Search results
11 – 20 of 138Ming-Lang Tseng, Shiou-Yun Jeng, Chun-Wei Lin and Ming K. Lim
Construction and demolition waste (CDW) continuously causes environmental and social problems. These formidable challenges lead to sustainable issues and are an increasingly…
Abstract
Purpose
Construction and demolition waste (CDW) continuously causes environmental and social problems. These formidable challenges lead to sustainable issues and are an increasingly urgent issue worldwide. Prior studies have neglected to link the triple bottom line (TBL) to a reliable estimation or empirical model for estimating CDW production performance and lack empirical sensitivity analysis in profit maximization. This study proposes an attribute analysis to build a cost–benefit analysis (CBA) to obtain profit maximization.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses fuzzy set theory to develop a cost and benefit analysis (CBA) model to assess the sensitivity analysis in terms of its performance on addressing the environmental, economic and social aspects. The model is used to weigh the sum of benefits such as financial gain and total costs of actions taken to mitigate the negative impacts.
Findings
Based on the sensitivity analysis conducted, the environmental, economic and social mean scales were significantly changed, i.e. increased, and profits increased drastically. The results provide an insight into environmental legislation compliance, environmental investment and environmental impact as the cause attributes for the CDW recycling profit increase. The results prove that sensitivity analysis is viable to infer that a sustainable production performance can achieve more revenue and profit through an adequate selection of attributes regarding the TBL aspects to address the firm's uncertainty problem in multiple criteria analysis.
Originality/value
This study builds a CBA model to maximize profits for recycled CDW material by linking of environmental, economic and societal aspects for recycled CDW assessments. It considers a sustainability structure with criteria based on TBL aspects to assess production performance to realize the Sustainable Development Goals and presents fuzzy set theory and sensitivity analysis to solve the uncertainty problem in the construction industry.
Details
Keywords
Shiou-Yun Jeng, Chun-Wei Lin, Ming-Lang Tseng and Tatre Jantarakolica
The purpose of this paper is to propose a cradle-to-cradle (C2C) zero discharge production planning system with a fuzzy hybrid optimization model that uses fuzzy comprehensive…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a cradle-to-cradle (C2C) zero discharge production planning system with a fuzzy hybrid optimization model that uses fuzzy comprehensive evaluation to establish fuzzy indicators, and then defuzzify the fuzzy indicators to construct a fuzzy multiobjective programming (FMOP) model.
Design/methodology/approach
The FMOP model pursues overall satisfaction using a particle swarm optimization algorithm to produce the best output values for the maximum waste paper recovery rate, the condensate reuse quality and minimum total cost of the zero discharge production planning system.
Findings
Recovered waste heat is seldom recycled and consumed in Taiwan. There is a need to capture and utilize heat recovery and use it in the production process supply. In contrast, waste materials are used as resources to perform waste paper recovery and recycle the waste heat of evaporation collection in the production process.
Originality/value
This paper develops a system to establish the best output value for an overall high satisfaction level. According to the results, the waste paper recovery rate is 99.8 percent, condensate reuse quality water is 102.6 tons and the total cost of the zero discharge production planning system is NT$1,312,012.
Details
Keywords
Shiou-Yun Jeng, Chun-Wei Lin, Ming-Lang Tseng, Korbkul Jantarakolica and Raymond Tan
This study develops an integrated zero waste discharge planning approach for improving resource efficiency in a pulp-and-paper manufacturing firm.
Abstract
Purpose
This study develops an integrated zero waste discharge planning approach for improving resource efficiency in a pulp-and-paper manufacturing firm.
Design/methodology/approach
The objectives of this study are to (1) identify the environmental, technical and social metrics in resource efficiency; (2) utilize fuzzy multi-objective programming and the hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm to solve the fuzzy problem; and (3) develop an assessment for resource efficiency improvement in an industrial case study.
Findings
The findings demonstrate the superiority of hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm in generating optimal results for a pulp-and-paper manufacturing firm.
Practical implications
The findings demonstrate the superiority of hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm in generating optimal results for a pulp-and-paper manufacturing firm.
Originality/value
Resource efficiency is a multi-objective problem in an uncertain environment. In particular, zero waste discharge planning involves minimizing the total cost and maximizing the waste material recovery rate, wastewater reuse, and waste heat recovery.
Details
Keywords
Ying-Chieh Wang, Hua Wei Huang, Jeng-Ren Chiou and Yu Chieh Huang
The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between the cost of debt (COD) and auditor industry expertise using Taiwanese data. Since previous studies (Li et al.…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between the cost of debt (COD) and auditor industry expertise using Taiwanese data. Since previous studies (Li et al., 2010) have only examined the relation between industry specialization and COD at the audit firm level in western countries, the authors further examine the association between industry specialization and COD at the individual auditor level in an Asian context.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use the interest rate on the firm’s debt as a proxy variable for the COD (Francis, Khurana and Pereira, 2005). The authors adopt three different methods to measure industry specialization, which consist of the auditors’ market share in terms of client sales and number of clients, and client assets.
