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1 – 10 of 48
Article
Publication date: 24 October 2018

Kristin Elizabeth Klimley, Alexis Carpinteri, Brandy Benson, Vincent B. Van Hasselt and Ryan A. Black

The commercialized sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), specifically child trafficking, prostitution, pornography, and enticement, has become a burgeoning topic over the past…

Abstract

Purpose

The commercialized sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), specifically child trafficking, prostitution, pornography, and enticement, has become a burgeoning topic over the past several decades. The purpose of this paper is to determine the characteristics of those victims who were at risk for sex trafficking, prostitution, pornography, and traveling/enticement.

Design/methodology/approach

This observational, survey design includes a records review of 18 victims who were identified by the FBI Miami Field Office. Case illustrations are provided for a more in-depth analysis of CSEC victims.

Findings

The results of this paper indicated that hands-on sexual abuse and child prostitution were the most common CSEC offenses that victims experienced. Additionally, Caucasian females, between 13 and 18 years of age, were often victimized. Victims more frequently experienced web forms of sexual abuse and engaged in risky sexual behaviors outside of the victimization. Further, the majority of victims in the sample came from a low socioeconomic background and lived in a single-parent home.

Practical implications

The current results, combined with prior research, may aid law enforcement, mental health, and medical professionals in understanding potential characteristics correlated with various forms of CSEC offenses.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first descriptive studies involving case illustrations of CSEC victims.

Details

Journal of Forensic Practice, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-8794

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 May 2015

Z.M. Bi, Yanfei Liu, Blane Baumgartner, Eric Culver, J.N. Sorokin, Amanda Peters, Blaine Cox, Jessica Hunnicutt, John Yurek and Stephen O’Shaughnessey

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the importance of redesigning, reusing, remanufacturing, recovering, recycling and reducing (6R) to sustainable manufacturing and…

1005

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the importance of redesigning, reusing, remanufacturing, recovering, recycling and reducing (6R) to sustainable manufacturing and discuss the general procedure to reconfigure robots. Two critical challenges in adopting industrial robots in small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) are flexibility and cost, as the number of tasks of the same type can be limited because of the size of an SME. The challenges can be alleviated by 6R. The 6R processes allow a robot to adopt new tasks, increase its utilization rate and reduce unit costs of products.

Design/methodology/approach

There is no shortcut to implement sustainable manufacturing. All of the manufacturing resources in a system should be planned optimally to reduce waste and maximize the utilization rates of resources. In this paper, modularization and reconfiguration are emphasized to implement 6R processes in sustainable manufacturing; robots are especially taken into consideration as core functional modules in the system. Modular architecture makes it feasible to integrate robots with low-cost customized modules for various tasks for the high utilization rates. A case study is provided to show the feasibility.

Findings

Finding the ways to reuse manufacturing resources could bring significant competitiveness to an SME, in the sense that sophisticated machines and tools, such as robots, can be highly utilized even in a manufacturing environment with low or medium product volumes. The concepts of modularization and 6R processes can be synergized to achieve this goal.

Research limitations/implications

The authors propose the strategy to enhance the utilization rates of core manufacturing resources using modular architecture and 6R practice. The axiomatic design theory can be applied as the theoretical fundamental to guide the 6R processes; however, a universal solution in the implementation is not available. The solutions have to be tailored to specific SMEs, and the solutions should vary with respect to time.

Practical implications

To operate a sustainable manufacturing system, a continuous design effort is required to reconfigure existing resources and enhance their capabilities to fulfill new tasks in the dynamic environment.

Social implications

The authors focus on the importance of sustainable manufacturing to modern society, and they achieve this goal by reusing robots as system components in different applications.

Originality/value

Sustainable manufacturing has attracted a great deal of attention, although the operable guidance for system implementation is scarce. The presented work has thrown some light in this research area. The 6R concept has been introduced in a modular system to maximize the utilizations of critical manufacturing resources. It is particularly advantageous for SMEs to adopt sophisticated robots cost-effectively.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 42 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 September 2022

Baiyun Gong, Perl Tobias and Jessica Young-Bristol

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations adopted remote work policies. Meanwhile, the loss of the collocated work environment made it challenging for the supervisors to…

Abstract

Purpose

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations adopted remote work policies. Meanwhile, the loss of the collocated work environment made it challenging for the supervisors to have a clear vision of their employees, which may impact the quality of the performance evaluation and developmental decisions. This paper aims to resolve this problem by identifying resources in the remote workplace that can help supervisors restore their capacity for a clear vision of the remote employees.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors take the perspectives of the job resource-demand model and illustrate the theoretical framework that recognizes resources and resource holders at various levels of the organization. The authors see this as the key for supervisors to meet the demand of “seeing” their employees in the remote workplace.

Findings

Specifically, the employees should offer their information resources via skillful communication because supervisors have lost opportunities for in-person observation. Further, the administration is urged to deliver competence resources through training and development because supervisors may lack the experience of remote work management. Moreover, the organizations should provide social support resources by creating avenues for virtual networking activities, so as to make up the random social opportunities available in the collocated work environment.

