Junying Yu, Jiaxuan Xie and Honglin Lu
As a retail operation mode of emerging mixed reality (MR) technology, virtual fitting room (VFR) revolutionizes how consumers interact with fashion brands.
Abstract
Purpose
As a retail operation mode of emerging mixed reality (MR) technology, virtual fitting room (VFR) revolutionizes how consumers interact with fashion brands.
Design/methodology/approach
The research investigates the impact mechanisms of VFR technology through retail operational performance from the perspective of purchase intention and post-purchase intention. Around 783 valid questionnaires were collected using the questionnaire to analyze, including 327 VFR technology users and 394 VFR technology non-users.
Findings
The results indicate that visual vividness, interactive control and personalized provision of VFR technology positively influence the retail operational performance of fashion brands, except for the online purchase intention. The study further reveals that the influence of VFR technology on retail operational performance is carried by perceived value and technology attitude, with the moderating role of perceived body image.
Originality/value
These findings expand and enrich existing research on VFR technology, providing recommendations and valuable insights into widening the application and continuous improvement of VFR technology.
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Honglin Yang, Erbao Cao, Kevin Jiang Lu and Guoqing Zhang
The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of information asymmetry on revenue sharing contracts and performance in a dual-channel supply chain. First, the authors model…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of information asymmetry on revenue sharing contracts and performance in a dual-channel supply chain. First, the authors model the optimum revenue sharing contract in a dual-channel supply chain under both the full information case and the asymmetric information case. Second, they contrast the optimal decisions of a dual-channel supply chain between the full information case and the asymmetric information case. Third, they explore the impact of asymmetric cost information on the performance of a dual-channel supply chain and investigate the information value.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors present two main issues associated with revenue sharing contracts to alleviate manufacturer–retailer conflicts in a dual-channel supply chain. In the first issue, a revenue sharing contract is designed in a dual-channel supply chain under asymmetric cost information conditions, based on the principal-agent model. In the second issue, an optimal revenue sharing contract under full information conditions, based on the Stackelberg game is discussed. They explore the impact of asymmetric cost information on the performance of a dual-channel supply chain and investigate the information value based on comparative static analysis.
Findings
First, the direct sale price is unchanged and independent of the retailer’s cost construct, but the wholesale price increases and the retail sale price does not decrease under asymmetric cost information. The information asymmetry leads to higher direct sale demand and lower retail sale demand. Second, information asymmetry is beneficial for the retailer, but imposes inefficiency on the manufacturer and the whole supply chain. Third, the performance of the dual-channel supply chain is improved if the retailer’s cost information is shared and the dual-channel supply chain reaches coordination. The retailer is willing to share its cost information if the lump sum side payment that the manufacturer offers can make up the retailer’s reduced profit due to sharing this information.
Originality/value
The authors proposed a contract menus design model in a dual-channel supply chain. They examine how information asymmetry affects optimal policies and performance. They compared the optimal policies under symmetric information and asymmetric information. Conditions under which the partners prefer sharing information are identified. They quantified the information value from the points of partners and the whole system.
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Yong Xiao, Honglin Hu, Zhao Li, Hai Long, Qianwen Wu and Yu Liu
Aluminum foam-filled thin-walled unit structures have received much attention for their excellent energy absorption properties. To improve the energy absorption effect of car…
Abstract
Purpose
Aluminum foam-filled thin-walled unit structures have received much attention for their excellent energy absorption properties. To improve the energy absorption effect of car energy absorption box under axial compression, this paper optimizes the fiber lay-up sequence, fiber angle and aluminum foam density of aluminum foam filled carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) thin-walled square tubes.
Design/methodology/approach
Design of sample points required to construct the proxy model using design of experiments (DOE) method, and the data sample points of different models are obtained through Abaqus simulation and test. A double high-precision proxy model with the maximum specific energy absorption (SEA) and the minimum initial peak crash force (PCF) as the evaluation index is constructed based on the response surface function method. The NSGA-II multi-objective genetic algorithm was used to optimize the design parameters and obtain the optimal solution for the Pareto front, and the results were verified by using the multi-objective optimization toolbox in design-expert.
