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Due to the unintentional or even the intentional mistakes arising from a survey, the purpose of this paper is to present a data-driven method for detecting students’ friendship network based on their daily behaviour data. Based on the detected friendship network, this paper further aims to explore how the considered network effects (i.e. friend numbers (FNs), structural holes (SHs) and friendship homophily) influence students’ GPA ranking.

The authors collected the campus smart card data of 8,917 sophomores registered in one Chinese university during one academic year, uncovered the inner relationship between the daily behaviour data with the friendship to infer the friendship network among students, and further adopted the ordered probit regression model to test the relationship between network effects with GPA rankings by controlling several influencing variables.

The data-driven approach of detecting friendship network is demonstrated to be useful and the empirical analysis illustrates that the relationship between GPA ranking and FN presents an inverted “U-shape”, richness in SHs positively affects GPA ranking, and making more friends within the same department will benefit promoting GPA ranking.

The proposed approach can be regarded as a new information technology for detecting friendship network from the real behaviour data, which is potential to be widely used in many scopes. Moreover, the findings from the designed empirical analysis also shed light on how to improve GPA rankings from the angle of network effect and further guide how many friends should be made in order to achieve the highest GPA level, which contributes to the existing literature.

Cross-channel integration improves the operations of multi-channel and omnichannel marketing and increase firms' overall performance. By addressing the extant gaps in current literature, this configurational analysis aims to test the combined effects of organizational, channel and environmental factors on cross-channel integration.

Data were collected from a sample of 180 manufacturers. Necessary condition analysis (NCA) was used to test whether two organizational factors (firm size and IT capability), one environmental factor (environmental dynamism) and two channel factors (channel diversity and proportion of direct channels) were necessary or unnecessary conditions for high cross-channel integration. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was applied to analyze the configurational factors of high vs low cross-channel integration.

First, firm size and IT capability are non-linear and substitute for each other in affecting cross-channel integration in a diversified channel system with a high proportion of direct channels. Second, in a dynamic environment, firms with large size and IT advantage could achieve high cross-channel integration by diversifying channel types or increasing the proportion of direct channels. Third, the effect of channel diversity and proportion of direct channels on cross-channel integration is asymmetric depending on other antecedent conditions.

The authors tested a configurational framework developed from multiple theoretical perspectives. The authors' empirical findings contribute to the literature by providing insights into the mechanisms underlying the formation of high and low cross-channel integration. The results suggest multiple ways for firms to promote cross-channel integration by adjusting channel factors based on configurational conditions.

Given the great upheaval in the international situation and the increasing operating risk in international business, research on corporate diplomacy is thriving. However, it still lacks clear conceptualization and operationalization. Based on social capital theory, our study conceptualizes corporate diplomacy as a three-dimensional construct and quantifies its distinct and combined impacts on multinational enterprises’ (MNE) subsidiary performance.

This research analyzes 134 responses collected from a questionnaire survey among key informants in Chinese MNEs using the regression method.

This research finds that corporate diplomacy is positively correlated with MNEs’ subsidiary performance. Specifically, compatriot-oriented diplomacy is the most effective, followed sequentially by host-partner-oriented and host-regulator-oriented diplomacy. In addition, compatriot-oriented diplomacy substitutes for host-partner-oriented diplomacy but complements host-regulator-oriented diplomacy in enhancing subsidiary performance.

Our research enriches the conceptualization and operationalization of corporate diplomacy and provides a nuanced view of its distinct and combined effects on MNEs’ subsidiary performance.

This study aims to examine the risk-resistant role of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in the capital market, focusing on an organizational standpoint. Furthermore, it aims to offer management decision advice to companies seeking protection against stock market risks. Conclusions obtained through this research have the potential to enrich the economic consequences of ESG performance, provide practical implications for enhancing corporate ESG performance, improving corporate information quality and stabilizing capital market development.

Based on the data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2009 to 2020, this study examines the risk-resistant function of ESG performance in the capital market. The impact of ESG performance on management behavior is analyzed from the perspective of organizational management and the three mechanisms of pre-event, during the event and post-event.