Research limitations/implications

Improving supervisors’ vision is a new challenge coming with the installation of the remote workplace. Further research is called for to empirically test this theoretical framework and identify more ways to increase the resources and reduce the demands for supervisors; thus, helping them ease into the new ways of supervision in the virtual workplace.

Practical implications

This research informs the organizations to adjust their strategy for management development to adapt to the remote workplace.

Originality/value

The authors noted that increasing concerns of the low visibility of remote workers was partially due to the impaired vision of supervisors, who lost the context of in-person observation. Supervisors’ vision of their employees was taken for granted in the traditional work environment and there was not much research done on this topic. This prompted us to develop a theoretical framework based on the job resource demand model.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 46 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 June 2018

Jessica L. Robinson, Karl Manrodt, Monique Lynn Murfield, Christopher A. Boone and Paige Rutner

The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a dual pathway model whereby addressing the question, “What are the effects of supply chain orientation and organizational…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a dual pathway model whereby addressing the question, “What are the effects of supply chain orientation and organizational identification on internal integration and supplier integration?”.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey design was performed to collect data from supply chain professionals regarding their organization’s supply chain orientation (SCO), organizational identification (OI) and achieved states of both internal and supplier integration. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was performed to test the dual mediating pathways.

Findings

The results show that internal integration partially mediates relationships between SCO and supplier integration and for OI and supplier integration. In comparing the mediating effects to test competing theories, the SCO path yields stronger complementary partial mediation. This supports the proposition that SCO and OI mutually exist within an organization and influence achieved integrative behaviors. Additionally, results suggest the behavioral spillover effect exists for an internally integrated organization that has also achieved supplier integration.

Originality/value

This research makes several contributions to extant literature, including finding that SCO contributes to levels of achieved integration. Also, this research theoretically integrates literature on the social dilemma associated with supplier integration and the behavioral spillover effect, suggesting that SCO allows for positive internal integrative behaviors to spillover to integrated suppliers. Finally, this research contributes to research on OI by finding achieved integration is an outcome, which refutes a dominate theory that explains OI facilitates negative behaviors toward external organizations.

Details

The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 November 2016

Chung-Yi Chiu, Jessica Brooks and Ruopeng An

The purpose of this paper is to inquiry dietary behavior and the physical and mental health status of food pantry users to better understand issues related to food insecurity and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to inquiry dietary behavior and the physical and mental health status of food pantry users to better understand issues related to food insecurity and to explore predictors of intentions for self-sufficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors randomly surveyed 12 food pantries (151 consumers) sponsored by the North Texas Food Bank in USA, regarding dietary behavior, health status, reasons for food pantry use, satisfaction with services provided, and self-sufficient behavior and support.

Findings

About 37 percent of survey participants would expect to continue using food pantry services for one or more years. Reasons for food pantry use included low job earnings, unemployment, poor health, and disability. Over 83 percent of them were either overweight or obese, and over half (57 percent) of them had moderate or severe mental disorder symptoms that warrant examination by healthcare practitioners. On average, their health-related quality of life was lower than the general population. Participants’ physical health was significantly correlated with work intention. The hierarchical regression model predicting work intention had a large effect size.

Research limitations/implications

This research has highlighted the importance of improving food pantry consumers’ health and self-sufficiency in order to live sufficiently and healthily.

Practical implications

Community health practitioners need to help food banks address the needs beyond hunger to focus on the larger ramification of food insecurity such as self-sufficiency and health-related quality of life.

Originality/value

This work extends the existing studies focused on food insecurity, and it will enable the collaborations among food banks, social workers, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and public health practitioners.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 118 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 May 2015

Russell Korte and Jessica Li

The purpose of this study was to better understand the more complex social, technical and personal socialization experiences of engineers when they started new jobs in Taiwan…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to better understand the more complex social, technical and personal socialization experiences of engineers when they started new jobs in Taiwan. Much of the research and practice on the socialization of newly hired employees is narrowly focused on newcomer learning.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is a qualitative, case study approach designed to collect in-depth data about the socialization experiences of engineers in Taiwan. Thirteen participants reported their experiences from when they began new jobs, and the researchers collected and analyzed data from semi-structured interviews. The analysis followed qualitative analysis methods for content analysis.

Findings

The findings indicated that interpersonal relationships are critical to successful socialization, and the relational structures encountered by newcomers reflect the broader culture of Confucianism and the social interactions of guanxi in the Taiwanese workplace. Three main dimensions of socialization emerged from the data referring to social, technical and personal learning experiences.

Practical implications

The findings identify what is working (mentoring) and what is not working well (training). Human Resource managers and supervisors of newcomers can take actions to better manage the multiple dimensions of socialization.

Originality/value

Unlike most studies of socialization in Asia, this study took an in-depth, qualitative look into the experiences of newcomers. What emerged from the analysis of the data was a framework composed of three interdependent dimensions of socialization experiences. The findings inform both managers and newly hired employees about socialization experiences and how they can be improved.

