Tamoor Azam, Wang Songjiang, Khalid Jamil, Sobia Naseem and Muhammad Mohsin
In the modern business world, the main focus of the organizations is to improve the quality of the products and minimize the wastage of raw material. Keeping in view the green…
Abstract
Purpose
In the modern business world, the main focus of the organizations is to improve the quality of the products and minimize the wastage of raw material. Keeping in view the green theory and improve the efficiency of the organization, the focus of the current study is to investigate the relationship between total quality management (TQM) and green innovation (GI), and examine how TQM practices can facilitate firms to achieve GI objectives. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is also an important factor for organizations, and this study also focuses on the mediating role of CSR between the relationship of TQM and GI.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an empirical study. Data were gathered from the top management of 355 SMEs working in Pakistan through a questionnaire survey; the PLS-SEM approach was used to analyse the data.
Findings
Results of the study show that TQM has significant impacts on two aspects of GI namely green product innovation and green process innovation. Moreover, results also reveal that CSR partially mediates the relationship between TQM and GI.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited to manufacturing SMEs and future research should test this model on non-manufacturing sector too. The findings of the study provide significant roadmap to the management of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms that how they can reduce wastage and improve the product and process innovation in their organizations through TQM and CSR.
Originality/value
This study contributes to bridging research gaps in the literature and advances how TQM, directly and indirectly, help firms improve green innovation via mediating roles of CSR.
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Lan Wang, Ratoola Kundu and Xiangming Chen
The new town concept originated from the ideal city model of Ebenezer Howard and expanded from Europe to America in the 1900s. It has reemerged as a site for accommodating…
Abstract
The new town concept originated from the ideal city model of Ebenezer Howard and expanded from Europe to America in the 1900s. It has reemerged as a site for accommodating population from highly dense urban centers of China and India since the early twenty-first century. The massive infusion of public and private investments has enabled the emergence of new towns in China and India as planned centers of world-class residential, commercial, and work spaces. The rational goal of de-densifying the crowded central cities can lead to a more balanced distribution and use of resources across the metropolitan regions with more spacious housing for the growing middle class in China and India. Yet it is a relatively small number of the wealthy and mobile people who have turned out to be beneficiaries of the mostly high-end housing and well-developed transport infrastructure that evokes social and economic polarizations and political contestations. In this chapter, we will examine: (1) how these top-down planned and developed new towns have reshaped the urbanization process of the megacities in India and China, (2) the socio-spatial influence of these settlements on the central city as well as the surrounding rural areas, and (3) the expected and actual spatial users (both old and new residents) of the new towns? We address these questions by organizing two pairs of cases in a systematic framework: Anting New Town and Thames Town in Shanghai, China and Rajarhat New Town and the Kolkata West International City (KWIC) near Kolkata, India.
Xiangyu Liu, Chunyan Zhang, Cong Ni and Chenhui Lu
The purpose of this paper is to put forward a nvew reconfigurable multi-mode walking-rolling robot based on the single-loop closed-chain four-bar mechanism, and the robot can be…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to put forward a nvew reconfigurable multi-mode walking-rolling robot based on the single-loop closed-chain four-bar mechanism, and the robot can be changed to different modes according to the terrain.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the topological analysis, singularity analysis, feasibility analysis, gait analysis and the motion strategy based on motor time-sharing control, the paper theoretically verified that the robot can switch between the four motion modes.
Findings
The robot integrates four-bar walking, self-deforming and four-bar and six-bar rolling modes. A series of simulation and prototype experiment results are presented to verify the feasibility of multiple motion modes of the robot.
Originality/value
The work presented in this paper provides a good theoretical basis for further exploration of multiple mode mobile robots. It is an attempt to design the multi-mode mobile robot based on single loop kinematotropic mechanisms. It is also a kind of exploration of the new unknown movement law.
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Jiangtao Hong, Chenlin Zhan and Kwok Hung Lau
This paper aims to explore the use of joint distribution to reduce environmental cost of express delivery in urban logistics.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the use of joint distribution to reduce environmental cost of express delivery in urban logistics.
Design/methodology/approach
An optimization model was developed to help design the joint distribution network. A real case in Songjiang University Town of Shanghai, China, was used to explore empirically the potential benefit of the design. Performance of the proposed joint distribution was compared with that of the current distribution design using separate deliveries.
Findings
The findings show that, using joint distribution in express delivery, a significant saving in economic cost (up to a reduction of 25%) and environmental cost (up to a reduction of 87%) can be achieved.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides a reference for joint distribution network design for last-mile delivery in urban logistics.
Practical implications
Express delivery companies can explore the use of joint distribution to reduce operating cost and increase distribution efficiency of the industry.