Findings
The results indicate that the clients of industry specialists at individual auditor levels have a lower COD.
Originality/value
First, the authors extend the research of Li et al. (2010) and find that the clients of individual auditor industry specialists also have a lower COD. Second, the authors also believe the evidence on the effects of industry expertise at the individual auditor level may have policy implications for regulators and public investors. Finally, in contrast to works carried out in the US market, the authors provide empirical evidence for the relation between industry specialization and COD in an Asian market.
Details
Keywords
This study aims to investigate motivators, mediator and moderator of users' sustained information seeking on academic social networking sites (ASNSs).
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate motivators, mediator and moderator of users' sustained information seeking on academic social networking sites (ASNSs).
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing upon the expectancy–value theory and related information-seeking literature, the study developed a theoretical model to explain why and how users intend to continue seeking information on ASNSs. Thereafter, a field survey with 385 participants was conducted to test the model. Finally, a content analysis of participants' post-survey feedback was performed to complement the model test results by showing more fine-grained findings.
Findings
Results suggest that information usefulness and information adoption (IA) are significant to users' sustained information seeking on ASNSs, while users' satisfaction with ASNSs may play a mediating role in the relationship between information usefulness and sustained information seeking. Additionally, self-efficacy for critical thinking (SCT) weakens the impact of IA on users' satisfaction with ASNSs. The post-survey feedback analysis indicates that information usefulness is more critical to sustained information seeking for users with high SCT, whereas IA becomes more crucial to users' satisfaction with ASNSs and sustained information seeking for users with low SCT.
Originality/value
Although the extant literature has distinguished between information seeking and sustained information seeking, empirical research into users' sustained information seeking on ASNSs is limited. The study fills this gap by proposing and validating relevant factors and the boundary condition of users' sustained information seeking.
Details
Keywords
Jeng-Haur Horng, Shin-Yuh Chern, Chi-Lin Li and Yang-Yuan Chen
This paper aims to investigate the temperature and wear properties of vertical ball screws and to discuss the surface design of ball screws in industrial applications.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the temperature and wear properties of vertical ball screws and to discuss the surface design of ball screws in industrial applications.
Design/methodology/approach
The energy equation of the screw surface considering the frictional heat was established to verify the surface temperature of the ball screw. X-ray diffraction was used to examine the micro-contact temperature between the ball and screw. Debris size and density were examined to investigate wear properties of ball screws and to study the relationship of wear debris and temperature.
Findings
First, the main energy source for the surface temperature of high speed vertical ball screws is derived from friction force between ball and screw. Second, the temperature rise between the ball and screw has great relevance with wear debris concentration. Third, the surface temperature of the screw is higher than between the nut and ball for high speed vertical ball screws due to high convection heat transfer. The contact temperature of the nut near the flange is smaller than that of the nut away from the flange end due to the high contact load and thermal conduction. Finally, correlation of particle size and surface roughness value for vertical ball screws was established, and its effects on contact temperature were studied. The theoretical analysis and experiments will help to characterize the design and manufacture of vertical ball screws.
Originality/value
The surface temperature and micro-contact temperature analytical model were established to study the ball screw design. Based on the surface-particle micro-contact temperature balance, the optimal range of surface roughness was designed for vertical ball screws, considering the wear debris and micro-contact temperature.
Details
Keywords
Ching-Hsuan Yeh, Yi-Shun Wang, Shin-Jeng Lin, Timmy H. Tseng, Hsin-Hui Lin, Ying-Wei Shih and Yi-Hsuan Lai
Considering that users’ information privacy concerns may affect the development of e-commerce, the purpose of this paper is to explore what drives internet users’ willingness to…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering that users’ information privacy concerns may affect the development of e-commerce, the purpose of this paper is to explore what drives internet users’ willingness to provide personal information; further, the paper examines how extrinsic rewards moderate the relationship between users’ information privacy concerns and willingness to provide personal information.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collected from 345 valid internet users in the context of electronic commerce were analyzed using the partial least squares approach.
Findings
The result showed that agreeableness, risk-taking propensity and experience of privacy invasion were three main antecedents of information privacy concerns among the seven individual factors. Additionally, information privacy concerns did not significantly affect users’ willingness to provide personal information in the privacy calculation mechanism; however, extrinsic rewards directly affected users’ disclosure intention. The authors found that extrinsic rewards had not moderated the relationship between users’ information privacy concerns and their willingness to provide personal information.
