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Intellectual capital is an essential intangible resource for enterprises, and different combinations of intellectual and environmental elements will produce different innovation effects. This study aims to analyze the effects of different matching combinations of intellectual capital elements and environmental uncertainty elements of firms on improving ambidextrous innovation (exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation).

Based on data from 161 listed companies in China, we employ a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify the paths that effectively promote ambidextrous innovation in enterprises.

Through group analysis, we derived five realization paths of exploratory innovation and five of exploitative innovation respectively. We further find that among these innovation realization paths, human capital plays a more prominent role in facilitating exploitative innovation, while relational capital plays a more important role in realizing exploratory innovation.

This research not only significantly contributes to the theory of ambidextrous innovation, but also helps firms identify the multiple paths of realization that trigger high-exploratory and exploitative innovation, avoiding unnecessary waste caused by resource mismatch, and providing valuable insights for firms seeking to adopt an ambidextrous innovation strategy effectively.

This research uses the evolutionary game model theory to explore how to make decisions to maximize their own interests in the process of project claims from the perspective of small and medium-sized contractors in the construction industry.

This study defines the discount factor in the claim process based on the characteristics of construction claims and provides a specific calculation method. The paper analyzes the matching degree between the evolutionary game model and the process of construction claims. Further, the discount factor is introduced to construct an evolutionary game model of engineering claims with the goal of maximizing the contractor’s benefits.

The results of this study show that in the situation (C*d1-nC1*d1>0, v2-v1-g>0) and (C*d1-nC1*d1>0, v2-v1-g<0), the contractor claim decision-making strategy is a truthful claim, while in the situation (C*d1-nC1*d1<0, v2-v1-g>0) and (C*d1-nC1*d1<0, v2-v1-g<0), the contractor claim decision-making strategy is a high-price claim. The discount factor will affect the decision-making rate. It is noted that the fines and the explicit costs received during the contractor’s high-priced claim process exhibit a positive correlation with the rate of truthful claim decision-making by contractors. Meanwhile, the final revenue of high-priced claims by contractors shows a positive correlation with the rate of high-priced claim decision-making by the sensitivity analysis.

The author simulates the process of solving the actual claim problem through the evolutionary game model in engineering claims. It is hoped that researchers will collect empirical cases and compare the actual case solutions with the model solutions to further revise the model in future studies, an evolutionary game model of engineering claim decision-making with interference factors can be constructed to analyze the evolutionary stability. Secondly, the single factor sensitivity analysis of individual parameters is carried out in this paper, and the influence of multiple factors on claim decisions can be further analyzed in the later research.

The analysis of the claim process based on the evolutionary game model is conducive to the contractor’s rapid claim decision-making. The introduction of the discount factor to analyze the claim process is more conducive to the accuracy of the contractor’s claim decision.

The proposed model provides a supplement to the existing studies on dynamic construction claim decision-making. The claim decision is conducive to controling cost for the contractor, improving the contractor’s management level and developing a healthy construction market.

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 aims to report the development and experimental evaluation of two kinds of PANI@semiconductor based photocathodic anti-corrosion coating, for application on stainless steel substrates.

PANI was in situ chemical polymerized on TiO₂ and BiVO₄ particles, and FT-IR and SEM/EDS were used to understand the characteristics and elemental distribution of the composite particles. Composite coatings, which consisted of epoxy, PANI@TiO₂ or PANI@BiVO₄ and graphene, were prepared on the 304L stainless steel. Photoelectrochemical response measurement, electrochemical tests and immersion tests were used to assess the anti-corrosion performance of the prepared coatings in 45°C 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. And the corrosion protection mechanism was further explained by combining with surface observation.

The photoelectrochemical response tests revealed the good photocathodic effect of the coatings, and the reversible oxidation-reduction properties of PANI (pseudocapacitive effect) leading to the repeated usage of the coatings. Consequently, the anti-corrosion mechanism of the composite coating is attributed to the physical barrier effect of the coating, the anodic protection effect of PANI and the photocathodic and energy store effect.

These kind coatings could prevent corrosion from day to night for stainless steel, which has great engineering application prospects on stainless steel corrosion protection.

This study aims to examine the impact of China's “Manufacturing and Internet Integration Development Pilot Demonstration Project” (MIP) policy on the digital transformation (DT) and labor structure optimization (LSU) of manufacturing enterprises, reveal the relationship between DT and LSU at the micro level and investigate the mechanism between them.

This study employs MIP as a quasi-natural experiment and develops a time-varying difference-in-difference (DID) model based on a sample of 2,445 Chinese A-share listed manufacturing enterprises in the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets from 2013 to 2021.

The implementation of MIP significantly increases DT by 0.4366 and optimizes LSU by 0.0507. By enhancing the two mediated variables of organizational learning inputs (SI) and employees' personal digital cognition (PDC), DT can optimize the LSU of pilot enterprises by 0.035 and 0.034, according to the results of the mechanism analysis. The study also reveals that the impact of MIP on LSU is highly heterogeneous. With effects of 0.0691 and 0.0632, the optimization effect is more pronounced in state-owned firms and firms with low ownership concentration, respectively.

This study demonstrates the dual effects of the MIP pilot on DT and LSU. In addition, this study pioneers research on the significance of optimizing the labor structure through SI and PDC on the basis of DT, which provides an empirical foundation for the Chinese Government to expand the scope of MIP pilots and revise policy content, as well as for manufacturing enterprises to upgrade the labor structure.

