Haifeng Wang, Yapu Zhao, Beilei Dang, Pengfei Han and Xin Shi
The impact of network centrality on innovation performance is inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to examine how formal and informal institutions affect the influence of…
Abstract
Purpose
The impact of network centrality on innovation performance is inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to examine how formal and informal institutions affect the influence of network centrality on firms’ innovation performance in emerging economies by integrating social network theory and institutional theory.
Design/methodology/approach
Multisource and lagged data from 234 technology-based entrepreneurial firms listed on the Chinese Growth Enterprise Market were leveraged to test a proposed research model.
Findings
Results suggest that formal institutions (marketization) positively moderate the relationship between network centrality and innovation performance, whereas informal institutions (social cohesion) negatively moderate this relationship. Moreover, formal and informal institutions have a strong joint impact on such relationship, that is, the effect of network centrality on innovation performance is most positive when marketization is high and social cohesion is low.
Originality/value
This empirical research provides new insights into whether and how firms can grasp the innovation benefits of network centrality by exploring institutional contingencies. It further sheds on light the scope of the network centrality–innovation issue by extending its research context to Chinese entrepreneurial firms.
Details
Keywords
Xin-juan Zhu, Xue Wu, Xin Shi and Bu-gao Xu
The Web 3D virtual display technology for personalized clothing based on Unity3D is studied in this paper. The framework of the technology is described. The development steps…
Abstract
Purpose
The Web 3D virtual display technology for personalized clothing based on Unity3D is studied in this paper. The framework of the technology is described. The development steps including personalized clothing design and modeling, interaction and virtual display technology based on Unity3D are given out. The purpose of this paper is to provide a feasible technical route and support for the virtual display for the customized products.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper opted for an exploratory study using the open-ended approach of grounded theory, including the Web 3D virtual display technology for personalized clothing based on Unity3D.
Findings
A feasible technical route for the virtual display of the customized products is provides in this paper.
Originality/value
This paper fulfills a software and has practical use.
Details
Keywords
Melati Nungsari, Kirjane Ngu, Denise Wong Ni Shi, Jia Wei Chin, Shu Yee Chee, Xin Shi Wong and Sam Flanders
Entrepreneurship studies have established various antecedents leading to eventual entrepreneurship by measuring entrepreneurial intention (EI). However, evidence has shown that…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurship studies have established various antecedents leading to eventual entrepreneurship by measuring entrepreneurial intention (EI). However, evidence has shown that intention does not necessarily translate into behaviour, especially for complex behaviours such as creating a business venture. Hence, this paper aims to examine how contextual and individual factors interact with one another to promote or inhibit one’s translation of EI into entrepreneurial action in an emerging economy.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopt a retrospective qualitative approach by interviewing 37 Malaysian micro and small business owners. Then, multidimensional scaling is used to examine the interactions between the identified factors.
Findings
The authors find that social networks are the main influence on an individual’s propensity to start a business – it provides financial and social capital, provides other means of support such as practical help and business opportunities and instils passion and drive. Furthermore, organisations such as schools, universities and employers play an important role in instilling the motivation for a career shift to entrepreneurship and by providing opportunities to upskill. In addition, the findings indicate that entrepreneurial traits such as proactiveness, resourcefulness and passion enable individuals to overcome entrepreneurial structural constraints, such as lack of resources and negative action-related emotions. By contrast, the role of macro-environmental factors such as governmental support play less prominent roles in the narratives of the entrepreneurs.
Practical implications
This study has important implications for governments and policymakers in implementing support for those transitioning from salaried employment to self-employment and for entrepreneurship interventions to adopt a holistic approach that encompasses building one’s entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and mindsets, alongside providing external incentives.
Originality/value
The authors provide a more holistic approach to exploring the EI–behaviour gap. In addition, this study explored facilitators and barriers to entrepreneurship specific to the context of an emerging economy such as Malaysia, which is highly dependent on small-scale self-employment.
