David A.S. Chew, Shigang Yan and Charles Y.J. Cheah
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between a number of variables pertaining to core capability, competitive strategy and performance of construction small to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between a number of variables pertaining to core capability, competitive strategy and performance of construction small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) in China.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper consists of a quantitative survey. It involves mainly the development of instrument and testing of the hypotheses.
Findings
Core capability and competitive strategy are found to influence construction SMEs' performance. Moreover, there are positive relationships between core capability and competitive strategy. This suggests a need to align core capability and competitive strategy as a precondition for superior performance.
Research limitations/implications
The paper has limitations as a result of data collection. A somewhat larger sample would obviously permit firmer conclusions to be drawn from the results of the statistical analysis.
Originality/value
This paper will contribute to the literature on SMEs, strategic management and resource‐based theory. This integration of scope is particularly new to the context of the Chinese construction industry. Similarly, this research will have implications for practice. The research findings help SMEs' managers to understand the impact of the unique resources of their enterprises and competitive strategy.
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Abdulkader Zairbani and Senthil Kumar Jaya Prakash
The purpose of this paper is to provide an organizing lens for viewing the distinct contributions to knowledge production from those research communities addressing the impact of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an organizing lens for viewing the distinct contributions to knowledge production from those research communities addressing the impact of competitive strategy on company performance in general, and the influence of cost leadership and differentiation strategy on organizational performance in detail.
Design/methodology/approach
The research methodology was based on the PRISMA review, and thematic analysis based on an iterative process of open coding was analyzed and then the sample was analyzed by illustrating the research title, objectives, method, data analysis, sample size, variables and country.
Findings
The main factor that influenced the competitive strategy is strategic growth; strategic growth has a significant influence on competitive strategy. Furthermore, competitive strategy will boost firm network, performance measurement and organization behavior. In the same way, the internal goal factor will enhance organizational effectiveness. Also, a differentiation strategy will support management practice factors, strategic positions, product price, product characteristics and company performance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by identifying a framework of competitive strategy factors, company performance factors, cost leadership strategy factors, differentiation strategy factors and competitive strategy with global market factors. This study provides a complete picture and description of the resulting body knowledge in competitive strategy and organizational performance.
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Chenxia Zhou, Zhikun Jia, Shaobo Song, Shigang Luo, Xiaole Zhang, Xingfang Zhang, Xiaoyuan Pei and Zhiwei Xu
The aging and deterioration of engineering building structures present significant risks to both life and property. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, acclaimed for their…
Abstract
Purpose
The aging and deterioration of engineering building structures present significant risks to both life and property. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, acclaimed for their outstanding reusability, compact form factor, lightweight construction, heightened sensitivity, immunity to electromagnetic interference and exceptional precision, are increasingly being adopted for structural health monitoring in engineering buildings. This research paper aims to evaluate the current challenges faced by FBG sensors in the engineering building industry. It also anticipates future advancements and trends in their development within this field.
Design/methodology/approach
This study centers on five pivotal sectors within the field of structural engineering: bridges, tunnels, pipelines, highways and housing construction. The research delves into the challenges encountered and synthesizes the prospective advancements in each of these areas.
Findings
The exceptional performance of FBG sensors provides an ideal solution for comprehensive monitoring of potential structural damages, deformations and settlements in engineering buildings. However, FBG sensors are challenged by issues such as limited monitoring accuracy, underdeveloped packaging techniques, intricate and time-intensive embedding processes, low survival rates and an indeterminate lifespan.
Originality/value
This introduces an entirely novel perspective. Addressing the current limitations of FBG sensors, this paper envisions their future evolution. FBG sensors are anticipated to advance into sophisticated multi-layer fiber optic sensing networks, each layer encompassing numerous channels. Data integration technologies will consolidate the acquired information, while big data analytics will identify intricate correlations within the datasets. Concurrently, the combination of finite element modeling and neural networks will enable a comprehensive simulation of the adaptability and longevity of FBG sensors in their operational environments.
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Fei Qi, Bai Chen, Shigang She and Shuyuan Gao
This paper aims to present a shape sensing method and feedback control strategy based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor to improve the control accuracy of the robot and ensure…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a shape sensing method and feedback control strategy based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor to improve the control accuracy of the robot and ensure the safety of the cardiac interventional surgery.
