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This paper aims to examine the role of local/provincial government in influencing corporate social and environmental reporting (CSER) in China, and more specifically, how the underlying economic and political factors associated with local government have influenced the quality of CSER.

The authors used 234 environmentally sensitive companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges during 2013 and 2015 as the research sample to test the relationship between CSER and local government’s political connection and economic prioritisation and the potential mediating effect of local economic prioritisation.

The analysis provides evidence that local/provincial government’s political geographical connectedness with the central government has directly and positively influenced the level of CSER, while local prioritisation of economic development has a direct but negative effect on CSER in China. In addition, local/provincial prioritisation of economic development has mediated the relationship between local–central political geographical connectedness and CSER.

While local/provincial governments are heavily influenced by the coercive pressure from the central government, they also act in their own political and economic interests in overseeing CSER at the local level. This study raises the question about the effectiveness of the top-down approach to improving CSER in China and suggests that the central government may need to focus more on coordinating and harmonising different local/provincial governments’ interests to enable achieving a common sustainability goal.

The authors provide evidence revealing how the economic and political contexts of local government have played a significant role in shaping CSER in China. More specifically, this paper addresses a gap in the literature by highlighting the importance of local government oversight power for CSER development and how such oversight is determined by local prioritisation of economic development and political geographical connectedness of local and central governments.

The Internet has introduced new ways of conducting business. Online auction of nonperishable experience goods (NPEG) items, which are generally rare, expensive and durable and need to be experienced to be valued, is one area that is undergoing significant change. Online auction platforms are encouraging participants to interact publicly in a social media type comment format. This paper investigates how such public interactions impact the auction outcomes of NPEG.

Auction records of vintage automobiles sold between 2015 and 2023 on one of the biggest online auction platforms in the USA were collected. The dataset contains multiple variables per record such as winning bid price, number of comments by sellers and browsers and various details of the automobile, for example brand, vintage and mileage. Ordinary least squares was utilized to analyze close to 42,000 records in the dataset.

The paper found that comments in general are positively correlated with the winning bid; it also found that online buyers value browser comments higher than seller comments. Furthermore, the relationship between vintage and origin country and winning bid is enhanced by browser comments.

This research furthers theory on two fronts. Firstly, we analyze how auction outcomes are impacted when buyers, casual observers and sellers interact with each other publicly when the auction is ongoing. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is one of the first studies that delve into participant interactions in online ongoing auctions. Secondly, we investigate how potential buyers utilize participant interaction information to guide their decisions about the value of NPEG.

The diagnosis and prediction methods used for estimating the health conditions of the bearing are of great significance in modern petrochemical industries. This paper aims to discuss the accuracy and stability of improved empirical mode decomposition (EMD) algorithm in bearing fault diagnosis.

This paper adopts the improved adaptive complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition (ICEEMD) to process the nonlinear and nonstationary signals. Two data sets including a multistage centrifugal fan data set from the laboratory and a motor bearing data set from the Case Western Reserve University are used to perform experiments. Furthermore, the proposed fault diagnosis method, combined with intelligent methods, is evaluated by using two data sets. The proposed method achieved accuracies of 99.62% and 99.17%. Through the experiment of two data, it can be seen that the proposed algorithm has excellent performance in the accuracy and stability of diagnosis.

According to the review papers, as one of the effective decomposition methods to deal with nonlinear nonstationary signals, the method based on EMD has been widely used in bearing fault diagnosis. However, EMD is often used to figure out the nonlinear nonstationarity of fault data, but the traditional EMD is prone to modal confusion, and the white noise in signal reconstruction is difficult to eliminate.

In this paper only the top three optimal intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are selected, but IMFs with less correlation cannot completely deny their value. Considering the actual working conditions of petrochemical units, the feasibility of this method in compound fault diagnosis needs to be studied.

Different from traditional methods, ICEEMD not only does not need human intervention and setting but also improves the extraction efficiency of feature information. Then, it is combined with a data-driven approach to complete the data preprocessing, and further carries out the fault identification and classification with the optimized convolutional neural network.

In order to better optimize the internal management system of book publishing and to cope with the changes in the external market environment, the purpose of this paper is to carry out cross-border publishing with the help of a transmedia storytelling model to realize the transformation and upgrading of the industry. Focusing on the relationship between the book publishing transmedia storytelling model and business performance, the moderating effect of the innovation environment on different variables is assessed.

This paper proposes several feasible hypotheses based on existing research. The research data came from 365 managers of Chinese book publishing organizations, and the scale was validated by Cronbach’s a, composite reliability (CR) and average variance extracted (AVE). Reliability and validity were verified, and correlation and regression analyses were used to test the impact of the book publishing transmedia storytelling model on business performance and to analyze the moderating role of the innovation environment.

The results show that the book publishing transmedia storytelling model (content production, technology integration, organizational innovation, marketing integration) helps to improve business performance (market performance, financial performance), and the innovation environment has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between the book publishing transmedia storytelling model and business performance, which provides a guarantee for the transformation and upgrading of book publishing. The market information reflected in the innovation environment has a certain role in promoting the innovation and business performance of the book publishing transmedia storytelling model.

