Li‐Ren Yang, Hsiu‐Feng Yen and Yu‐Fu Chiang
The purpose of this paper is, primarily, to investigate the relationships of the project leader's competencies with job satisfaction, and their impact on project performance. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is, primarily, to investigate the relationships of the project leader's competencies with job satisfaction, and their impact on project performance. The second objective is to determine whether job satisfaction plays a mediating role in the relationship between leadership competency and project performance. The third objective is to examine the moderating role of project type in the relationship between job satisfaction and project performance.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the primary aims, a questionnaire‐based survey was used to measure the project leader’s competency, the job satisfaction of team members, and the performance of projects in the Taiwanese police departments. The structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used to validate the research model.
Findings
The results show that job satisfaction mediates the effects of leadership competency on project performance. Furthermore, these results prove that complexity, workload, method, and project duration have a moderating effect on the relationship between job satisfaction and project schedule success.
Research limitations/implications
The research was limited to inspecting projects in the Taiwanese police departments. The data analyzed in this study are project‐specific.
Practical implications
This paper reports on the findings about leadership benefits and provides recommendations for improving police project performance.
Originality/value
This research is the first to provide empirical evidence that supports the expectation of improving police project performance by developing leadership competencies. Findings from this study are helpful to project leaders in deciding whether to develop certain competencies.
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Emily M. Potter, Temitope Egbelakin, Robyn Phipps and Behrooz Balaei
Existing research has highlighted the need for influential leaders to respond to the evolving social, economic and environmental constraints on the construction industry. Studies…
Abstract
Purpose
Existing research has highlighted the need for influential leaders to respond to the evolving social, economic and environmental constraints on the construction industry. Studies on leadership in other sectors have shown that influential leaders tend to demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence. Little or no research examining relationships between leadership style and emotional intelligence has been conducted specific to construction project managers. This study aims to identify the prevalent leadership style adopted by construction project managers and investigate potential correlations between leadership style and emotional intelligence.
Design/methodology/approach
An online questionnaire including a mix of open and closed questions was adopted to address the research objectives. The group studied comprised project managers currently working in the construction industry in New Zealand and the UK.
Findings
The research found that transformational leadership style is prevalent among project managers examined in this study. Significant positive relationships were found between project managers’ emotional intelligence and their likelihood of adopting a transformational leadership style.
Originality/value
The research results provide the construction industry with a benchmark against which individuals with high emotional intelligence, and so most suited to the challenges of the project management role, can be identified and trained. Recommendations including suitable methods for identifying, recruiting and training project managers, as well as secondment and mentoring options, were suggested for improving leadership capabilities in the construction industry.
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Lijie Zhang, Yevhen Baranchenko, Zhibin Lin and Li Ren
This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature by examining the role of family firm succession in shaping the firm's approach to financialisation, which has received limited…
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature by examining the role of family firm succession in shaping the firm's approach to financialisation, which has received limited attention in the previous research. In addition, the study explores the influence of factors such as clan culture, concentration of control and generational differences on the relationship between succession and financialisation.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were based on a sample of 7,023 firm-year observations, compiled from the listed family firms in China's A-share. Several tobit models are used for analysing the data and testing the hypotheses.
Findings
Family firm succession is negatively related to the level of financialisation, and this relationship is influenced by clan culture, concentration of control and the stage of succession. Specifically, a higher clan culture, a greater concentration of ultimate control by the controlling family member and the dominance of the first generation in management strengthens the negative relationship between family firm succession and financialisation.
Originality/value
This study offers new insights into the consequence of family firm succession on a new area of the firm's strategy, i.e. financialisation. The study further advances the understanding of family firm succession by considering the role of clan culture, the concentration of control and the stage of the succession process.
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Lijie Zhang, Zhibin Lin, Wei Huang, Elmira Djafarova and Li Ren
Based on stakeholder theory, this study aims to examine the impact of family firm succession on corporate philanthropy while considering the potential role of the clan cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on stakeholder theory, this study aims to examine the impact of family firm succession on corporate philanthropy while considering the potential role of the clan cultural context, industry context, and the stage of succession.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were based on a sample of 7,502 firm-year observations from listed family firms in China’s A-share markets between 2007 and 2018. Several Tobit models are used for analysing the data. Difference-in-difference regression method and propensity score matching method are used for robustness tests.
Findings
Family firms undergoing succession tend to spend more on corporate philanthropy compared to non-succession counterparts. This effect is more pronounced among polluting industry firms and weaker in regions with strong clan cultures and after the process of succession is complete.
Originality/value
This study sheds new light on the relationship between inter-generational succession and corporate philanthropy. By considering the moderating effect of the clan cultural context, industry context, and the stage of succession, this study further advances the understanding of the role of corporate philanthropy in managing family firm succession.
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Yaxing Ren, Ren Li, Xiaoying Ru and Youquan Niu
This paper aims to design an active shock absorber scheme for use in conjunction with a passive shock absorber to suppress the horizontal vibration of elevator cars in a smaller…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to design an active shock absorber scheme for use in conjunction with a passive shock absorber to suppress the horizontal vibration of elevator cars in a smaller range and shorter time. The developed active shock absorber will also improve the safety and comfort of passengers driving in ultra-high-speed elevators.
