Emine Arman Kandirmaz, Arif Ozcan and Duygu Er Ulusoy
Stimulant-sensitive materials exhibit physical or chemical reversible changes in their properties as a result of environmental variables. One of these materials is thermochromic…
Abstract
Purpose
Stimulant-sensitive materials exhibit physical or chemical reversible changes in their properties as a result of environmental variables. One of these materials is thermochromic materials. Materials with thermochromic sensitivity change their color with heat exchange. For this reason, it can be used in many different fields such as security inks. Such substances decompose rapidly by being affected by weather conditions. Furthermore, the particle sizes are larger than normal pigments, and therefore, it is difficult to stabilize thermochromic dyes. Because of all these adverse conditions, thermochromic colorants must be protected before use in the ink. This protection is planned to be provided by the microcapsulation technique. The purpose of this study is to determine the thermochromic printing inks that can be stored stably by microcapsulation technique, to protect it from environmental conditions and the determination of printability parameters.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, capsules with a core material of thermochromic dyeing with polyurea formaldehyde (PUF) or poly-phenolmelamine formaldehyde (PMF) shell were synthesized at appropriate pH and temperature using the appropriate solvent and mixing speed. The chemical structure and dimensions of the obtained capsules were examined by ATR-FTIR and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The produced thermochromic microcapsules were mixed with alkyd resin and mineral oil and screen printing ink was obtained. Printability tests such as surface morphology, color, gloss and light fastness were applied.
Findings
As a result, it was determined that PMF is not a suitable encapsulation technique for thermochromic dyes under suitable conditions and eliminates thermochromic property by providing heat stability. It was found that PUF microcapsulation can be used in thermochromic dyestuff encapsulation and does not lose the thermochromic property. It has also been found that PUF microcapsules increase the lightfastness and stability of thermochromic dye ink.
Originality/value
This study provides experimental research on the encapsulation of a thermochromic dye and its use in ink.
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Lakshmana Padhan and Savita Bhat
The study examines the presence of the pollution haven or pollution halo hypothesis in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) and Next-11 economies. Hence, it…
Abstract
Purpose
The study examines the presence of the pollution haven or pollution halo hypothesis in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) and Next-11 economies. Hence, it empirically tests the direct impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the ecological footprint. Further, it explores the moderating role of green innovation on the nexus between FDI and ecological footprint.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses the Driscoll–Kraay (DK) standard error panel regression technique to examine the long-run elasticities amongst the variables for the group of emerging countries, BRICS and Next-11, during the period of 1992 to 2018. Further, statistical robustness is demonstrated using the fully modified ordinary least squares technique.
Findings
The empirical finding shows that FDI degrades environmental quality by raising the ecological footprint. Thus, it proves that FDI is a source of pollution haven in BRICS and Next-11 countries. However, green innovation negatively moderates the relationship between FDI and ecological footprint. That means the joint impact of green innovation, and FDI proves the presence of the pollution halo hypothesis. Further, renewable energy consumption is reducing the ecological footprint, but economic growth and industrialisation are worsening the environmental quality.
Practical implications
This study offers policy implications for governments and policymakers to promote environmental sustainability by improving green innovation and allowing FDI that encourages clean and advanced technology.
Originality/value
No prior studies examine the moderating role of green innovation on the relationship between FDI and ecological footprint in the context of emerging countries.
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Afiqah R. Radzi, Rahimi A. Rahman and Shu Ing Doh
Various approaches have emerged to assist practitioners in making more informed decisions in highway construction projects. However, industry practitioners are still using…
Abstract
Purpose
Various approaches have emerged to assist practitioners in making more informed decisions in highway construction projects. However, industry practitioners are still using subjective ways to make decisions. Also, researchers have developed tools and techniques with similar objectives. Lack of information on what has been developed might lead to those issues. Therefore, this paper aims to review trends of evolution, pinpoint strengths and gaps in the literature and identifies potential future directions for decision-making research in highway construction projects.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review was conducted on published articles on decision-making in highway construction projects using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) technique.
Findings
The analysis of 101 articles revealed that existing decision-making research in highway construction projects targets improvements in four areas: feasibility, conceptual, detailed scope and detailed design. The four areas consist of sixteen subthemes that are detailed in this study. In addition, most research involved developing decision support tools and systems as well as decision-making models, techniques and frameworks. Lastly, several research areas have emerged, such as adding more decision criteria including those with uncertainties, expanding existing decision-making models into decision support systems, benchmarking decision criteria between different sample populations and exploring inter-and intra-relationships between decision criteria.
