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This paper aims to apply the spacing effect of capacitive imaging (CI) sensors to inspect and differentiate external flaws of the protective module, internal flaws of the protective module and external flaws of the metallic module in oil and gas pipelines simultaneously. Through experimental verification, a method for differentiating three distinct kinds of flaws derived from the spacing effect of CI sensors has been demonstrated.

A 3Dimensions (3D) model for simulating the inspection of these flaws was established by using COMSOL. A novel CI sensor with adjustable working electrode spacing was designed, and a modular CI system was developed to substantiate the theoretical findings with experimental evidence. A method for differentiating three distinct kinds of flaws derived from the spacing effect of CI sensors was established.

The results indicate that the method can successfully discriminate external flaws of the protective module, internal flaws of the protective module and external flaws of the metallic module using CI sensors.

The method for differentiating three distinct kinds of flaws derived from the spacing effect of CI sensors is vital for keeping the transportation safety of oil and gas pipelines.

We aim to provide a systematic literature review of the determinants and consequences of labor investment efficiency in an international context. First, we offer a theoretical discussion of labor investment efficiency, followed by an examination of its measurement. Next, we review the determinants of labor investment efficiency, categorizing them into firm fundamentals including financial reporting quality, governance and controls, corporate social responsibility/environmental regulation and macroeconomic determinants. Finally, we review the limited empirical literature on the consequences of labor investment efficiency. We also provide some suggestions for future research.

We perform a systematic literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for a Systematic Review of Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines to examine archival studies investigating the determinants and consequences of labor investment efficiency. Using a Boolean search strategy on the Scopus and PRISMA selection criteria, we review 86 published archival research articles from 2014 to the end of August 2024.

Our review highlights that firm-level fundamental factors including financial reporting quality have profound implications for labor investment efficiency. Effective governance mechanisms also help mitigate agency conflicts and information asymmetries and alleviate labor investment inefficiencies. Furthermore, the influence of regulations including ESG-related regulations and macroeconomic factors play a crucial role in shaping labor investment decisions. We find very little research on the consequence of labor investment efficiency.

Our review has highlighted that well-functioning corporate governance tools are effective in mitigating inefficient labor investments. Stakeholders, therefore, should ensure that firms have effective internal governance mechanisms in place and that external governance regulations complement and where necessary act as substitutes for internal governance mechanisms to optimize labor investments.

To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first systematic review of extant research on labor investment efficiency. Our review highlights some research gaps, particularly about the consequences of labor investment efficiency and offers some suggestions for future research.

This study investigates the heterogeneous impact of R&D capital market distortions (CMDs) on the quantity and quality of innovation in Chinese firms by exploring key pathways from a dual-arbitrage perspective.

Using data from Chinese A-share listed companies (2015–2021), we employ a multidimensional fixed effects model to validate the research hypotheses. Under the Systems of National Accounts (SNA, 2008) framework, we use the Bureau of Economic Analysis method to estimate enterprise R&D capital stock and the Cobb-Douglas production function to estimate R&D CMDs.

Results show that R&D CMDs drive firms toward strategic innovation, emphasizing quantity over quality. Policy arbitrage, including policy catering and rent-seeking, emerges as a pivotal mechanism under R&D CMDs, encouraging firms to prioritize quantity over quality in innovation. High-technology firms and those in the decline stage are more inclined to spearhead strategic innovation within the context of R&D CMDs.

These findings help policymakers promote high-quality innovation in Chinese enterprises by enhancing patent review mechanisms and shifting policies from quantity-driven to quality-oriented goals.

This study enriches the research on factor market distortions and innovation in emerging markets from the perspective of R&D CMDs, based on the “emerging + transitional” comprehensive framework. Unlike previous studies, which generally use enterprise R&D expenditure flow data, we apply the theory of R&D capitalization accounting to the micro-enterprise level under the SNA (2008) framework, enhancing the accuracy of R&D CMD estimations.

This study aims to identify key contributors, research themes, research gaps, and future directions in hospitality innovation by conducting bibliometric and content analyses of peer-reviewed articles in this field.

A bibliometric analysis was conducted using VOSviewer software on 2,698 peer-reviewed English-language articles retrieved from the Web of Science database, published between 1995 and 2023. Key contributors were identified based on publication volume, citation, and co-citation analysis. Co-occurrence analysis of index keywords and content analysis of influential articles were used to identify research themes.

The study identified four distinct research themes in hospitality innovation: (1) digital technology adoption primarily among customers, (2) innovation management within hospitality firms, focusing on knowledge management and eco-innovation, (3) service innovation primarily among employees, and (4) business model innovation involving multiple stakeholders. Additionally, the study determined key contributors, highlighted research gaps, and provided suggestions for future research directions.

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a systematic and in-depth review of hospitality innovation research. It identifies key contributors, research themes, and potential gaps for future research, offering valuable insights for both industry practitioners and scholars.

This study aims to evaluate the impact of several factors on the continuance participation intention of service providers in the sharing economy business model, i.e. food delivery application (FDA) service.

Based on primary data collected from 282 service providers, this study used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to validate measurement scales and the proposed model.

