bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
E‐maintenance and information logistics: aspects of content format
Authors: Karim Ramin , Candell Olov , Söderholm Peter 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe aspects of content sharing within e‐maintenance, with a view to merging the two areas of maintenance and ICT in a content management perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe approach is an explorative literature study covering aspects of ICT. The analysis is founded on theories related to maintenance and maintenance support. The conclusions of the study are corroborated by experiences from earlier software development and testing.FindingsMost existing contributions to the e‐maintenance debate seem to suffer from too wide a gap between data processing and knowledge management. This tendency can be due to too great a focus on data collection, without any clear identification of the stakeholders' requirements. Hence, a mature e‐maintenance solution should focus on the enhancement of service‐oriented information logistics based on content sharing for an output‐based information strategy.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on the needs of content format and transformation content, which includes data format, data structures and data type for objects that are relevant for the maintenance process. Hence, further research could include aspects of infrastructure and service architecture, which are on a higher level of an e‐maintenance solution.Practical implicationsThe paper contributes with knowledge that supports decisions about content format in the development of an e‐maintenance solution. This can in turn support a reduction of maintenance‐related hazards through the improved use of ICT.Originality/valueThis paper describes the importance of content management within the e‐maintenance approach. Hence, the paper has implications for both practitioners and researchers as described above.
Feasibility study of using statistical process control to optimize quality assurance in radiotherapy
Authors: Gerard Karine , Grandhaye Jean‐Pierre , Marchesi Vincent , Aletti Pierre , Husson François , Noel Alain , Kafrouni Hanna 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate and improve the quality and the reliability of pre‐treatment quality controls of an efficient technique of radiotherapy called IMRT (intensity‐modulated radiation therapy). The aim is then to determine if the controls can be safely reduced while keeping an optimal level of quality.Design/methodology/approachThe statistical process control method (SPC) was applied to quality assurance in IMRT. In order to characterize prostate and head‐and‐neck treatment process variability, individual value control charts and moving‐range control charts were established.FindingsControl charts showed that prostate and head‐and‐neck treatment processes are only subject to random causes of variability, which means they are statistically controlled. It was proved that both processes are statistically stable and capable.Originality/valueThe paper shows that SPC is an efficient method to objectively determine if quality controls can be reduced.
A new CUSUM‐S2 control chart for monitoring the process variance
Authors: Castagliola P. , Celano G. , Fichera S. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce and investigate the performances of a new CUSUM‐S2 control chart designed to monitor the sample variance of samples from a normally distributed population.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed chart monitors a statistic computed as a logarithmic transformation of the sample variance; the introduction of the sample variance logarithmic transformation has a twofold effect: to quickly detect the occurrence of an “out‐of‐control” condition; to deal with a quasi‐standard normal statistic.FindingsA design strategy trying to minimize the “out‐of‐control” average run length (ARL) of the chart is presented and the statistical performance of the CUSUM‐S2 chart has been assessed through a comparison with an EWMA‐S2 control chart proposed in the literature to monitor the process dispersion.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper only deals with uncorrelated normally distributed data.Practical implicationsThe obtained results show how the CUSUM‐S2 chart is particularly suitable when reduction in the process dispersion should be detected by means of subgroups having limited sample sizes.Originality/valueThe paper shows the new CUSUM‐S2 control chart allows a decreasing of the variability to be detected faster than the corresponding EWMA‐S2 control chart proposed earlier in the literature.
Monitoring capability indices using run rules
Authors: Castagliola P. , Maravelakis P. , Psarakis S. , Vännman K. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is propose a methodology for monitoring industrial processes that cannot be stabilized, but are nevertheless capable.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed procedure uses the CP(u,v) family of capability indices proposed by Vännman (including the indices CPK, CPM, CPMK) combined with one‐sided two‐out‐of‐three and three‐out‐of‐four run rules strategies.FindingsThis paper introduces a new strategy, where capability indices are monitored in place of the classical sample statistics like the mean, median, standard deviation or range.Practical implicationsWhen doing a capability analysis it is recommended to first check that the process is stable, e.g. by using control charts. However, there are occasions when a process cannot be stabilized, but is nevertheless capable. Then the classical control charts fail to efficiently monitor the process position and variability. The approach suggested in this paper overcomes this problem.Originality/valueThe experimental results presented in this paper demonstrate how the new proposed approach efficiently monitors capable processes by detecting decreases or increases of capability level.
