Innovation has been acknowledged as the key for modern industries. However, the construction industry is criticised for being poor in innovation performance compared to other…
Abstract
Purpose
Innovation has been acknowledged as the key for modern industries. However, the construction industry is criticised for being poor in innovation performance compared to other industry sectors. Large construction firms are the main contributor to technological innovation in the construction industry, but the driving process of their technological innovation has not yet been fully investigated in previous studies. The purpose of this paper is to provide quantitative analysis of the technological innovation driving process of large construction firms.
Design/methodology/approach
An extended crépon, duguet and mairesse (CDM) model has been developed to analyse the key influencing factors for technological innovation in construction firms. The sample data are selected from the world’s largest construction market, China, and include 129 listed construction firms.
Findings
The results show significant positive correlation between R&D investment and innovation output and also between innovation output and performance. The effect of influencing factors on the R&D investment, innovation output and performance are also revealed by the empirical study. The underlying reasons are discussed and suggestions are given for the construction industry to improve the technological innovation capacity of construction firms.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the literature of construction innovation and benefits practitioners by providing a quantitative approach to demonstrate the driving process of innovation in construction firms.
Details
Keywords
Xiannong Wang, Nannan Wang and Boya Jia
The concrete-filled double skin steel tubes (CFDST) column is a new type of steel composite structure column. At present, international and domestic research are still lacking in…
Abstract
The concrete-filled double skin steel tubes (CFDST) column is a new type of steel composite structure column. At present, international and domestic research are still lacking in regards to this composite structure column. Therefore, a study of the composite structure column would have great theoretical and practical significance. In this paper, an experiment using concrete-filled double skin steel tubes columns with square-circular section is conducted under repeated loading and then under static axial compression. The test results show that the new type of composite structure column has excellent ductility and relatively good surplus bearing capacity. So, the test has laid a certain foundation for doing analysis and study on the new type of composite structure column in the future.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to analyse the findings of the relevant studies, to summarise what has been done in this area, to direct future research and to improve private finance initiative…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse the findings of the relevant studies, to summarise what has been done in this area, to direct future research and to improve private finance initiative (PFI) practice. PFI is a new form of contracting out public facilities to the private sector, where facility management was integrated with construction. There have been a large number of academic papers published on this subject; however, there is a lack of a systematic review of the PFI-related studies.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature search focused on international peer-reviewed and published literature, with relevance to PFI. The search of literature, following the method of Tang et al. (2010) and Al-Sharif and Kaka (2004), involved the titles, keywords and abstracts, from some major electronic databases (Web of Science, Engineering Village, Science Direct (Elsevier) and Springer Link) of publications published between 1992 and 2011. The data were classified into six categories for further analysis.
Findings
As a new way to procure public facility management, PFI projects have unique characteristics in comparison to conventional construction procurement. The review of the literature regarding PFI is important in terms of summarising the key findings and suggestions of studies for industry practitioners, as well as forecasting the future academic research trends in this area. The number of research works on PFI increased quickly in recent years; however, the review discovered there were still some issues not yet covered in the literature.
Research limitations/implications
This review is not exhaustive in nature, as the criteria in selecting research papers only included English-written, peer-reviewed journals from some major electronic literature databases. This is the limitation of the research. Further review on a wider range of literature is recommended for researchers.
Originality/value
Since PFI was introduced to the construction industry to fund infrastructure 20 years ago in the UK, it has gained interests from scholars. In this new form of contracting out public facilities to the private sector, facility management was integrated with construction. There have been a large number of academic papers published on this subject; however, there is a lack of a systematic review of the PFI studies.
Details
Keywords
Junjie Cao, Nannan Wang, Jie Zhang, Zhijie Wen, Bo Li and Xiuping Liu
– The purpose of this paper is to present a novel method for fabric defect detection.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a novel method for fabric defect detection.
Design/methodology/approach
The method based on joint low-rank and spare matrix recovery, since patterned fabric is manufactured by a set of predefined symmetry rules, and it can be seen as the superposition of sparse defective regions and low-rank defect-free regions. A robust principal component analysis model with a noise term is designed to handle fabric images with diverse patterns robustly. The authors also estimate a defect prior and use it to guide the matrix recovery process for accurate extraction of various fabric defects.
