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Article
Publication date: 15 June 2010

Jane Chu, Sarah Engelbrecht, Gregory Graf and David W. Rosen

The purpose of this paper is to investigate design synthesis methods for designing lattice cellular structures to achieve desired stiffnesses. More generally, to find appropriate…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate design synthesis methods for designing lattice cellular structures to achieve desired stiffnesses. More generally, to find appropriate design problem formulations and solution algorithms for searching the large, complex design spaces associated with cellular structures.

Design/methodology/approach

Two optimization algorithms were tested: particle swarm optimization (PSO) and Levenburg‐Marquardt (LM), based on a least‐squares minimization formulation. Two example problems of limited complexity, specifically a two‐dimensional cantilever beam and a two‐dimensional simply‐supported plate, were investigated. Computational characteristics of the algorithms were reported for design problems with hundreds of variables. Constraints from additive manufacturing processes were incorporated to ensure that resulting designs are realizable.

Findings

Both PSO and LM succeeded in searching the design spaces and finding good designs. LM is one to two orders of magnitude more efficient for this class of problems.

Research limitations/implications

Three‐dimensional problems are not investigated in this paper.

Practical implications

LM appears to be a viable algorithm for optimizing structures of complex geometry for minimum weight and desired stiffness.

Originality/value

The testing of design synthesis methods (problem formulations and algorithms) for lattice cellular structures, and the testing of PSO and LM algorithms, are of particular value.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 16 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

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Article
Publication date: 15 June 2020

Lu Lu, Gary Gregory and Shawn Thelen

This research extends existing services offshoring literature by investigating how the type of information exchanged, technical support or personal billing, in conjunction with…

380

Abstract

Purpose

This research extends existing services offshoring literature by investigating how the type of information exchanged, technical support or personal billing, in conjunction with country-of-service-origin (COSO) influences consumer likelihood to react negatively (boycott issue importance, NWOM, perceived service quality) to an offshore service exchange.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equations modelling is employed to assess relationships among constructs when country of service origin (New Zealand and the Philippines) and type of service provided (technical support and personal billing services) are varied. Using a scenario-based experimental design we collected 337 responses from a consumer panel across Australia.

Findings

Results indicate that both COSO and type of information exchanged affect service sentiment. Overall, consumers feel more negative and more likely to punish a company for offshoring to culturally dissimilar countries such as the Philippines than to culturally similar ones such as New Zealand. However, consumers were more concerned with personal billing services provided from offshore providers than technical support, regardless of COSO.

Practical implications

Practitioners need to understand customer sentiment about services offshoring in general as well as the relationship between service type and country of service origin when designing the global service supply chain.

Originality/value

This study extends theory by applying a multi-dimensional portfolio perspective in examining customer sentiment of offshore services. Understanding the underlying bases of customer concerns and how companies can mitigate negative perceptions allows firms to better manage service offshore strategy.

Details

Journal of Service Theory and Practice, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-6225

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Article
Publication date: 11 July 2022

Alan Abitbol, Nicole M. Lee and Matthew S. VanDyke

This study examines perceived transparency of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing communication and measures its impact on consumers' trust, attitudes, and the intention to…

443

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines perceived transparency of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing communication and measures its impact on consumers' trust, attitudes, and the intention to recommend the test to others.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey of US–based adults (over 18 years of age) (N = 271) was administered by the online panel company Qualtrics Panels. The sample consisted of participants who have taken a DTC genetic test previously because only existing consumers could provide insight into companies' transparency about the entire genetic testing process (including the communication before, during, and after) as they experienced it. Participants were asked questions that measured intention to recommend DTC genetic tests to others, trust, attitude toward the DTC testing, and perceptions of transparency of the DTC companies' communication.

Findings

Results indicated that consumers who perceive DTC genetic testing companies to be transparent in their communication tend to trust the genetic testing process more, have more positive attitudes toward DTC genetic tests, and are more likely to recommend the tests to others.

Research limitations/implications

This study integrates corporate communication and science communication through the theoretical framework of transparency. It empirically demonstrates that message transparency is key to increasing the publics' trust, attitude and behavioral intentions toward companies that involve sensitive health information or online privacy.

Originality/value

This paper answers previous calls to explore the organizational approach of science communication in the context of the under-examined companies in the science and health sectors, specifically the DTC genetic testing industry.

