Search results

1 – 10 of 104
Per page
102050
Citations:
Loading...
Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 15 May 2019

Xiaoning Li, Xinbo Liao, Qingwen Zhong, Kai Zheng, Shaoxing Chen, Xiao-Jun Chen, Jin-Xiu Zhu and Hongyuan Yang

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influencing factors of patients’ financial burden through a case study of hospital on public‒private partnerships (PPP) model (Chaonan…

118

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influencing factors of patients’ financial burden through a case study of hospital on public‒private partnerships (PPP) model (Chaonan Minsheng Hospital of Guangdong Province) and provide some useful information to policymakers for better development of hospitals on PPP model.

Design/methodology/approach

There are total six indicators that are defined as patients’ financial burden, basing on the policy of “indicators of medical quality management and control on the third level large general hospital (2011 edition),” issued by Chinese Government. In total, 23 potentially influencing factors of patients’ financial burden for hospital on PPP model were chosen from the above policy. The five-year (2007‒2011) data for the above 29 indicators come from statistic department of hospital on PPP model. Grey relational analysis (GRA) was applied to analyze the influencing factors of patients’ financial burden for hospital on PPP model.

Findings

A clear rank of influencing factors of patients’ financial burden is obtained and suggestions are provided from results of GRA, which provide reference for policymakers of hospital on PPP model. The five main influencing factors of patients’ financial burden for hospital on PPP model, in sequence, are rescuing critical ill patients on emergency, rescuing critical ill inpatients, inpatient bed occupancy rate, working days per bed and medical building area.

Originality/value

The study on the influencing factors of patients’ financial burden for hospital on PPP model not only provides decision-making for policymaker of hospital and controlling of medical expenditure but also contributes to release patients’ financial burden for hospitals on PPP model.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 25 April 2019

Jiachun Zheng, Xiao-Jun Chen, Suihong Qiu, Sifeng Liu and Shaoxing Chen

The purpose of this paper is to explore the method of clinical department classification in comprehensive hospital to provide a scientific management reference in performance…

124

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the method of clinical department classification in comprehensive hospital to provide a scientific management reference in performance evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to perform the classification of clinical departments, a grey cluster model was constructed. In this model, the benefit index of each clinical department was analyzed using grey associative analysis, and a superior index was chosen to incorporate in this model. Through the relevancy degree of superior index, the authors confirmed the weight of index, and the quintile threshold was calculated by a quintile method and whitening weight functions were constructed.

Findings

This model, based on grey entropy weight cluster, can reasonably distinguish the merits of clinical departments. From the case we study, neurology?/Cardiovasology?/Integrated disease and Emergency were the optimum assessing department.

Originality/value

The results demonstrated that the index selection, weight determination, whitening weight functions and model construction in this study could provide technique’s reference and application for hospital administrators. It avoids the subjective discrimination and reduces the influence of sample noise, and it is easy to perform while conducting performance evaluation in a comprehensive hospital.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 7 August 2018

Libo Yan

The purpose of this paper is to apply what can be learned from the emergence of nature tourism to understand some current and future trends of tourism.

2215

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply what can be learned from the emergence of nature tourism to understand some current and future trends of tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted the evolutionary paradigm for investigation.

Findings

The emergence of nature tourism in early medieval China can be attributed to four major factors, including transformation of value orientations, seeking longevity, interest in suburbs and population migration.

Research limitations/implications

Historical studies help understand the current and future trends. When the contributing factors for nature tourism are linked to the contemporary world, it can be found that these factors are still playing a part in shaping tourism trends or patterns in their original or alternative forms. These trends or patterns are worthy of scholarly investigations.

Originality/value

This paper offers a comprehensive understanding of the origins of nature tourism.

Details

Journal of Tourism Futures, vol. 4 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-5911

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 2 July 2018

Amir Ikram, Qin Su, Muhammad Fiaz and Ramiz Ur Rehman

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the characteristic role of specialized markets and traders in the internationalization of emerging economies by examining the linkages…

1467

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the characteristic role of specialized markets and traders in the internationalization of emerging economies by examining the linkages between supply chain management (SCM) and industrial clustering in China.

Design/methodology/approach

Multi-method approach was employed as primary data were collected from a case study of Shaoxing textile cluster, and was supplemented with secondary data to triangulate the findings. The proposition that competitive advantages of industrial clusters facilitate effective SCM was explored.

Findings

The authors reveal that China’s cost advantage is manifested in the entire value chain. The provision of business friendly amenities as a result of synergetic benefits of vertical and horizontal integration of supply clusters promotes competitiveness of SMEs and region as a whole. Moreover, specialized markets and international traders found to play significant role in sustainable cluster development.

