For an engineer, ‘zero’ means a quantity less than the relevant tolerance; the size of this quantity is usually unimportant, but the sign may be critically important. The notion…
Abstract
For an engineer, ‘zero’ means a quantity less than the relevant tolerance; the size of this quantity is usually unimportant, but the sign may be critically important. The notion of ‘absolute zero’ lacks information about sign and belongs, with other conceptual ideas like ‘irresistible’ forces, to the world of metaphysics or theology, not mathematics or science. Statements about the real world should always be made in terms of inequalities, not equations, unless it is convenient to express the same entity in two different but equivalent forms, or the absence of critical comparison permits procedure as if exact equalities were possible. In mathematics, the relevant tolerances may be regarded as arbitrarily small, but they must not be forgotten. Adequate attention to tolerances and residual quantities in fact simplifies mathematics by removing ambiguities which are invariably associated with border‐line cases which occur with zero probability.
J. Morris, G.G. Gouriet and J.W. Head
The problem of rotating a single large mass through a given angular distance so that the performance shall meet given specifications is considered. Initially it is assumed that…
Abstract
The problem of rotating a single large mass through a given angular distance so that the performance shall meet given specifications is considered. Initially it is assumed that the general nature of the torque which can be applied is prescribed, but that certain parameters are at our disposal; the practical determination of the best values of the parameters is considered. For the analogous electrical problem, this is equivalent to determining the best values of certain resistances, capacitances and inductances in a given network containing variable elements. But in order to solve the problem it is more effective to make alterations and additions to the network, so that it becomes equivalent to one having the required performance, and the way in which this can be achieved for the single rotating mass is discussed. The restriction to a single‐mass system is merely for convenience and simplicity; the procedure here discussed is perfectly general.
Jeffrey Muldoon, Eric W. Liguori and Joshua Bendickson
How do social factors motivate and influence scholars when they theorize? By exploring the life of George Homans, this paper aims to illustrate that theories are the products of…
Abstract
Purpose
How do social factors motivate and influence scholars when they theorize? By exploring the life of George Homans, this paper aims to illustrate that theories are the products of the theorist, and as such are influenced by individual life experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on a plethora of archival sources including many personal and autobiographical accounts, this manuscript synthesizes these sources thus providing clear insight into how personal factors and experiences impacted Homans's social exchange theory.
Findings
This research concludes that Homans's journey into theorizing was an act of providence; that his early career, personal background, and social capital interacted with several factors beyond his control thus leading to his interest in social exchange processes.
Originality/value
This is the first research endeavor exploring the context, sentiments and motivations of George Homans as he began to lay out social exchange theory.
Details
Keywords
Jeff Muldoon, Joshua Bendickson, Antonina Bauman and Eric W. Liguori
Elton Mayo was a professor at a prestigious university, but not a researcher; a scholar, but more concerned with executives; a capitalist, but someone who downplayed monetary…
Abstract
Purpose
Elton Mayo was a professor at a prestigious university, but not a researcher; a scholar, but more concerned with executives; a capitalist, but someone who downplayed monetary incentives; an insider, but someone whose own background was more of an outsider. These contradictions have resulted in scholars questioning Mayo’s impact on the field of management. Thus, this paper aims to critically review Mayo and his contributions to management through a lens calibrated to the context of his time, providing a more contextually accurate view of Mayo and his work and offering a clearer view of his meaningful impact on the field.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a combination of primary and secondary sources, the authors connect otherwise disparate information to critically review Mayo’s work within the context of its era.
Findings
The authors’ critical review of Mayo identified nine topical areas where Mayo and/or his work have been misunderstood or misinterpreted. For each area, the authors offer a more contextualized and appropriate interpretation of Mayo and his viewpoints, and thus more accurately informing the management literature.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to thoroughly revisit Mayo and his work through a contextualized lens, offering a more informed view of why Mayo’s seemingly controversial behaviors were actually quite standard behaviors given his context.
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Twenty years ago, Hindy Schachter (1989) posed a question about the foundation we use to structure the Public Administration theory narrative. Would an approach based on an art…
Abstract
Twenty years ago, Hindy Schachter (1989) posed a question about the foundation we use to structure the Public Administration theory narrative. Would an approach based on an art model, rather than the more common science model, produce a narrative with less distortion? This essay employs a definition of modernism developed by Thomas Vargish and Delo Mook outside the purview of public administration and a famous M. C. Escher lithograph as a basis for proposing an alternate way to construct the narrative. It then applies the alternative approach to Frederick Taylor and Elton Mayo.
