bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of load and sliding velocity on tribological behaviors of aramid fiber reinforced PA1010 composites
Authors: Xu Lei , Zhu Zhencai , Chen Guoan , Qu Chao 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present and analyze the effect of applied load and sliding velocity on the tribological behaviors of aramid fiber (AF) reinforced PA1010 which can be a potential material for transmission components.Design/methodology/approachThe PA1010 composites with different content of AF are prepared and the tribology experiments are conducted on a block‐on‐ring wear tester under different experiment conditions. The wear mechanism of the composite is examined by means of scanning electron microscopy.FindingsThe addition of AF decreased the friction coefficient of PA1010 and increased its wear resistance. For optimal tribological properties 5∼15 wt% AF is preferred, while the wear resistance is best at 15 wt%. The friction coefficient decreased with increasing load and sliding velocity, but it is more sensitive to load. The main wear mechanism is abrasive wear at relatively low load and sliding velocity. With the increasing of load, the adhesive wear occurs in the matrix, meanwhile obvious fibrillation and layer peeling are observed on the fiber. When the sliding velocity increases, thermal adhesion and fiber debonding is the dominant mechanism.Practical implicationsPA1010 is a useful material for the alternative material of transmission components in industry.Originality/valuePA1010 composite is prepared with a new kind of AF fiber and the tribology experiments have been carried out emphasizing on the variation of experiment conditions. The results could be useful for the material engineers.
Are we doing the right thing?
Authors: Giangreco Antonio , Carugati Andrea , Sebastiano Antonio 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to advance the debate regarding the use of training evaluation tools, chiefly the Kirkpatrick model, in reaction to minimal use of the tools reported in the literature and the economic changes that have characterised the industrialised world in the past 20 years.Design/methodology/approachThe main argument – the need to design new evaluation tools – emerges from an extensive literature review of criticism of the Kirkpatrick model. The approach is deductive; the argument emerges from extant literature.FindingsThe main findings of the literature review show that the major criticisms of the Kirkpatrick model, though rigorous, are not relevant in today's post‐industrial economy. Issues of complexity, accuracy and refinement, which are relevant in stable industrial organisations, must be revised in the new economic world.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is based on a literature review and presents a call for new research. As such, it is not grounded in original empirical evidence, beyond that presented in the cited articles.Practical implicationsThe paper calls for training evaluation tools that align better with modern organisational reality. If the research community responds to this call, the results will benefit practitioners directly. This paper also presents practical advice about the use of existing evaluation techniques.Originality/valueA new angle on criticisms of existing training evaluation systems does not reiterate classic criticisms based on logic and mathematics but rather takes a pragmatic and economic approach. Thus, this paper offers evidence of theoretically grounded paradoxes of the consequences of existing criticisms of training evaluation.
Exploring expatriates' behavioural reaction to institutional injustice on host country level
Authors: Forstenlechner Ingo 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to add to knowledge on the environment of self‐initiated expatriates and their perception of justice in their host country, to identify whether the concept of perceived host country justice applies to, or is relevant to, self‐initiated expatriates.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 33 interviews were conducted in two host countries and responses were clustered to identify emerging themes.FindingsSelf‐initiated expatriates perceive justice and support from their host country in a similar way to how employees perceive organizational justice, though the consequences may not follow negative perception as quickly as they do in the organizational context.Originality/valueThis paper builds on a new subject perspective, there is no previous literature aiming to transfer perception of justice models from an organizational perspective to a national level.
The effects of demotion on older and younger employees
Authors: Josten Edith , Schalk René 
Published: January 2010

PurposeDemotion is sometimes recommended as an instrument for extending older workers' labor force participation. There is, however, very little research on the effects of demotion on employees. The purpose of this paper is therefore to investigate these effects, and to test whether they differ for older and younger workers.Design/methodology/approachThe data come from a biannual panel study among employees working in health care or social services. There were 45 cases of demotion among older employees (aged 45 or over) and 62 cases among younger employees in the data set. The control group consisted of 7,727 cases in which there had been no change in function.FindingsEmployees who were demoted had more feelings of exhaustion prior‐to the demotion than employees who did not change function. The demotion only reduced the levels of exhaustion in the case of older employees who moved to a less physically demanding position. Satisfaction with job content decreased regardless of age group or changes in physical workload.Research limitations/implicationsThe number of demotions was relatively small. There was no information on the reasons for the demotion. Therefore, we could not test whether the effects of demotion vary according to the reason for the demotion.Practical implicationsIn light of the results of this study, employers who are considering demoting an employee should check carefully whether there are other suitable options that have fewer negative consequences for the employee.Originality/valueThere is very little empirical research on the effects of demotion – this paper fills some of the gaps.
