Dongling Cai, Leonard Fengsheng Wang and Xiaokai Wu
The purpose of this study is to investigate the interplay between economic governance and privatization, and how these two instruments affect the entry mode choice of the foreign…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the interplay between economic governance and privatization, and how these two instruments affect the entry mode choice of the foreign firm and the social welfare of the host country.
Design/methodology/approach
This study constructs a mixed duopoly model wherein one domestic public firm competes with a foreign firm and investigates the influence of economic governance investment on the domestic government’s optimal degree of privatization choice and the foreign firm’s entry mode choice.
Findings
This study shows that (1) better economic governance enhances the effect of privatization on output, thus resulting in a lower degree of privatization; (2) the optimal privatization policy of the domestic government is partial privatization irrespective of the foreign firm’s entry mode choice; (3) with optimal investment by the domestic government on economic governance, the optimal degree of privatization is higher under FDI than export, and the host-country welfare is also higher under FDI. In particular, this study demonstrates that better economic governance decreases the threshold of the degree of privatization when the foreign firm switches from export to FDI, implying that better economic governance stimulates the foreign firm to undertake FDI in the host country.
Practical implications
The findings shed some light on both the mixed ownership reform of the SOEs in China and attracting foreign capital inflow to improve the host country’s social welfare.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study constitutes the first attempt to build a theoretical framework to explore how the interactions between economic governance and privatization influence the entry mode choice of the foreign firm.
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Jiabo Chen, Xiaokai Guo, Hao Liu, Xuantong Lv, Shichuan Fan, Liankui Wu, Fahe Cao and Qingqing Sun
This study aims to discuss the influences of surface severe plastic deformation (S2PD) on the electrochemical corrosion, pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion, stress…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to discuss the influences of surface severe plastic deformation (S2PD) on the electrochemical corrosion, pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion, stress corrosion cracking of aluminum (Al) alloys and attempt to correlate the microstructural/compositional changes with the performances.
Design/methodology/approach
This study provides a novel gradient design of structure/composition caused by S2PD for the purpose of enhancing Al alloys’ corrosion resistance.
Findings
S2PD has a significant effect on corrosion behavior of Al alloys through tuning the grain size, residual stress, composition, grain boundary phase and second phase particle distribution.
Originality/value
Although Al alloys are known to form a protective Al2O3 film, corrosion is a major challenge for the longevity of Al structures across numerous industries, especially for the infrastructures made of high-strength Al alloys. Traditional strategies of improving corrosion resistance of Al alloys heavily relied on alloying and coatings. In this review, gradient design of structure/composition caused by S2PD provides a novel strategy for corrosion protection of Al alloys, especially in the enhancement of localized corrosion resistance.
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Xingong Li, Xiaokai Li and Sheng Ding
Digital transformation (DT) is among the vital factors contributing to innovation ambidexterity, especially for advanced manufacturing firms (AMFs). However, the empirical studies…
Abstract
Purpose
Digital transformation (DT) is among the vital factors contributing to innovation ambidexterity, especially for advanced manufacturing firms (AMFs). However, the empirical studies on the relationship between DT and innovation ambidexterity in AMFs from the perspective of knowledge management are inadequate. Therefore, this study aims to systematically analyze the impact of DT on innovation ambidexterity and its mechanism of action.
Design/methodology/approach
This study selects 254 listed firms within the ten key areas of “Made in China 2025,” as they occupy a key position in China’s advanced manufacturing system. Based on the knowledge-based view (KBV) and contingency theory, it constructs a model of the influence mechanism of DT on innovation ambidexterity.
Findings
The results show that the DT of AMFs positively influence innovation ambidexterity. External pressure from environmental turbulence enhances the positive relationship between DT and innovation ambidexterity, demonstrating the “resilience effect,” external knowledge search (EKS) and broadening the knowledge base mediating roles between them, highlighting the “accumulation effect.”
Originality/value
By identifying this mediation mechanism of DT and innovation ambidexterity, this study provides new ideas for path research on the KBV. Moreover, this study explores the triggering effect of market environmental turbulence on the DT of firms. It reveals the boundary conditions of DT acting on innovation ambidexterity, expands the research perspective on organizational resilience and enriches the theory of power change.
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Hong Guo, Xiaokai Niu and Zhitian Xie
The occurrence of segment cracks caused by load changes in shield tunnels would affect the safety of the tunnel structure. To this end, a three-dimensional fine shield tunnel…
Abstract
Purpose
The occurrence of segment cracks caused by load changes in shield tunnels would affect the safety of the tunnel structure. To this end, a three-dimensional fine shield tunnel segment model based on the extended finite element method (XFEM) is established.
Design/methodology/approach
The cracking law of shield segment cracks is studied in two forms: overloading and unloading. The relationship between crack length, width and depth and transverse convergence and deformation is analyzed.
