scholarly journals It takes two to tango

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1312-1339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karlos Artto ◽  
Virpi Turkulainen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop further understanding of the interdependence between product and organization subsystems in the context of major projects by empirically elaborating the volume-variety matrix. Design/methodology/approach Projects are perceived as systems that include a product subsystem (the project outcome) and an organization subsystem (the temporary multi-firm organizational network that produces the project outcome). This study addresses product-organization interdependence by analyzing product and organization subsystem components in terms of their uniqueness and reuse across multiple projects. The empirical analysis focuses on four global renewable fuels refinery projects implemented by Neste from 2003 to 2011. The refineries are based on the same proprietary technology but are unique at the project level. Findings The findings indicate interesting interdependencies between product and organization subsystems when analyzed at the component level: the findings suggest both diagonal and off-diagonal positions in the volume-variety matrix. An example of an off-diagonal position is a reused organization subsystem component associated with a unique product subsystem component, meaning that choosing the same organization in a future project can be used for acquiring an improved and, thereby, unique product subsystem component. Originality/value The study elaborates upon the volume-variety matrix in the context of major projects. The findings related to off-diagonal positions in the matrix provide new knowledge on combinations at the component level where a reused organization can be associated with a unique product, and vice versa. This has direct implications for management of projects.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 861-873
Author(s):  
Ş. Hakan Atapek ◽  
Spiros Pantelakis ◽  
Şeyda Polat ◽  
Apostolos Chamos ◽  
Gülşah Aktaş Çelik

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the fatigue behavior of precipitation-strengthened Cu‒2.55Ni‒0.55Si alloy, modified by the addition of 0.25 Cr and 0.25 Zr (wt%), using mechanical and fractographical studies to reveal the effect of microstructural features on the fracture. Design/methodology/approach For strengthening, cast and hot forged alloy was subjected to solution annealing at 900°C for 60 min, followed by quenching in water and then aging at 490°C for 180 min. Precipitation-hardened alloy was exposed to fatigue tests at R=−1 and different stress levels. All fracture surfaces were examined within the frame of fractographical analysis. Findings Fine Ni-rich silicides responsible for the precipitation strengthening were observed within the matrix and their interactions with the dislocations at lower stress level resulted in localized shearing and fine striations. Although, by the addition of Cr and Zr, the matrix consisted of hard Ni, Zr-rich and Cr-rich silicides, these precipitates adversely affected the fatigue behavior acting as nucleation sites for cracks. Originality/value These findings contribute to the present knowledge by revealing the effect of microstructural features on the mechanical behavior of precipitation-hardened Cu‒Ni‒Si alloy modified by Cr and Zr addition.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 3386-3405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Hassani ◽  
Arash Shahin ◽  
Manouchehr Kheradmandnia

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the application of C-shaped QFD 3D Matrix in comparing process characteristics (PC), performance aspects (PA) and customer requirements, simultaneously and to prioritize the first two sets, respectively. Design/methodology/approach A three dimensional matrix has been developed with three sets of PC, PA and customers’ requirements and C-shaped matrix has been applied for simultaneous comparison of the dimensions and prioritization of the subsets of PC and PA. The proposed approach has been examined in a post bank. Findings Findings confirm the possibility of simultaneous comparison and prioritization of the three sets of dimensions of this study in post bank services. In addition, “growth and learning” and “bilateral relationship with suppliers” had the first priorities among PA and PC, respectively. Research limitations/implications While the proposed approach has many advantages, filling the matrixes is time-consuming. Since illustrating the 3D matrix was not possible, the matrix was separated into five two-dimensional matrixes. Originality/value Compared to the studied literature, the proposed approach is practically new in the post bank services.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Wang ◽  
Nanyue Xu ◽  
Pengyuan Wu ◽  
Rongfei Yang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a new hydrostatic actuator controlled by a piezoelectric piston pump and to reveal its characteristics. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, a piezoelectric pump with passive poppet valves and hydraulic displacement amplifier is designed as a new control component in a hydrostatic actuator for high actuation capacity. A component-level mathematical model is established to describe the system characteristics. Simulation verification for cases under typical conditions is implemented to evaluate the delivery behavior of the pump and the carrying ability of the actuator. Findings By using the displacement amplifier and the passive distributing valves, simulation demonstrates that the pump can deliver flow rate up to 3 L/min, and the actuator controlled by this pump can push an object weighing approximately 50 kg. In addition, it is particularly important to decide a proper amplification ratio of the amplifier in the pump for better actuation performance. Originality/value The piezoelectric pump presented in this paper has its potential to light hydrostatic actuator. The model constructed in this paper is valid for characteristic analysis and performance evaluation of this pump and actuators.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnathan Djabarouti ◽  
Christopher O'Flaherty

