Shuai bin Guan and Xingjian Fu
This study aims to optimize control strategies for multi-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems by integrating differential game theory with sliding mode control and neural…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to optimize control strategies for multi-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems by integrating differential game theory with sliding mode control and neural networks. This approach addresses challenges in dynamic and uncertain environments, enhancing UAV system coordination, operational stability and precision under varying flight conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology combines sliding mode control, differential game theory and neural network algorithms to devise a robust control framework for multi-UAV systems. Using a nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode observer and Nash equilibrium concepts, the approach counters external disturbances and optimizes UAV interactions for complex task execution.
Findings
Simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy, showcasing enhanced stability and robustness in managing multi-UAV operations. The integration of neural networks successfully solves high-dimensional Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equations, validating the precision and adaptability of the control strategy under simulated external disturbances.
Originality/value
This research introduces a novel control framework for multi-UAV systems that uniquely combines differential game theory, sliding mode control and neural networks. The approach significantly enhances UAV coordination and operational stability in dynamic environments, providing a robust solution to high-dimensional control challenges. The use of neural networks to solve complex Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equations for real-time multi-UAV management represents a groundbreaking advancement in autonomous aerial vehicle research.
Details
Keywords
Hairui Jiang, Jianjun Guan, Yan Zhao, Jinglong Qu and Yanhong Yang
This study aims to investigate the corrosion resistance and electrochemical dissolution behavior of superalloys treated by different oxidation treatments.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the corrosion resistance and electrochemical dissolution behavior of superalloys treated by different oxidation treatments.
Design/methodology/approach
Ni-based superalloys were subjected to oxidation treatment at 1000 °C for 10 h, 1150 °C for 10 h and 1200 °C for 20 h. The microstructure, electrochemical dissolution behavior, elemental distribution, as well as compactness and composition of the oxide layer, were studied.
Findings
The results show that both the thickness and the granular oxide size of the oxide layer on Ni-based superalloys increase with longer oxidation times and higher temperatures. The electrochemical dissolution efficiency of Ni-based superalloys decreases with increasing oxidation time and temperature. The reduced electrochemical dissolution efficiency observed in Ni-based superalloys oxidation-treated at 1200 °C for 20 h is primarily attributed to the thicker oxide layer, which contains the highest Cr oxide content.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the advancement of recycling and utilization of Ni-based superalloy scrap.
Details
Keywords
Abstract
Purpose
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.
Design/methodology/approach
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).
Findings
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.
Originality/value
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.
Details
Keywords
Zahra Khalilnezhad and Karim Eslamloueyan
This study aims to investigate the impact of the oil crash during the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, energy and the environment in MENA countries, with and without fiscal…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of the oil crash during the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, energy and the environment in MENA countries, with and without fiscal policy, in a global context.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applies a Global Vector Autoregressive (GVAR) model for 47 countries from 2006Q1 to 2021Q3. The sign restriction method is used to identify the oil shocks originating from the COVID-19 crisis.
Findings
Empirical evidence shows that without fiscal interventions, MENA countries experienced a decline in output growth, energy consumption and CO2 emissions due to lower oil prices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the oil price shock on inflation varied across the region. Economic growth and inflation rates in MENA countries turn positive when the member states implement expansionary fiscal measures to stimulate economic activities during the pandemic. Hence, fiscal policy played a crucial role in supporting the economy and preventing a severe recession during COVID-19 in the MENA region. However, expansionary fiscal measures increased energy consumption and air pollution.
Practical implications
The findings help policymakers better cope with the outbreak of deadly pandemics in the coming years. It improves our understanding of the role of fiscal policy in boosting economic efforts and reducing the adverse environmental impact of increased government spending.
Originality/value
This paper enhances the current body of literature by investigating how fiscal policies implemented by the MENA countries help mitigate the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis. Moreover, it enables us to analyze the impact of fiscal support on energy consumption and the environment during an oil shock influenced by global uncertainty, lockdowns, and supply chain disruptions.
Details
Keywords
Jingyu Gao, Tian Kong, Yuzhu Yang and Lili Hao
Although various stakeholder groups frequently advocate and call for greater heterogeneity among directors and managers, it remains unknown whether team heterogeneity can be…
Abstract
Purpose
Although various stakeholder groups frequently advocate and call for greater heterogeneity among directors and managers, it remains unknown whether team heterogeneity can be beneficial for audit committee to exercise the auditor selection functions. This study aims to address this question.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on a sample of domestically listed nonfinancial A-share firms in China from 2008 to 2022, the authors empirically examine whether and how firm’s audit committee heterogeneity associates with the selection of auditors.
