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Article
Publication date: 19 June 2019

Xiangda Cui, Ahmed Bakkar and Wagdi George Habashi

This paper aims to introduce a three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) framework for simulating supercooled large droplets (SLD) dynamics at aeronautical speeds.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to introduce a three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) framework for simulating supercooled large droplets (SLD) dynamics at aeronautical speeds.

Design/methodology/approach

To include the effects of the surrounding air, a multiphase model capable of handling high density-ratio problems is adopted. A diffusive term is incorporated to smooth the density field and avoid numerical instabilities. Additionally, a particle shifting technique is used to eliminate anisotropic particle distributions.

Findings

The framework is validated against low-speed droplet impingement experimental results and then applied to the droplet impingement at high speeds typical of SLD conditions. Preliminary parametric studies are conducted to investigate the post-impact splashing. It is observed that a thicker water film can decrease the crown diameter and a smaller impact angle can suppress upward and forward splashing.

Originality/value

A three-dimensional multiphase SPH framework for SLD dynamics at a wide range of impact speed is developed and validated. The effects of particle resolution, water film thickness and impact angle on the post-impact crown evolution are investigated.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 29 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1987

John Saunders

The adoption of a model‐building approach to marketing is today inevitable, due to improvements in hardware and software and the increased professionalisation of marketing and its…

Abstract

The adoption of a model‐building approach to marketing is today inevitable, due to improvements in hardware and software and the increased professionalisation of marketing and its techniques. Aggregate response models are focused upon, particularly the issues of which responses are realistic and should be modelled, how the response can be expressed and how a choice can be made between options available. The traditional model‐building process is described, and the inclusion of correct variables found to be critical, the primary means of doing this being statistical analysis. Simple expressions perform as effectively as more complex ones, and should be used if able to give operationally meaningful results. Cross‐correlation analysis and biased estimation techniques provide good guides to usable variables and their effects.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 May 2013

Walid Bahloul, Nizar Hachicha and Abdelfettah Bouri

Many factors like CEO (“the chief executive officer”) decision can influence efficiency and productivity in insurance firms. This paper seeks to address this issue.

Abstract

Purpose

Many factors like CEO (“the chief executive officer”) decision can influence efficiency and productivity in insurance firms. This paper seeks to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the effect of CEO power on the efficiency and the productivity of the European insurance industries, the authors use the flexible Fourier cost function and they decompose the total factor productivity growth.

Findings

The result shows that after the integration of the CEO power score, not only efficiency scores in each country have changed, but also the order of non‐life insurance systems. Also, the CEO power influences the growth of productivity and an optimal power of the CEO can allow the insurance firm to be more productive and more efficient.

Originality/value

In this paper the authors model a new cost function in which they include the CEO power score; they also decompose the total factor of productivity in which they include the effect of the growth in the CEO power score.

Details

The Journal of Risk Finance, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1526-5943

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1995

Mary M. Crossan, Henry W. Lane, Roderick E. White and Lisa Djurfeldt

Organizational learning (OL) is receiving increasing attention from researchers and practitioners alike. In fact, some have suggested that the only sustainable competitive…

2807

Abstract

Organizational learning (OL) is receiving increasing attention from researchers and practitioners alike. In fact, some have suggested that the only sustainable competitive advantage is a firm's ability to learn faster than its competitors. In spite of OL's promise, the field has been slow to evolve. The primary impediments to the development of OL theory are that inconsistent terminology is used for comparable concepts and that different definitions are used to describe the phenomenon. Furthermore, many theorists have neglected to make explicit their underlying assumptions about the phenomenon. Employing an inductive approach, this review surfaces the implicit and explicit assumptions of OL researchers, identifying three key dimensions that differentiate perspectives: (1) unit of analysis—individual, group, organizational, and inter organizational; (2) cognitive/behavioral emphasis; and (3) the learning‐performance relationship.

Details

The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 3 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1055-3185

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2002

Akiva M. Liberman, Suzanne R. Best, Thomas J. Metzler, Jeffrey A. Fagan, Daniel S. Weiss and Charles R. Marmar

The relationship between routine work stress and psychological distress was investigated among 733 police officers in three US cities, during 1998‐1999. The Work Environment…

7404

Abstract

The relationship between routine work stress and psychological distress was investigated among 733 police officers in three US cities, during 1998‐1999. The Work Environment Inventory (WEI) was developed to assess exposure to routine work stressors, while excluding duty‐related traumatic stressors (critical incidents). The WEI and its general properties are presented. The relationship between routine work stress exposure and psychological distress is then explored. Exposure to routine work stressors predicted general psychological distress (r = 0.46), as well as post‐traumatic stress symptoms following officers’ most traumatic career incident (rs = 0.26 to 0.39). Multivariate analyses found that these effects were independent of, and larger than, the effects of cumulative critical incident exposure. (Time since the most traumatic event, social support, and social desirability effects were also controlled statistically.) Routine occupational stress exposure appears to be a significant risk factor for psychological distress among police officers, and a surprisingly strong predictor of post‐traumatic stress symptoms.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2003

J.P. Hernandez, T.A. Osswald and D.A. Weiss

In this paper, a novel boundary element formulation for the deformation of a viscous 2D‐planar cylindrical geometry, immersed in a different viscous fluid and moving towards a…

