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The aim of this paper is to compare the performance of area‐based vs individual‐level measures of socioeconomic status (SES).

Using data from the longitudinal surveys of Australian youth (LSAY), a multidimensional measure of individual SES is created. This individual measure is used to benchmark the relative usefulness of socio‐economic indexes for areas (SEIFA), a geographic set of measures often used in Australia to assess the SES of individuals. Both measures are compared in terms of classification bias. The effects of using the different SES measures on participation in post‐compulsory education are examined.

SEIFA measures perform satisfactorily with regard to the aggregate measurement of SES. However, they perform poorly when their use is aimed at channelling resources toward disadvantaged individuals. It is at the individual level that the analysis reveals the shortcomings of area‐based SES measures.

While region based measures are relatively easy to collect and utilise, we suggest that they hide significant SES heterogeneity within regional districts. Hence, the misclassification resulting from the use of regional measures to direct support for low SES groups creates a risk for resource misallocations.

The finding that region‐based measures are subject to significant misclassification has important research and policy implications. Given the increasing availability of individual‐level administrative data, the paper suggests that such data be used as a substitute for geographic SES measures in categorising the SES of individuals.

With limited intracultural ethical research in evidence this paper contributes to the theoretical discussion of expatriate ethical acculturation. Of particular interest to this study are the ethical attitudes of subcultural groups, particularly managers, who because of overseas assignment or immigration, are operating outside their usual national location. Research was undertaken to investigate whether ethical divergence or convergence, through acculturation, exists with ex patriate managers, and over what time period. Two locations, Hong Kong and Canada, were chosen for comparative study and the results indicated an interesting dichotomy. Ethical convergence, the adopting of host country ethical values, is evident with Hong Kong Chinese expatriate managers in Canada but did not occur with North American expatriates in Hong Kong. For the expatriate Chinese manager the research findings indicate that Hong Kong Chinese managers now residing in Canada develop a unique set of ethical attitudes that are significantly different from those of local managers in Hong Kong yet also significantly different from the attitudes held by local Canadian managers. A subtle form of ethical convergence is occurring. No significant relationship was found between ethical acculturation and the length of time being an expatriate Hong Kong Chinese manager in Canada except on two issues. For these issues the longer the time spent in Canada the greater the rise in ethical attitudes. A heterogeneous group of expatriate managers in Hong Kong was also evaluated and while predicate similarities existed between expatriates from China and Macau, statistically significant differences in ethical perceptions were found between the general population of expatriate managers (i.e. American, Australasian, British etc.,) and local Hong Kong Chinese managers.

Cyberloafing has been reported as a prevalent practice among employees and has been called the hidden epidemic killing business productivity. Given the importance of this issue, this study aims to propose and empirically test a research model to investigate the relationships between private demands, job stress and cyberloafing, premised on border theory, conservation of resources theory and general strain theory.

A total of 301 usable data were collected from employees who work in the ICT sector, using self-reported questionnaires that are subsequently analysed using Partial Least Square (PLS) structural equation modelling.

The results of this study have revealed that both private demands and job stress are positively related to cyberloafing. In addition, job stress is positively related to private demands and also partially mediates the relationship between private demands and cyberloafing. Therefore, the findings are suggestive of employee’s job resources being depleted when they cross between work and non-work domains as they attempt to satisfy their private demands. As a result, insufficient job resources channelled towards handling job-related demands results in job stress, followed by their engagement in cyberloafing behaviour as a coping mechanism.

The main theoretical contribution of this research is to expand upon the existing knowledge of the relationship between private demands and cyberloafing by demonstrating the mediating effect of job stress. Interestingly, the findings revealed that employees’ non-work domain can have a significant influence on both emotions and behaviours at work.

This paper is devoted to the theoretical and numerical study of a new topological sensitivity concerning the insertion of a small bolt connecting two parts in a mechanical structure. First, an idealized model of bolt is proposed which relies on a non-local interaction between the two ends of the bolt (head and threads) and possibly featuring a pre-stressed state. Second, a formula for the topological sensitivity of such an idealized bolt is rigorously derived for a large class of objective functions. Third, numerical tests are performed in 2D and 3D to assess the efficiency of the bolt topological sensitivity in the case of no pre-stress. In particular, the placement of bolts (acting then as springs) is coupled to the further optimization of their location and to the shape and topology of the structure for volume minimization under compliance constraint.