Design/methodology/approach
To theoretically describe the shape of the catheter robot, the kinematic model is established by the geometric analysis method. And to obtain the actual shape, a large curvature assemble sensor based on FBG is adopted and a novel simple shape reconstruction model is proposed, which can provide the shape curve and distal position. In addition, the influence of external load on the bending deformation is investigated by experiments. To improve the shape accuracy of the robot, a shape feedback control method is presented to control the catheter robot, which can control the robot to bend into the pre-given desired shape.
Findings
Experiment results verify the effectiveness of the shape sensing method and the reconstruction model, and the correlation coefficients of three sets of curve in different coordinate directions are 0.9986, 0.9992 and 0.9999. Results of the shape feedback experiment show that the curvature error and direction angle error are 1.42% and 10.3%, respectively. The continuum catheter robot can be controlled to achieve the desired bending shape.
Originality/value
The shape reconstruction method and feedback control strategy proposed in this paper can improve the control accuracy of the robot to avoid the risk of the collision with the surrounding blood vessels, the tissues and organs.
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Long Wang, Fengtao Wang, Linkai Niu, Xin Li, Zihao Wang and Shuping Yan
The purpose of this paper is to combine triboelectric nanogeneration technology with ball bearing structure to achieve energy collection and fault monitoring.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to combine triboelectric nanogeneration technology with ball bearing structure to achieve energy collection and fault monitoring.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, according to the rotation mode of ball bearings, the freestanding mode of triboelectric nanogeneration is selected to design and manufacture a novel triboelectric nanogeneration device Rolling Ball Triboelectric Nanogenerator (RB-TENG) which combines rotary energy collection with ball bearing fault self-sensing.
Findings
The 10,000s continuous operation experiment of the RB-TENG is carried out to verify its robustness. The accurate feedback relationship between the RB-TENG and rotation velocity can be demonstrated by the fitting comparison between the theoretical and experimental electrical signal periods at a certain time. By comparing the output electrical signals of the normal RB-TENG and the rotor spalling RB-TENG and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) balls with different degrees of wear at 500 r/min, it can be concluded that the RB-TENG has an ideal monitoring effect on the radial clearance distance of bearings. The spalling fault test of the RB-TENG stator inner ring and rotor outer ring is carried out.
Originality/value
Through coupling experiments of rotor spalling fault of the RB-TENG and PTFE balls fault with different degrees of wear, it can be seen that when rotor spalling fault occurs, balls wear has a greater impact on the normal operation of the RB-TENG, and it is easier to identify. The fault self-sensing ability of the RB-TENG can be obtained, which is expected to provide an effective scheme for monitoring the radial wear clearance distance of ball bearings.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2024-0295/
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General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that to uphold and develop socialist political economics with Chinese characteristics, the authors should be guided by Marxist political…
Abstract
Purpose
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that to uphold and develop socialist political economics with Chinese characteristics, the authors should be guided by Marxist political economics.
Design/methodology/approach
It is an essential methodological principle for building a theoretical system of socialist political economics with Chinese characteristics as a “systematic economic theory”.
Findings
To implement this principle, the authors need to understand the rich connotation of Marxist political economics and its relationship with socialist political economics with Chinese characteristics fully and correctly and unswervingly uphold and inherit, creatively transform and innovatively develop the theoretical achievements of Marxist economics, especially capital.
Originality/value
It is also an essential and necessary way to build a theoretical system of socialist political economics with Chinese characteristics.
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Expanding the research on traditional history of economic ideology into the research on the history of economics composed of three elements – history of ideology, history of…
Abstract
Purpose
Expanding the research on traditional history of economic ideology into the research on the history of economics composed of three elements – history of ideology, history of policies and events – is a new idea for researching the history of socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics. The start of the history of socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics is consistent with that of the Sinicization of Marxist political economy and can be dated from at least 1917.
Design/methodology/approach
The key point of the research on the history of ideologies of the socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics is to treat the relationship between theory and people properly, i.e. we should not neglect the effect brought out by the economists on theory construction while we attach importance to the theoretical contribution of the leaders and leading group of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Findings
For the research on the history of economic policies of socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics, on the one hand, we should clarify the relationship among ideologies, strategies and policies; on the other hand, we should not evade the summarization of lessons from history.
Originality/value
Besides presenting the development route of socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics under competition, the research on the events in the history of socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics should also help develop the socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics.