Fung Kwan, Yanrui Wu and Shuaihe Zhuo
This paper aims to contribute to the pool of studies of rural underemployment in China. It is devoted to the conceptualization and measurement of surplus labour.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to contribute to the pool of studies of rural underemployment in China. It is devoted to the conceptualization and measurement of surplus labour.
Design/methodology/approach
The agricultural labour requirement function is estimated by the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) with China's prefecture‐level data. Surplus labour or inefficient labour is obtained by subtracting the required labour from the actual labour participated in agriculture.
Findings
The authors' analysis indicates that the existing size of agricultural surplus labour in rural China is still significantly large with the continued practice of the household registration system and China's WTO membership. However, the size has been decreasing over the last decade.
Research limitations/implications
Quality of data might affect the authors' estimates.
Practical implications
The phenomenon of the coexistence of surplus agricultural labour and shortage of workers in non‐agricultural production in urban China was discussed in line with the authors' research findings, as this has important impacts on the policies of rural industrialization in China.
Social implications
This paper further argues that China is probably experiencing the second stage of the Lewis‐Fei‐Ranis dualistic economic framework.
Originality/value
The authors' paper is probably the first to use prefecture data and SFA for panel data study of surplus agricultural labour in China. The analysis is essential to the understanding of the rural labour market during its rapid transition.
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Suwina Cheng, Kenny Lin and Richard Simmons
The study aims to examine whether city-level investment climate, local government effectiveness and corporate income tax rates influence the spatial distribution of foreign direct…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to examine whether city-level investment climate, local government effectiveness and corporate income tax rates influence the spatial distribution of foreign direct investment (FDI) across cities in China.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses regression analysis using city-level data sets.
Findings
The study finds that while city-level investment climate and effective local government influence the spatial distribution of FDI across Chinese cities, city-level tax rates have no such influence.
Practical implications
The results have implications for the design of policies aimed at enhancing FDI flows into emerging countries.
Originality/value
To date, few studies have investigated the investment location choice at the city level in a single country. The study contributes to the literature by examining the role of government in such investment decisions. It also adds to the previously limited research examining the role of investment climate at the micro level.
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Literature has recognised entrepreneurship education as the main conduit through which entrepreneurial behaviours, attitudes and actions can be built, enacted and delivered. Since…
Abstract
Literature has recognised entrepreneurship education as the main conduit through which entrepreneurial behaviours, attitudes and actions can be built, enacted and delivered. Since the founding of new ventures is largely a resourceful founder-driven enterprise, entrepreneurship education has largely centred on galvanising and shifting the mindsets and cognition of the entrepreneur. Yet, despite over 60 years of delivering entrepreneurship education programmes, hard evidence of the generation of high-growth-oriented and sustainable ventures has been scarce as student entrepreneurship intentions do not always translate into successful venture creation. This is largely because of the complexities of the practicality of entrepreneurial education particularly, the dissonance between acquired education in business schools and the knowledge and competencies needed in the entrepreneurial field. Such dissonance can be attributed to the lack of clarity on the pedagogical approach that most resonates with entrepreneurial action, the diversity in assessment methods and the scholarly illusion pertaining to how pedagogical approaches can be channelled to the generation of growth-oriented ventures. Drawing on Girox's concepts of transformative critical pedagogy (including pedagogy of repression), Socratic dialogue, Hegelian dialectic and Yrjö Engeström's transformative expansive agency, I demonstrate how a flipped transformative critical pedagogy can be harnessed in digitally enhanced learning environments to create new entrepreneurial possibilities for facilitating critical inquiry, complex problem-solving, innovation for the market and fostering tolerance for failure in ambiguous entrepreneurial contexts.
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Tanuja Gupta and M. Chakradhara Rao
This study aims to practically determine the optimum proportion of aggregates to attain the desired strength of geopolymer concrete (GPC) and then compare the results using…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to practically determine the optimum proportion of aggregates to attain the desired strength of geopolymer concrete (GPC) and then compare the results using established analytical particle packing methods. The investigation further aims to assess the influence of various amounts of recycled aggregate (RA) on properties of low-calcium fly ash-based GPC of grade M25.
Design/methodology/approach
Fine and coarse aggregates were blended in various proportions and the proportion yielding maximum packing density was selected as the optimum proportion and they were compared with analytical models, such as Modified Toufar Model (MTM) and J. D. Dewar Model. RAs for this study were produced in laboratory and they were used in various amounts, namely, 0%, 50% and 100%. 12M NaOH solution was mixed with Na2SiO3 in the ratio of 1:2. The curing of concrete was done at the temperatures of 60° and 90 °C for 24, 48 and 72h.
