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1 – 10 of 324Lucas Melchiori Pereira and Sheila Walbe Ornstein
Properly allocating an organization's activities within a building is vital to reducing the relational complexity arising from process–environment interactions. Multiple…
Abstract
Purpose
Properly allocating an organization's activities within a building is vital to reducing the relational complexity arising from process–environment interactions. Multiple relationships are mapped, and certain interferences are only identified after these have been processed. The method/software employed for this task is Mapping Activity Environment Allocation (MAEA). However, data input and interpretation of results depend on the usability conditions of the organization's agents. This paper presents MAEA's usability test results.
Design/methodology/approach
Test sessions and interviews were carried out with seven agents registered at a University Hospital. Participants were instructed to think aloud during its use, and immediately afterward, responded to semi-structured interviews. Test sessions were audio recorded and screen captured.
Findings
Participants found the software easy to use and pointed out valuable implications for professional and academic use. In addition to relationship, priority and parallelism data, customized visualizations were created, including organizational charts, flowcharts and activity flow routes on the floor plan.
Practical implications
MAEA's simplicity allows non-designers to conduct evidence-based assessments and decisions. It allows designers to test their proposals during the programming and outline proposal stages.
Social implications
A more detailed definition of design requirements from the beginning increases the conditions to successfully achieve project goals.
Originality/value
The ability to map the allocation of activity-spaces in the pre-design phase of building architecture allows for early identification of interactions, aiding in the development of more robust project requirements during programming.
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Essaki Raj R. and Sundaramoorthy Sridhar
This paper aims at developing an improved method, based on binary search algorithm (BSA) for the steady-state analysis of self-excited induction generators (SEIGs), which are…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims at developing an improved method, based on binary search algorithm (BSA) for the steady-state analysis of self-excited induction generators (SEIGs), which are increasingly used in wind energy electric conversion systems. The BSA is also compared with linear search algorithm (LSA) to bring out the merits of BSA over LSA.
Design/methodology/approach
All the parameters of SEIG, including the varying core loss of the machine, have been considered to ensure accuracy in the predetermined performance values of the set up. The nodal admittance method has been adopted to simplify the equivalent circuit of the generator and load. The logic and steps involved in the formulation of the complete procedure have been illustrated using elaborate flowcharts.
Findings
The proposed approach is validated by the experimental results, obtained on a three-phase 240 V, 5.0 A, 2.0 kW SEIG, which closely match with the corresponding predicted performance values. The analysis is shown to be easy to implement with reduced computation time.
Originality/value
A novel improved and simplified technique has been formulated for estimating the per unit frequency (a), magnetizing reactance (Xm) and core loss resistance (Rm) of the SEIG using the nodal admittance of its equivalent circuit. The accuracy of the predetermined performance is enhanced by considering the SEIG’s varying core loss. Only simple MATLAB programming has been used for adopting the algorithms.
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Rafaela Aparecida Mendonça Marques, Aline Cristina Maciel, Antonio Fernando Branco Costa and Kleber Roberto da Silva Santos
This study investigates the repetitive mixed sampling (MRS) plan based on the Cpk index that was proposed by Aslam et al. (2013a). They were the first to study the MRS plan, but…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the repetitive mixed sampling (MRS) plan based on the Cpk index that was proposed by Aslam et al. (2013a). They were the first to study the MRS plan, but they did not pay attention to the fact that submitting to the variable inspection a sample that was first submitted to the attribute inspection, truncates the X observations. In addition, they did not work with an accurate expression to calculate the probabilities of the Cpk statistic.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors presented the results based on their original sampling plan through Monte Carlo simulation and defined the theoretical results of their plan when the sample submitted to the variable inspection is no longer the same one submitted to the attribute inspection.
Findings
The β risks of the optimum sampling plans presented by Aslam et al. (2013a) are pretty high, exceeding 46%, on average – this same problem was also observed in Saminathan and Mahalingam (2018), Balamurali (2020) and Balamurali et al. (2020), where the β risks of their proposed sampling plans are yet higher.
