The effect of repeated laundering on the softness and smoothness of terry-cloth towels using a sound spectrum analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maruska Giselle Salvatierra Blaisdell ◽  
Changsang Yun
Keyword(s):  
Spectrum Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Drying Method ◽  
Washing Machine ◽  
Fabric Softener ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Machine Type ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Sound Spectrum ◽  
Loading Machine

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effect of laundering on the softness and smoothness of terry-cloth towels by different washing machine type, washing temperature, drying method and the use of fabric softener, using a newly developed sound spectrum analysis known as Textile Softness Analyzer.Design/methodology/approachThe experiment was designed to analyze the most significant laundering parameter in the reduction of softness and smoothness of terry cloth during one laundering cycle up to ten cycles by testing samples using TSA machine.FindingsA front-loading washer had a significant effect on reducing softness and smoothness in comparison to a top-loading machine; line-drying resulted in a higher decrease in softness and smoothness than tumble-drying. Washing temperature showed no significant effect, and the use of softener during washing was able to reduce the negative effect of line-drying on the softness and smoothness of terry cloth.Originality/valueThis paper provided information on the laundering parameters that can maintain the softness and smoothness of terry-cloth towels, and this was examined with sound spectrum analysis to measure softness and smoothness of textiles.

Effects of activity-based workspaces on employee belongingness

Facilities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shang Gao ◽  
Sui Pheng Low ◽  
Hua Qian Gong
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sense Of Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Real Estate ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Open Plan

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the activity-based workspace (ABW) on employee belonging. Place attachment theory (PAT) is used as a proxy to understand and measure the belongingness of employees to their physical workplaces. Design/methodology/approach A case study of a bank’s newly retrofitted ABW office is conducted, providing fresh perspectives on the effect of ABW on employee belonging. A questionnaire survey was used to understand employee belongingness. Surveys are conducted with employees of the bank (n = 100) who experienced the transition from the conventional open-plan office with designated seats to an ABW, to understand and compare the change in employee belonging after the transition, by studying the level of belonging achieved in the space before and after. Findings The results showed that there was a positive sense of belongingness amongst employees working in the ABW space, as per the PAT framework and an increased sense of belongingness compared with the previous conventional open-plan office. However, ABWs were found to also have a negative effect on employees’ sense of control and security. Originality/value Maslow’s hierarchy of needs indicates that a feeling of belonging is fundamental to humans. The need for belonging is also applicable in the workplaces of today’s progressive corporate organisations, where there is increased pressure and incentive to appeal to and retain talent. This research was conducted in response to the huge growth in interest in activity-based working across the corporate real estate community. As there has been no prior research done in the area of the emotional need for belongingness in ABW.

The effect of teaching style and academic enthusiasm of accounting and auditing students on stress, aggression, and anxiety

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Arianpoor ◽  
Hameed Mohsen Khayoon
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Statistical Population ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Negative Effect

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of teaching style and academic enthusiasm of Iraqi accounting and auditing students on their stress, aggression and anxiety. Design/methodology/approach The statistical population in this study consists of two parts. The first is the Iraqi accounting and auditing students in Iran and the second is the Iraqi accounting and auditing students in Iraq. By available non-probability sampling method, 62 people (Iraqi students in Iran) and 102 (Iraqi students in Iraq) were selected as samples. In this research, a questionnaire was used to collect information. The validity of the questionnaire’s structure was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. Also, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients in this study indicating the measurement tool’s reliability. In this research, structural equation modeling has been used to analyze and test the hypotheses. The primary criteria for determining the coefficient and evaluating the path coefficients were used to evaluate the structural model. Findings Findings indicate that in Iraqi students in Iraq and Iraqi students in Iran, teaching style negatively affects stress, aggression and accounting and auditing students’ anxiety. Also, in the group of Iraqi students in Iraq and the group of Iraqi students in Iran, the eagerness to study has a significant negative effect on accounting and auditing students’ stress and anxiety. In contrast, the effect of the desire to study accounting and auditing students’ aggression was confirmed only in Iraqi students in Iraq. Originality/value As the accounting and auditing professions are among the most stressful occupations that increase the characteristics of aggression and anxiety in the employees of that profession, the results of leading research can show that the stress, anxiety and aggression of accounting and auditing students how to reduce through training so that their stress, anxiety and aggression do not appear in the workplace and the reports of accountants and auditors are not affected.

