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1 – 10 of over 18000K. Ganesan, K. Rajagopal and K. Thangavel
Utilization of industrial and agricultural waste products as cement replacement materials in concrete technology has been an interesting subject of research for economical…
Abstract
Purpose
Utilization of industrial and agricultural waste products as cement replacement materials in concrete technology has been an interesting subject of research for economical, environmental, and technical reasons. Portland cement incorporating these cement replacement materials improves corrosion resistance of carbon steel. Sugar cane bagasse is considered as waste in sugar mills and dumped in open space or used as fuel for boilers. The main purpose of the study is to investigate corrosion performance of reinforcing carbon steel in bagasse ash (BA) blended cement concrete and compare it with control concrete.
Design/methodology/approach
BA is prepared by burning boiler‐fired ash at a controlled temperature of 650°C for 1 h and cooled. The ash is then ground to a fineness of 46 μm as Pozzolanic material and blended in concrete in various cement replacement levels. The corrosion behaviour of carbon steel in BA blended concretes exposed to alternate dry‐wet cycles in 3.0 percent NaCl solution for 18 months was studied using gravimetric weight loss, linear polarization, and electrochemical impedance measurement techniques. The resistance to chloride ion penetration of BA blended concretes after 28 and 90 days and compressive strength of BA blended concrete cubes after 7, 14, 28, and 90 days curing also was evaluated.
Findings
The experimental results indicated that the corrosion rate of reinforcing steel and chloride penetration were significantly reduced, and compressive strength was increased, with the incorporation of BA up to 20 percent replacement in concrete. It was observed also that a relatively good correlation between linear polarization and impedance measurements with respect to corrosion current values on the reinforcing steel within BA blended concretes.
Originality/value
BA may be considered as a better substitute than other mineral admixtures for durable concrete structures. The study fulfilled the objective of the investigation and contributes to research on corrosion protection of carbon steel in concrete.
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Sidney Weil, Tracy-Anne De Silva and Maurice Ward
This paper aims to describe the implementation of a blended learning approach in a Stage 2 management accounting course at a university in New Zealand. The paper reports on…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe the implementation of a blended learning approach in a Stage 2 management accounting course at a university in New Zealand. The paper reports on student participation and engagement in the course and reflects on students’ learning experiences. The blended learning approach was implemented in response to low student attendance and poor preparation for face-to-face tutorial sessions, along with demand from students to be able to access learning resources off-campus.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from formal course evaluations, the learning management system and a student focus group, with particular emphasis on three of the online activities introduced – lessons, quizzes and chat rooms.
Findings
The study finds that while learners value online activities, they are nevertheless still unwilling to forgo the opportunities which face-to-face contact with both peers and faculty members present. This finding provides support for the continuation of a blended learning approach in the course, as well as its implementation in others.
Research limitations/implications
This paper has several limitations. These include the small sample size and the absence of reflection on the process and outcome(s) of implementation of the blended learning course by the responsible academic. Furthermore, the paper also did not consider the impact of blended learning on students’ soft, or generic, skills. These are topics for future research.
Practical implications
The findings highlight the importance of offering not only a mixture of online activities, but also a blend of face-to-face and online activities.
Originality/value
This study focuses on student participation and engagement in a blended learning accounting course.
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The purpose of this paper is to compare the use of blended learning in property education courses in different countries. The rationale for this study is to fill the research gap…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare the use of blended learning in property education courses in different countries. The rationale for this study is to fill the research gap in this area. The focus of previous research on blended learning has been on individual countries only, and there is yet to appear any research on a cross-country comparison. The purpose of this study is to identity the differences as well as the good practices using blended learning as a delivery approach in different countries As a result, individual countries can learn experience from another country. It is expected academics interested in using blended learning as a delivery approach will benefit from the research findings of this paper, through gaining an understanding of the advantages and challenges of using blended learning in different countries.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the research findings of questionnaire surveys and interviews with academics teaching property courses in Australia and the UK. The questionnaire aimed to gather academics’ views on blended learning, their reasons for using blended learning as a teaching method, their design of blended learning courses and the support they provide to students on dealing with web technology. The aim of the interviews was to gain deeper insight into the successful factors and challenges in the use of blended learning. In total, 16 interviews were conducted. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded to identify similar themes. Content analysis was used as a method to analyse the interview data. The frequency of the answer in the questionnaire and comments from interviewees is presented.