Findings
The results show that the cracks in shield tunnels mainly occur on the outer side of the arch waist and the inner side of the crown and bottom. Under overloading and unloading conditions, the length, width and depth of cracks increase non-linearly as the transverse convergence deformation increases. Under the same convergent deformation, the deeper the buried depth, the smaller the crack length, width and depth. Meanwhile, under overloading conditions, the influence of buried depth on the width and depth of cracks is more significant. In terms of crack width and depth, unloading conditions are more dangerous than overloading conditions.
Originality/value
The findings have a guiding effect for the management of cracks in shield tunnels during operation.
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Yongzhen Ke, Wenjie Zhao, Shuai Yang, Kai Wang and Jiaying Liu
This paper aims to obtain a texture dental model with real images and improve the rendering effect of the dental model.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to obtain a texture dental model with real images and improve the rendering effect of the dental model.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper proposes a semiautomatic method to construct a realistic dental model with real images based on two-dimensional/three-dimensional (2D/3D) registration. First, a 3D digital dental model and three intraoral images are obtained by a 3D scanner and digital single-lens reflex camera. Second, the camera projection poses for every intraoral images are calculated by using the single-objective optimization algorithm. Third, with camera poses, the preliminary projection texture mapping is performed; besides, the seam between two textures is marked. Finally, the marked regions are fused based on the image pyramid to eliminate obvious seams.
Findings
The paper provides a method to construct a realistic dental model. The method can map three intraoral images to the dental model. The experimental results show that the textured dental model without obvious distortion, dislocation and seams is constructed with simple interactions.
Originality/value
The proposed method can be applied to the digital smile design system to improve the communication efficiency between doctors, patients and technicians.
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Upama Dey, Aparna Duggirala and Souren Mitra
Aluminium alloys can be used as lightweight and high-strength materials in combination with the technology of laser beam welding, an efficient joining method, in the manufacturing…
Abstract
Purpose
Aluminium alloys can be used as lightweight and high-strength materials in combination with the technology of laser beam welding, an efficient joining method, in the manufacturing of automotive parts. The purposes of this paper are to conduct laser welding experiments with Al2024 in the lap joint configuration, model the laser welding process parameters of Al2024 alloys and use propounded models to optimize the process parameters.
Design/methodology/approach
Laser welding of Al2024 alloy has been conducted in the lap joint configuration. Then, the influences of explanatory variables (laser peak power, scanning speed and frequency) on outcome variables (weld width [WW], throat length [TL] and breaking load [BL]) have been investigated with Poisson regression analysis of the data set derived from experimentation. Thereafter, a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) has been used using MATLAB to find the optimum solutions. The effects of various input process parameters on the responses have also been analysed using response surface plots.
Findings
The promulgated statistical models, derived with Poisson regression analysis, are evinced to be well-fit ones using the analysis of deviance approach. Pareto fronts have been used to demonstrate the optimization results, and the maximized load-bearing capacity is computed to be 1,263 N, whereas the compromised WW and TL are 714 µm and 760 µm, respectively.
Originality/value
This work of conducting laser welding of lap joint of Al2024 alloy incorporating the Taguchi method and optimizing the input process parameters with the promulgated statistical models proffers a neoteric perspective that can be useful to the manufacturing industry.
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Guocheng Xiang, Jingjing Liu and Yuxuan Yang
The modernization of China’s economy is an integral part of Chinese-style modernization. According to the principle of unifying…
Abstract
Purpose
The modernization of China’s economy is an integral part of Chinese-style modernization. According to the principle of unifying theoretical, historical and practical logic, theoretically explaining the modernization of China’s economy is both a political necessity and a higher scientific requirement.
Design/methodology/approach
Following this evolutionary line – from modes of production to the general economic development mechanism and then to patterns of economic operation and development – this paper employs the principal contradiction analysis method to offer an interpretation of China’s economic modernization from the broad Marxist political economy perspective.
Findings
In economic terms, “get organized” primarily refers to the development and mutual promotion of team-based and market-based division of labor organizations, as discussed by Karl Marx. “Get organized” (specifically the development of team-based division of labor organizations) acts as the engine of China’s economic modernization and serves as the historical logical starting point. Division of labor is the theoretical logical starting point for interpreting China’s economic modernization. The two of them are congruent, achieving the unity of theoretical and historical logic at the starting point. The development and mutual promotion of these “two types of division of labor” inherently generate the general mechanism of economic development first comprehensively discussed by Marx and Friedrich Engels, which involves the division of labor development and market expansion accumulating cyclically and reinforcing each other. This mechanism drives both the high-speed and high-quality development of China’s economic modernization.
Originality/value
The broad Marxist political economy paradigm facilitates explaining China’s economic modernization theoretically, historically and practically with unified logic. “Get organized” serves as both the engine and the realization mechanism of this modernization, with the Communist Party of China (CPC) consistently being the core force of this organizational effort.