Fan Li, Dangui Li, Maarten Voors, Shuyi Feng, Weifeng Zhang and Nico Heerink
Soil nutrient management and fertilizer use by farmers are important for sustainable grain production. The authors examined the effect of an experimental agricultural extension…
Abstract
Purpose
Soil nutrient management and fertilizer use by farmers are important for sustainable grain production. The authors examined the effect of an experimental agricultural extension program, the science and technology backyard, in promoting sustainable soil nutrient management in the North China Plain (NCP). The science and technology backyard integrates farmer field schools, field demonstrations, and case-to-case counselling to promote sustainable farming practices among rural smallholders.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a large-scale household survey of more than 2,000 rural smallholders. The authors used a multivariate regression analysis as the benchmark to assess the effect of the science-and-technology backyard on smallholder soil nutrient management. Furthermore, the authors used coarse exact matching (CEM) methods to control for potential bias due to self-selection and the (endogenous) switching regression approach as the main empirical analysis.
Findings
The results show that the science-and-technology backyard program increased smallholders' wheat yield by approximately 0.23 standard deviation; however, no significant increase in maize yield was observed. Regarding soil nutrient use efficiency, the authors found a significant improvement in smallholders' phosphorus and potassium use efficiencies for both wheat and maize production, and a significant improvement in nitrogen use efficiency for wheat production, but no significant improvement of nitrogen use efficiency for maize production.
Originality/value
This study evaluated a novel participatory agricultural extension model to improve soil nutrient management practices among smallholders. The integration of agronomists' scientific knowledge and smallholders' local contextual experiences could be an effective way to improve farmers' soil nutrient management. This study provides the first quantitative estimates based on rigorous impact assessment methods of this novel extension approach in rural China.
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Liyan Zhang and Darshini Mahadevia
Grassroots innovations (GRIs) can contribute greatly to inclusive development and reach out populations and areas not reached by or ignored by the formal sector. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Grassroots innovations (GRIs) can contribute greatly to inclusive development and reach out populations and areas not reached by or ignored by the formal sector. The purpose of the paper is to study how China's science and technology (S&T) policies and programs are translated into GRIs.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study of the grassroots organizations of farmer Chen Guangxing, of Baodi County, Tianjin City, is applied.
Findings
Government S&T policies and programs do transfer to the grassroots innovators; the government support is continuous and all-round; the grassroots innovators' leadership is important to get the support; the research and diffusion projects that grassroots innovators received are integrated in some cases; and the S&T training contributes to farmers' research and project application.
Practical implications
There is a need to increase financial support to the grassroots innovators, provide guidance to them and set up a GRI reporting mechanism.
Originality/value
The paper gives an insight into the synergies and illustrates how and why the grassroots innovators benefit from the laws, policies and ensuing programs that are not directly meant for them.
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Xinhui Cheng, Weifeng Zhao, Zhichao Zhang and Qing Zhang
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has now been paid notable attention by a large number of firms. The aim of this paper is to investigate a better way to implement CSR in a…
Abstract
Purpose
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has now been paid notable attention by a large number of firms. The aim of this paper is to investigate a better way to implement CSR in a socially responsible supply chain with different channel leaderships.
Design/methodology/approach
Started from measuring CSR by purely taking consumer surplus into account, a stylized centralized channel and two different decentralized channels are first developed and examined for equilibria in the socially responsible chain. Furthermore, this paper extends to a socially irresponsible supply chain and a broader practice of CSR by simultaneously incorporating environmental externality and consumer surplus into CSR.
Findings
With the analytical studies, several interesting and important results and managerial insights are clearly revealed. For example, but not limited to, it is found that: (1) Compared with the leader, the follower can effectively implement CSR for a better performance in both pure and socially responsible profits in the decentralized channel; (2) undertaking socially responsible concerns does not always mean reducing the economic profit and conversely being socially irresponsible does not always induce an increase in economic profit for the socially responsible member(s); (3) CSR concern level plays a key role in both the pure and socially responsible profit. An increase in CSR concern level clearly increases the socially responsible profit and poses an ambiguous impact on pure profit depending on different channel leaderships: it decreases the centralized channel in pure profit but increases the pure profit with the decentralized channel under certain conditions; and (4) interestingly, the authors find that decentralization can outperform centralization regarding on both pure and socially responsible channel profits by properly implementing CSR concern levels.
