Ying Kei Tse, Shiyun Wang, Xiaohong Liu and Chun Ho Wu
Blockchain has been considered as a disruptive technology and every industry stands to benefit from it. According to Deloitte, increasing number of managers claim that their firms…
Abstract
Purpose
Blockchain has been considered as a disruptive technology and every industry stands to benefit from it. According to Deloitte, increasing number of managers claim that their firms will suffer loss in competitive advantage if they do not adopt blockchain. Despite this motivation, insufficient knowledge on how can blockchain add value inhibits the commitment to its adoption. To better understand the possible influence of blockchain, two dimensions (exploitation and exploration) of blockchain initiatives are distinguished. This research aims to examine the impact of ambidextrous blockchain initiatives on firms' operational efficiency, as well as the moderating role of unabsorbed slack and environmental munificence.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, secondary panel data were collected from multiple sources to test the proposed hypotheses. Content analysis was adopted to operationalise ambidextrous blockchain initiatives from firms' official announcements.
Findings
The authors find that firms' ambidexterity in blockchain initiatives have significantly positive impact on operational efficiency. Furthermore, when firms have lower unabsorbed slack or in more munificent environments, they may benefit from managing a balance between exploration and exploitation.
Originality/value
This research offers some insightful theoretical and managerial implications of ambidextrous blockchain initiatives. The findings of this study contribute to blockchain literature by providing theory-driven empirical research.
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Xiaohong Liu, Ying Kei Tse, Shiyun Wang and Ruiqing Sun
Organisational learning plays a critical role for firms to keep abreast of a supply chain environment filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA). This…
Abstract
Purpose
Organisational learning plays a critical role for firms to keep abreast of a supply chain environment filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA). This study investigates the extent to which supply chain learning (SCL) affects operational resilience under such circumstances.
Design/methodology/approach
This study developed a research framework and underlying hypotheses based on SCL and information processing theory (IPT). An empirical test was carried out using secondary data derived from the “Supply Chain Policy” launched by the Chinese government and two large related conferences.
Findings
SCL positively relates to operational resilience, and several moderators influence the relationship between them. The authors argue that digital-technological diversity could weaken the role of SCL in operational resilience, whereas customer concentration, and participating in a pilot programme could enhance the effect of SCL.
Practical implications
Firms should embrace the power of SCL in building resilience in the VUCA era. Meanwhile, they should be cautious of a digital-technological diversification strategy, appraise the customer base profile and proactively engage in pilot programmes.
Originality/value
This research develops the SCL construct further in the context of China and empirically measures its power on operational resilience using a unique dataset. This contributes to the theorisation of SCL.
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Xiaohong Liu, Ruiqing Sun, Shiyun Wang and Yenchun Jim Wu
In recent years, the rapid growth of big data has presented immense potential for business applications as well as raised great interest from academia. In response to this…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent years, the rapid growth of big data has presented immense potential for business applications as well as raised great interest from academia. In response to this emerging phenomenon, the purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive literature review of big data.
Design/methodology/approach
A bibliometric method was used to analyze the articles obtained from the Scopus database published between 2013 and 2018. A sample size of 4,070 articles was evaluated using SciVal metrics.
Findings
The analysis revealed an array of interesting findings as follows: the number of publications related to big data increased steadily over the past six years, though the rate of increase has slowed since 2014; the scope of big data research is quite broad in regards to both research domains and countries; despite a large volume of publications, the overall performance of big data research is not well presented as measured by the field-weighted citation impact metric; collaboration between different institutions, particularly in the form of international collaboration and academic–corporate collaboration, has played an important role in improving the performance of big data research.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to provide a holistic view of the big data research. The insights obtained from the analysis are instrumental for both academics and practitioners.
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Serhat Yüksel and Gözde Gülseven Ubay
No carbon gas is released into the atmosphere in electricity production with wind energy. Therefore, this type of energy is significantly environmentally friendly. On the other…
Abstract
No carbon gas is released into the atmosphere in electricity production with wind energy. Therefore, this type of energy is significantly environmentally friendly. On the other hand, thanks to wind energy investments, a country can produce its own energy. This reduces the country’s foreign dependency on energy. Due to these positive aspects, increasing wind energy investments is very important for both the social and economic development of the country. The aim of this study is to define the most appropriate government support to improve wind energy investments. In this context, four different criteria are defined in this regard by making a detailed literature review. In the analysis process, fuzzy AHP methodology is considered. Within this framework, the comparative evaluations of three different experts are obtained. The findings indicate that providing loans with low-interest rate is the most appropriate government support for the wind energy investors. Additionally, it is also defined that tax deduction is another important issue for this purpose. However, it is also identified that appropriate location supply and purchase guarantee of the product produced have lower importance in comparison with the others. It is strongly recommended that governments should provide loans to the wind energy investors. This strategy can minimize the problem of high initial cost so that it can be much easier to attract the attention of the investors.
