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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 9 August 2022

Dieudonné Sawadogo, Seydou Sané and Somnoma Edouard Kaboré

The objectives of this study are twofold: first, to identify the effect of sustainability management on the success of international development projects, and second, to…

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Abstract

Purpose

The objectives of this study are twofold: first, to identify the effect of sustainability management on the success of international development projects, and second, to investigate the moderating role of political and social skills on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a quantitative research methodology based on questionnaire data collected from 43 international development project managers from various fields in Burkina Faso (West Africa). Descriptive statistics and exploratory and confirmatory analyses using principal component analysis were used to assess the quality of the measurement model. A multiple regression analysis based on the partial least squares approach was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results show that sustainability management positively contributes to the success of international development projects. However, given the specificities of these projects and their perception of success, the project coordinator's political and social skills do not predict a greater impact of sustainability management on the success of international development projects. The study also found that project coordinators prioritize their technical skills over behavioral ones.

Originality/value

This study fills a gap in the literature, given that little is known about the moderating role of political and social skills in the effect of sustainability management on the success of specific projects such as international development projects.

Details

Journal of Business and Socio-economic Development, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2635-1374

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 August 2023

Marko A. Dimitrijević and Milutin Petronijević

This paper aims to propose a new approach to testing distributed energy resources (DERs) in compliance with the IEEE 1547-2018 standard and describes a new, integrated testing and…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a new approach to testing distributed energy resources (DERs) in compliance with the IEEE 1547-2018 standard and describes a new, integrated testing and validation system.

Design/methodology/approach

The system is built on the virtual instrumentation paradigm, using acquisition modules to measure physical quantities, while signal processing, including intensive calculations of required parameters, data processing, manipulation and reporting are performed on a computing device.

Findings

Intensive laboratory measurements were performed on a laboratory prototype of a microgrid that emulates DERs. The results obtained using the system described were compared with the measurements obtained by the reference instruments. As all the results match, the usability of the system was verified.

Practical implications

This approach to the realization of the testing and validation system has obvious advantages compared to the classical instruments and provides significant flexibility in multiple aspects. First, the system described integrates all the functions of different instruments into one measuring system, making the entire testing and validation process significantly cheaper and faster. Second, the implementation of the system is possible on different computing platforms depending on specific needs. Third, the software implementation of the system functions enables simple upgrading and the introduction of new functions or changes to existing ones according to changes in the standard. Finally, the system described is designed to automatically provide reports on compliance with the standard.

Originality/value

This paper emphasizes the advantages of the proposed approach over classical testing. The value of the paper is reflected in the applicability and practical implications of the proposed and described hardware and software technical solutions.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering , vol. 42 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 February 2024

Winston T. Su, Zach W.Y. Lee, Xinming He and Tommy K.H. Chan

The global market for cloud gaming is growing rapidly. How gamers evaluate the service quality of this emerging form of cloud service has become a critical issue for both…

209

Abstract

Purpose

The global market for cloud gaming is growing rapidly. How gamers evaluate the service quality of this emerging form of cloud service has become a critical issue for both researchers and practitioners. Building on the literature on service quality and software as a service, this study develops and validates a gamer-centric measurement instrument for cloud gaming service quality.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-step measurement instrument development process, including item generation, scale development and instrument testing, was adopted to conceptualize and operationalize cloud gaming service quality.

Findings

Cloud gaming service quality consists of two second-order constructs of support service quality and technical service quality with seven first-order dimensions, namely rapport, responsiveness, reliability, compatibility, ubiquity, smoothness and comprehensiveness. The instrument exhibits desirable psychometric properties.

Practical implications

Practitioners can use this new measurement instrument to evaluate gamers' perceptions toward their service and to identify areas for improvement.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the service quality literature by utilizing qualitative and quantitative approaches to develop and validate a new measurement instrument of service quality in the context of cloud gaming and by identifying new dimensions (compatibility, ubiquity, smoothness and comprehensiveness) specific to it.

