Shiyun Tian, Su Yeon Cho, Xiaofeng Jia, Ruoyu Sun and Wanhsiu Sunny Tsai
This study aims to focus on the dynamics in influencer-consumer relationships to understand how Generation Z consumers’ identification and social comparison with influencers shape…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to focus on the dynamics in influencer-consumer relationships to understand how Generation Z consumers’ identification and social comparison with influencers shape their response to influencers’ branded posts. Specifically, this study investigates how perceived similarity and wishful identification lead to distinct social comparison mechanisms that affect Generation Z consumers’ self-improvement motives, which, in turn, drive their message engagement, brand attitudes and purchase intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was conducted with 295 college students who are digital natives and whose purchase decisions are heavily influenced by social media influencers.
Findings
The study findings confirmed that perceived similarity positively influenced assimilative comparison emotions of optimism, admiration and aspiration while negatively influenced contrastive comparison emotions of envy, depression and resentment. Wishful identification positively affected both assimilative and contrastive comparison emotions. Both types of social comparison emotions further affected consumers’ motivations to follow the influencer for self-improvement, thereby enhancing their brand attitude, purchase intention and engagement behaviors.
Originality/value
This study is one of the earliest attempts to investigate the relationship dynamics between influencers and consumers from the lens of social comparison. The study examines the antecedents of perceived similarity and wishful identification, the mediators of upward comparison emotions and self-improvement motives and the brand evaluation outcomes of message engagement, brand attitude and purchase intention.
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Jia Chen, Gang Kou, Yi Peng, Xiangrui Chao, Feng Xiao and Fawaz E. Alsaadi
Social media commerce provides a convenient way for users to share information and interact with each other. Few studies, however, have examined the effect of marketing messages…
Abstract
Purpose
Social media commerce provides a convenient way for users to share information and interact with each other. Few studies, however, have examined the effect of marketing messages and consumer engagement behaviors on the economic performance of marketing. This study, therefore, explored the economic performance of social media in terms of marketing messages and consumer engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
Using ordinary least squares regression and data collected from Weibo and Maoyan, this study analyzed the effects among marketing messages, consumer engagement and movie ticket sales.
Findings
The results indicated that marketing messages on Weibo had a positive effect on box office revenues, while consumer engagement behavior (whether personal or interactive) did not affect box office revenues. The results suggested that marketing messages on social media have more salient effects for predicting economic performance than consumer engagement behaviors.
Originality/value
This study underscores the importance of social media in consumer purchasing behavior. The findings also extend the literature related to commerce and product message design on social media platforms.
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Lin Xiao, Xiaofeng Li and Jian Mou
Short-form video advertisements have recently gained popularity and are widely used. However, creating attractive short video advertisements remains a challenge for sellers. Based…
Abstract
Purpose
Short-form video advertisements have recently gained popularity and are widely used. However, creating attractive short video advertisements remains a challenge for sellers. Based on the visual-audio perspective and signaling theory, this study investigated the impacts of three visual features (number of shots, pixel-level image complexity and vertical versus horizontal formats) and two audio features (speech rate and average spectral centroid) on user engagement behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted a field study on TikTok. To test our various hypotheses, we used regression analysis on 2,511 videos containing product promotion information posted by 60 sellers between January 1, 2020 and November 20, 2021.
Findings
For visual variables, the number of shots and pixel-level image complexity were found to have nonlinear (inverted U-shaped) relationships with user engagement behavior. The vertical video form was found to have a positive effect on comments and shares. In the case of audio variables, speech rate was found to have a significant positive effect on shares but not on likes and comments. The average spectral centroid was found to have significant negative influences on likes and comments.
Practical implications
This study provides specific suggestions for sellers who create short-form videos to improve user engagement behavior.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on short-form video advertising by extending the potential drivers of user engagement behavior. Additionally, from a methodological perspective, it contributes to the literature by using computer vision and speech-processing techniques to analyze user behavior in a video-related context, effectively overcoming the limitations of the widely adopted survey method.
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Ming Yang, Duoxiang Wang, Xiaofeng Chen, Xiaomiao Lei and Linxiang Cao
This study aims to analyse the scientific relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions. Taking the Chinese electric power industry as the empirical research…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyse the scientific relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions. Taking the Chinese electric power industry as the empirical research object, this study examined the effect of power technological innovation on carbon emissions and proposed policy recommendations for the development of technological innovation in China.
