Shang Zhang, Riza Yosia Sunindijo, Martin Loosemore, Shejiang Wang, Yajun Gu and Hongfei Li
The image of the construction industry in China, as in many other countries, is tarnished by its poor safety record. With the rapid development of subway systems in Chinese urban…
Abstract
Purpose
The image of the construction industry in China, as in many other countries, is tarnished by its poor safety record. With the rapid development of subway systems in Chinese urban areas, construction workers are being exposed to new risks which are poorly understood and managed. Subway construction projects are large scale and scattered over many construction sites, and involve numerous stakeholders and sophisticated technologies in challenging underground environments. Accident rates are high and have significant economic and social consequences for the firms and people involved. Addressing the gap in research about the safety risk in these projects, the purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of the factors influencing the safety of Chinese subway construction projects with the overall objective of reducing accident rates.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted with 399 subway construction professionals across five stakeholder groups. Follow-up interviews were also conducted with five experienced experts in safety management on subway projects to validate the results.
Findings
It was found that the eight most critical factors perceived by stakeholders to influence safety risks on Chinese subway projects are: project management team; contractor-related factors; site underground environment; safety protection during the use of machines; safety management investment; site construction monitoring and measurement; hazard identification and communication; and use of machines in all stages. This indicates that in allocating limited project resources to improve the safety of subway projects, managers should focus on: developing safety knowledge and positive attitudes in leadership teams; formulating effective risk management systems to identify, assess, mitigate, measure and monitor safety risks on site; improving communications with stakeholders about these risks and effectively managing plant, equipment and machinery.
Originality/value
This research contributes a new multi-stakeholder perspective to the lack of safety research in Chinese subway construction projects. The research findings provide important new insights for policymakers and managers in improving safety outcomes on these major projects, producing potentially significant social and economic benefits for society and the construction industry.
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Xin Meng, Qingyang Ren, Songqiang Xiao, Bin Chen and Hongfei Li
The purpose of this paper is to simulate the tension process of tension-type anchor cable and to explore the mechanical characteristics and tension-torsion coupling effect of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to simulate the tension process of tension-type anchor cable and to explore the mechanical characteristics and tension-torsion coupling effect of anchor cable subjected to tension.
Design/methodology/approach
ABAQUS numerical software is applied to construct the numerical models of tension-type anchor cables with different diameters. Through explicit contact, the characteristics of contact between grouting body-anchor cable and grouting body-rock mass are determined. Confining pressure is applied to the model through surface pressure, and drawing force is applied to the model by displacement loading so as to simulate the tension process of the anchor cable.
Findings
The results show that the stress is transmitted in both axial and radial directions in the anchorage section and distributed in a cone. The shear stress in the grouting body is unevenly distributed, and its peak value increases with the rise in confining pressure and anchor cable diameter. The stress characteristics of torque and axial force are basically consistent and evenly distributed in the free section; they gradually decrease in the anchorage section. Due to the tension-torsion coupling effect, the internal stress characteristics of the anchor cable structure vary. On average, the anchorage performance of each anchor cable model is improved by 6.19%.
Originality/value
The proposed method of numerical modelling is effective in addressing the interface contact between the anchor cable and the grouting body and in solving the problem with convergence of calculation. Compared with the indoor test, this method is more suited to collecting the internal mechanical data of the anchor body.
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Hongfei Li and Sai Deng
The purpose of this paper is to examine dynamic mapping of holding locations to the animated maps in a library catalog which aims to resolve complex shelving situations, augment…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine dynamic mapping of holding locations to the animated maps in a library catalog which aims to resolve complex shelving situations, augment the user experience in locating library materials and enrich the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) by integrating external programming into the Integrated Library System (ILS).
Design/methodology/approach
Dynamic mapping displays animated direction maps for users to locate quickly the items found in the library catalog. The maps are displayed in accordance with various shelving policies. At Wichita State University Libraries, the original bibliographic data are captured from the record results page in the OPAC and transferred to a processing program residing on another server. Instead of transferring ISBN/ISSN (International Standard Book Number/ International Standard Serial Number, as practiced by some libraries) to display the Syndetic cover images, it transfers bibliographic ID and a few other fields from MARC (MAchine‐Readable Cataloging) records to a processing program which queries the ILS database for extracting data needed for the dynamic map processing. The dynamic map system consists of three sections: queried data from the ILS database, programming logic, and dynamic maps.
