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1 – 10 of 10Pradeep Kumar Tarei, Rajan Kumar Gangadhari and Kapil Gumte
The purpose of this research is to identify and analyse the perceived risk factors affecting the safety of electric two-wheeler (E2W) riders in urban areas. Given the exponential…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to identify and analyse the perceived risk factors affecting the safety of electric two-wheeler (E2W) riders in urban areas. Given the exponential growth of the global E2W market and the notable challenges offered by E2W vehicles as compared to electric cars, the study aims to propose a managerial framework, to increase the penetration of E2W in the emerging market, as a reliable, and sustainable mobility alternative.
Design/methodology/approach
The perceived risk factors of riding E2Ws are relatively scanty, especially in the context of emerging economies. A mixed-method research design is adopted to achieve the research objectives. Four expert groups are interviewed to identify crucial safety risk E2W factors. The grey-Delphi technique is used to confirm the applicability of the extracted risk factors in the Indian context. Next, the Grey-Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique is employed to reveal the causal-prominence relationship among the perceived risk factors. The dominance and prominence scores are used to perform Cause and Effect analysis and estimate the triggering risk factors.
Findings
The finding of the study suggests that reckless adventurism, adverse road conditions, individual characteristics and distraction caused by using mobile phones, as the topmost triggering risk factors that impact the safety of E2Ws drivers. Similarly, reliability on battery performance low velocity and heavy traffic conditions are found to be some of the critical safety factors.
Practical implications
E2Ws are anticipated to represent the future of sustainable mobility in emerging nations. While they provide convenient and quick transportation for daily urban commutes, certain risk factors are contributing to increased accident rates. This research analyses these risk factors to offer a comprehensive view of driver and rider safety. Unlike conventional measures, it considers subjective quality and reliability parameters, such as battery performance and reckless adventurism. Identifying the most significant causal risk factors helps policymakers focus on the most prominent issues, thereby enhancing the adoption of E2Ws in emerging markets.
Originality/value
We have proposed an integrated framework that uses grey theory with Delphi and DEMATEL to analyse the safety risk factors of driving E2W vehicles considering the uncertainty. In addition, the amalgamation of Delphi and DEMATEL helps not only to identify the pertinent safety risk factors, but also bifurcate them into cause-and-effect groups considering the mutual relationship between them. The framework will enable practitioners and policymakers to design preventive strategies to minimize risk and boost the penetration of E2Ws in an emerging country, like India.
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This study aims to explore aesthetic atmospheres and their affordances in urban squares to advance knowledge on the research and design of attractive living environments.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore aesthetic atmospheres and their affordances in urban squares to advance knowledge on the research and design of attractive living environments.
Design/methodology/approach
Descriptions of pleasant and unpleasant experiences of urban squares were collected using qualitative questionnaires with open-ended questions. The theoretical framework and the lens of aesthetic affordances were applied to pinpoint and understand the connections between the place attributes and experiences.
Findings
This study found four distinct aesthetic atmospheres formed by perceived synergies of both the material and immaterial aspects of the environment. It was also found that the atmospheres may shift. A model that shows the aesthetic atmospheres and their potential affordances as layered and emerging is presented.
Research limitations/implications
Everyday aesthetics considered as affordances open new research perspectives for the understanding of what generates attractive living environments – or not.
Practical implications
Aesthetics affordances may provide the design professionals and alike means on how to design places that engender specific aesthetic atmosphere.
Social implications
Gathering and discussing commonplace aesthetic experiences in everyday life may enhance democratic participation in place development among people with different levels of design expertise.
Originality/value
This study combines theories of place with a novel concept of aesthetic affordances to identify distinct aesthetic atmospheres. A holistic overview structure of how the various constituents of aesthetic atmospheres relate to each other provides new ways of studying and understanding urban aesthetic atmospheres.
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This study aims to explore the traditional plant dyeing of Xinjiang Atlas silk fabrics, providing references for the comprehensive utilization of plant dyes in intangible…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the traditional plant dyeing of Xinjiang Atlas silk fabrics, providing references for the comprehensive utilization of plant dyes in intangible cultural heritage.
Design/methodology/approach
The focus of this study is on dyeing experiments of Atlas silk fabrics using safflower extracts, constrained by regional resources. Safflower dry flowers grown in Xinjiang were selected, rinsed with pure water and rubbed. Yellow pigments were removed by adding edible white vinegar. Red pigments from safflower were extracted using an alkaline solution prepared with Populus euphratica ash, a special product of Xinjiang. The extraction rate was analyzed under varying material-to-liquor ratios, pH values, times and temperatures. Direct dyeing process experiments were conducted to obtain different colorimetric L, a, b and K/S values for comparison. Samples with good color development were selected to test the impact of dyeing immersions on color development, and their color fastness, UV protection and antibacterial effects were verified.
Findings
The dyeing experiments on silk fabrics confirmed their UV protection capabilities and antibacterial properties, demonstrating effectiveness against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. As a major producer of safflower, Xinjiang underscores the significance of safflower as an essential plant dyes on the Silk Road. This study reveals its market potential and suitability for use in the plant dyeing process of Atlas silk, producing vibrant red and pink colors.
