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Video game streaming (VGS) is emerging as an extremely popular, highly interactive, inordinately subscribed and very dynamic form of digital media. Incorporated environmental elements, gratifications and user pre-existing attitudes in VGS, this paper presents the development of an extended model of uses and gratification theory (EUGT) for predicting users' behavior in novel technological context.

The proposed model was empirically tested in VGS context due to its popularity, interactivity and relevance. Data collected from 308 VGS users and structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to assess the hypotheses. Multi-model comparison technique was used to assess the explanatory power of EUGT.

The findings confirmed three significant types elements in determining VGS viewers' engagement, including gratifications (e.g. involvement), environmental cues (e.g. medium appeal) and user predispositions (e.g. pre-existing attitudes). The results revealed that emerging technologies provide potential opportunities for new motives and gratifications, and highlighted the significant of pre-existing attitudes as a mediator in the gratification-uses link.

This study is one of its kind in tackling the criticism on UGT of considering media users too rational or active. The study achieved this objective by considering environmental impacts on user behavior which is largely ignored in recent UGT studies. Also, by incorporating users pre-existing attitudes into UGT framework, this study conceptualized and empirically verified the higher explanatory power of EUGT through a novel multi-modal approach in VGS. Compared to other rival models, EUGS provides a more robust explanation of users' behavior. The findings contribute to the literature of UGT, VGS and users' engagement.

Digital product and service innovations (DPSI) has attracted widespread attention from both management scholars and practitioners. Previous studies have documented that information technology (IT) capability and digital orientation positively influence DPSI performance. However, the question of whether and how digitalization capability can facilitate DPSI performance remains unresolved. This paper fills these gaps by investigating the mediating role of improvisation capability and the moderating role of technological turbulence.

This study used two-wave data from 240 matched digital transformation department leaders and senior managers from Chinese firms and examined the hypotheses deploying hierarchical regression and bootstrapping.

Our analyses reveal positive, significant links between digitalization capability and improvisation capability and between improvisation capability and DPSI performance. The findings further show that the effect of digitalization capability on DPSI performance is partially mediated by improvisation capability and that technological turbulence strengthens the indirect relationship between digitalization capability and DPSI performance through improvisation capability.

Integrating resource-based view, this research provides evidence that the extent to which improvisation capability mediates the relationship between digitalization capability and DPSI performance depends on technological turbulence. It provides a new direction for digitalization capability and DPSI performance.

This study highlights the significance of knowledge management in the relationship between organizational ambidexterity and organizational performance within the context of Indonesian SMEs.

The study adopts a quantitative research approach, employing a survey questionnaire to collect data from a sample of SMEs operating in Indonesia. Structural Equation Modeling using Partial Least Square is used to investigate the relationship between variables.

The findings of this study show that in the context of small and medium enterprises, the variables of environmental and technological uncertainty are not driving factors in organizational ambidexterity. In contrast, market uncertainty has a significant effect on organizational ambidexterity. Moreover, it is also found that knowledge management does not support the variables of environmental, market, and technological uncertainty on organizational ambidexterity in small and medium enterprises. The results show that knowledge management plays a significant role in organizational ambidexterity. It also shows that knowledge management could support a significant way between organizational ambidexterity and organizational performance.

The findings of this study give insights for SMEs to attain a sustainable competitive edge in a dynamic business landscape by implementing efficient knowledge management techniques that bolster their ambidextrous capacities.

This paper aims to conduct research on the role of vertical interlocks of executives in blocking adverse loops between research and development (R&D) investment and the cost of equity capital and explore the action path of vertical interlocks of executives. This paper also analyzes the differences in the effect of vertical interlocks of chairman, vertical interlocks of chief executive officer (CEO) and vertical interlocks of CEO duality.

This paper uses 28,078 firm-year samples from Chinese A-share listed companies to study the impact of R&D investment on the cost of equity capital using univariate group analysis and multiple regression methods. This paper analyzes the role of vertical interlocks of executives in reducing the positive impact of R&D investment on the cost of equity capital by constructing interaction variables, by using group testing method to analyze the differences in the vertical interlocks of executives. This study also uses propensity score matching and instrumental variables to conduct robustness tests.

The vertical interlocks of executives can block adverse loops between R&D investment and the cost of equity capital. The role of executive vertical interlocks is more prominent in non-state-owned firms, mainly exerting the resource effect that supports the innovation of non-state-owned firms, including the information resource effect and the financial resource effect. Through heterogeneity analysis, this paper discovered that the role of vertical interlocks of chairman is greater than that of the CEO and the CEO duality.

Based on the perspective of the correlation effect generated by vertical interlocks of executives, this paper analyzes the path of promoting corporate innovation. This provides new empirical evidence for studying the collaborative governance effect of vertical interlocks of executives “supervision effect, financial resource effect and information resource effect.” This study provides useful insights for regulatory authorities to regulate and guide development of the vertical interlocks of executives.

There is a clear correspondence between different types of high performance work systems (HPWS), economic rents and market entry strategies. This correspondence is manifested through the strategic vertical fit and internal synergetic horizontal fit within HPWS, leading to a “core-periphery” structure in human resource management practice configurations. This study aims to depict the “core-periphery” structure within specific HPWSs by identifying human resource (HR) practice configurations and by analyzing the matching mechanisms and structural characteristics among different HR practices based on the interaction between vertical and horizontal fits.

This study uses a sample of 277 enterprises in East China and employs the ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) framework and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify and depict the “core-periphery” structure within HPWS. By integrating fsQCA with t-test, the study explores the interaction between vertical and horizontal fits within HPWS based on economic rent formation mechanisms.