Findings
Experiments on plain and twill, dot-, box- and star-patterned fabric images with various defects demonstrate that the method is more efficient and robust than previous methods.
Originality/value
The authors present a RPCA-based model for fabric defects detection, and show how to incorporate defect prior to improve the detection results. The authors also show that more robust detection and less running time can be obtained by introducing a noise term into the model.
Details
Keywords
Quanxi Li, Haowei Zhang, Kailing Liu, Zuopeng Justin Zhang and Sajjad M. Jasimuddin
There has been limited research that has explored the connection between digital supply chain (DSC) and SC innovation and SC dynamic capabilities. This paper aims to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
There has been limited research that has explored the connection between digital supply chain (DSC) and SC innovation and SC dynamic capabilities. This paper aims to examine the mediating effect of SC innovation on the relationship between DSC and SC dynamic capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The research model and hypotheses were tested, employing (Statistical Package of Social Sciences) SPSS 25.0 and (Analysis of Moment Structures) AMOS 24.0 on data drawn from the Chinese manufacturing enterprises.
Findings
The study reveals that DSC has a significant positive effect on SC innovation and SC dynamic capabilities. SC innovation also has a significant positive effect on SC dynamic capabilities. Besides, the authors' research illustrates that SC innovation partially mediates the relationship between DSC and SC dynamic capabilities.
Research limitations/implications
Since the results are derived from the data collected from China, it may not, therefore, be generalized to other settings. Moreover, future research could consider other contextual variables such as “environmental uncertainty” and “Government's Reward-Penalty Mechanism,” which may influence SC dynamic capabilities.
Practical implications
The study provides practical insights for senior executives and managers in the manufacturing industry. Managers should emphasize the investment of advanced digital technologies and tools (DTTs) and improvement of SC visibility and collaboration. In the digital age, companies should pay attention to the introduction of advanced technologies, tools and processes and focus on cultivating an innovative spirit to promote SC dynamic capabilities, thereby enhancing competitive advantages.
Originality/value
The paper illustrates that DSC is of great significance to improving SC dynamic capabilities. This study reveals compelling insights for firms to enhance SC innovation and dynamic capabilities by using DSC as an enabler.
Details
Keywords
N Wang and R M W Horner
The impact of ‘context of use’ to the whole life costs (WLC) of building elements has not yet been studied in previous researches. Lack of hard and detailed historical data…
Abstract
The impact of ‘context of use’ to the whole life costs (WLC) of building elements has not yet been studied in previous researches. Lack of hard and detailed historical data constrained the use of traditional methods for this purpose. A fuzzy rule‐based system (FRBS) for any type of carpet cleaning cost estimate is one of a series of fuzzy models developed to estimate the WLC of building elements with the consideration of context of use to the elements. The fuzzy reasoning method, as the representation of human reasoning, is applied to WLC for the first time for carpet cleaning cost. The data used are the linguistic judgments from some experienced experts based on interview surveys. The implementation of the model is demonstrated in a case study. The result is assessed by the experts as an acceptable estimate.The paper concludes that Fuzzy Rule Based System is an appropriate method to model running costs of building elements. The model allows user to predict the cost variation of cleaning cost of carpet flooring according to its designed context of use.
Details
Keywords
Xuebing Dong, Biao Wang, Yan Liu, Nannan Xi and Donghong Zhu
Utilizing the extended transportation-imagery model, this study categorizes three storytelling elements into six distinct factors – character types, influencer-character…
Abstract
Purpose
Utilizing the extended transportation-imagery model, this study categorizes three storytelling elements into six distinct factors – character types, influencer-character congruence, imaginable titles, concrete details, replication difficulty and artistic processing – to explore how these factors enhance influencer engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilized a quantitative research design, analyzing 1,660 influencer-created videos over a six-month period. Narrative elements were examined through manual coding, and their impact on live comments was assessed using negative binomial regression to identify key factors driving audience engagement.
Findings
Research results show that non-fictional characters, imaginable titles and concrete details significantly increased live comments. Conversely, high replication difficulty negatively influenced engagement. Notably, influencer-character congruence and artistic processing showed no significant effect.
