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1 – 10 of 205
Executive summary
Publication date: 22 March 2024

UKRAINE: US urges restraint in refinery campaign

Article
Publication date: 17 May 2023

Abbas Rezaeian, Mona Mansoori and Amin Khajehdezfuly

Top-seat angle connection is known as one of the usual uncomplicated beam-to-column joints used in steel structures. This article investigates the fire performance of welded…

Abstract

Purpose

Top-seat angle connection is known as one of the usual uncomplicated beam-to-column joints used in steel structures. This article investigates the fire performance of welded top-seat angle connections.

Design/methodology/approach

A finite element (FE) model, including nonlinear contact interactions, high-temperature properties of steel, and material and geometric nonlinearities was created for accomplishing the fire performance analysis. The FE model was verified by comparing its simulation results with test data. Using the verified model, 24 steel-framed top-seat angle connection assemblies are modeled. Parametric studies were performed employing the verified FE model to study the influence of critical factors on the performance of steel beams and their welded angle joints.

Findings

The results obtained from the parametric studies illustrate that decreasing the gap size and the top angle size and increasing the top angles thickness affect fire behavior of top-seat angle joints and decrease the beam deflection by about 16% at temperatures beyond 570 °C. Also, the fire-resistance rating of the beam with seat angle stiffener increases about 15%, compared to those with and without the web stiffener. The failure of the beam happens when the deflections become more than span/30 at temperatures beyond 576 °C. Results also show that load type, load ratio and axial stiffness levels significantly control the fire performance of the beam with top-seat angle connections in semi-rigid steel frames.

Originality/value

Development of design methodologies for these joints and connected beam in fire conditions is delayed by current building codes due to the lack of adequate understanding of fire behavior of steel beams with welded top-seat angle connections.

Details

Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-2317

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 March 2024

Charles Jebarajakirthy, Achchuthan Sivapalan, Manish Das, Haroon Iqbal Maseeh, Md Ashaduzzaman, Carolyn Strong and Deepak Sangroya

This study aims to integrate the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory into a meta-analytic framework to synthesize green consumption literature.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to integrate the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory into a meta-analytic framework to synthesize green consumption literature.

Design/methodology/approach

By integrating the findings from 173 studies, a meta-analysis was performed adopting several analytical methods: bivariate analysis, moderation analysis and path analysis.

Findings

VBN- and TPB-based psychological factors (adverse consequences, ascribed responsibility, personal norms, subjective norms, attitude and perceived behavioral control) mediate the effects of altruistic, biospheric and egoistic values on green purchase intention. Further, inconsistencies in the proposed relationships are due to cultural factors (i.e. individualism-collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity–femininity, short- vs long-term orientation and indulgence-restraint) and countries’ human development status.

Research limitations/implications

The authors selected papers published in English; hence, other relevant papers in this domain published in other languages might have been missed.

Practical implications

The findings are useful to marketers of green offerings in designing strategies, i.e. specific messages, targeting different customers based on countries’ cultural score and human development index, to harvest positive customer responses.

Originality/value

This study is the pioneering attempt to synthesize the TPB- and VBN-based quantitative literature on green consumer behavior to resolve the reported inconsistent findings.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 19 January 2024

Alexandre Chirat, Basile Clerc and Richard P. F. Holt

In 1979, Galbraith wrote a manuscript titled “The Social Consequences of Inflation and Unemployment and Their Remedies.” The manuscript was found in the John Kenneth Galbraith…

Abstract

In 1979, Galbraith wrote a manuscript titled “The Social Consequences of Inflation and Unemployment and Their Remedies.” The manuscript was found in the John Kenneth Galbraith Personal Papers at the John F. Kennedy Library. The reasons for Galbraith to write the article might appear at first glance to be purely contextual. At the macroeconomic level, the United States was experiencing stagflation, a situation unseen since 1945, resulting in double-digit inflation rates and high unemployment. A policy debate was going on about the Phillips curve and whether there is a trade-off between inflation and unemployment. Milton Friedman challenged the Keynesian analyses of the Phillips curve in the mid-1960s (Friedman, 1977). Galbraith’s 16-page draft manuscript provides us an incisive summary of Galbraith’s views about the causes of stagflation and what can be done about it. He provides us with an alternative to the neoclassical synthesis of Samuelson and Solow and the neoliberal thinking of Milton Friedman and F.A. Hayek.

