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1 – 10 of 81Yunyun Zhao, Xiaoyu Zhao and Yanzhe Liu
Consumers worldwide are increasingly ordering groceries from grocery delivery platforms (GDPs). This study aimed to explore the role of brick-and-mortar (B&M) retailers and GDPs…
Abstract
Purpose
Consumers worldwide are increasingly ordering groceries from grocery delivery platforms (GDPs). This study aimed to explore the role of brick-and-mortar (B&M) retailers and GDPs in online grocery shopping (OGS) experience, attitude and continuous purchase intention under the platform model of online grocery retailing.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a mixed method approach. A qualitative analysis was conducted based on 30 in-depth interviews and relevant literature to identify key attributes of the OGS experience. Then, data from 352 online grocery shoppers was used to examine the associations between service attributes, attitude and continuous purchase intention using a structural equation model.
Findings
The authors identified six key attributes of the OGS experience related to B&M retailers and GDPs. The quantitative study results showed that customer service, price value and instant delivery significantly impact attitude towards GDPs, while product quality, product assortment, customer service, price value and attitude toward GDPs positively impact online attitude toward B&M retailers. Online attitude toward B&M retailers significantly influences continuous purchase intention.
Practical implications
B&M retailers and GDPs should strengthen cooperation and joint oversight.
Originality/value
This study identified key attributes of the OGS experience associated with B&M retailers and GDPs under the platform model, giving a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the OGS experience and behavioural intention when B&M retailers collaborate with GDPs.
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The purpose of this study is to examine supplier–customer capabilities in solution co-creation and how they are matched from a relational process perspective.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine supplier–customer capabilities in solution co-creation and how they are matched from a relational process perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative approach, the authors identified 20 sets of supplier–customer capability matches by conducting in-depth interviews with 34 matched informants and retrieving suppliers’ archival data (project documents and success stories).
Findings
The authors identified 20 capability matching sets (21 supplier and 23 customer capabilities) and developed a process-based model of bilateral capabilities that match at the organizational level in solution co-creation. The authors reveal their match forms (complementarity and compatibility) and offer suggestions for future research.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is qualitative; quantitative studies are required for testing and extending the initial conclusions.
Practical implications
This study guides the supplier and customer to cultivate different capabilities at different stages of solution co-creation and alerts them to the importance of capability complementarity and compatibility.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to introduce the bilateral perspective into dynamic capability research in the context of solution co-creation. The authors discuss the abilities the supplier and customer must possess at different stages and how they match dynamically. The analysis extends the research on solution-specific capabilities and dynamic matching, offering useful implications for solution co-creation in practice.
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This study aims to investigate the new connotations, key antecedents, outcomes and contingency factors of value-based selling (VBS) in the context of business to business (B2B…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the new connotations, key antecedents, outcomes and contingency factors of value-based selling (VBS) in the context of business to business (B2B) industrial marketing.
Design/methodology/approach
This study develops a comprehensive conceptual framework of VBS by analyzing and synthesizing the existing literature on VBS and associated solutions.
Findings
The paper describes the research streams of VBS; proposes a comprehensive conceptual framework consisting of the factors influencing VBS at the organizational, individual, customer and environmental levels, together with 12 research propositions; and provides an agenda for future research.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is conceptual; empirical studies are required for examining the suggested propositions and agenda.
Practical implications
VBS is a process-oriented sales approach that involves multiple value creation and plays a crucial role in industrial solution selling. The successful implementation of VBS depends on the micro-foundations of an organization’s dynamic capabilities and considers the influence of individual, customer and environmental factors.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to introduce value co-creation and dynamic capability theory into VBS research in the context of industrial marketing. It discusses the antecedents, outcomes and contingency factors of VBS in detail in the form of a comprehensive research framework and proposes a future research agenda. These discussions expand the theoretical research on VBS and provide useful implications for B2B marketing practice.
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Zongwu Xie, Xiaoyu Zhao, Yu Zhang, Qi Zhang, Haitao Yang, Kui Sun and Minghe Jin
The purpose of this paper is to develop an easily implemented and practical stabilizing strategy for the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system. As the status of HIL system in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an easily implemented and practical stabilizing strategy for the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system. As the status of HIL system in the ground verification experiment for space equipment keeps rising, the stability problems introduced by high stiffness of industrial robot and discretization of the system need to be solved ungently. Thus, the study of the system stability is essential and significant.
Design/methodology/approach
To study the system stability, a mathematical model is built on the basis of control circle. And root-locus and 3D root-locus method are applied to the model to figure out the relationship between system stability and system parameters.
