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1 – 10 of 697Rong Zhu, Sunny Li Sun and Ying Huang
Initiated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) over half a century ago, fair trade has successfully evolved from a regional business discourse to a global social movement…
Abstract
Purpose
Initiated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) over half a century ago, fair trade has successfully evolved from a regional business discourse to a global social movement within international trade. In the matter of fair trade coffee, this global social movement has transformed the traditional coffee trade structure of inequality and unfairness into a conglomerate of international institutions that embrace equity and inclusivity – a metamorphosis that can be attributed to NGOs’ institutional entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach
In this exploratory study, the authors examine the fair trade coffee industry and trace the actions of NGOs along with other stakeholders at the organizational field level, in moving toward an inclusive model of globalization.
Findings
Departing from exploitative globalization, fair trade practices advocate inclusive growth through the promotion and establishment of greater equity for all as well as higher environmental standards in global value chains.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to nascent research on inclusive growth by analyzing how fair trade promotes inclusive growth and trade in GVCs. This study also contributes to research on institutional entrepreneurship by examining two enabling conditions – the shift in institutional logics and the peripheral social position of NGOs – that enabled NGOs to serve as institutional entrepreneurs in the initiation phase of institutional entrepreneurship.
Practical implications
Policymakers may encourage collaboration between profit organizations and nonprofit organizations to provide entrepreneurial opportunities for trials, errors, and revisions. The evolution of fair trade coffee provides such an example.
Social implications
The coevolution of NGOs and MNEs has made the globalization of fair trade practices possible. The collaboration between NGOs as institutional entrepreneurs (operating on the community logic) and MNEs as institutional followers (operating on the financial logic) support inclusive globalization and sustain fair trade practices.
Originality/value
Drawing on the process model of institutional entrepreneurship, the authors seek to understand the role of NGOs as institutional entrepreneurs in the dynamics of initiating, diffusing and sustaining fair trade coffee practices.
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Xiangyu Tang, Guobiao Li, Linjiao Lv, Peng Wang and Rong Zhu
Many studies on entrepreneurial intention have explored the impact of different factors; however, few have examined the relationship between and impact mechanisms of informal…
Abstract
Purpose
Many studies on entrepreneurial intention have explored the impact of different factors; however, few have examined the relationship between and impact mechanisms of informal social networks and entrepreneurial intention. This study aimed to bridge this research gap.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on social capital and ambidexterity theories. After surveying the data of 302 college students from different provinces and universities in China, a mediation model for research is constructed.
Findings
Informal social networks help enhance college students’ entrepreneurial intentions, whereas entrepreneurial learning (exploratory and exploitative learning) partially mediates this relationship.
Originality/value
This study empirically explores the impact of informal social networks on the entrepreneurial intentions of Chinese college students and indicates the crucial role played by entrepreneurial learning (divided into exploratory and exploitative learning).
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Rong Zhu, Yaoyao Fu, Ao Wen and Jiaxin Zhao
This study aims to examine an emerging product–place co-branding marketing practice in China’s rural areas. The role of this practice in inclusive development is analyzed from the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine an emerging product–place co-branding marketing practice in China’s rural areas. The role of this practice in inclusive development is analyzed from the perspectives of value proposition innovation, market legitimacy, media coverage and brand value. Both research and practice indicate value proposition innovation to exert an important influence on brand value enhancement, but little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation.
Design/methodology/approach
A moderated mediation model is constructed to examine whether market legitimacy mediates the relationship between value proposition innovation and brand value. vWhether this mediating process is moderated by media coverage is also examined. The primary data are collected from semi-structured interviews and observations conducted with two common cases to develop proper scales for value proposition innovation and market legitimacy. The research includes 100 product–place co-brandings published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2019. Hypotheses are tested using hierarchical regression and a Bootstrap model.
Findings
Value proposition innovation has a positive effect on brand value, and market legitimacy partially mediates this relationship. Media coverage positively moderates the relationship between value proposition innovation and market legitimacy, and positively moderates the mediating effect of market legitimacy; the higher the media coverage, the stronger the mediating effect of market legitimacy.