Abstract

In this paper, a novel boundary element formulation for the deformation of a viscous 2D‐planar cylindrical geometry, immersed in a different viscous fluid and moving towards a rigid wall, is proposed for moderate Reynolds number, considering surface tension effects. The boundary integral formulation for Stokes flow inside and outside the geometry is represented in terms of a combined distribution of a single‐layer and a double‐layer potential of Green functions over the geometry surface. Additionally, non‐linear terms describing effects absent in pure Stokes flow, such as the time derivative of the velocity and inertia, are included. These effects lead to the appearance of domain integrals. Traditional dual reciprocity is applied in order to approximate these domain integrals by a series of particular solutions which are then transformed into boundary integrals. Augmented thin‐plate splines, i.e. r2log(r), plus three additional linear terms from a Pascal triangle expansion were chosen for the dual reciprocity approximation. In order to avoid the discretization of the rigid wall, and using the fact that the velocity on the wall must vanish due to the no‐slip condition, the fundamental solution was modified with a combination of image singularities including an image Stokeslet, a potential dipole and a Stokes‐doublet.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 13 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 January 2009

J. David Cummins and Xiaoying Xie

The purpose of this paper is to determine the market‐value relevance of frontier efficiency scores and to test hypotheses from corporate control and production theory by analyzing…

1643

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the market‐value relevance of frontier efficiency scores and to test hypotheses from corporate control and production theory by analyzing the market response to US property–liability (P–L) insurer acquisitions and divestitures.

Design/methodology/approach

Cost and revenue efficiencies are estimated based on accounting data for US P–L insurers using data envelopment analysis. The market‐value response to acquisitions and divestitures is estimated using a standard market model event study. Regression analysis is used to measure the relationship between abnormal returns (dependent variable) and efficiency (independent variable), along with a set of control variables.

Findings

The results show that acquirers, targets and divesting firms all have significant positive abnormal returns around announcement dates. We also find that efficient acquirers and targets have higher cumulative abnormal returns (CAR) but inefficient divesting firms have higher CARs.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are consistent with insurance acquisitions and divestitures being driven primarily by value‐maximizing motivations, consistent with corporate control and production theory.

Practical implications

Frontier efficiency scores based on accounting data provide value‐relevant information for insurance managers.

Originality/value

This is one of only a few papers that relate frontier efficiency to market values and is the first paper to do this for the insurance industry. It is also one of only two existing papers that analyze the value relevance of efficiency scores in the context of mergers and acquisitions.

Details

Managerial Finance, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4358

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 December 2021

Aparna Bhatia and Megha Mahendru

The purpose of this article is to evaluate revenue efficiency performance of life insurance companies in India. The study also compares if private or public insurance sector is…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to evaluate revenue efficiency performance of life insurance companies in India. The study also compares if private or public insurance sector is more “revenue efficient”. Furthermore, the study determines the nature of return to scale (RTS) and identifies the leaders and laggards amongst insurance companies operating in India.

Design/methodology/approach

Revenue efficiency is calculated by employing data envelopment analysis – a non-parametric approach, on a data set of 24 insurance companies over the period 2013–2014 to 2017–2018.

Findings

The empirical results suggest that life insurance companies in India could generate only 34.4% of revenue, which is very less than what these are expected to generate from the same inputs. Majority of life insurance companies operating in India are operating at decreasing return to scale (DRS). There is a reduction in leaders and the highest proportion of companies is falling in the category of laggards.

Originality/value

As per the best knowledge of researchers, no empirical work has been carried out with respect to measuring the revenue efficiency of Indian insurance companies. The current study appropriately fills the gap by not only calculating the revenue efficiency scores of insurance companies in India but also provides insights into the causes of revenue inefficiencies. It also gives implications for efficient and effective management of insurance companies.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1980

Michael V. Laric

Suggests that rapid rise of energy costs and worldwide inflation have altered pricing decisions importance. Provides an overview of the marketing literature on pricing — intending…

1633

Abstract

Suggests that rapid rise of energy costs and worldwide inflation have altered pricing decisions importance. Provides an overview of the marketing literature on pricing — intending developing a conceptual framework and classification system for different types of pricing strategies in industrial markets. Strives to provide a more comprehensive basis for developing industrial pricing strategies in addition to earmarking the most relevant marketers' needs. Sectionalises the article and, in the first part, explores existing literature; the second part develops a taxonomy of purchasing situations. Closes by linking the pricing topics, identified previously, to the different purchasing situations. Lists, by topic, the articles used and these are in the Appendix to enable quick reference to potential users. Employs tables for extra emphasis to aid in explanation along with 2 Appendixes.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 14 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2018

Vincent Wing Sun Tung and Norman Au

The purpose of this study is to explore consumer reviews with robotics based on the five dimensions for evaluating user experiences (i.e. embodiment, emotion, human-oriented…

10054

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore consumer reviews with robotics based on the five dimensions for evaluating user experiences (i.e. embodiment, emotion, human-oriented perception, feeling of security and co-experience), as derived from research in human-robot interactions (HRI).

Design/methodology/approach

The study first reviews the five dimensions for evaluating user experiences in HRI and then analyzes user experiences with robotics at four hotels (i.e. Yotel New York, Aloft Cupertino, Henn-na Hotel Japan and Marriott Residence Inn LAX) based on reviews on TripAdvisor, Agoda, Yelp and Booking.com.

Findings

The findings highlight the influence of robotic embodiment and human-oriented perceptions on consumer experiences. The findings also suggest that users and robots can co-create novel experiences, with some guests even proactively seeking new opportunities to interact and communicate with robots to develop a certain level of “relationship” with them.

Research limitations/implications

An understanding of user experiences from HRIs can inform future hospitality and tourism research and management.

Practical implications

This study contributes to hospitality and tourism management by highlighting current practices with robotics to suggest areas of improvements for enhancing future consumer experiences.

Social implications

Consumer experiences will change rapidly as hospitality and tourism management deploys robotics in the future.

Originality/value

This is one of the early studies in the field to explore consumer experiences with robotics based on the five dimensions for evaluating user experiences from research in HRI. In doing so, this study provides a number of theoretical and managerial implications relevant for hospitality and tourism research and practice.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 30 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

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