Design/methodology/approach
This study first calculated the energy consumption and carbon emission level of the Chinese electric power industry from 2005 to 2018. Secondly, this study built an evaluation index system for technological innovation of electric power with six indicators: average utilisation hours of power generation equipment; power consumption rate of power plant; line loss rate; standard coal consumption for power generation; standard coal consumption for power supply; and number of patent applications granted for generation, conversion or distribution of electric power in China. Finally, from a practical point of view, the relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions of the Chinese electric power industry from 2005 to 2018 is evaluated and analysed.
Findings
Power technology innovation has been found to have a long-term and relatively large effect on carbon emissions, and carbon emissions have a short-term and insignificant impact on power technology innovation.
Research limitations/implications
This study puts forward relevant suggestions for developing technological innovation and technology transfer, which is essential to establishing a low-carbon or zero-carbon power system in China.
Practical implications
This study provides empirical evidence for clarifying the relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions in the power industry and further develops research theories on technological innovation and carbon emissions.
Social implications
Relevant authorities will adopt measures to promote technological innovation and development in the power sector to reduce carbon emissions.
Originality/value
This study built an evaluation index system with six indicators for technological innovation of electric power. The evaluation method was used to measure the technological innovation level of the Chinese electric power industry. The causal link between technological innovation and carbon emissions in China was analysed.
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Qing Wang, Changyin Sun, Xiaofeng Chai and Yao Yu
This paper aims to develop sliding mode control (SMC) methods for second-order multi-agent systems (MAS) in the presence of mismatched uncertainties.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop sliding mode control (SMC) methods for second-order multi-agent systems (MAS) in the presence of mismatched uncertainties.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the disturbance observer (DOB), discontinuous and continuous sliding mode protocols are designed to achieve finite-time consensus in spite of the disturbances.
Findings
Compared with integral SMC, numerical simulation results show that the proposed control methods exhibit better performance with respect to reduction of chattering.
Originality/value
The main contributions are the following: MAS described with mismatched uncertainties are considered; both discontinuous and continuous sliding mode controllers are considered; with the proposed sliding mode controller, the desired sliding surface can be reached in finite time and the DOB is introduced in the controller to alleviate the chattering phenomenon.
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Xiaofeng Liu, Jiahong Xu and Yuhong Liu
The purpose of this research on the control of three-axis aero-dynamic pendulum with disturbance is to facilitate the applications of equipment with similar pendulum structure in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research on the control of three-axis aero-dynamic pendulum with disturbance is to facilitate the applications of equipment with similar pendulum structure in intelligent manufacturing and robot.
Design/methodology/approach
The controller proposed in this paper is mainly implemented in the following ways. First, the kinematic model of the three-axis aero-dynamic pendulum is derived in state space form to construct the predictive model. Then, according to the predictive model and objective function, the control problem can be expressed a quadratic programming (QP) problem. The optimal solution of the QP problem at each sampling time is the value of control variable.
Findings
The trajectory tracking and point stability tests performed on the 3D space with different disturbances are validated and the results show the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a nonlinear unstable three-axis aero-dynamic pendulum with less power devices. Meanwhile, the trajectory tracking and point stability problem of the pendulum system is investigated with the model predictive control strategy.
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Jiawei Wang, Yanmin Jia, Guanhua Zhang, Jigang Han and Jinliang Liu
Most existing studies are confined to model beam tests, which cannot reflect the actual strengthening effects provided by prestressed carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates…
Abstract
Purpose
Most existing studies are confined to model beam tests, which cannot reflect the actual strengthening effects provided by prestressed carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates to existing bridges. Hence, the actual capacity for strengthening existing bridges with prestressed CFRP plates is becoming an important concern for researchers. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Static load tests of in-service prestressed concrete hollow slabs before and after strengthening are conducted. Based on the results of the tests, the failure characteristics, failure mechanism and bending performance of the slabs are compared and analyzed. Nonlinear finite element method is also used to calculate the flexural strength of the strengthened beams prestressed with CFRP plates.
Findings
Test results show that prestressed CFRP plate strengthening technology changes the failure mode of hollow slabs, delays the development of deflection and cracks, raises cracking and ultimate load-carrying capacity and remarkably improves mechanical behavior of the slab. In addition, the nonlinear finite element analyses are in good agreement with the test results.
Originality/value
Strengthening with prestressed CFRP plates has greater advantages compared to traditional CFRP plate strengthening technology and improves active material utilization. The presented finite element method can be applied in the flexural response calculations of strengthened beams prestressed with CFRP plates. The research results provide technical basis for maintenance and reinforcement design of existing bridges.
