Aiwu Zhao, Hongjun Guan and Zhenzhen Sun
High-quality development of marine economy is a new concept put forward in response to the current national strategy in China. The purpose of this paper is to thoroughly…
Abstract
Purpose
High-quality development of marine economy is a new concept put forward in response to the current national strategy in China. The purpose of this paper is to thoroughly understand the connotation and significance of high-quality development of marine economy through literature review, and further analyze the prospects for further research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors first use the information visualization technology of CiteSpace to present a systematic review of the published literature from 2010 to 2019. Then, the authors analyze the researches on high-quality development of marine economy in terms of connotation, evaluation dimension, development path and guarantee mechanism.
Findings
Analysis results show that there is still insufficient understanding of the differences and links between the high-quality development of marine economy and the construction of marine power, intelligent ocean and transparent ocean.
Originality/value
Based on a thorough understanding of the subject, this paper puts forward the direction of further research on evaluation index system, path design scheme and policy system construction for high-quality development of marine economy.
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Xiaochen Zhang and Huifang Yin
The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of information disclosure by unlisted bond issuers on the stock price informativeness of listed firms in the same industry.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of information disclosure by unlisted bond issuers on the stock price informativeness of listed firms in the same industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper takes advantage of information disclosure during the bond issuance and examines the spillover effect of unlisted bond issuers' information disclosure on listed firms in the stock market. The sample is composed of A-share firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2007 to 2018. All the data are obtained from the China Stock Market and Accounting Research and WIND databases. The impact of bond market information disclosure on price informativeness of listed firms in the same industry is identified through multivariate regression analyses.
Findings
Empirical results show that price informativeness of listed firms has a significantly positive association with the information disclosure of same-industry unlisted bond issuers. Further analyses show that the above finding is more significant when information disclosure of bond issuers is a more important channel for acquiring industry information (i.e. when industry is more concentrated, when economic uncertainty is high, and when industry information is less transparent) and understanding the industry competitive landscape (i.e. when bond issuers are relatively large, when bond issuers and listed firms have more direct product competition, when bond issuance firms are large-scale state-owned business groups), and when there are more cross-market information intermediaries (i.e. more cross-market institutional investors and more sell-side analysts). This paper indicates that information disclosure of bond issuers has a positive spillover effect on the stock market.
Originality/value
The novelty of the research is that the authors examine industry information spillover from unlisted firms to listed firms leveraging on unlisted firms' information disclosure in bond markets.
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Runze Ling, Ailing Pan and Lei Xu
This study examines the impact of China’s mixed-ownership reform on the innovation of non-state-owned acquirers, with a particular focus on the impact on firms with high financing…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the impact of China’s mixed-ownership reform on the innovation of non-state-owned acquirers, with a particular focus on the impact on firms with high financing constraints, low-quality accounting information or less tangible assets.
Design/methodology/approach
We use a proprietary dataset of firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges to investigate the impact of mixed ownership reform on non-state-owned enterprise (non-SOE) innovation. We employ regression analysis to examine the association between mixed ownership reform and firm innovation.
Findings
The study finds that non-state-owned firms can improve innovation by acquiring equity in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) under the reform. Eased financing constraints, lowered financing costs, better access to tax incentives or government subsidies, lowered agency costs, better accounting information quality and more credit loans are underlying the impact. Additionally, cross-ownership connections amongst non-SOE executives and government intervention strengthen the impact, whilst regional marketisation weakens it.
Originality/value
This study adds to the literature on the association between mixed ownership reform and firm innovation by focussing on the conditions under which this impact is stronger. It also sheds light on the policy implications for SOE reforms in emerging economies.
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Chao Wu, Rongjie Lv and Youzhi Xue
This study aims to examine the impact of controversial governance practices on media coverage under a specific context. Based on the attribution theory, this study develops a…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of controversial governance practices on media coverage under a specific context. Based on the attribution theory, this study develops a theoretical framework to explore how antecedent factors can influence attribution process under a particular cultural context.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a behavioral view of the media and corporate governance to demonstrate how media attributes different reasons for the same controversial governance practice in Chinese-specific context. Using 1,198 non-state-owned listed company observations in China as the study sample, cross-section data are used to build a multiple linear regression mode to test hypotheses.
Findings
The analysis indicates that the media imposes fewer penalties on founder-CEO firms than on non-founder-CEO firms for engaging in controversial governance practices, such as CEO compensation. CEO tenure negatively moderates the effect of CEO compensation on negative media coverage in non-founder-CEO firms. The positive media bias evidence for founder-CEO firms exists only when the firm is better performed.
Social implications
This study’s contribution to the governance literature starts with its logical reasoning of basic assumptions in the agency theory, and that media penalty will arise when managers impose actions that against interests of shareholders or other stakeholders. This study shows that the rule is not always true. The findings also bridge the connection of governance literature and reputation literature to better explain how media can act as a social arbitration role.