Modeling and experimental results of concentration with support material in rapid freeze prototyping
Authors: Bryant Frances D. , Leu Ming C. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a physics‐based model that can predict how a main build material of water interacts with a water‐soluble sacrificial support material in the rapid freeze prototyping (RFP) process.Design/methodology/approachRFP uses water freezing into ice in a layer‐by‐layer manner as a main build material to create ice structures with complex geometries in a sufficiently cool environment. A eutectic dextrose‐water solution is used as a sacrificial support material. The supported areas in an ice structure are removed by placing the fabricated structure in an environment of appropriate temperature.FindingsTwo methods of concentration modeling have been developed to predict the interaction between the main and support materials around their interface region. The two models are described in detail and their predictions are compared to experimentally measured data. The experimental height data compared to the simulation result based on the concentration models agrees to within 6 percent for various build ambient temperatures. As ambient temperatures decreased, diffusion between the two materials also decreased.Originality/valueThe results obtained from this paper can be used as an aid in building complex ice parts in the RFP process so that minimal interaction between the main and support materials can be attained. An understanding of the interaction occurring during fabrication is provided with the concentration models. The method used to develop the concentration models can be applied to other layered manufacturing processes when using two miscible materials.
CFPC material characteristics and SLS prototyping process
Authors: Floersheim R. Bruce , Hou Gene , Firestone Kent 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to characterize the material properties of carbon fiber polyamide composite (CFPC) used in a 3D rapid prototyping process based upon selective laser sintering (SLS) and demonstrate that the SLS process introduces a bias in the micro‐fiber orientation such that the CFPC solid is an orthotropic structural material.Design/methodology/approachMaterial coupons for tensile tests from each of the orthogonal planes are created using the SLS process. After tensile testing, the coupons are examined under scanning electron microscopy to verify the micro‐fiber orientation bias. A complex 3D structure developed utilizing the CFPC material is subjected to modal testing to extract the natural frequencies. These frequencies are compared to predictive numerical analysis results from computer‐aided engineering (CAE) software to validate the coupon test results.FindingsThis paper proves that the CFPC solid material is orthotropic after the SLS process and that the process itself creates bias in the micro‐fiber orientation. Predictions of natural frequencies from CAE software for a complex 3D structure created from CFPC are within 2 percent of the actual natural frequencies determined during modal testing.Practical implicationsThe paper has determined the tensile material characteristics of solid CFPC correcting the original material data sheet information which lists the solid CFPC as isotropic with much stronger tensile characteristics. It has also provided evidence of the bias that SLS introduces to embedded micro‐fibers during the rapid‐prototyping process.Originality/valueThe paper deals with experimental work on determining the material characteristics of a relatively new composite material for which very little test data exists in literature. In particular, an original contribution is demonstration of the micro‐fiber orientation bias introduced by the SLS process.
The effects of relational embeddedness on entrepreneurship
Authors: Tsai Cheng‐An , Wen Chao‐Tung 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of relational embeddedness on entrepreneurship in Taiwanese subsidiaries in China that are facing an uncertain and emerging environment.Design/methodology/approachFirst, four case studies are conducted to modify theoretical concepts and measuring instruments to fit them into the entrepreneurial context of multinational subsidiaries in a transitional economy. In the second stage, a survey is conducted to examine the associations between relational embeddedness and subsidiary entrepreneurship. A total of 265 executive officers, which is approximately 29 percent of 922 managers in the mailing list, reply to the questionnaire on their subsidiaries.FindingsThis study finds that subsidiary entrepreneurship has an inverse U‐shaped relationship with regards to customer or supplier relational embeddedness, a positive relationship with corporate relational embeddedness and no relationship with government relational embeddedness.Originality/valueBased on this study of Taiwanese subsidiaries operating in China there is an inverse‐U‐shaped link between relational embeddedness and customers and suppliers. Hence, this study confirms that over‐embeddedness with customers or suppliers negatively influences subsidiary entrepreneurship.
