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Article
Publication date: 17 January 2020

Chen Ji, Qin Chen and Ni Zhuo

The purpose of this paper is to explore how consumers’ trust is enhanced by e-commerce-based agribusiness companies. It also aims to shed light on the role of social commerce in…

1272

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how consumers’ trust is enhanced by e-commerce-based agribusiness companies. It also aims to shed light on the role of social commerce in improving consumers’ trust.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the research purpose, an in-depth multiple case study is performed. In this study, three cases in short food supply chain (SFSC) in China are selected, and they are all e-commerce agribusiness companies. They adopted common ways to build up, maintain and reinforce consumers’ trust.

Findings

It is revealed that the companies innovatively adopted social commerce, both online and offline, to overcome the trust problems usually faced by e-commerce companies. It is also shown that offline contact with potential consumers is an important first step for agribusiness e-commerce entrepreneurs to build up trust with consumers.

Research limitations/implications

By adopting a multiple case study method, the research has limited generalizability to other types of SFSCs. Since the findings are from Chinese agribusiness e-commerce companies, the generalization to other sectors must be done with caution.

Practical implications

Some managerial implications are given as follows: first, offline contact with consumers could be realized through different channels. Taking advantage of existing social network or trying to find consumers in urban communities might be effective ways. Second, trust building with consumers is not an easy task, managers need to emphasize trust building, trust maintaining, as well as trust reinforcing with consumers. In agri-food sector, managers might need to specifically address the importance of food safety and quality so as to not lose consumer trust in one night.

Originality/value

The study has mainly two contributions: first, it has managerial implications for agribusiness e-commerce entrepreneurs, addressing the important role of social presence in building up consumer trust. Second, it contributes to social presence and social relations literature by providing new empirical evidence from e-commerce in agri-food sector and in developing countries.

Details

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-0839

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Article
Publication date: 29 June 2020

Austin Rong-Da Liang, Teng-Yuan Hsiao, Dun-Ji Chen and Jie-Heng Lin

Previous studies have discussed individual effects that certain agritourism activities have on visitor response while ignoring interaction effects. Therefore, the purpose of this…

1276

Abstract

Purpose

Previous studies have discussed individual effects that certain agritourism activities have on visitor response while ignoring interaction effects. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to discuss both the individual and interaction effects of agritourism activities on tourist revisit intention.

Design/methodology/approach

This study classified agritourism activities into four categories and collected 883 valid samples. Logistic regression was then applied to test the influence of agritourism activities on tourist revisit intention.

Findings

Based on the results of the statistical analysis, it was found that those agritourism activities, which required mutual cooperation such as do-it-yourself (DIY), animal interaction/feeding and fruit and vegetable picking, enhanced tourist revisit intention. Furthermore, the agritourism groups participating in activities with or without children did not have consistent revisit intentions regarding animal feeding/interaction activities. In particular, this study found that willingness to revisit for tourists with children was influenced by animal feeding/interaction, but not for tourists without children.

Research limitations/implications

This study demonstrates that not all agritourism activities enhance revisit intention. For this reason, agritourism businesses should consider redesigning their activities related to visitor and animal interactions as increasing conscientiousness regarding animal welfare, especially with regard to animal abuse. Additionally, those activities focused on education and ecology are not as appreciated by tourists as they may have been previously assumed between different groups.

Originality/value

The findings of this study reveal that if the types of agritourism activities could fulfill visitors' expectations and desires they are more likely to have a satisfying experience. The authors consider some of these notions to be a kind of unrealistic fantasy regarding agritourism and the kind of activities involved therein. This kind of fantasy is likely formed by visitors 2019 past experiences and culture. As a result, the authors conclude that agritourism activities focused on the education of plants and ecology do not achieve the truly preferred aim of better interaction between people.

