Zhixing Xu and Dong Ju
This study investigates the benefits of ethical leadership behaviors for leaders themselves and the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of this effect.
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the benefits of ethical leadership behaviors for leaders themselves and the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of this effect.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a multi-time and multi-source survey design, data was collected from both leaders and subordinates across three waves.
Findings
Ethical leadership behavior was found to be positively associated with the leader’s moral pride, resulting in the leader’s higher in-role performance and perceived manager effectiveness. The effect of ethical leadership behavior was moderated by core self-evaluation (CSE), such that low-CSE leaders benefit more from these behaviors.
Practical implications
Organizations should encourage ethical leadership behaviors and educate leaders to develop moral pride from conducting these behaviors. Leaders with low CSEs can enhance their in-role performance and overall effectiveness by taking pride in their ethical leadership behaviors.
Originality/value
The field of study on ethical leadership has predominantly focused on the positive outcomes for recipients, yet it is imperative to examine the self-benefits for leaders as well. This study drew upon affective events theory to posit that ethical leadership behaviors generate moral pride in leaders, leading to improved work-related attitudes and performance outcomes.
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Dong Ju, Jingjing Yao and Li Ma
Job involvement is an important predictor of how well employees perform and feel at work. However, despite fruitful findings, little is known about how person–job (P–J) fit…
Abstract
Purpose
Job involvement is an important predictor of how well employees perform and feel at work. However, despite fruitful findings, little is known about how person–job (P–J) fit affects job involvement.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a cross-sectional design and collected data from 375 employees and 50 managers. Multivariate regression was applied to test the moderated curvilinear model.
Findings
This study found an inverted U-shaped relationship between P–J fit and job involvement. For employees with a strong performance goal orientation, maximum job involvement occurred at a higher level of P–J fit, whereas for employees with a strong learning goal orientation, maximum job involvement occurred at a moderate level of P–J fit.
Practical implications
Managers should be aware that solely maximizing fit may not constantly yield positive outcomes, and that ignoring differences in employee needs and goals may be counterproductive.
Originality/value
The study challenges the conventional wisdom that a high P–J fit is always productive by showing that a high fit may sometimes jeopardize job involvement, particularly for certain employees.
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Hyun Ju Jeong and Deborah S. Chung
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication covered by the news media is considered as more credible and effective in shaping public perceptions toward corporations than…
Abstract
Purpose
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication covered by the news media is considered as more credible and effective in shaping public perceptions toward corporations than CSR shared by corporations themselves. This is particularly true when CSR is about corporations with social stigma inherent in business practices. This study examines the CSR publicity of stigmatized industries from the journalism lens.
Design/methodology/approach
A content analysis was conducted with CSR stories from 2019 to 2020 by USA newspapers (n = 348).
Findings
Results of this study showed that the overall volume of CSR from stigmatized industries has decreased, with fewer responses to the recent pandemic. Further, the media brought promotional CSR activities and the business motives behind the activities into focus. Opposing patterns were found for CSR of non-stigmatized industries presented with philanthropic activities based on corporations' social motives to help communities. Similarly, economic and legal responsibilities reflected in the CSR pyramid were more prominently reported for stigmatized industries, and ethical and discretionary responsibilities appeared more frequently for non-stigmatized industries.
Practical implications
Integrating business and media literature, this study enriches scholarly discussions on media processes and effects for CSR communication. This study also provides practical implications for stigmatized industries by highlighting more authentic and careful approaches for CSR communication to earn positive publicity.
Social implications
This study provides social implications by highlighting the importance of CSR communications through the lens of news media when corporations are socially stigmatized.
Originality/value
Stigmatized industries are known to be active in CSR communication to nullify social stigma surrounding themselves. The authors' findings provide empirical evidence suggesting that not all publicity benefits CSR communication for stigmatized corporations.
