bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identifying vision realization factors at a Thai state enterprise
Authors: Kantabutra Sooksan , Saratun Molraudee 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate vision‐based leadership effects on follower satisfaction in a Thai state enterprise.Design/methodology/approachExtending previous research, the present study examines relationships between vision realization factors and employee satisfaction. Derived from the literature, these vision realization factors are vision communication, motivation, and empowerment of employees. In total, five directional hypotheses are developed and tested accordingly through a series of regression analyses.FindingsFindings indicate that vision communication, motivation, and empowerment of employees are directly predictive of enhanced employee satisfaction at the Thai state enterprise.Practical implicationsTo enhance employee satisfaction, supervisors of all levels at the Thai state enterprise should focus on frequently communicating their vision to their direct subordinates, particularly through written and technology‐mediated channels. The supervisors should also delegate work to their subordinates, provide resources and support services to them, and encourage them to make more decisions regarding daily operations. The supervisors should additionally act as a role model for their subordinates, build subordinates' self‐confidence, create challenges for them, and reward subordinates who act consistently with their vision.Originality/valueAlthough leaders are widely exhorted to espouse vision and vision‐based leadership was empirically endorsed in the Thai culture, vision‐based leadership and its effects have been little investigated in the Thai state enterprise sector. This paper contributes to this area.
Cultural values from managers' and academicians' perspectives: the case of Turkey
Authors: Yusuf Yahyagil Mehmet , Begüm Ötken Ayşe 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to portray societal/cultural values of Turkish people as perceived by managers and academicians. The study also aims to provide an understanding of the cultural context of the Turkish society in terms of socio‐cultural dimensions such as high and low context, monochronic vs polychronic, self‐determined, and temporal orientation.Design/methodology/approachInstead of using Schwartz's 56‐item questionnaire, the authors used seven cultural and ten individual dimensions as individual items. Cultural values were captured from managers' and academicians' perspectives by changing the frame of reference from self to others. The questionnaire was designed for two different age groups to find the magnitude of change in connection with cultural values.FindingsResults indicate that Turkey can be defined as a conservative country. Hierarchy is ranked as the second most important polar dimension, and the order of cultural values indicates a reverse direction compared to the findings of similar studies with reference to European countries. It also deserves to emphasize the fact that the younger group of respondents is much more conservative and seeks more power over people and resources than the older group of respondents.Originality/valueThis paper, to some extent, may serve as a guide in reflecting today's cultural values in Turkey. It also makes a modest contribution to the relevant literature due to both the portraying cultural values of Turkish people, and the usage of methodological considerations for data collection purposes.
Cross‐functional make or buy decision process ownership
Authors: Moses Anna 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the area of process ownership and management in cross‐functional make‐or‐buy decision processes.Design/methodology/approachMultiple case studies are used including both a longitudinal in‐depth case study and two retrospective case studies. The data were analyzed using cross‐case comparison as well as analysis through existing literature in the field of make‐or‐buy decision processes, after which propositions for further research were developed.FindingsThe propositions found concern in the fact that the function being responsible for the industrial network also should own the decision process. Letting research and development become a more powerful decision maker and distinguish between different types of make‐or‐buy decisions are also important aspects to consider.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are a first attempt in creating a foundation for future research in the area of process ownership and management of make‐or‐buy decisions. A future need to further develop these propositions is essential.Practical implicationsThe function mostly affected by the outcome of the decision should be in charge of the process, and should also be process manager. The process owner should create awareness of different types of make‐or‐buy decisions.Originality/valueRecently, make‐or‐buy decision processes are considered strategic decision processes, but neither in research nor industry is it clear who should own and manage these decision processes. The paper stretches this fact and brings forth possible owners.
Detecting mines and IEDs: what are the prospects for robots?
Authors: Bogue Robert 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the present‐day use of, and future prospects for, robots for detecting mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), with an emphasis on the key operational requirements.Design/methodology/approachFollowing an introduction to the impact of mines and IEDs, this paper considers the problems with their detection and considers the techniques used. It then highlights their limitations and identifies key detection requirements. The remainder of the paper discusses the present‐day and future role of robots, notably for IED detection and humanitarian demining. This is followed by a brief conclusion.FindingsThis shows that mines and IEDs pose a major military and humanitarian threat but existing detection methods, including robots, suffer from many shortcomings. Robotic technologies that offer prospects are discussed but many specific requirements must be met if robotic solutions are to exert any real, future impact.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the need for improved mine and IED detection methods and identifies the factors that need to be taken into account if robots are to contribute meaningfully to these tasks in the future.