Originality/value
This paper provides an overview of existing research on decision-making in highway construction projects. Also, it reveals research gaps in the body of knowledge to point out directions for future research. Finally, industry practitioners can use the findings to develop strategies for effective decision-making processes.
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K.X. Joshy, Rahul Thakurta and Arif Ahmed Sekh
Recent attention to the developments focusing on the educational services has been noteworthy, with the educational environment specifically the smart campus emerging both as a…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent attention to the developments focusing on the educational services has been noteworthy, with the educational environment specifically the smart campus emerging both as a domain and as an opportunity. As a domain worthy of exploration, a number of research efforts are being conceptualized around smart campus initiatives. The existing bouquet of research publications on smart campus provides a testimony of the enthusiasm and also exposes the heterogeneous attempts the domain has witnessed to date. The available evidence is still inadequate to provide clarity on the thrust areas of research around smart campus.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the understanding, this study intends to decode the domain to get an early impression of the focus of the research concentration around smart campus. Thereby the study resorts to an automated text-mining approach using Python on contents shortlisted systematically, and published between the period 2010 and May 2022, from select databases.
Findings
Based on the analysis it was possible to identify eight themes (i.e. smart campus characteristics, smart campus stakeholders, smart campus frameworks, smart campus technologies, smart campus infrastructure, smart campus evaluation, smart learning environment and smart campus applications) characterizing research efforts within the smart campus literature.
Originality/value
The themes around the smart campus showcase the thrust areas receiving attention. These characterize extant research endeavours in the smart campus domain and can offer useful pointers to researchers going forward. This awareness can also be beneficial to institutional leadership and technology providers intending to implement smart campus initiatives, contributing to the development of the educational environment.
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Ibrahim Abiodun Oladapo and Asmak Ab Rahman
One area of concern for Islamic economics is the challenges and discrimination experienced in Muslim societies and the lower human development indices compared to the Western…
Abstract
Purpose
One area of concern for Islamic economics is the challenges and discrimination experienced in Muslim societies and the lower human development indices compared to the Western counterparts. It is possible that the application of the theory of Maqāsid al Sharī’ah (TMS) could provide some insight on the problems and probably offer some support to the policymaker on the direction to take. The purpose of this paper is to apply TMS to validate the factors of human development.
Design/methodology/approach
The primary data were collected using a questionnaire. The target respondents were Muslims from Nigeria. Both stratified and purposeful random sampling techniques were used to collect the data, and the analyses were done by SPSS and AMOS statistical software.
Findings
In validating factors that contribute to human development, TMS framework is used, and the model integrates five factors which are considered most likely to have influence on human development. The model proposes that individual factors such social justice and human rights have effects on the factors of human development.
Originality value
This study provides understanding on the contributing factors to the persistent challenges of human development in predominantly Muslim settings. Previous research which has applied TMS focused more on its financial relevance and has not attempted to understand the situation and proffer solution.
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The direction of the causality relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and economic growth is a highly controversial issue in the literature. There are two basic…
Abstract
Purpose
The direction of the causality relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and economic growth is a highly controversial issue in the literature. There are two basic approaches advocating different causal directions between FDI and growth, which are called hypotheses of FDI-led Growth and Growth-led FDI. The aim of this study is to analyze the causality relationship between FDI and economic growth in RCEP countries and thus make a new contribution to the discussions in the relevant literature. In addition, the results of the study are expected to provide important implications for the policies to be designed for economic growth based on FDI flows to RCEP countries. Thus, by examining the direction of causality between FDI and economic growth in RCEP countries, we aim to provide a new contribution to related literature and make some implications for the policy design process of economic growth in the RCEP area.
Design/methodology/approach
We empirically examined the direction of a causal link between FDI and economic growth in the context of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RPEC) countries in order to test the hypothesis of FDI-led growth and Growth-led FDI. Accordingly, as our main variables of interest, we incorporated the inward foreign direct investment stock to gross domestic product ratio (FDI) and gross domestic product per capita (GDP). Hatemi-J (2012) asymmetric causality test has been employed in the investigation of the direction of causality between FDI and GDP over the period of 1980–2020. Thus, unlike most of the studies investigating the direction of causality between FDI and growth using the linear causality analysis method, our study performed a nonlinear causality analysis.