Details

Internet Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 February 2022

Khahan Na-Nan, Busaya Virakul, Montree Piriyakul and Darlene Fern Russ-Eft

This paper aims to develop and test an instrument to measure workplace bullying in the Thai context.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to develop and test an instrument to measure workplace bullying in the Thai context.

Design/methodology/approach

The research has three phases. Phase 1 involved the development of an instrument and constructs/items as well as testing of content validity and reliability. Phase 2 used exploratory factor analysis to identify the appropriate constructs and items to be included in the instrument. Phase 3 consisted of confirmatory factor analyses to confirm that the measurement instrument built in this research is effective for measuring workplace bullying. Data were collected through interviews of experts and stakeholders in human resource (HR), and through online questionnaires completed by 340 HR employees in Thailand.

Findings

Results revealed that workplace bullying can be classified into three types: work-related bullying, personal-related bullying and physical-related bullying. Findings confirmed the constructs using theoretical concepts and empirical evidence with values of χ2 = 120.473, df = 98, p = 0.061, χ2/df = 1.229, goodness of fit index = 0.961, adjusted goodness of fit index = 0.938, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.992, comparative fit index = 0.994 and root mean square error of approximation = 0.026.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study add further knowledge to the field of organizational behaviour and could be valuable for developing management theories regarding building an effective work climate. The three types of workplace bullying (work-related, personal-related and physical-related bullying) can be studied as independent, dependent or mediating variables that can both influence and mediate. Results can be used to explain behavioural aspects of workplace bullying in clear and accurate terms.

Practical implications

The developed instrument can accurately measure levels of workplace bullying behaviours of employees in different organizations with high levels of validity and reliability. Results can be used to develop interventions and guidelines for managing or reducing workplace bullying of employees. The instrument can also be used as a research tool for further studies of bullying behaviour.

Social implications

Diversity, equality and sustainability are characteristics of organizations that have developed an effective and happy work culture. Allowing workplace bullying to occur can negatively affect such a productive organizational climate. Therefore, the research findings have social implications in terms of their ability to monitor workplace, as well as community bullying.

Originality/value

The instrument to measure workplace bullying was developed and improved by blending Western concepts with interview data about workplace bullying behaviours experienced by HR employees in Thailand. The instrument can facilitate the measurement of employee bullying levels in companies and can contribute to future studies of bullying behaviours in organizations or workplaces.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 31 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2023

Kenneth Leithwood, Jingping Sun, Randall Schumacker and Cheng Hua

This study extends research on one of the most frequently cited school leadership frameworks by examining the psychometric properties of the instrument designed to assess many of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study extends research on one of the most frequently cited school leadership frameworks by examining the psychometric properties of the instrument designed to assess many of the practices included in that framework.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data collected from 1,401 teachers the study examined the instrument’s measurement invariance, score reliabilities, as well as construct and predictive validities. Polytomous latent trait models (Many-Facet Rasch model), scale and principal component analysis using second-order Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)-Path modelling were used for these purposes.

Findings

Findings report levels of score reliability and valid score inferences. Results concerning the predictive validity of the instrument indicate a complex set of relations among the domains of leadership practices measured by the instrument, variables selected as mediators of leaders’ influence, and their direct and indirect effects on student learning.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides researchers with a reliable and valid instrument for use in their future research. Data for the study were provided by elementary teachers in one US state. The extent to which results of the instrument are valid across different cultural and organizational settings remains to be determined.