Findings
The mathematical model works well in describing the HIL system in the process of capturing free-floating targets, and the stabilizing strategy can be adopted to improve the system dynamic characteristic which meets the needs of the practical application.
Originality/value
A method named 3D root-locus is extended from traditional root-locus method. And the improved method graphically displays the stability of the system under the influence of multivariable. And the strategy that stabilize the system with elastic component has a strong feasible and promotional value.
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Haitao Yang, Zongwu Xie, Cao Li, Xiaoyu Zhao and Minghe Jin
The purpose of this paper is to study the path optimization method of the manipulator in the lunar soil excavation and sampling process. The current research is a practical need…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the path optimization method of the manipulator in the lunar soil excavation and sampling process. The current research is a practical need for the excavation and sampling of the lunar soil in the lunar exploration project.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes the objective function and constraints for path optimization during the excavation process of the lunar soil, regarding excavation time and energy consumption as the two key fitness indexes by analyzing the whole excavation process of the lunar soil. Specifically, the optimization is divided into two consecutive phases, one for the excavation path and the other one for joint motions. In the first phase, the Bézier polynomial is adopted to get the optimal excavation angle and reduce energy consumption. In the second phase, a method based on convex optimization, variable conversion and dynamic process discretization, is used to reduce excavation time and energy consumption.
Findings
Controlled experiments on the fine sand and the simulant lunar soil were conducted to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the two phases of the optimization method, respectively.
Originality/value
The optimization method of the excavation tasks in this paper is of great value in theoretical and practical engineering, and it can be applied in other robotic operational tasks as well.
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Haitao Yang, Zongwu Xie, Kui Sun, Xiaoyu Zhao, Minghe Jin and Cao Li
The purpose of this paper is to develop a set of ground experiment system to verify the basic functions of space effector and the capturing reliability of space end-effector for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a set of ground experiment system to verify the basic functions of space effector and the capturing reliability of space end-effector for the free-floating target payload in the three-dimensional space. The development of ground experiment system for space end-effector is essential and significant, because it costs too much to launch a space robot or other spacecraft and carry out operation tasks in space. Owing to the negligible gravity in space, which is different from that in the ground environment, ground experiment system for space end-effector should have the capability of verifying the basic functions of space effector and the reliability of space end-effector in capturing the free-floating target payload in space.
Design/methodology/approach
The ground experiment system for space end-effector mainly adopts the hybrid simulation method, which includes the real hardware experiment and software simulation. To emulate the micro-gravity environment, the contact dynamics simulator is applied to emulating the motion state of the free-floating target payload, while the admittance control is used to realize the “soft” capturing of space end-effector to simulate the real situation in space.
Findings
With the gravity compensation, the influence of gravity is almost eliminated and the results meet the requirements of the experiment. In the ground experiment, the admittance control is effective and the actual motion state of space end-effector capturing the target in space can be simulated. The experiment results show that space end-effector can capture the free-floating target payload successfully and hopefully have the ability to capture a free-floating target in space.
Originality/value
The system can verify space end-effector capturing the free-floating target payload in three-dimensional space and imitate the motion of space end-effector capturing the free-floating target in space. The system can also be modified and improved for application in the verification of space robot capturing and docking the target, which is valuable for the ground verification of space applications.
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Xiaolong Lu, Shiping Zhao, Xiaoyu Liu and Yishu Wang
The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and development of “Pylon-Climber II”, a 5-DOF biped climbing robot (degree of freedom – DOF) for moving on the external…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and development of “Pylon-Climber II”, a 5-DOF biped climbing robot (degree of freedom – DOF) for moving on the external surface of a tower and assisting the electricians to complete some maintenance tasks.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper introduces a pole-climbing robot, which consists of a 5-DOF mechanical arm and two novel grippers. The gripper is composed of a two-finger clamping module and a retractable L-shaped hook module. The robot is symmetrical in structure, and the rotary joint for connecting two arms is driven by a linear drive mechanism.
Findings
The developed prototype proved a new approach for the inspection and maintenance of the electricity pylon. The gripper can reliably grasp the angle bars with different specifications by using combined movement of the two-finger clamping module and the retractable L-shaped hook module and provide sufficient adhesion force for the Pylon-Climber II.
Practical implications
The clamping experiments of the gripper and the climbing experiments of the robot were carried out on a test tower composed of some angle bars with different specification.
