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1 – 10 of over 8000
Article
Publication date: 5 June 2019

Liang-Chih Huang, Chun-Hui Su, Cheng-Chen Lin and Szu-Chi Lu

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to unlock how and why abusive supervision influences employees’ day-to-day behaviors. Thus, the present study proposes that employees who…

1179

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to unlock how and why abusive supervision influences employees’ day-to-day behaviors. Thus, the present study proposes that employees who are continuously faced with a supervisor’s hostile verbal and nonverbal behavior might obstruct their willingness to exhibit two different kinds of extra-role behaviors [i.e. organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and voice] because sustained abusive behavior might hinder employees from their tasks and result in disengagement. Abused employees are more likely to disengage from their current tasks, and this is likely to in turn result in lower OCB and voice.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from a Taiwan mid-sized high-tech manufacturing company. The present study adopted a within-person approach (a daily-basis research design) and collected data from 60 front-line employees over 10 working days. Although all variables were self-rated, common method variance is minor. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to ensure discriminant and convergent validity, and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results of CFA ensure the measures have discriminant and convergent validity, while the results of HLM analysis showed that work engagement fully mediates the negative relationship between abusive supervision and the two kinds of extra-role behaviors. The bootstrapping results also support the full mediation effect of work engagement.

Originality/value

The present study used the job demands-resources model to examine how abusive supervision influences employees’ OCB and voice and found that work engagement is one possible mechanism between these two types of extra-role behavior. Specifically, a daily research design discovered that in a given working day, once a leader exhibits abusive supervision behavior, compared with any given day without abusive behaviors, employees will find it difficult to focus on their current tasks (i.e. through exhibiting decreased work engagement), which will in turn influence their willingness to exhibit OCB and voice on that particular day. Thus, both researchers and managers should focus on the daily interactions between leaders and employees because it is impossible to achieve organization success in one day, but rather such success is the aggregate result of both leaders’ and employees’ daily efforts.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 August 2018

Barry Fearnley

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the hostility many young women who are also mothers experience within their everyday lives.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the hostility many young women who are also mothers experience within their everyday lives.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper will draw on qualitative research, incorporating a narrative approach, to illustrate the hostility many young mothers experience on a daily basis. The research design included a focus group, semi-structure interviews and participant observations.

Findings

The paper reports the findings of a study that explored the experiences of young women who are also mothers. The author presents the findings that indicate that many young women, who are also young mothers, experience hostile reactions and interactions as part of their everyday lives.

Research limitations/implications

The small sample size means that this study cannot be generalised, but it does contribute to the growing body of qualitative evidence in relation to young mothers.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that there needs to be more recognition and acknowledgement of the hostility young women experience. Such hostility could have deleterious consequences on the young women, their parenting ability and also on the children.

Originality/value

This paper documents the experiences of young women who are also mothers and how they experience hostility as a daily occurrence. The hostility ranged from verbal to non-verbal and how they felt they were being treated, inferences about their sexuality to stereotyping.

Details

Journal of Children's Services, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-6660

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 April 2022

Syed Tauseef Hussain, Saira Hanif Soroya and Kanwal Ameen

This study aims to explore visual artists’ image needs and the obstacles they face in meeting them.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore visual artists’ image needs and the obstacles they face in meeting them.

Design/methodology/approach

The visual artists, participating in the study, included painters, graphic designers, textile designers, architects and sculptors who were faculty members in two oldest art institutions of Pakistan. A total of 20 face-to-face interviews representing four participants from each visual artists group were conducted. The textual data were analyzed thematically, using NVIVO 12 software.

Findings

Results showed that under-study visual artists need images mainly for academic purposes (teaching, assignments, etc.) and for professional and research purposes. However, they require images quite often, as a majority of the respondents told that they need images on daily basis.

Social implications

The study findings provide an insight for information science professionals, system designers and image librarians regarding visual artists’ image using behavior.

Originality/value

As the researchers could not find any such study in local context, and a very few globally, therefore, this study may serve as a baseline for further research in this area.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 72 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2023

Eirin Lodgaard, Natalia Iakymenko and Maria Flavia Mogos

The purpose of this study is to investigate how Toyota Kata can be effectively applied in the engineer-to-order (ETO) manufacturing within the construction industry. The objective…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate how Toyota Kata can be effectively applied in the engineer-to-order (ETO) manufacturing within the construction industry. The objective is to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) for the Toyota Kata implementation in this environment and to develop a continuous improvement (CI) method – based on Toyota Kata and adapted to the ETO manufacturing within the construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

An action research (AR) approach was applied, which includes a participatory form of inquiry and learning from both intended and unintended outcomes, while simultaneously building up scientific knowledge about successful implementation of Toyota Kata.