Details
Keywords
Xiaojing Wei, Jue Wang, Xin Shi, Feng Zhou, Duolong Gao, Xiaohu Wen and Xiankang Zhong
This paper aims to discover a highly efficient corrosion inhibitor for 45# steel in hydrochloric acid solution and reveal the mechanism of inhibitors.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discover a highly efficient corrosion inhibitor for 45# steel in hydrochloric acid solution and reveal the mechanism of inhibitors.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, electrochemical measurements, weight loss measurements, surface characterization and theoretical calculation are used to evaluate the inhibition performance and reveal the mechanism of inhibitors.
Findings
Results show that didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DDAC), especially in combination with dodecane phenol plyoxyethylene, could provide a good protection performance for the carbon steel in hydrochloric acid. The N atoms and long alkyl chains in DDAC molecular structure play the vital role.
Originality/value
Usually, DDAC is used as the compound chemical disinfectant in oilfield sterilization, medicine and health. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study has shown that it can mitigate the corrosion of carbon steels in HCl solution.
Details
Keywords
Xueqing Zhao, Xin Shi, Kaixuan Liu and Yongmei Deng
The quality of produced textile fibers plays a very important role in the textile industry, and detection and assessment schemes are the key problems. Therefore, the purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
The quality of produced textile fibers plays a very important role in the textile industry, and detection and assessment schemes are the key problems. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose a relatively simple and effective technique to detect and assess the quality of produced textile fibers.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to achieve automatic visual inspection of fabric defects, first, images of the textile fabric are pre-processed by using Block-Matching and 3-D (BM3D) filtering. And then, features of textile fibers image are respectively extracted, including color, texture and frequency spectrum features. The color features are extracted by using hue–saturation–intensity model, which is more consistent with the human vision perception model; texture features are extracted by using scale-invariant feature transform scheme, which is a quite good method to detect and describe the local image features, and the obtained features are robust to local geometric distortion; frequency spectrum features of textiles are less sensitive to noise and intensity variations than spatial features. Finally, for evaluating the quality of the fabric in real time, two quantitatively metric parameters, peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity, are used to objectively assess the quality of textile fabric image.
Findings
Compared to the quality between production and pre-processing of textile fiber images, the BM3D filtering method is a very efficient technology to improve the quality of textile fiber images. Compared to the different features of textile fibers, like color, texture and frequency spectrum, the proposed detection and assessment method based on textile fabric image feature can easily detect and assess the quality of textiles. Moreover, the objective metrics can further improve the intelligence and performance of detection and assessment schemes, and it is very simple to detect and assess the quality of textiles in the textile industry.
Originality/value
An intelligent detection and assessment method based on textile fabric image feature is proposed, which can efficiently detect and assess the quality of textiles, thereby improving the efficiency of textile production lines.
Details
Keywords
Shuang Ren and Ying Zhu
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the contemporary paradigm of business leadership vis-à-vis China’s reform and transitional context.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the contemporary paradigm of business leadership vis-à-vis China’s reform and transitional context.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs an evidence-based approach to explore the business leadership issues influenced by economic reform and within the context of societal transition in China. A qualitative research method was adopted based on in-depth interviews with a number of middle managers from a variety of Chinese enterprises, including state-owned, domestic-private and foreign-invested enterprises. Content analysis of several rounds of interviews added depth to the data analysis.
Findings
The findings complement existing thoughts and illustrate concepts, issues, and characteristics not yet emphasized in mainstream literature. General patterns and associated characteristics of business leadership in China, as well as specific patterns associated with different forms of enterprise ownerships, are identified.
Research limitations/implications
The study makes a timely and necessary contribution that enriches context-specific understandings of business leadership against the backdrop of surrounding economic, social, and cultural changes.
Practical implications
The study enriches understandings of commonalities and differences in leadership across the globe, facilitating working collaboratively to achieve common goals in a global community.
Originality/value
The study offers new insights into business leadership by linking contextual, personal, and cognitional factors together and demonstrates some unique characteristics of leadership styles in transitional economies like China.
