Francisco Alexei Barrios Martínez, Eduardo Sierra Gil, Davel Eduardo Borges Vasconcellos and Israel Gondres Torné
This research was carried out in response to the need to find new alternative ways of maintaining public lighting with high pressure sodium vapor lamps. The objective was to…
Abstract
Purpose
This research was carried out in response to the need to find new alternative ways of maintaining public lighting with high pressure sodium vapor lamps. The objective was to develop a public lighting maintenance management system based on fuzzy logic that guarantees maximum energy efficiency and is economically feasible.
Design/methodology/approach
A preliminary study was carried out on the complaints due to failures of public lighting for three years in the municipality of Camagüey, Cuba, determining the failure rate of each control and the time between failures, a statistical evaluation of the time between failures was carried out identifying that this variable responds to a Weibull distribution, the membership functions of the proposed four linguistic variables and the rule base for their fuzzy sets were created, obtaining as output linguistic variable the mass replacement and cleaning time.
Findings
The fuzzy logic maintenance model developed is effective in making better use of the useful life of high-pressure sodium vapor lamps, increasing the time between maintenance operations of mass lamp replacement and mass cleaning of luminaires up to 8 and 9 years, without compromising the required lighting levels and energy efficiency.
Originality/value
The literature contains very few references to the use of condition-based maintenance in this type of system, so a novel approach by a robust heuristic model of street lighting condition-based maintenance management driven by data is proposed, the model integrates through fuzzy logic all the factors that influence the progressive deterioration of these installations and maintenance actions that guarantee compliance with the established service quality standards, with the maximum energy efficiency that is economically justified.
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Abdul Waheed, Hamid Mahmood and Jun Wen
The purpose of this research is to investigate how the negative effect of litigation risk on firm performance could be controlled through the channel of voluntary disclosure and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to investigate how the negative effect of litigation risk on firm performance could be controlled through the channel of voluntary disclosure and under the condition of institutional ownership.
Design/methodology/approach
To get the objectives, the study analyzed an unbalanced panel of 918 non-financial listed Chinese firms from 2010 to 18. To capture any expected unobserved heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation in the unbalanced sample, the authors have applied fixed effect regression with robust standard errors clustered at the firms' levels as suggested by Newey and West (1987).
Findings
The research provides that the good disclosure practices and presence of institutional ownership in corporations raise the trust of the investors by making the corporate operation clear in the eyes of the stakeholders. This increases the corporate credibility and as consequence corporations are protected against litigation risk. Thus, in the light of the information asymmetry and signaling theories, voluntary disclosure practices, and financial institutions' ownership, bridges the information gap and transmit a positive signal in the market regarding the better financial performance of the corporations.
Research limitations/implications
These findings are helpful for the corporate managers for effective strategic decisions, regulatory authorities for policy formulation, and individual investors for developing a diversified investment portfolio.
Originality/value
By applying the mediation and moderation effects, the research enhances the understanding of the underlying causes of the association between a firm's litigation risk and its performance. The current research contributes to the literature, that agency issues which create litigation risk could be settled internally with voluntary disclosure practices and externally with institutional ownership.
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Puneet Vatsa, Hongyun Zheng and Wanglin Ma
We analyzed the effects of different combinations of organic soil amendments (OSAs) and chemical fertilizers on agrifood production, focusing on banana yields in China, the…
Abstract
Purpose
We analyzed the effects of different combinations of organic soil amendments (OSAs) and chemical fertilizers on agrifood production, focusing on banana yields in China, the second-largest producer of bananas globally.
Design/methodology/approach
We computed these combinations by dividing the expenditures on OSAs by those on chemical fertilizers and called them OSA-CF ratios. First, we classified farmers based on quintiles of expenditures on chemical fertilizers. Then, we studied the association between OSA-CF ratios and banana yields for each quintile. We also considered an alternate specification in which farmers were grouped along the OSA-CF ratio continuum. The first group comprised farmers not using OSAs. Their OSA-CF ratio was zero. Farmers applying low, medium, and high OSA-CF ratios constituted groups two, three, and four; the groups were delineated based on the OSA-CF ratio tertiles, and the associations between tertiles of OSA-CF ratios and banana yields for each quintile were analyzed. The data used in this study were collected by surveying 616 households in three major banana-producing provinces (Guangdong, Hainan, and Yunnan) of China. Standard linear regressions and the two-stage predictor substitution method were employed to complete the analysis.
Findings
There were variations in the effects of OSA-CF ratios on banana yields obtained by farmers iifferent quintiles. For the first and second quintiles, low, medium, and high OSA-CF ratios improved banana yields relative to not using OSAs. For farmers in the first quintile using only chemical fertilizers, applying a low OSA-CF ratio was associated with an improvement of 792 kg/mu in banana yields. For their counterparts in the second quintile, the same transition was associated with a gain of 534 kg/mu. For the fifth quintile, comprising farmers spending 320 yuan/mu or more on chemical fertilizers, applying a high OSA-CF ratio instead of using only chemical fertilizers was associated with a 401 kg/mu decline in banana yields. Even so, for this group, no differences were observed between the yields of farmers not applying OSAs and those using low and medium OSA-CF ratios.