Development of a serpentine omnitread robot for searching in explosive gas atmospheres
Authors: Zhao Jie , Han Zhenfeng , Liu Gangfeng 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThere is explosive gas in many disaster environments. The conventional search and rescue robots are not allowed to work in these environments, since they may cause explosion. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and development of the serpentine omnitread robot HITSR‐I for working in these areas.Design/methodology/approachHITSR‐I consists of four segments, and each segment is equipped with crawlers in the four directions. It can be operated even under the situation of sideslip without any recovering actions. There are pressed CO2 containers and the pressurized control system inside the robot, and the shells of the robot are a fully sealed up structure. They can maintain the inside pressure higher than the outside. The robot can release the communication relay node to extend the communicating area, so it can search a large area even amid rubble.FindingsHITSR‐I was developed with the capability of climbing over 400 mm high obstacles. The maximum travel distance was 315 m. The pressurized system could enable the robot to work in Zones 1 and 2.Originality/valueDesign and development of a serpentine robot which can work in hazardous areas containing explosive gas. It can travel for a long distance in ruins by releasing the communication relay nodes.
Design and manufacturing of a tele‐operative rescue robot with a novel track arrangement
Authors: Enayati Nima , Najafi Farid 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe paper aims to describe the design and manufacturing process of a tele‐operative urban search and rescue tracked robot and discuss the advantages of a proposed novel track arrangement and other additional mechanisms, which help the robot to gain high manoeuverability on rough terrains.Design/methodology/approachUsing a simplified static model, required torques are calculated and appropriate mechanisms and geometric dimensions are chosen. Next, stress distribution is analyzed in the parts, deploying both classic and numerical methods and to complete the procedure parts are fabricated and assembled together. The architecture of control system and the user interface is introduced. Finally, the robot is tested on a standard test arena and the results are compared with another similar search robot.FindingsA tele‐operated rescue robot with considerable capabilities is designed and manufactured. The novel track arrangement and new rear arm's mechanism are tested and compared with a robot in the same class and higher performance is achieved on the evaluation.Originality/valueAlthough the implemented locomotion mechanism is the common tracked type, adding the center tracks and arrangement of arms are original ideas which help the robot to gain high manoeuverability. The proposed rear arm's linkage mechanism generates a limited rotational path and has an acceptable strength for a robot working in rescue missions.
Three‐dimensional weld seam tracking for robotic welding by composite sensing technology
Authors: Wei Shanchun , Kong Meng , Lin Tao , Chen Shanben 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to develop a method to achieve automatic robotic welding and seam tracking so that three‐dimensional weld seam could be tracked without teaching and good welding formation could be accomplished.Design/methodology/approachAdaptive image processing method was used for various types of weld seam. Also the relationship between welding height and arc signal was calibrated. Through the decomposition and synthesis, three‐dimensional space type weld seam could be extracted and tracked well. The workpiece without teaching was finally tracked precisely and in a timely way with use of the fuzzy controller.FindingsComposite sensing technology including arc and visual sensing had obvious advantages. Image processing method could be used for tracking plane weld seam efficiently while arc sensing could characterize welding height. Through the coupled controlling algorithm, arc sensing and visual sensing could be fused effectively.Research limitations/implicationsHow to couple information more accurately and quickly was still one of the most important problems in composite sensing technology.Practical implicationsComposite sensing technology could reduce costs to achieve weld seam instead such expensive device as laser sensor. The simulating parts of scalloped segment of bottom board for rockets were tracked in the project. Once more adaptive algorithms were developed, more complicated practical workpieces could be dealt with in robotic welding which promotes the application of industry robots.Originality/valueA useful method for three‐dimensional space type weld seam tracking without teaching was developed. The whole procedure of adaptive image processing method was simple but efficient and robust. The coupled controlling strategy addressed could accomplish seam tracking by composite sensing technology.
