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Article
Publication date: 22 November 2024

Sana Goher, Zaheer Abbas and Muhammad Yousuf Rafiq

The boundary layer flow of immiscible fluids plays a crucial role across various industries, influencing advancements in industrial processes, environmental systems, healthcare…

13

Abstract

Purpose

The boundary layer flow of immiscible fluids plays a crucial role across various industries, influencing advancements in industrial processes, environmental systems, healthcare and more. This study explores the thermally radiative boundary layer flow of a shear-driven Ree–Eyring fluid over a nanofluid. The investigation offers valuable insights into the intricate dynamics and heat transfer behavior that arise when a nanofluid, affected by thermal radiation, interacts with a non-Newtonian Ree–Eyring fluid. This analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex interactions governing such systems, which is essential for enhancing efficiency and innovation in multiple applications.

Design/methodology/approach

The simulation investigates the convergence of boundary layers under varying shear strengths. A comparative analysis is conducted using γAl2O3 and Al2O3 nanoparticles, with water as the base fluid. The model’s numerical outcomes are derived using the bvp4c method through the application of appropriate similarity transformations. The resulting numerical data are then used to produce graphical representations, offering valuable insights into the influence of key parameters on flow behavior and patterns.

Findings

The temperature of the Al2O3 nanoparticles is always higher than the γAl2O3 nanoparticles, and hence, Al2O3 nanoparticles become more significant in the cooling process then γAl2O3 nanoparticles. It is also observed that the fluid velocity for both regions is enhanced by increasing values of the Ree–Eyring fluid parameter.

Originality/value

The results stated are original and new with the thermal radiative boundary layer flow of two immiscible Ree–Eyring fluid and Al2O3/γAl2O3 nanofluid.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

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Article
Publication date: 28 June 2024

Krishnendu Saha, Bhavesh Patel and Stefania Paladini

This study investigates the role of leadership and cultural transformation in facilitating Lean Six Sigma (LSS) practices in clinical pharmacy settings to reduce medicine waste…

191

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the role of leadership and cultural transformation in facilitating Lean Six Sigma (LSS) practices in clinical pharmacy settings to reduce medicine waste within the UK National Health Services (NHS).

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review on Lean Six Sigma in health care was conducted to develop an analytical framework. This was followed by a qualitative case study of an English NHS trust to test the framework, exploring pharmacists' adoption of LSS practices and their impact on staff behaviour, focussing on leadership decisions and organisational culture.

Findings

The research highlights the significance of leadership’s prioritisation in waste reduction efforts and its influence on staff engagement. It also examines the intricate relationship between leadership decisions, education and training, resource allocation, and the prevailing clinical culture, which shapes pharmacists' behaviours and attitudes towards LSS practices and waste reduction.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s focus on a single NHS trust limits the generalisability of the findings, suggesting the need for further research across different healthcare settings.

Practical implications

The study recommends a cultural transformation, earlier training, and reformation in service strategy to enhance the adoption of LSS practices and contribute to a more sustainable future for the wider health services.

Social implications

Effective medicine waste management prevents harm and helps address the current NHS medicine shortage. The NHS can allocate resources efficiently, ensure timely treatment, and prepare for future disruptions by implementing the proposed framework.

Originality/value

We developed a leadership model for the NHS to reduce medicine waste, offering a novel approach to addressing the challenge of medicine waste through leadership and cultural transformation.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 42 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 February 2025

Ree Jordan, Terrance W. Fitzsimmons and Victor J. Callan

This paper explores the phenomenon of organizational maverickism, proposing that mavericks, alongside innovators and entrepreneurs, play a crucial role in driving transformational…

31

Abstract

Purpose

This paper explores the phenomenon of organizational maverickism, proposing that mavericks, alongside innovators and entrepreneurs, play a crucial role in driving transformational change. While the actions of innovators and entrepreneurs as change agents are well understood, this paper focuses predominantly on how the practices of mavericks also provide significant contributions to achieving game-changing organizational outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review and conceptual paper highlighting the beneficial nature of maverickism to organizational change efforts, positioning maverickism as a valid change agent role alongside entrepreneurship and innovation.

Findings

The positively deviant nature of mavericks has high potential for creating radical organizational change strategies. Organizational change is more likely to be successful when the entrepreneurial, innovator and maverick mindsets are used to their optimum advantage.

Research limitations/implications

From this conceptual paper and its arguments, new research directions to guide theory building and organizational practice are identified.