Details

Journal of Chinese Human Resource Management, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8005

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 October 2022

Tess A. Carlson and Jessica L. Liddell

Community support is an integral aspect of health and well-being for Indigenous peoples. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the valuable role of community support for…

Abstract

Purpose

Community support is an integral aspect of health and well-being for Indigenous peoples. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the valuable role of community support for Indigenous women specifically, who experience reproductive health disparities at alarming rates. This study helps fill an important gap in Indigenous scholarship by centering the resilience of women and Indigenous tribes and by using a framework that is consistent with Indigenous holistic views of health.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for this paper was collected as part of a larger study exploring the reproductive health experiences of a state-recognized Gulf Coast tribe. A total of 31 semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who identify as women and as members of this tribe using qualitative descriptive methodology. This method is recommended for research with Indigenous communities. A community advisory board with representatives from this tribe provided feedback throughout the project.

Findings

Themes expressed by participants included Community Closeness and Support; Community Support in Raising Children; Informal Adoption Common; and Community Values of Mutual Aid and Self-Sufficiency. The findings support current literature noting the value of generational and communal ties for Indigenous peoples. Implications of this research include the need to value and support community networks in programs serving tribes, in addition to meaningfully including Indigenous communities in developing interventions.

Originality/value

This paper centers Indigenous women’s resilience, approaches the health and well-being of Indigenous tribes holistically and helps to fill an important gap in literature describing informal adoption (outside the legal system) in state-recognized Indigenous communities.

Details

International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4902

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 September 2009

Jessica L. Hurst, Linda S. Niehm and Mary A. Littrell

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the use of retail customer service as a value added component and potential success strategy for rural tourism retailers. More…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the use of retail customer service as a value added component and potential success strategy for rural tourism retailers. More specifically, service quality expectations and perceptions as a means for segmenting tourism markets are to be examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a case study methodology in an established rural tourism community. Local customers, tourist customers, and retailers participated in the study. A canvassing approach was employed for administering a hand‐delivered, self‐report survey that examined parallel sets of service quality expectations and perceptions among the three groups, along with service satisfaction outcomes (i.e. retailer loyalty and purchase intentions). Descriptive analysis, factor analysis, t‐tests, and regression analysis were conducted.

Findings

Local and tourist customers' prior expectations for retail service quality were similar; however, local and tourist customers' post‐experience service quality perceptions differed significantly. A modified version of the SERVQUAL scale represented two service quality perception constructs important to local customers and retailers and one service quality perception construct for tourist customers.

Research limitations/implications

Generalizability of findings may be limited as the in‐depth study was conducted within a single rural tourism community in Iowa.

Practical implications

The study sheds light on service quality perception dimensions that are salient to local customers, tourist customers, and retailers. Results aid in the development of customer relationship management strategies for both local and tourist customers and enhanced competitive options for rural tourism retailers.

Originality/value

Findings provide baseline information regarding customer relationship management strategies aimed at establishing rural tourism retailer sustainability by simultaneously meeting service expectations and enhancing service perceptions for local and tourist customers.

Details

Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, vol. 19 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-4529

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 August 2010

Abstract

Details

Social Care and Neurodisability, vol. 1 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-0919

Article
Publication date: 4 August 2021

Ziyanda Mpetile and Willie Chinyamurindi

The transformation of the agricultural landscape is deemed as an essential nation-building priority in post-democratic South Africa. Part of the activity of transformation is…

Abstract

Purpose

The transformation of the agricultural landscape is deemed as an essential nation-building priority in post-democratic South Africa. Part of the activity of transformation is affording disenfranchised groups opportunity to participate in careers where they were excluded. The purpose of the study is to investigate the motivational factors that influenced emerging Black farmers as entrepreneurs to choose agriculture as a career path in post-democratic South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a qualitative study using a semi-structured interview technique. The sample comprised of 29 emerging Black entrepreneurs working within the agriculture context in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Findings

Upon analysis, the individual stories of Black emerging farmers as entrepreneurs showed the role of personal influences; the community; the quest for financial influence through economic sustenance; and socio-economic influences as playing a part in informing career entrance into agriculture amongst the Black emerging farmers.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation, familiar with qualitative research, concerns the use of a small sample size. However, a strength of the study is the in-depth focus, especially through interviews lasting a minimum of 1 h.

Practical implications

This study answers the call for a contemporary understanding of career processes in professions such as agriculture that have not received attention. This can be a practical basis to encourage more recent entrants into occupations and entrepreneurial pursuits that have been restricted. This study thus offers a practical basis for career counselling interventions in the agricultural space. This includes farmer training and development opportunities and provision of financial support to Black farmers.

Social implications

The findings offer insight into the role of a range of socially embedded factors and how they influence occupational aspirations and individuals fulfilling their entrepreneurial pursuits.

Originality/value

This study ignites focus into an under-researched area, especially on the African continent.

Details

Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, vol. 15 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6204

Keywords

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