Details
Keywords
Abstract
The interbank market in China experienced remarkable squeezes in liquidity in 2013. In particular, the overnight Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate reached a historical high in June. Banks were unprepared, facing the occurrence of various liquidity demands simultaneously. Effects of the liquidity squeeze spread across markets, and concerns were expressed about the health of the banking sector in the world’s second largest economy. Yet the central bank of China maintained an unswerving view that the tightness of liquidity was only structural, and could be overcome by the commercial banks themselves. While it may be too early to judge whether the central bank was correct, or whether there is systematic liquidity risk in the banking sector, markets received a clear signal from the People’s Bank of China. The central bank stopped acting as a ‘perpetual put option’ for commercial banks and refused to take responsibility to satisfy liquidity needs in the interbank market. Its intention is clear; that is, to adjust monetary policy and support economic reform in China. The new Chinese government seems determined to steer a new course away from the previous growth episode. Its resolution has been published and actions have been taken. Among them, the central bank’s changes to monetary policy have received responses from the markets, and the People’s Bank of China is now in the vanguard of a battle to squeeze liquidity. It is difficult to predict what further actions the government will take. However, it should be aware that the driving force of economic reform in China comes from structural change and productivity improvement. Without follow-up policies, complication in the financial system could undermine the central bank’s effort and international capital flows may quickly substitute the opening position of the central bank in the interbank market. More wisdom is required if China is to win the battle for deleveraging and structural reform.
Details
Keywords
Li Gao, Jinnan Song, Jiajuan Liang and Jianxiao Guo
This paper aims to explore the influence of founder shareholders’ resources on the allocation of control rights from the perspective of incomplete contract theory and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the influence of founder shareholders’ resources on the allocation of control rights from the perspective of incomplete contract theory and resource-based theory.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyzes newspaper materials with NVivo11on a case of battle for corporate control in Chinese top-listed company-Vanke Group.
Findings
The research shows that human capital is the key resource and the holding proportion of financial resources directly affects the allocation of control rights. At the same time, social capital is unstable and easily broken. At last, institutional environment also affects the degree between the relationship of founder shareholders’ resources and the allocation of control rights. The influence of founder-shareholder resources on the allocation of control rights follows the path of “crisis – founder-shareholder’s resources – founder’s ability - allocation of control rights.”
Research limitations/implications
This study only selects the financial capital, human capital and social capital of Shi Wang, the founder of Vanke, as the analysis object. The study can expand the types of founder shareholder resources to verify and enrich the conclusions.
Originality/value
The current theoretical research in the literature focuses on the necessity of equity and shareholder’s resources versus the control rights. Some key factors and mechanism on the relationship have not been fully clarified. The results of this paper not only extend the combination research of social network and corporate governance, but also provide enterprise founders with references for making reasonable decisions during control battle.
Details
Keywords
This study aims to assess the enduring lack of citizenship for rural migrants coming to cities to work, and the extent to which there has been any progress in altering their…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the enduring lack of citizenship for rural migrants coming to cities to work, and the extent to which there has been any progress in altering their status in past decades.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a narrative approach, relying on documentary sources. It takes a chronological approach in evaluating signs of progress but mainly tells a story of long-term continuity in the treatment of outsiders – even though they are from their own country – by urban officials and citizens.
Findings
The main finding is that the management of rural migrants in China’s cities has not fundamentally improved in the 40-plus years since they were released from the communes and permitted to come to cities to work. This is despite various pronouncements of change, most of which mattered little, if at all, in the implementation.
Originality/value
This study applies the concept of “citizenship” to what has been done and, mostly not done, for migrants over the past decades.
Details
Keywords
Although an important facet of modernist architecture in which function plays a prominent role, building flexibility is not entirely a new concept. Its relevance transcends…
Abstract
Although an important facet of modernist architecture in which function plays a prominent role, building flexibility is not entirely a new concept. Its relevance transcends generations, allowing space and structure to evolve through time. This paper investigates the relationship among main building structures, infill elements, and space by studying examples in ancient Chinese architecture. It reveals the role of building owners, users, and craftsmen from a survey of historical documentation. In studying these examples, it is concluded that craftsmen in ancient China were involved not only during the construction phase but throughout the period of use as well. Thus, in select cases, the relationship between craftsmen and owners or users had been preserved for generations. Finally, this paper suggests potential strategies for the building industry and technology in the move towards sustainable development.