The purpose of this paper is to comparatively analyze the electrical circuits defined with the conventional and revisited time domain circuit element definitions in the context of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to comparatively analyze the electrical circuits defined with the conventional and revisited time domain circuit element definitions in the context of fractional conformable calculus and to promote the combined usage of conventional definitions, fractional conformable derivative and conformable Laplace transform.
Design/methodology/approach
The RL, RC, LC and RLC circuits described by both conventional and revisited time domain circuit element definitions has been analyzed by means of the fractional conformable derivative based differential equations and conformable Laplace transform. The comparison among the obtained results and those based on the methodologies adopted in the previous works has been made.
Findings
The author has found that the conventional definitions-based solution gives a physically reasonable result unlike its revisited definitions-based counterpart and the solutions based on those previous methodologies. A strong agreement to the time domain state space concept-based solution can be observed. The author has also shown that the scalar valued solution can be directly obtained by singularity free conformable Laplace transform-based methodology unlike such state space concept based one.
Originality/value
For the first time, the revisited time domain definitions of resistance and inductance have been proposed and applied together with the revisited definition of capacitance in electrical circuit analyses. The advantage of the combined usage of conventional time definitions, fractional conformable derivative and conformable Laplace transform has been suggested and the impropriety of applying the revisited definitions in circuit analysis has been pointed out.
Details
Keywords
- Conformable Laplace transform
- Conventional time domain circuit element definition
- Fractional conformable derivative
- Hamiltonian
- Lagrangian
- Local fractional derivative
- Nonlocal fractional derivative
- Revisited time domain circuit element definition
- Circuit analysis
- Transient analysis
- Time domain modelling
In the growing field of nonviolent social movement studies, questions of power are often layered in inquiries into drivers of mobilization and dynamics of success, from the…
Abstract
In the growing field of nonviolent social movement studies, questions of power are often layered in inquiries into drivers of mobilization and dynamics of success, from the individual to the societal level. The different ways marginalized groups utilize power are not adequately theorized, however. Here I address paradigmatic approaches to understanding power in nonviolent movements, identifying conceptual limitations to explaining stratification among nonviolent resisters. In response, I develop a framework for better understanding the socially constructed origins of nonviolent power among different mobilized groups. I first provide a sociology of knowledge survey of common theories of power in nonviolent mobilization. I also review literature on mobilization among marginalized populations to identify valuable insights lacking in nonviolent movements studies. I then explore one case of marginalized nonviolent resistance, that of the Mothers of the Plaza Mayo who mobilized for an end to the Argentine Dirty War. Through this case, I develop a social constructionist framework that can be generalized to better understand how stratification shapes nonviolent resistance differently for different actors. I conclude by proposing a general framework of inquiry, guiding scholars to pay attention to four dimensions of conflict and resistance when examining the power dynamics of nonviolent movements: the temporal context of conflict, the degree of repression, actor status and positionality, and how nonviolent strategies and tactics correspond to each of these dimensions.
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The purpose of this paper was to analyse the academic context of the Hawthorne studies from 1936. More specifically, great attention was paid towards those articles that were…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to analyse the academic context of the Hawthorne studies from 1936. More specifically, great attention was paid towards those articles that were critical of the Hawthorne studies. This study aimed to analyse why the Hawthorne studies were so criticized during the time period.
Design/methodology/approach
The author analysed various critical articles/books from the time period. The author developed the sample through the use of Landsberger’s Hawthorne Revisited. The author used one of the first critical articles, Daniel Bell’s, as a means to analyse the critics. In addition, secondary literature was used to place the articles in context.
Findings
The author found that the majority of the critics were sociologists; these criticisms reflected larger debates in sociology in terms of theory, method and ethics of research. They reflected the great changes that occurred in sociology during the time period, as opposed to industrial/organizational psychology, for example, where there was little criticism at the time.
Originality/value
The purpose of this study was to continue the work of Muldoon (2012) and Hassard (2012) and place the work of the Hawthorne studies in a larger academic context.
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This chapter examines how key management theories in management and organization studies (MOS) have addressed kindness. Beginning with a definition of kindness, the chapter…
Abstract
This chapter examines how key management theories in management and organization studies (MOS) have addressed kindness. Beginning with a definition of kindness, the chapter reviews the primary works of Frederick Taylor, Elton Mayo and Henri Fayol to surface an alternate account of MOS. ANTi-History is adopted to examine how each of these management theories present kindness providing an alternate account of MOS that predominantly focuses on efficiency and effectiveness. The chapter then re-evaluates MOS using a lens of kindness and the impact to contemporary organizations.