bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Digital assembly and direct fabrication of mechanism based on selective laser melting
Authors: Su Xubin , Yang Yongqiang , Wang Di , Chen Yonghua 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to obtain more design freedom and realize fast fabrication of mechanism which is the core subsystem of many machines and always consists of several parts with assigned relative motion.Design/methodology/approachThe mechanism is digitally assembled and later directly fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) without post‐assembly. The joint is re‐designed to facilitate powdered material removal; the displays and the corresponding support additions are discussed to avoid too many supports within the clearances. Then, a series of universal joint are directly fabricated using SLM machine and a minimum clearance of 0.1 mm is obtained; a crank rocker mechanism is also fabricated and it can achieve the required performances.FindingsThe digitally assembled mechanism can be successfully fabricated by SLM technique using metal powdered material.Originality/valueIt is well known that the components fabricated by SLM have good mechanical properties. Therefore, it can be expected that more mechanisms with more design freedom will be developed and be used in some practical fields with improvement of fabrication quality.
Additive manufactured textiles for high‐performance stab resistant applications
Authors: Johnson Andrew , Bingham Guy A. , Wimpenny David I. 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to ascertain the stab resistance characteristics of a series of planar and articulated laser sintered (LS) samples, in accordance with the United Kingdom Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) Body Armour Standard – Publication 39/07.Design/methodology/approachA series of LS planar samples were manufactured using an EOS P100 Formiga system, manufactured from 100 per cent virgin or a 50:50 mix of recycled and virgin Nylon (PA2200), ranging in thickness from 1‐10 mm. All planar samples were stab tested to the HOSDB knife‐resistance (KR) level one impact energy of 24 Joules, using an in‐house manufactured HOSDB guided rail drop test impact rig and standardised knives. Penetration through the underside of each sample was measured and recorded. These results were then used to develop an articulated, additive manufactured (AM) scale textile – LS from a 50:50 mix of recycled and virgin PA2200 powder. These samples were then tested using the aforementioned impact rig and stab impact energy.FindingsThe research demonstrated that while virgin PA2200 sample required a minimum thickness of 8 mm to achieve stab‐resistance below the HOSDB maximum penetration limit of 7 mm, this figure can be reduced to 5.6 mm when manufacturing LS planar samples from a 50:50 mix of virgin and recycled PA2200. Results from stab testing the articulated samples indicated a successful AM textile‐like design, with a maximum knife penetration of 1.6 mm – below the 7 mm HOSDB limit.Originality/valueThe paper describes a unique application of AM technologies for the manufacture of high‐performance stab resistant AM textiles.
Export and growth: a linkage effect perspective
Authors: Cheung Lam Richard 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how the linkage effect provides a better understanding of export‐led growth hypothesis in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachThe literature review on the externalities of export‐led growth implied a hypothesis that the higher the linkage effect of export manufacture or industry is, the greater the externality effect and the faster the export growth of it will be in developing countries. The export growth pattern of the Hong Kong electronics industry and some selected data from China's export manufactures have been used to verify the hypothesis.FindingsThe findings have strongly supported the research hypothesis at both the product and industry level.Originality/valueIn the ELG model, it is the externality and the linkage effect of export that lead to the output growth of an economy. The findings have illustrated that the ELG model cannot simply be based on the effect of the amount of export or the export growth rate, rather the externality and the linkage effect of export should also be incorporated into the model.
Raising capital from real estate
Authors: Evans Michael 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the range of options available to corporates to raise capital from their real estate.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a brief description of alternative capital raising capital options and their costs and benefits.FindingsThere are many options available to corporates to raise capital other than a sale and leaseback with different potential proceeds and costs of capital depending on the objectives of the corporate and the lease term they are prepared to sign.Originality/valueThis paper provides an introduction to alternative methods to raise capital from property including fixed and strip income investment models, raising debt against corporate property, the opco/propco model as well as the traditional sale and leaseback.
