Aditya Simha

Biorobotic AUV maneuvering by pectoral fins: inverse control design based on CFD parameterization

Biologically inspired maneuvering of autonomous undersea vehicles (AUVs) in the dive plane using pectoral-like oscillating fins is considered. Computational fluid dynamics are used to parameterize the forces generated by a mechanical flapping foil, which attempts to mimic the pectoral fin of a fish. Since the oscillating fins produce periodic force and moment of a variety of wave shapes, the essential characteristics of these signals are captured in their Fourier expansions. Maneuvering of the biorobotic AUV in the dive plane is accomplished by periodically altering the bias angle of the oscillating fin. Based on a discrete-time AUV model, an inverse control system for the dive-plane control is derived. It is shown that, in the closed-loop system, the inverse control system accomplishes accurate tracking of the prescribed time-varying depth trajectories and the segments of the intersample depth trajectory remain close to the discrete-time reference trajectory. The results show that the fins located away from the center of mass toward the nose of the vehicle provide better maneuverability.

The value of original source readings in management education

Purpose – Frederick Taylor, the “Father of Scientific Management” is recognized as a pioneer in the field of management. However, many unfair criticisms have been leveled at him starting with the infamous Congressional hearings of 1911. Many scholars of management history believe that such criticisms have resulted in negative portrayals of Frederick Taylor in both practitioner and academic circles, and even in some basic management textbooks. This is unfortunate because many of those criticisms result from either a failure to read and understand Taylors original works or from misinterpretations of them. The purpose of this paper is to contend that students of management will develop a more accurate impression of Frederick Taylor if they read his words and not interpretations of them.Design/methodology/approach – First, an introduction of Frederick Taylor and scientific management is presented. Then, a categorization of common criticisms of Taylor is offered. The results of a study conducted to measure un...

An empirical investigation of the effects of ethical climates on organizational corruption

This study investigates the effects of ethical climates on organizational corruption. Data from 200 employees from seven hospitals in Poland was used to test the specific relationships between the five empirically occurring ethical climate types (i.e. caring, instrumental, independence, law and code, and rules) and organizational corruption. Law and code climates were negatively associated with organizational corruption, while instrumental and caring climates were positively associated with organizational corruption.

The moderated relationship between job burnout and organizational cynicism

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between two components of job burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization) and organizational cynicism. Another aim of this research was to examine the role of moderating variables such as role conflict, work-family conflict, perceived fairness, and trust in coworkers on the relationship between burnout and organizational cynicism. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology was a survey-based quantitative method. Totally, 172 nurses in a Taiwanese hospital were surveyed, and 169 completed responses were obtained. The nurses filled out self-report surveys that measured their levels of burnout, organizational cynicism, and various other variables including demographic variables. Findings – The results indicate that several variables acted as moderators in the relationship between emotional exhaustion and organizational cynicism, and in the relationship between depersonalization and organizational cynicism. Trust in coworker, perce...

Who Leads and Who Lags? A Comparison of Cheating Attitudes and Behaviors Among Leadership and Business Students

Academic dishonesty and cheating has become endemic, and has also been studied in great depth by researchers. The authors examine the differences between undergraduate business students (n = 136) and leadership students (n = 89) in terms of their attitudes toward academic dishonesty as well as their cheating behaviors. They found that business students overall had much more lax attitudes toward cheating than did leadership students, and they also found that business students seemingly appear to cheat more than do leadership students. The authors finally provide some suggestions and implications of their findings.

The effects of ethical climates on trust in supervisor and trust in organization in a Polish context

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of ethical climate types on two components of organizational trust, i.e. trust in supervisor and trust in organization. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 178 managerial employees from seven hospitals in Poland was used to investigate the specific relationships between ethical climates (i.e. egoistic, benevolent, and principled) and trust in supervisor and trust in organization. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationship between ethical climates and the two trust components. Findings – It was found that egoistic climates were negatively associated with trust in organization and trust in supervisor, whereas benevolent climates were positively associated with trust in supervisor and trust in organization. No support was obtained for any sort of association between principled climates and either of the two trust components. Research limitations/implications – Future research should examine the role of trust as a media...

Increasing food intake in nursing home residents: Efficacy of the Sorbet Increases Salivation intervention

The purpose of this study was to test the effect of the Sorbet Increases Salivation (SIS) intervention on resident food intake and body weight. Using a pre- post design, thirty-nine nursing home residents received 2 ounces of lemon-lime sorbet prior to lunch and dinner meals for 6 weeks. As a comparison and prior to the intervention, participants were offered 2 ounces of a non-citrus drink for 6 weeks prior to the lunch and dinner meals. Twenty-two residents completed both the comparison and intervention periods. Of those, 8 gained weight, 10 maintained and 4 lost weight. The amounts of food ingested during dinner increased significantly (p=0.001) from the comparison period to the intervention period (208-253 g). For liquids, the amounts ingested during dinner decreased significantly (p=0.002) from the comparison period to the intervention period (from 356 ml to 310 ml). Further study is needed to test the efficacy of the intervention with a larger sample of residents from multiple nursing homes.

A Comprehensive Literature Review on Cheating

This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature on academic dishonesty and cheating. The different kinds of cheating behaviors and the factors associated with them are delineated and described. Suggestions are provided on how to take corrective and proactive decisions to control and thereby reduce academic dishonesty and cheating.

An Integral Review of Leadership and Integrity

Several instances of corporate scandals and widespread unethical behavior have been widely reported and covered — for instance, the erstwhile CEO of WorldCom, Bernie Ebbers, was initially considered a model CEO, but unfortunately as events would have it, turned out to lack integrity (e.g., Boyd 2003; Carson 2003; Trevino & Brown 2005). Other infamous corporate scandals also suggest that the leadership involved lacked integrity- the Enron scandal is a very well documented one, and the moral failure of the leadership there has been studied in detail (e.g., Sims & Brinkmann 2003; Tourish & Vatcha 2005).

The Encyclical Letter (Caritas in Veritate)—A Shout-out to Social Entrepreneurship?

Ever since Pope Benedict XVI’s recent social encyclical letter (Caritas in Veritate) released in June 2009, it has been accessed and read by millions of folks across the globe. This article attempts to display a linkage between the central message of the Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth) encyclical letter and social entrepreneurship. We provide evidence for our contention, that what Pope Benedict XVI suggests can be arrived at by utilising a social entrepreneurial solution, and that he is advocating that social entrepreneurship be encouraged and allowed to flourish.