Fei Hu, Yanping Song, Yundou Xu and Huaizhou Wen
This paper aims to synthesize a modular deployable truss antenna with the lower degree of freedom (DOF) and larger folding ratio. Because of the advantages of this kind of new…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to synthesize a modular deployable truss antenna with the lower degree of freedom (DOF) and larger folding ratio. Because of the advantages of this kind of new truss antenna, the modules that make up the antenna can be deployed together by the synchronous motor drivers instead of twist springs to realize the controllable deployment.
Design/methodology/approach
The closed-loop branch equivalence method is proposed to synthesize the single DOF module and the large deployable reflector. The complex mechanism can be equivalently replaced by a simpler mechanism based on screw theory. The motion pairs are synthesized and optimized to make the curved surface achieve to the maximum folding ratio when the modular parabolic truss antenna is folded.
Findings
The results show that the 3(3RR-3RRR)-3RRR-3RRR planar module is a single DOF mechanism. Additionally, the adjacent parts of every two modules are connected with universal joints to obtain the new truss antenna when the modules are networked.
Practical implications
The configuration of this new modular deployable truss antenna can be synthesized to design the structure, and the proposed method can be applied to other space multi-loop coupling mechanism and other spacecraft.
Originality/value
This paper presents an approach to synthesizing the motion pairs, as well as the DOF analysis. The results lay a foundation for the further analysis of the deployable control and dynamics of this kind of antenna. And the new modular truss antenna has a practical application in aerospace engineering.
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This research examines the lodging experience in the context of environmentally friendly hotels by discovering the underlying guest segments. A mixed-method approach is deployed…
Abstract
This research examines the lodging experience in the context of environmentally friendly hotels by discovering the underlying guest segments. A mixed-method approach is deployed, which first reveals three lodging experience dimensions entailing, functionality, hedonism and social responsibility via in-depth interviews. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey is conducted which gathers responses from 326 guests staying at seven certified green hotels. A cluster analysis based on green lodging experiences is performed that evokes three distinct guest segments labeled as (1) spontaneous guests, (2) active guests, and (3) devoted guests. The study notes that social responsibility is the most important lodging experience across the three resultant segments. The study also finds about 31% of respondents tend not to pay much attention to green lodging operations. It leads to a suggestion that the implementation of green operations may be accomplished in a way not notably compromising certain service expectations by those not profusely aspiring of the notion of green operations. Even though meeting the needs of core customers is a vital task.
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Weidong Zhu, Yufei Tian, Xue Hu, Quan Ku and Xiaoya Dai
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the pattern between government innovation funding and enterprise value creation. Many factors, including government innovation funding, R&D…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the pattern between government innovation funding and enterprise value creation. Many factors, including government innovation funding, R&D ability, corporate governance and some company characteristics significantly affected the efficiency of firm value creation.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposed a novel methodology based on clustering-rough sets to explore the characteristics of enterprise value creation behavior, and map the relationship between government innovation funding and enterprise value creation. The agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) algorithm were used to classify firm performance and get two types of value creation efficiencies and to discretize condition attributes because the rough set theory cannot deal with continuous attributes. This paper utilized the rough sets method to realize data mining and get rules of government innovation funding and enterprise value creation.
Findings
R&D ability, proportion of independent directors, remuneration of directors, operating revenue, number of employees, price-earnings ratio, quick ratio, capital intensity and ROA were important to identify firm value creation efficiency when government funded the firms. Firms of high level of government innovation funding, high lagged R&D ratio, high remuneration of directors, low price-earnings ratio, low quick ratio, moderate capital intensity and high ROA were more likely to have high efficiency of value creation.
Originality/value
Since China implemented the innovation-driven development strategy, facilitating enterprise innovation has become an important way to achieve high-quality economic growth. With constantly increasing of Chinese government innovation funding, studying on the effect of government innovation funding on firm’s value creation is significant to improve the efficiency of government resource allocation. It is valuable to reveal the pattern between government innovation funding and enterprise value creation based on the value added theory. The rules obtained could be used to provide decision-making support to improve the efficiency of government innovation funding and prevent waste of government resources effectively.