Originality/value
In terms of originality, the authors can declare the following. It is not a big deal to propose new sampling plans, if one does not know how to obtain their properties. The miscalculations of the sampling plans risks are dangerous; imagine the situation where the acceptance of bad lots exceeds 50% just because the sampling plan was incorrectly designed. Yes, it is a big deal to warn that this type of problem is arising in a growing number of papers. The authors of this study are the pioneers to discover that many studies focusing on the sampling plans need to be urgently revised.
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Sakshi Yadav, Shivendra Kumar Pandey and Dheeraj Sharma
This study aims to answer two significant questions: What are the relative consumer and firm-level effects of marketing through metaverse compared to conventional marketing…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to answer two significant questions: What are the relative consumer and firm-level effects of marketing through metaverse compared to conventional marketing endeavours? What are the current trends in utilizing the metaverse as reported in the recent literature?
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a systematic literature review methodology, using a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flowchart to synthesize existing research. A total of 35 articles written in English were selected and analysed from two databases, Web of Science and EBSCO Host.
Findings
The findings indicate that consumer-level effects of the metaverse include consumer loyalty and brand attachment. The firm-level benefits are decentralization and cost reductions. The paper proposes a framework indicating variables that could attenuate or enhance the association between immersive components of the metaverse and their resultant effects.
Originality/value
This study contributes to understanding the role of metaverse in marketing practices related to the marketing mix components. The study conceptualizes a novel framework for the metaverse and its resultant effects.
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Rasha Abdullah Alshaye, Amr Selim Wannas and Mohamed Saeed Bakr
The search for new techniques to teach English nowadays has been more than ever. These techniques have to be interesting and enjoyable in order to lower the anxiety levels of…
Abstract
Purpose
The search for new techniques to teach English nowadays has been more than ever. These techniques have to be interesting and enjoyable in order to lower the anxiety levels of students when learning English (Bakhsh, 2016). That is why many scholars and teachers look forward to integrating technology into language teaching. Social media platforms (SMPs) are among these techniques since millions of people around the world utilize them for daily interaction. Yet, teaching English for specific purposes (ESPs) relies on learners’ needs and employs an eclectic approach in delivering its course content. For this reason, the current study reviewed articles that tackled the topic of teaching or learning ESP from SMPs so as to uncover their effect and the attitude or motivation of learners.
Design/methodology/approach
The researchers used the PRISMA flowchart model in order to identify, screen and include articles in the study.
Findings
The results revealed that SMPs are effective in teaching and learning ESP writing, speaking and vocabulary. Yet, the included studies showed that learners’ attitude toward SMPs is positive as they believe that they are motivating and interesting.
Research limitations/implications
Some aspects of social media have turned out to be beneficial in the learning process and they need further investigation from ESP practitioners and scholars.
Originality/value
According to the study, it is crystal clear that the various social networks and platforms are beneficial and helpful for improving ESP productive skills.
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Monica Cerdan Chiscano and Simon Darcy
The present paper answers two significant questions: (1) What are the relative consumer and firm-level effects of marketing through metaverse compared to conventional marketing…
Abstract
Purpose
The present paper answers two significant questions: (1) What are the relative consumer and firm-level effects of marketing through metaverse compared to conventional marketing endeavors? (2) What are the current trends in utilizing the metaverse as reported in the recent literature?
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a systematic literature review methodology, utilizing a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flowchart to synthesize existing research. Thirty-five articles written in English were selected and analyzed from two databases, Web of Science and EBSCO Host.
Findings
The findings indicate that consumer-level effects of the metaverse include consumer loyalty and brand attachment. The firm-level benefits are decentralization and cost reductions. The paper proposes a framework indicating variables that could attenuate or enhance the association between immersive components of the metaverse and their resultant effects.
Originality/value
This study contributes to understanding the role of metaverse in marketing practices related to the marketing mix components. The study conceptualizes a novel framework for the metaverse and its resultant effects.