Findings
The Australian and UK property academics have similar views on many aspects of blended learning. Their definitions of blended learning are similar as their reasons to use it as a teaching method. The commonly used teaching and learning activities in their blended learning courses in both countries are, again, similar, such as the use of lectures, case studies and guest lecturers. On the other hand, the academics in the two countries face different challenges. A challenge faced by the Australian property academics is to deliver online courses to students who have limited internet downloading capacity and broadband width. Australia is a very large country and has more regional and remote areas. Another challenge faced by the Australian academics is keeping up with the constant introduction of new teaching and learning technology by their universities. On the other hand, the UK academics faced a different challenge, which was to sufficiently engage and encourage students to contribute in online Discussion Boards. The finding is possibly because the UK study was conducted two years prior to the Australian study and the idea of online discussions was relatively new to students at the time. The conclusion drawn from this research is that “time” and the size of the country influence the use of blended learning.
Originality/value
This project is the first to conduct a cross-country comparison on the use of blended learning in professionally accredited property courses.
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Vijaya Kumar K. and Ravi Kumar Puli
The purpose of this paper is to present the influence of plastic pyrolysis oil blended with gasoline at 10 per cent with and without ethanol additive at 5 per cent in a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the influence of plastic pyrolysis oil blended with gasoline at 10 per cent with and without ethanol additive at 5 per cent in a three-cylinder petrol engine.
Design/methodology/approach
The engine is running at standard working processes. The result of 10PPO is compared with pure petrol and additive-added blend. The outcomes clears that, the engine performance is reduced by using plastic oil blended with petrol and NOx emission rates are increasing substantially.
Findings
To control the emission rate, ethanol is added, and corresponding performance reveals that brake thermal efficiency is 4.52 per cent increase compared to pure petrol and 7.03 per cent increase compared to without additive blend.
Originality/value
Emissions such as CO and NOx are considerably controlled with additive blend.
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Patrick J. Murphy, Jack Smothers, Milorad M. Novicevic, John H. Humphreys, Foster B. Roberts and Artem Kornetskyy
This paper examines the case of Nashoba, a Tennessee-based social enterprise founded in 1824 by Scottish immigrant Frances Wright. The Nashoba venture intended to diminish the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the case of Nashoba, a Tennessee-based social enterprise founded in 1824 by Scottish immigrant Frances Wright. The Nashoba venture intended to diminish the institution of slavery in the USA through entrepreneurial activity over its five years of operation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study methodology entailed mining primary source data from Wright’s letters; communications with her cofounders and contemporaries; and documentations of enterprise operations. The authors examined these data using social enterprise theory with a focus on personal identity and time-laden empirical aspects not captured by traditional methodologies.
Findings
The social enterprise concept of a single, self-sustaining model generating more than one denomination of value in a blended form has a deeper history than the literature acknowledges. As an entrepreneur, Wright made strategic decisions in a context of supply-side and demand-side threats to the venture. The social enterprise engaged injustice by going beyond market and state contexts to generate impact in the realms of institutions and non-excludable public goods.
Research limitations/implications
This study generates two formal implications for the development of new research questions in social enterprise studies. The first implication addresses the relation between social entrepreneurs and their constituencies. The second implication pertains to the effects of macro-level education, awareness and politics on social enterprise performance and impact. The implications herald new insights in social enterprise, such as the limits of moral conviction and the importance of social disruption.
Originality/value
This paper broadens the current understanding of how social enterprises redress unjust and unethical institutions. It also contributes new insights into social enterprise launch and growth based on shared values within communities and coordinated strategic intentions across communities.
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Henry Etzkowitz and Chunyan Zhou
The purpose of this paper is to explore an expanding venture capital (VC) system beyond economic capital concept, based on “triple bottom line” of enterprises.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore an expanding venture capital (VC) system beyond economic capital concept, based on “triple bottom line” of enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
A complete VC system is given, first of all, and then the gap in the existing VC system is explored. To develop a VC system, the gaps must be filled based on a university‐government‐industry triple helix. Since corporate value view has been changed from one‐dimensional to three‐dimensional, social as well as cultural, and humanistic elements must be considered in a broader VC system. The approaches include developing social capital, cultural capital and promoting risk awareness.
Findings
The VC system in a country/region consists of economic and non‐economic capital investment. Both play important roles in parallel. Social and cultural capital investment will work as “soft capital” to remit the gaps from an insufficient economic capital system.
Originality/value
The policy implication of this paper is that policy makers may give more thought to developing non‐economic capital to fill the VC gaps in either an existing or an expanding VC system.
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Pushkar P. Jha and Lorraine Johnston
Be it about blending intangibles to deliver to market needs or directed at fulfilling aspirations pushing at technological frontiers, inter-firm collaborations across industry…
Abstract
Purpose
Be it about blending intangibles to deliver to market needs or directed at fulfilling aspirations pushing at technological frontiers, inter-firm collaborations across industry boundaries are much in vogue. This paper aims to classify some collaborations as “odd couple collaborations”. These are fuelled more by aspirations of the partner firms, and not as much by market pull. The study provides key distinguishing characteristics for these and an understanding of what makes them tick.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on secondary sources in the public domain to understand the motives and performance of several inter-firm collaborations. Odd couple collaborations are examined and some essential performance enablers are highlighted.
