Search results

This study aims to examine student perceptions regarding the mid-semester transition from face-to-face to online delivery in an accounting course during spring 2020.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous universities and colleges worldwide transitioned from face-to-face instruction to online delivery during spring 2020. We find some evidence in line with prior literature that COVID-19 affected student learning experience from various aspects.

Thanks in part to effective teaching techniques implemented by the instructor during the transition, including online lecture videos recorded by the instructor, online class materials, early posting of answer keys, frequent communication through emails and bonus points for watching lecture videos, students still perceived their learning outcomes positively in general.

These teaching techniques can be used to enhance student learning experience and satisfaction during class modality transitions in unforeseen circumstances, for both hybrid and online business courses.

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of venture capital (VC) in supporting corporate growth and innovation through participation in private placements. While VC provides essential financial support to companies, it remains unclear whether this involvement serves a strategic investment role or a purely financial one. This study seeks to elucidate the role of VC by analyzing changes in the price discount of private placements following VC participation.

The authors take the private placement events of China A share listed companies from April 2005 to January 2023 as the sample, and examine the influence of VC subscriptions on price discount rate.

VC subscriptions to private placements increase information asymmetry, consequently raising the discount rate. This relationship is influenced by the transaction characteristics and information environment. Specifically, VC subscriptions further elevate the discount rate when VC are geographically dispersed from the issuers, possess industry expertise in the issuers’ sector, allocate raised funds for asset restructuring or non-digital investments and when the issuers are in their growth stages. Moreover, the positive correlation between VC subscriptions and the discount rate is more pronounced under conditions of lower internal control quality and weaker external media supervision. Higher discount rates in VC-subscribed private placements result in lower R&D investment and investment efficiency by the issuers, leading to larger-scale VC sell-offs and ultimately diminishing the market and financial performance of the issuers.

The issuers should diligently assess the behaviors and motives of VC and selectively choose issuance targets and methods to manage risks associated with price deviations in private placements. Additionally, this study recommends that regulatory authorities develop a more detailed regulatory framework that considers transaction characteristics and the information environment. This strategy should help optimize external regulatory measures like media coverage and protect the interests of small and medium-sized investors.

This study extends research on the “name chasing” motive and certification effect of VC in private placements, enriches the literature on the mechanisms forming discount rates and provides insights for refining regulatory policies on private placements.

The online health community's success depends on doctors' active participation, so it is essential to understand the factors that affect doctors' knowledge contribution behavior in the online health communities. From the perspective of peer effect, this paper discusses the influence of focal doctors' peers on focal doctors' knowledge contribution behavior and the mechanism behind it. This paper aims to solve these problems.

Empirical data of 1,938 doctors were collected from a Chinese online health community, and propensity score matching and ordinary least squares were employed to verify the proposed theoretical model.

The results show that the presence of focal doctors' peers in online health communities has a positive effect on the knowledge contribution behavior of focal doctors, and the economic returns and social returns of focal doctors' peers have a significant mediating effect.

This paper discusses focal doctors' knowledge contribution behavior from the perspective of peer effect. It enhances the understanding of focal doctors' behavior in the online health communities by exploring the mediating role of their peers' economic and social returns. The results of this paper extend the research in the field of peer effect and online health and provide management implications and suggestions for online health platforms and doctors.

This study aims to explore the associations between leadership styles (i.e. transformational and ethical) and innovative work behavior within higher education institutions (HEIs), additionally investigating the mediating role of work engagement and the moderating role of psychological empowerment.

The basis of this study rested upon adopting a cross-sectional research framework. The data were acquired from a sample comprising 825 academic staff and 275 leaders across 226 HEIs in China. Employing a quantitative methodology, the researchers used AMOS version 26.0 and SPSS version 22.0 for statistical analysis.

The results indicated that leadership styles (i.e. transformational and ethical) positively affected innovative work behavior, both directly and indirectly (via work engagement). Also, psychological empowerment moderated the linkage between leadership styles and innovative work behavior but not the association between work engagement and innovative work behavior.