Findings
Compared to title‐level shelving map displays that have been implemented in some libraries, holding level map displays solve the problem of complex shelving situations, such as a title with multiple copies shelved in different locations and/or in different formats.
Originality/value
This project received very positive feedback from the library community and this paper will provide information to those libraries which are interested in dynamically presenting holding information in their OPAC.
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Yongzhi Du, Yi Xiang and Hongfei Ruan
The purpose of this study is to examine how the childhood trauma experiences of CEOs influence firms’ internationalization.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how the childhood trauma experiences of CEOs influence firms’ internationalization.
Design/methodology/approach
The research used a difference-in-difference method with constructing a treatment group whose chief executive officer (CEO) experienced the great famine in China between the ages of 7 and 11, and a control group whose CEO was born within three years after 1961.
Findings
The study reveals a significant inverse correlation between CEOs’ childhood trauma experiences and firm internationalization. However, this correlation is weaker in the case of state-owned enterprises and firms led by CEOs with overseas work experience.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to extend the theoretical framework to elucidate firms’ internationalization by introducing childhood trauma theory into the field of international business literature. Second, the authors link the literature on the effect of CEO explicit traits and psychological traits on firm internationalization by exploring how CEOs’ childhood trauma experience shapes their risk aversion, which, in turn, influences firm internationalization. Third, the authors address the call for examining the interplay of CEO life experiences by scrutinizing the moderating effect of CEO overseas work experience on the association between CEOs’ childhood trauma exposure and firm internationalization.
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Hongfei Zhu, Xiekui Zhang and Baocheng Yu
This study aims to investigate whether the increasing robot adoption will affect employment rate and wages to contribute to the economic cycle and sustainable development in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate whether the increasing robot adoption will affect employment rate and wages to contribute to the economic cycle and sustainable development in the world.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors introduce a two-way fixed effect model and ordinary least-squares (OLS) model to evaluate the influence based on relevant data of the eighteen countries with the largest robot stocks and robot densities in the world from 2006 to 2019 to test the influences and do the robustness test and endogeneity test by using empirical models.
Findings
The authors’ research findings suggest that increasing robot adoption can cause strong negative impacts on employment for both males and females in these economies. Second, the effect of robots on reducing job opportunities has penetrated different industries. It means that this negative impact of robots is comprehensive for the industry. Third, robot adoption can have a strong positive influence on wages and increase workers' incomes.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of the study are that the influence of industrial intelligence technologies on the circular economy is diversities in different countries. Thus, this study should consider the development levels of different economies to do additional confirmatory studies.
Practical implications
This study makes out the correlations between industrial robots and the employment market from the circular economy perspective. The result proves the existence of this influence relationship, and the authors propose some suggestions to promote sustainable economic development.
Social implications
This paper addresses the activity of industrial intelligence technologies in the labor market. The employment market is an important part of the circular economy, and it will benefit social development if the government provides appropriate guidance for social investment and industrial layout.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few studies which considered the impact of industrial robots on employment and wages from the perspective of different industries, and this is very important for the circular economy in the world. The results of this paper provide an instructive reference for government policymakers and other countries to stabilize the labor market and optimize human resources for sustainable economic development.
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Artyom Golossenko, Jiayan Huang, Hongfei Liu, Hai-Anh Tran and Heiner Evanschitzky
This study aims to explore how witnessing a hospitality employee mistreating a customer impacts observers’ revenge-seeking behavior, directed not only at the offending employee…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how witnessing a hospitality employee mistreating a customer impacts observers’ revenge-seeking behavior, directed not only at the offending employee but also at innocent employees.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducts four online experiments to test the proposed relationships involving 881 UK adults.
Findings
Observing hospitality employees mistreating customers prompts observers to view the guilty employee as harmful, triggering revenge-seeking behavior. This perception of harmfulness also extends to innocent employees, leading observers to seek revenge against them. However, empowering fellow customers during the recovery process reduces observers’ intent to seek revenge against both guilty and innocent employees. In addition, the results reveal the black sheep effect, where shared group membership between the observing customer and the guilty employee results in harsher punishment for the latter, particularly when the mistreatment targets an out-group customer.
Practical implications
The findings offer practical guidance for hospitality companies on how observers’ perceptions of employees can reshape service evaluations and influence restorative approaches. Service recovery efforts should extend beyond directly affected customers to include those who witnessed the incident.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explain how observers appraise the mistreatment of fellow customers and how this influences their perceptions and revenge-seeking behavior toward both guilty and innocent employees.
