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Article
Publication date: 14 September 2015

Dannielle Kay Post, Mark Daniel, Gary Misan and Matthew T Haren

Workplace health promotion enables the dissemination of health-related information to a large portion of society and provides a vehicle for translating results of efficacy studies…

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Abstract

Purpose

Workplace health promotion enables the dissemination of health-related information to a large portion of society and provides a vehicle for translating results of efficacy studies to effective lifestyle interventions under less controlled real-world conditions. To achieve effectiveness there needs to be a systematic approach to the design, implementation, and evaluation of workplace health promotion interventions. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a workplace programme in a mining and steel making town in regional South Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

The Precede-Proceed model (PPM) was used as a framework to design the development, implementation, and evaluation of the programme.

Findings

Quality of life issues and antecedents of modifiable behavioural and environmental factors to be targeted by interventions were identified. Relevant socio-behavioural theories were used to guide intervention development and evaluation. An intervention programme was planned to enable the delivery of educational and skills-development strategies by peers within structured organisational work units.

Originality/value

This research utilises the PPM to develop, implement, and evaluate intervention strategies targeting the development of diabetes and cardiometabolic risk in a remotely located workplace population. Novel to this approach is the utilisation of the entire PPM in the research; the multiple baseline, interrupted time series design of the study; and its application in a workplace environment noted for increased health risk factors, within a community at high risk of development of type 2 diabetes.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1958

W.R. Buckingham

The solution of the problem of estimating the take‐off distance to a height of 50 feet has to a certain extent been limited by the absence of a theoretical analysis of the…

Abstract

The solution of the problem of estimating the take‐off distance to a height of 50 feet has to a certain extent been limited by the absence of a theoretical analysis of the airborne part of the take‐off manoeuvre. The three main physical quantities associated with the motion immediately after an aircraft leaves the ground are aircraft speed, the angle the flight path makes with the horizontal and the lift coefficient increment. This latter quantity is the lift coefficient in excess of that required for level flight at the unstick speed, and is produced when the pilot pulls the stick quickly back at take‐off. A linear theoretical analysis is obtained by assuming that variations of the physical quantities already mentioned are small enough for squares and higher powers of such variations to be neglected in comparison with the variations themselves. The results of the analysis depend on the solutions of a pair of ordinary simultaneous linear differential equations with constant coefficients. If the aircraft speed never falls below the unstick speed, the limiting values of the lift coefficient increment which define the safe range of take‐offs can be determined. By considering the mean value of the lift coefficient increment over the safe range of take‐offs it is possible to define a mean safe take‐off, and for such a take‐off, the mean safe airborne distance from the unstick point to a height of 50 feet can be estimated. The application of the theory as a means of estimating the take‐off performance of a bomber aircraft is given as an example at the end of this work.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0002-2667

Article
Publication date: 10 November 2014

Vasily Bunakov, Catherine Jones, Brian Matthews and Michael Wilson

The purpose of this paper is to suggest an approach to data value considerations that is related to the generalized notion of authenticity and can be applied to the design of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to suggest an approach to data value considerations that is related to the generalized notion of authenticity and can be applied to the design of preservation policies. There has been considerable progress in the scalable architectures for policy-driven digital collection preservation as well as in modeling preservation costs. However, modeling the value of both digital artifacts and collections seems a more elusive topic that has yet to find a proper methodology and means of expression.

Design/methodology/approach

A top-down conceptual analysis was developed and the principles of information technology service management and quality management were applied to the domain of digital preservation. Then, in a bottom-up analysis, the various notions of authenticity in digital preservation projects, reference models and conceptual papers were reviewed.

Findings

The top-down and bottom-up analyses have a meeting point, establishing a close relation between the concepts of data authenticity and data value.

Originality/value

The generalized understanding of authenticity can support the design of sensible preservation policies and their application to the formation and long-term maintenance of digital collections.

