Olivia Rossi and Arvind Chandrasekaran
The purpose of this paper is to answer this question by discussing the practicality of implementing microreactor technology towards large-scale renewable energy generation, as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to answer this question by discussing the practicality of implementing microreactor technology towards large-scale renewable energy generation, as well as provide an incentive for future researchers to utilize microreactors as a useful alternative tool for green energy production. However, can microreactors present a viable solution for the generation of renewable energy to tackle the on-going global energy crisis?
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the practicality of implementing microreactor technology toward large-scale renewable energy generation is discussed. Specific areas of interest that elucidate considerable returns of microreactors toward renewable energy production are biofuel synthesis, hydrogen conversion and solar energy harvesting.
Findings
It is believed that sustained research on microreactors can significantly accelerate the development of new energy production methods through renewable sources, which will undoubtedly aid in the quest for a greener future.
Originality/value
This work aims to provide a sound judgement on the importance of research on renewable energy production and alternative energy management methods through microreactor technology, and why future studies on this topic should be highly encouraged. The relevance of this opinion paper lies in the idea that microreactors are an innovative concept currently used in engineering to significantly accelerate chemical reactions on microscale volumes; with the feasibility of high throughput to convert energy at larger scales with much greater efficiency than existing energy production methods.
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Elaina Behounek and Michelle Hughes Miller
The purpose of this study is to understand mediation in divorce cases where intimate partner violence (IPV) is a concern. These cases may involve managing power imbalances…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand mediation in divorce cases where intimate partner violence (IPV) is a concern. These cases may involve managing power imbalances, coercive control or risk for continued violence.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors use feminist and sociological theoretical approaches and grounded theory to analyze triangulated ethnographic data to explore how mediators construct and manage the issue of IPV in mediation.
Findings
The results indicate that mediators often share a common discourse about IPV that asserts that mediators are professionals with the skills to both identify IPV and to appropriately conduct mediations where IPV is present. However, to achieve successful mediations mediators sometimes choose to discount the seriousness of IPV in assessments. They also use a set of fluid strategies to handle potential power imbalances that allow them to represent themselves as unbiased, even while those strategies risk the equity of the mediation.
Practical implications
The authors share several strategies that could enhance the social justice of the process for all parties, including uniformity in assessing whether IPV is a concern and oversight of mediators’ practices and training.
Social implications
The results indicate mediators often share a common discourse about IPV that asserts mediators are professionals with the skills to identify IPV and to appropriately conduct mediations where IPV is present. To reach settlement mediators use a set of fluid mediation and accommodation strategies to handle potential power imbalances due to IPV that allow them to represent themselves as impartial, even while those strategies may risk equity in the mediation.
Originality/value
The unique data provide a behind-the-scenes look at mediation generated from participant observation of mediation training and actual mediations, along with interviews with 30 practicing mediators.
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Sepani Senaratne, Olivia Mirza, Gregory Lambrousis and Alessandro Fernandez-Soncini
The use of recycled aggregates (RA) has been explored to lead to a more sustainable future. The paper investigates on a sustainable concrete mix incorporating steel fibres (SF…
Abstract
Purpose
The use of recycled aggregates (RA) has been explored to lead to a more sustainable future. The paper investigates on a sustainable concrete mix incorporating steel fibres (SF) and RA to provide an alternative to traditional natural aggregate concrete for structural applications. This paper aims to explore the feasibility of combining RA and SF in structural applications in terms of strength, cost and industry perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed research approach is established with two phases. Phase 1 aims to identify an optimum material combination that satisfies the structural strength requirements and to identify the costs in its optimum combination. Phase 2 involves qualitative interviews with key industry parties to explore their perspective and identify various enablers and barriers for this material.
Findings
The optimum combination of 30 per cent RA replacement and 0.3 SF volume content has been identified through laboratory testing. It was noted that there would be a direct additional cost because of SF addition. However, when other benefits such as reduction in transportation costs and landfill dumping fees were considered, an overall cost saving could be achieved. Consequently, the key industry practitioners’ perspectives for this material have been gathered through qualitative interviews. Several enablers and barriers were identified through these interviews.
Originality/value
Even though, there are various research attempts on improving RA for structural purpose by adding different additives, a holistic study that incorporate cost effects and the industry perspectives was lacking and is addressed in this current study. In particular, industry perspectives lead to refocus research directions and get closer to the realisation of a sustainable construction industry.
