Runhui Lin, Lun Wang, Biting Li, Yanhong Lu, Zhiqiang Qi and Linyu Xie
Blockchain is a technical solution integrating multiple technologies, with the potential to overcome the drawbacks of organizational governance. Given the emergence and prevalence…
Abstract
Purpose
Blockchain is a technical solution integrating multiple technologies, with the potential to overcome the drawbacks of organizational governance. Given the emergence and prevalence of blockchain, its importance for organizational governance has progressively increased. Therefore, this study aims to analyze how blockchain restructure organizational governance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study presents a structured systematic literature review of blockchain-enabled applications across diverse organizational governance models and several case studies to illustrate them. Based on the above analysis, governance mechanisms, transaction upgrading and challenges are proposed.
Findings
Based on the literature review and typical applications, the authors summarize the advances in the research on the theoretical and practical applications of blockchain in organizational governance. We also identify the influence mechanisms of organizational governance and investigate transaction upgrading based on blockchain. Finally, the authors discuss three types of challenges (i.e. administrative, technical and environmental) to the relationship between blockchain and organizational governance. Along with the development of blockchain applications, the impact of blockchain on organizational governance has progressed in both theory and practice. Therefore, these findings will have significant implications for both academics and practitioners.
Originality/value
This paper makes three key theoretical contributions: we review the literature on the impact of blockchain on organizational governance and present typical cases to illustrate it; propose four governance mechanisms for the application of blockchain in organizational governance; and propose an innovating-and-matching-oriented model of transaction upgrading based on blockchain.
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Jiehao Li, Shoukun Wang, Junzheng Wang, Jing Li, Jiangbo Zhao and Liling Ma
When it comes to the high accuracy autonomous motion of the mobile robot, it is challenging to effectively control the robot to follow the desired trajectory and transport the…
Abstract
Purpose
When it comes to the high accuracy autonomous motion of the mobile robot, it is challenging to effectively control the robot to follow the desired trajectory and transport the payload simultaneously, especially for the cloud robot system. In this paper, a flexible trajectory tracking control scheme is developed via iterative learning control to manage a distributed cloud robot (BIT-6NAZA) under the payload delivery scenarios.
Design/methodology/approach
Considering the relationship of six-wheeled independent steering in the BIT-6NAZA robot, an iterative learning controller is implemented for reliable trajectory tracking with the payload transportation. Meanwhile, the stability analysis of the system ensures the effective convergence of the algorithm.
Findings
Finally, to evaluate the developed method, some demonstrations, including the different motion models and tracking control, are presented both in simulation and experiment. It can achieve flexible tracking performance of the designed composite algorithm.
Originality/value
This paper provides a feasible method for the trajectory tracking control in the cloud robot system and simultaneously promotes the robot application in practical engineering.
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Yingpeng Dai, Junzheng Wang, Jiehao Li and Jing Li
This paper aims to focus on the environmental perception of unmanned platform under complex street scenes. Unmanned platform has a strict requirement both on accuracy and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on the environmental perception of unmanned platform under complex street scenes. Unmanned platform has a strict requirement both on accuracy and inference speed. So how to make a trade-off between accuracy and inference speed during the extraction of environmental information becomes a challenge.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a novel multi-scale depth-wise residual (MDR) module is proposed. This module makes full use of depth-wise separable convolution, dilated convolution and 1-dimensional (1-D) convolution, which is able to extract local information and contextual information jointly while keeping this module small-scale and shallow. Then, based on MDR module, a novel network named multi-scale depth-wise residual network (MDRNet) is designed for fast semantic segmentation. This network could extract multi-scale information and maintain feature maps with high spatial resolution to mitigate the existence of objects at multiple scales.
Findings
Experiments on Camvid data set and Cityscapes data set reveal that the proposed MDRNet produces competitive results both in terms of computational time and accuracy during inference. Specially, the authors got 67.47 and 68.7% Mean Intersection over Union (MIoU) on Camvid data set and Cityscapes data set, respectively, with only 0.84 million parameters and quicker speed on a single GTX 1070Ti card.
Originality/value
This research can provide the theoretical and engineering basis for environmental perception on the unmanned platform. In addition, it provides environmental information to support the subsequent works.
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Zhihong Jiang, Jiachen Hu, Xiao Huang and Hui Li
Current reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms are facing issues such as low learning efficiency and poor generalization performance, which significantly limit their practical…
Abstract
Purpose
Current reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms are facing issues such as low learning efficiency and poor generalization performance, which significantly limit their practical application in real robots. This paper aims to adopt a hybrid model-based and model-free policy search method with multi-timescale value function tuning, aiming to allow robots to learn complex motion planning skills in multi-goal and multi-constraint environments with a few interactions.
