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1 – 10 of over 2000Li Yu, Zaifang Zhang and Jin Shen
In the initial stage of product design, product portfolio identification (PPI) aims to translate customer needs (CNs) into product specifications (PSs). This is an essential task…
Abstract
Purpose
In the initial stage of product design, product portfolio identification (PPI) aims to translate customer needs (CNs) into product specifications (PSs). This is an essential task, since understanding what customers really want is at the center of product design. However, design information is incomplete and design knowledge is minimal during this stage. Furthermore, PPI is often a confusing and frustrating task, especially when customer preferences are changing rapidly. To facilitate the task, the purpose of this paper is to capture the time-sensitive mapping relationship between CNs and PSs.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes a design sequential pattern mining model to uncover implicit but valuable knowledge from chronological transaction records. First, CNs and PSs from these records are transformed and connected according to the transaction time. Second, procedures such as litemset generation, data transformation and pattern mining are conducted based on the AprioriAll algorithm. Third, the uncovered patterns are modified and applied by engineers.
Findings
Using the retrieved patterns, engineers can keep up with the dynamics of customer preferences with regard to different PSs.
Research limitations/implications
Computational experiments on a case study of customization of desktop computers show that the proposed method is capable of extracting useful sequential patterns from a design database.
Originality/value
Considering the times tamps of the transactions, a sequential pattern mining-based method is proposed to extract valuable patterns. These patterns can help engineers identify market trends and the correlation among PSs.
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Mario Iván Tarride and Mario Italo Contreras
The paper aims to propose a model and a comprehensive diagnostic method of organizational health status based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to propose a model and a comprehensive diagnostic method of organizational health status based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology is qualitative/interpretive and uses of the concept of functional homomorphism of WR Ashby is used, establishing similarities between the way in which this ancient medicine considers the human being and their condition as healthy to transfer it to an organization that produces goods and/or services.
Findings
A healthy organization is conceived as one constituted by an association of people regulated by a set of norms based on certain purposes in a state of harmonious balance of their physical and energetic dimensions. In that the physical refers to storage functions, regulation and allocation of resources; transformation of raw materials and inputs into goods and services; waste disposal, distribution and coordination and with information systems for management control, while energy is associated with the ability to act with its management and policies.
Research limitations/implications
The current paper is a first theoretical proposal, which should be enriched with practical applications that feedback its conceptual formulation, thus contributing to its validation.
Practical implications
A comprehensive organizational diagnostic method is made available.
Social implications
The proposed method allows a comprehensive organizational diagnosis, considering the participation of all the actors that make up this type of social systems.
Originality/value
Although the methodological resource is old, the way it is used here is considered original, and it is also part of an original investigative process by the authors, oriented toward the search for comprehensive organizational diagnostic methods.
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Yanhu Han, Xiyu Yan and Poorang Piroozfar
As a strand in industrialization movement in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, prefabricated construction (PC) has gained widespread popularity due to…
Abstract
Purpose
As a strand in industrialization movement in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, prefabricated construction (PC) has gained widespread popularity due to high efficiency, energy saving, low environmental impacts, safety and other advantages of PC. Well-managed supply chain can further leverage the advantages of PC. However, there is a lack of more systematically overview of the prefabricated construction supply chain (PCSC). This paper aims to comb the current status and look into the future direction of PCSC by reviewing the existing research.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 131 articles related to prefabricated construction supply chain management (PCSCM) from 2000 to 2022 have been collated to (1) conduct a bibliometric analysis by using VOSviewer, including the literature sources, keywords co-occurrence, co-authorships, authorship citation and country active in the field of PCSCM; (2) classify and summarize the status of research in PCSCM through qualitative discussion and (3) point out the future research directions.
Findings
In total, 131 articles are carried out for bibliometric analysis and in-depth qualitative discussion, the visualization maps and the main research themes in the field of PCSCM are obtained. The results show that supply chain intelligentization and informatization are hot topics. Finally, future research directions that should be paid attention to in the field of PCSCM are pointed out.
Practical implications
This study can help project managers understand the current status and problems of PCSC operations and provide a basis for future management decisions.
Originality/value
Compared with previous studies, this study adds the dimension of “article authorship” to the quantitative analysis and discusses the research themes in the field of PCSCM in a comprehensive manner. In addition, this paper deeply discusses the main research topics from both the specific contents and research methods adopted.
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Pragati Sinha, Monica Sharma and Rajeev Agrawal
The objective of this paper is to synthesise the published literature on consumer awareness and acceptance of Sustainable Fashion (SF) and highlight that sustainability decisions…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper is to synthesise the published literature on consumer awareness and acceptance of Sustainable Fashion (SF) and highlight that sustainability decisions taken across procurement, designing, manufacturing and retailing must include the consumer perspective of SF.