Details

OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1065-075X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 30 June 2022

Deepak Ram Asokan, Fahian Anisul Huq, Christopher M. Smith and Mark Stevenson

As focal firms in supply networks reflect on their experiences of the pandemic and begin to rethink their operations and supply chains, there is a significant opportunity to…

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Abstract

Purpose

As focal firms in supply networks reflect on their experiences of the pandemic and begin to rethink their operations and supply chains, there is a significant opportunity to leverage digital technological advances to enhance socially responsible operations performance (SROP). This paper develops a novel framework for exploring the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies for improving SROP. It highlights current best-practice examples and presents future research pathways.

Design/methodology/approach

This viewpoint paper argues how Industry 4.0 technology adoption can enable effective SROP in the post-COVID-19 era. Academic articles, relevant grey literature, and insights from industry experts are used to support the development of the framework.

Findings

Seven technologies are identified that bring transformational capabilities to SROP, i.e. big data analytics, digital twins, augmented reality, blockchain, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. It is demonstrated how these technologies can help to improve three sub-themes of organisational social performance (employment practices, health and safety, and business practices) and three sub-themes of community social performance (quality of life and social welfare, social governance, and economic welfare and growth).

Research limitations/implications

A research agenda is outlined at the intersection of Industry 4.0 and SROP through the six sub-themes of organisational and community social performance. Further, these are connected through three overarching research agendas: “Trust through Technology”, “Responsible Relationships” and “Freedom through Flexibility”.

Practical implications

Organisational agendas for Industry 4.0 and social responsibility can be complementary. The framework provides insights into how Industry 4.0 technologies can help firms achieve long-term post-COVID-19 recovery, with an emphasis on SROP. This can offer firms competitive advantage in the “new normal” by helping them build back better.

Social implications

People and communities should be at the heart of decisions about rethinking operations and supply chains. This paper expresses a view on what it entails for organisations to be responsible for the supply chain-wide social wellbeing of employees and the wider community they operate in, and how they can use technology to embed social responsibility in their operations and supply chains.

Originality/value

Contributes to the limited understanding of how Industry 4.0 technologies can lead to socially responsible transformations. A novel framework integrating SROP and Industry 4.0 is presented.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 42 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 December 2021

Zoë Plakias, Margaret Jodlowski, Taylor Giamo, Parisa Kavousi and Keith Taylor

Despite 2016 legalization of recreational cannabis cultivation and sale in California with the passage of Proposition 64, many cannabis businesses operate without licenses…

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Abstract

Purpose

Despite 2016 legalization of recreational cannabis cultivation and sale in California with the passage of Proposition 64, many cannabis businesses operate without licenses. Furthermore, federal regulations disincentivize financial institutions from banking and lending to licensed cannabis businesses. The authors explore the impact of legal cannabis business activity on California financial institutions, the barriers to banking faced by cannabis businesses, and the nontraditional sources of financing used by the industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a mixed methods approach. The authors utilize call data for banks and credit unions headquartered in California and state cannabis licensing data to estimate the impact of the extensive and intensive margins of licensed cannabis activity on key banking indicators using difference-and-difference and fixed effects regressions. The qualitative data come from interviews with industry stakeholders in northern California's “Emerald Triangle” and add important context.

Findings

The quantitative results show economically and statistically significant impacts of licensed cannabis activity on banking indicators, suggesting both direct and spillover effects from cannabis activity to the financial sector. However, cannabis businesses report substantial barriers to accessing basic financial services and credit, leading to nontraditional financing arrangements.

Practical implications

The results suggest opportunities for cannabis businesses and financial institutions if regulations are eased and important avenues for further study.

Originality/value

The authors contribute to the nascent literature on cannabis economics and the literature on banking regulation and nontraditional finance.

Article
Publication date: 31 May 2021

Tobias Kreuter, Christian Kalla, Luiz Felipe Scavarda, Antônio Márcio Tavares Thomé and Bernd Hellingrath

This paper provides a five-step Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) approach to systematically guide the development and implementation of contextualised Sales and Operations…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper provides a five-step Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) approach to systematically guide the development and implementation of contextualised Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) designs.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study is conducted at a European chemical manufacturer. The research applies the five-step approach, embracing the descriptive and prescriptive EAM functions combined with the lens of contingency theory.