Findings
The results show that the optimal solution to the multi-objective optimization problem with the inclusion of the lay-up sequence is ρ = 0.5g/cm3 for a fiber lay-up angle varying in the range ±15–90° and an aluminum foam density varying in the range 0.2g/cm3-0.5g/cm3, with a lay-up method of [±87°/±16°/±15°/±89°]. The two optimization methods correspond to SEA and PCF errors of 2.109% and 4.1828%, respectively. The optimized SEA value is 18.2 J/g and the PCF value is 18,230 N. The optimized design reduces the peak impact force and increases the specific energy absorption, which improves the energy absorption effect of thin-walled energy-absorbing boxes for automobiles.
Originality/value
In this paper, the impact resistance of CFRP thin-walled square tubes filled with aluminum foam is optimized. Based on numerical simulations and experiments to obtain the sample point data for constructing the dual-agent model, we investigate the effect of filling with different densities of aluminum foam under the simultaneous change of fiber lay-up angle and order on its mechanical properties in this process, and carry out the multi-objective optimization design with NSGA-II algorithm.
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Wenyan Zhuo, Honglin Yang and Xu Chen
The purpose of this paper is to build a phase-type risk model with stochastic return on investment and random observation periods to characterize the ruin quantities under which…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to build a phase-type risk model with stochastic return on investment and random observation periods to characterize the ruin quantities under which the insurance company may take effective investment strategies to avoid bankruptcy.
Design/methodology/approach
By the Markov property and Ito’s formula, this paper derives the integro-differential equations in which the interclaim times follow a phase-type distribution. Using the sinc method, this paper obtains the approximate solutions of the expected discounted penalty function. The numerical examples are given to verify the robustness of the proposed sinc method.
Findings
This paper discloses the relationship between the investment strategy and initial surplus level. The insurance company with a high initial surplus level prefers high risk portfolios to earn more profit. Contrarily, the insurance company would invest low risk portfolios to avoid bankruptcy. In addition, this paper shows that a short observation period would bring higher ruin probability.
Originality/value
The risk model is distinct in that a phase-type risk model is constructed with stochastic return on investment and random observation periods. These considerations in the risk model are in sharp contrast to the setting in which the stochastic return on investment is observed continuously. In practice, the insurance company only can periodically observe the surplus level to check the balance of the book. This setting, therefore, is difficult to adopt. This paper develops a sinc method to solve the approximate solutions of the expected discounted penalty function.
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Yanyan Pu, Zongchao Yu, Fengqin Wang, Yiyuan Fu, Tao Yan and Honglin Cheng
The purpose of this study is to develop luminescence sensors for the detection of nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) and metal ions to protect human health and prevent environmental…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop luminescence sensors for the detection of nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) and metal ions to protect human health and prevent environmental pollution.
Design/methodology/approach
The composition and morphology of Eu-metal-organic frameworks (MOF) (1) were well characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analyses, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The emission spectrum displays that 1 has significant characteristic emission bands of Eu(III) ions. The authors further investigated the fluorescence sensing performances of 1 to NACs and metal ions.
Findings
The results show that Eu-MOF (1) exhibits significant fluorescence quenching effect toward p-nitroaniline and Fe3+ ions with good stability and recyclability. This means that 1 can be used as a multifunctional sensing material for the detection of p-nitroaniline and Fe3+ ions.
Originality/value
The authors have successfully synthesized a fluorescence Eu-based sensing material under hydrothermal conditions. In addition, the fluorescence property and sensing performances for detecting NACs and metal ions were studied. The results suggest that 1 has highly selective fluorescence quenching toward p-nitroaniline and Fe3+ ions with not only high sensitivity and selectivity but also excellent stability and recyclability. Furthermore, this study has confirmed that the multifunctional MOF material is very useful in environment pollutants’ detection and monitoring.