Design/methodology/approach
A six-degree of freedom dynamic model is established according to the position and condition of the car. Then the active shock absorber and disturbance compensation-based adaptive control scheme are designed and simulated in MATLAB/Simulink. The results are analysed and compared with the traditional shock absorber.
Findings
The results show that, compared with traditional spring-based passive damping systems, the designed active shock absorber can reduce vibration displacement by 60%, peak acceleration by 50% and oscillation time by 2/3 and is more robust to different spring stiffness, damping coefficient and load.
Originality/value
The developed active shock absorber and its control algorithm can significantly reduce vibration amplitude and converged time. It can also adjust the damping strength according to the actual load of the elevator car, which is more suitable for high-speed elevators.
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Carl Lin and Yana van der Meulen Rodgers
This study uses migrant household survey data from 2008 to 2009 to examine how parental migration decisions are associated with the nutritional status of children in rural and…
Abstract
This study uses migrant household survey data from 2008 to 2009 to examine how parental migration decisions are associated with the nutritional status of children in rural and urban China. Results from instrumental variables regressions show a substantial adverse effect of children’s exposure to parental migration on height-for-age Z scores of left-behind children relative to children who migrate with their parents. Additional results from a standard Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition, a quantile decomposition, and a counterfactual distribution analysis all confirm that children who are left behind in rural villages – usually because of the oppressive hukou system – have poorer nutritional status than children who migrate with their parents, and the gaps are biggest at lower portions of the distribution.
Wan-Ju Chou and Bor-Shiuan Cheng
While current management theory is largely based on economic assumptions, there is evidence to suggest capitalism is at a crossroads. Humanistic management is accordingly proposed…
Abstract
Purpose
While current management theory is largely based on economic assumptions, there is evidence to suggest capitalism is at a crossroads. Humanistic management is accordingly proposed as an alternative new paradigm. The present study follows this approach in considering Confucianism as a humanistic practice. The purpose of this study is to explore humanistic leadership displayed by a Confucian leader and how he/she presents humanistic concern in corporate management to pursue the common good.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a structured–pragmatic–situational approach to conduct a case study and collected data from three sources: semi-structured interviews, consultant observations and archival data.
Findings
The findings reveal that a Confucian leader takes all stakeholders' interests into account while engaging in corporate management and displays humanistic behaviors toward the stakeholders that are in line with five Confucian virtues. The leader cultivates the employees as Confucian humanistic agents. These employees accordingly act as bridges to transmit the humanistic spirit to their customers and other industries in the same market. To initiate an industry change to achieve collective welfare, a Confucian leader must first influence his/her primary stakeholders. The primary stakeholders next collectively influence the secondary stakeholders (i.e. the industry). Consequently, the overall goal of the common good is ultimately sustained.
Originality/value
This study identifies valuable practical implications for humanistic practices in corporate management from a Confucian perspective. In addition, this study takes a significant academic step forward by illuminating the humanistic paradigm.
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Given the country‐specific characteristics of corporate social responsibility (CSR), there is an increasing interest in studying CSR in developing countries. Such studies play an…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the country‐specific characteristics of corporate social responsibility (CSR), there is an increasing interest in studying CSR in developing countries. Such studies play an important role in broadening people's knowledge of CSR under different economic, social and cultural conditions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the CSR reports (CSRRs) of listed companies in the largest emerging market, namely China.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a content analysis of 81 CSRRs (2007) of listed companies in domestic security markets of China (the Shanghai Security Exchanges and Shenzhen Security Exchange), the CSR features of Chinese companies are thoroughly evaluated.
Findings
The main findings of the study are as follows. Only 5.05 percent of listed companies published their CSRRs in China, and 4.42 percent of them issued a separate CSRR. Most companies (97.18 percent) use “CSRR” as the name of their stand‐alone CSRRs; 79 percent of companies hold a positive attitude to taking on social responsibilities, while no company holds a negative attitude. Various social issues and stakeholders of companies are addressed in CSRRs. In general, state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) have higher propensity to address most of social issues, which may reflect that SOEs are more politically sensitive than non‐SOEs because most of the social issues are just “political slogans” proposed by the Chinese Government in recent years. However, non‐SOEs have better performance than SOEs in addressing the interests of stakeholders. Meanwhile, industrial firms show higher propensity to address the interests of stakeholders than service firms.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this study indicate that CSR reporting practice is still at an early stage of development in China. Meanwhile, Chinese companies tend to follow the Chinese guidelines in issuing CSRRs rather than adopt international guidelines. In addition, Chinese companies are somewhat politically sensitive in addressing social issues. A major weakness of this study is that the sample only represents the best companies in assuming social responsibilities in China, thus some results cannot be generalized to all Chinese companies.
Originality/value
The paper helps people, especially Westerners, to comprehend CSR in China. To the author's knowledge, this paper is the first of its kind to examine CSR in China.