The empirical evidence provides a theoretical link between the book publishing transmedia storytelling model and business performance, but there are still some shortcomings, and more factors, such as equity structure, government subsidies and research and development investment, should be included in future research. In addition, the scope of the research should be broadened on this basis to make the results of the data analysis more objective.

This paper introduces the transmedia storytelling model and deeply analyzes the relationship between the book publishing transmedia storytelling model and business performance, which is of great practical significance for optimizing the application and service quality of book publishing, prolonging the industrial chain, enhancing the interaction and participation of users and perfecting the business management system of the book publishing industry.

The application and research of the book publishing transmedia storytelling model are imperfect. Therefore, this paper not only helps to promote the innovation of book publishing organizational structure and improve the management system of business performance, but also may help to improve the innovation environment of book publishing enterprises and promote the diversification of industrial structure.

Building information modelling (BIM) and augmented reality (AR) are unique technologies in the digitalized construction industry. In spite of the numerous benefits of BIM-AR, its adoption has been at a relatively slow pace. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the factors within technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework influence the adoption of BIM-AR in the context of construction companies in a developing country.

By using a mainly deductive quantitative design, survey data were collected from senior management of built environment companies in Ghana using questionnaires. The study adopted a mixture of both purposive and snowball sampling approaches. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse how the factors within the TOE framework explain BIM-AR adoption in Ghana.

Findings from the study show that the top three factors within the TOE framework that facilitate the adoption of BIM-AR include ICT infrastructure within construction firms; the size of the construction firm, which may influence the financial capacity to accommodate BIM-AR; and competitive pressure. The inhibitors of BIM-AR at the company level included external support and trading partners’ readiness.

Implicit is that the significant factors will be useful to policymakers and companies in developing programs that appeal to non-adopters to aid in mitigating their challenges and further enhance BIM-AR adoption.

The value of this paper has been the use of the theoretical framework TOE to explain the adoption factors of BIM-AR in the Ghanaian construction industry. The originality of the paper is further anchored in consideration of BIM-AR, which is quite nascent in emerging countries.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a composite lubrication system combining polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film and oil lubrication in steel–steel friction pairs.

A PTFE layer was sintered on the surface of a steel disk, and a lubricant with additives was applied to the surface of the steel disk. A friction and wear tester was used to evaluate the tribological properties and insulation capacity. Fourier transform infrared spectrometer was used to analyze the changes in the composition of the lubricant, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to analyze the chemical composition of the worn surface.

It was found that incorporating the PTFE film with PSAIL 2280 significantly enhanced both the friction reduction and insulation capabilities at the electrical contact interface during sliding. The system consistently achieved ultra-low friction coefficients (COF < 0.01) under loads of 2–4 N and elucidated the underlying lubrication mechanisms.

This work not only confirm the potential of PTFE films in insulating electrical contact lubrication but also offer a viable approach for maintaining efficient and stable low-friction wear conditions.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-06-2024-0222/

In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation and a heightened emphasis on library marketing. Special libraries, in particular, rely heavily on patrons for survival, often due to their private ownership and limited resources. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.

This paper examines the Taste Library, a special library in Hong Kong, and analyzes its current practices based on an interview with its founder, website content, and social media presence. The 7Ps Marketing Mix model is employed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the library's current market position.

The Taste Library's existing practices exhibit limitations in attracting young patrons. To address this issue, we propose marketing strategies focused on enhancing social network presence, offering digitized content, and engaging in school outreach.

By concentrating on youth marketing, this study offers valuable insights for special libraries in developing strategic plans for transitioning and maintaining sustainability.

Few studies concentrate on marketing small special libraries, particularly in the East, within today's digitized economy.

This paper aims to explore the multifaceted relationship between avatars, players, art and libraries in digital environments. Specifically, the paper investigates the artistic representation of avatars, the role of players in shaping avatar experiences and the integration of avatars and art in library settings. In addition, the paper seeks to examine the ethical implications of avatar representation, focusing on issues of diversity, privacy, authenticity, and accessibility.

This paper uses a systematic review to harvest literature from different accredited databases, such as the Web of Science and Directory of Open Access Journals. The review encompasses a wide range of scholarly papers, books and research papers spanning various disciplines such as computer science, information science and engineering.

The paper reveals that avatars serve as powerful tools for communication, self-expression and identity exploration in virtual environments. Avatars also play a significant role in facilitating social interaction, collaboration and engagement within digital communities, including libraries. Furthermore, the paper highlights the artistic potential of avatars as forms of creative expression and representation, showcasing how they can convey emotions, narratives and cultural symbolism in digital art spaces. However, the paper also identifies several ethical considerations associated with avatar representation, such as issues of diversity, privacy, authenticity and accessibility, which require careful attention and consideration by developers, designers and users.

The findings have several implications for theory, practice and policy related to avatar representation in digital environments, particularly within library settings. From a theoretical perspective, the paper contributes to the understanding of the complex interplay between avatars, players, art and ethics in digital culture. From a practical standpoint, the paper offers insights and recommendations for developers, designers and librarians on how to create inclusive, engaging and ethically responsible avatar experiences in virtual libraries. In addition, the paper underscores the importance of considering diverse perspectives and promoting ethical awareness and accountability in the design and implementation of avatar-based interactions in digital spaces.