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The Process of Government in Clearwater, Florida
No full textBased upon participant observation as city manager, the dissertation examines political processes involved in four episodes relating to the government of the City of Clearwater, Florida: the selection of a site for a branch campus of the University of South Florida, the application of technology assessment techniques to growth issues, attempts to regulate a pornographic movie and supply store, and the arrest of the city attorney. Non-mathematical game theory is used as a model for the analysis, which demonstrates that game-like processual activity takes place in a governmental structure based upon cooperation. Such analysis can have a direct impact on the professional behavior of public administrators
Determinants of food waste: TPB and moderating impact of demographics & guilt
No full textIncrease in number of people dining out significantly contributes to food waste in restaurants. It is crucial to understand the determinants of food waste. Such determinants are influenced by demographics as well as emotional factors. The present study is meant to understand such factors through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Participants’ intentions are influenced by guilt and this study was conducted to examine the moderating role of guilt. Hypotheses were tested with analysis of data collected from 423 participants. Constructs of extended model were analyzed with AMOS (V.21) for structural equation modeling whereas moderations were tested with Process Macro (V.4). Research findings suggest positive relationship of intention with its predictors (attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control), and moderating impact of demographic factors on these relationships. Results also show positive relationship of intention and food waste behavior as well as positive impact of guilt in their relationship. All tested hypotheses were found supported. Theoretically, this study contributes by extending the TBP model and this model can be used in future studies. The present study provides practical implications for policy makers, owners, managers and other staff members of hotels, restaurants or food outlets. The implications, limitations and future research opportunities are discussed at the end
Adapting to a renewed collective culture through a change in organizational behavior
No full textThe dynamic interplay between organizational behavior and cultural transformation is paramount in the ever-evolving landscape of hospitality leadership. As the hospitality industry adapts to post-pandemic shifts, executives grapple with managing successful companies while ensuring effective employee engagement. While profitability surged for many, managing employees remains a complex challenge. Cultivating a thriving culture is a critical solution. Toxic cultures incur tangible and intangible costs, impacting revenues, employee retention, and productivity. The pandemic has underscored the urgency of cultural alignment, prompting leaders to rethink behavior patterns. Engaging leaders across hierarchies as chief culture officers promotes accountability, openness, alignment, and leverage, fostering a holistic cultural shift that aligns with strategic imperatives. This evolution empowers leaders to navigate change, driving performance, adaptability, inclusion, and customer centricity, which is pivotal for hospitality\u27s future success
Editorial: navigating hospitality\u27s diverse horizons
No full textIn the ever-evolving landscape of global hospitality and tourism, the second issue of Volume 2 of the Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism embarks on an intellectual journey to explore pressing matters at the intersection of travel, management, culture, and inclusivity. This issue, encompassing a rich array of research papers and viewpoints, delves into multifaceted themes that resonate with the multifarious dimensions of our industry
Adaptation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the food sector during the pandemic: Position the brand as part of the community
No full textThis study explains how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food sector adapted during the pandemic. In-depth, semi-structured, hybrid interviews were conducted with fifteen SME owners in the food sector in Bandung, Indonesia. The study describes five business adaptation strategies using service-dominant logic (S-DL) and structural-functionalism theory: (a) relationship adaptation with suppliers and landlords, (b) employee adaptation, (c) product and sales adaptation, (d) operations adaptation, and (e) promotion adaptation. Findings show a holistic view of actor involvement in the business adaptation process linked to altruism, in which the business and all actors (i.e., suppliers, landlords, customers, employees, government, online delivery man, society, etc.) act and respond conjointly as a form of collective survival. The business ecosystem of the food sector covers both transactional relationships and emotional relationships. This study contributes to the literature and practice of SMEs in the food sector in finding effective strategies when facing a pandemic
Kinematic Analysis of a Planar Tensegrity Mechanism
No full textThis paper presents the equilibrium analysis of a planar tensegrity mechanism. The device consists of a base and top platform that are connected by one connector leg (whose length can be controlled via a prismatic joint) and two spring elements whose linear spring constants and free lengths are known. The paper presents two cases, one where the spring free lengths are both zero, and the other where the spring free lengths are nonzero. The purpose of the paper is to show the enormous increase in complexity that results from nonzero free lengths
Linkage-Based Prosthetic Fingertips: Stability Analysis
No full textThe purpose of this study is to analyze linkage- based prosthetic fingertips. The novel design consists of small four-bar mechanisms attached to each section of the opposing fingers replacing what would be the pulp of normal anatomical fingers. The four-bar mechanisms allow the prosthetic hand to conform to the shape of objects during grasp The goal of these prosthetic fingertips is to maximize the functionality of the hand while minimizing the number of inputs that the user has to control. This is crucial in prosthetics where the user may have limited input options, but it may also be useful in robotics.
A prosthetic hand has two functions: controlling the orientation of the artificial finger pulps and controlling their position relative to the object. We consider these two functions independently. First, we describe the small four- bar mechanisms which control the orientation of simulated pulps. The stability of the four-bar mechanisms is described as well as their advantages in contrast to a stiff- hinged single link. We then propose concepts for positioning the fingertips in two- and three-finger configurations. The focus of this paper is in the function of the four-bar fingertip mechanism; future research will address the optimal configuration of the fingertips on the hand.