PurposeArchitects and craftspeople work together on complicated built heritage projects as part of a diverse multidisciplinary team. Effective interactions and collaborations between them can lead to a more successful project outcome; however, differing perceptions of each other can cause professional relationship tensions, communicative barriers and disharmony.Design/methodology/approachThrough the analysis of online surveys completed by architects and craftspeople, this study examines the contemporary relationship between the two groups, including the architect's perceptions of the function of traditional building craft within their day-to-day role.FindingsFindings suggest that whilst both groups agree that the craftsperson is an essential specialist on a built heritage scheme, there are contradictory perceptions with regard to the architect's role. Despite these differences, the results suggest that architects are open to accommodating more exposure to craftspeople and traditional building craft within their day-to-day role – believing they would learn more about building materials, make better practical decisions and understand craftspeople better. More importantly, this study proposes that a focus on craft would break down communicative and perceptual barriers, in turn improving relationships and project outcomes.Originality/valueThe study strongly suggests that traditional building craft can form an essential, tangible bond between architects and craftspeople by increasing focus on relationships and learning. The insights offered are relevant not only to those in the fields of architecture and traditional building craft but also to those involved in heritage management, as well as other professional roles, who may benefit from the use of craft as a method to repair professional relationships, as well as historic buildings.


2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 1307-1327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Aloini ◽  
Valentina Lazzarotti ◽  
Raffaella Manzini ◽  
Luisa Pellegrini

Purpose Intellectual property protection mechanisms (IPPMs) include a variety of methods suitable for protecting valuable intangible assets of companies, and it is of great relevance to study how companies use these mechanisms to ensure the appropriability of innovation, in a context in which innovation is increasingly open. Indeed, there is a tension between the aim to share knowledge with external partners and the need to protect valuable know-how. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship among the use of IPPMs, open innovation (OI), and the innovation performance of companies. Design/methodology/approach The study is based upon a survey conducted on 477 firms from Finland, Italy, Sweden, and UK in 2012. Findings The study shows that IPPMs have an indirect impact on innovation performance, mediated by the degree of openness. More precisely, IPPMs positively influence the level of openness, which, in turn, positively influences the innovation performance. Originality/value The empirical analysis contributes on two issues widely debated in the literature: the impact of IPPMs on innovation performance and the role of IPPMs as enablers or disablers of OI.


Author(s):  
Christopher J. Harris ◽  
Kristen Chierus ◽  
Timothy C. Edson

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the prevalence of the use of discipline matrices across large US police departments, as well as to compare the structure and content of such matrices. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a two phase approach. Phase I consisted of a brief online survey of a stratified, random sample of police departments with 100 or more sworn police officers and asked about whether or not the agency employed a discipline matrix. Phase II consisted of requesting a copy of the matrix and corresponding materials from all agencies who indicated they employed a matrix, and analyzing the content of those matrices. Findings – In total, 37 percent of responding agencies said they are using or are planning a discipline matrix, and the authors obtained a matrix from 32 police departments. The structure of the matrices and recommended discipline varied widely across these departments, indicating a lack of consensus on the development of this relatively new accountability tool. Research limitations/implications – The survey focussed on large police departments and the response rate was somewhat lower than other past national surveys. Practical implications – Discipline matrices are employed to a greater extent than is implied by the current research literature. The lack of consensus and variability in policies around matrices indicates a need for more research which could contribute toward the formation of a model policy in this regard. Originality/value – To date the prevalence of discipline matrices across US police departments was unknown, and very little was known about how they were structured or what comprised their content.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Oliva