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Qiao Sun, Shengxiu Zhang, Lijia Cao, Xiaofeng Li and Naixin Qi
The purpose of this paper is to improve the robustness of the traditional Bhattacharyya metric for the effect of histogram quantization in the histogram-based visual tracking…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to improve the robustness of the traditional Bhattacharyya metric for the effect of histogram quantization in the histogram-based visual tracking. However, the traditional Bhattacharyya metric neglects the correlation of crossing-bin and is not robust for the effect of histogram quantization.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors propose a visual tracking method via crossing-bin histogram Bhattacharyya similarity in the particle filter.
Findings
A crossing-bin matrix is introduced into the traditional Bhattacharyya similarity for measuring the reference histogram and the candidate histogram, and the basic tasks of measure such as maximum similarity of self and the triangle inequality are proven. The authors use the proposed measure in the particle filter visual tracking framework and address a model update strategy based on the crossing-bin histogram Bhattacharyya similarity to improve the robustness of visual tracking.
Originality/value
In the experiments using the famous challenging benchmark sequences, precision of the proposed method increases by 12.8 per cent comparing the traditional Bhattacharyya similarity and the cost time decreases by 38 times comparing the incremental Bhattacharyya similarity. The experimental results show that the proposed method can track the object robustly and rapidly under illumination change and occlusion.
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Xiaolun Wang, Xiaofeng Yu, Fan Feng and Peijian Song
Customization, a marketing strategy through providing personalized products, might be a new solution to motivate consumer feedbacks in electronic commerce (e-commerce) websites…
Abstract
Purpose
Customization, a marketing strategy through providing personalized products, might be a new solution to motivate consumer feedbacks in electronic commerce (e-commerce) websites. Taking the dual-value of customization (emotional involvement and uniqueness expression) as the theoretical basis, this study aims to investigate the impact of customization on consumer's word-of-mouth (WOM) behaviors and contents by motivating: (1) more, (2) faster, (3) positive at first and then negative, (4) longer and (5) more helpful WOMs.
Design/methodology/approach
A field study was conducted with multi-sourced data: customer order data from a Chinese retailer and WOM data from Amazon.com. The two datasets were matched to filter out 463 online reviews among 6,892 customers who placed customized orders. Heckman's two-stage model, logistic regression, Ordinary least squares regression, Tobit regression, analysis of covariance and Lind–Mehlum U Test were used in the data analysis.
Findings
This study has found that (1) customization level motivates WOM behaviors including WOM posting and WOM speed, (2) an inverted U-shaped relationship exists between customization level and consumer rating and (3) customization level has a significantly positive impact on WOM helpfulness but not on WOM length.
Originality/value
This study advances theoretical development in the area of WOM motivators by proposing a new product-centric approach, customization, to stimulate voluntary WOMs. Empirical field research that analyzes consumer's real responses to customization is in scarcity. The dual-value of customized products is proposed as the underlying mechanism to explain the impact of customization level on consumer's WOM behaviors/contents. An interesting inverted U-shaped relationship is found between customization level and customer rating. This research provides nuanced practical guidance for websites, companies and consumers.
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Qing Zhou, Yuanqing Liu, Xiaofeng Liu and Guoping Cai
In the post-capture stage, the tumbling target rotates the combined spacecraft system, and the detumbling operation performed by the space robot is required. To save the costly…
Abstract
Purpose
In the post-capture stage, the tumbling target rotates the combined spacecraft system, and the detumbling operation performed by the space robot is required. To save the costly onboard fuel of the space robot, this paper aims to present a novel post-capture detumbling strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
Actuated by the joint rotations of the manipulator, the combined system is driven from three-axis tumbling state to uniaxial rotation about its maximum principal axis. Only unidirectional thrust perpendicular to the axis is needed to slow down the uniaxial rotation, thus saving the thruster fuel. The optimization problem of the collision-free detumbling trajectory of the space robot is described, and it is optimized by the particle swarm optimization algorithm.
Findings
The numerical simulation results show that along the trajectory planned by the detumbling strategy, the maneuver of the manipulator can precisely drive the combined system to rotate around its maximum principal axis, and the final kinetic energy of the combined system is smaller than the initial. The unidirectional thrust and the lower kinetic energy can ensure the fuel-saving in the subsequent detumbling stage.
Originality/value
This paper presents a post-capture detumbling strategy to drive the combined system from three-axis tumbling state to uniaxial rotation about its maximum principal axis by redistributing the angular momentum of the parts of the combined system. The strategy reduces the thrust torque for detumbling to effectively save the thruster fuel.