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1 – 10 of 11
Article
Publication date: 4 January 2024

Shekwoyemi Gbako, Dimitrios Paraskevadakis, Jun Ren, Jin Wang and Zoran Radmilovic

Inland shipping has been extensively recognised as a sustainable, efficient and good alternative to rail and road modes of transportation. In recent years, various authorities and…

Abstract

Purpose

Inland shipping has been extensively recognised as a sustainable, efficient and good alternative to rail and road modes of transportation. In recent years, various authorities and academic researchers have advocated shifting from road to other sustainable modes like inland waterway transport (IWT) or rail transport. Academic work on modernisation and technological innovations to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of waterborne transportation is becoming apparent as a growing body of literature caused by the need to achieve a sustainable transport system. Thus, it became apparent to explore the research trends on IWT.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic and structured literature review study was employed in this paper to identify the challenges and concepts in modernising inland waterways for freight transportation. The review analysed 94 articles published in 54 journals from six well-known databases between 2010 and 2022.

Findings

The key findings of this review are that despite various challenges confronting the sector, there have been successful cases of technological advancement in the industry. The main interest among scholars is improving technical and economic performance, digitalisation, and safety and environmental issues. The review revealed that most of the literature is fragmented despite growing interest from practitioners and academic scholars. Academic research to address the strategic objectives, including strengthening competitiveness (shipbuilding, hydrodynamics, incorporating artificial intelligence into the decision-making process, adopting blockchain technology to ensure transparency and security in the transactions, new technologies for fleets adaptation to climate change, more effective handling, maintenance and rehabilitation technologies), matching growth and changing trade patterns (intermodal solutions and new logistics approaches) are major causes of concerns.

Originality/value

By employing the approach of reviewing previously available literature on IWT review papers, this review complements the existing body of literature in the field of IWT by providing in a single paper a consolidation of recent state-of-the-art research on technological developments and challenges for inland waterways freight transport in the intermodal supply chain that can act as a single resource to keep researchers up to date with the most recent advancements in research in the domain of inland waterway freight transport. Additionally, this review identified gaps in the literature that may inspire new research themes in the field of IWT.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 March 2024

Camille J. Mora, Arunima Malik, Sruthi Shanmuga and Baljit Sidhu

Businesses are increasingly vulnerable and exposed to physical climate change risks, which can cascade through local, national and international supply chains. Currently, few…

Abstract

Purpose

Businesses are increasingly vulnerable and exposed to physical climate change risks, which can cascade through local, national and international supply chains. Currently, few methodologies can capture how physical risks impact businesses via the supply chains, yet outside the business literature, methodologies such as sustainability assessments can assess cascading impacts.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a scoping review framework by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR), this paper reviews 27 articles that assess climate risk in supply chains.

Findings

The literature on supply chain risks of climate change using quantitative techniques is limited. Our review confirms that no research adopts sustainability assessment methods to assess climate risk at a business-level.

Originality/value

Alongside the need to quantify physical risks to businesses is the growing awareness that climate change impacts traverse global supply chains. We review the state of the literature on methodological approaches and identify the opportunities for researchers to use sustainability assessment methods to assess climate risk in the supply chains of an individual business.

Details

Journal of Accounting Literature, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-4607

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 October 2023

Michael Rothgang and Bernhard Lageman

This study, a conceptual paper, aims an answer the question, how significant cluster ambidexterity is for the resilience of individual clusters.

Abstract

Purpose

This study, a conceptual paper, aims an answer the question, how significant cluster ambidexterity is for the resilience of individual clusters.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw up an abductive synopsis of empirical information and relevant theoretical sources. A case study is used to illustrate some of the findings.

Findings

The results of the analysis show that the ambidexterity of a cluster can contribute to its resilience when adverse external developments arise. Ambidexterity proves to be simultaneously a common strategy of key cluster actors and a mechanism for coping with critical situations and developments that can be activated by the cluster actors and may – eventually – lead to cluster resilience. While ambidexterity does not guarantee cluster survival, it can contribute significantly to their economic resilience under adverse conditions.

Research limitations/implications

The concept is developed on a limited empirical basis and would need to be tested and deepened by comparing a wide range of case studies from different clusters.

Practical implications

A better understanding of the importance of ambidexterity for the development of industrial clusters contributes to a better fine-tuning of cluster support policies.

Originality/value

Ambidexterity as a concept originating from business administration has so far only been rudimentarily tapped for empirical and theoretical cluster research. The paper identifies and develops a path how this could be accomplished to a greater extent in the future.

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 August 2023

Dandi Merga Gutema, Sukrit Pant and Shahrokh Nikou

The global landscape of higher education has witnessed a steady increase in the mobility of international students, as more individuals seek diverse academic experiences and…

3543

Abstract

Purpose

The global landscape of higher education has witnessed a steady increase in the mobility of international students, as more individuals seek diverse academic experiences and cross-cultural learning opportunities. This paper conducts a systematic literature review to investigate trends, research directions and key themes in the literature. By utilising the push–pull factor model the aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing international students' choices to pursue higher education and future career opportunities abroad.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review approach was applied. The selection was made using PRISMA framework-based inclusion and exclusion criteria. The review includes 43 publications from 2010 to 2022.

