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1 – 10 of 128Patrick S.K. Chua and F.L. Tan
The purpose of this paper is to report an experimental study on the effects of various parameters, such as varying flow velocities of water in the pipe, insulating the water pipe…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report an experimental study on the effects of various parameters, such as varying flow velocities of water in the pipe, insulating the water pipe, and heating the pipe, to prevent pressurized water in a water hydraulic system from freezing under sub‐zero ambient temperature environment.
Design/methodology/approach
An experimental test rig was designed, fabricated, and set up to conduct several experiments to investigate the time taken for water to freeze under sub‐zero ambient temperature at −20°C and with the water initially at a higher temperature than the ambient.
Findings
The experiments show that it would take about 90 min for water in the pipe to freeze completely when there is no flow, or water is flowing at slow speed, in the pipe. The results also show that the use of insulation on the pipe would delay the freezing of water inside the pipe; and if used together with heating at several locations on the pipe, freezing of water inside the pipe could be prevented completely.
Originality/value
This paper usefully shows that insulation and heating in a water hydraulic system can prevent freezing of water in the pipe. The promising results of the experimental work mean that water might be able to replace oil in hydraulic systems on aircraft and other low‐temperature applications.
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This paper aims to focus on the novel design and development of an automatic feeding system which is capable of feeding cylindrical parts which are fragile and powdery in nature…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on the novel design and development of an automatic feeding system which is capable of feeding cylindrical parts which are fragile and powdery in nature and possess asymmetrical features such as a groove near to one end.
Design/methodology/approach
It is an active feeder, performing its task without having to reject any feeding part by performing active orientation of feeding parts that are in the undesired orientation. This design incorporating active orientating capability is aimed at 100 percent feeding efficiency. The system is controlled and driven by a programmable logic controller and electropneumatics.
Findings
System evaluation results showed that the average jam rate is below 5 percent and the percentage of correctly orientated parts is above 95 percent. With enhancement and fine tuning, the system could become a very useful feeder for industry in the future.
Research limitations/implications
The scope of this paper focuses on presentation of the design concept, development and evaluation of the feeder only and design calculations are not included.
Originality/value
This paper is of value to those who are involved in the manufacturing of small delicate and powdery engineering parts such as those providing performs to the semiconductor industry for encapsulation of integrated circuit chips.
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Dalal Alrubaishi, Helen Haugh, Paul Robson, Rachel Doern and William J. Wales
This study investigates the impact of socioemotional wealth (SEW) on family firm entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in Saudi Arabia, and the moderating effect of generational…
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of socioemotional wealth (SEW) on family firm entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in Saudi Arabia, and the moderating effect of generational involvement on this relationship. Our data set comprises 241 privately, wholly owned family firms. We examine EO as a strategic orientation expressed in terms of both firm behavior and how managers approach risk-taking attitudinally. Our study finds that SEW is positively related to firms’ entrepreneurial behavior, but not managerial attitudes toward risk-taking. However, the positive effects of SEW on firms’ entrepreneurial behavior diminish as the number of generations involved in the family business increases. The broader implications for enabling entrepreneurship within Arab transforming economies adhering to strong cultural tribalistic norms are discussed.
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In this paper I bring together interaction, media, deviance, self, and identity to make sense of how young Singaporeans consume Korean popular (hereafter, K-pop) music and…
Abstract
In this paper I bring together interaction, media, deviance, self, and identity to make sense of how young Singaporeans consume Korean popular (hereafter, K-pop) music and culture. My overarching goal is to highlight that being a music fan is not a straightforward or even easy experience. Rather, the self as music fan is continually developing within a complex variety of social processes, from the circulation of global, mass media representations to inter- and intra-personal interactions. I present data collected from a study on K-pop music consumption in Singapore, a small island-nation in Southeast Asia with an insatiable thirst for foreign culture. The data show how a group of Singaporean K-pop fans were regularly bombarded with largely negative messages about what it means to be K-pop music fans, and how these meanings affected their own negotiations as fans. K-pop fandom provided a sense of shared identity and status within popular youth culture, yet their experiences were often soured by negative media portrayals of deviant fans, whose behaviors risked stigmatizing the K-pop social identity. This paper thus deals with some of the problems for self that being a music fans entails.
