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PurposeSmart furniture is an essential part of research that has been designed to best complement easy and safe human interaction. The purpose of smart furniture is to save the space of the house and make the products unique, awesome and safe, functional, strong and also make it works better so the people can live better with it. This research aims to explore the key supply chain strategies implemented by the Indian smart furniture industry to reduce the impact of a post-COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis work utilized a case study and conducted semi-structured interviews with the top leadership of the smart furniture manufacturing industry to explore key supply chain strategies to reduce the influence of the post-COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, key supply chain strategies have been analyzed using a multi-criteria decision-making technique known as grey relational analysis (GRA) to determine their ranking significance in the smart furniture industry.FindingsThe results of this study discovered that "Inventory-Categorization” is essential in ensuring business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic and helps reduce the amount of stock they have on hand. It enhanced the opportunity for employees to properly focus on their work and an opportunity for better work-life balance. The results of the study can also help supply chain stakeholders in their establishment of critical strategies.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of this research work help the Indian furniture industry to make supply chain investment decisions that benefit the organization to sustain itself.Originality/valueThis is the first study to explore key supply chain strategies for the post-COVID-19 era. This work will assist managers and practitioners in helping the organization decide which supply chain strategies are more critical to the betterment of the organization.
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Objectives: With the new needs that the market and the population presented, there was a need to adopt strategies to make the new work environment as safe and comfortable as possible, preserving the health of workers regardless of the work environment. Given this context, it is extremely important that the workers have knowledge about ergonomics and how environmental factors can affect their work capacity and comfort, factors such as ambient light, noise, air flow, temperature, long period in a static position and inappropriate furniture. The aim of the study was to identify the etiology of low back pain during remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method(s): Two questionnaires were applied, one of them developed by the researchers and the other a disability questionnaire (Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire-RMDQ) in the form of Google Forms for adults (n = 54) of both sexes, aged over 18 years who were working remotely during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil in the year 2021. Result(s): With the application of the questionnaires, it was possible to notice an increase in the emergence and worsening of lowback pain in individuals who performed remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic;this increase related to factors such as: inadequate furniture at home, excessive number of hours in the sitting position using the computer, decrease in regular physical activities and weight gain. Conclusion(s): From the beginning of remote work, during the COVID-19 pandemic, most individuals studied either developed lowback pain or had increased low back pain, resulting in mild disability. These data are preliminary in Brazil;in the future, we seek to expand to a larger number of participants, as well as to create strategies and health-promoting actions for low back pain prevention.
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Background: As a part of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown measures, universities converted courses to digital formats, leading to remote studying. It is unclear how these measures affect university students in terms of musculoskeletal problems (i.e., neck and back pain), e.g., by non-ergonomically equipped home offices or reduced physical activity. Material(s) and Method(s): Students from Osnabruck University weresurveyed via fully standardized online questionnaires from early March to mid-April 2022 (6 weeks) about neck and back problems, movement behavior in home offices, and personal information. Result(s): Of 447 students who clicked on the link, 378 students (80.4% female, mean age: 24.1 +/- 4.2 years) answered the questionnaire (response rate: 84.6%). 299 (79.1%) students suffered from neck pain and 294 (77.8%) from back pain during the pandemic. 206 (54.4%) students generally used ergonomic furniture, 83 (22.0%) used ergonomic sitting furniture, 57 (15.1%) used a standing desk, and 212 (56.1%) used aids for a more comfortable use of laptops in home office. 203 (53.7%) students took movement breaks in home office, 207 (54.8%) worked out regularly, and 65 (17.2%) moved regularly in the fresh air. Conclusion(s): The present study found a high rate of neck and back pain amongst university students. Measures are needed to prevent neck and back pain in this group, considering that increased physical activity and enhanced home office equipment might be beneficial.Copyright © 2022 Elsevier GmbH
