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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2003

B. Gopalakrishnan, Li Weng and D.P. Gupta

A plant layout in the context of manufacturing facilities design consists of the production areas, manufacturing support areas and personnel areas. In facilities design, plant…

3437

Abstract

A plant layout in the context of manufacturing facilities design consists of the production areas, manufacturing support areas and personnel areas. In facilities design, plant layout has been determined to be one of the most important elements in the effectiveness of systematic manufacturing operability. This paper describes the development of a split departmental plant layout generation system (LAYSPLIT) in the domain of facilities design to develop layouts that will minimize the material handling costs. The plant layout generation system consists of a data acquisition module, a pair‐wise departmental exchange module, a layout development module, and a graphical representation module. The approach used to develop the system using a split departmental method, and the characteristics of the system are outlined. The advantages of the developed system in terms of facilitating effective operations and increasing productivity in manufacturing environments are discussed. The results obtained from LAYSPLIT are compared with that produced by the MCRAFT system and discussed.

Details

Facilities, vol. 21 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

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Article
Publication date: 30 August 2022

Loan Thi Pham, Thu Nguyen, Thanh Trinh, Anh Nguyen, Quang Do, Bien Bui and Jianzhuang Xiao

This study deals with three major topics: (1) the developed generations of 3D concrete printers, (2) the mix design approach for cement-based materials and (3) laboratory testing.

410

Abstract

Purpose

This study deals with three major topics: (1) the developed generations of 3D concrete printers, (2) the mix design approach for cement-based materials and (3) laboratory testing.

Design/methodology/approach

The big question is how to approach and follow the trend of 3D concrete printing technology with limited conditions such as printers, technology issues and budget. Therefore, this research focused on dealing with prominent issues, including printing equipment, mixed proportion design approaches and laboratory testing methods will be presented and analyzed.

Findings

The details of three printing equipment, including a printhead, a small-scale 3D printer, a 3D concrete printer and the printing process related to Simplify and Mach3 software, will be revealed. Secondly, the classification and efficient process will be given according to the mixture proportion design method proposed. Thirdly, laboratory testing will be conducted, including extrudability, buildability and printability. Finally, some highlight conclusions are given based on the appearance and quality of the samples printed.

Research limitations/implications

Research has been carried out with cement-based materials and 3D concrete printer which adopted the screw extruders.

Practical implications

Mix design proportion method via coefficient and slump value proposed by the authors is a relatively effective and convenient method; the rheological properties, printing process and geometry of a sample are the most significant factors that decide the success of the printing work.

Social implications

Additive manufacturing, widely known as 3D printing, has recently drawn the attention of researchers worldwide for a few decades. Thanks to its capability to transform a drawing into an object, the idea of 3D printing has also attracted the attention of engineers, architects and investors.

Originality/value

(1) Mix design proportion via coefficient and slump value proposed by the authors is a relatively effective and convenient method that can be implemented simply at the laboratory or the site. (2) The ranges of coefficients by weight of the water, sand and PP fibers to binder are (0.27–0.3), (0.6–1.0) and around 0.3, respectively. The maximum sand size was smaller than 2.5 mm, and the small amount of PP fibers enhanced the quality and significantly reduced the printed samples' shrinkage. (3) The printability is affected by mix proportion and the relationship between nozzle printing speed parameter and extrusion speed of motor turning. (4) The chosen layer height recommended smaller than 0.83 times nozzle diameter is reasonable and improves adhesions and buildability. (5) The printing open time of the concrete mixture of (12–15) minutes is a barrel to promote 3D concrete printing technology and needs improvement.

Details

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, vol. 12 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6099

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Article
Publication date: 16 March 2022

Hsin-Hung Wu, Yii-Ching Lee, Chih-Hsuan Huang and Li Li

Safety activities have been initiated in healthcare organizations in Taiwan, but little is known about the performance and trends of safety culture on a timely basis. This study…

485

Abstract

Purpose

Safety activities have been initiated in healthcare organizations in Taiwan, but little is known about the performance and trends of safety culture on a timely basis. This study aims to comprehensively review the articles that have conducted two worldwide patient safety culture instruments (HSPSC and SAQ) in Taiwan to provide the extent of existing knowledge about healthcare professionals' perception related to patient safety.

Design/methodology/approach

The Web of Science, Medline (Pubmed) and Embas were used as the database to search papers related to the patient safety culture in Taiwan from 2008 to June 30, 2019.

Findings

Twenty-four relative articles in total were found and further investigations confirmed that the regular assessment of patient safety culture among hospital staff is essentially important for healthcare organizations to reduce the rates of medical errors and malpractice. Moreover, the elements influencing patient safety culture may vary due to the difference in job positions, age, experience in organization and cultural settings.

Research limitations/implications

The summary of findings enables healthcare administrators and practitioners to understand key components of patient safety culture for continuous improvement in medical quality.

Originality/value

Assessing the safety culture in healthcare organizations is a foundation to achieve excellent medical quality and service. The implications of this study could be useful for hospitals to establish a safer environment for patients.