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Tao Liu, Weiquan Wang, Jingjun (David) Xu, Donghong Ding and Honglin Deng
This paper investigates the effects of advising strength of a recommendation agent on users' trust and distrust beliefs and how the effects are moderated by perceived brand…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the effects of advising strength of a recommendation agent on users' trust and distrust beliefs and how the effects are moderated by perceived brand familiarity.
Design/methodology/approach
A research model is evaluated using a laboratory experiment with 149 participants.
Findings
Results reveal that a strong advising tone leads to higher trust in terms of users' credibility and benevolence beliefs and lower distrust in terms of their discredibility beliefs (the trustor's concerns regarding the trustee's dishonesty and competence in engaging in harmful behavior) when perceived brand familiarity is high. By contrast, when brand familiarity is low, strong advising tone results in low trust in terms of users' credibility belief and high distrust in terms of their beliefs in discredibility and malevolence (concerns regarding the trustee's conduct in terms of a malicious intention that can hurt the trustor's welfare).
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the trust and distrust literature by studying how each of the dimensions of trust and distrust can be affected by an RA's design feature. It extends the attribution theory to the RA context by studying the moderating role of brand familiarity in determining the effects of the advising strength of an RA. It provides actionable guidelines for practitioners regarding the adoption of an RA's appropriate advising strength to promote different types of products.
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Li‐Yueh Lee, Sou Veasna and Wann‐Yih Wu
This study aims to examine the significance of transformational leadership and social support for expatriate adjustment and performance. This study also extends relevant…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the significance of transformational leadership and social support for expatriate adjustment and performance. This study also extends relevant literature on expatriate management to examine the relationships among transformational leadership, social support, expatriate adjustment, and expatriate performance through a mechanism taking into account the moderating roles of cultural intelligence and socialization experience.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample was collected from 156 expatriate managers of Taiwanese multinational company (MNC) subsidiaries operating in China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS 21 and hierarchical regression in SPSS 19 were used to test eight research hypotheses.
Findings
The SEM results indicated that transformational leadership and social support make significant contributions to expatriate adjustment and performance. The moderating roles of socialization experience and cultural intelligence were also confirmed in this study.
Originality/value
This study extends a theoretical model of transformational leadership and social support to examine expatriate adjustment and performance based on social learning and social exchange theories. Using a specific Chinese context, the current paper highlights the value and necessity of cross‐cultural adjustment for successful expatriation.
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Vardges Hovhannisyan and Serhat Asci
We seek to quantify the relationship between urbanization and economic growth in China using recent advances in econometric techniques.
Abstract
Purpose
We seek to quantify the relationship between urbanization and economic growth in China using recent advances in econometric techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a smoothed instrumental variables quantile regression (SIVQR) estimator to obtain consistent estimates of the effects of urbanization on economic growth in China. Our approach accounts for the differential impacts of urbanization across the conditional distribution of economic growth while allowing for an identification strategy that addresses the endogeneity of urbanization. Our main findings reveal that ignoring urbanization endogeneity leads to inconsistent estimates of urbanization effects. Further, we find a positive relationship between urbanization and growth resembling an inverted U-shape. This supports the hypothesis that the beneficial effects of urbanization intensify at initial stages while diminishing beyond a certain threshold, due perhaps to weakening scale economies.
Findings
Our main results indicate that the individual productivity gains brought by urbanization outweigh the negative effects thereof that impede productivity, thus contributing to the economic growth in China. Further, we find that ignoring differential impacts of urbanization underestimates the beneficial effects of urbanization for provinces whose quality of governance is in the vicinity of the center of quality distribution. Ignoring the endogeneity of urbanization generates inconsistent estimates of the elasticity of economic growth with respect to urbanization. Finally, we estimate an inverted U-shape resembling relationship between urbanization and growth.