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

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Book part
Publication date: 14 June 2023

Angela Graf, Thomas Hess, Lea Müller and Fabian Zimmer

Talking about smart cities also entails talking about new ways of mobility. Various concepts compete for reimagining future mobility, most prominently connected cars, robo taxis…

Abstract

Talking about smart cities also entails talking about new ways of mobility. Various concepts compete for reimagining future mobility, most prominently connected cars, robo taxis, and other forms of shared mobility. New digital technologies, changing customer requirements, but also new competitors are dynamically affecting previous market logics. To stay future-proof in this new world of mobility, the automotive sector, which is an important nucleus for developing such mobility solutions, is currently undergoing fundamental digital transformation processes. Established car manufacturers have to find their path to choose out of the many possibilities on the rise. Against this backdrop, they face the major challenge to find an answer to the question: Who are we and who do we want to be in the future? Therefore, we argue that organizations’ digital transformation is highly entangled with questions on organizational identity and discuss digital transformation as a potential identity threat for established organizations.

We begin this chapter by introducing the concept of organizational identity. Afterward, we will continue with applying it to the practical context of car manufacturers: After depicting the major trends of digitalization in the mobility and automotive sector, we will focus on the digital transformation processes of established automotive companies and discuss their impact on organizational identity. Empirical illustrations of the Volkswagen case depict our theoretical considerations.

We provide theoretical ideas for better understanding the impact of digital transformation on organizational identity, as well as suggestions for practitioners concerned with organizations’ digital transformation processes.

Details

Smart Cities and Digital Transformation: Empowering Communities, Limitless Innovation, Sustainable Development and the Next Generation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-995-6

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Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 October 2024

Ana Pacheco, João J. M. Ferreira, Jorge Simões, Pedro Veiga and Andrea Caputo

The literature identifies the need to understand better the role of universities’ entrepreneurial orientation (EO), even while this remains an unexplored field. This study seeks…

404

Abstract

Purpose

The literature identifies the need to understand better the role of universities’ entrepreneurial orientation (EO), even while this remains an unexplored field. This study seeks to overcome this shortcoming and put forward empirical evidence on the EO of universities and it examines the moderating effects of networks, knowledge and trust, market orientation, and implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs) on the design and development of entrepreneurial universities.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the conceptual model, the authors used a sample of 125 questionnaires obtained from Portuguese higher education institutions, and it was deployed a structural equation model by a partial least squared as the estimation method.

Findings

The results show that the different dimensions of EO significantly influence the design and development of entrepreneurial universities. Furthermore, our findings show how market orientation and SDGs have moderating effects on the development of university entrepreneurship.

Practical implications

As for practical implications, the results point to the influence EO holds over entrepreneurial universities, and this causal relationship undergoes moderation by networks, knowledge and trust, market orientation and SDGs. As such, HEI rectors, deans and directors need to leverage these moderating effects, fostering human capital and universities’ active initiatives and policies to conceive and develop more entrepreneurial universities.

Originality/value

Our research model seeks to contribute to advancing studies on the EO of universities and assists in better understanding EO within the scope of influence of the third university mission as entrepreneurial institutions.

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Book part
Publication date: 24 November 2011

Robert L. Bothmann and Kellian Clink

This chapter describes means for selecting websites and the resources needed to add them to online catalogs. Reasons are given for including websites in online catalogs such as…

Abstract

This chapter describes means for selecting websites and the resources needed to add them to online catalogs. Reasons are given for including websites in online catalogs such as timeliness and geographic specificity. A historical overview of Choice Reviews, wikis, and web-based sources of websites is given along with an overview of Minnesota state resources from the point of view of using them as collection development tools for finding web resources. Social work librarians in the state were surveyed about their websites selection processes and the authors conducted time/cost studies of cataloging of online web resources. Findings were that librarians had little time to seek out websites and relied on Choice reviews to keep abreast of new and changing sites. Sources from the library literature and logs of staff time for cataloging of websites were used to approximate the costs of providing access. Although the cost/time study applied only to one library, the methodology and findings can be applied in almost any discipline and different types and sizes of libraries. While budgetary hardships will make librarians think hard about adding free resources to their catalogs, this chapter helps to quantify the necessary resources, implications, and reasons for inclusion of free web resources in online catalogs.

Details

Librarianship in Times of Crisis
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-391-0

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Article
Publication date: 23 March 2020

Gregor Halff and Anne Gregory

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there are information leaks immediately before CEOs change and – if so – whether some investors take financial advantage of…

294

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there are information leaks immediately before CEOs change and – if so – whether some investors take financial advantage of such prior knowledge. It thirdly investigates the ethical, practical and professional options for communication managers to deal with such situations.

Design/methodology/approach

Working from sentiment theory of financial markets, the authors studied Internet search patterns for incoming CEO names and stock market movements immediately prior to the public mention or speculation of CEO change.

Findings

The authors find that in nearly a quarter of CEO changes at Fortune 500 companies, the name of the future CEO seems to have been leaked. Additionally, nearly half of those companies also experience extreme, otherwise unexplainable movements in the stock market.

Originality/value

This paper discovers the prevalence of extreme stock market movements for a company when the name of that company's next CEO has likely been leaked. Such leaks are an opportunity for unscrupulous investors, but they create ethical dilemmas for organizations. Communication managers typically respond by organizing tighter governance. However, to keep up with the speed of information and investments traveling through algorithms, organizing radical transparency could become an alternative instead.

