Search results

This study aims to identify the main challenges to achieving humanitarian logistics in the context of United Nations peace missions in sub-Saharan Africa and to present suggestions for overcoming the logistical gaps encountered.

The methodological approach of the work focuses on the comparative case study of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic and The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2014 to 2021. The approach combined a systematic literature review with the authors’ empirical experience as participant observers in each mission, combining theory and practice.

As a result, six common challenges were identified for carrying out humanitarian logistics in the three peace missions. Each challenge revealed a logistical gap for which an appropriate solution was suggested based on the best practices found in the case study of each mission.

This paper presents limitations when addressing the logistical analysis based on only three countries under the UN mission as a case study, as well as conceiving that certain flaws in the system, in the observed period, are already in the process of correction with the adoption of the 2016–2021 strategy by the UN Global Logistic Cluster. The authors suggest that further studies can be carried out by expanding the number of cases or using countries where other bodies (AU, NATO or EU) work.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first comparative case study of humanitarian logistics on the three principal missions of the UN conducted by academics and practitioners.

This paper aims to propose and assess a framework to analyse the institutionalization of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) through a framing analysis.

The framework was developed by combining the institutional approach with orders of worth, drawing insights from a comprehensive literature review. To assess it, the authors conducted a qualitative analysis of annual reports from companies with the largest market capitalization over a six-year period and interviewed union representatives in Spain and Sweden.

The framework comprises five dimensions (industrial, market, civic, green and connectionist). The empirical results reveal that companies consistently frame I4.0 with an emphasis on industrial and market perspectives. In contrast, unions place a stronger emphasis on civic issues, with Spanish unions holding a more negative view of I4.0, expressing concerns about working conditions and unemployment.

The proposed framework brings interesting insights into the dispute over the meaning of I4.0. Although this empirical study was limited to companies and unions in Sweden and Spain, the framework can be expanded for broader investigations, involving additional stakeholders in one or more countries. The discussion outlined using the varieties of capitalism approach is relevant for understanding the connection between the meso and macro levels of this phenomenon.

In navigating the landscape of I4.0, managers should remain flexible, and ready to tailor their strategies and operations to align with the distinct demands and expectations of stakeholders and their specific institutional environments. Similarly, policymakers are urged to acknowledge these contextual intricacies when crafting strategies for implementing I4.0 initiatives across national settings.

Based on the empirical findings, this study underscores the importance of fostering social dialogue and involving stakeholders in the implementation of I4.0. Policymakers and other stakeholders should take proactive measures, tailored to each country’s context, to mitigate potential adverse effects on labour and workers.

The study presents a novel framework that facilitates the systematic comparison of I4.0 framing by different actors. This contribution is significant because the way actors frame I4.0 affects its interpretation and implementation. Additionally, the aggregate analysis of results enables cross-country comparisons, enhancing our understanding of regional disparities.

This paper aims to highlight the importance of open data and the role that knowledge management and open innovation can play in its identification and use. Open data has great potential to create social and economic value, but its main problem is that it is often not easily reusable. The aim of this paper is to propose a unique identifier for open data-sets that would facilitate search and access to them and help to reduce heterogeneity in the publication of data in open data portals.

Considering a model of the impact process of open data reuse and based on the digital object identifier system, this paper develops a proposal of a unique identifier for open data-sets called Open Data-set Identifier (OpenDatId).

This paper presents some examples of the application and advantages of OpenDatId. For example, users can easily consult the available content catalogues, search the data in an automated way and examine the content for reuse. It is also possible to find out where this data comes from, solving the problems caused by the increasingly frequent federation of data in open data portals and enabling the creation of additional services based on open data.

From an integrated perspective of knowledge management and open innovation, this paper presents a new unique identifier for open data-sets (OpenDatId) and a new concept for data-set, the FAIR Open Data-sets.

Gazelle companies are characterized by rapid growth in a short time. Identifying the determinants of this exponential expansion is important as these firms have a significant impact on the economy. They generate increased employment and investment by investors interested in new opportunities. Previous studies have failed to reach a consensus about what fosters high growth in gazelle companies as each firm’s geographical, political and economic context is different. The present research uses cognitive mapping and interpretive structural modeling (ISM) to overcome the limitations of prior investigations and identify factors that can potentially accelerate growth in gazelle companies.