This paper demonstrates that companies that effectively implement ESG practices are capable of effectively mitigating risks associated with stock price crashes. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the inhibitory effect of ESG performance on stock price crash risk is more pronounced in nonstate-owned enterprises and enterprises with higher levels of marketization. After controlling for issues such as endogeneity, the conclusions of this paper are still valid. The mechanism analysis indicates that ESG performance reduces the risk of stock price crash through three paths of organizational management: pre-event, during the event and post-event. That is, ESG performance plays the role of restraining managers’ opportunistic behavior, reducing information asymmetry and boosting investor sentiment.

This paper provides new insights into the relationship between ESG performance and stock price crash risk from an organizational management perspective. This study establishes three impact mechanisms (governance effect, information effect and insurance effect), offering a theoretical basis for strategic corporate decisions of risk management. Additionally, it comprehensively examines the contextual differences in the role of ESG performance, shedding light on the specific domains where ESG practices are influential. These findings offer valuable insights for promoting stable development in the capital market and fostering the healthy growth of the real economy.

Based on cognitive evaluation theory and gamification affordances, this study aims to understand how gamification affordances influence users’ intention to engage in sustainable behaviour and how new trends in Ant Forest influence its impact on green intrinsic motivation to support sustainable behaviours.

The authors developed a research model to explore the mechanisms underlying gamification affordances, psychological needs and green intrinsic motivation. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to assess the survey data (n = 393) and test the research model.

The results show that different gamification affordances can satisfy users’ needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, which positively influences their green intrinsic motivation and engagement in sustainable behaviours. However, some affordances, such as competition, might negatively impact these psychological needs.

This research updates information system research on environmental sustainability and the Ant Forest context. The authors provide a new framework that links gamification affordances, psychological needs and sustainable behaviour. The study also examines changing trends in Ant Forest and their implications.

This paper aims to examine how channel whistleblowing intensity affects a distributor’s compliance to the manufacturer’s request and how that impact is influenced by institutional environments.

Based on paired survey data, which was collected from an automobile manufacturer in China and its 211 distributors, combined with secondary data, this study used hierarchical regression analyses to test the hypotheses.

The study finds that channel whistleblowing intensity has an inverted U-shaped effect on distributor compliance. In addition, this curvilinear effect is stronger in regions with more effective legal systems and higher social trust, but the authors do not find perceived vertical control moderating the effect of whistleblowing intensity on distributor compliance.

First, this study enriches the marketing literature by highlighting the significance of whistleblowing and especially its downside in marketing channel management. Second, moving beyond prior marketing studies’ focus on bilateral controls, it recognizes channel whistleblowing as a peer-enforced control mechanism. Third, it identifies environmental factors as shift parameters that alter the impact of channel whistleblowing, attesting to the importance of “discriminating alignment.”

The findings caution channel managers against the double-edged effects of whistleblowing and inform the conditions that amplify this impact.

This work highlights the bright and dark sides of channel whistleblowing and uncovers situations in which it works or fails to promote distributor compliance.

This study examined how social network influences maintenance of the indigenous language of the Kejaman, a small indigenous group living in Sarawak, Malaysia.

The participants were 123 Kejaman speakers from three generations living in two longhouses in Belaga, Sarawak. Participants were presented with 20 situations relevant to the lives of Kejaman people to find out the people they interact with.

The grandparents, parents and children’s generations all had more exchange networks (M = 131.7) than interactive networks (M = 110.3). They consulted kin on matters related to family, money, culture, death and taboos, providing the avenue for the use of the Kejaman language. Generation 2 had more interactive networks and Generation 3 consulted non-kin on more matters, and the communication takes place in languages other than Kejaman. Chi-Square tests of independence showed no significant differences in the number of exchange and interactive networks across generations. The three generations were not significantly different in uniplexity (M = 29.5%) and multiplexity scores (M = 20.6%). The Kejamans belong to a low-density, uniplex social network community.

There is a limitation in using social network analysis as a reliable predictor of future language use. This is because social networks are not fixed. They can expand, shrink and change over lifetime, and the fact that the generation of children does not talk about family matters in their mother tongue does not mean that they will not do so in future.

As interactive networks comprise non-Kejaman people, there will be inadequate close ethnic ties to support transmission and maintenance of Kejaman linguistic and cultural norms. Therefore, their language fluency may decline to the extent that they experience language anxiety and feel uncomfortable using it.

The quantity and quality of interactive networks for the Kejaman are not conducive for upward mobility. What this means in the sociopolitical context of Sarawak is that, this small indigenous group is still family-centred and does not have adequate social contacts in the wider society, indicating lack of social standing.

