Pranav Kumar, James K. Santosa, Elizabeth Beck and Suman Das
In this paper, we present a concept for multi‐material solid freeform fabrication of heterogeneous components. This concept features hopper‐nozzles designed for depositing thin…
Abstract
In this paper, we present a concept for multi‐material solid freeform fabrication of heterogeneous components. This concept features hopper‐nozzles designed for depositing thin layers of multiple patterned materials followed by selective laser sintering for consolidation to desired densities. Although prior work on the design of small‐scale nozzles for powder delivery is lacking, our design is guided by background theory for particle flow through industrial hoppers. Experimental guidelines for the delivery of powders in the 10 to 125 μm range from 0.5 to 2 mm hopper‐nozzle orifices are presented.
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This research explores perceptions of knowledge management processes held by managers and employees in a service industry. To date, empirical research on knowledge management in…
Abstract
This research explores perceptions of knowledge management processes held by managers and employees in a service industry. To date, empirical research on knowledge management in the service industry is sparse. This research seeks to examine absorptive capacity and its four capabilities of acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation and their impact on effective knowledge management. All of these capabilities are strategies that enable external knowledge to be recognized, imported and integrated into, and further developed within the organization effectively. The research tests the relationships between absorptive capacity and effective knowledge management through analysis of quantitative data (n = 549) drawn from managers and employees in 35 residential aged care organizations in Western Australia. Responses were analysed using Partial Least Square-based Structural Equation Modelling. Additional analysis was conducted to assess if the job role (of manager or employee) and three industry context variables of profit motive, size of business and length of time the organization has been in business, impacted on the hypothesized relationships.
Structural model analysis examines the relationships between variables as hypothesized in the research framework. Analysis found that absorptive capacity and the four capabilities correlated significantly with effective knowledge management, with absorptive capacity explaining 56% of the total variability for effective knowledge management. Findings from this research also show that absorptive capacity and the four capabilities provide a useful framework for examining knowledge management in the service industry. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the perceptions held between managers and employees, nor between respondents in for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Furthermore, the size of the organization and length of time the organization has been in business did not impact on absorptive capacity, the four capabilities and effective knowledge management.
The research considers implications for business in light of these findings. The role of managers in providing leadership across the knowledge management process was confirmed, as well as the importance of guiding routines and knowledge sharing throughout the organization. Further, the results indicate that within the participating organizations there are discernible differences in the way that some organizations manage their knowledge, compared to others. To achieve effective knowledge management, managers need to provide a supportive workplace culture, facilitate strong employee relationships, encourage employees to seek out new knowledge, continually engage in two-way communication with employees and provide up-to-date policies and procedures that guide employees in doing their work. The implementation of knowledge management strategies has also been shown in this research to enhance the delivery and quality of residential aged care.
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Elizabeth Bell, Gabriela Fernández Castillo, Maha Khalid, Gabrielle Rufrano, Allison M. Traylor and Eduardo Salas
Across many high-stakes contexts, teams influence their members’ physical and psychological Well-Being. For example, teams can provide social support and backup behaviors to…
Abstract
Across many high-stakes contexts, teams influence their members’ physical and psychological Well-Being. For example, teams can provide social support and backup behaviors to reduce demands on team members. On the contrary, teams engaged in conflict or other deleterious processes can serve as a source of stress for their members. Despite these potential impacts, existing research primarily focuses on the impact of teamwork on team-level, rather than individual-level outcomes. This chapter argues that teams play an important role in members’ Well-Being, synthesizing existing research on the topic and focusing on synthesizing research that suggests teams play an important and overlooked role in members’ Well-Being, and providing recommendations for future research in this domain.
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Giuseppe Di Vita, Raffaele Zanchini, Giovanni Gulisano, Teresina Mancuso, Gaetano Chinnici and Mario D'Amico
Urban metropolitan consumers react to the different qualitative categorizations of the product thus creating homogeneous market segments. The aim of this paper is to identify…
Abstract
Purpose
Urban metropolitan consumers react to the different qualitative categorizations of the product thus creating homogeneous market segments. The aim of this paper is to identify specific market segments which allow for the definition of homogeneous olive oil consumer targets.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was based on the stated preferences of consumers and emphasizes the role that different quality scales of olive oil have in the eye of the consumer. The data, collected through a questionnaire, were analysed by means of inferential and multivariate statistics techniques, that is, the study specifically entailed a factorial and cluster analysis.
Findings
This paper explores olive oil market segments broken down by the different quality levels of existing products, thus trying to identify main consumer preferences. Our outcomes suggest the existence of three main quality classes of olive oil consumer: basic, popular and premium.
