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Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 6 August 2024

Rabia Hassan, Zeeshan Ahmad Arfeen, Mehreen Kausar Azam, Zain ul Abiden Akhtar, Abubakar Siddique and Muhammad Rashid

Material selection, driven by wide and often conflicting objectives, is an important, sometimes difficult problem in material engineering. In this context, multi-criteria…

282

Abstract

Purpose

Material selection, driven by wide and often conflicting objectives, is an important, sometimes difficult problem in material engineering. In this context, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodologies are effective. An approach of MCDM is needed to cater to criteria of material assortment simultaneously. More firms are now concerned about increasing their productivity using mathematical tools. To occupy a gap in the previous literature this research recommends an integrated MCDM and mathematical Bi-objective model for the selection of material. In addition, by using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), the inherent ambiguities of decision-makers in paired evaluations are considered in this research. It goes on to construct a mathematical bi-objective model for determining the best item to purchase.

Design/methodology/approach

The entropy perspective is implemented in this paper to evaluate the weight parameters, while the TOPSIS technique is used to determine the best and worst intermediate pipe materials for automotive exhaust system. The intermediate pipes are used to join the components of the exhaust systems. The materials usually used to manufacture intermediate pipe are SUS 436LM, SUS 430, SUS 304, SUS 436L, SUH 409 L, SUS 441 L and SUS 439L. These seven materials are evaluated based on tensile strength (TS), hardness (H), elongation (E), yield strength (YS) and cost (C). A hybrid methodology combining entropy-based criteria weighting, with the TOPSIS for alternative ranking, is pursued to identify the optimal design material for an engineered application in this paper. This study aims to help while filling the information gap in selecting the most suitable material for use in the exhaust intermediate pipes. After that, the authors searched for and considered eight materials and evaluated them on the following five criteria: (1) TS, (2) YS, (3) H, (4) E and (5) C. The first two criteria have been chosen because they can have a lot of influence on the behavior of the exhaust intermediate pipes, on their performance and on the cost. In this structure, the weights of the criteria are calculated objectively through the entropy method in order to have an unbiased assessment. This essentially measures the quantity of information each criterion contribution, indicating the relative importance of these criteria better. Subsequently, the materials were ranked using the TOPSIS method in terms of their relative performance by measuring each material from an ideal solution to determine the best alternative. The results show that SUS 309, SUS 432L and SUS 436 LM are the first three materials that the exhaust intermediate pipe optimal design should consider.

Findings

The material matrix of the decision presented in Table 3 was normalized through Equation 5, as shown in Table 5, and the matrix was multiplied with weighting criteria ß_j. The obtained weighted normalized matrix V_ij is presented in Table 6. However, the ideal, worst and best value was ascertained by employing Equation 7. This study is based on the selection of material for the development of intermediate pipe using MCDM, and it involves four basic stages, i.e. method of translation criteria, screening process, method of ranking and search for methods. The selection was done through the TOPSIS method, and the criteria weight was obtained by the entropy method. The result showed that the top three materials are SUS 309, SUS 432L and SUS 436 LM, respectively. For the future work, it is suggested to select more alternatives and criteria. The comparison can also be done by using different MCDM techniques like and Choice Expressing Reality (ELECTRE), Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE).

Originality/value

The results provide important conclusions for material selection in this targeted application, verifying the employment of mutual entropy-TOPSIS methodology for a series of difficult engineering decisions in material engineering concepts that combine superior capacity with better performance as well as cost-efficiency in various engineering design.

Details

Railway Sciences, vol. 3 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2755-0907

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 February 2025

Elif Vozar

This study explores stakeholders’ perspectives on sustainability at a nature-based tourism destination in the UK, approached through the lens of socio-cognitive mindfulness…

8

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores stakeholders’ perspectives on sustainability at a nature-based tourism destination in the UK, approached through the lens of socio-cognitive mindfulness theory. Specifically, this study attempts to find out how stakeholders work with special qualities of place to engage with visitors to contribute to their level of mindfulness.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs a qualitative exploratory research design using semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 19 stakeholders associated with key authorities, businesses and charities in Dartmoor National Park. Thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews with the key stakeholders is included. Nvivo was employed to categorize the complex process.

Findings

Several crucial findings emerged. Stakeholders revealed how Dartmoor’s special qualities, visitor control, novelty, and connecting with visitors, not only contributed to local and business development but also promoted mindfulness and sustainable practices. Businesses, organisations, administrative bodies and charities work closely with each other to protect both nature and local communities in the area. However, they are faced with some existing challenges relating to a lack of information.

Originality/value

This study offers an original and innovative application of mindfulness theory to the consideration of supply-side perspectives on sustainability in visitor–environment relations. In doing so, the research provides new insights into these relationships that can help to promote positive engagement with natural settings.

