Search results

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of fuel flow processes in a network of eight gas stations, located in the mesoregion of Alto Paranaíba and Triângulo Mineiro.

Two multi-criteria decision support methods were applied, respectively, of a statistical and mathematical nature, namely, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The research method used was quantitative, with a brief complement of qualitative research, and descriptive in purpose, supported by the inductive method. The data collection stage took place with the support of interviews, with the application of a structured questionnaire, and non-probabilistic sampling, for convenience.

It was possible to verify that the gas station that stood out the most was station 2 (GS2), which achieved maximum efficiency, a fact that can be justified by the analysis resulting from the application of PCA, as for the product purchase variable (PP), the GS2 is the one that buys the most fuel, and is also the one with the largest storage capacity (C), and the highest volume of product sales (PS), which suggests signs of balance between supply and demand for this station, justifying its prominence.

The limitations of the study were related to the DEA technique, which requires a number of variables/indicators three times smaller than the number of DMUs considered, and the difficulty in obtaining financial data on the DMUs analyzed. Considering the security and anonymity of the gas station network, it was not possible to use this data.

The performance assessment of fuel flow processes carried out in this study promotes the efficient use of available resources as well as identifying efficient DMUs that represent benchmarks for improving management processes and performance of inefficient DMUs.

From a social perspective, this study promotes the improvement of the quality of flow processes and effective management of the fuel supply chain, ensuring the safe storage and transportation of fuels to customer supply. Performance management in this sector moves other sectors of the economy, since an efficient unit represents a balance between supply and demand, and consequently, boosts the regional economy, promoting economic growth of the population. Hiring qualified labor for this purpose also represents one of the implications of the study. From an environmental perspective, optimizing flow processes generates a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and encourages the formulation of public policies aimed at consolidating sustainable practices.

Performance management applied to the context of the fuel supply chain is a relevant topic that has been little explored in scientific research, with a low level of information detail. This study using the inductive method allows the generalization and replication of this management pattern in other organizations in the sector in order to increase the efficiency of the fuel distribution system, with the perspective of maximizing outputs and reducing input consumption. In this aspect, the study introduces possibilities for advancement in social and environmental perspectives based on the effective management of fuel logistics.

Despite being a seminal explanation of the workforce emotional experiences, capable of mapping the path from the antecedents to consequences, affective events theory (AET) only offers a “macrostructure” of a working environment. To date, little is known about the universal features of the work environment that may guide the understanding of imperative work aspects triggering employees’ emotions at work. Hence, the study proposes and validates that Stafford Beer’s viable system model (VSM) can provide a holistic view of the organizational work environment, enabling a comprehensive understanding of work events or factors triggering workforce emotions.

First, the VSM structural layout is used to fill in the “macrostructure” of the “working environment” in AET to diagnose the functional and relational aspects of the work and the related work events occurring within. Using a deductive approach, 31 work events were adopted to determine the impact of VSM-based work environment events on the employees’ emotional experiences and subsequent work attitudes (job satisfaction) and behaviors (citizenship behavior). To field test the proposed nexus of VSM and AET, the survey was conducted on two hundred and fifteen employees from 39 different organizations. PLS-SEM tested the explanatory power of the suggested VSM’s systemic approach for understanding the affective work environment in totality.

The findings confirmed that the VSM metalanguage provides a holistic view of the organizational functioning and social connectivity disposing of affective work events, helpful in assessing their aggregate influence on employees’ emotions and work-related outcomes.

The findings identify how employees' emotions can be triggered by everyday work operations and social relations at work, which can affect their extra-role behaviors and necessary work-related attitudes.

The study utilized Beer’s VSM framework based on the systemic principle of “holistic view” for ascertaining the affective work environment and its related features holistically, which filled in well the macrostructure of “work environment features” with micro-structures of organizational inter-related aspects which are yet to be known in AET – a seminal explanation for managing workforce emotions.

The Russia–Ukraine war has disrupted the wheat supply worldwide. Given that wheat is one of the most important agri-food products in the world, it is necessary to pay attention to the wheat supply chain during the global crises. The use of resilience strategies is one of the solutions to face the supply chain disruptions. In addition, there is a possibility of multiple crises occurring in global societies simultaneously.

In this research, the resilience strategies of backup suppliers (BS) and inventory pre-prepositioning (IP) were discussed in order to cope with the wheat supply chain disruptions. Furthermore, the p-Robust Scenario-based Stochastic Programming (PRSSP) approach was used to optimize the wheat supply chain under conditions of disruptions from two perspectives, feasibility and optimality.