Findings
The experimentally obtained optimum proportion of coarse to fine aggregate was 60:40 for all amounts of RA. Meanwhile, MTM and Dewar Model resulted in coarse aggregate to fine aggregates as 40:60, 45:55, 55:45 and 55:45, 35:65, 60:40, respectively, for 0% 100% and 50% RAs. The compressive strength of GPC elevated with the increase in curing regime. In addition, the ultrasonic pulse velocity also displayed a similar trend as that of strength.
Originality/value
The GPC with 50% RAs may be considered for use, as it exhibited superior properties compared to GPC with 100% RAs and was comparable to GPC with natural aggregates. Furthermore, compressive strength is correlated with split tensile strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity.
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Eleni Bechraki, Evangelia Mavrikaki, Vasileios Gialamas and Evangelia Galanaki
The development of health literacy skills is of paramount importance especially for students, as it is associated with their wellbeing and academic success. Assessing students'…
Abstract
Purpose
The development of health literacy skills is of paramount importance especially for students, as it is associated with their wellbeing and academic success. Assessing students' health literacy is necessary for its advancement. This study comes to fill the need for a valid multidimensional health literacy assessment instrument for secondary school students.
Design/methodology/approach
Initially, the authors defined the conceptual framework within which the items of this instrument were generated. Its final form was obtained through three pilot studies. A test-retest followed and, finally, a nationwide survey was conducted on Greek seventh-, ninth- and tenth-grade students (N = 2,800).
Findings
A 37-item instrument, the Health Literacy Assessment for Secondary School Students (HeLiASeSS), was developed which includes the following nine dimensions/skills of health literacy: “access to”, “understand” and “evaluate” (health information), “functional communication”, “interactive communication” and “critical communication”, “relying on health information”, “self-efficacy regarding health matters” and “intention for active citizenship regarding health matters”. HeLiASeSS proved to have good stability (ICC = 0.943) and high internal consistency reliability (a = 0.903).
Originality/value
HeLiASeSS offers the possibility of a reliable and valid assessment of secondary school students' health literacy skills providing a multidimensional evaluation of this construct and is expected to be useful in interventions aiming at promoting this type of literacy.
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Michael J. Ormshaw, Leena T. Paakkari and Lasse K. Kannas
A systematic review of literature was conducted to compile, analyse and describe the methodology and measurement of childhood/adolescent health literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
A systematic review of literature was conducted to compile, analyse and describe the methodology and measurement of childhood/adolescent health literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
Six online databases (ERIC, PubMed, CINAHL, Biomed Central, Web of Science and Sports Discuss) were systematically searched to identify English language, peer‐reviewed articles, published between 1980 and April 2011, which reported on the measurement of health literacy in a population under the age of 18. The search identified 16 articles to be included in the final review, from which, data were systematically extracted in order to answer four review questions concerning several aspects of the method and effectiveness of the completed studies.
Findings
The majority (n=13) of the studies described the use of newly developed measurement tools and enquiry methods. The majority (n=14) assessed health literacy via task performance as opposed to examining self‐reported health literacy. Thirteen health topics and nine distinct components of health literacy were identified as being scrutinised by the 16 articles. Examination of the intended measurement aims of each study, in comparison with the actual measurement methods revealed that six studies fully succeeded in examining what they intended to measure. It is concluded that even though research in this field is escalating, clear definitions and measurement methods of childhood health literacy must be developed in order to effectively expand the field further and comprehensively assess childhood health literacy.
Originality/value
This review is to our knowledge the first to collate and examine studies concentrating solely on the measurement of health literacy in a child and/or adolescent population.
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Since the launch of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) in 2003, Hong Kong cinema is believed to have confronted drastic changes. Hong Kong…
Abstract
Purpose
Since the launch of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) in 2003, Hong Kong cinema is believed to have confronted drastic changes. Hong Kong cinema is described to be dying, lacking creative space and losing local distinctiveness. A decade later, the rise of Hong Kong – China coproduction cinema under CEPA has been normalized and changed the once pessimism in the industry. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Hong Kong cinema adjusted its production and creation in the first 10 years of CEPA.
Design/methodology/approach
Beginning with a review of the overall development, three paradigmatic cases are examined for reflecting upon what the major industrial and commercial concerns on the Hong Kong – China coproduction model are, and how such a coproduction model is not developed as smooth as what the Hong Kong filmmakers expected.
Findings
Collectively, this paper singles out the difficulties in operation and the limit of transnationality that occur in the Chinese context for the development of Hong Kong cinema under the Hong Kong – China coproduction model.
Originality/value
This is the author’s research in his five-year study of Hong Kong cinema and it contributes a lot to the field of cinema studies with relevant industrial and policy concern.
