Ahmed A. ElShami, Stéphanie Bonnet, Mohamed Hussein Makhlouf, A. Khelidj and N. Leklou
This paper aims to evaluate the ability of Aubepine and Molokhia extract, obtained by cathodic electrochemical treatment (CET), to protect steel rebar against attack by chloride…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the ability of Aubepine and Molokhia extract, obtained by cathodic electrochemical treatment (CET), to protect steel rebar against attack by chloride ions in environment of reinforced concrete marine structures. The effect of Aubepine and Molokhia extract was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
This experimental work has achieved particularity to compare the behaviour of two types of treatment (carbon steel treated one time by Aubepine extract and one time by Molokhia extract) submitted to the presence and absence of chloride ions.
Findings
The results obtained show that the extract solution of the plant could serve as an effective inhibitor for the corrosion of steel. Inhibition was found to increase with increasing concentration of Molokhia extract and for Aubepine extract maximum concentration is 1 g/L.
Research limitations/implications
Plant extracts and traditional medicinal herbs have become important as an environmentally acceptable, readily available and renewable source for wide range of inhibitors.
Originality/value
Aubepine and Molokhia extract are novel green plants extract as corrosion inhibiting coating for steel embedded in concrete. Aubepine is a genus of trees in the family Rosaceae and Molokhia is the leaves of Corchorus olitorius. Flavonoids content was found in both of Aubepine and Molokhia extract as green inhibitors for corrosion of metals.
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Cara Peters and Stephanie Lawson Brooks
This paper examines the discourse of consumers as they attempt to define and create consensus on the meaning and significance of cultural appropriation within a fashion context.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the discourse of consumers as they attempt to define and create consensus on the meaning and significance of cultural appropriation within a fashion context.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected via consumer comments posted to an article from The Guardian about the banning of headdresses from a large-scale music festival in Canada. Data were analyzed according to protocols for grounded theory.
Findings
Four themes emerged from the data: values consensus, ideological control, social and symbolic boundaries and social impact and change. These themes captured consumers' perspectives on the debate of cultural appropriation in fashion.
Social Implications
Cultural appropriation has become an increasingly important topic of interest as consumers share their voices online and demand companies increase their cultural competence.
Originality/value
Few researchers have examined cultural appropriation in fashion and captured the various perspectives of consumers on this phenomenon.
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Kevin Kam Fung So, Hyunsu Kim, Stephanie Q Liu, Xiang Fang and Jochen Wirtz
Although humanoid robots are increasingly adopted in many business settings, the dynamic effects of anthropomorphism and the functional perceptions of service robots on consumers’…
Abstract
Purpose
Although humanoid robots are increasingly adopted in many business settings, the dynamic effects of anthropomorphism and the functional perceptions of service robots on consumers’ responses remain unclear. This paper aims to examine the impacts of robot anthropomorphism on consumers’ trust, receptivity and the downstream effect on satisfaction. Furthermore, it examines the mediating effects of perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) in the relationship between anthropomorphism and consumer responses.
Design/methodology/approach
After conducting two separate pilot studies to help design the research materials, this research involves three sequential studies. In studies 1A and 1B, the authors used two distinct humanoid robots (i.e. Connie and Pepper) to test the direct effects of anthropomorphism on trust and receptivity and the mediated effects via PEOU and PU. Study 2 conducted a 2 (robot appearance: machine-like vs. human-like) × 2 (task complexity: low vs. high) between-subjects experimental design to further explore the boundary effects of task complexity on trust and customer satisfaction.
Findings
This research theorizes and empirically examines the mediating effects of PEOU and PU in the relationship between anthropomorphism and consumers’ responses (i.e. trust and receptivity) to service robots. Results also demonstrate a moderating role of task complexity, whereby only when the task was complex did anthropomorphism affect consumer responses and customer satisfaction. The parallel mediations of PEOU and PU were also confirmed. However, when task complexity was low, the authors observed no differences between human- and machine-like robots.
Research limitations/implications
First, this research used a scenario-based method by exposing participants to different pictures or videos of service robots and measuring individuals’ responses. Consumers may respond differently upon interacting with robots in actual service contexts. Second, future research could investigate the effects of other aspects of anthropomorphism, such as robots’ voice characteristics (gender, high/low pitch), verbal communication styles and emotional expression. Finally, future research could explore other service contexts to test the generalizability of the findings.