The SEM analysis revealed that service providers’ intention to continue participating was influenced by perceived social benefit, perceived economic benefit and the corporate image of the service enabler. Notably, the relationship between perceived social benefit and continuance participation intention is moderated by the service enabler’s corporate image. Furthermore, this study identified four antecedents that impact on perceived benefit of service providers, namely, market attractiveness, and marketing capabilities of service enabler, delivery quality and customers’ positive affective response. However, the effect of marketing capabilities of the service enabler on perceived economic benefit was found to be irrelevant.

This study enriches the authors’ understanding of the factors that promote service providers’ intention to continue participating in the sharing economy business model, particularly within the context of FDAs. Based on the findings, the study offers both theoretical and practical implications for service enablers, policymakers and technology providers to enhance stakeholder engagement in the sharing economy business model.

Ground rent has been playing a vital role in China’s economic and social development, which has a clear practical logic. It is also necessary to present the historical inevitability and institutional mechanisms that realize this role of ground rent concerning its theoretical and historical logic.

This paper draws on the theories of the French regulation school and the social structure of accumulation theory to establish a preliminary analytical framework. This paper explores the process of ground rent formation under certain land institutional arrangements, as well as the association between the capital accumulation system, the distribution regulation mechanism and relevant stakeholder relationships. From the perspective of historical materialism, the paper examines the functions of ground rent in feudal and capitalist societies and their mapping association between the capital accumulation system, distribution regulation mechanism and stakeholders. This paper further investigates the inevitable trends in the evolution of different social systems from the perspective of rent. Additionally, based on Marx’s view on ground rent under socialism, the paper elucidates the formation, types of rent and its engagement in social production under the conditions of China’s socialist market economy, identifying the inherent value orientation and distinct institutional advantages.

Although considerable research has explored the reasons for the existence, categories and functions of rent in a socialist market economy, there is a relatively insufficient examination of its historical evolution and how it influences real-world economic dynamics. Existing studies have primarily focused on agricultural rent, lacking an in-depth analysis that puts the behaviors of landowners, land operators and laborers in fundamental contexts.

As China enters a new stage of development, it is imperative to improve the public ownership of land from a new historical starting point, encourage the rational use of ground rent leverage, and establish and enhance the capital accumulation system, the distribution regulation mechanism and relevant stakeholder relationships, enabling their more harmonious alignment with the socialist market economy. The following effort should be made to ensure that such actions will be put into place.

This research studies the influence and mechanism of rearing cost and endowment insurance on family fertility desire from the micro perspective.

Through the construction of overlapping generations (OLG) model and on the basis of this research purpose, the research hypothesis proposed by the theoretical model is tested by using the data of China household tracking survey (CFPS).

(1) Endowment insurance has an inhibitory effect on family fertility desire. The marginal effects of participating in old-age insurance on total fertility desire and boy fertility desire are – 3.2% and – 3.6% respectively. (2) The cost of rearing has a significant negative impact on family fertility desire. (3) There is regional heterogeneity in the impact of endowment insurance and rearing cost on fertility desire. (4) There is no significant difference in the impact of endowment insurance on fertility desire between urban and rural areas.

This research tries to fill the gap existing in the international literature by analyzing the micro mechanism of the influence degree of upbringing cost on fertility desire by introducing the rearing cost and fertility rate into the OLG, providing a micro basis for relevant quantitative calculation.

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.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between company reputation and dividend policy.

In this study, sample of 98,809 firm-year observations from 22 countries covering 2005–2016 were used.

Firm reputation concerns are associated with higher propensities to pay dividends and payout ratios. Further, this positive effect is more pronounced for firms with high free cash flows, high information asymmetry and low institutional monitoring. The results are robust to an instrumental variable approach, propensity score matching and the Heckman two-stage correction approach while addressing endogeneity concerns.

These findings have significant implications for various stakeholders, such as existing and potential investors, managers, policymakers and regulators, by providing insights into the relationship between corporate reputation and firm dividend payout decisions. Corporate reputation is highlighted as crucial for accessing finance, emphasizing the role of national regulators and policymakers in facilitating firms' efforts to improve their reputation. The study highlights the dynamics of corporate reputation and dividend payout, calling for proactive engagement from regulators and policymakers. Crafting policies conducive to reputation-building can enhance firms' financial prospects, indicating the need for strategic interventions at managerial, regulatory and policy levels. Understanding the influence of economic context is crucial for firms to tailor reputation management strategies and optimize funding opportunities in different economic environments.

Overall, results suggest that reputation serves as a disciplining mechanism, where firms will pay dividends to maintain their reputations.

The purpose of this study is to make property price forecasts for the Chinese housing market that has grown rapidly in the last 10 years, which is an important concern for both government and investors.

This study examines Gaussian process regressions with different kernels and basis functions for monthly pre-owned housing price index estimates for ten major Chinese cities from March 2012 to May 2020. The authors do this by using Bayesian optimizations and cross-validation.

The ten price indices from June 2019 to May 2020 are accurately predicted out-of-sample by the established models, which have relative root mean square errors ranging from 0.0458% to 0.3035% and correlation coefficients ranging from 93.9160% to 99.9653%.

The results might be applied separately or in conjunction with other forecasts to develop hypotheses regarding the patterns in the pre-owned residential real estate price index and conduct further policy research.