José Roberto Díaz-Reza, Jorge Luis García-Alcaraz, Alfonso Jesus Gil-López, Julio Blanco-Fernández and Emilio Jimenez-Macias
The purpose of this paper is to measure the relationships between advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) categories (stand-alone, intermediated and integrated systems…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to measure the relationships between advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) categories (stand-alone, intermediated and integrated systems) implementation and design, process and commercial benefits obtained.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey is designed with benefits gained from AMT implementation as well as its categories, which is applied to the maquiladora industry. A structural equation model with data from 383 responses is used to measure the relationship between AMT categories and benefits gained using nine hypotheses that are tested statistically significant using partial least squares. Also, using conditional probabilities, a sensitivity analysis reports how low and high levels from AMT implementation influence on the obtained benefits.
Findings
Integrated systems are the most important AMT for maquiladoras and have the strongest impact on design, processes and commercial benefits.
Research limitations/implications
Data obtained support the model, but results may be different in another industrial sector and countries with different labor culture and technological level.
Practical implications
Managers in maquiladora industry must focus their attention on integrated manufacturing systems, because high implementation levels guarantee the biggest probability to gain benefits in design, production process and commercial.
Originality/value
The relationship between AMT and their benefits has not been measured in depth, and this paper contributes to understand that problem. In addition, this paper is the first to report a sensitivity analysis that enables managers to acknowledge the probability of obtaining certain benefits.
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Gustavo Morales-Alonso, José Antonio Blanco-Serrano, Yilsy Núñez Guerrero, Mercedes Grijalvo and Francisco José Blanco Jimenez
This research aims at the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the global entrepreneurship monitor (GEM) framework – How can cognitive traits for entrepreneurship be used by…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims at the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the global entrepreneurship monitor (GEM) framework – How can cognitive traits for entrepreneurship be used by incubators and accelerators?
Design/methodology/approach
In this research the authors analyze the factors that catalyze the founding of new technology-based firms. From a practitioner stand-point, the GEM posits that these factors can be classified as contextual, social and individual factors. The present study focuses on the latter, looking into how demographic characteristics, possession of human capital and cognitive traits interrelate. The authors rely on a sample of 141 technological new ventures being incubated in Madrid, Spain, which is analyzed with the multilayer perceptron technique.
Findings
The results show that cognitive traits, as defined in the TPB, act as the “last mile” in the entrepreneurial decision process, while demographic and human capital factors appear to antecede them. These results are relevant for incubators and accelerators, which now gain a better, more complete understanding of success factors of their incubatees.
Originality/value
This research deals both with practitioners' view of entrepreneurship and with scientific literature, intertwining both with the purpose of providing valuable information for incubators and accelerators.
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José A. Blanco, David W. Gillingham and John H. Lewko
The purpose of this paper is to propose a simple heuristic model that provides diagnostic capabilities and prevention insights.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a simple heuristic model that provides diagnostic capabilities and prevention insights.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper brings together findings from previous research including injury statistics from several industries to illustrate that the model's predicted results can be found in practice. This is a conceptual paper that applies a simple heuristic model to existing data. The model leads to an equation with four parameters: a rate of improvement reflecting prevention, a rate of deterioration reflecting obsolescence and lapsing of procedures and practices, an intrinsic limit reflecting technological capability, and a “viscosity” that adds the impact of management system malfunction to the technological limits and normal delays.
Findings
The model says that, on the average, injury rates decrease with time if the rate of rejection is greater than the rate of mortality. If “r”<“m” injury rates increase exponentially with time, and drastic results can follow. When “r”=”m” the model produces a constant rate of failure that will continue until something is done to increase “r” or decrease “m”. A constant rate of failure means that an apparent safety limit has been reached. Unless this corresponds to the technological limit, a constant rate means that some preventable failures are recurring with regularity: they risk being accepted as “hazards of the job”. Stable periods may be normal, but they can lead to complacency.
Practical implications
The heuristic power of the model is evident in that parameters and insights from applying it can help define prevention activities to reduce the rate of injury and, by implication, to lengthen operational periods between consecutive injuries.
Originality/value
The drum model can help managers understand the separate but related effects of technology and management on injury rates. The model can be used to seek prevention possibilities hidden in the aggregate data, and it can help the manager to use period data to identify areas or groups in need of help.
D. Gillingham, J.A. Blanco, H. Blanco, B. Cameron and S. McDonald
Describes a unique experiment in safety management which has led toa significant improvement in the safety performance of work groups atthe smelter of INCO Ltd in Sudbury, Canada.
Abstract
Describes a unique experiment in safety management which has led to a significant improvement in the safety performance of work groups at the smelter of INCO Ltd in Sudbury, Canada.
