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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 July 2023

Moses Muhwezi, Henry Mutebi, Samuel Ssekajja Mayanja, Benjamin Tukamuhabwa, Sheila Namagembe and Robert Kalema

Procuring relief products and services is a challenging process for humanitarian organizations (HOs), yet it accounts for approximately 65% of relief operations’ costs (Moshtari…

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Abstract

Purpose

Procuring relief products and services is a challenging process for humanitarian organizations (HOs), yet it accounts for approximately 65% of relief operations’ costs (Moshtari et al., 2021). This paper aims to examine how procurement internal controls, materials and purchasing procedure standardization influence information integration and procurement performance.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, partial least square structural equation models and multigroup analysis were used to analyze data collected from 170 HOs.

Findings

Procurement internal controls and material and purchasing procedure standardization fully mediate between information integration and procurement performance.

Research limitations/implications

The study focuses only on HOs. Since humanitarian procurement projects take place over a period of several years, it is difficult to capture the long-term effects of information integration, procurement internal controls, material and purchasing procedure standardization and procurement performance. In this regard, a longitudinal study could be undertaken, provided that the required resources are available.

Practical implications

Procurement managers should implement information integration practices within acceptable procurement internal controls and standardize material and purchasing procedures to boost procurement performance.

Originality/value

By integrating information through procurement internal controls and standardizing material and purchasing procedures, procurement performance in a humanitarian setting can be systematically optimized.

Details

Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 August 2022

Milan Zorman, Bojan Žlahtič, Saša Stradovnik and Aleš Hace

Collaborative robotics and autonomous driving are fairly new disciplines, still with a long way to go to achieve goals, set by the research community, manufacturers and users. For…

Abstract

Purpose

Collaborative robotics and autonomous driving are fairly new disciplines, still with a long way to go to achieve goals, set by the research community, manufacturers and users. For technologies like collaborative robotics and autonomous driving, which focus on closing the gap between humans and machines, the physical, psychological and emotional needs of human individuals becoming increasingly important in order to ensure effective and safe human–machine interaction. The authors' goal was to conceptualize ways to combine experience from both fields and transfer artificial intelligence knowledge from one to another. By identifying transferable meta-knowledge, the authors will increase quality of artificial intelligence applications and raise safety and contextual awareness for users and environment in both fields.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors presented autonomous driving and collaborative robotics and autonomous driving and collaborative robotics' connection to artificial intelligence. The authors continued with advantages and challenges of both fields and identified potential topics for transferrable practices. Topics were divided into three time slots according to expected research timeline.

Findings

The identified research opportunities seem manageable in the presented timeline. The authors' expectation was that autonomous driving and collaborative robotics will start moving closer in the following years and even merging in some areas like driverless and humanless transport and logistics.

Originality/value

The authors' findings confirm the latest trends in autonomous driving and collaborative robotics and expand them into new research and collaboration opportunities for the next few years. The authors' research proposal focuses on those that should have the most positive impact to safety, complement, optimize and evolve human capabilities and increase productivity in line with social expectations. Transferring meta-knowledge between fields will increase progress and, in some cases, cut some shortcuts in achieving the aforementioned goals.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 52 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 January 2023

Muhammad Zahid Iqbal, Ayesha Shakoor, Malik Ikramullah and Tamania Khan

Being grounded in interdependence theory, this study aims to address the following research question: Do managers’ negotiation styles (collaborative versus competitive) make…

Abstract

Purpose

Being grounded in interdependence theory, this study aims to address the following research question: Do managers’ negotiation styles (collaborative versus competitive) make employees’ relational justice-emotional experiences links sporadic?

Design/methodology/approach

Data elicited from N = 139 Pakistani undergraduate students participating in an online scenario-based experiment were used to employ repeated measures analysis and partial least square structural equation modeling techniques.

Findings

Results suggest that employees’ relational justice is likely to be higher when managers use a collaborative negotiation style than when they use competitive style in performance review meetings. Moreover, per managers’ different negotiation styles, employees’ relational justice perceptions may predict their positive emotions differently. That is, when managers use collaborative negotiation style, employees’ relational justice perceptions may positively predict their hope but not optimism, whereas when managers use competitive negotiation style, employees’ relational justice perceptions may positively predict their optimism but not hope. Furthermore, the positive relationship between employees’ relational justice and their optimism is stronger when their trust in manager is low than when it is high.