农业观光:体验设计、活动及再游意愿摘要

目的

先前研究讨论农业观光活动的各别效果对游客反应的影响, 却忽略了交互作用。因此, 本研究目的为讨论农业观光活动的各别及交互效果对游客再游意愿的影响。

设计方法论方式

本研究将农业观光活动分为四类并收集883份有效问卷, 应用逻辑回归以检测农业观光活动对游客再游意愿的影响。

研究发现

根据统计分析结果, 本研究发现农业观光活动需要互助合作, 例如自己动手作、动物互动喂食, 以及采摘蔬果等活动, 都会提升游客的再游意愿。更进一步的, 农业观光族群分为与孩童同行及未与孩童同行二类时, 动物喂食互动活动对其再游意愿的影响并不相同。更特别的是, 本研究发现游客与孩童同行时, 其再游意愿会受到动物喂食互动的影响;但是, 游客并未与孩童同行时则不会。

研究意涵

本研究证实了并非所有的农业观光活动都能提升再游意图。为此, 农业观光企业应考虑重新设计其游客与动物互动的观光活动, 例如增加对动物福祉的责任心, 特别是虐待动物的问题。另外, 关注在教育及生态的农业观光活动在先前区分的不同族群里都不受到青睐。

研究价值

本研究发现显示了假若农业观光类型必须符合游客的预期及渴望, 游客才能感到满意的体验。作者认为游客对参与的某些观光活动之预想是一种不切实际的想像, 而这类想像是来自游客先前的经验及文化。因此, 作者综述关注植物及生态类的农业观光活动并不能达到人际间互动的目的。

Agroturismo: diseño de experiencia, actividades e intención de volver a visitor

Objetivo

Estudios anteriores han tratado los efectos individuales que tienen algunas actividades agroturísticas sobre la respuesta del visitante ignorando los efectos de interacción. Por eso, el objetivo de este estudio es tratar conjuntamente los efectos individuales y de interacción de las actividades agroturísticas sobre la intención de volver a visitar del turista.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Este estudio clasificó las actividades agroturísticas en cuatro categorías y recopiló 883 muestras válidas. A continuación, se aplicó la regresión logística para poner a prueba la influencia de las actividades agroturísticas sobre la intención de volver a visitar del turista.

Resultados

Sobre la base de los resultados del análisis de estadística, se mostró que las actividades agroturísticas que requieren cooperación mutua, como el bricolaje, la interacción con animales o nutrición de ellos, así como la recogida de frutas y verduras aumentaron la intención de volver a visitar del turista. Asimismo, los grupos de agroturismo que participaron en actividades con o sin niños no tienen intenciones de volver a visitar consistentes a propósito de las actividades que implican interacción con animales o nutrición de ellos. En particular, este estudio desveló que la voluntad de volver para los turistas con niños está influenciada por las interacciones con animales o nutrición de ellos, mas no para los turistas sin niños.

Implicaciones del studio

Esta investigación demuestra que no todas las actividades agroturísticas fomentan la intención de volver a visitar. Por esta razón, las empresas de agroturismo deberían considerar volver a diseñar sus actividades en relación al visitante e interacciones con animales con escrupulosidad acerca del bienestar animal, especialmente con respeto al abuso animal. Además, estas actividades con enfoque sobre la educación y la ecología no son tan apreciadas por los turistas como muchos han ido asumiendo desde diferentes grupos.

Originalidad/valor

Los resultados de este estudio muestran que si los tipos de actividades agroturísticas consiguen llenar las expectativas y los deseos de los visitantes, son mucho más propensos a tener una experiencia satisfactoria. Consideramos ciertas de estas nociones como fantasías poco realistas por lo que se refiere al agroturismo y al tipo de actividades implicadas en aquel. Este tipo de fantasías está probablemente formado por las experiencias pasadas y la cultura de los visitantes. Como resultado, concluimos que las actividades agroturísticas con foco en la educación sobre plantas y ecología no consiguen el verdadero objetivo preferido que es una mejor interacción con la gente.

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 2019

Zheng Chen, Haitao Zhao, Xiaowang Li and Ji’an Chen

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the deflection of the flexible airship structure in a new way which can decrease the calculation amount and improve the calculation speed.

216

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the deflection of the flexible airship structure in a new way which can decrease the calculation amount and improve the calculation speed.