Findings

The review results revealed five themes of scholarly conversations labelled as (1) betterment of life, (2) policy of the host country, (3) role of institutions, (4) return to home country and (5) social, economic, environmental, individual and cultural factors. The findings emphasise on the significance of factors such as the quality of education, visa requirements, academic reputation, tuition fees, availability of scholarships, job opportunities, social, economic, environmental, individual and cultural factors. The paper also identifies language barriers, visa policies and social integration difficulties as major barriers to international students' stay in the host country after graduation.

Originality/value

This research enhances the current body of literature by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the empirical evidence available in literature that investigates the mobility of international students. The outcomes of this study will make a valuable contribution towards developing a more profound comprehension of the primary factors that influence international students' decision to pursue their education abroad.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2024

Sara Maia, José Pedro Teixeira Domingues, Maria Leonilde R. Rocha Varela and Luis Miguel Fonseca

The focus of this research is to investigate if user-generated content (UGC) generated in the Booking platform can support quality management improvement within the hospitality…

Abstract

Purpose

The focus of this research is to investigate if user-generated content (UGC) generated in the Booking platform can support quality management improvement within the hospitality industry by increasing customer satisfaction and eliminating defects more efficiently. Hence, it contributes to understanding how data-driven companies can rely on customer data to focus on innovation and performance improvement to meet customer requirements, eliminate defects and increase customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Following the literature review, information was collected from the digital platform Booking, encompassing 15 hotel industry companies in Portugal Porto and Braga regions, selected due to their high number of customer reviews. This data was organized and categorized, eliminating all unnecessary information for the research and building an Excel database. The database was subsequently analysed with SPSS and Voyant software, performing statistical analysis, hypothesis testing and text-mining techniques to analyse the comments. After these analyses, applying quality tools allowed for more in-depth conclusions.

Findings

The research results highlight that customers' most relevant requirements in the Portuguese hospitality industry are breakfast, parking and a swimming pool. It was also possible to realize that the location is an attractive requirement, the bathroom is a must-be requirement and breakfast is a performance requirement. The results also allowed us to answer the most critical research question: “Is user-generated content a valuable aid to quality?” the answer is yes since it was possible to use the data to find improvements and faults/failures in the services.

Originality/value

The results of this study represent an essential step towards a complete understanding of how to take advantage of UGC within the hospitality industry by establishing a solid base of techniques, methods and quality tools for UGC analysis that can be applied in future research on different industry sectors.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 April 2024

Jui-Chung Kao, Hsiang-Yu Ma, Kao Rui-Hsin and Cheng-Chung Cho

The rise of communication software has changed our work style. The objectives of this study are: (1) to explore the effect of supervisors making after-hours work requests using…

Abstract

Purpose

The rise of communication software has changed our work style. The objectives of this study are: (1) to explore the effect of supervisors making after-hours work requests using communication software (SWRUCS) on employees’ job stress, quality of life and (2) to examine the moderating effect of personality traits and the cross-level contextual effect of social support.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain information from 357 employees.

Findings

The results suggested that SWRUCS exacerbated job stress, which negatively impacted on quality of life and well-being. Moreover, different personality traits can either increase or decrease the positive or negative effect of SWRUCS on job stress. This study also revealed that social support can reduce employees’ job stress in a cross-level fashion. Furthermore, social support, especially organizational and supervisory support, can decrease the negative effect of job stress on employees’ quality of life and well-being.

Originality/value

Theoretically, this study has broadened the research scope of the organizational application of communication software, and practically, this study has demonstrated the reason why organizations should provide social support and select employees with suitable personality traits.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 December 2023

Naveen Virmani, Manas Upadhyay, Sunil Luthra, Sanjeet Singh and Arvind Upadhyay

The industrial revolution changed the market landscape significantly in all industrial sectors. It has a noteworthy impact on enhancing the quality of goods and services. The…

Abstract

Purpose

The industrial revolution changed the market landscape significantly in all industrial sectors. It has a noteworthy impact on enhancing the quality of goods and services. The quality aspect is of utmost concern and determines the success or failure of any product. Therefore, the presented study analyses the key barriers and solutions of Quality 4.0.

Design/methodology/approach

Twenty barriers and fifteen solutions were identified using a literature review and investigated using a hybrid approach. Barrier weights were evaluated with the help of the fuzzy AHP method. Furthermore, the computed weights were used to perform computations in the next step using fuzzy-TOPSIS to prioritize the ranking of identified solutions.

Findings

The research results show that “Lack of applying advanced analytics to uncover Quality 4.0 initiatives” and “Lack of integrating data from various sources across the organization” are the topmost barriers. Furthermore, “Implement a leadership development program focused on Quality 4.0” and “Cross-departmental peer learning environment” are the topmost solutions.

Practical implications

Managers and industrialists can benefit from Quality 4.0 through improved decision-making, process efficiency, supply chain collaboration, agile quality management, enhanced customer experience and a culture of continuous improvement. This results in better quality, operational effectiveness and a competitive edge.

