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1 – 10 of 15Hasina Tabassum Chowdhury, Shuva Ghosh, Shaim Mahamud, Fazlul Hasan Siddiqui and Sabah Binte Noor
The earth is facing challenges to work for the survival of human life during domino effect disasters. The emergency resource storage locations should be selected considering the…
Abstract
Purpose
The earth is facing challenges to work for the survival of human life during domino effect disasters. The emergency resource storage locations should be selected considering the probability of domino effect disasters. The first purpose of this study is to select the storage locations where domino effect probability is less. And second, facility development cost and transportation costs and costs for unutilized capacity have been optimized.
Design/methodology/approach
The work is a multiobjective optimization problem and solved with weighted sum approach. At first, the probabilities of domino effect due to natural disasters are calculated based on the earthquake zones. Then with that result along with other necessary data, the location to set up storage facilities and the quantities of resources that need to be transported has been determined.
Findings
The work targeted a country, Bangladesh for example. The authors have noticed that Bangladesh is currently storing relief items at warehouse which is under the domino effect prone region. The authors are proposing to avoid this location and identified the optimized cost for setting up the facilities. In this work, the authors pointed out which location has high probability of domino effect and after avoiding this location whether cost can be optimized, and the result demonstrated that this decision can be economical.
Originality/value
Disaster response authorities should try to take necessary proactive steps during cascading disasters. The novelty of this work is determining the locations to select storage facilities if the authors consider the probability of the domino effect. Then a facility location optimization model has been developed to minimize the costs. This paper can support policymakers to assess the strategies for selecting the location of emergency resource facilities.
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Shashi, Piera Centobelli, Roberto Cerchione and Myriam Ertz
The purpose of this paper is to present a quantitatively supported explanation of the intellectual development, the schools of thought and the sub-areas of the food cold chain…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a quantitatively supported explanation of the intellectual development, the schools of thought and the sub-areas of the food cold chain (FCC) research to derive meaningful avenues for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
This study builds on bibliometric analysis and network analysis to systematically evaluate a sample of 1,189 FCC articles published over the past 25 years. The descriptive statistics and science mapping approaches using co-citation analysis were performed with VOSviewer software.
Findings
The findings reveal a state-of-the-art overview of the top contributing and influential countries, authors, institutions and articles in the area of FCC research. A co-citation analysis, coupled with content analysis of most co-cited articles, uncovered four underlying research streams including: application of RFID technologies; production and operation planning models; postharvest waste, causes of postharvest wastage and perishable inventory ordering polices and models; and critical issues in FCC. Current research streams, clusters and their sub-themes provided meaningful discussions and insights into key areas for future research in FCC.
Originality/value
This study might reshape practitioners’, researchers’ and policy-makers’ views on the multifaceted areas and themes in the FCC research field, to harness FCC’s benefits at both strategic and tactical level. Finally, the research findings offer a roadmap for additional research to yield more practical and modeling insights that are much needed to enrich the field.
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Renier Christiaan Els and Helen H.W. Meyer
The successful implementation of quality management in organizations is dependent on people, particularly leaders. It seems as if leaders' affective states (attitudes and…
Abstract
Purpose
The successful implementation of quality management in organizations is dependent on people, particularly leaders. It seems as if leaders' affective states (attitudes and commitment) in the military were connected to their capability to inspire people and a group (corps training unit) to achieve a common goal. The research reported in this article was aimed at examining officers in corps training units' attitudes towards, and commitment to quality management in training in the South African Army.
Design/methodology/approach
Focus group interviews were conducted with a sample of 49 officers on various levels (senior, junior and warrant officers) at six South African Army corps training units.
Findings
The findings indicate that the attitudes of leaders played a significant role to ensure that quality management of training is conducted effectively. Participants experienced that leaders in the South African Army were mostly responsible for the negative attitudes of officers in corps training units. Inadequate leadership support and lack of trust contributed to a lack of transparency and poor communication that resulted in poor commitment among officers at corps training units. The investigation further revealed that a positive affective state (attitudes and commitment) of leaders is essential in ensuring effective quality management of training.
