Peng Luo, Eric W.T. Ngai and T.C. Edwin Cheng
This paper examines the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance and the moderating role of international relations. In this study…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance and the moderating role of international relations. In this study, which is grounded in social capital theory and applies the perspective of systemic risk, the authors theorize the effects of supply chain network structures on firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors extracted data from two Chinese databases and constructed a supply chain network of the firms concerned based on nearly 4,300 supply chain relations between 2009 and 2018. The authors adopted the fixed effects model to investigate the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance.
Findings
The econometrics results indicate that network structures, including the degree, centrality, clustering coefficients and structural holes, are significantly related to firm financial performance. A significant and negative relationship exists between international relations and firm financial performance. The authors also find that international relations strongly weaken the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance.
Originality/value
This study, which collects secondary data from developing countries (e.g. China) and explores the impacts of supply chain network structures on firm stock performance, contributes to the existing literature and provides practical implications.
Details
Keywords
Fan-Chen Tseng, Pei-Hsun Emma Liu, T.C. Edwin Cheng and Ching-I Teng
This study intended to identify and categorize the drivers of using online English learning resources (OELR) and to understand OELR's impacts.
Abstract
Purpose
This study intended to identify and categorize the drivers of using online English learning resources (OELR) and to understand OELR's impacts.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted an online survey, obtained complete responses from 157 OELR users and used structural equation modeling (SEM) for hypothesis testing.
Findings
Most utilitarian and hedonic drivers lead to positive perceptions of OELR, which in turn positively contribute to continuance intention (CI). Two counterintuitive findings were obtained. First, functionality was negatively related to the perception of ease of use. Second, perceived ease of use (PEOU) was not related to CI to use OELR.
Practical implications
This study has implications as follows: (1) complexity of the functions of OELR may deter rather than attract users, (2) ease of use of OELR is not directly positively related to CIs and (3) users may seek practical benefits (utilitarian) and experiential learning processes (hedonic) when using OELR.
Originality/value
The authors' study has theoretical significance by being the first to caution that excessive functionality or complexity in assisting learning tools would likely hinder further use of OELR. The practical significance of this finding is that the finding highlights two factors (perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived enjoyment) that could effectively increase OELR use.
Details
Keywords
Ying Zhang, Yuran Li, Mark Frost, Shiyu Rong, Rong Jiang and Edwin T.C. Cheng
This paper aims to examine the critical role played by cultural flow in fostering successful expatriate cross-border transitions.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the critical role played by cultural flow in fostering successful expatriate cross-border transitions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors develop and test a model on the interplay among cultural intelligence, organizational position level, cultural flow direction and expatriate adaptation, using a data set of 387 expatriate on cross-border transitions along the Belt & Road area.
Findings
The authors find that both organizational position level and cultural flow moderate the relationship between cultural intelligence and expatriate adaptation, whereby the relationship is contingent on the interaction of organizational position status and assignment directions between high power distance and low power distance host environments.
Originality/value
Previous research has shown that higher levels of cultural intelligence are positively related to better expatriate adaptation. However, there is a lack of research on the effect of position difference and cultural flow on such relationship. Our study is among the first to examine how the interaction between cultural flow and organizational position level influences the cultural intelligence (CI) and cultural adjustment relationship in cross-cultural transitions.
Details
Keywords
Dijoy Johny, Sidhartha S. Padhi and T.C.E. Cheng
The purpose of this research is to address the challenges of selecting optimal drones for disaster response operations under uncertainties. Traditional static (deterministic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to address the challenges of selecting optimal drones for disaster response operations under uncertainties. Traditional static (deterministic) models often fail to capture the complexities and uncertainties of disaster scenarios. This study aims to develop a more resilient and adaptable decision-making framework by integrating the best-worst method (BWM) with stratified multi-criteria decision-making (SMCDM), focusing on various uncertainty scenarios such as weather conditions, communication challenges and navigation and control issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology involves identifying seven essential criteria for drone evaluation, guided by contingency theory. The BWM derives optimal weights for each criterion by comparing the best and worst alternatives. The SMCDM incorporates different uncertainty scenarios into the decision-making process. Sensitivity analysis assesses the robustness of decisions under various criterion weightings and operational scenarios. This integrated approach is demonstrated through a practical application to the Kerala flood scenario.