Originality/value

The study is of value for performance management theorists who aim to address the issue of ineffectiveness of the practice through relational means. The study includes the recently explicated concept of relational justice and examines its links with employee emotional reactions to performance reviews. Moreover, the study unveils how managers’ negotiation styles in performance review meetings cause variations in the links between employees’ perceptions of relational justice and their emotional experiences.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 34 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 June 2023

Jingke Sun, Xiongbiao Xie, Min Zhou and Liang Yan

While the theory and practice of open innovation networks are flourishing, green innovation in manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is stagnant. This study…

Abstract

Purpose

While the theory and practice of open innovation networks are flourishing, green innovation in manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is stagnant. This study explores the mechanism driving green innovation in manufacturing SMEs under open innovation networks based on the role of innovation platforms' relational governance.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative study was conducted using questionnaires to collect data from 270 manufacturing SMEs in Zhejiang Province and employing a structural equation model to test the developed hypotheses.

Findings

The results revealed that innovation platforms' relational governance positively affects green innovation in manufacturing SMEs. Furthermore, the collaborative innovation atmosphere and risk perception mediate this relationship through a respective mediating role and a chain-mediating role.

Originality/value

This study is the first to empirically investigate the mechanism of the influence of innovation platforms' relational governance on green innovation in manufacturing SMEs, provide a new perspective for understanding the antecedents of green innovation under open innovation networks, and expand the theoretical research on open innovation management.

Details

Management Decision, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 April 2024

Yubing Yu, Hongyan Zeng and Min Zhang

Manufacturers increasingly resort to digital transformation to shape their competitiveness in the digital economy era, while supply chain (SC) collaborative innovation helps them…

Abstract

Purpose

Manufacturers increasingly resort to digital transformation to shape their competitiveness in the digital economy era, while supply chain (SC) collaborative innovation helps them cope with market uncertainties. However, whether and how digital transformation can facilitate SC collaborative innovation remain unclear. To address this gap, we aims to investigate the effects of digital transformation (strategy and capability) on SC collaborative (process and product) innovation and market performance.

Design/methodology/approach

We use partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with a sample of 210 Chinese manufacturers to investigate the effects of digital transformation (strategy and capability) on SC collaborative (process and product) innovation and market performance.

Findings

The results show that digital strategy and capability positively impact SC collaborative process and product innovation, which enhances market performance. In addition, SC collaborative innovation mediates the relationship between digital transformation and market performance.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by identifying how digital transformation drives SC collaborative innovation towards improving market performance and providing practical guidance for enterprises in promoting digital transformation and SC collaborative innovation.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 November 2023

Chao Feng, Jinjun Yu, Yajing Fan and Hui Chen

Integrating transaction costs economics and task-technology fit theory, this study distinguishes two categories of social media–enabled interactions, namely task-related…

Abstract

Purpose

Integrating transaction costs economics and task-technology fit theory, this study distinguishes two categories of social media–enabled interactions, namely task-related interactions and tie-related interactions, and explores the match between these two and firms' use of contracts in achieving safeguarding and coordinating purposes in interfirm governance.

Design/methodology/approach

Two studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. In Study 1, this study collaborated with a professional market research firm and collected responses from Chinese manufacturing firms in a survey. In Study 2, this study designed a scenario-based experiment and collected 239 participants from the Credamo platform.

Findings

This study categorized social media–enabled interactions into task-related interactions and tie-related interactions and conducted two studies to reveal that the safeguarding purpose of contract specificity is amplified by tie-related interactions, whereas the coordinating purpose of contract specificity is strengthened by task-related interactions.

Research limitations/implications

This study assumes that firms permit and encourage the use of social media. However, some firms might prohibit the use of social media due to risk issues, or their partners may be prohibited from using social media.

Practical implications

Given that social media–enabled interactions have joint effects with contracts in achieving safeguarding and coordinating purposes, a firm's employees should match their goals with an appropriate type of social media–enabled interactions.

Originality/value

This study enriches the interfirm governance literature by uncovering the roles of these two types of interactions in matching contract specificity to achieve safeguarding and coordinating purposes, which provides actionable insights for managers in governing interfirm relationships.

