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1 – 9 of 9Hualong Yang, Helen S. Du and Wei Shang
Despite the prevalent use of professional status and service feedback in online healthcare markets, the potential interaction relationship between two types of information is…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the prevalent use of professional status and service feedback in online healthcare markets, the potential interaction relationship between two types of information is still unknown. This study used the signaling theory to examine the substitute relationship between professional status and service feedback in patients' doctor choice, as well as the moderating effect of illness severity.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the paper's hypotheses, we constructed a panel data model using 418 doctors' data collected over a period of six months from an online healthcare market in China. Then, according to the results of the Hausman test, we estimated a fixed-effects model of patients' choice in online healthcare markets.
Findings
The empirical results showed that the effect of a doctor's professional status and service feedback on a patient's doctor choice was substitutable. Moreover, patients' illness severity played a moderating role, in that the influence of professional status on a patient with high-severity illness was higher than that on a patient with low-severity illness, whereas the influence of service feedback on a patient with low-severity illness was higher than that of a patient with high-severity illness. In addition, we found that illness severity negatively moderated the substitute relationship between professional status and service feedback on a patient's choice.
Originality/value
These findings not only contribute to signaling theory and research on online healthcare markets, but also help us understand the importance of professional status and service feedback on a patient's choice when seeking a doctor online.
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Dan Li, Hualong Yang and Zhibin Hu
Gamification design is considered an effective way of changing users' health behavior and improving their health management performance. Even though numerous studies have…
Abstract
Purpose
Gamification design is considered an effective way of changing users' health behavior and improving their health management performance. Even though numerous studies have investigated the positive effect of gamification competition on users, little research has considered gamification's ineffectiveness and negative effects. In particular, how gamification competition affects users' technological exhaustion remains unclear.
Design/methodology/approach
According to flow theory and related research on gamification, this study discusses the nonlinear relationship between gamification competition and users' technological exhaustion. Furthermore, the authors analyze the moderating effect of user type (socializers and achievers) and users' health condition on this nonlinear relationship. Based on flow theory, the authors propose a series of research hypotheses. To test all research hypotheses, the authors collected information from 407 users via a questionnaire as the data for this study.
Findings
The empirical results found a U-shaped relationship between gamification competition and technological exhaustion. Technological exhaustion gradually decreases as competition increases until reaching the lowest point; after that, technological exhaustion gradually increases as competition increases. Further, being a socializer and health condition play a moderating role in the U-shaped relationship between competition and technological exhaustion.
Originality/value
This study's findings not only enrich the related research in flow theory and gamification, but also contribute to the effective design of gamification in health management platforms.
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Value stream mapping (VSM) is a visualization tool to identify and eliminate waste and widely applied in manufacturing, transportation, construction, service and other industries…
Abstract
Purpose
Value stream mapping (VSM) is a visualization tool to identify and eliminate waste and widely applied in manufacturing, transportation, construction, service and other industries, especially in the Industrial 4.0 technology era. The purpose of this paper is to review and analyze the VSM literature to identify the advances and hotspots of VSM literature.
Design/methodology/approach
Taking the VSM literature collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database as the research samples, this research used the bibliometric and keyword co-occurrence analysis to analyze the publication trend, research topics and their contents of VSM from concept integration, application sectors and technology expansion.
Findings
With the development of research, the latest research integrates conceptual integration, application departments and technology expansion to develop more complex research designs. It can be integrated with simulation, six sigma, big data, Internet of Things and other technologies to expand the analysis and design ability of VSM, which enhances the adaptability of VSM to various scenarios.
Originality/value
This research contributes to VSM literature by conducting a systematic review based on the citation structure within VSM research and identifies the established and emerging areas of research on VSM.
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This paper aims to reveal how different types of events and top management teams' (TMTs’) cognitive frames affect the generation of breakthrough innovations.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to reveal how different types of events and top management teams' (TMTs’) cognitive frames affect the generation of breakthrough innovations.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the event system theory and upper echelon theory, this study chose a Chinese manufacturing enterprise as the case firm and conducted an exploratory single-case study to unpack how breakthrough innovation generates over time.
Findings
By conducting the in-depth case analysis, the study revealed that firms do not produce breakthrough innovation in the catch-up stage and parallel-running stage but achieve it in the leading stage. It also indicated that when facing proactive events in the catch-up stage, TMTs often adopt a contracted lens, being manifested as consistency orientation, less elastic organizational identity and narrower competitive boundaries. In addition, they tend to adopt a contracted lens when facing reactive and proactive events in the parallel-running stage. In the face of reactive and proactive events in the leading stage, they are more inclined to adopt an expanded lens, being manifested as a coexistence orientation, more elastic organizational identity and wider competitive boundaries.
