17 research outputs found
Crisis leadership towards entrepreneurial success: a Sri Lankan perspective
Get PDFModern business environments are characterized by regular crises, and much attention is paid to understanding why certain individuals and businesses endure while others do not. It has been the entrepreneurial ability to see a crisis as an opportunity that has led to many successful business stories emerging from adversity, such as the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Much of the discussion on the subject centres on the abilities and some essential attributes found in leaders and entrepreneurs. Their ability to face such problems is explored in the context of two cases reported in Sri Lanka. The essay's primary goal is to shed light on entrepreneurs' mindsets and how such leaders can contribute their experiences and other skill sets such as creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills, to starting a new business. The essay concludes by attempting to provide some guidance on the widely contested question of whether entrepreneurs are born or produced in the context of a crisis
The dark side of online transition of exams in higher education: a perspective of an emerging nation
Get PDFPurposeHigher educational institutes (HEIs) are experiencing a significant shift towards online education, which has been fast-forwarded with the global pandemic of COVID-19. The forced shift has also exposed many vulnerabilities in online education, especially assessments. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential dark side of the digital transformation of examinations through the lens of university students.Design/methodology/approachThis study involves a sample of 127 university students from the fields of business and science, technology, education and management (STEM) and the key factors affecting student perception were assessed quantitatively to explore the interrelationships.FindingsResults revealed that both business and STEM students have a similar impression of the use of online examinations, and the majority still have mixed feelings about them as a replacement for physical examinations. The regrouping of the factors revealed two key dimensions, trustworthiness and apprehensible education, as key areas of student perception in the context of online examinations.Research limitations/implicationsThis study aims to strengthen the understanding of Kolb’s experiential learning mechanism through a discussion on the importance of abstract conceptualization as opposed to concrete experience in the establishment of the online assessment and learning space. Practically speaking, increasing investment in internet infrastructure and forming strategic alliances with important parties, like internet providers, to create uninterrupted network coverage, are an effective place to start if one wants to make sure that the process of moving to online learning is becoming more and more accepted by educators, students, and the general public.Originality/valueThe online transition to higher education has seen expedited growth since the pandemic and has not given much room for many HEIs globally to adjust. The procedures and techniques implemented take a Western lens, and less attention is given to the emerging context and its context-specific characteristics in such implementation. This study takes the theoretical lens of Kolb and proposes the key learnings for a successful online transition to assessment in emerging contexts
Orchestrating the bounce back:resourceful boards, competent owners, and organizational resilience
Get PDFOrganizational resilience refers to the ability of an organization to bounce back from a crisis. Research assessing the impact of corporate governance actors such as boards of directors and institutional investors on organizational resilience is sparse. Complementing Resource Dependence Theory with the Ownership Competence perspective, we examine the role of the board of directors as resource providers in building a resilient organization, and the impact of institutional ownership on this relationship. Using a sample of 4174 individual data points for 1459 organizations based in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that while shareholder directors have a positive impact on organizational resilience, foreign directors impact it negatively. Additionally, we find that institutional ownership moderates the relationship between different categories of board members and organizational resilience. Our findings offer new insights into the interactive role of corporate governance actors in shaping organizational resilience and highlight the importance of governance structures in enabling organizations to navigate crisis situations
Orchestrating the bounce back: Resourceful boards, competent owners, and organizational resilience
No full textOrganizational resilience refers to the ability of an organization to bounce back from a crisis. Research assessing the impact of corporate governance actors such as boards of directors and institutional investors on organizational resilience is sparse. Complementing Resource Dependence Theory with the Ownership Competence perspective, we examine the role of the board of directors as resource providers in building a resilient organization, and the impact of institutional ownership on this relationship. Using a sample of 4,174 individual data points for 1,459 organizations based in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that while shareholder directors have a positive impact on organizational resilience, foreign directors impact it negatively. Additionally, we find that institutional ownership moderates the relationship between different categories of board members and organizational resilience. Our findings offer new insights into the interactive role of corporate governance actors in shaping organizational resilience and highlight the importance of governance structures in enabling organizations to navigate crisis situations.</p
Can Sri Lanka be a net-zero nation by 2050?—Current renewable energy profile, opportunities, challenges, and recommendations
