Search results

In the present study, an effort has been made to estimate the effect of significant parameters on the vulnerability of steel reinforcement to corrosion, using both impressed current density technique and Tafel extrapolation method.

Five sets of tests were performed. Corrosion vulnerability of various diameters, temperature and pH effect on the corrosion process, potential corrosion tendency after a precorrosion period and declination from the theoretical damage prediction model are some of the parameters examined

The results of the tests provide useful information on the main parameters, determining the quality of the corrosion damage.

The originality of the present study is the fact that an effort has been made to estimate the effect of significant parameters on the vulnerability of steel reinforcement to corrosion, using both impressed current density technique and Tafel extrapolation method. Interesting conclusions emerged.

The purpose of this paper is to understand US and Chinese young Millennials’ perceptions of and consumption behaviour towards sustainable apparel products.

Quantitative research was conducted, and empirical data were collected from 590 US college students and 379 Chinese college students.

For both US and Chinese young Millennials, this study provides consistent empirical results of the positive and significant effects of young Millennials’ apparel sustainability knowledge and personal values on consumer attitude towards sustainable clothing, which in turn positively and strongly impacts purchase intention. In addition, a cross-cultural comparative analysis reveals similarities and differences regarding apparel sustainability knowledge and values between young Millennial consumers in the US and China.

The scale of environmental and social impacts from global apparel production and consumption makes sustainability increasingly important in the contemporary business environment. Young Millennials in the US and China represent large and influential consumer segments for sustainable consumption. This study contributes to the literature by surveying young Millennials in the US (developed market) and China (emerging market) in a cross-cultural context. The study offers insights into the global apparel industry in developing strategies for expanding sustainable apparel markets in the US and China.

The chapter analyzes the characteristics of a new political subject, the Five Star Movement, which arose in Italy in 2005 (as local civil lists), was officially constituted in 2009, and became the most voted-for party in the 2013 general election, when the country was hit by a strong surge of populism. This party was founded by the Italian comedian Beppe Grillo and launched via his Internet blog. The chapter will be divided into five parts: a brief introduction about the general context and a description of the Italian political framework and the general crisis of traditional parties, setting the scene from which the discussion will develop. Then, in Section “‘People against the Parties’: The Five Star Movement’s Populist Messages,” I will describe the global characteristics of the Five Star Movement, with an analysis of Grillo’s party communication style, especially its use of social media, its people call (with its enemies), and its mobilization strategies. In Section “Inside the Movement: The Party’s Structural Characteristics,” I will describe the party’s internal organization, in order to underline some controversial elements. In the conclusion I will hazard some hypotheses about the party’s destiny, compared to other populist examples.

Urban scholars employ numerous sources to study early cities, including primary sources such as historical maps, literary accounts, tax records, and the like to help visualize cities in various periods. In recent years, a variety of artificial intelligence programs have been employed to not only create visual images of earlier cities, but also to allow audiences to negotiate city streets and enter buildings within the city. The Assassin's Creed series of video games created by Ubisoft place the game player in historical settings where the assassin (representing peace and free will) will battle against groups of foes (representing order and control). Assassin's Creed II is set in Florence at the end of the fifteenth century and has been praised for the visual reconstruction of the city. But how well can a computer game represent the Early Renaissance City?

The purpose of this paper is to find evidence contributing to construction of the dimensions of personal values, professionalization and succession, as well as proposing a new theoretical framework (model) showing the relations between these dimensions and their factors.

A qualitative research approach was adopted, more precisely the case study method. Four Portuguese family firms were selected, with a total of 11 participants. The data-gathering techniques included the interview method, non-participative observation and documentary analysis. To ensure systematization and reliability of data, the content analysis method was used with the help of NVIVO software.

Based on the results, eight factors were obtained explaining the professionalization dimension, the succession dimension was formed of four factors and the personal values dimension was made up of three factors. It was also possible to demonstrate the relationships between personal values, professionalization and succession in family firms.

The results obtained here can provide information to help managers in this type of firm, for example, to know themselves better, about their values and beliefs and how these can help in their daily relationships, in both the family and business domain, as well as in decision making about aspects of succession and professionalization.

This research makes important contributions to studies considering the family firm context. It will help to fill part of the gap in existing studies involving the psychological aspects in family firm management. It also presents important results about personal values and their relations with succession and professionalization of family firm management, as well as adding value to recent studies on the socio-emotional wealth of this type of firm.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the “motivation-satisfaction-loyalty” framework. Through a structural equation model (SEM), it is possible to disentangle attitudinal and behavioral loyalty as a multifaceted latent variable.

The empirical analysis is based on data collected in wineries located in two important wine destinations: Trentino and South Tyrol (Italy). Notably, the motivation–satisfaction relationship is confirmed, and the SEM has also assessed the importance of winery services in affecting loyalty, expressed in terms of “visit other cellars,” “repeat a wine vacation” and “recommend wine routes.”

