Weiqi Dai, Yi Wang, Mingqing Liao, Mei Shao, Yue Jiang and Miao Zhang
One increasingly popular financing option for entrepreneurial ventures is to attract corporate venture capital (CVC) investments. Prior research tends to take a CVC-centric…
Abstract
Purpose
One increasingly popular financing option for entrepreneurial ventures is to attract corporate venture capital (CVC) investments. Prior research tends to take a CVC-centric perspective assessing the benefits and contingencies for incumbent firms or corporate investors to engage with entrepreneurial ventures. Few studies have taken the opposite perspective of investigating factors that entrepreneurial ventures need to take into account when engaging with CVC investments. As such, this study aims to investigate pre- and post-IPO entrepreneurial venture performance that partners with CVC providers or corporate investors, as well as to assess organizational and environmental contingencies.
Design/methodology/approach
This study draws on a sample of 631 entrepreneurial ventures from the CSMAR database ranging from 2009 to 2019, along with CVC financing data from the CVSource database and financial data in entrepreneurial ventures’ annual reports from the Juchao Network. This study applies multiple linear regression modelling and fixed effect panel data analyses to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that CVC investment contributes to entrepreneurial ventures’ financial performance, both pre- and post-IPO. However, while research and development (R&D) intensity and geographic proximity strengthen the positive relationship between CVC investment and entrepreneurial ventures’ performance pre-IPO, R&D intensity has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between CVC investment and entrepreneurial ventures’ performance post-IPO.
Practical implications
First, in emerging economies, adopting a CVC financing strategy is an important strategic choice for entrepreneurial ventures that have a great demand for external capital, resources and technology support. Second, leveraging the relationship between external financing and internal R&D investment is essential for them to maintain their core competitiveness and sustainable growth. Moreover, entrepreneurial ventures should deal with the coopetitive relationship with incumbent companies and manage their dependency on other market participants in the external environment.
Originality/value
This study focuses on the performance implications for entrepreneurial ventures engaging with CVC investments pre- and post-IPO. First, this study broadens and expands prior research on the mechanism of the relationship between CVC and entrepreneurial ventures’ financial performance. Second, the research conducts a comparative study of the moderating effects of different timings. Third, this study applies learning theory to the field of CVC in emerging economies.
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Asanka Gunasekara and Connie Shao-mei Zheng
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between mindfulness and work engagement, with a particular focus on exploring the extent to which four facets of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between mindfulness and work engagement, with a particular focus on exploring the extent to which four facets of mindfulness, i.e. “attention”, “awareness”, “present focus” and “acceptance” impact on work engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
Exploratory factor and multiple regression analyses were used to test the hypothesised relationships among a sample of 130 employees.
Findings
The findings show that mindfulness as a single construct is positively related to work engagement. The analysis from the facet level of mindfulness illustrates that each of four facets is also significantly related to work engagement. In particular, employees with refined attentional skills and accepting the present moment reality were found to contribute more to work engagement.
Practical implications
Organisational programs that focus on building personal resources could use the meditation-based mindfulness programs to help individuals widen attention span as well as to develop non-judgemental attitude.
Originality/value
Focussing on developing mindful employees and promoting mindfulness practices at workplace, especially, by working on specific strategies, to expand “attentional skills” and the “attitude of accepting the present moment reality” may be another promising strategy to enhance work engagement.
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Yu-Chung Tsao, Chia-Chen Liu, Pin-Ru Chen and Thuy-Linh Vu
In recent years, the demand for garments has significantly increased, requiring manufacturers to speed up their production to attract customers. Cut order planning (COP) is one of…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent years, the demand for garments has significantly increased, requiring manufacturers to speed up their production to attract customers. Cut order planning (COP) is one of the most important processes in the apparel manufacturing industry. The appropriate stencil arrangement can reduce costs and fabric waste. The COP problem focuses on determining the size combination for a pattern, which is determined by the length of the cutting table, width, demand order, and height of the cutting equipment.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposes new heuristics: genetic algorithm (GA), symbiotic organism search, and divide-and-search-based Lite heuristic and a One-by-One (ObO) heuristic to address the COP problem. The objective of the COP problem is to determine the optimal combination of stencils to meet demand requirements and minimize the total fabric length.
Findings
A comparison between our proposed heuristics and other simulated annealing and GA-based heuristics, and a hybrid approach (conventional algorithm + GA) was conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed heuristics. The test results show that the ObO heuristic can significantly improve the solution efficiency and find the near optimal solution for extreme demands.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a new heuristic, the One-by-One (ObO) heuristic, to solve the COP problem. The results show that the proposed approaches overcome the long operation time required to determine the fitting arrangement of stencils. In particular, our proposed ObO heuristic can significantly improve the solution efficiency, i.e. finding the near optimal solution for extreme demands within a very short time.