Findings
Firms with higher levels of audit committee heterogeneity are more likely to be associated with lower-quality auditors. Further examination reveals the mediating role of risk-taking: higher levels of heterogeneity are associated with higher levels of risk-taking, influencing firms to employ lower-quality auditors. Moreover, the authors document that increased audit committee heterogeneity is associated with more audit committee meetings and lower audit efficiency, and that hiring lower-quality auditors can influence the market value of firms with high audit committee heterogeneity.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine whether and how audit committee erogeneity associates with the selection of auditors. Moreover, because China is a high-power distance, collectivism-oriented, more relations-based (i.e. guanxi-based) than rules-based society, it is critical to examine the influence of team heterogeneity based on the unique cultural context and transitional nature of China’s business environment.
Details
Keywords
Ling Wu, Yanru Tian, Jinlu Lu and Kun Guo
Heterogeneous graphs, composed of diverse nodes and edges, are prevalent in real-world applications and effectively model complex web-based relational networks, such as social…
Abstract
Purpose
Heterogeneous graphs, composed of diverse nodes and edges, are prevalent in real-world applications and effectively model complex web-based relational networks, such as social media, e-commerce and knowledge graphs. As a crucial data source in heterogeneous networks, Node attribute information plays a vital role in Web data mining. Analyzing and leveraging node attributes is essential in heterogeneous network representation learning. In this context, this paper aims to propose a novel attribute-aware heterogeneous information network representation learning algorithm, AAHIN, which incorporates two key strategies: an attribute information coverage-aware random walk strategy and a node-influence-based attribute aggregation strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the transition probability of the next node is determined by comparing the attribute similarity between historical nodes and prewalk nodes in a random walk, and nodes with dissimilar attributes are selected to increase the information coverage of different attributes. Then, the representation is enhanced by aggregating the attribute information of different types of high-order neighbors. Additionally, the neighbor attribute information is aggregated by emphasizing the varying influence of each neighbor node.
Findings
This paper conducted comprehensive experiments on three real heterogeneous attribute networks, highlighting the superior performance of the AAHIN model over other baseline methods.
Originality/value
This paper proposes an attribute-aware random walk strategy to enhance attribute coverage and walk randomness, improving the quality of walk sequences. A node-influence-based attribute aggregation method is introduced, aggregating neighboring node attributes while preserving the information from different types of high-order neighbors.
Details
Keywords
Harrison Paul Adjimah, Victor Atiase and Dennis Yao Dzansi
Government incentives are critical for successful indigenous innovation commercialisation, yet there are concerns about the efficacy of these incentives. Therefore, this study…
Abstract
Purpose
Government incentives are critical for successful indigenous innovation commercialisation, yet there are concerns about the efficacy of these incentives. Therefore, this study examines the effectiveness of government incentives on successful indigenous innovation commercialisation in the context of low-income economies by testing the effects of demand and supply-side incentives on firm performance in the small-scale industry in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical framework for this study is built on the below-the-radar theory of innovation (Kaplinsky et al., 2009). Using a sample of 557 firms engaged in commercialising various indigenous innovations in the small-scale industry in Ghana, PLS-SEM was deployed to assess 11 hypothesised paths based on a validated questionnaire.
Findings
The model results, at a 5% significance level, indicate that supply-side incentives are statistically insignificant on sales and profitability but have significant positive effects on employment. The direct and moderating influence of supply-side incentives and market factors on overall firm performance is also insignificant, while demand-side incentives to buyers have significant positive effects on all the performance metrics and positively moderate the effects of market factors.
Originality/value
The research focused on commercialising indigenous innovation in the context of low-income economies. Few studies, if any, have separately explored the effect of demand and supply-side government incentives on indigenous innovation in the context of low-income economies. The findings suggest that innovation support should focus more on the demand side of the innovation value chain.
