Pedro Ferreira, Paul Danny Anandan, Ivo Pereira, Vikrant Hiwarkar, Mohmed Sayed, Niels Lohse, Susana Aguiar, Gil Gonçalves, Joana Gonçalves and Fabian Bottinger
This paper aims to provide a service-based integrated prototype framework for the design of reusable modular assembly systems (RMAS) incorporating reusability of equipment into…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a service-based integrated prototype framework for the design of reusable modular assembly systems (RMAS) incorporating reusability of equipment into the process. It extends AutomationML (AML) developments for an engineering data exchange to integrate and standardize the data formats that support the design of RMAS.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach provides a set of systematic procedures and support tools for the design of RMAS. This includes enhanced domain knowledge models that facilitate the interpretation and integration of information across the design phases.
Findings
The inclusion of reusability aspects in the design phase improves the sustainability of future assembly systems, by ensuring equipment use until its end-of-life. Moreover, the integrated support tools reduce the design time, while improving the quality/performance of the system design solution, as it enables the exploration of a larger solution space. This will result in a better response to dynamic and rapidly changing system requirements.
Social implications
This work provides a sustainable approach for the design of modular assembly systems (MAS), which will ensure better resource utilization. Additionally, the standardization of the data and the support of low cost tools is expected to benefit industrial companies, particularly the small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Originality/value
This approach offers a service-based platform which uses production data to incorporate reusability aspects into the design process of modular assembly system. Moreover, it provides a framework for modular assembly system design by extending the current design processes and interactions between stakeholders. To support this, a standardized method for information representation and exchange across the several phases of the RMAS design activity is briefly illustrated with an industrial case study.
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Francisco Barros, Susana Aguiar, Pedro J. Sousa, António Cachaço, Nuno V. Ramos, Paulo Tavares, P.M.G. Moreira, Luís Oliveira Santos, Min Xu and Elsa Franco
Part of the runway at Madeira Airport is a platform above the sea at a 60 m height, supported by a series of frames. When aircraft land on this section, a load is exerted on the…
Abstract
Purpose
Part of the runway at Madeira Airport is a platform above the sea at a 60 m height, supported by a series of frames. When aircraft land on this section, a load is exerted on the structure, resulting in bending of the beams which constitute the frames. A vision-based monitoring system was devised and implemented to measure the deflection of the runway's beams when a landing occurs.
Design/methodology/approach
An area on the midspan of two beams, located on the area where aircraft are most likely to land, was prepared with a speckle pattern, and a camera was assembled above a column on each of the adjacent frames, enabling the computation of displacements using digital image correlation (DIC). The camera continuously acquires images of the monitored area and compares them to a reference using DIC. If a displacement is detected, a number of frames before and after this event are saved for further DIC processing.
Findings
The installed systems successfully detected several events corresponding to landings and, for each of those events, measured the deflection of the beams over time and computed displacement fields for critical images, with strain values obtained up to this point being too small to measure using the current system.
Originality/value
This work provides novel insights into the behaviour of a unique structure and constitutes the first use of a vision system in its structural monitoring operations. It is also a valuable development in the implementation of automated DIC monitoring systems in locations of difficult access.
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Viviane Silva Souza, Susana Regina Bacelar de Vasconcelos Marques and Medéia Veríssimo
Ecogamification can make a positive impact on Tourism. With this in mind, the present study aims to examine specific stakeholders – those positioned at the upstream side of…
Abstract
Purpose
Ecogamification can make a positive impact on Tourism. With this in mind, the present study aims to examine specific stakeholders – those positioned at the upstream side of gamification process – and their perspectives concerning not only the benefits, but also the challenges of (eco)gamification.
Design/methodology/approach
The study follows a qualitative-exploratory approach and bases its results on the analysis of 10 in-depth interviews conducted with buyers and providers from the emerging Portuguese tourism and tech markets.