Social implications
Joint distribution can facilitate maximization of vehicle utilization and reduction of delivery trips. This will help reduce fuel consumption, carbon emission, as well as other externalities, such as noise and traffic congestion.
Originality/value
Research in joint distribution to date focuses mainly on reduction in operating cost only. Consideration of environmental impact is relatively limited. This paper fills the gap in the literature by using a real case to illustrate the significant benefit of joint distribution in reducing the negative impact of urban logistics on the environment.
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Xuyang Jin, Jing Wang, Yiming Han, Nannan Sun and Jianrong Zhu
This study aims to present the discrepancy in oil film distribution in reciprocating motion experimentally with zero entraining velocity (ZEV) on a conventional ball-disk test rig…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present the discrepancy in oil film distribution in reciprocating motion experimentally with zero entraining velocity (ZEV) on a conventional ball-disk test rig with oil lubrication.
Design/methodology/approach
Driven independently by two individual servomotors, a steel ball and a sapphire disc move at equal speed but in opposite directions in a triangle wave. The oil film images between the ball and the disc were recorded by a camera. After the experiments, the mid-section film thickness was evaluated by using a dichromatic interference intensity modulation approach.
Findings
The dimpled oil film in transient condition is shallower than that at steady state with the same load and velocities, and the transient dimple depth decreases with the decrease of time. The increase of the applied load offers a beneficial effect on lubrication. Boundary slippage happens in ZEV reciprocating motion. The slippage at the interface is related to the transient effect and applied load.
Originality/value
This study reveals the significant difference of the oil film variation in ZEV reciprocating motion, especially the complex boundary slippage at the interface of the oil and the sapphire disc.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-01-2020-0021
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Y.S. Wang, H. Guo, Tao Yuan, L.F. Ma and Changcheng Wang
Electromagnetic noise of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) seriously affects the sound quality of electric vehicles (EVs). This paper aims to present a comprehensive…
Abstract
Purpose
Electromagnetic noise of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) seriously affects the sound quality of electric vehicles (EVs). This paper aims to present a comprehensive process for the electromagnetic noise analysis and optimization of a water-cooled PMSM.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the noises of an eight-pole 48-slot PMSM in at speeds up to 10,000 rpm are measured. Furthermore, an electromagnetic-structural-acoustic model of the PMSM is established for multi-field coupling simulations of electromagnetic noises. Finally, the electromagnetic noise of the PMSM is optimized by using the multi-objective genetic algorithm, where a multi-objective function related to the slot width of PMSM stator is defined for radial electromagnetic force (REF) optimization.
Findings
The experimental results show that main electromagnetic noises are the 8n-order (n = 1, 2, 3, …) and 12-order noises. The simulated results show that the REFs are mainly generated by the 8n-order (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) vibrations, especially those of the 8th, 16th, 24th and 32th orders. The 12-order noise is a mechanical noise, which might be caused by the bearings and other structures of the PMSM. Comparing the simulated results before and after optimization, both the REFs and electromagnetic noises are effectively reduced, which suggests that an appropriate design of stator slot is important for reducing electromagnetic noise of the PMSM.
Originality/value
In view of applications, the methods proposed in this paper can be applied to other types of PMSM for generation mechanism analysis of electromagnetic noise, optimal design of PMSM and thereby noise improvement of EVs.
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Wangjing is a large residential cluster located at the intersection of the Fourth Ring Road and the airport expressway in the northeast part of Beijing. The area is a “suburb”…
Abstract
Wangjing is a large residential cluster located at the intersection of the Fourth Ring Road and the airport expressway in the northeast part of Beijing. The area is a “suburb” according to official statistics and academic accounts, which often classify urban areas beyond the historical old city as suburbs. Due to its proximity to the airport and major expressways, Wangjing has developed quickly since the late 1990s. As more high-rise luxury apartment buildings get built, the area's population has reached 150,000 as of 2010, including more than 30,000 foreign expatriates living here amid Chinese urban professionals. Across the airport expressway from Wangjing is the 798 Factory, a hip arts quarter developed within a former electronics factory built in the 1950s. Looking for large studio space, a few artists moved into the Bauhaus-style workshops here in the late 1990s, and quickly bookstores, coffee shops, and galleries followed suit. By 2005, the 798 Factory had become the center of the contemporary Chinese art scene and home to many prestigious international galleries. Outside the factory compound is a working-class neighborhood developed in the 1950s to house workers at the nearby factories and their families. The living conditions here have not changed much for decades, with some families still sharing common kitchens and bathrooms with their neighbors in dilapidated apartment buildings. To the west side of Wangjing, after about a 15-minute drive along the Fourth Ring Road, one reaches the Olympic Park, a brand-new area of parks, stadiums, five-star hotels, golf courses, and exclusive gated communities of villas – all developed in the short period before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Beyond the Fifth Ring Road, one can see many “urban villages,” former agricultural villages that have become populated by migrant workers with low-paid jobs – taxi drivers, construction workers, waiters, nannies, security guards, and street vendors. Unable to afford to live in the central city, migrant workers rent rooms from local peasants at the city's edge. Many of these villages are to be demolished soon to make space for commercial property development, and the migrant worker tenants will have to move to another village farther away from the city.
