Xueyuan Liu, Haiyun Zhao and Xiande Zhao
The purpose of this paper is to examine the multiple paths of absorptive capacity’s (AC) effect on business performance (BP): direct effect and indirect effects through innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the multiple paths of absorptive capacity’s (AC) effect on business performance (BP): direct effect and indirect effects through innovation and mass customization (MC).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors examined the role of innovation and MC capability on the relationship between AC and BP. Data from 278 Chinese firms in four manufacturing industries collected by questionnaire are used to empirically examine the proposed model by Structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results show that AC can directly enhance BP, and indirectly through innovation and MC capability. The study also finds that MC capability has a stronger mediating effect than innovation.
Originality/value
Prior studies have not yet built linkages between AC and BP with both innovation and MC’s effects. This study provides empirical evidence of the effects of AC on BP and three paths are discussed including AC’s direct effect and indirect effects through innovation and MC to firm’s BP. This study provides a new direction for executives to better understand the movement of knowledge along supply chain and in intra-organizational environment, and of the importance of innovation and MC capability since they are essential carriers for BP enhancement.
Details
Keywords
Xueyuan Liu, Ying Kei Tse, Yan Yu, Haoliang Huang and Xiande Zhao
As quality becomes increasingly prioritized in supply chain management, understanding how supply chain quality risk management (SCQRM) practices impact quality performance (QP) is…
Abstract
Purpose
As quality becomes increasingly prioritized in supply chain management, understanding how supply chain quality risk management (SCQRM) practices impact quality performance (QP) is essential. This study investigates the effects of two SCQRM practices – risk prevention (RP) and proactive product recall (PPR) – on QP, with a particular focus on the mediating role of supply chain quality integration (SCQI).
Design/methodology/approach
A structured survey was administered to gather data from 400 Chinese manufacturing firms. Structural equation modeling was employed to evaluate the proposed relationships among SCQRM practices (RP and PPR), SCQI and QP.
Findings
The findings reveal that both RP and PPR significantly and positively influence QP. Specifically, in the structural model, RP exerts a positive effect on SCQI, while PPR also positively impacts SCQI. Additionally, SCQI serves as a mediator between RP and QP, as well as between PPR and QP.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the supply chain management literature by elucidating the beneficial effects of RP and PPR on QP and identifying SCQI as a key mediating factor in these relationships. Leveraging information processing theory (IPT), the study provides new theoretical insights into the mechanisms through which SCQRM enhances QP via SCQI.
Details
Keywords
Xueyuan Liu, Muzhen Shen, Wenjing Ding and Xiande Zhao
In innovation networks, firm innovation performance is affected by external tie strength and internal knowledge absorptive capacity. This study aims to empirically examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
In innovation networks, firm innovation performance is affected by external tie strength and internal knowledge absorptive capacity. This study aims to empirically examine the path relationship between tie strength, absorptive capacity and firm innovation performance in Chinese manufacturing industries, thus enhance our understanding on the mechanism between innovation network and innovation performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have conducted a survey among Chinese manufacturers in four industries (textile and garment, household appliance, IT and electronics and motor vehicle assemblers) that are located in North, East, Central and South China, respectively, with a valid response from 278 manufacturers. Structural equation model is used to analyze the results.
Findings
This study demonstrates that in Chinese Manufacturing industry, tie strength is positively related to innovation performance. The authors also find that absorptive capacity has a positive impact on innovation performance and it mediates the relationship between tie strength and innovation performance. Then, the authors analyze the effect of ownership, industry and sub-region, and the results show that in private firms and traditional manufacturers, and the firms located in North and Eastern China, tie strength has no direct effect on innovation outcomes, but it can influence innovation indirectly through absorptive capacity.
Originality/value
This study further supports that in Chinese guanxi culture, strong ties with other innovation partners can improve the firm’s absorptive capacity and thus improve innovation performance. The results also suggest that a firm’s absorptive capacity has a significant mediating effect on the relationship between tie strength and innovation performance.