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Article
Publication date: 6 June 2016

Yangqin Weng, Mingzhi Li and Check-Teck Foo

This paper aims to analyze the rates of returns on education in China and in the process raises issues relevant to the management of China’s system of education. In the ongoing…

609

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the rates of returns on education in China and in the process raises issues relevant to the management of China’s system of education. In the ongoing great transformation period of China, the rising rates of returns on education may have been indicators reflecting China’s social progressiveness. However, very little research efforts have been devoted to the study of the impacts of such factors as geographical regions and genders, etc. The authors hope to fill these gaps in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) database is used for this study (University of North Carolina). The longitudinal nature of the data sets covering 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2011 provides a good basis for comparative analyses. The theory is grounded upon the Mincer equations through which econometric estimates are then made.

Findings

Disparities in returns on education are found between genders and across geographical regions. The regression results show that the women’s returns on education are consistently higher than those of men. However, the scales of such gender differences differ between the rural and urban areas: smaller for rural area and larger, more significantly so for urban. Additionally, we have found that the rates of returns on education in China have risen significantly over these years, and these increases have been largely due to the effects of institutional reforms. The urban-rural gap in their degrees of market orientation has contributed to the differences in their rates of returns on education. The analyses also suggest that foreign direct investment inflows, international trade and the increasing competitiveness from private enterprises render human capital more valuable to urban businesses. In case of the rural areas, a lack of incentive system tends to have contributed to the lower rates of returns on education.

Originality/value

The authors have presented evidence on the trends in the rates of returns on education during China’s critical transition period. Analyses of the possible reasons behind the differential rates of returns are provided. These findings are helpful for the government to shape their policies towards education. For instance, the government should give more emphasis to vocational schooling due to their significantly higher rates of returns.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

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Article
Publication date: 3 November 2014

X.R. Zhang, L.Z. Liu, J.F. Li, W.W. Cui and L. Weng

The key purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different ultrasonic irradiation times on the wettability and other properties of the resulting water-based…

206

Abstract

Purpose

The key purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different ultrasonic irradiation times on the wettability and other properties of the resulting water-based coating. The subject water-based coating was prepared using water-soluble polyester and amino resins by ultrasonic oscillation.

Design/methodology/approach

The coating was prepared by polymerising polyester and amino resins in water using ultrasonic oscillation. The coating was baked for 40 seconds at 350°C to coalesce and solidify the film. The contact angle, thermal stability and mechanical properties of the film, as well as the molecular weight (MW) and structure of the polyester resin, were determined.

Findings

The contact angle of the coating was found to decrease with ultrasonic irradiation; the mechanical properties and thermal stability were not altered when the irradiation time was longer than 5 hours. The MW of the polyester initially decreased then increased and stabilized with ultrasonic irradiation. The structure of polyester molecule and aggregated state of the solidified coating were not changed by ultrasonic irradiation.

Research limitations/implications

In the study reported here, the effects of different ultrasonic irradiation times were investigated. Results of this research could benefit in-depth understanding of the influence of ultrasonic treatment on polyester resins and polyester coatings and could further promote the development of water-based coatings.

Originality/value

The contact angle of the water-based coating decreased by mechanical means. The effects of ultrasound on microstructure and properties of the coating and resin were discussed in detail.

Details

Pigment & Resin Technology, vol. 43 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0369-9420

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Book part
Publication date: 2 December 2016

Wei Huang, Jingjing Weng and Ying-Che Hsieh

The missing employee voice has become a salient topic in China. This paper aims to document the newest developments relating to the topic by reviewing the recent literature on…

Abstract

The missing employee voice has become a salient topic in China. This paper aims to document the newest developments relating to the topic by reviewing the recent literature on employment relations and employee voice. The findings of this paper suggest that the purposes of and channels for the employee voice in China have been undergoing significant changes. Different stakeholder groups have approached the issue. ‘Democratic management’ in China, the country’s home-grown concept of employee voice, has been resurrected to encourage more effective employee representation. Apart from this top-down influence from the government and All-China Federation of Trade Unions, this paper also identifies the bottom-up approach driven by the workers, and the external influence from the global corporate social responsibility campaign and nongovernmental labour organizations. Based on the review of the newest developments in workplace democracy and the employee voice in China, this paper proposes a stakeholder framework incorporating these developments. The authors also suggest some directions for future research.

Details

Employee Voice in Emerging Economies
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-240-8

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Article
Publication date: 25 March 2024

Boyang Hu, Ling Weng, Kaile Liu, Yang Liu, Zhuolin Li and Yuxin Chen

Gesture recognition plays an important role in many fields such as human–computer interaction, medical rehabilitation, virtual and augmented reality. Gesture recognition using…

78

Abstract

Purpose

Gesture recognition plays an important role in many fields such as human–computer interaction, medical rehabilitation, virtual and augmented reality. Gesture recognition using wearable devices is a common and effective recognition method. This study aims to combine the inverse magnetostrictive effect and tunneling magnetoresistance effect and proposes a novel wearable sensing glove applied in the field of gesture recognition.