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Ashley K. Farmer, Cara E. Rabe-Hemp and Jeruel Taylor
The militarization of police has garnered great attention in recent decades. Bolstered by the wars on drugs and terrorism, police agencies have been receiving military weapons and…
Abstract
The militarization of police has garnered great attention in recent decades. Bolstered by the wars on drugs and terrorism, police agencies have been receiving military weapons and equipment since the 1033 Program was authorized by the Department of Défense. A recent American Civil Liberties Union investigation on police raids found that militarization has occurred with almost no oversight. They studied more than 800 paramilitary raids and found that almost 80% were for ordinary law enforcement purposes like serving search warrants in people’s homes; only 7% were for genuine emergencies, such as barricade or hostage situations. Most compelling, the raids disproportionately targeted people of color. This chapter traces the history of police militarization in America, and how it has targeted and adversely affected minority communities.
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Ana Cid-Bouzo, Francisco-Jesús Ferreiro-Seoane and Adrián Ríos-Blanco
The best workplaces have been left out from the literature of social sustainability. These companies may cause a significant impact on society given their excellent human…
Abstract
Purpose
The best workplaces have been left out from the literature of social sustainability. These companies may cause a significant impact on society given their excellent human resources practices and the employer brand reputation derived from them. This study aims to fill this gap by analysing the social sustainability for the best organisations to work for in Spain.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from an annual ranking for the best workplaces in Spain during 2013–2021, it is proposed to analyse critical social sustainability indicators, comparing organisations within and outside the ranking. Therefore, the authors ask whether companies from the ranking have greater female presence in CEO positions, generate more employment, pay higher salaries and contribute more to the public sector. Methodology comprehends descriptive, exploratory and inference techniques.
Findings
Although companies within the ranking achieve a higher score on it when the CEO is female, it does not translate into a greater female CEO presence with respect to companies outside the ranking. On the other hand, best workplaces achieve higher employment rates and pay higher salaries, almost all the time. Also, these excellent companies to work for generate more contributions to the public sector.
Originality/value
This research covers the relation between best human resources practices and social sustainability development, because the former is a great opportunity for pursuing the innovative and long-term policies necessary for the latter. Therefore, findings are valuable for managers and policymakers.
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Rick Lines, Ralf Jürgens, Glen Betteridge and Heino Stöver
This article examines the issue of prison needle‐exchange programmes (PNEP) based upon the international experience and evidence in six countries. A review of existing literature…
Abstract
This article examines the issue of prison needle‐exchange programmes (PNEP) based upon the international experience and evidence in six countries. A review of existing literature was undertaken together with original research comprising site visits to prison needle‐exchange programmes in four countries operating such initiatives in October 2002. During the course of the research, prison needle exchange programmes were initiated in two other countries, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus. Site visits were not possible in respect of these two countries, and data was gathered via conversations with staff and funding organisations involved and by the examination of documentary evidence. The paper presents an overview of the PNEP initiated and a commentry on the outcomes. Based upon the evidence emerging from the investigation, the paper concludes that while prison syringe‐exchange programmes have been implemented in diverse environments and under differing circumstances, the results of the programmes have been remarkably consistent. Improved prisoner health and reduction of needle sharing have been achieved. Fears of violence, increased drug consumption, and other negative consequences have not materialised. Based on the evidence and experience, it can be concluded unequivocally that prison needle‐exchange programmes effectively address the health‐related harms associated with needle sharing in prisons and do not undermine institutional safety or security.
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Flor S. Gerardou, Royston Meriton, Anthony Brown, Blanca Viridiana Guizar Moran and Rajinder Bhandal
Challenge-based learning (CBL) has gained acceptance as a contemporary and progressive teaching pedagogy that provides a holistic and inclusive experience to learners in higher…
Abstract
Challenge-based learning (CBL) has gained acceptance as a contemporary and progressive teaching pedagogy that provides a holistic and inclusive experience to learners in higher education (HE) institutions. However, its lack of appeal to non-STEM subjects and the need for further development, particularly concerning improved approaches, have been recognized. It seems that CBL runs the risk of becoming a portmanteau pedagogy that blends aspects of problem-based learning, project-based learning, and situated learning, as opposed to its development as an effective pedagogy tool. This points to a lack of a formal implementation framework, code of practice, and standard procedures for its delivery. We argue that blending a design thinking (DT) pedagogy with CBL can potentially provide the stability that CBL currently lacks. At the same time, it also presents a more inclusive proposition to potential non-STEM audiences. Thus, in this chapter, we seek to interrogate the intersectionality between CBL and DT literature in the context of HE teaching and learning with a view of establishing CBL as a pedagogy in its own right. We attempt to achieve this by systematically analyzing the separate literature to reveal the synergies and common touchpoints.