Originality/value
This study provides insights into how belief and information of reputational evaluators affect attribution consequences on controversial governance practices. Moreover, this study looks beyond the internal elements and focuses on China’s traditional cultural context as well. Specifically, the authors concentrate on the attribution process by showing the importance of evaluators’ framing tendency with regard to controversial practices. The results extend the knowledge about how conformity makes media coverage shows a bias effect on interactions during the evaluation process.
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The paper proposes an efficient and insightful approach for solving neutral delay differential equations (NDDE) with high-frequency inputs. This paper aims to overcome the need to…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper proposes an efficient and insightful approach for solving neutral delay differential equations (NDDE) with high-frequency inputs. This paper aims to overcome the need to use a very small time step when high frequencies are present. High-frequency signals abound in communication circuits when modulated signals are involved.
Design/methodology/approach
The method involves an asymptotic expansion of the solution and each term in the expansion can be determined either from NDDE without oscillatory inputs or recursive equations. Such an approach leads to an efficient algorithm with a performance that improves as the input frequency increases.
Findings
An example shall indicate the salient features of the method. Its improved performance shall be shown when the input frequency increases. The example is chosen as it is similar to that in literature concerned with partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) circuits (Bellen et al., 1999). Its structure shall also be shown to enable insights into the behaviour of the system governed by the differential equation.
Originality/value
The method is novel in its application to NDDE as arises in engineering applications such as those involving PEEC circuits. In addition, the focus of the method is on a technique suitable for high-frequency signals.
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Mauro Dini, Simone Splendiani, Laura Bravi and Tonino Pencarelli
This paper aims to deepen understanding of the role played by new technological tools used in customer–travel agency (TA) interactions by analysing the TA owner/managers'…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to deepen understanding of the role played by new technological tools used in customer–travel agency (TA) interactions by analysing the TA owner/managers' perceptions, pre- and post-Covid-19, regarding the effectiveness of in-store traditional and innovative tools.
Design/methodology/approach
This exploratory study is based on a questionnaire-based survey conducted among Italian TAs and distributed via email from September 2020 to January 2021.
Findings
The study highlights how, even among TAs, the role of in-store technology is gradually taking on greater importance, and it delves into the specific business and socio-demographic factors that seem to cause differences among agencies.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses on the Italian context, which does not allow for any generalisations. Furthermore, it is only the travel agent perspective that is observed and not the consumer's.
Originality/value
In addition to helping to bridge the literature gap, this study on in-store technologies focuses on the TAs sector, where human resources and human relationships play a decisive role in customer experience and interaction. The paper investigates the travel agents' point of view regarding the introduction of new in-store technologies; it also highlights their growing adoption and use, overall, despite the travel catalogue still remaining the main tool for interacting with customers. The study also shows how the advent of Covid-19 has increased travel agents' propensity to use digital technologies.
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Siyuan Lyu, Shijing Niu, Jing Yuan and Zehui Zhan
Preservice teacher (PST) professional development programs are crucial for cultivating high-quality STEAM teachers of the future, significantly impacting the quality of regional…
Abstract
Purpose
Preservice teacher (PST) professional development programs are crucial for cultivating high-quality STEAM teachers of the future, significantly impacting the quality of regional STEAM education. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as a region of cross-border cooperation, integrates the resources and advantages of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, possessing rich cultural heritage and innovative capabilities. Transdisciplinary Education for Cultural Inheritance (C-STEAM) is an effective approach to promoting educational collaboration within the Greater Bay Area, facilitating the integration of both technological and humanities education. This study aims to develop a Technology-Enabled University-School-Enterprise (T-USE) collaborative education model and implement it in the Greater Bay Area, to explore its role as a support mechanism in professional development and its impact on C-STEAM PSTs' professional capital.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a qualitative methodology, the study interviewed PSTs who participated in a C-STEAM teacher education course under the T-USE model. Thematic coding is used to analyze their knowledge acquisition, interaction benefits with community members, and autonomous thinking and decision-making in theoretical learning and teaching practice.
Findings
The findings show that the T-USE model significantly enhanced the PSTs' human capital, including teaching beliefs, knowledge, and skills. In terms of social capital, PSTs benefited from collaboration with PST groups, university teaching teams, in-service teachers, and enterprises, though challenges such as varying levels of expertise among in-service teachers and occasional technical instability emerged. For decisional capital, the T-USE model provided opportunities for autonomous thinking and promoted teaching judgment skills through real teaching challenges and scenarios. Reflective practice activities also supported PSTs' professional growth.
Originality/value
This study reveals the effectiveness and internal mechanism of the T-USE model in C-STEAM PST training, offering significant theoretical and practical references for future PST education.