Design/methodology/approach

A magnetostrictive sensing glove with function of gesture recognition is proposed based on Fe-Ni alloy, tunneling magnetoresistive elements, Agilus30 base and square permanent magnets. The sensing glove consists of five sensing units to measure the bending angle of each finger joint. The optimal structure of the sensing units is determined through experimentation and simulation. The output voltage model of the sensing units is established, and the output characteristics of the sensing units are tested by the experimental platform. Fifteen gestures are selected for recognition, and the corresponding output voltages are collected to construct the data set and the data is processed using Back Propagation Neural Network.

Findings

The sensing units can detect the change in the bending angle of finger joints from 0 to 105 degrees and a maximum error of 4.69% between the experimental and theoretical values. The average recognition accuracy of Back Propagation Neural Network is 97.53% for 15 gestures.

Research limitations/implications

The sensing glove can only recognize static gestures at present, and further research is still needed to recognize dynamic gestures.

Practical implications

A new approach to gesture recognition using wearable devices.

Social implications

This study has a broad application prospect in the field of human–computer interaction.

Originality/value

The sensing glove can collect voltage signals under different gestures to realize the recognition of different gestures with good repeatability, which has a broad application prospect in the field of human–computer interaction.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 44 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 1999

Haidong Li and Weng Kong Chan

High order schemes, which are widely used in DNS and LES, received increasing attention in recent years with a number of variants being developed. However most of these schemes…

153

Abstract

High order schemes, which are widely used in DNS and LES, received increasing attention in recent years with a number of variants being developed. However most of these schemes have difficulties in achieving high order accuracy near the boundary points. In order to solve this problem, the analytical discrete method (ADM) is proposed and presented in this paper. In addition, this method is convenient to construct the higher order WENO (weighted essentially non‐oscillatory) scheme. Application of the ADM‐WENO scheme to shock‐tube problems and compressible mixing flows has shown it is robust and accurate in both shock‐capturing and complex flow structures detection.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 27 May 2014

Siguang Li and Xi Weng

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimal allocation of authority within “chain” organizations and to show when partial centralization becomes dominant in the sense…

572

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimal allocation of authority within “chain” organizations and to show when partial centralization becomes dominant in the sense of organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper takes an incomplete contract approach and uses an information transmission framework to investigate the optimal governance structure, in which non-contractible decisions must be adapted to local operating conditions, and also coordinated with the upstream and downstream divisions. We also use simulation analysis to numerically show the theoretical mapping between the underlying parameters (i.e. coordination need) and the dominant organizational structures.

Findings

Partial decentralization will arise as the optimal governance structure only when the information in the middle branch is relatively concentrated or dispersive, so as to exploit the underlying information structure in the “chain” organizations. Specifically, when information is highly concentrated, direct control of the middle branch can improve coordination within firms. When the information is highly dispersive, to delegate authority to the middle branch only can improve communication.

Originality/value

This paper characterizes the optimal governance structure in “chain” organizations. The findings may give some enlightenment on real authority driven by ex ante asymmetric information structures and have implications on asymmetric delegation within firms.

Details

Nankai Business Review International, vol. 5 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8749

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 2 February 2023

Ahmed Hamdy, Jian Zhang and Riyad Eid

This study's goal is to look at how visitors' experiences affect the indirect links between the destination's extrinsic motivations (DEMs) and tourists' intrinsic motives (TIMs)…

708

Abstract

Purpose

This study's goal is to look at how visitors' experiences affect the indirect links between the destination's extrinsic motivations (DEMs) and tourists' intrinsic motives (TIMs), on the one hand, and the perceived destination image (PDI), on the other.

Design/methodology/approach

Using structural equation modeling, 613 tourists from different nationalities were used to test the five hypotheses.

Findings

The research results revealed that second-order destinations' extrinsic motivations directly impact TIM and PDI. It also showed that tourists' experiences as moderators reduce the direct effect of DEM on PDI for first-time visitors compared to repeat visitors. Moreover, it increases the direct effect of TIM on PDI for repeated visitors.

Practical implications

Destination managers can fix the problems that hurt their reputations and images by hiring police officers in tourist areas and cleaning tourist places. In the same way, destination managers and travel agencies should use AI tools to create social media marketing campaigns focusing on natural and historical monuments. Also, the marketing plans should stress the value for money (for example, lodging, food and attractions’ cost). Finally, destination marketers can make programs for repeat visitors, focusing on DEM and TIM.

Originality/value

This article tries to fill a gap in the research on PDI formation in emerging markets as a modern technique in destination marketing by using the push-intrinsic and pull-extrinsic theories. It also looks at how the tourists' experiences moderate the direct link between DEM, TIM and PDI. Lastly, this study examines how TIM affects a destination's image in emerging markets.

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