Design/methodology/approach

Infinitesimal method and tapered inflatable beam theory are combined to study the mechanics characteristics of the airship. Firstly, infinitesimal method is introduced into the airship structure analysis. The airship structure can be divided into several tapered inflatable beam elements. Then, tapered inflatable beam theory is improved and a developed model of the tapered inflatable beam under bending moment is presented. Besides, it is proved that deflection caused by pure load and pure moment can be linearly superimposed. Finally, the deflection of the airship structure is studied by means of tapered inflatable beam theory.

Findings

This paper improved the tapered inflatable beam theory. Besides, the proposed method for deflection analysis of the flexible airship in this paper can reach the same accuracy with traditional finite element method (FEM). However, the number of beam elements is much less than the one of FEM shell elements, which will decrease the calculation amount much and improve the calculation speed.

Practical implications

The flexible airship is a new and developing research area in engineering practice. The proposed method in this paper provides one precise and high-speed way to analyse the deformation of the airship.

Originality/value

The paper draws its value from the contributions to development of inflatable structure and the flexible airship mechanics research.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 91 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

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Article
Publication date: 8 August 2023

Chen Ji, Ni Zhuo and Songqing Jin

Farm income in the agricultural sector is susceptible to natural and market risks. A large body of literature has studied the effects of cooperative membership on household…

438

Abstract

Purpose

Farm income in the agricultural sector is susceptible to natural and market risks. A large body of literature has studied the effects of cooperative membership on household welfare, technical efficiency, productivity and production behavior, yet little has been known about the impact of cooperative membership on farm income volatility. This paper aims to fill this research gap by investigating the relationship between cooperative membership and farm income volatility of Chinese pig farmers and drawing policy implications.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the effect of cooperative membership on farm income volatility, using data from a two-round survey of pig farmers in China. The authors employ an endogenous switching regression model to address the selection bias issues associated with unobserved factors simultaneously affecting farmers' participation in agricultural cooperatives and income earning activities.

Findings

Using household panel from a two-round survey of 193 pig farmers in China, this analysis highlights two key findings: (1) agricultural cooperative membership has significant and positive effect on farm income stability and (2) the impact of cooperative membership on farm income stability varies with production scale.

Originality/value

This research makes two contributions to the literature. First, this study contributes to the scant literature exploring the relationship between agricultural cooperatives and farm income stability. Second, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that explores such relationship in a livestock sector. The pig sector in China and around the developing world has been increasingly challenged by multifaceted risks (e.g. price fluctuations, epidemic diseases, environmental regulations), and understanding the role of agricultural cooperatives in farm income stability of pig farmers is of great practical and policy significance.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

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Article
Publication date: 6 December 2019

Muhammad Omar Shaikh, Ching-Chia Chen, Hua-Cheng Chiang, Ji-Rong Chen, Yi-Chin Chou, Tsung-Yuan Kuo, Kei Ameyama and Cheng-Hsin Chuang

Using wire as feedstock has several advantages for additive manufacturing (AM) of metal components, which include high deposition rates, efficient material use and low material…

1067

Abstract

Purpose

Using wire as feedstock has several advantages for additive manufacturing (AM) of metal components, which include high deposition rates, efficient material use and low material costs. While the feasibility of wire-feed AM has been demonstrated, the accuracy and surface finish of the produced parts is generally lower than those obtained using powder-bed/-feed AM. The purpose of this study was to develop and investigate the feasibility of a fine wire-based laser metal deposition (FW-LMD) process for producing high-precision metal components with improved resolution, dimensional accuracy and surface finish.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed FW-LMD AM process uses a fine stainless steel wire with a diameter of 100 µm as the additive material and a pulsed Nd:YAG laser as the heat source. The pulsed laser beam generates a melt pool on the substrate into which the fine wire is fed, and upon moving the X–Y stage, a single-pass weld bead is created during solidification that can be laterally and vertically stacked to create a 3D metal component. Process parameters including laser power, pulse duration and stage speed were optimized for the single-pass weld bead. The effect of lateral overlap was studied to ensure low surface roughness of the first layer onto which subsequent layers can be deposited. Multi-layer deposition was also performed and the resulting cross-sectional morphology, microhardness, phase formation, grain growth and tensile strength have been investigated.