Practical implications
Banana farmers in southern China, using only chemical fertilizers, can improve yields by combining them with OSAs if their chemical fertilizer expenditures are less than 66.67 yuan/mu. Those using only chemical fertilizers and spending between 68 yuan/mu and 300 yuan/mu on them can maintain yields by applying OSAs in conjunction with chemical fertilizers. However, yields may decline for farmers using only chemical fertilizers and spending 320 yuan/mu or more on them if they incorporate OSAs such that the OSA-CF ratio reaches 0.78 or higher. Overall, combining OSAs with chemical fertilizers can improve yields while attenuating the adverse effects of chemical fertilizers on the environment. Policymakers should inform farmers of these benefits and accelerate the transition to sustainable agriculture through educational and awareness programs.
Originality/value
Farmers apply OSAs such as organic fertilizers and farmyard manure to adjust and remedy soil nutrition to improve farm productivity. However, little is known about how combining OSAs with chemical fertilizers affects banana yields. This study provided the first attempt to explore the associations between OSA-CF ratios and banana yields using cross-sectional data on farming households.
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Emilio Ruzo-Sanmartín, Alaa Abdelaziz Abousamra, Carmen Otero-Neira and Göran Svensson
This research examines how to enhance financial performance (FP) through the interplay between information technology and their suppliers in the supply chain. On this, the…
Abstract
Purpose
This research examines how to enhance financial performance (FP) through the interplay between information technology and their suppliers in the supply chain. On this, the research objective is to assess the role of integration with suppliers (IWS) and integration by suppliers (IBS) in the interface between integrated information technology (IIT) and FP in the supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical model was designed, and hypotheses were tested with structural equation modelling and qualitative data from a survey of 205 multi-industry companies from Egypt.
Findings
The findings indicate that IIT has a positive significant relationship with financial performance, in this case, partially mediated jointly by IWS and IBS.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by establishing a measurement approach for the proposed duality of supplier integration. A crucial implication of this duality is the requirement of IWS and IBS to enhance the effect of IIT on FP in supply chain partnerships and the fact revealed in our research that IWS precedes IBS in supply chains.
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This conceptual study aims to explore the rationale of preservation institutions in archiving new types of documents, such as social media, rather than focusing on traditionally…
Abstract
Purpose
This conceptual study aims to explore the rationale of preservation institutions in archiving new types of documents, such as social media, rather than focusing on traditionally valued materials or established cultural heritage.
Design/methodology/approach
Recognising the need to include the perspectives of both current and future generations, this study reviews and organises various theories of intergenerational justice to determine whether they can provide a solid justification.
Findings
No single theory of intergenerational justice fully endorses the long-term preservation of user-generated content. However, utilitarianism can offer a compelling justification for large-scale archiving, whereas other views, including communitarianism, support selective approaches.
Originality/value
This study is the first to extensively apply intergenerational justice theories to the field of digital preservation, providing a foundational framework for justifying the preservation of emerging forms of digital documents, albeit to a limited extent.
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Abstract
Purpose
Previous studies have indicated that career variety offers numerous benefits in the work environment; however, knowledge regarding the mechanisms that retain employees with diverse career experiences is scant. Drawing on person–environment (P–E) fit theory and the job crafting perspective, this study aims to explore the relationship between career variety and turnover intention, and the roles of job crafting and HR innovators and integrators in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines the nonlinear effect of career variety on turnover intention using survey data collected from 509 employees (Study 1) and 346 employees and their supervisors (Study 2) in China.
Findings
Career variety and turnover intention exhibited an inverted U-shaped relationship – mediated by job crafting. Additionally, the HR innovator and integrator moderated the relationship between career variety and job crafting. When the HR innovator and integrator were strong, employees engaged in more job crafting at intermediate levels of career variety.
Originality/value
The findings not only deepen our understanding of the inherent capabilities and preference traits of employees with diverse career backgrounds but also enrich the body of research on career variety, reconcile inconsistencies across previous studies and offer new insights into strategic organisational interventions for retaining a workforce with varied career experiences.
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Tai Anh Vu, Geoff Plimmer and Evan Berman
This study examines antecedents and impacts of HR competence and effective HR practices in organizations. People are an essential asset in organizations, but their potential is…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines antecedents and impacts of HR competence and effective HR practices in organizations. People are an essential asset in organizations, but their potential is reduced without robust HR practices and competent HR professionals. Few studies have investigated causes of low HR professional competence and poor HRM practices.
Design/methodology/approach
This explanatory mixed-method study used survey data (N = 322), interviews and online statements. Data was collected in Vietnam, a country well suited to this study as it has considerable variation in institutional arrangements. It has legacies of Chinese, French and Soviet influence and more recently has adopted international reform models, such as new public management.
