Search results

1 – 10 of over 2000
Article
Publication date: 18 September 2020

Han Ren, Charles Weizheng Chen, Jiuhua Cherrie Zhu and Yuling Chen

This paper aims to explore the extent to which unionized employees are dissatisfied in Chinese Enterprise Trade Unions (CETUs) when they perceive high levels of the triple-role…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the extent to which unionized employees are dissatisfied in Chinese Enterprise Trade Unions (CETUs) when they perceive high levels of the triple-role conflicts, as well as whether rights expectations will moderate these relationships. The authors define CETUs' triple-role conflicts as the extent to which CETUs and their cadres prioritize fulfilling the roles of preserving social stability (“peace”) and/or maintaining the production order (“production”) over protecting worker's rights and interests (“workers” rights).

Design/methodology/approach

Pilot study developed the scales via both qualitative and quantitative studies, which include item generation using the transcript of individual interviews with 36 informants, and exploratory factor analyses with 106 respondents. The study used a sample of 327 employees from more than 20 firms in North and Southwest China.

Findings

Results indicate high reliability and validity of the scales and provide largely consistent supports for our hypotheses: three dimensions of triple-role conflicts are negatively related to employees' satisfaction in CETUs, and rights expectations moderate these relationships.

Originality/value

This study developed three scales to respectively measure CETUs' triple-role conflicts, rights expectation and satisfaction in CETUs. More importantly, the findings shed light on the moderating mechanism of rights expectation in the relationships between triple-role conflicts and satisfaction in CETUs.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 50 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 January 2018

Han Ren and Charles Weizheng Chen

This paper aims to explore why some Chinese subordinates will engage in building guanxi with their supervisor while others will not. The authors conceptualize subordinates’…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore why some Chinese subordinates will engage in building guanxi with their supervisor while others will not. The authors conceptualize subordinates’ initiative behaviors which aim at building up or improving guanxi with their supervisors through social interactions as supervisor–subordinate guanxi (SSG)-building behaviors. Guided by the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study examines how three psychological antecedents (guanxi orientation as attitude, individual perception of group-level guanxi practice as subjective norm and person–supervisor [P-S] fit perception as perceived control) independently and interactively predict subordinates’ SSG-building behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a sample of 162 supervisor–subordinate dyads from four enterprises located in Southwest China.

Findings

Results indicated that P-S fit perception is most strongly related to subordinates’ SSG-building behaviors, followed by guanxi orientation and individual perception of group-level guanxi practice perception. Guanxi orientation is also found to strengthen the positive effect of P-S fit perception on subordinates’ SSG-building behaviors.

Originality/value

The authors’ findings shed light on the psychological mechanisms of Chinese subordinates’ behaviors to build up or improve guanxi with their supervisors, and advance the current understanding of SSG development from a planned behavioral perspective.

Article
Publication date: 19 February 2018

GuoHua Gao, Han Ren, QiXiao Xia, Hao Wang and LianShi Li

The purpose of this paper is to present a stretched backboneless continuum manipulator, which aims to provide sufficient inner room for potential transportation of objects or…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a stretched backboneless continuum manipulator, which aims to provide sufficient inner room for potential transportation of objects or fixture of necessary devices, and to reduce the number of motors for reduction of the weight of the system.

Design/methodology/approach

A mathematical model of the presented manipulator is established in this paper. To verify the presented theory, the position of the free end was recorded by a high-resolution digital camera in experiment. According to the comparison of experimental values and theoretical values, the error is less than 2.5 per cent. It shows that the mathematical model and theoretical analysis are reasonable; the presented continuum manipulator can reach to desired postures and positions.

Findings

This paper presents a new stretched backboneless continuum manipulator supported and driven by cannula tendons. The cannula tendons are composed of rubber tubes and glass fibers. The upper section and the lower section of the presented manipulator are driven by same motors. For steering the manipulator, switched driving strategy is developed based on the presented kinematics model. The presented manipulator possesses six degrees of freedom (DOFs) and has good performance in dealing with complex working environment. The experiment verifies the presented driving strategy.

Research limitations/implications

The presented backboneless continuum manipulator has only two sections and is supported by cannula tendons. Extending this structure to further more sections is a challenge and is left for future research.

