Wike Agustin Prima Dania, Ke Xing and Yousef Amer
This paper aims to evaluate the collaboration quality performance of sugar company Z and its stakeholders (farmers and distributors) by considering the sustainability aspects…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the collaboration quality performance of sugar company Z and its stakeholders (farmers and distributors) by considering the sustainability aspects. This assessment shall be able to integrate qualitative and quantitative factors in the model, which is critical in sugar supply chains involving multi-stakeholders.
Design/methodology/approach
Integration of quality function deployment (QFD), the fuzzy analytical network process (FANP) and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) is administered to assess the efficiency score of each stakeholder involved. The evaluation encompasses collaboration behaviour factors since the input of collaboration activities will result in sustainability aspects such as revenue, green house gas (GHG) emissions and social impact. The analysis has been conducted in two scenarios, those are the basic scenario by utilising original data and the extended scenario by using projection data.
Findings
The result clarifies that the most influential behaviour factor in the collaboration activities is commitment (0.116), while the least important behaviour factors are power (0.008) and adaptation (0.008). Furthermore, by using the extended scenario, the overall efficiency for each benchmarking is higher compared to the condition before the improvement (basic scenario).
Research limitations/implications
The result of this study is only relevant to the particular sugar supply chain and involving limited sustainability variables. Therefore, in a further study, more variables such as technical and financial aspects could be explored further in the assessment process.
Practical implications
The result of this study is available for each stakeholder and can be fundamental for the constant improvement in sustainable supply chain (SSC) practices. It shows that an improvement of one stakeholder will positively impact the entire system.
Social implications
Smallholders and sugarcane farmers will recognise the significance of collaboration behaviour. Thus, they can enhance their mutual benefits by using the existing resources.
Originality/value
This paper arranges for a practical contribution by implementing advanced assessment methods in the sugar supply chain by taking into account the economic, environmental and social aspects. This comprehensive assessment process in the sugar supply chain is the novelty of this paper.
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Wike Agustin Prima Dania, Ke Xing and Yousef Amer
The purpose of this paper is to propose an instrument to evaluate the collaboration quality of sustainable supply chains by considering collaboration behaviour and sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose an instrument to evaluate the collaboration quality of sustainable supply chains by considering collaboration behaviour and sustainability factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed model integrates Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Fuzzy Analytical Network Process (FANP) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to assess the efficiency score of each stakeholder involved. A case of a sugar company in Indonesia was analysed as the illustration of the application of the model.
Findings
The integrated QFD-FANP-DEA method enables to incorporate collaboration behaviour and sustainability factors in a single assessment model. The results of the case study showed the benchmarking results associated with the performance variance of stakeholders and the number of samples.
Research limitations/implications
Future research could consider other DEA approaches, extend the research by simulating a different number of scenarios and evaluating the improvement/deterioration, and expand the scope of collaboration.
Practical implications
Each stakeholder will be able to obtain the collaboration assessment results, and the improvements suggested by the model.
Social implications
Smallholders and farmers will be able to increase their benefits by using the existing resources.
Originality/value
This paper provides a methodological contribution by introducing new collaboration quality assessment methods that can accommodate any variance in multi-stakeholders, involve qualitative and quantitative measurements, and benefit all stakeholders.
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Shuang Ren and Ying Zhu
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the contemporary paradigm of business leadership vis-à-vis China’s reform and transitional context.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the contemporary paradigm of business leadership vis-à-vis China’s reform and transitional context.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs an evidence-based approach to explore the business leadership issues influenced by economic reform and within the context of societal transition in China. A qualitative research method was adopted based on in-depth interviews with a number of middle managers from a variety of Chinese enterprises, including state-owned, domestic-private and foreign-invested enterprises. Content analysis of several rounds of interviews added depth to the data analysis.
Findings
The findings complement existing thoughts and illustrate concepts, issues, and characteristics not yet emphasized in mainstream literature. General patterns and associated characteristics of business leadership in China, as well as specific patterns associated with different forms of enterprise ownerships, are identified.
Research limitations/implications
The study makes a timely and necessary contribution that enriches context-specific understandings of business leadership against the backdrop of surrounding economic, social, and cultural changes.