Design/methodology/approach
Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on sustainable fashion combined with consumer behavior was conducted. The study approach involved descriptive analysis, content analysis and theoretical analysis in the first section. The later sections focus on sustainability practices across the apparel supply chain that can foster acceptance of sustainable fashion.
Findings
In this review paper, five solutions that are typically used for leveraging consumer awareness and acceptance towards sustainable fashion are identified from the latest research papers: (1) attention to micro-sensitive factors (2) shared responsibilities (3) repositioning sustainable fashion for larger audience (4) positioning conscious fashion and (5) unified approach. These solutions are proposed as most important for achieving success in sustainable production and sustainable consumption (SPSC) for the fashion industry. Further, suggestions for how to embed sustainability related business decisions across sourcing, designing, manufacturing, distribution and recollection and retailing are also provided.
Practical implications
Through this research, a clear view emerges of the progression of publication and where future research should be directed to popularise sustainable fashion among consumers. Research findings and proposed solutions will be valuable inputs for brand managers, marketers and retailers as they conceive new plans and make decisions about addressing sustainability challenges in textile and apparel manufacturing firms.
Originality/value
This is a first of its kind of study on sustainable fashion that highlights the importance of understanding consumer behaviour in influencing sustainability decisions required across sourcing, designing, manufacturing and retailing to achieve substantial economic advantages in the fashion industry. End-to-end supply chain processes (i.e. procurement, design, manufacturing, marketing and retailing) are considered to identify several factors that influence consumer behavior in favor of sustainable fashion throughout the supply chain.
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This paper aims to explore the attitude-behaviour gap consumers experience when transitioning from buying fast fashion to embracing sustainable fashion consumption. Despite being…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the attitude-behaviour gap consumers experience when transitioning from buying fast fashion to embracing sustainable fashion consumption. Despite being driven to make sustainable fashion purchases, consumers are confronted with certain retail barriers that impede them from making the shift.
Design/methodology/approach
This study draws from the theory of planned behaviour and the behavioural-reasoning theory approaches to theoretically develop and assess five key fashion consumption barriers that moderate the relationship between sustainable fashion consumption motivations and actual behaviour. These are the steep price of sustainable fashion, low visibility, restricted availability, limited cognisance of the deleterious consequences of fast fashion and low trust in sustainability claims. Under heightened levels of moderators, the relationship between motivation and behaviour was predicted to be weaker. The author's data sample of 376 consumers validated the hypotheses.
Findings
This article contributes to the field of sustainable fashion retail consumption in three ways: (1) it reveals that the expensive cost of sustainable fashion is not an obstacle to its adoption, and consumers are willing to pay more but struggle to access the styles they prefer; (2) it unveils that, in contrast to recent scholarship, the lack of knowledge of the adverse environmental effects of fast fashion is still a barrier to transitioning to sustainability and (3) it implies that consumers are less motivated to lower their consumption of clothing when they feel dubious about fashion companies' sustainability claims.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge on green consumption by shedding light on the complex dynamics between moderating factors and the transition from intention to behaviour in sustainable fashion consumption.
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Juan Meng and Marlene S. Neill
The rise of a professional career presents women in today's public relations profession an intense challenge in balancing professional and family responsibilities. Therefore, this…
Abstract
Purpose
The rise of a professional career presents women in today's public relations profession an intense challenge in balancing professional and family responsibilities. Therefore, this study is motivated to investigate female public relations professionals' perceptions of work–family conflict in their daily life. Specifically, the authors focused the research on women working in the professions of communication and public relations in the United States.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was designed and conducted in the United States. The final sample includes 512 women working full-time in public relations and communication. In addition, the authors pre-specified several demographic quotas in sampling design in order to recruit a diverse group of female professionals nationwide.
Findings
The findings of this research study confirmed that female professionals have to constantly make changes to their plans for family activities when there is a conflict due to work-related duties. Such impact is particularly intense for professionals in the age bracket of 31–40. They have to use a wide variety of coping strategies to manage the work–family conflict. Findings in the present research study confirmed the critical role of mentoring in providing extra support and to help junior female professionals find coping solutions. Effective mentor–mentee networks can be established and used as valuable resources to support women in managing work–family conflict.
Originality/value
By investigating current female professionals' perceptions on work–life conflict and their adoption of relevant coping strategies in the workplace, this research provides solid evidence that organizations should dedicate efforts in providing strong support in programs and policies and makes the options available to female professionals at all levels. The present research highlights the importance of building mentor–mentee relationships as an effective supportive approach when managing work–family conflict.