Originality/value
First, by untangling how TMT's cognitive frame functions in breakthrough innovations, this paper provides a micro-foundation for producing breakthrough innovations and deepens the understanding of upper echelon theory by considering the cognitive dimension of TMTs. Second, by teasing out several typical events experienced by the firm, this paper is the first attempt to reveal how events affect the generation of breakthrough innovation. Third, the work extends the application of the event system theory in technological innovation. It also provides insightful implications for promoting breakthrough innovations by considering the role of proactive and reactive events a firm experiences and TMT's perceptions.
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Shariful Islam and Shaikh Md. Mominul Alam
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the acoustic properties of needle-punched nonwovens produced of bamboo, banana and hemp fibers blended with polyester (PET) and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the acoustic properties of needle-punched nonwovens produced of bamboo, banana and hemp fibers blended with polyester (PET) and polypropylene (PP) as they are supportive enough to minimize sound transmission inside the automobiles.
Design/methodology/approach
Textile materials like bamboo, banana and hemp blended with PET and PP in the ratio of 35:35:30 were applied to make the web. The needle-punching technique was applied to each web for three times to form a full nonwoven textile composite. The concept of PET/PP blend with natural fibers was to enhance the consistency and thermoform propensity of the composites. When nonwoven textile composites were placed in between a sound source and a receiver, they absorbed annoying sound by dissolving sound wave energy. Sound absorption coefficient was measured by the impedance tube method as per ASTM C384 Standard. Bamboo/PET/PP composite showed the highest absorption coefficient in most of the frequencies.
Findings
Physical and comfort properties were tested for the composites and it was noticed that bamboo/PET/PP composites with its compressed structure showed a better stiffness value, lesser thermal conductivity, lesser air permeability, better absorption coefficient and highest sound transmission loss compared to other two composites. At 840 Hz, the absorption coefficient of bamboo/PET/PP remained in satisfactory level but it was inferior by 20 percent in banana/PET/PP. Conversely at more frequencies like 1,680 Hz, there was a decrease from the target level in all the nonwovens composites, which could be enhanced by raising the thickness of the nonwovens, and all these properties of bamboo/PET/PP were considered appropriate for controlling noise inside the vehicles.
Practical implications
This research will provide facilities to decrease noise inside the vehicles. It will improve the apparent value of the automobiles to the traveler and also provide a sensible goodwill to the manufacturer.
Originality/value
This research will open several ways for the development of different nonwoven composites, particularly for the sound absorption and will open possible ways for the scholars to further study in this field.
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Hongyan Liu, Hao Xue, Yaojiang Shi and Scott Rozelle
Low levels of human capital in rural China are rooted in the poor schooling outcomes of elementary school students. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the…
Abstract
Purpose
Low levels of human capital in rural China are rooted in the poor schooling outcomes of elementary school students. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the distribution of academic performance in rural China and identify vulnerable groups.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors draw on a data set of 25,892 observations constructed from 11 school-level surveys spanning nine provinces and one municipality in China conducted from 2013 to 2015.
Findings
The authors find that the distribution of academic performance is uneven across provinces and subgroups. In general, male students, Han, living in richer counties, living with their parents and studying in rural public schools do better academically than female students, non-Han, living in poorer counties, left behind and studying in private migrant schools in cities.
Research limitations/implications
Using the results of this study, policymakers should be able to better target investments into rural education focusing on at risk subpopulations.
Originality/value
With limited data sources, the research on the academic performance of students in rural China is largely absent. The findings of this study help to fill the gaps in the literature base.
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Hong-Wei Ying, Kang Cheng, Li-Sha Zhang, Chang-Yu Ou and Yong-Wen Yang
Deep excavation in soft clay often causes additional deformations to surroundings. Then, if deformations cannot be predicted reasonably, the adjacent buildings may be threatened…
Abstract
Purpose
Deep excavation in soft clay often causes additional deformations to surroundings. Then, if deformations cannot be predicted reasonably, the adjacent buildings may be threatened by the deep excavation. Based on the good field observations from ten deep excavations in Hangzhou, this paper aims to thoroughly investigate the characteristics of wall deflections and ground settlements induced by deep excavations.
Design/methodology/approach
On the basis of good field observation of ten deep excavations, the performances of excavations, supported by contiguous pile in Hangzhou, were studied, and also compared with other case histories.
