Lei Ju, Yun Peng Ji, Chunlin Wu, Xin Ning and Yang He
The high-pressure nature of the construction industry, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, triggered abusive supervision (i.e. workplace bullying and incivility behaviour) that has…
Abstract
Purpose
The high-pressure nature of the construction industry, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, triggered abusive supervision (i.e. workplace bullying and incivility behaviour) that has diminished workers' well-being. However, despite the growing prevalence in practice and increasing concern in academia, abusive supervision remains largely unexplored by construction management scholars. This study aims to fill the gap in the current literature by analysing the effects of abusive supervision on construction workers' well-being, the mediating role of guanxi closeness and the moderating role of trust in the manager.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was completed by 258 Chinese construction workers. The data underwent mediation and moderation analyses using PROCESS macro 3.5 for SPSS.
Findings
The results revealed that managers' abusive supervision reduced construction workers' well-being at work and in life. Guanxi closeness between manager and workers mediated the relationship between managers' abusive supervision and construction workers' well-being. Additionally, trust in managers moderated the mediating effect of guanxi closeness. This study further revealed that the emotional connection between construction managers and workers, such as expressive guanxi closeness and affective-based trust, is important in handling the impact of abusive supervision on the workers.
Practical implications
The findings of this study provide support for recent calls to address negative manager behaviours such as abusive supervision in construction management. They aid the development of a more comprehensive internal mechanism that considers the influence of guanxi closeness on the outcomes of abusive supervision by managers at construction sites. Additionally, interventions that develop trust in managers may be particularly effective in alleviating the tension of abusive supervision. More attention should be paid to managers' emotional connections in daily construction project management.
Originality/value
Rather than concentrate on positive leadership, this study shifts the focus to negative leadership in construction project management by identifying abusive supervision as a negative primary antecedent of workers' well-being. While prior research has highlighted how negative manager behaviours affect workers' well-being from the conservation of resources theory (COR) perspective, this study is the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to adopt a social exchange theory perspective by introducing guanxi closeness as a mediator. It contributes to a greater understanding of how trust in the manager alleviates the negative effect of the person's abusive supervision on construction workers.
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When the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic seriously hit the USA, a lot of cities/states announced their lockdowns, in some cases forbidding employees to go to work…
Abstract
Purpose
When the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic seriously hit the USA, a lot of cities/states announced their lockdowns, in some cases forbidding employees to go to work. But workers in the so called “essential sectors” were exempt from the order, and on the contrary were required to remain on the job in order to maintain the services and functions considered vital to the community. If they have not been paid well in comparison to those in the other sectors, there would be a stronger case for granting them a special hazard pay during the pandemic. This paper aims to design a way to measure the “importance” or being “essential” of the different sectors in the economy, and then investigates whether the actual pay of the workers in these sectors is consistent with the measured importance.
Design/methodology/approach
At least two policy issues emerged from such an arrangement: (1) How can one define the “essential sectors” objectively instead of the authorities preparing a list according to their administrative procedure? (2) How well have been the workers in the essential sectors paid before the pandemic strike? The concept of a revised Leontief forward linkage effect will be used in an input–output model to gauge the relative “importance” of the different sectors in the US economy. Then the measured importance will be compared with the average compensation of the employees in these sectors.
Findings
It is found that for some sectors such as agriculture, retail trade, and repair and installation of machinery and equipment the ratio of workers' compensation relative to the national average is substantially lower than the relative importance of the sectors employing them. That is, many of them have been substantially underpaid in spite of their importance.
Research limitations/implications
The scope of this study is limited to one country, the USA, but the methodology can be applied to other countries as well.
Originality/value
This study is an original research that contributes to an improved understanding of the importance of the workers engaged in different sectors in the USA during COVID-19.
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Danping Shao and Yun Peng
Based on the role theory and prosocial motivation literature, this research aims to explore the bright and dark side of socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) on…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on the role theory and prosocial motivation literature, this research aims to explore the bright and dark side of socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) on hotel employees' outcomes through the mediation of role conflict. Besides, this study examines the moderating effect of prosocial motivation between role conflict and volunteering and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected 326 employee-supervisor dyads data in two waves from 12 hotels in the province of Wuhan, China. Besides, structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was adopted to test the hypothesized model.
