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Article
Publication date: 4 July 2016

Ronald I. Powell and Alex G. Copping

This research was founded on the premise that more can be done to help improve safety in the global construction industry. Worker fatigue-impairment may be an underlying cause or…

658

Abstract

Purpose

This research was founded on the premise that more can be done to help improve safety in the global construction industry. Worker fatigue-impairment may be an underlying cause or major contributor to accidents. Fatigue-impairment is believed to be pervasive in construction, and research has shown it can be as concerning as alcohol-impairment. When fatigue-impairment is acknowledged as existing, there is poor understanding of its severity or how it contributes to performance and accidents. The purpose of this research was to attempt to measure fatigue-impairment in real time.

Design/methodology/approach

This research expanded on actual measurements of fatigue-related impairment from workers on a large construction project displaying significant fatigue-related impairment. The research identified and tested possible techniques for real-time measurement solutions to assist with this safety-related issue. 100 participants had their sleep/wake cycles monitored for a month with an actigraph to derive their on-going mental effectiveness levels by the minute. The same participants took cognitive tests over the month to compare mental performance results to the modelled mental effectiveness levels.

Findings

Performance results from cognitive tests were compared with modelled mental effectiveness from actigraph-monitored sleep of 100 participants for a month each and showed significant correlation for all cognitive tests used.

Practical implications

This research showed that real-time surrogate measurements for fatigue-impairment in the workplace exist to assist organizations manage an important workplace hazard.

Originality/value

Derived from operational settings, this research developed predictive models based on simple, quick and inexpensive cognitive tests as screening techniques for workplace impairment and confirmed the need for and found a solution for fatigue monitoring in the workplace.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 September 2021

Alex Copping, Noorullah Kuchai, Laura Hattam, Natalia Paszkiewicz, Dima Albadra, Paul Shepherd, Esra Sahin Burat and David Coley

Understanding the supply network of construction materials used to construct shelters in refugee camps, or during the reconstruction of communities, is important as it can reveal…

2115

Abstract

Purpose

Understanding the supply network of construction materials used to construct shelters in refugee camps, or during the reconstruction of communities, is important as it can reveal the intricate links between different stakeholders and the volumes and speeds of material flows to the end-user. Using social network analysis (SNA) enables another dimension to be analysed – the role of commonalities. This is likely to be particularly important when attempting to replace vernacular materials with higher-performing alternatives or when encouraging the use of non-vernacular methods. This paper aims to analyse the supply networks of four different disaster-relief situations.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from interviews with 272 displaced (or formally displaced) families in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Turkey, often in difficult conditions.

Findings

The results show that the form of the supply networks was highly influenced by the nature/cause of the initial displacement, the geographical location, the local availability of materials and the degree of support/advice given by aid agencies and or governments. In addition, it was found that SNA could be used to indicate which strategies might work in a particular context and which might not, thereby potentially speeding up the delivery of novel solutions.

Research limitations/implications

This study represents the first attempt in theorising and empirically investigating supply networks using SNA in a post-disaster reconstruction context. It is suggested that future studies might map the up-stream supply chain to include manufacturers and higher-order, out of country, suppliers. This would provide a complete picture of the origins of all materials and components in the supply network.

Originality/value

This is original research, and it aims to produce new knowledge.

Details

Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6747

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 2014

A.A. (Alex) Alblas and J.C. (Hans) Wortmann

Success in manufacturing industries often depends on the ability of a firm to apply product platforms. In speeding up product development, platforms often enable companies to…

1061

Abstract

Purpose

Success in manufacturing industries often depends on the ability of a firm to apply product platforms. In speeding up product development, platforms often enable companies to benefit from scale effects by reusing existing components in the development of new products. In the delivery of complex products and system (CoPS), however, platforms are frequently modified since components have to be changed within their life cycle to meet additional customer-specific engineering demands and evolving innovations in technology. In this article, it will be illustrated that intangible design elements can be used as platforms in firms that deliver CoPS. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Through extensive fieldwork at a leading supplier of science-based lithography machinery, a modified platform concept was developed and tested that is labelled as the function-technology (FT) platform. The longitudinal data, collected on site, demonstrate positive effects of applying FT platforms.

Findings

The results show that an important explanation for firm's success in delivering lithography machinery with attractive performance is their ability to deliver variants that are specific in terms of physical modules, but common in terms of functions and technologies. Based on the results, it can be argued that establishing an FT platform will allow the efficient creation of variants within a family of CoPS.

