Ying Song, Yi Zhang, Yafei Wang, Bowen Zhang and Jiafu Su
Taking 30 provincial samples from 2001 to 2017 in mainland China as the research objects, this paper aims to evaluate the impact and effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on…
Abstract
Purpose
Taking 30 provincial samples from 2001 to 2017 in mainland China as the research objects, this paper aims to evaluate the impact and effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the urban–rural income gap and reveals heterogeneity across regions.
Design/methodology/approach
Firstly, the Theil index is used to measure the income gap between 30 provinces in mainland China from 2001 to 2017, then the spatial econometric model is used to empirically test the impact of foreign direct investment on China’s urban–rural income gap and its heterogeneity across regions. Finally, a robustness test is performed.
Findings
The results show that there is a significant inverted U-shaped relationship between FDI and the urban–rural income gap in China. That is, FDI expands the urban–rural income gap in the short term and helps to converge it in the long term. In the eastern region, FDI has a convergence effect on the urban–rural income gap in the short term, which increases the long term. However, in the central and western regions, the relationship between FDI and urban–rural income gap has a weak inverted U shape.
Originality/value
By assessing the impact of FDI on the urban–rural income gap, this work provides decision-making support for China and other developing countries to improve investment policies and income distribution policies.
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Bowen Zhang, Frank J. Mulhern, Yingying Wu, Margaret Xu, Wenqi Wang and Liang Gao
Recognizing the differences between generations Y and Z, this exploratory study uses generational cohort theory as a framework to examine the brand perception of McDonald's, an…
Abstract
Purpose
Recognizing the differences between generations Y and Z, this exploratory study uses generational cohort theory as a framework to examine the brand perception of McDonald's, an international brand which has grown up with consumers for over 30 years in China. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
Measures of brand perception was built based on Aaker's brand personality model. A total 1,103 valid questionnaires were collected through an online survey platform. Factor analysis is the primary method to analysis the data.
Findings
The findings of this study reveal a favourable brand perception of McDonald's among young Chinese consumers which is consistent with Aaker's brand personality model and support the use of generational cohort theory as a market segmentation tool for brand perception. The differences between the two generational cohorts are not shown to be significant.
Originality/value
The most important contribution of this study is the evaluation of the personality of a major brand in China for Gen Z, a topic with very little existing research. Also, this research suggests future in-depth research into generational cohort theory in a Chinese context by recognizing homogeneity and heterogeneity exist simultaneously between generational cohorts.
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Handan Kunkcu, Kerim Koc and Asli Pelin Gurgun
Work–family conflict is one of the most challenging stressors for construction industry professionals to cope with emotional problems. This study aims to propose a model linking…
Abstract
Purpose
Work–family conflict is one of the most challenging stressors for construction industry professionals to cope with emotional problems. This study aims to propose a model linking work–family conflict and high-quality relationships among project team members and explore mediating effects of life and job satisfactions.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical framework was established based on the spillover theory and social exchange theory. Data were obtained by a questionnaire survey conducted with 328 respondents working in construction projects. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test interrelationships among work–family conflict, job satisfaction, life satisfaction and high-quality relationship.
Findings
The results indicate that work–family conflict is negatively associated with both job and life satisfactions of construction professionals. In addition, there were direct and positive relationships between satisfaction domains and high-quality relationship capacity. The findings further support that job satisfaction plays a mediating role between work–family conflict and high-quality relationship among construction professionals, while life satisfaction does not mediate the relationship.
Originality/value
The effects of interrole conflicts on the context of satisfaction have been investigated previously; however, there is a lack of knowledge regarding its influence on high-quality relationship among project team members. This study extends the body of knowledge on high-quality relationships among project team members to understand how conflict and satisfaction factors influence interpersonal relationships in construction project management.
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Maria Magdalena Aguilar Velasco and Andreas Wald
Project work usually has a positive connotation and is considered innovative and modern. However, many project workers suffer from chronic stress, work overload and burnout. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Project work usually has a positive connotation and is considered innovative and modern. However, many project workers suffer from chronic stress, work overload and burnout. This study aims to integrate the determinants of the negative aspects of project work and their implications for individuals involved in projects.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review was used to analyze 290 papers from various disciplines to identify the most used theories, determinants of the negative aspects of project work and the consequences of these aspects for project participants' work-related and overall well-being.
Findings
Based on the findings of the review, this paper develops a multi-level framework that includes determinants at the levels of society, organizations, projects and individuals and discusses opportunities for further research. The findings show that socio-psychological theories and occupational health theories are the dominant theories used in research. The most frequently studied individual outcomes are affective symptoms and work-related outcomes. Detrimental individual outcomes are mostly associated with psychosocial work factors.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive review of research on the negative aspects of project work and their implications for project workers. The multi-level framework can serve as a guide for future research and provides important insights for practitioners.
