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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Aleksandra Wąsowska and Krzysztof Obłój

We wanted to find out how infant multinationals originating from Poland enact opportunities in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries.

Abstract

Purpose

We wanted to find out how infant multinationals originating from Poland enact opportunities in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted a comparative case study of four Polish firms operating in SSA.

Findings

We found that when entering SSA, studied firms employed effectual decision-making logic. Thus, their internationalization was means-driven, serendipitous, partnership-oriented, based on the “affordable loss” principle and focused on shaping opportunities in SSA, rather than predicting, analyzing and planning any firm-specific assets or capabilities.

Originality/value

We illuminated the nature of the means employed in effectual internationalization and the role of partners (“effectual stakeholders”) in this process. Thus, we contribute to a deeper understanding of how infant multinationals navigate extreme uncertainty in the emerging SSA markets.

Details

Central European Management Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2658-0845

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 8 April 2024

Petr David

Road transport is an important sector of the economy, however, its negative impacts on the environment, human health and sustainability of potential economic growth are…

Abstract

Road transport is an important sector of the economy, however, its negative impacts on the environment, human health and sustainability of potential economic growth are significant. Transport externalities tend to be neglected within the market process. The damage generated through significant externalities of road transport in Czechia was identified, based on unique data processing, to reach almost 3.5 billion € annually. This chapter presents an overview of internalization taxes and fees, their current rates and generated receipts. If excise duty is disregarded as fundamentally unsuitable for the internalization of externalities, then the receipts from other applied taxes and fees, particularly the road tax, seem to be insufficient. Although economic growth is encouraged, its form is not sustainable in view of the rising phase of the Kuznets curve and the related irreversible environmental impacts.

Details

Modeling Economic Growth in Contemporary Czechia
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-841-6

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2022

Zihao Zheng, Yuanqi Li and Jaume Torres

This paper aims to propose a generative design method combined with meta-heuristic algorithm for automating and optimizing the floor layout of modular buildings using typical…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a generative design method combined with meta-heuristic algorithm for automating and optimizing the floor layout of modular buildings using typical standardized module units, which are the room module, the corridor module and the stair module.

Design/methodology/approach

The integrated framework involves the generative design method and optimization for modular construction. The generative rules are provided by geometric relationships and functionalities of the module units. An evaluation function of the generated floor plans is also presented by the combination of project cost and cost penalties for the geometric features. The multi-population genetic algorithm (MPGA) method is provided for the optimization of the combination of costs.

Findings

The proposed MPGA method is demonstrated fast and efficient at discovering the globally optimal solution. The results indicate that when the unit price of modules is high, the transportation distance is long, or the land cost is high, the layout cost, which related to the symmetry, the compactness and the energy is tend to be lower, making the optimal layout economical.

Originality/value

This paper presented an integrated framework of generative floor layout and optimization for modular construction by using typical module units. It fulfills the need for automated layout generation with repetitive units and corresponding assessment during the early design stage.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 31 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Colleen Fitzpatrick and Adam Friedman

This study explores how one novice teacher navigated his first-year teaching sixth-grade social studies.

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores how one novice teacher navigated his first-year teaching sixth-grade social studies.

Design/methodology/approach

One-sixth grade novice teacher was observed during his unit on the Islamic Empire. The teacher was interviewed before the unit began to understand his approach to combating Islamophobia and interviewed again after the unit so he could reflect on the unit and discuss if he believed he had accomplished his original goal. Classroom artifacts (handouts, slide decks, etc.) were collected.

Findings

The findings highlight the various forces that impacted the decisions the teacher made in the classroom. Lack of support from administration and various colleagues left the teacher feeling overwhelmed and unable to accomplish his goals. While the teacher started the unit with a clear purpose for teaching against Islamophobia, he ultimately taught a unit where students memorized discrete pieces of information.

Originality/value

This study adds to previous research on the need for providing administrative support for novice teachers to be able to teach in ambitious ways by highlighting the numerous shortcomings.

