This study aims to explore the potential of mobile assistive technology (MAT) as a vocational tool for blind workers (BW). Specifically, it investigates: Can MAT-enabled BW to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the potential of mobile assistive technology (MAT) as a vocational tool for blind workers (BW). Specifically, it investigates: Can MAT-enabled BW to perform better at the workplace and will insight into MAT-enabled capabilities impact employer perception regarding BW employability.
Design/methodology/approach
Exploratory case study which draws on theories of fit to analyze observational and interview data at an organization familiar with employing, training and referring BW.
Findings
MAT can increase blind worker job fit, positively impacting their performance, self-reliance and managerial perceptions regarding their employability.
Research limitations/implications
A conceptual framework is articulated which expands current literature on fit to better account for the assistive potential of mobile technology for differently abled workers.
Practical implications
The positive impact of MAT on managerial perceptions of BW fit and employability can inform the regimes of employers, job skills trainers, vocational rehabilitation specialists and policy makers.
Social implications
Insights on the use of MAT as a vocational tool can reduce the systemic workplace disenfranchisement of blind people.
Originality/value
This paper presents novel theory which accounts for the impact of MAT on the job fit of differently abled workers.
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Amelia Maurizio, Louis Girolami and Peter Jones
The paper seeks to review the factors and methods used to integrate multiple ERP systems to comply with the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act (SOA) in an EAI environment focusing on the SAP…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to review the factors and methods used to integrate multiple ERP systems to comply with the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act (SOA) in an EAI environment focusing on the SAP business warehouse application.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines earlier research, surveys, actual processes and documentation defined in the SAP system as well as information gathered from developers, auditors and compliance experts.
Findings
To comply with the SOA, it is advisable to look to the area of EAI for assistance. The challenge of configuring a landscape to comply with the SOA without EAI means that most of the links for data transfer would be interfaces versus integration, which is not acceptable to compliance groups. For SOA requirements, including internal controls, testing, security, authorisations and consistency and speeds, there are tools to help successfully achieve the goal of IT compliance in the SAP environment.
Research limitations/implications
As SOA continues to take shape, further review and investigation of how these changes will affect the EAI environment must be undertaken.
Practical implications
The paper provides the realisation that achieving SOA compliance is not an easy task, and that the available technology must be used to complete this task. IT must structure a governing organisation similar to that found on the applications side of the system to comply with the SOA.
Originality/value
With the passing and implementation of the SOA, companies are experiencing additional pressure to develop the means to constantly audit themselves internally. As technology is the key to achieving this goal, organisations must prepare their IT infrastructures to support compliance and the IT departments to develop strategy.
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The ubiquitous typewriter is certainly the office machine we could not do without. Every year in the UK at least a quarter of a million people learn some way or another to type…
Abstract
The ubiquitous typewriter is certainly the office machine we could not do without. Every year in the UK at least a quarter of a million people learn some way or another to type. How many of these go on to become livelihood‐earning typists we cannot say for sure, but by the records of examining bodies the figure can hardly be fewer than 100 000. Even so, the supply of competent, trained typists does not meet the continually rising demand. Are there ways in which productivity could be raised, so as to bring supply nearer to meeting demand? Four possible approaches to this consideration may be the machine; the typist and the typing; the input; the supply of trained typists. The last of these has so many social, economic and political ramifications that it is discarded to await the results of more research.
Most marketing researchers use rating scales to understand consumer preferences. These have a range of problems, which can be greatly ameliorated by the use of a new technique…
Abstract
Purpose
Most marketing researchers use rating scales to understand consumer preferences. These have a range of problems, which can be greatly ameliorated by the use of a new technique, best‐worst scaling (BWS). The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the BWS method by an empirical example, which demonstrates the steps to design and analyze a BW study.
Design/methodology/approach
A brief critique of ratings and rankings is presented. Then the basic concept of BWS is described, followed by how to use the BW method to explore how Australian and Israeli consumers choose wine in a retail store. The paper demonstrates the design of the questionnaire as well as the steps to analyze and present the results.
Findings
The BWS approach can be easily implemented for research in wine business especially for multicultural comparisons as it avoids scale confounds. After transformation of the best and worst scores of each respondent for each attribute, the data can be analyzed directly using various statistical methods and can be expressed as choice probabilities.
Research limitations/implications
The advantage of BWS is its ability to compare attributes using B−W and B/W scores. The BW method provides a better discrimination of the attributes analyzed.
