Search results

Exploring the Lean and Green relationship goes back to the beginnings of Lean manufacturing. Most cases established that companies implementing Lean have Green results. However, there are Lean practices with a higher impact on Green, but others with less impact. Therefore, this paper presents research that explores the relationship between Lean and Green in manufacturing companies and aims to determine whether Lean practices have a higher association with Green aspects.

A survey was conducted amongst manufacturing firms to determine their Lean Index (LI). The internally related elements of the Lean construct determined each firm’s LI, whilst Cronbach alpha determined internal LI consistency. The survey also identified firms developing six Green aspects: International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 14001, ISO 50001, general Green aspects and the specific aspects of materials, energy and water. An individual sample t-test shows different LI levels of association for each Green aspect. Binomial logistic regression shows the LI element association for each Green aspect.

LI is higher at firms reporting the inclusion of Green aspects. More than half of LI components have a statistically relevant association with the six Green aspects. In general, Ishikawa diagrams had the highest association with Green aspects whilst the lowest was seen in workers as improvement initiators. By grouping the LI elements into their categories, the Lean practices related to controlling processes have a higher association, whilst the involvement of employees has the lowest.

Further research found in this paper identifies the possibilities for investigating the specificities of each Lean tool to develop Green aspects in companies.

Practitioners learn that Lean and Green are not separate issues in business. This article provides evidence that Lean practices in place at companies are already associated with Green aspects, so integration may already be happening.

This paper provides specifics on the relationship between each Lean practice and developing Green aspects. Thus, this paper specifies the Lean practices that contribute most to Green efficiency to support the joint development of both themes.

The theme park industry has attracted wide attention and visitors’ perceptions are key to improving theme park management. Applying the cognitive-affective theory, this study aims to explore various cognitive attributes and affective attitudes and how they affect the overall theme park image.

A mixed research method was used to analyze tourists’ cognitive, affective and overall evaluations of theme parks through text mining and logistic regression and to verify their internal relationships.

Study 1 confirms the impact of six features of theme parks, including food and beverage consumption, merchandising, spatiality, immersive technologies, interactive performances and thematization. Study 2 reveals that finer-grained emotions such as goodness, sadness, disgust, surprise, fear, joy and anger are present in visitor reviews. Study 3 confirms the significant influence of cognitive characteristics and emotions related to theme parks on the overall image through regression analysis. The findings carry meaningful implications for theme park managers, offering guidance on customer needs, perceived negative attributes and how to improve visitor experiences.

This study explores the attribute characteristics of cognitive and affective images of theme parks and their influence on the overall image, thereby enriching the research on the connotations of cognitive-affective theory. In particular, this study introduces and quantitatively analyses the concept of theme parks for the first time through a large-scale data analysis, which empirically reconciles the contradictions of previous reviews of different definitions of theme parks.

主题公园评论：文本挖掘的认知特征和情感如何决定主题公园形象

摘要

主题公园行业备受关注, 而游客的看法是改进主题公园管理的关键所在。本研究运用认知-情感理论, 旨在探索游客评论的认知属性与情感态度, 以及它们如何影响主题公园的整体形象。

采用混合研究方法, 通过文本挖掘和逻辑回归分析游客对主题公园的认知、情感及总体评价, 并验证它们之间的内在关系。

研究1证实了主题公园的六个特征所产生的影响, 包括餐饮消费、商品销售、空间性、沉浸式技术、互动表演和主题化。研究2表明, 游客评价中存在更细化的情感, 如好感、悲伤、厌恶、惊讶、恐惧、喜悦和愤怒。研究3通过回归分析证实了与主题公园相关的认知和情感特征对整体形象具有显著影响。这些研究结果对主题公园管理者具有重要意义, 为了解客户需求、识别负面属性以及如何改善游客体验提供了指导。

本研究对主题公园认知和情感形象的属性特征及其对整体形象的影响进行了探索, 从而丰富了认知-情感理论内涵。特别是本研究首次通过引入大规模数据并量化分析了主题公园的概念, 从实证角度调和了以往针对主题公园不同定义的相关评论中存在的矛盾。

Reseñas de parques temáticos: cómo la minería de textos de las características cognitivas y las emociones pueden determinar la imagen del parque temático

Resumen

El sector de los parques temáticos ha atraído una gran atención y las percepciones de los visitantes son clave para mejorar su gestión. Aplicando la teoría cognitivo-afectiva, este estudio pretende explorar diversos atributos cognitivos y actitudes afectivas, y cómo afectan a la imagen global del parque temático.

Se adoptó un enfoque de investigación de métodos mixtos para analizar las evaluaciones cognitivas, afectivas y globales de los turistas sobre los parques temáticos mediante minería de textos y regresión logística, y para validar la relación intrínseca entre ellas.