Findings

An optimized lateral overlap of about 60-70% results in an average surface roughness of 8-16 µm along all printed directions of the X–Y stage. The single-layer thickness and dimensional accuracy of the proposed FW-LMD process was about 40-80 µm and ±30 µm, respectively. A dense cross-sectional morphology was observed for the multilayer stacking without any visible voids, pores or defects present between the layers. X-ray diffraction confirmed a majority austenite phase with small ferrite phase formation that occurs at the junction of the vertically stacked beads, as confirmed by the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. Tensile tests were performed and an ultimate tensile strength of about 700-750 MPa was observed for all samples. Furthermore, multilayer printing of different shapes with improved surface finish and thin-walled and inclined metal structures with a minimum achievable resolution of about 500 µm was presented.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to report a directed energy deposition process using a fine metal wire with a diameter of 100 µm and can be a possible solution to improving surface finish and reducing the “stair-stepping” effect that is generally observed for wires with a larger diameter. The AM process proposed in this study can be an attractive alternative for 3D printing of high-precision metal components and can find application for rapid prototyping in a range of industries such as medical and automotive, among others.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

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Article
Publication date: 12 May 2020

Domenico Dentoni, Jos Bijman, Marilia Bonzanini Bossle, Sera Gondwe, Prossy Isubikalu, Chen Ji, Chintan Kella, Stefano Pascucci, Annie Royer and Luciana Vieira

This editorial article introduces and analyzes a variety of new organizational forms that rapidly emerged in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe in the latest two…

1597

Abstract

Purpose

This editorial article introduces and analyzes a variety of new organizational forms that rapidly emerged in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe in the latest two decades. Among the others, these include: business model partnerships, business platforms, incubators and hubs, public–private partnerships, agribusiness companies' foundations and spin-offs, short supply chains, community-supported agriculture and other community self-organizing experiences. Building upon the recent literature and the five selected papers in this special issue, the authors discuss what is novel in these organizations and why, when and how they emerge and evolve over time.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors identify three elements that, when considered together, explain and predict the emergence and evolution of these new organizational forms: institutions, strategies and learning processes.

Findings

The authors demonstrate that societal actors seeking to (re)design these new organizational forms need to consider these three elements to combine the pursuit of their interests of their own constituencies with the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Originality/value

Taking stock from the literature, the authors invite future research on new organizational forms to take explicitly the pursuit of the SDGs into consideration; to build upon a process ontology; and to deeply reflect on our positionality of scientists studying and sometimes engaging in these organizations.

Details

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-0839

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Article
Publication date: 19 April 2022

Xinjiang Wang, Ziqiang Liu, Li Guo, Jinan Lv and Chen Ji

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel method to study the flutter coupling mechanism of the twin-fuselage aircraft, which is becoming a popular transportation vehicle…

100

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel method to study the flutter coupling mechanism of the twin-fuselage aircraft, which is becoming a popular transportation vehicle recently.

Design/methodology/approach

A new method of flutter mode indicator is proposed based on the principle of work and power, which is realized through energy accumulation of generalized force work on generalized coordinates, based on which flutter coupling mechanism of the twin-fuselage aircraft is studied using ground vibration test and computational fluid dynamics/computational solid dynamics method.

Findings

Verification of the proposed flutter mode indicator is provided, by which the flutter mechanism of the twin fuselage is found as the horizontal tail’s torsion coupled with its bending effect and the “frequency drifting” phenomenon of twin-fuselage aircraft is explained logically, highlighting the proposed method in this paper.