Originality/value

The value of this study is to propose a stretched backboneless continuum manipulator, which can provide inner room as large as possible for potential usage and halve the number of motors, for which a switched driving strategy is put forward. As a result, the weight and complexity of the manipulator are decreased. The presented manipulator is able to move in potential complex environments and approach its objects in different postures in virtue of its high flexibility and its six DOFs.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 45 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 June 2019

Hao Wang, GuoHua Gao, Qixiao Xia, Han Ren, LianShi Li and Yuhang Zheng

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel stretch-retractable single section (SRSS) continuum manipulator which owns three degrees of freedom and higher motion range in…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel stretch-retractable single section (SRSS) continuum manipulator which owns three degrees of freedom and higher motion range in three-dimension workspace than regular single continuum manipulator. Moreover, the motion accuracy was analyzed based on the kinematic model. In addition, the experiments were carried out for validation of the theory.

Design/methodology/approach

A kinematics model of the SRSS continuum manipulator is presented for analysis on bending, rotating and retracting in its workspace. To discuss the motion accuracy of the SRSS continuum manipulator, the dexterity theory was introduced based on the decomposing of the Jacobian matrix. In addition, the accuracy of motion is estimated based on the inverse kinematics and dexterity theory. To verify the presented theory, the motion of free end was tracked by an electromagnetic positioning system. According to the comparison of experimental value and theoretical analysis, the free end error of SRSS continuum manipulator is less than 6.24 per cent in the region with favorable dexterity.

Findings

This paper presents a new stretch-retractable continuum manipulator that the structure was composed of several springs as the backbone. Thus, the SRSS continuum manipulator could own wide motion range depending on its retractable structure. Then, the motion accuracy character of the SRSS continuum manipulator in the different regions of its workspace was obtained both theoretically and experimentally. The results show that the high accuracy region distributes in the vicinity of the outer boundary of the workspace. The motion accuracy gradually decreases with the motion position approaching to the center of its workspace.

Research limitations/implications

The presented SRSS continuum manipulator owns three degrees of freedom. The future work would be focused on the two-section structure which will own six degrees of freedom.

Practical implications

In this study, the SRSS continuum manipulator could be extended to six degrees of freedom continuum robot with two sections that is less one section than regular six degrees of freedom with three single section continuum manipulator.

Originality/value

The value of this study is to propose a SRSS continuum manipulator which owns three degrees of freedom and could stretch and retract to expend workspace, for which the accuracy in different regions of the workspace was analyzed and validated based on the kinematics model and experiments. The results could be feasible to plan the motion space of the SRSS continuum manipulator for keeping in suitable accuracy region.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 46 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 June 2020

C. Min Han, Xiao Wang and Hyojin Nam

This study is designed to address how rising individualism in emerging Asia changes consumer values and subsequent consumer behavior toward foreign brands. For this, we…

Abstract

Purpose

This study is designed to address how rising individualism in emerging Asia changes consumer values and subsequent consumer behavior toward foreign brands. For this, we investigate consumer animosity (CA) and consumer cosmopolitanism (COS) in China and their impacts on consumer dispositions toward Japanese brands.

Design/methodology/approach

The study hypothesizes that CA and COS mediate the effects of consumer individualism and age on brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Online surveys were conducted with 421 consumers in China.

Findings

The results indicate that consumers with individualistic values show favorable dispositions toward Japanese brands because of weak CA and strong COS values. In addition, the study found that younger consumers also harbor weak CA and do not avoid Japanese brands because of it. However, younger consumers were not found to be more cosmopolitan than their older counterparts.

Originality/value

Our findings suggest that the modernization and individualization of a society can have impacts on consumer values in emerging Asia and that changes in consumer values among young and individualistic consumers can lead to increased preferences for foreign brands, especially brands from a country with historical animosity.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 July 2023

Luya Yang, Xinbo Huang, Yucheng Ren, Qi Han and Yanchen Huang

In the process of continuous casting and rolling of steel plate, due to the influence of rolling equipment and process, there are scratches, inclusions, patches, scabs and pitted…

Abstract

Purpose

In the process of continuous casting and rolling of steel plate, due to the influence of rolling equipment and process, there are scratches, inclusions, patches, scabs and pitted surfaces on the surface of steel plate, which will not only affect the corrosion resistance, wear resistance and fatigue strength of steel plate but also may cause production accidents. Therefore, the detection of steel plate surface defect must be strengthened to ensure the production quality of steel plate and the smooth development of industrial construction.