Findings
Results shed light on key benefits of ecogamification, including its potential to promote “green” behaviour, transmit complex information through entertainment, reward users for good practices, improve engagement and help avoiding overtourism. Simultaneously, there are important challenges to overcome, including the lack of investment, resistance to new technologies, low eco-consciousness of tourists and distraction from issues that matter. Further, findings show that ecogamification takes on different and specific roles for buyers and providers.
Research limitations/implications
The research limitations are mainly related to the sample size.
Practical implications
An effective ecogamification process depends on the integration of the supply and demand sides and, at the same time, on the responsibility of different stakeholders (providers, buyers, players) across the value chain, through a broad logic of B2B2C.
Originality/value
This study contributes towards a better understanding of ecogamification in tourism, through the eyes of buyers and providers and also provides insights regarding the role of these specific stakeholders and the relationship between them.
研究目的
生态游戏化对旅游业有积极影响。本论文探究特定利益相关方--游戏化过程的上游一方—对(生态)游戏化的既得利益以及挑战。
研究设计/方法/途径
本论文采用定性-探索型调研方法, 进行了10次深度访问, 对葡萄牙新兴旅游科技市场的购买方和采购商进行对话。
研究结果
研究结果对生态游戏化的关键利益做了梳理, 包括其对潜在“绿色”行为的倡导, 通过娱乐方式传输复杂信息;奖励用户良好行为, 促进用户参与度, 以及帮助避免过度旅游现象。同时, 研究明确了重要挑战需要克服, 包括资金投入的缺失, 新技术的抵抗, 游客的生态意识低下, 以及生态的衍生问题等。此外, 研究结果表明生态游戏化对买房和卖方的不同特定角色。
研究理论限制/意义
研究理论限制主要集中在样本数量较小。
研究现实意义
有效生态游戏化过程取决于供求双方的整合, 同时, 责任于不同利益相关者(供方、买方、游戏人)在整个价值链上, 通过B2B2C逻辑达成。
研究原创性/价值
本论文深化了对旅游业中生态游戏化的理解, 通过买方和供方的视角, 同时针对这些特定利益相关者的角色以及其之间的关系, 提出独到见解。
关键词
关键词 游戏化、生态游戏化、可持续性、SDGs、旅游业
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of belonging and wellbeing among temporary migrant agricultural workers (TMAWs) in a rural setting in the interior of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of belonging and wellbeing among temporary migrant agricultural workers (TMAWs) in a rural setting in the interior of British Columbia, Canada.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative narrative approach informed by participatory action research principles was employed. In total, 12 migrant workers participated in two to four one-on-one interviews and/or focus group conversations.
Findings
The analysis revealed an over-arching theme of Marginal Living encompassing stories of always on the outside, mechanisms of isolation and exclusion; struggling for the basics, realities of worrying about daily bare necessities; and “nothing but a worker’s,” experiences of being reduced only to one’s labor. These storied experiences each impacted workers’ wellbeing and typically limited their ability to feel a sense of belonging. Yet, workers exerted agency and resilience through storied experiences of “one family and for those who come next.” Their efforts contributed to building a sense of community through mutual support and advocacy.
Originality/value
Very few studies have focused on the day-to-day experiences of this population and its influence on their sense of belonging and wellbeing. This study is also the first to examine this topic within this particular region (the rural BC interior). These findings can provide a starting point for improved program planning to address challenges faced by TMAWs in rural Western Canada. Further, they expand the understanding of concepts such as partial citizenship and structural exclusion as they apply in the day-to-day realities of migrant workers in rural BC.
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Viviane Silva Souza and Susana Regina Bacelar de Vasconcelos Marques
The literature on the factors that enhance ecogamification and the intention to use smart tourism applications is vast and increasing. However, most studies tend to focus on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The literature on the factors that enhance ecogamification and the intention to use smart tourism applications is vast and increasing. However, most studies tend to focus on the “user”, rather than the “tourist”, and that gap is the trigger for the present research. The purpose of this paper is to examine how home and travel environmental behaviour, travel motivations, types of entertainment (digital and non-digital) and technology proficiency (professional vs non-professional) influence the receptivity of urban tourists to different game elements in a transport and mobility context.