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Simone Splendiani, Mauro Dini, Francesca Rivetti and Tonino Pencarelli
The purpose of the present study is to investigate travel agencies' social media usage and its perceived effectiveness by small- and micro-Italian travel agencies; the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the present study is to investigate travel agencies' social media usage and its perceived effectiveness by small- and micro-Italian travel agencies; the pre-pandemic period is compared to the forecasts for the post-Covid-19 period and different characteristics of firms and entrepreneurs are considered. Furthermore, the study analyses the expected benefits in terms of marketing objectives, such as improving brand image and/or personalizing the offer.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was developed through a questionnaire administered electronically to travel agents (282 respondents). The resulting data was analyzed by applying the McNemar test, a pairwise t-test and the multivariate analysis of variance.
Findings
The results show that social media are strategically significant for travel agents, even though their adoption is influenced by different agency aims; the perceived effectiveness results are diversified according to varying agency typologies.
Research limitations/implications
The two main limitations of the study are its focus on the Italian context only and the missing consideration of the consumer's point of view. The latter prevents an exhaustive assessment of future trends regarding the use of social media in the client–agency relationship.
Originality/value
The study, which focuses on a little debated topic concerning the relationship between social media and SMEs, organically explores various dimensions related to the adoption of social media by small agencies, also considering the impact of the Covid-19 on the perception of travel agents. As a further element of originality, the research takes into consideration the main social platforms separately rather than the set of tools as a whole.
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Liang Ren, Zerong Zhou, Yaping Fu, Ao Liu and Yunfeng Ma
This study aims to examine the impact of the decision makers’ risk preference on logistics routing problem, contributing to logistics behavior analysis and route integration…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of the decision makers’ risk preference on logistics routing problem, contributing to logistics behavior analysis and route integration optimization under uncertain environment. Due to the unexpected events and complex environment in modern logistics operations, the logistics process is full of uncertainty. Based on the chance function of satisfying the transportation time and cost requirements, this paper focuses on the fourth party logistics routing integrated optimization problem considering the chance preference of decision makers from the perspective of satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used the quantitative method to investigate the relationship between route decision making and human behavior. The cumulative prospect theory is used to describe the loss, gain and utility function based on confidence levels. A mathematical model and an improved ant colony algorithm are employed to solve the problems. Numerical examples show the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm.
Findings
The study’s findings reveal that the dual-population improvement strategy enhances the algorithm’s global search capability and the improved algorithm can solve the risk model quickly, verifying the effectiveness of the improvement method. Moreover, the decision-maker is more sensitive to losses, and the utility obtained when considering decision-makers' risk attitudes is greater than that obtained when the decision-maker exhibits risk neutrality.
Practical implications
In an uncertain environment, the logistics decision maker’s risk preference directly affects decision making. Different parameter combinations in the proposed model could be set for decision-makers with different risk attitudes to fit their needs more accurately. This could help managers design effective transportation plans and improve service levels. In addition, the improved algorithm can solve the proposed problem quickly, stably and effectively, so as to help the decision maker to make the logistics path decision quickly according to the required confidence level.
Originality/value
Considering the uncertainty in logistics and the risk behavior of decision makers, this paper studies integrated routing problem from the perspective of opportunity preference. Based on the chance function of satisfying the transportation time and cost requirements, a fourth party logistics routing integrated optimization problem model considering the chance preference of decision makers is established. According to the characteristics of the problem, an improved dual-population ant colony algorithm is designed to solve the proposed model. Numerical examples show the effectiveness the proposed methods.
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Anastasia Griva and Angeliki Karagiannaki
Designing effective business analytics (BA) platforms that visualise data, provide deep insights and support data-driven decision-making is a challenging task. Understanding the…
Abstract
Purpose
Designing effective business analytics (BA) platforms that visualise data, provide deep insights and support data-driven decision-making is a challenging task. Understanding the elements shaping BA platform design is crucial for success. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of visualisation on usability (UI) and user experience (UX) while emphasising the importance of insights understanding in BA platform design.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a case study following a startup’s journey as it undergoes two redesign phases for its BA platform. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is used to assess UX/UI and insights understanding of the platform. Indicatively this included semi-structured interviews, observations, think-aloud techniques and surveys to monitor runtime per task, number of errors, users’ emotions and users’ understanding.
Findings
Our findings suggest that modifications in aesthetics and information visualisation positively influence overall usability, UX, and understanding of platform insights – a critical aspect for the success of the startup.
Research limitations/implications
Our goal is not to make a methodological contribution, but to illustrate how companies, constrained by time and pressure, navigate platform changes without meticulous design and provide learnings on important elements while designing BA platforms.
Practical implications
This paper concludes with suggested methods for assessing BA platforms and recommends practical practices to follow. These practices include recommendations on important elements for BA platform users, such as navigation and interactivity, user control and personalisation, visual consistency and effective visualisation.
Originality/value
This study contributes to practice as it presents a real-life case and offers valuable insights for practitioners.