Design/methodology/approach

(1) A steel plate surface defect detection technology based on small datasets is proposed, which can detect multiple surface defects and fill in the blank of scab defect detection. (2) A detection system based on intelligent recognition technology is built. The steel plate images are collected by the front-end monitoring device, then transmitted to the back-end monitoring center and processed by the embedded intelligent algorithms. (3) In order to reduce the impact of external light on the image, an improved Multi-Scale Retinex (MSR) enhancement algorithm based on adaptive weight calculation is proposed, which lays the foundation for subsequent object segmentation and feature extraction. (4) According to the different factors such as the cause and shape, the texture and shape features are combined to classify different defects on the steel plate surface. The defect classification model is constructed and the classification results are recorded and stored, which has certain application value in the field of steel plate surface defect detection. (5) The practicability and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by comparison with other methods, and the field running tests are conducted based on the equipment commissioning field of China Heavy Machinery Institute.

Findings

When applied to small dataset, the precision of the proposed method is 94.5% and the time is 23.7 ms. In order to compare with deep learning technology, after expanding the image dataset, the precision and detection time of this paper are 0.948 and 24.2 ms, respectively. The proposed method is superior to other traditional image processing and deep learning methods. And the field recognition precision is 91.7%.

Originality/value

In brief, the steel plate surface defect detection technology based on computer vision is effective, but the previous attempts and methods are not comprehensive and the accuracy and detection speed need to be improved. Therefore, a more practical and comprehensive technology is developed in this paper. The main contributions are as follows: (1) A steel plate surface defect detection technology based on small datasets is proposed, which can detect multiple surface defects and fill in the blank of scab defect detection. (2) A detection system based on intelligent recognition technology is built. The steel plate images are collected by the front-end monitoring device, then transmitted to the back-end monitoring center and processed by the embedded intelligent algorithms. (3) In order to reduce the impact of external light on the image, an improved MSR enhancement algorithm based on adaptive weight calculation is proposed, which lays the foundation for subsequent object segmentation and feature extraction. (4) According to the different factors such as the cause and shape, the texture and shape features are combined to classify different defects on the steel plate surface. The defect classification model is constructed and the classification results are recorded and stored, which has certain application value in the field of steel plate surface defect detection. (5) The practicability and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by comparison with other methods, and the field running tests are conducted based on the equipment commissioning field of China Heavy Machinery Institute.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 40 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 February 2022

Mojtaba Labibzadeh, Mohsen Bagheri, Abdolghafour Khademalrasoul and Khandaker M.A. Hossain

This paper aims to study, the effects of opening shape, size and position as well as the aspect (height-to-length) ratio on the shear capacity, stiffness, ductility and energy…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to study, the effects of opening shape, size and position as well as the aspect (height-to-length) ratio on the shear capacity, stiffness, ductility and energy dissipation capacity of triple-skin profiled steel-concrete composite shear wall (TSCSW) and investigate and compare them to those of concrete-stiffened steel plate shear walls (CSPSW). Two kinds of opening, circular and square, with different sizes and positions and two aspect ratios of 1:1 and 3:1 are considered in the simulations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study presents a novel TSCSW and compares its behavior with the existing CSPSW under the effect of monotonic and cyclic loadings. TSCSW is composed of three corrugated steel plates filled with concrete. The two external side plates are connected to the concrete core by means of several intermediate fasteners and the third one is an inner steel plate embedded within the concrete panel. The internal plate is a buckling restrained plate surrounded by concrete. This is the main superiority of TSCSW over other kinds of existing composite shear walls.

Findings

The results show that the shear capacity and the energy dissipation capacity of the proposed composite wall, TSCSW, are respectively about 16 and 12% higher than those of CSPSW when there is no opening. If an opening is considered in the wall, as the size of the opening is increased, the shear capacity, stiffness, ductility and absorbed energy of the two walls are decreased similarly. The destructive effect of square openings on the performance of the walls is more than that of circular openings.

Originality/value

This is an original work.

