Jianli Cong, Hang Zhang, Zilong Wei, Fei Yang, Zaitian Ke, Tao Lu, Rong Chen, Ping Wang and Zili Li
This study aimed to facilitate a rapid evaluation of track service status and vehicle ride comfort based on car body acceleration. Consequently, a low-cost, data-driven approach…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to facilitate a rapid evaluation of track service status and vehicle ride comfort based on car body acceleration. Consequently, a low-cost, data-driven approach was proposed for analyzing speed-related acceleration limits in metro systems.
Design/methodology/approach
A portable sensing terminal was developed to realize easy and efficient detection of car body acceleration. Further, field measurements were performed on a 51.95-km metro line. Data from 272 metro sections were tested as a case study, and a quantile regression method was proposed to fit the control limits of the car body acceleration at different speeds using the measured data.
Findings
First, the frequency statistics of the measured data in the speed-acceleration dimension indicated that the car body acceleration was primarily concentrated within the constant speed stage, particularly at speeds of 15.4, 18.3, and 20.9 m/s. Second, resampling was performed according to the probability density distribution of car body acceleration for different speed domains to achieve data balance. Finally, combined with the traditional linear relationship between speed and acceleration, the statistical relationships between the speed and car body acceleration under different quantiles were determined. We concluded the lateral/vertical quantiles of 0.8989/0.9895, 0.9942/0.997, and 0.9998/0.993 as being excellent, good, and qualified control limits, respectively, for the lateral and vertical acceleration of the car body. In addition, regression lines for the speed-related acceleration limits at other quantiles (0.5, 0.75, 2s, and 3s) were obtained.
Originality/value
The proposed method is expected to serve as a reference for further studies on speed-related acceleration limits in rail transit systems.
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Ruochen Zeng, Jonathan J.S. Shi, Chao Wang and Tao Lu
As laser scanning technology becomes readily available and affordable, there is an increasing demand of using point cloud data collected from a laser scanner to create as-built…
Abstract
Purpose
As laser scanning technology becomes readily available and affordable, there is an increasing demand of using point cloud data collected from a laser scanner to create as-built building information modeling (BIM) models for quality assessment, schedule control and energy performance within construction projects. To enhance the as-built modeling efficiency, this study explores an integrated system, called Auto-Scan-To-BIM (ASTB), with an aim to automatically generate a complete Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) model consisted of the 3D building elements for the given building based on its point cloud without requiring additional modeling tools.
Design/methodology/approach
ASTB has been developed with three function modules. Taking the scanned point data as input, Module 1 is built on the basis of the widely used region segmentation methodology and expanded with enhanced plane boundary line detection methods and corner recalibration algorithms. Then, Module 2 is developed with a domain knowledge-based heuristic method to analyze the features of the recognized planes, to associate them with corresponding building elements and to create BIM models. Based on the spatial relationships between these building elements, Module 3 generates a complete IFC model for the entire project compatible with any BIM software.
Findings
A case study validated the ASTB with an application with five common types of building elements (e.g. wall, floor, ceiling, window and door).
Originality/value
First, an integrated system, ASTB, is developed to generate a BIM model from scanned point cloud data without using additional modeling tools. Second, an enhanced plane boundary line detection method and a corner recalibration algorithm are developed in ASTB with high accuracy in obtaining the true surface planes. At last, the research contributes to develop a module, which can automatically convert the identified building elements into an IFC format based on the geometry and spatial relationships of each plan.
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Jiejie Lyu, Deborah Shepherd and Kerry Lee
Student entrepreneurs account for a considerable number of start-up ventures derived from university settings. Nevertheless, there is little research that demonstrates how…
Abstract
Student entrepreneurs account for a considerable number of start-up ventures derived from university settings. Nevertheless, there is little research that demonstrates how university entrepreneurship education (EE) directly influences students’ start-up activities. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of various types of university entrepreneurship activities (incorporate entrepreneurial courses, extra-curricular initiatives, and start-up support) on student start-up behavior. This quantitative research utilized questionnaire data collected from university students (n = 1,820) in southeast China and was analyzed with hierarchical Poisson regression in STATA procedures. Research results indicate that engaging in any type of university entrepreneurship activities positively predicts students’ start-up activities, yet this positive effect is contingent on students’ prior start-up experience and the overall university entrepreneurial climate. These findings advance our understanding of crucial elements within university entrepreneurial ecosystems and how various entrepreneurship activities within these ecosystems potentially impact students’ venture creation.
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Weihao Li, Ying Chen and J. Ryan Lamare
This chapter aims to answer whether foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) operating within the Chinese context differ from indigenous firms on several essential labor…
Abstract
This chapter aims to answer whether foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) operating within the Chinese context differ from indigenous firms on several essential labor standards indicators: white- and blue-collar salaries, pension insurance, and working hours. In drawing upon neo-institutional and organizational imprinting theories and applying these to the Chinese context, the study addresses competing arguments regarding the expected effects of ownership type on these indicators. We employ seemingly unrelated regressions (SURs) to empirically examine a novel national survey of 1,268 firms in 12 Chinese cities. The regression results show that foreign MNCs do not provide uniquely beneficial labor practice packages to workers when compared with various indigenous firm types, including state-owned enterprises (SOEs), affiliate businesses of Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and domestic private enterprises (DPEs). Specifically, although MNCs provide relatively higher wage rates, they underperform relative to SOEs concerning social insurance. However, DPEs consistently underperform relative to MNCs across most indicators. The mixture of the results contributes important nuances to the application of neo-institutional and organizational imprinting theories to the Chinese context.
