The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical historical analysis of the business (mis)behaviors and influencing factors that discourage enduring cooperation between…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical historical analysis of the business (mis)behaviors and influencing factors that discourage enduring cooperation between principals and agents, to introduce strategies that embrace the social values, economic motivation and institutional designs historically adopted to curtail dishonest acts in international business and to inform an improved principal–agent theory that reflects principal–agent reciprocity as shaped by social, political, cultural, economic, strategic and ideological forces
Design/methodology/approach
The critical historical research method is used to analyze Chinese compradors and the foreign companies they served in pre-1949 China.
Findings
Business practitioners can extend orthodox principal–agent theory by scrutinizing the complex interactions between local agents and foreign companies. Instead of agents pursuing their economic interests exclusively, as posited by principal–agent theory, they also may pursue principal-shared interests (as suggested by stewardship theory) because of social norms and cultural values that can affect business-related choices and the social bonds built between principals and agents.
Research limitations/implications
The behaviors of compradors and foreign companies in pre-1949 China suggest international business practices for shaping social bonds between principals and agents and foreign principals’ creative efforts to enhance shared interests with local agents.
Practical implications
Understanding principal–agent theory’s limitations can help international management scholars and practitioners mitigate transaction partners’ dishonest acts.
Originality/value
A critical historical analysis of intermediary businesspeople’s (mis)behavior in pre-1949 (1840–1949) China can inform the generalizability of principal–agent theory and contemporary business strategies for minimizing agents’ dishonest acts.
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Hao Rong, Baoming Wang, Wei‐Qing Lin, Lichao Sun, Jin‐Cheng Zheng and Miao Lu
The purpose of this paper is to report a simple, room temperature approach to assemble dense, vertically aligned single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) between a chip and its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report a simple, room temperature approach to assemble dense, vertically aligned single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) between a chip and its substrate acting as a kind of thermal interface material by virtue of better mechanical and thermal properties.
Design/methodology/approach
Two silicon chips, with shallow trenches about 2 μm deep on the surface, were pressed together face to face with the trench direction perpendicular to each other. SWNT aqueous solution was driven into the gap between the two chips by capillary force. Later, the sample was baked to remove the moisture completely.
Findings
SWNTs beams were found to be assembled in the gap and have their two ends bonding with the interface of the two chips, respectively. The shear strength of the two chips was measured, and the thermal conductivity of the stacked chip‐SWNTs‐chip was tested using a laser flash method. In result, shear strength up to about 100 kPa, and an average thermal conductivity of 19.3 W·m−1·K−1 were demonstrated.
Originality/value
The paper proposes an approach to grown dense SWNT array bridging a chip and its substrate, and these SWNTs have potential capability to provide mechanical strength and higher thermal conductance instead of commercial thermal interface materials.
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Xiao-Yu Xu, Syed Muhammad Usman Tayyab, Fang-Kai Chang and Kai Zhao
This study elicits the critical attributes, consequences and values associated with the purchasing process in the context of cross-border e-commerce (CBEC). The purpose is to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study elicits the critical attributes, consequences and values associated with the purchasing process in the context of cross-border e-commerce (CBEC). The purpose is to provide a better understanding of the fundamental factors that determine consumer values in CBEC.
Design/methodology/approach
The study applies the means-end-chain theory and soft-laddering techniques to interview 60 CBEC consumers to construct an implication matrix and a hierarchical value map (HVM) of the consumer purchasing process, consisting of attribute-consequence-value (A-C-V) paths.
Findings
By analyzing the significant linkages, elements, ladders and chains in the HVM, four dominant A-C-V paths were identified: economic-driven, efficiency-driven, progress-driven and quality-driven paths.
Research limitations/implications
This study included only Chinese CBEC buyers. This limitation might affect the generalizability of the conclusions as culture, purchase habits and economic development differ between China and other countries.
Practical implications
The results of this study provide CBEC practitioners an understanding of the consumer purchasing process and how consumer values are associated with platform characteristics. Thus, the results aid practitioners in allocating resources and developing CBEC platforms in an appropriate manner and direction.
Originality/value
This study sheds lights on the emerging phenomenon of CBEC. By applying the means-end-chain approach, the study provides a comprehensive HVM for interpreting the consumer online purchasing process in this novel context. By illustrating the dominant paths, this research provides deeper theoretical insights into the specific focuses of CBEC consumer purchasing.