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The booming social media attracts construction professionals (CPs) to express emotions caused by work pressure (WP) through online behaviors. Previous works focus on the analysis…
Abstract
Purpose
The booming social media attracts construction professionals (CPs) to express emotions caused by work pressure (WP) through online behaviors. Previous works focus on the analysis of WP and emotions but do not adequately consider how WP can be reflected through online emotions. Thus, this study aims to attempt to explore the quantitative relationship between online emotional intensity and WP.
Design/methodology/approach
This study developed a linguistic-sticker (LS) model to quantitatively evaluate the sentiment intensity of posts published on social media. Moreover, the authors designed two econometric models of ordinary least squares regression and negative binomial regression to test the hypothesis.
Findings
The research found that posts with stronger negative sentiment (or positive sentiment) indicate that CPs face higher (or lower) WP. Besides, there is a negative bias between the sentiment intensity of posts and the comment quantity.
Practical implications
The positive correlation between sentiment intensity of posts and WP has been confirmed, which indicates that construction managers should pay more attention to CPs' behavior on social media, and take a more direct way to analyze work-related online behavior (e.g. posting, commenting). The dynamic monitoring of emotion-related posts also provides a direct basis for the management team to learn about CP's pressure status and propose measures to reduce their negative emotions. Furthermore, the emotional posts published by CPs on social media provide a direct basis for team managers to obtain their psychological state.
Originality/value
The research contributes to incorporating CPs' emotions into the LS model and to providing information systems artifacts and new findings on the analysis of WP and online emotions.
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Umer Zaman, Laura Florez-Perez, Saba Abbasi and Muhammad Shahid Nawaz
Organizations are full of contradictions and leadership dilemmas. Managers often face challenges such as selecting between two contradicting options such that which one is more…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizations are full of contradictions and leadership dilemmas. Managers often face challenges such as selecting between two contradicting options such that which one is more important can hardly be judged. To manage contradicting dynamics, today’s managers can adopt the paradoxical leadership approach. We build a theoretical model to investigate the influence of paradoxical leadership on multi-dimensional project agility (proactivity, adaptability, and resilience), and multi-dimensional project success (management, investment, and ownership success).
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on survey-based data from the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) megaproject (N = 209), we performed covariance-based structural equation modeling to test the conceptual model.
Findings
The findings show that (1) paradoxical leadership has a significant positive impact on megaproject success, (2) paradoxical leadership has a significant positive influence on project agility, (3) project agility has a significant positive effect on megaproject success, and (4) project agility has a significant effect that mediates the link between paradoxical leadership and megaproject success. This research provides a theoretical and practical comprehension of paradoxical leadership with a new perspective on megaprojects.
Originality/value
This study provides an extension of the existing studies on paradoxical leadership and identifies the role of contradicting dynamics and their impact on multiple facets of megaproject success. It not only clarifies the relationship between paradoxical leadership and megaproject success, but also identifies the mediating role of project agility that can play an effective role in mobilizing success in megaprojects.
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Ashish Rastogi and Harish Kumar Singla
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of job, organizational and personal factors on exhaustion (EXH) in early career construction professionals in India.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of job, organizational and personal factors on exhaustion (EXH) in early career construction professionals in India.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey questionnaire was developed and circulated among early career construction professionals in India. The responses on job, organizational and personal demands (role ambiguity, stakeholder management and work-family conflict respectively) and job, organizational and personal resources (job autonomy (JA), perceived organizational support and emotional intelligence respectively) were sought using standard measures. The valid data (N = 187) thus collected, was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
The study finds that in terms of demands, stakeholder management and work family conflict have a significant positive effect on EXH. In other words, EXH level increases with the increase in these two. With respect to resources, JA has a negative effect on EXH. This implies that as JA increases, the EXH level goes down.
Originality/value
This study is the first to examine factors causing EXH in early career construction professionals in India. This study is significant on two counts. First, it proposes a comprehensive theoretical model based in job demands-resources (JD-R) theory customized for construction sector. Second, the empirical examination is situated in the Indian context, which remains underexplored despite its economic and demographic significance.