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During Covid-19, a facility management researcher/instructor team examined potential effects of various disinfectant treatments on the surface appearance of furniture currently located in their academic facility. Treatments (i.e., bleach wipes, alcohol wipes, disinfectant sprays and UltraViolet wands) are used by students, staff, faculty, visitors, facility managers and custodians in an effort to reduce spread of Corona. Further, EMist© with Vital Oxide treatments were regularly applied by University-contracted facility maintenance staff during study period. While procedures exist for measuring color change regarding light exposure and changes due to abrasion, no current published methods were found regarding surface color before and after Covid-19 intervention treatments. Researchers/instructors anticipate findings from study would inform facility management and other courses. They anticipate results would allow generalizability to hospitality and healthcare. Changes in surface color of upholstered furniture in facilities may be extremely negative regarding interior aesthetics, corporate image, and replacement costs. Therefore, it was determined there was a great need to study the effects of treatments and inform facility stakeholders. Researchers posited that Covid-19 intervention treatments may alter surface color of upholstered furniture over time. The purpose of the study was to develop methodology to examine color degradation that may be caused by agents used in common disinfecting practices. Three seating pieces (drafting chair, drafting stool, classroom chair) made of different materials were studied. Five treatments were applied to each furniture piece at regular intervals over an 8-week period. Researchers measured color before and after treatments. The procedures were photo-documented and videotaped to capture treatments in-process and to support future educational presentations. Preliminary findings revealed limited variability in color changes. Future research should consider other seating and room-finish materials, disinfectants and treatments, facility types, and timeframes.
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Purpose: This study aims to create a system dynamics simulation model to forecast the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) if some decision-making is executed to reduce the negative of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In particular, this study will focus on SMEs that belong to the furniture industry because the furniture industry is one of the leading industries in Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach: The study develops a system dynamics-based model by using three subsystems, i.e. the "production subsystem,” "demand and revenue subsystem” and "raw material (or wood supply) subsystem.” Findings: The best scenario is the third scenario which increases the capacity to the normal situation and government subsidy during and after the pandemic. This scenario gives the best performance for industry revenue and gross domestic product (GDP). However, for the government, the most significant expenditure occurs in the third scenario. This seems a trade-off for the government whether to save the wooden-based furniture industry by encouraging the industry to continue operating during the pandemic accompanied by high subsidies or limiting the activities of the wooden-based furniture industry to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by providing low subsidies. Research limitations/implications: First, this study does not try to combine the system dynamics (SD) methodology with the other method or use a multi-methodology since SD has several limitations and the other method may have several advantages compared to SD. Second, the models used in this study do not consider the decline in forest area and quality. Third, the demand for wooden-based furniture is obtained from historical data on domestic and foreign sales and fourth, the model does not include the government budget as a constraint to make any subsidy to help the SMEs. Practical implications: This study provides essential insights into implementing the policies in the world pandemic situation when SMEs face lockdown policy. Social implications: The study revealed that relevant policy scenarios could be built after simulating and analyzing each scenario's effect on SMEs' performance during the pandemic. Originality/value: This study will enrich the previous study on the impact of the pandemic on SMEs and the dynamic system modeling on SMEs. The previous study discussed the pandemic's impact on SME performance and the impact's analysis in isolation from the dynamic nature of SME owners' decisions or government policy. In this study, the impact generated from the pandemic situation could be different depending on the decision and policies taken by managers from SMEs and the government. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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The peaceful environment of South African communities witnessed sudden civil unrest that led to the wanton destruction of public and private properties between 9-17 July 2021. The civil unrest which aggravated on daily basis within this period also culminated in massive looting in both KwaZulu-Natal Province and Gauteng Province. During the disturbances, the protestors looted and set ablaze many stores and warehouses. The turmoil was also extended to some schools, with some private and public schools looted and vandalized. Hence, this article aimed to explore the impact of this unrest on schools and to establish how teaching and learning had been affected in these South African institutions. Therefore, in this systematic review, we analysed the impact of political unrest on the education system in South Africa. A total of 139 schools were affected in Kwazulu-Natal, with six schools razed by fire, 30 damaged, and 95 schools looted. Thus, a total of 139 schools were affected. However, at the time of this article, the degree of damage in 8 other Schools was unknown. It was noted that, of the six schools set ablaze, four were only slightly damaged and two were fully destroyed. Furniture and other items such as food items the Schools Nutrition Program and offices were destroyed. Doors, windows, and others were also broken. This indicated that learners would be temporarily relocated from the burnt schools to locations where the government provided temporary classrooms for these schools. Conversely, rebuilding the damaged buildings and replacement of stolen school supplies will cost the Department of Basic Education millions of rands.