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Thuy Chinh Nguyen and Phuong Tran Huy
Employee voice is considered an important driver of organizational success. Management practices in the form of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) are expected to influence…
Abstract
Purpose
Employee voice is considered an important driver of organizational success. Management practices in the form of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) are expected to influence promotive and prohibitive voices. In addition, employee appraisal of HPWPs as a challenge or hindrance stressor is supposed to mediate the relationships. Finally, the self-direction value moderates the indirect effects of HPWPs on voice behaviors through employee appraisal.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research approach was adopted with data collected from 315 subordinate supervisor dyads from 12 business organizations in Vietnam. This research uses partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Results indicate that HPWPs are significantly associated with both types of employee voice behaviors. Challenge appraisal partially mediates the impact of HPWPs on promotive voice, while hindrance appraisal acts as a partial mediation in the HPWPs-prohibitive voice linkage. Self-direction value moderates the link between HPWPs and prohibitive voice.
Research limitations/implications
Results show that HPWPs may have both productive and harmful effects on employees. Depending on how the employees appraise HPWPs, they develop different coping strategies by raising their voices. HPWP-implementing organizations should pay attention to the employees’ values in this process.
Originality/value
This study investigates the relationship between HPWPs and employee voice based on the transactional theory of stress and coping. The mediating role of employee appraisal represents a new contribution. Finally, the role of self-direction value in the voice literature has not been widely evaluated in previous research.
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Sergiu Andrei Baetu, A H Barbat and Ioan Petru Ciongradi
The purpose of this paper is to investigate a dissipative reinforced concrete structural wall that can improve the behavior of a tall multi-storey building. The main objective is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate a dissipative reinforced concrete structural wall that can improve the behavior of a tall multi-storey building. The main objective is to evaluate the damage of a dissipative wall in comparison with that of a solid wall.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a comparative nonlinear dynamic analysis between a dissipative wall and a solid wall is performed by means of SAP2000 software and using a layer model. The solution to increase the seismic performance of a reinforced concrete structural wall is to create a slit zone with short connections. The short connections are introduced as a link element with multi-linear pivot hysteretic plasticity behavior. The behavior of these short connections is modeled using the finite element software ANSYS 12. In this study, the authors propose to evaluate the damage of reinforced concrete slit walls with short connections using seismic analysis.
Findings
Using the computational model created in the second section of the paper, a seismic analysis of a dissipative wall from a multi-storey building was done in the third section. From the results obtained, the advantages of the proposed model are observed.
Originality/value
A simple computational model was created that consume low processing resources and reduces processing time for a dynamic pushover analysis. Unlike other studies on slit walls with short connections, which are focussed mostly on the nonlinear dynamic behavior of the short connections, in this paper the authors take into consideration the whole structural system, wall and connections.
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Vandana Srivastava, Sanjeev Kishore and Deepika Dhingra
Over the last decade, customer experience management has gradually emerged as the most important activity for organisations. Organisations have turned towards leveraging the…
Abstract
Over the last decade, customer experience management has gradually emerged as the most important activity for organisations. Organisations have turned towards leveraging the ubiquitous and easy-to-use technology in enhancing and enabling experience for the time-crunched customers of today who are looking for greater convenience and choices. It is therefore not surprising that disruptive technologies such as smartphones, virtual and augmented reality, cloud computing, big data analytics, Internet of things, artificial intelligence and robotics have also found their way into the design of customer experience. This chapter aims to present an overview of the technologies that have transformed the customer experience landscape. This chapter contributes by showcasing two illustrative cases from very diverse domains, a private sector bank and a public sector transportation organisation, to elucidate how India, a rapidly developing economy, is embracing technology to enhance the customer experience.
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Jola-Ade Ashiru, Galip Erzat Erdil and Dokun Oluwajana
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of high performance work systems (HPWSs) on employee voice, employee innovation and organization performance in a service…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of high performance work systems (HPWSs) on employee voice, employee innovation and organization performance in a service organization. The study examines the mediating roles of employee voice on HPWSs and organizational performance.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was distributed to 600 professional staff and a total number of 360 respondents returned the survey. The hypotheses are tested through the use of the variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) technique.
Findings
These findings indicate that the HPWS has a significant impact on employee innovation and organization performance. The empirical evidence does not support the relationship between HPWS and employee voice and also employee voice does not mediate the relationship between HPWS and organization performance in a human resource (HR) service organization.
Research limitations/implications
Employee voice does not empirically mediate the relationship between HPWS and organization performance; other factors can be further explored. Future research should employ other theories of strategic human resource management (SHRM) to further explore more factors that influence the HPWS on employee innovation, employee voice and organization performance.
Practical implications
The organization should respond to employee voice through aforementioned rather than the use of traditional, strategic and operational methods or tools believed to be the best approach to employee issues.
Originality/value
This study builds a solid empirical investigation that contributes to the HPWS existing body of knowledge. It is also significant as it is one of the few studies that examine the link between HPWS and job outcomes, like employee voice, employee innovation and organizational performance, in an HR service organization and also employee voice as a mediator on HPWS and organizational performance.
