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1 – 10 of 10Guangdong Wu, Huiwen Li, Chunlin Wu and Zhibin Hu
This study aims to investigate the relationships between the different strengths of ties (strong ties and weak ties), types of trust and project performance in megaprojects.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationships between the different strengths of ties (strong ties and weak ties), types of trust and project performance in megaprojects.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was conducted with various experts and professionals involved in megaprojects, and 350 valid responses were received. Data was analyzed by means of structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results show that both strong ties and weak ties have positive impacts on trust in megaprojects, but weak ties have a more significant positive effect than do strong ties. Unexpectedly, the introduction of interorganizational trust significantly weakens the effect of the strength of ties on project performance. The indirect influence of the strength of ties on performance has different paths. Weak ties have an indirect effect via calculative trust and relational trust. However, in a strong ties network, inferior stakeholders lack the information necessary to complete a megaproject, and they believe that calculative trust will not promote project performance until the megaproject is successfully delivered. Thus, the effect of calculative trust on project performance is not significant.
Research limitations/implications
These findings provide evidence in regard to strength of ties governance being a part of the effective strategy in improving megaprojects’ performance. It also demonstrates the mediating function of trust and advances the current understandings of the underlying mechanism of the strength of ties on project performance, thus providing implications for researchers and practitioners. However, this study has some limitations. For example, the strength of ties and trust between organizations are a dynamic process in megaprojects. This study does not conduct in-depth analysis of the evolution mechanism and investigate the different levels of trust at different stages of the megaproject. Future research can be guided by these directions.
Originality/value
The main contribution of this study is fourfold. First, this study enriches the literature on strength of ties by accentuating the roles of trust in megaproject context. Second, this study contributes to the theoretical development of a conceptual model for explaining the interrelationships among strength of ties, types of trust and project performance. Third, this study responds to the call “which dimension (i.e. strong ties or weak ties) is more influential” by exploring the direct and indirect effects of strength of ties on project performance. Finally, this study breaks through the limitation of traditional cognition that megaproject management can be met by relying on rigid contracts. In other words, trust can supplement the weakness of rigid contract by forming contract flexibility with different strength of ties. Meanwhile, the specific strategies to establish and maintain trust are given, such as building information model (BIM) collaboration platform and reputation management mechanism.
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Jess Browning and Seung-Hee Lee
The Incheon Region has numerous assets that fall within a Pentaport model.' These include the Incheon International Airport, the Port of Incheon, a coastal industrial park, free…
Abstract
The Incheon Region has numerous assets that fall within a Pentaport model.' These include the Incheon International Airport, the Port of Incheon, a coastal industrial park, free economic zones, a leisure port, and Songdo new town designed to be the future Silicon Valley of Korea. This paper looks at how Northeast Asia trade flows between China and Korea might be enhanced by application of the Pentaport model in making the Incheon region a North East Asian Hub. It looks also at their trade and logistics systems as well as their water borne commerce. It proposes an integrated transportation system for the Yellow Sea Region being beneficial to the economies of the Northeast Asia. It also stresses that innovative technologies for ships, terminals and cargo handling systems should be introduced to develop a competitive short sea shipping system in the region and cooperation among the regional countries will be essential to achieve the final goal. The potential of methods of container shipping is discussed as it might apply to short sea shipping in the Yellow Sea Region that could greatly facilitate Incheon's situation with respect to the broader region in application of the Pentaport model.
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In the 21st Century, a region 's growth and prosperity will depend upon its intermodal transportation infrastructure and its ability to efficiently move goods, materials, and…
Abstract
In the 21st Century, a region 's growth and prosperity will depend upon its intermodal transportation infrastructure and its ability to efficiently move goods, materials, and people within the system whether it be from origin to destination; from supplier to customer through the various levels of the supply-chain; or from point to point within the system. Planning for the future focuses on improving a region 's intermodal transportation system efficiencies and infrastructure, its connection to other economies, and on the development of logistics institutions and facilities.
With China 's rapidly developing economy and society, record numbers of new modern facilities such as airports, ports, highways, logistics parks and warehouses are being built. Along with this, companies have made extensive investments in information technologies and software to support the tremendous growth that has taken place in the logistics industry. The development and improvement of China's historic inland water transport system is essential to their continued future growth and prosperity. In Korea, past and present National Governments have emphasized the importance of developing a North East Asian Logistics and Business Hub in their region and have worked on strategies, which include water transport, as part of an important national agenda to that end.
This article looks at how trade flows in the Yangtze and Yellow Sea Regions and between China and South Korea might be enhanced by application of improved shipping methods in marine commerce that will promote economic growth in the region. The application of logistics practices and use of barges is explored for the movement of containers on inland and coastal waterways as well as in short sea shipping which could greatly facilitate the region 's situation with respect to future economic growth.
Victor Chang, Yuanyuan Kate Xu, Jingqi Zhang and Qianwen Xu
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current situation of China's local valve industry, the maturity of intelligent manufacturing and the way to promote intellectual…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current situation of China's local valve industry, the maturity of intelligent manufacturing and the way to promote intellectual development.
