Albert P.C. Chan, Michael C.H. Yam, Joanne W.Y. Chung and Wen Yi
Heat stress, having caused preventable and lamentable deaths, is hazardous to construction workers in the hot and humid summers of Hong Kong. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Heat stress, having caused preventable and lamentable deaths, is hazardous to construction workers in the hot and humid summers of Hong Kong. The purpose of this paper is to develop a heat stress model, based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index.
Design/methodology/approach
Field studies were conducted during the summer time in Hong Kong (July to September 2010). Based upon 281 sets of synchronized meteorological and physiological data collected from construction workers in four different construction sites between July and September 2010, physiological, work‐related, environmental and personal parameters were measured to construct and verify the heat stress model.
Findings
It is found that drinking habit, age and work duration are the top three significant predictors to determine construction workers' physiological responses. Other predictors include percentage of body fat, resting heart rate, air pollution index, WBGT, smoking habit, energy consumption, and respiratory exchange rate. The accuracy of the model is verified against data which have not been used in developing the model. The accuracy of the heat stress model is found to be statistically acceptable (Mean Absolute Percentage Error=5.6 percent, Theil's U inequality coefficients=0.003).
Practical implications
Based on these findings, appropriate work‐rest pattern can be designed to safeguard the well being of workers when working in a hot and humid environment.
Originality/value
The model reported in this paper provides a more scientific and reliable prediction of the reality which may benefit the industry to produce solid guidelines for working in hot weather.
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Yim King Penny Wan, Sow Hup Joanne Chan and Hui Lan Wendy Huang
This paper aims to examine the environmental awareness, initiatives and performance in the Macau hotel industry.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the environmental awareness, initiatives and performance in the Macau hotel industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed research method was adopted involving quantitative surveys with 31 hotels in Macau and 11 face-to-face interviews with the hotel managers, facilities managers and engineers.
Findings
Response from surveys and interviews with 31 hoteliers show that hotels in Macau have a high level of environmental awareness. Most hoteliers actively introduce initiatives that contribute to cost savings. Initiatives including using energy conservation light bulbs, having an active system to detect/repair leaking facilities and installing water conserving fixtures are widely implemented, while programs involving using solar lawn light, recycling leftover food and reusing wastewater are not. Major barriers for going green include the lack of government regulations on environmental management (EM), financial constraints, the lack of employees to handle EM and the fear that environmental initiatives may negatively impact the guest’s experience, especially those VIP and hardcore gamblers and customers who expect enjoying the luxuries services in Macau hotels. Lower star hotels experience more difficulties in adopting green approaches.
Research limitations/implications
This paper presents a single case study of Macau; therefore, the results in this research may have limited generalizability.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the very few attempts that investigate EM in Macau – a renowned world tourism and gambling destination, where the vast majority of hotels have their casino facilities. Results show that apart from the financial consideration and the lack of government enforcement to adopt green measures similar to hotels in other destinations, EM practices of Macau’s hotels are also constrained by its customer base and the acute shortage of human resources that is caused by the tourism boom.
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Raj Aggarwal, Victor Petrovic, John K. Ryans and Sijing Zong
Based on fifteen years of data on the annual Academy of International Business (AIB) best dissertation Farmer Award finalists, we find that these dissertations were done at a…
Abstract
Based on fifteen years of data on the annual Academy of International Business (AIB) best dissertation Farmer Award finalists, we find that these dissertations were done at a range of North American universities. Interestingly, dissertation topics differed from the topics covered in the three top IB journals with five‐sixths of the topics in management, organization, economics, or finance and two‐thirds set in a single country or region (U.S., Japan, North America, and Western Europe). Survey research is the most common methodology but analysis of secondary data is growing. As expected, the finalists are on average an extraordinarily prolific group.
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Stacy Menezes, Allan Bird and Michael J. Stevens
The development of upcoming inclusive leaders requires not just knowledge of inclusion competencies but also knowledge of how to develop them and when to use them. This chapter…
Abstract
The development of upcoming inclusive leaders requires not just knowledge of inclusion competencies but also knowledge of how to develop them and when to use them. This chapter examines the effectiveness of combining a psychometric assessment tool – the Inclusion Competencies Inventory (ICI) – and an improvement approach that places developmental responsibility in the hands of the student, not the instructor. The increased need for inclusivity in organizations requires business school graduates, who will soon be taking on the role of organizational leaders, to develop inclusion competencies. We seek to enhance inclusion competencies through a model based on reflective development and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). There are several implications for academicians and practitioners who may choose to adopt this unique, participant-driven approach to developing inclusion leadership competencies.
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Cary Snow, Valencia Gabay, Tamarah Danielle Brownlee and Trenae Thomas
Leaders need diverse talent to leverage organizational success; however, leaders must also develop inclusive working environments that meet the diverse needs of their employees…
Abstract
Leaders need diverse talent to leverage organizational success; however, leaders must also develop inclusive working environments that meet the diverse needs of their employees. This chapter seeks to support organizational leaders in using storytelling to foster a culture of inclusivity and drive inclusive leadership practices throughout their organizations. Dimensions of the inclusive leadership compass (ILC) model (embrace, empower, enable, and embed) are used to highlight organizational areas that are rich with opportunities to facilitate mindset shifts at the individual, team, and system levels. This chapter explores strategies and highlights methods leaders can use to effectively implement the powerful learning and communication technique of storytelling in each of the critical areas of the inclusive leadership model. Starting with self-knowledge, leaders can devise ways to embrace difference and expand their understanding of inclusivity to inspire others to do the same. The authors propose a phenomenological approach to advancing efforts toward an inclusive organization in a way that honors the lived experience of others. This chapter includes methods for developing psychologically safe environments and other storytelling criteria that amplify the power of storytelling in a healthy approach that will be received and reverberate throughout the organization and enhance the benefits of inclusive leadership practices.