Practical implications
The simplicity of the analysis and graphical presentation makes a significant contribution to practitioners as the B−W counts and probabilities of attributes are easy to obtain and understand.
Originality/value
This paper presents BWS method in a form that researchers and practitioners can use and adopt for research and market surveys. The paper presents an empirical example using BWS method to determine the importance of wine cues while consumers are choosing wine in a retail store.
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Leonardo Casini, Armando Maria Corsi and Steve Goodman
The purpose of this paper is to focus on measuring the importance of the attributes, which influence the wine choice of Italian consumers when they buy wine either in a retail or…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on measuring the importance of the attributes, which influence the wine choice of Italian consumers when they buy wine either in a retail or an on‐premise setting, identifying significant behavioural differences across geo‐demographic subgroups of the sample.
Design/methodology/approach
The best‐worst (BW) method was applied together with simple statistical methods to measure the degree of importance given by respondents to attributes, avoid rating bias problems, and compare potential market segments.
Findings
A general analysis of BW scores showed that direct, personal and sensorial experiences are the most important attributes when choosing wine. The statistical analysis evidenced that, while choosing wine in retail stores, the level of involvement respondents have toward wine, the age of the interviewees and the geographical provenance of the respondents showed the greatest differences in attribute importance. Respondents in the on‐premise sector were more similar across the socio‐demographic groups compared to the retail respondents, with differences in the age and involvement having the greatest effect compared to other variables.
Originality/value
The BW method has never been applied in Italy so far. Moreover, it has never been used to measure preferences of Italian consumers for wine, either in the retail or in the on‐premise setting. The BW method allowed researchers to identify the attributes able to influence consumers choices for wine at most (and at least). Compared to other methodologies, this has been done avoiding problems of rating bias, favouring a cross regional comparison of the way diverse populations judge similar attributes.
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Anup Kumar, Kampan Mukherjee and Narendra Kumar
– The objective of this work is to develop a model that can be used for simulation of different parameters including price, subjected to different control strategies.
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this work is to develop a model that can be used for simulation of different parameters including price, subjected to different control strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
The entire supply chain can be modelled by combining the transfer function into a closed loop system. The transfer function of each entity in the supply chain can be obtained by using the control theory tools. The model can be approximated as a linear discrete system with various operating constants, like lead time, price, order policy and supply.
Findings
The continuous replenishment ordering policy for a distribution node in a supply chain was analyzed using the z-transform. Characteristic equations of the closed loop transfer function are obtained. The bullwhip (BW) effect is analyzed. Study proves that the BW effect is in evitable if the standard heuristic ordering policy is employed with demand forecasting; also the paper analysed price supply trade-off for dynamic demand and supply. Simulation results show that BW is less in PI and simple p-only with cascade control. Robust control and PD, PID control results are not shown in this literature, and it is subject to further research.
Originality/value
Research is original, it can be applicable in today's dynamic world, due to globalization, it is necessary to have a automated machine that can handle most of supply chain decision.
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It used to be said that the quickest way to empty the House of Commons was to start a debate on education. This is no longer so. Yet it is true that a teaching situation already…
Abstract
It used to be said that the quickest way to empty the House of Commons was to start a debate on education. This is no longer so. Yet it is true that a teaching situation already serious, and becoming more so, has received little attention nationally. This is strange when the developing situation affects a substantial and growing part of the working population — the office workers.
Tiia-Lotta Pekkanen and Visa Penttilä
The study examines the responsibilisation of an ethnocentric consumer in commercial, meta-organisational discourses. In addition to nationalistic and patriotic discourses, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The study examines the responsibilisation of an ethnocentric consumer in commercial, meta-organisational discourses. In addition to nationalistic and patriotic discourses, the focus is on wider conceptualisations of consumer responsibility.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses critical discourse analysis as a methodological approach to conduct an empirical case study on the texts of two producer-driven labelling campaigns.
Findings
The campaign texts create possibilities for ethnocentric consumption with positioning, argumentative and classificatory discourses. Patriotic responsibilisation is emphasised, together with rationales to take action on environmental concerns.
Practical implications
The study highlights the responsibility of marketers over their corporate responsibility communication, suggesting that ethnocentric promotions may have the power to alter how consumers take action on various responsibility concerns.
Social implications
The study surfaces the tensions that responsible consumption can entail for consumers. Indeed, nationalistic and patriotic discourses may alter our understanding of responsibility issues that may seem completely separate from the concepts of nationalism and patriotism.