Findings
Agency accountability, autonomy and servant leadership promote HR competence, and consequently effective HR practices, and employee and employer outcomes (public service motivation, organizational commitment and organizational performance). Interviews triangulate findings from the survey data and explain barriers (rules, incentives, nepotism, corruption) to these quantitatively examined processes occurring. Strategic solutions for improving HR practices and professional competence are identified.
Practical implications
Practical implications of this research include a greater understanding of the importance of individual accountability and autonomy for executives, with the promotion of servant leaders through better screening and leadership development. Selection criteria should hinge on achievement, merit and the desire to serve the public interest. Competent HRM units should be developed and supported. Such units should focus on managing performance through ensuring line managers do basics such as setting clear goals, giving feedback, training and developing staff. Developing succinct appraisal criteria that reward good performers and sanction poor performers needs to be prioritized.
Social implications
This study provides useful guidance on how to reform public administration systems so that reforms are more effective.
Originality/value
This study identifies both institutional and leadership antecedents to both HR competence and HR practices and their subsequent impacts. Its institutional and developing country orientation complements past studies that have been psychologically oriented and in the global north.
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Anamika Saharan, Akash Saharan, Krishan Kumar Pandey and T. Joji Rao
The low level of financial literacy among young adults is a pressing concern at both individual and country levels. Therefore, there is a dire need to understand the best-worst…
Abstract
Purpose
The low level of financial literacy among young adults is a pressing concern at both individual and country levels. Therefore, there is a dire need to understand the best-worst antecedents of financial literacy and how they influence each other.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-phased multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) technique consisting of best-worst method and interpretive structural modeling (BWM-ISM) was employed for pair-wise comparison, assigning weights, ranking and establishing the relationship among antecedents of financial literacy.
Findings
Results suggest that use of Internet (SF1), role of financial advisors (SF3) and education level of individuals (DS7) are top ranked antecedents, whereas masculinity/feminity, language and power distance in society are the least ranked antecedents of financial literacy. Findings will help both academicians and practitioners focus on the key factors and make efforts to increase financial literacy by minimizing resource usage.
Originality/value
The current study provides clarity among antecedents of financial literacy by following BWM-ISM approach for the first time in the financial literacy context.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2022-0746
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This paper aims to summarize the literature (journal articles and book chapters) on Central and Eastern European (CEE) firms’ outward internationalization failures: definitions…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to summarize the literature (journal articles and book chapters) on Central and Eastern European (CEE) firms’ outward internationalization failures: definitions and understandings of “failure”, “failed” firms’ internationalization processes, causes of “failed” initial and subsequent foreign activities and consequences of “failed” internationalization.
Design/methodology/approach
This systematic-narrative hybrid literature review article focuses on CEE firms’ outward internationalization failures.
Findings
The paper demonstrates that different objective and subjective measures were used for defining and measuring “failure”. Consensus regarding which firms (from slow internationalizers to born globals) can be considered “failed” is lacking. In different studies, internal and external causes of CEE firms’ outward internationalization “failure” and internationalization-related and other consequences of “failed” internationalization also vary considerably. Due to the complexity of the “failure” phenomenon, it is impossible to identify the most characteristic type of “failed” internationalization or offer “optimal” advice for avoiding failures.
Originality/value
The author is not aware of any other literature review articles focused on CEE firms’ outward internationalization failures. This article contributes to the (international) business and (international) entrepreneurship literature focused on failures, exits and institutional and other factors affecting them.
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Man Cao, Shuming Zhao, Jiaxi Chen and Hongjiang Lv
Although prior research has documented substantive knowledge of the benefits of high-performance work systems (HPWS), results regarding both sides of HPWS are inconsistent. To…
Abstract
Purpose
Although prior research has documented substantive knowledge of the benefits of high-performance work systems (HPWS), results regarding both sides of HPWS are inconsistent. To reconcile these inconsistencies, the authors identified two specific HR attributions—employee well-being HR attribution and performance HR attribution, and examined their roles in the relationship between team-level HPWS and employees' thriving at work and emotional exhaustion.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected multi-source data from 36 team leaders and 181 individuals. Given the nested nature of the data, the authors used Mplus 7.4 to conduct multilevel structural equation modeling for hypothesis testing.
Findings
The results showed that team-level HPWS and employee well-being HR attribution interact to affect psychological availability, which subsequently promotes thriving at work. However, team-level HPWS and employee performance HR attribution do not interact to influence role overload/psychological availability; team-level HPWS and employee well-being HR attribution do not interact to affect role overload.
Originality/value
Current literature has overlooked identifying key contingencies for both sides of HPWS effects on employee outcomes. Therefore, this study developed a mediated moderation model and incorporated HR attributions to explore two distinct pathways by which HPWS affects employees' thriving at work and emotional exhaustion. The present study helps to reconcile the inconsistent findings regarding the HPWS double-edged sword nature. In addition, the authors focused on HPWS at the team level, which is also underexplored in the existing HPWS research.