This study explores the mediating effects of relationship marketing orientation (RMO) and service quality orientation (SQO) on market orientation, selling orientation, and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the mediating effects of relationship marketing orientation (RMO) and service quality orientation (SQO) on market orientation, selling orientation, and policyholder retention in non-life insurance services. Additionally, it offers important recommendations for non-life insurers in Taiwan for policy development and improving policyholder retention.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a sample of policyholders belonging to the top five non-life insurance companies in Taiwan. The data were then analyzed with structural equation modeling.
Findings
RMO and SQO mediate the effects of the salesperson’s market orientation on policyholder retention. Thus, RMO and SQO are key factors influencing policyholder retention. Consequently, high levels of market orientation should be maintained to increase RMO and SQO, strengthening the retention rate of non-life insurance policyholders.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this study is its cross-sectional nature. In the future, researchers should collect data from other countries and service industries (e.g. banks, securities, and other financial institutions), expand to different insurance contexts (e.g. life insurance), and conduct longitudinal studies or experimental research.
Practical implications
The results of this study can act as a guide for providers of non-life insurance services. Based on the research results, we recommend decision-makers pay increased attention to increasing policyholder retention rates by strengthening their firm’s RMO and SQO.
Originality/value
Few studies have investigated the relationships among market orientation, selling orientation, RMO, SQO, and policyholder retention in non-life insurance services within Asian contexts in general and specifically in Taiwan. Thus, this study’s theoretical contributions, managerial implications (especially for decision-makers), and the proposed future research directions represent timely and valuable additions to the literature.
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The financial industry is becoming more intelligent and digital, and the adoption of new technologies is promoting financial innovation while making financial security subject to…
Abstract
The financial industry is becoming more intelligent and digital, and the adoption of new technologies is promoting financial innovation while making financial security subject to disruption. Internet finance, as a product of the rapid development of information technology and the financial industry, has ushered in major changes in the development of the financial industry. The application of new technologies in the financial sector will bring about the development of intelligent investment consulting businesses for financial institutions The development of such a business reduces the threshold at which a customer can obtain financial services and improves the convenience and accessibility of financial services. Under the complex domestic and international economic situation, enterprises need to pay attention to financial risks and reasonably control financial risks. Applying blockchain technology to supply chain financial risk management has a natural match for solving the traditional difficulties in supply chain risk. This chapter mainly describes the types, assessment methods and existing problems of financial risks, as well as the prevention and control of network security risk management and Internet financial risk management arising therefrom, and also involves stress testing and scenario planning, blockchain-based financial risk management and risk culture, among which financial risk assessment and Internet financial risk management are mainly the content. With the help of information technology, we can effectively identify and prevent all kinds of risks and effectively promote the sustainable and healthy development of the financial industry.
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This study aims to explore the impact mechanism of social support on individual health knowledge creation among users in online patient communities, guide and promote the creation…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the impact mechanism of social support on individual health knowledge creation among users in online patient communities, guide and promote the creation of health knowledge and provide insights into managing online patient communities.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical model was constructed by integrating social impact and social support theories. Data were collected through questionnaires, and 750 valid responses were analysed using a structural equation model.
Findings
This study found the following. (1) Social support influences individual health knowledge creation through the mediating effects of creative self-efficacy and positive emotions. (2) The general rule of the strength of the influencing factors on individual health knowledge creation is that creative self-efficacy > positive emotions. (3) The general pattern of the mediating effect of attitude factors between social support and health knowledge creation is that creative self-efficacy > positive emotions. (4) The key path for social support to influence individual health knowledge creation is “social support → creative self-efficacy → health knowledge creation”. (5) The dimensions of social support in online patient communities can be divided into information, emotional, respect and network support. Individual health knowledge creation can be divided into health knowledge externalisation, combination, socialisation and internalisation.
Originality/value
This study expands the application scope of social influence theory and opens up the “black box” of the impact of social support on individual health knowledge creation behaviour. Simultaneously, the dimensions of social support, individual health knowledge creation and the mediating role between social support and health knowledge creation are discussed.