Details

Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2632-279X

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 August 2022

Maricela Salgado, María Valeria De Castro Martínez, Esperanza Marcos Martínez, Marcos López-Sanz and María Luz Martín-Peña

The purpose of the paper is to present a service design (SD)-based methodology developed to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) undertake organisational change.

2836

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to present a service design (SD)-based methodology developed to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) undertake organisational change.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used the design science research methodology, which enabled the creation of the Service Design for Organisational Change (SD4OCh) methodology. A real case study of a small service company specialised in neuropsychological disorders was used for the definition and validation of SD4OCh.

Findings

The main outcome of this study is the SD4OCh methodology, which is based on three key stages: diagnosis (knowing where to begin by detecting the organisation's strengths and weaknesses), innovation (improving the structure/processes and designing/redesigning services by employing a customer-centric approach), and implementation (enabling the definition of the route towards organisational change). There is also a transversal evaluation stage, which quantifies the organisational changes.

Research limitations/implications

This study adds valuable knowledge to the service science research field and contributes to the awareness of the usefulness of SD theory within companies, especially those which are small and medium-sized, since those companies lack the tools and methods required to tackle organisational change, signifying that the challenges the companies confront are different to those of larger companies.

Originality/value

Although this is a SD-based research, the SD4OCh methodology was developed in order to enable companies to make holistic changes, namely, to innovate their services, structure, and processes, thus supporting and guiding organisational change.

Details

Journal of Service Theory and Practice, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-6225

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 July 2023

XinYing Chew, Raed Alharbi, Khai Wah Khaw and Alhamzah Alnoor

The study is interested in knowing “the role of the organizational structure as a mediating variable of the relationship between the information technology and organizational…

6009

Abstract

Purpose

The study is interested in knowing “the role of the organizational structure as a mediating variable of the relationship between the information technology and organizational communication”.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted in several service companies, and the study adopted the questionnaire as a basic tool for the data collection on the practical side, as 267 opinions were surveyed, in addition to conducting personal interviews, and the normal distribution of data was tested, analyzing, describing and diagnosing study variables, testing correlations and determining direct effects.

Findings

Findings show that there is no direct and significant statistical impact of information technology on organizational communications. Whereas there was a positive, direct and statistically significant impact of information technology on the organizational structure. There was also a positive, direct and statistically significant effect of the organizational structure on organizational communication.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is restricted to the role of the organizational structure as a mediating variable of the relationship between the influence of information technology on organizational communication.

Practical implications

As part of the practical implication, the paper suggests the need to increase support and attention to the importance of information technology in service organizations in order to increase coordination and organizational communication and achieve a high ability to explore and exploit ideas.

Originality/value

Apart from the fact that several companies were engaged, the organizational structures of these companies were engaged too to examine the impacts of Information technology (ICT) on organizational communication.

Details

PSU Research Review, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2399-1747

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 18 February 2025

Tom A.S. McLaren, Erich C. Fein, Michael Ireland and Aastha Malhotra

The purpose of this study is to test whether presenting organizational change in a way that promotes the status quo will result in increased employee support for the change.

48

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to test whether presenting organizational change in a way that promotes the status quo will result in increased employee support for the change.

Design/methodology/approach

Using quantitative methodology, categorical data were collected through an online cross-sectional survey in which 222 adult respondents participated. The items used vignette-based question blocks with fixed response options. Item responses were analyzed using an exact binomial test – focusing on the relationship between status quo bias and other responses to change communications.

Findings

The findings demonstrated that status quo bias has an association with employee sensemaking. These results suggest that status quo bias can be utilized by organizational leaders and change practitioners to endorse change efforts. Furthermore, it not only appears that promoting what is staying the same but also including a small reason to justify the change can bring additional advantage. Advertising a vision of radical transformation is problematic as it may actually heighten employee resistance.

Originality/value

This research explores and presents a convergence between organizational change management and behavioral economics – specifically, status quo bias. No other comparable study collecting data across a number of organizational change themes and critiquing existing change management models could be found during the preparation of this research effort.

Details

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

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 April 2019

Mohammad Moradi

As a relatively new computing paradigm, crowdsourcing has gained enormous attention in the recent decade. Its compliance with the Web 2.0 principles, also, puts forward…

2496

Abstract

Purpose

As a relatively new computing paradigm, crowdsourcing has gained enormous attention in the recent decade. Its compliance with the Web 2.0 principles, also, puts forward unprecedented opportunities to empower the related services and mechanisms by leveraging humans’ intelligence and problem solving abilities. With respect to the pivotal role of search engines in the Web and information community, this paper aims to investigate the advantages and challenges of incorporating people – as intelligent agents – into search engines’ workflow.

Design/methodology/approach

To emphasize the role of the human in computational processes, some specific and related areas are studied. Then, through studying the current trends in the field of crowd-powered search engines and analyzing the actual needs and requirements, the perspectives and challenges are discussed.