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The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry…
Abstract
The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry supply chains (SCs) in emerging markets. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of these external stakeholders’ elements to the demand-side and supply-side drivers and barriers for improving competitiveness of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry in the way of analyzing supply chain. Considering the phenomenon of recent change in the RMG business environment and the competitiveness issues this study uses the principles of stakeholder and resource dependence theory and aims to find out some factors which influence to make an efficient supply chain for improving competitiveness. The RMG industry of Bangladesh is the case application of this study. Following a positivist paradigm, this study adopts a two phase sequential mixed-method research design consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. Qualitative field study is then carried out to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. A survey is carried out with sample of top and middle level executives of different garment companies of Dhaka city in Bangladesh and the collected quantitative data are analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling. The findings support eight hypotheses. From the analysis the external stakeholders’ elements like bureaucratic behavior and country risk have significant influence to the barriers. From the internal stakeholders’ point of view the manufacturers’ and buyers’ drivers have significant influence on the competitiveness. Therefore, stakeholders need to take proper action to reduce the barriers and increase the drivers, as the drivers have positive influence to improve competitiveness.
This study has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study represents an important contribution to the theory by integrating two theoretical perceptions to identify factors of the RMG industry’s SC that affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. This research study contributes to the understanding of both external and internal stakeholders of national and international perspectives in the RMG (textile and clothing) business. It combines the insights of stakeholder and resource dependence theories along with the concept of the SC in improving effectiveness. In a practical sense, this study certainly contributes to the Bangladeshi RMG industry. In accordance with the desire of the RMG manufacturers, the research has shown that some influential constructs of the RMG industry’s SC affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. The outcome of the study is useful for various stakeholders of the Bangladeshi RMG industry sector ranging from the government to various private organizations. The applications of this study are extendable through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.
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K.A. Gunasekara, B.A.K.S. Perera and I.N. Kurukulasooriya
The construction industry is one of the most stressful industries. Thus, quantity surveyors (QSs) who work at sites frequently experience high levels of occupational stress. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry is one of the most stressful industries. Thus, quantity surveyors (QSs) who work at sites frequently experience high levels of occupational stress. The gender of a QS also has a significant impact on his/her occupational stress. Hence, this study aims to investigate the management of occupational stress in QSs working at sites for contractors (hereinafter referred to as CQSs).
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a mixed approach using semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey for female and male CQSs to identify, validate and rank the stressors and symptoms of occupational stress in CQSs and the strategies of managing that stress based on their significance levels. Manual content analysis and the mean weighted rating were used to analyse the data collected.
Findings
Heavy workload was the most significant occupational stressor of CQSs, whereas sleeping disorders were their primary symptom of occupational stress. Establishing a proper work programme was identified as the most effective stress management strategy for male and female CQSs. This study shows that many site QSs are stressed owing to their heavy workloads and work obligations and that their stress-related attributes significantly depend on their genders.
Originality/value
This study is significant because no previous studies have been conducted on managing occupational stress in CQSs in male and female CQSs. The study findings can be used to identify the stressors and symptoms of occupational stress in CQSs early and use appropriate management strategies to enhance the work satisfaction and productivity of CQSs suffering from occupational stress.
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Bashir Tijani, Jin Xiaohua and Robert Osei-Kyei
Mental ill-health among construction project professionals (CPPs) is a significant, persistent and unresolved problem that sparked the proliferation of literature worldwide…
Abstract
Purpose
Mental ill-health among construction project professionals (CPPs) is a significant, persistent and unresolved problem that sparked the proliferation of literature worldwide. Despite the diverse research publications, a systematic review to reveal forms of mental ill-health, cause of mental ill-health and coping is lacking.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper aims to systematically reviews the existing body of knowledge on mental health in the construction project by analyzing 60 papers published between 1989 and 2020 (years inclusive) using the preferred reporting item for systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Academic journals between 1989 and 2020 were selected for this study because the first published paper on the mental health of construction managers commenced in 1989 and current studies are published in 2020.
Findings
The findings show that stress, job burnout, depression, anxiety and substance use disorder (SUD) are prominent forms of mental ill-health among CPPs, with an absence of project-related measuring scales for evaluating the mental ill-health symptoms. Moreover, generic stressors including long working hours, time pressure and work overload were used to establish the root causes of mental ill-health by ignoring construction project related stressors for mental ill-health. Problem-focused coping is more efficient than emotional focused coping in mitigating work stress, job burnout, depression, anxiety, but little is known on the influence of coping strategies on SUD. Knowledge gaps and future research directions were identified. This research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the implications of mental health management on construction projects.
Originality/value
The findings of this study contribute toward understanding the need to investigate individual mental ill-health as against the existing practices of considering all forms of mental ill-health as one umbrella. It also challenges limitations in the utilization of generic stressors to determines factors for mental ill-health by the introduction of the Swisse cheese theoretical model.