Originality/value

The solutions need to be mapped with barriers to adopting Quality 4.0. Furthermore, the research results involve novelty by prioritizing the solutions to overcome the anticipated barriers.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 November 2023

Vaishnavi Pandey, Anirbid Sircar, Kriti Yadav and Namrata Bist

This paper aims to conduct a detailed analysis of the industrial practices currently being used in the geothermal energy industry and to determine whether they are contributing to…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to conduct a detailed analysis of the industrial practices currently being used in the geothermal energy industry and to determine whether they are contributing to any limitations. A HAZOP-based upgradation model for improvement in existing industrial practices is proposed to ensure the removal of inefficient conventional practices. The HAZOP-based upgradation model examines the setbacks, identifies its causes and consequences and suggests improvement methods comprising of modern-day technology.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposed a HAZOP-based upgradation model for improvement in existing industrial practices. The proposed HAZOP model identifies the drawbacks brought on by conventional practices and suggests improvements.

Findings

The study reviewed the challenges geothermal power plants currently face due to conventional practices and suggested a total of 22 upgradation recommendations. From those, a total of 11 upgradation modules comprising modern digital technology and Industry 4.0 elements were proposed to improve the existing practices in the geothermal energy industry. Autonomous robots, augmented reality, machine learning and Internet of Things were identified as useful methods for the upgradation of the existing geothermal energy system.

Research limitations/implications

If proposed recommendations are incorporated, the efficiency of geothermal energy generation will increase as cumulating setbacks will no longer degrade the work output.

Practical implications

The proposed recommendation by the study will make way for Industry 4.0 integration with the geothermal energy sector.

Originality/value

The paper uses a proposed HAZOP-based upgradation model to review issues in existing industrial practices of the geothermal energy sector and recommends solutions to overcome operability issues using Industry 4.0 technologies.

Details

International Journal of Energy Sector Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6220

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 April 2024

Nabil Amara and Mehdi Rhaiem

This article explores whether six broad categories of activities undertaken by Canadian business scholars’ academics: publications record, citations record, teaching load…

Abstract

Purpose

This article explores whether six broad categories of activities undertaken by Canadian business scholars’ academics: publications record, citations record, teaching load, administrative load, consulting activities, and knowledge spillovers transfer, are complementary, substitute, or independent, as well as the conditions under which complementarities, substitution and independence among these activities are likely to occur.

Design/methodology/approach

A multivariate probit model is estimated to take into account that business scholars have to consider simultaneously whether or not to undertake many different academic activities. Metrics from Google Scholar of scholars from 35 Canadian business schools, augmented by a survey data on factors explaining the productivity and impact performances of these faculty members, are used to explain the heterogeneities between the determinants of these activities.

Findings

Overall, the results reveal that there are complementarities between publications and citations, publications and knowledge spillovers transfer, citations and consulting, and between consulting and knowledge spillovers transfer. The results also suggest that there are substitution effects between publications and teaching, publications and administrative load, citations and teaching load, and teaching load and administrative load. Moreover, results show that public and private funding, business schools’ reputation, scholar’s relational resources, and business school size are among the most influential variables on the scholar’s portfolio of activities.

Originality/value

This study considers simultaneously the scholar’s whole portfolio of activities. Moreover, the determinants considered in this study to explain scholars’ engagement in different activities reconcile two conflicting perspectives: (1) the traditional self-managed approach of academics, and (2) the outcomes-focused approach of university management.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 November 2023

Sayed Arash Hosseini Sabzevari, Haleh Mehdipour and Fereshteh Aslani

Golestan province in the northern part of Iran has been affected by devastating floods. There has been a significant change in the pattern of rainfall in Golestan province based…

Abstract

Purpose

Golestan province in the northern part of Iran has been affected by devastating floods. There has been a significant change in the pattern of rainfall in Golestan province based on an analysis of the seven heaviest rainfall events in recent decades. Climate change appears to be a significant contributing factor to destructive floods. Thus, this paper aims to assess the susceptibility of this area to flash floods in case of heavy downpours.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a variety of computational approaches. Following the collection of data, spatial analyses have been conducted and validated. The layers of information are then weighted, and a final risk map is created. Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process, geographic information system and frequency ratio have been used for data analysis. In the final step, a flood risk map is prepared and discussed.

Findings

Due to the complex interaction between thermal fluctuations and precipitation, the situation in the area is further complicated by climate change and the variations in its patterns and intensities. According to the study results, coastal areas of the Caspian Sea, the Gorganrood Basin and the southern regions of the province are predicted to experience flash floods in the future. The research criteria are generalizable and can be used for decision-making in areas exposed to flash flood risk.

Originality/value

The unique feature of this paper is that it evaluates flash flood risks and predicts flood-prone areas in the northern part of Iran. Furthermore, some interventions (e.g. remapping land use and urban zoning) are provided based on the socioeconomic characteristics of the region to reduce flood risk. Based on the generated risk map, a practical suggestion would be to install and operate an integrated rapid flood warning system in high-risk zones.

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

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