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This research aims to analyzes how megaproject top managers engaged in stewardship behaviors. Studying megaprojects from the micro-foundations rooted in individual action and interaction, this research examines the gaps between literature and top managers' positive behavior to challenge the current theoretical underpinnings of megaproject governance research and practice.

An extensive literature review was performed in the initial phase. Then, a case study of South-to-North Water Diversion project was conducted based on following this project and on access to its top executives. Data was collected from multiple sources and analyzed by Nvivo (version 12). Further analysis was then carried out in two stages to identify megaproject stewardship behavior and related governance patterns.

Results show that stewardship behavior is prevalently existing and is possibly to be identified through psychological, situational, relational dimensions. Also, 16 factors have been found to describe the precise nature of megaproject stewardship behavior. Further explorative findings were discussed from three perspectives: possible theoretical development, self-actualization motivation and temporalities of megaprojects.

Building upon the ideas on how to extend steward theory towards project field, this research conducts a first exploration of stewardship behavior in megaprojects. This study contributes to complement the research into top-level organizational behavior in megaprojects, and it provides helpful implications for how to govern top managers in the following megaprojects with the cooperative spirit that can be valued by megaproject stakeholders.

This paper aims to study the evolution of innovation-based dynamic capabilities in informal copycat-style firms. As a kind of informal economical organizations, copycat-style firms in many emerging economies play an important role in their development of the economics. The development of Shanzhai firms, Chinese-style copycat firms, from imitation to innovation has become an important micro-foundation of China’s economic growth and the manufacturing development. With the cluster development of the Chinese mobile phone industry as the macro and industrial environment background, this paper chose Beijing Tianyu Communication Equipment Co. Ltd as the typical example of innovation in Shanzhai firms and studied the evolution of innovation-based dynamic capabilities in this company.

This paper chose Beijing Tianyu Communication Equipment Co. Ltd as the typical example of innovation in Shanzhai firms and studied the evolution of innovation-based dynamic capabilities in this company by adopting the leading-edge dynamic capability theory, innovation theory and industrial cluster theory. The authors further discussed how to improve the dynamic capabilities in Shanzhai firms in China.

It is finally suggested that Shanzhai firms should reduce innovation failures and lower damage degree of dynamic capabilities through consistent innovation and paying attention to their innovation improvement.

It will be very significant to research the survival or diminishing of Shanzhai firms from a theoretical perspective, which will eventually enhance property right protection and innovation development in China.

The purpose of this study is to answer whether and how supervisor–subordinate instrumental or expressive ties based on enterprise social media (ESM) might enhance employee performance.

Drawing on social exchange theory, this study developed a theoretical model to explore the influencing mechanism of different supervisor–subordinate ties based on ESM on employee job performance. The model was empirically tested through 219 ESM users.

The results revealed that supervisor–subordinate instrumental ties based on ESM play a positive role in employee job performance, while supervisor–subordinate expressive ties based on ESM are not significantly related to employee job performance. Supervisor–subordinate instrumental ties and expressive ties based on ESM can positively influence employee job performance through the mediating effect of organizational trust. Besides, perceived performance climate can weaken the relation of organizational trust to job performance, and then weaken the indirect relations via the mediating of organizational trust.

Our findings advance the understanding of ESM use through various underlying mechanisms and have the potential of guiding organizations to fine-tune their social media usage strategies.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ability of the harmonic balance method for predicting the aerodynamic characteristics of rigid finned spinning vehicle.

The aerodynamic characteristics of a rigid four-finned spinning vehicle at Mach number 2.5 and angle of attack of 20 degrees are simulated using the harmonic balance method and the unsteady time-accurate approach based on the dual-time method. The numerical results are analyzed, and the computed aerodynamic coefficients of the harmonic balance method are compared with those of the dual-time method. The influence of the number of harmonics is presented. The computed Magnus force and moment coefficients are compared with the experimental data. The flow fields at different roll angles are presented. The computational efficiency of harmonic balance method is analyzed.

The results show that the aerodynamic coefficients of spinning vehicle could be predicted by the harmonic balance method with reasonable accuracy compared with the dual-time method. For the harmonic balance method, the accuracy of the computed leeward side flow is relatively poor compared with that of the computed windward side flow. Meanwhile, the computational efficiency is influenced by initial guess and the intensity of unsteady effect.