Details
Keywords
Lingli Luo, Xueyuan Liu, Xiande Zhao and Barbara B. Flynn
As quality issues become more prominent in supply chain (SC) management, understanding the factors driving SC quality integration (SCIQ) and quality performance has become…
Abstract
Purpose
As quality issues become more prominent in supply chain (SC) management, understanding the factors driving SC quality integration (SCIQ) and quality performance has become increasingly important, shifting the focus of quality management to firms in SCs. This study aims to examine the role of SC quality leadership (SCQL) in facilitating SCIQ and its direct and indirect relationship with quality performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data on 400 Chinese manufacturing firms were collected using survey questionnaires. The hypothesised relationships between SCQL, SCIQ and quality performance were tested using structural equation modeling in AMOS 22.0.
Findings
Empirical results show that SCQL has a positive and significant effect on quality performance and all three dimensions of SCIQ: supplier quality integration, internal quality integration and customer quality integration. The results also show that SCIQ mediates the relationship between SCQL and quality performance.
Practical implications
Executives should develop SCQL to improve SCIQ in their SCs and ultimately improve quality performance. In particular, nurturing SQI can potentially lead to unique capabilities, relative to competitors. They should be aware of their important role in integrating and coordinating between functional units within the firm and between SC members.
Originality/value
This study enriches the SCM literature by identifying SCQL as a new and significant antecedent of SCIQ in manufacturing firms. It contributes to the SC leadership literature by conceptualizing both the quality and social responsibility aspects of SC leadership, conceptualizing SCQL at the firm level and positioning SCIQ as a mediator between SCQL and quality performance.
Details
Keywords
Wengang Chen, Xueyuan Liu and Lili Zheng
This paper aims to clarify the friction properties of 304 steel surface modification. The surface modification includes laser texturing processing and nitriding treatment on 304…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to clarify the friction properties of 304 steel surface modification. The surface modification includes laser texturing processing and nitriding treatment on 304 steel surface, and then the friction properties’ test was conducted on different friction directions and different upper test samples by using microfriction and wear testing machine.
Design/methodology/approach
The diameter and spacing of 100-, 150-, 200-, 300-μm pit array on the surface of 304 steel were calculated using a M-DPSS-50 semiconductor laser device. Then, the textured surface was nitriding-treated using a nitriding salt bath device. The chemical composition, surface morphology and surface microhardness of the composite-modified surface were measured by X-ray diffraction and by using an optical microscope and a microhardness tester. The tribological characteristics of the composite-modified surface were tested by MRTR microcomputer-controlled multifunctional friction and wear testing machine.
Findings
The result showed that a rule pit texture surface was obtained by the texture processing. The microhardness of nitriding treatment surface reached 574.27HV0.1, which significantly higher than 222.58HV0.1 of 304 steel. The composite-modified surface has excellent anti-friction and wear resistance properties when the upper specimen was GCr15 steel and ZrO2, respectively. The composite-modified surface has excellent anti-friction and anti-wear properties after long time friction under different angles. However, the friction coefficient and wear morphology of the friction pairs are not affected by the friction angle.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further.
Practical implications
The paper conducted a systematic study of the tribological characteristics of 304 steel composite modification surface and provided a good basis for the extensive application of 304 steel.
Social implications
The study provides a good basis for the extensive application of 304 steel.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils an identified need to study the extensive application of 304 steel.
Details
Keywords
This paper deconstructs the boundary-spanning technology innovation (BSTI) of manufacturing enterprises based on dual-meta and dual-degree perspective. We aim to explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper deconstructs the boundary-spanning technology innovation (BSTI) of manufacturing enterprises based on dual-meta and dual-degree perspective. We aim to explore the impact of differentiated internal reconfigurations on networking capabilities and, thus, different BSTIs and then reveal the optimal transformation paths of different BSTIs.
Design/methodology/approach
We use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to conduct an empirical study on 128 manufacturing enterprises in China to reveal the heterogeneous combinatorial path of internal reconfigurations on BSTI through the networking capability, and the case analysis in specific technology fields of Haier, Gree, Midea and TBEA is used to verify our results. The transfer entropy (TE) method is used to reveal the best transformation paths of different BSTIs.