Practical implications
Findings of this study also provide useful insight for companies interested in adopting service robots. First, the authors unearthed several positive outcomes of using human-like versus machine-like robots in service settings. Despite concerns about the perceived creepiness and discomfort associated with human-like robots, managers should not worry about these service agents’ potential negative effects. Second, it shows that human-like robots’ competitive advantage over machine-like robots stands out when task complexity is high. Managers should therefore carefully consider relevant service characteristics and task requirements when deciding whether to adopt robots.
Originality/value
This study provides original and valuable contributions to the growing literature on service robots by addressing scholarly incongruencies regarding the impact of anthropomorphism and disentangling its positive influence on consumers’ perceptions and acceptance of service robots. This study also contributes to research on technology acceptance and service robot receptivity by empirically demonstrating the mediating role of PEOU and PU. Furthermore, this research enriches the body of knowledge on task-technology fit by providing evidence that task complexity is a crucial factor to consider in service robot design.
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Robert Detmering, Anna Marie Johnson, Claudene Sproles, Samantha McClellan and Rosalinda Hernandez Linares
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
Introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2013.
Findings
Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
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Purpose – To discover and unravel the contribution of women to innovation and invention. This chapter builds upon a book published in 2003, called, Ingenious Women. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose – To discover and unravel the contribution of women to innovation and invention. This chapter builds upon a book published in 2003, called, Ingenious Women. The purpose of the book was to discover the invisible women inventors and patent holders operating between 1637, when the first patent was awarded to a woman, and the outbreak of war in 1914. For the purpose of this essay, the time frame has been extended to the present.
Methodology – Historical patents are used as the main research base, supported by searches of other relevant databases, directories and specialist archives (census records, registered designs, company records, museum collections) as well as specialist literature.
Findings – The research illustrates that women and men were often part of a wide network of discoverers and innovators and were able, by using the latest technologies and materials available, to resolve problems both large and small.
Research limitations/implications – This categorisation on patent databases or directories and searches were by female first names or by object type. his categorisation highlights the historical assumption that women are not inventors. Although this search method highlighted hundreds of women, there must be many still undiscovered.
Practical implications – Not all the ideas went into production and some have now become obsolete. Others continue to be produced and have formed the basis of successful companies. Many women became entrepreneurs and developed businesses based on their inventions and some, as widows, successfully ran their deceased husbands' companies.
Social implication – The women in this hidden history often had to navigate a path through social attitudes and legislative frameworks. They are all an example to women today that anyone, regardless of gender, can be innovative and entrepreneurial. What is crucial is that the ideas being developed are unique and have a purpose.
Stephanie Geoghan and Kristy Holtfreter
The purpose of this paper is to integrate general strain theory and procedural justice in the context of research misconduct in university settings.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to integrate general strain theory and procedural justice in the context of research misconduct in university settings.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on media accounts and past research, the authors present data on the financial costs of research misconduct to universities and identify graduate school processes as a possible source of strain may lead to misconduct. Relevant research on procedural justice in organizational settings is also examined.
Findings
The available literature suggests that the use of procedurally just practices will help reduce strain, and in doing so, potentially prevent research misconduct in university settings. The authors present an integrated theoretical model that can be tested in future empirical studies of research misconduct and other forms of white-collar crime in universities. Directions for future theoretically informed research are discussed, along with recommendations for graduate program administrators.
Originality/value
Research misconduct causes significant financial and reputational costs to universities. While past research focuses on mentoring and training for preventing misconduct by graduate students, this study argues that the use of fair evaluations and other procedurally just processes is also important.
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Yu Chen, Di Jin and Changyi Zhao
Global climate change is a serious threat to the survival and development of mankind. Reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality are the keys to reducing greenhouse…
Abstract
Purpose
Global climate change is a serious threat to the survival and development of mankind. Reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality are the keys to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable human development. For many countries, taking China as an example, the electric power sector is the main contributor to the country’s carbon emissions, as well as a key sector for reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. The low-carbon transition of the power sector is of great significance to the long-term low-carbon development of the economy. Therefore, on the one hand, it is necessary to improve the energy supply structure on the supply side and increase the proportion of new energy in the total power supply. On the other hand, it is necessary to improve energy utilization efficiency on the demand side and control the total primary energy consumption by improving energy efficiency, which is the most direct and effective way to reduce emissions. Improving the utilization efficiency of electric energy and realizing the low-carbon transition of the electric power industry requires synergies between the government and the market. The purpose of this study is to investigate the individual and synergistic effects of China’s low-carbon policy and the opening of urban high-speed railways (HSRs) on the urban electricity consumption efficiency, measured as electricity consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP).