Monocular odometry in country roads based on phase‐derived optical flow and 4‐DOF ego‐motion model
Authors: Wang Cailing , Zhao Chunxia , Yang Jingyu 
Published: August 2011

PurposePositioning is a key task in most field robotics applications but can be very challenging in GPS‐denied or high‐slip environments. The purpose of this paper is to describe a visual odometry strategy using only one camera in country roads.Design/methodology/approachThis monocular odometery system uses as input only those images provided by a single camera mounted on the roof of the vehicle and the framework is composed of three main parts: image motion estimation, ego‐motion computation and visual odometry. The image motion is estimated based on a hyper‐complex wavelet phase‐derived optical flow field. The ego‐motion of the vehicle is computed by a blocked RANdom SAmple Consensus algorithm and a maximum likelihood estimator based on a 4‐degrees of freedom motion model. These as instantaneous ego‐motion measurements are used to update the vehicle trajectory according to a dead‐reckoning model and unscented Kalman filter.FindingsThe authors' proposed framework and algorithms are validated on videos from a real automotive platform. Furthermore, the recovered trajectory is superimposed onto a digital map, and the localization results from this method are compared to the ground truth measured with a GPS/INS joint system. These experimental results indicate that the framework and the algorithms are effective.Originality/valueThe effective framework and algorithms for visual odometry using only one camera in country roads are introduced in this paper.
Application of triune parallel‐serial robot system for full‐mission tank training
Authors: Cong Ming , Liu Dong , Du Yu , Wen Haiying , Wu Yinghua 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to build a seven‐degrees of freedom (DOF) parallel‐serial robot system which has the advantage of mechanical novelty and simplicity compared with the existing platforms, and to share the experience of converting a popular motion base to an industrial robot for use in full‐mission tank training processes of three armored arms.Design/methodology/approachBy studying the concept of the robot system, a novel parallel‐serial robot with seven DOF driven by electrical servo motors is built. And the transmission modules and Hooke joints are explored and designed in detail. Then the inverse kinematics based on coupling compensation and time‐jerk synthetic optimization methods for trajectory planning of the simulator are presented and further discussed in order to satisfy the requirements of high stability and perfect performance. In advance, the feasibility and applicability of this triune parallel‐serial robot system are verified.FindingsA prototyped test shows that the performance of the system is of a satisfaction with real‐time tracking any trajectories given by the visual system smoothly. Finally, the characteristics of the robot system are realized and verified by experiments and an industrial application.Practical implicationsThe triune full‐mission tank training simulator developed in this paper has been used in the military industry and it has a great potential application.Originality/valueThis successful usage of the novel and simple parallel robot system in the military industry expands the range of its applications in real‐life task more operators training. And the proposal methods of inverse kinematics based on coupling compensation and trajectory planning enhanced the theoretical research of the parallel robot.
Some empirical evidence on variations in Australian housing finance commitments
Authors: Karamujic M.H. 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThe global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008‐2009 has highlighted the need for understanding fluctuations in housing variables and how, as such, they contribute to understanding how housing markets work. The contention of this paper is to present a univariate structural time series analysis of the Australian Housing Finance Commitments (HFCs) covering the period 1988:6‐2009:5. The empirical analysis aims to focus on establishing whether monthly HFCs exhibit the expected cyclical and seasonal variations. The presence of a monthly seasonal pattern in HFCs is to be ascertained by way of testing possible hypotheses that explain such a pattern.Design/methodology/approachA structural time series framework approach, used in this paper, is in line with that promulgated by Harvey. Such models can be interpreted as regressions on functions of time in which the parameters are time‐varying. This makes them a natural vehicle for handling changing seasonality of a complex form. The structural time series model is applied to seasonally unadjusted monthly HFCs, between 1988:6 and 2009:5. The data have been sourced from the ABS. For consistency, the sample for each variable is standardised to start with the first available July observation and end with the latest available June observation.FindingsThe modelling results confirm the presence of cyclicality in HFCs. The magnitude of the observed cycle‐related changes is A$817m. A structural time series model incorporating trigonometric specification reveals that seasonality is also present and that it is stochastic (as implied by the inconsistency of the monthly seasonal factors over the sample period). The magnitude of monthly seasonal changes is A$435.8m. The results show the presence of statistically significant factors for January, February, March, April, May, September, October and November, which are attributed to “spring”, “summer” and “autumn” seasonal effects.Originality/valueEmpirical evidence of variations in housing‐related variables is relatively limited. A study of the literature uncovered that most studies focus on house prices and found no empirical research focusing on fluctuations in HFCs. Consequently, this research aims to be the first to explain the presence of seasonal and cyclical fluctuations in such an important housing variable as HFCs. Moreover, the paper aims to enhance the practice of modelling seasonal influences on housing variables.