Details

Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology: Including a Symposium on John Kenneth Galbraith: Economic Structures and Policies for the Twenty-first Century
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-931-4

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 December 2023

Jingxiao Shu, Yao Lu and Yan Liang

To understand the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams confined by corroded stirrups, low-reversed cyclic loading tests were carried out on seven RC beam specimens…

Abstract

Purpose

To understand the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams confined by corroded stirrups, low-reversed cyclic loading tests were carried out on seven RC beam specimens with different stirrup corrosion levels and stirrup ratios to investigate their mechanical characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

The failure mode, hysteresis behavior, skeleton curves, ductility, stiffness degradation and energy dissipation behavior of RC specimens are compared and discussed. The experimental results showed that the restraint of concrete provided by corroded stirrups is reduced, which leads to a decline in seismic performance.

Findings

For the specimens with the same ratios of stirrup, as the corrosion level increased, the load-carrying capacity, stiffness, plastic deformation capacity and energy-dissipation capacity dropped significantly. Compared with the uncorroded specimen, the failure modes of specimens with high corrosion level changed from ductile bending failure to brittle failure. For the specimens with the same levels of corrosion, the higher the stirrup ratio was, the stronger the restraint effect of the stirrups on the concrete, and the seismic behavior of the specimens was obviously improved.

Originality/value

In this paper, a total of seven full-size RC beam specimens at joints with different stirrup corrosion levels and stirrup ratios were designed and constructed to explore the influences of corrosion levels and stirrup ratios of stirrups on the seismic performances. The failure modes, strain of reinforcement, hysteretic curves, skeleton curves, stiffness degradation and ductility factor of RC specimens are compared and discussed.

Details

International Journal of Structural Integrity, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9864

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2024

Radhika Gore

The institutional conditions of primary care provision remain understudied in low- and middle-income countries. This study analyzes how primary care doctors cope with medical…

Abstract

Purpose

The institutional conditions of primary care provision remain understudied in low- and middle-income countries. This study analyzes how primary care doctors cope with medical uncertainty in municipal clinics in urban India. As street-level bureaucrats, the municipal doctors occupy two roles simultaneously: medical professional and state agent. They operate under conditions that characterize health systems in low-resource contexts globally: inadequate state investment, weak regulation and low societal trust. The study investigates how, in these conditions, the doctors respond to clinical risk, specifically related to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis draws on year-long ethnographic fieldwork in Pune (2013–14), a city of three million, including 30 semi-structured interviews with municipal doctors.

Findings

Interpreting their municipal mandate to exclude NCDs and reasoning their medical expertise as insufficient to treat NCDs, the doctors routinely referred NCD cases. They expressed concerns about violence from patients, negative media attention and unsupportive municipal authorities should anything go wrong clinically.

Originality/value

The study contextualizes street-level service-delivery in weak institutional conditions. Whereas street-level workers may commonly standardize practices to reduce workload, here the doctors routinized NCD care to avoid the sociopolitical consequences of clinical uncertainty. Modalities of the welfare state and medical care in India – manifest in weak municipal capacity and healthcare regulation – appear to compel restraint in service-delivery. The analysis highlights how norms and social relations may shape primary care provision and quality.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 44 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 June 2023

Tim Bickerstaffe

This conceptual paper focusses on climate change as a social issue and therefore as a social scientific problem. According to young climate activists, Greta Thunberg being the…

Abstract

Purpose

This conceptual paper focusses on climate change as a social issue and therefore as a social scientific problem. According to young climate activists, Greta Thunberg being the most widely known, climate change is specifically a problem of generations. Typically, the discourse on responsibility focusses on the technical and philosophical questions posed by the study into “intra-” and “inter-generational justice”. It is the purpose of this paper to present sociological conceptual tools with which to both analyze and propose solutions to specific social problems caused by current generations that will affect future generations.

Design/methodology/approach

Figurational process sociology develops and tests models of long-term, unplanned developments, which produce the conditions in which short-term practices of informing and planning social interventions are bound up.