Originality/value

This paper proposed a new method of flutter mode indicator, which has advantages in flutter modes indexes reliability, clear physical meaning and results normalization. This study found the flutter coupling mechanism of twin-fuselage aircraft, which has important guiding significance to the development of twin-fuselage aircraft.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 94 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

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Article
Publication date: 5 June 2017

Austin Rong-Da Liang, Wan Yang, Dun-Ji Chen and Yu-Fang Chung

Owing to the wave of consumers concern about food quality, the organic food market has grown rapidly. However, how organic food promotions outweigh the negative impacts of high…

2715

Abstract

Purpose

Owing to the wave of consumers concern about food quality, the organic food market has grown rapidly. However, how organic food promotions outweigh the negative impacts of high prices has become a pressing issue scholars need to discuss. Hence, with the value perspective as the basis, the purpose of this paper is to attempt to understand whether or not organic food consumers have preferences for specific promotional programs as opposed to other promotional programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The two-stage study design was adopted to explore these issues. In the first stage, 225 copies of promotional program documents were collected, and middle-ranking and high-ranking supervisors from seven organic food distributors were interviewed. According to the value perspective, the promotional programs were divided into four types: discount category, member category, free giveaway category, and limited time offer category, which were used to develop the questionnaire questions. In the second stage, 1,017 copies of valid questionnaires were recovered.

Findings

The logistic regression analysis was adopted to discuss the impact of the various promotional program actions on consumers’ choices. The empirical results indicate that the consumers preferred the programs in the discount category and the free giveaway category, while the programs in the member category and limited time offer category reduced the purchase intention.

Originality/value

The stringent qualitative and quantitative design in this study shall serve as a reference for follow-up research. The important implications of the operators’ promotion practices are covered in the discussion.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 119 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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Publication date: 29 March 2016

Marc Wouters, Susana Morales, Sven Grollmuss and Michael Scheer

The paper provides an overview of research published in the innovation and operations management (IOM) literature on 15 methods for cost management in new product development, and…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper provides an overview of research published in the innovation and operations management (IOM) literature on 15 methods for cost management in new product development, and it provides a comparison to an earlier review of the management accounting (MA) literature (Wouters & Morales, 2014).

Methodology/approach

This structured literature search covers papers published in 23 journals in IOM in the period 1990–2014.

Findings

The search yielded a sample of 208 unique papers with 275 results (one paper could refer to multiple cost management methods). The top 3 methods are modular design, component commonality, and product platforms, with 115 results (42%) together. In the MA literature, these three methods accounted for 29%, but target costing was the most researched cost management method by far (26%). Simulation is the most frequently used research method in the IOM literature, whereas this was averagely used in the MA literature; qualitative studies were the most frequently used research method in the MA literature, whereas this was averagely used in the IOM literature. We found a lot of papers presenting practical approaches or decision models as a further development of a particular cost management method, which is a clear difference from the MA literature.

Research limitations/implications

This review focused on the same cost management methods, and future research could also consider other cost management methods which are likely to be more important in the IOM literature compared to the MA literature. Future research could also investigate innovative cost management practices in more detail through longitudinal case studies.

Originality/value

This review of research on methods for cost management published outside the MA literature provides an overview for MA researchers. It highlights key differences between both literatures in their research of the same cost management methods.

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Article
Publication date: 3 June 2021

Ke Wang, Zheming Yang, Bing Liang and Wen Ji

The rapid development of 5G technology brings the expansion of the internet of things (IoT). A large number of devices in the IoT work independently, leading to difficulties in…

1019

Abstract

Purpose

The rapid development of 5G technology brings the expansion of the internet of things (IoT). A large number of devices in the IoT work independently, leading to difficulties in management. This study aims to optimize the member structure of the IoT so the members in it can work more efficiently.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors consider from the perspective of crowd science, combining genetic algorithms and crowd intelligence together to optimize the total intelligence of the IoT. Computing, caching and communication capacity are used as the basis of the intelligence according to the related work, and the device correlation and distance factors are used to measure the improvement level of the intelligence. Finally, they use genetic algorithm to select a collaborative state for the IoT devices.

Findings

Experimental results demonstrate that the intelligence optimization method in this paper can improve the IoT intelligence level up to ten times than original level.

Originality/value

This paper is the first study that solves the problem of device collaboration in the IoT scenario based on the scientific background of crowd intelligence. The intelligence optimization method works well in the IoT scenario, and it also has potential in other scenarios of crowd network.

Details

International Journal of Crowd Science, vol. 5 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-7294

Keywords

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