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1 – 10 of 14Ing-Chung Huang, Pey-Lan Du, Li-Fan Wu, Jennet Achyldurdyyeva, Li-Chang Wu and Chih Seng Lin
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study that examines the influence of leader–member exchange (LMX) on employees' turnover intention and presenteeism with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study that examines the influence of leader–member exchange (LMX) on employees' turnover intention and presenteeism with the mediating role of perceived organizational support in the context of the semiconductor industry.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical study based on a sample of 124 department managers and 241 team members in five high-tech companies in Taiwan. Structural equation modelling analysis was used for hypothesis testing.
Findings
The results reveal that perceived organization support significantly relates to employees' turnover intention and mediates the relationship between LMX and turnover intention. Additionally, employees' presenteeism is influenced by perceived LMX.
Practical implications
The results of the study are of high importance for high-tech companies, which continuously strive for innovation efficiency and sustainability. Managers and practitioners could benefit from better understanding regarding the importance of perceived organization support and LMX in affecting employee behaviours and company performance.
Originality/value
The present study finds a significant positive relationship between LMX and presenteeism, which is contrary to the previous research.
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Jennet Achyldurdyyeva, Li-Fan Wu and Nurbibi Datova
The purpose of this study is to examine the aspects of workplace environment and the experiences of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) employees in an Asian context; a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the aspects of workplace environment and the experiences of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) employees in an Asian context; a subject that has hitherto been somewhat neglected. It responds to a call for more contextual research in the field of employment diversity in organizational management in general.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a mixed method study, which utilizes multiple sources of primary and secondary data and consists of in-depth personal interviews, a survey of LGBT employees, published data (including legislation and state policies), reports issued by social and media organizations, documentary evidence from Taiwanese companies and insights drawn from the existing literature.
Findings
It was found that there is an interplay between the macro, meso and micro levels in the multilevel relational framework applied to diversity of employment in Taiwan. Macrolevel factors, such as supportive legislation, mass media and social tolerance toward LGBT community positively affect mesolevel factors, such as stable and secure social networks among the LGBT community in the form of legal and social organizations (NGOs, social media, bars, restaurants, etc.) as well as many companies inclusion of sexual orientation in their definitions of diversity. However, this is opposed by macrolevel, cultural values related to family structure and intergenerational relationships that inhibit pro-active integration and equality of LGBT individuals at the meso organizational level. Companies headed by older-generation leadership can be slow to advocate, support and promote sexual-orientation diversity in their workplaces. In contrast, microlevel data shows that LGBT employees receive robust psychological support from their peer group, friends and the LGBT community, although gaining acceptance by family and coworkers remains a challenge.
Research limitations/implications
Future studies need to focus on the dynamics of the meso- and microlevel factors by investigating how organizational structure, perspectives of leaders and HR managers, diversity management practices and attitudes and behaviors of LGBT employees and other coworkers affect development and integration of sexual-orientation diversity programs within organizations.
Practical implications
Managers, policy makers in organization as well as educators benefit from the context-sensitive findings and recommendations offered in this paper.
Social implications
Understanding of LGBT individuals employment environment helps to facilitate or hinder the positive development of equal society and benefit both LGBT employees, their coworkers and managers.
Originality/value
Limited research exists on the LGBT employees experiences at work in Asia. This study makes unique contribution to the understanding of sexual orientation category of diversity at work in Taiwan context.
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Li-Fan Wu, Ing-Chung Huang, Wei-Chang Huang and Pey-Lan Du
Innovation is a key factor in assessing organizational success. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the organizational culture and operations strategy impact…
Abstract
Purpose
Innovation is a key factor in assessing organizational success. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the organizational culture and operations strategy impact organizational innovation. It explores the influence of various combinations of organizational cultures and operations strategies on a firm’s ability to innovate both in process and product.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model is developed which attempts to explain how the reciprocal and dynamic interactive relationship between organizational culture and operations strategy and innovation is structured. In total, 233 valid questionnaires were collected from 17 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the direction and strengths of the relationships and develop a comprehensive picture to illustrate the drivers of successful innovation.