Findings
Empirical results reveal that the causal relationship between FDI and national income in RPEC countries is non-linear or asymmetric . The results of the symmetric causality test for both from FDI to national income and from national income to FDI are statistically insignificant for all countries. Therefore, this finding obtained from the study provided an important guide to the econometric methods to be used in other studies to be conducted in the same region in the future. Concerning the asymmetric causality relationship from FDI to growth, positive FDI shocks are an important cause of national income in most RCEP countries. However, the effect of negative FDI shocks on national income is quite weak compared to positive shocks. Regarding the asymmetric causality relationship from growth to FDI, positive national income shocks do not create a significant causal relationship with FDI. Similarly, the effects of negative national income shocks on FDI are statistically insignificant. Overall, asymmetric causality test results reveal that positive FDI shocks have an important causal impact on economic growth in most RCEP countries. Thus, the results of econometric analysis mostly support the argument that the FDI-led growth hypothesis rather than the Growth-led FDI hypothesis in RCEP countries. Accordingly, policy-makers in most of the RCEP countries should continue to provide more incentives and facilities to multinational companies in order to ensure constant economic growth.
Originality/value
Our study brings a significant difference in the econometric method used compared to most of the other studies in the literature. Existing empirical studies on the direction of causality between FDI and growth mostly use standard Granger-linear causality-type tests to detect the direction of causality among FDI and growth. Unlike most of the studies in the literature, our study adopted a different methodological approach, namely the Hatemi J test to detect the non-linear causality between FDI and economic growth in RCEP countries. Therefore, this paper made a new methodological contribution significantly to the literature focusing on the causal relationship between FDI and economic growth by using a non-linear causality method rather than a linear causality one.
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Andrei Bonamigo, Louise Generoso Rosa, Camila Guimarães Frech and Herlandí de Souza Andrade
The purpose of this study is to recognize the empirical inhibitors of knowledge management (KM)in value co-creation in the dairy production context.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to recognize the empirical inhibitors of knowledge management (KM)in value co-creation in the dairy production context.
Design/methodology/approach
This study undertook a qualitative multiple-case study strategy. The datas collected comes from five players in the dairy sector that jointly co-create value. In addition to in-depth interviews with the actors, this study considers complementary documents, with reports, management flowcharts. Content analysis was conducted based on Bardin (2011).
Findings
This study identified three empirical barriers for KM in managing value co-creation in dairy production. The inhibitors observed were related to ineffective communication among stakeholders, organizational culture and high competitiveness. This study identified that sharing and KM among actors is a way to stimulate innovative solutions via value co-creation in dairy production.
Research limitations/implications
This study explores the context in the Center-South of Brazil; therefore, it is not generalizable.
Practical implications
The findings help the managers to deal with the KM inhibitors in the value co-creation context and define actions based on the strategies listed to overcome the barriers identified in dairy production. This study can also help managers to change the mindset of organizations by adding KM to the organizational culture, as it identifies existing barriers in the sector and contributes by suggesting attitudes and tools capable of overcoming such difficulties.
Social implications
Professionals in the dairy sector, especially the small rural producer, can have access to knowledge and professional training through the value co-creation among actors in the dairy sector. In this sense, the milk quality, for example, the nutritional characteristics and traceability of the milk, can be improved for the final consumer.
Originality/value
This study reveals the empirical inhibitors of KM presents in the value co-creation in the dairy production context. Additionally, insights to deal with the lack of sharing information and knowledge among multiple actors.
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Bing Li, Zhihui Shi and Wei Guo
As foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an important role in economic globalization. This paper examines the structural features of the global FDI network based on FDI flows data…
Abstract
Purpose
As foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an important role in economic globalization. This paper examines the structural features of the global FDI network based on FDI flows data and changes in the position of countries within the network.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to study the structural characteristics of the global FDI network and the status and changes of countries in the global FDI network, the authors build the investment network and apply the QAP (Quadratic Assignment Procedure) analysis to examine the evolutionary characteristics of the network and its influencing factors.
Findings
The global FDI network becomes more interconnected and has a clear “core-periphery” structure. The network connections and volumes have increased dramatically and most countries spread their assets across multiple countries, while only a handful of countries have concentrated investments. The topological structure of the global FDI network has changed noticeably, although this process has been slow and stable and countries in the core position have remained largely intact. The authors find that trade relations between countries, geographic distance and differences in economic size, income levels and institutional environments all have a significant impact on the global FDI network.