Get PDFSri Lanka as a country has tremendous potential for harnessing energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind, and hydro. However, as of 2018, only 39 % of Sri Lanka's energy generation capacity was harnessed through renewable energy sources. The continuous increase in electrical energy demand and the drastic increase in vehicle population over the past few years have resulted in much of its annual income being spent on purchasing fossil fuels from foreign countries. This has placed the country's future at risk due to the predicted shortage of fossil fuel reserves and in release of an unexpected level of harmful emissions to the environment. In the meantime, Sri Lanka also has an ambitious plan of achieving Net Zero by 2050. The study conducted a systematic review followed by a time series analysis to first identify the present state of the renewable energy progress of the country and through the time series analysis recognize any discrepancies in these efforts. The initial findings revealed the lack of coordination amongst relevant institutions and contrasting government policies such as the increase in investment for non-renewable energy resources as well as backing away from providing initial investment needed to boost the usage of renewable sources for businesses and smaller entities. The study further identified sectors such as transportation and non-renewable power generation activities as the two main barriers deterring the country from having a feasible plan for its efforts for net zero by 2050. From a non-governmental perspective, the study also recognized the knowledge gap and lack of awareness in the wider population of the long-term benefits of switching to renewable sources
Molecular tracking : a novel approach for multicomponent distillation column design
Get PDFLAUREA MAGISTRALELa progettazione iniziale di unità di distillazione con prelievo laterale, anche detto “side-draw”, è sempre stata un compito impegnativo sia per i professionisti accademici che per quelli industriali a causa della mancanza di metodi semplici e affidabili per determinare il posizionamento del “side-draw” corrispondente alla minima richiesta di energia del sistema. I metodi esistenti si basano su metodiche “trial and error” o su complesse e sofisticate ottimizzazioni, che spesso richiedono anche una validazione industriale dell'unità. In questo contesto pertanto si propone l’utilizzo della metodologia del tracciamento molecolare, strumento semplice e innovativo che permette di progettare unità di distillazione con estrazione laterale che presentano diluizione infinita del componente medio-bollente considerato come impurità. Questo concetto utilizza proprietà termodinamiche del sistema per determinare una funzione che valuta la probabilità che, per ogni stadio dell’unità, una singola molecola di un componente di una miscela si muova verso l’alto o verso il basso dell’unità stessa.
Viene quindi sviluppato un framework per trovare la posizione corrispondente del side-draw sulla colonna. In primo luogo viene simulata una distillazione binaria per i componenti principali della miscela attraverso il metodo della forza motrice (driving force method), anche noto come approccio di efficienza energetica. Poiché tale approccio costringe la colonna a funzionare secondo la sua massima forza motrice, la sola colonna richiede il minimo scambio di energia per il funzionamento. Una dettagliata illustrazione di questa tematica è discussa in questo studio. L'impurità viene quindi introdotta nel feed come componente di ebollizione intermedio e il profilo di probabilità di tale impurità viene generato in base alle proprietà termodinamiche di questo componente e ai flussi molari della colonna. Il prelievo laterale ottimale è quindi posto su un piatto in cui le molecole considerate come impurità tendono a rimanere, invece di spostarsi verso l'alto o verso il basso. I concetti di tracciamento molecolare e forza motrice sono entrambi seguiti da semplici esempi per rappresentare le loro funzionalità.
Inoltre, due unità di distillazione a estrazione laterale sono progettate per i due casi studio di miscele ternarie ideali con struttura di tracciamento molecolare. Al fine di confrontare il metodo del tracciamento molecolare con altri metodi esistenti, la posizione del prelievo laterale viene trovata anche con il metodo basato sulla forza motrice classica. Le configurazioni di ciascun metodo sono confrontate tra loro in termini di funzioni di ribollimento. La configurazione progettata dal tracciamento molecolare rappresenta la minore energia richiesta per il ribollitore della colonna, elemento che influisce direttamente sui costi operativi dell'attività di separazione. Alla fine del progetto vengono condotte un'analisi di incertezza sull'errore di calcolo relativo alla volatilità e una valutazione economica delle possibili alternative progettuali di colonne di distillazione con prelievo laterale per i due casi studio. L'analisi mostra come il framework sviluppato dall'autore sia in grado di proporre lo stesso risultato anche con un'incertezza nella termodinamica del sistema in termini di relativa volatilità delle molecole. Da ultimo, la distillazione a prelievo laterale risulta economicamente più adatta per una miscela ternaria ideale con tracce di componente medio bollente.The early stage design of side-draw distillation units has always been a challenging task both for academic and industrial practitioners due to a lack of simple and reliable methods to determine the side-draw location corresponding to the minimum energy demand of the system. Existing methods are based on trial and error or complex mathematical optimization, which mostly become sophisticating and tedious and often also require a validated simulation of the unit. In this work, a novel, simple framework, similar in concept to conventional methods is proposed to design side-draw distillation units with infinite dilution of impurities of middle boiling component using the concept of molecular tracking. This concept is based on a probability function highly correlated to thermodynamic properties of the system, which evaluates that how probable is for a single molecule of a component in the mixture moving upward/downward on each stage in the unit. A systematic framework is developed to find the corresponding location of side-draw on a column. First, a binary distillation is designed for the key components in the mixture using driving force-based method well-known as an energy efficient approach. Since driving force-based method forces the column to operate at maximum driving force, the “column only” requires the minimum energy exchange for operation. An in detail illustration of which is discussed in this study. Then, the impurity is introduced in the feed as the middle boiling component and the probability profile of such impurity is generated based on the thermodynamic properties of this component