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Natalie Peach, Ivana Kihas, Ashling Isik, Joanne Cassar, Emma Louise Barrett, Vanessa Cobham, Sudie E. Back, Sean Perrin, Sarah Bendall, Kathleen Brady, Joanne Ross, Maree Teesson, Louise Bezzina, Katherine A. Dobinson, Olivia Schollar-Root, Bronwyn Milne and Katherine L. Mills
Adolescence and emerging adulthood are key developmental stages with high risk for trauma exposure and the development of mental and substance-use disorders (SUDs). This study…
Abstract
Purpose
Adolescence and emerging adulthood are key developmental stages with high risk for trauma exposure and the development of mental and substance-use disorders (SUDs). This study aims to compare the clinical profiles of adolescents (aged 12–17 years) and emerging adults (aged 18–25 years) presenting for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and SUD.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected from the baseline assessment of individuals (n = 55) taking part in a randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of an integrated psychological therapy for co-occurring PTSD and SUDs (PTSD+SUD) in young people.
Findings
Both age groups demonstrated complex and severe clinical profiles, including high-frequency trauma exposure, and very poor mental health reflected on measures of PTSD, SUD, suicidality and domains of social, emotional, behavioral and family functioning. There were few differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups.
Research limitations/implications
Similarity between the two groups suggests that the complex problems seen in emerging adults with PTSD + SUD are likely to have had their onset in adolescence or earlier and to have been present for several years by the time individuals present for treatment.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to compare the demographic and clinical profiles of adolescents and emerging adults with PTSD + SUD. These findings yield important implications for practice and policy for this vulnerable group. Evidence-based prevention and early intervention approaches and access to care are critical. Alongside trauma-focused treatment, there is a critical need for integrated, trauma-informed approaches specifically tailored to young people with PTSD + SUD.
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Prior studies suggest that strategic orientations not only impact innovation outcomes individually but also by interacting with each other and with environmental factors. Yet…
Abstract
Purpose
Prior studies suggest that strategic orientations not only impact innovation outcomes individually but also by interacting with each other and with environmental factors. Yet, inconsistent results in the literature remain, likely due to the common use of regression analysis and related limitations in capturing the complex reality of interdependent effects. This paper aims to overcome this challenge.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on configuration theory, this research uses fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to investigate configurations of customer, competitor and technology orientations, interfunctional coordination (IC) and environmental turbulence leading to new product success (NP) among high-tech manufacturing business-to-business firms.
Findings
Findings show seven configurations of strategic orientations as determining NP, including four configurations specific to firms operating in turbulent environments.
Originality/value
This study offers important theoretical, empirical and managerial contributions. In particular, it is the first to reveal configurations of strategic orientations that determine NP. It also advances knowledge by delineating those configurations that are most suited to firms operating in turbulent environments. Finally, findings demonstrate the interchangeable nature of facets traditionally joined as a single market orientation construct – customer and competitor orientation as well as IC.
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Ashton‐Tate's dBASE, in its various versions, is undoubtedly the most widely used database management program in libraries. Scores of articles in the library literature describe…
Abstract
Ashton‐Tate's dBASE, in its various versions, is undoubtedly the most widely used database management program in libraries. Scores of articles in the library literature describe dBASE applications in libraries. They are usually written by enthusiastic dBASE users who have discovered how to bend and twist the program to accomplish a library specific application. The articles vary greatly in accuracy, documentation, and usefulness.
Ha-Won Jang, Joanne Jung-Eun Yoo and Meehee Cho
Blockchain technology has created possibilities for environmental supply chain sustainability and climate protection. However, because of its early development stage, users tend…
Abstract
Purpose
Blockchain technology has created possibilities for environmental supply chain sustainability and climate protection. However, because of its early development stage, users tend to resist the adoption of this new technology. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of resistance on blockchain adoption intentions in the context of the foodservice industry. This study further explores if public pressures and climate change awareness could possibly weaken the negative relationships between blockchain resistance and adoption intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from managers and full-time employees in the foodservice industry, using an online research panel survey. A structural equation model was developed and tested to examine the hypothesized relationships. Additionally, a multi-group analysis was performed to test the moderating roles of public pressures and climate change awareness.
Findings
The findings from this study confirmed that foodservice employees’ characteristics, including traditional barriers, and blockchain technology factors, like perceived risk, are both significant in forming resistance to blockchain. This study also demonstrated the significant roles of internal and external stakeholders in weakening the negative associations between blockchain resistance and adoption intentions.
Research limitations/implications
This study recommends that foodservice companies address how to reduce their employees’ negative perceptions about changes imposed by blockchain adoption. This study also suggests the joint consideration of the pressures from internal and external stakeholders to provide continued insights into developing environmental practices for the foodservice industry.
Originality/value
This study extends the theoretical underpinning of the innovation resistance theory by incorporating the stakeholder theory as a strong foundation for understanding how external pressures and internal awareness may influence foodservice employees’ responses to the implementation of blockchain technology to mitigate climate change.