Homeowners' participation in management of multi‐storey residential buildings
Authors: Yau Yung 
Published: August 2011

PurposeProper management and maintenance of building stock are vital to sustainable development of a city for a number of reasons, for example, the close relationship between building performance and residents' health. However, effective housing management requires active participation of the residents, particularly the homeowners. Yet, homeowners' participation in housing management in Hong Kong is claimed to remain at a low level because of its voluntary nature. This paper aims to empirically explore the determinants of participation behaviour of homeowners in private housing management in the city based on survey findings.Design/methodology/approachFounded on the literature reviewed, an analytic model for explaining homeowners' participation behaviour in housing management is developed. The model is then tested by means of logit regression with the data collected from a structured questionnaire survey conducted in summer 2009. A total of 346 respondents from 53 private multi‐storey residential buildings in the western district were surveyed.FindingsIn general, older, better educated and less wealthy homeowners are active participants in building management matters, keeping other things constant. Sense of community is also found to be a significant determinant. Besides, homeowners' approach towards building care is predominantly reactive since they engage in housing management because of their dissatisfaction with building quality. The findings of the research will provide valuable insights to public administrators for formulating better policies on private housing management.Practical implicationsThe analysis results pose a positive view towards the effects of the communitarian approach to avoid free‐riding problems in housing management. In order to heighten the participation rate of homeowners in private housing management, local authorities or other public bodies can try to boost homeowners' sense of community within their residential communities.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to empirically investigate the determinants of homeowners' participation in the management of high‐rise residential buildings in Hong Kong.
Housing affordability in Australia for first home buyers on moderate incomes
Authors: Kupke Valerie , Rossini Peter 
Published: August 2011

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the opportunity for home ownership by first‐time buyers who are in occupations defined in the UK literature as key workers within four state capitals in Australia: Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Many of these workers are moderate or average income earners who deliver essential community services such as health, social services, education, safety and emergency services. This paper aims to explore access to home ownership for these workers for 2001 and 2009, a period which included the introduction and reintroduction of increased Australian government grants to first home buyers.Design/methodology/approachThe study determines, for each year, the zones of each city able to be afforded on a moderate single income as well as the percentage of suburbs able to be afforded by key workers.FindingsThe paper identifies the pressure for multiple incomes in order to purchase as well as discussing the commuting distances some workers in Adelaide and Sydney may have to accommodate in order to afford a home.Originality/valueThe paper follows up 2001 work, conducted in Australia, on housing affordability for moderate income earners. Housing affordability continues to be a key housing issue in Australia, especially for first home buyers.
Strategic planning process models: a step further
Authors: Nieboer Nico 
Published: August 2011

PurposeFollowing the neo‐liberal trend of less government intervention and more room for market forces, the introduction of private sector models in the public or non‐profit sector has gained a lot of attention and popularity. This has also been the case in several European non‐profit social housing sectors. This paper aims to reflect on the practicability of strategic business planning models in the Dutch non‐profit housing sector and to present suggestions for improvement of these models.Design/methodology/approachCase studies have been held among six Dutch non‐profit landlords. These case studies included interviews with both policy staff and staff responsible for individual investment projects.FindingsIn the Dutch non‐profit housing sector, models based on principles of strategic business planning and similar models have been applied to structure and to systematise decision making about investments in the housing stock. These models, however, appear to be unsuccessful in their impact on actual investments in estates or buildings. The main weakness is that these models implicitly suppose a vertical, top‐down implementation of policies, whereas policies are also formed by other strategies, beliefs and motives in the organisation, either documented or undocumented.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is confined to the Dutch non‐profit housing sector. However, similarities of the findings with other policy implementation studies suggest that the implications for strategic planning models also apply in many other non‐profit sectors and maybe even in commercial sectors.Originality/valueThis paper challenges classic strategic planning models and gives an adapted version of these models which meets the shortcomings identified in the research.