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The furniture industry is one of the strategic industries in Serbia, with about 30,000 employees. The subject of research in this paper was the furniture market in three selected regions in Serbia with the aim to consider the influence of certain factors on the demand for furniture during the COVID-19 pandemic, as follows: prices, quality, payment terms, brands, promotions, terms of purchase, frequency of furniture purchase, assortment, and online shopping. The methods used for the research included field research, surveys and analysis of the obtained data. The sample size included 210 respondents who were selected by random sampling method. When it comes to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, research shows that it did not significantly influence consumers' decision to buy furniture. Preference is given to domestic producers, both because of the availability of products and because of the more affordable price. When it comes to quality of furniture, the research showed that the 63% are satisfied with the ratio of price and quality, as well as the range offered on the market. The terms of payment are satisfactory, with the 58% customers opting for cash payments. On the other hand, the choice of the manufacturer is based on previous positive experience or recommendation, while going to the salon is the choice of 92% customers, compared to online shopping (8%). The conducted research is important for producers, distributors, and traders of furniture, as well as for the academic community because, for the first time, research was conducted on this topic in Serbia. © 2022 15th International Scientific Conference WoodEMA 2022 - Crisis Management and Safety Foresight in Forest-Based Sector and SMES Operating in the Global Environment. All rights reserved.
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In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, getting infected through the built environment is being studied. The measures that should be taken to reduce infection through the built environment are essential;not only for COVID-19, but this idea is present at all times of widespread diseases. The purpose of this research is to systematically review the relationship between the built environment and the spread of infection to create a potential guideline to reduce the transmission rate. Articles and studies on the relationship between infectious disease and the built environment were reviewed. Articles matching the selection criteria were identified. Most articles described peer reviews, consensus statements, and reports. The articles have provided data that can be used as guidance for reducing the transmission of infection within the built environment. It was found that evidence has been created such as ventilation, buffer spaces, flooring, and surfaces that can reduce the infection of COVID-19.Copyright © 2022 Mohan R, et al.
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BACKGROUND: Because of wrong sitting position, children have back-pain and related musculoskeletal pain (MPD). Due to inappropriate designed class furniture by not taking into account the children's anthropometric measurements have negative effect on children musculoskeletal systems. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has changed the furniture industry's production trends. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop a new fuzzy based design of ergonomic-oriented classroom furniture for primary school students considering the measured anthropometric dimensions of students' safety, health, well-being, i.e. ergonomic criteria, socio-psychological aspect and post-COVID policies. METHODS: In the study 2049 number of primary school students are assessed considering COVID-19 pandemic policies and their static anthropometric dimensions were measured between 7-10-year-old (between 1st-4th grade students) and descriptive statistics of children among their ages and genders are calculated; mean, standard deviation, percentiles. The data collected from the students were analyzed quantitatively by using Significance Analysis: Mann-Whitney U test statistic, t-test, Regression Analysis and one-way ANOVA. In the study interviews with experts are performed and fuzzy mathematical model (by using fuzzy-AHP, fuzzy-TOPSIS and fuzzy-VIKOR) is developed to calculate Turkey's three schools' furniture. RESULTS: Results showed statistically significant differences between two genders. And it is observed that the seating bench height is too high for primary school students and lower than the height of the classroom's blackboard from the floor. Fuzzy Multi Criteria Decision Making Method's (FMCDM) results show that primary school students' ergonomic classroom furniture should be mainly designed by considering "COVID-19 Criteria", "Ergonomic Criteria" and "Socio-Psychological Aspect". Students' existing seating benches and tables are changed by considering post-COVID policies/protocols, Ergonomic Criteria and Socio-Psychological Aspect. And a new seating bench/chair and table's dimensions is proposed in the study. CONCLUSIONS: Children study at school for long periods and their activities involve long periods of time on their desks in schools. As per the results of the study, it can be concluded that school management must consider the genders, ages of students and take into account the post-COVID policies/protocols while procuring the classroom furniture. The COVID-19 pandemic is the single largest event to have affected children globally in their access to school in recent times; estimates suggest that over 85%of the world's total enrolled learners, 1.5 billion children and youths, have been affected. The coronavirus pandemic also creates dramatic changes for the school furniture.
