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The development of regional public brands for agricultural products necessitates compelling narratives that resonate deeply with consumers. Given the distinctiveness of agricultural products, consumers prioritize the inherent connection to roots and heritage when making purchasing decisions. Therefore, crafting brand narratives must emphasize this root appeal, namely, consumers’ information appeal preference, to positively influence consumers’ brand perceptions and underscore the value of regional public brands. This study investigates this phenomenon through the lens of cue utilization theory.

Four experiments were conducted for this purpose. Study 1 examined the stimulus materials for brand story type (typical vs atypical). The purpose of study 2 was to verify whether the experimental material could be used to categorize participants' information appeal preferences (geographic vs cultural). Study 3 employed a between-subjects design with a 2 (brand story: typical vs atypical) × 2 (consumers’ information appeal preferences: cultural vs geographic) factorial design. Study 4 used a between-subjects design of 2 (brand story: typical and atypical) × 2 (consumers’ information appeal preferences: cultural vs geographic) × 2 (culturally derived power perception: individual and social).

The findings indicated that the type of brand story and consumers’ information appeal preferences interact with consumers’ brand attitudes toward regional public brands for agricultural products. In addition, a sense of place was found to mediate the interaction between the type of brand story and consumers’ information appeal preferences. Furthermore, culturally derived power perceptions moderated this mechanism.

This study offers valuable insights into marketing regional public brands for agricultural products by categorizing their brand stories into typical and non-typical narratives.

This paper aims to regulate the oil retention rate and tribological properties of pored polytetrafluoroethylene (PPTFE) using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based oil gel.

PPTFE was first prepared by using citric acid (CA) as an efficient pore-making agent. Subsequently, PVA and chitosan solution was introduced into the pores and experienced a freezing-thawing process, forming PVA-based gels inside the pores. Then, the PPTFE/PVA composite was impregnated with polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG200), yielding an oil-impregnated PPTFE/PVA/PEG200 composite.

It was found that the oil-impregnated PPTFE/PVA/PEG200 composite exhibited advanced tribological properties than neat PTFE with reductions of 53% and 70% in coefficient of friction and wear rate, respectively.

This study shows an efficient strategy to regulate the tribological property of PTFE using a PVA-based oil-containing gel.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-11-2024-0432/

This paper aims to investigate how institutional entrepreneurs in a mature field acquire different forms of legitimacy through various narrative strategies, as revealed by a historical analysis of the Late Qing Dynasty of China. Specifically, the study seeks to illuminate the narrative techniques employed by these entrepreneurs to build multi-level legitimacies for their new systems during the national crises of the late 19th century.

This study employs a qualitative approach based on three historical case studies of Westernization, namely advocates, reformists and revolutionaries during the Late Qing Dynasty of China. It delves into the institutional entrepreneurial activities of these groups, investigating how they navigated and influenced their sociopolitical context through narrative strategies.

The findings reveal that institutional entrepreneurs utilize various narrative techniques to build legitimacy. These include (1) modifying and disseminating narratives at the proper time, (2) ascribing their proposed system to cultural tradition by reinterpreting classical works and (3) offering understandable and concrete promises to stakeholders. The study also identifies an evolving pattern of narratives underpinned by mutual learning and continuous iteration among different factions of institutional entrepreneurs.

This paper adds new insights to the literature on institutional entrepreneurs and, more broadly, to institutional research literature by advancing our understanding of the discursive dynamics underlying institutional changes. It unveils the complex interplay of narrative techniques and legitimacy building in the context of societal and institutional upheaval, providing a nuanced understanding of the role of narratives in institutional entrepreneurship.

This study aims to explore the perceptions of follower identities among Chinese youth and the formation of these identities within the context of use and gratification theory and mediated relationships.

Interviews were conducted with 22 individuals who followed digital influencers on various social media platforms, and a general inductive approach was followed to analyze the collected data.

The research uncovered that influencers’ followers view themselves as learners, advisees, surveillants, friends and sponsors, aligning these identities with their reasons for following influencers. These reasons are classified as either emotionally or functionally driven. The study further highlights the critical role these motivations and identities play in influencing the followers’ intentions to buy products and brands endorsed by influencers. Followers motivated by utilitarian reasons focus more on the product’s functionality and practical value, whereas those attracted to influencers for their unique personalities and perceived personal connections place greater importance on the products’ symbolic value.

Despite the widespread attention the influencer market has garnered, scant literature has deeply explored the psychological mechanisms behind individuals’ behavior in following influencers and their subsequent purchasing intentions. This study introduces new insights into influencer marketing by focusing on followers’ psychological motivations, offering a refined understanding of their impact on the dynamics of digital marketing.

This study is dedicated to systematically collating the distribution and utilization circumstances of geothermal resources in China. Moreover, it endeavors to formulate a comprehensive utilization scheme for geothermal resources during the construction and operation phases of the railway, thereby furnishing robust support and valuable reference for the holistic utilization of geothermal resources along the railway corridor.

Through an in-depth analysis of the extant utilization of geothermal resources in China, it is discerned that the current utilization modalities are relatively rudimentary, bereft of rational planning and characterized by a low utilization rate. Concurrently, by integrating the practical requisites of railway construction and operation and conducting theoretical dissections, a comprehensive utilization plan for the construction and operation periods of railway is proffered.

In light of the railway’s construction and operation characteristics, geothermal utilization models are categorized. During construction, comprehensive modalities include tunnel illumination power generation, construction area heating, tunnel antifreeze using shallow geothermal energy, tunnel pavement antifreeze and construction concrete maintenance. During operation, they comprise operation tunnel antifreeze, railway roadbed antifreeze, railway switch snow melting and deicing, geothermal power station establishment and railway hot spring health tourism planning.