Details

International Journal of Structural Integrity, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9864

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 13 April 2021

Michael J. Urick

Abstract

Details

A Manager's Guide to Using the Force: Leadership Lessons from a Galaxy Far Far Away
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-233-1

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2015

GuoHua Gao, Yue Liu, Hao Wang, MingYang Song and Han Ren

The purpose of this paper is to present a new method to establish a kinematic model for a continuum manipulator, whose end can be controlled to move in a three-dimensional…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a new method to establish a kinematic model for a continuum manipulator, whose end can be controlled to move in a three-dimensional workspace. A continuum manipulator has significant advantages over traditional, rigid manipulators in many applications because of its ability to conform to the environment. Moreover, because of its excellent flexibility, light weight, low energy consumption, low production cost, it has a number of potential applications in areas of earthquake relief, agricultural harvesting, medical facilities and space exploration.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses basic theory of material mechanics to deduct motion equations of the manipulator. Unlike other published papers, the manipulator is not based on segments tactics, but regarded as an integrated flexible system, which simplifies its kinematics modelling and motion controlling. The workspace of the manipulator is analysed by theoretical deducing and simulation modelling. For verification of the presented theory, simulation based on ADAMS software was implemented, while a prototype of the manipulator was developed. Both the software simulation and prototype experiment show that the theoretical analysis in this paper is reasonable. The manipulator can move accurately along the desired trajectories.

Findings

This paper developed a novel and fully continuous manipulator driven by steel wires. A kinematic model of the manipulator was established. The physical manipulator developed for verifying the kinematic model can effectively track the prescribed trajectory. The presented kinematic model agrees with not only the simulation but also with the experiment.

Research limitations/implications

The manipulator presented in this paper is constructed by steel wires. It possesses the advantages of structural continuity, high flexibility and low production cost. It can be extensively used in many fields, such as search and rescue robotic systems. The limitation of this research is that the dynamic model of the manipulator is not yet clear, which is one of the directions for future research.

Practical implications

The manipulator breaks through the limitation of the joint-type or flexible-link-type manipulator, which can also be extensively used in many fields such as search and rescue robotic systems.

Social implications

The manipulator developed in this paper, currently, is a prototype under the project of “Automatic Picking Manipulator Research”. It possesses a good market value.

Originality/value

The value of this research is that the manipulator breaks through the limitation of the joint-type or flexible-link-type manipulator and establishes the kinematic model for a fully continuous manipulator by a simple strategy. This is the first study that uses such a strategy for establishing the motion equations of a monolithic continuum manipulator.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 42 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 March 2022

Xin Feng, Yuehao Liu and Xu Wang

The sudden COVID-19 epidemic in 2019 has frustrated China's overall economy, and the implementation and development of the National Fitness Program has encountered huge obstacles…

229

Abstract

Purpose

The sudden COVID-19 epidemic in 2019 has frustrated China's overall economy, and the implementation and development of the National Fitness Program has encountered huge obstacles. At a new historical starting point, in order to realize the dream of becoming a powerful country in sports, it is necessary to transform the successful experience gained since the reform and opening up into regular understanding and systematic theories, so as to make a theoretical response to the new contradictions and challenges faced in development and give full play to the National Fitness has comprehensive values and multiple functions in improving people's health, promoting people's all-round development, promoting economic and social development and demonstrating the country's cultural soft power.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking the topic of national fitness as an example, this paper sets out from the three dimensions of knowledge input, knowledge output and knowledge production, using citation analysis, social network analysis, co-word analysis and cluster analysis, to measure the characteristics and knowledge structure of interdisciplinary knowledge exchange.

Findings

China's national fitness is still in the primary development stage, and the strong boost of the national top-level policy is the biggest driving force of its development, driven by the policy together with the settlement of many major events, constantly improving and enriching the wings. The main body of knowledge production on the topic of national fitness is mainly colleges and universities, with low participation of government and enterprises, high degree of cooperation among authors, obvious interdisciplinary characteristics and strong application of research themes.

Originality/value

This study provides a strong theoretical basis for the promotion of the Healthy China strategy. Especially under the influence of COVID-19, this paper can contribute to the comprehensive value and multimodal functions of national fitness in improving the health of people, promoting economic and social development and demonstrating the soft power of national culture.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 2000