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Anush Poghosyan, Patrick Manu, Lamine Mahdjoubi, Alistair G. F. Gibb, Michael Behm and Abdul-Majeed Mahamadu
Decisions made during the design stage of construction works can significantly reduce the risk of occurrence of occupational accidents, injuries and illnesses. Moreover, it has…
Abstract
Purpose
Decisions made during the design stage of construction works can significantly reduce the risk of occurrence of occupational accidents, injuries and illnesses. Moreover, it has been established that design is one of the major contributors of accidents and injuries. Design for safety (DfS) studies within construction have highlighted factors affecting the implementation of DfS, among which are designer attitude; DfS knowledge/awareness and education; availability of DfS tools, including guidance; client’s influence and motivation; and legislation. The purpose of this study is to carry out an in-depth literature review of DfS studies within construction to explore the extent to which existing DfS research has looked at the above-listed DfS implementation factors.
Design/methodology/approach
A review of 164 journal articles related to DfS in construction (published from 1990 to 2017) within built environment, engineering and multidisciplinary safety journals was undertaken.
Findings
The findings indicate that around 60 per cent of the journal articles reviewed address designer knowledge/awareness and education issues, about 27 per cent looked at DfS implementation tools to assist designers to undertake DfS, about 23 per cent studied client influence/motivation, about 16 per cent studied designers’ attitudes towards DfS implementation and approximately 16 per cent looked at the role of legislation in DfS implementation. The literature points that client influence/motivation and legislation are very influential DfS implementation factors despite a limited number of studies in these areas.
Originality/value
Overall, the findings provide an indication of areas of DfS implementation, particularly client influence/motivation and legislation, where more research would be needed to promote DfS in construction to help mitigate the occurrence of accidents and injuries.
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The potential for the adoption of a knowledge management system (KMS) is becoming a crucial matter in small and medium enterprises (SMEs); however, there is a scarcity of studies…
Abstract
Purpose
The potential for the adoption of a knowledge management system (KMS) is becoming a crucial matter in small and medium enterprises (SMEs); however, there is a scarcity of studies related to KMS adoption in SMEs. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to advance further our understanding of the factors that influence the KMS adoption process among SMEs.
Design/methodology/approach
The collected sample size was 247 respondents. For statistical analysis, Smart partial least square (PLS) (a structural model-based tool) was used to build, run and validate the process model. PLS regression techniques were used to analyze the latent constructs. Smart PLS exhibits both the measurement model and the structural model.
Findings
The results indicate that knowledge management capabilities, knowledge sharing, organizational learning capabilities and IT capabilities are the significant factors which influence KMS adoption. This study also identifies some unexpected results.
Research limitations/implications
The number of responses obtained from the survey was rather small. However, a larger number of responses would probably have resulted in a more accurate finding. Additionally, this study should be verified via a larger sample to increase its generalization.
Practical implications
The result of this study will provide SMEs with valuable guidelines to better understand what factors should be considered as highly important and thus providing decision makers and managers with valuable insights to increase the adoption level of KMSs.
Originality/value
The study addresses the research gap by developing and empirically validating a research model of KMS adoption from a different perspective that incorporates critical issues which have never been simultaneously examined.
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Snehasish Banerjee, Jyoti Prakash Singh, Yogesh K. Dwivedi and Nripendra P. Rana
This study, an exploratory research, aims to investigate social media users' expectations of information systems (IS) products that are conceived but not yet launched. It…
Abstract
Purpose
This study, an exploratory research, aims to investigate social media users' expectations of information systems (IS) products that are conceived but not yet launched. It specifically analyses social media data from Twitter about forthcoming smartphones and smartwatches from Apple and Samsung, two firms known for their innovative gadgets.