Findings
As expected, the result shows that SRHRM can increase employees' volunteering and decrease their OCB through the mediation of the role conflict. Further, prosocial motivation strengthens the linkage between role conflict and volunteering, but not the relationship between role conflict and OCB.
Practical implications
This result enables hotel managers to adopt SRHRM as a useful tool of carrying out suitable corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Additionally, this study highlights the vital role of employee in successful CSR implementation.
Originality/value
Although the hotel industry contributes a lot to global economic development, CSR research specifically focused on hotel industry has been unexplored. Therefore, this research brings SRHRM into hotel industry and establishes a model specifying both the bright side and dark side effect of SRHRM in the hotel industry.
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Political analyses of the East Asian welfare state development often stress the importance of the power resource model, in which vibrant coalitions between the leftist party…
Abstract
Purpose
Political analyses of the East Asian welfare state development often stress the importance of the power resource model, in which vibrant coalitions between the leftist party, interest groups, civil society and working-class unions have become driving factors in producing generous welfare outcomes. Challenging such analyses, this article discusses the convergence of the political attitude between political actors who are increasingly homogeneous (supportive) when it comes to the universal welfare state notion by focussing on childcare in South Korea.
Design/methodology/approach
By using desk review of the peer-reviewed literature and reports, this article investigates the causation for why political parties with different political ideologies were keen on extending childcare programs and its outcome in addressing the existing demographic problems in Korea.
Findings
Although the collective movement, especially in the 1990s and 2000s, had given important contributions to the early development of childcare in South Korea, more breakthroughs in childcare features were precisely and rapidly developed after politicians from different spectrums of political affiliations converged in their supportive attitude of the universal welfare. The driving factors of political convergence itself are not merely due to electoral competition or political activism; furthermore, it can be linked to the increased global institution involvement in domestic policy with extensive permeability, which, have ruined domestic policy development maintained for ideological reasoning and bring in more popular policy setting.
Originality/value
This article contributes to the growing literature on the political aspect of East Asian social policy studies, which goes beyond the traditional power resource analysis and makes a novel contribution to the childcare policy studies.
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This paper aims to study the seismic response of frame structure with friction dampers.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the seismic response of frame structure with friction dampers.
Design/methodology/approach
The state equation of the structure subjected to the earthquake is presented and solved, from which the maximum drift and the interlayer drift angle of the floors of the structure subjected to the seismic waves of four types of sites are analyzed.
Findings
The result indicates that the damping effect is significant on the floors with the friction damper but is almost little influence on the other floor.
Originality/value
The result indicates that the damping effect is significant on the floors with the friction damper but is almost little influence on the other floor.
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Ching‐Chong Lai, Wen‐tzong Hsiao and Wen‐ya Chang
Traditionally, international monetary economists focus their attention on the framework of either a pure fixed or a pure flexible exchange rate system. With the demise of the…
Abstract
Traditionally, international monetary economists focus their attention on the framework of either a pure fixed or a pure flexible exchange rate system. With the demise of the Bretton Woods system, many countries have begun to use an intervention policy in the foreign exchange market and adopted the regime of managed floating exchange rates. Such a change has encouraged many economists into the field of this system. Although the contributions in this area are very rich, there is no systematic analysis concerning whether intervention policy will enhance or weaken the effectiveness of macroeconomic policies. That is why this article is written.
The objective of this paper is to understand changes and progress of the Korean childcare regime by examining the evolutional process of childcare initiatives that were developed…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper is to understand changes and progress of the Korean childcare regime by examining the evolutional process of childcare initiatives that were developed since the Japanese colonial rule.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed a qualitative-based research design with a particular emphasis on explanatory research. Meanwhile, the data were gathered through the peer-reviewed literature and reports.
Findings
The findings indicate that Korea has had three types of childcare regimes: effective-informal, productivist and inclusive-liberal orientation. It also pinpoints that while the care regime development followed the European regime, the egalitarian society, which is a social prerequisite for modern welfare state-building, has not yet been fully established. This paradoxical situation eventually impedes the development of universal childcare aimed at promoting gender equality and a work-life balance.