This chapter is a narrative account of a Ford Foundation sponsored project from mid-2005 through 2008 for investigating into the causes and engineering a solution to the migrant…
Abstract
This chapter is a narrative account of a Ford Foundation sponsored project from mid-2005 through 2008 for investigating into the causes and engineering a solution to the migrant workers education access problems in manufacturing areas in Shanghai, China. The project team was comprised of faculty members and students from East China Normal University, consulted by two professors from Columbia University. This chapter describes how the team arrived at a solution to the problem by investigating the problems, socializing with the migrant workers, and doing experiments that helped us to make adjustments on the proposed solution from time to time. Unlike the popular understanding of the educational needs of the migrant workers that the workers just need some short-term training for a job, our finding is that the workers need degree and certificate programs too. They need further education for personal and career development, not just a job that can feed them. The workers are Internet fans too, most of those who want further education would prefer a blended learning. We ran quite a few courses and a learning center to observe the learning behavior of the workers, which allowed us to actually interact with the workers and see how they respond to our experimental stimuli. While most of the migrant workers show an interest in learning, we did not observe much active learning involvement of the migrant workers. We identified seven factors that limit access to learning engagement: (1) inadequate transportation means; (2) very long work days and weeks and irregular shifts; (3) difficult living conditions; (4) restricted computer and Internet access; (5) inaccessibility of information; (6) unsupportive social environment; (7) lack of educational infrastructure. As a solution to the identified problem, we propose a learning center based community college network in all the manufacturing areas. A learning center serves as a social learning incubator to nurture the learning practices of the academically less prepared learner, the migrant workers.
Shuhan Li, Shilin Liu and Xushi Ding
To offer a realistic foundation for urban cultural construction planning, we want to investigate the distribution features of Shanghai's cultural functional elements and examine…
Abstract
Purpose
To offer a realistic foundation for urban cultural construction planning, we want to investigate the distribution features of Shanghai's cultural functional elements and examine the distribution patterns in urban space.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, we managed to gather POI geographic data, refined and categorized them to integrate eight categories of cultural functional elements, observed the density and agglomeration, distribution direction and hot and cold spots of overall and each type of cultural functional elements using geospatial analysis methods and then investigated the factors influencing cultural functional elements using geographic detectors.
Findings
Our research shows apparent differences between regions and most cultural functional elements are found in the inner city. Second, there are hot and cold spots in the way different cultural functional elements are spread out. Its geographic structure is primarily influenced by third-party traffic service capacity and available time.
Originality/value
This work provides a benchmark for cultural planning in Shanghai by establishing the spatial aggregation impact of cultural functional elements.
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Muzhou Ma and Xintian Liu
A large number of data have proved that under the same von Mises equivalent strain condition, the fatigue life under multiaxial non-proportional loading is often much lower than…
Abstract
Purpose
A large number of data have proved that under the same von Mises equivalent strain condition, the fatigue life under multiaxial non-proportional loading is often much lower than the life under multiaxial proportional loading. This is mainly due to the influence of the non-proportional loading path and the additional hardening effect, which lead to a sharp decrease in life.
Design/methodology/approach
The modulus attenuation effect is used to modify the static hardening coefficient, and the predicted value obtained is closer to the additional hardening coefficient obtained from the experiment. A fatigue life model can consider non-proportional paths, and additional hardening effects are proposed. And the model uses multiaxial fatigue test data to verify the validity and adaptability of the new model. The life prediction accuracy and material application range are satisfactory.
Findings
Because loading path and additional hardening of the material affect fatigue life, a new multiaxis fatigue life model based on the critical plane approach is proposed. And introducing a non-proportional additional damage coefficient, the joint influence of the load path and the additional hardening can be considered. The model's life prediction accuracy and material applicability were verified with multiaxial fatigue test data of eight materials and nine loads compared with the prediction accuracy of the Kandil–Brown–Miller (KBM) model and Fatemi–Socie (FS) model.
Originality/value
The physical meaning of the new model is clear, convenient for practical engineering applications.