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1 – 10 of over 2000
Article
Publication date: 9 October 2009

Yi‐Shou Wang, Hong‐Fei Teng and Yan‐Jun Shi

The purpose of this paper is to tackle a satellite module layout design problem (SMLDP). As a complex engineering layout and combinatorial optimization problem, SMLDP cannot be…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to tackle a satellite module layout design problem (SMLDP). As a complex engineering layout and combinatorial optimization problem, SMLDP cannot be solved effectively by traditional exact methods. Although evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have shown some promise of tackling SMLDP in previous work, the solution quality and computational efficiency still pose a challenge. This paper aims to address these two issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Scatter search (SS) and a cooperative co‐evolutionary architecture are integrated to form a new approach called a cooperative co‐evolutionary scatter search (CCSS). The cooperative co‐evolutionary architecture is characterized by the decomposition and cooperation for dealing with complex engineering problems. SS is a flexible meta‐heuristic method that can effectively solve the combinatorial optimization problems. Designing the elements of SS is context‐dependent. Considering the characteristics of SMLDP, our work focuses on two folds: the diversification method, and the reference set update method. The diversification method is built on the method of coordinate transformation and the controlled randomness. The reference set is updated by the static method on the basis of two dissimilarities. Two test problems for circles packing illustrated the capacity of SS. However, when solving SMLDP, SS shows some limitations in the computational time and quality. This study adopts divide‐conquer‐coordination strategy to decompose SMLDP into several layout sub‐problems. Then CCSS is applied to cooperatively solve these sub‐problems. The experimental results illustrate the capability of the proposed approach in tackling the complex problem with less computational effort.

Findings

Applying CCSS to SMLDP can obtain satisfying solutions in terms of quality and computational efficiency. This contrasts with the limiting experimental results of SMLDP with some approaches (including modified SS).

Originality/value

A new CCSS is proposed to provide an effective and efficient way of solving SMLDP. Some elements of SS are improved to address the layout problem. SMLDP is decomposed into several sub‐problems that can be solved cooperatively by CCSS after its characteristics are taken into consideration.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 26 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 November 2022

Teng Zhang and Andrew T. Soderberg

This paper aims to examine how individuals are perceived by their coworkers, specifically how individuals’ gender and parental status affect how much social status they are…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how individuals are perceived by their coworkers, specifically how individuals’ gender and parental status affect how much social status they are accorded in the workplace, and the extent to which they are trusted by their coworkers.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors recruited an online sample of adults across North America to respond to survey questions about one of their current or former coworkers. Information was collected to determine the gender and parental status of this coworker and their perceptions of this person’s social status and how much they trusted this person.

Findings

The results showed that having children can affect how individuals are perceived by their coworkers. Specifically, compared with working men without children, working fathers were perceived to have higher status and were trusted more by their coworkers. In addition, working mothers were perceived by their coworkers to have higher status than, and trusted as much as, working women without children. Exploratory analyses revealed that working fathers were also perceived to be warmer than working men without children.

Originality/value

This study examines important workplace perceptions of parents from the perspective of their coworkers rather than from the employer perspective that is largely based on hypothetical scenarios as used in previous research.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal , vol. 38 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2021

Teng Zhang and Andrew T. Soderberg

Drawing on moral foundations theory (MFT), this paper aims to examine the relationship between community-level political ideology, organisational performance and leader tenure by…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on moral foundations theory (MFT), this paper aims to examine the relationship between community-level political ideology, organisational performance and leader tenure by proposing and testing an “ideology-authority hypothesis” wherein political ideology moderates the relationship between organisational performance decline and leader tenure in organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used archival data pertaining to the performance of teams from the National Basketball Association (NBA), the tenure of the head coaches and the voting record of the communities in which the teams are located. The authors used hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) to test the relationships among these variables at multiple levels.

Findings

The results provided empirical support for the “ideology-authority hypothesis”. Specifically, the magnitude of team winning percentage decrease from the previous season is positively associated with the tenure of the head coach in teams located in more conservative communities but not in teams located in more liberal communities.

Originality/value

This study examines leadership stability and change by highlighting the moral foundation of authority/subversion. The findings also illustrate the importance of a community-level variable – the general political climate of the community in which an organisation is embedded – in organisational decision-making.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 31 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 December 2019

Andrew T. Soderberg, Teng Zhang and Brad Lytle

Drawing on moral foundations theory, this paper aims to investigate the moral component of loyalty, a critical determinant of long-term organisational success.