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Dukun Xu, Yimin Deng and Haibin Duan
This paper aims to develop a method for tuning the parameters of the active disturbance rejection controller (ADRC) for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The bald eagle…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop a method for tuning the parameters of the active disturbance rejection controller (ADRC) for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The bald eagle search (BES) algorithm has been improved, and a cost function has been designed to enhance the optimization efficiency of ADRC parameters.
Design/methodology/approach
A six-degree-of-freedom nonlinear model for a fixed-wing UAV has been developed, and its attitude controller has been formulated using the active disturbance rejection control method. The parameters of the disturbance rejection controller have been fine-tuned using the collaborative mutual promotion bald eagle search (CMP-BES) algorithm. The pitch and roll controllers for the UAV have been individually optimized to obtain the most effective controller parameters.
Findings
Inspired by the salp swarm algorithm (SSA), the interaction among individual eagles has been incorporated into the CMP-BES algorithm, thereby enhancing the algorithm's exploration capability. The efficient and accurate optimization ability of the proposed algorithm has been demonstrated through comparative experiments with genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization, Harris hawks optimization HHO, BES and modified bald eagle search algorithms. The algorithm's capability to solve complex optimization problems has been further proven by testing on the CEC2017 test function suite. A transitional function for fitness calculation has been introduced to accelerate the ability of the algorithm to find the optimal parameters for the ADRC controller. The tuned ADRC controller has been compared with the classical proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller, with gust disturbances introduced to the UAV body axis. The results have shown that the tuned ADRC controller has faster response times and stronger disturbance rejection capabilities than the PID controller.
Practical implications
The proposed CMP-BES algorithm, combined with a fitness function composed of transition functions, can be used to optimize the ADRC controller parameters for fixed-wing UAVs more quickly and effectively. The tuned ADRC controller has exhibited excellent robustness and disturbance rejection capabilities.
Originality/value
The CMP-BES algorithm and transitional function have been proposed for the parameter optimization of the active disturbance rejection controller for fixed-wing UAVs.
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Tze Huey Tam, Muhammad Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman, Sobri Harun, Shamsuddin Shahid, Sophal Try, Mohamad Hidayat Jamal, Zamri Ismail, Khamarrul Azahari Razak, Mohd Khairolden Ghani and Yusrin Faiz Abdul Wahab
The present study aims to evaluate the effect of climate change on the flood hazard potential in the Kelantan River Basin using current and future scenarios.
Abstract
Purpose
The present study aims to evaluate the effect of climate change on the flood hazard potential in the Kelantan River Basin using current and future scenarios.
Design/methodology/approach
The intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) was used to estimate the current 50- and 100-year return period 24-h design rainfall, and the climate change factor (CCF) was used to compute the future design rainfall. The CCF was calculated from the rainfall projections of two global climate models, CGCM1 and CCSM3, with different pre-processing steps applied to each. The IDF data were used in the rainfall-runoff-inundation model to simulate current and future flood inundation scenarios.
Findings
The estimated CCF values demonstrate a contrast, whereby each station had a CCF value greater than one for CGCM1, while some stations had a CCF value of less than one for CCSM3. Therefore, CGCM1 projected an aggravation and CCSM3 a reduction of flood hazard for future scenarios. The study reveals that topography plays an essential role in calculating the CCF.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to examine flood projections in the Kelantan River Basin. It is, therefore, hoped that these results could benefit local managers and authorities by enabling them to make informed decisions regarding flood risk mitigation in a climate change scenario.
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Shaikha Ebrahim AlMutawa, Kamarul Zaman Ahmad, Mohamed Hussein Behery and Ibrahim Tabche
The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected businesses worldwide. Arguably, one of the most affected industries is the hospitality sector, where the world has seen a…
Abstract
Purpose
The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected businesses worldwide. Arguably, one of the most affected industries is the hospitality sector, where the world has seen a substantial drop in personal and professional travel owing to severe lockdowns, which has particularly harmed the hotel and tourism industries by lowering occupancy and profits. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the emotional and mental well-being of hospitality workers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative cross-sectional technique was used, with 517 respondents drawn from Dubai's major hotels.
Findings
Fear of the COVID-19 pandemic was found to be positively connected to employees' emotional weariness, which is then positively related to their intention to leave their organizations.
Practical implications
The paper gives suggestions to managers on how to best deal with their employees, especially the more competent ones, as they are more likely to leave during a pandemic.
Originality/value
Contrary to suggestions in the literature and our predictions, this paper found that self-efficacy positively moderated the relationship between fear of COVID and emotional exhaustion such that workers with high self-efficacy were more prone to emotional exhaustion as a result of their fear of COVID. Furthermore, the results of the research suggest that it is the more competent workers who are more likely to be affected, during a pandemic, and thus their loss is expected to cause greater loss to their organizations.
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Qu Shao‐cheng, Gong mei‐jing and Wang yong‐ji
The purpose of this paper is to find an appropriate sliding mode control strategy for neutral systems with time‐delays in the presence of unmatched parameter uncertainties and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to find an appropriate sliding mode control strategy for neutral systems with time‐delays in the presence of unmatched parameter uncertainties and external disturbance.