The study suggests that in future the Kejaman will rely on interactive networks to talk about life-choices, and the lessened contact with Kejaman people will affect maintenance of Kejaman linguistic and cultural norms.

There is currently a gap in the research regarding the effect of corporate culture on corporate innovation capability. Based on cultural hierarchy theory, in this paper, we explore the interactions between cultural factors and innovation capability in emerging market firms (EMFs). We discuss the mechanisms by which incentive, institutional, and vibrant corporate cultures influence corporate innovation capability. Furthermore, we consider the transformation of artificial general intelligence (AGI) from a tool into a colleague and how this affects the relationship between corporate culture and innovation capability.

An online questionnaire was distributed to corporate employees to explore their attitudes towards AGI and corporate culture. In total, 523 valid questionnaires were empirically analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling and multigroup analysis (MGA).

The results showed that incentive culture, institutional culture, and vibrant culture had a positive impact on corporate innovation capability. MGA revealed significant differences between employees who considered AGI a tool and those who considered it a colleague. Employees who treated AGI as a colleague were likely to be influenced by a vibrant culture, whereas employees who treated AGI as a tool were likely to be influenced by an incentive or institutional culture.

Building on cultural hierarchy theory, our study provides a new theoretical framework to enrich current research on the relationship between corporate culture and AGI. The study can help EMF managers adjust incentive and institutional cultures before AGI shifts from being a tool to a colleague and negatively impacts innovation capacity.

In an era marked by growing environmental concerns, businesses are increasingly recognizing the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in influencing customer behavior, particularly in the context of sustainability and green practices. This paper aims to examine the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on Customer Green Behavior (CGB) through the mediating role of corporate image, service quality, customer trust and customer satisfaction.

A convenient sampling technique was employed to collect the data sample. A total of 741 questionnaires were distributed across four different hotel sectors in China. By using Structural Equation Modeling, the results suggest that CSR significantly influences CGB. Moreover, corporate image, service quality, customer trust and customer satisfaction show a partial mediating effect in the relationship between CSR and CGB.

The study findings suggest that the hotel industry should invest in CSR initiatives to enhance CGB by conducting pro-environmental activities. This study emphasizes how important CSR initiatives are in encouraging customers to adopt eco-friendly behavior. Overall, the results of this study extend the understanding of CSR, CGB, corporate image, service quality, customer trust and customer satisfaction in the context of the hotel industry and offer theoretical and managerial implications for developing and developed economies.

The originality value of this research lies in its comprehensive examination of the mediating effects of corporate image, service quality, customer trust and customer satisfaction on the relationship between CSR and CGB in the hotel industry. Furthermore, the study’s focus on the specific context of China adds novel insights to the existing literature on CSR and CGB. Discussions, limitations and research suggestions for future study are also provided.

This study mainly focused on the long-term effect of different risk exposure levels and prior anti-epidemic experience of healthcare workers in mitigating COVID-19 on their work stress in the post-COVID era.

The study sample included 359 physicians, 619 nurses, 229 technicians and 212 administrators, for a total of 1,419 healthcare workers working in the Lanzhou area during the investigation. Data were analyzed by multivariate regression models.

Our findings indicated that the interaction between pandemic effect mitigation experience and high-risk exposure significantly affected healthcare workers in the post-COVID era by increasing their work stress (p < 0.001) and reducing their rest time (p < 0.001). Healthcare workers may have experienced worse outcomes in the long term if they had higher levels of risk exposure and more experience in fighting epidemics. Furthermore, poor mental health (p < 0.001) and prior experience with SARS (p < 0.001) further amplified these adverse effects. However, surprisingly, we did not observe any effect of prior anti-epidemic experience or high-risk exposure on the mental health of healthcare workers in the post-COVID era (p > 0.1).

The adverse impact of COVID-19 may have left long-lasting effects on Health professionals (HPs), particularly those with high Risk exposure (RE) and more mitigation experience. Poor Mental health (MH) and previous experience in mitigating previous similar outbreaks (such as SARS) are risk factors that should be considered. Support programs must be designed and promoted to help HPs respond and improve their performance.

Our study presents compelling evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic will have long-term detrimental effects on the work stress of healthcare workers.