Findings

All the CSFs in the AR project are addressed by the earlier literature, thus confirming the existing body of knowledge. Moreover, the existing knowledge was arguably extended through the modified Toyota Kata as an approach for CI. New elements regarding how to run the small experiments by extending the core team with personnel who work with the problem on a daily basis.

Originality/value

This research addresses a gap identified in the literature regarding how Toyota Kata can be adapted to the ETO manufacturing within the construction industry. It also presents an overview of CSFs for the Toyota Kata implementation in this environment.

Details

International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-4166

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 February 2021

Niromi Seram, Rivini Mataraarachchi and Thanuri Jayaneththi

Exercising is a key approach adopted by muscular dystrophy patients to halt the weakening of muscles as it can eventually lead to serious immobility issues. Though it is essential…

Abstract

Purpose

Exercising is a key approach adopted by muscular dystrophy patients to halt the weakening of muscles as it can eventually lead to serious immobility issues. Though it is essential to exercise on a daily basis for healthy living, there is no mention of any research effort in the current literature regarding the development of an apparel product for these mobility-affected patients that might assist them both in meeting their exercising needs and providing them some comfort in their daily living. Thus, this paper aims to focus on identifying the specific needs of muscular dystrophy victims and proposing special adaptive clothing solutions to support their daily exercise and mobility needs.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the objectives of this study, attention was focused on the muscular dystrophy afflicted women in Sri Lanka. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the female victims of muscular dystrophy and their lifestyles were observed carefully; additional data were gathered by holding semi-structured interviews with their physiotherapists. Further, interviews were conducted with both garment technologists and fabric technologists too. Data gathered through these methods were analyzed qualitatively using the principles of thematic analysis and then aggregate conclusions were drawn.

Findings

It was observed that the patients were engaged in special activities such as exercising three times a day besides following their normal day-to-day activities to maintain and develop muscle strength. It soon became evident that these women found it difficult to perform their daily exercise routines with their regular clothing and were looking for custom made clothing they could wear all day long in comfort and avoid the problems that arose while exercising. The study specifies the requirements that must be met to satisfy both generic and specific needs. Considering all these aspects some adaptive clothing solutions were proposed to support daily exercising activity with respect to comfort, convenience, health and safety, as well as socio-cultural and psychological needs.

Originality/value

The area of fusing generic and specific features to support the daily exercising needs of muscular dystrophy victims is an untouched field of experimentation and being a need of the disabled, the present study marks a milestone on the way to a novel area of apparel design, besides exploring a new field of research.

Details

Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1560-6074

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 July 2021

Ahlam Ammar Sharif and Andrew Karvonen

Architectural theorists have a long tradition of acknowledging the centrality of building users to architectural production. This article contributes to the discourse on…

Abstract

Purpose

Architectural theorists have a long tradition of acknowledging the centrality of building users to architectural production. This article contributes to the discourse on architecture, actor–network theory (ANT), and users by proposing a typology of user translations ranging from supporting to tinkering to adjusting to resisting.

Design/methodology/approach

The research utilises an ANT-inspired ethnography of sustainable lighting scripts at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). It comprises semi-structured interviews with MIST designers and students, and site visits and participant observation to understand how the users interpret the scripts and how they interact and change them on a daily basis.

Findings

There is a shared understanding that users do not simply receive architectural designs but interpret and change them to suit their preferences. The findings reveal the multiple ways that users interpret and respond to the assumptions of designers and in the process, recast the relations between themselves and their material surroundings.

Originality/value

The research contributes to acknowledging the centrality of users to architectural design processes and the interpretation of design scripts, addressing the limitation in current literature in demonstrating the diversity of ways that users react to such scripts. The research suggests that user actions have significant implications on long-term building performance. It accordingly points to the need for devising multiple means of user involvement in the design process and allowing greater flexibility in design scripts to improve the alignment with user preferences.

Details

Open House International, vol. 46 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 August 2013

Laura S. Radcliffe

The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of qualitative diary methods in the context of research on the work‐family interface.

2875

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of qualitative diary methods in the context of research on the work‐family interface.

Design/methodology/approach

The diary method was used, in conjunction with semi‐structured interviews, to collect data from 24 dual‐earner couples over a one month period.

Findings

The diary method revealed important new insights into how couples managed their work‐family balance on a daily basis by allowing the researcher access to rich episodic data that would not have been available using more traditional approaches. This is particularly important in the area of work and family given its dynamic nature.