Design/methodology/approach
Firstly, a macro analysis of the valve market environment from the domestic and international perspective was conducted. Secondly, online surveys and in-depth interviews were administered to understand the current status of IM development and future development goals. Finally, case studies were conducted to demonstrate whether the hypothesis of the development approach is feasible.
Findings
This study finds that the overall maturity level of the local valve industry is still in the planning stage since the local valve industry lacks concentration and is relatively scattered. In addition, the feasible development approach is dependent on smart devices to improve production efficiency, ensure quality management and effectively control costs.
Research limitations/implications
The research is conducted and focused on the Yangtze River Delta region instead of the whole country, and the size of the sample is small. Therefore, there may be some characteristics omitted in the analysis.
Practical implications
Manufacturers can upgrade to smart manufacturing through intelligent software platforms in order to complete an automatic interaction of data and devices. In addition, manufacturers should complete cross-regional collaborative development through the industrial Internet of things.
Originality/value
There is little or none of research work completed for the development strategy of the valve industry internationally. Therefore, research findings of this area can provide a fundamental understanding of China's local valve industry and contribute to the existing knowledge.
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Mengli Yu, Ronggang Zhou, Zhao Cai, Chee-Wee Tan and Huiwen Wang
This study examines the impact of response time on user experience for mobile applications and considers the moderating influence of gender and network environment on this…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the impact of response time on user experience for mobile applications and considers the moderating influence of gender and network environment on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
An experiment was conducted with 50 young adults to evaluate their user experience of a mobile application that simulates variations in network environment and response time. User experience was evaluated based on the three constituent dimensions of tolerance, acceptance, and satisfaction.
Findings
Analytical results demonstrate that response time not only adversely affects user experience of mobile applications, but that this effect is not homogeneous across the three dimensions of tolerance, acceptance and satisfaction. The findings also illustrate that gender moderates the effect of response time on user experience, however, the negative influence is more salient for males than females, which is opposite to our hypothesis. The joint moderating influence of gender and network environment turned out to be partly significant.
Practical implications
By illuminating users' tolerance, acceptance, and satisfaction with varied response times, findings from this study can inform the design of mobile applications such that desired levels of user experience can be assured with minimum resources.
Originality/value
Although response time has been hailed as a key determinant of user experience for desktop applications, there is a paucity of studies that have investigated the impact of response time on user experience for mobile applications. Furthermore, prior research on response time neglects the multi-dimensional nature of user experience. This study bridges the above mentioned knowledge gaps by delineating user experience into its constituent dimensions and clarifying the effects of response time on each of these dimensions.
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Xiangxing Shen, Zhong Zheng, Shuguang Han and Chong Shen
This paper aims to provide an overview for the main project details of the China Academic Digital Library (CADL) with focused introduction on China Academic Library and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an overview for the main project details of the China Academic Digital Library (CADL) with focused introduction on China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS), China Academic Digital Library and Information System (CADLIS), China‐America Digital Academic Library (CADAL) and China Academic Humanities and Social Sciences Library (CASHL).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper first gives a literary review on CADL and then analyzes the existed and existing problems of China digital library construction using graphical presentation and tabular comparison.
Findings
After reviewing CADL and the major related projects developed in the last decade, it is shown that the digital library (DL) construction effort in China is divided into three phases: concept introduction phase, technical exploration phase, and application deployment phase. The first phase of CADL gave a solid preparation in terms of concept introduction while the DL soon began to be recognized and accepted as a practical proposal among industries. In the second phase, various potential technologies for DL realization were substantially investigated, tested, and implemented. The related projects cover subjects including DL architecture, information retrieval, information description, digitization, e‐Book, Digital Rights Management, etc. During the last phase, standards, protocols and specifications that help DL to interoperate with one another were widely discussed and deployed.
Originality/value
This paper expatiates on the background, development and future trend of the CADL project for the first time in the literature. It is concluded that researchers and the public from China as well as other countries thus may benefit from both positive and improvable DL construction experiences.
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This paper aims to examine the effect of Web-based financial reporting and social media platforms on the proxies of information asymmetry in the Saudi Stock Exchange.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effect of Web-based financial reporting and social media platforms on the proxies of information asymmetry in the Saudi Stock Exchange.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample of this paper consists of 133 Saudi listed non-financial companies for the year 2019. Web-based disclosure level was measured using 25 items, and the social media platforms examined in this study are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The information asymmetry proxies are measured using the relative spread and the time-weighted average bid-ask spread.
Findings
The empirical results have shown that there is a negative and significant relation between Web-based financial reporting and the adoption of social media platforms and the proxies of information asymmetry. Indeed, the relative spread and the time-weighted average bid-ask spread decreased with increased Web-based reporting levels. Among three platforms (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), the results show that only the use of Twitter as a channel for information disclosure has a negative and significant effect on information asymmetry proxies. Consequently, in the Saudi context, the authors demonstrate that the assumptions of the agency, stewardship and signaling theories are supported. Also, results reveal that the effect of information disclosure through websites and social media on reducing information asymmetry is stronger for large companies than small companies.