El estudio 1 confirmó el impacto de seis características de los parques temáticos, como el consumo de alimentos y bebidas, el merchandising, la espacialidad, las tecnologías inmersivas, los espectáculos interactivos y la tematización. El estudio 2 reveló la presencia de emociones más sutiles en las evaluaciones de los visitantes, como la bondad, la tristeza, el asco, la sorpresa, el miedo, la alegría y la ira. El estudio 3 confirmó, mediante un análisis de regresión, que las características cognitivas y las emociones asociadas a los parques temáticos tienen un efecto significativo en la imagen global. Estas conclusiones tienen importantes implicaciones para los gestores de los parques temáticos, ya que proporcionan orientación para comprender las necesidades de los clientes, identificar los atributos negativos percibidos y saber cómo mejorar las experiencias de los visitantes.

Este estudio explora las características de los atributos de las imágenes cognitivas y afectivas de los parques temáticos y su impacto en la imagen global, enriqueciendo así la investigación sobre las connotaciones de la teoría cognitivo-afectiva. En particular, este estudio introduce y analiza cuantitativamente por primera vez el concepto de parque temático mediante un análisis de datos a gran escala, que concilia empíricamente las contradicciones que existían en revisiones anteriores de las distintas definiciones de parque temático.

This study aims to build on social comparison theory to develop a theoretical model of leader–member exchange (LMX) relationship to workplace ostracism through perceived organizational status by coworkers and envy. This study further proposes that warmth and competence may potentially moderate these two indirect effects.

This study tested the hypotheses in a battery manufacturing company located in South China by a survey of 216 employees organized in 55 work teams, using different sources. Additionally, the authors conduct two online vignette experiments to test this study’s mediation, proving the causality.

The authors found that high-level LMX leads to both envy and perceived organizational status by coworkers, which results in a mixed blessing on workplace ostracism toward the employee with high-level LMX. The focal employee’s warmth and competence moderate these indirect relationships.

The authors use LMX to explore antecedents of workplace ostracism and explain how and when these focal employees suffer workplace ostracism from their coworkers. The authors extend the research on LMX by examining the interpersonal risk of being a focal employee. The authors discover two critical boundary conditions – warmth and competence.

This study suggests that it is important to balance the level of the differential LMX; appropriately endorsing other members is a good way to avoid eliciting envy and opposition. Meanwhile, person-oriented citizenship behaviors such as demonstrations of concern or help may shortly build up an employee’s warm impression on their coworkers.

By discovering the bright and dark sides of LMX, this paper has the potential to advance theories on LMX and workplace ostracism. Therefore, the authors believe the current research will have an important impact on relevant research in the future.

Drawing on the technology affordance and affinity theories, this study proposes a framework explaining the antecedents and consequences of customers’ smart experiences (CSEs) in the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot context.

The quantitative approach employing an online survey was adopted to obtain data from chatbot users (N = 761) and analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Results from a survey study show that chatbot affordances, including interactivity (two-way communication, active control and synchronicity), selectivity (customization and localization), information (argument quality and source credibility), association (connectivity and sense of safety) and navigation positively affect CSEs (hedonic and cognitive), leading to customer chatbot stickiness through affinity.

Our study provides evidence that supports and extends the affordances and affinity lens by highlighting the roles of specific chatbot affordances that contribute to a positive-smart experience and subsequently enhances customer chatbot stickiness through affinity.

This paper investigates whether resilience capabilities influence manufacturing performance dimensions. Specifically, it empirically analyses how supply chain agility, alertness, adaptability and preparedness affect manufacturing firms’ operational and sustainable (economic, social and environmental) performance aspects.

The paper employed a deductive approach and an explanatory design. It gathered survey data from 285 managers in 5,329 Ghanaian manufacturing firms and analysed it using structural equation modelling.

The study found resilience capabilities comprising agility, alertness and adaptability to significantly and positively predict changes in manufacturing firms’ sustainable (environmental, economic and social) and operational performance. However, the preparedness capability positively impacts the firms’ operational and environmental performance, not economic and social.

This paper is restricted to Ghana’s manufacturing industry. Underpinned by the dynamic capabilities theory and extensive empirical reviews, the model was developed with four resilient capabilities and four manufacturing performance dimensions.

The study highlights the relevance of resilience in today’s highly disruptive manufacturing environment for achieving sustainable and operational performance. It encourages manufacturing firms to prioritise heavy investments in alertness, adaptability and agile capabilities to overcome supply chain disruptions and enhance sustainable and operational excellence. It also offers significant insights for policymakers, managers and industry players to advance resilience capabilities and swiftly detect and recover from emerging disturbances in manufacturing supply chains, leading to higher performance.

The study contributes to resource conservation and a more sustainable future by projecting resilient capabilities in today’s disruptive environments. The shift towards SCR can influence public attitudes and opinions toward manufacturing and contribute to firms’ sustainability goals.

This study is the first to investigate the linkages between resilient capabilities and performance aspects simultaneously in less developed economies like Ghana. In these economies, manufacturing supply chains often face varying risks that continue to disrupt their operations and sustainability goals.