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Ita M. Fung, Wai Yee Chan and Eric Chan
– The purpose of this paper is to bring consideration to the care receivers’ point of view when setting policies for the delivery of health services.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to bring consideration to the care receivers’ point of view when setting policies for the delivery of health services.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper briefly reviews the delivery of health services designed by the governing body in Hong Kong and China. It also looks into how the care receivers behave in the respective delivery system.
Findings
With different objectives and fundamentals, Hong Kong and China strive to improve the delivery of health services. However, there are issues which make the implementation of these improvements challenging. This paper looks into the care receiver’s concerns that impact the delivery of health services.
Originality/value
Provide areas for consideration when setting up health policy.
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Alex Torku, Albert P.C. Chan and Esther H.K. Yung
The purpose of this study is to identify the barriers that hinder the implementation of age-friendly initiatives in smart cities.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the barriers that hinder the implementation of age-friendly initiatives in smart cities.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review of the literature was conducted using Scopus search engine. Relevant keywords were used to discover 81 publications in academic journals. The titles, abstracts, keywords and full texts of the publications were examined to select 39 publications that were relevant for identifying the barriers that hinder the implementation of age-friendly initiatives in smart cities. The contents of the 39 relevant publications were analysed to ascertain the key barriers. A system thinking approach was adopted to understand the interaction among the barriers.
Findings
The study identified five key groups of barriers – namely physical barriers and environmental characteristics, technological barriers, social barriers, financial barriers and political barriers – that smart cities encountered or are likely to encounter in implementing age-friendly initiatives. Moreover, practical examples of good age-friendly implementation practices were highlighted.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation of this study is in the number of publications reviewed. Despite the comprehensive review, the number of publications reviewed may not be exhaustive. This is justified by the inapplicability of considering all possible keywords in one review study.
Practical implications
The systemic perspective of the barriers that hinder the implementation of age-friendly initiatives in smart cities would support policymakers in formulating policy recommendations to improve age-friendliness in cities.
Originality/value
This study underscores the variable and dynamic nature of developing age-friendly smart cities and forms novel basis for gaining insights into the multiple factors that can promote the integration of age-friendly initiatives within smart cities.
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The concept and practice of e-services has become essential in business transactions. Yet there are still many organizations that have not developed e-services optimally. This is…
Abstract
The concept and practice of e-services has become essential in business transactions. Yet there are still many organizations that have not developed e-services optimally. This is especially relevant in the context of Indonesian Airline companies. Therefore, many airline customers in Indonesia are still in doubt about it, or even do not use it. To fill this gap, this study attempts to develop a model for e-services adoption and empirically examines the factors influencing the airlines customers in Indonesia in using e-services offered by the Indonesian airline companies. Taking six Indonesian airline companies as a case example, the study investigated the antecedents of e-services usage of Indonesian airlines. This study further examined the impacts of motivation on customers in using e-services in the Indonesian context. Another important aim of this study was to investigate how ages, experiences and geographical areas moderate effects of e-services usage.
The study adopts a positivist research paradigm with a two-phase sequential mixed method design involving qualitative and quantitative approaches. An initial research model was first developed based on an extensive literature review, by combining acceptance and use of information technology theories, expectancy theory and the inter-organizational system motivation models. A qualitative field study via semi-structured interviews was then conducted to explore the present state among 15 respondents. The results of the interviews were analysed using content analysis yielding the final model of e-services usage. Eighteen antecedent factors hypotheses and three moderating factors hypotheses and 52-item questionnaire were developed. A focus group discussion of five respondents and a pilot study of 59 respondents resulted in final version of the questionnaire.
In the second phase, the main survey was conducted nationally to collect the research data among Indonesian airline customers who had already used Indonesian airline e-services. A total of 819 valid questionnaires were obtained. The data was then analysed using a partial least square (PLS) based structural equation modelling (SEM) technique to produce the contributions of links in the e-services model (22% of all the variances in e-services usage, 37.8% in intention to use, 46.6% in motivation, 39.2% in outcome expectancy, and 37.7% in effort expectancy). Meanwhile, path coefficients and t-values demonstrated various different influences of antecedent factors towards e-services usage. Additionally, a multi-group analysis based on PLS is employed with mixed results. In the final findings, 14 hypotheses were supported and 7 hypotheses were not supported.
The major findings of this study have confirmed that motivation has the strongest contribution in e-services usage. In addition, motivation affects e-services usage both directly and indirectly through intention-to-use. This study provides contributions to the existing knowledge of e-services models, and practical applications of IT usage. Most importantly, an understanding of antecedents of e-services adoption will provide guidelines for stakeholders in developing better e-services and strategies in order to promote and encourage more customers to use e-services. Finally, the accomplishment of this study can be expanded through possible adaptations in other industries and other geographical contexts.