Practical implications
The study enriches understandings of commonalities and differences in leadership across the globe, facilitating working collaboratively to achieve common goals in a global community.
Originality/value
The study offers new insights into business leadership by linking contextual, personal, and cognitional factors together and demonstrates some unique characteristics of leadership styles in transitional economies like China.
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Monica D. Hernandez and Michael S. Minor
The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it aims to review East‐West writing system (cross‐script) differences and summarize previous work examining the cross‐script effect…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it aims to review East‐West writing system (cross‐script) differences and summarize previous work examining the cross‐script effect on consumer responses. Second, it aims to describe the implications for international marketing and cross‐cultural studies. Third, it seeks to propose specific questions for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the paper presents a critical literature review of studies investigating cross‐script differences influencing consumer attitudes, memory, and information processing. Based on the provided integrative analysis, future directions are indicated for areas relying heavily on written communication, such as international marketing communications, internet marketing, international branding, and cross‐cultural consumer research.
Findings
Despite the pervasive nature and importance of written language, scant research has addressed differences between East/West consumer responses attributable to native script processing.
Originality/value
The paper is among the first to point out the insufficiency of scholarly studies on written language effects on consumer responses. The findings raise international marketers' awareness of differences in East‐West written language processing in order to effectively target consumers.
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This paper critically analyses the urban memory and heritage interpretation of postcolonial Harbin, a city in China that was founded by the Russians in 1898. It investigates the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper critically analyses the urban memory and heritage interpretation of postcolonial Harbin, a city in China that was founded by the Russians in 1898. It investigates the role and making of Russian colonial heritage in contemporary Harbin with a detailed case study of the Harbin Railway Station
Design/methodology/approach
Research methods include archival analysis, observation and semi-structured interview. In-depth interviews were conducted with local people, architect/urban planners and officials.
Findings
Local people of different generations with different backgrounds have different interpretations of the recently made colonial heritage of the Harbin Railway Station. The urban memory of Harbin has been consistently re-forming with both nostalgia and amnesia. Younger generations tend to regard the colonial heritage as their own heritage and a symbol of Harbin's cultural character without considering much about its related colonial history. In today's Harbin, colonial heritage as the “colonial past presencing” is more about a feel of the Europeanised space rather than the actual historical events of the period, and colonial heritage making becomes a tool for urban development and revitalisation at the institutional level. However, due to the paradigm shift in China's urban development, Harbin is facing new challenges in dealing with its colonial heritage.
Originality/value
Harbin is an under-researched case in terms of urban heritage studies. This paper offers a new entry point for understanding the westernisation and colonial heritage making in the contemporary China more deeply and thoroughly and helps to see the trend of China's urban development more clearly.
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While most efforts to combat climate change are focussed on energy efficiency and substitution of fossil fuels, growth in the built environment remains largely unquestioned. Given…
Abstract
While most efforts to combat climate change are focussed on energy efficiency and substitution of fossil fuels, growth in the built environment remains largely unquestioned. Given the current climate emergency and increasing scarcity of global resources, it is imperative that we address this “blind spot” by finding ways to support required services with less resource consumption.
There is now long overdue recognition to greenhouse gas emissions “embodied” in the production of building materials and construction, and its importance in reaching targets of net zero carbon by 2050. However, there is a widespread belief that we can continue to “build big”, provided we incorporate energy saving measures and select “low carbon materials” – ignoring the fact that excessive volume and area of buildings may outweigh any carbon savings. This is especially the case with commercial real estate.
As the inception and planning phases of projects offer most potential for reduction in both operational and embodied carbon, we must turn our attention to previously overlooked options such as “build nothing” or “build less”. This involves challenging the root cause of the need, exploring alternative approaches to meet desired outcomes, and maximising the use of existing assets. If new build is required, this should be designed for adaptability, with increased stewardship, so the building stock of the future will be a more valuable and useable resource.
This points to the need for increased understanding and application of the principles of strategic asset management, hitherto largely ignored in sustainability circles, which emphasize a close alignment of assets with the services they support.
Arguably, as the built environment consumes more material resources and energy than any other sector, its future configuration may be critical to the future of people and the planet. In this regard, this paper seeks to break new ground for deeper exploration.