Originality/value
The experiments indicated that after removing yellow pigments, the highest extraction rate of red pigment from safflower was achieved at a pH value of 10–11, a temperature of 30°C and an extraction time of 40 min. The best bright red color effect with strong color fastness was obtained with a material-to-liquor ratio of 1:20, a temperature of 40°C and three immersions. The best light pink color effect with strong color fastness was a material-to-liquor ratio of 1:80, a temperature of 30°C and two immersions.
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Mehroosh Tak, Kirsty Blair and João Gabriel Oliveira Marques
High levels of child obesity alongside rising stunting and the absence of a coherent food policy have deemed UK’s food system to be broken. The National Food Strategy (NFS) was…
Abstract
Purpose
High levels of child obesity alongside rising stunting and the absence of a coherent food policy have deemed UK’s food system to be broken. The National Food Strategy (NFS) was debated intensely in media, with discussions on how and who should fix the food system.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a mixed methods approach, the authors conduct framing analysis on traditional media and sentiment analysis of twitter reactions to the NFS to identify frames used to shape food system policy interventions.
Findings
The study finds evidence that the media coverage of the NFS often utilised the tropes of “culture wars” shaping the debate of who is responsible to fix the food system – the government, the public or the industry. NFS recommendations were portrayed as issues of free choice to shift the debate away from government action correcting for market failure. In contrast, the industry was showcased as equipped to intervene on its own accord. Dietary recommendations made by the NFS were depicted as hurting the poor, painting a picture of helplessness and loss of control, while their voices were omitted and not represented in traditional media.
Social implications
British media’s alignment with free market economic thinking has implications for food systems reform, as it deters the government from acting and relies on the invisible hand of the market to fix the system. Media firms should move beyond tropes of culture wars to discuss interventions that reform the structural causes of the UK’s broken food systems.
Originality/value
As traditional media coverage struggles to capture the diversity of public perception; the authors supplement framing analysis with sentiment analysis of Twitter data. To the best of our knowledge, no such media (and social media) analysis of the NFS has been conducted. The paper is also original as it extends our understanding of how media alignment with free market economic thinking has implications for food systems reform, as it deters the government from acting and relies on the invisible hand of the market to fix the system.
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Umesh Sharma and Amanpreet Kaur
This paper aims to present an overview of the development of the public value accounting approach and its application to public sector accountability in New Zealand.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present an overview of the development of the public value accounting approach and its application to public sector accountability in New Zealand.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses the public value framework to demonstrate the outcome-related planning and control mechanisms that are put in place in the public sector. The paper draws from archival research using a case study of the Ministry of Pacific Peoples.
Findings
The public value accounting-based calculative practices are on the rise within the New Zealand public sector. New Zealand’s public sector is oriented towards a public value budget.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited through the use of secondary data and the use of content analysis methodology. The research enables policymakers to fund initiatives that enhance the well-being of the community. Public value can be created as a joint effort between citizens and government as evident from the case study. By looking at the totality of the impact of government through public value creation can help to improve policy decisions. Government policymakers need to emphasise on those public value creation that has an enormous positive impact on the citizens. This will also help to improve the relationship between government and citizens through increased trust in the government by citizens.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the public value research which has received relatively less attention in the literature. Public value accounting is a research field that is yet to achieve a significant level of attention.
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Aloísio Lélis de Paula, Victor Marchezini and Tatiana Sussel Gonçalves Mendes
This paper aimed to develop a participatory methodology to analyze the disaster risk creation in coastal cities, based on an approach that combines social, urban, environmental…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aimed to develop a participatory methodology to analyze the disaster risk creation in coastal cities, based on an approach that combines social, urban, environmental and disaster risk elements.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology uses some aspects of three theoretical approaches in a complementary way: i) the Pressure and Release (PAR) framework for the identification of dynamic pressures that contribute to disaster risk creation; ii) the application of Drivers, Pressure, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) framework to analyze environmental dimensions; and iii) urban analysis, applying the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) tool to classify urban processes. The methodology combined the use of satellite remote sensing data to analyze the urban sprawl and citizen science methods to collect social and environmental data, using the case study of the watershed of the Juqueriquerê River in the coastal city of Caraguatatuba, Brazil. The pilot project was part of a local university extension project of the undergraduate course on Architecture and Urban Planning and also engaged residents and city hall representatives.
Findings
The satellite remote sense data analysis indicated a continuous urban sprawl between 1985 and 2020, especially in the south of the Juqueriquerê watershed, reducing urban drainage and increasing the extension and water depth of urban flooding and riverine floods. Using citizen science methods, undergraduates identified settlements with limited economic resources to elevate houses and a lack of infrastructure to promote a resilient coastal city. After identifying the dynamic pressures that contribute to disaster risk creation and the weaknesses and strengths of a resilient city, undergraduate students proposed urban planning interventions and gray and green infrastructure projects to mitigate disaster risks.
Social implications
The paper identifies urban sprawl in disaster-prone areas as one of the risk factors contributing to disaster. It also comprehensively analyzes differences between different zones in the Juqueriqere River, which will be useful for policy-making.