Practical implications
The results derived in this paper provide novel managerial implications to the socially responsible members in terms of pricing decisions, order quantity and CSR practice. In addition, this paper assists the socially responsible supply chain in determining the optimal channel leadership to undertake CSR. That is, decentralization may achieve a better performance than integration under certain market conditions.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to explore the interactive of the CSR practice and channel leadership in a socially responsible supply chain.
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Qingyang Wang, Weifeng Wu, Ping Zhang, Chengqiang Guo and Yifan Yang
To guide the stable radius clearance choice of water-lubricated bearings for single screw compressors, this paper aims to analyze the effects of turbulence and cavitation on…
Abstract
Purpose
To guide the stable radius clearance choice of water-lubricated bearings for single screw compressors, this paper aims to analyze the effects of turbulence and cavitation on bearing performance under two conditions of specified external load and radius clearance.
Design/methodology/approach
A modified Reynolds equation considering turbulence and cavitation is adopted, based on the Jakobsson–Floberg–Olsson boundary condition, Ng–Pan model and turbulent factors. The equation is solved using the finite difference method and successive over-relaxation method to investigate the bearing performance.
Findings
The turbulent effect can increase the hydrodynamic pressure and cavitation. In addition, the turbulent effect can lead to an increase in the equilibrium radius clearance. The turbulent region exhibits a higher load capacity and cavitation rate. However, the increased cavitation negatively impacts the frictional coefficient and end flow rate. The impact of turbulence increases as the radius clearance decreases. As the rotating speed increases, the turbulence effect has a greater impact on the bearing characteristics.
Originality/value
The research can provide theoretical support for the design of water-lubricated journal bearings used in high-speed water-lubricated single screw compressors.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-01-2024-0029/
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Weifeng Liu, Xiaodong Yang, Xianli Liu, Jian Zhang, Feilin Liu, Shengguo Yang and Lin Zeng
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the variation of temperature field, pressure field and deformation of hydrostatic thrust bearing under different working conditions, so as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the variation of temperature field, pressure field and deformation of hydrostatic thrust bearing under different working conditions, so as to provide a theoretical basis for improving accuracy and reliability.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the double rectangular hydrostatic bearing of type Q1-224 was selected as the research object, and the simulation was carried out according to different working conditions, and the obtained data were summarized regularly.
Findings
It is found that the overall temperature of hydrostatic bearing increases with the increase of speed and load, and the increase in load will result in a larger pressure distribution which first increases and then decreases with the speed. The deformation trend of the deformation field is found, and it is found that the force deformation is larger than the thermal deformation at low rotational speed, and the thermal deformation is larger than the force deformation at high rotational speed.
Originality/value
In this study, the fluid-structure coupling method of conjugate heat transfer is applied to study the whole hydrostatic bearing. Most of the previous studies only studied the oil film and considered the influence of the convective heat transfer between the hydrostatic bearing and the air in heat transfer, which is rarely seen in the previous research literature.
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Heshan Sameera Kankanam Pathiranage, Huilin Xiao and Weifeng Li
In an attempt to satisfy the desire to become a global economic leader, China is working on a series of ambitious deals with several countries. As a major country in a region…
Abstract
Purpose
In an attempt to satisfy the desire to become a global economic leader, China is working on a series of ambitious deals with several countries. As a major country in a region considered as an emerging market, the immense infrastructure gap that is curtailing trade and accessibility for economic growth has led to major changes in economic policy. The past few decades have seen China invest billions of dollars not only in the developing countries of Africa and Asia but also in other world economic giants of Europe and the USA. China has embarked on a rigorous global effort to close the infrastructure gap through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in partnership with multilateral development banks. China’s BRI brings together several countries in East Asia and the Eurasian mainland into close proximity with China, thereby promoting inland trade between the countries. The investments in this project are estimated to reach US$1tn over a span of ten years. However, the volume of outward foreign direct investments (OFDI) from China to the host countries is determined by several factors. Several previous researchers have studied various issues affecting the business activities of China and the given countries. First, the cultural organization, policy approaches and objectives of China as a country create trade barriers with countries involved in the BRI plan. This paper aims to provide a comparative overview of how the institutional distance of the Belt and Road countries from China affects their sustainable development.
