scholarly journals New short scale to measure workers’ attitudes toward the implementation of cooperative robots in industrial work settings: Instrument development and exploration of attitude structure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedikt Leichtmann ◽  
Johanna Hartung ◽  
Oliver Wilhelm ◽  
Verena Nitsch
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Control ◽  
Job Insecurity ◽  
Small World ◽  
Industrial Robots ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Short Scale ◽  
Trust In Management ◽  
Two Samples

Technological innovations are oftentimes accompanied by organizational change processes. A new context-specific questionnaire was developed as a diagnostic tool to measure workers’ attitudes toward mobile manufacturing robots to provide a basis for managerial decisions and interventions – the “Attitudes toward Cooperative Industrial Robots Questionnaire” (ACIR-Q). Two samples, an online sample of 355 German manufacturing workers and a field sample of 201 workers from 4 local manufacturing companies were collected. For a large item pool, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify the attitudinal factor structure. Data showed a combined affective-behavioral factor and two cognitive factors on task-related and social-related beliefs. Based on this, the 12-item short scale ACIR-Q was derived using ant colony optimization. As attitudes can also be interpreted as networks of evaluative responses, network analysis was used for further insights. The small-world network structure (high clustering and connectivity) allows to hold complex attitudes and centrality measures indicate the most influential evaluative responses. Additionally, we explored relationships between workers attitudes and interpersonal variables (perceived competence, perceived control, and general self-efficacy), as well as organizational variables (trust in management, support climate, job insecurity and job characteristics). Based on the results, practical implications are suggested to improve workers’ attitudes.

Analysis of Oncogene Protein Structure Using Small World Network Concept

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 732-740
Author(s):  
Neetu Kumari ◽  
Anshul Verma
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Protein Structure ◽  
Degree Distribution ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Small World ◽  
Extreme Condition ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Small World Network ◽  
Network Concept ◽  
Oncogene Protein

Background: The basic building block of a body is protein which is a complex system whose structure plays a key role in activation, catalysis, messaging and disease states. Therefore, careful investigation of protein structure is necessary for the diagnosis of diseases and for the drug designing. Protein structures are described at their different levels of complexity: primary (chain), secondary (helical), tertiary (3D), and quaternary structure. Analyzing complex 3D structure of protein is a difficult task but it can be analyzed as a network of interconnection between its component, where amino acids are considered as nodes and interconnection between them are edges. Objective: Many literature works have proven that the small world network concept provides many new opportunities to investigate network of biological systems. The objective of this paper is analyzing the protein structure using small world concept. Methods: Protein is analyzed using small world network concept, specifically where extreme condition is having a degree distribution which follows power law. For the correct verification of the proposed approach, dataset of the Oncogene protein structure is analyzed using Python programming. Results: Protein structure is plotted as network of amino acids (Residue Interaction Graph (RIG)) using distance matrix of nodes with given threshold, then various centrality measures (i.e., degree distribution, Degree-Betweenness correlation, and Betweenness-Closeness correlation) are calculated for 1323 nodes and graphs are plotted. Conclusion: Ultimately, it is concluded that there exist hubs with higher centrality degree but less in number, and they are expected to be robust toward harmful effects of mutations with new functions.

The effect of management and employee perspectives of high-performance work systems on employees’ discretionary behaviour