Originality/value
This paper includes the design and development of a 5-DOF biped climbing robot for electricity pylon maintenance. The climbing robot can move on the external surface of the electric power tower through grasping the angle bar alternatively. The gripper that is composed of a two-finger gripping module and a retractable L-shaped hook module is very compact and can provide reliable adhesion force for the climbing robot.
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Xiaoyu Chen, Alton Y.K. Chua and L.G. Pee
This study explores identity signaling used by an emerging class of knowledge celebrities in China – Knowledge Wanghong – who sell knowledge products on online platforms. Because…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores identity signaling used by an emerging class of knowledge celebrities in China – Knowledge Wanghong – who sell knowledge products on online platforms. Because identity signaling may involve constructing unique online identities and controlling over product-related and seller-related characteristics, the purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) to uncover different online identities of knowledge celebrities; and (2) to examine the extent to which the online identity type is associated with their product-related characteristics, seller-related characteristics and sales performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A unique data set was collected from a Chinese leading pay-for-knowledge platform – Zhihu – which featured the online profiles of tens of thousands of knowledge celebrities. Online identity types were derived from their self-edited content using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling. Thereafter, their product-related characteristics, seller-related characteristics and respective sales performance were analyzed across different identity types using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple-group linear regression.
Findings
Knowledge celebrities are clustered into four distinctive online identities: Mentor, Broker, Storyteller and Geek. Product-related characteristics, sell-related characteristics and sales performance varied across four different identities. Additionally, the online identity type moderated the relationships among their product-related characteristics, sell-related characteristics and sales performance.
Originality/value
As emerging-phenomenon-based research, this study extends related literature by using the notion of identity signaling to analyze a peculiar group of online celebrities who are setting an important trend in the pay-for-knowledge model in China.
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Mingxia Jia, Yuxiang Chris Zhao, Xiaoyu Zhang and Dawei Wu
In the era of digital intelligence, individuals are increasingly interacting with digital information in their daily lives and work, and a growing phenomenon known as digital…
Abstract
Purpose
In the era of digital intelligence, individuals are increasingly interacting with digital information in their daily lives and work, and a growing phenomenon known as digital hoarding is becoming more prevalent. Prior research suggests that humanities researchers have unique and longstanding information interaction and management practices in the digital scholarship context. This study therefore aims to understand how digital hoarding manifests in humanities researchers’ behavior, identify the influencing factors associated with it, and explore how they perceive and respond to digital hoarding behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative research methods enable us to acquire a rich insight and nuanced understanding of digital hoarding practices. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 humanities researchers who were pre-screened for a high propensity for digital hoarding. Thematic analyses were then used to analyze the interview data.
Findings
Three main characteristics of digital hoarding were identified. Further, the research paradigm, digital affordance, and personality traits and habits, collectively influencing the emergence and development of digital hoarding behaviors, were examined. The subtle influence of traditional Chinese culture was encountered. Interestingly, this study found that humanists perceive digital hoarding as a positive expectation (associated with inspiration, aesthetic pursuit, and uncertainty avoidance). Meanwhile, humanists' problematic perception of this behavior is more widely observed — they experience what we conceptualize as an “expectation-perception” gap. Three specific information behaviors related to avoidance were identified as aggravating factors for digital hoarding.
Originality/value
The findings deepen the understanding of digital hoarding behaviors and personal information management among humanities researchers within the LIS field, and implications for humanities researchers, digital scholarship service providers, and digital tool developers are discussed.
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Yida Liu, Jie Zhao, Xiaoyu Yang, Yanhong Gu and Zihao Yang
The purpose of this paper is to improve the corrosion resistance of the 6061-Al alloy as the battery pack material for electric vehicles, and the nano-SiC/MAO composite coating…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to improve the corrosion resistance of the 6061-Al alloy as the battery pack material for electric vehicles, and the nano-SiC/MAO composite coating was prepared.
Design/methodology/approach
The corrosion resistance of coatings was evaluated by the global electrochemical test, and the local electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (LEIS) was used to study the local corrosion mechanism. The laser confocal microscope, scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) were used to characterise coatings.
Findings
Results showed that the impedance of nano-SiC/MAO coating was 1–2 times higher than MAO coating, and the main corrosion product was Al(OH)3. LEIS results showed that the impedance of the nano-SiC/MAO coating was two times higher than the MAO coating. The defective SiC/Micro-arc oxidation coating still had high corrosion resistance compared to the MAO coating.
Originality/value
The physical model of the local corrosion mechanism for SiC/MAO composite coating in “cavity-fracture collapse” mode was proposed.
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