Research limitations/implications

As with fieldwork and case studies, generalization should be drawn with care. Systematic synthesis of relevant case studies is recommended.

Practical implications

The study endorses the construction of local supply chains and suggests implementation of cluster strategy by focusing on environment-specific execution of triple helix model.

Originality/value

The article elaborates the linkages between cluster theory and SCM both within cluster and between interspersed clusters. It also explains how specialized markets and global players are enabling concentrated supply networks. The paper recommends extension of “Triple helix + 1 model” by making local community part of the underlying framework.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 25 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 4 April 2016

Heng Luo, Minjie Zhu, Sengang Ye, Hanping Hou, Yong Chen and Larissa Bulysheva

Monitoring the real-time temperature, humidity, and physical position status of goods is vital in the cold chain. Diverse logistics technologies and systems have been adopted in…

3474

Abstract

Purpose

Monitoring the real-time temperature, humidity, and physical position status of goods is vital in the cold chain. Diverse logistics technologies and systems have been adopted in the cold chain for monitoring perishable goods. However, these technologies and systems are independent from each other. Data and information in them are not integrated so that information control is not effective. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

By integrating Internet of Things and tracking technologies, this paper proposes an intelligent tracking system, which is designed to achieve effective and fast live monitoring of goods in the cold chain at the lowest cost and with the largest network capacity and simplest protocols.

Findings

Structure and information platform design mechanism are introduced. The key part of this system is a wireless sensor network built on Zigbee. Wireless sensors located in cold storages or refrigerated trucks are able to collect and transmit live data quickly and efficiently.

Originality/value

Users of the proposed system can easily monitor goods transported in cold chains. In addition, the system assigns specific servers to save historical data for inquiries.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 20 December 2024

Liecheng Wang, Min Zhang and Hangfei Guo

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are critical for achieving a green economy. This study aims to empirically explore business associations’ impacts on SMEs’ green…

46

Abstract

Purpose

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are critical for achieving a green economy. This study aims to empirically explore business associations’ impacts on SMEs’ green transformation in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a multiple-case study approach. The authors collect data from four Chinese business associations and their members.

Findings

This study finds that business associations promote SMEs’ green transformation by providing individual and collective services. SMEs conduct green transformation by developing a green mindset and adopting green operations. The results show that individual services directly enhance members’ green mindset and green operations. Collective services promote members’ green mindset and green operations both directly and indirectly by building relational capital.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by revealing that business associations play critical roles in assisting SMEs’ green transformation. In addition, this study suggests that SMEs may adopt different practices compared with large companies. The findings enhance the current understanding of how SMEs conduct green transformation and how business associations assist SMEs.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 40 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 26 June 2019

Zhixin Chen, Jian Chen, Zhonggen Zhang and Xiaojuan Zhi

The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework to illustrate how network governance based on banks’ e-commerce platform reduces loan risks and mitigates credit rationing in…

772

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework to illustrate how network governance based on banks’ e-commerce platform reduces loan risks and mitigates credit rationing in supply chain financing (SCF).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conceptualize network governance in terms of authority structure and interorganizational mechanism dimensions, and derive the model of its determinants through arguments drawn from the existing literature. Structural equation modeling is employed to test the theoretical model on data collected from a sample of 271 independent supply chain trading partners in rural China.

Findings

The findings indicate that network governance based on banks’ e-commerce platform could integrate the operations and finances in supply chain management to solve the problems of information asymmetry, costly monitoring, insufficient qualified collaterals and mitigate farmers’ credit rationing. The collaborative credit-granting mechanism and collaborative debt enforcement mechanism formed by the authority structure and interorganizational mechanisms are the key factors to realize the complete compatibility of incentives. The bank e-commerce platform can provide a foundation for the authority structure and interorganizational mechanisms to enhance the predictability of applicants’ transaction and then safeguard the financial exchanges in supply chain.

Practical implications

The research results indicate that it is important to support farmers to establish long-term transaction relationships with leading enterprises through organizational innovation in the development of agricultural industrialization and build a visualization platform for SCF through technological innovation.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the limited knowledge about network governance mechanisms in SCF by illustrating the model of network governance based on banks’ e-commerce platform and its determinants.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 17 July 2019

Ya-Ling Chiu, Ku-Hsieh Chen, Jying-Nan Wang and Yuan-Teng Hsu

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is very important for consumer decision making; previous international product diffusion studies have investigated eWOM and cultural factors that…

4131

Abstract

Purpose

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is very important for consumer decision making; previous international product diffusion studies have investigated eWOM and cultural factors that influence consumers’ acceptance of new products, but they have not adequately compared the differences in these factors between the USA and China. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to compare the impact of eWOM on consumer choices in China and the USA. The authors addressed the following questions: What are the cross-cultural differences in consumers’ eWOM behavior between the USA and China: Which genres of Hollywood movies have better cross-culture predictability in terms of box office performance; and What factors affect the success of Hollywood movies in entering the Chinese market?