Practical implications

When organizational managers and leaders more fully understand the beneficial practices of mavericks, they are more likely to actively employ them in more meaningful roles as organizational change agents, together with innovators and entrepreneurs.

Originality/value

This paper closes the knowledge gap in understanding maverickism that is an under-researched and under-theorized phenomenon. The arguments in this paper identify a number of areas for future research.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 38 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

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Publication date: 21 February 2025

Anup Kumar

This chapter explores the multifaceted relationship between quantum computing (QC) and sustainability, with a focus on the Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimisation (QUBO…

Abstract

This chapter explores the multifaceted relationship between quantum computing (QC) and sustainability, with a focus on the Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimisation (QUBO) framework. The manuscript delves into the theoretical underpinnings of QUBO and its formulation as a quantum annealing problem, identifying the quantum principles that facilitate the resolution of such optimisation challenges. It offers a critical analysis of the suitability of QUBO for unconstrained problems and its efficacy in consistently locating the global minimum – a pivotal concern in optimisation tasks. Further, this study provides a nuanced discussion on the intersection of QC and sustainability. It delineates the types of optimisation problems within sustainability initiatives that are amenable to formulation as QUBO problems, while also highlighting sustainability challenges that elude the QUBO framework. It argues for the integration of quantum solutions into business operations, highlighting the potential for QC to play a transformative role in achieving sustainability objectives. The critique of the current hype surrounding QC provides a balanced viewpoint, ensuring a grounded approach to the adoption of quantum technologies in tackling pressing global issues.

Details

Digital Transformation for Business Sustainability and Growth in Emerging Markets
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83549-109-6

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Article
Publication date: 19 July 2024

Ahmad Al-Hiyari, Mohamed Chakib Chakib Chakib Kolsi, Abdalwali Lutfi and Mahmaod Alrawad

Prior work has shown that the board of directors can alleviate market imperfections that lead to capital investment inefficiency. The authors extend previous work by exploring how…

193

Abstract

Purpose

Prior work has shown that the board of directors can alleviate market imperfections that lead to capital investment inefficiency. The authors extend previous work by exploring how board characteristics influence the efficiency of human capital investment, a critical production factor that has remained insufficiently examined. Specifically, this study aims to investigate how board activity, size, the presence of a separate chairman, female directors and board independence affect firm labour investment efficiency in the European context.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample contains 4,331 firm-year observations traded on the STOXX® Europe 600 index from 2009 through 2022. This paper applies a lagged ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to test the proposed hypotheses. It also uses a dynamic panel generalised method of moments (GMM) regression to tackle potential endogeneity concerns.

Findings

The results show that board gender diversity and the level of independent directors are positively linked to labour investment efficiency, whereas board size and meeting frequency are negatively related to labour investment efficiency. Meanwhile, the presence of a separate chairman on the board does not appear to be significantly associated with labour investment efficiency. In additional subgroup analyses, the authors find that board gender diversity mitigates managers’ inclinations towards both overinvestment and underinvestment in labour. The authors also find that the level of independent directors helps greatly in reducing the underinvestment in labour, while it fails to attenuate the overinvestment in labour. Moreover, the authors find board size to be significantly associated with the tendency to make suboptimal labour decisions, manifesting as both overinvestment and underinvestment in labour. Finally, the results show that board meetings are significantly associated with overinvestment problems, while underinvestment problems seem to be unrelated to meeting frequency.

Practical implications

The empirical results have implications for policymakers and market participants in Europe. Firstly, firms may improve the efficiency of their labour investments by increasing directors’ independence and adding more female voices to corporate boards. Secondly, the evidence shows that some board attributes, such as board activity and size, do not necessarily have a beneficial impact on corporate decisions, particularly labour investment decisions. Finally, market participants are likely to benefit from this paper by understanding the role of board attributes in promoting the efficient allocation of firm resources.

Originality/value

This paper makes two significant contributions. Firstly, it extends the literature on the role of boards of directors in shaping corporate decision-making processes, particularly concerning human capital investment decisions within European firms. By doing so, the authors provide new evidence confirming that certain board attributes, such as board size, director independence and board gender diversity, are important for optimising firms’ resource allocation. Secondly, although numerous studies investigate boards’ role in capital investment decisions, relatively few empirical studies exist on the role of boards in labour investment decisions. This paper, therefore, tries to tackle this void in the literature by investigating firms’ decision-making concerning labour investments.