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Liuyi Zhang, Anna Shi and Longzhang Fang
This study aims to examine the spatial distribution and movement patterns of creative talent within the Yangtze River Delta Bay Area (YRDBA) and the factors that contribute to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the spatial distribution and movement patterns of creative talent within the Yangtze River Delta Bay Area (YRDBA) and the factors that contribute to such trends.
Design/methodology/approach
The study examines data for the period 2006 to 2018 from the regions that constitute the YRDBA: Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui. Spatial distribution pattern analysis is adopted to interpret the flow tendency both spatially and chronologically and a Lasso regression model is used to investigate variables that influence this tendency.
Findings
It is found that creative talents in YRDBA are accumulating steadily in provincial capitals and financially advanced cities. Technology infrastructure, women’s rights, medical care amenities and housing affordability are major determinants of such spatial distribution. The talent spillover effect raises attention in talent saturated areas, while the surrounding regions should prepare to receive and retain the overflow.
Originality/value
Creative talents geography in China and the dynamism of creative talent in YRDBA are rarely discussed. Determinants of creative talents lack systematic pectination, literature that filters multiple determinants of creative talents migration is limited and discussion specific to the Chinese context is scarce. This case can, thus, provide insights into creative talents in developing countries and add to the current literature, bridge the gap of the current understanding of creative talents in YRDBA – the innovation and development center in China and provide a reference for policymakers when making macro decisions.
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Luca Fiorito and Sebastiano Nerozzi
According to what is reported by the North America Oral History Association, oral history was established in 1948 as a modern technique for historical documentation when Columbia…
Abstract
According to what is reported by the North America Oral History Association, oral history was established in 1948 as a modern technique for historical documentation when Columbia University historian Allan Nevins began recording the memoirs of people who had played a significant role in American public life. While working on a biography of President Grover Cleveland, Nevins found that Cleveland's associates left few of the kinds of personal records – private correspondences, diaries, and memoirs – that biographers generally rely on for their historical reconstructions. Nevins thus came up then with the idea of filling the gaps in the official records with narratives and anecdotes from living memory. Accordingly, he conducted his first interview in 1948 with New York civic leader George McAneny, and both the Columbia Oral History Research Office – the largest archival collection of oral history interviews in the world – and the contemporary oral history movement were born (Thomson, 1998).
Kok Liang Loh and Shari Mohd Yusof
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediation effect of Blue Ocean Leadership (BOL) activities between lean manufacturing (LM) practices and firm performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediation effect of Blue Ocean Leadership (BOL) activities between lean manufacturing (LM) practices and firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applied sequential mixed method with expert opinion in the first stage and cross-sectional survey from automotive vendor companies in the second stage. The samples were drawn using random sampling procedure from automotive vendor companies in Malaysia with the final number of respondents of 64. Four main hypotheses were developed and tested statistically by applying multivariate data analysis using SmartPLS3.0 SEM software.
Findings
The results provide evidence that LM practices have positive and significant impact on firm performance. Moreover, activities of Genba-Kaizen significantly improve the firm performance by an amazing 30 per cent.
Research limitations/implications
The data used in the survey represent self-reporting by mainly the top management in operations or production. It is recommended for future study to include middle and lower management level to understand the difference of their activities. Besides, it is proposed to extent the population beyond automotive industry.
Practical implications
This study contributes to the LM body of knowledge by identifying the relationships between the LM practices, firm performance and BOL activities. Understanding these will help lean practitioners especially the leaders in making better decision in both manufacturing and service organizations. Thus, increasing the staff motivation and engagement eventually contributes to the firm performance.
Originality/value
Although there are growing numbers of anecdotal and empirical evidences in favour of LM in manufacturing environment, there has been almost no theory-building and methodologically rigorous research examining the link between the leaders’ activities with LM practices and firm performance. This study is addressing such gaps.