Design/methodology/approach
The study carried out a qualitative experiment with focus groups, with a total of 16 urban tourists. The software webQDA was used to systematize and categorize data and to analyze the content.
Findings
The results suggest differences and similarities in terms of receptivity of urban tourists to ecogamification, which might have implications for future studies on urban tourists’ typologies and segments and also for providers of ecogamified services, game designers and marketers.
Originality/value
Rather than addressing the game elements per se (which, in this research, are seen as means to an end), the novelty resides in the combination of characteristics that intersect urban tourism (travel motivations), gamification (entertainment preferences and technology proficiency) and sustainability (home–travel environmental behaviour). This intersection provides a lens to interpret tourists’ receptivity and interaction with different game elements (cooperation, reward, points, avatar and ranking).
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Susana Caxaj, Amy Cohen and Sarah Marsden
This study aims to examine the role of support actors in promoting or hindering access to public services/spaces for migrant agricultural workers (MAWs) and to determine the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the role of support actors in promoting or hindering access to public services/spaces for migrant agricultural workers (MAWs) and to determine the factors that influence adequate support for this population.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a situational analysis methodology, the authors carried out focus groups and interviews with 40 support actors complimented by a community scan (n = 28) with public-facing support persons and a community consultation with migrant farmworkers (MFWs) (n = 235).
Findings
Two major themes were revealed: (In)access and (In)action and Blurred Lines in Service Provision. The first illustrated how support actors could both reinforce or challenge barriers for this population through tensions of “Coping or Pushing Back on Constraints” and “Need to find them first!” Justification or Preparation? Blurred lines in Service Provision encompassed organizational/staff’s behaviors and contradictions that could hinder meaningful support for MFWs revealing two key tensions: “Protection or performance?” and “Contradicting or reconciling priorities? Our findings revealed a support system for MAWs still in its infancy, contending with difficult political and economic conditions.
Social implications
Service providers can use research findings to improve supports for MAWs. For example, addressing conflicts of interests in clinical encounters and identification of farms to inform adequate outreach strategies can contribute to more effective support for MAWs.
Originality/value
This research is novel in its examination of multiple sectors as well as its inclusion of both formal and informal actors involved in supporting MAWs. Our findings have the potential to inform more comprehensive readings of the health and social care resources available to MAWs.
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Emna Mnif, Bassem Salhi, Khaireddine Mouakha and Anis Jarboui
Cryptocurrencies lack fundamental values and are often subject to behavioral bias leading to market bubbles. This study aims to investigate the contribution of the coronavirus…
Abstract
Purpose
Cryptocurrencies lack fundamental values and are often subject to behavioral bias leading to market bubbles. This study aims to investigate the contribution of the coronavirus pandemic to the creation of market bubbles.
Design/methodology/approach
This study identifies four major cryptocurrency market bubbles by using the Phillips et al. (2016) (hereafter PSY) test. Subsequently, the co-movements of the coronavirus proxies with PSY measurement using the wavelet approach were studied.
Findings
Short-lived bubbles are detected at the beginning of the studied period, and more extended bubble periods are identified at the end. Besides, the empirical results show evidence of significant negative co-movement between each pandemic proxy and each cryptocurrency bubble measurement.
Research limitations/implications
Given the complex financial dynamics of the cryptocurrency markets due to some behavioral biases in some circumstances, investors can benefit from the date stamping of the bubbles bursting to make the best trading positions. In the same way, governments could support the healthy development of cryptocurrencies by preventing bubbles during such pandemics.
Originality/value
The financial bubble is commonly attributed to a change in investor behavior. Because traders and investors think they can resell the asset at a higher price in the future. This study explored the contribution of the COVID-19 pandemic in the creation of these bubbles by date stamping their occurrence and explosive periods. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt that explores the contribution of the COVID-19 pandemic to the creation of bubbles caused by a change in the investors’ behavior.