After implementing the problem of a real case in Iran, the results showed that the use of resilience strategy reduced costs by 9.33%. It was also found that if resilience strategies were used, system's flexibility and decision-making power increased. Besides, the results indicated that if resilience strategies were used and another crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, supply chain costs would increase less than when resilience strategies were not used.

In this study, the design of the wheat supply chain was discussed according to the wheat supply disruptions due to the Russia–Ukraine war and its implementation on a real case. In the following, various resilience strategies were used to cope with the wheat supply chain disruptions. Finally, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wheat supply chain in the conditions of disruptions caused by the Russia–Ukraine war was investigated.

From a supply chain perspective, logistics firms collaborate with other supply chain members to extend their business scope. Investment in circular economy projects in the supply chain can not only broaden the scope of business but also increase the value of the entire supply chain. Third-party logistics companies are gradually participating in the construction and operation of many circular economy projects. How to coordinate multiple circular economy supply chain projects is at the core of its operation.

This paper first analyzes some typical supply chain projects in China and summarizes the main features of these projects. Secondly, considering the benefits of the project and the stakes of each project, a multi-stage stochastic programming model is established. Finally, Cplex, nested decomposition, LocalSolver and other methods are adopted to simulate and analyze the model.

The final experimental results find that the importance of coordinating multiple circular economy supply chain projects to increase the value of the entire supply chain. The multi-stage stochastic programming model presented in this research can provide a useful tool for logistics enterprises and third-party logistics companies to optimize their investment decisions and maximize their profits in the context of a circular economy.

There are still some limitations to this study; for example, it is limited to the analysis of circular economy supply chain projects in China. The study focused on third-party logistics companies, and other enterprises in the circular economy supply chain were not considered. The research also assumed that the benefits of each circular economy project and the stakes of each project were known, which may not always be the case in real-world scenarios.

This manuscript found that investing in other circular economy projects in the supply chain can broaden the scope of business and increase the value of the entire supply chain. Third-party logistics companies are gradually participating in the construction and operation of many circular economy projects, such as recycling and repurposing initiatives. It highlights the importance of coordinating multiple circular economy supply chain projects to increase the value of the entire supply chain. The multi-stage stochastic programming model presented in this research can provide a useful tool for logistics enterprises and third-party logistics companies to optimize their investment decisions and maximize their profits in the context of a circular economy.

Uzbekistan, a former Soviet Union state whose population is 96% Muslim, is aiming to penetrate the global halal market. Since 2016, its government has been committed to establishing a halal economy, purportedly comprising halal product exports and inbound halal tourism services. Given that a conducive halal ecosystem is a critical condition for creating and sustaining a viable halal economy, the current condition of the halal industry in the country must be diagnosed. For this purpose, we developed a diagnostic framework based on the halal principles and the Viable System Model (VSM) to identify the existing players and stakeholders in the halal industry ecosystem in Uzbekistan and their respective roles and functions, as well as the information flows amongst them.

The study utilised the qualitative methodology with the data gathered mainly from in-depth interviews with industry experts and consumers in Uzbekistan.

The findings revealed that the country has considerable potential to develop its halal tourism market due to its beautiful landscape, rich history and cultural heritage, which is supported by a full-fledged development policy. Uzbekistan's industrial sector exhibits substantial readiness to serve the Muslim market; however, the country lacks a specific policy for the development of the halal manufacturing export industry.

Our findings generate emergent themes that are relevant to the operations and future viability of halal industry of a Muslim country in a transitioning economy. These emerging themes further strengthened existing conceptualisation of the Viable System Model in terms of the elements of the environment and the function of policymaking in contributing toward a system's viability. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are also provided.

A learning-focused culture promotes creativity, innovativeness and the acquisition of novel insights and competencies. The study aims to explore the relationship between human resource development (HRD) practice and employee competencies using organizational learning culture as a mediating variable.

Data were collected from 828 employees of 37 health care institutions comprising 24 (internationally-owned) and 13 (indigenously-owned). Construct reliability and validity was established through a confirmatory factor analysis. The proposed model and hypotheses were evaluated using structural equation modeling.

Data supported the hypothesized relationships. The results show that training and development and employee competencies were significantly related. Career development and employee competencies were significantly related. Organizational learning culture mediates the relationship between training and development and employee competencies. However, organizational learning culture did not mediate the relationship between career development and employee competencies.