Details

Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

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Article
Publication date: 1 November 2024

Yisong Chen, Zhe Bian and Yuyao Bian

This study aims to explore the thermal reflectance of fabrics under sunlight or other thermal radiation sources at various color temperatures.

7

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the thermal reflectance of fabrics under sunlight or other thermal radiation sources at various color temperatures.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzed the spectral distribution of sunlight at different solar altitude angles as well as the spectral distribution characteristics of other light and thermal radiation sources, pointing out that their color temperatures can be used to identify their spectral distribution domains. Reflectance, transmittance, absorptance and color temperature domain reflectance of 35 different fibers and color fabrics were tested in a wide spectral range. The different behavior of these optical parameters in the segmented spectrum is discussed. The temperature rise tests demonstrate that the reflectance corresponding to the color temperature of the radiation sources is highly correlated with the temperature rise results.

Findings

The reflectance in the color temperature domain shows a strong correlation with the radiation source at same color temperature. The correlation coefficients for the 6,000 K xenon lamp test are −0.96 and −0.90 in two groups, and for the 3,200 K tungsten iodine lamp test are −0.87 and −0.90 as well.

Originality/value

The concept of fabric thermal reflectance in the color temperature domain was first introduced to match different thermal radiation sources. Validation of temperature rise is conducted through a self-constructed tester with unidirectional adiabatic heating. This new discovery could serve as a basis for developing functional fabric or clothing, such as sun-proof clothing, fire protection clothing, etc.

Details

International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-6222

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Article
Publication date: 16 December 2024

Jamshaid Iqbal and Fahad Munir Abbasi

The primary purpose of this research is to investigate the flow and heat transfer characteristics of non-Newtonian nanofluids, specifically Reiner–Philippoff (R-Ph) fluids, across…

7

Abstract

Purpose

The primary purpose of this research is to investigate the flow and heat transfer characteristics of non-Newtonian nanofluids, specifically Reiner–Philippoff (R-Ph) fluids, across a radially magnetized, curved, stretched surface. By considering factors such as Brownian motion, thermophoresis and viscous dissipation, the study aims to enhance the understanding of heat transfer mechanisms in various engineering and industrial applications, thereby contributing to improved thermal management strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs the local non-similarity method to analyze the flow and thermal behavior of R-Ph nanofluids over a radially magnetized, curved, stretched surface. The governing system is simplified using suitable transformations, and a local non-similarity approach is applied to treat non-dimensional partial differential equations as ordinary differential equations. The resulting system is numerically solved by employing the Bvp4c algorithm via MATLAB. Various dimensionless parameters, such as thermophoresis and magnetic numbers, are systematically varied to evaluate their impact on the velocity, concentration and temperature profiles of the nanofluid.

Findings

The results indicate that the concentration profile of the nanofluid improves with increasing thermophoresis and magnetic numbers, while it decreases with higher Schmidt and Bingham numbers. The velocity of the nanofluid decreases with larger magnetic numbers and curvature parameters but increases with the R-Ph fluid and Bingham numbers. Additionally, the temperature profile shows a decreasing trend for higher curvature and Bingham numbers while rising with higher Brinkman and magnetic numbers. The Sherwood number increases with Schmidt number, thermophoresis and Brownian motion parameters.

Originality/value

This study provides a novel analysis of R-Ph nanofluids in the context of curved stretching surfaces under magnetic fields, contributing to the understanding of non-Newtonian fluid dynamics. The use of the local non-similarity method to transform and solve the governing equations offers a fresh perspective on heat transfer phenomena. The findings have significant implications for various fields, including engineering, electronics and biomedical applications, by enhancing thermal efficiency and performance in systems utilizing nanofluids.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 June 2024

Irene Zografou and Eleanna Galanaki

Some firms excel at positively presenting their employer brand (talk), while others excel at effectively implementing human resource management (HRM) practices for the benefit of…

583

Abstract

Purpose

Some firms excel at positively presenting their employer brand (talk), while others excel at effectively implementing human resource management (HRM) practices for the benefit of the employees (walk). Which approach is more effective? Focusing specifically on small and medium-sized hotels (SMHs), this study explores the relation of employer branding (EB) and HRM practices with organizational performance (OP).

Design/methodology/approach

Stratified sampling was used to identify 34 top management figures (owners, CEOs, and top HR managers) from SMHs across Greece. These individuals agreed to participate in in-depth, semi-structured, one-on-one interviews, focusing on their hotels’ HRM, EB, and organizational performance. The interviews were subjected to content analysis, further coupled with graphical exploration of the relations between the concepts under study.

