YONGHAO MA and YI LIN
The concept of harmonic systems is introduced from a standpoint of a model of general systems. Systems might be compatible in some respects and incompatible in others; this…
Abstract
The concept of harmonic systems is introduced from a standpoint of a model of general systems. Systems might be compatible in some respects and incompatible in others; this depends on the purpose for which the systems are introduced as well as the environmental factors. Two fundamental principles are given in different optimal situations with respect to a given environment. Some tests of applications are discussed. Moreover, one kind of an invariant harmonic systems principle is proved.
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Following Ma, Yonghao and Yi Lin's definition of a mathematical model of general systems in 1987, shows the class of all general systems with relation‐reversion mappings and that…
Abstract
Following Ma, Yonghao and Yi Lin's definition of a mathematical model of general systems in 1987, shows the class of all general systems with relation‐reversion mappings and that of all general systems with relation‐preserving mappings to be productive, co‐productive categories Answers two questions posed in earlier published papers and poses some more questions for solution.
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Yi Lin and Yonghao Ma
A new approach of general systems theory is used to study the feasibility of the definition of the theory so‐called the science of science. General scientific theory is studied as…
Abstract
A new approach of general systems theory is used to study the feasibility of the definition of the theory so‐called the science of science. General scientific theory is studied as a system. The technique, well used by Bertrand Russell in his famous Russell paradox, is applied to show that the theory of science of science cannot exist. A new definition of the theory of science of science is given, so that paradoxes similar to Russell's paradox will not occur in the new theory of science of science developed on the new definition.
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Looks at how an undergraduate had to fill in the gaps to be a success by validating research ‐ using the big names of scientific history to relate the corresponding work. Gives…
Abstract
Looks at how an undergraduate had to fill in the gaps to be a success by validating research ‐ using the big names of scientific history to relate the corresponding work. Gives anecdotes of the authors’ progress and the teachers who were most noteworthy in aiding him. Uses tables to emphasize certain points about the environment and various other mathematical and scientific ideas. Emphasizes the importance of other experts’ work in this field.
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The purpose of this paper is to review the development of the processed feed industry in China through the lens of one of its most successful and earliest entrants, the Hope…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the development of the processed feed industry in China through the lens of one of its most successful and earliest entrants, the Hope Group's “New Hope” enterprise. With the feed industry in China now facing a transition phase, the paper looks at the root causes of the problems facing China's feed industry, analyzes the transition strategy undertaken by New Hope and others, and discusses the opportunities for industry growth in the world's most populous country, where urbanization and standards of living are still on the rise and per capita use of feeds is still low by world standards (e.g. one‐fifth of that in the USA). The case also addresses the potential industry impact of mandates outlined in China's Twelfth Five‐Year Plan, such as the imperative to modernize agriculture and improve peasants’ economic well‐being.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on expert knowledge of the CEO of New Hope Group's sister agribusiness company, West Hope Group, as well as New Hope Group annual reports and global economic data.
Findings
The study reveals future challenges to China's processed feed industry as being price of labor, raw materials, and energy rises; companies undergoing integration; and established companies shifting from product marketing to service marketing models.
Practical implications
This paper is useful for academics interested in industry perspectives, policymakers, practitioners, and business people considering investment in China.
Social implications
How China's processed feed and breeding industries modernize will impact the economic well‐being of each link in the nation's agribusiness chain (from small producers to conglomerates), the cost and quality of animal‐based proteins, and the world's “food vs. fuel” conflicts.
Originality/value
The paper offers a rare insider's look at one of China's largest private companies and a global player in agribusiness.
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M. Obaidul Hamid and Shuqin Luo
While education policymakers in Asian polities find it difficult to resist the English language which has attained a new status in “late capitalism”, prevailing policy-level…
Abstract
Purpose
While education policymakers in Asian polities find it difficult to resist the English language which has attained a new status in “late capitalism”, prevailing policy-level perceptions also suggest that a ruthless adoption of English may undermine national languages, identities and cultures. Despite the heightened commercialisation of English as a global language this policy dilemma raises some critical questions. For example, how can individual entrepreneurs also acting as “language policy actors” effectively promote for-profit English teaching ventures without being accused of compromising national interests, identities and traditions? This article makes a modest attempt towards addressing these questions by conducting a critical analysis of Li Yang’s English teaching venture called “Crazy English” in China and its underlying discourses.
Design/methodology/approach
From a sample of English teaching resources available on its official website, this paper identifies and discusses four major discourses on the relationship between English and individual entrepreneurship in English on the one hand and Chinese and China’s national values and interests on the other.
Findings
This paper argues that collectively these discourses represent a model of “edu-business” in English language teaching that reconciles the dichotomies between nationalism and post-nationalism, individualism and collectivism and public and private interests in a neoliberal world.
Originality/value
With the onset of globalisation and its impact on all aspects of life including the economy, education and communication, there have been on-going debates on the emerging tensions between the nation-state and the forces of trans/post-nationalism, the latter being underpinned by neo-liberalism. These tensions have also been observed in the fields of English and English language education. While research has examined how macro-level policymakers respond to globalisation through their English language policies, there has been limited work on how individual language policy actors engaged in the commercialisation of English reconcile the apparently irreconcilable forces of nationalism and post-nationalism. The contribution of the present article lies in illustrating a case that seeks to reconcile these forces through discourses and discursive strategies.
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Shanliang Zhang, Chen Guo and Yongwei Wang
The purpose of this paper is to explore the mechanism and boundary condition of the effect of managers' negotiable fate belief (NFB) on enterprise incremental and radical…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the mechanism and boundary condition of the effect of managers' negotiable fate belief (NFB) on enterprise incremental and radical innovation based on social cognition theory and social network theory.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used Mplus and SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solutions) to test the proposed model with data from 278 enterprises that have established national or municipal enterprise technology centers. In this study, questionnaires were collected through commission and field investigation.
Findings
The results indicate that managers' NFB has a significant positive impact on local and cross-border knowledge search and on the incremental and radical innovation of enterprises. Knowledge search is positively correlated with enterprise innovation and can play a mediating role between the managers' NFB and enterprise innovation. Network capability can positively moderate the relationship between managers' NFB and cross-border knowledge search but has no significant impact on the relationship between managers' NFB and local knowledge search.
Originality/value
Although there have been many studies of managers' cognition, little is known about how managers' NFB influences enterprise behavior and enterprise innovation. This study incorporates managers' NFB and knowledge search into the research model and examines the moderating effect of network capability between managers' NFB and knowledge search from an interactive perspective. By verifying the research model, this study offers original views on whether and how managers' NFB and knowledge search affect enterprise innovation.
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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.
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This paper aims to conduct a theoretical enquiry into the questions as to whether emerging country multinationals’ competitiveness derives from country-specific advantage (CSA) or…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to conduct a theoretical enquiry into the questions as to whether emerging country multinationals’ competitiveness derives from country-specific advantage (CSA) or firm-specific advantages (FSA). The case of China is also examined.
Design/methodology/approach
CSAs and FSAs are examined both in theory and in the specific case of China as explicators of outward foreign direct investment from emerging countries.
Findings
FSAs and CSAs are found to be imprecise explanatory mechanisms to explain the competitiveness of emerging country multinationals. The examination of imperfections in emerging markets and in global markets and the internalisation responses of firms in different contexts is found to be a superior explanation of the financial flows classified as “outward direct investment”.
Originality/value
Internalisation theory requires a focus on mechanisms to convert home country attributes into competitive advantages and suggests that FSAs are context dependent, ephemeral and subject to negation by the competitive actions of rival firms.