Xuanya Shi, Francis Boadu and Yifei Du
Both the scope of postentry growth and the scale of postentry growth are essential for Chinese multinational enterprises' aggressive internationalization. Yet, prior literature…
Abstract
Purpose
Both the scope of postentry growth and the scale of postentry growth are essential for Chinese multinational enterprises' aggressive internationalization. Yet, prior literature has not considered the synergistic approach of postentry growth that seeks the scope of growth and the scale of growth simultaneously. Building upon the embeddedness perspective and the learning view, we address how structural embeddedness directly affects firms' postentry growth in the form of scope and scale and indirectly affects postentry growth via both the scope of growth and the scale of growth. Particularly, we investigate the decreasing mediating effect of the growth's scale on the growth's scope when embeddedness strengthens.
Design/methodology/approach
With a survey data set of 206 Chinese multinational firms from manufacturing and service industries, we conduct structural equation modeling (SEM), partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM), instantaneous indirect effect assessment and hierarchical linear regression model to test our hypotheses.
Findings
First, Chinese multinational enterprises’ (CMNEs) structural embeddedness is positively related to their scope of postentry growth, while has a U-shaped relationship with their scale of postentry growth. Second, CMNEs' scope of postentry growth mediates the relationship between structural embeddedness and the scale of postentry growth, the mediation effect counts for 33.5% of the over effect. Finally, the indirect effect of structural embeddedness on the scope of postentry growth through the scale of postentry growth is nonlinear. As the structural embeddedness strengthens, the positive indirect effect gradually weakens.
Originality/value
We believe this study further connects core international business research on postentry growth to the fast-growing literature on emerging markets multinational enterprises' internationalization. In addition, we undertake an initial effort in addressing an important gap in the literature: how structural embeddedness matters to firms' postentry growth. Moreover, this study finds important evidence to support the direct and indirect effect of structural embeddedness on postentry growth.
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Bin Lei, Zhuoxing Hou, Yifei Suo, Wei Liu, Linlin Luo and Dongbo Lei
The volume of passenger traffic at metro transfer stations serves as a pivotal metric for the orchestration of crowd flow management. Given the intricacies of crowd dynamics…
Abstract
Purpose
The volume of passenger traffic at metro transfer stations serves as a pivotal metric for the orchestration of crowd flow management. Given the intricacies of crowd dynamics within these stations and the recurrent instances of substantial passenger influxes, a methodology predicated on stochastic processes and the principle of user equilibrium is introduced to facilitate real-time traffic flow estimation within transfer station streamlines.
Design/methodology/approach
The synthesis of stochastic process theory with streamline analysis engenders a probabilistic model of intra-station pedestrian traffic dynamics. Leveraging real-time passenger flow data procured from monitoring systems within the transfer station, a gradient descent optimization technique is employed to minimize the cost function, thereby deducing the dynamic distribution of categorized passenger flows. Subsequently, adhering to the tenets of user equilibrium, the Frank–Wolfe algorithm is implemented to allocate the intra-station categorized passenger flows across various streamlines, ascertaining the traffic volume for each.
Findings
Utilizing the Xiaozhai Station of the Xi’an Metro as a case study, the Anylogic simulation software is engaged to emulate the intra-station crowd dynamics, thereby substantiating the efficacy of the proposed passenger flow estimation model. The derived solutions are instrumental in formulating a crowd control strategy for Xiaozhai Station during the peak interval from 17:30 to 18:00 on a designated day, yielding crowd management interventions that offer insights for the orchestration of passenger flow and operational governance within metro stations.
Originality/value
The construction of an estimation methodology for the real-time streamline traffic flow augments the model’s dataset, supplanting estimated values derived from surveys or historical datasets with real-time computed traffic data, thereby enhancing the precision and immediacy of crowd flow management within metro stations.
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Yaxin Ma, Hong Zhang, Yifei Gao, Zhengxing Men, Ling He and Jianguo Cao
This paper aims to investigate the reason for natural gas leakage from transmission pipelines between Linyi and Shouguang in China during sealing tests, explore the failure…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the reason for natural gas leakage from transmission pipelines between Linyi and Shouguang in China during sealing tests, explore the failure mechanism and provide a reference for taking reasonable measures to prevent such accidents.
Design/methodology/approach
Failure analysis for the steel pipe has been addressed with different methods, such as microstructure analysis, inclusion analysis, corrosion product analysis, macro- and micro-morphology analyses and bacterially catalyzed experiments.
Findings
Several bulges were observed, especially at the bottom of the steel pipe sample, with the distribution and positioning not related to the weld. The inner surface of the steel pipe was severely corroded, and the oxide scale was flaking in many places. The greatest corrosion area was identified at the bottom of the steel pipe near the gas leakage point. Severe pitting and perforation corrosion in the pipeline were observed, and the main corrosion reaction products were Fe3O4, FeO and FeS. The grain orientation distribution near the crack (coarse grains <101> and fine grains <111> at the microcrack tip) indicates that fine grains may be beneficial in hindering crack propagation.