What are the interpersonal antecedents of women’s network satisfaction?

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 266-280
Author(s):  
Maryline Bourdil ◽  
Mickael Géraudel
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Network Performance ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Common Interests ◽  
Women's Networks ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine whether women entrepreneurs are satisfied with belonging to a women’s network, as this issue is crucial for network performance and legitimacy. Design/methodology/approach The authors tested the hypotheses on a sample of 127 French women entrepreneurs who belonged to women’s networks using multiple regression analysis. Findings The authors showed that these women entrepreneurs were satisfied when they developed strong ties and when cliques in the network were limited. Education had a negative effect: the higher the educational level, the less satisfaction with their networks the women reported. Research limitations/implications The sample was small and composed only of women entrepreneurs who were members of women’s networks and not women who had left them. Practical implications The survey findings suggest ways that managers can optimize network satisfaction to keep current members while continuing to add new ones: create an environment with no cliques where members can develop strong ties. This means connecting members with similar values or status and common interests, while making sure that cliques do not develop. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, satisfaction with professional women’s networks has never been studied. The authors’ highlight the role of strong ties in these networks and identify the contingent effect of cliques.

When signal swamps substance: the effects of multi-unit discount’s positive and negative cues on sales

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 750-758
Author(s):  
Devon DelVecchio ◽  
Timothy B. Heath ◽  
Max Chauvin
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiment ◽  
Single Unit ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Unit Price ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Volume Increase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perishable Goods ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Purchase Quantity

Purpose Multi-unit discounts (MUDs, e.g. “3 for $4”) typically increase sales relative to other discounting frames. This study demonstrates the value of MUDs by showing that positive multi-unit price/quantity signals are potent enough to match and even exceed the sales produced by larger discounts on single items. However, there is reason to believe that MUDs can produce neutral effects in some cases (e.g. among consumers interested in only single-unit purchases) and even negative effects in others. In addition, the study considers whether MUDs can, in some cases, reduce purchase quantities by signaling smaller-than-otherwise-planned purchase amounts and/or lower-quality products. Design/methodology/approach The effectiveness of MUDs is tested in both the field and lab. Study 1 models purchase quantities stemming from 2,374 purchases of discounted items at a mass retailer. Purchased products ranged in type from pantry items to apparel and electronics, and ranged in price from 44¢ to $99.99. There were 1,530 single-unit discounts, 596 two-unit discounts and 248 discounts, involving three or more units. Study 2 consists of a laboratory experiment that overcomes the shortcomings of Study 1 by accounting for non-purchasers, controlling for product classes and testing whether smaller MUDs can lead to lower purchase quantities for larger-purchase-quantity products. Findings The results of both the field study and the laboratory experiment indicate that MUDs’ monetary cue (savings) and purchase-quantity cue (volume) increase purchase quantities. Generally, purchase quantities increased monotonically with the number of units offered in the discount. In fact, the quantity cue is so effective that it can increase sales enough as to substitute for larger discounts. However, in some instances, MUDs can decrease intended purchase quantities. The negative effect of MUDs is the most pronounced for larger unit deals, offering deeper discounts on perishable goods. Originality/value This research is the first to demonstrate that the power of the signals provided by MUDs may be so positive as to lead them to be more effective than discounts of substantially larger value but also so negative as to render them less effective than single-units discounts. This negative outcome poses a threat beyond those typically associated with discounts, in that rather than consumers simply discounting a discount, in which case the discount remains positive even if their impact at the margin wanes, the MUD frame may actually reduce sales.