Findings
The analysis and conclusions confirm the suitability of Culture–Strategy–Innovation Model and the detailed results demonstrate that a combination of innovative organizational culture and flexibility-oriented operations strategy has the strongest influence on a firm’s innovation process thereby improving their innovative organizational outcomes.
Practical implications
Although based on Taiwanese manufacturing industries these results provide useful insights for manufacturing industries in general. In alternative contexts, the combination of different dimensions of culture and strategy can be expected to cause different levels of success in innovation. This study provides robust evidence to explain the organizational climate needed to guide the innovative and flexibility considerations needed for SMEs in the manufacturing industry.
Originality/value
This is an empirical study which specifically investigates the activities of SMEs in the metal/plastic manufacturing industry in Taiwan and in particular examines organizational culture, operations strategies and innovation. The research model proposed and confirmed offers a new multi-dimensional structure of culture and strategy linked with their various related dynamic interrelationships and the drivers that impact organizational innovation.
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This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
A company's ability to innovate can typically be influenced by a range of different factors. Strong impact is possible from the organization's prevailing culture and its type of operations strategy. Potential exists for any impact to be maximized when specific dimensions of culture and strategy combine generate an interactive effect.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
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Qian Wang, Fan Li, Jin Yu, Luuk Fleskens and Coen J. Ritsema
This study examines the heterogeneous correlations between rural farmers' land renting behavior and their grain production when they experienced a significant price decline.
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the heterogeneous correlations between rural farmers' land renting behavior and their grain production when they experienced a significant price decline.
Design/methodology/approach
We used well-timed panel data obtained from a two-round survey held in 2013 and 2017 among 621 households in the North China Plain. The empirical analyses were conducted by using the pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) and fixed effects models.
Findings
Rural tenants were having heterogeneous responses in land renting behavior and agricultural production when there was a price decline. A group of optimistic tenants (as professional farmers) were more likely to enlarge the farm scale for grain production through land rental markets but decrease variable investment levels (and subsequently decreased productivity) to cope with price decline. In contrast, nonprofessional farmers (the other rural tenants) were rather pessimistic about market performance, and they significantly decreased their grain production area to cope the price decline, but there was no decrease in grain productivity through reducing variable inputs.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the extant literature on the relationship between farmers' land renting-in behavior and agricultural production. By dividing the tenants into professional and nonprofessional farmers, we argue that there is a significant heterogeneous correlation between rural tenants' land renting behavior and grain production when farmers experience a price decline.
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Fan Li, Dangui Li, Maarten Voors, Shuyi Feng, Weifeng Zhang and Nico Heerink
Soil nutrient management and fertilizer use by farmers are important for sustainable grain production. The authors examined the effect of an experimental agricultural extension…
Abstract
Purpose
Soil nutrient management and fertilizer use by farmers are important for sustainable grain production. The authors examined the effect of an experimental agricultural extension program, the science and technology backyard, in promoting sustainable soil nutrient management in the North China Plain (NCP). The science and technology backyard integrates farmer field schools, field demonstrations, and case-to-case counselling to promote sustainable farming practices among rural smallholders.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a large-scale household survey of more than 2,000 rural smallholders. The authors used a multivariate regression analysis as the benchmark to assess the effect of the science-and-technology backyard on smallholder soil nutrient management. Furthermore, the authors used coarse exact matching (CEM) methods to control for potential bias due to self-selection and the (endogenous) switching regression approach as the main empirical analysis.
Findings
The results show that the science-and-technology backyard program increased smallholders' wheat yield by approximately 0.23 standard deviation; however, no significant increase in maize yield was observed. Regarding soil nutrient use efficiency, the authors found a significant improvement in smallholders' phosphorus and potassium use efficiencies for both wheat and maize production, and a significant improvement in nitrogen use efficiency for wheat production, but no significant improvement of nitrogen use efficiency for maize production.
Originality/value
This study evaluated a novel participatory agricultural extension model to improve soil nutrient management practices among smallholders. The integration of agronomists' scientific knowledge and smallholders' local contextual experiences could be an effective way to improve farmers' soil nutrient management. This study provides the first quantitative estimates based on rigorous impact assessment methods of this novel extension approach in rural China.
