Hang Cao, Kangchen Wang, Shenyou Song, Xiaohu Zhang, Qianyu Gao and Yuanyuan Liu
This paper aims to reveal the corrosion mechanism and corrosion development regulation of marine engineering structural steel in the marine environment and provide constructive…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to reveal the corrosion mechanism and corrosion development regulation of marine engineering structural steel in the marine environment and provide constructive suggestions for marine immersed tunnel engineering.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, marine engineering structural steel’s behavior and corrosion prediction were carried out under the conditions of no cathodic protection and under-protection by artificially adding dissolved oxygen in a simulated seawater solution as a depolarizing agent.
Findings
Marine resources are rich in China. With the development of the economy and the improvement of engineering technology, marine engineering structural steel is used more and more widely. Engineering structural steel has a great risk of corrosion failure for long-term service in seawater, as seawater is a kind of corrosive medium containing various salts. At present, there are few projects and research studies available on the corrosion in the seawater environment of Q390C engineering structural steel, which is used in the Shenzhen–Zhongshan Link immersed tunnel steel shell at home and abroad. It cannot guide the corrosion of immersed tunnel steel shells in the ocean.
Originality/value
In this paper, the corrosion mechanism and corrosion development regulation of marine engineering structural steel in the marine environment are studied by accelerated corrosion test in the laboratory, which is of great significance to ensure the long-life durability of the immersed tunnel in marine engineering.
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Hui Zhang and Xiaohu Zhou
Women entrepreneurship is designated as the new engines of economic growth in developing countries. Prior research shows how men and women differ in starting a business, with…
Abstract
Women entrepreneurship is designated as the new engines of economic growth in developing countries. Prior research shows how men and women differ in starting a business, with women normally facing more restrictions on entrepreneurial financing, entrepreneurial growth, and entrepreneurial performance. This has often been explained by gender role, yet we still lack a systematic understanding of how gender roles impact on women's entrepreneurial process in developing countries. In this chapter, we review literatures on female entrepreneurship in developing countries to show how gender role works in developing countries and especially its influence on the intention/entry/business participation and performance of female entrepreneurs.
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Shih Yung Chou, Bo Han and Xiaohu Zhang
– This study aims to investigate a subordinate's perception of supervisor-subordinate guanxi and its impact on the subordinate's work-related outcomes.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate a subordinate's perception of supervisor-subordinate guanxi and its impact on the subordinate's work-related outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
This study draws upon relevant literature and develops a theoretical framework that investigates the relationships among a subordinate's perceived supervisor-subordinate guanxi, loyalty to supervisor, challenge-oriented organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), affiliation-oriented OCB, job security perception, and task performance.
Findings
This study suggests first, subordinate-supervisor guanxi will have a positive impact on a subordinate's loyalty to supervisor. Second, subordinate-supervisor guanxi will negatively affect a subordinate's challenge-oriented OCB, but will positively affect a subordinate's affiliation-oriented OCB. Third, a subordinate's loyalty to supervisor will negatively influence his or her challenge-oriented OCB, but will positively influence his or her affiliation-oriented OCB. Fourth, challenge-oriented OCB will negatively affect job security perception, whereas affiliation-oriented OCB will positively affect job security perception. Finally, job security perception will positively influence task performance.
Research limitations/implications
This study has several limitations. First, it does not consider the role of personality traits in determining work-related behaviours. Second, it only considers a one-to-one guanxi relationship. Thus, the results of this study could be different when a supervisor has one-to-many guanxi relationships.
Practical implications
This study suggests that a supervisor should take how to create quality informal relationships with subordinates into account when attempting to motivate Chinese subordinates' task and extra-role performance. Moreover, managers should manage effective informal social networks with subordinates proactively.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few studies that examine the impact of subordinate-supervisor guanxi on both extra-role and in-role performance from the perspective of singular view of subordinate-supervisor guanxi.
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Shahamak Rezaei, Jizhen Li, Shayegheh Ashourizadeh, Veland Ramadani and Shqipe Gërguri-Rashiti
Women Entrepreneurship has received increasing attention over the past decade. In particular, a new area dealing with women entrepreneurs in the developing societies. The aim of…
Abstract
Women Entrepreneurship has received increasing attention over the past decade. In particular, a new area dealing with women entrepreneurs in the developing societies. The aim of this study is how is women entrepreneurship in developing economies? More specifically, we are excavating various questions at the individual and institutional level. The results of this study contribute to understanding the importance of the context on women entrepreneurs’ activities. Additionally, it systematically provides a comprehensive framework at multilevel analyses to cover all aspects of women entrepreneurship in developing countries. Ultimately, knowing women entrepreneurship in developing countries helps policymakers provide a firm ground for self-employment of women.