Findings
The integrated stratified BWM method proves to be highly effective in adapting to different uncertainty scenarios, enabling decision-makers to consistently identify the optimal drone for disaster response. The method’s ability to account for uncertain conditions such as weather, communication challenges and navigation issues ensures that the optimal drone is selected based on the situation at hand.
Research limitations/implications
The methodology fills critical gaps in the literature by offering a comprehensive model that incorporates various scenarios and criteria for optimal drone selection. However, there are certain limitations. The reliance on expert opinions for criterion weightings introduces subjectivity, potentially affecting the generalizability of the results. In addition, the study’s focus on a single case, the Kerala floods, limits its applicability to other geographic contexts. Integrating real-time data analytics into the decision-making process could also enhance the model’s adaptability to evolving conditions and improve its practical relevance.
Practical implications
This research offers a practical, adaptable framework for selecting optimal drones in disaster scenarios. By integrating BWM with SMCDM, the methodology ensures decision-makers can account for real-time uncertainties, such as weather or communication disruptions, to make more informed choices. This leads to better resource allocation and more efficient disaster response operations, ultimately enhancing the speed and effectiveness of relief efforts in various contexts. The method’s ability to adjust based on scenario-specific factors ensures that drones are optimally deployed according to the unique demands of each disaster.
Social implications
By incorporating SMCDM, the proposed methodology assists decision-makers in appropriately choosing drones based on their characteristics crucial for specific scenarios, thereby enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of relief operations.
Originality/value
This study presents a unique integration of the BWM with SMCDM, creating a dynamic framework for drone selection that addresses the challenges posed by uncertain disaster environments. Unlike traditional methods, this approach allows decision-makers to adjust criteria based on evolving disaster conditions, resulting in more reliable and responsive drone deployment. The method bridges the gap in existing literature by offering a comprehensive tool for disaster response, providing new insights and practical applications for optimizing drone operations in complex, real-world scenarios.
Details
Keywords
Adegoke Oke, Daniel Prajogo, Moronke Idiagbon-Oke and T.C. Edwin Cheng
This study seeks to understand how regulatory and competitive forces impact firms' actions and innovation performance. The study investigates how firms strategize internally and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to understand how regulatory and competitive forces impact firms' actions and innovation performance. The study investigates how firms strategize internally and externally to address regulatory and competitive forces, and how such actions influence firms' innovation performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected via a survey of 217 managers of business organizations in Nigeria.
Findings
Regulatory forces have a positive relationship with both absorptive capacity (AC) and information sharing (IS). Competitive forces, on the other hand, only have a negative relationship with IS but not with AC. AC has a positive relationship with innovation performance, while IS, surprisingly, does not have a positive relationship with innovation performance.
Originality/value
The study contributes to knowledge by empirically validating the relationships between environmental forces and innovation performance; more importantly, the study uncovers the underlying factors, i.e. IS and AC that link environmental forces and firms' innovation performance.
Details
Keywords
Yefei Yang, Antonio K.W. Lau, Peter K.C. Lee, Andy C.L. Yeung and T.C. Edwin Cheng
The Chinese Government encourages firms to diffuse their operational-level environmental management (EM) into their organization’s mission and strategy to develop strategic EM to…
Abstract
Purpose
The Chinese Government encourages firms to diffuse their operational-level environmental management (EM) into their organization’s mission and strategy to develop strategic EM to promote sustainable development. The purpose of this paper is to utilize two concepts of institutional theory (isomorphic pressures and decoupling behavior) to assess how different institutional forces arising from Chinese macro-level factors (market pressure, business turbulence, legal voids, carbon policy, structural-level governmental interference and guanxi with government) influence the efficacy of strategic EM.
Design/methodology/approach
In partnership with a major consulting firm in China, the authors collect multi-informant survey data from 183 manufacturing firms drawn from a variety of industries for testing the hypotheses posited.
Findings
The efficacy of strategic EM in the sampled firms is confirmed by the positive association with environmental performance. The authors also find that the efficacy of strategic EM is weakened by market pressure, business turbulence and legal voids, whereas it is strengthened by structural-level governmental interference. However, carbon policy and guanxi with government do not impact it significantly.
Research limitations/implications
To extend the findings on the environmental importance of strategic EM, future research can develop and validate a management framework to guide the adoption of strategic EM. With regard to the four valid macro-level factors influencing the efficacy of strategic EM, future research can identify the reasons (e.g. conflict with corporate functions) behind them to aid manufacturers to mitigate their negative influence or enhance the positive influence on strategic EM.