Findings

The findings reveal a noteworthy pattern: high-performing SMHs tend to prioritize EB, particularly leveraging social media channels. This prioritization is further reinforced by the implementation of HRM practices, including extensive training and rewards. Clustering SMHs into four different levels based on their application of EB and HRM practices and the effect of these practices on OP, enables us to extend this study and gain valuable insights into the interplay of these factors.

Practical implications

This study highlights the need for practitioners to invest in HRM practices, especially in training and rewards, while giving due attention to EB, despite the potential resource limitations SMHs often face. Importantly, when basic levels of HRM are combined with high levels of EB, OP seems to be maximized.

Originality/value

Both HRM and EB deal with the employer – employee interaction, that’s why EB in most companies is the responsibility of the HRM department. Surprisingly, academic research has treated them as distinct fields, in isolation, ignoring their combined effects. This paper is the first to conceptualize EB as communication (“talk”) and HRM as practice (“walk”) and to thus propose that a complementarity relationship between these two dynamics may facilitate OP. Additionally, this study is the first to combine content analysis with a quantitative exploration to gain more holistic and valuable insights on the topic.

Details

EuroMed Journal of Business, vol. 20 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1450-2194

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 December 2024

Paul Olaitan

The paper seeks to assist public sector leaders to take a balanced and impactful approach to transformation programmes which aim to deliver integrated healthcare. The paper…

279

Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to assist public sector leaders to take a balanced and impactful approach to transformation programmes which aim to deliver integrated healthcare. The paper highlights the balance of attention paid in these programmes across elements of leadership, strategy, structure and people, and aims to highlight where this balance can sit to encourage more successful and sustainable transformations, with an increased focus on interpersonal and inter-professional engagement and interaction across workforce and service users.

Design/methodology/approach

The project involved a literature review which identified themes that were in turn used to inform an approach to a desk review of journal articles written about past integration programmes in healthcare. A coding framework was developed to assess the articles in the desk review to identify where the focus of attention lay in the approaches to integration.

Findings

There is a spread of activity across all four themes (leadership, strategy, structure and people) in the assessed cases, but the emphasis tends to be towards static, short-term approaches, with a noticeable lack of focus on the aspects required to deliver long-term sustained transformation. There is a need for improved balance between structural and relational approaches to transformation.

Research limitations/implications

The paper focuses on nine examples of transformation programmes and would benefit from further development and use of the coding framework.

Practical implications

The framework that emerges from this project can contribute to the development of a proactive model to assist transformation leads and decision makers bring a more balanced, thoughtful and impactful approach to integrating health and care services. In particular, the findings point to an overuse of structural approaches to change and transformation, which could include project management methods, for example, which become the product of the initiatives, rather than enablers of leaders’ visions and people’s interpersonal and interprofessional engagement and interactions.

Originality/value

Building on existing research, this paper makes a valuable contribution to the discourse on how to deliver the required health and care integration agenda in a more accessible way and sustainably, moving away from short-term, quick-fix approaches and considers how to accommodate the role of interpersonal interaction as the vehicle for change.

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Article
Publication date: 7 November 2024

Sunwoo Ryu

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the usefulness of the “publicness” and “privateness” concepts in examining childcare policy reforms. Understanding them as having multiple…

26

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the usefulness of the “publicness” and “privateness” concepts in examining childcare policy reforms. Understanding them as having multiple facets, this paper challenges the way in which childcare-going-public is often simply assessed based on the coverage of publicly-funded childcare services. Instead, it highlights that the process should be more thoroughly examined by considering who pays for whom to provide childcare, where it takes place, how it is regulated, and what kinds of normative ideals it works towards.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design is two-fold. Firstly, it coins the concepts of “publicness” and “privateness” based on existing literature on welfare pluralism and public administration. It then unpacks the key facets constituting this conceptual twin within the childcare context, which are utilised to craft four models of childcare production. Secondly, this framework is analytically applied to explore 21st-century South Korea to track the changes and continuities in its childcare production models across four governments.

Findings

The analysis shows that while South Korea's childcare publicness increased in terms of funding, its privateness was bolstered in regard to the location of childcare, the way that publicly-funded childcare services were regulated and delivered, and the manner in which childcare was partially consolidated as a familial responsibility.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a new conceptual framework to analyse the complex and multi-layered process of how childcare goes public, which is analytically applied to a cross-governmental comparative study of South Korea.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 45 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

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