Eugene Misa Darko and Kangning Xu
This study empirically investigates the long-run and interactive effect of Chinese foreign direct investment (CFDI) on Africa's industrialization process.
Abstract
Purpose
This study empirically investigates the long-run and interactive effect of Chinese foreign direct investment (CFDI) on Africa's industrialization process.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors employed industry and manufacturing value-added (% GDP) as the dependent variables and applied the two-step GMM and panel-corrected standard errors' (PCSE) techniques involving a panel of 49 African countries from 2003 to 2020.
Findings
The industry value-added (% GDP) results show that the presence of CFDI propels industrial productivity by contributing to value-addition in the short and long run. Moreover, the study shows that the magnitude of the CFDI effect on industrialization is pronounced in the short-run when it is associated with labor and natural resources. This result reveals efficiency-seeking behavior of CFDI and the CFDI-Africa industrialization nexus is not primarily resource-driven. More importantly, the authors found human capital, electricity and political stability, as primary factors that magnify CFDI's effect on industrialization in the short and long run.
Originality/value
This study is the first to use macro-level data to empirically investigate and find the significant effect of CFDI on Africa's industrialization in the long run. More importantly, the authors investigated channels through which CFDI magnifies industrialization in Africa in the short and long run.
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Kangning Wei, Kevin Crowston and U. Yeliz Eseryel
This paper explores how task characteristics in terms of trigger type and task topic influence individual participation in community-based free/libre open source software (FLOSS…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores how task characteristics in terms of trigger type and task topic influence individual participation in community-based free/libre open source software (FLOSS) development by considering participation in individual tasks rather than entire projects.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative study was designed using choose tasks that were carried out via the email discourse on the developers' email fora in five FLOSS projects. Choice process episodes were selected as the unit of analysis and were coded for the task trigger and topic. The impact of these factors on participation (i.e. the numbers of participants and messages) was assessed by regression.
Findings
The results reveal differences in participation related to different task triggers and task topics. Further, the results suggest the mediating role of the number of participants in the relationships between task characteristics and the number of messages. The authors also speculate that project type serves as a boundary condition restricting the impacts of task characteristics on the number of participants and propose this relationship for future research.
Research limitations/implications
Empirical support was provided to the important effects of different task characteristics on individual participation behaviors in FLOSS development tasks.
Practical implications
The findings can help FLOSS participants understand participation patterns in different tasks and choose the types of tasks to attend to.
Originality/value
This research explores the impact of task characteristics on participation in FLOSS development at the task level, while prior research on participation in FLOSS development has focused mainly on factors at the individual and/or project levels.
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Yifan Pan, Lei Zhang, Dong Mei, Gangqiang Tang, Yujun Ji, Kangning Tan and Yanjie Wang
This study aims to present a type of metamorphic mechanism-based quadruped crawling robot. The trunk design of the robot has a metamorphic mechanism, which endows it with…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present a type of metamorphic mechanism-based quadruped crawling robot. The trunk design of the robot has a metamorphic mechanism, which endows it with excellent crawling capability and adaptability in challenging environments.
Design/methodology/approach
The robot consists of a metamorphic trunk and four series-connected three-joint legs. First, the walking and steering strategy is planned through the stability and mechanics analysis. Then, the walking and steering performance is examined using virtual prototype technology, as well as the efficacy of the walking and turning strategy.
Findings
The metamorphic quadruped crawling robot has wider application due to its variable trunk configuration and excellent leg motion space. The robot can move in two modes (constant trunk and trunk configuration transformation, respectively, while walking and rotating), which exhibits outstanding stability and adaptability in the examination and verification of prototypes.
Originality/value
The design can enhance the capacity of the quadruped crawling robot to move across a complex environment. The virtual prototype technology verifies that the proposed walking and steering strategy has good maneuverability and stability, which considerably expands the application opportunity in the fields of complicated scene identification and investigation.
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Kangning Wei, Yuzhu Li, Yong Zha and Jing Ma
The purpose of this paper is to compare the relative impacts of trust and risk on individual’s transaction intention in consumer-to-consumer (C2C) e-marketplaces from both the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare the relative impacts of trust and risk on individual’s transaction intention in consumer-to-consumer (C2C) e-marketplaces from both the buyers’ and the sellers’ perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
Two surveys were used to collect data regarding buyers’ and sellers’ perceptions and transaction intentions at a typical C2C e-marketplace. Partial least squares was used to analyze the data. A complementary qualitative study was conducted to triangulate the results from the quantitative study.