Design/methodology/approach

Real eWOM data were collected from two online movie review websites, IMDb.com (the USA) and Douban.com (China), from January 2010 to December 2015. In addition, box office revenue information was collected from BoxOfficeMojo.com. The authors used an independent sample t-test to check whether the differences in consumers’ eWOM behavior between China and the USA and different types of movie lead to cultural discount differences. Furthermore, a log-linear regression model is used to examine which factors influence the commercial success of new movies.

Findings

There are specific similarities and differences between the American and Chinese movie markets. First, the results show that American consumers are more engaged in online review systems and tend to submit extreme reviews, but Chinese consumers tend to submit moderate reviews on movies, and the eWOM variance there is smaller than in the USA. Second, genres are useful variables as indicators of movie content; the genres of comedy and drama are not popular in the Chinese market. Finally, eWOM variance has a positive impact on box office in China, but eWOM variance has no impact on the US box office. In addition, the interactive effect of the average rating and eWOM variance on sales is positively significant in China. Importantly, the one-star reviews have a negative impact on the Chinese box office, but it has no impact on US box office.

Practical implications

Understanding how cultural factors influence consumer eWOM communication will help managers to better apply this new marketing communication tool to create more aggressive and targeted promotional plans. Marketers may use eWOM behavior to better respond to and target consumers to overcome barriers to the selection of their products by consumers. Therefore, more effective management of eWOM can improve the acceptance of and preference for products in different cultural consumer groups.

Originality/value

This study expands the existing body of knowledge on eWOM and international marketing literature. Clearly, culture is an important determinant of eWOM’s impact on sales. In addition, it provides strategic direction and practical implications for eWOM communication management in cross-cultural settings.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. 36 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 18 February 2019

Chen Tao, Yafeng Duan and Xinghua Hong

The purpose of this paper is to advance a digital technology that is intended to bring about innovations on the existing textile patterns.

313

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advance a digital technology that is intended to bring about innovations on the existing textile patterns.

Design/methodology/approach

The pattern is deemed as a relation function between colors and positions which can be learnt by the artificial neural network (ANN). The outputs of the ANN are used for the reconstruction of the pattern and the innovation is performed by interceptors in the input/output layer. The ANN is carried out with one input layer, one output layer and several hidden layers, and the capacity of the architecture is adjusted by the scale of hidden layers to accommodate different function relations of the patterns. The training is conducted repeatedly on a sample set extracted from the pixels of the pattern image to minimize the error, and the chromatic outputs of the architecture are replaced to their origins so as to rebuild the pattern. Then, the interceptors are installed into the input and output layers to modulate the positions and the colors, and consequently the innovations are achieved on the geometric formation and color distribution of the pattern.

Findings

It has turned out that the precision of reconstruction is concerned with network scale, training epochs and color mode of the sample set. Four primary innovative effects including stripes, twisters, sandification and overprints have been qualified in terms of interceptors.

Originality/value

This study introduces ANN into textile pattern generation and provides a novel way to perform digital innovation of textile patterns.

Details

International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, vol. 31 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-6222

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 2 July 2018

Gangxiang Xu, Bin Guo, Wen Li and Xiaoting Wang

The purpose of this paper is to use the theoretical perspective of structural inertia as a unique lens to study foreign sequential entry mode choices of multinational firms.

547

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use the theoretical perspective of structural inertia as a unique lens to study foreign sequential entry mode choices of multinational firms.

Design/methodology/approach

It adopts quantitative analysis of a sample of 121 Chinese publicly listed firms with 564 foreign entry incidents in the 2001-2012 period to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The empirical results show that multinational firms have a tendency to adopt the same mode in the subsequent entry as the number of prior entry mode choice of a given type (joint venture (JV) in this study) increases. The results support the theoretical prediction that organizations repeat their past activities due to structural inertia. Moreover, such an inertia effect in foreign sequential entry mode choices becomes stronger for older multinational firms, larger multinational firms and state-owned multinational firms.

Research limitations/implications

Consistent with existing research, this study focuses on the entry mode choice between JV and wholly owned subsidiaries. However, it is better to examine the relationship identified in the study for different types of entry mode choices to assess result generalizability.

Practical implications

It reminds managers of multinational firms that they should be cautious to the influence of structural inertia that can be a barrier to strategic flexibility when they make entry mode choices.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this study resides in introducing structural inertia perspective to help understand the determinants of foreign sequential entry mode choices of multinational firms.

Details

Baltic Journal of Management, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5265

Keywords

1 – 10 of 104
Per page
102050