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Article
Publication date: 13 January 2021

Ahmed Attia, Salim Guettala and Rebih Zaitri

The purpose of this paper is to implement the mathematical models to predict concretes physico-mechanical characteristics made with binary and ternary sands using a mixture design…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to implement the mathematical models to predict concretes physico-mechanical characteristics made with binary and ternary sands using a mixture design method. It is a new technique that optimizes mixtures without being obliged to do a lot of experiments. The goal is to find the law governing the responses depending on mixture composition and capable of taking into account the effect of each parameter separately and in interaction between several parameters on the characteristics studied.

Design/methodology/approach

Mixture design method was used for optimizing concretes characteristics and studying the effects of river sand (RS), dune sand (DS) and crushed sand (CS) in combinations of binary system and ternary on workability, the compressive and flexural strengths of concretes at 7 and 28 days. A total of 21 mixtures of concrete were prepared for this investigation. The modeling was carried out by using JMP7 statistical software.

Findings

Mixture design method made it possible to obtain, with good precision, the statistical models and the prediction curves of studied responses. The models have relatively good correlation coefficients (R2 = 0.70) for all studied responses. The use of binary and ternary mixtures sands improves the workability and their mechanical strengths. The obtained results proved that concrete, based on binary mixture C15, presents the maximum compressive strength (MCS) on 28 day with an improvement of around 20%, compared to reference concrete (C21). For ternary mixtures, MCS on 28 day was obtained for the mixture C10 with an improvement of around 15% compared to C21. Increase in compressive strength during the progress of hydration reactions was accompanied by an increase in the flexural strength, but in different proportions.

Originality/value

The partial incorporation of DS (= 40%) in the concrete formulation can provide a solution for some work in the southern regions of country. In addition, the CS is an interesting alternative source for replacing 60% of RS. The concrete formulation based on local materials is really capable of solving the economic and technical problems encountered in the building field, as well as environmental problems. Local resources therefore constitute an economic, technological and environmental alternative.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 August 2018

Maria Pinto, Rosaura Fernandez-Pascual and Dora Sales

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the informational behavior of a group of future professionals in the field of social sciences (SS), in terms of their competence in the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the informational behavior of a group of future professionals in the field of social sciences (SS), in terms of their competence in the communication–dissemination of information.

Design/methodology/approach

The IL-HUMASS, EVALCI/KN and EVALCI/SK tests regarding the affective (attitudes, motivations) and cognitive (knowledge, skills) dimensions are distributed to a stratified sample of five universities and eight degree courses in Spain. Infographics and non-parametric methods allow to compare the disciplinary profiles with regard to gender, academic course and academic degrees. An Information Literacy Communication synthetic indicator based on structural equation modeling includes the subjective and effective dimensions to measure the holistic learning outcomes in communication–dissemination of information.

Findings

Significant differences regarding the informational behavior of future professionals in SS are discovered. The synthetic indicator allows academic degrees to be ranked in order to identify those in need of initiatives aimed at improving communication–dissemination competence.

Practical implications

Findings must be taken into account to design effective learning programs. This methodological approach can be expanded to scientific and academic environments.

Originality/value

The paper puts forward the first evidence-based study on communication–dissemination competence among future SS professionals, as no similar research has been found in the scientific literature. It is also the first time that the definition of a predictive performance indicator, based on a powerful statistical methodology, has been proposed.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. 70 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 January 2024

Ning Chen, Zhenyu Zhang and An Chen

Consequence prediction is an emerging topic in safety management concerning the severity outcome of accidents. In practical applications, it is usually implemented through…

Abstract

Purpose

Consequence prediction is an emerging topic in safety management concerning the severity outcome of accidents. In practical applications, it is usually implemented through supervised learning methods; however, the evaluation of classification results remains a challenge. The previous studies mostly adopted simplex evaluation based on empirical and quantitative assessment strategies. This paper aims to shed new light on the comprehensive evaluation and comparison of diverse classification methods through visualization, clustering and ranking techniques.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical study is conducted using 9 state-of-the-art classification methods on a real-world data set of 653 construction accidents in China for predicting the consequence with respect to 39 carefully featured factors and accident type. The proposed comprehensive evaluation enriches the interpretation of classification results from different perspectives. Furthermore, the critical factors leading to severe construction accidents are identified by analyzing the coefficients of a logistic regression model.

Findings

This paper identifies the critical factors that significantly influence the consequence of construction accidents, which include accident type (particularly collapse), improper accident reporting and handling (E21), inadequate supervision engineers (O41), no special safety department (O11), delayed or low-quality drawings (T11), unqualified contractor (C21), schedule pressure (C11), multi-level subcontracting (C22), lacking safety examination (S22), improper operation of mechanical equipment (R11) and improper construction procedure arrangement (T21). The prediction models and findings of critical factors help make safety intervention measures in a targeted way and enhance the experience of safety professionals in the construction industry.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical study using some well-known classification methods for forecasting the consequences of construction accidents provides some evidence for the comprehensive evaluation of multiple classifiers. These techniques can be used jointly with other evaluation approaches for a comprehensive understanding of the classification algorithms. Despite the limitation of specific methods used in the study, the presented methodology can be configured with other classification methods and performance metrics and even applied to other decision-making problems such as clustering.