Findings

The paper reveals the significance of sociological models that can describe and explain social processes and long-term developments in human habitus that have important explanatory value for understanding contemporary social problems such as human-caused climate change.

Originality/value

The concepts and analytical frames of reference provided by figurational process sociology provide crucial insights into the problem of generations and can help reveal how this social dynamic contributes to challenges facing young climate activists calling for rapid “ecologization” processes and increased human restraint with regard to the natural environment.

Details

Journal of Global Responsibility, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2041-2568

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 March 2023

Snigdha Singh and Pallavi Srivastava

After each of the COVID-19-induced lockdowns, an unprecedented surge in leisure travel was observed, resulting in tourists flocking to places of tourist interest. This phenomenon…

Abstract

Purpose

After each of the COVID-19-induced lockdowns, an unprecedented surge in leisure travel was observed, resulting in tourists flocking to places of tourist interest. This phenomenon was termed revenge travel in popular literature. The purpose of this study is to explore the phenomenon of revenge travel in detail through an academic lens. It examines the psychological and emotional motivations for revenge travel while studying the differences in travel behaviour pre- and post-pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies an interpretive phenomenological approach to explore post-pandemic travel behaviour. Data were collected via personal in-depth semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the transcripts was conducted to arrive at discussion themes.

Findings

Drawing on the established theories, the findings of the study indicate that lockdown fatigue coupled with mortality salience induced individuals towards leisure travel. This in turn led to mood alleviation and compensation for the deprivation undergone.

Practical implications

The study reveals important insights into post-pandemic preferences of travel destinations (off-beat locations near urban clusters), accommodation options (more travellers choosing home stays and stand-alone properties) and vacation itineraries (a gradual shift towards slow tourism with more focus on immersive experiences). Further, there are indications that hotels may develop “workcations” and “staycations” as a new line of offering.

Originality/value

The study adds to the small body of knowledge on revenge travel. It adopts a phenomenological approach, thereby capturing the “lived experiences” of the participants and providing an in-depth look into the psychological and emotional motivations of revenge travel that have not been explored previously. The study provides insights into the travellers' psychology post a period of withdrawal and restraint.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 February 2024

Changbin Wang and Libo Yan

This study aims to examine the problems of the concession system that Macao has long-term adopted to regulate its gaming industry and discuss alternatives.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the problems of the concession system that Macao has long-term adopted to regulate its gaming industry and discuss alternatives.

Design/methodology/approach

Theoretical reflection was used to provide qualitatively different insights about governmental supervision of the gaming industry.

Findings

Two options for reform are proposed: (1) replace the concession system with a licensing system that does not restrict the number of concessionaires or the period of concession or (2) adopt a modified form of the concession system that changes the number of concessionaires, period of concessions and methods for selecting concessionaires.

Practical implications

This study’s results have implications for the Macao government and other gaming jurisdictions in Asia.

Originality/value

This study provides a comprehensive examination of the concession system for governmental supervision of the gaming industry.

Details

Asian Education and Development Studies, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-3162

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 March 2024

Marcelo Pereira Duarte and Fernando Manuel P.O. Carvalho

This study analyses configurations of national culture as boundary conditions of countries’ national systems of innovation (NSI). Drawing from the NSI approach, we argue that…

Abstract

Purpose

This study analyses configurations of national culture as boundary conditions of countries’ national systems of innovation (NSI). Drawing from the NSI approach, we argue that culture’s role is that of a contingency factor shaping the relationship between investments in innovation and national innovation outputs.

Design/methodology/approach

We assessed the moderation effect of national culture through a systematic, two-stage approach using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), which allows the analysis of changes induced by the moderator variables. Analyses were conducted with a diverse sample of 61 countries over a period spanning 12 years, from 2011 to 2022.

Findings

Findings reveal that investments in innovation, but not individual cultural dimensions, is a necessary condition for high innovation outputs. Furthermore, several configurations of cultural dimensions were identified as moderators of the relationship between investments in innovation and innovation outputs.

Originality/value

This study provides insights into cross-national innovation research by exposing the role of cultural configurations, rather than just individual cultural dimensions, as boundary conditions involved in the achievement of high levels of innovation.

Details

Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5794

Keywords

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