Design/methodology/approach
Tweets related to the following four forthcoming IS products were retrieved from 1st January 2020 to 30th September 2020: (1) Apple iPhone 12 (6,125 tweets), (2) Apple Watch 6 (553 tweets), (3) Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 2 (923 tweets) and (4) Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 3 (207 tweets). These 7,808 tweets were analysed using a combination of the Natural Language Processing Toolkit (NLTK) and sentiment analysis (SentiWordNet).
Findings
The online community was quite vocal about topics such as design, camera and hardware specifications. For all the forthcoming gadgets, the proportion of positive tweets exceeded that of negative tweets. The most prevalent sentiment expressed in Apple-related tweets was neutral, but in Samsung-related tweets was positive. Additionally, it was found that the proportion of tweets echoing negative sentiment was lower for Apple compared with Samsung.
Originality/value
This paper is the earliest empirical work to examine the degree to which social media chatter can be used by project managers for IS development projects, specifically for the purpose of end-users' expectation management.
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Alex Acheampong, Elvis Konadu Adjei, Anita Odame Adade-Boateng, Ernest Kissi, Patrick Manu and David Wireko Atibila
The uptake of Design for Safety (DfS) practices in developing countries like Ghana has been limited. This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the barriers across…
Abstract
Purpose
The uptake of Design for Safety (DfS) practices in developing countries like Ghana has been limited. This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the barriers across regulatory, organizational, cultural and educational dimensions that restrict DfS assimilation in the Ghanaian construction sector. Identifying the key impediments can inform policy initiatives and industry efforts to facilitate safer construction.
Design/methodology/approach
A postpositive philosophy underpinned the quantitative research. Multi-stage research was used. A comprehensive questionnaire survey was designed and given to six industry experts to assess clarity, relevance and effectiveness after a thorough literature review. In all, 164 professionals were reached to take part in the study using purposive sampling and consequently snowballing. “Variables” were ranked using mean score ranking and normalization techniques; exploratory factor analysis was then used to group variables into clusters.
Findings
Emergent findings revealed four distinct clusters of challenges; Design Process and Communication Challenges; Regulatory and Expertise Limitations; Planning and Education Constraints; and Attitudinal and Perception Barriers. These findings help identify targeted solutions to overcome barriers including developing robust regulatory frameworks, promoting collaboration among stakeholders and cultivating a positive safety culture.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into the integration of DfS in the context of the developing construction industry in Ghana. This study expands the knowledge base to drive further research in enhancing construction safety in developing countries. Practical recommendations for overcoming these challenges are proposed.
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Jasmine B.-Y. Sim and Malathy Krishnasamy
One would not commonly associate democracy with Singapore, instead scholars have often described Singapore as an illiberal democracy and an authoritarian state. At the same time…
Abstract
Purpose
One would not commonly associate democracy with Singapore, instead scholars have often described Singapore as an illiberal democracy and an authoritarian state. At the same time, all Singaporean school students recite the national pledge of allegiance in school every morning, in which they pledge “to build a democratic society based on justice and equality”. What do students know about democracy? Are they able to distinguish the characteristics of democratic systems from non-democratic ones? The purpose of this paper is to report on Singapore students’ understandings of democracy.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative instrumental case study design, 64 students from three secondary schools were interviewed and the social studies curriculum was analysed.
Findings
Overall, students had poor knowledge of democracy. Consistent with a lack of knowledge of democracy, most students also showed a relatively uncritical acceptance of hierarchy and deference to authority, and held a superficial understanding of citizenship. Civics lessons through social studies, and the school environment did little to promote students’ engagement with democracy.
Research limitations/implications
The authors argue that it is important that students be given the opportunities to develop a basic conceptual knowledge of democracy, as they are not capable of discriminating democratic characteristics from non-democratic ones without it. At the very least, students should know the relevance of what they pledge relative to their nation’s model of democracy, or in the absence of a clear model, be encouraged to struggle with the various existing models of democracies so that, as the future of Singapore, they might determine and adapt the ideals that they deem best for the nation.
Originality/value
This paper is an original study of Singapore students’ understandings of democracy.