Research limitations/implications
First, future studies would benefit from incorporating more data as provinces further east on the mainland become more urbanized and urbanization runs its course. Second, controlling the barriers to rural-urban mobility would contribute to the robustness of the estimated relationship between urbanization and growth once such data became available. Unveiling the impact of government-imposed barriers is key to designing optimal policies that help fuel economic growth in the country. Finally, future research could benefit from information on urbanization sources not considered here such as inter-provincial migration, as such data become publicly available.
Practical implications
Quantifying the beneficial effects of urbanization on economic growth can help guide the government in China to further fuel the growth through a set of relevant policy tools that promote urbanization.
Social implications
Rural-urban migration in China lays the groundwork for economic advancement in recipient cities and economies, as it may induce scale economies. This can benefit both the economy at large and the migrants.
Originality/value
The SIVQR estimator accounts for potential heterogeneous effects of urbanization across the entire conditional distribution of growth while allowing for an identification strategy that addresses the endogeneity of urbanization. An additional distinguishing feature of the current study is our use of the most recent novel, provincial-level data obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics of China. Our focus on a single country allows sidestepping issues arising from the inconsistency of the definition of urban across different countries while accounting for intra-country urbanization drivers intrinsic to China, such as natural features and geographic characteristics. Therefore, our approach has the potential to sidestep the bias resulting from the differences in mechanisms behind urbanization-growth relationships across different countries.
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M. Menkiti, T. Chime and O. Onukwuli
Fluted pumpkin seed shell, an abundant and inexpensive natural resource in Nigeria, was used as a precursor to adsorbent production for the removal of suspended and dissolved…
Abstract
Fluted pumpkin seed shell, an abundant and inexpensive natural resource in Nigeria, was used as a precursor to adsorbent production for the removal of suspended and dissolved particle (SDP) from initially coagulated coal washery effluent (CWE). Key parameters such as contact time, adsorbent dose, pH and temperature were investigated using batch mode. The adsorption equilibrium, thermodynamics and kinetics of SDP on H3PO4 treated shell (FPA) and NH4Cl treated shell (FPS) were examined at specified temperatures. Equilibrium data sufficiently fit the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 > 0.99; SSE < 0.09). The pseudo-second order kinetic model provides the best correlation (R2>0.99;SSE<0.1) with the experimental data. The evaluated ΔG○ and ΔH○ indicate the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the process. This study demonstrates that pumpkin seed shell could be utilized as low cost, renewable, ecofriendly bioadsorbent for the removal of SDP from CWE.
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Erfan Rezvani Ghomi, Saeideh Kholghi Eshkalak, Sunpreet Singh, Amutha Chinnappan, Seeram Ramakrishna and Roger Narayan
The potential implications of the three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology are growing enormously in the various health-care sectors, including surgical planning, manufacturing…
Abstract
Purpose
The potential implications of the three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology are growing enormously in the various health-care sectors, including surgical planning, manufacturing of patient-specific implants and developing anatomical models. Although a wide range of thermoplastic polymers are available as 3DP feedstock, yet obtaining biocompatible and structurally integrated biomedical devices is still challenging owing to various technical issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is an organic and biocompatible compound material that is recently being used to fabricate complex design geometries and patient-specific implants through 3DP. However, the thermal and rheological features of PEEK make it difficult to process through the 3DP technologies, for instance, fused filament fabrication. The present review paper presents a state-of-the-art literature review of the 3DP of PEEK for potential biomedical applications. In particular, a special emphasis has been given on the existing technical hurdles and possible technological and processing solutions for improving the printability of PEEK.
Findings
The reviewed literature highlighted that there exist numerous scientific and technical means which can be adopted for improving the quality features of the 3D-printed PEEK-based biomedical structures. The discussed technological innovations will help the 3DP system to enhance the layer adhesion strength, structural stability, as well as enable the printing of high-performance thermoplastics.
Originality/value
The content of the present manuscript will motivate young scholars and senior scientists to work in exploring high-performance thermoplastics for 3DP applications.