Elizabeth Garland, Abigail Watts, John Doucette, Mary Foley, Araliya Senerat and Sadie Sanchez
Sedentary behavior is linked to health risks, and prolonged sitting is prevalent among office workers. Adjustable workstations (AWS) promote health by allowing transitions between…
Abstract
Purpose
Sedentary behavior is linked to health risks, and prolonged sitting is prevalent among office workers. Adjustable workstations (AWS) promote health by allowing transitions between sitting and standing. Stand Up to Work compares workers with AWS to traditional desks (TD). The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Employees were randomly selected from one office floor to receive AWS, two identical floors maintained TD. Participants received workplace wellness and ergonomic training, completed self-administered questionnaires, and responded to repeated micropolling at baseline (T0), 3 (T1), 6 (T2), and 12 (T3) months in Atlanta, 2015-2016. Groups were compared using two-sample t-tests and nonparametric Wilcoxon tests.
Findings
Compared to TD (n = 24), participants with AWS (n = 24) reported significantly less sedentary behavior at T1 and T2 after AWS installation (p<0.05), with a retention rate at T2 of 80 and 65 percent for the AWS and TD group, respectively. In all, 47 percent of participants with AWS reported decline in upper back, shoulder, and neck discomfort (p=0.04); 88 percent of AWS participants reported convenience to use, 65 percent reported increased productivity, and 65 percent reported positive impact outside the workplace. Individuals with normal or underweight body mass index (BMI) reported a significantly greater decline in percent of time sitting compared to participants with overweight or obese BMI at all three time points.
Originality/value
AWS are beneficial in reducing sedentary behavior in and outside the workplace. Behavioral changes were sustained over time and associated with less self-reported muscle pain, more self-reported energy, and awareness of standing. When considering total worker health, employers should include options for AWS to promote reducing sedentary behavior.
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Joy Parkinson, Rory Francis Mulcahy, Lisa Schuster and Heini Taiminen
Online offerings for transformative services create value for consumers, although little research examines the process through which these services deliver this value. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
Online offerings for transformative services create value for consumers, although little research examines the process through which these services deliver this value. The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive framework to capture the complexity of the co-creation of transformative value experienced by the consumers of online transformative services.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a netnography approach to examine longitudinal data from an online weight management program. In total, this research examines 15,304 posts from 3,149 users, including eight staff users.
Findings
Consumers integrate a range of social support resources, from informational support to esteem support, which provide a range of benefits such as new ideas and self-efficacy that underpin the different types of value such as epistemic and personal value. The degree of co-created value differs across the consumption experience but culminates over time into transformative value.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed framework may be useful beyond the weight management and online contexts; however, further work is required in a range of behavioral contexts and other modes of service delivery.
Practical implications
By understanding the resources consumers integrate and value, co-created services can develop appropriate value propositions to assist in improving consumers’ well-being.
Originality/value
This research provides a comprehensive framework of the transformative value co-creation process, extending on existing frameworks which examine either the process, value co-creation or the types of value co-created.
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Reham Eltantawy, Larry Giunipero and Robert Handfield
Recently, focus in strategic sourcing (SS) has shifted from the exchange of tangible goods toward the exchange of intangibles, such as specialized skills, knowledge, and…
Abstract
Purpose
Recently, focus in strategic sourcing (SS) has shifted from the exchange of tangible goods toward the exchange of intangibles, such as specialized skills, knowledge, and processes. The purpose of this paper is to aim to delineate the domain of, and operationally test, strategic sourcing orientation (SSO); a management philosophy directed at identifying and meeting the needs and goals of SS.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a mixed-methods research design and underpinned by a service dominant logic (SDL) inspired resource-based view (RBV), the authors first use the qualitative input of 41 top sourcing executives in four focus groups to derive four first-order “orientations” (learning, performance, planning, and relational-process) that were found to reflect SSO. Second, the authors propose a theoretically grounded operationalization of SSO derived from the qualitative data and extant literature. A sample of 174 top sourcing executives was used to test the proposed SSO and its impact on SS reputation, supplier management, and performance outcomes.
Findings
The results indicate strong support for the theorized SSO and its impact on SS reputation and supplier management, and, consequently, on performance outcomes.