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Abstract
Purpose
The goal of this paper is to investigate the relationship between government control and firm value in China.
Design/methodology/approach
Government might extract social or political benefits from a state-controlled firm, thus decreases firm value. However, government’s monitoring on firm management reduces managers’ agency problem, which increases firm value. We first build a game-theoretic model to prove the existence of optimal government control given these two roles of government, and we then employ the OLS regression method to test the theory predictions using the length of intermediate ownership chains connecting the listed state-owned enterprises to their ultimate controllers as the measure of government control.
Findings
We find that firm values first increase then decrease as government control weakens. Moreover, we find that government usually retains a stronger control over state-owned enterprises than the optimal level. In addition, we show that government control can be further weakened in firms with good corporate governance mechanisms, which serve as a substitution of government monitoring.
Social implications
Our results demonstrate that government control in China is still a necessary but costly mechanism to mitigate agency costs, especially when corporate governance system is underdeveloped.
Originality/value
We identify the substitution effect between government control and corporate governance using a unique measure of government control.
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The spatial concentration of the manufacturing employment and production is the general feature in all the economy. Indian economy is not an exception from this scenario. The…
Abstract
The spatial concentration of the manufacturing employment and production is the general feature in all the economy. Indian economy is not an exception from this scenario. The spatial pattern of Indian manufacturing sector reports a significant regional disparity. Since manufacturing is becoming more vital in the Indian economy, it is essential to understand the spatial distribution of the manufacturing sector. This chapter provides a detailed picture of India’s spatial distribution pattern in formal and informal manufacturing sectors. Using the well-known Ellison–Glaeser index, we measure the industrial agglomeration for all National Industry Classification (NIC) three-digit industries and further incorporate statewise manufacturing activity distribution. From the analysis, it is evident that there is a substantial regional concentration of manufacturing activity; however, the recent regional distribution pattern also depicts some signs of industrial dispersion.
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As the developing nations grow and experience rapid institutional transformation, research has begun to investigate the roles of culture, cognition and institutional context on…
Abstract
As the developing nations grow and experience rapid institutional transformation, research has begun to investigate the roles of culture, cognition and institutional context on entrepreneurship and innovation. This chapter aims to advance the entrepreneurial cognition literature by juxtaposing entrepreneurial effectuation, domain-specific expertise and ambiguity. By conducting a qualitative study of Chinese high-tech domestic and returnee entrepreneurs, the authors propose a spectrum between causation and effectuation and argue that the entrepreneur’s perceived level of ambiguity may better explain differing logic orientations among entrepreneurs, contributing to our understanding of entrepreneurial cognition. The authors theorize that (1) individual actors and the level of institutional development jointly comprise the entrepreneur’s logic orientation; (2) the level of perceived ambiguity mediates the strategy adopted by high-tech entrepreneurs; (3) the entrepreneur’s logic orientation can be regarded as a continual spectrum from effectuation to causation. Finally, the logic orientation concept is applied to the context of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) from a process perspective and the implications and fit of logic orientation with the stages of cross-border M&A are discussed.
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Zheng Shen, Derek S. Brown and Kang Yu
Off-farm employment is an important factor associated with fertility transition in many developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of female…
Abstract
Purpose
Off-farm employment is an important factor associated with fertility transition in many developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of female off-farm employment on their fertility desire in rural China.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey, the authors adopt an instrumental variable approach to address the endogeneity issue. Desired number of children and desire for a second child are used to measure fertility desire.
Findings
The results show that off-farm employment participation significantly reduces women's desired number of children and the likelihood of their desire for a second child. Moreover, off-farm employment reduces women's fertility desire mainly through pathways including the weakening of son preference and a decrease in job autonomy, rather than the changes in leisure hours. Further evidence suggests that social health insurance plays an important role in moderating the adverse relationship between off-farm employment and the desire for a second child. The fertility-reducing effects are more pronounced among younger women, among those participating in off-farm wage employment and among families with only wives' participation in the off-farm labor market.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the existing research by investigating the causal impact of off-farm employment on fertility desire in a rural developing context and the possible underlying mechanisms responsible for this relationship. This study provides important insights on this topic in developing countries and may have important implications for theory and practice.
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In his autobiography, Chen Shui-bian (1999, p. 40) condemned the Koumintang's (KMT's) corruption and praised the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for being free from money…
Abstract
In his autobiography, Chen Shui-bian (1999, p. 40) condemned the Koumintang's (KMT's) corruption and praised the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for being free from money politics and corruption. The DPP fought the 1992 Legislative Yuan election campaign effectively on an anticorruption platform and used the same strategy in subsequent elections. If Chen Shui-bian had criticized the KMT for its involvement with “black gold” politics and had won the 2000 presidential election on his anticorruption platform, why was he and his family found guilty of corruption after his second term of office? The short answer is that even though he had promised to curb corruption, President Chen himself had succumbed to corruption after assuming office. In June 2002, Keesing's Contemporary Archives cited a poll in Taiwan that indicated that more respondents had perceived the DPP to be more corrupt than the KMT (Copper, 2006, p. 14).