Despite some existing literature having discussed the correlation between leadership styles and innovative work behavior, there appears to be a conspicuous dearth of research endeavoring to explore the mediator (i.e. work engagement) and the moderator (i.e. psychological empowerment) within the above nexus, especially in the context of HEIs. Thus, this study can be considered original, introducing novel perspectives and substantial contributions to the management literature on HEIs. In addition, it offers insights for organizational managers.

Digital transformation and innovation-driven development have become an international consensus. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of relationships, mechanisms and economic consequences between digital transformation and enterprise innovation quality in order to provide a benchmark for developing countries to implement digital transformation strategies and innovation-driven strategies and provide a major support for economic recovery in the post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era.

Using microdata from A-share listed enterprises in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2010 to 2021, this study examines the relationship between digital transformation and enterprise innovation quality and further reveals the internal logic and economic consequences of digital transformation to improve enterprise innovation quality through the mediating effect and moderating effect models.

The results demonstrate that digital transformation is beneficial for improving enterprise innovation quality. The heterogeneity test demonstrates that digital transformation has a larger effect on improving enterprise innovation quality in non-state-owned enterprises and eastern enterprises in China. The mechanism test demonstrates that digital transformation can improve enterprise innovation quality by improving internal control quality and analyst attention. Furthermore, with the increase in enterprise innovation inputs, digital transformation plays a significantly stronger role in improving enterprise innovation quality. The extended analysis demonstrates that digital transformation can significantly improve enterprise financial performance by improving innovation quality.

First, the construction of the core explanatory variable digital transformation index in this study is based on the Python data analysis software, which calculates the frequency of digital transformation in the text of the business situation analysis portion of the annual report of the listed companies and then obtains the degree of digital transformation of the company in this year. There may be some deviation from the degree of digital transformation in the actual production and operation of enterprises. Second, in addition to internal control quality and analyst attention, are there other mediating mechanisms for the impact of digital transformation on the quality of enterprise innovation? Third, whether the moderating effect of innovation input on digital transformation and innovation quality is related to human capital factors of the research and development (R&D) team, such as the technical background of R&D personnel, etc.

This study enriches the relevant theories of digital transformation and broadens the research boundaries of digital transformation and enterprise innovation. This study's result provides an empirical basis for enterprises to improve enterprise innovation quality and financial performance from the perspective of digital transformation at the micro level and points out specific practical directions, combining theory with practice.

To investigate the influence of vehicle operation speed, curve geometry parameters and rail profile parameters on wheel–rail creepage in high-speed railway curves and propose a multi-parameter coordinated optimization strategy to reduce wheel–rail contact fatigue damage.

Taking a small-radius curve of a high-speed railway as the research object, field measurements were conducted to obtain track parameters and wheel–rail profiles. A coupled vehicle-track dynamics model was established. Multiple numerical experiments were designed using the Latin Hypercube Sampling method to extract wheel-rail creepage indicators and construct a parameter-creepage response surface model.

Key service parameters affecting wheel–rail creepage were identified, including the matching relationship between curve geometry and vehicle speed and rail profile parameters. The influence patterns of various parameters on wheel–rail creepage were revealed through response surface analysis, leading to the establishment of parameter optimization criteria.

This study presents the systematic investigation of wheel–rail creepage characteristics under multi-parameter coupling in high-speed railway curves. A response surface-based parameter-creepage relationship model was established, and a multi-parameter coordinated optimization strategy was proposed. The research findings provide theoretical guidance for controlling wheel–rail contact fatigue damage and optimizing wheel–rail profiles in high-speed railway curves.

Digital well-being (DWB) has become a preoccupation of society, businesses and consumers because of the proliferation of technology and the pandemic. This study aims to understand the four main problems of DWB in hospitality (DWBH): epistemology, scope, aggregation and specification by adopting integrative literature review.

The systematic analysis process develops a dynamic DWBH framework, which connects individuals and society, based on the doughnut model. A critical method is used to conceptualize the DWBH and digital behavior change interventions (DBCIs) by combining psychology and sociology.

This study provides a definition of DWBH. It identifies three antecedents (digital design, awareness and utilization advancement), three decision factors (individual psychology, category differences and external environment) and four outcomes. The doughnut model visualizes dynamic sustainability of subjective well-being, master, engagement, autonomy, relationship and mastery. DBCIs provide a comprehensive strategy: effective design is essential, personalized implementation is standard, and strategy and structure ensure success.