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Ziyan Lu, Feng Qiu, Hui Song and Xianguo Hu
This paper aims to solve the problems molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets suffer from inadequate dispersion stability and form a weak lubricating film on the friction surface…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to solve the problems molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets suffer from inadequate dispersion stability and form a weak lubricating film on the friction surface, which severely limits their application as lubricant additives.
Design/methodology/approach
MoS2/C60 nanocomposites were prepared by synthesizing molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets on the surface of hydrochloric acid-activated fullerenes (C60) by in situ hydrothermal method. The composition, structure and morphology of MoS2/C60 nanocomposites were characterized. Through the high-frequency reciprocating tribology test, its potential as a lubricant additive was evaluated.
Findings
MoS2/C60 nanocomposites that were prepared showed good dispersion in dioctyl sebacate (DOS). When 0.5 Wt.% MoS2/C60 was added, the friction reduction performance and wear resistance improved by 54.5% and 62.7%, respectively.
Originality/value
MoS2/C60 composite nanoparticles were prepared by in-situ formation of MoS2 nanosheets on the surface of C60 activated by HCl through hydrothermal method and were used as potential lubricating oil additives.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-10-2023-0321/
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Vítor Hugo Silva and Ana Patrícia Duarte
This study aims to explore the role of socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) as a key driver of employee voice behaviour. The hypotheses included that these human…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the role of socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) as a key driver of employee voice behaviour. The hypotheses included that these human resources management (HRM) practices strengthen employees’ motivation to voice their opinions by increasing their work engagement (WE), thereby encouraging them to share their ideas and concerns about their organization more actively. The hypotheses also proposed that this effect is especially pronounced when employees experience a heightened sense of psychological safety.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey-based correlational study was conducted with a sample of 289 participants to analyse the proposed relationships between the selected variables.
Findings
The results indicate that SRHRM and WE are significantly associated with both promotive and prohibitive voice behaviour among employees. In addition, the moderated mediation model revealed that employees who perceive their organization as adopting SRHRM practices display higher levels of WE, which in turn increases these individuals’ likelihood of engaging in both types of voice behaviour. This relationship is particularly strong for promotive voice when employees experience high levels of organizational psychological safety.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited by the cross-sectional research design, which restricts causal inference.
Practical implications
By adopting people-centred HRM practices, organizations can foster psychologically safe environments that enhance employees’ willingness to engage in behaviour beneficial to their organization, such as WE and voice behaviours.
Originality/value
The results highlight the critical role of SRHRM and offer evidence-based insights into how interventions can foster positive employee behaviours and attitudes, including WE and voice behaviour.
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Ifigeneia Leri and Prokopis Theodoridis
The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderation effects of the Big Five personality traits on the relationships between holistic experience constructs (i.e…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderation effects of the Big Five personality traits on the relationships between holistic experience constructs (i.e. servicescape and other visitors’ behaviours), emotional responses and revisit intention in the context of winery visitation experiences in Greece.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a holistic approach to visitor experience and suggests that visitors base their experience perception on the servicescape’s attributes and other visitors’ suitable behaviours. Path analysis was adopted to measure the impact of these constructs on visitors’ emotions and the role these emotions play in predicting visitors’ revisit intentions. The moderation effect of the Big Five personality traits in such relationships was examined using the SPSS PROCESS. A self-administered, highly structured questionnaire was distributed to winery visitors in Greece; a total of 615 responses were used in data analysis.
Findings
The results indicate that all the examined relationships become stronger as a result of visitors having high or average scores for openness, extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness, or low scores for neuroticism.
Research limitations/implications
The findings enhance the existing literature pertaining to experiential marketing, wine tourism marketing and the role of personality in tourism by providing new insights.
Practical implications
The overall findings may benefit wineries in their efforts to carry out the following: increase visitors’ revisit intentions; design and manage the winery environment and the winery experience effectively; and design marketing strategies.
Originality/value
The paper’s originality lies in providing information to clarify the role of visitors’ personalities as a contributing factor to their emotional stimulation and their revisit intentions in terms of both constructs of experience (i.e. servicescape and other visitors’ behaviours). Furthermore, this study attempts to respond to recent calls to conduct multidimensional research on the servicescape construct, focusing on both the substantive staging of the servicescape and the communicative staging of the servicescape. Finally, the present study provides new and practical insights regarding the winery experience in the Greek context – an area where very limited research has been conducted so far.
