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This study examined a mediating model of income and pay satisfaction with a direct path (income → pay satisfaction) and an indirect path with two mediators (income → the love of money → pay equity comparison → pay satisfaction). Results of the whole sample showed that the indirect path was significant and the direct path was insignificant. When the indirect path was eliminated, income contributed positively to pay satisfaction. We then tested the model across two moderators: culture (the United States versus Spain) and gender. This study provides the following theoretical and empirical contributions: the direct relationship between income and pay satisfaction depends on the indirect path and the extent to which (1) income enhances the love of money and (2) the love of money is applied to evaluate pay equity comparison satisfaction. If both conditions exist, income leads to pay dissatisfaction. If the second condition does not exist, income does not lead to pay dissatisfaction. Pay satisfaction depends on (1) one’s love of money and (2) how one compares. The role of the love of money in pay satisfaction is “not”universal across cultures and gender.

Aiming at obtaining a high-quality global path for a mobile robot which works in complex environments, a modified particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, named random-disturbance self-adaptive particle swarm optimization (RDSAPSO), is proposed in this paper.

A perturbed global updating mechanism is introduced to the global best position to avoid stagnation in RDSAPSO. Moreover, a new self-adaptive strategy is proposed to fine-tune the three control parameters in RDSAPSO to dynamically adjust the exploration and exploitation capabilities of RDSAPSO. Because the convergence of PSO is paramount and influences the quality of the generated path, this paper also analytically investigates the convergence of RDSAPSO and provides a convergence-guaranteed parameter selection principle for RDSAPSO. Finally, a RDSAPSO-based global path planning (GPP) method is developed, in which the feasibility-based rule is applied to handle the constraint of the problem.

In an attempt to validate the proposed method, it is compared against six state-of-the-art evolutionary methods under three different numerical simulations. The simulation results confirm that the proposed method is highly competitive in terms of the path optimality. Moreover, the computation time of the proposed method is comparable with those of the other compared methods.

Therefore, the proposed method can be considered as a vital alternative in the field of GPP.

This study examined the relationship between early career teachers' (ECTs') perceived professional competence (PC) and teacher buoyancy (TB) and the contribution of such dynamic interaction between ECTs' perceived PC and TB to their thriving in the face of everyday teaching challenges.

The study adopted a concurrent mixed-methods research design. A total of 218 ECTs taking a postgraduate, part-time initial teacher education programme completed two quantitative measures: Professional Competence Questionnaire and Teacher Buoyancy Scale – Extended Version. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between PC and TB. Qualitative data via semi-structured interviews were collected from 14 survey respondents and were interpreted through a case study approach.

The quantitative findings showed: (1) Competence in classroom teaching predicts the personal and contextual dimensions of teacher buoyancy; and (2) Competence to work in schools predicts the personal dimension of teacher buoyancy. The qualitative findings showed two cases that exemplified how the dynamic interaction between ECTs' perceived PC and the personal and contextual dimensions of TB supported their development of teaching expertise.

The paper provides empirical findings on the relationship between PC and TB. It highlights ECTs' perceived Competence to work in schools as goal alignment and engagement with school policy as a crucial facilitating condition that develops ECTs' capacity to face daily challenges and engenders their thriving in terms of development of teaching expertise.

Continuous process improvement is a hard problem, especially in high variety/low volume environments due to the complex interrelationships between processes. The purpose of this paper is to address the process improvement issues by simultaneously investigating the job sequencing and buffer size optimization problems.

This paper proposes a continuous process improvement implementation framework using a modified genetic algorithm (GA) and discrete event simulation to achieve multi-objective optimization. The proposed combinatorial optimization module combines the problem of job sequencing and buffer size optimization under a generic process improvement framework, where lead time and total inventory holding cost are used as two combinatorial optimization objectives. The proposed approach uses the discrete event simulation to mimic the manufacturing environment, the constraints imposed by the real environment and the different levels of variability associated with the resources.

Compared to existing evolutionary algorithm-based methods, the proposed framework considers the interrelationship between succeeding and preceding processes and the variability induced by both job sequence and buffer size problems on each other. A computational analysis shows significant improvement by applying the proposed framework.

Significant body of work exists in the area of continuous process improvement, discrete event simulation and GAs, a little work has been found where GAs and discrete event simulation are used together to implement continuous process improvement as an iterative approach. Also, a modified GA simultaneously addresses the job sequencing and buffer size optimization problems by considering the interrelationships and the effect of variability due to both on each other.

Early fault detection of bearing plays an increasingly important role in the operation of rotating machinery. Based on the properties of early fault signal of bearing, this paper aims to describe a novel hybrid early fault detection method of bearings.

In adaptive variational mode decomposition (AVMD), an adaptive strategy is proposed to select the optimal decomposition level K of variational mode decomposition. Then, a criterion based on envelope entropy is applied to select the optimal intrinsic mode functions (OIMF), which contains most useful fault information. Afterwards, local tangent space alignment (LTSA) is used to denoising of OIMF. The envelope spectrum of the OIMF is used to analyze the fault frequency, thereby detecting the fault. Experiments are conducted in a simulated signal and two experimental vibration signals of bearings to verify the effect of the new method.