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Rachel Torres, Marianna Schroeder and Amy Jane Griffiths
Autistic individuals are employed and access higher education opportunities at significantly lower rates than their nondisabled peers (US Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2023;…
Abstract
Autistic individuals are employed and access higher education opportunities at significantly lower rates than their nondisabled peers (US Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2023; Newman, 2015). Schools are an optimal setting for intervention as most individuals access the school setting. However, traditional support to facilitate postsecondary transition effectively, such as transition plans, is currently lacking (Greene, 2018; Hughes et al., 2023). The authors of the present chapter conducted a systematic review to identify school-based interventions available for autistic youth intended to support the transition from high school to higher education, entrepreneurship, and employment. The data extraction methods used by the authors identified 19 articles on interventions. Across all studies, the authors found variation in the extent to which researchers addressed entrepreneurial skills and identified two key skill development areas across different intervention modalities: employability skills and interpersonal communication skills. Based on these results, the authors discuss available school-based programming intended to prepare autistic youth for postsecondary careers and entrepreneurial opportunities and the implications of existing interventions for practitioners and researchers interested in improving outcomes for autistic students as they transition to the workplace, particularly entrepreneurial endeavors.
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Jiaojiao Feng, Leyan Zhan and Changyu Wang
In the digital workplace, enterprise social media (ESM) are widely used for work and social purposes, which may afford employees resources to build their career adaptability…
Abstract
Purpose
In the digital workplace, enterprise social media (ESM) are widely used for work and social purposes, which may afford employees resources to build their career adaptability. However, limited theoretical evidence is about how to build career adaptability through different ESM uses (work-oriented ESM use and socialization-oriented ESM use). This study thus aims to enrich the theoretical understanding of the relationship between different ESM uses and career adaptability by examining the different mediating mechanisms of role clarity and psychological closeness and the moderating effect of mindfulness based on affordance theory.
Design/methodology/approach
SPSS PROCESS and AMOS were used to analyze the data collected from 209 full-time employees at three-time points.
Findings
Our results showed that work-oriented ESM use exerts a positive effect on employees’ career adaptability via role clarity, while socialization-oriented ESM use has a positive effect on employees’ career adaptability via psychological closeness. Mindfulness strengthens the positive effect of work-oriented ESM use on career adaptability via role clarity.
Practical implications
Managers need to notice that both work-oriented and socialization-oriented ESM use can benefit employees, but there are different effecting mechanisms of ESM use for work and social purposes, and organizations should keep cultivating the mindfulness of employees.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the ESM literature by investigating two different influencing mechanisms of ESM uses on employees’ career adaptability and the moderating effects of mindfulness.
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Yanchao Sun, Jiayu Li, Hongde Qin and Yutong Du
Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is widely used in resource prospection and underwater detection due to its excellent performance. This study considers input saturation…
Abstract
Purpose
Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is widely used in resource prospection and underwater detection due to its excellent performance. This study considers input saturation, nonlinear model uncertainties and external ocean current disturbances. The containment errors can be limited to a small neighborhood of zero in finite time by employing control strategy. The control strategy can keep errors within a certain range between the trajectory followed by AUVs and their intended targets. This can mitigate the issues of collisions and disruptions in communication which may arise from AUVs being in close proximity or excessively distant from each other.
Design/methodology/approach
The tracking errors are constrained. Based on the directed communication topology, a cooperative formation control algorithm for multi-AUV systems with constrained errors is designed. By using the saturation function, state observers are designed to estimate the AUV’s velocity in six degrees of freedom. A new virtual control algorithm is designed through combining backstepping technique and the tan-type barrier Lyapunov function. Neural networks are used to estimate and compensate for the nonlinear model uncertainties and external ocean current disturbances. A neural network adaptive law is designed.
Findings
The containment errors can be limited to a small neighborhood of zero in finite time so that follower AUVs can arrive at the convex hull consisting of leader AUVs within finite time. The validity of the results is indicated by simulations.
Originality/value
The state observers are designed to approximate the speed of the AUV and improve the accuracy of the control method. The anti-saturation function and neural network adaptive law are designed to deal with input saturation and general disturbances, respectively. It can ensure the safety and reliability of the multiple AUV systems.
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Gang Wei, Zhiyuan Mu, Weihao Feng, Yongjie Qi and Binglai Guo
The aim of this study is to investigate the horizontal displacement effects of foundation pit excavation on adjacent metro stations and shield tunnel composite structures. It…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to investigate the horizontal displacement effects of foundation pit excavation on adjacent metro stations and shield tunnel composite structures. It seeks to develop a theoretical calculation method capable of accurately assessing these engineering impacts, aiming to provide practical assistance for engineering applications.
