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This paper aims to present an improvement to the power quality of the grid by using a colliding body optimization (CBO) based proportional-integral (PI) compensated design for a grid-connected solar photovoltaic-fed brushless DC motor (BLDC)-driven water pumping system with a bidirectional power flow control. The system with bidirectional power flow allows driving the pump at full proportions uninterruptedly irrespective of the weather conditions and feeding a grid when water pumping is not required.

Here, power quality issue is taken care of by the optimal generation of the duty cycle of the voltage source converter. The duty cycle is optimally generated by optimal selection of the gains of the current controller (i.e. PI), with the CBO technique resulting in a nearly unity power factor as well as lower total harmonic distortion (THD) of input current. In the CBO technique, the gains of the PI controller are considered as agents and collide with each other to obtain the best value. The system is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink and validated in real time with OPAL RT simulator, OP5700.

It was found that the power quality of grid using the CBO technique has improved much better than the particle swarm optimization and Zeigler–Nichols approach. The bidirectional flow of control of VSC allowed for optimum resource utilization and full capacity of water pumping whatever may be weather conditions.

Improved power quality of grid by optimally generation of the duty cycle for the proposed system. A unit vector tamplate generation technique is used for bidirectional power transfer.

This paper applies a stakeholder salience theoretical framework to facilitate the understanding of the roles salient stakeholders can have in the integration of education for sustainable development, one of the important Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), into Jordan’s university accounting education.

We used stakeholder salience theory to inform our study. This study adopted a qualitative research method. The study used semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative, open-ended data that explored the salient stakeholders’ thoughts, beliefs and feelings about their roles in influencing the integration of education for sustainable development into the Jordanian accounting curriculum.

The results indicate that education for sustainable development in accounting is important; however, most Jordanian salient stakeholders indicate their inability to integrate sustainable education into the accounting curriculum due to their lack of power to do so. The findings show that there is currently an inappropriate distribution of power, legitimacy and urgency amongst the salient stakeholders, who indicate that a progressive education solution is required in the critical area of education for sustainable development in accounting. This research indicates that a significant number of salient stakeholders would like the Jordanian government to provide power, legitimacy and urgency to enable accounting educators to become definite stakeholders as this will enable them to integrate sustainable education into the accounting curriculum.

The study is limited to Jordan only. The paper draws attention to the need for an appropriate distribution of power, legitimacy and urgency amongst salient stakeholders in Jordan.

This paper provides evidence that the salient stakeholders in this emerging economy want to make changes in their education system to address climate change concerns, an important SDG, through a better education curriculum for sustainable development in Jordanian universities.

Accounting educators should be given the power to make changes in the accounting curriculum, such as integrating education for sustainable development.

There is an inappropriate distribution of power, legitimacy and urgency amongst the Jordanian salient stakeholders and this imbalance hinders the integration of education for sustainable development into the accounting curriculum.

Quality failures in grid infrastructure construction would cause large-scale collapses in power supply and additional expenditures by reworks and repairs. Learning from quality failures (LFQF) extracts experience from previous quality events and converts them into preventive measures to reduce or eliminate future construction quality issues. This study aims to investigate the influence factors of LFQF in the construction of grid infrastructure.

The related factors of LFQF, including quality management (QM) practices, quality rectification, and individual learning, were identified by reviewing literature about organizational learning and extracting experience from previous failures. A questionnaire survey was distributed to the grid companies in North, Northeast, Northwest, East, Central, and Southwest China. 381 valid responses collected and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the influence of these factors on LFQF.

The SEM results support that QM practices positively affect individual learning and LFQF. Quality rectification indirectly impacts LFQF via individual learning, while the results did not support the direct link between quality rectification and LFQF.

The findings strengthen practical insights into extracting experience from poor-quality issues and continuous improvement. The contributory factors of LFQF found in this study benefit the practitioners by taking effective measures to enhance organizational learning capability and improve the long-term construction quality performance in the grid infrastructure industry.

Existing research about the application of LFQF still stays at the explorative and conceptual stage. This study investigates the related factors of LFQF, including QM practices, quality rectification, and individual learning, extending the model development of learning from failures (LFF) in construction QM.

