction industry. A detailed literature review of research work on transaction costs in construction is conducted in order to identify the determinants of transaction costs in construction projects. A structural equation model is tested on data collected by means of a survey administered to construction owners.

Findings
– The findings indicate that the transaction costs borne by the owner can be minimized if the owner minimizes the uncertainties inherent in the construction project by making sure the engineering design is as complete as possible before bids are sought from contractors; harmonious relationships between project participants; fair risk allocation; have experience in similar type projects; and contractor selection practices that routinely detect irregular behavior.

Research limitations/implications
– The data used in this research are primarily based on the experiences of public owners and the markets in which they operate; a larger representation of private owners could make the conclusions more general. Another limitation of the study is that it relies on a survey of opinions rather than actual records of costs and other hard data.

Practical implications
– No empirical study has ever been conducted of transaction-related issues in the construction industry because of the lack of a common understanding of transaction cost. This paper provides the groundwork for such a study.

Originality/value
– This paper attempts to reconcile the many determinants of transaction costs in construction projects under uncertainty considered by different researchers in a multitude of research studies.