Differentiating factors of venture growth: from statics to dynamics
Authors: Littunen Hannu , Virtanen Markku 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyse which factors differentiate growing firms from the non‐growth businesses. It seeks to analyse the start‐up factors as well as the changes in the activities and the characteristics during the seven‐year period from the start‐up stage.Design/methodology/approachThe study is a part of a longitudinal research project that has followed the development of 200 SMEs in Finnish metal‐based manufacturing and business services since their start‐up in 1990. The paper uses a contingency approach and concentrates on 86 respondents who have survived after seven years' activity. The paper develops a model for testing the factors that differentiate growing ventures from the non‐growth companies.FindingsStatic characteristics of the entrepreneur and the firm other than group management style do not explain the growth of the firm. The factors that differentiate growing businesses from non‐growth companies include mainly dynamic variables such as increases in production capacity and external network relations, and changes in adopting a specialised product policy. In most cases extrovert attitude and proactive strategies, particularly with respect to markets, were necessary to achieve growth over an extended period.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is restricted to two branches of industry and the period covered included a severe recession in the economy. Thus more branches and development during a less turbulent time period could be included. The most important implication of the study is that analysing growth should concentrate on the dynamics of firm development rather than on static characteristics of the entrepreneur or the firm.Practical implicationsThe practitioners, e.g. venture capitalists, could use the results when selecting their portfolio companies, since the findings suggest the variables which should be used in differentiating growing businesses from non‐growth companies.Originality/valueThe paper uses a contingency approach together with longitudinal data in the analysis. The results show that the differentiating factors of growing companies are dynamic variables, including especially motivation and strategy factors. Thus longitudinal data are a necessary condition for robust analysis of growth.
On the relationship between emotional intelligence and entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions
Authors: Zampetakis Leonidas A. , Kafetsios Konstantinos , Bouranta Nancy , Dewett Todd , Moustakis Vassilis S. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to propose and empirically test a theoretical model positing relationships among emotional intelligence (EI), creativity, proactivity, and attitudes towards entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intent.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was completed by a random sample (n=280) of business, engineering and science students across three Greek universities. Results were based on structural equation modelling analysis.FindingsResults provide strong support for the proposition that students' creativity and proactivity fully mediate the positive effect of trait EI on attitudes towards entrepreneurship. Attitudes towards entrepreneurship fully mediated the effects of creativity and proactivity on entrepreneurial intent.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates that EI is positively related to three important antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions and provides the literature with another important piece of the puzzle concerning entrepreneurial motivation. This evidence adds to the academic literatures on entrepreneurship and trait EI, and offers several practical implications for entrepreneurship education.
Selecting techniques for use in an internet survey
Authors: Wiley James B. , Han Vallen , Albaum Gerald , Thirkell Peter 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe paper's aim is to illustrate the use of a technique that can help researchers choose which techniques, and at what level, to employ in an internet‐based survey.Design/methodology/approachA screening experiment, designed as a Plackett‐Burman design, is used to study main effects of 11 techniques for increasing survey response. Three measures of effect used are click rate, completion rate, and response rate. A convenience sample of students at a large university in New Zealand is used.FindingsFollow‐up had significant impact on click rate; incentive and pre‐notification had a significant impact on completion rate; no technique had significant effect on response rate.Research limitations/implicationsMain effects are examined. Also, a limited number of approaches for each technique are studied.Originality/valueThis paper illustrates the use of a methodology that researchers, practitioner, and academics alike, can use to select techniques to employ in an internet survey. This is the first known application of the technique for selecting data collection techniques in marketing.
Exploratory evaluation of potential and current consumers of organic cotton in Hawaii
Authors: Lin Shu‐Hwa 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify attitudes, behaviors, motivations, and consumption patterns of potential and current consumers of organic cotton products in the Hawaii market.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from face‐to‐face structured interviews from an intercept sample of 420 Hawaii consumers. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, chi‐square tests and correlation analysis to provide additional information about the association of variables.FindingsSignificant associations were found between gender and knowledge about organic cotton, between cotton preference and ethnicity, and between cotton preference and knowledge of differences among organic and conventional cotton. This study also found that people who preferred organic cotton were more likely to purchase organic products and were more concerned about the environment than people who preferred conventional cotton, and that people who owned organic cotton products were more eco‐literate than people who did not own organic cotton products. A profile describing characteristics of organic cotton consumers was developed which may assist organic product producers, marketers, and sellers.Research limitation/implicationsThis research only involved collecting and analyzing information from participants in Hawaii, therefore, more research may be needed to compare characteristics of potential organic cotton consumers in different regions of the USA.Originality/valueIn addition to providing researchers with further understanding of potential and current organic cotton consumers, this study may provide organic product producers and sellers further insight about their potential customers which may help develop better ways to market their products.