Originality/value
The potential usefulness of this research may provide insight into how leaders' affective state could be improved to ensure effective quality management. This research may also be of interest to other organizations that conduct in-house training.
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Takawira Munyaradzi Ndofirepi and Renier Steyn
The goal of this study is to identify and validate some selected determinants of early-stage entrepreneurial activity (ESEA) by assessing the impact of entrepreneurial knowledge…
Abstract
Purpose
The goal of this study is to identify and validate some selected determinants of early-stage entrepreneurial activity (ESEA) by assessing the impact of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills (EK&S), fear of failure (FoF), the social status of entrepreneurs (SSE) and entrepreneurial intentions (EI) on ESEA.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilised cross-sectional data gathered by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) team from 49 countries, with a total of 162,077 respondents. The data analyses involved correlation, simple regression and path analyses, with a specific focus on testing for mediated and moderated effects. To complement the statistical analyses, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was also employed.
Findings
The path analysis revealed EK&S as primary drivers of EI and ESEA. Also, EK&S moderated the effects of FoF on EI, and the inclusion of EI improved the model significantly. The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis result showed that the presence of EI, EK&S, FoF and SSE were sufficient but not necessary conditions for ESEA.
Practical implications
The tested model demonstrates the importance of EK&S and EI, as well as the need to mitigate the effects of the fear factor in promoting entrepreneurial activity. As such, the support of EK&S programmes seems justifiable.
Originality/value
The findings of this study provide a deeper insight into the intricate relationships that underlie entrepreneurial activity by utilising a combination of data analysis techniques.
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Sam Takavarasha Jr, Renier Van Heerden, Surendra Collin Thakur and Annelie Jordaan
Ginevra Gravili, Rohail Hassan, Alexandru Avram and Francesco Schiavone
This paper aims to examine the influence of big data (BD) on human resource management (HRM). It defines how these data can be a useful tool in the decision-making process of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the influence of big data (BD) on human resource management (HRM). It defines how these data can be a useful tool in the decision-making process of companies’ human resources to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper emphasizes the need to develop a holistic approach to emphasize these relations. Starting from these observations, the document proposes empirical research employing Eurostat data to test the benefits of BD in HRM decisions that optimize the relationship between training, productivity, and well-being.
Findings
The findings estimate HRM decisions and their impact in a broader macroeconomic and microeconomic perspective.
Originality/value
BD research is emerging as a crucial discipline in human resources. To overcome this problem, the paper develops an analysis of the literature on cleaner production and sustainability context; it creates a conceptual framework to clarify whether the existing studies consider the growing intensity of BD on human resources.
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Priyajit Mondal, Dhritishree Ghosh, Madhupa Seth and Subhra Kanti Mukhopadhyay
The purpose of this article is to provide information about interactions between pink-pigmented facultative methylotroph (PPFM) organisms and plants, their molecular mechanisms of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to provide information about interactions between pink-pigmented facultative methylotroph (PPFM) organisms and plants, their molecular mechanisms of methylotrophic metabolism, application of PPFMs in agriculture, biotechnology and bioremediation and also to explore lacuna in PPFMs research and direction for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
Research findings on PPFM organisms as potent plant growth promoting organisms are discussed in the light of reports published by various workers. Unexplored field of PPFM research are detected and their application as a new group of biofertilizer that also help host plants to overcome draught stress in poorly irrigated crop field is suggested.
Findings
PPFMs are used as plant growth promoters for improved crop yield, seed germination capacity, resistance against pathogens and tolerance against drought stress. Anti-oxidant and UV resistant properties of PPFM pigments protect the host plants from strong sunshine. PPFMs have excellent draught ameliorating capacity.
Originality/value
To meet the ever increasing world population, more and more barren, less irrigated land has to be utilized for agriculture and horticulture purpose and use of PPFM group of organisms due to their draught ameliorating properties in addition to their plant growth promoting characters will be extremely useful. PPFMs are also promising candidates for the production of various industrially and medicinally important enzymes and other value-added products. Wider application of this ecofriendly group of bacteria will reduce crop production cost thus improving economy of the farmers and will be a greener alternative of hazardous chemical fertilizers and fungicides.