Findings
The results show that the manufacturing enterprises follow the “I,” “T,” “⊥” and “|” reconfiguration logic to effectively realize multiple boundaries breakthrough (MBB), tick boundaries breakthrough (TBB), multiple boundaries reproducing (MBR) and tick boundaries reproducing (TBR) BSTI, respectively. The BSTI has two adjacent transformations named “dual-meta transformations” and “dual-degree transformations.” Nonadjacent transformations follow the “clockwise” transformation law. In “quality transformation,” “degree” transforms first and then “meta” follows, while in “feature transformation,” “meta” transforms first and then degree follows.
Originality/value
Firstly, the scientific classification of BSTI is carried out to guide enterprises to carry out accurate BSTI. Secondly, the “internal reconfiguration-networking capability-BSTI” paths of manufacturing enterprises are explored. Finally, the different laws of different BSTIs’ transformations are revealed.
Details
Keywords
Shukuan Zhao, Xueyuan Fan, Dong Shao and Shuang Wang
This study aims to investigate the impact of supply chain concentration (SCC) on corporate research and development (R&D) investment and determine the moderating roles of industry…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of supply chain concentration (SCC) on corporate research and development (R&D) investment and determine the moderating roles of industry concentration and financing constraints on the relationship between SCC and R&D investment.
Design/methodology/approach
The study collected data from Chinese listed companies, used the fixed effects model to test the research hypotheses and further used the two-stage Heckman test and propensity score matching (PSM) to address potential endogeneity issues.
Findings
The result reveals a negative impact of SCC on corporate R&D investment. In addition, industry concentration mitigates the negative impact of SCC on corporate R&D investment, but financing constraints strengthen the negative impact.
Originality/value
This study introduces the concept of SCC and empirically tests its effect on R&D investment, further explaining the lack of corporate innovation. This study inspires companies to strengthen SC management and weigh the level of SCC with environmental factors.
Details
Keywords
Ying Wei, Xueyuan Cai, Jinzhi Ran and Jianhong Yang
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dependence of dark current on threading dislocations (TDs) in relaxed Ge layer for Ge/Si heterojunction photodetectors.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dependence of dark current on threading dislocations (TDs) in relaxed Ge layer for Ge/Si heterojunction photodetectors.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis of the effects of TDs is based on SRH generation and recombination mechanism used in two‐dimensional drift‐diffusion numerical simulation.
Findings
It is found that the TDs in Ge layer acting as the recombination centers lead to large dark current densities of devices, and the recombination rate is affected by the impurity out‐diffusion from Si substrate. Besides, the TDs, being the acceptor‐like defects simultaneously, form band barrier at Si/Ge interface with lightly doped Si substrates, thus limiting the minority carrier transport and resulting in low dark current densities.
Originality/value
The simulation results are excellently consistent with the experimental data and indicate that the reduction of threading dislocation densities (TDDs), especially in Ge buffer layer, dramatically decreases dark currents densities of Ge/Si photodetectors. The investigation can be applied to imbue devices with desired characteristics.
Details
Keywords
Kun Lu, Xueyuan Deng and Xiaoqiang Zhai
The operational carbon simulation in the building design stage is significant to life cycle carbon emissions. However, this process is challenging to reuse multi-source building…
Abstract
Purpose
The operational carbon simulation in the building design stage is significant to life cycle carbon emissions. However, this process is challenging to reuse multi-source building information modeling (BIM) under different information availability. Thus, this study suggests an OpenBIM-based method for operational carbon simulation to integrate heterogeneous BIM models with different data accuracy, which can be applied across various stages of building design.
Design/methodology/approach
This study suggests a three-step method for operational carbon simulation using industry foundation classes (IFC). This method uses IfcSpace as the fundamental unit for limited data while using IfcDistributionElement for abundant data. Additionally, a case study proves the method's accuracy and efficiency by comparing it with existing tools.
Findings
Although the information availability is different, the simulation results of operational carbon are similar between schematic design and construction document design, with 1816.4 tCO2e/year and 1962.4 tCO2e/year, respectively. Furthermore, the case study shows a 16.9% carbon reduction through scheme optimization.
Originality/value
This study offers an approach that can directly utilize the multi-source heterogeneous BIM models to save time and reduce labor consumption. Using the space and the element as calculation units extends the simulation theory for evolving information accessibility across design stages.