Giuseppe Aiello, Julio Benítez, Silvia Carpitella, Antonella Certa, Mario Enea, Joaquín Izquierdo and Marco La Cascia
This study aims to propose a decision support system (DSS) for maintenance management of a service system, namely, a street cleaning service vehicle. Referring to the information…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose a decision support system (DSS) for maintenance management of a service system, namely, a street cleaning service vehicle. Referring to the information flow management, the blockchain technology is integrated in the proposed DSS to assure data transparency and security.
Design/methodology/approach
The DSS is designed to efficiently handle the data acquired by the network of sensors installed on selected system components and to support the maintenance management. The DSS supports the decision makers to select a subset of indicators (KPIs) by means of the DEcision-MAaking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory method and to monitor the efficiency of performed preventive maintenance actions by using the mathematical model.
Findings
The proposed maintenance model allows real-time decisions on interventions on each component based on the number of alerts given by sensors and taking into account the annual cost budget constraint.
Research limitations/implications
The present paper aims to highlight the implications of the blockchain technology in the maintenance field, in particular to manage maintenance actions’ data related to service systems.
Practical implications
The proposed approach represents a support in planning, executing and monitoring interventions by assuring the security of the managed data through a blockchain database. The implications regard the monitoring of the efficiency of preventive maintenance actions on the analysed components.
Originality/value
A combined approach based on a multi-criteria decision method and a novel mathematical programming model is herein proposed to provide a DSS supporting the management of predictive maintenance policy.
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Giovanni Aiello, Salvatore Alfonzetti, Giuseppe Borzì, Santi Agatino Rizzo and Nunzio Salerno
– The purpose of this paper is to compare the hybrid FEM-BEM and FEM-DBCI methods for the solution of open-boundary static and quasi-static electromagnetic field problems.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare the hybrid FEM-BEM and FEM-DBCI methods for the solution of open-boundary static and quasi-static electromagnetic field problems.
Design/methodology/approach
After a brief review of the two methods (both coupling a differential equation for the interior problem with an integral equation for the exterior one), they are compared in terms of accuracy, memory and computing time requirements by means of a set of simple examples.
Findings
The comparison suggests that FEM-BEM is more accurate than FEM-DBCI but requires more computing time.
Practical implications
Then FEM-DBCI appears more appropriate for applications which require a shorter computing time, for example in the stochastic optimization of electromagnetic devices. Conversely, FEM-BEM is more appropriate in cases in which a high level of precision is required in a single computation.
Originality/value
Note that the FEM-BEM considered in this paper is a non standard one in which the nodes of the normal derivative on the truncation boundary are placed in positions different from those of the potential.
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Giovanni Aiello, Salvatore Alfonzetti, Giuseppe Borzì, Emanuele Dilettoso and Nunzio Salerno
This paper aims to extend an efficient method to solve the global system of linear algebraic equations in the hybrid finite element method – boundary element method (FEM‐BEM…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to extend an efficient method to solve the global system of linear algebraic equations in the hybrid finite element method – boundary element method (FEM‐BEM) solution of open‐boundary skin effect problems. The extension covers the cases in which the skin effect problem is set in a truncated domain in which no homogeneous Dirichlet conditions are imposed.
Design/methodology/approach
The extended method is based on use of the generalized minimal residual (GMRES) solver, which is applied virtually to the reduced system of equations in which the unknowns are the nodal values of the normal derivative of the magnetic vector potential on the fictitious truncation boundary. In each step of the GMRES algorithm the FEM equations are solved by means of the standard complex conjugate gradient solver, whereas the BEM equations are not solved but used to perform fast matrix‐by‐vector multiplications. The BEM equations are written in a non‐conventional way, by making the nodes for the potential non‐coinciding with the nodes for its normal derivative.
Findings
The paper shows that the method proposed is very competitive with respect to other methods to solve open‐boundary skin effect problems.
Originality/value
The paper illustrates a new method to solve efficiently skin effect problems in open boundary domains by means of the hybrid FEM‐BEM method.
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Salvatore Alfonzetti, Giuseppe Borzì and Nunzio Salerno
The purpose of this paper is to improve the accuracy of the integral equation of the hybrid FEM‐RBCI (Finite Element Method‐Robin Boundary Condition Iteration) method for the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to improve the accuracy of the integral equation of the hybrid FEM‐RBCI (Finite Element Method‐Robin Boundary Condition Iteration) method for the numerical solution of two‐dimensional electromagnetic (or acoustic) scattering problems.