Details
Keywords
Zeqian Wang, Chengjun Wang, Xiaoming Sun and Tao Feng
The role of inventors' creativity is crucial for technological innovation within enterprises. The mobility of inventors among different enterprises is a primary source for…
Abstract
Purpose
The role of inventors' creativity is crucial for technological innovation within enterprises. The mobility of inventors among different enterprises is a primary source for companies to acquire external knowledge. The mechanism of “learning-by-hiring” is widely recognized by companies. Therefore, it is important to determine how to allocate network resources to enhance the creativity of inventors when companies hire mobile inventors.
Design/methodology/approach
The study suggests an analytical framework that analyzes alterations in tie strength and structural holes resulting from the network embeddedness of mobile inventors as well as the effect of the interaction between these two variables on changes in inventor’s creativity after the mobility. In addition, this paper examines the moderating impact of cognitive richness of mobile inventors and cognitive distance between mobile inventors and new employers on the correlation between network embeddedness and creativity.
Findings
This study found that: (1) The increase of tie strength has a significant boost in creativity. (2) Increasing structural holes can significantly improve the creativity of mobile inventors. (3) When both the tie strength and the structural holes increase, the creativity of the mobile inventors significantly increases. (4) It is important to note that when there is a greater cognitive distance, stronger tie strength promotes the creativity of mobile inventors. Additionally, cognitive richness plays a significant role in moderating the relationship between changes in structural holes and the creativity of mobile inventors.
Originality/value
These findings provide theoretical guidance for firms to effectively manage mobile inventors and optimize collaborative networks within organizations.
Details
Keywords
Shaojie Lai, Laifeng Yang, Qing Sophie Wang and Hamish Anderson
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of state capital participation (SCP) on the corporate environmental engagement (CEE) of privately controlled listed…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of state capital participation (SCP) on the corporate environmental engagement (CEE) of privately controlled listed firms in China.
Design/methodology/approach
We use a sample of 20,133 firm-year observations from 2009 to 2021. We use three different measures to proxy corporate environmental engagement and two different measures to proxy for state capital participation. We employ a difference-in-difference regression model to estimate the effect of state capital participation on corporate environmental engagement.
Findings
Using a sample of 20,133 firm-year observations from 2009 to 2021, we find that SCP significantly increases corporate expenditure on environmental protection, corporate environmental performance and ESG ratings. Specifically, SCP increases environmental investment capacity and attracts more media coverage, online attention and analysts’ following, which leads to better environmental engagement. Further analyses show that after state shareholders exit privately controlled firms, CEE deteriorates, while private capital injection in state-owned firms has no significant impact on CEE. The positive effect of SCP is stronger in privately controlled firms with local government ownership, a larger number of state shareholders, longer state shareholder holding periods, those without politically connected managers and firms operating in heavy pollution industries. Lastly, we show that minority government ownership reduces firm-level toxic emissions and enhances financial performance.
Research limitations/implications
We enrich the literature on the role of minority state ownership in corporate financial and environmental performance.
Originality/value
We enrich the literature on the role of minority state ownership in corporate financial and environmental performance. In light of the escalating environmental concerns and the growing emphasis on corporate environmental responsibility, this study highlights the beneficial role of minority government ownership in driving environmental performance. By providing resources and attracting external scrutiny, the government, as a minority shareholder, can significantly enhance the environmental engagement of privately controlled firms.
Details
Keywords
Tagreed Ali and Piyush Maheshwari
Blockchain technology, renowned for its decentralization, security, reliability, and data integrity, has the potential to revolutionize businesses globally. However, its full…
Abstract
Blockchain technology, renowned for its decentralization, security, reliability, and data integrity, has the potential to revolutionize businesses globally. However, its full potential remains unrealized due to adoption barriers, necessitating further studies to address these challenges. Identifying these barriers is crucial for businesses and practitioners to effectively tackle them. This systematic review analyzed 70 eligible studies out of 1944 gathered from various databases to understand and identify common blockchain adoption barriers. The Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework was the most popular theory used in these studies. Despite differences in variable definitions, financial constraints, lack of stakeholder collaboration and coordination, and social influences like resistance to change and negative perceptions emerged as the top three barriers. The supply chain domain had the highest number of studies on blockchain adoption. Notably, there was a significant increase in studies addressing blockchain adoption in 2023, comprising 34.2% of the total reviewed studies. This review provides a comprehensive overview of identified barriers, serving as a valuable foundation for future research. Understanding these challenges allows researchers to design targeted studies aimed at developing solutions, strategies, and innovations to overcome obstacles hindering blockchain adoption.