Muddasar Anwar, Toufik Al Khawli, Irfan Hussain, Dongming Gan and Federico Renda
This paper aims to present a soft closed-chain modular gripper for robotic pick-and-place applications. The proposed biomimetic gripper design is inspired by the Fin Ray effect…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a soft closed-chain modular gripper for robotic pick-and-place applications. The proposed biomimetic gripper design is inspired by the Fin Ray effect, derived from fish fins physiology. It is composed of three axisymmetric fingers, actuated with a single actuator. Each finger has a modular under-actuated closed-chain structure. The finger structure is compliant in contact normal direction, with stiff crossbeams reorienting to help the finger structure conform around objects.
Design/methodology/approach
Starting with the design and development of the proposed gripper, a consequent mathematical representation consisting of closed-chain forward and inverse kinematics is detailed. The proposed mathematical framework is validated through the finite element modeling simulations. Additionally, a set of experiments was conducted to compare the simulated and prototype finger trajectories, as well as to assess qualitative grasping ability.
Findings
Key Findings are the presented mathematical model for closed-loop chain mechanisms, as well as design and optimization guidelines to develop controlled closed-chain grippers.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed methodology and mathematical model could be taken as a fundamental modular base block to explore similar distributed degrees of freedom (DOF) closed-chain manipulators and grippers. The enhanced kinematic model contributes to optimized dynamics and control of soft closed-chain grasping mechanisms.
Practical implications
The approach is aimed to improve the development of soft grippers that are required to grasp complex objects found in human–robot cooperation and collaborative robot (cobot) applications.
Originality/value
The proposed closed-chain mathematical framework is based on distributed DOFs instead of the conventional lumped joint approach. This is to better optimize and understand the kinematics of soft robotic mechanisms.
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Muhammad Riaz, Shu Jinghong and Muhammad Nadeem Akhtar
The main goal of this study is to analyze how monetary debt effects firm behavior of 167 registered manufacturing companies in G-7 countries.
Abstract
Purpose
The main goal of this study is to analyze how monetary debt effects firm behavior of 167 registered manufacturing companies in G-7 countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample of the present study is taken from the listed firms in G-7 countries. For the building companies, the yearly financial statements of 2007–2018 have been taken from world stock exchange and Thomson Reuters Data Stream. In this study, regression analysis are directed with panel data over the period of 2007–2018 using ordinary least square summary statistics, correlation matrix and generalized method moments. Data were analyzed by employing E Views and Stata 13 software.
Findings
The significant findings of the current study indicated that fixed assets, tangible assets, taxes, net cash and profitability have positive association with debt level.
Research limitations/implications
The current work include only registered manufacturing firms in G-7 countries. Moreover, ownership types are not accounted for in this study.
Practical implications
The current analysis is an empirical investigation of antecedents of debt regarding G-7 countries with up-to-date data. Various regression inquires have been made to design the models using different measures of debt and measure of firm performance indicators. These works will assist G-7 countries firms to know the effects of identified factors on time raising debt level.
Originality/value
The current work has been finalized using genuine data of yearly reports and database. This study incorporated antecedents of debt, which have limited discourse in prior literature. Furthermore, this study explores the connection between debt level and firm performance of G-7 countries.
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Nkiruka Evangeline Obi-Aso, Nonso Izuchukwu Ewurum and Ijeoma Clara Ewurum
A perusal of extant literature suggests asymmetric devotions in empirical research that overlooks unique social and industrial dynamics of married working women in highly…
Abstract
Purpose
A perusal of extant literature suggests asymmetric devotions in empirical research that overlooks unique social and industrial dynamics of married working women in highly competitive male-dominated industries. Drawing on the social role theory, the study addressed this asymmetry by proposing a multivariate regression model that examined performance drivers of married female real estate brokers, as mediated by organizational, cognitive and social influences.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed a descriptive design. A structured electronic questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 256 married female brokers who are active on online messaging platforms. Snowball sampling was used to reach the research participants. Collected data were subjected to multivariate regression analysis.
Findings
The results infer that social influences were the most significant drivers of married female brokers in the real estate industry (r = 0.932, p < 0.05, F = 556.581). Significant interventions of diversity management, work-life balance, family support and access to economic opportunities were found.