and molar flows of the column. Thereafter, the side-draw is located on a tray, in which the molecules of the impurity prefer to stay, instead of moving either upward or downward. The concept of molecular tracking and driving force are both followed by simple examples to represent their functionalities. Moreover, two side-draw distillation units are designed for the two case studies of ideal ternary mixtures with molecular tracking framework. In order to compare molecular tracking with other existing methods, the side-draw location of each case is also found by classical driving force-based method. The configurations of each method are compared to each other in terms of reboiler duties. The configuration designed by molecular tracking represents lower energy required for the reboiler of the column, which directly affects operating costs of the separation task. At the end of the work, an uncertainty analysis on relative volatility miscalculation and an economic evaluation of the possible design alternatives of side-draw distillation for the two case studies are carried out. The uncertainty analysis illustrates that the framework developed by the author is capable of proposing the same result even with an uncertainty in system’s thermodynamics in terms of relative volatility. Moreover, the side-draw distillation is economically more suitable for an ideal ternary mixture with trace amounts of middle boiling component
The impact of the performance appraisal process on job satisfaction of the academic staff in higher educational institutions
Get PDFPerformance appraisal is one of the key management tools which identifies employees’ strengths and weaknesses. Usually, this is the major mechanism of gathering information for rewarding/training employees based on their performance, and hence a key to achieve organisational goals by creating a satisfied workforce. Therefore, this study was aimed at examining the effects of the Performance Appraisal Process on job satisfaction of the university academic staff. The information collected within one of the largest universities in the UK via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews showed that the existing appraisal process majorly aligned with the requirements of the research-excellence-framework of the UK, which is greatly concerned with research rather than teaching. Furthermore, it was found that there is no clear link between promotions, salary increments, and rewards, etc. with staff performance within the current appraisal process. Eventually, it was realised that the majority of the academic staff of the source university were dissatisfied with the current performance appraisal process, and this could be the situation in the majority of universities in the UK. Therefore, further research in this area is highly recommended to explore extensive information to create a favourable work/study environment for both staff and students within the universities
Exploring the Challenges in Developing and Managing Digital Agility Among Sri Lankan Family Business Owners During the Economic Crisis Situation
Get PDFThe purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the ongoing post-pandemic challenges in developing and managing digital agility among Sri Lankan family business owners. This study used a mono-method qualitative approach to identify the management strategies using the self-determination theory and social exchange theory to cope with digital agility among Sri Lankan family business owners. Authors interviewed 25 family business owners in Sri Lanka and assessed the findings using the NVivo software. A total of five thematic findings have been identified as challenges in developing and managing digital agility among Sri Lankan Family Business owners. According to this study, digital capability plays a significant role in supporting top management to apply ambidextrous leadership during turbulent times. Findings contributes to the family business owners in Sri Lanka to identify proper strategies in overcoming the challenges associated with developing and managing digital agility of family business firms
RETRACTED: The Ubiquitin Ligase Mul1 Induces Mitophagy in Skeletal Muscle in Response to Muscle-Wasting Stimuli
No full textThis article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy).This article has been retracted at the request of the Authors.In the article, we reported that the expression of a mitochondrial specific E3 ligase, Mul1, was induced in response to wasting conditions, and that increased Mul1 expression caused mitophagy and muscle wasting. Following an investigation by Nanyang Technological University, it was determined that the first author, Sudarsanareddy Lokireddy, falsified data in Figures 2D, 4B, 6D, 6E, and S5B. Although other work has linked Mul1 with mitophagy, in order to protect the integrity of science as well as of our laboratory and institutes, we are retracting the paper. We sincerely apologize to our colleagues and readers for any adverse consequences that this may have caused. The co-authors agree with this statement, with the exception of the first author, Sudarsanareddy Lokireddy
Decentralized nonlinear model predictive control of a multimachine power system
No full textThis paper proposes a novel decentralized nonlinear model predictive control approach for excitation control in multimachine power systems. A key feature of the proposed approach is the reduction of the multimachine control problem to multiple single-machine control problems. These reduced size control problems only require direct measurements from individual generators, thereby making implementation simple in practice. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through computer simulations on a one small-size Western System Coordinating Council (WSCC) and one large-size New England power system under a wide range of operating conditions. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated in terms of damping power system oscillations, critical time enhancement, and control signal energy consumption. The results are compared with those obtained using power system stabilizer and feedback linearization based control schemes and found to be impressive.Nanyang Technological UniversityNational Research Foundation (NRF)Accepted versionThe first author acknowledge the support from National Research Foundation, Prime Ministers Office, Singapore under its CREATE programme. The third and fourth authors would also like to acknowledge funding support from the NTU Start-Up Grant
