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Introduction The problem tackled in this article is that of encouraging people to have good ideas and good behaviour so that they can work better. In this respect the application of the ideological and political initiative has proved its worth during the long years of war and re‐construction in China. In an enterprise, the aim of this initiative is to develop the socialist consciousness and the initiative of the workers and staff. By the use of the ideological and political initiative, co‐ordination can be improved, both between the leaders and the followers and between the individual and his/her environment. It is evident that such co‐ordination of the ideas and behaviour of different people will be helpful in fulfilling the mutual goal of the enterprise.

This study aimed to identify a specific taxonomy of entry modes for international construction contractors and to develop a decision-making mechanism based on case-based reasoning (CBR) to facilitate the selection of the most suitable entry modes.

According to the experience orientation of the construction industry, a CBR entry mode decision model was established, and based on successful historical cases, a two-step refinement process was carried out to identify similar situations. Then the validity of the model is proved by case analysis.

This study identified an entry mode taxonomy for international construction contractors (ICCs) and explored their decision-making mechanisms. First, a two-dimension model of entry mode for ICCs was constructed from ownership and value chain dimensions; seven common ICC entry modes were identified and ranked according to market commitment. Secondly, this study reveals the impact mechanism of the ICC entry mode from two aspects: the external environment and enterprise characteristics. Accordingly, an entry mode decision model is established.

Firstly, sorting out the categories of entry mode in the construction field, which provide an entry mode list for ICCs to select. Secondly, revealing the impact mechanism of ICC entry mode, which proposes a systematic decision-making system for the selection of ICC entry mode. Thirdly, constructing a CBR entry mode decision-making model from an empirical perspective, which offers tool support and reduces transaction costs in the decision-making process.

The study on entry modes for ICCs is still in the preliminary exploratory stage. The authors investigate the entry mode categories and decision-making mechanisms for ICCs based on Uppsala internationalization process theory. It widens the applied scope of Uppsala and promotes cross-disciplinary integration. In addition, the authors creatively propose a two-stage retrieval mechanism in the CBR model, which considers the order of decision variables. It refines the influence path of the decision variables on ICCs' entry mode.

This study aims to analyze and discuss whether and how consumer-to-manufacturer (C2M) mode empowered by e-commerce retail platforms’ big data affects the stock returns of firms in supply chains.

This study selects 195 companies affected by four C2M events as samples and empirically analyzes the impact mechanisms of C2M mode on supply chain firms’ stock returns by event study.

This paper finds that C2M announcements own a positive impact on the stock returns of supply chain firms. Further, the results show that the business and financial characteristics play a significant impact on the relationship between the C2M mode and firm stock return performance. For example, C2M mode leads to huge stock returns when firms cooperate with the platforms related to their business content. In addition, the business scope can strengthen the positive promotion of C2M mode in stock returns, while business concentration weakens the positive promotion of C2M mode in stock returns.

The results found in this paper can provide practical guidance for the firms in supply chains to further apply C2M mode from the business characteristics and financial performance view.

Large classes pose challenges in managing different types of skills (e.g. maths, subject-specific knowledge, writing, confidence and communication), facilitating interactions, enabling active learning and providing timely feedback. This paper shares a design of a set of assessments for a large undergraduate economics course consisting of students from diverse cultural backgrounds. The benefits, challenges and learning experiences of students are analysed.

Students worked in groups to complete an assessment with several questions which would be useful as a revision for the individual assessment, the following week. Survey questionnaires with Likert-type questions and open-ended questions were used to analyse the learning and skill development that occurred because of the group work. Responses to the open-ended survey questions were coded and analysed by identifying the themes and categorising the various issues that emerged.

This assessment design developed group working skills, created opportunities to interact and enhanced learning. The analysis of the responses found that working with peers enabled the students to generate their own feedback, clear doubts and learn to solve problems. Effective communication, planning meetings and working around the diverse group members’ strengths and weaknesses are some graduate skills that are developed in this group assessment. The challenges were arranging meetings, finalising assessments, engagement of group members and unreliable technology. However, the students found ways to overcome these challenges.

This assessment design can be useful in higher education practice by introducing a mechanism for authentic collaborative practice. This paper adds to the literature on peer interactions and group work and enables effective learning at scale.