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 2002

Gregory S. Anderson, Robin Litzenberger and Darryl Plecas

The purpose of the present study was to identify common stressors and the magnitude of stress reactivity in police officers during the course of general duty police work. Using…

10915

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to identify common stressors and the magnitude of stress reactivity in police officers during the course of general duty police work. Using heart rate as a primary indicator of autonomic nervous system activation, coupled with observed physical activity data collected through 76 full shift ride‐alongs, this study differentiates between physical and psycho‐social stress. The results, confirming previous research based on self‐report data alone, demonstrate that police officers experience both physical and psycho‐social stress on the job, anticipating stress as they go about their work, while suffering anticipatory stress at the start of each shift. The results demonstrated that the highest levels of stress occur just prior to and during critical incidents, and that officers do not fully recover from that stress before leaving their shift. Overall, the results illustrate the need to consider stress reactivity and repressors in the assessment of police officer stress while clearly demonstrating the need for debriefing after critical incidents and increased training in stress management and coping strategies.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

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Book part
Publication date: 9 May 2014

Rebecca Geiger and Andreas Aschenbrücker

German universities (GU) require an active control to ensure fulfillment of the strategic goals and to strengthen their competitiveness against other national and international…

Abstract

Purpose

German universities (GU) require an active control to ensure fulfillment of the strategic goals and to strengthen their competitiveness against other national and international institutions for higher education. Implementing a performance measurement and management (PMM) is one possible way of achieving this. But, the instrument has not yet arrived in GU. Therefore, this chapter describes the specific requirements for implementation of PMM in a GU.

Methodology/approach

With the intention to deeply understand processes, structures and decisions, and in order to derive the necessary transformations for PMM in GU as well as to contribute profound recommendation for an appropriate implementation of PMM in GU we investigated a GU using a case study design. Hence, the case university, which illustrates phenomena in real-world context.

Findings

The findings of the case study are threefold. First, the traditional categories of PMM are inadequate for GU and have to be adapted to the specific requirements of every university. Second, performance measures differ from those in companies concerning addressees, complexity of data supply, and goal conflicts. Third, the basic principle of controllability is not valid for GU. These differences to PMM systems in business companies have to be considered during implementation of PMM in universities and highlight needfulness of transformations.

Details

Performance Measurement and Management Control: Behavioral Implications and Human Actions
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-378-0

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Article
Publication date: 1 November 1916

The Professors of the Imperial College of Science and Technology have addressed to Lord Crewe, the Chairman of the Governors of the College, a memorial urging the necessity of the…

13

Abstract

The Professors of the Imperial College of Science and Technology have addressed to Lord Crewe, the Chairman of the Governors of the College, a memorial urging the necessity of the encouragement of science and of research. In commenting upon this document the Journal of Chemical Technology observes that “a satisfactory feature of the memorial is the recognition on the part of the signatories that scientific education should be on broad lines.” “We have always contended that an indispensable preliminary to a professional career should be a thoroughly sound general education. Whether or not the study of science is the best kind of study may be a debatable point, but it is certain that exclusive attention to science is thoroughly bad. A man's mind is narrow when he is unable to recognise the importance of things outside his own particular sphere of action, and it is precisely this state of mind that the exclusive study of science tends to produce. It is, therefore, the more necessary, in seeking to secure greater attention to scientific studies in the reform of our educational system, to take care that nothing be done which may curtail the period required for the acquisition of general knowledge. It is far better to delay than to hasten specialisation. A step in the right direction has been made when scientific men themselves state that they do not believe that “an education which includes good teaching of science need be a narrow education,” but we wish that this opinion had been positively rather than negatively expressed. The memorial refers to the “lethargy, misconception, and ignorance” of the public regarding national education. It is pertinent here to remark that when anything goes wrong and no particular individual or individuals can be held to be, or will acknowledge themselves to be, responsible, the “public” is blamed; the public being everybody with the exception of the denunciator and his friends. In the present instance the fault is not, even for the greater part, with the people. They are, naturally enough, interested in education only in so far as it is expressed in terms of school and college accounts and of wage‐earning capacity. Of the bearing that improvement in education and the advancement of physical science has on the welfare of the community the average man knows little and cares less. He has to be educated in the value of education. He is not, and probably never will be, interested in education as an abstract good. What interest he has in it is purely utilitarian. If he sees that the knowledge which he himself does not possess carries with it but doubtful prospects for the future, poor remuneration in the present and a social position little better than his own, he is unlikely to be impressed with the value of education. The fact is that there is a lamentable want of opportunity for the intellectual classes in this country and until this state of things is remedied the public will continue to display—and with every justification — “lethargy, misconception, and ignorance” in respect to national education.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 18 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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