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Xian Zheng, Xiao Hu, Chunlin Wu and Ju Bai
Although researchers have long recognized the importance of participating organizations’ (POs) relational behavior for mega construction projects (MCPs) performance, relational…
Abstract
Purpose
Although researchers have long recognized the importance of participating organizations’ (POs) relational behavior for mega construction projects (MCPs) performance, relational behavior may not be executed by POs without effective leadership from project owners. However, little is known about the mechanisms linking owners’ leadership styles to POs’ relational behavior. This study draws on full range leadership theory and role theory to examine the relationships between owners’ leadership styles (i.e. transformational and transactional) and relational behavior. POs’ role orientations (i.e. normative and economic) are considered as potential mediators.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 175 managers deeply involved in MCPs. Hierarchical regression model and bootstrapping methods were performed on the data to examine the direct effects of owners’ leadership on POs’ relational behavior and the mediating effects of POs’ role orientations.
Findings
The results revealed that both owners’ transformational and transactional leadership positively affect POs’ relational behavior, despite the former being higher than the latter, and indirectly influence relational behavior via POs’ normative and economic role orientation, respectively.
Practical implications
This study provides a clear picture of how owners’ leadership can motivate POs’ relational behavior to achieve high-quality inter-organizational relationships in MCPs. The findings can guide owners’ top manager selection by prioritizing those with transformational leadership, which is beneficial to achieving high-level relational behavior of POs. The results also imply that owners should pay greater attention to cultivating POs’ normative role orientation by encouraging teamwork and open communication to enhance their implementation of relational behavior.
Originality/value
Unlike previous research focusing more on intra-organizational leader–follower relationship within one PO, this study is one of the first to empirically confirm owners’ leadership as a critical antecedent of POs’ relational behavior, thus enhancing the theoretical understanding of inter-organizational relationship management in MCPs. Based on role theory, this study considers a novel organizational psychology mechanism, i.e. POs’ role orientations, as the mediator to unravel how owners’ leadership affects POs’ relational behavior, which was rarely invoked in MCP leadership literature.
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Changduk Kong, Myoung‐cheol Kang, Chang‐ho Lee and Dong‐ju Han
To set‐up a specific design procedure for the smart unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fuel supply system which has been developed by Korean Aerospace Research Institute, and to design…
Abstract
Purpose
To set‐up a specific design procedure for the smart unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fuel supply system which has been developed by Korean Aerospace Research Institute, and to design it preliminarily with the fuel system requirement and target reliabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The fuel system layout and fuel tank were determined through consideration of total fuel volume, fuel flow rate, reliability, weight, centre of gravity, etc. In sizing of components such as booster pumps, jet pumps, piping system, vent subsystem, refuelling and defuelling subsystem, engine fuel flow requirement, pressure loss, component failure rate, weight and centre of gravity were considered. Finally, the reliability analysis of the preliminary designed fuel system was carried out.
Findings
According to the reliability analysis and weight estimation results, it was confirmed that the proposed fuel system agreed well with the design specifications and target reliabilities required by the vehicle system.
Research limitations/implications
In current preliminary design phase, the most important consideration is the reliability of the fuel system. Therefore, the weight estimation of the designed fuel system to meet this reliability requirement could not meet partially the system's requirements. In the next design step, the proper fuel system for weight reduction will be performed through an optimization process between weight and reliability.
Originality/value
A specific design procedure components' sizing to meet system requirement target reliability for UAV vertical take‐off/landing was proposed.
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Haris Aslam, Constantin Blome, Samuel Roscoe and Tashfeen Mehmood Azhar
The purpose of this paper is to determine the antecedents of dynamic supply chain capabilities (DSCCs). The authors test entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and supply chain learning…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the antecedents of dynamic supply chain capabilities (DSCCs). The authors test entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and supply chain learning orientation (SCLO) as two antecedents of DSCCs.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses structural equation modelling to test a hypothetical model. Data are gathered from a survey of 275 operations managers in Pakistan’s turbulent manufacturing industry.
Findings
The findings suggest that the weaker direct effects of EO, in comparison to the indirect effects, indicate that an SCLO mediates the relationship between EO and DSCCs.