Are REITs a good shelter from financial crises? Evidence from the Asian markets
Authors: Chiang Ming‐Chu , Tsai I‐Chun , Sing Tien‐Foo 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe goal of this research is to investigate the time‐varying relationship between REITs and the stock markets in four Asian markets such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.Design/methodology/approachThe Multivariate GARCH‐vech model is used to capture the time‐varying correlation. The extreme value theory (EVT) is then employed to describe the extreme connection between REIT and market returns before and after financial crises.FindingsEmpirical results show that the conditional risks in both markets have increased abruptly since the start of the sub‐prime mortgage crisis and soared to a higher level as Lehman Brothers collapsed. Besides, the REIT markets have been positively correlated with stock markets since the sub‐prime crisis unfolded and the increases of correlation coefficients after the crisis are more than two times larger than those before the crisis in most of the countries. Lastly, the size and probability of having extreme positive coefficient are greater than those expected in normal market conditions.Practical implicationsThus, empirical evidence suggests that REITs are not as defensive as they are in times of stable markets and may not be a good shelter during financial chaos.Originality/valueTo investors, the authors' findings can fortify the understanding of market connections and assist in forming their portfolios. The authors' conclusion, which is drawn given the background of financial market turbulence, is different from those of other works, which mainly focus on the connection of REITs and stock markets in normal market conditions.
Is adaptation sustainable?
Authors: Fu Ernestine , Newell David , Becker Austin , Schwegler Ben , Fischer Martin 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThough production rates for construction materials are generally available, potential capacity on a global scale is poorly understood. Commencement of infrastructure projects to address climate change, such as dikes and levees, could increase demand making critical resources scarce. Since increasing production capacity of scarce products can be a challenge, understanding current potential capacity is an imperative. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new method to assess capacity and to create one such global estimate for cement.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed global hybrid method creates a global estimate of cement production capacity in four steps: collect capacity and production data from existing reports; select top regional capacity holders; compute regional utilisation; back‐calculate capacity from production.FindingsThe method overcomes shortfalls of other methods, but – like all estimating methods – is inherently limited by the amount of data available. It nonetheless provides economists, climate change scientists, government officials, investors, and other researchers a better understanding of current maximum global cement capacity.Originality/valueMost studies only focus on industry demand and actual production, because these forces drive commodity pricing. Capacity is generally estimated either through surveying goods‐producing industries at the plant level or examining economic data. Methods that employ these types of analysis are useful for regional estimates of production, but are ineffective at the global scale.
Internationalization and environmental disclosure: the role of home and host institutions
Authors: Kolk Ans , Fortanier Fabienne 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe domestic institutional context has emerged as a key determinant of firms' environmental disclosure, but studies have hardly addressed the extent to which exposure to foreign institutional contexts plays a role in the occurrence and contents of non‐financial disclosure, which are crucial aspects for understanding multinationals' accountability. The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between internationalization (both degree and spread) and environmental disclosure.Design/methodology/approachIt is hypothesized that both home and host country institutional pressures affect the relationship between internationalization and environmental disclosure, and that these effects are more prominent in environmentally‐sensitive sectors. The proposed relationships are tested using data from the Fortune Global 250.FindingsResults show a significantly negative relationship between the degree of internationalization and environmental disclosure, which is only partly mitigated by environmental governance and institutional quality in home and host countries. The relationship is only positive for firms in high‐sensitivity sectors from high‐standard countries. Findings are particularly strong for the degree of internationalization; and non‐significant for dispersion/spread.Originality/valueThis article moves beyond the predominant focus on country‐of‐origin effects by adding exposure to foreign institutional contexts, for which it develops a new indicator. It renews attention to non‐financial disclosure, a topic underexposed in the IB literature. Viewed from a broader IB perspective, this article provides an empirical illustration of the effect of home and host institutions on firm strategy, and of the use of different metrics to assess internationalization with divergent results for degree versus spread, as well as for sales versus assets, pointing to areas for further research.
