A short list of English language Web sites in agriculture from an international perspective is given, together with brief reviews of each site, to assist librarians, agricultural…
Abstract
A short list of English language Web sites in agriculture from an international perspective is given, together with brief reviews of each site, to assist librarians, agricultural researchers, and other professionals. Sites were selected on the basis of a comparative study of a large number of information resources on the Internet.
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Jean-Louis Ermine, Denise Bedford and Alexeis Garcia-Perez
This chapter explains how and why the knowledge economy will increase the demand for knowledge engineering. It defines and traces the evolution of knowledge engineering. It…
Abstract
Chapter Summary
This chapter explains how and why the knowledge economy will increase the demand for knowledge engineering. It defines and traces the evolution of knowledge engineering. It identifies the two components of knowledge engineering – elicitation and representation. It discusses the increased importance of tacit knowledge, specifically know-what and know-how, for organizations and companies. The increased demand for knowledge engineering calls for increased number of knowledge engineers. Knowledge engineering will expand beyond its current homes in systems development and cognitive science. The MASK methodology is an important intermediary between formal knowledge engineering and the methods needed to develop natural language and conceptual modeling for the knowledge economy.
Bo Fang, Panpan Zhang and Sehoon Kim
The purpose of this paper is to explore recent national human resource development (NHRD) practices in China through a literature review focusing on programs and activities that…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore recent national human resource development (NHRD) practices in China through a literature review focusing on programs and activities that represent the roles and interactions among the government, industry and universities.
Design/methodology/approach
To effectively consolidate previous work and conceptualize the recent development of the NHRD practices in China, a semi-narrative literature review was used to explore and analyze NHRD-related functions and activities.
Findings
Findings from the literature review showed that although the central government still plays a predominant role in China, universities and corporations are increasingly playing a critical role in developing an innovative and skilled workforce. At the regional level, NHRD initiatives in China have been increasingly undertaken by universities, industry and government–industry–university collaborations. The authors also found a disparity between developed and underdeveloped regions in terms of NHRD in China.
Research limitations/implications
This study used the triple helix model as a framework that provides an insightful lens for researchers to examine how various social entities interact with each other and jointly contribute to NHRD. Further case studies are needed to generate evidence-based knowledge to the NHRD literature.
Practical implications
A more systematic NHRD leadership structure at both the national and local level is desired to unleash the potential of bottom-up development and active government–industry–university collaboration. To counter regional divergence in NHRD in China, intra- and cross-regional collaborations are helpful in improving resources distribution and workforce development.
Originality/value
Based on open system theory, this study focused on programs and activities that represent the roles and interactions among the government, industry and university in Chinese NHRD through the lens of the triple helix model. In addition, this study offers a conceptual model of Chinese NHRD to help scholars and practitioners understand the transitional efforts in NHRD.
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Dandan Xu, Shuo Yan, Yuhan Zhang, Si Zhang, Yoshiteru Nakamori and Lili Chen
Taking the COVID-19 as the background, this study aims to investigate the direct influencing factors regarding knowledge sharing behavior (KSB) on new media platforms and discuss…
Abstract
Purpose
Taking the COVID-19 as the background, this study aims to investigate the direct influencing factors regarding knowledge sharing behavior (KSB) on new media platforms and discuss how the characteristics of the users could enhance the KSB through moderation effect, and provide empirical evidences.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the social exchange theory and after the text analysis of the data collected from the Tiktok platform in 2020, this paper uses the quantitative method to evaluate the factors influence KSB on short video social platform during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Findings
KSB on new media platform could be enhanced by richer knowledge content of the video posted and the attribute of the platform users directly. Platform users could affect the trustworthiness of the knowledge shared, thus influence the knowledge sharing. On the early stage of the COVID-19, the richer content of the knowledge released by users could effectively enhance the KSB. On the early stage of the emergency events, the official users could play a significant role on KS. During the mitigation stage of COVID-19, the KSB of the knowledge shared by unofficial users with richer content could be enhanced and the moderation effect is relatively stronger.
Originality/value
The research extends the social exchange theory to a disaster management context. The authors provide an effective reference for future governments to effectively cope with the epidemic and spread public knowledge in an emergency response context. By analyzing the influence of knowledge content and influencer characteristics, it could help the social media platform to improve content management and optimize resource allocation.
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The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework that clarifies the construct of pay secrecy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework that clarifies the construct of pay secrecy.
Design/methodology/approach
Paralleling organizational justice research, two continua of pay information – a distributive continuum about pay raise outcomes and a procedural continuum of pay raise processes – are crossed to produce a 3 × 3 matrix with nine distinct forms of pay communication.
Findings
Drawing on the substitutability effect from the organizational justice literature, the matrix highlights the importance of considering how the communication of different types of pay information interact with one another as individuals form pay perceptions.
Research limitations/implications
The matrix framework illustrates that not only information content shapes pay perceptions, but also the extent to which different types of pay information are communicated, and how these different types of information interact. As with any conceptual framework, the current manuscript is limited by a lack of empirical testing.
Practical implications
Managers should be cognizant of the many different ways in which pay information can be communicated. A call is made to reconsider the use of traditionally binary terminology (secret or not) in favor of more accurate descriptions of the nuanced ways in which organizations communicate pay information.
Originality/value
The value of the pay communication matrix lies in the nine unique forms of pay communication arising from the interaction of two different forms of pay information – distributive (outcomes) and procedural (process).