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COVID-19 , Interior Design and Furnishings , Adolescent , Child , Ergonomics , Female , Fuzzy Logic , Humans , Male , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , SchoolsABSTRACT
Traditionally the furniture market in Brazil is owned by family businesses and of national origin, with few exceptions. Based on this premise and the high demand promoted, especially in the Covid-19 pandemic, the market has adapted to the growing demand for residential furniture. Therefore, a conceptual restructuring needs to be carried out due to the great variability of products in the same factory, driven by the target audience, which goes beyond the traditional concepts of factory standardization and enables a new way of thinking according to the demand for products offered by catalog and/or bespoke. In addition, as they are family businesses, there is an inherent risk of closing activities due to the lack of family motivation of the following generations linked to the lack of knowledge to update manufacturing processes. This article concludes that the variability of products offered in each factory is a high option. New concepts must be adopted from handcrafted to manual transition. And, with positional and functional factory configurations, ensuring high efficiency and quality concerning the degree of difficulty, associated with the characteristics of furniture dealerships. To get success, the companies must be directed towards the sustainable production chain to the companies involved. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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As the world intensifies efforts to mitigate the effect of global climate change, an on-line survey was carried out involving 1,081 wood products and furniture manufacturers in Malaysia. The main objective was to evaluate the level of awareness, extent of adoption, and challenges faced by these manufacturers in adopting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices. The survey found that large-sized companies were more receptive to adopting ESG practices, as opposed to the medium-, small-, and micro-sized companies. Respondents were apparently more responsive to environmental requirements, followed by governance, and finally the social factors. Within the environmental sphere, compliance with using certified and legal wood and wood products, waste management, and conformance to emission standards were well received among respondents. The survey revealed that market forces and legislative requirements were the two most important factors that enticed respondents to comply with the ESG practices;among those respondents who did not comply with ESG requirements, the primary deterrent factors include lack of awareness, no direct benefit from adopting ESG, and the high cost involved. The ESG compliance may transform the wood products and furniture industries into a more sustainable industry, offering equitable wages and green jobs while producing high value-added products.
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The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for office workers to experience work from home (WFH). The aims of this study are to investigate the prevalence rate of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) and the work conditions of homeworkers during WFH as well as to evaluate the association and predicted risk of ergonomic factors and MSD. A total of 232 homeworkers completed questionnaires. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyze the association and prediction of work arrangements and home workstation setups and musculoskeletal outcomes. The result showed that 61.2% of homeworkers reported MSD while WFH. Because of the small living spaces in Hong Kong, 51% and 24.6% of homeworkers worked in living/dining areas and bedrooms, respectively, potentially affecting their work and personal life. Additionally, homeworkers adopted a flexible work style, but prolonged computer use while WFH. Homeworkers who used a chair without a backrest or a sofa could predict a significantly higher risk of MSD. The use of a laptop monitor posed about a 2 to 3 times higher risk of suffering from neck, upper back, and lower back discomfort than the use of a desktop monitor. These results provide valuable information to help regulators, employers, homeworkers, and designers create better WFH guidelines, work arrangements, and home settings.