Originality/value
This study advances the extended transportation-imagery model by integrating narrative elements with live comments, offering new perspectives on real-time audience engagement. The findings deepen our understanding of how storytelling techniques enhance the effectiveness of influencer marketing. From a managerial standpoint, this research provides strategic insights for influencers and brands to refine their content strategies, ultimately boosting audience engagement.
Details
Keywords
Xuyang Jin, Jing Wang, Yiming Han, Nannan Sun and Jianrong Zhu
This study aims to present the discrepancy in oil film distribution in reciprocating motion experimentally with zero entraining velocity (ZEV) on a conventional ball-disk test rig…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present the discrepancy in oil film distribution in reciprocating motion experimentally with zero entraining velocity (ZEV) on a conventional ball-disk test rig with oil lubrication.
Design/methodology/approach
Driven independently by two individual servomotors, a steel ball and a sapphire disc move at equal speed but in opposite directions in a triangle wave. The oil film images between the ball and the disc were recorded by a camera. After the experiments, the mid-section film thickness was evaluated by using a dichromatic interference intensity modulation approach.
Findings
The dimpled oil film in transient condition is shallower than that at steady state with the same load and velocities, and the transient dimple depth decreases with the decrease of time. The increase of the applied load offers a beneficial effect on lubrication. Boundary slippage happens in ZEV reciprocating motion. The slippage at the interface is related to the transient effect and applied load.
Originality/value
This study reveals the significant difference of the oil film variation in ZEV reciprocating motion, especially the complex boundary slippage at the interface of the oil and the sapphire disc.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-01-2020-0021
Details
Keywords
Yanling Wang, Qin Lin, Shihan Zhang and Nannan Chen
The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the cause–effect relationships between workplace friendship and knowledge-sharing behavior, from a static perspective…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the cause–effect relationships between workplace friendship and knowledge-sharing behavior, from a static perspective. Furthermore, it investigates the bi-directional relationship between the increase in both workplace friendship and knowledge-sharing behavior over same time periods, and also endeavors to identify whether there is a significant negative lagged effect of the increase in both workplace friendship on knowledge-sharing behavior, and vice versa, across time from a dynamic perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
The study conducts a three-wave questionnaire survey to test the research model. A latent change score approach was used to test the direct relationship between changes in workplace friendship and changes in knowledge-sharing behavior.
Findings
The findings reveal that knowledge-sharing behavior fosters workplace friendship and workplace friendship promotes the emergence of knowledge-sharing behavior. An increase in workplace friendship promotes an increase in knowledge-sharing behavior over same time periods. However, an increase in workplace friendship will lead to a lagged decrease of knowledge-sharing behavior across time, and vice versa.
Research limitations/implications
The time interval in this study is a little short to capture the full changes in workplace friendship. Some important control factors and mediating mechanisms are not included in the research model.
Practical implications
This study guides managers to focus on various motivators to better strengthen workplace friendship and knowledge-sharing behavior and to consider and effectively respond to the negative side of workplace friendship and knowledge-sharing behavior across time.
Originality/value
This study emphasizes the predictivity of one important interaction patterns, namely, knowledge-sharing behavior on friendship at the workplace, from a static perspective. This study also shows the benefits of an increase in workplace friendship for the development of knowledge-sharing behavior in the same time period. Furthermore, the study presents a counterintuitive finding when taking the lag effect into consideration in exploring the relationship between changes both in workplace friendship and knowledge-sharing behavior, and identifies a negative side of both when viewed over longer periods.
Details
Keywords
Hongwei Tang, Jing Wang, Nannan Sun and Jianrong Zhu
The influence of the cam angular speed on the pressure, film thickness and temperature profiles at some selected angular positions together with the oil characteristics are…
Abstract
Purpose
The influence of the cam angular speed on the pressure, film thickness and temperature profiles at some selected angular positions together with the oil characteristics are investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
A high-order polynomial cam is used, and thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) calculations are carried out by the multi-grid method and line-line scanning technique.
Findings
It is found that the film thickness decreases with a decrease in angular speed. The depth of the dimple that occurred in the reverse motion is also reduced because of the recession in the “temperature–viscosity wedge” effect.
Originality/value
It is revealed that the reduction in the cam angular speed makes the classical big surface dimple evolve into a small centralized dimple during the opposite sliding motion.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2019-0327