Practical implications
In acknowledging the societal stereotype and culturally imposed burdens married women face in emerging economies, the study advanced theoretical, practical and policy initiatives for a more inclusive, supportive and learning-oriented work environment.
Originality/value
The novelty of the paper lies in its exposition of the unregulated real estate brokerage market in an emerging economy and the dynamic organizational, cognitive and societal influences of married female brokers.
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Sabir Zaman, Shahid Irfan, Basharat Hussain, Muhammad Tahir Nawaz and Shazia Khalid
There is increased social discussion of the emerging issues of opioid use, health and well-being of young adults within contemporary Asian society. The purpose of this study is to…
Abstract
Purpose
There is increased social discussion of the emerging issues of opioid use, health and well-being of young adults within contemporary Asian society. The purpose of this study is to contribute new knowledge of opioid-using young adults through ethnographic perspectives of the five main cultures of Pakistan. Furthermore, it tried to explore the values of opioid users.
Design/methodology/approach
It is a qualitative study. Semi-structured interview and observation techniques were used to gain the participants’ information, in a non-judgmental environment. Observation and life focus history interview methodology were used for data collection. The sample consisted of 18 male opioid users (approximately three from each area including: Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoon Khah, Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir). An interview script was used in interviews after written informed consent. After the detailed interview and observation of non-verbal behaviours, the researchers analysed the data by using the content analysis of qualitative method.
Findings
The result showed that poor relationships, conflicts over property, lack of social support and family problems increased with the use of opioids by individuals. The individual’s mental health, such as hopelessness, curiosity, mistrust and lack of interest in social activities, was the major cause of opioid addiction. Moreover, peer influences and friends may also have played contributing roles in opioids use among men.
Research limitations/implications
The current study added to the understanding of the relationship of different environmental, behavioural and social factors involved in developing opioid use among young individuals. The homogeneity of the sample may have weakened the generalisability of the findings of the study as all participants in the study were male.
Practical implications
Clinicians and allied professionals have shown a great interest in early intervention with opioid users. At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative studies exploring the lived experiences of young opioid users. That is why this study was done, to empower counsellors.
Social implications
Opioids, including heroin, have strong addictive tendencies. They are easily available, particularly in unplanned urban areas of Pakistan. The present study tried to understand the lived experiences and beliefs of opioid users belonging to different cultures of Pakistan.
Originality/value
At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative studies exploring the lived experiences of adult opioid users. Therefore, this study presented 18 interview-based facts from the opioid users belonging to different areas of Pakistan residing in capital of Pakistan. The content of these vignettes was examined in the context of an ethnographic perspective, as it has a strong connection and contribution to drug abuse.
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Muhammad Mujtaba Asad, Amjad Ali Rind, Zahid Hussain Khand, Irfan Ahmed Rind and Shahid Hussain Mughal
The purpose of this study was to find out the perception of prospective teachers and teacher educators regarding the curriculum ideologies. The student–teachers and teacher…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to find out the perception of prospective teachers and teacher educators regarding the curriculum ideologies. The student–teachers and teacher educators from a public university of Pakistan participated in the study.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study has employed quantitative approach and used descriptive survey research design. The data was collected through the convenience sampling techniques. The data was collected through a questionnaire developed by Schiro in 2008. The questionnaire consisting of six parts and each part contains four statements on the curriculum ideologies of Scholar Academy, Social efficacy learner centered and social reconstruction ideology. The population of study comprised of 200 Prospective teachers of education department of a public sector University of Sindh, Pakistan. The data was collected by using 4-point Likert scale. The likert scale was ranging from the first priority to least priority. The reliability statistics was computed through Cronbach alpha α = 0.763. The data was analyzed through Statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 23.0 and mean and percentages were computed in this study.
Findings
The findings of the study revealed that most of the prospective teachers as well faculty members are following the scholar academy ideology to align with national goals of curriculum. The prospective teachers and faculty members believe that knowledge should be transferred from the institutions to the learners rather than the knowledge can be disseminated from the other sources as per the new dimensions for updated curriculum.
Practical implications
The current study suggests curriculum ideology awareness programs should be given to prospective teachers and faculty members before their induction. The study also recommends that a survey study can be conducted from teachers and teacher educators before designing the national curriculum of Pakistan because majority of participants believed that knowledge can only be transferred from institutions.