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Keywords
Rita Peihua Zhang, Helen Lingard, Jack Clarke, Stefan Greuter, Lyndall Strazdins, Christine LaBond and Tinh Doan
This paper describes the development of a digital role play game (RPG) designed to help construction apprentices to better communicate with their supervisors about issues with the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper describes the development of a digital role play game (RPG) designed to help construction apprentices to better communicate with their supervisors about issues with the potential to impact on their physical and psychological health and safety.
Design/methodology/approach
A participatory approach was adopted to utilise the knowledge and insights of the target users to inform the digital RPG development. Apprentices and supervisors were interviewed to identify characteristics of effective supervisor-apprentice communication, which became the RPG’s learning objectives. The scenarios constructed in the RPG were drawn from lived experiences shared by the apprentices in the interviews. During the development process, consultations were conducted with an advisory committee comprising of apprentices and supervisors to improve the realism of the RPG scenarios.
Findings
Three scenarios were developed for the RPG. In each scenario, players are asked to make decisions at various interaction points about how the characters should respond to the unfolding and challenging situations. Scripts were developed for the game, which were acted out and motion captured to animate digital MetaHuman characters embedded in a virtual construction site. Two example situations are introduced in this paper to illustrate the development process.
Originality/value
To our knowledge, the RPG introduced is one of the first applications of digital game-based training in the construction industry. The adoption of a participatory design approach ensures that the game content relates to real-world experiences. The digital RPG is highly interactive and engaging in nature and presents a novel approach to developing “soft” skills in construction.
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Nour R. El Amine and Rosalía Cascón-Pereira
Despite being one of the most used dependent variables in expatriate management research, no clear-cut understanding exists of what expatriate success means. Thus, this study aims…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite being one of the most used dependent variables in expatriate management research, no clear-cut understanding exists of what expatriate success means. Thus, this study aims to propose an integrative definition of expatriate success by providing an overview of expatriate success's dimensions, antecedents, and their interplay.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to achieve the purpose. A total of 249 empirical studies (quantitative 111, qualitative 50, mixed-methods 17), literature reviews (67) and meta-analyses (4) on expatriate success were reviewed from Web of Science and Scopus databases published from 1990 until December 2021. The study selection criteria followed the PRISMA flowchart steps, and then descriptive and network analyses were performed to identify expatriates' success dimensions, antecedents and their interplay.
Findings
The findings show the interplay among antecedents and dimensions of expatriate success across three levels (individual, interpersonal and organisational) to clarify the concept of expatriate success. Also, the study offers a comprehensive definition of expatriate success based on the dimensions identified.
Research limitations/implications
The suggested definition of expatriate success elucidates the “atheoretical”, multidimensional and socially constructed nature of the construct and hence, calls for more “theoretical”, multidimensional and subjective considerations of the term to ground human resource management practices addressed to attain expatriates' success.
Originality/value
This paper provides an integrative definition of expatriate success, giving greater insight into the construct, in addition to critically reflecting on it.
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Jaime Fernandes Teixeira and Amélia Oliveira Carvalho
The purpose of this study is to examine the corporate governance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through a systematic literature review.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the corporate governance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through a systematic literature review.
Design/methodology/approach
The review was conducted by analyzing 19 published studies in the field, leading to the identification of 14 journals and 40 authors. The relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and various aspects of SMEs’ performance was analyzed. The characteristics of corporate governance were classified into five categories: board, ownership, CEO, audit and age.
Findings
The review found a direct relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and various aspects of SMEs’ performance, including innovation, internationalization, auditing and risk of failure. The study also highlights the need for future research to adopt a behavioral perspective, to shift focus from identifying responsibilities to examining governance processes and to use nonlinear models and qualitative methods to effectively analyze the interrelated nature of the phenomena under study.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of the review include the limited number of studies available for analysis, as well as the fact that most of the empirical research was based on evidence from European countries, with only a few papers focusing on other countries, such as the USA, China and Ghana.
Originality/value
The results of this review provide valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in the field of corporate governance in SMEs. The findings provide a foundational basis for further research in the area and highlight the need for future studies to adopt a behavioral perspective and use nonlinear models and qualitative methods.
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