This study examines the impact of thermal stress on competitive inequality in professional football. Using a labor productivity framework and a dataset of over 39,000 matches from the Big Five European leagues (France, England, Germany, Spain, and Italy) spanning 1996 to 2019, we analyze the effect of Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) on match outcomes through ordinal logistic regression. We find that higher WBGT significantly erodes the home advantage, functioning as a physiological equalizer. Mechanism analysis reveals that heat reduces home teams’ relative offensive output and degrades defensive discipline. Crucially, we introduce a previously unquantified component of home advantage, the adaptation gap, demonstrating that this climate acclimatization advantage erodes when the away team is better adapted to the prevailing heat than the home side. These findings reframe home advantage as a measurable physio-environmental phenomenon central to understanding climate justice in elite sports.
Since its emergence, sport economics has been influenced by contributions from microeconomics and its various research fronts. As a result, sport has been studied primarily as a market product. Despite the rapid progression of the discipline, the contribution of new institutional economics appears to be still limited. While studies on the managerial aspects of professional sport exist, particularly those using transaction cost theory, the economic literature on the evolution of the rules of the game over time seems underdeveloped. In this paper, we seek to address this gap by proposing a Northian approach to sport and by applying this theoretical framework to volleyball and its regulatory evolution. Regulatory evolution is analysed here as the result of both path-dependent dynamics and strategic behaviour by organisations. The specific focus on volleyball reflects both a personal interest and a complete lack of analyses of this nature regarding this sport.
This paper examines whether state income tax rates affect player salaries and competitive balance in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The 2020 WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) increased player bargaining power by reducing barriers to player mobility and increasing maximum player salaries and team salary caps. I find that unrestricted free agents receive higher pre-tax salaries when signing with teams located in high-tax states, and this salary premium is comparable to effects found in men's leagues. Furthermore, teams located in states with higher tax rates have both lower winning percentages and rates of postseason success following the 2020 CBA. This study is the first to my knowledge examining the impact of income taxes on women's professional sports, and its findings contribute to ongoing debates about labor market frictions, tax incidence, and institutional constraints in women's professional sports.
Compensation in the WNBA reflects both player performance and institutional arrangements. Exploring data on 263 newly signed contracts from 2017 to 2024, this study investigates determinants of wages and contract length. Regression results indicate a persistent wage increase following the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), though gains were concentrated among top earners. Performance metrics show limited explanatory power, suggesting salary compression and modest returns to on-court productivity. We find that contract duration is sensitive to expectations about future CBAs, as players appear to favor shorter deals to renegotiate under new terms. External shocks, such as the 2020 shortened "bubble" season, further reduced long-term commitments amid heightened revenue uncertainty. Overall, findings underscore how institutional reform and shocks jointly shape labor market outcomes in the WNBA, with implications for wage inequality and contract security.
This research focuses on the impact of 5S adoption on households. Much research has been done on the outcome of quality concepts in many institutions and industries; but only a very few, or no, studies have been done on households. Thus, the objective of this research is to find out the outcome of 5S adoption with a special focus on South Indian households. A structured pilot questionnaire was circulated to 50 employees and their spouses in a leading company in Coimbatore. The respondents were well versed in 5S, Lean, Kaizen, and safety. The analysis indicates that 5S adoption in homes could lead to continuous improvement, reduced waste, and improved safety, all of which would be beneficial to families.
This study investigates the incorporation of virtual reality (VR) into industrial engineering (IE) education to close the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application. A VR-based framework was created by conducting a systematic literature review and applying the design science research methodology (DSRM) to improve experiences to improve understanding and to ensure preparedness for industry. Although suggestions for improvement were provided, evaluations from experts and students using a questionnaire demonstrated the framework's potential to enhance learning outcomes. This study emphasises how VR could modernise IE education.