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on moral foundations theory, this paper aims to investigate the moral component of loyalty, a critical determinant of long-term organisational success.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper contains two studies using archival data gathered from the Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association in the USA.

Findings

This paper finds empirical support for the “ideology-loyalty hypothesis” – namely, fans in more politically conservative communities are more loyal to their professional sports teams than those in more liberal ones.

Originality/value

These findings contribute to a growing literature on the moral roots of organisational phenomena by providing evidence of community-level effects of political ideology on loyalty. Based on these findings, this paper suggests that when making strategic decisions (e.g. expansion into a new market), organisations need to pay attention to the political climate of the communities in which they operate (or intend to operate) to achieve and sustain organisational success.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 28 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 June 2023

Teng Zhang and Andrew T. Soderberg

Drawing on research in the social psychology and political science literatures, this research aims to examine how political moderates perceive, and are perceived by, their…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on research in the social psychology and political science literatures, this research aims to examine how political moderates perceive, and are perceived by, their co-workers with differing political ideologies in an organisational context, with a focus on the perceptions of social status.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypotheses regarding the social status perceptions of and by political moderates in the workplace, the authors conducted an online experiment in which working adults read a hypothetical workplace scenario and then assessed the social status of a co-worker based on the political ideology of that co-worker.

Findings

The results largely supported the two hypothesised asymmetries of social perceptions of and by political moderates in an organisational context. Specifically, political moderates were perceived to have higher social status by their moderate and conservative co-workers than by their liberal co-workers. In addition, political moderates perceived moderate co-workers to have higher social status than conservative ones.

Originality/value

This research investigates the influence of political ideology on social status perceptions in organisations by focusing on the previously underexamined political moderates. The findings illustrate the importance of political moderates, who tend to espouse a moderate level of resistance to social change, in the process of developing a functional hierarchy and balancing change and stability in organisations.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 2 August 2021

Jun Teng and Na An

With the rapid development of the Chinese economy and society, the number of international schools in China has increased sharply. As a core part of school quality, the curriculum…

Abstract

With the rapid development of the Chinese economy and society, the number of international schools in China has increased sharply. As a core part of school quality, the curriculum development in international schools is facing a series of challenges due to the changing requirements from both the government and the market. In order to better understand the current practices of curriculum development in these international schools in China, this study adopts Tyler’s and Gu’s curriculum theories to design a questionnaire to collect data from 104 international schools national-wide. In addition, a semi-structured interview for teachers and principals was also conducted in nine international schools in five different cities in China.

The findings show that most international schools aim at cultivating “global citizens” or “leaders and elites.” In China, most schools attach importance to foreign language teaching, and most courses are offered in English. Group work, inquiry and discussion, and project-based learning are frequently adopted in international schools. The findings also show there is a strong integration of “Chinese culture” and “global vision,” and schools generally try to balance the two aspects. Some schools rely heavily on foreign curriculum resources, and are in urgent need of capacity building in term of curriculum development based on Chinese policy, market demands and their school realities. Compared with developed countries, international schools in China endorse the new mission, mixing the requirements of modernization and globalization at the same time. Therefore, how to reconstruct a Chinese neo-modern curriculum system is the fundamental challenge for all international schools in China.

Details

Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2020
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-907-1

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 28 June 2023

Xinru Liu and Honggen Xiao

Abstract

Details

Poverty and Prosperity
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-987-4

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2019

Abdurra’uf Mukhtar Gora, Jayaprakash Jaganathan, Mohammed Parvez Anwar and Hau Y. Leung

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of experimental and theoretical studies on the flexural capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened using…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of experimental and theoretical studies on the flexural capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened using externally bonded bi-directional glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites and different end anchorage systems.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of nine RC beams with a length of 1,600 mm and a cross-section of 200 mm depth and 100 mm width were prepared and externally strengthened in flexure with bi-directional GFRP composites. These strengthened beams were anchored with three different end anchorage systems namely closed GFRP wraps, GFRP U-wraps and mechanical anchors. All these beams were tested with four-point bending system up to failure. The experimental results are compared with the theoretical results obtained using the relevant design guidelines.