Design/methodology/approach
Data on the nature, success and challenges of the BRI (such as the volume of bilateral trade and OFDIs and its financial implications) were extracted from various published studies. The impact of cultural distance and internationalization of the BRI enterprise was analyzed through a comparative research methodology.
Findings
A significant relationship exists between institutional distance and sustainable development of the Belt and Road countries. However, the barriers – for example, inhospitable culture and regulations for organizations in participating countries – could become pillars of success once resolved.
Originality/value
Previous studies lacked a standard framework to investigate how institutional distance is related to China’s outbound trade with the Belt and Road countries. The comparative analysis methodology adopted in this study fills this gap.
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Alba Manresa, Ammar Sammour, Marta Mas-Machuca, Weifeng Chen and David Botchie
This paper seeks to explore the influence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on employee performance in the workplace, viewed from a managerial perspective. It…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to explore the influence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on employee performance in the workplace, viewed from a managerial perspective. It concentrates on key elements such as employee engagement, trust in GenAI and attitudes toward its implementation. This exploration is motivated by the ongoing evolution of GenAI, which presents managers with the crucial task of understanding and integrating this technology into their strategic frameworks.
Design/methodology/approach
We collected 251 responses from managers and senior managers representing companies that have embraced GenAI in Spain. A hierarchical regression analysis was employed to examine the hypotheses. Subsequently, mediating effects and moderated mediation effects were scrutinized using the bias-corrected bootstrapping method.
Findings
The data analysis suggests a significant enhancement in employee engagement and performance from a managerial perspective, attributed to improved attitudes and trust toward the adoption of GenAI. This conclusion is drawn from our research conducted with samples collected in Spain. Notably, our findings indicate that while positive attitudes toward GenAI correlate with enhanced engagement and performance, there exists a weakening effect on the significant positive impact of GenAI adoption in the workplace. This suggests that GenAI is still in its early stages of adoption within these companies, necessitating additional time for managers to develop greater confidence in its efficacy.
Originality/value
This study represents one of the pioneering investigations centered on the implementation of GenAI within the workplace context. It contributes significantly to the existing body of literature concerning the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model in technology innovation adoption within work environments.
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Yuan Peng, Shengli Hou, Weifeng Zhai, Xiaofeng Yang, Hao He and Xiaotong Guo
This study aims to provide guidance for the reliability of electronic packaging. The reliability of solder joints at extremely temperature thermal shock is critical for electronic…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide guidance for the reliability of electronic packaging. The reliability of solder joints at extremely temperature thermal shock is critical for electronic equipment operating in the field of deep space exploration. In this study, the Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu (SAC305)/Cu solder joints were prepared and thermally shocked with temperatures ranging from −110°C to 110°C, to investigate the effects of extreme temperature thermal shock on the microstructural evolution and property deterioration of the solder joints.
Design/methodology/approach
The interfacial intermetallic compound (IMC) stress gradient was calculated through thermal stress theory, mechanism of voids/cracks initiation was clarified, and prediction of the service life was analyzed with the energy-based model.
Findings
It is found that the Ag3Sn, IMC and cracks/voids had evolved significantly with the increase in the cycle period. The microstructure of the IMC changed from short rod-like morphology to scallop shape, the voids in the Cu3Sn IMC layer continued to increase and integrate, forming larger diameter voids, etc. In addition, the shear strength of SAC305/Cu solder joints decreased gradually with the increase in thermal shock cycles, the fracture mode changes from ductile fracture mode to ductile-brittle mixed fracture mode after 500 cycles. The characteristic lifetime of the SAC305/Cu solder joints under the action of extreme thermal shock is about 1427.86 cycles.