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Shaen Corbet, Yang (Greg) Hou, Yang Hu, Les Oxley and Mengxuan Tang
The rapid growth of Fintech presents a growing challenge for banking institutions, particularly those with more traditional, service backgrounds. This paper aims to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
The rapid growth of Fintech presents a growing challenge for banking institutions, particularly those with more traditional, service backgrounds. This paper aims to examine the relationship between Fintech innovation and bank performance by exploiting novel Chinese market data.
Design/methodology/approach
Guided by the work of Dietrich and Wanzenried (2011, 2014) and Phan et al. (2019), the authors construct a regression model to investigate the effect of Fintech innovation on the profitability of Chinese listed banks. The authors include their measures of Fintech innovation in each of their selected structures.
Findings
Results indicate that Fintech innovation is negatively associated with bank performance and that state-owned banks, joint-stock commercial banks and long-established banks are more negatively impacted by Fintech innovation relative to city and rural commercial banks and younger banks.
Originality/value
Risk tolerance levels, internal structure and efficiency and recent debt repayment performance channels are each shown to be significant, robust explanatory factors underpinning such results.
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In the advertising strategy called pseudo-ownership advertising appeal, ownership-implying language (e.g. my, our or your) is used to induce consumers’ “ownership” of a brand…
Abstract
Purpose
In the advertising strategy called pseudo-ownership advertising appeal, ownership-implying language (e.g. my, our or your) is used to induce consumers’ “ownership” of a brand. This study aims to investigate the influence of pseudo-ownership advertising appeal on brand psychological ownership and consequent brand attitude, purchase intention and choice. This study also assessed the relative effectiveness of different types of possessive pronouns in different customer segments.
Design/methodology/approach
Four experiments, involving both students and non-students, were conducted to test the hypotheses. Experiments 1 and 2 investigated the effects of the first-person singular and plural possessive pronouns (“my” and “our”) on psychological ownership and on brand attitude, purchase intention and choice. Experiment 3 investigated the interacting effects of self-construal (independent vs interdependent) and possessive pronoun (singular vs plural) on psychological ownership and brand attitudes. Experiment 4 investigated the interacting effects of customer type (potential vs current) and possessive pronoun (first-person vs second-person) on psychological ownership and brand attitudes.
Findings
Pseudo-ownership advertising appeal resulted in the development of brand psychological ownership, as well as inducing favorable attitudes, purchase intentions and brand choice. Furthermore, consumers with interdependent self-construal developed stronger psychological ownership when pseudo-ownership advertising appeal incorporated plural possessive pronouns, and consumers with independent self-construal developed stronger psychological ownership when pseudo-ownership advertising appeal incorporated singular possessive pronouns. Potential consumers developed stronger psychological ownership when pseudo-ownership advertising appeal incorporated second- vs first-person possessive pronouns, and current consumers developed the same psychological ownership for first- and second-person possessive pronouns.
Originality/value
Possessive pronouns used in advertising can enhance brand psychological ownership. Conditions that moderate the relative effectiveness of first- vs second-person and singular vs plural possessive pronouns on brand psychological ownership and consequential consumer responses can be identified. These findings extend research focusing solely on the self-referencing effects of second-pronoun use (“you”) in advertising on consumer attitudes and behaviors by paying attention to the “ownership” effects of possessive pronouns.
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Matilde Lafuente-Lechuga, Javier Cifuentes-Faura and Úrsula Faura-Martínez
This paper aims to identify the current situation of higher education institutions in Spain regarding the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals in the classroom, and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify the current situation of higher education institutions in Spain regarding the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals in the classroom, and what is the role of mathematics in this task.
Design/methodology/approach
A review is made of how the concept of sustainability has evolved in higher education, its gradual introduction in the University and the way in which this subject is approached in the field of mathematics.
Findings
The study concludes that higher education has a key role to play in designing strategies that lead to the global sustainability of the planet. This implies major changes in degree curricula, assessment, competences and teacher training. Cross-disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity between different subjects within the same degree is a strategy for students to analyse the Sustainable Development Goals using mathematical techniques.
Social implications
The University as an institution must train socially responsible professionals who are aware of the importance of promoting a sustainable world. Changes should be made to introduce values in the classroom that promote and encourage sustainability. Training should be seen as a continuous process that leads to the preparation of professionals committed to society and nature and who develop strategies aimed at improving the planet through values.
Originality/value
Through practical activities, the Sustainable Development objectives can be analysed from several subjects of the same degree, emphasising the interdisciplinary and transversal nature that should be the central axis of higher education. Each subject can develop a strategy for change in favour of sustainability that will be reinforced and increased by working together on the proposed teaching practice. In this way, the contents of the different subjects are not isolated, but rather the student can see how there is an interrelationship between them and with real life.
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Weiting Wang, Yi Liao and Jiacan Li
The purpose of this study to improve the efficiency of customer acquisition and retention through the design of salary information disclosure mechanism.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study to improve the efficiency of customer acquisition and retention through the design of salary information disclosure mechanism.
Design/methodology/approach
This study develops a stylized game-theoretic model of delegating customer acquisition and retention, focusing on how firms choose delegation and wage information disclosure strategy.
Findings
The results confirm the necessity for enterprises to disclose salary information. When sales agents are risk neutral, firms should choose multi-agent (MA) delegation and disclose their wages. However, when agents are risk averse, firms may disclose the wages of acquisition agents or both agents in MA delegation, depending on the uncertainty of the retention market.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the literature on delegation of customer acquisition and retention and demonstrates that salary disclosure can be used as a supplement to the incentive mechanism.