Findings

The experimental results demonstrate a significant increase in the flexural performance of the GFRP strengthened beams with regard to the ultimate load carrying capacity and stiffness. The results also show that GFRP strengthened beams without end anchorages experienced intermediate concrete debonding failure at the GFRP plate end, whereas all the GFRP strengthened beams with different end anchorage systems failed in rupture of GFRP with concrete crushing. The theoretical results revealed no significant difference among the relevant design guidelines with regard to the predicted ultimate moment capacities of the bi-directional GFRP strengthened RC beams. However, the results show that ACI Committee 440 Report (2008) design recommendation provides reasonably acceptable predictions for the ultimate moment capacities of the tested beams strengthened externally with bi-directional GFRP reinforcement followed by FIB Bulletin 14 (2001) and eventually by JSCE (1997).

Originality/value

The research work presented in this manuscript is authentic and could contribute to the understanding of the overall behaviour of RC beams strengthened with FRP and different end anchorage systems under flexural loading.

Details

International Journal of Structural Integrity, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9864

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 March 2024

Xiu-e Zhang, Liu Yang, Xinyu Teng and Yijing Li

Based on the attention-based view (ABV), this study examines the mechanism of external pressure and internal managerial interpretation affecting the promotion of green…

Abstract

Purpose

Based on the attention-based view (ABV), this study examines the mechanism of external pressure and internal managerial interpretation affecting the promotion of green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) of agricultural enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on data collected from 208 agricultural enterprises in China, the conceptual model was tested by using hierarchical regression.

Findings

The results show that managerial interpretation can affect the promotion of GEO. Command and control regulation, market-based regulation and green market pressure are important external pressures that affect the promotion of GEO. In addition, managerial interpretation mediates the relationship between command and control regulation and GEO, market-based regulation and GEO, as well as green market pressure and GEO.

Practical implications

This study proposes a key path for promoting the adoption and implementation of GEO by agricultural enterprises. The research results provide experience for emerging and developing countries to promote the GEO of agricultural enterprises, which is helpful to alleviate the environmental problems caused by the development of agricultural enterprises.

Originality/value

For the first time, this study introduced the ABV into the research of GEO. The research results enrich the theoretical perspective of GEO and expand the research field of the ABV. In addition, this study fills the research gap that existing research has not paid enough attention to the internal driving factors of GEO and opens the black box between the external pressure and GEO.

Details

Management Decision, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 31 March 2023

Yong Chen, Zhixian Zhan and Wei Zhang

As the strategy of 5G new infrastructure is deployed and advanced, 5G-R becomes the primary technical system for future mobile communication of China’s railway. V2V communication…

Abstract

Purpose

As the strategy of 5G new infrastructure is deployed and advanced, 5G-R becomes the primary technical system for future mobile communication of China’s railway. V2V communication is also an important application scenario of 5G communication systems on high-speed railways, so time synchronization between vehicles is critical for train control systems to be real-time and safe. How to improve the time synchronization performance in V2V communication is crucial to ensure the operational safety and efficiency of high-speed railways.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposed a time synchronization method based on model predictive control (MPC) for V2V communication. Firstly, a synchronous clock for V2V communication was modeled based on the fifth generation mobile communication-railway (5G-R) system. Secondly, an observation equation was introduced according to the phase and frequency offsets between synchronous clocks of two adjacent vehicles to construct an MPC-based space model of clock states of the adjacent vehicles. Finally, the optimal clock offset was solved through multistep prediction, rolling optimization and other control methods, and time synchronization in different V2V communication scenarios based on the 5G-R system was realized through negative feedback correction.

Findings

The results of simulation tests conducted with and without a repeater, respectively, show that the proposed method can realize time synchronization of V2V communication in both scenarios. Compared with other methods, the proposed method has faster convergence speed and higher synchronization precision regardless of whether there is a repeater or not.

Originality/value

This paper proposed an MPC-based time synchronization method for V2V communication under 5G-R. Through the construction of MPC controllers for clocks of adjacent vehicles, time synchronization was realized for V2V communication under 5G-R by using control means such as multistep prediction, rolling optimization, and feedback correction. In view of the problems of low synchronization precision and slow convergence speed caused by packet loss with existing synchronization methods, the observer equation was introduced to estimate the clock state of the adjacent vehicles in case of packet loss, which reduces the impact of clock error caused by packet loss in the synchronization process and improves the synchronization precision of V2V communication. The research results provide some theoretical references for V2V synchronous wireless communication under 5G-R technology.

Details

Railway Sciences, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2755-0907

Keywords

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