Originality/value
This article offers a model and characteristics of the Korean childcare regime dating back to the Japanese colonial period up until the Moon Jae-In administration, where it still receives less attention in most of the social policy literature (see Table 1).
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Chun-Wei Lin, Shiou-Yun Jeng, Ming-Lang Tseng and Wai Peng Wong
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the wastewater discharge and a zero-wastewater-discharge (ZWD) reproduction plan is designed for a paper mill in Taiwan.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the wastewater discharge and a zero-wastewater-discharge (ZWD) reproduction plan is designed for a paper mill in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed model of ZWD reproduction planning is established using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and Taguchi method to determine the overall wastewater recovery rate. Still the prior studies failed to address a systematic approach to optimize the waste water recovery rate.
Findings
The optimal solution for clean water is 500 tons, recovery electrodialysis reversal is 345 tons, the wastewater reuse performance is 1.3 and waste heat recycling performance is 0.8, the larger number is performed well. The results shows that the maximum overall waste water recovery rate is 97.8 percent.
Originality/value
A paper mill is strived for improving their sustainable development. In real situation, there is a need to address the qualitative information and qualitative data to carry out the optimal ZWD reproduction planning.
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Qing-Yun Deng, Shun-Peng Zhu, Jin-Chao He, Xue-Kang Li and Andrea Carpinteri
Engineering components/structures with geometric discontinuities normally bear complex and variable loads, which lead to a multiaxial and random/variable amplitude stress/strain…
Abstract
Purpose
Engineering components/structures with geometric discontinuities normally bear complex and variable loads, which lead to a multiaxial and random/variable amplitude stress/strain state. Hence, this study aims how to effectively evaluate the multiaxial random/variable amplitude fatigue life.
Design/methodology/approach
Recent studies on critical plane method under multiaxial random/variable amplitude loading are reviewed, and the computational framework is clearly presented in this paper.
Findings
Some basic concepts and latest achievements in multiaxial random/variable amplitude fatigue analysis are introduced. This review summarizes the research status of four main aspects of multiaxial fatigue under random/variable amplitude loadings, namely multiaxial fatigue criterion, method for critical plane determination, cycle counting method and damage accumulation criterion. Particularly, the latest achievements of multiaxial random/variable amplitude fatigue using critical plane methods are classified and highlighted.
Originality/value
This review attempts to provide references for further research on multiaxial random/variable amplitude fatigue and to promote the development of multiaxial fatigue from experimental research to practical engineering application.
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Jiaxin Li, Zhiyuan Zhu, Zhiwei Li, Yonggang Zhao, Yun Lei, Xuping Su, Changjun Wu and Haoping Peng
Gallic acid is a substance that is widely found in nature. Initially, it was only used as a corrosion inhibitor to retard the rate of corrosion of metals. In recent years, with…
Abstract
Purpose
Gallic acid is a substance that is widely found in nature. Initially, it was only used as a corrosion inhibitor to retard the rate of corrosion of metals. In recent years, with intensive research by scholars, the modification of coatings containing gallic acid has become a hot topic in the field of metal protection. This study aims to summarize the various preparation methods of gallic acid and its research progress in corrosion inhibitors and coatings, as well as related studies using quantum chemical methods to assess the predicted corrosion inhibition effects and to systematically describe the prospects and current status of gallic acid applications in the field of metal corrosion inhibition and protection.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the various methods of preparation of gallic acid in industry are understood. Second, the corrosion inhibition principles and research progress of gallic acid as a metal corrosion inhibitor are presented. Then, the corrosion inhibition principles and research progress of gallic acid involved in the synthesis and modification of various rust conversion coatings, nano-coatings and organic resin coatings are described. After that, studies related to the evaluation and prediction of gallic acid corrosion inhibition on metals by quantum chemical methods are presented. Finally, new research ideas on gallic acid in the field of corrosion inhibition and protection of metals are summarized.
Findings
Gallic acid can be used as a corrosion inhibitor or coating in metal protection.
Research limitations/implications
There is a lack of research on the synergistic improvement of gallic acid and other substances.
Practical implications
The specific application of gallic acid in the field of metal protection was summarized, and the future research focus was put forward.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper systematically expounds on the research progress of gallic acid in the field of metal protection for the first time and provides new ideas and directions for future research.