Design/methodology/approach
A goal-conditioned model-based and model-free search method with multi-timescale value function tuning is proposed in this paper. First, the authors construct a multi-goal, multi-constrained policy optimization approach that fuses model-based policy optimization with goal-conditioned, model-free learning. Soft constraints on states and controls are applied to ensure fast and stable policy iteration. Second, an uncertainty-aware multi-timescale value function learning method is proposed, which constructs a multi-timescale value function network and adaptively chooses the value function planning timescales according to the value prediction uncertainty. It implicitly reduces the value representation complexity and improves the generalization performance of the policy.
Findings
The algorithm enables physical robots to learn generalized skills in real-world environments through a handful of trials. The simulation and experimental results show that the algorithm outperforms other relevant model-based and model-free RL algorithms.
Originality/value
This paper combines goal-conditioned RL and the model predictive path integral method into a unified model-based policy search framework, which improves the learning efficiency and policy optimality of motor skill learning in multi-goal and multi-constrained environments. An uncertainty-aware multi-timescale value function learning and selection method is proposed to overcome long horizon problems, improve optimal policy resolution and therefore enhance the generalization ability of goal-conditioned RL.
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Pengkun Wu, Liuan Wang, Jiuan Jiang and Li Yu
This study aims to investigate the impact of physician efforts in online reviews on outpatient appointments, while also examining the moderating effect of physician title.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of physician efforts in online reviews on outpatient appointments, while also examining the moderating effect of physician title.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs the heuristic-systematic model (HSM) to analyze the impact of physician efforts on outpatient appointments. Subsequently, a fixed effect model is employed to examine the research model using an 89-week panel dataset (from April 16, 2018 to December 29, 2019) comprising appointment and online review information pertaining to 8,157 physicians from a prominent online health community in China.
Findings
The findings suggest that physicians with lower professional titles exhibit a significantly higher inclination to enhance heuristic information (e.g. attracting helpful votes) compared to those with higher professional title. All physicians can enhance their outpatient appointments by dedicating efforts towards improving systematic review information, but physician title would weaken the relationship. Moreover, the effect of increasing review volume is considerably more substantial than that of increasing review length, which also surpasses the influence of providing managerial response.
Originality/value
Unlike previous studies that primarily focus on patients’ perspectives, this paper represents one of the pioneering effects to examine physicians’ engagement in online reviews.
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Abdul Gaffar Khan, Monowar Mahmood, Mohammad Shariful Islam, Yan Li and Ha Jin Hwang
Employee expediency is a ubiquitous, unethical phenomenon in the workplace that is largely underresearched. Based on the tenets of conservation of resources (COR) theory, this…
Abstract
Purpose
Employee expediency is a ubiquitous, unethical phenomenon in the workplace that is largely underresearched. Based on the tenets of conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study investigates the influence of excessive performance pressure on employees' expedient behaviour via moral disengagement. It further examines the moderating role of employees' moral identity in the relationship between performance pressure and employee expediency.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected using a multi-wave paper-and-pencil survey amongst 388 sales associates working in pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Bangladesh. A series of hierarchical regression analyses and bootstrapping techniques of the PROCESS macro were conducted to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings reveal that performance pressure significantly and positively affects employees' expediency. Additionally, moral disengagement partially mediates the positive relationship between performance pressure and employee expediency. Furthermore, moral identity moderates the direct effect of performance pressure on moral disengagement and the indirect effect of performance pressure on employee expediency through moral disengagement.
Practical implications
Managers are advised to consider the compatibility of economic and moral principles when defining performance targets or evaluating staff performance, as immoral behaviours harm organisations in the long run. Additionally, managers should emphasise candidates with high levels of sensitive moral qualities, such as integrity and moral behaviour, and their abilities should be given preference when hiring new employees, e.g. moral reasoning.
Originality/value
This pioneering study investigates the underlying psychological mechanisms and moral characteristics to unravel the association between performance pressure and employee expediency using the lens of COR theory. The study identified the moral consequences of performance pressure and mitigating strategies to reduce employee expedient behaviour.
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Xiong Liang, Bing Li, Lianyu Fu, Xiaoyu Wu, Hongyan Shi, Taijiang Peng and Bin Xu
This paper aims to present the main factors affecting the mechanical drilling of the printed circuit board (PCB for short) micro-holes and method of micro-ultrasonic powder…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present the main factors affecting the mechanical drilling of the printed circuit board (PCB for short) micro-holes and method of micro-ultrasonic powder molding (micro-UPM for short) by utilizing PCB micro-hole array.
Design/methodology/approach
To optimize the drilling process, the paper proposes the on-line monitoring methods for the drilling process including drilling force, drilling temperature, high-speed photography and vibration signals. Taking 0.10 and 0.15 mm micro-drilling as examples, the paper analyzes the drilling process of ultra-small micro-holes. Finally, by taking the PCBs with 0.10 and 0.15 mm micro-hole arrays as the micro-cavity inserts, utilizing ultra-high-molecule weight polyethylene powder with the average particle size of about 150 μm as raw material, two sizes of micro-cylinder array polymer parts are fabricated through micro-UPM process.