The harmonic balance method could be used for the aerodynamic prediction of spinning vehicle, which may improve the efficiency of vehicle design.

This paper presents the results of the harmonic balance method for simulating the aerodynamic characteristics of finned spinning vehicle. The accuracy and efficiency of the method are analyzed.

The purpose of this study is to reveal the underlying mechanism in film formation of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion.

This study focuses on the film forming characteristics of O/W emulsion between the surface of a steel ball and a glass disc coated with chromium. The lubricant film thicknesses of O/W emulsion with various mechanical stirring strength were discussed, which were observed by technique of relative optical interference intensity.

The authors directly observed the oil pool in the contact area, finding the size of oil pool was closely related to the film-forming ability of emulsion. Enrichment phenomenon occurs in oil pool, which was caused by phase inversion. Further investigations revealed that the emulsion is stable with strong stirring strength, resulting in a smaller oil pool size and worse film forming ability.

With the wide usage of O/W emulsion in both biological and industrial systems, the ability of emulsion film formation is considered as an important factor to evaluate the lubrication effectiveness.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-12-2022-0354/

This study aims to investigate the effect of the reference quality on the optimal production strategy of a component manufacturer (CM), which mainly concerns whether to sell its high quality self-branded products and whether to supply critical components to a competitive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) who produces low quality products.

The study considers a supply chain comprising an OEM, a CM and a third-party component manufacturer (TCM), who produces components with uncertain quality. The OEM selects a supplier between the CM and the TCM to produce products. Anticipating the OEM’s supplier selection, the CM chooses among three alternative production strategies. For each alternative strategy of the CM, the authors derive the equilibrium solutions between the OEM and the CM with or without the reference quality effect. Then, the authors obtain the effect of the reference quality on the CM by comparing the CM’s optimal strategy between the two situations.

First, the reference quality has opposite effects on the CM’s production strategy depending on the competition results. A high reference quality effect motivates the CM to solely sell the self-branded products if the OEM can always enter the final product market when purchasing from the TCM, and to sell both self-branded products and components if the OEM cannot enter the market when using the TCM’s low quality components. Second, the reference quality effect motivates the OEM to accept a higher wholesale price from the CM. Third, the reference quality effect can make the CM benefit from a more stable TCM in competition.

This paper first considers the impact of the reference quality effect on the CM’s production strategy. By considering consumers’ behavior in a co-opetitive supply chain, this paper contributes to both literature and practice.

This study aims to evaluate Artificial Intelligence (AI) research in the hospitality industry based on the service AI framework (mechanical-thinking-feeling) and highlight prospective avenues for future inquiry in this growing domain.

This paper conceptualizes timely concepts supported by research spanning multiple domains.

This research introduces a novel classification for the domain of AI hospitality research. This classification encompasses prediction and pattern recognition, computer vision, NLP, behavioral research, and synthetic data generation. Based on this classification, this study identifies and elaborates upon five emerging research topics, each linked to a corresponding set of research questions. These focal points encompass the realms of interpretable AI, controllable AI, AI ethics, collaborative AI, and synthetic data generation.

This viewpoint provides a foundational framework and a directional compass for future research in AI within the hospitality industry. It pushes the industry forward with a balanced approach to leveraging AI to augment human potential and enrich customer experiences. Both the classification and the research agenda would contribute to the body of knowledge that will guide the industry toward a future where technology and human service coalesce to create unparalleled value for all stakeholders.

For an axial-flow compressor rotor, the upstream inflow conditions will vary as the aircraft faces harsh flight conditions (such as taking off, landing or maneuvering) or the whole compressor operates at off-design conditions. With the increase of upstream boundary layer thickness, the rotor blade tip will be loaded and the increased blade load will deteriorate the shock/boundary layer interaction and tip leakage flows, resulting in high aerodynamic losses in the tip region. The purpose of this paper is to achieve a better flow control for tip secondary flows and provide a probable design strategy for high-load compressors to tolerate complex upstream inflow conditions.

This paper presents an analysis and application of shroud wall optimization to a typical transonic axial-flow compressor rotor by considering the inlet boundary layer (IBL). The design variables are selected to shape the shroud wall profile at the tip region with the purpose of controlling the tip leakage loss and the shock/boundary layer interaction loss. The objectives are to improve the compressor efficiency at the inlet-boundary-layer condition while keeping its aerodynamic performance at the uniform condition.