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Murat Ertuğrul and Mustafa Hakan Saldi
The study is called for to eliminate the noise between the significant macro variables from the perspective of the cause-and-effect approach to indicate why and how the return of…
Abstract
Introduction
The study is called for to eliminate the noise between the significant macro variables from the perspective of the cause-and-effect approach to indicate why and how the return of solar projects is being affected by these.
Purpose
The study aims to investigate the spread between unit selling electricity prices of a monthly production of 250 KW solar project installed in Türkiye and USD/TRY.
Methodology
A relational framework is designed by drawing on the variables determined as crude oil prices, United States (US) 2-year yield, Dollar Index (DXY), USD/TRY, the annual inflation rate of Türkiye, and unit selling electricity prices. Then, a multivariate approach is performed through Matlab to analyse the correlational relationships and structure the curve estimation models.
Findings
The observations show that the gradually rising spread between unit selling electricity price and USD/TRY signals the reduction in return-on-investment rate of solar energy projects because of the particular causes of the European energy crisis by the reason of Russia and Ukraine war and escalating risks in DXY and US treasury yields as a result of federal fund rate hikes against inflationary pressures. Solar energy investments are delicate instruments to global oil shocks and higher DXY in controlling Inflation and currency volatility; therefore, resilient policies should solicit the demand because of environmental and economic reasons to reduce the external dependency of Türkiye.
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Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Sujan Piya and Mohammad Shamsuzzaman
This study aims to propose a method known as the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS) for complex project selection in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose a method known as the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS) for complex project selection in organizations. To fulfill study objectives, the factors responsible for making a project complex are collected through literature review, which is then analyzed by fuzzy TOPSIS, based on three decision-makers’ opinions.
Design/methodology/approach
The selection of complex projects is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) process for global organizations. Traditional procedures for selecting complex projects are not adequate due to the limitations of linguistic assessment. To crossover such limitation, this study proposes the fuzzy MCDM method to select complex projects in organizations.
Findings
A large-scale engine manufacturing company, engaged in the energy business, is studied to validate the suitability of the fuzzy TOPSIS method and rank eight projects of the case company based on project complexity. Out of these eight projects, the closeness coefficient of the most complex project is found to be 0.817 and that of the least complex project is found to be 0.274. Finally, study outcomes are concluded in the conclusion section, along with study limitations and future works.
Research limitations/implications
The outcomes from this research may not be generalized sufficiently due to the subjectivity of the interviewers. The study outcomes support project managers to optimize their project selection processes, especially to select complex projects. The presented methodology can be used extensively used by the project planners/managers to find the driving factors related to project complexity.
Originality/value
The presented study deliberately explained how complex projects in an organization could be select efficiently. This selection methodology supports top management to maintain their proposed projects with optimum resource allocations and maximum productivity.
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Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report a pilot project on quality control in China's government department (AQSIQ), based on an extended EFQM excellence model.
Design/methodology/approach
After careful comparisons, the EFQM Excellence Model was selected as the fundamental framework for further practice and analysis. The original Excellence Model was extended into three‐section style in the ongoing Super‐ministry Reform. The extended model includes decision‐making, implementation, and supervision. With a brief introduction on AQSIQ in current reform, the first quality control practice in China was investigated in terms of responsibilities, standards, supervision, and assessment. Achievements from quality control were obtained after analysis.
Findings
The extended Excellence Model enabled AQSIQ great achievements. This paper finds that, with the guidance under this extended model, a unified leadership with reallocation in people, policy, and partnership has significantly promoted the performance in decision‐making. Further, with regard to principle of simplicity as the key basis of process reengineering, the two‐way innovation and learning feedback mechanism in this model have simplified the process and enhanced knowledge process in the government. Finally, efficiency being the main focus in performance reassessment was also accomplished by this quality practice.
Practical implications
The initial success of AQSIQ has practical and managerial values. On the practical side, the implications in the AQSIQ case that are embodied in the ongoing Super‐ministry Reform in China help to shape fundamental quality control framework in China's government sectors. Two probable managerial enlightenments are for the theory of process engineering and the quality control in theoretical dimension. Therefore, this extended excellence model could further spread into other departments with careful considerations.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to research the first quality control practice in China's government department.