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Article
Publication date: 25 June 2020

Yee Ling Yap, Swee Leong Sing and Wai Yee Yeong

Soft robotics is currently a rapidly growing new field of robotics whereby the robots are fundamentally soft and elastically deformable. Fabrication of soft robots is currently…

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Abstract

Purpose

Soft robotics is currently a rapidly growing new field of robotics whereby the robots are fundamentally soft and elastically deformable. Fabrication of soft robots is currently challenging and highly time- and labor-intensive. Recent advancements in three-dimensional (3D) printing of soft materials and multi-materials have become the key to enable direct manufacturing of soft robots with sophisticated designs and functions. Hence, this paper aims to review the current 3D printing processes and materials for soft robotics applications, as well as the potentials of 3D printing technologies on 3D printed soft robotics.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the polymer 3D printing techniques and materials that have been used for the development of soft robotics. Current challenges to adopting 3D printing for soft robotics are also discussed. Next, the potentials of 3D printing technologies and the future outlooks of 3D printed soft robotics are presented.

Findings

This paper reviews five different 3D printing techniques and commonly used materials. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique for the soft robotic application are evaluated. The typical designs and geometries used by each technique are also summarized. There is an increasing trend of printing shape memory polymers, as well as multiple materials simultaneously using direct ink writing and material jetting techniques to produce robotics with varying stiffness values that range from intrinsically soft and highly compliant to rigid polymers. Although the recent work is done is still limited to experimentation and prototyping of 3D printed soft robotics, additive manufacturing could ultimately be used for the end-use and production of soft robotics.

Originality/value

The paper provides the current trend of how 3D printing techniques and materials are used particularly in the soft robotics application. The potentials of 3D printing technology on the soft robotic applications and the future outlooks of 3D printed soft robotics are also presented.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 26 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

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Article
Publication date: 20 March 2017

Yee Ling Yap, Yong Sheng Edgar Tan, Heang Kuan Joel Tan, Zhen Kai Peh, Xue Yi Low, Wai Yee Yeong, Colin Siang Hui Tan and Augustinus Laude

The design process of a bio-model involves multiple factors including data acquisition technique, material requirement, resolution of the printing technique, cost-effectiveness of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The design process of a bio-model involves multiple factors including data acquisition technique, material requirement, resolution of the printing technique, cost-effectiveness of the printing process and end-use requirements. This paper aims to compare and highlight the effects of these design factors on the printing outcome of bio-models.

Design/methodology/approach

Different data sources including engineering drawing, computed tomography (CT), and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were converted to a printable data format. Three different bio-models, namely, an ophthalmic model, a retina model and a distal tibia model, were printed using two different techniques, namely, PolyJet and fused deposition modelling. The process flow and 3D printed models were analysed.

Findings

The data acquisition and 3D printing process affect the overall printing resolution. The design process flows using different data sources were established and the bio-models were printed successfully.

Research limitations/implications

Data acquisition techniques contained inherent noise data and resulted in inaccuracies during data conversion.

Originality/value

This work showed that the data acquisition and conversion technique had a significant effect on the quality of the bio-model blueprint and subsequently the printing outcome. In addition, important design factors of bio-models were highlighted such as material requirement and the cost-effectiveness of the printing technique. This paper provides a systematic discussion for future development of an engineering design process in three-dimensional (3D) printed bio-models.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 23 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

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Article
Publication date: 5 May 2020

Jeffrey Boon Hui Yap, Kai Yee Lee and Martin Skitmore

Corruption continues to be a pervasive stain on the construction industry in developing countries worldwide, jeopardising project performance and with wide-ranging negative…

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Abstract

Purpose

Corruption continues to be a pervasive stain on the construction industry in developing countries worldwide, jeopardising project performance and with wide-ranging negative implications for all facets of society. As such, this study aims to identify and analyse the causes of corruption in the construction sector of an emerging economy such as Malaysia, as it is crucial to uncover the specific facilitating factors involved to devise effective counter strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a detailed literature review, 18 causes of corruption are identified. The results of an opinion survey within the Malaysian construction industry are further reported to rank and analyse the causes. The factor analysis technique is then applied to uncover the principal factors involved.

Findings

The results indicate that all the considered causes are perceived to be significant, with the most critical causes being avarice, relationships between parties, lack of ethical standards, an intense competitive nature and the involvement of a large amount of money. A factor analysis reveals four major causal dimensions of these causes, comprising the unique nature of the construction industry and the extensive competition involved; unscrupulous leadership, culture and corruption perception; a flawed legal system and lack of accountability; and ineffective enforcement and an inefficient official bureaucracy.

Research limitations/implications

The study presents the Malaysian construction industry’s view of the causes of corruption. Therefore, the arguments made in the study are influenced by the social, economic and cultural settings of Malaysia, which may limit generalisation of the findings.

Practical implications

This paper helps stakeholders understand the root causes and underlying dimensions of corruption in the construction industry, especially in Malaysia. Recommendations for changing cultures that may be conducive to corrupt practices, and anti-corruption measures, are suggested based on the findings of the research.