The methodology relies on the adjoint method and the variational formulation of the linearized elasticity equations in order to establish the topological sensitivity.

The numerical results prove the influence of the number and locations of the bolts which strongly influence the final optimized design of the structure.

This paper is the first one to study the topology optimization of bolted systems without a fixed prescribed number of bolts.

Gives an in depth view of the strategies pursued by the world’s leading chief executive officers in an attempt to provide guidance to new chief executives of today. Considers the marketing strategies employed, together with the organizational structures used and looks at the universal concepts that can be applied to any product. Uses anecdotal evidence to formulate a number of theories which can be used to compare your company with the best in the world. Presents initial survival strategies and then looks at ways companies can broaden their boundaries through manipulation and choice. Covers a huge variety of case studies and examples together with a substantial question and answer section.

Industrial drivetrains use wet disk clutches for safe and reliable shifting. Advances over the past decades regarding the formulation of lubricants and the composition of friction materials have led to reliable clutch systems. In this context, the friction behavior is crucial for the correct operation of the clutch. Nevertheless, the friction behavior and its influencing factors are still the object of modern research. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the choice of the steel disk influences the noise vibration and harshness (NVH) behavior of wet industrial clutches.

To investigate the influence of the steel disk on the friction and NVH behavior of industrial wet disk clutches, experimental investigations with relevant friction systems are conducted. These tests are performed at two optimized test rigs, guaranteeing transferable insights. The surface topography of the steel disk and the friction lining are measured for one friction system to identify possible relations between the surface topography and the friction behavior.

The steel disk can influence the friction behavior of wet disk clutches. Using a different steel disk surface finish, corresponding results can show differences in the shudder tendency, leading to a nonfavorable NVH behavior – different gradients of the coefficient of friction over sliding velocity cause this phenomenon.

This work gives novel insights into the friction and NVH behavior of industrial wet disk clutches. It supports engineers in the optimization of modern friction systems.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-02-2024-0054/

This study aims to examine factors that affect the effectiveness of transfer of English language training to the workplace. It investigates the effect of trainee characteristics, training design and work climate on the training transfer to job performance in hospitals in Thailand.

The quantitative method was adopted in this study. The conceptual framework was developed from Lim and Morris’ three-factor model, namely, trainee characteristics, training design and work climate. A total of 378 valid responses from staff of seven hospitals in Thailand were collected from surveys.

The findings suggest that training transfer depends more on trainees’ psychological state (affective response and self-efficacy) than extrinsic factors. Nearly every aspect of training design could affect training transfer, except trainer effectiveness. This could be related to the particular context of training and the trainees’ prior experience. Work climate factors had the strongest overall effect, with peer and supervisor feedback, compensation and incentives and transfer opportunities being significant.

This study proposes that training design and work climate-related factors deserve more attention than what they have received previously. This study is significant because of the limited empirical evidence for English training transfer outcomes, and the under-examined role of English as a lingua franca in the business world. The findings can help organisations refine training designs and adjust the work environment to improve training outcomes.

This paper aims to provide a brief review of cyberloafing in a holistic and comprehensive manner. Specifically, this paper discusses the nature of cyberloafing, factors that influence cyberloafing, positive and negative impacts of cyberloafing, and suggestions for prevention and control.

This paper has four sections: what is cyberloafing, what motivates people to cyberloaf, negative and positive impacts of cyberloafing and suggestions for its prevention and control.

There are various reasons that motivate employees to cyberloaf, and cyberloafing has both positive and negative impacts. The decision to allow or disallow employees to cyberloaf at workplace very much depends on the company’s work culture and how top management thinks about cyberloafing. This paper provides several suggestions on how to control and prevent cyberloafing.

A holistic overview of cyberloafing is discussed in this paper.