Globalization and increased outsourcing have contributed to increased supply chain complexity, exposing firms to greater vulnerability in the areas of product safety and supply chain security. Meanwhile, stakeholders pressure firms to ensure that their products are safe, and their supply chains are secure. Drawing from stakeholder theory, this paper aims to explore how the supply chain characteristics of distance and power affect the adoption of consumer protection (CP) practices, which ensure product safety and supply chain security.

Using primary survey data from a sample of Canadian manufacturing firms, this research examines the relationships among supply chain characteristics, adoption of CP practices and firm performance.

Analysis supported the use of two practices related to product safety (consumer education and product design) and three practices for supply chain security (packaging, tracking and authenticity). Greater cultural distance between the focal firm and its suppliers was positively associated with investments in safer design practices, while increased geographical distance between the focal firm and the customer was significantly related to increased consumer education. Moreover, as power of a focal firm relative to its suppliers increased, so too did investments in supply chain security. Finally, CP practices were related to improved operational performance along multiple dimensions.

This research focuses on the critical role of two key stakeholder groups in improving product safety and supply chain security: suppliers and customers. The authors add to the theoretical discussion of product safety and supply chain security by identifying critical differences between suppliers and customers for the focal firm. Second, the research informs the managerial community of the potential benefits of investments in CP practices.

The UAE has set an ambitious target to become one of the most sustainable countries in the world. In addition, the country's infrastructure is playing a pivotal role in terms of electric vehicle (EV) usability with regard to its roads, power generation capacity, availability of charging stations and the drive towards customer adoption. The readiness for EVs in the UAE is assessed in this study as part of its development towards its sustainable target. This research aims to study EV readiness among the UAE car users from a sustainability perspective.

The proposed methodology follows with a comprehensive literature review to identify the various drivers of EV readiness and their contribution to sustainability. A list of hypotheses was developed based on the identified drivers to EV readiness. A questionnaire survey was designed to validate the hypothesis, and data were collected from consumers in the UAE. In total, 140 complete responses were received across different consumers and the results were studied using partial least square based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method.

An initial framework for EV readiness was developed, and analyses of the variables that are driving the relationships was done. The analysis confirmed that quality of service, power quality and infrastructure are positively linked to EV readiness in the UAE. However, the role of blockchain as a moderator to enhance the relationship between power quality, infrastructure and sustainability is not significant, indicating blockchain adoption in the UAE is still nascent in nature. However, its adoption has some potential to save energy.

The research is limited to the UAE region in terms of sample collection and respondents' profile. Further, research on EV readiness seemed to be early at present and therefore this research on EV readiness and its associated variables could set future research directions.

Logistics industry and automotive industries will benefit from the outcomes of the study especially while operating in the UAE. Also, the research recommends EV makers to understand the relationship between quality of service, power quality, infrastructure, EV readiness and sustainability in order to move towards a more sustainable transportation future.

The purpose of this study is to provide the enhancement of power quality of a high power-rated voltage source inverter driven induction motor with a three-phase, three-level neutral point clamped converter placed at the front end, while a passive power filter is connected in shunt with it. The improvement in power quality can be achieved by reducing the total harmonic distortion in source current. The controllers were designed for the linearization of the high-power induction motor drive. A control method is presented for the regulation of the common DC-link voltage.

The induction motor is modeled using its dynamic equations, and a decoupling controller is designed to linearize the nonlinear dynamics of the drive through feedback. The common DC-link voltage of the proposed front-end connected converter is monitored and controlled through a control method which feeds the pulse width modulated inverter that drives the induction motor. A passive power filter is designed to meet the reactive power requirement of the system in addition to improve the power quality.

Simulations were carried out for the proposed topology of the drive mechanism, and the outcomes were analyzed by a comparative analysis of the drive system both in the presence of the passive filter as well as in the absence of the filter. The total harmonic distortion is found to be reduced enough to meet the standards with the designed filter, and the reactive power is also compensated considerably. The input power factor at the supply side is maintained almost to unity, and the DC-link voltage of the proposed circuit topology is maintained at the desired level. The overall performance of the drive system was found to be useful and economical.

