Bee Hui Koh, Wai Peng Wong, Chor Foon Tang and Ming K. Lim
Asia has been transformed into a well-regulated dynamic platform for trade and is today world’s fastest-developing economic region. However, the increasing cross-border economic…
Abstract
Purpose
Asia has been transformed into a well-regulated dynamic platform for trade and is today world’s fastest-developing economic region. However, the increasing cross-border economic activities create new opportunities for corruption. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of corruption on trade facilitation using logistics performance index (LPI). This paper also examines the moderating effect of governance or government effectiveness (GE) on the relationship between corruption and LPI within Asian countries.
Design/methodology/approach
A panel of time-series data from year 2007 to 2014 of 26 Asian countries was collected for analysis. Static linear panel models which comprised of pooled ordinary least squares, fixed-effect model and random-effect model were utilised to analyse the panel data.
Findings
The findings show that corruption significantly affects LPI and each of the six dimensions in LPI. The results also show that governance or GE has a moderating effect on the relationship between corruption and LPI.
Practical implications
This study benefits Asian governments to gain a better understanding on influences of corruption on trade facilitation and triggering suggestions of a government role in the relationship. Practically, the results could be used as a guideline in improving national LPI. Besides, the findings could be used to support policy decision to modify corruption regulations at the national and regional levels.
Originality/value
This study reveals that the optimistic view of sands in the wheel overcomes the dark side of the grease in the wheel practices. To be corrupt free or less corrupt is a rare and inimitable resource capability that makes nations logistically competitive.
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Tsui-Hua Huang, Yungho Leu and Wen-Tsao Pan
In order to avoid enterprise crisis and cause the domino effect, which influences the investment return of investors, the national economy, and financial crisis, establishing a…
Abstract
Purpose
In order to avoid enterprise crisis and cause the domino effect, which influences the investment return of investors, the national economy, and financial crisis, establishing a complete set of feasible financial early warning model can help to prevent the possibility of enterprise crisis in advance, and thus, reduce the influence on society and the economy. The purpose of this paper is to develop an efficient financial crisis warning model.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the fruit fly optimization algorithm (FOA) is used to adjust the coefficients of the parameters in the ZSCORE model (we call it the FOA_ZSCORE model), and the difference between the forecasted value and the real target value is calculated. Afterward, the generalized regressive neural network (GRNN model), with optimized spread by FOA (we call it FOA_GRNN model), is used to forecast the difference to promote the forecasting accuracy. Various models, including ZSCORE, FOA_ZSCORE, FOA_ZSCORE+GRNN, and FOA_ZSCORE+FOA_GRNN, are trained and tested. Finally, different models are compared based on their prediction accuracies and ROC curves. Furthermore, more appropriate parameters, which are different from the parameters in the original ZSCORE model, are selected by using the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) method.
Findings
The hybrid model of the FOA_ZSCORE together with the FOA_GRNN offers the highest prediction accuracy, compared to other models; the MARS can be used to select more appropriate parameters to further improve the performance of the prediction models.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a hybrid model, FOA_ZSCORE+FOA_GRNN which offers better performance than the original ZSCORE model.
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Barrie O. Pettman and Richard Dobbins
This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.
Abstract
This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.
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Ramin Rostamkhani and Thurasamy Ramayah
This chapter of the book aims to introduce multiobjective linear programming (MLP) as an optimum tool to find the best quality engineering techniques (QET) in the main domains of…
Abstract
This chapter of the book aims to introduce multiobjective linear programming (MLP) as an optimum tool to find the best quality engineering techniques (QET) in the main domains of supply chain management (SCM). The importance of finding the best quality techniques in SCM elements in the shortest possible time and at the least cost allows all organizations to increase the power of experts’ analysis in supply chain network (SCN) data under cost-effective conditions. In other words, this chapter aims to introduce an operations research model by presenting MLP for obtaining the best QET in the main domains of SCM. MLP is one of the most determinative tools in this chapter that can provide a competitive advantage. Under goal and system constraints, the most challenging task for decision-makers (DMs) is to decide which components to fund and at what levels. The definition of a comprehensive target value among the required goals and determining system constraints is the strength of this chapter. Therefore, this chapter can guide the readers to extract the best statistical and non-statistical techniques with the application of an operations research model through MLP in supply chain elements and shows a new innovation of the effective application of operations research approach in this field. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is a supplemental tool in this chapter to facilitate the relevant decision-making process.
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Valérie Hémar-Nicolas, Gaëlle Pantin-Sohier and Céline Gallen
While recent academic research on entomophagy has predominantly focused on adults, the purpose of this child-centred research is to obtain a better understanding of young consumer…
Abstract
Purpose
While recent academic research on entomophagy has predominantly focused on adults, the purpose of this child-centred research is to obtain a better understanding of young consumer acceptance of insect-based foods.
Design/methodology/approach
Two qualitative studies were conducted with a total of 43 French children aged 8–13 years. Study 1 (n = 22), based on semi-directive interviews, and Study 2 (n = 21), based on focus groups, included projective techniques and exposure to different types of insect-based products to help children express their feelings and thoughts.
Findings
The evidence shows that in Western children’s minds, insects are considered as culturally non-edible. Children predominantly reject insects as food because of their sensory properties and the disgust they arouse. However, their interest in eating insect-based food is embedded within experiential contexts specific to childhood, in particular the peer group, which makes insect-eating fun and challenging, and the family, which offers a protective and reassuring setting.
Practical implications
The authors advocate changing children’s sensory perception of insect-eating food through sensory and participatory activities. Manufacturers and policymakers should also draw on children’s peer culture to associate insect-eating with positive social experiences and foster peer influence.
Originality/value
Drawing on cognitive psychology theories and the literature in food science on food rejection, the authors contribute to emerging consumer research on alternative food consumption (AFC) focusing on cognitive, emotional and social factors of acceptance or rejection of insect-based foods by children.
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Zhuming Bi, Guoping Wang and Li Da Xu
– The purpose of this paper is to present a visualization platform to control and monitor wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in manufacturing applications.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a visualization platform to control and monitor wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in manufacturing applications.
Design/methodology/approach
To make the platform flexible and versatile, a modular framework is adopted in modeling and visualizing WSNs. The Eclipse programming environment is used to maximize the scalability and adaptability of the platform. A set of the core functional modules have been designed and implemented to support the system operation. The platform is validated through a case study simulation.
Findings
The platform is capable of accommodating different operating systems such as Windows and Linux. It allows integrating new plug-ins developed in various languages such as Java, C, C++, and Matlab. The Graphic User Interface has been applied to process and visualize the acquired real-time data from a WSN, and the embodied methodologies can be used to predict the behaviors of objects in the network.
Research limitations/implications
The work has shown the feasibility and potential of the proposed platform in improving the real-time performance of WSN. However, the number of the developed functional modules is limited, and additional effort is required to develop sophisticated functional modules or sub-systems for a customized application.
Practical implications
The platform can be applied to monitor and visualize various WSN applications in manufacturing environments such as automated workcells, transportation systems, logistic, and storage systems.
Originality/value
The work is motivated by the scarce research on the development tools for monitoring and visualization of WSNs in manufacturing applications. The proposed platform serves for both of system developers and users. It is modularized with a set of core functional modules; it can be extended to accommodate new functional modules with a minimal effort for a different application.