Details

Internet Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Understanding Intercultural Interaction: An Analysis of Key Concepts, 2nd Edition
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-438-8

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2024

Yanghong Li, Yahao Wang, Yutao Chen, X.W. Rong, Yuliang Zhao, Shaolei Wu and Erbao Dong

The current difficulties of distribution network working robots are mainly in the performance and operation mode. On the one hand, high-altitude power operation tasks require high…

Abstract

Purpose

The current difficulties of distribution network working robots are mainly in the performance and operation mode. On the one hand, high-altitude power operation tasks require high load-carrying capacity and dexterity of the robot; on the other hand, the fully autonomous mode is uncontrollable and the teleoperation mode has a high failure rate. Therefore, this study aims to design a distribution network operation robot named Sky-Worker to solve the above two problems.

Design/methodology/approach

The heterogeneous arms of Sky-Worker are driven by hydraulics and electric motors to solve the contradiction between high load-carrying capacity and high flexibility. A human–robot collaborative shared control architecture is built to realize real-time human intervention during autonomous operation, and control weights are dynamically assigned based on energy optimization.

Findings

Simulations and tests show that Sky-Worker has good dexterity while having a high load capacity. Based on Sky-Worker, multiuser tests and practical application experiments show that the designed shared-control mode effectively improves the success rate and efficiency of operations compared with other current operation modes.

Practical implications

The designed heterogeneous dual-arm distribution robot aims to better serve distribution line operation tasks.

Originality/value

For the first time, the integration of hydraulic and motor drives into a distribution network operation robot has achieved better overall performance. A human–robot cooperative shared control framework is proposed for remote live-line working robots, which provides better operation results than other current operation modes.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 51 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2024

Ziyuan Ma, Huajun Gong and Xinhua Wang

The purpose of this paper is to construct an event-triggered finite-time fault-tolerant formation tracking controller, which can achieve a time-varying formation control for…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to construct an event-triggered finite-time fault-tolerant formation tracking controller, which can achieve a time-varying formation control for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during actuator failures and external perturbations.

Design/methodology/approach

First, this study developed the formation tracking protocol for each follower using UAV formation members, defining the tracking inaccuracy of the UAV followers’ location. Subsequently, this study designed the multilayer event-triggered controller based on the backstepping method framework within finite time. Then, considering the actuator failures, and added self-adaptive thought for fault-tolerant control within finite time, the event-triggered closed-loop system is subsequently shown to be a finite-time stable system. Furthermore, the Zeno behavior is analyzed to prevent infinite triggering instances within a finite time. Finally, simulations are conducted with external disturbances and actuator failure conditions to demonstrate formation tracking controller performance.

Findings

It achieves improved performance in the presence of external disturbances and system failures. Combining limited-time adaptive control and event triggering improves system stability, increase robustness to disturbances and calculation efficiency. In addition, the designed formation tracking controller can effectively control the time-varying formation of the leader and followers to complete the task, and by adding a fixed-time observer, it can effectively compensate for external disturbances and improve formation control accuracy.

Originality/value

A formation-following controller is designed, which can handle both external disturbances and internal actuator failures during formation flight, and the proposed method can be applied to a variety of formation control scenarios and does not rely on a specific type of UAV or communication network.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 96 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 October 2023

Zhizhong Guo, Fei Liu, Yuze Shang, Zhe Li and Ping Qin

This research aims to present a novel cooperative control architecture designed specifically for roads with variations in height and curvature. The primary objective is to enhance…

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to present a novel cooperative control architecture designed specifically for roads with variations in height and curvature. The primary objective is to enhance the longitudinal and lateral tracking accuracy of the vehicle.

Design/methodology/approach

In addressing the challenges posed by time-varying road information and vehicle dynamics parameters, a combination of model predictive control (MPC) and active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) is employed in this study. A coupled controller based on the authors’ model was developed by utilizing the capabilities of MPC and ADRC. Emphasis is placed on the ramifications of road undulations and changes in curvature concerning control effectiveness. Recognizing these factors as disturbances, measures are taken to offset their influences within the system. Load transfer due to variations in road parameters has been considered and integrated into the design of the authors’ synergistic architecture.

Findings

The framework's efficacy is validated through hardware-in-the-loop simulation. Experimental results show that the integrated controller is more robust than conventional MPC and PID controllers. Consequently, the integrated controller improves the vehicle's driving stability and safety.

Originality/value

The proposed coupled control strategy notably enhances vehicle stability and reduces slip concerns. A tailored model is introduced integrating a control strategy based on MPC and ADRC which takes into account vertical and longitudinal force variations and allowing it to effectively cope with complex scenarios and multifaceted constraints problems.

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