Originality/value

These findings can guide practitioners and researchers in addressing the impediments that give rise to the vulnerability of the construction industry to corrupt practices and understanding the “red flags” in project delivery.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. 18 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access

Abstract

Details

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing and Special Equipment, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2633-6596

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Book part
Publication date: 10 December 2015

Chun Kit Lok

Smart card-based E-payment systems are receiving increasing attention as the number of implementations is witnessed on the rise globally. Understanding of user adoption behavior…

Abstract

Smart card-based E-payment systems are receiving increasing attention as the number of implementations is witnessed on the rise globally. Understanding of user adoption behavior of E-payment systems that employ smart card technology becomes a research area that is of particular value and interest to both IS researchers and professionals. However, research interest focuses mostly on why a smart card-based E-payment system results in a failure or how the system could have grown into a success. This signals the fact that researchers have not had much opportunity to critically review a smart card-based E-payment system that has gained wide support and overcome the hurdle of critical mass adoption. The Octopus in Hong Kong has provided a rare opportunity for investigating smart card-based E-payment system because of its unprecedented success. This research seeks to thoroughly analyze the Octopus from technology adoption behavior perspectives.

Cultural impacts on adoption behavior are one of the key areas that this research posits to investigate. Since the present research is conducted in Hong Kong where a majority of population is Chinese ethnicity and yet is westernized in a number of aspects, assuming that users in Hong Kong are characterized by eastern or western culture is less useful. Explicit cultural characteristics at individual level are tapped into here instead of applying generalization of cultural beliefs to users to more accurately reflect cultural bias. In this vein, the technology acceptance model (TAM) is adapted, extended, and tested for its applicability cross-culturally in Hong Kong on the Octopus. Four cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede are included in this study, namely uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism, and Confucian Dynamism (long-term orientation), to explore their influence on usage behavior through the mediation of perceived usefulness.

TAM is also integrated with the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) to borrow two constructs in relation to innovative characteristics, namely relative advantage and compatibility, in order to enhance the explanatory power of the proposed research model. Besides, the normative accountability of the research model is strengthened by embracing two social influences, namely subjective norm and image. As the last antecedent to perceived usefulness, prior experience serves to bring in the time variation factor to allow level of prior experience to exert both direct and moderating effects on perceived usefulness.

The resulting research model is analyzed by partial least squares (PLS)-based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. The research findings reveal that all cultural dimensions demonstrate direct effect on perceived usefulness though the influence of uncertainty avoidance is found marginally significant. Other constructs on innovative characteristics and social influences are validated to be significant as hypothesized. Prior experience does indeed significantly moderate the two influences that perceived usefulness receives from relative advantage and compatibility, respectively. The research model has demonstrated convincing explanatory power and so may be employed for further studies in other contexts. In particular, cultural effects play a key role in contributing to the uniqueness of the model, enabling it to be an effective tool to help critically understand increasingly internationalized IS system development and implementation efforts. This research also suggests several practical implications in view of the findings that could better inform managerial decisions for designing, implementing, or promoting smart card-based E-payment system.

Details

E-services Adoption: Processes by Firms in Developing Nations
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-709-7

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Book part
Publication date: 30 March 2023

Kara Hunter, Joan Lee and Dawn W. Massey

Stuebs et al. (2021, p. 38) note that soft skills “are essential for accountants to carry out their moral agency role in society.” Indeed, calls for aspiring accounting

Abstract

Stuebs et al. (2021, p. 38) note that soft skills “are essential for accountants to carry out their moral agency role in society.” Indeed, calls for aspiring accounting professionals to have well-developed soft skills have been ongoing for decades (American Accounting Association [Bedford] Committee on Future Structure, Content, and Scope of Accounting Education, 1986; Accounting Education Change Commission, 1990; Albrecht & Sack, 2000; Big 8 White Paper, 1989; Lawson et al., 2014; Pathways Commission, 2012). Despite these calls, the development of accounting students’ soft skills remains elusive (Fogarty, 2019; Rebele & St. Pierre, 2019). Perhaps this is not surprising as a commonly accepted, profession-specific definition of the term is lacking, as is consensus about the corresponding capabilities comprising accounting professionals’ soft skills. Instead, those in the accounting profession have treated the term soft skills much the way Justice Potter Stewart famously described hard-core pornography: “I know it when I see it” (Jacobellis v. Ohio 1964, p. 197). The problem, of course, is that such a description is individualistic and can lead to conflicts and inconsistencies not only in identifying the phenomenon (Baskin, 2018; Goldberg, 2010) but, more importantly, particularly in the case of soft skills, in taking steps to foster its development and measuring changes in it. Thus, understanding the term soft skills and its fundamental capabilities is a necessary prerequisite to the development of the soft skills deemed critical for future accounting professionals. In this chapter, the authors advance that understanding by developing an accounting-specific definition for soft skills and identifying a set of capabilities that comprise soft skills applicable to accounting professionals. The authors also discuss the implications of the work and conclude by recommending soft skills in accounting be referred to as professional competencies.