Design/methodology/approach
This accuracy improvement is achieved by selecting the integration curve as straight segments lying in the middle of the triangular finite elements. An accuracy improvement is obtained as compared with selecting the integration curve as constituted by element sides.
Findings
The improved FEM‐RBCI method described in this paper leads to accuracies of the numerical results which are better than those obtained by selecting the integration curve by element sides.
Originality/value
The paper presents results for a simple two‐dimensional structure: a dielectric circular cylinder.
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Giuseppe Festa, Antonio D'Amato, Rosa Palladino, Armando Papa and Maria Teresa Cuomo
Artificial intelligence (AI) is vastly impacting the digital transformation of societies, economies, businesses, markets and enterprises, at a very fast pace, mostly after the…
Abstract
Purpose
Artificial intelligence (AI) is vastly impacting the digital transformation of societies, economies, businesses, markets and enterprises, at a very fast pace, mostly after the global success of the generative algorithms. In this respect, this study, with an exploratory intention, aims to provide evidence about the fundamental issues of AI, particularly if generative, when adapted to humanism, with a specific focus on the wine business.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory analysis, conducted on a convenience sample of wine business operators, has been performed to investigate AI applications when connected with the conceptual platform of the “Industry 5.0” framework.
Findings
The results of the survey provide evidence about the success of AI in the wine business. Specifically, the research outcomes highlight that the interviewees (wine business operators) recognized the high relevance of the potential use of AI in the strategic and operating management of wine firms.
Originality/value
This study aims to provide new empirical evidence with regard to the application of AI in real business contexts. More specifically, in this exploratory investigation, a potential interaction between AI and sustainability has been highlighted in the wine industry, especially from an environmental point of view, i.e. for respectfully governing and managing the business impact on the planet and also for increasing the general efficiency of the process, with peculiar applications on the managerial, economic and financial side of the wine business.
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Domenico Morrone, Annunziata Tarulli, Raffaele Silvestri and Savino Santovito
As Generation Z (Gen Z) represents one of the most important segments in the travel and tourism sector, the present work aims to analyse Gen Z's behaviour in a post-pandemic…
Abstract
Purpose
As Generation Z (Gen Z) represents one of the most important segments in the travel and tourism sector, the present work aims to analyse Gen Z's behaviour in a post-pandemic scenario. In particular, the present work deepens the factors that may influence future accommodation choices.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses data from a web-based questionnaire targeting Italian tourists belonging to Generation Z, reaching 221 complete responses. After the statistical analysis of the sample, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was then carried out.
Findings
Data provided evidence about the main factors affecting Gen Z tourist choices. In particular, these young consumers are positively influenced by the information (especially from institutional and verifiable sources), more flexible purchase terms (e.g. full refund in case of cancellation due to contagion of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and digital payments) and structure features (e.g. cleanliness, sanitisation, digitalisation and sustainability).
Originality/value
This work attempts to contribute to the academic literature by looking at the tourism experience from Gen Z's perspective. From this angle, this work underlines the influence some factors exert on the final accommodation choice, especially in the presence of exogenous events. Moreover, as this study focusses on a post-pandemic scenario, the study seeks to provide valuable indications, both at the theoretical and managerial level, for the tourism sector to boost the sector's recovery and prepare the sector to face similar events.
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The research approach adopted in this article intends to validate ‘place awareness’ as a fundamental element, together and beyond the consideration of classic economic factors, in…
Abstract
The research approach adopted in this article intends to validate ‘place awareness’ as a fundamental element, together and beyond the consideration of classic economic factors, in assessing the endogenous potential of tourism development of a territory. ‘Place awareness’ emerges as a determining factor in the processes of tourist development since it decides the type of relationship that is established with local resources, influencing their use and therefore the forms and modalities of their enhancement. Without the emergence of a ‘place awareness’ capable of recognizing and mobilizing the resources of the territory, the implementation of tourism development policies lead to growth dynamics which are poorly territorialized and predictably not lasting. In order for there to be development of a place, it is necessary that the place is preliminarily renown: the ‘place awareness’ manifests precisely the extent and intensity of this recognition.