Findings

The research findings demonstrate the suitability of the proposed EAM approach for the contextualisation of S&OP designs from a contingency theory perspective. Its descriptive EAM function serves to assess context-specific S&OP challenges and enables to analyse the contextual fit of S&OP designs. Its prescriptive EAM function guides the development and implementation of context-specific S&OP designs towards increasing the S&OP effectiveness. EAM's integrated view onto people, process and information technology served to analyse current practices on the dynamics of S&OP contextualisation in innovation- and quality-driven contexts. Thereby, the paper contributes to a better S&OP contingency understanding.

Practical implications

The EAM approach offered in this paper provides a concrete and practically applicable guidance to support managers to face their context-specific challenges and guide the contextualisation of their S&OP designs to increase the S&OP effectiveness. Moreover, practitioners can improve their understanding regarding the need for S&OP design adjustments to reflect changes in their companies' contingencies.

Originality/value

The research introduces a novel EAM approach for S&OP contextualisation, particularly reflecting contingency theory's dynamic view of structural adjustments to regain fit (SARFIT).

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 51 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 August 2021

Ralf Jan Benjamin Van der Meij, David John Edwards, Chris Roberts, Hatem El-Gohary and John Posillico

A comprehensive literature review of performance management within the Dutch steel processing industry is presented. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the motives for…

Abstract

Purpose

A comprehensive literature review of performance management within the Dutch steel processing industry is presented. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the motives for companies to become excellent performers in their field of expertise. These internal and external motives (refined by quantitative analysis of bibliographic data) sought to reveal the common factors that impact company performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Inductive reasoning was adopted using an interpretivist philosophical stance to generate new theoretical insight. A mixed-methods analysis of pertinent extant literature afforded greater synthesis of the research problem domain and generated more valid and reliable findings. The software visualisation of similarities viewer was used to conduct a qualitative bibliographic analysis of extant literature to yield greater clarification on the phenomena under investigation.

Findings

Four thematic groups of past research endeavours emerged from the analysis and were assigned appropriate nomenclature, namely: industry internal motives; industry external motives; excellent performer and incremental working method. To further expand upon the continuous improvement process (CIP – embodied within performance management), the paper describes the virtuous cycle of improvement, which consists of the consecutive steps of “planning”, “doing”, “checking” and ultimately of “acting” accordingly to the previous steps. It can be concluded that a high-performing company acts according to its mission, plans in line with the vision do as defined in the strategy and checks by reflection.

Originality/value

This unique study provides invaluable insight into the performance management of Dutch steel processing companies. Although the research context was narrowly defined, the findings presented are equally applicable to clients, contractors and sub-contractors active in other sectors of the construction industry. The research concludes by prescribing factors of mitigation strategies to support chief executive officers to focus on the optimum distribution of their scarce resources.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 August 2021

Gaby Odekerken-Schröder, Kars Mennens, Mark Steins and Dominik Mahr

Recent service studies suggest focusing on the service triad consisting of technology-customer-frontline employee (FLE). This study empirically investigates the role of service…

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Abstract

Purpose

Recent service studies suggest focusing on the service triad consisting of technology-customer-frontline employee (FLE). This study empirically investigates the role of service robots in this service triad, with the aim to understand the augmentation or substitution role of service robots in driving utilitarian and hedonic value and ultimately customer repatronage.

Design/methodology/approach

In study 1, field data are collected from customers (n = 108) who interacted with a service robot and FLE in a fast casual dining restaurant. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test hypotheses about the impact of service robots' anthropomorphism, social presence, value perceptions and augmentation opportunities in the service triad. In study 2, empirical data from a scenario-based experimental design (n = 361) complement the field study by further scrutinizing the interplay between the service robot and FLEs within the service triad.