Originality/value

This study sheds new light on the comprehensive comparison and evaluation of classification results through visualization, clustering and ranking techniques using an empirical study of consequence prediction of construction accidents. The relevance of construction accident type is discussed with the severity of accidents. The critical factors influencing the accident consequence are identified for the sake of taking prevention measures for risk reduction. The proposed method can be applied to other decision-making tasks where the evaluation is involved as an important component.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1985

Penny Swinburne

The OPQ (Occupational Personality Questionnaire) is a factor‐analytic‐based, self‐report questionnaire which has been developed in Britain as a wide‐band assessment device for use…

Abstract

The OPQ (Occupational Personality Questionnaire) is a factor‐analytic‐based, self‐report questionnaire which has been developed in Britain as a wide‐band assessment device for use in selection and counselling in jobs at managerial and professional level where personality factors are often important variables in success.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Article
Publication date: 19 November 2020

Anchal Arora, Jinesh Jain, Sanjay Gupta and Ajay Sharma

In today's competitive environment, sustainability is talked out in every sphere of life. Sustainability is a key to stability and for that roots are being focused by…

Abstract

Purpose

In today's competitive environment, sustainability is talked out in every sphere of life. Sustainability is a key to stability and for that roots are being focused by incorporating sustainability in higher education. The basic purpose of this paper is to prioritize the sustainability drivers in the higher education system. This research will provide fruitful insight into the sustainability drivers in the higher education system to the education industry and policymakers.

Design/methodology/approach

The present research is conducted on the 400 students studying in four major universities in the state of Punjab. Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process was applied to prioritize the sustainability drivers in the higher education system. The primary factors considered for the present study include social-people (social responsibility), environmental-planet (sustainable environmental practices) and financial-profit (economic value created).

Findings

The most influential criteria were environmental-planet (sustainable environmental practices) and social-people (social responsibility). The five most influential subcriteria were “Student engagement in eco co-curricular activities (C21)”, Energy efficiency measures (C23)”, “The HEI as a job driver in the city (C11)”, “Total direct energy consumption (C31)” and “Support from the HEI for local initiatives and help in growing the sustainability of the community or region (C12)”.

Research limitations/implications

Although the sample survey conducted in this study was focused on a small sample selected from the state of Punjab which genuinely represented the total population, it is still considered as a limitation for the present study.

Practical implications

The outcome of this research provides policymakers with a better understanding of the sustainability drivers in higher education. This will further help them toward achieving the aim of sustainability.

Originality/value

The present research is based on the available literature on sustainability and the results of the study would add value to the existing knowledge base.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 June 2019

Mohsin Malik, Salam Abdallah, Stuart Orr and Uzma Chaudhary

This paper responds to calls from the literature for research identifying the difference between the effect of internal agents and external agents, such as customers, suppliers…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper responds to calls from the literature for research identifying the difference between the effect of internal agents and external agents, such as customers, suppliers and government on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). The paper also determines whether there is a dynamic or interactive relationship between the two types of agents.

Design/methodology/approach

Activity theory was used as the theoretical framework for understanding how internal and external agents affected both SSCM motivation and facilitation and possible interactions between the two. A cluster analysis identified how internal and external agents affected SSCM initiatives, interactions, the conditions under which this occurs and the mechanisms of this effect.

Findings

Internal and external agents differ in the type, sequence and diversity of their effect on SSCM. While external agents had both an SSCM motivating and facilitation effect, internal agents only had a facilitating effect. Customers were only a significant SSCM motivation in 35% of the cases. Government regulations had a dynamic effect, changing from motivation to facilitation as the SSCM initiative developed. External agent SSCM motivation and facilitation were more internalized in organizations which were more internationally oriented.

Practical implications

Local institutional frameworks motivate and facilitate SSCM initiatives, while head office initiatives and international best practice agencies encourage an integrated combination of external agent motivation and facilitation and internal facilitation.

Originality/value

The findings extend the SSCM literature by identifying the processes of agent SSCM motivation and facilitation, the dynamic nature of agent SSCM effects and the mechanism through which externally motivated and facilitated SSCM becomes internalized.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 24 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 August 2010

Sergio Biggemann

This paper reports the results of a three-year-long research on business relationships, relying on qualitative data gathered through multiple-case study research of four focal…

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a three-year-long research on business relationships, relying on qualitative data gathered through multiple-case study research of four focal companies operating in Australia. The industry settings are as follows: steel construction, vegetable oils trading, aluminum and steel can manufacture, and imaging solutions. The research analyzes two main aspects of relationships: structure and process. This paper deals with structure describing it by the most desired features of intercompany relationships for each focal company. The primary research data have been coded drawing on extant research into business relationships. The main outcome of this part of the research is a five construct model composed by trust, commitment, bonds, distance, and information sharing that accounts for all informants’ utterances about relationship structure.

