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The issue of motivation for foreign direct investment (FDI) is central to international business (IB) theory and empirical research. The most common starting point is Dunning’s four motives (4M) framework: market seeking, natural resource seeking, efficiency seeking and strategic asset seeking. This paper explores the genesis, development and application of the 4M framework and demonstrate how it has developed from an abstract typology and heuristic device unsupported by empirical evidence into a set of concrete behavioral assumptions with theoretical and methodological consequences for IB research.

The paper is mainly conceptual, based on relevant theoretical work on FDI motives, and partly methodological, concentrating on the importance of realism for behavioral assumptions in IB.

The authors demonstrate that the shift in the 4M framework from abstract typology to a set of concrete behavioral assumptions has important implications for the development of IB theory and methodology. A critical issue has largely been ignored: the role of realism in the assumptions on which theory and its empirical testing are based and the possible consequences of unrealism in key behavioral assumptions. The authors show that attempts to “fix” the problems inherent in the 4M framework will inevitably fail and suggest ways in which it is possible to inject more realism into behavioral assumptions underlying FDI motivation.

The authors demonstrate that the applicability of the 4M approach, for either firms or policymakers seeking to attract FDI and maximize the benefits from it, needs to be more clearly understood in the context of the particular decision.

Many countries see the attraction of FDI as central to their plans for economic growth and indeed the propensity for industrial development and moving up the value chain. The understanding of FDI motive has, in recent years, been recognized as central to this. The authors offer an important nuance to this understanding.

The paper offers both theoretical and methodological insights for IB scholars interested in FDI motivation.

This study aims to improve the control accuracy and antidisturbance performance of the manipulator with the flexible link, a combined controller, which combines the novel backstepping sliding mode controller based on the extended state observer (ESO) and super-twisting sliding mode controller.

First, the dynamic of the system is constructed by Lagrange method and assumed mode method, and then the dynamic is decoupled by the singular perturbation theory to obtain the slow-varying subsystem and fast-varying subsystem. For the slow-varying subsystem, the novel backstepping sliding mode controller based on ESO is used to achieve joint tracking. For the fast-varying subsystem, the super-twisting sliding mode controller is used for vibration suppression. At the same time, to suppress chattering, the tanh function is used to replace the sign function in the reaching law.

The simulation results show that the combined control has better trajectory tracking performance, antiinterference performance and vibration suppression performance than traditional sliding mode control (SMC).

A novel backstepping sliding mode controller based on ESO is designed to guarantee the performance of the tracking trajectory. The new controller improves the converge rate. A super-twisting sliding mode controller, which can stabilize the fast-varying subsystem, is used to suppress the vibration of flexible link.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical historical analysis of the business (mis)behaviors and influencing factors that discourage enduring cooperation between principals and agents, to introduce strategies that embrace the social values, economic motivation and institutional designs historically adopted to curtail dishonest acts in international business and to inform an improved principal–agent theory that reflects principal–agent reciprocity as shaped by social, political, cultural, economic, strategic and ideological forces

The critical historical research method is used to analyze Chinese compradors and the foreign companies they served in pre-1949 China.

Business practitioners can extend orthodox principal–agent theory by scrutinizing the complex interactions between local agents and foreign companies. Instead of agents pursuing their economic interests exclusively, as posited by principal–agent theory, they also may pursue principal-shared interests (as suggested by stewardship theory) because of social norms and cultural values that can affect business-related choices and the social bonds built between principals and agents.

The behaviors of compradors and foreign companies in pre-1949 China suggest international business practices for shaping social bonds between principals and agents and foreign principals’ creative efforts to enhance shared interests with local agents.

Understanding principal–agent theory’s limitations can help international management scholars and practitioners mitigate transaction partners’ dishonest acts.

A critical historical analysis of intermediary businesspeople’s (mis)behavior in pre-1949 (1840–1949) China can inform the generalizability of principal–agent theory and contemporary business strategies for minimizing agents’ dishonest acts.

This study aims to investigate the influences of Al₂O₃ mass fraction on the corrosive wear and electrochemical behaviors of FeAl–xAl₂O₃ coatings.

FeAl–xAl₂O₃ coatings were prepared on S355 steel by laser cladding to improve its corrosive wear and electrochemical properties.

The average coefficients of friction and wear rates of FeAl–xAl₂O₃ coatings are decreased with the Al₂O₃ mass fraction, and the Al₂O₃ plays a positive role in the corrosion wear resistance. Moreover, the charge transfer resistance of FeAl–xAl₂O₃ coatings is increased with the Al₂O₃ mass fraction, showing the FeAl–15%Al₂O₃ coating has the best corrosion resistance. The findings show the corrosion resistance of FeAl–15%Al₂O₃ coating is the highest among the three kinds of coatings.

Al₂O₃ was first added into FeAl coatings to further improve its corrosive wear and electrochemical properties by laser cladding.

This study investigates the direct influence of ambidextrous leadership on employees’ innovation behaviour, the mediating role of innovative self-efficacy and harmonious work passion, and the moderating role of Zhong-Yong thinking.

The authors conducted a series of questionnaire surveys to collect data in three time periods and from multiple sources; 332 supervisor–subordinate matched samples were obtained. The hypothesised relationships were tested using structural equation modelling and ProClin.

Ambidextrous leadership is positively associated with employees’ innovation behaviour, while innovative self-efficacy and harmonious work passion play mediating roles. The analysis further confirms that innovative self-efficacy and harmonious work passion play a chained double-mediating role between ambidextrous leadership and employees’ innovation behaviour, while Zhong-Yong thinking plays moderating roles between ambidextrous leadership and innovative self-efficacy and between ambidextrous leadership and harmonious work passion.