A new topology of a front-end connected three-level neutral point clamped converter to a high power-rated induction motor drive is proposed. The drive is fed by a pulse width modulated inverter with a common DC-link with the front end connected converter. A passive filter is designed with respect to the reactive power requirement of the system and connected in shunt to the converter at the supply side. Control schemes are designed and used for the drive system and also for the regulation of the common DC-link voltage of the proposed front end connected converter.

The purpose of this study is to determine the interactions between factors such as organizational learning, feedback about errors, punitive response to errors and communication quality in hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Colombia when adopting a culture of quality and safety (CQS) in patient care.

Based on a literature review, a self-administered questionnaire was developed and used to collect data from 417 Saudi respondents affiliated with hospitals and 483 Colombian respondents at the beginning of the pandemic. Structural equation modeling is used in this study to test the hypothesized relationships.

The results show a solid and significant predictive relationship between feedback about errors and the CQS in both countries (Colombia: b = 0.55, p < 0.001; KSA: b = 0.44, p < 0.001), but a very low and insignificant predictive relationship between no punitive response to errors and CQS (Colombia: b = –0.02, p > 0.05; KSA: b = 0.05, p > 0.05).

This study demonstrates the importance of organizational learning in fostering a CQS in the health-care sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Colombia. Recent unprecedented policy actions motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as social distancing, lockdowns and safety practices enforcement, have further highlighted this concern. Moreover, attention to the dimensions addressed in this study is required for accreditation purposes in organizations seeking to promote a CQS. Overall, this research highlights the vital role of safety and quality practices among health-care organizations, which has significant policy implications, especially in the current period of high uncertainty.

This paper contributes to the theory and practice in the health-care sector by extending the current knowledge of the impact of the quality of communications, non-punitive response to errors and feedback about errors in organizational learning and safety culture, and by presenting a novel, quantitative methodology seldom used for these topics.

This study aims to contribute to discussions on peace between hostile nonmajor powers by focusing on the behavior of major powers. Specifically, alliances between nonmajor and major powers are explored to determine whether such ties contribute to transitions to higher levels of peace. Moreover, systemic factors involving power dynamics and relationships between major powers are also evaluated.

Multiple data sets which altogether covered the era from 1816 to 2010 were analyzed. All pairs of countries that were former foes were considered. Cox hazard regression was conducted.

Systemic instability is influential at transitions from lowest levels of peace for nonmajor power dyads. Eras where major powers are operating multilaterally appear to play a highly limited role in nonmajor powers attaining stable peace. However, alliances with major powers are relatively more crucial in these discussions for nonmajor powers and contribute to higher levels of peace being attained by nonmajor powers.

Further research in particular with case studies can help to elucidate and extend the statistical findings.

Based on the findings, the design and operations of alliances can create more space to hear a wider range of issues that allies can be facing.

While major powers clearly have considerable capacity and global outreach, there has been little attention to whether and how they contribute to former foes attaining higher quality of peace.

The objective of this study is to examine developments in the discursive practice of non-financial reporting in the public healthcare sector. In doing so, the authors investigate how the main reform foci of productivity and quality are represented, with a specific focus on the patient.

Drawing on critical discourse analysis (CDA), the authors conduct a longitudinal study (2007–2018) of healthcare reporting foci across the five administrative regions responsible for public hospitals in Denmark. The study analyses sixty annual reports and draws on contemporary reform documents over this period. CDA enables a micro-textual analysis, combined with macro-insights and discussions on social practice.

The findings show complex webs of presentation strategies, but in particular two changes occur during the period. First, the patient is centred throughout but the framing changes from productivity and waiting lists to quality and dialogue. Second, in the first years, the regions present themselves as actively highlighting financial and quality concerns, which changes to a passive and indirect form of presentation steered by indicators and patient legislation enforced by central government. This enhances passivity and distance in healthcare regional non-financial reporting where the regions seek to conform to such demands. Simultaneously, however, the authors find a tendency to highlight very different local initiatives, which shows an attempt to go beyond a pure automatic mode of reporting found in earlier studies.

Responding to the literature on both healthcare and financial reporting, this study identifies novel links between micro-level texts and macro-level social practices, enabling insights into the potentially intertwined impacts of public-sector reporting. The authors offer insights into the complexity of the construction of non-financial reporting in the public sector, which has a wider impact and different intentions than private-sector reporting.