Originality/value

The findings add considerable insight to the existing literature on operations management by explaining how intangible design elements, instigated during development, can be reused in the delivery of CoPS. Moreover, it enables development managers to more easily structure and reuse complex development tasks.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 34 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 16 January 2023

Anshu Sharma, Jyotsna Bhatnagar, Mahadeo Jaiswal and Mohan Thite

With the increasing prevalence of social media in everyday life, scholars have argued the need of exploring enterprise social media (ESM) for workplace outcomes. This study…

821

Abstract

Purpose

With the increasing prevalence of social media in everyday life, scholars have argued the need of exploring enterprise social media (ESM) for workplace outcomes. This study investigates the relationship between ESM use and organizational learning capability (OLC) by focusing on the mediating role of informal learning (INFL) and the moderating role of social capital (SC).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper developed and tested a mediated moderated model explaining the impact of ESM on OLC. The study used temporally separated data of 281 respondents collected in two waves from firms in India that use organizationally facilitated ESM platforms for internal workplace communication.

Findings

An analysis of temporally separated two-wave data indicates that INFL mediates the relationship between ESM use and OLC. Also, SC is found to moderate the effect of ESM use on INFL, and INFL mediated the moderation effect of SC on relationship between ESM use and OLC such that the relationship will be stronger when employees have a higher rather than lower level of SC.

Research limitations/implications

The study theoretically contributes and extends the literature on ESM and learning in organizations. The study provides important practical implications to support and institutionalize learning at work. The results of the study provide evidence that ESM are not just networking tools but a platform for learning. Findings of the study suggest that ESM can be one such tool to promote and capture employee INFL. The results also show that SC plays a critical role in predicting the extent to which employees learn informally using ESM, thereby building OLC. This result suggests that organizations should make conscious and concerted efforts to build employee SC. The above findings also have interesting implications for learning and development (L&D) and information technology (IT) managers who wish to implement technology for collaborative purposes.

Originality/value

Addressing the underlying processes that explain how ESM positively influence OLC was highlighted as a critical research gap that needs attention. The paper is novel in its approach as it provides empirical evidence for the relationship between ESM and its impact on employee outcomes, an area pertinent in today's digital economy, however, received sparse attention by management scholars so far. It also provides empirical grounds toward a meaningful shift in the social media discourse – transition from being traditionally viewed primarily as “a networking platform” to “a learning platform.”

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 36 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2000

Robert J. Homant and Daniel B. Kennedy

A typology of suicide by police was created by separating 143 such incidents from a database of 174 police shooting incidents. The 143 incidents were found to consist of three…

1465

Abstract

A typology of suicide by police was created by separating 143 such incidents from a database of 174 police shooting incidents. The 143 incidents were found to consist of three main categories: Direct Confrontations, in which suicidal subjects instigated attacks on police, Disturbed Interventions, in which potentially suicidal subjects took advantage of police intervention, and Criminal Interventions, in which subjects preferred death to submission. These three categories were then subdivided into nine types. Two judges obtained a reliability coefficient of 0.87 for distinguishing suicide by cop, and 0.58 for placement into the nine types. Meaningful distinctions among the types were found on three variables: subject age, real danger, and lethality.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

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Book part
Publication date: 10 February 2025

Tom Bedford and Kate Copeland-Rhodes

The Globe Group CIC (Globe) was established as a not-for-profit dedicated to driving positive sustainable change mitigating the impacts of climate change and building resilience…

Abstract

The Globe Group CIC (Globe) was established as a not-for-profit dedicated to driving positive sustainable change mitigating the impacts of climate change and building resilience within communities. As a team of 26, consisting of staff and volunteers, they are based at their Eco Centre in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. Having hosted the first ever Midlands Climate Expo & Sustainability Conference Climate Expo in 2022 and expanded this the following year by bringing together over 500 individuals and over 100 organisations to drive change, this highlighted the importance and impact of collaborative, cross-sector action. This was followed by efforts to create lasting change throughout their county by creating the first ever Staffordshire & Stoke-On-Trent Celebration of the Possible (COP). The case study highlights seven key steps to bringing together the partnerships, businesses, stakeholders, funding and local communities. This was built on the back of six years of steady growth at Globe and led to the COP Framework highlighting a potential vision of the future for the county agreed by the partnership with their vision informed by over 300 members of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent community and their oversubscribed COP Conference 2024 attended by over 150 from all walks of life keen to support the Staffordshire journey to greater sustainability and Net Zero.

Details

Examining Net Zero: Creating Solutions for a Greener Society and Sustainable Economic Growth
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83608-574-4

Keywords

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

Manojprabhakaran Thirupal and Adrian B. Popa

This paper investigates the change talk (CT) strategies of the motivational interviewing (MI) technique and their relevance in achieving change goals within communities of…

944

Abstract

Purpose

This paper investigates the change talk (CT) strategies of the motivational interviewing (MI) technique and their relevance in achieving change goals within communities of practice (CoP), focusing on addressing real-world problems in today's complex world.

