Search results
1 – 10 of 173
With robot sales on the increase ABB Robotics is in an optimistic mood. And, as president Stelio Demark recently told an international press gathering, it will invest $100 million…
Abstract
With robot sales on the increase ABB Robotics is in an optimistic mood. And, as president Stelio Demark recently told an international press gathering, it will invest $100 million in even more resources.
Kacey Thorne, Sarah DeMark, Tyson Heath and Kristian Young
The global labor market has been upended and a new landscape has emerged. New models for ensuring the value and relevance of post-secondary education are needed. Learners need…
Abstract
Purpose
The global labor market has been upended and a new landscape has emerged. New models for ensuring the value and relevance of post-secondary education are needed. Learners need better understanding of the value and relevancy which the education provides and more immediate return on the educational investment. Education providers must ensure the relevance of the credentials. Employers require transparency into skills an individual possesses based on the credentials they hold. New models are needed to guide an understanding of credentials so that all have equitable pathways to opportunity. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors in this paper discuss how Western Governors University implemented a Unified Credential Framework (UCF) for ensuring credentials are relevant, verified, transparent and portable. The UCF is predicated on the use of skills as an underlying foundation.
Findings
Using a structured theory for understanding skills and micro-credentials creates more transparency into what post-secondary credentials represent, and the value they hold for individuals, employers and education providers.
Research limitations/implications
This paper represents a use case where the proposed solution is still emergent. Additional research is warranted as longitudinal data become available on student outcomes and impacts.
Originality/value
This paper presents a model that any organization can implement for clearer line of sight into the value and relevance of post-secondary credentials.
Details
Keywords
ABB is merging its robotics and paint finishing businesses into a single company, ABB Flexible Automation. All company names previously within these two business areas, some as a…
Abstract
ABB is merging its robotics and paint finishing businesses into a single company, ABB Flexible Automation. All company names previously within these two business areas, some as a result of earlier acquisitions, will now operate under the single name.
Alexander T. Nicolai and Heinke Röbken
There is little consensus among academics on how to treat management fashions. The aim of this paper is to point out how management scientists have previously dealt with…
Abstract
Purpose
There is little consensus among academics on how to treat management fashions. The aim of this paper is to point out how management scientists have previously dealt with consulting concepts and which ways of dealing with them seem to be appropriate.
Design/methodology/approach
The debate surrounding management fashions alludes to the topic, how academia demarks its borders. Thus, a concept is required with which management studies and practice can be described as distinct entities in order to juxtapose the two spheres. This is done by applying Niklas Luhmann's systems theory to the realm of management studies.
Findings
The development of academia's attitude toward consulting concepts can be subdivided into three different phases: management academics considered consulting concepts as quasi‐scientific element; these concepts were then interpreted as a “foreign body”: and, finally, they were an object of scientific reflection. The last phase includes a transformation that has started only recently. From the perspective of the theory of self‐referential systems this change can be described as a sound development and it seems unlikely that academic approaches and consulting concepts will converge. In this perspective the non‐academic character of such consultancy‐concepts becomes evident‐just like their hidden usefulness.
Originality/value
Provides insights on how management scientists deal appropriately with consulting concepts. The change in attitude towards fashionable management concepts provides information not only about the consultancy concepts, but also about an altered self‐conception of management studies.
Details
Keywords
C.H.S. Ruxton and E. Derbyshire
To review the evidence from high quality human intervention studies that reported links between oat consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.
Abstract
Purpose
To review the evidence from high quality human intervention studies that reported links between oat consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.
Design/methodology/approach
Using Medline, a search was made for all randomized controlled trials published between 1990 and 2008 that met defined inclusion criteria. Studies had a minimum duration of 14 days, used oat products rather than purified extracts, and included plasma lipid levels as outcome variables.
Findings
A total of 21 eligible studies were located 13 of which reported significant reductions in total cholesterol when oats were consumed, while 14 reported significant reductions in low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. A few studies found increases in high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and more favourable cholesterol ratios when oats were consumed.
Research limitations/implications
It was not possible to analyse differences in response between health and “at risk” subjects. A meta‐analysis would be a useful step forward, as would research on the long‐term impact of oats on body weight.
Practical implications
Intakes of oats in successful intervention studies were impractical for most consumers. However, expert bodies base approved health claims on an achievable 3 g β‐glucan per day. Additional research on portion sizes for commercially‐available foods would increase consumer awareness of how to access the cholesterol‐lowering benefits of oats. Effective portion sizes may differ by gender, age and CVD risk.
Originality/value
This review provides further evidence that regular oat consumption is an effective dietary strategy for helping to attenuate CVD risk and sets this within the context of claims for food stuffs.
Details
Keywords
Ronald S. Tibben‐Lembke and Dale S. Rogers
This paper compares and contrasts forward and reverse logistics in a retail environment, with the focus on the reverse flow of product. Many differences between forward and…
Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts forward and reverse logistics in a retail environment, with the focus on the reverse flow of product. Many differences between forward and reverse flows of logistics systems are presented. The impact of these factors depends to some extent on the supply chain position of a firm. Unlike much reverse logistics research, which is written from the perspective of the firm which will remanufacture or refurbish the product in the reverse flow, we consider the issues from the perspective of the firm generating the reverse flow.