Social implications
China’s Government and its manufacturers (or those sharing a similar institutional environment) can expand the scope of their EM efforts from operational-level EM practices to strategic EM. The findings on the valid macro-level factors have led to practical suggestions for government bodies and manufacturers to improve the efficacy of strategic EM adoption. Overall, the implications help achieve the higher levels of firm-level environmental performance and alleviate the global pollution problem.
Originality/value
A particular value of this work lies in the demonstration of combining institutional theory (organization decoupling, isomorphic pressures) with practical consideration such as guanxi with government in the particular institutional environment of China to help address an important and context-related problem, environmental performance.
Details
Keywords
Abstract
Details
Keywords
Fuyong Lin and T.C. Edwin Cheng
Based on several new concepts, this paper mathematically deduces a new model of general systems, namely, the structural model of general systems. By its mathematical analysis, the…
Abstract
Based on several new concepts, this paper mathematically deduces a new model of general systems, namely, the structural model of general systems. By its mathematical analysis, the principles and laws of general systems can be mathematically achieved, which can not only help scientists achieve a better understanding and control of complex systems in nature and society but also be applied to solve particular scientific problems, and thus a problem‐oriented and mathematically expressed general systems theory, namely, the structural theory of general systems, would be achieved.
Details
Keywords
Varimna Singh, Preyal Sanghavi and Nishant Agrawal
Industry 4.0 (I4.0), the Fourth Industrial Revolution, integrates Big Data analytics, blockchain, cloud computing, digitisation and the Internet of Things to enhance supply chain…
Abstract
Industry 4.0 (I4.0), the Fourth Industrial Revolution, integrates Big Data analytics, blockchain, cloud computing, digitisation and the Internet of Things to enhance supply chain (SC) activities and achieve sustainable growth through dynamic capabilities (DCs). This approach equips businesses with the necessary tools to optimise their operations and remain competitive in a dynamic business environment. The value proposition of a business encompasses a wide range of activities that add value at each stage. By leveraging DCs, a firm can achieve innovation, gain a competitive advantage and enhance its adaptability. Conversely, effective value chain management can amplify the influence of a firm's DCs on SC sustainability, by reducing waste, optimising resource utilisation and fostering strategic partnerships. This mutually beneficial connection takes the form of a dynamic interaction in which I4.0 technologies act as a catalyst to help organisations become more resilient, adaptive and responsive. The adoption of these technologies denotes a comprehensive approach to business shift, not merely technical integration. I4.0 has an impact on several organisational disciplines outside of manufacturing, from automation and efficiency advantages to quality enhancements. This chapter offers an extensive literature review to explore the level of SC sustainability that a business can achieve by combining its DCs and implementing strategic I4.0 adoption. The function of value chain management in moderating the effects of I4.0 and DCs on SC sustainability is also assessed. This study proposes a theoretical model that is grounded in the insights extracted from the literature review.
Details
Keywords
Rohit Kumar Singh and Sachin Modgil
The main aim of this study is to explore the relationship between information system flexibility and dynamic capabilities to build sustainable and net zero supply chains under the…
Abstract
Purpose
The main aim of this study is to explore the relationship between information system flexibility and dynamic capabilities to build sustainable and net zero supply chains under the influence of environmental dynamism.
Design/methodology/approach
We have formulated a self-administered survey, with 359 participants contributing responses. Prior to delving into foundational assumptions, such as homoscedasticity and normality, a nonresponse bias analysis was executed. The integrity of the data, in terms of reliability and construct validity, was gauged using confirmatory factor analysis. Subsequent regression outputs corroborated all the proposed assumptions, fortifying the extant scholarly literature.
Findings
The empirical findings of this research underscore a positive correlation between Information system flexibility, dynamic capabilities and a net zero supply chain, especially in the context of environmental dynamism. Data sourced from the cement manufacturing sector support these observations. We also found that environmental dynamism moderates the relationship between data analytics capability and sustainable supply chain flexibility but does not moderate the relationship between Resource flexibility and sustainable supply chain flexibility. Additionally, this research strengthens the foundational principles of the dynamic capability theory.
Originality/value
The conceptual framework elucidates the interplay between information system flexibility, dynamic capabilities, and sustainable supply chain flexibility, emphasizing their collective contribution towards achieving sustainable chain net zero, introducing environmental dynamics as a moderating variable that augments the scholarly discourse with a nuanced layer of analytical depth.