A methodology for the design and operation of pull‐based supply chains
Authors: González‐R Pedro L. , Framinan Jose M. , Ruiz‐Usano Rafael 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe aim of this article is to propose a methodology for the design and operation of a just‐in‐time coordination mechanism to control the flow of materials in the supply chain.Design/methodology/approachA literature review of the problem is presented and a new supply chain coordination mechanism is then proposed.FindingsThe paper reveals that the one aspect not deeply studied yet in the supply chain management is their short‐term control. A simple kanban coordination mechanism demonstrates that is practical in the flow coordination of materials among the different nodes (companies) in a supply chain.Practical implicationsThis paper shows recent approaches in the supply chain context, useful to companies looking forward new opportunities in coordination systems for the supply chain.Originality/valueThe paper begins with a review of previous research in the material flow control in the supply chain. The authors then propose a new mechanism and an optimization methodology to deal with the coordination mechanism.
Kanban‐controlled exponential production lines: analysis and design
Authors: Zhang Liang 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study kanban‐controlled pull‐systems with machines having the exponential reliability model and with buffers finite capacities.Design/methodology/approachUsing Markovian analysis closed formulas are derived for the performance metrics such as customer service level, average inventory level, and throttling of raw part release, for one‐machine systems. Then, a recursive procedure is developed to extend the performance evaluation technique to multi‐machine systems.FindingsOnce system‐theoretic properties of the systems under consideration are investigated, the paper reveals methods for evaluating the smallest, i.e. lean, number of kanbans that ensure the desired level of customer service which are developed.Originality/valueProduction systems can operate in either push or pull regime. The push‐systems have been analyzed extensively for over 50 years, while the pull‐systems have been studied to a much lesser extent.
Assembly line segmentation: determining the number of stations per section
Authors: Cohen Yuval 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to ascertain and expose considerations related to the division of assembly lines into segments, and to develop a framework for assessing the impact of line segmentation. In particular, the paper aims to investigate the decision regarding the number of stations in each segment, and its impact on costs, throughput, and span of control.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyzes the literature, identifies the main considerations related to assembly line segmentation, and develops a mathematical model that reflects important factors related to the impact of segment length on the throughput and costs. The paper derives several important bounds on the number of stations (length) of a line's segment, which should be incorporated in the final design of the line sections.FindingsA trade‐off was found between the revenue (and throughput) and the buffer spaces located between each pair of sections of an assembly line. The higher the product price, the shorter the segments are. On the other hand, when buffer costs are higher, the line segments are longer (fewer sections and buffers are used). Interestingly, except of stoppages, the other two dominant factors in the segmentation decision are: absenteeism, and span of control. Using these factors, various upper bounds were found on the number of stations per section (which determine the total number of sections). The tightest upper bound is the active one, and this ensures line sections with a small number of stations.Practical implicationsThe model provides a framework of considerations to help designers of assembly lines and production lines determine the appropriate division of the line into sections and zones, and the best allocation of stations to sections. In addition, finding effective upper bounds for the number of stations in a line section establishes the practicality of exact methods for designing and balancing each section.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to offer a quantitative treatment of the various factors affecting assembly line segmentation. By finding the upper bound on the number of station per section, the paper establishes the practicality of exact methods for designing and balancing each section separately. Moreover, it provides a sound basis for future research related to design of assembly and production lines, and management of sequential processes.
Ant colony optimization for sequence‐dependent disassembly line balancing problem
Authors: Kalayci Can B. , Gupta Surendra M. 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce sequence‐dependent disassembly line balancing problem (SDDLBP) to the literature and propose an efficient metaheuristic solution methodology to this NP‐complete problem.Design/methodology/approachThis manuscript utilizes a well‐proven metaheuristics solution methodology, namely, ant colony optimization, to address the problem.FindingsSince SDDLBP is NP‐complete, finding an optimal balance becomes computationally prohibitive due to exponential growth of the solution space with the increase in the number of parts. The proposed methodology is very fast, generates (near) optimal solutions, preserves precedence requirements and is easy to implement.Practical implicationsSince development of cost effective and profitable disassembly systems is an important issue in end‐of‐life product treatment, every step towards improving disassembly line balancing brings us closer to cost savings and compelling practicality.Originality/valueThis paper introduces a new problem (SDDLBP) and an efficient solution to the literature.