Originality/value
The principal mechanism for the corrosion failure is supposed to be due to the interaction of chloride ions with the sulfate-reducing microorganisms present and the stress corrosion cracking by chloride and sulfide formed by the sulfate-reducing microorganisms.
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Xiao Meng, Chengjun Dai, Yifei Zhao and Yuan Zhou
This study aims to investigate the mechanism of the misinformation spread based on the elaboration likelihood model and the effects of four factors – emotion, topic, authority and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the mechanism of the misinformation spread based on the elaboration likelihood model and the effects of four factors – emotion, topic, authority and richness – on the depth, breadth and structural virality of misinformation spread.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected 2,514 misinformation microblogs and 142,006 reposts from Weibo, used deep learning methods to identify the emotions and topics of misinformation and extracted the structural characteristics of the spreading network using the network analysis method.
Findings
Results show that misinformation has a smaller spread size and breadth than true news but has a similar spread depth and structural virality. The differential influence of emotions on the structural characteristics of misinformation propagation was found: sadness can promote the breadth of misinformation spread, anger can promote depth and disgust can promote depth and structural virality. In addition, the international topic, the number of followers, images and videos can significantly and positively influence the misinformation's spread size, depth, breadth and structural virality.
Originality/value
The influencing factors of the structural characteristics of misinformation propagation are clarified, which is helpful for the detection and management of misinformation.
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Saed ALQARALEH, Omar RAMADAN and Muhammed SALAMAH
The purpose of this paper is to design a watcher-based crawler (WBC) that has the ability of crawling static and dynamic web sites, and can download only the updated and newly…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to design a watcher-based crawler (WBC) that has the ability of crawling static and dynamic web sites, and can download only the updated and newly added web pages.
Design/methodology/approach
In the proposed WBC crawler, a watcher file, which can be uploaded to the web sites servers, prepares a report that contains the addresses of the updated and the newly added web pages. In addition, the WBC is split into five units, where each unit is responsible for performing a specific crawling process.
Findings
Several experiments have been conducted and it has been observed that the proposed WBC increases the number of uniquely visited static and dynamic web sites as compared with the existing crawling techniques. In addition, the proposed watcher file not only allows the crawlers to visit the updated and newly web pages, but also solves the crawlers overlapping and communication problems.
Originality/value
The proposed WBC performs all crawling processes in the sense that it detects all updated and newly added pages automatically without any human explicit intervention or downloading the entire web sites.
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Tongwei Qiu, Qinying He, S.T. Boris Choy, Yifei Li and Biliang Luo
This study investigates the effect of renting in land on farm productivity, and the impacts of rented-in land size and transaction partner type on farm productivity.
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the effect of renting in land on farm productivity, and the impacts of rented-in land size and transaction partner type on farm productivity.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from the 2015 China Household Finance Survey are analyzed using an extended regression model and the two-stage least squares method.
Findings
Farm households that rent in land are likely to achieve higher farm productivity, and ignoring endogeneity underestimates the positive effect of land renting-in. Further evidence indicates that rented-in land size has an insignificant impact on farm productivity, and that there is no difference in farm productivity between lessees renting-in land from acquaintances and those renting-in land from non-acquaintances. These results may be caused by the higher degree of marketization of land rentals between acquaintances in China. With increasing competition in agricultural factor markets, in theory, rented-in land size should not affect farm productivity.
Practical implications
Overall, the analysis suggests that renting in land improves farm productivity, which supports the land transfer policies that have been rolled out in recent decades in China. However, our finding that rented land size does not affect farm productivity, consistent with the results in the literature, implies that the Chinese government should no longer subsidize or prefer large farms with low productivity. More attention should be paid to small lessees and market-oriented land rentals between acquaintances. Promoting the marketization of land transfers inside acquaintance networks could realize the potential of the land market, especially if land transfers decrease.
Originality/value
This study identifies the effects of renting in land, rented-in land size and type of rental transaction partner on farm productivity using nationally representative data. The findings imply that the government should pay more attention to the marketization of land rentals between acquaintances. Although existing studies regard land rental between acquaintances as informal and of low efficiency, the recent evidence shows that China's land markets are changing, and policy makers should adjust their policies accordingly.
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Zhenduo Zhang, Yifei Shen, Mengxi Yang and Junwei Zheng
Considering the potential economic losses this might bring about, researchers have begun to explore ways to mitigate procrastination. Drawing on the job demands-resources model…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the potential economic losses this might bring about, researchers have begun to explore ways to mitigate procrastination. Drawing on the job demands-resources model and the spillover-crossover model, this study aims to investigate the association between harmonious passion and procrastination at the intra- and interpersonal levels.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a two-wave multisource questionnaire survey to acquire 256 cases nested in 128 coworker dyads from two hotels in Shanghai. Multilevel analysis and the actor–partner interdependence model were adopted to examine the hypotheses.