Findings
A typology that distinguishes odd couple collaborations from other inter-firm collaborations is drawn out. Analysing the performance of such collaborations, and a need for partners to work on the visibility and appeal of such collaborations, is discussed. Stringent market evaluation of the offering and careful creative blending of intangibles are also highlighted as key enablers.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to a vast body of research on inter-sector or distant collaborations by isolating and examining a niche that is fast becoming pronounced. The analysis of odd couple collaborations provides cues for effective strategies for superior value from such collaborations. As organisations constantly seek to extend their innovative potential, these insights may prove useful for both practice and research.
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Keith Alexander and Martin Brown
To introduce and define the concept of community‐based facilities management (CbFM) and to identify and discuss processes and responsibilities in practice, in order to explore…
Abstract
Purpose
To introduce and define the concept of community‐based facilities management (CbFM) and to identify and discuss processes and responsibilities in practice, in order to explore opportunities for the development of a socially inclusive approach to facilities management. The paper raises issues of governance, empowerment and socio‐economic development.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper addresses issues arising from action research in the North West of England and identifies case examples from current practice to illustrate application of the principles. The paper draws upon literature from the fields of facilities management, new economics and sustainability.
Findings
The paper presents the results of an initial exploration, draws tentative conclusions and offers a framework for evaluating the performance of organisations.
Originality/value
Introduces novel concepts, an evaluation framework and tools for the assessment of FM processes for sustainability.
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This paper aims to systematically review the field of non-financial reporting (NFR) in hybrid organizations, focusing on state-owned enterprises, third-sector organizations and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to systematically review the field of non-financial reporting (NFR) in hybrid organizations, focusing on state-owned enterprises, third-sector organizations and public–private partnerships. This is a timely attempt to identify the state of the art in the literature and outline the future research agenda. The paper answers two research questions: RQ1. What can be learned about NFR in hybrid organizations from the existing literature? RQ2. What are the future avenues for research on the topic?
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review method was applied in this paper to summarize evidence from extant literature on NFR in hybrid organizations. The Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection databases were used to locate 92 articles for the review.
Findings
Recent years have witnessed a sharp increase in the number of articles on the topic. Regarding the implications of NFR for hybrid characteristics, NFR has some potential to strengthen the influence of non-market (i.e. state, community and social) logics in hybrid organizations. However, this potential may be limited due to the effect of market logics and the tensions that arise between the multiple logics in hybrid organizations. Regarding the implications of hybrid characteristics for NFR, these characteristics can not only affect the extent, the quality, the likelihood and the institutionalization of NFR but also result in the development of new NFR frameworks. The review calls for more research on the implications of NFR for multiple institutional logics and the implications of these logics for NFR in hybrid organizations.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first literature review that mobilizes insights from hybridity research to analyze NFR literature on diverse hybrid organizations.
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The purpose of this paper is to question the supposed self‐evidence of a core category in the social entrepreneurship literature: “social value creation”. By criticizing the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to question the supposed self‐evidence of a core category in the social entrepreneurship literature: “social value creation”. By criticizing the taken‐for‐granted use of the dichotomy “social vs business” the paper aims to develop a multi‐dimensional approach that conceptualizes the creative entrepreneurial process as generating several forms of value for individuals and society.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper proceeds in two steps. First, the shortcomings of the “social vs business” dichotomy are revealed by analyzing its common yet mostly unquestioned use on several levels of inquiry. Then, some conceptual ideas from institutional theory and virtue business ethics are used to sketch a framework for the “social” dimensions of entrepreneurial value creation.
Findings
The result of the discussion is a coherent set of conceptual pairs, each characterizing two important aspects of “social” value beyond the utilitarian mainstream. In this respect, the paper gives an overview of potentially useful categories which could help to fill the conceptual void resulting from the vagueness of the “social value creation” concept.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed categories are not exhaustive, as a brief outlook on further ambiguities of value creation shows. Nevertheless, they are an attempt to point out the fruitfulness of virtue business ethics to developing an extended understanding of entrepreneurial value creation for society. An important consequence is an uncommon view on what is the range of relevant examples of social entrepreneurship in the first place.
Originality/value
The paper offers novel, possibly more adequate categories for dealing with the societal and ethical qualities of entrepreneurial value creation. Eventually, it can lead future research to maybe less obvious, but equally important, expressions of social entrepreneurship.
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