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Z.B. Xing, Xingchao Han, Hanbing Ke, Q.G. Zhang, Zhiping Zhang, Huijin Xu and Fuqiang Wang
A combination of highly conductive porous media and nanofluids is an efficient way for improving thermal performance of relevant applications. For precisely predicting the flow…
Abstract
Purpose
A combination of highly conductive porous media and nanofluids is an efficient way for improving thermal performance of relevant applications. For precisely predicting the flow and thermal transport of nanofluids in porous media, the purpose of this paper is to explore the inter-phase coupling numerical methods.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the lattice Boltzmann (LB) method, this study combines the convective flow, non-equilibrium thermal transport and phase interactions of nanofluids in porous matrix and proposes a new multi-phase LB model. The micro-scale momentum and heat interactions are especially analyzed for nanoparticles, base fluid and solid matrix. A set of three-phase LB equations for the flow/thermal coupling of base fluid, nanoparticles and solid matrix is established.
Findings
Distributions of nanoparticles, velocities for nanoparticles and the base fluid, temperatures for three phases and interaction forces are analyzed in detail. Influences of parameters on the nanofluid convection in the porous matrix are examined. Thermal resistance of nanofluid convective transport in porous structures are comprehensively discussed with the models of multi-phases. Results show that the Rayleigh number and the Darcy number have significant influences on the convective characteristics. The result with the three-phase model is mildly larger than that with the local thermal non-equilibrium model.
Originality/value
This paper first creates the multi-phase theoretical model for the complex coupling process of nanofluids in porous structures, which is useful for researchers and technicians in fields of thermal science and computational fluid dynamics.
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Xing Han, Haitao Zhang, Bo Shao, Dongtao Wang, Longgang Cheng, Yadong Guo, Ke Qin and Jianzhong Cui
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of sprue distributions on the flow field and temperature field of the cladding casting process and verify the simulation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of sprue distributions on the flow field and temperature field of the cladding casting process and verify the simulation results by experiments.
Design/methodology/approach
A steady-state mathematic model for the coupling of fluid flow, heat transfer and solidification to describe the process of cladding casting was present. The effect of sprue distributions on melt flow and temperature field was discussed. Based on the numerical simulation results, the cladding billet was prepared successfully. Moreover, the model has been verified against by temperature measurements during the cladding casting process.
Findings
There is a good agreement between the measured and calculated results. The homogeneity of melt flow determines the formability of cladding billets and circular temperature difference affects the bonding of the two alloys. The AA4045/AA3003 cladding billet with no defects in size of f140/f110 mm was fabricated successfully. The alloy elements diffused across the interface and formed diffusion layer with a thickness of 15 µm. The interface bonding strength is higher than the tensile strength of AA3003, indicating the metallurgical bonding between two alloys.
Research limitations/implications
The casting parameters are limited to the aluminum alloy cladding billet in size of f140/f110 mm in this paper.
Originality/value
There are few reports of cladding billet, which are used to prepare condense pipes of automotive engines. The effect of distribution schemes on the cladding casting process is rarely studied.
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Akihiko Takahashi, Catherine Lewis and Rebecca Perry
The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and initial implementation of a lesson study network in the US intended to support implementation of the Common Core State…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and initial implementation of a lesson study network in the US intended to support implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
Design/methodology/approach
Participant observation and artifact collection document the development of the teaching through problem solving (TTP) network over a 14-month period.
Findings
The TTP network draws heavily on Japanese practices (e.g. lesson study) and Japanese materials (e.g. coherent, focussed mathematics curriculum) to support changes envisioned in the US CCSS related to students’ mathematical practices and dispositions. The reasons for choice of these key Japanese features are explicated, and teachers’ initial reactions described.
Research limitations/implications
The design shows promise for combining teacher “ownership” with implementation of high-quality approaches designed by others; and allowing instructional innovations developed in Japan to flow into US practice. TTP in mathematics has persistently resisted implementation in the US, so the network is designed to target a central problem in implementing the CCSS.
Originality/value
A method for instructional innovations to spread from classrooms in one country to another is suggested.