Wenchen Guo, Shaosheng Sun and Rong Dai
The purpose of this paper is to define the concept of guanxi deviant behaviour (GDB) initially on the basis of a theoretical study of guanxi, guanxi behaviour and workplace…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to define the concept of guanxi deviant behaviour (GDB) initially on the basis of a theoretical study of guanxi, guanxi behaviour and workplace deviant behaviour and to analyse the influence of GDB and the relationship between GDB and counterproductive work behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
This study collects interview data from 30 enterprise executives, summarises relevant literature from four major databases (two in English and two in Chinese) and applies a grounded theory methodology to refine and further define the core category of GDB, and the main category is interpreted and validated using triangulation.
Findings
The three dimensions of GDB are guanxi bribery behaviour, irregular connected transaction behaviour and guanxi allied behaviour. There are links amongst the three dimensions, no dimension has an independent existence and that is not the end of the GDB issue. Generally, the occurrence of a kind of GDB can be construed to be a preparation for the implementation of another kind, and the latter is the real purpose of the perpetrators.
Social implications
This paper is expected to attract the attention of managers and improve the ability of recognising, preventing and punishing GDB.
Originality/value
This study not only enriches organisational behaviour theory but also enhances the awareness of, and insights into, the negative effects of guanxi.
Details
Keywords
Hui Zhang, Jinwen Tan, Chenyang Zhao, Zhicong Liang, Li Liu, Hang Zhong and Shaosheng Fan
This paper aims to solve the problem between detection efficiency and performance in grasp commodities rapidly. A fast detection and grasping method based on improved faster R-CNN…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to solve the problem between detection efficiency and performance in grasp commodities rapidly. A fast detection and grasping method based on improved faster R-CNN is purposed and applied to the mobile manipulator to grab commodities on the shelf.
Design/methodology/approach
To reduce the time cost of algorithm, a new structure of neural network based on faster R CNN is designed. To select the anchor box reasonably according to the data set, the data set-adaptive algorithm for choosing anchor box is presented; multiple models of ten types of daily objects are trained for the validation of the improved faster R-CNN. The proposed algorithm is deployed to the self-developed mobile manipulator, and three experiments are designed to evaluate the proposed method.
Findings
The result indicates that the proposed method is successfully performed on the mobile manipulator; it not only accomplishes the detection effectively but also grasps the objects on the shelf successfully.
Originality/value
The proposed method can improve the efficiency of faster R-CNN, maintain excellent performance, meet the requirement of real-time detection, and the self-developed mobile manipulator can accomplish the task of grasping objects.
Details
Keywords
Yan Zhang, Shaosheng Jin, Yu Yvette Zhang and Xiaohua Yu
The purpose of this study is to decompose the effects of country-of-origin labeling (COOL) into multiple dimensions—macrolevel image, related to the country image, and microlevel…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to decompose the effects of country-of-origin labeling (COOL) into multiple dimensions—macrolevel image, related to the country image, and microlevel image, related to dairy industry/product attributes—and investigate how each dimension affects Chinese consumers' evaluation of imported milk.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted the Becker–DeGroot–Marschak (BDM) auction mechanism to elicit consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for milk from different countries (New Zealand, Australia, Germany, France and China). The experiment was conducted with 348 shoppers at supermarkets in three major cities of China (Hangzhou, Wuhan and Shijiazhuang). The study subject was ultrahigh-temperature processing (UHT) milk (200 mL Tetra Pak aseptic brick package).
Findings
The results show that Chinese consumers are willing to pay a premium for UHT milk from New Zealand, Australia, Germany and France compared to domestic milk, and the premiums are 59.4, 58.9, 57.9, and 52.9% respectively. Both microlevel and macrolevel images exert a substantial influence on consumers' WTP, and the microlevel image has a greater impact on consumers' evaluation of milk than the macrolevel image. Particularly, the macropolitical, microtechnology/quality and microdesign/package dimensions have a positive influence on WTP for milk.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing literature in introducing the country-of-origin image (COI) construct with different dimensions to get in-depth knowledge about the country-of-origin (COO) effect in food or agricultural economics.
Details
Keywords
Yan Zhang, Lijun Guan and Shaosheng Jin
This study aims to explore the degree of Chinese consumers' trust and confidence in the Chinese dairy products supply chain and the relationships between trust and overall…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the degree of Chinese consumers' trust and confidence in the Chinese dairy products supply chain and the relationships between trust and overall confidence in dairy products safety and quality.
Design/methodology/approach
This study collected data from 1,278 respondents by field survey from five provinces of China. The data were analyzed using ordered logit model.
Findings
This study shows the following results: (1) Chinese consumer confidence in domestic dairy products and trust in actors of the dairy chain are at a moderate-to-low level. (2) Government regulators are considered to take the most responsibility, with both an optimism-enhancing and a pessimism-reducing effect (the former effect is greater), while perceived trust in dairy farmers and retailers has little effect. (3) Perceived care has both an optimism-enhancing and a pessimism-reducing effect, and the former effect is stronger. Competence and openness have an optimism-enhancing effect and a pessimism-reducing effect, respectively. (4) The importance of the three dimensions of trust related to optimism-increasing and pessimism-reduction is limited, except in the case of government regulators.
Originality/value
This study contributes to a better understanding of consumer trust in food safety and also help demonstrate to the actors and institutions involved in the dairy supply chain the best way to improve the performance of their duties to meet the consumers' needs for safe and quality dairy products.
Details
Keywords
The Chinese civilization is an important part of the history of mankind. The purpose of this paper is to show that there are project management lessons to be learned from Chinese…
Abstract
Purpose
The Chinese civilization is an important part of the history of mankind. The purpose of this paper is to show that there are project management lessons to be learned from Chinese history, including that relating to the management of the building process in ancient China.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a review of the literature, this paper discusses the key management and economic practices in the building process of ancient China and highlights these practices from an important document, the Yingzao Fashi or (“Treatise on Architectural Methods”), that was compared with the modern‐day project management framework.
Findings
This paper explains the official systems instituted for public projects; the management of labour, design and planning of construction works; quantity surveying practices; the use, control and recycling of building materials; and inspection of building elements in ancient China.
Practical implications
The study suggests that lessons in the principles of construction project management in ancient China bear many similarities with the nine areas of modern‐day project management body of knowledge relating to integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communications, risk, and procurement management. An area for future research would be to compare the Yingzao Fashi with modern‐day codes of practice for building works to determine which of its “ancient” provisions relating to quality management are still relevant today.
Originality/value
It was found that much emphasis was placed by the ancient Chinese on the quality aspects of prominent building projects. This is one facet from which modern‐day project managers and clients can draw lessons.