The generalizability of the findings will be constrained due to the research’s health care focus and cross-sectional data.

The study’s findings will serve as valuable pointers to policy makers and stakeholders of health care institutions in developing system-level capacities that promote continuous learning and adaptive learning cultures to ensure sustainability and competitive advantage.

By evidencing empirically that organizational learning culture mediates the relationship between HRD practices and employee competencies the study extends the literature.

This study aims to highlight the moderating role of perceived organizational, supervisory and coworker’s support in weakening the negative relationship between fear of pandemic (FOP) and employee’s engagement in the Asian organizations. Furthermore, this study also aims to explore the role of employees’ engagement as an intervening mechanism, which mediates the relationship between FOP and employee’s performance in an Asian postpandemic context.

Based on extensive review of recent literature and sound theoretical reasoning, the authors have developed a comprehensive conceptual framework (with related theoretical propositions) which provides clear guidelines as to how Asian Business Managers/organizations can minimize the adverse effect of the employee’s fear triggered by the pandemic at the workplace and how provision of effective and timely organizational/interpersonal support (i.e. organizational, managerial and coworkers level support) can help Asian Managers address various workplace challenges created by the pandemic moving forward. This study has further validated the proposed conceptual framework and related theoretical propositions by conducting an in-depth bibliometric analysis and by developing clusters of the co-occurrences based on most recent/ relevant literature published in the area.

This study advances the knowledge in the areas of FOP and organizational support in particular. A comprehensive review of the literature clearly indicates how effective organizational, supervisory and peer support mechanism can help Asian Business Managers in alleviating the negative impact of the FOP on various employee level outcomes such as employees “engagement and performance” and how it can help Asian firms in addressing the associated challenges while working in a postpandemic context. Later on, an in-depth bibliometric analysis of the literature has revealed emerging knowledge patterns in the field and has indicated several key gaps in the existing literature which further confirms the theoretical framework and the propositions related thereto.

Though several researchers have previously examined the fear created by COVID-19 at workplace, relatively fewer researchers have tried to link it up with employees’ level of involvement/ engagement at workplace. Even fewer researchers have tried to examine the vital role that organizational, managerial and peers support can play in minimizing the adverse effects created by pandemic-induced fears for employees’ productivity and performance in an Asian workplace context. Furthermore, hardly any efforts have been made to look at this popular notion of employees’ engagement as an intervening mechanism which carries a significant potential to mediate the relationship between FOP and employees’ job performance. This study aims to bridge all these gaps by integrating the two main streams of knowledge together, i.e. Four Horsemen of Fear and Organizational Support theory. Based on strong theoretical reasoning, an in-depth review and a bibliometric analysis of the relevant literature, the authors have developed a comprehensive conceptual framework which explains how various levels of support may interact with FOP to predict different levels of employees’ engagement in a contemporary Asian workplace and how this in turn may impact employees’ job performance while at work.

We grounded this study in the Too-Much-of-a-Good-Thing (TMGT) meta-theoretical framework to disentangle the costs and benefits associated with workplace friendship in a military setting.

We collected data cross-sectionally through self-reports from 287 employees from the Romanian Air Force.

The number of friends had an inverted U-shaped association with perceived social support. Our results show that as the number of friends increases from 9 to 10, so does the social support. However, as the number of friends further increases above 10, social support tends to decrease rather than increase. Furthermore, we found that social support and all dimensions of mental well-being (emotional, social and psychological well-being) were positively associated. Moreover, social support mediated the relationship between the number of friends and the three dimensions of mental well-being.

Our findings can help human resources policies in military organizations foster an organizational climate that cultivates friendship ties between employees, which is crucial for their social support and overall mental well-being.

This work provides additional information about the specific mechanisms through which the effects of workplace friendships on mental well-being occur.

In this study, two postprocessing techniques, namely, conventional burnishing (CB) and ultrasonic-assisted burnishing (UAB), were applied to improve the fatigue behavior of 316 L stainless steel fabricated through selective laser melting (SLM). The effects of these processes on surface roughness, porosity, microhardness and fatigue performance were experimentally investigated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of ultrasonic-assisted burnishing as a preferred post-processing technique for enhancing the fatigue performance of additively manufactured components.