Horizontal and vertical communication as determinants of professional and organisational identification
Authors: Bartels Jos , Peters Oscar , de Jong Menno , Pruyn Ad , van der Molen Marjolijn 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to present the results of a study into the relationship between horizontal and vertical communication and professional and organisational identification.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study was carried out at a large hospital in The Netherlands with multiple locations. Hospital employees (n = 347) completed a written questionnaire.FindingsThe results show that although employees identify more strongly with their profession than with their organisation, there is a positive connection between professional and organisational identification. Dimensions of vertical communication are important predictors of organisational identification, whereas dimensions of horizontal communication are important predictors of professional identification.Research limitations/ implicationsIdentification with the overall organisation does not depend primarily on the quality of contact with immediate colleagues within a work group or department; rather, it depends more on appreciation of the communication from and with the organisation's top management.Practical implicationsManagement should find a balance between communication about organisational goals and individual needs, which is crucial in influencing professional and organisational identification.Originality/valuePrevious research has shown a positive link between the communication climate at a specific organisational level and the employee's identification with that level. The current study adds to this concept the influence of horizontal and vertical dimensions of communication on identification among different types of employees.
Managerial training effectiveness
Authors: Skylar Powell K. , Yalcin Serkan 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to add to the significant contributions of past research by assessing what the overall effectiveness of managerial training has been over a period of 50 years and by identifying changes in overall effectiveness during this time period. Additionally, this study aims to evaluate what the overall findings on the effectiveness of training has been based on study design and subgroups focusing on the equivalent of Kirkpatrick's famous learning, behavior, and results outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThis study quantitatively integrates and extends the literature on management training through a meta‐analytic procedure. The resulting sample of past research includes studies from the time period between 1952 and 2002, representing 85 interventions and 4,779 subjects.FindingsThe results do not suggest a great deal of improvement in the effectiveness of managerial training from 1952 through 2002 and effect sizes have remained moderate. Additionally, outcome subgroup appears to moderate results. Specifically, programs implemented to achieve learning outcomes tended to have the largest effect sizes and were consistently significant relative to programs targeted at behavior and results outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications are directly related to the selection of evaluation methods for future studies assessing the effectiveness of managerial training programs. This implication is important to both the academic community and practitioners. The limitations of this study include the possible exclusion of past research and the heterogeneity of assessment methods used in past research, beyond the broad categories of objective and subjective assessment.Originality/valueIn addition to identifying the moderating effect of outcomes being measured, the main contribution of this study is that it covers a large time period. As a result, the analysis offers a more expanded view of managerial training over time.
Assessing the effects of organizational identification on in‐role job performance and learning behaviour
Authors: Chughtai Aamir Ali , Buckley Finian 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to examine the impact of organizational identification on in‐role job performance and two learning behaviours, namely, feedback seeking and error communication. Furthermore, this research aims to establish the mediating role of learning goal orientation in the relationship between organizational identification and the three outcome variables.Design/methodology/approachData for this paper were gathered from 130 high school teachers drawn from six schools operating in Pakistan. Multiple regression analyses were used to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that organizational identification has significant unique effects on in‐role job performance and error communication; whereas, it influences feedback seeking indirectly through learning goal orientation. Additionally, the findings of this paper reveal that learning goal orientation mediates the effects of organizational identification on the three outcome variables.Research limitations/implicationsThe present paper uses a cross‐sectional research design and hence it is not possible to make inferences about causation. Also, the data for this study are collected from a single source, which creates the problem of common method variance. However, in spite of these limitations the results of this study indicate that organizational identification can play a pivotal role in enhancing organizational effectiveness.Originality/valueThis is the first study which assesses the impact of organizational identification on learning goal orientation, feedback seeking and error communication. Moreover, it is one of the few studies which has empirically established the link between organizational identification and job performance.