Seven specific HR practice configurations, shown to effectively enhance organizational performance, have been identified and systematically classified into three typologies of HPWS, based on their distinct underlying mechanisms of horizontal and vertical fit.

The data used in this study were sourced from manufacturing enterprises. Future research can enhance generalizability by expanding the dataset and examining whether efficient HPWS exist across different industries.

The findings of this study emphasize the crucial roles of interaction and complementarity among HR practices within HPWS. By extracting and synthesizing HR practice configurations from empirical data, this study provides practical insights for constructing effective HPWS in real-world settings.

First, this study incorporates both vertical and horizontal fits of HPWS into a unified analytical framework, emphasizing their interactive mechanisms and providing a more nuanced understanding of how these fits operate together. This contributes to the existing literature by validating and expanding the understanding of how specific HR practice configurations align with corporate strategies. Second, by adopting a configurational perspective, this study is able to conduct an in-depth exploration of the “core-periphery” structure within HPWS, thereby challenging the widely held assumption within the AMO framework that all HR practices carry equal significance within a specific HPWS. Third, the empirical analyses identify three specific types of HPWS that can be applicable to different new product strategies from a dynamic perspective, providing practical references for companies to select appropriate HPWS types based on their characteristics.

This paper investigates the mediated-moderation roles of adhocracy culture (ADC) and business ecosystem learning between user experience (UX) and continuous use of block-chain technologies (CUBT) among freight firms in Ghana.

A stratified sampling technique was used in the selection of 327 employees of freight firms. This paper employs regression analysis to examine the hypothesized paths.

The findings show that ADC moderates the partially mediated role of the business ecosystem between technology UX and CUBT.

Based on the cross-sectional design adopted, the study findings do not reflect the changing dynamics of employees of freight firms over a long period of time in Ghana.

This research is one of the first in maritime transport literature to explore the relevance of block-chain technologies among freight firms in an emerging economy.

Responding to the call for more research on the consequences of grit, this study aims to examine the relationship between grit and employees’ perceived employability. Drawing on the self-determination theory, the authors hypothesize that job involvement and team member proactivity sequentially mediate the relationship between grit and employability.

A time-lagged research design with a one-month interval was conducted to collect data from three public sector organizations in China (N = 484). The model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis and the PROCESS bootstrapping program in SPSS25.0 and AMOS21.0 software.

The findings reveal that the positive effect of grit on employability is mediated by job involvement and team member proactivity sequentially.

The authors contribute to the literature on the employability outcomes of grit. It is also one of a few studies that use a job perspective on the grit−employability relationship.

Teaching wine tasting online is challenging, even given the curated digital tools of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, a highly renowned online wine certification system is used. This paper aims to initially explore wine experts’ opinions about online wine education and subsequently examine the feasibility of customizing wine appreciation lexicons for Chinese learners.

A two-study multimethod approach was adopted. Study 1, a two-stage Delphi study, was conducted with 17 wine experts representing a number of countries, using a mix of closed/open-ended questions in an online survey. Data was collected in a market study in Study 2, conducted at agricultural markets in Thailand (pilot test) and China. Dialogues with market sellers were undertaken, evoking mental imagery of wine descriptors to explore the relevance of traditional versus local aromas and flavors in describing wine.

Findings concentrate on three main areas: general advantages/disadvantages of online wine education, reactions toward asynchronous/synchronous methods of wine tasting and, finally, the feasibility of customizing a wine appreciation lexicon for Chinese learners.

The study presents novel insights into the role of online wine education in China.

The rise of communication software has changed our work style. The objectives of this study are: (1) to explore the effect of supervisors making after-hours work requests using communication software (SWRUCS) on employees’ job stress, quality of life and (2) to examine the moderating effect of personality traits and the cross-level contextual effect of social support.

A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain information from 357 employees.

The results suggested that SWRUCS exacerbated job stress, which negatively impacted on quality of life and well-being. Moreover, different personality traits can either increase or decrease the positive or negative effect of SWRUCS on job stress. This study also revealed that social support can reduce employees’ job stress in a cross-level fashion. Furthermore, social support, especially organizational and supervisory support, can decrease the negative effect of job stress on employees’ quality of life and well-being.

Theoretically, this study has broadened the research scope of the organizational application of communication software, and practically, this study has demonstrated the reason why organizations should provide social support and select employees with suitable personality traits.

This study aims to develop synthetic ester lubricating oil using renewable sinapic acid as raw material, to explore the structural design and selection of raw materials for green, high-performance synthetic ester oils.

A series of the sinapate ester oils were synthesized through esterification and alkoxylation reactions using renewable source sinapic acid as the raw material. The molecular structures of the oils were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The oils were evaluated for safety, viscosity-temperature properties, thermal and oxidative stability, as well as friction reducing and anti-wear characteristics.

Compared to commercial base oil tris (2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (Phe-3Ci8), the bio-lubricant exhibits superior antifriction and anti-wear properties. Notably, the JCi8-C12 sample performed exceptionally well, reducing the friction coefficient by 11.42% and wear volume (WV) by 54.44% in steel/steel tribo-pairs. In steel/aluminum tribo-pairs, the friction coefficient decreased by 27.48%, while WV was reduced by 85.81%. Mechanistic studies reveal that the introduction of short-chain methoxy groups and stable conjugated systems (aromatic rings and double bonds) inhibit oxidation and decomposition at elevated temperatures. The p-p stacking effect enables lubricant molecules to arrange stably on friction surfaces, forming a durable lubricating film.

The utilization of biomass resources to develop green synthetic lubricating oil with excellent performance not only enhances the added value of waste from agricultural processing but also offers significant benefits in terms of both economic and environmental sustainability.