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Farmer-supermarket direct purchase (FSDP) is one of the significant innovative modes in the circulation of agricultural products. The previous studies on the FSDP mode were mainly premised on the assumption of power symmetry among cooperative players. Nevertheless, in reality, power asymmetry often exists among players because of restricted coalitions and diverse input resources. In this research, the influence of power asymmetry on profit distribution among various players in FSDP is explored.

The power asymmetry within FSDP is explored in two aspects: the distinct status of coalition structure and the varying degrees of dependence among players. Since FSDP is a typical cooperative mode, an average tree solution (abbreviated as “A-T solution”) of a cooperative game with a restricted coalition structure and the tripartite mutual deterrence model with a dependency factor are analyzed. Subsequently, the corresponding profit distribution strategies of FSDP are provided.

This research demonstrates that the cooperative coalition structure and/or location and the degree of dependence on other players can affect their profit-earning capacity during the FSDP process. Furthermore, the players' ability to distribute profits is negatively associated with the degree of interdependence (dependency factor). It is shown by the fact that cooperatives are at the center of FSDP, as farmers in China are a dispersed and powerless group; in a word, the FSDP supply chain is a restricted coalition structure. Even in an arbitrary coalition structure, farmers still remain in a weak position and lack the power of speech in the distribution of profits. Therefore, enhancing the position of farmers is necessary to stabilize cooperative relationships in supply chains.

These methods have broad potential applications to research power asymmetry in supply chain management. However, it is only applicable in situations where significant information on alliance structure and the dependence degree is available.

This study concentrates on the factors of power asymmetry and investigates the influence of power asymmetry on the profit distribution among players, thereby expanding the depth and width of the research on FSDP. The key contribution of this paper lies in explaining the “unfair” profit distribution scheme in FSDP from coalition cooperative game and bargaining game theory (a mathematical perspective). It provides a decision-making basis for enhancing the overall position of farmers in the agricultural supply chain.

This study examines how leaders’ narcissistic rivalry (LNR) affects the in-role performance (IRP) and proactive customer service performance (PCSP) of employees in the hospitality industry. Specifically, this study investigates the mediating role of psychological distress and the moderating role of locus of control (LOC) in the aforementioned relationships.

This study administered a multi-wave, multi-source questionnaire survey with 323 employees working in 11 full-service hotels in China. Statistical analyses were performed using the PROCESS macro in SPSS 26 software and structural equation modeling using Mplus 8.3 software.

The authors' results suggest that LNR can negatively affect hospitality employees’ IRP and PCSP and that these relationships are mediated by psychological distress. Additionally, the impact of LNR on psychological distress can be lessened by internal LOC.

This study contributes to the literature on leader narcissism by investigating how LNR affects IRP and PCSP among hospitality employees. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study also identifies a novel mediating mechanism (psychological distress) connecting LNR to hospitality employees’ service outcomes. Furthermore, this study reveals the moderating role of LOC in the relationship between LNR and psychological distress.

This study aims to fill critical research gaps by providing empirical evidence on the practical application of generative AI in the banking sector. It explores managerial preparedness, regulatory compliance and data privacy challenges in implementing this technology, offering insights into its operational effectiveness and potential in financial services.

The research employs a qualitative approach, conducting in-depth interviews with bank managers and industry experts. These interviews are analysed to identify key factors influencing the integration of generative AI in financial institutions.

The study identifies five critical factors – recognition, requirement, reliability, regulatory and responsiveness – that collectively impact the adoption and operational effectiveness of generative AI in banking. These factors highlight the challenges and opportunities of integrating this technology within the highly regulated financial industry.

The findings have significant theoretical and managerial implications. Theoretically, the research contributes to understanding AI integration in regulated industries, particularly financial services. Managerially, it provides a roadmap for financial institutions to adopt generative AI responsibly, balancing innovation with regulatory compliance and ethical considerations.

This study is among the first to provide empirical data on generative AI’s practical application in the banking sector, addressing the lack of real-world evidence and offering a comprehensive analysis of the factors influencing its successful implementation in a highly regulated environment.

The review paper aims to understand the development of workplace ostracism as a field in organizational studies from 2000 to the present. The study provides a comprehensive synthesis of the current state of the domain by exploring its antecedents, consequences, underlying mechanisms and buffering mechanisms.

The present study analyses 134 published peer-reviewed empirical and non-empirical articles retrieved from the Scopus database. A systematic literature review and bibliometric analyses (using VOS viewer) have been used to gain insights into the development and trends within the field. Bibliometric analyses involved science mapping techniques such as co-citation analysis, co-occurrence of keywords and bibliographic coupling. Combining these three techniques, the study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the workplace ostracism research domain's historical, current and future landscape.

In the present study, through descriptive analyses, the authors uncovered publishing trends, productive journals, countries and industries that contribute to this research field. The systematic review enabled the showcasing of the current landscape of workplace ostracism. The bibliometric analyses shed light on major authors, influential articles, prominent journals and significant keywords in workplace ostracism.

This study enriches the existing literature by offering a comprehensive research framework for workplace ostracism. It goes beyond that by presenting significant bibliographic insights by applying bibliometric analyses. Furthermore, this study identifies and emphasizes future research directions using the theory, characteristics, construct and methodologies framework, aiming to expand the knowledge base and understanding of this topic.

This study aims to explore the factors influencing the evolution of emerging technology innovation network (ETIN) in combination with the key attributes and life cycle of emerging technologies, particularly the impact of multiple knowledge attributes and technology life cycle on the ETIN evolution.

This study collects 5G patent data and their citation information from the Derwent Innovations Index to construct a 5G technology innovation network (5GIN) as a sample network and conducts an empirical analysis of the 5GIN using the temporal exponential random graph model (TERGM).

The results indicate that during the 5GIN evolution, the network scale continues to expand and exhibits increasingly significant core-periphery structure, scale-free characteristic, small-world characteristic and community structure. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the multiple knowledge attributes based on the key attributes of emerging technologies, including knowledge novelty, coherence, growth and impact, have a significant positive influence on the ETIN evolution. Meanwhile, the temporal evolution of ETIN is also found to be correlated with the life cycle of emerging technologies.

This study extends the exploration of emerging technology research from a complex network perspective, providing a more realistic explanatory framework for the factors influencing ETIN evolution. It further highlights the important role that multiple knowledge attributes and the technology life cycle play within this framework.

Drawing from social contagion theory, this study aims to clarify whether consumers become motivated to help a brand and its community when observing other members contributing to society. The authors also analyzed the boundary conditions and mechanisms of this process.

A mixed-method approach was used to test hypotheses. Study 1 collected survey data from Chinese automobile brand communities, which were analyzed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Study 2 conducted an experiment with a fictional Chinese smartphone brand community.

Results showed that brand community social responsibility influenced brand community citizenship behavior but did not directly influence brand citizenship behavior. Collective self-esteem respectively mediated the relationships between brand community social responsibility and both brand community citizenship behavior and brand citizenship behavior. Additionally, a sequential mediation mechanism was identified, where collective self-esteem and brand community citizenship behavior functioned as the first and second mediators. Furthermore, membership duration positively moderated the relationship between brand community social responsibility and collective self-esteem and moderated the mediation effects.

Brand community managers should conduct various social responsibility activities to elicit community and brand citizenship behaviors by cultivating ethical awareness. These activities should be tailored to the membership duration.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore how brand community social responsibility cultivates community and brand citizenship behavior. It is also based on social contagion theory to demonstrate the sequential mediation mechanism.