Findings

The study provides three important contributions. First, the authors provide empirical evidence for the interplay between different actors in the “customer-FLE-technology” service triad resulting in customer repatronage. Second, the empirical findings advance the service management literature by unraveling the relationship between anthropomorphism and social presence and their effect on perceived value in the service triad. And third, the study identifies utilitarian value of service robots as a driver of customer repatronage in fast casual dining restaurants.

Practical implications

The results help service managers, service robot engineers and designers, and policy makers to better understand the implications of anthropomorphism, and how the utilitarian value of service robots can offer the potential for augmentation or substitution roles in the service triad.

Originality/value

Building on existing conceptual and laboratory studies on service robots, this is one of the first field studies on the service triad consisting of service robots – customers – frontline employees. The empirical study on service triads provides evidence for the potential of FLEs to augment service robots that exhibit lower levels of functional performance to achieve customer repatronage. FLEs can do this by demonstrating a high willingness to help and having excellent interactions with customers. This finding advocates the joint service delivery by FLE – service robot teams in situations where service robot technology is not fully optimized.

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 July 2012

Robert Eadie, Srinath Perera and George Heaney

Two main types of models are used worldwide in consideration of the impact of Information Communication Technology (ICT) processes in construction: capability maturity models…

Abstract

Purpose

Two main types of models are used worldwide in consideration of the impact of Information Communication Technology (ICT) processes in construction: capability maturity models (CMM) and e‐readiness models. The purpose of this paper is to review the structure behind the different models, their applicability to construction and indicate how organisations move between the levels in a CMM.

Design/methodology/approach

This study investigates the literature behind eight e‐readiness models and 53 CMMs.

Findings

The findings indicate 88 per cent of maturity‐based CMM models linked to five maturity levels, with the remainder using four. CMMs have common features: the process/application is described by maturity levels; Key Process Areas (KPA) provide the features to allow movement; and the levels are arranged and attained systematically, lowest to highest. Publication dates and trends indicate the rate of CMM publication is increasing (most in 2009), conversely, e‐readiness models are not (most published in 2004).

Practical implications

It is expected that the number of CMMs will increase; conversely, e‐readiness models may not. E‐readiness models have not been adopted by other industries and applications. However, CMMs, although initiated in software engineering, have progressed to incorporate construction models which cover processes as diverse as financial management and documentation. This suggests that a CMM is more applicable for applications such as e‐business in construction.

Originality/value

The paper significantly expands that of Man in 2007 who listed 22 CMM models. This paper categorises a further 31 models and indicates construction applicability, combined with a review of e‐readiness models for the first time.

Details

Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, vol. 17 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-4387

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 February 2010

John Garger, Michael Thomas and Paul H. Jacques

The purpose of this paper is to confirm the predictive validity of several antecedents to students' early perceptions of future performance in collegiate courses.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to confirm the predictive validity of several antecedents to students' early perceptions of future performance in collegiate courses.

Design/methodology/approach

A non‐experimental design was used to test a proposed model based on a review of relevant literature. Students completed surveys capturing the constructs researched.

Findings

Students' internal locus of control predicted student perceptions of social integration, academic self concept and grade point average (GPA) and social integration significantly predicted academic self concept. Moreover, academic self concept significantly predicted early perceptions of expected grade beyond the student's current level of performance as measured by his/her current GPA.

Research limitations/implications

Subjects were from one academic program in one university. Also, expected performance was measured with one item, which focused on expected grade, only one aspect of performance. Other aspects of performance and outcomes such as perceived learning or satisfaction with the course could shed more light on the relationships among the constructs under study

Practical implications

Students with an internal locus of control orientation can better leverage self‐confidence to social and academic ends in the classroom and more readily exhibit the sustained goal‐related behaviors requisite for success during transitions to college and subsequent professional placements. Also, students who are encouraged to take personal responsibility for relationships with peers and adjust behaviors are likely to maintain and enhance the quality of these relationships.

Originality/value

The paper's results suggest that instructors who foster/reinforce students' concept of connections between choices and outcomes may be rewarded with enhanced student motivation to perform well in the course.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

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