Practical implications

Leadership developers may find the instrument useful for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of those participating in their programs while leaders themselves many find the instrument useful for self-diagnosis.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the development of school leadership measures by including Rasch modeling among the methods used for examining the instrument’s psychometric properties.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 61 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 May 2023

Akilimali Ndatabaye Ephrem and McEdward Murimbika

As good as existing measurements of entrepreneurial potential (EP) may appear in the literature, they are fragmented, suffer from the lack of theory integration and clarity, are…

Abstract

Purpose

As good as existing measurements of entrepreneurial potential (EP) may appear in the literature, they are fragmented, suffer from the lack of theory integration and clarity, are inadequately specified and assessed and the dimensions are unordered by importance. These limitations of EP metrics have hindered entrepreneurial practice and theory advancement. There is a risk of atomistic evolution of the topic among “siloed” scholars and room for repetitions without real progress. The purpose of this paper was to take stock of existing measurements from which the authors developed a new instrument that is brief and inclusive.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors followed several steps to develop and validate the new instrument, including construct domain name specification, literature review, structured interviews with entrepreneurs, face validation by experts, semantic validation and statistical validation after two waves of data collected on employee and entrepreneur samples.

Findings

A clear operational definition of EP is proposed and serves as a starting point towards a unified EP theory. The new EP instrument is made up of 34 items classified into seven dimensions, which in order of importance are proactive innovativeness, management skill, calculated risk-taking, social skill, financial literacy, entrepreneurial competencies prone to cognitive and heuristic biases and bricolage. The authors provide evidence for reliability and validity of the new instrument.

Research limitations/implications

Although a model is not the model, the authors discuss several ways in which the new measurement model can be used by different stakeholders to promote entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

The authors discuss the domain representativeness of the new scale and argue that the literature can meaningfully benefit from a non-fuzzy approach to what makes the EP of an individual. By developing a new EP instrument, the authors set an important pre-condition for advancing entrepreneurial theory and practice.

Details

Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 August 2023

Peyman Badakhshan, Hendrik Scholta, Theresa Schmiedel and Jan vom Brocke

The ten principles of good business process management (BPM) support organizations in planning and scoping the organizations' BPM approach. Derived from literature and expert…

Abstract

Purpose

The ten principles of good business process management (BPM) support organizations in planning and scoping the organizations' BPM approach. Derived from literature and expert panels, the principles received much attention both in research and practice. This article develops a measurement instrument to operationalize the principles and to support organizations in measuring the degree to which they incorporate the principles in their BPM approach, that way advancing their BPM capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors applied the scale-development methodology, because this methodology is an established approach consisting of various techniques to develop measurement instruments. First, the authors used established techniques to develop such an instrument. Then, the authors assessed the validity and reliability of the developed instrument through a field survey with 345 participants.

Findings

The authors developed a valid and reliable measurement instrument for the ten principles of good BPM. The field survey's results reveal that the measurement instrument meets all required methodological standards. The instrument, thus, can be applied to help process owners and managers to evaluate their BPM approach and plan future actions based on potential shortcomings. Future research can both use and further develop the instrument, which serves as a conceptualization of the principles.

Originality/value

This study is the first to provide a measurement instrument for assessing an organizations' BPM practice against the ten principles of good BPM, which have become established as a much-considered and widely-used source of reference both in academia and practice. The authors also discuss how the instrument compares to and distinguishes from existing approaches to qualify BPM approaches, thus communicating the significance of the instrument.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 29 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 September 2023

Maryam Nasser Al-Nuaimi

Despite the ever-increasing importance of cultivating information, communication and technology literacy skills among college students, they have yet to be related to…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite the ever-increasing importance of cultivating information, communication and technology literacy skills among college students, they have yet to be related to comprehensive measuring instruments. A glance at the empirical literature reveals that most pertinent scales have been confined to measuring Internet literacy skills, whereas educators in the 21st century advocate an inclusive conceptualization of ICT literacy. Such a comprehensive conceptualization embodies technical, critical, cognitive and emotional competencies. Additionally, more empirical evidence is needed to indicate gaps in testing measurement invariance of ICT literacy scales across genders or cultures. To that end, the current study aims to adapt and cross-validate an ICT literacy self-efficacy scale across gender by testing the measurement invariance using a multiple-sampling confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA). Furthermore, the current study aims to verify the ICT literacy self-efficacy scale's psychometric properties to establish its construct validity and understand the scale's underlying factorial structure.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study has administered the scale to a cross-sectional sample of 3560 undergraduate students enrolled in six universities in the Sultanate of Oman.