Originality/value
While many firms encourage a culture to enable SS to realize enhanced performance, research has failed to provide a holistic account of this orientation. This study employs a mixed-methods research design to conceptualize and operationalize such orientation.
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Aniela Kusber, Rafał Józef Gaida, Katarzyna Dziubek and Marian Wit
This study aims to investigate the influence of commercially available resins in water-based magenta pigment inkjet ink formulations on the properties of ink printability and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the influence of commercially available resins in water-based magenta pigment inkjet ink formulations on the properties of ink printability and the characteristics of ink application in food packaging. The impact of the resin on the jettability of the existing printability phase diagrams was also assessed.
Design/methodology/approach
Inks with different resin loadings were tested for selected properties, such as viscosity, particle size and surface tension. Stability was determined using a Turbiscan AGS turbidimeter and LumiFuge photocentrifuge analyzer. The ink layer fastness against abrasion and foodstuffs was evaluated using an Ugra device and according to PN-EN 646, respectively. JetXpert was used to assess Ricoh printhead jetting performance.
Findings
Printability diagrams successfully characterized the jettability of polyurethane inkjet inks on a multi-nozzle printhead and the binder improved droplet formation and printing precision.
Originality/value
Magenta water-based inkjet inks with commercial resins have been developed for printing on paper substrates. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, inkjet ink stability was evaluated using the Turbiscan AGS and LumiFuge analyzers, and jettability models were verified using an industrial multi-nozzle printhead.
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Santiago Renedo, Inés Martínez-Corts, Donatella Di Marco and Francisco J. Medina
Family small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent a substantial part of many economies. In these organizations, close and informal relationships between employers and…
Abstract
Purpose
Family small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent a substantial part of many economies. In these organizations, close and informal relationships between employers and employees often foster a mutual understanding of each other’s needs, facilitating the negotiation of idiosyncratic deals (i-deals), special employment conditions tailored for individual employees. However, research on how i-deals are negotiated in family SMEs, especially regarding power dynamics and influence, remains limited. This study aims to identify the types of i-deals negotiated in family SMEs and explore the role of power and influence in these negotiations.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 employees and 15 employers from Spanish family SMEs. Data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti 8, and thematic analysis was performed.
Findings
The study concludes that task, flexibility, financial and development i-deals are particularly negotiated in family SMEs. It identifies that referent and expert power play an important role in initiating these negotiations. Furthermore, rational tactics are generally employed for negotiating work performance, soft tactics for employment-related aspects and hard tactics for work flexibility. Additionally, the study identified gender differences in the negotiation of i-deals.
Research limitations/implications
This study enhances i-deal literature by highlighting the distinct characteristics of family SMEs and their impact on i-deal negotiations. The findings suggest that power dynamics and influence tactics in family SMEs differ from those in larger firms. Moreover, certain i-deals may encounter resistance due to concerns about organizational performance and economic implications. Understanding these factors is essential for developing effective negotiation strategies in family SMEs.
Originality/value
This study offers a dual perspective, analyzing the power and influence tactics used by both employees and employers in family SME i-deal negotiations and highlighting gendered dynamics in these processes.
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Cara Greta Kolb, Maja Lehmann, Johannes Kriegler, Jana-Lorena Lindemann, Andreas Bachmann and Michael Friedrich Zaeh
This paper aims to present a requirements analysis for the processing of water-based electrode dispersions in inkjet printing.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a requirements analysis for the processing of water-based electrode dispersions in inkjet printing.
Design/methodology/approach
A detailed examination of the components and the associated properties of the electrode dispersions has been carried out. The requirements of the printing process and the resulting performance characteristics of the electrode dispersions were analyzed in a top–down approach. The product and process side were compared, and the target specifications of the dispersion components were derived.
Findings
Target ranges have been identified for the main component properties, balancing the partly conflicting goals between the product and the process requirements.
Practical implications
The findings are expected to assist with the formulation of electrode dispersions as printing inks.
Originality/value
Little knowledge is available regarding the particular requirements arising from the systematic qualification of aqueous electrode dispersions for inkjet printing. This paper addresses these requirements, covering both product and process specifications.