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Hui Zhang, Ying Chen and Xiaohu Zhou
The purpose of this paper is to investigate ways to mitigate gender bias in entrepreneurial financing. The authors aim to unveil the role entrepreneurs’ gender played in formal…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate ways to mitigate gender bias in entrepreneurial financing. The authors aim to unveil the role entrepreneurs’ gender played in formal and informal financing under Chinese context, as well as the moderating role corporate social responsibility (CSR) played in such relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts ANOVA test and multiple regression method to empirically examine the relationship of entrepreneurs’ gender, formal financing, informal financing and CSR with second hand data from The Eleventh Private Enterprise Survey covering a sample of firms across China.
Findings
The results demonstrate that comparing to start-ups led by men, start-ups led by women are less likely to get either formal or informal financing. The results also suggest that CSR negatively moderates the impact entrepreneurs’ gender has on formal financing but not on informal financing.
Originality/value
By focusing on both formal and informal financing, the research of gender’s effects on firms’ financing has been extended. Also, by proving that CSR can help to mitigate gender bias in formal financing, contribution has also been made to the research field of gender financing. This paper contributes to the CSR literature by sorting out another benefit CSR has in new venture financing. Overall, findings of this study deepen the existing understanding of gender issues in the context of entrepreneurial financing.
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Xueyan Zhang, Xiaohu Zhou, Qiao Wang, Zhouyue Wu and Yue Sui
Based on social influence theory, this paper aims to explore the influence of academic entrepreneurs on team innovation activities. The innovation behavior of academic team…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on social influence theory, this paper aims to explore the influence of academic entrepreneurs on team innovation activities. The innovation behavior of academic team members is the key behavior in academic entrepreneurial activities. As a special entrepreneurial group, academic entrepreneurs' political skills play an important role in stimulating team innovative behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a multi-level study design and takes as samples the paired data of 91 academic entrepreneurial teams (n = 475). Based on team cognition, it constructs a model of the influence mechanism of academic entrepreneurs' political skills on team innovation behavior and explores the mechanism of transactive memory system in this influence effect. The authors use HLM and PROCESS macro to test our multilevel model.
Findings
The results show that academic entrepreneurs' political skills positively impact team innovation behavior, and a transactive memory system plays a mediating role between them. Team psychological safety significantly enhances the positive relationship of both academic entrepreneurs' political skills and a transactive memory system with team innovation behavior. Moreover, with enhanced perceptions of team psychological safety, academic entrepreneurs' political skills are more likely to improve team innovation behavior through the transactive memory system.
Originality/value
The study explores the influence of transactive memory system on the relationship between academic entrepreneurs' political skills and team innovation behavior, with the team cognitive perspective derived from social influence theory. This provides authors with new insights on the complex dynamics at place in the team innovation process and offers implications for how we can fruitfully manage this process.
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Xueyan Zhang, Xiaohu Zhou, Qiao Wang, Hui Zhang and Wei Ju
Based on social influence theory (SIT) and social capital theory, this paper aims to explore the mediating role of entrepreneurial networks between technological entrepreneurs'…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on social influence theory (SIT) and social capital theory, this paper aims to explore the mediating role of entrepreneurial networks between technological entrepreneurs' political skills and entrepreneurial performance and whether market dynamics positively moderates this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
This study collected data from 454 technological entrepreneurs in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Zhengzhou in China and examined four hypotheses by hierarchical regression analysis and bootstrapping analysis in an empirical design.
Findings
Results reveal that technological entrepreneurs' political skills not only have a direct positive impact on entrepreneurial performance (β = 0.544, t = 12.632, p < 0.001), but also have an indirect positive impact on entrepreneurial performance through entrepreneurial networks (β = 0.473, t = 10.636, p < 0.001). Entrepreneurial networks play a mediating role between entrepreneurs' political skills and entrepreneurial performance with 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals [0.034, 0.015]. Market dynamics plays a moderating role in the relationship among technological entrepreneurs' political skills, entrepreneurial networks and entrepreneurial performance (entrepreneurial performance: β = 0.190, t = 4.275, p < 0.001; entrepreneurial networks: β = 0.135, t = 4.455, p < 0.001). When market dynamics is high, technological entrepreneurs' political skills have a significant positive effect on entrepreneurial networks (simple slope = 0.309, t = 7.656, p < 0.001); but when market dynamics is low, there is no significant correlation between political skills and entrepreneurial networks (simple slope = 0.039, t = 0.966, p > 0.05).
Research limitations/implications
The study relies on self-reported data from single informants. Although the severity of common method bias is tested through two methods, future research designs should avoid the influence of common method bias. Future research should adopt a vertical tracking design, collect data from multiple sources and use subjective assessment and objective indicators to measure variables. In addition, the applicability of the results outside China is worth further empirical exploration. Therefore, the authors hope that future studies can replicate the research to different countries, different cultural backgrounds and different organizational sections to explore the generalizability of the results.
Practical implications
The findings provide useful suggestions for entrepreneurs, who can use political skills to build a strong entrepreneurial network to improve their entrepreneurial performance. The results also suggest that entrepreneurs should pay more attention to cultivating and developing their political skills through methods such as training and practice. In addition, the conclusion is of great implications to enrich the content of entrepreneurship education and guide entrepreneurship practice.