Details

Research on Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-792-1

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Article
Publication date: 9 March 2015

Pay Ling Yu, M S Balaji and Kok Wei Khong

Based on the trust theory, the purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the role of trustworthiness and trust in users’ intentions to continue using internet banking…

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Abstract

Purpose

Based on the trust theory, the purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the role of trustworthiness and trust in users’ intentions to continue using internet banking. Further, the authors position the trust beliefs of competence, benevolence, integrity, and shared values as key antecedents of trustworthiness and trust.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was used to collect responses from 227 actual users of internet banking in Malaysian context. A PLS analysis was conducted to explore the relationships between trusting beliefs, trustworthiness, trust, and internet banking use.

Findings

Empirical findings show that trusting beliefs of consistency, integrity, and shared values determine the trustworthiness and trust in internet banking. Moreover, trust was found to mediate the relationship between trustworthiness and internet banking use.

Practical implications

The study findings help managers understand the factors that determine Malaysia users trust and trustworthiness perceptions in internet banking. With reports indicated increase in internet banking use in Malaysia, the study findings provide important insights into enhancing users’ trust in internet banking for future transactions.

Originality/value

Unlike previous studies that have largely focussed on technology factors, this study based on trust theory proposes that trust is important for users to continue using internet banking services. In developing this trust, the authors propose that trustworthiness is of vital importance. Further, the authors propose and show that trusting beliefs of competence, integrity and shared values influence user trustworthiness and trust in internet banking use. Thus, this study extends the understanding of the internet banking use in Malaysian context.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 115 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

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Article
Publication date: 10 January 2023

Melissa Li Wen Lim, Shi Yee Wong and Chu Sheng Ding

The industrial revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) signifies technological advancements and digitalization. The fragmented and labour-intensive nature of the construction industry inherently…

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Abstract

Purpose

The industrial revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) signifies technological advancements and digitalization. The fragmented and labour-intensive nature of the construction industry inherently possesses difficulties for IR4.0 adoption compared to other industries. This paper aims to investigate the perspectives of quantity surveying students on the challenges of IR4.0 implementation in the construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey were distributed to a population of 191 quantity surveying students, with 96 valid responses returned. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were employed to analyse the collected data.

Findings

Factor analysis revealed eight components as the key challenges for IR4.0 implementation, which revolved around resistance to change, data security issues, etc.

Practical implications

The findings could provide a guideline to higher education institutions on certain IR4.0-related areas to be incorporated into the syllabus, in ensuring that the students are equipped with such skills and knowledge, in meeting market demands. The construction stakeholders' could look into the identified challenges for strategizing the organizations in moving towards IR4.0 adoption.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate quantity surveying students' perspectives on the challenges of IR4.0 implementation in the construction industry by employing factor analysis method. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge in relation to the opinions of a younger generation who has more exposure towards technology on the hindrance of IR4.0 adoption.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 31 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

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Article
Publication date: 27 April 2020

Jinsoo Hwang, Woohyoung Kim and Jinkyung Jenny Kim

This study aims to apply the value-belief-norm (VBN) model in the context of environmentally friendly drone food delivery services to understand ways to influence consumers’…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to apply the value-belief-norm (VBN) model in the context of environmentally friendly drone food delivery services to understand ways to influence consumers’ behavior toward the services. The current study also attempted to deepen the VBN model using the moderating role of product involvement.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 428 respondents through an online survey in South Korea.

Findings

The results of the data analysis indicated that all proposed hypotheses have been statistically supported in the VBN model. Furthermore, product involvement played a moderating role in the relationship between the sense of obligation to take pro-environmental actions and intentions to use and a sense of obligation to take pro-environmental actions and willingness to pay more.

Originality/value

Although drone food delivery services have not yet been fully commercialized, many foodservice companies have conducted pilot tests and the services are likely to be commonly used in the near future. Thus, the findings of this study are expected to have important implications for companies preparing to roll out drone food delivery services.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

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Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

Waleed Hemdan and Jian Zhang

This study investigates how to motivate behavioral intentions toward green investment (BIGI) with the moderating effect of social media platforms usage (SMPU) among individual…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates how to motivate behavioral intentions toward green investment (BIGI) with the moderating effect of social media platforms usage (SMPU) among individual investors in Egypt.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the data and test hypotheses based on a sample of 550 individual investors with investment experience.

Findings

The results show that attitude, subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) have a significant relationship with investors' behavioral intention toward green investment. The moderating effect of (SMPU) supported the relationship between (SN), (PBC), and (BIGI), but (SMPU) does not support the relationship between attitude and (BIGI).

Practical implications

This study provides some implications for investment providers, service providers, and policymakers.

Originality/value

Despite the increasing global interest in climate change and its consequent opportunities and challenges for business, previous studies did not strongly emphasize green investment. So, based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study sheds light on the motivational factors that may push investors' behavioral intentions toward green investment. With the increasing interest in digital transformation, the study also examined how digital platforms support (BIGI), especially in Egypt as a developing country.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

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