Morteza Taheri, Sharareh Motealleh and Jalil Younesi
Past research shows that workplace fun has a positive effect on informal learning, however, the role of individual and organizational mediating variables in this relation has not…
Abstract
Purpose
Past research shows that workplace fun has a positive effect on informal learning, however, the role of individual and organizational mediating variables in this relation has not been studied much. This study aims to examine the role of management support, motivation to learn and learning opportunity in the relationship between workplace fun and informal learning.
Design/methodology/approach
In this multivariate correlation study, data were collected through questionnaires. In total, 200 employees of the petrochemical industry participated. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.
Findings
The main finding suggests that motivation to learn contributes to informal learning. Fun in the workplace has a positive and significant indirect effect on informal learning by providing a variety of opportunities to learn; the management support in the final model also mediates the relationship between workplace fun and opportunities to learn.
Practical implications
The results indicate the benefits of creating and maintaining fun in the workplace to improve informal learning. The authors will be better able to advise by providing abundant resources for formal training such as time, learning climate and financial resources, workplace fun can be used as a practical strategy to promote informal learning where the workplace is fun, innovation, creativity and performance improvement occur. Managers should make arrangements to spontaneously motivate employees to learn informally and provide fun and varied opportunities for informal learning.
Originality/value
In this study, the multiple correlations and the effect of motivation variables, learning opportunity and management support in the relationship between workplace fun and informal learning were studied. Examining how these relationships are and identifying the moderator of this relationship because of individual and environmental differences requires further studies.
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Morteza Soltani, Nima Soltani Nejad, Fatemeh Taheri Azad, Babak Taheri and Martin Joseph Gannon
This study aims to develop a framework to identify the drivers underpinning food tourists' behavioral intentions (BIs). This framework centers on examining how local food…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a framework to identify the drivers underpinning food tourists' behavioral intentions (BIs). This framework centers on examining how local food consumption value (TLFCV), local food experiential value (TLFEV) and social media influencers (SMIs) impact upon tourists’ attitudes toward local food (ATLF) and food destination image (FDI). The impact of ATLF and FDI on tourists’ BIs is also examined.
Design/methodology/approach
PLS-SEM was used to test the hypothesized relationships using survey responses from 379 tourists visiting Rasht, Iran.
Findings
The results demonstrate that TLFCV, TLFEV and SMIs can be used to populate a theoretical framework for predicting and understanding the factors influencing tourists’ ATLF and FDI. Specifically, positive ATLF and FDI stimulated positive BIs (e.g., intending to recommend Iranian food to others and intending to revisit Iran in future for culinary tourism purposes).
Practical implications
The findings provide managers and practitioners within the culinary tourism industry with suggestions for how best to strategically market their offerings to increase inbound food tourism.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to empirically evaluate the drivers of food tourists' BIs, presenting a newly developed model for deployment in future research. Originality is also established by simultaneously investigating TLFCV and TLFEV within the context of food tourism.
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Morteza Mohammadi Ostani, Jafar Ebadollah Amoughin and Mohadeseh Jalili Manaf
This study aims to adjust Thesis-type properties on Schema.org using metadata models and standards (MS) (Bibframe, electronic thesis and dissertations [ETD]-MS, Common European…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to adjust Thesis-type properties on Schema.org using metadata models and standards (MS) (Bibframe, electronic thesis and dissertations [ETD]-MS, Common European Research Information Format [CERIF] and Dublin Core [DC]) to enrich the Thesis-type properties for better description and processing on the Web.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is applied, descriptive analysis in nature and is based on content analysis in terms of method. The research population consisted of elements and attributes of the metadata model and standards (Bibframe, ETD-MS, CERIF and DC) and Thesis-type properties in the Schema.org. The data collection tool was a researcher-made checklist, and the data collection method was structured observation.
Findings
The results show that the 65 Thesis-type properties and the two levels of Thing and CreativeWork as its parents on Schema.org that corresponds to the elements and attributes of related models and standards. In addition, 12 properties are special to the Thesis type for better comprehensive description and processing, and 27 properties are added to the CreativeWork type.
Practical implications
Enrichment and expansion of Thesis-type properties on Schema.org is one of the practical applications of the present study, which have enabled more comprehensive description and processing and increased access points and visibility for ETDs in the environment Web and digital libraries.
Originality/value
This study has offered some new Thesis type properties and CreativeWork levels on Schema.org. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time this issue is investigated.