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COVID-19 , Musculoskeletal Pain , Humans , Musculoskeletal Pain/epidemiology , Pandemics , Teleworking , COVID-19/epidemiology , ErgonomicsABSTRACT
Purpose: This study discusses the phenomenon of the uncertain sustainability of SMEs in developing countries. SMEs face various challenges in the dynamics of a competitive environment, which threaten their growth and sustainability. This study aims to address a research gap between company's internal resources, in the form of absorptive capacity, and its business performance. By using product quality as a mediator, which has never been studied before, this research presents a novelty to answer the existing research gap using the Resource Based Theory (RBT) perspective. Research design, data and methodology: Using quantitative method, data are collected from 164 respondents, who are owners or managers of furniture manufacturing SMEs in Gerbangkertosusila Area, East Java, Indonesia. The data are analyzed using Partial Least Square (PLS) – Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results: The findings show that absorptive capacity has a direct and significant effect on business performance and indirectly through product quality. Conclusion: Furniture manufacturing SMEs are advised to focus on developing absorptive capacity reflected in good product quality, in order to improve their business performance. This is especially important to survive the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, the results of this study contribute to the development of RBT, and there are several suggestions for further research. © Copyright: The Author(s) This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://Creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Since the COVID-19 shutdown in March of 2020, I have a newfound appreciation for space and its influence on "work" and productivity. Inherent in designing spaces for learning is an understanding of each space's purpose and who is using the space. Learning in space took on even greater importance during the 2020-2021 school year. As educators considering student engagement, we soon realized that the best way to stay safe and increase student engagement was to learn outside.
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Purpose - Smart furniture is an essential part of research that has been designed to best complement easy and safe human interaction. The purpose of smart furniture is to save the space of the house and make the products unique, awesome and safe, functional, strong and also make it works better so the people can live better with it. This research aims to explore the key supply chain strategies implemented by the Indian smart furniture industry to reduce the impact of a post-COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach - This work utilized a case study and conducted semi-structured interviews with the top leadership of the smart furniture manufacturing industry to explore key supply chain strategies to reduce the influence of the post-COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, key supply chain strategies have been analyzed using a multi-criteria decision-making technique known as grey relational analysis (GRA) to determine their ranking significance in the smart furniture industry. Findings - The results of this study discovered that "Inventory-Categorization" is essential in ensuring business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic and helps reduce the amount of stock they have on hand. It enhanced the opportunity for employees to properly focus on their work and an opportunity for better work-life balance. The results of the study can also help supply chain stakeholders in their establishment of critical strategies. Research limitations/implications - The implications of this research work help the Indian furniture industry to make supply chain investment decisions that benefit the organization to sustain itself. Originality/value - This is the first study to explore key supply chain strategies for the post-COVID-19 era. This work will assist managers and practitioners in helping the organization decide which supply chain strategies are more critical to the betterment of the organization.
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Several protective coatings enhanced by antimicrobial agents and/or pigments were considered for the wooden toy market: water-based matte varnish, an ultra-hygiene water-based matte varnish (WBV-UH), a polyurethane matte varnish (PUV), and an ultra-hygiene antiviral polyurethane matte varnish (PUV-UH), as well as a water-based dye (WBV 5%K), an ultra-hygiene water-based dye (WBV-UH 5%K), a polyurethane dye (PUV 5%K), and an ultra-hygiene polyurethane dye (PUV-UH 5%K), which contain 5% red nano-pigment (K). By utilizing 7 kinds of bacteria and 2 types of yeast that are commonly detected in routine, daily settings, the efficacy of the different protective coatings on wooden toy surface was investigated. The antibacterial and antimicrobial activities of the tested dye samples were based on the agar-well diffusion method. Ultimately, the study found that the addition of antimicrobial agents to several different protective coatings and dyes resulted in the presence of antimicrobial activity vs. the lack thereof with protective coatings and dyes alone. Additionally, some of the dyes with added antimicrobial agents were found to be effective against biofilm formation. Overall, the addition of pigment into the coating, alongside the addition of antimicrobial agents, proved to be highly effective in inhibiting growth and spread of microorganisms on wooden toy surface.