Two sessions were held with an expert panel with knowledge about and experience with these firms. In the first session, data were collected to create a group cognitive map, while the second meeting comprised ISM-based analyses of the high-growth determinants identified and the causal relationships between them. A final consolidation session was held to discuss the results with two members of the Committee for Central Region Coordination and Development (i.e. Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro – a public entity that grants gazelle awards in Portugal).

The analysis system created was tested, and the results demonstrate that the dual methodology used can increase our understanding of the dynamics of high-growth determinants and lead to more informed and potentially better evaluations of gazelle companies. Indeed, once high-growth determinants in gazelle companies are understood, this information can help other firms implement the same business model to achieve similarly rapid growth. The strengths and shortcomings of this new structured analysis model are also analyzed.

The authors know of no prior work reporting the integrated use of cognitive mapping and ISM in this study context.

Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) and phase angle (PA) have importance in assessing nutritional and prognosis, and this study hypothesized that these measurements can have a relationship with nutritional risk and outcomes. This study aims to analyze the association between Nutrition Risk in the Critically ill (NUTRIC) score and bioelectrical impedance measures with hospital mortality in critically ill patients.

A prospective, cohort study was performed with a consecutive sample of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), between January and June 2017 at a hospital university in Northwest Brazil. The NUTRIC score and the bioelectric measures, such as resistance (R), reactance (Xc), PA and BIVA, were completed within the first 24 h of admission. The Student’s t or Mann–Whitney, Pearson’s or Spearman’s coefficient and Fisher’s exact tests and BIVA were used for statistical analyses.

The sample consisted of 81, with a mean age of 57 (16.7) years, with 60.5% women. It was detected that PA and Xc were lower (p < 0.001), and age was higher (p < 0.001) in a high nutritional-risk group. It was found an association between low nutritional risk and hospital discharge (p < 0.001), and that individuals who died spent more days in the ICU (p = 0.0375), had significantly lower PA and Xc values (p = 0.043 and p = 0.0172, respectively) and higher NUTRIC scores (<0.0001). There was a displacement of the mean impedance vector in men and women with high nutritional risk (p = 0.0037 and p = 0.004, respectively).

The height measurement was estimated using predictive formulas, which may affect the accuracy of the values; BIA was performed only upon admission of the patient to the ICU and the study population was heterogeneous, as it is a general ICU.

This paper shows that, in critically ill patients, nutritional screening and the assessment of bioelectrical measures help in clinical-nutritional decisions, and were able to predict outcomes.

Realistic composite vehicles with 2, 3, 5 and 9 axles, consisting of a truck with one or two trailers, are addressed in this paper by computational models for vehicle–bridge interaction analysis.

The vehicle–bridge interaction (VBI) models are formed by sets of 2-D rigid blocks interconnected by mass, damping and stiffness elements to simulate their suspension system. The passage of the vehicles is performed at different speeds. Several rolling surface profiles are admitted, considering the maintenance grade of the pavement. The spectral density functions are generated from an experimental database to form the longitudinal surface irregularity profiles. A computational code written in Phyton based on the finite element method was developed considering the Euler–Bernoulli beam model.

Several models of composite heavy vehicles are presented as manufactured and currently travel on major roads. Dynamic amplification factors are presented for each type of composite vehicle.

The VBI models for compound heavy vehicles are 2-D.

This work contributes to improving the safety and lifetime of the bridges, as well as the stability and comfort of the vehicles when passing over a bridge.

The structural response of the bridge is affected by the type and size of the compound vehicles, their speed and the conservative grade of the pavement. Moreover, one axle produces vibrations that can be superposed by the vibrations of the other axles. This effect can generate not usual dynamic responses.

The purpose of this study is to identify papers that have produced the most significant impact on research on strategic alliances in the biotechnology industry. The authors attempt to illustrate the thematic evolution of its intellectual structure through 616 papers published between 1992 and 2021.