Findings

The results have revealed that the ICT literacy self-efficacy exhibits satisfactory indices of construct validity. On the other hand, the results of MCFA demonstrate that the differences in the goodness of fit indices between the nested models and the baseline model were below the cut-off criterion of 0.01, indicating invariance. Therefore, the scale has proved to be amenable for comparing genders on their ICT literacy self-efficacy using an one-way multivariate analysis of variance.

Originality/value

The study has several implications for research and pedagogical practices. The study provides empirical evidence for establishing ICT literacy self-efficacy as a distinct high-domain construct of task-specific self-efficacy beliefs.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 January 2024

Yifan Shi, Yuan Wang, Xiaozhou Liu and Ping Wang

Straightness measurement of rail weld joint is of essential importance to railway maintenance. Due to the lack of efficient measurement equipment, there has been limited in-depth…

Abstract

Purpose

Straightness measurement of rail weld joint is of essential importance to railway maintenance. Due to the lack of efficient measurement equipment, there has been limited in-depth research on rail weld joint with a 5-m wavelength range, leaving a significant knowledge gap in this field.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the authors used the well-established inertial reference method (IR-method), and the state-of-the-art multi-point chord reference method (MCR-method). Two methods have been applied in different types of rail straightness measurement trollies, respectively. These instruments were tested in a high-speed rail section within a certain region of China. The test results were ultimately validated through using traditional straightedge and feeler gauge methods as reference data to evaluate the rail weld joint straightness within the 5-m wavelength range.

Findings

The research reveals that IR-method and MCR-method produce reasonably similar measurement results for wavelengths below 1 m. However, MCR-method outperforms IR-method in terms of accuracy for wavelengths exceeding 3 m. Furthermore, it was observed that IR-method, while operating at a slower speed, carries the risk of derailing and is incapable of detecting rail weld joints and low joints within the track.

Originality/value

The research compare two methods’ measurement effects in a longer wavelength range and demonstrate the superiority of MCR-method.

Article
Publication date: 18 April 2023

Matthias Reiser, Patrick Beau, Gregor Patzer and Matthias Niessner

Environmentally friendly products are finding a place in everyday lives more frequently, like bamboo toothbrushes. However, the authors find no statement from consumer protection…

Abstract

Purpose

Environmentally friendly products are finding a place in everyday lives more frequently, like bamboo toothbrushes. However, the authors find no statement from consumer protection centers about their impact on the human well-being or dental health in daily use. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the tribological parameters between tooth, toothpaste and toothbrush laboratory tests with a focus on abrasive wear.

Design/methodology/approach

The real-world system was systematically transferred to a laboratory scale, which was implemented to a Schwing-Reib-Verschleiß tribometer tribometer (Optimol Instruments). For an abstraction of the real-world system, as many components of the original tribosystem as possible were retained. In addition, the abstraction was selected so that the method could be transferred to other tribometers. For the evaluation of the test subjects, an optical measurement method was developed to investigate the forms of wear.

Findings

Based on eight test series, it is possible to differentiate between the tribological partners by the wear results. With the help of the measurement method, it will be possible to recommend the use of sustainable oral hygiene products for everyone in everyday life in future. According to the findings, the use of low-cost toothbrushes and highly abrasive toothpaste should be avoided. The effects of an aggressive brushing technique cannot be compensated by gentle toothbrushes and toothpastes.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first approach to investigate the wear behavior of tooth–toothpaste–toothbrush while substitute the tooth with dental gypsum. The approach is relevant for developing screening tests with high respect to transferability to the real-world application.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-11-2022-0339/

Details

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, vol. 75 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0036-8792

Keywords

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