Research limitations/implications
It is widely accepted that firms do not compete with each other, instead, it is end-to-end supply chains that fight for market dominance. Many scholars use the dynamic capabilities view to understand supply chain level competition. However, the dynamic capabilities view is firm-centric in its examination of how companies transform internal resources to compete in the external environment. The theoretical contribution of this paper is a roadmap of how to build dynamic, supply-chain level and capabilities by determining the key antecedents. This paper explains that DSCCs emerge when buyers and suppliers share strategic orientations. Firms with an EO and the ability to learn with supply chain partners are well-positioned to develop DSCCs. This provides a new angle to theory testing by indicating that dynamic capabilities are enabled by an EO and an ability to learn with supply chain partners.
Practical implications
Managers are given the building blocks of DSCCs, starting with fostering an entrepreneurially-oriented mindset in the company and then learning with supply chain partners. Entrepreneurially-oriented managers are encouraged to take risks and co-develop innovative ideas with suppliers during the supply chain learning process.
Originality/value
This study is one of the earliest efforts to determine the strategic orientations that antecede the emergence of DSCCs.
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Liguo Xu, Pinging Fu and Youmin Xi
The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the indigenous concept of suzhi at individual and organizational levels, and identify its dimensions for human resource management…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the indigenous concept of suzhi at individual and organizational levels, and identify its dimensions for human resource management (HRM) research and practice in China.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a comprehensive review of suzhi literature, Chinese cultural and historical literature, as well as Western mainstream HRM research, a multidimensional suzhi framework is conceptualized.
Findings
As an indigenous expression, suzhi can be and has been adopted for Chinese HRM research and practice. As a multidimensional construct, one’s cognitive suzhi is jointly determined by corresponding moral suzhi, wenhua (knowledge-based) suzhi and zhuanye (professional) suzhi. Cognitive suzhi, in turn, determines one’s behavioral suzhi that drives employees to enhance organizational performance, and this relationship is moderated by psychological suzhi.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed framework provides new insight for Chinese indigenous management research, particularly in developing suzhi measurement for different dimensions. It also informs HRM practices in recruiting, selection, performance analysis and employee career development.
Originality/value
The complexity of suzhi dimensions from an organizational HRM perspective is analyzed. The resulting suzhi framework offers new insight for HRM research and practices in China.
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The deformation of the roadbed is easily influenced by the external environment to improve the accuracy of high-speed railway subgrade settlement prediction.
Abstract
Purpose
The deformation of the roadbed is easily influenced by the external environment to improve the accuracy of high-speed railway subgrade settlement prediction.
Design/methodology/approach
A high-speed railway subgrade settlement interval prediction method using the secretary bird optimization (SBOA) algorithm to optimize the BP neural network under the premise of gray relational analysis is proposed.
Findings
Using the SBOA algorithm to optimize the BP neural network, the optimal weights and thresholds are obtained, and the best parameter prediction model is combined. The data were collected from the sensors deployed through the subgrade settlement monitoring system, and the gray relational analysis is used to verify that all four influencing factors had a great correlation to the subgrade settlement, and the collected data are verified using the model.
Originality/value
The experimental results show that the SBOA-BP model has higher prediction accuracy than the BP model, and the SBOA-BP model has a wider range of prediction intervals for a given confidence level, which can provide higher guiding value for practical engineering applications.
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Shaobo Wei and Hua Liu
This study aims to investigate how information technology (IT) integration and relational ties between a firm and its supplier influence its innovation performance and how such…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how information technology (IT) integration and relational ties between a firm and its supplier influence its innovation performance and how such relationships are moderated by relationship duration and institutional distance between the firm and its supplier.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on 153 matched-pair surveys of firms in China, the authors used regression analyses to test their hypotheses.
Findings
The authors find that IT integration and relational ties with the supplier significantly improve the firm’s innovation performance. Further, the authors find that relationship duration negatively moderates the impact of relational ties on innovation performance. Institutional distance negatively moderates the impact of IT integration, yet positively moderates the impact of relational ties on innovation performance.
Originality/value
This study provides a more nuanced insight into relational and institutional boundary conditions under which IT integration and relational ties affect innovation performance.