Search results

This study aims to examine the impact of directors’ green experience on the disclosure of environmental information by firms. Furthermore, it investigates the mediating role of firm green culture and the moderating effect of Confucianism in this mediation process.

The selected sample for this study comprises the A-share listed firms from 2010 to 2020. The data on “directors’ green experiences,” “Confucianism” and “green culture” were manually collected and organized, while other data were obtained from China Stock Market & Accounting Research Database. After eliminating corporations with ST, *ST and missing data, a total of 29,419 samples were obtained. The hypotheses were tested using a multiple linear regression model, and statistical analysis was performed using Stata 16.0.

The findings of this study reveal that directors’ green experience positively influences firm environmental information disclosure, and firm green culture mediates this relationship. Moreover, Confucianism moderates the impact of directors’ green experience on firm environmental information disclosure, as well as the mediating role of green culture in the relationship between directors’ green experience and firm environmental information disclosure.

The disclosure of environmental information plays a significant role in promoting a firm’s environmental performance as well as its competitive advantage. While previous studies examine various factors leading to firms’ environmental information disclosure, the influence of managerial characteristics on firm environmental information disclosure has not received adequate research attention. The present study investigates the effect of directors’ green experience on environmental information disclosure, contributing to the existing literature on firms’ environmental information disclosure and managerial features. Meanwhile, it enriches the literature on firm governance and imprinting theory.

Drawing from social contagion theory, this study aims to clarify whether consumers become motivated to help a brand and its community when observing other members contributing to society. The authors also analyzed the boundary conditions and mechanisms of this process.

A mixed-method approach was used to test hypotheses. Study 1 collected survey data from Chinese automobile brand communities, which were analyzed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Study 2 conducted an experiment with a fictional Chinese smartphone brand community.

Results showed that brand community social responsibility influenced brand community citizenship behavior but did not directly influence brand citizenship behavior. Collective self-esteem respectively mediated the relationships between brand community social responsibility and both brand community citizenship behavior and brand citizenship behavior. Additionally, a sequential mediation mechanism was identified, where collective self-esteem and brand community citizenship behavior functioned as the first and second mediators. Furthermore, membership duration positively moderated the relationship between brand community social responsibility and collective self-esteem and moderated the mediation effects.

Brand community managers should conduct various social responsibility activities to elicit community and brand citizenship behaviors by cultivating ethical awareness. These activities should be tailored to the membership duration.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore how brand community social responsibility cultivates community and brand citizenship behavior. It is also based on social contagion theory to demonstrate the sequential mediation mechanism.

This paper examines the problem of lack of historical data and inadequate consideration of factors influencing demand in the forecasting of demand for fast fashion clothing and proposes an improved Bass model for the forecasting of such a demand and the demand for new clothing products.

From the perspective of how to solve the lack of data and improve the precision of the clothing demand forecast, this paper studies the measurement of clothing similarity and the addition of demand impact factors. Using the fuzzy clustering–rough set method, the degree of resemblance of clothing is determined, which provides a basis for the scientific utilisation of historical data of similar clothing to forecast the demand for new clothing. Besides, combining the influence of consumer preferences and seasonality on demand forecasting, an improved Bass model for a fast fashion clothing demand forecast is proposed. Finally, with a forecasting example of demand for clothing, this study also tests the validity of the method.

The objective measurement method of clothing similarity in this paper solves the problem of the difficult forecasting of demand for fast fashion clothing due to a lack of sales data at the preliminary stage of the clothing launch. The improved Bass model combines, comprehensively, consumer preferences and seasonality and enhances the forecast precision of demand for fast fashion clothing.

The paper puts forward a scientific, quantitative method for the forecasting of new clothing products using historical sales data of similar clothing, thus solving the problem of lack of sales data of the fashion.

As a natural fiber, yakwool has attracted much attention in textile processing due to its excellent properties and wearabilities. However, the main colors of yakwool are black and brown. Therefore, for extending the application scopes of the fiber, the decolorization of the yakwool fiber is usually needed, especially for the black fiber. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

In the paper, the properties of the yakwool fiber were tested first, especially the melanin granules in the fiber. Then, the decolorization of the yakwool fiber was studied using the oxidation–reduction decolorization method, and corresponding optimal process of the decolorization was given. Then, the properties of the decolorized yakwool fiber were tested and compared with those of the original fiber.