标题:个性特征如何影响游客的体验、情绪刺激和行为?以葡萄酒旅游为例¿
目的
本研究的目的是在希腊酒庄参观体验情境下探讨五大人格特质对整体体验建构(即服务场景、其他游客行为)、情绪反应和的重游意愿之间关系的调节作用。
设计/方法/思路
本研究采用了一种游客体验的整体性方法, 并建议游客将他们的体验感知建立在服务景观的属性和其他游客的适当行为上。采用路径分析法来衡量这些建构对游客情绪的影响, 以及这些情绪在预测游客重访意图中所起的作用。运用SPSS软件, 分析了五大人格特质在关系中的调节作用。给希腊的酒庄游客发放了高度结构化的自填问卷, 最终回收615份问卷用于数据分析。
发现
结果表明, 由于游客在开放性、外向性、亲和性和尽责性方面有较高或平均的得分, 或在神经质方面得分较低, 所有被调查的关系变得更强了。
研究局限/意义
丰富了现有的关于体验营销、葡萄酒旅游营销和个性在旅游中的作用的文献。
实际影响
总的研究结果将有利于酒庄努力实现以下目标:a.增加游客的重游意愿;b.有效地设计和管理酒庄环境和酒庄体验;c.设计营销策略。
创意/价值
通过提供信息, 明确了游客的个性在两种体验构建(即服务场景和其他来访者行为)中作为情感刺激和重游意愿的促成因素的作用。此外, 本研究试图响应最近对服务场景构建进行多维研究的呼吁, 既关注服务场景的实质阶段(SSoS), 也关注服务场景的交际阶段(CSoS)。最后, 本研究提供了关于在希腊背景下的酒庄体验的新的、实用的见解——目前为止, 相关领域的研究都还非常有限。
关键词
关键词 葡萄酒旅游, 酒庄体验, 游客情感, 游客行为意向, 五大人格特质
Cómo afectan los rasgos de la personalidad a la experiencia del visitante, la estimulación emocional y el comportamiento? El caso del turismo enológico
Objetivo
El objetivo de este estudio es investigar el efecto moderador de los Cinco Grandes rasgos de la personalidad sobre las relaciones entre los constructos de la experiencia holística (como, por ejemplo, servicescape, otros comportamientos de los visitantes) las respuestas emocionales, y la intención de repetir en el contexto de las experiencias de la visita de bodegas en Grecia.
Diseño/metodología/enfoque
El estudio adopta un enfoque holístico de la experiencia del visitante y sugiere que los visitantes basan su percepción de la experiencia en los atributos del servicescape y en otros comportamientos adecuados de los visitantes. Se utilizó el análisis de pautas (Path Analysis) para medir el impacto de estos constructos en las emociones de los visitantes y el papel que estas emociones juegan en la predicción de las intenciones de repetir de los visitantes. El efecto moderador de los Cinco Grandes rasgos de personalidad en tales relaciones fue examinado usando SPSS PROCESS. Se distribuyó un cuestionario autoadministrado y altamente estructurado a los visitantes de bodegas en Grecia; se utilizaron 615 respuestas para el análisis de los datos.
Resultados
Los resultados indican que todas las relaciones examinadas se vuelven más fuertes en el caso de los visitantes que tienen puntuaciones altas o medias de apertura, extraversión, amabilidad y conciencia, o bajas puntuaciones de neurotismo.
Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones
Los resultados mejoran la literatura existente relativa al marketing experiencial, el marketing del turismo enológico y el papel de la personalidad en el turismo, proporcionando nuevas perspectivas.
Implicaciones prácticas
Los resultados globales pueden beneficiar a las bodegas en sus esfuerzos por llevar a cabo lo siguiente: a. aumentar la intención de los visitantes de repetir, b. diseñar y gestionar el entorno de la bodega y la experiencia enológica de manera efectiva, y c. diseñar estrategias de marketing.
Originalidad/interés
La originalidad del trabajo radica en proporcionar información para aclarar el papel de la personalidad de los visitantes como un factor que contribuye a su estimulación emocional y sus intenciones de repetir en términos de ambos constructos de la experiencia (p. ej., servicescape y otros comportamientos de los visitantes). Además, este estudio intenta responder a los recientes requerimientos de realizar investigaciones multidimensionales sobre el constructo servicescape, centrándose tanto en la puesta en escena sustantiva del servicescape como en la puesta en escena comunicativa de la misma. Por último, el presente estudio aporta nuevas ideas prácticas sobre la experiencia enológica en el contexto griego, un ámbito que, hasta ahora, cuenta con un número limitado de investigaciones.
Palabras clave
Enoturismo, Experiencia enográfica, Emociones del visitante, Intenciones conductuales del visitante, Cinco grandes rasgos de personalidad
tipo de papel
trabajo de investigación