Embracing sustainability
Authors: Jeffers Patrick I. 
Published: January 2010

PurposeResource‐based view proposes that possessing valuable, rare information technology (IT) resources that competitors cannot easily reproduce or replicate provides a competitive advantage, but mere ownership of such resources is no guarantee of competitiveness. There is a need also for a strategy paradigm that embraces the wider concerns of social and environmental sustainability as pressing issues of the twenty‐first century. “Operations‐as‐marketing” is a proven value‐chain based paradigm that calls for transforming operations from merely focusing on internal efficiency into a potent strategic marketing weapon, precisely targeted toward fulfilling customers' needs. Many leading companies have discovered latent economic benefits from adopting the tenets of corporate sustainability. By first establishing that corporate sustainability translates commercially into customer‐centric, lean productivity, the paper examines the potential mediating role of an “operations‐as‐marketing” strategy in framing IT investment decisions.Design/methodology/approachThe research uses path analysis, involving a sample of third‐party logistics (3PL) firms.FindingsEvidence supports the leading contention, thus outlining a customer‐centrism approach to enhancing the financial performance of 3PL firms.Research limitations/implicationsThe research demonstrates a proven decision‐making framework for guiding IT investments that can allow proactive nurturing of a competitive advantage. The main drawback is sample size, although established guidelines suggest adequacy and several diagnostics provided reassurance against any major statistical drawbacks.Practical implicationsIn the face of globalization and other social and environmental issues, the model suggests three key areas of focus for IT investments in proactively enhancing firm performance. It should prove a useful extension to existing strategy literature in the face of an impending paradigm shift.Originality/valueThe paper makes two important contributions: it represents one of the first empirical studies to apply the “operations‐as‐marketing” paradigm to the strategic objectives of IT investment decisions, and it addresses a notable void in extant research by exploring a possible strategic link between IT and market orientation.
Customer feedback mechanisms and organisational learning in service operations
Authors: Caemmerer Barbara , Wilson Alan 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents and consequences of the implementation of different customer feedback mechanisms with regard to their contribution to organisational learning that leads to service improvement.Design/methodology/approachA critical case organisation is chosen to explore the link between the implementation of customer feedback mechanisms and organisational learning from a middle management and employee perspective. Method triangulation is adopted, gathering qualitative and quantitative data.FindingsOrganisational learning in relation to service improvement is influenced by the interplay between the way data are gathered through customer feedback mechanisms and implemented at a branch or business unit level. The implementation depends on attitudes of middle management towards such mechanisms.Research limitations/implicationsFuture studies might investigate whether the findings can be replicated in other operational settings and triangulate the data with customer perceptions of service improvement.Practical implicationsCustomer feedback mechanisms at an organisational and business unit level need better integration. To gather customer feedback that enables more meaningful decision‐making to improve services, middle management needs to have a stronger involvement in the design and implementation of customer feedback mechanisms. Central efforts have to be placed on the support of middle management in the interpretation and use of data that is gathered through organisation‐wide feedback initiatives.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to extant knowledge by integrating the fields of service performance management practices, in this case the implementation of customer feedback mechanisms, and organisational learning.
Dynamic supplier management in the automotive industry
Authors: Aláez‐Aller Ricardo , Carlos Longás‐García Juan 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an explanation and set out the reasons for the change in supply strategy from sole sourcing to split sourcing at an automotive assembly plant. In that context, this paper highlights the advantages of split sourcing over earlier strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe information on which this paper is based comes chiefly from two sets of qualitative interviews staged in 1996 and 2003 at automotive supplier plants in northern Spain. Particular attention is paid to suppliers working with sequenced deliveries located close to the Volkswagen plant in Navarre. The vehicle model manufactured changes between the interviews. A comparison of the two pieces of fieldwork reveals changes in the plant's supply strategy.FindingsA comparison between the supply strategies of a plant for two successive, distinct models provides empirical support for the idea that supply strategies evolve. The need is also demonstrated for the first time to consider individual plants expressly, since significant cost savings can be made at this level at two key times: when switching models and during model life‐times. These cost savings depend clearly on the type of buyer‐supplier relationship established at plant level.Practical implicationsThe most significant conclusion for practitioners concerns the need to design a supply strategy from a dynamic approach that specifically considers the plant level.Originality/valueThe basic contribution of this paper is that it examines changes over time in outsourcing decisions in the automotive industry by incorporating the viewpoint of individual plants. Following this approach, the evolution from sole sourcing to split sourcing is described and interpreted. The paper also stresses the need to analyse procurement strategies in evolutionary terms (i.e. as being reconfigured in line with experience).