With the accumulation of theoretical research and practical experience in the field of garment production research, it is imperative to methodically analyze and reflect on the achievements that have been made. This review aims to systematically map the academic landscape of research articles on garment production, elucidate the evolutionary trajectory of this discipline, identify emerging research frontiers and provide insights into its prospects.

Based on the Web of Science core database, 307 research articles were systematically analyzed by CiteSpace software. The study employed bibliometric and thematic analyses to offer in-depth insights into the dynamics and evolution of research on garment production.

Results reveal that keyword analysis emphasizes the significance of topics such as apparel assembly line, lean production, circular economy, fuzzy logic, global production networks, social sustainability and supply chain management in garment production research. Citation analysis demonstrates that articles related to environmental impact, supply chain management, production process and production technology constitute the knowledge base and core of garment production research. Eight principal research themes emerge: customized garment production, production technology, quality assurance, equipment, production lines, supply chain management, environmental impact and social and human impact. Future research hotspots will focus more on sustainable, intelligent and digital clothing production.

The findings systematically sort out the hotspots and trends in garment production, establish knowledge structures and display them through intuitive representations. The rich insights set the stage for the development of garment production and provide future guidance for theoretical research.

As a highly knowledge-intensive activity, digitalization is changing the construction industry landscape and is encouraging construction firms to explore the transformation. This study establishes a new theoretical model aimed at examining the impact of three types of intellectual capital (IC) on digitalization through the lens of knowledge-based view and explores how IC and digitalization influence sustainability performance from the triple bottom line principles.

A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from Chinese construction firms using convenience sampling. A total of 181 valid responses were obtained. Then, a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was executed through Smart PLS 3.0 software. The measurement model was assessed to ensure reliability and validity, and the structural model was analysed to test the proposed hypotheses.

The empirical results confirm the positive impact of IC on digitalization and digitalization on sustainability performance. Moreover, digitalization plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between IC and sustainability performance.

The results provide empirical evidence supporting the different roles of IC and digitalization in improving sustainability. The findings contribute to enhancing the understanding of digitalization practices from the perspective of IC and provide theoretical and managerial implications for sustainability issues in the context of the construction industry.

This study aims to improve the stability and obstacle surmounting ability of the traditional wall-climbing robot on the surface of the ship, a wheel-track composite magnetic adsorption wall-climbing robot is proposed in this paper.

The robot adopts a front and rear obstacle-crossing mechanism to achieve a smooth crossover. The robot is composed of two passive obstacle-crossing mechanisms and a frame, which is composed of two obstacle-crossing magnetic wheels and a set of tracks. The obstacle-crossing is realized by the telescopic expansion of the obstacle-crossing mechanism. Three static failure models are established to determine the minimum adsorption force for the robot to achieve stable motion. The Halbach array is used to construct the track magnetic circuit, and the influence of gap, contact area and magnet thickness on the adsorption force is analyzed by parameter simulation.

The prototype was designed and manufactured by the authors for static failure and obstacle crossing tests. The prototype test results show that the robot can cross the obstacle of 10 mm height under the condition of 20 kg load.

A new structure of wall-climbing robot is proposed and verified. According to the test results, the wall-climbing robot can stably climb over the obstacle of 10 mm height under the condition of 20 kg load, which provides a new idea for future robot design.

Based on upper echelons theory, this study aims to explore the impact of senior management’s academic experience on corporate risk-taking and analyze the pathways and potential moderating effects of this relationship.

This study uses panel data of Chinese A-share listed companies in the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and Shanghai Stock Exchange from 2008 to 2020. An ordinary least squares model is used to test the hypothesis.

The results indicate that senior management’s academic experience suppresses corporate risk-taking, with investment level and cash reserves being two important channels. The moderation effect test shows that the inhibitory effect becomes more pronounced when senior managers with academic backgrounds occupy chief executive officer or chief financial officer roles. Conversely, when academic executives possess overseas/financial backgrounds or increase their compensation incentives, the strength of this disincentive effect diminishes. Moreover, our extended research finds that this inhibitory effect is more pronounced in state-owned companies and those within a strong Confucian cultural environment. Additionally, senior management’s academic experience positively correlates with both current and future market returns and company value.

This study contributes to the development of top management team building and corporate governance practices. Additionally, it furnishes investors with valuable insights into assessing the risk level of companies through the characteristics of their top management teams, thereby facilitating informed investment decision-making and improving capital market resource allocation efficiency.

This study addresses the challenge of generating material waste from support structures in 3D printing manufacturing and aims to explore more cost-effective manufacturing strategies for 3D printing manufacturers by considering two strategies: technology upgrading and material recycling.

This study examines the optimal decisions for manufacturers under each scenario (including a benchmark model and models for the two strategies) and explores the most profitable strategy by comparing the optimal profits of the manufacturer and analyzing the impact of key factors.

This study reveals that the choice of the optimal manufacturing strategy depends on the cost coefficient of technological effort and the fixed cost associated with introducing material recycling. In addition, it finds that material recycling is particularly effective in enhancing consumer surplus.

The analysis provides an important basis for decision-making for 3D printing manufacturers considering technology upgrading and material recycling, which can not only enhance economic benefits but also contribute to the sustainable advancement of 3D printing technology.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to focus on the adverse effects of support structures in 3D printing manufacturing and systematically explore the economic feasibility of improving this issue through both technology upgrading and material recycling.