Design/methodology/approach
This study introduces a model for shield tunnel segments incorporating rotation and misalignment, considering the constraints of metro stations. It establishes a displacement model for tunnel-station combinations during foundation pit excavation, deriving a formula for calculating station-proximal tunnel horizontal displacements. The method's accuracy is validated against field data from three engineering cases. The research also explores variations in tunnel displacement, inter-ring shear force, misalignment and rotation angle under different spatial relationships between pits, tunnels and stations.
Findings
This study models uneven deformation between stations and tunnels due to bending stiffness and shear constraints. It enhances the misalignment model with station-induced shear effects and introduces coefficients for their mutual interaction. Results show varied responses based on pit-station-tunnel positioning: minimal displacement near pit edges (coefficients around 0.1) and significant effects near pit centers (coefficients from 0.4 to 0.5). “Whip effect” from station constraints affects tunnel displacement, shear force, misalignment and rotation, with fluctuations decreasing with distance from excavation areas.
Originality/value
This study demonstrates significant originality and value. It introduces a novel displacement model for tunnel-station combinations considering station constraints, addressing theoretical calculations of horizontal displacement effects from foundation pit excavation on metro stations and shield tunnel structures. Through validation with field data and parameter studies, the concept of influence coefficients is proposed, offering insights into variations in structural responses under different spatial relationships. This research provides crucial technical support and decision-making guidance for optimizing designs and facilitating practical construction in similar engineering projects.
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The inclusion of esports as an official event in the Hangzhou Asian Games is an important step towards the institutionalisation of esports. The significance of this event marks…
Abstract
The inclusion of esports as an official event in the Hangzhou Asian Games is an important step towards the institutionalisation of esports. The significance of this event marks that Asia once again takes a lead in the global esportisation. This chapter investigates a series of history events in the inclusion process of esports into the comprehensive Games in Asia using process sociology and actor network theory (ANT). This study will analyse the type characteristics of esports events in Hangzhou Asian Games, whilst examining how key stakeholders' interact and balance in the network composed of international sports organisations, host of the event, emerging esports organisations and esports game companies. The chapter also examines the functions of global game industrial economic geography, local cultural politics, esports geopolitics and Olympic values in esports sportization, aiming to reveal the implications of esports inclusion in the Asian Games on the debate of whether esports meets the criteria to be classified as a ‘sport’ and its enlightenment of digital strategy to the inclusion esports in the Olympics.
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Kaixiang Sun, Keng-Boon Ooi, Garry Wei-Han Tan and Voon-Hsien Lee
This paper aims to investigate the triangular interconnections among supply chain finance (SCF), supply chain risk management (SCRM) and supply chain sustainability (SCS) within…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the triangular interconnections among supply chain finance (SCF), supply chain risk management (SCRM) and supply chain sustainability (SCS) within the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under the theoretical foundation of dynamic capabilities view.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 319 valid data sets were gathered from SMEs in China to evaluate the research model. This study uses partial least square structural equation modelling and necessary condition analysis as the two statistical methodologies for the assessment.
Findings
The findings indicate that SCF positively impacts on both SCRM and SCS, whereas SCRM also positively influences SCS. Furthermore, it has been observed that SCRM partially mediates the connection between SCF and SCS.
Research limitations/implications
The findings contribute to the literature of SCS by empirically validating the direct and mediating impacts of SCRM on SCS.
Practical implications
The results provide valuable insights that can assist SME stakeholders, owners and managers in developing strategies to effectively incorporate SCF and SCRM practices, thereby enhancing SCS performance.
Originality/value
This study expands the existing research on SCF and SCRM in the context of promoting SCS, specifically from the viewpoint of an Asian developing country.
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Lena Aggestam and Ann Svensson
This paper focuses on knowledge sharing in health care. The aim of the paper is to further understand how digital applications can facilitate knowledge sharing between different…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper focuses on knowledge sharing in health care. The aim of the paper is to further understand how digital applications can facilitate knowledge sharing between different care providers and health-care professionals.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a qualitative action case study, performed as a formative intervention study as a Change Laboratory, where a digital application concerning wound support was used. The Change Laboratory was used for knowledge sharing in the assessment and treatment process of wounds. The collected data was then thematically analyzed.
Findings
The findings show how digital applications can facilitate knowledge sharing, but also the need for complementary collaborative sessions. The main contribution is the rich description of how digital applications together with these sessions can facilitate knowledge sharing.
Originality/value
This paper shows that activities as collaborative sessions performed on the organizational level prove to support knowledge sharing and learning when a new digital application has been implemented in the work process. It also shows that these sessions contributed to identifying new knowledge that has potential for being included in the application and hence are important to keeping the application updated and relevant over time.