Originality/value
This empirical study has given thoughtful insights to investigate the curriculum ideologies with new dimensions for those who are studying in teacher education courses and for their mentors. So, this study has contributed new knowledge in the context of Sindh, Pakistan specifically in the domain of curriculum ideologies and frameworks.
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Muhammad Irfan Javaid Attari, Matloub Hussain and Attiya Y. Javid
This paper is a direct extension of the work by Hussain et al. (2012). They have investigated a long-term relationship between climatic change and economic growth in case of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is a direct extension of the work by Hussain et al. (2012). They have investigated a long-term relationship between climatic change and economic growth in case of Pakistan. Agricultural sector plays an important role in economic field, whereas industrial sector is the main source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Therefore, this study aims to replace economic growth variable with industrial growth in case of Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
Investigation is made on the basis of the environmental Kuznets curve by using the time series data during the period 1971-2009. The per capital carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is used as an environmental indicator and per capita industrial income as the economic indicator. Different econometric tools including augmented Dickey–Fuller, autoregressive distributed lag and Granger-causality test are used to verify this relationship.
Findings
The empirical findings will help the policy-makers of Pakistan in developing new standards and monitoring networks for reducing CO2 emission. It is essential to extend the current research work at provincial and different sectors levels in order to have clear understanding about the impact of current emission rate.
Originality/value
This study replaces economic growth variable with industrial growth in case of Pakistan because the industrial sector is the main source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. This study is to investigate a long-term relationship between climatic change and industrial growth in case of Pakistan.
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Muhammad Shahbaz and Avik Sinha
The purpose of this paper is to provide a survey of the empirical literature on environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) estimation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over the period of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a survey of the empirical literature on environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) estimation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over the period of 1991–2017.
Design/methodology/approach
This survey categorizes the studies on the basis of power of income in empirical models of EKC. It has been hypothesized that the EKC shows an inverted U-shaped association between economic growth and CO2 emissions.
Findings
For all the contexts, the results of EKC estimation for CO2 emissions are inconclusive in nature. The reasons behind this discrepancy can be attributed to the choice of contexts, time period, explanatory variables, and methodological adaptation.
Research limitations/implications
The future studies in this context should not only consider new set of variables (e.g. corruption index, social indicators, political scenario, energy research and development expenditures, foreign capital inflows, happiness, population education structure, public investment toward alternate energy exploration, etc.), but also the data set should be refined, so that the EKC estimation issues raised by Stern (2004) can be addressed.
Originality/value
By far, no study in the literature of ecological economics has focused on the empirical estimation of EKC for CO2 emissions. This particular context has been used for this study, as CO2 is one of the highest studied pollutants in the ecological economics, and especially within the EKC hypothesis framework.
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Qasim Ali Nisar, Shahbaz Haider, Irfan Ameer, Muhammad Sajjad Hussain, Sonaina Safi Gill and Awan Usama
Big data analytics capabilities are the driving force and deemed as an operational excellence approach to improving the green supply chain performance in the post COVID-19…
Abstract
Purpose
Big data analytics capabilities are the driving force and deemed as an operational excellence approach to improving the green supply chain performance in the post COVID-19 situation. Motivated by the COVID-19 epidemic and the problems it poses to the supply chain's long-term viability, this study used dynamic capabilities theory as a foundation to assess the imperative role of big data analytics capabilities (management, talent and technological) toward green supply chain performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was quantitative and cross-sectional. Data were collected from 374 executives through a survey questionnaire method by applying an appropriate random sampling technique. The authors employed PLS-SEM to analyze the data.
Findings
The findings revealed that big data analytics capabilities play a significant role in boosting up sustainable supply chain performance. It was found that big data analytics capabilities significantly contributed to supply chain risk management and innovative green product development that ultimately enhanced innovation and learning performance. Moreover, innovation and green learning performance has a significant and positive relationship with sustainable supply chain performance. In the post COVID-19 situation, organizations can enhance their sustainable supply chain performance by giving extra attention to big data analytics capabilities and supply chain risk and innovativeness.
Originality/value
The paper specifically emphasizes on the factors that result in the sustainability in supply chain integrated with the big data analytics. Additionally, it offers the boundary condition for gaining the sustainable supply chain management.