Adaptive reuse potential
Authors: Shen Li‐yin , Langston Craig 
Published: January 2010

PurposeAdaptive reuse of existing building stock that has reached the end of its useful life, but not its physical life, is an important ingredient in the necessary adaptation of the constructed environment due to the impact of climate change and the need to conserve valuable resources into the future. This paper aims to advance previous research that has developed a means to predict adaptive reuse potential (ARP).Design/methodology/approachThis study is conducted by comparing ARP (ARP) between urban and non‐urban settings drawn from case studies in both Hong Kong and Australia. The results are also compared to a database of 64 completed adaptive reuse case studies worldwide to provide a comparative benchmark against which to assess the findings.FindingsThrough application of the ARP model, mean values are determined for a number of variables that suggest that the model relates equally well to different contexts. However, the data further suggest that the 12 urban cases in Hong Kong have a lower ARP score on average than the 12 non‐urban cases in Australia, yet the maximum ARP score possible is higher.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper indicates that adaptive reuse intervention in Hong Kong is too late and valuable opportunity for economic, social and environmental gain is delayed.Practical implicationsThe paper provides useful means to assist decision‐making on how to handle or use existing buildings. Understanding adaptive reuse potential of existing buildings is important and this study provides an effective method for supporting this understanding.Originality/valueThe means to predict ARP in previous studies is advanced in this study.
Managing the needs of end‐users in the design and delivery of construction projects
Authors: Pemsel Sofia , Widén Kristian , Hansson Bengt 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe two‐fold purpose of this paper is identifying areas of difficulty in managing the needs of end‐users in the course of the design and delivery of construction projects and suggesting possible solutions.Design/methodology/approachThe focus of the paper is the interaction between three principal parties: end‐users, project leader (a selected end‐user) and facility planner (a facilities professional). The context is two projects in the public sector: a university and a hospital. The end‐users of both are known from the start and participate in the whole process. The paper is based on a case study comprising 12 interviews – seven end‐users and five professionals.FindingsThe research shows that during the project's design and delivery, communication and attitudinal problems have to be managed alongside the inherent difficulty of understanding end‐users' real needs. To help in managing these issues, facility planners relied heavily on pedagogical and behavioural skills, rather than formalised methods as found in the literature.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight areas of difficulty for managers and planners and how these areas were handled in practice. Suggestions on how to resolve some of the areas are presented and discussed.Originality/valueMuch of the research related to managing end‐users focuses on how to extract value from the construction process, for instance providing greater flexibility and improved air quality. This paper concentrates on relations between parties who are central to the briefing, design and delivery process
Exploring outer space technologies for sustainable buildings
Authors: Pheng Low Sui , Ting Goh Xiu 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore and identify the potential outer space technologies that can be used in the construction industry to enhance sustainability in buildings.Design/methodology/approachOuter space technologies developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the USA are explored for possible use in sustainable construction within the context of the Green Mark scoring system implemented by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in Singapore. NASA's voltage controller and self‐illuminating materials are identified and mapped with the energy efficiency criteria of the Green Mark Scheme. The mapping exercise suggests that Green Mark points can be enhanced through appropriate adoption of these technologies.FindingsThe Green Mark points that are re‐computed can show significant enhancements when the two potential outer space technologies are to be used in the building.Research limitations/implicationsNational security and patent issues as well as related cost implications associated with the use of outer space technologies are not considered in the study. This may be a limitation because developers often deem costs to be an important consideration.Practical implicationsAppropriate outer space technologies do appear to enhance the assessment criteria in the Green Mark Scheme.Originality/valueThis exploratory study provides a bridge between outer space technologies and sustainable buildings. The study is original in that the bridge is the first ever attempt to further enhance the sustainability agenda, through additional Green Mark points, using potential outer space technologies developed by NASA.