After the optimization of shroud wall contour, aerodynamic benefits are achieved mainly on two aspects. On the one hand, the shroud wall optimization has reduced the intensity of the tip leakage flow and the interaction between the leakage and main flows, thereby decreasing the leakage loss. On the other hand, the optimized shroud design changes the shock structure and redistributes the shock intensity in the spanwise direction, especially weakening the shock near the tip. In this situation, the shock/boundary layer interaction and the associated flow separations and wakes are also eliminated. On the whole, at the inlet-boundary-layer condition, the compressor with optimized shroud design has achieved a 0.8 per cent improvement of peak efficiency over that with baseline shroud design without sacrificing the total pressure ratio. Moreover, the re-designed compressor also maintains the aerodynamic performance at the uniform condition. The results indicate that the shroud wall profile has significant influences on the rotor tip losses and could be properly designed to enhance the compressor aerodynamic performance against the negative impacts of the IBL.

The originality of this paper lies in developing a shroud wall contour optimization design strategy to control the tip leakage loss and the shock/boundary layer interaction loss in a transonic compressor rotor. The obtained results could be beneficial for transonic compressors to tolerate the complex upstream inflow conditions.

The purpose of this study is to identify the motivating factors that influence repeat participation among university student volunteers at a world-renowned food festival. The direct and indirection relationship (through attitude toward volunteering) was tested. Additionally, the moderating role of class standing between student volunteers' motivations, attitudes and repeat volunteer intention was assessed.

Researchers applied a quantitative methodology to data collected after the festival volunteering experience. The research team collected 205 useable surveys from university student volunteers at the Food Network and Cooking Channel South Beach Wine and Food Festival (SOBEWFF®). Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships among volunteer motivations, attitude toward volunteering and intention to continue volunteering. Lastly, a multiple-group analysis was applied to test the moderating role of class standing.

The results showed the motivating factors purposive, personal enrichment and family traditions were significant in predicting attitude toward volunteering. These motivations did not significantly affect intention to continue volunteering; thus researchers found only an indirect relationship (through attitude toward volunteering) between volunteering motivations and intention to continue volunteering. Additionally, a positive attitude toward volunteering resulted in an intention to continue volunteering. Lastly, testing the moderating role of class standing revealed significant results on three pathways, indicating that students are motivated to volunteer differently based upon class standing (freshman through junior vs. senior, graduate).

The data were collected prior to COVID-19, and the ways in which COVID-19 has impacted the events industry and the scape of future events are yet to be determined.

Festival organizers and managers should appeal to different motivations of potential student volunteers depending on their class standing. For example, results of the moderator “class standing” indicated that the relationship between personal enrichment motivation and attitude toward volunteering was strongest and significant among freshmen, sophomores and juniors, but insignificant among seniors and graduate students. Thus, freshmen through juniors are more highly motivated to obtain practical experiences, and this motivation results in a positive attitude toward volunteering.

This study tests the moderating role of class standing to help predict intention to continue volunteering at a special event. The research is further unique by extending an understanding of the validity and reliability of the special events volunteer motivations scale.

Theories are crucial for addressing research questions and advancing the boundaries of knowledge. However, in the field of strategic management, the existence of diverse schools of thought from various disciplines, including economics, politics, and sociology, poses significant challenges for researchers seeking to develop theories for argumentation and theorization. In this study, we have conceptualized a novel approach to selecting an appropriate theory for addressing specific research questions.

Thought experiment, disciplined imagination, and a conceptual examination of a diverse set of theories.

Because the central focus in the field of strategic management revolves around how firms achieve sustainable high performance, a research question should initially clarify the fundamental phenomenological issues it aims to address. Subsequently, the process of problematization should identify the ontological assumptions and premises that establish a connection between the research question and existing theories. Finally, the identification and abstraction of rhetorical concepts derived from these assumptions and premises lead to theory selection criteria, namely connectedness, reliability, parsimoniousness, and falsifiability.

Although we believe that our model for theory selection is generalizable to a wide range of management disciplines, we have primarily focused on its application in the field of strategic management. Future work could validate and further explore the applicability and effectiveness of this model in selecting appropriate theories for conceptual development in other domains.

While many researchers have proposed methods for writing theoretical papers, few have provided suggestions specifically focused on theory selection. This paper stands out as one of the few that not only attempts to address this gap but successfully develops a comprehensive model for theory selection.