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Akansha Mer and Amarpreet Singh Virdi
Purpose: The surge in utilising big data, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly strengthened financial systems, enhancing their robustness…
Abstract
Purpose: The surge in utilising big data, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly strengthened financial systems, enhancing their robustness, safety, and fairness. AI in finance is profoundly reshaping our lives. This study investigates AI’s role in personal and corporate finance.
Methodology: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to examine studies on the application of AI in personal and corporate finance.
Findings: The financial services sector is undergoing an AI-led transformation, leveraging technologies such as deep learning, collaborative filtering, support vector machines, automation, robotic assistance, and AI-based predictive modelling. In personal finance, AI delivers personalised insights, automates procedures, detects fraud, and enhances financial literacy. It empowers individuals to manage their finances more effectively by tracking expenditures, aiding in budget management, and setting and monitoring financial goals. In corporate finance, AI aids in detecting and analysing credit risks, improving loan underwriting, and minimising financial risk. It also helps reduce financial crimes and enhances the financial performance of accounting firms. AI’s role in bookkeeping, accounting, and financial management significantly benefits entrepreneurs, business executives, investors, and bankers involved in starting and growing organisations.
Practical Implications: In personal finance, AI enhances financial planning, automates transactions, improves credit scoring, and strengthens fraud detection. In corporate finance, AI facilitates advanced risk management, precise financial forecasting, cost reduction through automation, and optimised investment strategies.
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Jiju Antony, Olivia McDermott, Daryl Powell and Michael Sony
This purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the current state of research on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Industry 4.0 and the key aspects of the relationships between…
Abstract
Purpose
This purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the current state of research on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Industry 4.0 and the key aspects of the relationships between them. The research analyses LSS's evolution and discusses the future role of LSS 4.0 in an increasingly digitalized world. We present the benefits and motivations of integrating LSS and Industry 4.0 as well as the critical success factors and challenges within this emerging area of research.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review methodology was established to identify, select and evaluate published research.
Findings
There is a synergistic nature between LSS and Industry 4.0. Companies having a strong LSS culture can ease the transition to Industry 4.0 while Industry 4.0 technologies can provide superior performance for companies who are using LSS methodology.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this research was that as this area is a nascent area, the researchers were limited in their literature review and research. A more comprehensive longitudinal study would yield more data. There is an opportunity for further study and analysis.
Practical implications
This study reviews the evolution of LSS and its integration with Industry 4.0. Organisations can use this study to understand the benefits and motivating factors for integrating LSS and Industry 4.0, the Critical Success Factors and challenges to such integration.
Originality/value
This is the first systematic literature review on LSS 4.0 and can provide insight for practitioners, organisations and future research directions.
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The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate heroism as an embodied system of leadership and well-being. Heroic leadership is presented as a baseline for sustainable futures and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate heroism as an embodied system of leadership and well-being. Heroic leadership is presented as a baseline for sustainable futures and global health.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents an embodied reading of heroic leadership and its sustainable development across five stages. It outlines its core functions, its grounding in self-leadership through physical and mental trauma and its holistic benefits, resulting in the development of the Heroic Leadership Embodiment and Sustainable Development (HLESD) model. The efficacy of HLESD is demonstrated in an empirical case study of heroism promotion and education: the Hero Construction Company and the Heroic Imagination Project.
Findings
Heroic leadership is revealed as an emergent, dynamic and distributed form of sustainable development.
Research limitations/implications
This paper demonstrates the critical connections between heroism, sustainability, embodied leadership and well-being and how they stand to benefit from each other, individuals and communities at large.
Social implications
The implementation of HLESD in educational, counselling and broader contexts in consultation with a wide range of professionals stands to offer significant benefits to pedagogies, clinical practice, holistic therapies and twenty-first-century societies, at both the community and policy level.
Originality/value
The emerging field of heroism science and the use of heroic leadership as an interdisciplinary tool is a novel approach to well-being, which holds immense potential for the imagining and fostering of sustainable personal and collective futures.
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Olivia McDermott, Jiju Antony, Michael Sony and Vikas Swarnakar
This study aims to carry out a systematic literature review (SLR) on the integration of Lean, Industry 4.0 and the supply chain or the Lean Supply Chain (LSC) 4.0. The research…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to carry out a systematic literature review (SLR) on the integration of Lean, Industry 4.0 and the supply chain or the Lean Supply Chain (LSC) 4.0. The research analyses the current research on the LSC 4.0 concept in an increasingly digitalised world. The authors present the benefits, motivations, critical success factors and challenges of integrating the LSC with Industry 4.0 technologies within this emerging area of research.