To affirm the centrality of ‘place awareness’ in local tourism development processes, Sambuca di Sicilia, located in the Province of Agrigento, was chosen as a case study. The village, following the surprising victory in 2016 of the national competition ‘The most beautiful village in Italy’, is engaged in a promising transition phase with a strong evolutionary potential centred on redefining its identity in terms of a tourist village that focuses on the rich and wide range of local resources available.
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Giuseppe Colella, Cesare Amatulli and María Pilar Martínez-Ruiz
This study aims at investigating how the level of brand–consumer interaction between luxury brands and consumers on social media may affect the perception of brands’…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims at investigating how the level of brand–consumer interaction between luxury brands and consumers on social media may affect the perception of brands’ luxuriousness. In particular, this study is focused on the moderating role of consumers’ materialism.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a quantitative approach. Data were collected with two online experiments. Study 1 was run to test whether a luxury brand’s product description was perceived as more luxurious when published on a social media platform versus the brand’s website, and if consumers’ materialism influences this effect. Study 2 explains the underlying psychological mechanism by underlining the mediating role of psychological distance.
Findings
The results show that branded luxury products are perceived as more luxurious when these are communicated on a social media platform (vs on the brand’s Web page), and consumers are high (vs low) in materialism, due to high psychological distance.
Originality/value
Previous literature has neglected the relationship between materialism and social media communication, as well as the potential differential effect that a high versus low level of brand–consumer interaction may have, for luxury brands, in the online context. This study fills this gap by investigating the role of a consumer-related characteristic (i.e. the level of materialism) that represents an important dimension in luxury consumption. Moreover, this study sheds light on the mediating role of psychological distance in the context of luxury brands’ online communication.
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Paola Paoloni, Giuseppe Modaffari, Niccolò Paoloni and Federica Ricci
Recent socioeconomic events, not least the Covid-19 pandemic, have led farms to rethink their traditional production methods. Innovation, new technologies and the establishment of…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent socioeconomic events, not least the Covid-19 pandemic, have led farms to rethink their traditional production methods. Innovation, new technologies and the establishment of relationships could be crucial for farms to remain competitive and sustainable over time. These factors can be assumed as structural and relational capital, two of intellectual capital's components. In this stream, the aim of this paper is to analyze how structural and relational capital could contribute to farm's sustainability in terms of competitiveness during its normal life cycle and in terms of resilience during an uncertain period, such as the coronavirus emergency.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is supported by the qualitative methodology of a single case study. To reach the declared goal, the paper applies the C.A.O.S. (Characteristics, Ambience, Organizations, Start-up) model, an interpretative model for analyzing the small and medium enterprise dimension. In this way, the main aspects that allowed the farm to be competitive and to react at the emergency period were described.
Findings
The findings show that innovation technology involved the farm's internal processes, improving execution, control and feedback phases. Thanks to the two main introduced innovations, the farm reduced staffing costs and minimized cultivation risk related to climatic factors. These innovations are the main factors allowing the farm to increase its efficiency. Moreover, the proactive and reactive roles of the structural and relational capital to face the emergency period are confirmed.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the literature in several ways. Regarding innovation literature, the paper shows how technology helps farms to improve their performance and their global competitiveness. Insight into structural and relational capital enhances the knowledge of intangible assets, such as intellectual capital. In the light of the Covid-19 emergency, the work demonstrates how the main resilience factors (proactive, i.e. structural capital, and reactive, i.e. relational capital) ensure the farm's survival.
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Stefano Franco, Angelo Presenza, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli and Enzo Peruffo
The purpose of this study is to explore how luxury companies can use knowledge embedded in tradition to set up effective business models.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how luxury companies can use knowledge embedded in tradition to set up effective business models.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the limited coverage in previous literature regarding the manner in which tradition can be leveraged by companies to create and capture value, this paper adopts a qualitative approach, i.e. the exploratory analysis of a single case study, namely, that of the high-end Italian hotel Borgo Egnazia.
Findings
Within a focus on luxury firms, this paper conceptualizes the tradition-driven business model highlighting activities aimed at creating and capturing value by using knowledge embedded in tradition. Combining value creation and value capture with tacit and codified knowledge, the authors are able to highlight the components of a business model that uses tradition as its main distinctive resource.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore how companies use tradition to create and capture value.