Originality/value
This study is an exploratory effort to develop and validate a model for explaining why internet users were willing to provide personal information. The results of this study are helpful to researchers in developing theories of information privacy concerns and to practitioners in promoting internet users’ willingness to provide personal information in an e-commerce context.
Details
Keywords
Don Jyh‐Fu Jeng and Thomas Bailey
As wireless penetration continues to increase worldwide, competitors in the mobile telecommunication industry are changing their strategies from a growth model to a value‐added…
Abstract
Purpose
As wireless penetration continues to increase worldwide, competitors in the mobile telecommunication industry are changing their strategies from a growth model to a value‐added one. The companies that can attract and retain customers in this highly competitive and increasingly saturated market stand poised to make considerable gains, and thus customer retention is an important field of study in this maturing market. Using the Canadian mobile phone market as an example, this work aims to study the major motivators of customer retention and their interrelationships, and assess the value that customers perceive with regard to the related advertising.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a literature review and expert validation, the motivators of customer retention are divided into three dimensions and eight criteria. A systematic hybrid multiple criteria decision‐making (MCDM) method that combines the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique and the analytic network process (ANP) is used to examine the customer retention framework and to evaluate the promotional strategies used by various market players.
Findings
The interdependence relation shows that phone service quality, customer service quality, and phone plan quality are three major motivators in terms of causality with regard to brand image, customer service quality, and complaint management, while phone service quality has become a hygiene factor with regard to customer satisfaction and retention. The findings from an assessment of the promotional strategies used by the major players in the Canadian mobile telecoms industry suggest that well‐financed foreign entrants pose a risk to the major domestic carriers, and that successful promotional strategies will require strong leverage of their existing price and quality advantages.
Originality/value
This work adopted a hybrid MCDM approach to examine a major strategic issue in mobile telecoms, – i.e. customer retention – and demonstrated the strengths of using this method to investigate rapidly changing markets. The relative importance of the motivators of satisfaction and retention is investigated, and a strategy for customer retention in the mobile telecoms industry is provided to managers.
Details
Keywords
Kung-Jeng Wang, Yuliani Dwi Lestari and Tsau-Tang Yang
– This study aims to examine the location determinants of market expansion of the biotechnology industry to China’s second-tier cities.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the location determinants of market expansion of the biotechnology industry to China’s second-tier cities.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors involved 68 top management officials of biopharmaceutical firms in China by applying triangulation data collection, which comprises depth interview, questionnaire survey and focus group discussion.
Findings
Data collection results reveal the following: 20 location determinants are determined and categorized into 5 clusters (i.e. 3 cost/tax factors, 5 demand factors, 1 macroeconomic factor, 3 socio-political factors and 8 strategic factors); among these 20 factors, 9 factors contribute to firm benefits, 5 factors open opportunities for business growth and 6 factors pose potential risks.
Originality/value
This study proposes a framework of location determinants for biotech pharmaceutical industry in expanding second-tier cities of China market. The findings of this study can be used as a reference for multinational companies, specifically in market expansion to second-tier cities in China.
Details
Keywords
Tan Ping Yi, Chin Jeng Feng, Joshua Prakash and Loh Wei Ping
In electronics assembly, the losses of electronic components throughout the surface‐mounting process (including kitting and setup) are hard to trace. This affects accurate…
Abstract
Purpose
In electronics assembly, the losses of electronic components throughout the surface‐mounting process (including kitting and setup) are hard to trace. This affects accurate material planning and manufacturing costing. This paper aims to investigate this issue and to generate a suitable mixture of strategies for the relevant causes.
Design/methodology/approach
The project is executed by an undergraduate manufacturing engineering student and several company engineers over a period of ten weeks. Define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC) approach delineates the project stages. The solutions devised must be in agreement with lean philosophies and practices currently upheld in the company.
Findings
Component losses stem from multiple sources and are complicated by inherent information inaccuracies. A right mixture of strategies is envisaged on analysis on these sources. An average 18 percent of decrement in component losses in monetary value is achieved in the initial 16 weeks of the improvement phase.
Research limitations/implications
The DMAIC approach induces a focused, systematic and thorough study on the selected area. For the limitations, this study is based on a single industrial case. The evidence may be anecdotal and idiosyncratic to the electronics assembly industry. The final solutions which emerged need to factor in the organization current maturities in Lean and Six Sigma concepts.
Practical implications
Component loss is a common problem faced by electronics assembly industries. In this paper, the nature of the problem and the related investigation are extensively illustrated in the context of the case study. As many electronics assembly industries have embarked on Lean or Lean Six Sigma journeys, the savings and data accuracy improvement achieved in this case study provide valuable benchmarks.
Originality/value
The issues related to electronic component losses have not been reported in established literature to date. This is also the first reported success case study of applying DMAIC to address these issues in a lean company.
Details