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Ze-Xiang Wu, Hui Ji, Jian Han and Chuang Yu
Current modellings of granular collapse are lack of considering the effect of soil density. This paper aims to present a numerical method to analyse the collapse of granular…
Abstract
Purpose
Current modellings of granular collapse are lack of considering the effect of soil density. This paper aims to present a numerical method to analyse the collapse of granular column based on the critical-state soil mechanics.
Design/methodology/approach
In the proposed method, a simple critical-state based constitutive model is first adopted and implemented into a finite element code using the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian technique for large deformation analysis. Simulations of column collapse with various aspect ratios are then conducted for a given initial soil density. The effect of aspect ratio on the final size of deposit morphology, dynamical collapse profiles and the stable region is discussed comparing to experimental results. Moreover, complementary simulations with various initial soil densities on each aspect ratio are conducted.
Findings
Simulations show that a lower value of initial density leads to a lower final deposit height and a longer run-out distance. The simulated evolutions of kinetic energy and collapsing profile with time by the proposed numerical approach also show clearly a soil density-dependent collapse process.
Practical implications
To the end, this study can improve the understanding of column collapse in different aspect ratios and soil densities, and provide a computational tool for the analysis of real scale granular flow.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper is proposed in a numerical approach to model granular column collapse considering the influences of aspect ratio and initial void ratio. The proposed approach is based on the finite element platform with coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian technique for large deformation analysis and implementing the critical-state based model accounting for the effect of soil density.
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Nazanin Kordestani Ghalenoei, Mostafa Babaeian Jelodar, Daniel Paes and Monty Sutrisna
The development of prefabrication into full-scale offsite manufacturing processes in the construction industry is paradigm-shifting. Moreover, Building Information Modelling (BIM…
Abstract
Purpose
The development of prefabrication into full-scale offsite manufacturing processes in the construction industry is paradigm-shifting. Moreover, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is becoming the primary mode of communication and integration in construction projects to facilitate the flow of information. Although research has been performed on BIM and Offsite Construction (OSC), integrating these two concepts remains ambiguous and complex and lacks documentation and structure, especially in New Zealand. Therefore, this paper develops a robust framework for OSC and BIM integration. The study focusses on identifying integration challenges and proposes strategies for overcoming these challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applied scientometric analysis, a systematic literature review (SLR) and semi-structured expert interviews to investigate OSC and BIM integration challenges. Multiple themes were investigated and triangulation conducted in this research supports the creation of applicable knowledge in this field.
Findings
Multiple gaps, research trends and the pioneer countries in the paper's scope have been identified through scientometric analysis. Then, a classified cluster of challenges for OSC and BIM implementation and integration strategies of OSC and BIM were demonstrated from the findings. The interviews provided comprehensive and complementary data sets and analyses. The findings from the Systematic Literature Review and interview structured the integration framework.
Originality/value
The contribution of this paper to existing knowledge is a developed framework that serves as a guideline for the OSC stakeholders. This framework can assess OSC's alignment with BIM and consolidate strategies for incorporating OSC into a BIM-based project delivery process. The framework consists of 23 strategies categorised into 8 clusters: a policy document, training and professional development, documentation, technology management, governmental development, contract development, accurate definition and detailing and communication. The proposed strategies will streamline integration by reducing potential challenges, thus enhancing project productivity.
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Configuration systems are used as a means for efficient design of customer tailored product service systems (PSS). In PSS configuration, mapping customer needs with optimal…
Abstract
Purpose
Configuration systems are used as a means for efficient design of customer tailored product service systems (PSS). In PSS configuration, mapping customer needs with optimal configuration of PSS components have become much more challenging, because more knowledge with personalization aspects has to be considered. However, the extant techniques are hard to be applied to acquire personalized configuration rules. The purpose of this paper is to extract the configuration rule knowledge in symbolism formulation from historical data.
Design/methodology/approach
Customer characteristics (CCs) are defined and introduced into the construction of configuration rules. Personalized PSS configuration rules (PCRs) are thereby proposed to collect and represent more knowledge. An approach combining Local Cluster Neural Network and Rulex algorithm is proposed to extract rule knowledge from historical data.
Findings
The personalized configuration rules with CCs are able to alleviate the burden of customers in expressing functional requirements. Furthermore, in the long-term relationship with a customer in PSS realization, PSS offerings can be reconfigured according to the changing CCs with the guide of PCRs.
Originality/value
The contribution of this paper lies in introducing the attribute of CCs into the antecedents of PCRs and proposing the neural networks-based approach to extracting the rule knowledge from historical data.
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