Originality/value
The paper shows how different organisational texts are deployed to bring about the idea of ethnocentric consumption and how this relates to responsibility discourses, nationalism and patriotism.
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Anchal Patil, Vipulesh Shardeo, Ashish Dwivedi and Jitender Madaan
Block chain technology (BCT) has emerged as a promising solution for the co-ordination and aid mechanism issues in the context of humanitarian supply chain (HSC). However…
Abstract
Purpose
Block chain technology (BCT) has emerged as a promising solution for the co-ordination and aid mechanism issues in the context of humanitarian supply chain (HSC). However, implementation of BCT in HSC discerns several barriers. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify and model the block chain implementation barriers in the context of HSC.
Design/methodology/approach
In the present study, 14 potential barriers to BCT adoption in HSC have been identified through literature survey. The survey comprises white papers, pilot studies, conference proceedings and journal articles. Further, the identified barriers were finalised in consultation with a team of experts. The team comprised experienced stakeholders working in the humanitarian domain and BCT development. The barriers were categorised into four (technological, organisational, exogenous and economic) perspectives adopting the kappa statistics. Further, the barriers were prioritised using fuzzy best worst method (FBWM) approach. Later, sensitivity analysis was performed to check the robustness and viability of the model.
Findings
The findings from the study indicate that the barriers, such as “data privacy, ownership, and security issues” (B1), “funding issues and cost complexity” (B3) and “technological complexities” (B8), are relatively more influential. The HSC stakeholders and BCT developers are required to identify the safety mechanism against the misuse of victim’s data. The funding issues and technological complexities are interrelated and need synergetic cooperation between blockchain developers, donors, humanitarian organisations (HOs) and other HSC stakeholders. Further, “lack of awareness and understanding among stakeholders” (B6) and “interoperability, collaboration and cross-pollination among HOs” (B5) were identified as least influential barriers to BCT adoption in HSC.
Research limitations/implications
In literature, limited study has been observed on determining barriers to BCT implementation. A more systematic method and statistical confirmation is necessary to establish further new confronting barriers. This study is limited to Indian context.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is first of its kind to use an FBWM approach for prioritising the barriers to BCT adoption in the context of HSC. The study provides potential barriers to BCT and categorises them into four different perspectives, along with their degree of influence.
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Gary Blau, Ed Boyer, Kathleen Davis, Richard Flanagan, Sreenu Konda, Than Lam, Andrea Lopez and Christopher Monos
The aim of the paper is to formally test that physical exhaustion is distinguishable from work exhaustion, and to investigate common as well as differential correlates of each…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the paper is to formally test that physical exhaustion is distinguishable from work exhaustion, and to investigate common as well as differential correlates of each type of exhaustion.
Design/methodology/approach
An on‐line survey sample of 1,895 complete‐data massage therapists and body workers (MT & BWs) was used to test the study hypotheses.
Findings
Factor analytic support was found for distinguishable measures of work exhaustion and physical exhaustion. In separate regression models common significant correlates for both types of exhaustion included: gender (females higher), higher surface acting, higher accumulated and continuing education occupational costs, and lower job satisfaction. However, job satisfaction had a significantly stronger negative correlation to work exhaustion versus physical exhaustion. Looking at impact on occupational outcomes, physical exhaustion had a stronger positive correlation to being forced to stay in occupation than work exhaustion, but work exhaustion had a stronger positive correlation to intent to leave occupation than physical exhaustion. Unique correlates for work exhaustion included more years in practice and lower education level, while unique correlates for physical exhaustion included: more average days worked/week, higher deep acting, and higher occupational identification.
Research limitations/implications
From a measurement perspective, the three‐item measure of physical exhaustion and five item measure of work exhaustion each had a good reliability. However, ideally more items should be used to measure physical exhaustion, and other work exhaustion scales should be utilized to validate the results. Expanding the job demands‐resources framework to also include occupational‐level variables, such as accumulated costs, seems to hold promise for helping to further understand the antecedents of exhaustion.
Practical implications
Work and physical exhaustion can impact on occupational outcomes and are risks for other samples such as nurses, home health care aides, physical therapists, and athletic trainers. Many MT & BWs work alone and meditation is suggested as an effective method to improve job satisfaction, reduce work exhaustion and decrease occupational intent to leave.
Originality/value
The paper uses a sample of massage therapists and body workers and overall the findings suggest that work exhaustion and physical exhaustion are related but distinct exhaustion components.