Findings
The results indicate that employees’ harmonious passion is indirectly negatively associated with procrastination (i.e., cyberslacking and soldiering) through workplace well-being at the intrapersonal level; employees’ harmonious passion is indirectly negatively associated with their coworkers’ procrastination (i.e., cyberslacking and soldiering) through the coworkers’ workplace well-being; and the crossover influence of employees’ harmonious passion on coworkers’ workplace well-being is contingent upon interpersonal conflict at the dyadic level, such that the crossover influence is stronger in condition of low rather than high interpersonal conflict.
Practical implications
Hotels are suggested to provide training programs to employees for enhancing their capabilities to maintain harmonious passion and promote their communication skills to decrease the likelihood to experience interpersonal conflict.
Originality/value
This study offers a comprehensive insight into the association between harmonious passion and procrastination in hospitality employees, which extends the understanding of the outcomes of harmonious passion and the profit of harmonious passion at the interpersonal level.
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Shih Cheng Chang, Feng Wei, Lixing Xu, Zhaoyu Chen and Yifei Wang
Drawing upon the feedback intervention theory, this study aims to focus on the concept of negative feedback change (increase or decrease) to analyze the dynamics of performance…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing upon the feedback intervention theory, this study aims to focus on the concept of negative feedback change (increase or decrease) to analyze the dynamics of performance feedback and its relationships with goal orientation, feedback utility and task performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a two-wave survey by tracking 195 employees and their supervisors from two representative semiconductor-related equipment companies in China for one month.
Findings
Results showed that learning goal orientation positively moderates, and performance-approach goal orientation negatively moderates the indirect relationship between negative feedback change and employees’ task performance through employees’ perceptions of feedback utility.
Originality/value
This study provides new directions for performance feedback research by treating negative feedback from a dynamic perspective and addressing the mediating and moderating mechanisms. Furthermore, the findings also remind managers to not only consider feedback actions at a single moment but also manage it as a series of actions in the ongoing stream of time.
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Yifei Mu, Zimin Jin, Yuxiu Yan and Jianwei Tao
In order to study whether far-infrared fabrics can be used as a garment for breast cancer patients, or as an adjuvant rehabilitation underwear for breast cancer patients after…
Abstract
Purpose
In order to study whether far-infrared fabrics can be used as a garment for breast cancer patients, or as an adjuvant rehabilitation underwear for breast cancer patients after postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy, to eliminate tissue edema. To explore the effect of different far-infrared fabrics on the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells as a basic in vitro study.
Design/methodology/approach
Six kinds of fabrics of the same specification with different far-infrared nanoparticles were selected. MCF7 and Bcap37 breast cancer cells were used to study the effect of far-infrared fabrics on cell proliferation and invasion. Six kinds of far-infrared fabrics were used to culture breast cancer cells and explore their effects on breast cancer cell growth and the difference between different far-infrared fabrics.
Findings
It is found that the far-infrared emissivity of six kinds of fabrics are different, among which tea carbon fabric is the highest, followed by volcanic fabric, graphene fabric and biomass graphene fabric are the lowest. The results show that the far-infrared fabrics can significantly inhibit the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells, the higher the far-infrared emissivity is, and the longer the time of far-infrared radiation, the more significant the inhibition effect is.
Originality/value
Far-infrared fabrics can inhibit proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro. Therefore, far-infrared fabrics can be used for adjuvant rehabilitation of breast cancer patients. This conclusion provides a basis for the application of far-infrared functional fabrics in the medical field. This conclusion provides a basis for the application of far-infrared functional fabrics in medical field.
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Parveen Kumar, Pankaj Kumar and Vaibhav Aggarwal
This study aims to examine the determinants of adoption intention toward the rooftop solar photovoltaic (RSPV) systems among residents of peri-urban villages of Gurugram, Haryana…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the determinants of adoption intention toward the rooftop solar photovoltaic (RSPV) systems among residents of peri-urban villages of Gurugram, Haryana, India. This study also analyzes the impact of the adoption of RSPV systems on carbon neutrality from a behavioral perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected using a self-administrated structured questionnaire from 208 male villagers (195 usable) of 22 villages using the purposive sampling technique.
Findings
Results revealed that relative advantage, followed by simplicity, trialability, observability and compatibility, positively and significantly impact villagers’ attitude toward adopting RSPV systems in their homes. Perceived severity and perceived vulnerability significantly influence the perceived behavioral control of villagers toward adopting the RSPV systems. The results show villagers’ attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are the essential predictors of their adoption intention of the RSPV systems. Most notably, carbon neutrality was significantly affected by villagers’ adoption intention of RSPV systems as the renewable energy source in their homes.
Originality/value
The findings of this study provide that innovation attributes are important factors in shaping the adoption intentions of customers toward RSPV systems. This study is also the extent of previous studies measuring customers’ perception of adopting renewable energy in developed and emerging countries worldwide.