This study theoretically addresses issues of epistemology, scope and aggregation, expanding the existing knowledge base of DWBH and fostering theoretical integration across different disciplines. Practically, it provides actionable guidelines for stakeholders in hospitality to enhance community DWB, thereby promoting both individual and societal well-being.

This study makes a pioneering effort by extending the knowledge of DWBH with epistemology, scope, aggregation and specification. Furthermore, this study helps clarify the academic research process of DWBH, formulating management and practical strategies and improving individuals’ well-being.

The purpose of this paper is to study and report the effects of silver (Ag) content, glass phase particle size and Ag/antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) particle size on the properties of ATO thick film resistor pastes, especially on the microstructure, square resistance, temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), resistance temperature curve and other properties of the pastes.

Thick film resistor pastes with different Ag content, glass phase particle size and ATO particle size were printed on stainless steel substrates by screen printing technology, and a series of Ag/ATO thick film resistors (TFRs) were obtained after high-temperature sintering. The electrical properties of TFRs were evaluated. The microstructure development, square resistance, TCR and other properties of the developed TFRs were evaluated with the change in Ag content and the particle size.

The results show that with the increase of Ag content, the square resistance of the pastes decreases and the TCR increases. The change rate of resistance after resintering is less than 4%, and the pastes show excellent antiaging properties. Meanwhile, with the increase of the particle size of the glass phase, the square resistance decreases first and then increases, and the TCR increases first and then decreases, which has little effect on the conductive behavior. The increase in ATO particle size leads to an increase in the square resistance of TFRs and a decrease in the TCR.

This paper provides a useful evaluation of the square resistance, TCR and other properties of Ag/ATO thick film resistor pastes, which are related to the Ag content, glass phase particle size and ATO particle size of the developed TFRs. The thick film resistor pastes with zero TCR can be obtained using Ag/ATO as the functional phase without Pd or Pt.

This study aims to systematically review and critically assess research methods for studying aging populations in tourism and hospitality. It identifies gaps and provides recommendations for advancing methodological innovation in response to emerging research agendas.

Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of existing literature on aging populations in tourism and hospitality. Searches were performed in major databases, including Scopus and Web of Science, to collect peer-reviewed, English articles published in Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)-indexed tourism and hospitality journals from 1965 to 2025. The methodologies employed in the selected studies were thoroughly analyzed.

A total of 184 articles were included in the final analysis. The review revealed that current research methods predominantly rely on surveys and interviews, with limited methodological diversity. Gaps were identified, and a conceptual model was proposed to advance cross-disciplinary integration and foster innovative methods that could more comprehensively capture the complexities of senior tourists, particularly those with health conditions.

This paper is likely the first to synthesize research methodologies within this specific context, outlining a path forward for researchers to adopt more innovative, multidisciplinary approaches. This study lays the foundation for future empirical investigations into the behaviors and experiences of senior tourists, as well as the potential role of tourism in promoting healthy aging. Additionally, it provides valuable insights for tourism marketing practitioners to better accommodate this growing segment.

This study aims to focus on optimization of process parameters for porosity and strength of polyamide porous bone scaffolds fabricated via selective laser sintering (SLS) process.

Taguchi’s design of experiment approach with L18 orthogonal array (OA) has been used to optimize the process parameters. Five process and four response parameters have been considered for this study. Initially, minimum size of the pores that can be depowdered was identified. Then, porous CAD models of test specimen to measure porosity and strength were designed in Solidworks® software and fabricated using EOSINT P395 m/c. Signal-to-noise ratio and analysis of variance were used to identify the optimal levels of parameters and statistical significance of the parameters.

Among five parameters, powder refresh rate, build chamber temperature and layer thickness were found to have significant influence on all the response parameters, whereas build orientation and build position were found insignificant for all the responses. The Taguchi’s confirmation test validated the results of the study with maximum deviation of 5.8% for compressive strength. Comparison of predicted and experimental values revealed a satisfactory predictability of all the developed linear regression models.

This study reveals optimal set of parameters for SLS of the polyamide porous bone scaffolds. The optimal set of parameters may be used by other researchers to get enhanced combination of strength and porosity while fabricating porous scaffolds.