Research limitations/implications
Even though we gathered data and information from a broad sample, the study does not fully reflect the average Italian population since we based our study on a convenience sample of northern Italian consumers. A more extended sample is needed to test our hypothesis in other regional areas.
Practical implications
The outcomes derived from this study provide useful insights both for marketers and olive oil producers by allowing more efficient strategic decisions in terms of product segmentation.
Originality/value
This study, aimed at matching olive oil market segments and consumer preferences, shows the existence of three well-defined quality classes of olive oil consumer: basic, popular and premium. In addition, this study ascertains for the first time how the attitude towards local products is positively influenced by family origin as a result of an inter-generational attitude.
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Ankit Sharma, Suresh Kumar Jakhar, Ilias Vlachos and Satish Kumar
Over the past two decades, the hub location domain has witnessed remarkable growth, yet no prior study reviewed and synthesised problem formulation and solution methodologies to…
Abstract
Purpose
Over the past two decades, the hub location domain has witnessed remarkable growth, yet no prior study reviewed and synthesised problem formulation and solution methodologies to address real-life challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric literature review to develop a thematic framework that describes and presents hub location problems. The work employs cluster, bibliometric, and social network analyses to delve into the essential themes.
Findings
Key themes include cooperation, coopetition, sustainability, reshoring, and dynamic demand, contributing to the complex challenges in today’s hub location problems. As the first work in this field, the study serves as a valuable single-source reference, providing scholars and industry practitioners with key insights into the evolution of hub location research, prominent research clusters, influential authors, leading countries, and crucial keywords.
Research limitations/implications
Findings have significant implications since they highlight the current state of hub location research and set the stage for future endeavours. Specifically, by identifying prominent research clusters, scholars can explore promising directions to push the boundaries of knowledge in this area.
Originality/value
This work is a valuable resource for scholars in this domain and offers practical insights for industry practitioners seeking to understand the hub location problems. Overall, the study’s holistic approach provides a solid foundation for advancing future research work in the hub location field.
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Rusdi Akbar, Robyn Pilcher and Brian Perrin
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation of performance measurement systems (PMSs) in Indonesian local government (ILG) using Smart PLS. Couched within an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation of performance measurement systems (PMSs) in Indonesian local government (ILG) using Smart PLS. Couched within an institutional theory framework, it explores a conceptual model developed to explain the hypothesised relationships between technical and organisational factors and the development and use of performance indicators and accountability practices.
Design/methodology/approach
Surveys were sent to senior finance officers in all local governments (457) across Indonesia with a response rate of 21.4 percent being achieved. Smart PLS was used to assess the quality of the data and analyse the research model proposed.
Findings
Findings revealed that ILGs developed performance indicators more to fulfil regulatory requirements than to make their organisation more effective and efficient. As a way of increasing the success of PMS implementation management commitment through good leadership was found to be a major contributor. Coercive pressure from central government impacted on the result as did normative isomorphism by way of widespread training by universities (and others) and the subsequent sharing of this knowledge.
Practical implications
The findings will assist Indonesian central government formulate future government policy as well as design appropriate strategies for implementing the second wave of (bureaucratic) reform.
Originality/value
Set in a local government environment in a developing country, this research is original and makes three major contributions. First, it provides an understanding of factors influencing the development and use of performance measures in the ILG context. Second, the use of Smart PLS is original in this context and fills a gap in the literature examining local government PMS. Last, the existence of institutional isomorphism reaffirms that this theory is still applicable in the twenty‐first century and relevant as an explanator of the results in the context examined here.
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Shreya Das and Debapratim Pandit
The purpose of this paper is to develop a method to benchmark the service quality of any public facility based on users’ perception, by taking the case of “bus design”. While some…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a method to benchmark the service quality of any public facility based on users’ perception, by taking the case of “bus design”. While some researchers have defined level of service (LOS) for highways, transit system and pedestrian facility to measure their service quality, limited attempt has been made to measure users’ perception of service quality for other public facilities which cannot be described by quantitative service levels.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, an average weighted scoring technique has been integrated with the method of successive interval scaling to develop a five graded LOS scale that benchmarks users’ perception of service quality for “bus design”. The method has been exemplified by taking five types of buses currently operating in Kolkata that represent five types of “bus design”. This method can be applied for other public facilities.
Findings
By applying the method an LOS scale from LOS A to LOS E was developed for “bus design” in Kolkata that represent users’ perception from “very good” to “very poor”. “Bus design” has been described by a list of attributes identified in this research. “Degree of criticality” of different design attributes based on users’ requirements was used to identify the key attributes for improvement which was also found to vary for different bus user groups in Kolkata.