According to the characteristics and actual needs of railway construction and operation, it is of great significance to rationally utilize geothermal resources to promote the construction and operation of green railways.

Implementing big data analytics (BDA) for supply chain ambidexterity (agility and adaptability) and green supply chain (GRSC) presents various organizational challenges. These include leveraging BDA capabilities to balance agility and adaptability, integrating this combined approach with GRSC and aligning these efforts to enhance firm performance. This study explores the associations between BDA, supply chain agility and adaptability, GRSC and their impact on firm performance.

Incorporating a resource-based view and contingency theory, we developed a research framework and validated it with data from 355 Chinese firms. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

The findings demonstrate that BDA capabilities had direct impact on supply chain agility and adaptability, GRSC and firm performance. Moreover, the combination of supply chain agility and adaptability affected GRSC; which in turn significantly influenced firm performance. Supply chain agility and adaptability mediated the relationship between BDA capabilities and GRSC. Additionally, GRSC mediated the relationship between BDA capabilities, supply chain agility and adaptability and firm performance.

This study offers both a theoretical and empirical examination of the relationships between BDA capabilities, supply chain agility and adaptability, GRSC and firm performance. By assessing the direct and mediating effects of these factors on China’s industrial sector, it presents new theoretical and practical insights into BDA and GRSC, thereby enhancing the value of the existing literature.

The purpose of this study is to reduce the residual stress in welded workpieces, optimize the vibratory stress relief treatment process through the use of a vibration generator and enhance the durability and longevity of the workpiece by developing a vibratory stress relief robot that incorporates a multi-manipulator system.

The multi-manipulator combination work is designed so that each manipulator is deployed according to the requirements of vibration stress relief work. Each manipulator works independently and coordinates with others to achieve multi-dimensional vibratory stress relief of the workpiece. A two-degree-of-freedom mobile platform is designed to enable the transverse and longitudinal movement of the manipulator, expanding the working space of the robot. A small electromagnetic superharmonic vibration generator is designed to produce directional vibrations in any orientation. This design addresses the technical challenge of traditional vibration generators being bulky and unable to achieve directional vibrations.

The residual stress relief experiment demonstrates that the residual stress of the workpiece is reduced by approximately 73% through three-degree-of-freedom vibration. The multi-dimensional vibration effectively enhances the relief effect of residual stress, which is beneficial for improving the strength and service life of the workpiece.

A new multi-manipulator robot is proposed to alleviate the residual stress generated by workpiece welding by integrating vibratory stress relief with robotics. It is beneficial to reduce material and energy consumption while enhancing the strength and service life of the workpiece.

This study aimed to examine beliefs in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia from a cross-cultural perspective.

Chinese (n = 123) and Belgian student participants (n = 270) received several statements tapping into various dimensions of repressed memory and dissociative amnesia. Participants provided belief ratings for each of these statements. Because the field of psychoanalysis is less well developed in China, it was expected that Chinese participants would believe less in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia than their Belgian counterparts.

Overall, beliefs in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia were high among all participants. Although confirmatory analyses revealed that most belief ratings concerning statements did not statistically significantly differ between the two samples, Chinese participants did statistically believe less that therapy can recover lost traumatic memories than Belgian participants. Also, exploratory analyses showed that Chinese participants were more critical towards the idea that traumatic memories can be unconsciously repressed and that these memories can be accurately retrieved in therapy than Belgian participants. Many participants also confused repressed memory with plausible memory mechanisms such as ordinary forgetting.

The current study extends previous surveys on repressed memory and dissociative amnesia by comparing their beliefs in different cultures.

Drawing on the tenets of institutional theory, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of Confucianism on technology for social good, while also considering the moderating influence of extrinsic informal institutions (foreign culture) and intrinsic formal institutions (property rights).

This study constructs a comprehensive database comprising 9,759 firm-year observations in China by using a sample of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2016 to 2020. Subsequently, the hypotheses are examined and confirmed, with the validity of the results being upheld even after conducting endogenous and robustness tests.

The findings of this study offer robust and consistent evidence supporting the notion that Confucianism positively affects technology for social good through both incentive effect and normative effect. Moreover, this positive influence is particularly prominent in organizations with limited exposure to foreign culture and in nonstate-owned enterprises.

The findings contribute to the literature by fostering a deep understanding of technology for social good and Confucianism research, and further provide a nuanced picture of the role of foreign culture and property rights in the process of technology for social good in China.

Three-dimensional (3D) food printers are revolutionizing food production with personalized, sustainable and efficient meal creation. This study aims to explore the factors driving consumer intentions to purchase three-dimensional (3D) food printers. These innovative devices are gaining popularity for their ability to produce intricate, customizable food designs with remarkable precision and convenience. By leveraging the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework, the research examines key variables such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions (FCD), hedonic motivation and perceived product value. The aim is to understand how these factors shape consumer behavior and decision-making, providing insights into the adoption dynamics of 3D food printers for professional and domestic use.

This study collected 973 valid responses through an online survey. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Performance expectancy, social influence and perceived product value significantly enhance consumers’ intention to purchase 3D food printers. In contrast, effort expectancy, FCD and hedonic motivation show no statistically significant impact on their usage intention.

Companies in the 3D food printing industry should prioritize improving product performance and leveraging social influencers to spark consumer interest. Educating the public about the benefits of 3D food printing is essential for building market acceptance and demand. Governments should contemplate implementing policies and regulations encouraging companies to invest in research and development in this field. This study acknowledges its limitations and recommends directions for future research.

This study establishes its originality by integrating hedonic motivation and perceived product value with the original UTAUT framework to investigate Chinese households’ intentions to use a 3D food printer.