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Muhammad Asghar, Irfan Ullah and Ali Hussain Bangash
Organisations encourage green creativity among their employees to mitigate pollution and achieve sustainable growth. Green inclusive leadership practices have a key role in…
Abstract
Purpose
Organisations encourage green creativity among their employees to mitigate pollution and achieve sustainable growth. Green inclusive leadership practices have a key role in influencing employees’ green attitudes and environmental efficiency. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate how green inclusive leadership influences employees’ green creativity. It also aims to analyse the intermediating mechanism of green human capital and employee voice between the relationship of green inclusive leadership and green creativity.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected through an in-person administered questionnaire-based survey from 312 employees of the manufacturing industry of Pakistan. SPSS PROCESS macro was used for hypothesis testing in the present study.
Findings
The findings depict that the perception of green inclusive leadership positively influences employees’ green creativity. Moreover, the findings demonstrate that green human capital and employee voice play substantial intervening roles among the associations investigated.
Originality/value
This research study is novel because it is one of the scarce research studies to examine green inclusive leadership and employees’ green creativity with the underlying mechanism of green human capital and employee voice in an eastern context.
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Norsafiah Norazman, Adi Irfan Che-Ani, Afifuddin Husairi Mat Jusoh Hussain and Wan Norisma Wan Ismail
The existing concept in the building rating scheme especially in developing countries was more focused on the environment, economic, social and culture. The new approach of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The existing concept in the building rating scheme especially in developing countries was more focused on the environment, economic, social and culture. The new approach of the classroom condition index (CCI) assessment scheme has its uniqueness in environmental and social aspects because of high building performance in secondary school buildings. The requirements set by the Ministry of Education Malaysia include providing a conducive learning environment, especially for students who are considered as the main users of classrooms in school buildings. Currently, the school administration needs to manually record the condition of the classroom to increase its comfort level. The lack of a structured scheme for classroom assessment makes it difficult for school administration to focus on the overall classroom condition (physical environmental aspect) in the school building. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for classroom conditions by proposing a CCI assessment scheme for a secondary school building in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
Mixed methods were used to carry out the study. The first stage of this study concentrates on developing a system for CCI that relates to physical elements in the classroom. This is done by reviewing the literature on the classroom physical performance, as well as a comparison between several building rating systems locally and abroad. The structure of the proposed CCI scheme is grouped into four main themes, namely, space management quality (SMQ), building condition (BC), indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and teaching and learning quality (TLQ). In addition, there are 12 categories and 23 indicators listed under this theme. The second stage focuses on formulating assessment categories with their relevant performance indicators. This phase undergoes a validation process by conducting a survey (questionnaire) toward the classroom’s main users, which are students and teachers. This is to ensure the accuracy of classroom conditions in the school building. A semi-structured interview was also conducted among building experts. They are building surveyors, building engineers, building designers and building performance experts to support the main findings in the second stage. Relative importance (RI) index approach has been applied to show the indicators weighting and ranking are used as data collections method by using Statistical Package of Social Science software to examine the RI of each category and indicator, respectively.
Findings
The findings show that prominent RI and balanced weights are formed from these four main themes. They are SMQ (19.9%), BC (26.6%), IEQ (33.2%) and TLQ (20.3%). The outcome of this study will contribute to a detailed assessment scheme for CCI at the secondary school building. The contribution of the CCI Assessment Scheme is more comprehensive and holistic than the conventional assessment process for BCs. It focuses specifically on classroom space as it is the most important area to achieve a high level of comfort comparing to other spaces in the school building. This holistic approach encompasses all types of classrooms. The concept of one tool fits all is seen as no longer a relevant adaptation in this context. This proposed tool is to be used only for the classroom (as the name CCI implies) and it cannot be used for the other types of spaces, for instance, teacher room, library, meeting room, toilet, canteen and, etc. This is because different spaces represent different physical indicators to be classified. This, in turn, contributes to a conducive learning environment for students in the school.
Originality/value
This paper provides the current information, knowledge and findings related to the classroom physical indicators in developing the assessment scheme for the classroom environment. It will assist both technical and non-technical experts to clarify the current condition of classroom physical performance that ideally may affect the students’ learning environment. The novelty of CCI development is not only on the adopted method but it also includes the ideas on next generation model of rating system that ideally need specific indicators and weighting to be generated into an intelligent computerized system.