Originality/value
The method presented an interdisciplinary approach that used satellite remote sensing data and citizen science techniques to analyze disaster risks in coastal cities. The multidimensional approach used to evaluate risks is useful and can be replicated in other similar studies to gain a more comprehensive understanding of disaster risks.
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Jannifer Gregory David, Rachel Groth and Taylor Alto
To facilitate a goal of hiring more employees with work passion, this research investigates the content job seekers include in recruiting messages to determine if this content…
Abstract
Purpose
To facilitate a goal of hiring more employees with work passion, this research investigates the content job seekers include in recruiting messages to determine if this content changes with job seekers’ work passion.
Design/methodology/approach
Study participants were full-time professionals who wrote recruiting messages for their current jobs and answered questions about their work passion and work histories. These recruiting messages were content analyzed for themes. The percentages of recruiting message content for each theme were entered as endogenous variables in a structural equation model with harmonious and obsessive work passion are exogenous variables.
Findings
A significantly positive relationship was found between participants’ harmonious work passion and the amount of passion-related content in their recruiting messages.
Practical implications
Findings suggest that organizations may consider including more passion-related content in recruiting messages, if their recruiting strategy aims to attract more high-work-passion job applicants.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies on the role of work passion in recruiting messages. This study also uses a unique combination of qualitative and quantitative analyses.
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Abstract
Purpose
Sharing and disseminating debunking information are critical to correcting rumours and controlling disease when dealing with public health crises. This study investigates the factors that influence social media users' debunking information sharing behaviour from the perspective of persuasion. The authors examined the effects of argument adequacy, emotional polarity, and debunker's identity on debunking information sharing behaviour and investigated the moderating effects of rumour content and target.
Design/methodology/approach
The model was tested using 150 COVID-19-related rumours and 2,349 original debunking posts on Sina Weibo.
Findings
First, debunking information that contains adequate arguments is more likely to be reposted only when the uncertainty of the rumour content is high. Second, using neutral sentiment as a reference, debunking information containing negative sentiment is shared more often regardless of whether the government is the rumour target, and information containing positive sentiment is more likely to be shared only when the rumour target is the government. Finally, debunking information published by government-type accounts is reposted more often and is enhanced when the rumour target is the government.
Originality/value
The study provides a systematic framework for analysing the behaviour of sharing debunking information among social media users. Specifically, it expands the understanding of the factors that influence debunking information sharing behaviour by examining the effects of persuasive cues on debunking information sharing behaviour and the heterogeneity of these effects across various rumour contexts.
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João Pavão, Rute Bastardo and Nelson Pacheco Rocha
This systematic review aimed to identify and categorize applications using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) to support activities outside of direct healthcare…
Abstract
Purpose
This systematic review aimed to identify and categorize applications using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) to support activities outside of direct healthcare provision.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic electronic search was performed, and 53 studies were included after the selection process.
Findings
The results show that FHIR is being used to support (1) clinical research (i.e. clinical research based on interventional trials, data interoperability to support clinical research and advanced communication services to support clinical research), (2) public health and (3) medical education. Despite the FHIR potential to support activities outside of direct healthcare provision, some barriers were identified, namely difficulties translating the proposed applications to clinical environments or FHIR technical issues that require further developments.
Originality/value
This study provided a broad review of how FHIR is being applied in clinical activities outside of direct clinical care and identified three major domains, that is, clinical research, public health and medical education, being the first and most representative in terms of number of publications.
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Junjie Gong, Zhixiang Li, Qingqing Lin and Kunhong Hu
This study aims to explore the synthesis and tribological performances of di-n-octyl sebacate (DOS) synthesized with spherical nano-MoS2/sericite (SMS) and carboxylated SMS (CSMS…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the synthesis and tribological performances of di-n-octyl sebacate (DOS) synthesized with spherical nano-MoS2/sericite (SMS) and carboxylated SMS (CSMS) as catalysts.
Design/methodology/approach
SMS and CSMS were used as esterification catalysts to synthesize DOS from sebacic acid and n-octanol. The two catalysts were in situ dispersed in the synthesized DOS after the reaction to form suspensions. The tribological performances of the two suspensions after 20 days of storage were studied.
Findings
CSMS was more stably dispersed in DOS than SMS, and they reduced friction by 55.6% and 22.2% and wear by 51.3% and 56.5%, respectively. Such results were mainly caused by the COOH on CSMS, which was more conducive to improving the dispersion and friction reduction of CSMS than wear resistance. Another possible reason was the difference between the dispersion amounts of CSMS and SMS in DOS. The sericite of SMS was converted into SiO2 to enhance wear resistance, while that of CSMS only partially generated SiO2, and the rest still remained on the surface to reduce friction.
Originality/value
This work provides a more effective SMS catalytical way for DOS synthesis than the traditional inorganic acid catalytical method. SMS does not need to be separated after reaction and can be dispersed directly in DOS as a lubricant additive. Replacing SMS with CSMS can produce a more stable suspension and reduce friction significantly. This work combined the advantages of surface carboxylation modification and in situ catalytic dispersion and provided alternatives for the synthesis of DOS and the dispersion of MoS2-based lubricant additives.
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