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a panel of 289 Chinese prefecture-level cities from the years 1999–2019 as the sample and uses the time-varying difference-in-difference method to test the relationship between HSR, low-carbon pilot cities and urban electricity consumption efficiency. In addition, the instrumental variable method is adopted to make a robustness check.
Findings
Empirical results show that the low-carbon pilot policy and the HSR operation in cities would reduce the energy consumption per unit of GDP, and synergies occur in both HSR operated and low-carbon pilot cities.
Research limitations/implications
This study has limitations that would provide possible starting points for future studies. The first limitation is the choice of the proxy variable of government and market factors. The second limitation is that the existing data is only about whether the high-speed rail is opened or not and whether it is a low-carbon pilot city, and there is no more informative data to combine the two aspects.
Practical implications
The findings of this study can inform policymakers and regulators about the effects of low-carbon pilot city policies. In addition, the government should consider market-level factors in addition to policy factors. Only by combining various influencing factors can the efficient use of energy be more effectively achieved so as to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.
Social implications
From the social perspective, the findings indicate that improving energy utilization is dependent on the joint efforts of the government and market.
Originality/value
The study provides quantitative evidence to assess the synergic effect between government and the market in the low-carbon transition of the electric power industry. Particularly, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first to comprehend the role of the city low-carbon pilot policy and the construction of HSR in improving electricity efficiency.
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Digital technology plays a vital role in empowering omnichannel integration. Research on digital technology has recently attracted attention and rapidly developed. However, a…
Abstract
Purpose
Digital technology plays a vital role in empowering omnichannel integration. Research on digital technology has recently attracted attention and rapidly developed. However, a comprehensive assessment of the research status and potential gaps is yet to be conducted. Thus, this study investigated the current research status of digital technology-empowered omnichannel integration, and future research directions are proposed.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-stage bibliometric analysis was conducted on 764 articles published from 2000 to 2023, cited in the Web of Science database. Furthermore, performance and thematic analyses were performed.
Findings
The most productive contributors and influential articles in this field were identified, and four themes of focus were discovered: service quality, o2o commerce, omnichannel retailing, and digital transformation.
Originality/value
To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to enable researchers to understand the vast body of published scholarship on digital technology-empowered omnichannel integration.
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Teng Ma and Kexin Zhao
The use of digital technology is crucial for building resilience and shaping competitive advantages in project-based organizations (PBOs). The purpose of this study is to explore…
Abstract
Purpose
The use of digital technology is crucial for building resilience and shaping competitive advantages in project-based organizations (PBOs). The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of digital elements on organizational resilience and resilience enhancement paths in PBOs represented by the construction industry in the context of digitization.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses multivalue-set qualitative comparative analysis (mvQCA). First, we collect digitization keywords from the annual reports of PBOs in the construction industry and classify them as process digitization, digital technology application and production intelligence while also considering word frequency statistics as antecedent conditions. Second, through a literature review and the use of the data collected, we define organizational resilience as the ability of organizations to defend, resist, recover and develop. Then, we use the mvQCA approach to examine how digital antecedent variables collectively advance PBO resilience.
Findings
By collecting data on 79 listed Chinese construction companies and utilizing mvQCA, we identify five combinations of conditions that produce high levels of organizational resilience, and the solution coverage is 1. These methods are (1) digital technology application-oriented, (2) process digitalization-oriented, (3) digitized multifactor coupling, (4) process digitization and digital technology application-driven and (5) process digitalization and production intelligence-driven.
Originality/value
These findings have important theoretical and practical implications for revealing the digital-driven path to high levels of PBO resilience. In theory, this study enriches the research on organizational resilience and expands the application scope of organizational resilience theory and the QCA method. Furthermore, this study provides new ways and ideas for PBOs to effectively integrate and utilize internal and external digital resources to increase their levels of organizational resilience.