Research limitations/implications
Based on data availability and accessibility, the study sample focused on indicators from 100 brands in 2019. If the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs discloses consecutive annual information for other years, future studies could explore panel data to further test the study’s conclusions from a longitudinal perspective.
Originality/value
First, this paper adds to the emerging literature on product–place co-branding business models by examining the relationship between value proposition innovation and brand value. Second, this paper enriches institutional theory by including market legitimacy as a mediator between value proposition innovation and brand value. Third, this paper identifies the moderating role of media coverage, thus broadening the theoretical implications of institutional theory with respect to improving market legitimacy.
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Djordje Vukelic, Gordana Ostojic, Stevan Stankovski, Milovan Lazarevic, Branko Tadic, Janko Hodolic and Nenad Simeunovic
The purpose of this paper is to present a novel approach for identification of machining fixtures, and their elements in an assembly/disassembly process.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a novel approach for identification of machining fixtures, and their elements in an assembly/disassembly process.
Design/methodology/approach
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is applied to identification of physical machining fixtures and their basic elements.
Findings
Based on comprehensive testing in industrial conditions it was established by this research that the use of RFID technology contributes to significant reduction of assembly/disassembly time of machining fixtures.
Practical implications
Practical applicability of RFID technology is emphasized and demonstrated in the paper. The suggested system is proven superior in comparison with conventional methods for identification of fixtures/fixture elements which qualifies it for real industrial application.
Originality/value
To the best of authors' knowledge there are no previous reports of successful application of RFID technology on identification of fixtures/fixture elements.
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Anxia Wan, Qianqian Huang, Ehsan Elahi and Benhong Peng
The study focuses on drug safety regulation capture, reveals the inner mechanism and evolutionary characteristics of drug safety regulation capture and provides suggestions for…
Abstract
Purpose
The study focuses on drug safety regulation capture, reveals the inner mechanism and evolutionary characteristics of drug safety regulation capture and provides suggestions for effective regulation by pharmacovigilance.
Design/methodology/approach
The article introduces prospect theory into the game strategy analysis of drug safety events, constructs a benefit perception matrix based on psychological perception and analyzes the risk selection strategies and constraints on stable outcomes for both drug companies and drug regulatory authorities. Moreover, simulation was used to analyze the choice of results of different parameters on the game strategy.
Findings
The results found that the system does not have a stable equilibrium strategy under the role of cognitive psychology. The risk transfer coefficient, penalty cost, risk loss, regulatory benefit, regulatory success probability and risk discount coefficient directly acted in the direction of system evolution toward the system stable strategy. There is a critical effect on the behavioral strategies of drug manufacturers and drug supervisors, which exceeds a certain intensity before the behavioral strategies in repeated games tend to stabilize.
Originality/value
In this article, the authors constructed the perceived benefit matrix through the prospect value function to analyze the behavioral evolution game strategies of drug companies and FDA in the regulatory process, and to evaluate the evolution law of each factor.
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The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between automated assembly and mass production environments such as the manufacture of cars, airplanes and white goods and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between automated assembly and mass production environments such as the manufacture of cars, airplanes and white goods and methods of modelling and simulation. Even in this environment high‐level automated assembly is restricted to the original equipment manufacturers where production volumes are high and flexibility and the ability to quickly reconfigure systems are not major drivers. It proposes modelling of the fixing/assembly process and outlining why and how new methods are important throughout the manufacturing process. The paper aims to expand the domain of co operation of different research institutes, universities and companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper focuses on typically, fixture design, which involves the identification of clamp, locator, and support points, and the selection of corresponding fixture elements for their respective functions. In addition, the automation of fixture design activities in manufacturing is an important research area, which aims to achieve the integration of design and manufacturing. The most commonly used methods are pointed out.
Findings
The paper summarizes the main modelling and simulation methods applied to new fixing and assembly processes.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen research approach, the paper is more general.
Practical implications
The paper includes implications for the development of a powerful new fixing method applied in the automotive and aerospace industry, which is important for stability and easy change in a rough manufacturing environment.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils an identified need to study how new fixing methods can improve motorcar and aerospace manufacturing.
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The purpose of this guest editorial is to introduce the papers in this special issue.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this guest editorial is to introduce the papers in this special issue.