Details
Keywords
Martin Bean, Sheryl Grant, Glenn Hardaker and Rupert Ward
Alternative credentials are rapidly evolving. The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges and opportunities arising from this evolution with particular reference to…
Abstract
Purpose
Alternative credentials are rapidly evolving. The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges and opportunities arising from this evolution with particular reference to their role in education and employment.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explores the credential initiatives with a unique perspective from introducing alternative credential initiatives that have been influential in recent national policy developments. The paper is led by the experiences of the former General Manager of Microsoft's Education Products Group, former Vice-Chancellor of The Open University and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University. His experiences and lessons learnt reflecting on alternative credential development during the last 30 years provides a unique insight in seeing the “signals” and moving beyond the “noise” of micro-credentials for successful integration into educational institutions.
Findings
A number of key findings are identified in terms of current development challenges that impact on alternative credential use and identifying further developments. Relevant examples and references are provided throughout, with a particular focus on North America, Europe and Australasia where the most progress has been made in alternative credentials.
Research limitations/implications
Implications for those wishing to develop badging and microcredentialing solutions, especially in higher education, are identified for all seeking to maximise the success of alternative credential systems.
Originality/value
Martin Bean has a unique perspective having explored credential initiatives whilst General Manager of Microsoft's Education Products Group and whilst Vice-Chancellor of The Open University and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University. Martin Bean has also been influential in recent national policy developments in Australia. Martin Bean’s experiences and lessons learnt witnessing alternative credential development during the last 30 years across three continents, and within both public and private sectors, are summarised here to provide context for discussions of some of the key global concepts and related work.
Details
Keywords
Bernt Aarset, Suzanna Beckmann, Enrique Bigne, Malcolm Beveridge, Trond Bjorndal, Jane Bunting, Pierre McDonagh, Catherine Mariojouls, James Muir, Andrea Prothero, Lucia Reisch, Andrew Smith, Ragnar Tveteras and James Young
This paper explores consumer understanding and perception of organic food, with specific reference to the relatively new concept of organic farmed salmon. Key themes associated…
Abstract
This paper explores consumer understanding and perception of organic food, with specific reference to the relatively new concept of organic farmed salmon. Key themes associated with the term “organic” and its meaning, as determined by consumers, are explored and the role of labelling and regulatory authorities considered. Focus groups in five countries (UK, Germany, Spain, Norway and France) consisting of 196 participants showed that most consumers are confused about the meaning of the term organic and are largely unaware of the organic certification and labelling process. Many consumers were unsure, even sceptical about the concept of organic farmed salmon and display a large amount of distrust in the regulatory process. The implications for the concept of organic food and salmon production and directions for further research are discussed.
Details
Keywords
Xiao-qiang Jiao, Gang He, Zhen-ling Cui, Jian-bo Shen and Fu-suo Zhang
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the historical pattern of environmental cost due to grain production in China and to provide further implications of technologies and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the historical pattern of environmental cost due to grain production in China and to provide further implications of technologies and policies for the transformation of China’s agricultural development toward sustainable intensification.
Design/methodology/approach
The data sets about grain production, arable land and chemical fertilizer use in China were collected from FAO, NBSC, and IFA. Greenhouse gas emissions were estimated using life cycle assessments. The policies concerning grain production and the environment were collected from the Ministry of Agriculture, and the State Council of China.
Findings
China has produced enough food to feed its growing population, but has neglected the resource-environmental costs of grain production since 1978. Consequently, China’s grain production is always accompanied with a high cost of resource and environment sustainability. However, from 2006 to 2015, the growth rate of grain production has surpassed that of chemical fertilizer consumption, resulting in improvement in nutrient use efficiency and decreasing trends of environmental cost for grain production. This could be partially attributed to technology innovations, such as Soil-Testing and Fertilizer-Recommendations (STFR), soil quality and crop management improvement, and so on, and policy supports (policies of STFR, soil quality improvement, and high-yield construction). This indicated that China’s grain production is starting to transform from high-input and high-output model to “less for more.”
Originality/value
This study is the first to determine the detailed, historical role of technological innovation and agri-environmental policy on the sustainability of grain production in China. The findings should have significant implications for technology and policy for the transformation of China’s agriculture development to sustainable intensification.
Details
Keywords
Additive manufacturing has been described as converting supply chains into demand chains. By focusing on metal additive manufacturing as a contemporary technology causing ongoing…
Abstract
Purpose
Additive manufacturing has been described as converting supply chains into demand chains. By focusing on metal additive manufacturing as a contemporary technology causing ongoing disruption to the supply chain, the purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss how incumbent firms act during an ongoing, transformational disruption of their supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews and secondary data, along with seminars attracting approximately 600 individuals operating in metal additive manufacturing, form the empirical basis for this paper.
Findings
The findings of this paper indicate how disruption occurs at multiple positions in the supply chain. Episodic positions as conceptualised in this paper refer to how parties challenged by disruption attempt to reach normality while speeding the transformational disruption.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to previous research by theorising about episodic positions in light of a supply chain disruption. The empirical data are unique in how they capture supply chain change at the time of disruption and illustrate disruptive, transformational change to supply chains. The paper interlinks research on disruption from the innovation and supply chain literature, with contributions to both.
Details