Destination managers should consider the wine-related “relaxation” as the main push motivation, while the interactions experience are important pull motivations to drive wine tourists’ satisfaction. Nevertheless, the findings reveal that more proactive policies are needed to enhance local wines loyalty.

The novelty of this study is to explore loyalty. In this respect, a multifaceted latent variable is expressed as follows: “buy local wines,” “visit other cellars,” “repeat a wine vacation” as behavioral attitudinal stated loyalty and “recommend wine routes” as attitudinal stated loyalty.

Society in general demands ethical behaviour in the business world. The research aim of the paper is to analyse whether higher education institutions of business contribute to ethical decision-making in students through a specific training approach based on practical methodologies that take into account students' personal characteristics, which may affect ethical decision-making. The acquisition of knowledge should be more effective when it is based on personal characteristics.

Case method, discussion and self-learning methodology were used, and at the end of the term, the students were evaluated and asked to complete a 48 closed-question questionnaire. A linear regression model is performed to analyse to what extent the results are associated to the variables proposed.

The results show that knowledge is an explanatory variable, but personal characteristics such as gender or empathy reinforce the learning. Gender difference affects the ethical decisions made and empathy, showing that training based on emotions is effective. Besides, the results show that students integrate family influence in their training process.

In this paper, the authors have selected empathy, gender and instruction. They have taken into account the incidence of age and family education. In addition, other contextual factors can have an incidence on training and the model could be improved.

The results show that it is necessary to take into account the students' personal characteristics and select an appropriate training methodology to teach ethics and obtain success.

The students graduating from these courses will be future managers and entrepreneurs and will make decisions in which ethical questions must be taken into account, hence the need for training in this respect.

The teaching of business ethics in business faculties is not an easy subject. It is necessary to select the approach of ethic and an effective methodology to achieve the learning objective. This learning methodology must take into account students' characteristics to be effective. The business students are future managers and entrepreneurs who will make decisions in which ethical questions must be considered, hence the need for training in this respect.

This paper aims to investigate how personal values relate to the psychological contract employees establish with their employers.

The sample consisted of 223 frontline employees from a major Portuguese company. The paper used stepwise regressions analysis to test the research hypotheses.

Collectivistic-oriented values were generally related to psychological contract features such as long time frame, lower tangibility, flexibility, inequality and collective regulation. Conversely, individualistic-oriented values were generally associated with a short time frame and a more tangible, stable, equal and individually regulated type of contract with a narrow scope.

This study uses cross-sectional data collected from a single Portuguese company. While common method bias could potentially affect the results, various procedural remedies were used to control for it. Finally, the study relied on stepwise regression, which is a data-driven approach.

The study supports the contentions that internal dispositions are related to psychological contracts.

This paper innovates by exploring how employees’ personal values are associated with the psychological contract from a feature-oriented approach. In addition, this study was carried out in Portugal, highlighting the importance of exploring existing models and theories in different cultural contexts.

This study investigates the relationship between national culture and the country level of firms' digitalisation, by applying Hofstede's cultural framework to the European Union member states. Although many studies have observed the impact of national culture on firms' innovation and information and communication technology (ICT) adoption, there have been no analyses of how cultural dimensions impact firms' digitalisation at the country level. This study intends to fill that gap.

Using a pooled ordinary least square (OLS) model, this study analyses data from 27 European countries over the period from 2014 to 2018.

The results suggest the existence of a negative, significant, relationship between both masculinity and uncertainty avoidance, and the country level of firms' digitalisation. Indulgence is found to positively and significantly influence a country's level of digitalisation. Contrary to expectations, this study indicates a negative, significant, relationship between individualism and the degree of digitalisation. Power distance is found to have no significant impact.

This study contributes to the literature by showing how a country's various cultural dimensions help or hinder the level of firms' digitalisation in that country. Theoretical and managerial implications are presented, including suggestions for future research.

Drawing on key concepts from childhood studies, this chapter provides a theoretical grounding for children's participation rights in research on maltreatment. The chapter discusses the sociology of childhood, tracing how it brought a focus to children's participation in research, and introduces the concepts of adultism and childism to help critique children's participation in research on maltreatment. The chapter is framed by a familiar debate on tensions between children's right to participate and their right to protection. It explores the relevance of these debates for research on child maltreatment. Through its discussion, the chapter explores key issues that have traditionally led to children being kept out of research on child maltreatment. It argues that children's participation is key to advancing knowledge on child maltreatment and fundamentally a way to uphold children's human rights. The concepts introduced in this chapter are threaded and explored throughout the subsequent chapters of the book, in their examination and reflections on children's participation in research on maltreatment.