Design/methodology/approach
A brief introduction about the issue of web‐mining applications in e‐commerce and e‐services is provided, along with a summary of the main contributions of the papers that are included in the special issue.
Findings
The value of web‐mining techniques can be enhanced through applying them to real environments such as e‐commerce and e‐services. The research fields of web mining, e‐commerce and e‐services can also be expanded.
Originality/value
An overview of the special issue and related research is provided in this paper.
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SKF Group is one of the largest bearing manufacturers in the world, well known for its innovations and high quality bearings. One of its innovations is the CARB bearing, which…
Abstract
SKF Group is one of the largest bearing manufacturers in the world, well known for its innovations and high quality bearings. One of its innovations is the CARB bearing, which functions particularly well under severe working conditions where traditional bearings break down easily. Compared to traditional bearings, CARB saves costs and creates value because it requires less maintenance, has a longer life, and simplifies machine structure. SKF launched CARB in 1995 and acquired a patent for a period of ten years. CARB bearings, which are manufactured in Sweden, have been widely used in Western markets and become almost standard parts. SKF started to export the new bearings to China in 1997. CARB bearing markets, in China, could be classified into two parts, the new installation (OEM) market and maintenance market, which mainly consisted of the replacement of the CARB bearing for the Chinese‐made conventional bearings on numerous machines. The SKF Shanghai Office was in charge of devising a marketing strategy to sell the CARB bearings to the maintenance markets, the majority of which were large‐scale state‐run companies. But the China market is huge, culture and influences from the West vary across regions, styles of doing business are also different. The first task of the SKF Shanghai Office was to segment the maintenance market and select the segment which was least difficult to enter.
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Wilma Polini and Andrea Corrado
The purpose of this paper is to model how geometric errors of a machined surface (or manufacturing errors) are related to locators’ error, workpiece form error and machine tool…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to model how geometric errors of a machined surface (or manufacturing errors) are related to locators’ error, workpiece form error and machine tool volumetric error. A kinematic model is presented that puts into relationship the locator error, the workpiece form deviations and the machine tool volumetric error.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a general and systematic approach for geometric error modelling in drilling because of the geometric errors of locators positioning, of workpiece datum surface and of machine tool. The model can be implemented in four steps: (1) calculation of the deviation in the workpiece reference frame because of deviations of locator positions; (2) evaluation of the deviation in the workpiece reference frame owing to form deviations in the datum surfaces of the workpiece; (3) formulation of the volumetric error of the machine tool; and (4) combination of those three models.
Findings
The advantage of this approach lies in that it enables the source errors affecting the drilling accuracy to be explicitly separated, thereby providing designers and/or field engineers with an informative guideline for accuracy improvement through suitable measures, i.e. component tolerancing in design, machining and so on. Two typical drilling operations are taken as examples to illustrate the generality and effectiveness of this approach.
Research limitations/implications
Some source errors, such as the dynamic behaviour of the machine tool, are not taken into consideration, which will be modelled in practical applications.
Practical implications
The proposed kinematic model may be set by means of experimental tests, concerning the industrial specific application, to identify the values of the model parameters, such as standard deviation of the machine tool axes positioning and rotational errors. Then, it may be easily used to foresee the location deviation of a single or a pattern of holes.
Originality/value
The approaches present in the literature aim to model only one or at most two sources of machining error, such as fixturing, machine tool or workpiece datum. This paper goes beyond the state of the art because it considers the locator errors together with the form deviation on the datum surface into contact with the locators and, then, the volumetric error of the machine tool.
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Yim‐Yu Wong, Thomas E. Maher, Joel D. Nicholson and Chi‐wen Chen
Assesses the effects of the Asian economic crisis on Taiwan and identifies some reasons why it has been less dramatically affected than other Asian countries. Discusses its actual…
Abstract
Assesses the effects of the Asian economic crisis on Taiwan and identifies some reasons why it has been less dramatically affected than other Asian countries. Discusses its actual and planned policies aimed at strengthening the economy further by maintaining currency stability, improving competitive strengths in both hi‐tech industries and manufacturing, entering new export markets, stimulating domestic demand and reforming financial institutions and regulations. Recognizes the political threats it faces but believes that increasing trade with and investment in China has reduced them.
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