Design/methodology/approach
An SLR is carried out on how Lean can be integrated with Supply Chain 4.0. Using the search strings of “Lean Supply Chain 4.0,” “Lean Supply Chain Management 4.0” and “Lean Supply Chain Digitalisation,” a review of published literature was carried out via searches on academic databases.
Findings
Industry 4.0 has a synergistic effect on the LSC and, depending on the technology and sector applied in, can complement and enhance the LSC. Similarly, the LSC is a precursor for digitalisation. There are considerable implications in the LSC 4.0 for green and sustainable processes.
Practical implications
Organisations can use this study to understand what the LSC 4.0 means to industry, the benefits and motivating factors for implementation, the critical success factors (CSFs) to implementation and the challenges for implementation.
Originality/value
This study adds to state of the art around the LSC 4.0 and future directions in this nascent research area. This study will aid organisations in understanding how Lean, supply chain management and Industry 4.0 can be integrated.
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Sumit Agarwal and Tan Chek Ann
Fintech has revolutionized personal finance, introducing innovative tools that offer unprecedented access, efficiency, and security in managing finances. This chapter explains…
Abstract
Fintech has revolutionized personal finance, introducing innovative tools that offer unprecedented access, efficiency, and security in managing finances. This chapter explains fintech's personal finance applications, from intuitive budgeting apps and advanced robo-advisors to peer-to-peer payment platforms. It articulates how these tools have shifted the control and management of finances into the hands of consumers, providing real-time financial data, customized investment strategies, improved credit scores, and streamlined transactions that eliminate the need for traditional intermediaries. Furthermore, this chapter features a select list of FinTech50 firms and highlights how individuals can leverage their services. This comprehensive guide is invaluable for individuals seeking to leverage fintech for personal finance optimization and for professionals keen on understanding and navigating the rapidly evolving fintech landscape.
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Olivia Johnson and Veena Chattaraman
Using identity theory, this paper aims to explore differences in socially responsible signaling behavior based on the salience of a personal or social identity.
Abstract
Purpose
Using identity theory, this paper aims to explore differences in socially responsible signaling behavior based on the salience of a personal or social identity.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling was used to study the relationship among identity commitment, salience, and signaling behavior.
Findings
Findings revealed personal identity salience mediated the relationship between socially responsible commitment and socially responsible social-signaling consumption behavior.
Practical implications
The results of the study suggest that Millennials engage in socially responsible activities as a result of a salient personal identity. Millennials use socially responsible behavior to signal their benevolence to themselves and others.
Originality/value
This is the first research that has examined the relationship between Millennials’ socially responsible consumption behavior and a salient personal or social identity.
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Jacob Mickelsson, Ulla Särkikangas, Tore Strandvik and Kristina Heinonen
People with complex health conditions must often navigate landscapes of uncoordinated public, private and voluntary health-care providers to obtain the care they need. Complex…
Abstract
Purpose
People with complex health conditions must often navigate landscapes of uncoordinated public, private and voluntary health-care providers to obtain the care they need. Complex health conditions frequently transcend the scope of typical health-care service systems. The purpose of this paper is to explore and characterize such unique assemblages of actors and services as “user-defined ecosystems”.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on literature on customer ecosystems, this paper introduces the concept of the user-defined ecosystem (UDE). Using an abductive approach, the authors apply the concept in an interpretive, qualitative study of ten families with special needs children.
Findings
This study uncovers complex UDEs, where families actively combine a broad range of services. These ecosystems are unique for each family and extend beyond the scope of designed service ecosystems. Thus, the families are forced to assume an active, coordinating role.
Research limitations/implications
This paper shows how to identify ecosystems from the user’s point of view, based on the selected user unit (such as a family) and the focal value-creating function of the ecosystem for the user.
Social implications
This paper highlights how service providers can support and adapt to UDEs and, thus, contribute to user value and well-being. This can be used to understand users’ perspectives on service and systems in health and social care.
Originality/value
This study develops the concept of the UDE, which represents a customer-focused perspective on actor ecosystems and contrasts it with a provider-focused and a distributed perspective on ecosystems. This study demonstrates the practical usefulness of the conceptualization and provides a foundation for further research on the user’s perspective on ecosystems.