Practical implications
The paper provides new insights into the role played by websites and social media platforms in the reduction of the information asymmetry in the stock market. Consequently, investors and regulatory authorities in the Saudi financial market must give great importance to online information disclosure and its implications for lowering information asymmetry. This empirical study informs regulators in Saudi Arabia to conduct the better practice of Web-based and social media financial reporting and to regulate the current practice of information disclosure. Besides, the obtained results have the potential to convince firms’ managers to improve online information disclosure to benefit from the reduction in information asymmetry.
Originality/value
Unlike previous studies, this study investigates, simultaneously, the effect of Web-based and social media information disclosure on the proxies of information asymmetry in a developing economy. In addition, the hypotheses of this study are developed based on a set of theories (the agency, signaling and stewardship theories), to verify the applicability of these three theories in the Saudi context.
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The research indicates that relatively powerful firms exploit their advantages to damage their weaker partners. However, how power can be abused by advantaged firms remains…
Abstract
Purpose
The research indicates that relatively powerful firms exploit their advantages to damage their weaker partners. However, how power can be abused by advantaged firms remains unclear. This study aims to examine the relationship between power advantage and abuse of power and whether the power advantage mediates the relationship between dependence and personal interests and between trust and company performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 130 retailers in Taiwan were investigated. Partial least squares regression was performed to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results of this study show that power-advantaged firms are more likely to abuse their power; however, the purposes are more for their company performance than for personal interests. Power advantage has different mediating effects on the dependence–personal interests and trust–company performance relationships.
Research limitations/implications
Considering both time and cost limitations, this study investigated one aspect of the retailer–supplier dyad in northern Taiwan. The samples collected may be influenced by the nature of the industry and sampling method, possibly limiting the generalizability of the research results.
Practical implications
This study can help channel managers with a power advantage to have an improved understanding of their salespersons’ behavioral patterns, particularly gaining personal interests from customers.
Originality/value
This study expands the understanding of the antecedents and consequences of power advantages in supplier–retailer relationships. It also highlights in specific institutional arrangements, the weaker parties’ efforts to endure their counterparts’ use of their power advantage to serve their personal interests. Future research may analyze abuse of power by expanding research to other industries and different cultural contexts.
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Anurag Singh and Neelam Waldia
This study examines the impact of interpersonal conflict on workplace aggression. Moreover, the moderating role in the association between interpersonal conflict and workplace…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the impact of interpersonal conflict on workplace aggression. Moreover, the moderating role in the association between interpersonal conflict and workplace aggression has been examined.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is grounded on the cognitive appraisal theory, which posits that interpersonal conflict contributes to aggression in the workplace. A sample of n = 250 employees from the steel industry in India was selected in two waves. The authors utilized Hayes' PROCESS macro v4.1 for path analysis.
Findings
The research reveals that interpersonal conflict is positively and significantly related to workplace aggression. Moreover, organizational climate is negatively associated with workplace aggression. The moderation analysis has revealed that organizational climate negatively moderates the relationship between interpersonal conflict and workplace aggression.
Practical implications
This study suggests that recognizing the significance of the organizational climate, companies can proactively curtail the progression of disputes into hostile behaviors. Nurturing a positive workplace climate becomes paramount, as it acts as a buffer against conflict escalation. Educating both staff and managers about the diverse forms of aggression and implementing appropriate protocols to address such behaviors are crucial steps toward fostering a positive climate.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into the existing literature on workplace aggression, interpersonal conflict and organizational climate for future research.
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Jan Christoph Munck, Alexander Tkotz, Sven Heidenreich and Andreas Wald
The study builds on existing research in management control (MC) and innovation management. The purpose of this study is to identify patterns in the application of MC instruments…
Abstract
Purpose
The study builds on existing research in management control (MC) and innovation management. The purpose of this study is to identify patterns in the application of MC instruments which contribute to successful innovation. The application of MC instruments can reduce potential risks and make the new product development (NPD) process more transparent and efficient.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use dyadic data to determine the effect of 58 MC instruments on NPD process stage-specific performance and subsequent innovation and firm success. To provide empirical evidence of each MC instrument’s effectiveness, three importance-performance matrix analyses were conducted that assess the impact of each MC instrument.
Findings
The authors identify patterns in the application of MC instruments which contribute to successful innovation activities and the authors determine the impact of MC instruments on NPD performance, innovation performance and firm performance in different stages of the NPD process.
Practical implications
The authors provide knowledge that can be used by managers to review their actual application of MC in the NPD process and to select their instrument set.
Originality/value
The authors contribute to the MC literature by examining data from a cross-industry study on the effects of MC instruments during the NPD process. The authors include a comprehensive set of MC instruments and show how their effect changes between the different stages of the NPD process.
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