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Unai Elorza ◽  
Christopher Harris ◽  
Aitor Aritzeta ◽  
Nekane Balluerka
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Work Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
High Performance Work Systems ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand how management and employee perspectives of high-performance work systems (HPWS) relate to employee discretionary behaviour. In addition, the paper examines to what extent the relationship between employees’ perception of the HPWS and discretionary behaviour varies among different organizations/groups. Design/methodology/approach – Two samples were used in the study. The first sample included data from 51 managers and 1,023 employees from 26 manufacturing companies. The second sample included 52 managers and 6,382 employees from 42 manufacturing companies. Findings – The study shows that employee rated HPWS mediates the relationship between management rated HPWS and individual-level discretionary behaviour. Moreover, results showed that the effect of employee rated HPWS on discretionary behaviour varies among different organizations/groups. Practical implications – Results show that employee perceptions of the HPWS more strongly predict employees’ discretionary behaviour than management rated HPWS. Moreover, it shows that employees’ perceptions of the same HPWS, but operating in different organizational contexts exhibit different levels of discretionary behaviour. Originality/value – The study differentiates between management and employee perspectives of the HPWS. It also examines the variability of the relationship between HPWS and discretionary behaviour. Multilevel structural equation modelling is used to test the hypotheses.

scholarly journals Process Capability Database Usage in Industry: Myth vs. Reality

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Tata ◽  
Anna C. Thornton
Keyword(s):  
Process Capability ◽  
Manufacturing Industries ◽  
Design Management ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Design And Manufacturing ◽  
A Company

Abstract Process capability data (PCD) is used during design to assess manufacturability, allocate tolerances, and evaluate robustness. Process capability databases (PCDBs)1 have been developed by many design/manufacturing industries to capture their process capability and communicate it to the entire organization. While these databases are being used to monitor quality, they are not being effectively utilized by design. A survey of design and manufacturing companies was used to determine both how PCD is being used and the barriers preventing design from fully utilizing PCD. Two key barriers were identified: lack of a company-wide vision for PCD usage and poor communication between manufacturing and design. Management support, training, database population, common databases, and common indexing schemes were identified as solutions to these barriers.

Threat of losing valued job features: The role of perceived control in mediating the effect of qualitative job insecurity on job strain and psychological withdrawal

Work & Stress ◽  
2014 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinne Vander Elst ◽  
Anne Richter ◽  
Magnus Sverke ◽  
Katharina Näswall ◽  
Nele De Cuyper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Control ◽  
Job Strain ◽  
Job Insecurity

scholarly journals On the reciprocal relationship between job insecurity and employee well-being: Mediation by perceived control?

2014 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinne Vander Elst ◽  
Anja Van den Broeck ◽  
Nele De Cuyper ◽  
Hans De Witte
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Control ◽  
Job Insecurity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship

scholarly journals Customers as Co-Creators: Antecedents of Customer Participation in Online Virtual Communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (24) ◽  
pp. 4998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
Zhongqiu Li ◽  
Yingying Su ◽  
Shanshan Wu ◽  
Boyou Li
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Control ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
Customer Participation ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Perceived Ease Of Use ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Hedonic Benefits

The development of internet technology and the popularity of smartphones has been gradually affecting people’s daily lives, thus causing subtle changes to their health. Manufacturing companies are increasingly establishing virtual communities to motivate customers to participate in new product development. However, the reasons that customers participate in the innovation process and the timing of participation remain under-researched. Hence, using data on 517 customers of 14 manufacturing enterprises, we investigate the reasons behind such participation and the moderating role of perceived ease of use and perceived control based on the social exchange theory. Results show that learning benefits, integrative benefits, and hedonic benefits have positive effects on participation. Perceived ease of use strengthens the positive relationship between integrative benefits and customer participation. Perceived control strengthens the positive relationship between hedonic benefits and customer participation. Theoretical implications and managerial practices are also discussed.

scholarly journals Is job insecurity always bad? The moderating role of job embeddedness in the relationship between job insecurity and job performance

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Qian ◽  
Qinghong Yuan ◽  
Wanjie Niu ◽  
Zhaoyan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Interaction Effect ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Job Insecurity ◽  
Job Embeddedness ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Considering the mixed results of the relationship between job insecurity and job performance, this study investigated the interaction effect of job insecurity and job embeddedness on job performance and examined the mediating role of affective commitment from the perspectives of conservation of resources theory and social exchange theory. A survey of 725 contract employees from two Chinese private manufacturing companies revealed that when employees had high levels of job embeddedness, job insecurity was significantly and positively related to job performance. In contrast, job insecurity was significantly and negatively related to job performance when there were low levels of job embeddedness. Furthermore, the results indicated that affective commitment mediated the interaction effect. The above conclusions not only illustrate the important role of job embeddedness in the relationship between job insecurity and job performance but also provide beneficial ideas and information to organisations and employees for managing job insecurity.