The present research methodology relies on three distinct techniques, implemented using SciMat software: (1) bibliometric techniques, (2) scientific map analysis and (3) content analysis of research documents from the Web of Science (WoS). In this manner, the authors analyse the intellectual structure of the field of strategic alliances in the biotechnology industry, tracking its evolution over a period of three decades.

The study emphasises the relevance of “innovation” as a key theme and identifies several potential areas for future research, which could serve as a foundation for further investigations.

This study represents a novel contribution to the literature as it is the first to use the SciMat tool to analyse strategic alliances in the biotechnology industry. This research reveals that while strategic alliances have been assessed extensively across various industries, some topics, such as the types and formation of alliances, have not been specifically studied in the biotechnology industry. These areas as well as the barriers and variables influencing the formation of alliances offer promising avenues for future research in this field.

本研究旨在確定對關於生物科技產業內的策略聯盟的探究產生極其顯著影響的學術論文。我們擬透過探討於1992年至2021年期間發表的616篇學術論文，去闡明策略聯盟的知識結構的主題演變。

研究依賴三個不同的技術來進行，並以SciMat 可視化軟件來做具體實施的工作。這三個技術為、(一) 文獻計量技術;(二) 科學製圖分析;和 (三) 就取自 Web of Science 的學術文章而進行的內容分析。我們採用這研究法，對在生物科技產業內的策略聯盟的知識結構進行分析，俾能對有關的知識結構的主題演變進行一個涵蓋三十載的跟蹤調查。

研究強調了創新，並視之為主要的主題的重要相關概念;研究亦確定了一些今後可供研究的潛在領域，這或許會成為進一步研究的基礎。

由於本研究是首個研究、使用SciMat這工具去分析在生物科技產業內的策略聯盟，故就有關的文獻而言，它給予新穎的貢獻。研究結果顯示，雖然策略聯盟已在各個不同的產業裡被廣泛評價，但在生物科技產業裡，一些如聯盟的種類和形成方式等的課題仍未得到適切的研究。這些課題，以及影響著聯盟的形成的障礙和變數，會為這領域內今後的學術研究、提供光明的途徑。

While previous operations management literature acknowledges the positive influence of Lean and Industry (I4.0) on performance, recent studies examining the synergy between these two factors have produced inconsistent and contradictory results. Therefore, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effect of Lean and I4.0 synergy on firm performance.

This study utilised a meta-analysis approach, examining 23 empirical studies exploring multiple effects of the Lean and I4.0 synergy on firm performance. Multiple subgroup analyses were conducted to assess the contradictory outcomes and identify in what conditions such synergy may achieve performance.

The results affirm the prevailing positivist perspective among most scholars regarding the positive influence of the Lean and I4.0 synergy on firm performance. However, the overall effect size derived from the studies indicates a weak relationship, suggesting that this synergy alone is not the sole determinant factor of firm performance. In addition, the subgroup analyses reveal the presence of contingent conditions that may affect the performance outcomes when integrating Lean and I4.0, as most effects exhibit a weak relationship.

This study represents the first meta-analysis investigating the relationship between the Lean and I4.0 synergy on firm performance. By shedding light on the contradictory effects often depicted in the operations management literature, this study provides a critical reflection for researchers who tend to adopt an overly optimistic view of such synergy.

This qualitative study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators faced by workers during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Ecuador. It focused on three work modalities: on-site, telework and mixed or hybrid. It also inquired into practical implications for management based on the workers’ experiences.

Between October and December 2021, 41 semistructured interviews were conducted to delve into the experiences of Ecuadorian workers. Thematic content analysis was employed for data charting and analysis.

Barriers and facilitators varied according to each working modality, although some were shared, contingent upon the specific contextual factors and job characteristics. The findings suggest that organizations should consider implementing flexible working hours and modalities, provide safe workspaces, ensure appropriate technology and connectivity, support employees and maintain their health and well-being.

This research explores the experiences of teleworkers, on-site workers and hybrid workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in an under-researched labor market within a developing country. The study provides valuable insights that highlight the potential for management development initiatives specifically tailored to hybrid work environments.