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Shahriar Akter, Mujahid Mohiuddin Babu, Tasnim M. Taufique Hossain, Bidit Lal Dey, Hongfei Liu and Pallavi Singh
The main purpose of this study is to fill the research gap on how B2B global service firms integrate dynamic capabilities within their omnichannel management to influence positive…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this study is to fill the research gap on how B2B global service firms integrate dynamic capabilities within their omnichannel management to influence positive word of mouth (WOM), customer engagement (CE) and customer equity.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the dynamic capability and WOM theories, a model has been developed that defines the subjects of the empirical test. The paper reports on data collected from 312 service-oriented global firms in Australia, through a cross-sectional survey. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The findings suggest that content management (i.e. information consistency, source trustworthiness and endorsement) and concerns management (i.e. privacy, security and recovery) capabilities are the two significant antecedents of positive WOM within a B2B omnichannel setting in international marketing. The findings also confirm the key mediating role of CE between positive WOM and customer equity.
Originality/value
The findings extend dynamic capability theory in the context of international marketing by linking WOM, CE and customer equity. The findings add further theoretical rigor by establishing the nomological chain between positive WOM and customer equity, in which CE plays a key mediating role.
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Xuepeng Zhan, Jianjun Wu, Mingzhi Wang, Yu Hui, Hongfei Wu, Qi Shang and Ruichao Guo
This paper aims to first apply more advanced anisotropic yield criterions as Yld91 and Yld2004 to spherical indentation simulations, and investigate plastic anisotropy identified…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to first apply more advanced anisotropic yield criterions as Yld91 and Yld2004 to spherical indentation simulations, and investigate plastic anisotropy identified from indentation simulations following different yield criterions (Hill48, Yld91, Yld2004) to discover laws. It also aims to compare the difference in plastic anisotropy identified from indentation on three yield criterions and evaluate the applicability of plastic anisotropy.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses indentation simulations on different yield criterions to identify plastic anisotropy. First, the trust-region techniques based on the nonlinear least-squares method are used to determine anisotropy coefficients of Yld91 and Yld2004. Then, Yld91 and Yld2004 are implemented into ABAQUS software using user-defined material (UMAT) subroutines with the proposed universal structure. Finally, through considering comprehensively the key factors, the locations of the optimal data acquisition points in indentation simulations on different yield criterions are determined. And, the identified stress–strain curves are compared with experimental data.
Findings
This paper discovers that indentation on Yld2004 is able to fully identify difference in equivalent plastic strain between 0° and 90° directions when indentation depth ht is relatively smaller. And, this research demonstrates conclusively that plastic anisotropy identified from indentation on Yld2004 and Yld91 is more applicable at larger strains than that on Hill48, and that on Yld2004 is more applicable than that on Yld91, overall. In addition, the method on the determination of the locations of the optimal data acquisition points is demonstrated to be also valid for anisotropic material.
Originality/value
This paper first investigates plastic anisotropic properties and laws identified from indentation simulations following more advanced anisotropic yield criterions and provides reference for later research.
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Hongtai Cheng and Hongfei Jiang
Delta robot is a parallel robot specifically designed for high-speed pick and place tasks. However, sometimes they are asked to perform additional assembling and squeezing…
Abstract
Purpose
Delta robot is a parallel robot specifically designed for high-speed pick and place tasks. However, sometimes they are asked to perform additional assembling and squeezing actions, which is beyond the capability of position-controlled Delta robots. Force sensors may be expensive and add mass to the system. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to study sensorless force control of Delta robots using limited access interface.
Design/methodology/approach
Static force analysis is performed to establish a relation between joint torques and external forces. The joint torques are observed from signals provided by motor drivers. A distributed mass model is proposed to compensate the gravity of upper arms and forearms. To minimize the effect of backlash and nonlinear frictions brought by gearboxes, model parameters are calibrated in two separated modes: “LIFTING” and “LOWERING”. Finally, a hybrid force estimation model is built to deal with both cases simultaneously. Surrogate model-based force control law is proposed to increase the force control loop rate and handle the force control problem for discrete position-controlled Delta robots.
Findings
The results show that the force estimation model is effective and mode separation can significantly improve the accuracy. The force control laws indeed stabilize the robot in desired states.
Originality/value
The proposed solution is based on position-controlled commercial Delta robot and requires no additional force sensor. It is able to extend Delta robots’ capability and meet requirements of emerging complex tasks.