The effects of positive and negative ad‐evoked associations on brand attitude
Authors: Praxmarer Sandra , Gierl Heribert 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to research on the cognitive capacity theory. The paper aims to examine the effects of advertising recipients' positive and negative associations, that is their memories and fantasies evoked by the advertising stimulus, on brand attitude for advertisements that require little effort to process; focusing on positively framed advertisements.Design/methodology/approachThis paper suggests a model on the effects of positive and negative association on brand attitude and tests it using partial least square. Advertisements that are easy to process were selected in a pre‐test.FindingsIt is shown that if advertisements are easy to process, the effects of consumers' associations depend on their favourableness: positive associations have a positive effect and negative associations have a negative effect on brand attitude. These findings are an extension of knowledge on the effects of associations, because for informational advertisements previous research has demonstrated that associations generally have a negative effect on brand attitude.Practical implicationsResults of this study suggest that evoking positive memories and fantasies in the target group enhances the effectiveness of advertisements that require little effort to process.Originality/valueEffects of associations on brand attitude have not been studied for advertisements that require little effort to process. Previous studies have not distinguished positive and negative associations; this study analyses their effects separately.
Food risk and knowledge in the satisfaction‐repurchase loyalty relationship
Authors: Huy Tuu Ho , Ottar Olsen Svein 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test the relationships among perceived risk, consumer satisfaction and repurchase loyalty, and to explore the moderating role of knowledge on the relationship between these constructs.Design/methodology/approachThe results are based on a cross‐section sample of 846 households in Vietnam using self‐administrating questionnaires, with fish as a main research object, and analyzed using structural equation modelling.FindingsThe relationship between perceived risk and satisfaction is negative and satisfaction has a significantly positive effect on repurchase loyalty. This study suggests that perceived risk has an indirect effect on repurchase loyalty through satisfaction. Besides direct effects on perceived risk and satisfaction, knowledge proves to moderate negatively both the relationship between perceived risk and satisfaction, and the relationship between satisfaction and repurchase loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsThis study mainly focuses on fish as a common food and considers the role of food risk with an emphasis on perceived health risk and subjective knowledge. Thus, future study should include other dimensions of risk, objective knowledge and other products. Other antecedents toward repurchase loyalty (e.g. price/value) or other moderators (e.g. ambivalence, personal characteristics) should be used in future studies.Practical implicationsManagement attention should focus on reducing risks with which consumers may be faced through producing fresh or safe fish products, and communicating broadly safe signals of their products. Communication strategy should focus much more on improving knowledge and signing food safety for consumers with lower knowledge than the others.Originality/valueThis is believed to be the first study to empirically examine the combined role of perceived risk and knowledge within a satisfaction‐loyalty framework in the Vietnamese market.
Development of retailers' own label products in Taiwan
Authors: Yuen Shan Au‐Yeung Amelia , Lu Jessica 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish an understanding of the development of retailers' views on own label in Taiwan. In particular, the study aims to investigate the extent to which the development of retailers' own label in the region resembles or differs from the historical development of that in the West as documented in the literature.Design/methodology/approachThis study is exploratory in nature and adopts a qualitative approach. Primary data were obtained from managers responsible for own label development strategy in eight key retailers in Taipei through the use of a structured questionnaire with both closed and open‐ended questions. Secondary data from various sources were also used.FindingsThe development of retail own label products in Taiwan does not follow the pattern witnessed in the West as described in the literature. Only some of the strategic motives of using own label as stated in existing literature are fully echoed in this study. Furthermore, the progress of most of the retailers studied in Taiwan does not mirror the typical stages of evolution as advocated by Laaksonen and Reynolds.Originality/valueMany retailers, especially the international ones, believe that use of own label in Taiwan is important. However, an understanding of the development and strategic use of own label by retailers in Taiwan is not yet well established. The current study serves as a first step to fill this gap and sheds some light on the implications for own label development strategies to grocery retailers in Taiwan.