It is shown that, after decolorization, the physical and mechanical properties of the fiber were deteriorated, especially in terms of the strength and elongation. Therefore, the fiber became shorter and thinner, and the scales were damaged. When compared with the yarn spun from the original yakwool fiber, it was observed that the properties of the yarn spun from the decolorized yakwool fiber deteriorated because of the deterioration in the properties of the original fiber.

In the paper, for extending the application scopes of the yakwool fiber, the decolorization of the yakwool fiber was studied.

This paper aims to investigate the preparation of AlN and Al₂O₃, as well as the effect of nano-AlN and nano-Al₂O₃, on friction and wear properties of copper-steel clad plate immersed in the lubricants.

Nano-AlN or nano-Al₂O₃ (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 Wt.%) functional fluids were prepared. Their tribological properties were tested by an MRS-10A four-ball friction tester and a ball-on-plate configuration, and scanning electron microscope observed the worn surface of the plate.

An increase in nano-AlN and Al₂O₃ content enhances the extreme pressure and anti-wear performance of the lubricant. The best performance is achieved at 0.5 Wt.% of nano-AlN and 0.3 Wt.% of nano-Al₂O₃ with PB of 834 N and 883 N, a coefficient of friction (COF) of approximately 0.07 and 0.06, respectively. Furthermore, the inclusion of nano-AlN and nano-Al₂O₃ particles in the lubricant enhances its extreme pressure performance and reduces wear, leading to decreased wear spot depth. The lubricating effect of the nano-Al₂O₃ lubricant on the surface of the copper-steel composite plate is slightly superior to that of the nano-AlN lubricant, with a COF reaching 0.07. Both lubricants effectively fill and lubricate the holes on the surface of the copper-steel composite plate.

AlN and Al₂O₃ as water-based lubricants have excellent lubrication performance and can reduce the COF. It can provide some reference for the practical application of nano-water-based lubricants.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2023-0255/

Innovativeness is crucial for industrial cluster firms to gain sustained competitive advantage. This study aims to investigate the effects of inter-firm coopetition on firm innovativeness within a cluster and examines the moderating role of institutional support.

This research adopts an empirical survey method using multi-source data from 181 industrial cluster firms. Regression is used to test the hypotheses of this study.

The results show that cooperation and constructive conflict promote firm innovativeness, while destructive conflict is detrimental to firm innovativeness. Moreover, the study also finds that cooperation interacts with both types of conflict to affect firm innovativeness, where cooperation and constructive conflict interact negatively on firm innovativeness, while cooperation and destructive conflict interact positively on firm innovativeness. In addition, institutional support weakens the effects of cooperation and destructive conflict on innovativeness, respectively, but has no significant moderating effect on the relationship between constructive conflict and innovativeness.

These findings enrich the current research on coopetition. The interaction effects of cooperation and both types of conflict on innovativeness deepen the concept of coopetition and responds to the call to further explore the interaction effects within coopetition. The moderating role of institutional support fills a gap in the empirical research on the role of institutional factors affecting coopetition on innovation and also provides valuable suggestions for firm managers and governments in industrial clusters.

This study aims to investigate the cause of high-order wheel polygonization in a plateau high-speed electric multiple unit (EMU) train.

A series of field tests were conducted to measure the vibration accelerations of the axle box and bogie when the wheels of the EMU train passed through tracks with normal rail roughness after re-profiling. Additionally, the dynamic characteristics of the track, wheelset and bogie were also measured. These measurements provided insights into the mechanisms that lead to wheel polygonization.

The results of the field tests indicate that wheel polygonal wear in the EMU train primarily exhibits 14–16 and 25–27 harmonic orders. The passing frequencies of wheel polygonization were approximately 283–323 Hz and 505–545 Hz, which closely match the dominated frequencies of axle box and bogie vibrations. These findings suggest that the fixed-frequency vibrations originate from the natural modes of the wheelset and bogie, which can be excited by wheel/rail irregularities.