Design/methodology/approach
Owing to the complexity of uncertain neutral time‐delay systems, some conclusions for system stability and stabilization are complicated non‐linear matrix inequality (NLMI). Through virtual state feedback control, a sliding mode controller is designed to guarantee state trajectories from any initial condition are attracted to the sliding mode plane in a finite time and remain there for all subsequent time, which can avoid the complicated NLMI. Furthermore, a delay‐independent sufficient condition for the design of robust stable sliding mode plane is obtained in term of LMI.
Findings
The sliding mode controller for uncertain neutral time‐delay systems is designed and a delay‐independent sufficient condition for the design of robust stable sliding mode plane is obtained.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitations are that external disturbance must meet matched condition.
Practical implications
A useful control strategy for uncertain neutral systems with time‐delays.
Originality/value
The virtual state feedback control is designed so to avoid the complicated NLMI.
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Many studies have demonstrated that consumers tend to reject “suboptimal foods” (SF), despite the foods being suitable for human consumption. This study integrated the…
Abstract
Purpose
Many studies have demonstrated that consumers tend to reject “suboptimal foods” (SF), despite the foods being suitable for human consumption. This study integrated the value–belief–norm (VBN) model and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to analyze Taiwanese consumers’ purchase intention of SF and the factors that influence it, including values, beliefs, personal norms, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. The integrated model also considered the influences of consumers’ “motivations to reduce food waste” and “situational factors.”
Design/methodology/approach
We surveyed 308 Taiwanese consumers by using an online Google Forms questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was performed to investigate the proposed integrated model.
Findings
The empirical results indicated that the integrated VBN and TPB model had high exploratory power for explaining consumers’ purchase intention of SF. Additionally, it revealed consumers’ personal norms and their motivations to reduce food waste to determine their attitude toward purchasing SF.
Originality/value
In addition to establishing an integrated VBN and TPB model, this study considered other factors that may influence consumers’ attitude toward purchasing SF. Our findings contribute to the understanding of Taiwanese consumers’ attitude toward and purchase intention of SF and identify relevant influencing factors. Our findings can be applied to foster appreciation among consumers toward SF and persuade them to purchase SF.
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In light of the important roles of organizational culture and leadership style in IT-adoption intention and knowledge-sharing intention, the purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
In light of the important roles of organizational culture and leadership style in IT-adoption intention and knowledge-sharing intention, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships among IT involvement, IT-adoption intention, and knowledge-sharing intention, as well as the moderating effects of organizational culture and leadership style on IT-adoption intention and knowledge-sharing intention.
Design/methodology/approach
This study begins with a literature review followed by the use of a questionnaire method and statistical analytical techniques (hierarchical regression analysis) to investigate the relationships among IT involvement, IT-adoption intention, knowledge-sharing intention, organizational culture, and leadership style.
Findings
The result showed that IT involvement has a significant and positive influence on IT-adoption intention, which further affects the knowledge-sharing intention. Moreover, organizational culture and leadership style have moderating effects on the IT adoption and knowledge-sharing intention.
Research limitations/implications
This research applied a purposive sampling method and obtained a slightly inadequate number of respondents. Therefore, it is suggested that future research should apply random sampling method to collect more responses and increase the generalizability of the findings.
Practical implications
This research suggests that organizations which adopt servant leadership or charismatic leadership, as well as organizations with clan or hierarchy cultures should work on enhancing staff’s knowledge-sharing intention by first raising their IT-adoption intention.
Originality/value
If an enterprise would like to encourage its staff to be more proactive at adopting IT and more willing to share knowledge, then it should first examine its current leadership style and organizational culture in order to propose concrete and effective methods to achieve this, and at the same time, this can help stimulate organizational learning and generate new ideas and knowledge.
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Hung‐Yi Lu, Hsin‐Ya Hou, Tzong‐Horng Dzwo, Yi‐Chen Wu, James E. Andrews, Shao‐Ting Weng, Mei‐Chun Lin and Jun‐Ying Lu
The melamine milk scandal caused a crisis of confidence in food containing dairy products. The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of precautionary behaviour to…
Abstract
Purpose
The melamine milk scandal caused a crisis of confidence in food containing dairy products. The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of precautionary behaviour to avoid food containing dairy products among Taiwanese college students.
Design/methodology/approach
Of the total respondents selected using a multistage cluster sampling plan, 1,213 respondents completed the questionnaire.
Findings
The survey results showed that subjective norms, attitude, perceived behavioural control, attention to news, and perceived credibility of information are significantly associated with the intention to take precautionary behaviour.
Originality/value
The paper developed a modified theory of planned behaviour (TPB) that focused on attention and perceived credibility of milk scandal‐related information as additional determinants of precautionary behaviour to avoid food containing dairy products. The inclusion of attention and perceived credibility of information constructs enabled a better model fit than that of the TPB model.