Research limitations/implications

The use of this method is time consuming, requires a great deal of dedication from participants and usually results in large quantities of complex data to be analysed. Despite this the suggestion is that this approach is highly valuable in work‐family research in providing a more in‐depth understanding of how these two domains are negotiated.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on effective qualitative research and explores important areas of consideration for those conducting qualitative diary studies. It is intended to be of use to researchers investigating the area of work and family, as well as to those interested in using qualitative diaries in their research.

Details

Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5648

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 January 2018

Yikuan Lee, Foo Nin Ho and Ming-Chuan Wu

A product communicates to consumers through its form and function, which may generate an effective response. Little is known, however, about the impact of the interaction of form…

1269

Abstract

Purpose

A product communicates to consumers through its form and function, which may generate an effective response. Little is known, however, about the impact of the interaction of form and functional newness on consumers’ adoption preference. Drawing on uniqueness theory, this research aims to propose that the relative importance of form and functional newness to adoption preference could vary depending on the degree of consumers’ need for uniqueness (CNFU).

Design/methodology/approach

To mimic real consumption behavior as much as possible in these studies, the authors first choose a product that the respondents are familiar with and use on a daily basis. Second, the authors conduct a series of conjoint analysis in which respondents are presented with a set of options simultaneously and are asked to make a choice of adoption among those options. The authors conduct three conjoint studies using students and adult consumers.

Findings

Evidence from three conjoint studies using both student and adult consumer samples confirms the moderating role of CNFU. The results indicate that form and functional newness positively impact adoption preference, the positive effect of form newness is weakened in a compare-and-choose decision when functional newness is in place and this weakened interaction effect is mitigated with increasing CNFU.

Research limitations/implications

This research makes several contributions to the extant literature. First, the authors investigate the moderating role of CNFU in the interplay between form and functional newness. By identifying a distinctive pattern between high- vs low-CNFU consumers, the authors propose a new aspect to explain the inconclusive results of the interaction effects in previous studies. Extending this line of research, the authors show that there is a dynamic component to the positive influence of form and functional newness on adoption preference. Consumers’ preference for form newness, relative to functional newness, is likely to be lessened with the decrease in their need for uniqueness. Second, this research goes beyond the survey or sales data approaches of prior studies to examine the interaction of form and function in a context that reflects actual decision processes. Assuming that consumers have access to a set of options before making an adoption decision, the authors are able to determine their priorities and preferences for new products. Using conjoint analysis, the authors observe consumers make a trade-off between form and functional newness. This approach allows us to investigate the relative importance of form and functional newness in affecting consumers’ adoption decision. Finally, the consistency of the results of these three studies enhances the robustness of this research.

Practical implications

While consumers appreciate improved and newer functionality in general, this may not be the case for a novel form. For consumers who desire to belong or to fit into social norms, adopting a product with an extreme atypical form could be risky and provoke a negative social response. For those with such conservative attitudes, learning costs are likely to overshadow the excitement of owning a radical product. Thus, a product with high functional newness and standard form would be the right choice for this group of consumers. On the other hand, consumers with high CNFU are more likely to overcome concerns regarding the risks and learning costs of a novel form due to their desire to use the unconventional product display to differentiate themselves and establish their uniqueness. Therefore, a product with high functional newness and novel form may be more favorable for them. With this insight, marketers can better define their market segment and position their product strengths. For example, in the competitive smart phone industry, some brands may try to focus on high form newness to capture high-CNFU consumers (e.g. LG Flex curved cell phone).

Originality/value

First, the authors propose the moderating role of CNFU to explain the gap in the literature. This new view provides product managers and marketers with a better understanding of how consumers in different consumer segments (e.g. high vs low degree of CNFU) behave distinctively in their response to form and functional newness. Second, most of the literature on consumer response to product form has focused on consumer opinion, attitude, perception or product evaluation. This study focuses on measuring consumers’ adoption preference through a conjoint approach. This distinction is important because a positive attitude does not necessarily translate to adoption when consumers make their final choice decision. Third, prior studies test the effects of form and function using sales data or between subject experiments where respondents only view a single product. This approach is less representative of real adoption behavior when the reality is consumers often compare a set of options simultaneously and make an adoption decision among a pool of available options.