Details

Social Studies Research and Practice, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1933-5415

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 March 2024

Di Cheng, Yuqing Wen, Zhiqiang Guo, Xiaoyi Hu, Pengsong Wang and Zhikun Song

This paper aims to obtain the evolution law of dynamic performance of CR400BF electric multiple unit (EMU).

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to obtain the evolution law of dynamic performance of CR400BF electric multiple unit (EMU).

Design/methodology/approach

Using the dynamic simulation based on field test, stiffness of rotary arm nodes and damping coefficient of anti-hunting dampers were tested. Stiffness, damping coefficient, friction coefficient, track gauge were taken as random variables, the stochastic dynamics simulation method was constructed and applied to research the evolution law with running mileage of dynamic index of CR400BF EMU.

Findings

The results showed that stiffness and damping coefficient subjected to normal distribution, the mean and variance were computed and the evolution law of stiffness and damping coefficient with running mileage was obtained.

Originality/value

Firstly, based on the field test we found that stiffness of rotary arm nodes and damping coefficient of anti-hunting dampers subjected to normal distribution, and the evolution law of stiffness and damping coefficient with running mileage was proposed. Secondly stiffness, damping coefficient, friction coefficient, track gauge were taken as random variables, the stochastic dynamics simulation method was constructed and applied to the research to the evolution law with running mileage of dynamic index of CR400BF EMU.

Details

Railway Sciences, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2755-0907

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 January 2024

Gritiya Rattanakantadilok

The present article seeks to further the analysis by examining the epitext employed by the press seeing as the epitext in the digital spaces might have given Animal Farm and its…

Abstract

Purpose

The present article seeks to further the analysis by examining the epitext employed by the press seeing as the epitext in the digital spaces might have given Animal Farm and its Thai re-translations a new lease on life.

Design/methodology/approach

The interest in the study of translation and paratext has primarily been in analysing peritextual material of translated texts, not on the epitext, the distanced elements located outside the book. To add to a limited amount of research into epitext, this study focusses on the element that is external to the published re-translations: the news items published by the media in the Thai and English languages from May–June 2019, immediately after the Thai PM’s book recommendation.

Findings

These news items, as an epitextual element, primed, explained, contextualised, justified and tempted readers. The “Afterlife” of Animal Farm in Thailand is sustained by political upheavals and re-translations. Rather than through their textual qualities, the re-translations of Animal Farm compete with each other through epitext.

Originality/value

In discussing literary re-translation of Animal Farm in the digital age, Genette’s categories of paratextual field are not without their merits. The materials examined in this article are posted by web administrators with collective identity or institutional affiliation. In some of these news items or articles, materials created by different paratextual creators are selectively coalesced within a singular textual space. The site users or news readers encounter various elements in the texts that had been curated by journalists. In other words, these elements had been consciously crafted.

Details

Qualitative Research Journal, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1443-9883

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 8 April 2024

Petra Růčková and Tomáš Heryán

As Czech export is widely considered the key to the economic development of Czechia, this chapter explores the relationship between microeconomic profitability among companies in…

Abstract

As Czech export is widely considered the key to the economic development of Czechia, this chapter explores the relationship between microeconomic profitability among companies in selected TOP10 export industries and the macroeconomic development of the export itself. An investigation was carried out to compare the differences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the comparison is developed according to the size and concentration of ownership among exporting companies. Annual data are obtained from the Bureau van Dijk Orbis database to analyse profitability among 4,283 companies in 10 NACE industries from 2012 to 2021. We have obtained encouraging results, demonstrating that not only those less profitable companies affected export development. However, in general, our results emphasise the importance of those less profitable medium-sized companies for Czech export, within the manufacture of machinery and equipment, and the manufacture of motor vehicles in particular.