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This study aims to develop a framework that enables green marketing practices to regulate the performance evaluation criteria (GFBPC) of consumers and green furniture brands in the Marketing 4.0 period and to prioritize green furniture brands. The first stage was the literature review and decision-making group;it included GFBPC and the selection of three green furniture brands with the highest market value in Turkey. We then applied AHP to determine and prioritize benchmark weights, and TOPSIS to rank the performances of selected brands by GFBPC. We performed SA to test the accuracy of the findings. The results revealed that the Co-creation of Value and Pricing criteria have the highest value, and “Brand Y” is the best. Among the evaluation contributions of the study are a new understanding of green furniture performance criteria, and an integrated framework for new application methods for green marketing. With the Marketing 4.0 period, it is among the first of its kind to offer sustainable solutions to evaluate green marketing practices and increase the performance of green furniture brands in this regard. The results can help furniture industry stakeholders understand ways to compete in the green market and sustainable development.
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In the present paper, we show how uncertainty emanating from fluctuations in economic uncertainty, news-based uncertainty, and geopolitical risks affect the number of containers exported from Thailand via Penang Port, Malaysia. Our sample extends from January 2009 to May 2020 from three main entry points in the Northern Peninsular Malaysia–Thailand Border: Padang Besar, Surat Thani, and Bukit Kayu Hitam. Two modes of transportation of containers are mainly used for export purposes, namely, road and rai. This study examines the nonlinear effect of uncertainty on trade by employing a two-regime Markov regime-switching approach. The empirical results show that, overall, uncertainty significantly affects the movement of containers in the high-uncertainty regime. Therefore, small ports must continue to diversify their client base to cushion the impact of fluctuations in global trade due to uncertainty.
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Traditionally the furniture market in Brazil is owned by family businesses and of national origin, with few exceptions. Based on this premise and the high demand promoted, especially in the Covid-19 pandemic, the market has adapted to the growing demand for residential furniture. Therefore, a conceptual restructuring needs to be carried out due to the great variability of products in the same factory, driven by the target audience, which goes beyond the traditional concepts of factory standardization and enables a new way of thinking according to the demand for products offered by catalog and/or bespoke. In addition, as they are family businesses, there is an inherent risk of closing activities due to the lack of family motivation of the following generations linked to the lack of knowledge to update manufacturing processes. This article concludes that the variability of products offered in each factory is a high option. New concepts must be adopted from handcrafted to manual transition. And, with positional and functional factory configurations, ensuring high efficiency and quality concerning the degree of difficulty, associated with the characteristics of furniture dealerships. To get success, the companies must be directed towards the sustainable production chain to the companies involved. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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The digital nomadism that stimulates the mobility and flexibility of everyday life is also reflected in the ways of working. Before covid-19, the tendencies were already that the future of work lies in a hybrid model between remote and presential work. The covid-19, and the consequent exponential increase of the remote working, hygiene and safety care, accelerated the change to new, more hybrid and flexible work models. Therefore, the workplace is becoming for the users a space for socializing and developing collaborative activities. In that sense, the workplace should be more flexible to facilitate the moments of interaction, sharing and networking, giving priority to collective wellbeing and comfort. Furniture design plays an important role in this process and consequently it needs to approach the new demands of current lifestyle, by looking for versatility and modularity features in order to create environments suitable to this work paradigm. The fundamental goal of this research is to arouse interest to the impact of furniture design in the improvement of atmospheres and scenarios compatible with new forms of collaborative work. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.