Reaction of users as potential victims of information security breach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suparak Janjarasjit ◽  
Siew H. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Information Security ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Security Breach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Intensity ◽  
Good Intention ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
A Company

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine whether users’ perceived moral affect explains the effect of perceived intensity of emotional distress on responsibility judgment of a perpetrator and company, respectively, in an ill and good intention breach. Design/methodology/approach Participants completed a questionnaire containing items measuring their perceived intensity of emotional distress, perceived moral affect and responsibility judgment of a perpetrator and company, respectively. Findings The results support the mediating hypothesis on responsibility judgment of a perpetrator regardless of intention. The mediating hypothesis is also supported in an ill intention breach in responsibility judgment of a company. However, the mediating effect is not observed in a good intention breach when users assess a company’s responsibility. Originality/value The findings support the notion that users use the consequentialism approach when assessing a perpetrator’s responsibility because they focus on the victims’ emotional distress and discount a perpetrator’s intent, resulting in similar mediating effect of perceived moral affect in an ill and good intention breach. The results also indicate that perceived moral affect increases the negative effect of perceived intensity of emotional distress on responsibility judgment of a company, suggesting that users may exhibit empathetic feelings toward a company and perceive it as a victim of an ill intention breach. The lack of mediating effect in responsibility judgment of a company in a good intention breach may be attributed to the diminished effect of a perpetrator’s feelings of regret, sorrow, guilt and shame for causing emotional distress to the victims.

The effect of corporate political advocacy on brand perception: an event study analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Klostermann ◽  
Chris Hydock ◽  
Reinhold Decker
Keyword(s):  
Event Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Political Advocacy ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Brand Perception

Purpose In recent years, brands have increasingly engaged in corporate political advocacy (CPA; also termed brand activism or corporate sociopolitical activity) by taking positions on polarizing sociopolitical issues. Recent experimental research suggests that consumers respond to CPA based on its alignment with their own values, and that it typically induces an overall negative response. This study aims to provide additional insights by exploring consumer brand perceptions following CPA. Design/methodology/approach An event study of 106 CPA events and weekly consumer brand perception data was conducted. A regression model was used to investigate the moderating effects of CPA effort, concurrence and the strength of the online protests evoked by the CPA. Findings The results show that CPA had a negative effect on consumers’ brand perceptions and that the effect was stronger for customers relative to non-customers. The negative effect was attenuated by CPA concurrence and amplified by effort. Additionally, online protests were driven by the CPA effort and had a strong negative effect on brand perception. Online protests were stronger in the past, and, in turn, the negative effects of CPA on brand perceptions have slightly weakened in recent years. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the role of online protests following CPA and distinguishing consumer and customer responses. This study also provides converging evidence of the moderating effects of effort and concurrence identified in previous studies.

Does housing market impair employment in The Czech Republic?

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Konecný ◽  
Dominik Stroukal
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Detrimental Effect ◽  
Western World ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Building Societies ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The main aim of this paper is to find whether homeownership can have detrimental effect on employment in The Czech Republic. Design/methodology/approach – Oswald’s conjecture is tested on the set of panel data across Czech regions between the years of 2005 and 2012. Findings – By testing a model similar to Oswald’s, this paper receives the similar result that the rate of homeownership leads to higher rate of unemployment in following years. The second model tested in the paper does not support previous findings that regional rate of homeownership has negative effect on individual’s probability of being unemployed. Research limitations/implications – Findings of this paper are valid only for The Czech Republic. Possible refinements to the model are presented as inspiration for further research. Practical implications – Results bring a powerful argument into debate about subsidization of homeowners through building societies. Originality/value – This paper is a first examination of Oswald’s hypothesis in The Czech Republic. It opens a debate about whether Oswald’s conjecture holds outside of the Western world.