Design/methodology/approach

We employ a literature review and conceptual analysis to study the interactions and potential areas of complement between CT, MI and CoP theories.

Findings

This paper combines CT, MI and CoP theories to develop an integrated model called Facilitative Change Talk Leadership (FCTL).

Originality/value

This paper provides an innovative model (FCTL) to inform leadership educators about facilitating communities of practice. We provide a hypothetical case study to suggest how FCTL might foster collaborative inquiry and resilience amidst complex challenges. This case study illustrates a practical pathway for leadership educators and community practitioners to use this model in their own contexts.

Details

Journal of Leadership Education, vol. 23 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1552-9045

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Article
Publication date: 17 April 2009

Jocelyn Cranefield and Pak Yoong

This paper aims to investigate how online communities of practice facilitate the embedding of personal professional knowledge in a complex online environment.

1369

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how online communities of practice facilitate the embedding of personal professional knowledge in a complex online environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This research consisted of exploratory, interpretivist case research, using qualitative methods. Forty‐one individuals from five online communities in a national professional development programme were interviewed. Additional data were drawn from diverse online records. Data were coded via text analysis. A wiki was used for participant feedback.

Findings

Embedding of new knowledge was facilitated by individuals' crossings between different engagement spaces – communication and sense‐making contexts. Community members repeatedly crossed between online and offline, visible and invisible, formal and informal, and reflective and active engagement spaces as they sought to meet diverse needs. As they did this, they had to continually recontextualise knowledge, adapting, varying and personalising it to fit the function, genre and conventions of each engagement space. This promoted the embedding of professional knowledge. The complex online environment in which they operated can be seen as providing a situation of enhanced polycontextuality, within which multiple boundary crossings facilitated strong personalisation. At the community level, knowledge convergence was fostered by the recurrence of dominant, powerful mnemonic themes.

Research limitations/implications

An opportunity exists to investigate the applicability of these findings in other online professional contexts.

Originality/value

The paper extends the concept of boundary crossing to crossings in a polycontextual online environment. It updates literature on communities of practice by outlining the dynamics of a complex online community system. It provides an explanation for how personal knowledge evolves to fit emerging trends and considers how information systems can support deep knowledge transfer.

Details

Online Information Review, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

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Article
Publication date: 29 October 2019

Marjan Modara, Alex Bennet and Vincent Ribiere

The purpose of this paper is to explore the government and private sector collaboration by focusing on their roles in influencing the innovation activities crucial for the…

238

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the government and private sector collaboration by focusing on their roles in influencing the innovation activities crucial for the development of a knowledge economy (KE) in Bahrain.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative methodology based on an explorative single multi-unit case study strategy was used with individual and focus group interviews as primary sources of data collection. Perspectives of 22 individuals and three focus groups involving participants working in private, semi-government and government sectors that influence the economy of Bahrain were collected along with reports and articles published regarding those sectors as second sources of data compilation.

Findings

The preliminary findings show that Bahrain’s pursuit of a KE has already begun by the government developing policies and regulations for the financial sector to innovate in financial technology (FinTech). It was also found that in order for innovation processes and products to be developed further in Bahrain, the government had to play a stronger role in promoting, facilitating and incentivizing those processes and developments. The role of the private sector emerged as the sole producer of innovation and the main entity responsible for producing innovative products and services that would inject direct values into the commercial economy of the innovation ecosystem.

Originality/value

This is the first study that examines the influence of collaboration between the government and the private sector on innovation development in Bahrain. This research also provides an assessment tool that can serve as the groundwork for studies in the Gulf Cooperative Council countries since those countries share similar culture, language, religion and a hydrocarbon-dependent economy as Bahrain and are aiming to develop KE strategies.

Details

World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, vol. 17 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-5945

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 1999

George K. Chacko

Gives an in depth view of the strategies pursued by the world’s leading chief executive officers in an attempt to provide guidance to new chief executives of today. Considers the…

10002

Abstract

Gives an in depth view of the strategies pursued by the world’s leading chief executive officers in an attempt to provide guidance to new chief executives of today. Considers the marketing strategies employed, together with the organizational structures used and looks at the universal concepts that can be applied to any product. Uses anecdotal evidence to formulate a number of theories which can be used to compare your company with the best in the world. Presents initial survival strategies and then looks at ways companies can broaden their boundaries through manipulation and choice. Covers a huge variety of case studies and examples together with a substantial question and answer section.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 11 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

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