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Shiyun Tian, Su Yeon Cho, Xiaofeng Jia, Ruoyu Sun and Wanhsiu Sunny Tsai
This study aims to focus on the dynamics in influencer-consumer relationships to understand how Generation Z consumers’ identification and social comparison with influencers shape…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to focus on the dynamics in influencer-consumer relationships to understand how Generation Z consumers’ identification and social comparison with influencers shape their response to influencers’ branded posts. Specifically, this study investigates how perceived similarity and wishful identification lead to distinct social comparison mechanisms that affect Generation Z consumers’ self-improvement motives, which, in turn, drive their message engagement, brand attitudes and purchase intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was conducted with 295 college students who are digital natives and whose purchase decisions are heavily influenced by social media influencers.
Findings
The study findings confirmed that perceived similarity positively influenced assimilative comparison emotions of optimism, admiration and aspiration while negatively influenced contrastive comparison emotions of envy, depression and resentment. Wishful identification positively affected both assimilative and contrastive comparison emotions. Both types of social comparison emotions further affected consumers’ motivations to follow the influencer for self-improvement, thereby enhancing their brand attitude, purchase intention and engagement behaviors.
Originality/value
This study is one of the earliest attempts to investigate the relationship dynamics between influencers and consumers from the lens of social comparison. The study examines the antecedents of perceived similarity and wishful identification, the mediators of upward comparison emotions and self-improvement motives and the brand evaluation outcomes of message engagement, brand attitude and purchase intention.
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Yong Su and Huaying Yang
In the increasingly competitive leisure food market, Lyfen has become a well-known leisure food brand in Shanghai after long-term independent operation. Insisting on chain retail…
Abstract
In the increasingly competitive leisure food market, Lyfen has become a well-known leisure food brand in Shanghai after long-term independent operation. Insisting on chain retail specializing in various kinds of leisure food, Lyfen captures the consumption habits of consumers, timely launches new products in line with consumers' preferences, and leads the consumption trend. Its main competitors include other leading enterprises in China's leisure food chain industry, such as Three Squirrels, BESTORE and Baiweilin. The company's products are mainly divided into nine categories, totaling more than 900 special products. Some products under Lyfen's name have established good reputation in East China. Regarding business model, Lyfen has devoted its full energy to the construction of brand and channel, and created a unique asset-light model, which mainly involves sourcing and sales two chains.
Since China’s “opening-up” in the late 1970s, Singapore has played a major role in enhancing China’s engagement with the world, especially in economic terms. This traditional…
Abstract
Purpose
Since China’s “opening-up” in the late 1970s, Singapore has played a major role in enhancing China’s engagement with the world, especially in economic terms. This traditional relationship is well manifested in the third government-to-government (G–G) project under the BRI, which is known as the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI). The purpose of this paper is to address the following question: despite Singapore’s initial reluctance to agree on a third G–G project with China, why did Singapore eventually decide to join the CCI?
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on archives of over 700 Chinese language media reports and over 400 English language media reports, as well as private interactions with scholars interested in Sino-Singapore relations and with both sides’ officials in charge of the CCI project.
Findings
The paper finds that it is the goal of connecting the region, along with the need to maintain Singapore’s relevance to China and the regional economy that led to Singapore’s participation in the third G–G project. This paper also uses this case to analyse the changes that are taking place in the bilateral economic relations.
Originality/value
Despite wide media coverage, op-ed commentaries and respective government statements, there are a limited number of academic studies on the rationale of the third G–G project and contemporary Sino-Singapore relations in the literature. The scholarship has not addressed the rationale for Singapore’s changing attitude towards CCI and the manner in which the CCI has improved cooperation (or upgraded cooperation to a broader and regional level).
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Syed Muhamad Firdaus, Azli Arifin, Siti Norbaya Sahadan and Shahrum Abdullah
A tower crane mainly ensures the success or efficiency of building construction. Fatigue crack analysis is important for tower crane components to prevent any accidents to workers…
Abstract
Purpose
A tower crane mainly ensures the success or efficiency of building construction. Fatigue crack analysis is important for tower crane components to prevent any accidents to workers in construction sites caused by component failure and to ease the maintenance or replacement of failed components. This work aimed to characterise the damage of failed components, analyse the relationship between the metal magnetic memory (MMM) result and the damage of failed components, and to validate the relationship between MMM and finite element analysis (FEA).
Design/methodology/approach
MMM was used in this work to detect any irregularities or early failure on the basis of the high stress concentration zone of ferromagnetic steel using magnetic flux leakage. Magnetic flux leakage was used on the MMM device to achieve the first objective using the MMM system by detecting the irregularities. The results of MMM analysis were validated through comparison with FEA results by determining their relationship.
Findings
MMM results show that the position of defects on the tower crane pulley is within the stress area shown on FEA.
Originality/value
Hence, MMM method is a potential tool in monitoring failure mechanism in construction site.