Originality/value
This research is the first ever attempt to benchmark service quality of a qualitative facility like “bus design” based on users’ perception instead of expert opinion as used by previous researchers.
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Emily C. Crofton and Amalia G.M. Scannell
Using a consumer-led approach, the purpose of this research is to examine how consumers perceive new cereal-based snack food concepts using healthy brewers spent grain (BSG) as a…
Abstract
Purpose
Using a consumer-led approach, the purpose of this research is to examine how consumers perceive new cereal-based snack food concepts using healthy brewers spent grain (BSG) as a sustainable and functional ingredient.
Design/methodology/approach
In-depth laddering interviews based on means–end chain theory were conducted with 40 healthy snack consumers in Dublin, Ireland.
Findings
Four hierarchical value maps (HVM) representing data from each snack concept dimensions were generated. The results identified the crispy crackers concept as the most promising for further development, followed by crispy sticks with dip, fruity biscuits and twisted breadsticks. Consumer cognitions regarding the crispy sticks with dip and fruity biscuits were more dominantly associated with a hedonic orientation, while crispy crackers and twisted breadsticks were more strongly associated with health- related dimensions. The HVMs also identified factors which could potentially prevent the acceptance of these snacks. Although consumers displayed a level of environmental consciousness regarding the perceived packaging type, outcomes also showed that the environmental benefit of using BSG in foods is not viewed as a means to attain a desired end state in the consumers’ mind. Our findings also suggest the rich protein content of BSG is not considered relevant in the context of a cereal snack product.
Practical implications
BSG is an abundant, low-cost, nutritious waste material which is available globally in large quantities. This study provides new actionable consumer insights with important implications for snack manufacturers regarding the design and development of cereal snack foods containing this healthy by-product.
Originality/value
This study contributes to a limited body of literature by illustrating which product characteristics are considered important for consumers when selecting healthy, cereal-based snack foods using BSG as an ingredient.
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Sébastien Damart and Sonia Adam-Ledunois
This research aims to compare the contributions of two authors and practitioners from the 1920s whose work was, to a certain extent, at odds with the dominant scientific…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to compare the contributions of two authors and practitioners from the 1920s whose work was, to a certain extent, at odds with the dominant scientific management approach of the period.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a comparative textual analysis of texts written by Sheldon and Follett in the 1920s has been performed. This technique consists of a hierarchical descendant classification, which we use to uncover the thematic universes that Sheldon and Follett create in characterizing the fundamentals of management activity.
Findings
This comparative textual analysis shows that Follett and Sheldon developed two different ways of relying on a singular fundamental principle of management: integration.
Originality/value
A comparative analysis of Follett and Sheldon’s work has never been attempted. While textual analysis has been used in management research, to the authors’ knowledge, such analyses are rare in research seeking to understand management history.
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Michail Nerantzidis, Michail Pazarskis, George Drogalas and Stergios Galanis
This study reviews post-2009 literature on public sector internal auditing (IA) and addresses three interrelated research questions (RQ): How is research on the public sector IA…
Abstract
Purpose
This study reviews post-2009 literature on public sector internal auditing (IA) and addresses three interrelated research questions (RQ): How is research on the public sector IA being developed? What are the focus and criticisms of the literature on public sector IA? What is the future of public sector IA research?
Design/methodology/approach
We adopt a systematic literature review approach and analyze 78 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2010 and 2019. We evaluate five criteria to identify the development of public sector IA research (RQ1), namely level of government, academic discipline, number of countries, geographic areas and MSCI country classification. Similarly, we use four criteria to present the focus and criticisms of the literature (RQ2), namely, type of organizational respondent, research instrument, theories and research theme examined. Finally, we use two criteria to propose new directions for future research (RQ3), namely, the directions resulted from RQ1 and RQ2 and the directions highlighted by the 10 most cited studies in the IA literature (i.e. out of the 78 papers identified).
Findings
We find an increase of publications up to 2017, most of which are single country–focused, particularly on emerging markets. Moreover, we note that IA has been studied at all government levels, most often at the local government level. Although we identify multiple research themes examined in the literature, most studies emphasize “governance” and “operational effectiveness” using quantitative analysis, without reference to any theory. By analyzing these key features, we critically interpret the challenges as well as the skepticism that may surface by researchers. Finally, considering implications from this stream of research and analyzing the most influential studies, we recommend new avenues for investigation such as comparative studies among countries and different markets that provide further evidence on the international and regional levels and studies on the effect of cultural, institutional and demographical characteristics in IA.
Practical implications
Our results will help researchers, practitioners and consultants to identify the key issues related with IA.
Originality/value
This study is the first to provide a systematic literature review on public sector IA. Furthermore, it develops insights, critical reflections and avenues for future research in this field.