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This paper aims to propose a technique based on cognitive assessments to quantify identified operational risks from the perspective of container shipping or logistics system…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose a technique based on cognitive assessments to quantify identified operational risks from the perspective of container shipping or logistics system administrators. The results derived from the risk quantification could be used to prioritize risks as well as support the decision-making process in risk prevention and mitigation.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper identified container shipping operational risks (CSORs) from a logistics perspective. A multivariate risk evaluation mechanism by fuzzy rules Bayesian network (FRBN) was established. An improved two-level parameter set based on the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) was used to support the input extraction process. By feeding cognitive assessments into the model, the identified risks are evaluated based on their utility values. An illustration example and a sensitivity analysis were carried out to justify and validate the proposed model.
Findings
The highest positions in the prioritized list of CSORs in the case study are dominated by risks in the physical flow with the first three are piracy and terrorism, force majeure and port congestion. The results derived from the case study with the satisfaction of all pre-defined axioms proved the feasibility and illustrated the functionality of the proposed risk assessment and prioritization technique.
Originality/value
Controlling risk is irrefutably a significant issue of container shipping and logistics management because of the inconsistency of risk definitions and the involvement of uncertainties. The proposed risk evaluation mechanism and the identified list of CSORs could be beneficial in system management, decision-making and reliability performance.
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Zsolt Tibor Kosztyán, Tibor Csizmadia, Zoltán Kovács and István Mihálcz
The purpose of this paper is to generalize the traditional risk evaluation methods and to specify a multi-level risk evaluation framework, in order to prepare customized risk…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to generalize the traditional risk evaluation methods and to specify a multi-level risk evaluation framework, in order to prepare customized risk evaluation and to enable effectively integrating the elements of risk evaluation.
Design/methodology/approach
A real case study of an electric motor manufacturing company is presented to illustrate the advantages of this new framework compared to the traditional and fuzzy failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) approaches.
Findings
The essence of the proposed total risk evaluation framework (TREF) is its flexible approach that enables the effective integration of firms’ individual requirements by developing tailor-made organizational risk evaluation.
Originality/value
Increasing product/service complexity has led to increasingly complex yet unique organizational operations; as a result, their risk evaluation is a very challenging task. Distinct structures, characteristics and processes within and between organizations require a flexible yet robust approach of evaluating risks efficiently. Most recent risk evaluation approaches are considered to be inadequate due to the lack of flexibility and an inappropriate structure for addressing the unique organizational demands and contextual factors. To address this challenge effectively, taking a crucial step toward customization of risk evaluation.
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Son Nguyen, Peggy Shu-Ling Chen and Yuquan Du
Container shipping is a crucial component of the global supply chain that is affected by a large range of operational risks with high uncertainty, threatening the stability of…
Abstract
Purpose
Container shipping is a crucial component of the global supply chain that is affected by a large range of operational risks with high uncertainty, threatening the stability of service, manufacture, distribution and profitability of involved parties. However, quantitative risk analysis (QRA) of container shipping operational risk (CSOR) is being obstructed by the lack of a well-established theoretical structure to guide deeper research efforts. This paper proposes a methodological framework to strengthen the quality and reliability of CSOR analysis (CSORA).
Design/methodology/approach
Focusing on addressing uncertainties, the framework establishes a solid, overarching and updated basis for quantitative CSORA. The framework consists of clearly defined elements and processes, including knowledge establishing, information gathering, aggregating multiple sources of data (social/deliberative and mathematical/statistical), calculating risk and uncertainty level and presenting and interpreting quantified results. The framework is applied in a case study of three container shipping companies in Vietnam.
Findings
Various methodological contributions were rendered regarding CSOR characteristics, settings of analysis models, handling of uncertainties and result interpretation. The empirical study also generated valuable managerial implications regarding CSOR management policies.
Originality/value
This paper fills the gap of an updated framework for CSORA considering the recent advancements of container shipping operations and risk management. The framework can be used by both practitioners as a tool for CSORA and scholars as a test bench to facilitate the comparison and development of QRA models.
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