The principle method used in this paper is a stability analysis via the principle of virtual work for a crossed four-bar mechanism, and, for comparison purposes, a stiff-hinged dyad. From this analysis we are able to show that four-bar fingertip mechanisms are self-stabilizing for a large range of rotation of the link on which the force is applied and a large range of directions that the force is applied. Stability is indifferent to the magnitude of the force applied to it (assuming that the force does not damage/deform the mechanism)
The Influence of Corrosion Mitigating Fluids on Post Tensioned Tendon Grout Properties and Steel to Grout Bond Strength
No full textCorrosion has been a persistent problem causing the failure of post-tensioned tendons in segmentally constructed bridges. To address this issue, the impregnation method has been considered where the corrosion-mitigating fluids are pressure injected into the interstitial spaces between the seven wires of steel strands. A previous study showed that this method was able to arrest corrosion. However, it compromised the bond strength between the steel and the strand. For that reason, this study aims to identify a fluid that can be impregnated into the interstitial spaces without sacrificing bond performance. The most promising fluid found in the study is an inhibiting fluid traditionally used as coatings on reinforcing bars, which had minimal impact on grout properties. Ongoing research will determine whether it effectively mitigates corrosion
Needs Assessment for a Web-Based Support Resource for Patients with a Pathogenic Variant in \u3cem\u3eLMNA\u3c/em\u3e
No full textPathogenic variants (PV) in the gene LMNA cause autosomal dominant inherited “laminopathies” that can affect multiple different organs, most specifically the heart. Current resources for LMNA patients are sparse and disjointed, leaving a need for a comprehensive resource catering to the wants and needs of the patients. A needs assessment of LMNA support resources was completed through reviewing published literature and existing support resources and conducting 11 semi-structured interviews with individuals who have a PV in LMNA. The Social Support Theoretical Model and thematic analysis of interview transcripts were used to identify discrepancies between the support that affected individuals receive and their desired support. Key support elements desired by affected patients were: relevant educational resources on LMNA explained in layman’s terms, a list of specialists throughout the US and world who have experience treating patients with PVs in LMNA, resources to help aid a patient in managing their own healthcare plan with their provider(s), and others. By identifying gaps between desired and received support from the LMNA resource landscape, we were able to identify which aspects are most beneficial and most feasible to provide in a new web-based support resource for individuals with a pathogenic variant in LMNA
Early Agricultural Lives: Bioarchaeological Inferences from Neolithic and Early Copper Age Tombs in the Central Po Valley, Italy
No full textThe current project seeks to illuminate the diets of the earliest farming societies in central Northern Italy. Neolithic peoples who first began settling in the Central Po Valley sometime at the end of the seventh and beginning of the sixth millennium BCE forever changed the landscape from one of expanding sub-continental forests to one of intensive agricultural production and anthropogenic influence. A total of 109 individual burials from 24 separate infrastructure project excavations of 17 sites surrounding the modern city of Mantua, Italy were analyzed utilizing a biochemical approach and a bioarchaeological explanatory theoretical framework based within embodiment and life history theory. Small group life histories were produced unique to the three phases of the Middle and Late Neolithic Square-Mouthed Pottery (SMP) culture or Vasi Bocca Quadrata (VBQ) and the Chalcolithic or Copper Age Lagozza cultures that settled around Mantua. Differences and similarities in Middle Neolithic diets and mobility were explored by period and culture and among different sex and age cohorts utilizing a series of cluster, ANOVA, and discriminate function analyses. A radiocarbon chronological model was produced for the analyzed assemblage and spans from approximately 4700 cal BCE to 3100 cal BCE bridging the transition from the Early to Middle Neolithic to the Copper Age. Isotopic life histories were constructed in order to address key questions in the region regarding the subsistence strategies specific to the three phases of the SMP culture and the Lagozza. The results of the current project provide direct support to previous scholarly work in the region which has partially characterized the palaeobotanical and zooarchaeological records for the time period of interest, initially described by an intensive shift to crop agriculture and land clearance activities by the SMP. Bone and tooth root results of the current project have resulted in tight clustering of SMP individuals around known environmental and human values for C3 plant cultivars, with mean 13Cap, 13Cco, and 15N bone values of 12.8‰ ± 0.6, -20.8‰ ± 0.3, 9.9‰ ± 0.6 respectively, and mean 13Cap, 13Cco, and 15N tooth root values of -12.6‰ ± 0.9, -20.2‰ ± 0.4, 10.2‰ ± 0.7 respectively. Similarly, the Lagozza cultural groups around Mantua continued the intensive agricultural lifestyles of the SMP into the Copper Age, with an increase of only about 1.0‰ 13Cco in dietary protein source variation than what was observed in the Middle Neolithic population. Stable Oxygen isotopic analysis was also conducted in order to assess the overall mobility of individuals within the two major periods, the four cultural phases, and by sex. Slightly more individual mobility was observed in the Middle Neolithic than the Copper Age with associated 18O VSMOW mean values of -8.7‰ ± 1.3 for the Middle Neolithic and -7.3‰ ± 0.6 for the Copper Age. The results of the current study contribute to the collective scholarly understanding of the Neolithic and Copper Ages in Northern Italy and advance knowledge on the legacies wrought by contemporary Italian populations with respect to food culture, Italian identity, and landscape instability and change