Findings
Institution-based trust (IBT) exerts a stronger influence on transaction intentions for buyers than for sellers. Sellers perceive a stronger impact of trust in intermediary (TII) than buyers on transaction intentions. The impacts of perceived risk in transactions are not different between buyers and sellers. Furthermore, IBT mediates the impacts of TII and perceived risk on transaction intentions for buyers.
Research limitations/implications
The results indicate that the impacts of trust and risk on transaction intention in e-marketplaces do differ between buyers and sellers. This suggests a need to further investigate the buyer–seller difference in online transactions.
Practical implications
Intermediaries need to focus on different types of trust-building mechanisms when attracting buyers and sellers to make transactions in the e-marketplace.
Originality/value
C2C e-marketplaces cannot survive without participation from both buyers and sellers. Most prior research is conducted from the buyers’ perspective. This research sets a starting point for future research to further explore the differences between buyers’ and sellers’ behavior in C2C e-commerce environments.
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Mahadi Hasan Miraz and Tiffany Sing Mei Soo
The objective of this study is to examine the various factors that exert an influence on the green economy. This study also investigates the impact of foreign direct investment…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this study is to examine the various factors that exert an influence on the green economy. This study also investigates the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the Malaysian economy, specifically focusing on its position as a mediator. This research also examines the correlation between FDI and its influence on the contemporary green economy.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors employed quantitative methodologies and a self-administered survey to evaluate data and derive a definitive conclusion. The result was constructed using SPSS and SEM-PLS as the analytical software.
Findings
The study reveals that technological advancement, investment country and government policy significantly and positively affect the green economy, catalyse SDG goals and restructure the economy in better shape.
Originality/value
The current empirical research bridges the research gap in the context of technology advancement in government policy from emerging economies by exploring important factors, proposing their impact on the performance of the green economy, and empirically testing those hypothesized relationships. This study deciphers that FDI influences the green economy, where the investment country plays a significant role. Also, for a graphical presentation of this abstract, see the online appendix.
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Weiwei Yue, Yuwei Cao, Shuqi Xie, Kang Ning Cheng, Yue Ding, Cong Liu, Yan Jing Ding, Xiaofeng Zhu, Huanqing Liu and Muhammad Shafi
This study aims to improve detection efficiency of fluorescence biosensor or a graphene field-effect transistor biosensor. Graphene field-effect transistor biosensing and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to improve detection efficiency of fluorescence biosensor or a graphene field-effect transistor biosensor. Graphene field-effect transistor biosensing and fluorescent biosensing were integrated and combined with magnetic nanoparticles to construct a multi-sensor integrated microfluidic biochip for detecting single-stranded DNA. Multi-sensor integrated biochip demonstrated higher detection reliability for a single target and could simultaneously detect different targets.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors integrated graphene field-effect transistor biosensing and fluorescent biosensing, combined with magnetic nanoparticles, to fabricate a multi-sensor integrated microfluidic biochip for the detection of single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Graphene films synthesized through chemical vapor deposition were transferred onto a glass substrate featuring two indium tin oxide electrodes, thus establishing conductive channels for the graphene field-effect transistor. Using π-π stacking, 1-pyrenebutanoic acid succinimidyl ester was immobilized onto the graphene film to serve as a medium for anchoring the probe aptamer. The fluorophore-labeled target DNA subsequently underwent hybridization with the probe aptamer, thereby forming a fluorescence detection channel.
Findings
This paper presents a novel approach using three channels of light, electricity and magnetism for the detection of single-stranded DNA, accompanied by the design of a microfluidic detection platform integrating biosensor chips. Remarkably, the detection limit achieved is 10 pm, with an impressively low relative standard deviation of 1.007%.
Originality/value
By detecting target DNA, the photo-electro-magnetic multi-sensor graphene field-effect transistor biosensor not only enhances the reliability and efficiency of detection but also exhibits additional advantages such as compact size, affordability, portability and straightforward automation. Real-time display of detection outcomes on the host facilitates a deeper comprehension of biochemical reaction dynamics. Moreover, besides detecting the same target, the sensor can also identify diverse targets, primarily leveraging the penetrative and noninvasive nature of light.