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Morteza Charkhabi, Naghi Radi Afsouran, Laura K. Johnson and Frédéric Dutheil
Job insecurity is one of the most hazardous work stressors in the twenty-first century, placing employees between employment and unemployment may threaten employees’ health in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Job insecurity is one of the most hazardous work stressors in the twenty-first century, placing employees between employment and unemployment may threaten employees’ health in the workplaces. Using a systematic review, the first aim of this study is to list the mediators and moderators of the link between job insecurity and health-related outcomes, and second, to explain and discuss the mechanisms that could explain the mediating and moderating effects.
Design/methodology/approach
We searched four databases (Science Direct, PubMed, Springer Link and Google Scholar) from 2008 to 2018 to detect these mediators and moderators. Also, as the study was conducted during COVID-19 pandemic, we particularly searched and reported the same associations over this period (2019–2022).
Findings
The results of the review suggest that job insecurity negatively influences a wide range of both health- and safety-related outcomes in the workplace. The results also showed that the most studied mediator and moderator of the job insecurity-health link over the past 10 years has been workload and employability. During COVID-19, the number of studies on mediators were more than moderators and coping strategies appeared to gain more research attention. Additionally, this review suggests that, to explain the mediation and moderation effects, a combination of cognitive appraisal theory and the conservation of resources theory can be used.
Originality/value
Although this review suggests that job insecurity detrimentally influences employee health, the severity of this impact on health-related outcomes may vary by the effects of various moderators.
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Morteza Naghipour, Ali Akbar Gholampour and Mehdi Nematzadeh
The purpose of this paper is to present weighted residual method (WRM) for evaluating damping ratio of unreinforced glued‐laminated (glulam) wood beams and also reinforced glulam…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present weighted residual method (WRM) for evaluating damping ratio of unreinforced glued‐laminated (glulam) wood beams and also reinforced glulam beams with E‐glass reinforced epoxy polymer (GRP) plates.
Design/methodology/approach
In this method, created error from the regression curve to the peak points of experimental displacement values is minimized. Several weight functions such as Galerkin weight function, Petrov‐Galerkin weight functions, and least square weight function are used for minimizing this error and results from these methods are compared to the existing methods as; logarithmic decrement analysis (LDA), Hilbert transform analysis (HTA), moving block analysis (MBA), and half power bandwidth (HPB).
Findings
Because WRM tries to minimize the error function provided from differences between theoretical and experimental fitted curves, comparison among these methods indicate that proposed procedure is useful for any range of damping ratios and it gives better values in comparison with the other methods. Due to the initial conditions and weight function used in Galerkin weighted residual method, damping ratio values obtained from this method have different values from the other weighted residual methods. Among the existing methods, HPB method could not predict damping ratio of the glulam beams accurately.
Originality/value
This paper is a high quality research paper that presents weighted residual method (WRM) for evaluating damping ratio of unreinforced glued‐laminated (glulam) wood beams and also reinforced glulam beams with E‐glass reinforced epoxy polymer (GRP) plates. In this paper, LDA, HTA, MBA, and HPB methods are used and an analytical investigation of damping ratios of glulam beams unreinforced and reinforced with GRP plates is proposed by using weighted residual method (WRM). Although there is a simplifier assumption in some of existing methods, proposed method shows the damping ratio can be calculated without any requirement to simplifier assumption.
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Amin Mahmoudi and Saad Ahmed Javed
The study aims to introduce two new models of project scheduling by incorporating potential quality loss cost (PQLC) in time–cost tradeoff problems by overcoming the drawbacks of…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to introduce two new models of project scheduling by incorporating potential quality loss cost (PQLC) in time–cost tradeoff problems by overcoming the drawbacks of the existing Kim, Khang and Hwang (KKH) model. The proposed methods are named the Revised KKH-I (RKKH-I) and Revised KKH-II (RKKH-II) models for project scheduling.
Design/methodology/approach
The performance of the existing KKH model has been tested using a numerical example followed by the identification of the main shortcomings of the KKH method. Later, a concrete effort has been made to address its shortcomings while improving its performance significantly. The comparative analysis of the Revised KKH models with the original model has also been presented along with sensitivity analyses.
Findings
The study recognizes that the construct on which the original KKH method was built is important; however, certain drawbacks make it unable to consider PQLC in projects, thus making its practical use questionable. The comparative analysis of the proposed methodology with the original method demonstrated that the new models (RKHH-I and II) are more comprehensive and intelligent than the existing KKH model.
Originality/value
The comparative analysis of the original KKH model and its improved version reveals that the revised model is far more suitable for project scheduling. The study is important for project managers who recognize project scheduling being one of the key parameters associated with project management process, crucial to control every day during the management of projects.