This study demonstrates the influence of ambidextrous leadership on employees’ innovation behaviour, specifically the role of ambidextrous leadership, and extends the relationship’s theoretical foundation. It is also expected to provide inspiration and serve as a reference for local Chinese management.

This paper aims to optimize cable-stayed force in asymmetric one-tower cable-stayed bridge formation using an improved particle swarm algorithm. It compares results with the traditional unconstrained minimum bending energy method.

This paper proposes an improved particle swarm algorithm to optimize cable-stayed force in bridge formation. It formulates a quadratic programming mathematical model considering the sum of bending energies of the main girder and bridge tower as the objective function. Constraints include displacements, stresses, cable-stayed force, and uniformity. The algorithm is applied to optimize the formation of an asymmetrical single-tower cable-stayed bridge, combining it with the finite element method.

The study’s findings reveal significant improvements over the minimum bending energy method. Results show that the structural displacement and internal force are within constraints, the maximum bending moment of the main girder decreases, resulting in smoother linear shape and more even internal force distribution. Additionally, the tower top offset decreases, and the bending moment change at the tower-beam junction is reduced. Moreover, diagonal cable force and cable force increase uniformly with cable length growth.

The improved particle swarm algorithm offers simplicity, effectiveness, and practicality in optimizing bridge-forming cable-staying force. It eliminates the need for arbitrary manual cable adjustments seen in traditional methods and effectively addresses the optimization challenge in asymmetric cable-stayed bridges.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze theory of inventive problem-solving (TRIZ) in terms of knowledge, skill, workload and affect to understand its effectiveness in enabling designers to achieve their optimized mental performance.

TASKS framework, which aims to capture the causal relations among Task workload, affect, skills, knowledge and mental stress, is adopted as our methodology. The framework supports the analysis of how a methodology influence designer’s affect, skills, knowledge and workload. TRIZ-related publications are assessed using the TASKS framework to identify the barriers and enablers in TRIZ-supported design.

TRIZ has limitations on its logic and tools. Nevertheless, it could create a beneficial impact on mental performance of designers.

This paper provides a theory-driven TRIZ usability analysis based on the materials in the literature following the TASKS framework. The impact of TRIZ, as an enabler or a barrier, has been analyzed in accomplishing a design task.

This study explores the deep integration of digital technology and cultural heritage to promote the preservation and inheritance of cultural heritage. Focusing on Digital Cultural Heritage (DCH), this research investigates its key role in activating theoretical research and practical applications in cultural heritage.

This study conducted an extensive bibliometric analysis utilizing VOSviewer and Bibliometrix visualization software to meticulously examine DCH research. Insights were gleaned from a dataset comprising 2,997 DCH-related publications harvested from the Web of Science database.

The bibliometric analysis reveals several notable findings: driven by active contributions from Italy, China, Spain, and the USA, the number of DCH publications shows a linear upward trend. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Italy emerges as a prominent institution, while the Journal of Cultural Heritage stands out as the most influential journal in the DCH field. Scholars such as Remondino, Guidi, Barazzetti, and Carrozzino have significantly impacted DCH research. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of keyword co-occurrence networks elucidates six major research trajectories in the DCH field, covering various aspects from cultural heritage digitization to digital humanities.

The study emphasizes the value of global knowledge exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative technology applications, and digital content provision practices in advancing DCH research.

By delving into the multifaceted landscape of DCH research, this study brings forth original insights into the escalating trends, pivotal contributors, and burgeoning research directions.

Total risk score (TRS) is considered one of the main indicators for risk evaluation. Several studies attempted to employ different types of risk indices for the evaluation of cost overrun causes. Hence, this study aims at performing a comparative analysis to evaluate the efficiency of three different approaches for TRS calculation.

Thirty-eight unique causes of cost overrun in urban-related construction projects were identified and a survey was conducted among construction professionals in Iran. The TRS for each cost overrun cause is calculated using single-attribute (SA), double-attribute (DA), and multiple-attribute (MA) approaches, and eventually, causes were ranked. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA), logistic regression analysis (LRA), and K-means clustering are utilized to compare the differences in the generated TRS using different approaches.

The results revealed that the TRS generated through the MA approach demonstrated the highest efficiency in terms of generating correlation between causes and their identified latent constructs, prediction capability, and classification of the influential causes in the same group.

The originality of this study primarily stems from the adoption of statistical approaches in the evaluation of the recently introduced TRS calculation approach in comparison to traditional ones. Additionally, this study proposed a modified application of the relative importance index (RII) for risk prioritization. The results from this study are expected to fulfill the gap in previous literature toward exploring the most efficient TRS calculation approach for those researchers and practitioners who seek to utilize them as a measure to identify the influential cost overrun causes.

Microribbon with meander type based on giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect has become a research hot spot due to their higher sensitivity and spatial resolution. The purpose of this paper is to further optimize the line spacing to improve the performance of meanders for sensor application.

The model of GMI effect of microribbon with meander type is established. The effect of line spacing (Ls) on GMI behavior in meanders is analyzed systematically.

Comparison of theory and experiment indicates that decreasing the line spacing increases the negative mutual inductance and a consequent increase in the GMI effect. The maximum value of the GMI ratio increases from 69% to 91.8% (simulation results) and 16.9% to 51.4% (experimental results) when the line spacing is reduced from 400 to 50 µm. The contribution of line spacing versus line width to the GMI ratio of microribbon with meander type was contrasted. This behavior of the GMI ratio is dominated by the overall negative contribution of the mutual inductance.

This paper explores the effect of line spacing on the GMI ratio of meander type by comparing the simulation results with the experimental results. The superior line spacing is found in the identical sensing area. The findings will contribute to the design of high-performance micropatterned ribbon with meander-type GMI sensors and the establishment of a ribbon-based magnetic-sensitive biosensing system.