Teacher’s turnover intentions

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 828-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabia Imran ◽  
Kamaal Allil ◽  
Ali Bassam Mahmoud
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Sultanate Of Oman ◽  
Continuance Commitment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the path of motivation leading to organizational commitment resulting in reduced turnover intentions (TIs). It examine the relationship between dimensions of motivation (amotivation, introjected regulations (IRs) and intrinsic motivation (IM)) with dimensions of commitment (affective, normative and continuance). Furthermore, it test the effect of these three dimensions of commitment on TIs. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 467 teachers working in public schools in Dhofar Governate in Sultanate of Oman was selected for the study. A path analysis was conducted to test the hypothesized model. Findings The analysis unveils that teacher’s TIs can be reduced with a right mix of motivation and commitment. Furthermore, amotivation is only linked to affective commitment and this linkage is positive; IRs positively affect continuance and normative commitment (NC); and IM positively affects affective commitment and NC. Moreover, a significant negative effect of affective, normative and continuance commitment is found on TIs. Originality/value This research sheds light on how motivation can indirectly affect TI through commitment. This study is of immense importance as it focuses on the education sector in Oman especially in Dhofar Governate.

The effect of task conflict on outsourcers’ long-term orientation toward suppliers: the moderating role of formal control and Chinese guanxi

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuting Li ◽  
Mark H. Haney ◽  
Gukseong Lee ◽  
Mingu Kang ◽  
Changsuk Ko
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Task Conflict ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Formal Control ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the antecedents of manufacturing firms’ long-term orientation towards their suppliers in the context of outsourcing relationships in China. Design/methodology/approach Based on survey data collected from 224 manufacturing firms in China, this study examines the hypothesized relationships. Findings The results show that task conflict has a negative effect on long-term orientation, both Chinese guanxi and formal control are useful governance mechanisms to enhance long-term orientation, and the negative effect of task conflict on the long-term orientation weakens as Chinese guanxi between a manufacturer and its supplier increases. Originality/value This study contributes to a better understanding of conflict management in outsourcing relationships in China.

Effect of religiosity on the decision to participate in a boycott

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fawzi Dekhil ◽  
Hajer Jridi ◽  
Hana Farhat
Keyword(s):  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Present Model ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Analyses ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Israeli Army ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This research aims to analyze the effects of religiosity on the decision to participate in a boycott and the effect of a boycott on attitudes toward the boycotted brand. It also aims to measure the moderating effect of brand loyalty on the different models the authors discuss. Design/methodology/approach An experiment involving 165 Tunisian individuals during a call for a boycott of products of the Coca-Cola Company, which supports the Israeli army against Palestine, was conducted. Data analyses were conducted via two principal stages using SPSS 20.0 and Smart PLS 2.0. Findings The findings show that degree of religiosity was one of the antecedents of decision to participate in a boycott, and this decision has a negative effect on the attitude toward the brand being boycotted. The paper also has been able to show that brand loyalty moderates the relation of the present model. It diminishes the effect of religiosity on boycotting. Research limitations/implications Among the limits of the study is the fact that the authors relied on the investigation of only one product/brand (namely, Coca-Cola). In addition, the samples subjected to inquiry by the authors were chosen for their convenience. Practical implications Besides, the presentation of boycotted products in stores has a negative effect on the sales of the surrounding “non-boycotted” products (Friedman, 1999a). The authors note here that marketers can derive huge benefits from the exploration of boycott, for many reasons. The company must insist on the satisfaction and trust of their consumers, which are the bases of the loyalty. They must define the marketing strategy to increase the loyalty. This will diminish the effect of religiosity on the decision to participate in the boycott. Social implications The results allow us to assert that the decision to participate in a boycott has a negative effect on the attitude of the consumer and on the brand to be boycotted. Investigating the moderating effect of loyalty on the relation between religiosity and the decision to participate in a boycott is very interesting. Originality/value This research has shown that religiosity has a positive effect on boycotting. Also, it was found that a boycott has a negative effect on attitudes toward the boycotted brand. Therefore, brand loyalty moderates negatively the effect of religiosity on the decision to participate in the boycott and moderates the effect of the boycott on brand attitude.

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