Details

Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0736-3761

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 June 2019

Ziyu Jin, John Gambatese, Ding Liu and Vineeth Dharmapalan

The prevention through design (PtD) concept has been widely recognized as one of the most effective approaches to eliminate or reduce construction site hazards. It encourages…

2283

Abstract

Purpose

The prevention through design (PtD) concept has been widely recognized as one of the most effective approaches to eliminate or reduce construction site hazards. It encourages engineers and architects to consider occupational safety and health during the planning and design phases. Nevertheless, the implementation of PtD is often inhibited because designers lack adequate knowledge about construction safety and the construction process, and limited design-for-safety tools and procedures are available for designers to use. The purpose of this paper is to provide designers a tool for assessing construction risks during early phases of multistory building projects at an activity level and on a daily basis in a 4D environment. By using the tool, proactive measures could be taken in the design and planning phase to reduce site hazards.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed method consists of four steps including risk quantification at a design element level, 4D model integration with risk values, risk assessment, and design alternative selection and model acceptance. A case study was carried out to test and verify the proposed method.

Findings

The proposed tool has the capability to assess the safety risk for an entire multistory project and visualize safety risk in a particular time period, work space and task prior to construction. It benefits designers in conducting risk assessments and selecting design alternatives concerning safety. Contractors could also utilize the visualization and simulation results of the 4D model for site safety planning so that a range of risk mitigation strategies could be implemented during construction.

Originality/value

The study provides an innovative PtD tool targeting designers as primary end-users. The proposed tool helps designers assess construction risks and has potential to incorporate the top levels of the hierarchy of risk controls.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 26 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 July 2017

Anna Visvizi, Colette Mazzucelli and Miltiadis Lytras

The purpose of this study is to navigate the challenges irregular migratory flows generate for cities and urban systems. The migration and refugee crises that challenged Europe in…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to navigate the challenges irregular migratory flows generate for cities and urban systems. The migration and refugee crises that challenged Europe in 2015-2016 revealed that the developed world cities and urban areas are largely unprepared to address challenges that irregular migratory flows generate. This paper queries the smart and resilient cities’ debates, respectively, to highlight that migration-related challenges and opportunities have not been explicitly addressed in those deliberations. This creates a disconnect between what these debates promise and what cities/urban systems increasingly need to address on a daily basis. Subsequently, a way of bridging that disconnect is proposed and its policy-making implications discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

To suggest ways of navigating irregular migration-inflicted challenges cities/urban areas face, a nexus between the smart cities and resilient cities’ debates is established. By placing advanced sophisticated information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the heart of the analysis, a novel dynamic ICTs’ enabled integrated framework for resilient urban systems is developed. The framework’s dynamics is defined by two hierarchically interconnected levers, i.e. that of ICTs and that of policy-design and policy-making. Drawing from qualitative analysis and process tracing, the cross-section of policy design and policy-making geared towards the most efficient and ethically sensitive use of sophisticated ICTs is queried. Subsequently, options available to cities/urban systems are discussed.

Findings

The ICTs’ enabled integrated framework for resilient urban systems integrates the effectiveness of migrants and refugees’ policy design and policy-making in human-centred thinking, planning and policy-design for resilient urban systems. It places resilient approaches in the spotlight of research and policy-making, naming them the most effective methods for promoting a humanistic smart cities and resilient urban systems vision. It highlights critical junctions that urban systems’ stakeholders must consider if the promise of emerging sophisticated ICTs is to be employed effectively for the entire society, including its most vulnerable members.

Research limitations/implications

First, when designing ICTs’ enabled integrated resilient urban systems, the key stakeholders involved in the policy-design and policy-making process, including local, national and regional authorities, must employ a holistic view to the urban systems seen through the lens of hard and soft concerns as well as considerations expressed by the receiving and incoming populations. Second, the third-sector representatives, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other actors, need to be seen as peers in integrated humanistic networks, thereby contributing critical, unbiased knowledge flows to infrastructures, which promote fair and inclusive participation of migrants and refugees in local economies.

Practical implications

The ICTs’ enabled integrated framework for resilient urban systems promotes a humanistic smart cities’ and resilient urban systems’ vision. It suggests how to design and implement policies apt to meet the needs of both receiving and incoming populations along value chains specific to smart and resilient cities. It promotes emerging sophisticated ICTs as the subtle, yet key, enabler of data ecosystems and customized services capable of responding to critical societal needs of the receiving and the incoming populations. In addition, the framework suggests options, alternatives and strategies for urban systems’ stakeholders, including the authorities, businesses, NGOs, inhabitants and ICTs’ providers and vendors.

Originality/value

The value added of this paper is three-fold. At the conceptual level, by bringing together the smart cities and resilient cities debates, and incorporating sophisticated ICTs in the analysis, it makes a case for their usefulness for cities/urban areas in light of challenges these cities/urban areas confront each day. At the empirical level, this analysis maps the key challenges that cities and their stakeholders face in context of migratory flows and highlights their dual nature. At the policy-making level, this study makes a case for a sound set of policies and actions that boost effective use of ICTs beyond the smart technology hype.

Details

Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4620

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 8000