The circular economy (CE) enables revolutionary waste management of municipal solid waste (MSW) through various technologies, including IoT, AI, and blockchain. The technologies allow real-time monitoring, predictive analysis, data-driven decision-making, and enhanced traceability to implement effective and sustainable CE practices in urban waste systems. Implementing digital supply chain technologies in CE practices encounters complex barriers that prevent adoption. This study systematically examines the barriers preventing the adoption of digital supply chain technology for CE strategies in municipal solid waste management (MSWM) globally, with a focus on Saudi Arabia. The analysis of 58 peer-reviewed studies through qualitative content analysis reveals seven main categories of barriers: technological, legal, financial, data-related, regulatory, institutional, and behavioural. The analysis shows that Saudi municipalities face unique difficulties because of their fragmented infrastructure, limited public engagement, underdeveloped regulatory frameworks, and insufficient legal protections. An analysis of the local literature demonstrates that insufficient attention to digital skills development and data governance problems creates additional obstacles to implementation. The research shows that successful implementation requires regulatory bodies to work with digital infrastructure developers to engage the public and to establish sustained support for smart technology systems. The study uses its findings to develop policy recommendations to help Saudi municipalities to implement digital CE practices. The recommendations aim to support Vision 2030’s national objectives while participating in worldwide discussions about sustainable digital waste management systems.
This study explores the challenges of managing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) in manufacturing. Using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and fuzzy MICMAC, it identifies and prioritises key enablers of decision-making. ISM structures the relationships between enablers, while fuzzy MICMAC categorises them, based on influence and dependence. The results highlight agile leadership and adaptive organisational structure as the most influential enablers, while customer retention strategies and crisis preparedness are highly dependent. This study provides a structured framework to enhance organisational resilience and adaptability in complex manufacturing environments.
This paper provides insight into the importance of the proper disposal of electronic waste, also known as e-waste, which contains hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, and cadmium that can harm both the environment and human health. This is a serious problem for people living in rural communities in South Africa, as they grow food in the soil and drink water from river flows and dams, which may be contaminated. This study, based on a qualitative approach and on semi-structured interviews, revealed, through the use of the social capital theory, a lack of awareness and poor management of e-waste in these communities, with practices such as burning and landfill disposal being common. The research suggests using information and communication technology tools, such as an e-waste registration and collection app, to improve awareness and management. It recommends launching educational programmes to inform rural communities about the dangers of e-waste and to promote safe disposal practices.
In warehouse operations, digital twin technology integrates physical systems with software components, thereby improving overall productivity. In this study, we developed a digital twin system using the R programming language to analyse product demand patterns and support the slotting storage configuration of outbound processes in a warehouse. By integrating radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag data with Flexsim simulations, the system enhances productivity tracking by 42% - measured by the number of pallets processed per hour-and reduces the time required for dispatching products in the distribution centre by 41%.
This study assesses the readiness and maturity of Industry 4.0 in Indonesia’s manufacturing industries by identifying and empirically validating key success factors. A measurement model was developed through a systematic literature review and expert interviews, and validated using survey data from manufacturing practitioners. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate construct validity and model fit. The findings establish a concise framework comprising organisational and managerial, people, process, product and service, technological, and external factors influencing Industry 4.0 readiness and maturity. The model should support industrial engineering decision-making for digital transformation in manufacturing systems in developing economies.
Large-scale combinatorial problems are often computationally intractable, and alternative solution approaches are frequently used to find effective approximate solutions for these problems. This paper introduces a six-step methodology, adapted from an existing framework in the literature, and based on a set partitioning scheme, aimed at generating near-optimal solutions for combinatorial problems. The proposed approach specifically considers the classic travelling salesman problem, and the methodology's performance is demonstrated on a real-world 2508-node instance. The results confirm that the proposed set partitioning approach yields satisfactory solution quality and offers practical implementation advantages.
This research aimed to design an implementation strategy for hydrological information system and water quality (SIHKA), a portal managing hydrology and water quality data. SIHKA has been integrated with 37 river basin organisations across Indonesia. Despite being operational, SIHKA’s performance was hindered by data complexity and stakeholder dynamics. Using the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) multi-criteria decision-making models, this research identified stakeholders as critical factors, with objectives and constraints serving as causal factors. The integrated approach produced a prioritised, cause-and-effect-based strategy, enabling centralised real-time data management with stakeholder support.
Business model innovation (BMI) approaches are critical for maintaining a competitive advantage, yet assessment methods are limited. This foundational study identifies eight criteria to assess BMI approaches. The research uses a hybrid comparative analysis, assessing four prominent approaches using a multi-criteria decision analysis framework, anchored in quantitative content analysis, as an input to the analytical hierarchy process, combined with qualitative validation. The findings indicate that, while current approaches achieve theoretical saturation in value creation, they exhibit critical deficits in financial feasibility and temporal efficiency, revealing a significant gap between design capability and execution readiness. The analysis provides a pathway for academics and industry practitioners seeking to optimise business models.