Details

Modeling Economic Growth in Contemporary Czechia
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-841-6

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 November 2023

Florencia Kalemkerian, Rossella Pozzi, Martin Tanco, Alessandro Creazza and Javier Santos

The purpose of this study is to propose a new mapping tool called Circular Value Stream Mapping (C-VSM) that combines Circular Economy principles with Lean tools to enhance…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to propose a new mapping tool called Circular Value Stream Mapping (C-VSM) that combines Circular Economy principles with Lean tools to enhance sustainability performance in operations.

Design/methodology/approach

To develop the C-VSM tool, the researchers conducted a literature review and a focus group. The tool was then applied to two real case studies in the agri-food sector, specifically analyzing an artichoke and olive oil producer, to assess its validity and effectiveness.

Findings

The study introduces the Circular Resource Box (CRB) as a key innovation in the C-VSM tool. This visual representation effectively captures resource circularity and how resources and wastes are managed, making it easy to identify circularity in the production process. By combining qualitative and quantitative information with this visual representation, companies can identify improvement opportunities aligned with the CE.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited in scope as it focuses on the application of the C-VSM tool in the agri-food sector. Further research could explore its applicability in other industries and settings to understand its broader impact.

Practical implications

The C-VSM tool provides practical benefits to companies seeking to transition from linear to circular production processes. It enables practitioners to identify opportunities to reduce environmental impacts and optimize production operations in line with CE.

Originality/value

The introduction of the C-VSM tool is a novel approach that bridges the gap between Lean Manufacturing and CE concepts, advancing the understanding of how CE thinking can be effectively implemented in operations.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 35 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 February 2024

Robert Bogue

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the growing role of robots in the logistics industry.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the growing role of robots in the logistics industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Following an introduction, which identifies key challenges facing the industry, this paper discusses robotic applications in warehouses, followed by sections covering transportation and delivery and conclusions.

Findings

The logistics industry faces a number of challenges that drive technological and operational changes. Robots are already playing a role within the warehouse sector and more complex applications have recently arisen from developments in artificial intelligence-enabled vision technology. In the transportation sector, autonomous trucks are being developed and trialled by leading manufacturers. Many major logistics companies are involved and limited services are underway. Last-mile delivery applications are growing rapidly, and trials, pilot schemes and commercial services are underway in Europe, the USA and the Far East. The Chinese market is particularly buoyant, and in 2019, a delivery robot was launched that operates on public roads, based on Level-4 autonomous driving technology. The drone delivery sector has been slower to develop, in part due to regulatory constraints, but services are now being operated by drone manufacturers, retailers and logistics providers.

Originality/value

This paper provides details of existing and future applications of robots in the logistics industry.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 March 2024

Verdiana Giannetti, Jieke Chen and Xingjie Wei

Anecdotal evidence suggests that casting actors with similar facial features in a movie can pose challenges in foreign markets, hindering the audience's ability to recognize and…

Abstract

Purpose

Anecdotal evidence suggests that casting actors with similar facial features in a movie can pose challenges in foreign markets, hindering the audience's ability to recognize and remember characters. Extending developments in the literature on the cross-race effect, we hypothesize that facial similarity – the extent to which the actors starring in a movie share similar facial features – will reduce the country-level box-office performance of US movies in East and South-East Asia (ESEA) countries.

Design/methodology/approach

We assembled data from various secondary data sources on US non-animation movies (2012–2021) and their releases in ESEA countries. Combining the data resulted in a cross-section of 2,616 movie-country observations.

Findings

Actors' facial similarity in a US movie's cast reduces its box-office performance in ESEA countries. This effect is weakened as immigration in the country, internet penetration in the country and star power increase and strengthened as cast size increases.

Originality/value

This first study on the effects of cast's facial similarity on box-office performance represents a novel extension to the growing literature on the antecedents of movies' box-office performance by being at the intersection of the two literature streams on (1) the box-office effects of cast characteristics and (2) the antecedents, in general, of box-office performance in the ESEA region.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

Keywords

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