Findings

As the research on this topic is still in its infancy, it is believed that this study can be considered as a roadmap for future works in the field. In this regard, current status and development trends are delineated through providing a general overview of the literature. Moreover, several recommendations for extending the applicability and efficiency of next generation of crowd-powered search engines are presented. In fact, becoming aware of different aspects and challenges of constructing search engines of this kind can shed light on the way of developing working systems with respect to essential considerations.

Originality/value

The present study was aimed to portrait the big picture of crowd-powered search engines and possible challenges and issues. As one of the early works that provided a comprehensive report on different aspects of the topic, it can be regarded as a reference point.

Details

International Journal of Crowd Science, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-7294

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 4 August 2022

Victoria Kramer and Manfred Krafft

As empirical insights into when salespeople should integrate information and communication technology (ICT) into their sales tasks are limited, the purpose of this study is to…

2722

Abstract

Purpose

As empirical insights into when salespeople should integrate information and communication technology (ICT) into their sales tasks are limited, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of salespeople’s ICT orientation on role stress by considering the interplay of individual salesperson characteristics and the complexity of the selling environment, differentiating between customer and supplier complexity.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors develop an empirical framework based on the Job Demands-Resources model and previous research in the area of technology in sales. They test their hypotheses by means of a survey of 255 business-to-business salespeople which is analyzed using ordinary least squares regressions.

Findings

The results of this study show that ICT orientation generally helps salespeople to reduce role ambiguity. However, the benefits salespeople derive from ICT orientation to reduce role conflict depend on an interplay of both their job tenure and the average relationship duration with customers as well as the complexity of the selling environment.

Originality/value

This study contributes to research on the impact of technology use on salespeople by enhancing the understanding of contexts that make ICT valuable for them. In particular, the findings of this study demonstrate that the impact of ICT orientation on salespeople’s role stress depends on an interplay of individual salesperson characteristics, that is, resources, and environmental complexity characteristics, that is, demands.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 57 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 4 March 2021

Nasser Fathi Easa and Ayman Mahmoud Bazzi

This paper aims to examine the moderated mediation effect of the lack of students’ socialization (as one of the COVID-19 consequences) and the university reputation on the…

8461

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the moderated mediation effect of the lack of students’ socialization (as one of the COVID-19 consequences) and the university reputation on the relationship between the service innovation and students satisfaction. The relationship between students satisfaction and their loyalty is also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a quantitative research approach, whereas the study population consists of all universities’ students in Lebanon. Data were collected from 201 students, elected depending on snowballing sample technique. A questionnaire was used to gather data, whereby partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to check the proposed scales validity and the relationships between the study variables.

Findings

The findings reveal a significant direct effect for university’s service innovation on students satisfaction and an indirect effect through the mediation role for university reputation. Moreover, an evidence for weak negative significant effect for lack of socialization on students satisfaction exists. Whereby, lack of socialization does not moderate the relationship between university service innovation and students satisfaction. Finally, students satisfaction has a significant positive effect on their loyalty.

Originality/value

This paper advances the service innovation literature in the higher education sector. In addition, the paper might be the first paper to address the influence of lack of socialization as one of the COVID-19 consequences on students satisfaction. Furthermore, areas for future research are suggested.

Details

International Journal of Disruptive Innovation in Government, vol. 1 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2516-4392

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 May 2024

Yeonjin Cho and Hyunjeong Nam

This paper aims to identify and report the differential effects of activity control and capability control on role stressors, which subsequently affect salespeople’s job…

960

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify and report the differential effects of activity control and capability control on role stressors, which subsequently affect salespeople’s job satisfaction and sales performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, the authors defined active control and customer demandingness as the job demands and capability control as the job resource, and designed their relationship with role stressors, which are indicated as role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload. The authors enrolled a sample of 223 industrial salespeople from pharmaceutical companies. After collecting the data, the authors used structural equation modeling using AMOS to test and estimate causal relationships along with a two-step approach to examine the interaction effect. The authors have also tested the simple slope of two-way interactions. All of the measured variables were identical to those used in previous studies.

Findings

The study findings indicate that behavior-based control can be counterproductive. Reducing activity control can decrease role stress, increase job satisfaction and improve job performance; increasing capability control, however, can reduce role stress and increase job satisfaction and performance. It is also important to acknowledge the external environment of the sales context in which behavior-based control is most effective: whereas high customer demandingness and capability control are related to reduced role stress, high customer demandingness and activity control are related to increased role stress.

Practical implications

Sales managers should recognize that different control management regimes reinforce or mitigate salespeople’s job stressors and outcomes under specific conditions (i.e. work environments marked by higher or lower customer demandingness).

Originality/value

Drawing on JD-R theory, the research shows that a behavior control (i.e. activity control and capability control) has differential, and even opposite, psychological consequences.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 39 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 30 April 2019

S. J. Oswald A. J. Mascarenhas

Abstract

Details

Corporate Ethics for Turbulent Markets
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-192-2

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