The study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of high-order wheel polygonization in plateau high-speed EMU trains. Futher, the results indicate that operating the EMU train on mixed lines at variable speeds could potentially mitigate high-order polygonal wear, providing practical value for improving the safety, performance and maintenance efficiency of high-speed EMU trains.

In the 40 years of reform and opening-up toward a more rational micro-economic structure, the proportion of output of state-owned enterprises shows a declining trend. Over the past decade, on one hand, the operational efficiency of state-owned enterprises has tended to be low as compared to other ownership enterprises; on the other hand, the asset–liability ratio of state-owned enterprises has risen against the trend, and still remains high under the recent national policy of “deleveraging.” The paper aims to discuss this issue.

This indicates that the inefficiency of state-owned enterprises that once hindered China’s economic development has not yet been fundamentally solved, and the task of deepening state-owned enterprises reform is still arduous.

In the process of establishing China’s modern economic system, there will be some “new state-owned enterprises” growing into world-class ones. This requires more effort in enhancing the capacity for independent innovation, improving the level of organizational control, expanding international market opportunities and fulfilling enterprise social responsibilities with high standards.

It is more appropriate for China to have a micro-economic structure in which public ownership predominates and diverse forms of ownership enjoy common prosperity and development.

Under the trend of global economic integration and the new context of stagflation, frequent fluctuations in international interest rates are exerting far-reaching impacts on the world economy. In this paper, the transmission mechanism of the impact of fluctuations in international interest rates (specifically, the American interest rate) on the bankruptcy risk in China's pillar industry, the construction industry (which is also sensitive to interest rates), is examined.

Using an improved contingent claims analysis, the bankruptcy risk of enterprises is calculated in this paper. Additionally, an individual fixed-effects model is developed to investigate the mediating effects of international interest rates on the bankruptcy risk in the Chinese construction industry. The heterogeneity of subindustries in the industrial chain and the impact of China's energy consumption structure are also analysed in this paper.

The findings show that fluctuations in international interest rates, which affect the bankruptcy risk of China's construction industry, are mainly transmitted through two major pathways, namely, commodity price effects and exchange rate effects. In addition, the authors examine the important impact of China's energy consumption structure on risk transmission and assess the transmission and sharing of risks within the industrial chain.

First, in the research field, the study of international interest rate risk is extended to domestic-oriented industries. Second, in terms of the research content, this paper is focused on China-specific issues, including the significant influence of China's energy consumption structure characteristics and the risk contagion (and risk sharing) as determined by the current development of the Chinese construction industry. Third, in terms of research methods a modified contingent claim analysis approach to bankruptcy risk indicators is adopted for this study, thus overcoming the problems of data frequency, market sentiment and financial data fraud, which are issues that are ignored by most relevant studies.

Agriculture innovation systems (AIS) examine the complex socio-technical and institutional aspects affecting sustainable agriculture. However, it is predominantly constrained to the formal sector activities in the high-income countries (HICs). The informal sector actors play a major role in the agricultural sector of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as India, by innovating and disseminating grassroots innovations (GI). This study aims to explore the role of different GI, both by the informal and formal sectors, within an emerging AIS focused on seabuckthorn in Ladakh, India.

This study used a qualitative methodology, using semi-structured interviews and focused group discussions to gather data from the stakeholders involved in seabuckthorn value chain. The data was analysed using the AIS framework’sa priori themes and was validated through data triangulation with secondary sources.

This study reveals the existence of GI, by both the formal and informal sector actors, and their complex interaction within the seabuckthorn value chain. It highlights the importance of co-existence of these GI to make it a sustainable seabuckthorn AIS.

This study offers noteworthy perspectives for governments, policymakers and agricultural practitioners with respect to the assimilation of GI into AIS. These insights could help improve agricultural sustainability and viability, particularly in LMICs where the informal sector plays a significant role.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to explore the role of GI within AIS and opens up research avenues for further inquiry in both LMICs and HICs.