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Article
Publication date: 4 April 2016

Siddarth Srinivasan, Laura Hughes Ikuma, Mahmoud Shakouri, Isabelina Nahmens and Craig Harvey

5S is a commonly used Lean tool that focusses on creating an organized work environment, but the effects of 5S on safety climate are not as well studied. The purpose of this paper…

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Abstract

Purpose

5S is a commonly used Lean tool that focusses on creating an organized work environment, but the effects of 5S on safety climate are not as well studied. The purpose of this paper is to determine the impact of a 5S event on safety climate.

Design/methodology/approach

This pre-test post-test study examines the effect of implementing 5S on safety climate of the packaging area of a manufacturing plant. Two groups of employees (case and control groups) completed a safety climate questionnaire (Safety Climate Assessment Toolkit) prior to the 5S event, one month after, and two months after.

Findings

Total safety climate significantly improved for the case group but remained unchanged for the control group over the study period. Specifically, management commitment and involvement dimensions of safety climate improved for the case group.

Practical implications

These results show that two important aspects of safety climate (management commitment and involvement) can be significantly, positively influenced by successful 5S events, which may translate to improved safety overall.

Originality/value

Prior literature on 5S speculates a positive impact of 5S on safety and safety climate, but this assertion is not well supported with empirical evidence. This study provides quantitative measurement of positive safety climate changes that resulted from a successful 5S event. The results provide additional incentive for management to continue 5S and other Lean activities with the possibility of also improving safety.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 November 2019

Mohammad Javad Ershadi, Reza Edrisabadi and Aghileh Shakouri

Project management generally covers many important areas such as cost, quality and time in different industrial settings, but it is deficient in relation to integration of health…

Abstract

Purpose

Project management generally covers many important areas such as cost, quality and time in different industrial settings, but it is deficient in relation to integration of health, safety and environmental risks. Poor knowledge of project managers about HSE management necessitates the studying on the mutual effects of HSE and project management. Hence, investigating the impact of project management on health monitoring programs, safety prevention monitoring, environmental monitoring plans and finally the effectiveness of professional health monitoring programs and determining their importance are main objectives of this research. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

A model based on structural equations was designed and developed. The constructs of this model are project management, health monitoring and safety prevention monitoring program. Based on the conceptual model, some questionnaires were prepared and distributed among the experts of strategic project management.

Findings

The results of applied structural modeling suggest that project management focuses on each aspect of HSE management, including health monitoring programs, safety prevention monitoring programs, environmental monitoring plans and effectiveness of professional health monitoring programs. HSE management can also be strengthened by empowering project management. Checking fire protection systems, using appropriate techniques to identify contamination and disposal of waste and incorporating techniques for brainstorming or other ideas creation in the group are the most important tasks in HSE-enabled project management frameworks.

Originality/value

Since there is still no strategic alignment model that includes components of project management and HSE management, a model for achieving this goal is vital. This paper elaborates this alignment based on literature and using a field study.

Details

Built Environment Project and Asset Management, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-124X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 August 2021

Mohamed El-Sayed Mousa and Mahmoud Abdelrahman Kamel

This study aims to develop and test a framework for integration between data envelopment analysis (DEA) and artificial neural networks (ANN) to predict the best financial…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to develop and test a framework for integration between data envelopment analysis (DEA) and artificial neural networks (ANN) to predict the best financial performance concerning return on assets and return on equity for banks listed on the Egyptian Exchange, to help managers generate what-if scenarios? For performance improvement and benchmarking.

Design/methodology/approach

The study empirically tested the three-stage DEA-ANN framework. First, DEA was used as a preprocessor of the banks’ efficiency scores. Second, a back-propagation neural network as a multi-layer perceptron-ANN’s model was designed using expected data sets from DEA to learn optimal performance patterns. Third, the superior performance of banks was forecasted.

Findings

The results indicated that banks are not operating under their most productive operations, and there is room for potential improvements to reach outperformance. Moreover, the neural networks’ empirical test results showed high correlations between the actual and expected values, with low prediction errors in both the test and prediction phases.

Practical implications

Based on best performance prediction, banks can generate alternative scenarios for future performance improvement and enabling managers to develop effective strategies for performance control under uncertainty and limited data. Besides, supporting the decision-making process and proactive management of performance.

Originality/value

Despite the growing research stream supporting DEA-ANN integration applications, these are still limited and scarce, especially in the Middle East and North Africa region. Therefore, the study trying to fill this gap to help bank managers predict the best financial performance.

Details

Journal of Modelling in Management, vol. 17 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5664

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 September 2022

Adi Ainurzaman Jamaludin, Nurul Emy Idayu Zulkifli, Saherra Bharin, Rohana Jani, Mohd Istajib Mokhtar, Sarina Abdul Halim-Lim, Wan Abd Al Qadr Imad Wan-Mohtar and Zul Ilham

This paper aims to evaluate the awareness level of university students on energy conservation by focusing on their knowledge, attitude and practice. Energy awareness is a feasible…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the awareness level of university students on energy conservation by focusing on their knowledge, attitude and practice. Energy awareness is a feasible energy conservation measure, but an inappropriate approach can cause the wastage of resources. The current number of reported awareness studies especially among the university student is quite limited, and focus is more given to the awareness on renewable energy, instead of energy conservation.

Design/methodology/approach

A paper-based survey using a set of questionnaires that involved 2,857 respondents. There are four sections in this questionnaire, which are basic background information of respondents, knowledge (yes/true or no/false choice of responses), attitude (a scale of 1–10, where 10 indicates “strongly agree” and 1 chooses “strongly disagree”) and practices (a scale of 1–10, where 10 indicates “Always” and 1 selects “Never”). The evaluation includes the correlation analysis of all awareness variables with an educational background to disclose the most critical aspects that should be highly considered in the forthcoming awareness campaign.

Findings

This research revealed that university students have a high level of awareness of energy conservation. They hold a high knowledge level and show a positive attitude with very good energy conservation practices. However, some issues require serious attention in preparing energy management plans. Effective approaches should be taken by considering the field of study, gender and family economic status to enhance the awareness level of the university students on energy conservation.

Originality/value

The absence of appropriate references complicates the preparation of energy management plans including the establishment of energy policy and strategies. The findings of this research can contribute some contextual information in the local perspective to ensure the effectiveness of the energy management program and strengthen academic leadership by emphasising the element of sustainability. This is crucial for developing an energy saving culture among the young generation that will be our future scholars and leaders.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

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