This study considers facility failures in supply chain networks in which facilities must be located at candidate sites to serve customers. To enhance reliability, we incorporate backup options and a limited fortification budget. Customers assigned to fortified facilities do not require backup, while those assigned to unfortified ones do. The problem is formulated as a linear integer model and solved using Lagrangian relaxation. The relaxed model yields a variant of the binary knapsack problem, addressed through a novel solution method. The proposed approach achieves an average optimality gap of 0.1% with a computational time of 20 seconds.
South Africa faces the challenge of balancing energy demand with sustainable development goals. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems consume about 40.6 billion kWh of energy annually, which accounts for 20% of the country’s overall energy consumption, according to the Eskom Energy Management Information Pack from July 2015. Many fans used in these systems operate inefficiently, leading to increased energy and maintenance costs. Often, these fans are selected on the basis of standard sizes rather than being custom designed, resulting in oversizing and higher operational expenses. Optimising the entire system could lead to greater energy savings than simply optimising individual components. To assist in this effort, the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has developed a free online fan system assessment tool (FSAT). This tool helps manufacturers, end-users, and engineers of industrial fan systems to identify and capitalise on energy optimisation opportunities. This paper outlines the basic features and functions of the FSAT, emphasising its role in promoting the sustainable development of facilities and addressing energy-efficiency gaps. The FSAT evaluates the efficiency, potential energy savings, and cost-effectiveness of a fan system by examining the energy consumption framework of a sample facility. It analyses operational parameters and energy usage patterns, providing detailed options for improving energy consumption. According to the findings, using an energy-efficient motor along with an optimised fan could lead to an estimated annual energy savings of 24.84% compared with the selected fans, and savings of 1.49% when compared with the overall facility energy usage.
This paper measures how a seasonal vehicle entry fee affects disc golf course choice in Westchester County, New York. We use ten years of user-level data from the UDisc app, covering 30,531 visits by 758 players from 2015 to 2024, in a setting with two nearby and broadly comparable courses. One course is located within a state park that charges a predictable $10 per-vehicle fee on a seasonal calendar, while the other course is free year-round. We estimate a within-user probit model of course choice, controlling for weather differences and a linear time index, with fixed effects for user, day of week, holiday, and year. When the fee is in effect, the probability of choosing the fee course falls by about 1.5 percentage points, a result that is robust to logit and linear probability models.
This paper presents the analysis of Olympic efficiency by introducing a weighted performance score that values both medals and near-podium finishes and by applying a random-parameters stochastic frontier model with heteroscedastic inefficiency to the Summer Games, 1996-2020. Unlike earlier studies, we allow production elasticities to vary across countries and examine the role of sports diversification in shaping efficiency. The results highlight the importance of broad participation across disciplines, showing that diversification not only raises potential output but also reduces inefficiency. Distributional analysis further reveals modest declines in inequality and meaningful opportunities for upward mobility, even as top performers persist. The findings suggest that efficient Olympic nations combine scale, diversification, and organizational quality, offering policy lessons beyond resource levels alone.
We examine male-female rating gaps for young chess players using two decades of data from the U.S. Chess Federation. A contribution of our study is that we analyze the evolution of male-female gaps across a broad range of chess ratings, from novice to advanced. We find large gaps favoring males at entry and beyond across all percentiles of the ratings distribution. We find similar returns to tournament experience for males and females. Although female players have higher attrition rates than males, the net effect of this differential attrition on population ratings gaps is null. We find some evidence that male-female rating gaps at entry narrow modestly as female participation in the home locale rises - an effect that is generally stronger for weaker players. The key explanation for male-female differences in the population are ratings gaps at entry, which are large when first observed and persist over time.
We examine the evolution of salary distribution in the National Basketball Association using a panel of all full-time players. We identify three eras using structural break analysis, with breaks aligned to changes in Collective Bargaining Agreements that occurred at the time of lockouts. Our findings show that real salaries have risen substantially across all income levels but not at the same rate. Analyzing the Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient, we observe a period of increasing inequality during the 1990s, followed by a more equitable salary distribution in the early 2000s, and then a return to rising inequality in recent years.