Details

Organizational Culture, Business-to-Business Relationships, and Interfirm Networks
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-306-5

Book part
Publication date: 8 July 2021

Emma Pauncefort

2019 was a big year. The Great Hack and investigative journalism of Carole Cadwalladr exposed the machinations of Cambridge Analytica. The US senate summoned Mark Zuckerberg to…

Abstract

2019 was a big year. The Great Hack and investigative journalism of Carole Cadwalladr exposed the machinations of Cambridge Analytica. The US senate summoned Mark Zuckerberg to face an extended interrogation on the ways in which Facebook screens content. Greta Thunberg fomented a global ‘climate emergency’ movement with attacks on lying political leaders. If 2016 saw ‘post-truth’ rise to prominence as a concept, 2019 was characterised by myriad efforts to champion truth and counter misinformation. And then the COVID-19 crisis hit. The urgency we began to feel in 2019 to address the ills in our society and hunt for a cause and cure has intensified. We now daily ask at whose door we can lay the blame and, from there, what solutions we can implement. For now, we have drawn the battle lines between tech and society and looked to pit governments against technologies which have changed the face of media. But amidst this flurry of activity, we need to stop and ask ourselves: are we setting our sights on the right actors and are we taking the right next steps?

Written in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this contribution responds to the burning debate on how to overcome our current infodemic and immunise against future outbreaks. It offers an alternative narrative and argues for a much more radical course of action. It posits that we have misidentified the root cause of our current post-truth reality. It argues that we are in fact experiencing the extreme consequence of decades of poor education the world over. It champions a shift from drilling young people in so-called facts and figures to developing those deep levels of literacy in which critical thinking plays a fundamental part. This is not to exculpate the Facebooks and Twitters of our time – new tech has no doubt facilitated the dissemination of half-truths and untruths. But it is to insist upon contextualising our current albeit horrifying reality within a much more complex and longer-running societal challenge. In other words, this chapter makes a fresh clarion call for rethinking how we have got to where we are and where we might most meaningfully go next, as well as how, indeed, we might conceptualise the links between technology, government, media and education.

Details

Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-907-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2018

Liang Wang, Li Ma, Kuo-Jui Wu, Anthony S.F. Chiu and Sarayut Nathaphan

The purpose of this paper is to adopt fuzzy interpretive structural modeling (ISM) to develop a precise evaluation framework and provide a theoretical basis for enhancing the…

1073

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to adopt fuzzy interpretive structural modeling (ISM) to develop a precise evaluation framework and provide a theoretical basis for enhancing the understanding of responsible consumption and production (RCP) in academic and industrial fields.

Design/methodology/approach

An integration of fuzzy set theory and ISM is proposed to maintain a higher level of consistency and reduce the uncertainty inherent in expert responses.

Findings

RCP can be categorized into seven levels, which represent the driving power from higher to lower. The top aspect is management style; the remaining aspects are stakeholder management, regulation compliance, efficiency improvement, sustainable awareness, sustainable production and social responsibility.

Research limitations/implications

This study attempts to integrate the triple bottom line (TBL) concept and corporate sustainability to develop a significant framework for evaluating RCP. Although the proposed aspects and criteria can be used to evaluate the Chinese construction industry, these may be insufficient for other industries. In addition, further discussion regarding important aspects and criteria is required to complete the theoretical basis.

Practical implications

The results indicate that the top two criteria are establishing transparent communication channels and promoting managerial attitudes and behavior, which are followed by technology capabilities, organizational culture and stakeholder engagement. These five criteria play important roles when implementing RCP practices among Chinese construction firms.

Originality/value

This study is the first to discuss RCP via an integration of the TBL concept and corporate sustainability. The framework developed herein provides a precise guideline for Chinese construction firms to improve their performance, and it also promotes the efficient use of resources via sustainable practices.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 118 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 October 1988

Anti corrosive lubricant for submerged locations. Wet Lube solid film, anti corrosive lubricant is a blend of natural fats, mineral oils, graphite, hydrophobic agents and anti…

Abstract

Anti corrosive lubricant for submerged locations. Wet Lube solid film, anti corrosive lubricant is a blend of natural fats, mineral oils, graphite, hydrophobic agents and anti corrosive pigments formulated specifically for the prevention of corrosion and the elimination of seizures in machinery working in permanently or intermittently submerged locations or operating in damp or moist conditions.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 35 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

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