Cycle time reduction in context to the make to order (MTO) environment
Authors: Sharma Sanjay 
Published: April 2013

PurposeA flexible production rate has been discussed and analyzed in the literature for different business situations. This paper aims to consider this for a make‐to‐order (MTO) environment.Design/methodology/approachGenerally the production rate and cycle time are significant parameters among others, where other parameters might include demand, and production time cost. An improvement in the cycle time or the cycle time reduction is a prime objective in the context of an overall productivity improvement particularly in the MTO environment. In order to gain some insights, an interaction of the production rate and cycle time is described.FindingsThe focus of the present paper is on the supply chain cost using these parameters among others. A framework for the conceptual understanding and analysis is provided along with the practical implementation issues.Originality/valueA relevant measure for the degree of flexibility (DOF) in the context of supply chain is also discussed in this paper.
Organizing for learning and knowledge creation – are we too afraid to kill it?
Authors: Ragnhild Nilsen Etty 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to raise the question of how to organize for learning and knowledge creation at work, and in particular whether intervention and facilitation may obstruct or ease these processes. Learning and knowledge creation are often seen to be hindered by lack of interaction and meeting places, and a project may offer such a meeting place. The purpose of the paper is to show that in spite of being a top‐down organized project, this project still forms a space for learning with features of a community of practice.Design/methodology/approachThe study is a longitudinal case study of a project within one ward in a hospital. Data were constructed from observation, interviews and informal conversations; supplied by document studies of reports and minutes from meetings in the project group.FindingsFindings from this study indicate that through facilitation of a project embedded in a single department, a hospital unit, a space for learning and knowledge creation is created. This learning space has features of a community of practice due to the embeddedness of the project and in spite of the alienating nature of the project task. As a consequence, practice is changed.Practical implicationsThis paper concludes that projects can provide a field for learning and knowledge creation, and that organization and controlling structures do have a facilitating effect. This means that projects as a knowledge management tool can be useful.Originality/valueThis paper addresses how a top‐down project can work as a learning space and be a source of changes in practice. It is of value since projects are increasingly used as a tool to organize work also in public organizations like hospitals.
Managing knowledge in large‐scale virtual projects: a community‐based approach
Authors: Marabelli Marco , Rajola Federico , Frigerio Chiara , Newell Sue 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate how virtual communities of practice (V‐CoP) develop in large‐scale virtual projects.Design/methodology/approachA case study of a large‐scale ES implementation was conducted in Italy and in the USA.FindingsIt was found that management can encourage the formation of V‐CoP if, along with the creation of virtual project teams they promote informal interaction between the team members, encourage commitment, and put together “the right mix of people”.Originality/valueUnderstanding how the technical and the functional communities communicated is meaningful to understand the extent to which different CoP can, virtually, overcome context‐specific barriers.
Uncovering knowledge‐based time management practices
Authors: Wu Dezhi , Passerini Katia 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate individual perceptions of time and time management strategies that professionals utilize to achieve their productivity in the execution of their daily tasks, projects and routines. Projects have specific time durations from the beginning to the end, which often need to be broken down into smaller temporal elements (e.g. milestones), and require learning and knowledge capture throughout different project phases. It aims to observe how knowledge management processes tie to personal time management, and how this observation could contribute to project management practices in organizations. The understanding of individual time management strategies, especially when they are connected to the capture, storage, transfer and application of knowledge, can create operational efficiencies in projects.Design/methodology/approachTwo sets of in‐depth semi‐structured interviews and field observations were designed and conducted with 20 busy professionals at an academic institution in the USA. All interviews were audio‐taped and transcribed generating over 350 pages of individual time management strategy statements. An extensive content analysis was performed to categorize the types of knowledge being used by professionals when engaged in daily organizational tasks and projects based on their roles and job hierarchy. Alavi and Leidner's knowledge taxonomies were used as the main coding scheme in order to classify types of individual temporal behaviours uncovered in this study.FindingsThis study shows that both explicit and tacit practices of individual time management are an important component of how professionals complete project tasks within their daily routines. Project managers play an important role in leading a successful project, and their time orientations directly affect all project phases.Originality/valueAlthough good time management strategies may be one of the key determinants of organizational productivity (driving increased output per unit of time), limited knowledge management research has been conducted within the context of professionals' time management practices. The findings reveal that individual time management is shaped by organizational temporal structures and norms, which organizations use to govern their employees and resources around clock time.