All samples were subjected to a sandblasting process. Next, the samples were divided into three distinct groups. The first group (as-Built) did not undergo any additional postprocessing, apart from sandblasting. The second group was treated with CB, while the third group was treated with ultrasonic-assisted burnishing. Finally, all samples were evaluated based on their surface roughness, porosity, microhardness and fatigue performance.

The results revealed that the initial mean surface roughness (Ra) of the as-built sample was 11.438 µm. However, after undergoing CB and UAB treatments, the surface roughness decreased to 1.629 and 0.278 µm, respectively. Notably, the UAB process proved more effective in eliminating near-surface pores and improving the microhardness of the samples compared to the CB process. Furthermore, the fatigue life of the as-built sample, initially at 66,000 cycles, experienced a slight improvement after CB treatment, reaching 347,000 cycles. However, the UAB process significantly enhanced the fatigue life of the samples, extending it to 620,000 cycles.

After reviewing the literature, it can be concluded that UAB will exceed the capabilities of CB in terms of enhancing the surface roughness and, subsequently, the fatigue performance of additive manufactured (AM) metals. However, the actual impact of the UAB process on the fatigue life of AM products has not yet been thoroughly researched. Therefore, in this study, this paper used the burnishing process to enhance the fatigue life of 316 L stainless steel produced through the SLM process.

This study aims to examine the relationships between brand-specific transformational leadership (TFL), employer branding and employee-based brand equity (EBBE) in the business-to-business (B2B) context. Additionally, the study investigates the mediating role of employer branding in the relationship between brand-specific TFL and EBBE, shedding light on the mechanisms through which brand-specific leaders impact EBBE via employer branding initiatives.

The study takes a quantitative approach. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire in B2B service sectors. The PLS method was applied in Smart PLS (V. 3.0) to test the established relationships between constructs.

The findings reveal significant positive associations between brand-specific TFL and employer branding, as well as between employer branding and EBBE. The relationship between brand-specific TFL and EBBE is partial mediated by employer branding.

This study contributes to theoretical understanding by advancing knowledge on the mechanisms driving EBBE within B2B firms. It offers practical insights for managers and researchers by highlighting the importance of leadership and employer branding strategies in enhancing EBBE in the B2B context.

Este estudo examina as relações entre a liderança transformacional específica de marca (TFL), employer branding e employee-based brand equity (EBBE) no contexto business-to-business (B2B). Além disso, o estudo investiga o papel mediador do employer branding na relação entre TFL específica de marca e EBBE, elucidando os mecanismos pelos quais os líderes impactam o EBBE por meio de iniciativas de employer branding.

O estudo adota uma abordagem quantitativa. A coleta de dados foi realizada utilizando um questionário no setor de serviços B2B. O método PLS foi aplicado no Smart PLS (V. 3.0) para testar as relações estabelecidas entre os construtos.

Os resultados revelam associações positivas significativas entre TFL específica de marca e employer branding, bem como entre employer branding e EBBE. A relação entre TFL específica de marca e EBBE é parcialmente mediada por employer branding.

Este estudo contribui para a compreensão teórica ao avançar o conhecimento sobre os mecanismos que impulsionam o EBBE dentro das empresas B2B. Oferece insights práticos para gestores e académicos ao destacar a importância das estratégias de liderança e employer branding na melhoria do EBBE no contexto B2B.

Este estudio examina las relaciones entre el liderazgo transformacional específico de marca (TFL), employer branding y employee-based brand equity (EBBE) en el contexto business-to-business (B2B). Además, el estudio investiga el papel mediador del employer branding en la relación entre TFL específico de marca y EBBE, elucidando los mecanismos mediante los cuales los líderes impactan el EBBE a través de iniciativas de employer branding.

El estudio adopta un enfoque cuantitativo. La recolección de datos se realizó utilizando un cuestionario en los sectores de servicios B2B. Se aplicó el método PLS en Smart PLS (V. 3.0) para probar las relaciones establecidas entre los constructos.

Los resultados revelan asociaciones positivas significativas entre TFL específico de marca y employer branding, así como entre employer branding y EBBE. La relación entre TFL específico de marca y EBBE es parcialmente mediada por employer branding.

Este estudio contribuye a la comprensión teórica al avanzar en el conocimiento sobre los mecanismos que impulsan el EBBE dentro de las empresas B2B. Ofrece perspectivas prácticas para gestores y académicos al destacar la importancia de las estrategias de liderazgo y employer branding en la mejora del EBBE en el contexto B2B.