The results show that the proposed method yields a good capability of detecting bearing fault at an early stage. The new method can extract more useful information and can reduce noise, which can provide better detection accuracy compared with the other two methods.

An adaptive strategy based on center frequency is proposed to select the optimal decomposition level of variational mode decomposition. Envelope entropy is used to fault feature selection. Combining the advantage of the AVMD-envelope entropy and LTSA, which suits the nature of the early fault signal. So, the proposed method has better detection accuracy, which provides a good alternative for early fault detection of bearings.

This paper aims to propose a new knowledge creation model called Grey SECI (G-SECI), study the knowledge creation mechanism and the relationship between knowledge creation models and innovation performance during complex product systems (CoPSs) development. Research and development of CoPSs relies heavily on knowledge creation. However, most scholars have studied CoPS innovation stages from the view of design process of system products, focussing on functional management and project management during the R&D process for CoPS. Attention is lacking with regards to the key and essence of creating a complex technology: the creation of knowledge.

Modified from the classic SECI model’s spiral process of knowledge creation, a grey-SECI (G-SECI) knowledge creation model is here proposed vis-à-vis three knowledge categories: explicit knowledge, grey knowledge and tacit knowledge. Then, this paper further analyzes the effects of knowledge creation from the perspective of individual and the view of organization. Besides, an empirical study is conducted.

Statistical analysis indicates that there are three main paths of knowledge creation: individual experience knowledge acquisition, individual communication and reflection and organizational knowledge learning. Results further suggest that knowledge internalization by practice (KIP) is the key mode of knowledge creation, as well as the most important step for high-quality CoPS performance. Moreover, individual innovation performance is influenced by knowledge internalization by reflection and KIP; and organization innovation performance is influenced by knowledge combination and knowledge systematization.

The coverage of geographical distribution is limited. Therefore, there are no data from foreign enterprises. The impact of different geographical cultures on CoPS knowledge creation model could be further investigated; in addition, the statistical analysis results of this study need to be further verified in other industries.

This paper provides a series of insights for CoPS project leaders. The results may also provide practical guidance for the related management personnel in the fields of human resource training, project planning, project quality and technology R&D in CoPS R&D management.

The paper’s main contribution is to modify classic SECI knowledge conversion model by introducing grey knowledge and build a new G-SECI knowledge creation model. Besides, the paper adds empirical evidence on the knowledge creation paths in CoPS and reveals that internalization by practice is the key mode of knowledge creation.

This study aims to analyze and discuss the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on firms’ performance, as well as to examine the interplay between CSR and the economy, society and innovation.

This paper collects data from 420 manufacturing firms across various geographical regions in China. By using a structural equation model, the paper investigates the impact of CSR on enterprise innovation, customer management capability, market competitiveness (MC) and firm financial performance.

The findings demonstrate that CSR performance positively contributes to enhancing the level of enterprise innovation, as well as customer management capability and market competitiveness. Furthermore, it assists enterprises in improving market competitiveness and elevating customer management capabilities. Thus, CSR can have a positive effect on the firm financial performance.

The outcomes presented in this paper offer valuable evidence regarding the influence of implementing CSR on different aspects of enterprise performance and innovation. Moreover, it provides practical recommendations for enterprises seeking to transition towards low-carbon practices and upgrade their manufacturing industry.

The construction management literature discusses the benefits which companies derive from having their operations certified to the ISO 9000 series of quality management systems (QMS). In Singapore, quality has been a topical issue in the construction industry for the past decade. ISO 9000 certification, which has been a major part of the construction quality development programme, is now mandatory for large construction contracting and consultancy organizations wishing to register to undertake public‐sector projects. This paper reports on a study on the role which ISO 9000 implementation plays in the quality development of Singapore's construction industry by ascertaining the perceptions, objectives, motivations and experiences (including benefits and problems) relating to quality in general, and to ISO 9000 certification and implementation in particular. A questionnaire‐based survey of large construction companies was conducted. It was found that construction firms benefit from QMS certification, and face no significant problems with it. Recommendations are made for enhancing the benefits of ISO 9000 and ensuring that it has a positive long‐term impact on the development of Singapore's construction industry.

Knowledge management has increasingly been regarded as an important research theme in information systems studies, with a substantial accumulated stock of empirical research. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast theoretical and methodological approaches to knowledge management in extant information systems studies. In so doing, the author builds a new typology and discusses relevant research questions and fundamental ontological and epistemological assumptions about the nature and study of social sciences, and the nature and scope of organizational knowledge. Previous typologies have tangled together basic assumptions about the nature and study of social sciences and the “transformative” nature and scope of organizational knowledge. The present typology acknowledges that these two dimensions need to be untangled to be able to discriminate and analyze fundamental assumptions that researchers, explicitly or implicitly, adopt in the study of knowledge management and information systems in organizations. This distinction is necessary because the implementation and use of information systems has the potential to enhance, or hinder, the transformative attributes or characteristics of organizational processes. This new typology is used to conceptualize, categorize, and criticize a sample of selected research articles, and to suggest new directions for research.