Research limitations/implications
Although we find some valuable results, some aspects need further investigation. For example, how a country uses the investment network to boost its economy and how the different industries in the investment network change over time. It is important to get the industry-level details to understand the impact of the global investment network from a government's perspective.
Practical implications
FDI affects the distribution of international capital and contributes to the development of the global economy. Therefore, it is important to study the characteristics of the global FDI network and its development patterns. With more understanding about the network as well as its evolutionary pattern, the government can possibly carry out some policies to promote direct investments as well as economic development.
Social implications
All countries should actively engage in international direct investments and strengthen their economic ties. At the same time, they can put more emphasis on inward or outward FDI based on their own level of economic development to better establish the circulation channel for domestic and international capital.
Originality/value
This paper examines foreign direct investments through the lens of a global network. In contrast to traditional bilateral studies, this paper focuses on the network structure and evolution, reflecting the dynamics of the entire direct investment system as well as the changing positions of participating countries.
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Enzhu Dong, Ruoyu Sun and Yeunjae Lee
With the growing concern for environmental and sustainability issues, especially in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, organizations feel compelled…
Abstract
Purpose
With the growing concern for environmental and sustainability issues, especially in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, organizations feel compelled to pursue green sustainability in their operations. In this regard, the active involvement of employees in pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) is crucial for achieving organizational environmental sustainability goals (Saeed et al., 2019). To shed light on this important issue, this study aims to investigate the impact of interacting/engaging environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication strategy on employees' PEBs through the mediating effects of communal relationship and employee empowerment.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 443 full-time USA employees working across various industries participated in an online survey.
Findings
The interacting/engaging environmental CSR communication strategy fosters employees' perceived communal relationship with their organizations and empowers them to support their organization's environmental initiatives, which, in turn, positively influences employees' PEBs at work.
Originality/value
This study advances CSR and internal communication literature through the lens of relationship management and self-determination theories. The findings theoretically suggest the effectiveness of the interacting/engaging environmental CSR communication strategy in nurturing favorable employee–organization relationships (EORs), employee empowerment and PEBs at work. The practical implications of CSR communication are also elaborated.
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Fatma Burcu Karakoç, Nilgün Ertaş and Mine Aslan
The utilization of oilseeds in food formulations is prevalent due to their health benefits and nutritional value. These protein-rich oilseeds serve as an affordable and essential…
Abstract
Purpose
The utilization of oilseeds in food formulations is prevalent due to their health benefits and nutritional value. These protein-rich oilseeds serve as an affordable and essential source of nutrients and bioactive compounds, fulfilling human protein requirements. As such, this study sought to investigate the impact of partially replacing wheat flour with oilseeds in different proportions on the nutritional and quality characteristics of biscuits.
Design/methodology/approach
Oilseeds, including terebinth, sesame and flaxseed, were partially substituted with wheat flour in amounts of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%. The effects of this substitution on the storage stability, nutritional content and physical properties of the resulting biscuits were examined.
Findings
The L* (from 69.75 to 54.06) and b* (from 28.59 to 21.60) color values of biscuits decreased with the supplement of oilseeds. The oilseeds addition increased the protein, fat, energy, and ash values of biscuits. At the highest level of added terebinth, sesame and flaxseed, respectively, the amounts measured were 5984.62 mgGAE/kg, 1553.85 mgGAE/kg and 2169.23 mgGAE/kg, which were higher than the control biscuits (715.39 mgGAE/kg). The incorporation of oilseeds resulted in a substantial decrease in pH and peroxide values, while the moisture content was increased throughout the 6-month storage period. The use of terebinth in biscuits led to better oxidative stability than sesame and flaxseed-containing samples. The biscuit samples with terebinth had a longer induction time. The lowest induction time of biscuits with 25% flaxseed was chosen, approximately 3.5 h.
Research limitations/implications
Oilseed flours, which are rich in lipids, have been shown to enhance the quality of biscuits. However, further studies could aim to reduce the amount of shortening used to improve their quality even further. Reducing the shortening could keep the lipid content at an acceptable amount, especially considering consumers' current expectations for low-fat foods.
Practical implications
Plant-based bioactive are generally known as secondary metabolites and have promising therapeutic attributes, especially antioxidative properties.
Social implications
Thanks to this composition, some of these seeds have proven effective in controlling and preventing metabolic diseases (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, coronary heart disease and several types of cancer) as well as providing interesting properties to foods.
Originality/value
As result, oilseeds can be successfully used as functional and sustainable food ingredients to improve the functional, nutritional and storage stability of biscuits.