Findings
PCB micro-cavity inserts with micro-hole arrays fabricated by mechanical drilling has the advantages of low costs, high efficiency and good consistency. Taking 0.10 and 0.15 mm micro-drilling as examples, it is found that the both measured apertures are about 10.0 μm more than the diameter of the micro-drill bits on average. The average diameter of the micro-cylinders by micro-UPM process is smaller than that of the micro-hole with the same specification, while the value of the roughness of the cylinder surface is more than that of the hole-wall surface with the same specification.
Originality/value
This paper describes the challenges and the developments of mechanical drilling and by using PCB micro-cavity inserts with micro-hole arrays fabricated by mechanical drilling, two different micro-cylinder array polymer parts are successfully made and thus the application area of PCB micro-drilling is broadened.
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Yuqing Wu, Jizhong Shen, Jun Liang and Maoqun Yao
The design method of high-resolution capacitor arrays was proposed to improve the precision of successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) without…
Abstract
Purpose
The design method of high-resolution capacitor arrays was proposed to improve the precision of successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) without calibration and optimize the circuit area.
Design/methodology/approach
According to calculation of equivalent series capacitors and change of voltage at the comparator input node, two three-stage structures of capacitor arrays and a general design flow of the multi-stage capacitor arrays were presented. Non-ideal factors on the capacitor arrays were analyzed, and the applications of the two structures were explained based on the capacitor mismatch.
Findings
A multi-stage capacitor array for 16-bit SAR ADCs was implemented. The simulation result shows that its nonlinear error was less than 0.3LSB with no gain error and the sampling capacitance accounted for 92.42% of the total capacitance. Effects of capacitive parasitic and mismatch on capacitor arrays were confirmed.
Originality/value
The proposed method focused on capacitor arrays design of high-resolution SAR ADCs. It effectively reduced nonlinear errors, improved SNR and optimized the area of SAR ADCs. The design method was suitable for SAR ADCs with different resolutions to improve their precision.
Details
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Biao Ma, Liang Yu, Man Chen, He Yan Li and Liang Jie Zheng
This paper aims to investigate the thermal characteristics of the clutch hydraulic system under various oil flow conditions. Increasing the oil flow is one of the most important…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the thermal characteristics of the clutch hydraulic system under various oil flow conditions. Increasing the oil flow is one of the most important approaches to reduce the clutch temperature. However, the effect of the oil flow on the clutch temperature remains to be explored.
Design/methodology/approach
The thermal resistance network model and the lumped parameter method are used to study the thermal characteristics of the clutch hydraulic system. The predicted temperature variations of the clutch and the oil are compared with experimental data.
Findings
Results demonstrate that the larger the friction power is, the higher the temperatures of the clutch and the oil are. However, the temperature growth rates of the clutch and oil present different trends: the former decreases gradually and the latter increases constantly. Additionally, increasing the oil flow within a certain range gives rise to the decrease of clutch temperature and the increase of oil temperature; nevertheless, their variation trends are gradually weakening. When the oil flow is large enough, it brings a slight effect on the clutch temperature rise.
Originality/value
This paper extends the knowledge into the oil flow supply of the clutch hydraulic system. The conclusions can provide a theoretical guidance for the oil management of the transmission system. Additionally, the thermal resistance network model is also effective and efficient for other hydraulic equipment to predict the temperature variation.
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Khalid Mehmood, Yan Li, Fauzia Jabeen, Ali Nawaz Khan, Shouming Chen and Gulfam Khan Khalid
Emotions and emotional labor play a crucial role in professional interactions. Due to the increasing participation share of women managers in the workforce, especially in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Emotions and emotional labor play a crucial role in professional interactions. Due to the increasing participation share of women managers in the workforce, especially in the customer-oriented service context, this study adopts a multilevel approach and mobilizes person–job fit theory to investigate whether the emotional labor of female managers influences the association between customer orientation and job satisfaction in frontline employees in a services setting.
Design/methodology/approach
The participants were 124 immediate female managers working in bank branches and their 896 customer-facing employees in China.
Findings
The results show that the positive relationship between customer orientation and job satisfaction in frontline employees is strengthened by increases in female managers' deep acting, but it is weakened with the increase in their surface acting.
Research limitations/implications
The study findings provide support for scholars and financial service organizations as they seek to better understanding the dynamics behind the mobilization of women's emotions and their extent. In term of limitations, the data were taken from a single type of organization located in the northern cities of China, so it can be expected that the findings of this study will not generalize to all contexts.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to investigate female managers' emotional labor employing a cross-level analysis in financial services setting.