Unshrouded plate fin heat sinks for electronics cooling: Validation of a comprehensive thermal model and cost optimization in semi-active configuration

Plate Fin Heat Sinks (PFHS) are among the simplest and most widespread devices for electronics cooling. Because of the many design parameters to be considered, developing both cost and thermal effective PFHS is a critical issue. Here, a novel thermal model of PFHS is presented. The model has a broad field of applicability, being comprehensive of the effects of flow bypass, developing boundary layers, fin efficiency and spreading resistance. Experiments are then carried out to validate the proposed thermal model, and its good accuracy is demonstrated. Finally, an optimization methodology based on genetic algorithms is proposed for a cost-effective selection of the design parameters of PFHS, which is particularly effective with semi-active configurations. Such an optimization methodology is then tested on a commercial heat sink, resulting in a possible 53% volume reduction at fixed thermal performances

Safety citizenship behavior (SCB) in the workplace: A stable construct? Analysis of psychometric invariance across four European countries

Safety citizenship behaviors (SCBs) are important participative organizational behaviors that emerge in work-groups. SCBs create a work environment that supports individual and team safety, encourages a proactive management of workplace safety, and ultimately, prevents accidents. In spite of the importance of SCBs, little consensus exists on research issues like the dimensionality of safety citizenship, and if any superordinate factor level of safety citizenship should be conceptualized, and thus measured. The present study addressed this issue by examining the dimensionality of SCBs, as they relate to behaviors of helping, stewardship, civic virtue, whistleblowing, voice, and initiating change in current practices. Data on SCBs were collected from four industrial plants (N = 1065) in four European countries (Italy, Russia, Switzerland, United Kingdom). The results show that SCBs structure around two superordinate second-order factors that reflect affiliation and challenge. Multi-group analyses supported the structure and metric invariance of the two-factor model across the four national subsamples

Proactive role-orientation toward workplace safety: Psychological dimensions, nomological network and external validity

In the light of the relevance of workers’ participation and initiative in improving safety in the workplace, a new measurement tool is presented to assess multiple psychological drivers (proactive motivations; future orientations) which support a proactive orientation by individuals toward safety management and accident prevention in the workplace. This validation study was developed with a survey methodology in two industrial samples (N = 327; 196) from the chemical and manufacturing sectors. The factor structure of the tool was tested with CFA’s. The analyses evidenced the goodness of a multidimensional structure, with a general superordinate dimension indicator of the overall construct of individuals’ proactive safety-role orientation. Moreover, the analysis of the nomological network of the new model showed positive correlations with both behavioral criteria (safety voice; safety initiative) and supervision antecedents (safety-specific transformational leadership) which were measured at the individual level. Finally, the external validity was positively verified by significant correlations with organizational outcomes assessed at the team level through external measures (supervisor evaluations; data archives) which were collected at team level (N = 32) in the following six months from the main survey. Theoretical and practical implications with indications for future research conclude the article

Orientamento proattivo alla sicurezza nel lavoro: Studio qualitativo degli antecedenti motivazionali

Meta-analyses and research have highlighted the importance of employees' participation in workplace safety. The present research designs an original model of proactive safety orientation which considers existing constructs of proactivity, adapted to organizational safety issues in the workplace. Qualitative data was obtained through semi-interviews with 18 expert of safety and analysed using content analysis. Findings shows six dimensions of proactivity that can be attributed to three managerial areas of Reason, competence, cognizance and commitment

Training opportunities, technology acceptance and job satisfaction

Purpose \u2013 The purpose of this research is to study the role of the opportunity to receive job training in enhancing people\u2019s willingness to accept information technologies (IT) and in achieving employee satisfaction. The study aims to consider training opportunities as a predictor of IT self-competence, TAM model constructs and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach \u2013 Structural equation models are used with a sample of 497 Italian workers who filled in a questionnaire. Findings \u2013 The results show a good fit between hypothesis and empirical data. Moderator roles of individual and contextual variables on training opportunities effects were studied. Practical implications \u2013 The practical implications of this study relate to the role played by training opportunities in the IT acceptance process and in creating job satisfaction. Originality/value \u2013 The most innovative finding pertains to moderator roles of individual and contextual variables on training opportunities effects

Cittadinanza organizzativa per la sicurezza: processi psicosociali di mediazione

I comportamenti di cittadinanza organizzativa per la sicurezza (SCB) \ue8 un fattore emergente di partecipazione nei gruppi di lavoro. Il contributo si pone come obiettivo lo studio di alcuni predittori di tale dimensione, distinguendo tra forme di cittadinanza prosociali vs orientate al cambiamento: supporto organizzativo per la sicurezza, clima di sicurezza di gruppo, commitment affettivo e ruolo proattivo verso la sicurezza. La ricerca \ue8 stata condotta in uno stabilimento chimico (N = 298 lavoratori). SCB di tipo prosociale appaiono legati a dimensioni di appartenenza organizzativa (commitment affettivo). SCB orientati al cambiamento evidenziano relazioni con processi di definizione soggettiva del ruolo organizzativo