Purpose According to the INTERPOL definition, money laundering is: “any act or attempted act to conceal or disguise the identity of illegally obtained proceeds so that they appear to have originated from legitimate sources”. Along this line, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the link amongst money laundering, mafia and food activities, in the Italian provinces. Design/methodology/approach By using annual data over the period 2010 to 2018, the author estimates balanced panel data using the instrumental variables approach. The analysis includes both fixed and random effects, as well as robustness checks. Findings The main findings of this paper reveal that, in most Italian provinces, money launderers are deterred by the probability of being identified. In particular, the deterrent action of police and investigative forces seems to be very effective. Moreover, the results of the empirical analysis show that mafia-type organisations and food activities are positively correlated with money laundering. Originality/value This paper aims to provide a specific study on the link between apparently legal activities (food and beverage) and money laundering; a link that has so far been analysed mainly on a theoretical level. Moreover, it provides several insights in terms of policy implications.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsolt Zalka

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to present a possible way of discourse analysis of the meaning giving processes in a therapeutic community (TC). Design/methodology/approach Presentation of a research project, which aim is to analyse the attitudes towards the large group within the TC, is based on analysing the conceptual metaphors in semi-structured interviews. Findings The findings delineate a possible discourse, namely, the TC’s hidden discourse of working through the mirror-transference at the community level. Practical implications The paper proposes a possible content analysis method for better understanding the deep processes of the TC by examining the large group. Social implications The paper emphasizes the matrix of a TC as a mentalizing scene. Originality/value The use of linguistic methods in understanding the hidden community level mentalizing processes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 855-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Quesada Chaves

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence regarding the springboard regionalization strategy implemented by multinationals entering Latin America and the organizational networks developed to serve this end. Design/methodology/approach Using the organizational network approach, a typology is developed to explain the Springboard network. Quantitative analysis is used, in the form of logistic binary regression, to study these networks composition. Findings From a sample of 154 subsidiaries extracted from the AMADEUS intelligent database, three categories for multinational’s networks are created, with the Spanish subsidiary acting as the leader: strategic centers (SCs), administrative centers (ACs) and regional headquaters (RHQs). Findings provide evidence of cultural features, industry behavior and the multinational’s size and entry mode influence these networks organization. Research limitations/implications It is proposed that culture and historical ties have evolved together and management scholars should be aware of this phenomenon. Specific limitation that this study exhibits is the data provided by AMADEUS and the fact that R&D information for both the Spanish and the Latin American subsidiary were not available. Practical implications Staffing composition and expatriate corporate policy should consider the springboard effect to manage springboard networks. Social implications Industries and authorities in all countries involved should be aware of their role in MNC strategies for regional expansion. Originality/value It is argued that a network of subsidiaries within the multinational can participation in the springboard behavior, which is determined by the culture that the multinational originates from, as well as the Spanish culture, creating a particular type of leadership.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-315
Author(s):  
Wei Yu ◽  
Junpeng Chen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of enriching the library subject headings with folksonomy for enhancing the visibility and usability of the library subject headings. Design/methodology/approach The WorldCat-million data set and SocialBM0311 are preprocessing and over 210,000 library catalog records and 124,482 non-repeating tags were adopted to construct the matrix to observe the semantic relation between library subject headings and folksonomy. The proposed system is compared with the state-of-the-art methods and the parameters are fixed to obtain effective performance. Findings The results demonstrate that by integrating different semantic relations from library subject headings and folksonomy, the system’s performance can be improved compared to the benchmark methods. The evaluation results also show that the folksonomy can enrich library subject headings through the semantic relationship. Originality/value The proposed method simultaneous weighted matrix factorization can integrate the semantic relation from the library subject headings and folksonomy into one semantic space. The observation of the semantic relation between library subject headings and social tags from folksonomy can help enriching the library subject headings and improving the visibility of the library subject headings.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document