Findings
The maximum wall deflections (dhm) rang mostly from 0.7 to 1.2 per cent He, where He is the final excavation depth, larger than those in Taipei and Shanghai. The observed maximum ground settlement in the Hangzhou cases generally ranges from 0.2 to 0.8 per cent He. Then, the settlement influence zone extends to a distance of 2.0-4.0 He from the excavation. The relatively large movements and influence zones in Hangzhou may be attributed to low stability numbers, large excavation widths and the creep effect. The excavation width is justified to have a significant influence on the wall deflection. Therefore, to establish a semi-empirical formula for predicting the maximum wall deflection, it is necessary to include the factor of excavation width.
Originality/value
The relevant literature concentrated on the characteristics of deep excavations supported by the contiguous pile wall in Hangzhou soft clay can rarely be found. Based on the ten deep excavations with good field observation in Hangzhou, the characteristics of wall deflection and ground settlements were comprehensively studied for the first time, which can provide some theoretical support for similar projects.
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Ever since China’s implementation of the open-door policy in 1978, there has been a remarkable transformation in the nation’s economic landscape. Undesirably, amidst the rapid…
Abstract
Purpose
Ever since China’s implementation of the open-door policy in 1978, there has been a remarkable transformation in the nation’s economic landscape. Undesirably, amidst the rapid urban development, the importance of prioritising and nurturing rural development in China has not received unwavering attention. Nevertheless, the Chinese government has embarked on many ventures to bridge the disparities existing amidst urban and rural areas, revitalise the rural economy, and enhance overall productivity. This paper enunciates the role of the Chinese government in prospering rural areas by implementing policies that align with the Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs)- 1, 2 and 12.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed a comprehensive methodology encompassing both primary and secondary research techniques to procure valuable insights and reviewed various Chinese government policies pertaining to rural revitalisation.
Findings
The study results demonstrate that throughout the policy implementation, China has contributed to the livelihoods of the rural communities and achieved SDG-1 (ending poverty) by 2030, ten years ahead of Agenda (2030). The country has also substantially improved its rural agricultural system by integrating modern science and technology and aiming to achieve SDG-2 (ensure food security) with the alignment of SDG-12 (sustainable production and consumption). The findings of this research indicate that despite some limitations in China’s rural revitalisation strategy, overall progress is seen in many aspects, particularly in achieving SDG-1, 2, and 12.
Research limitations/implications
The Chinese government has made significant efforts to promote ecological, social, and economic development in rural areas through various national initiatives such as the “New Countryside” and “Rural Revitalisation” strategies. These initiatives have successfully alleviated poverty, increased food production, and ensured sustainable production and consumption. The discoveries presented within this article possess immense value, as they provide profound insights for policymakers, rural planners, and researchers who are fervently searching for viable solutions to tackle the intricate interplay between rural development and sustainability. Therefore, this study has the potential to greatly benefit policymakers from various nations, as they can adopt China’s rural revitalisation model as a means to successfully achieve SDGs 1, 2, and 12.
Originality/value
This study found that despite numerous initiatives to improve rural landscapes, China’s rural revitalisation approach still poses concerns as local governments are likely to focus on increasing income capacity rather than concentrating on establishing environmental governance.
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Faisal Shahzad, Jamshed Khan Khattak, Mobeen Jamshed Khattak and Fahad Shahzad
The purpose of this paper is to explore how consumers’ socialization influences soft drink consumption behavior in Pakistan. Since consumer socialization has long been considered…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how consumers’ socialization influences soft drink consumption behavior in Pakistan. Since consumer socialization has long been considered but it is important to understand whether the extent of consumer socialization in terms of soft drink consumption influences consumer behavior by taking into consideration consumer cohorts.
Design/methodology/approach
The quantitative research is based on consumer survey method by using Likert scale questionnaire. Convenience sampling technique with a sample size of 637 is used. Data are analyzed by using cronbach α, ANOVA, correlation and multiple regressions.
Findings
Overall, the findings maintain the impact of consumer socialization on soft drink consumption. Such influence of consumer socialization through social media, cultural groups and social groups encourages soft drink socialization behavior. Additionally there is also an evidence of mediating role of consumer generational behavior in soft drink consumption.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this paper extend knowledge of how consumer socialization affects soft drink consumption behavior and provide important insights into how consumer cohorts should be targeted. The Chosen research approach is a limitation of the study.
Practical implications
The results are of value to academic researchers, soft drink industry practitioners in a way that it will help them to portray marketing and advertising activities by taking into consideration consumer cohorts behavior.
Social implications
This paper addresses an untapped issue on how cohorts socialization at different social setting impact on consumer soft drink consumption behavior.
Originality/value
This paper fulfills a recognized need to study soft drink socialization in terms of cohort’s behavior.
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