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Li Fan, Min Hu and Mingqi Yang
The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical design for the attitude control of electromagnetic formation flying (EMFF) satellites, present a nonlinear controller for the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical design for the attitude control of electromagnetic formation flying (EMFF) satellites, present a nonlinear controller for the relative translational control of EMFF satellites and propose a novel method for the allocation of electromagnetic dipoles.
Design/methodology/approach
The feedback attitude control law, magnetic unloading algorithm and large angle manoeuvre algorithm are presented. Then, a terminal sliding mode controller for the relative translation control is put forward and the convergence is proved. Finally, the control allocation problem of electromagnetic dipoles is formulated as an optimization issue, and a hybrid particle swarm optimization (PSO) – sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm to optimize the free dipoles. Three numerical simulations are carried out and results are compared.
Findings
The proposed attitude controller is effective for the sun-tracking process of EMFF satellites, and the magnetic unloading algorithm is valid. The formation-keeping scenario simulation demonstrates the effectiveness of the terminal sliding model controller and electromagnetic dipole calculation method.
Practical implications
The proposed method can be applied to solve the attitude and relative translation control problem of EMFF satellites in low earth orbits.
Originality/value
The paper analyses the attitude control problem of EMFF satellites systematically and proposes an innovative way for relative translational control and electromagnetic dipole allocation.
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This paper aims to investigate the evolution law of surface characteristic of corroded cold-formed thin-walled steel in industrial environments.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the evolution law of surface characteristic of corroded cold-formed thin-walled steel in industrial environments.
Design/methodology/approach
Five test specimens sourced from cold-formed thin-walled C-shaped steel that have been in service for three years in actual industrial environments were subjected to surface characteristic test. The surface characteristic of corroded hot-rolled steel and cold-formed steel were compared and analyzed. The relationship between the surface morphology parameters and the average corrosion depth was established.
Findings
The evolution law of the surface morphology of corroded cold-formed thin-walled steel and corroded hot-rolled steel was similar. The frequency histogram of corrosion depth was mainly single peak with high values on the middle and low values on both sides. The corrosion depth conformed to the normal distribution. The roughness average height and the root mean square of surface height gradually increased linearly with increasing the average corrosion depth.
Originality/value
The reduction in the standard deviation of corrosion depth, the maximum corrosion depth, the roughness average height and the root mean square of surface height of the cold-formed thin-walled steel was smaller than those of the hot-rolled steel.
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Gangyan Xu, Chun-Hsien Chen, Fan Li and Xuan Qiu
Considering the varied and dynamic workload of vessel traffic service (VTS) operators, design an adaptive rotating shift solution to prevent them from getting tired while ensuring…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the varied and dynamic workload of vessel traffic service (VTS) operators, design an adaptive rotating shift solution to prevent them from getting tired while ensuring continuous high-quality services and finally guarantee a benign maritime traffic environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The problem of rotating shift in VTS and its influencing factors are analyzed first, then the framework of automatic identification system (AIS) data analytics is proposed, as well as the data model to extract spatial–temporal information. Besides, K-means-based anomaly detection method is adjusted to generate anomaly-free data, with which the traffic trend analysis and prediction are made. Based on this knowledge, strategies and methods for adaptive rotating shift design are worked out.
Findings
In VTS, vessel number and speed are identified as two most crucial factors influencing operators' workload. Based on the two factors, the proposed data model is verified to be effective on reducing data size and improving data processing efficiency. Besides, the K-means-based anomaly detection method could provide stable results, and the work shift pattern planning algorithm could efficiently generate acceptable solutions based on maritime traffic information.
Originality/value
This is a pioneer work on utilizing maritime traffic data to facilitate the operation management in VTS, which provides a new direction to improve their daily management. Besides, a systematic data-driven solution for adaptive rotating shift is proposed, including knowledge discovery method and decision-making algorithm for adaptive rotating shift design. The technical framework is flexible and can be extended for managing other activities in VTS or adapted in diverse fields.
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