Stili di leadership diversi predicono safety voices diverse: risultati di una vignetta sperimentale

Introduzione. Il fatto che i dipendenti parlino apertamente di sicurezza \ue8 particolarmente rilevante nelle industrie ad alto rischio perch\ue9 pu\uf2 prevenire infortuni e incoraggiare l'apprendimento organizzativo (Hoffman & Morgeson, 1999). Conchie e colleghi (2012) hanno definito la safety voice come un comportamento che cerca "di migliorare la sicurezza identificando le attuali limitazioni e le possibilit\ue0 di cambiamento positivo". Obiettivi. Usando un modello con pi\uf9 voci di sicurezza (cio\ue8 promotiva, preventiva, proscrittiva e ostile), questo studio si propone di indagare se gli stili di leadership di sicurezza del supervisore (cio\ue8 trasformativo, transazionale e passivo) predicono diverse safety voice. Metodo. I partecipanti sono stati reclutati da diverse organizzazioni ad alto rischio (N=200). Una vignetta sperimentale con quattro scenari \ue8 stata precedentemente validata su un campione di studenti lavoratori. Questi scenari presentavano un'organizzazione fittizia e un supervisore fittizio; il team di ricerca ha manipolato lo stile di leadership di sicurezza del supervisore (cio\ue8, trasformativo, transazionale, passivo e controllo). Ogni partecipante \ue8 stato assegnato in modo casuale a uno scenario e gli \ue8 stato chiesto di rispondere ad una scala su ciascun tipo di safety voice. Risultati. I risultati sono stati analizzati mediante structured means modeling (SMM, Breitsohl, in stampa). Per valutare il modello di misurazione, abbiamo eseguito un'analisi dell\u2019invarianza della misurazione sulle scale. Il focus era sull'invarianza scalare, consentendo il confronto tra le medie latenti. Poi, abbiamo stimato un modello in cui i parametri di interesse non fossero vincolati, e dopo abbiamo testato le differenze tra le medie latenti dei gruppi stimando diversi modelli vincolati. I risultati hanno mostrato supporto per le differenze ipotizzate. Limiti. Questo studio non prende in considerazione variabili di mediazione e moderazione a causa della metodologia sperimentale utilizzata. Altri studi dovranno chiarire il ruolo di aspetti motivazionali che potrebbero influenzare la relazione studiata in questo contributo. Aspetti innovativi. Questo contributo evidenzia il legame tra stile di leadership e safety voices dei dipendenti, aggiungendo alla letteratura sia per il valore teorico di investigare pi\uf9 safety voice che per la metodologia sperimentale utilizzata

Reclutamento online: Il ruolo della fiducia verso la tecnologia

In recent years, online recruitment has become a prevalent human resource management practice worldwide. Although studies emphasized the importance of candidates' perceptions related to the recruiting web site attributes, there is no research focused on the effects of trust toward the IT technology during the online application process. Given the importance of trust dynamics in personnel recruitment, the aim of this study is to investigate the role of trust towards the web platforms supporting online recruitment. Results, from a sample of university students including 330 participants, showed that trust toward the web site affects both directly and indirectly - via company attractiveness -The intention to apply for a job

Investigating the Impact of Occupational Technostress and Psychological Restorativeness of Natural Spaces on Work Engagement and Work–Life Balance Satisfaction

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated lockdowns and mandatory working from home, as well as restrictions on travel and recreation. As a result, many people have had to use their home as an office and have increased their use of Information Communications Technology (ICT) for work purposes. Nature and accessing natural spaces are known to be beneficial for human health and wellbeing, as a result of their restorative properties. Access to local outdoor spaces was permitted under restrictions, and use of such spaces increased during lockdown. This survey study investigated whether the perceived restorativeness of natural spaces and exposure to technostress predicted the levels of work engagement and work–life balance satisfaction (WLBS) during the period of COVID-19 restrictions adopted in 2020. Analyses conducted on a sample of 109 people employed in the UK revealed that technostress negatively impacted WLBS, whilst perceived psychological restorativeness positively predicted work engagement. The study highlights the benefits of having access to natural spaces to improve employees’ work engagement and potentially negate the negative effects of technostress, particularly during a period of intensive working from home. The results contribute to the understanding of the linkages between restorativeness and work engagement, paving the way for synergies across these research fields