COPING WITH COVID-19: RESILIENCE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 561-570
Author(s):  
Edward D. Sturman
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Upstate New York ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Introduction: As the novel coronavirus rapidly spreads around the world it will become increasingly important to understand its psychological impacts on the larger population. Few studies have been conducted in this regard, which is unsurprising considering the sudden emergence of the disease. Methods: The present study looked at mood (anxiety and depression), stress, resilience, grit, perceived control, happiness, and satisfaction with life in two samples hailing from small towns in upstate New York. These outcomes were assessed at two time points: pre-coronavirus (November/December 2019) and peak-coronavirus (mid-April 2020). Results: Contrary to expectations, the results indicated no significant differences on any of the variables between the pre-coronavirus sample and the peak-coronavirus sample. Discussion: The results suggested that people, at least in this region of the United States and more broadly in smaller towns, may be psychologically coping with the pandemic to a better degree than might be expected. This finding may be useful to policy makers and health care workers.

Virtual Designing of Robotic Workstations

2016 ◽  
Vol 844 ◽  
pp. 31-37
Author(s):  
Łukasz Sobaszek ◽  
Arkadiusz Gola ◽  
Jozef Varga
Keyword(s):  
Production Process ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Industrial Robots ◽  
Basic Information ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Work Analysis ◽  
Constant Increase ◽  
The Future ◽  
Set Up

The number of companies that decide to employ industrial robots to facilitate their production process is on the constant increase. Implementation of such solutions requires deep analysis of manifold aspects of such an endeavour. Apart from the economical face of the problem, there appear issues connected with integration of robots with the existing manufacturing infrastructure. Hence software enabling simulation and analysis of a robot work in the future environment is in demand. The following article is devoted to the problem of virtual designing of robotic workstations. The work presents basic information regarding application of robots in manufacturing companies and introduces typical software for simulation and programming of industrial robots. What is more, the process of designing a virtual environment and conducting analysis of robot work analysis is presented based on the laboratory set-up with Kawasaki RS003N robot. Finally, other examples of virtually designed robotic workstations are introduced.

scholarly journals Six Sigma enablers in Mexican manufacturing companies: a proposed model

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (5) ◽  
pp. 926-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Tlapa ◽  
Jorge Limon ◽  
Jorge L García-Alcaraz ◽  
Yolanda Baez ◽  
Cuauhtémoc Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Six Sigma ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Variation Reduction ◽  
Proposed Model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of Six Sigma (SS) and the underlying dimensions of its critical success factors (CSF) via an analysis of the effects of top management support (TMS), implementation strategy (IS), and collaborative team (CT) on project performance (PP) in Mexican manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a SS literature review, a survey was conducted to capture practitioners’ viewpoints about CSFs for SS implementation and their impact on performance in manufacturing companies. A factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted in order to identify and analyze causal relationships. Findings – The results suggest that CSFs grouped in the constructs TMS, IS, and CT have a positive impact on PP as measured by cost reduction, variation reduction, and quality improvement. Research limitations/implications – Although the empirical data collected supported the proposed model, results might differ among organizations in different countries. In addition, the study did not analyze a unique performance metric; instead, general PP dimensions were used. Practical implications – Boosting the TMS, IS, and CT enhances positive PP of SS in manufacturing companies. Originality/value – IS as a construct has not been studied exhaustively; this work contributes to a better understanding of it and its impact on PP. Additionally, studies of SS in Latin America are limited, so this study gives a complementary vision to practitioners and researchers about it.

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