Originality/value
These findings enrich SIT and social capital theory by providing the empirical evidence of the effect of entrepreneurs' political skills on entrepreneurial performance through entrepreneurial network. They also provide deeper insights into market dynamics research by uncovering the moderating role of market dynamics in the relationship between entrepreneurs' political skills, entrepreneurial networks and entrepreneurial performance.
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Fangyuan Li, Xiaohu Zhou, Hui Zhang and Xueyan Zhang
Sensegiving is inherently a sociopolitical activity through which leaders shape their subordinates’ understanding of organizational change. However, it remains unclear as to why…
Abstract
Purpose
Sensegiving is inherently a sociopolitical activity through which leaders shape their subordinates’ understanding of organizational change. However, it remains unclear as to why and which leaders actively engage in and effectively perform sensegiving during organizational change. This study employs social/political influence theory and develops a two-stage moderated mediation model to address this question. The study aims to examine the antecedent (leader’s willingness to support change) and outcome (team commitment to change) of sensegiving as well as the moderating role of the leader’s political skill in the relationships between the leader’s willingness to support change and sensegiving, and between sensegiving and team commitment to change.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilized a two-stage, dual-source survey method. In the first stage, data were collected from 56 leaders. In the second stage, data were collected from 271 team members. Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that a leader’s willingness to support change positively affects sensegiving, and sensegiving positively affects team commitment to change. The leader’s political skill moderates the effect of the leader’s willingness to support change on sensegiving as well as the effect of sensegiving on team commitment to change. Moreover, a two-stage mediated moderation model shows that the relationship between a leader’s willingness to support change and team commitment to change through sensegiving is moderated by the leader’s political skill.
Originality/value
This study, for the first time, investigates why leaders engage in sensegiving and the collective-level effects of sensegiving during organizational change, deepening our understanding of the antecedents and consequences of sensegiving. Furthermore, by revealing the role of a leader’s political skill in both the engagement in sensegiving and its effectiveness, this study extends our understanding of which leaders actively engage in and effectively perform sensegiving. These findings also contribute to the literature on collective-level change response.
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Zhouyue Wu, Xiaohu Zhou, Qiao Wang and Jingjing Liu
Previous studies have examined the emotional mechanism between perceived overqualification and knowledge hiding. Based on a relational perspective, this study aims to draw on…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous studies have examined the emotional mechanism between perceived overqualification and knowledge hiding. Based on a relational perspective, this study aims to draw on social comparison theory to reveal the cognitive mechanism of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding, along with the mediating effect of relational identification. This research conceptualizes perceived overqualification differentiation and reveals the moderating effect of perceived overqualification differentiation on strengthening the link between perceived overqualification and knowledge hiding.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper conducts two times lagged research, addresses a sample of 216 employees nested in 47 groups from technology or R&D industries and uses structural equation modeling to test an original model.
Findings
The results show that perceived overqualification positively affects knowledge hiding; relational identification mediates this relationship; perceived overqualification differentiation moderates the effect of perceived overqualification on relational identification as well the indirect effect of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding via relational identification.
Originality/value
This paper shows the cognitive mechanism of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding. Moreover, this study also extends current perceived overqualification literature from a single individual level/a dyad level to a complex team level by conceptualizing the perceived overqualification differentiation. The research findings are helpful to guide team talent management and knowledge management in business management practice.
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Xiaohu Wen, Xiangkang Cao, Xiao-ze Ma, Zefan Zhang and Zehua Dong
The purpose of this paper was to prepare a ternary hierarchical rough particle to accelerate the anti-corrosive design for coastal concrete infrastructures.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to prepare a ternary hierarchical rough particle to accelerate the anti-corrosive design for coastal concrete infrastructures.
Design/methodology/approach
A kind of micro-nano hydrophobic ternary microparticles was fabricated from SiO2/halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and recycled concrete powders (RCPs), which was then mixed with sodium silicate and silane to form an inorganic slurry. The slurry was further sprayed on the concrete surface to construct a superhydrophobic coating (SHC). Transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mappings demonstrate that the nano-sized SiO2 has been grafted on the sub-micron HNTs and then further adhered to the surface of micro-sized RCP, forming a kind of superhydrophobic particles (SiO2/HNTs@RCP) featured of abundant micro-nano hierarchical structures.
Findings
The SHC surface presents excellent superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle >156°. Electrochemical tests indicate that the corrosion rate of mild steel rebar in coated concrete reduces three-order magnitudes relative to the uncoated one in 3.5% NaCl solution. Water uptake and chloride ion (Cl-) diffusion tests show that the SHC exhibits high H2O and Cl- ions barrier properties thanks to the pore-sealing and water-repellence properties of SiO2/HNTs@RCP particles. Furthermore, the SHC possesses considerable mechanical durability and outstanding self-cleaning ability.
Originality/value
SHC inhibits water uptake, Cl- diffusion and rebar corrosion of concrete, which will promote the sustainable application of concrete waste in anti-corrosive concrete projects.