Originality/value
This work provides guidance for the reliability of the solder joints at extremely temperature thermal shock.
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He Weifeng, Zhang Zhaoguo and Zhu Shasha
This study aims to investigate the relationship between the ownership structure of firms and the private benefits of control through an analysis of Chinese listed firms.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationship between the ownership structure of firms and the private benefits of control through an analysis of Chinese listed firms.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a sample of Chinese firms, cases were examined where there had been a transaction involving non‐tradable stock. The cases where there had been stock transactions which both did and did not involve the transfer of control within a single year were selected. The difference between these two types of transaction was used to estimate the private benefits of control in Chinese listed firms. Regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between ownership structure and private benefits of control in Chinese listed firms.
Findings
The results show that the average private benefit of control is 18.52 percent in China. The regression results show a significant, positive relationship between the controlling shareholders, the combined shareholdings of the second to fifth largest shareholder and private benefits of control. However, there is a negative but insignificant relationship between the tradable share value and private benefits of control. With regard to the relationship between managerial shareholding and private benefits of control, the regression results show a positive but insignificant relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Further insights into the private benefits of control can be obtained by inspecting the change around major corporate events involving significant ownership changes. In this study, the focus was on non‐tradable stock. Investigating all stock would be a fruitful area for future research.
Practical implications
In China, firms should optimize the ownership structure and curb expropriation by controlling shareholders. This would help to promote a sound development of Chinese listed firms and the capital market.
Originality/value
The research provides useful information on the impact of ownership structure on private benefits of control in a sample of listed firms in China.
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John M.T. Balmer and Weifeng Chen
This paper aims to examine the attractiveness of the Tong Ren Tang (TRT) as a Chinese corporate heritage tourism brand and consider the significance of TRT for Chinese national…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the attractiveness of the Tong Ren Tang (TRT) as a Chinese corporate heritage tourism brand and consider the significance of TRT for Chinese national identity. The study considers the saliency of Balmer’s augmented role identity notion vis-à-vis corporate heritage institutions/corporate brands. Insights are made from and for corporate heritage, heritage tourism and national identity literature.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model comprising five hypotheses was developed and this informed a survey-based questionnaire administered to domestic tourists/customers visiting Tong Ren Tang’s flagship shop in Beijing.
Findings
The attractiveness to domestic Chinese tourists/customers of the TRT corporate heritage tourism brand was found to be attributable to its multiple role identities: national, corporate, temporal, familial and imperial. As such, this study lends credence to Balmer’s augmented role identity notion. Chinese domestic tourists/customers – as members of an ethnic Chinese community – in visiting TRT not only consume an extant corporate heritage by tangible and intangible means but can also be seen to express, and reaffirm, their sense of Chinese national identity.
Practical implications
For TRT’s managers, there should be an appreciation that the attractiveness of TRT as a corporate heritage tourism brand rests not only on what it sells but also in what it symbolises in national and cultural terms. This finding is applicable to the managers of many other corporate heritage/corporate heritage tourism brands.
Social implications
Adopting a primordial perspective, the TRT pharmacy was found to be of singular significance to China’s national identity. Traditional Chinese Medicine, Confucian and Daoist religious/philosophical and China’s erstwhile Imperial polity are significant and enduring precepts of Chinese national identity. As such the TRT flagship shop/brand is of singular importance, as China has eviscerated much of its cultural heritage – particularly in relation to its corporate heritage brands.
Originality/value
This is the first empirical study to focus on corporate heritage tourism brands and one of the first studies to examine a Chinese corporate heritage/corporate heritage tourism brand. Also significant in focussing on the TRT corporate heritage brand. Established in 1669, TRT’s history spans five centuries: a corporate provenance which is exceptional within the People’s Republic of China. The study links the corporate brand notion with the nascent corporate heritage brand domain and the established area of heritage tourism.