Multiple infectious control measures, e.g. social distancing, city lockdown and mask-wearing, have been implemented since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Given the bidirectional relationship between foundational movement skills (FoMS) and physical activity (PA), and inadequate PA in Chinese children and adolescents, FoMS tends to decrease during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to systematically review the literature about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on FoMS of individuals aged 5–17 years in Chinese societies.

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was followed. Peer-reviewed articles on four electronic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost and PubMed) were searched on 8 May 2024. The quality of each study was evaluated by the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018. Two independent reviewers were involved in all study selection and appraising procedures.

Among 18,450 records identified, 10 quantitative studies analysing student participants were included. The overall quality of these studies was high, with an average score of 86% in MMAT. The variations among these studies led to inconclusive evaluations. So as to advance the quality of future research and assessments, investigating more aspects of FoMS, standardising physical test protocols and report styles and adopting multiple research designs should be achieved.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first review synthesising evidence about FoMS for Chinese children and adolescents. A definitive conclusion cannot be provided due to certain methodological issues. The current situation of FoMS and future research directions were illustrated.

This study aims to explore the impact of digital supply chain capability (DSCC) on the supply chain financing performance (SCFP) of Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The mediating role of information sharing (IS) and the moderating role of environmental uncertainty (EU) were also investigated.

Based on information processing theory (IPT), this paper constructs a theoretical model to investigate the impact of DSCC on SCFP in 276 Chinese SMEs using ordinary least regression to test hypotheses.

The results show that both digital supply chain sensing capability (DSC) and digital supply chain responding capability (DRC) have positive effects on SCFP. IS plays a mediating role in the relationship between DSC and SCFP, while the EU strengthens the relationship between DRC and IS.

First, this study takes a capability perspective to explore the impact of DSCC on SCFP, which extends the related studies taking a technology perspective. Second, the inner mechanism between DSCC and SCFP is revealed by introducing IS as a mediator. Third, boundary conditions for the DSCC–IS link are clarified by considering EU as a source of information processing requirements.

Humanoid social robots (HSRs) are an innovative technology revitalizing various service sectors, such as the hospitality industry. However, limited research has explored how anthropomorphic features of HSRs influence user satisfaction with the services delivered by HSRs. To address this, a research model was proposed to evaluate how three distinct anthropomorphic features: appearance, voice and response, impact the perceived values (i.e. utilitarian, social and hedonic values) of HSRs, which, in turn, influence user satisfaction.

Data from an online survey of hotel customers was utilized to test the research model (N = 509).

The results indicated that appearance, voice, and response affect perceived utilitarian, hedonic and social values differently. The response feature of HSRs demonstrated the strongest impact on perceived utilitarian, social and hedonic values. In addition, voice affected all three perceived values, while appearance only affected perceived utilitarian and social values. Furthermore, perceived utilitarian, hedonic and social values showed positive impacts on user satisfaction, with hedonic value being the most influential factor.

This study contributes to the literature on HSRs and anthropomorphism by explaining how different anthropomorphic features affect users’ value perceptions and user satisfaction with HSR services by utilizing the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework.

A global industrial revolution driven by carbon neutrality and digital technologies (DTs) is fast gaining momentum. However, the present understanding of how firms should leverage digitalization for sustainability is underdeveloped. This paper aims to explore how digital orientation can improve environmental performance from the natural resource-based view.

Using a sample set of 132 Chinese firms, the authors adopt the hierarchical regression analysis and bootstrap approach to examine the hypotheses.

The empirical results show that green DT usage, green DT disposal and green practices-DT fit are three factors that mediate the positive relationship between digital orientation and environmental performance. In addition, of the five possible mediational paths, only the serial mediation of green DT usage and green practices-DT fit, as well as the serial mediation of green DT disposal and green practices-DT fit, show significant effects.

The authors contribute to the current digitalization and sustainability literature by demonstrating the processes through which digital orientation influences environmental performance. The study also provides managerial implications for firms to adjust their operations.

This study aims to improve the stability and obstacle surmounting ability of the traditional wall-climbing robot on the surface of the ship, a wheel-track composite magnetic adsorption wall-climbing robot is proposed in this paper.

The robot adopts a front and rear obstacle-crossing mechanism to achieve a smooth crossover. The robot is composed of two passive obstacle-crossing mechanisms and a frame, which is composed of two obstacle-crossing magnetic wheels and a set of tracks. The obstacle-crossing is realized by the telescopic expansion of the obstacle-crossing mechanism. Three static failure models are established to determine the minimum adsorption force for the robot to achieve stable motion. The Halbach array is used to construct the track magnetic circuit, and the influence of gap, contact area and magnet thickness on the adsorption force is analyzed by parameter simulation.

The prototype was designed and manufactured by the authors for static failure and obstacle crossing tests. The prototype test results show that the robot can cross the obstacle of 10 mm height under the condition of 20 kg load.

A new structure of wall-climbing robot is proposed and verified. According to the test results, the wall-climbing robot can stably climb over the obstacle of 10 mm height under the condition of 20 kg load, which provides a new idea for future robot design.