The rate of urbanisation in China has accelerated community heterogeneity, and yet it has also led to challenges and problems in community governance. This trend has been…
Abstract
Purpose
The rate of urbanisation in China has accelerated community heterogeneity, and yet it has also led to challenges and problems in community governance. This trend has been accompanied by the rapid expansion of information and communication technology (ICT) and online activities. Based on the example of Jiangqiao Township in Shanghai, this paper aims to probe the link between online participation using the internet and its impacts on social capital formation and community development.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was conducted, and a case study method based on quantitative data was applied to test the theoretical framework in the interactions of users’ online participation and perceptions of community governance.
Findings
Participation in an online community through the internet was found to foster new social capital. Distributed social capital had a positive impact on perceptions of governance at the community level, which was due to the resulting network density and social trust of the locality.
Originality/value
This study offers an expanded perspective on the impact of the internet on the behaviour of netizens in China in the context of community governance in new settlements and townships. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is interesting to investigate how the use of mass communication channels, such as the internet and other digital platforms, affects social behaviour and generates new social norms. This study offers quantitative evidence from China to support the theory of Putnam (1993; 1995a). It thus extends beyond the field of sociology to the fields of public administration and urban development.
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The aim of this paper is to provide a statistical review of the Chinese denim industry, which covers the following topics: Chinese production and production capacity of denim…
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to provide a statistical review of the Chinese denim industry, which covers the following topics: Chinese production and production capacity of denim yarns, fabrics and apparels; Chinese domestic consumption of denim yarns, fabrics and apparels; Chinese denim export to the USA, EEC and Hong Kong; and finally the geographic distribution of the Chinese denim industry — yarn production, fabric production and apparel production.
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Kun Li, Bo Pan, Juncheng Zhan, Wenpeng Gao, Yili Fu and Shuguo Wang
This paper aims to develop a novel miniature 3-axis force sensor which can detect the interaction forces during tissue palpation in MIS (minimally invasive surgery). MIS offers…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop a novel miniature 3-axis force sensor which can detect the interaction forces during tissue palpation in MIS (minimally invasive surgery). MIS offers many significant merits compared with traditional open surgery, the wound to the patients and the postoperative pains are alleviated and reduced dramatically. However, the inherent drawback due to lack of force feedback still exists while conducting some operation procedures. For example, tissue palpation performed easily during open surgery could not be realized in an MIS manner.
Design/methodology/approach
The force sensor is based on the resistive-based sensing method that utilizes strain gauges to measure the strain when the external loads are acting on the tip of the sensor. A novel flexible tripod structure with bending and compression deformations is designed to discriminate the magnitudes and directions of the three orthogonal force components. A linear characteristic matrix is derived to disclose the relationship between the sensitivity and the geometric parameters of the structure, and a straightforward geometric parameterized optimization method considering the sensitivity isotropy is proposed to provide the sensor structure with high sensitivity and adequate stiffness.
Findings
The sensor prototype can perform force measurement with sensing ranges of ± 3.0 N in axial direction and ± 1.5 N in radial direction, and the resolutions are 5 per cent and 1 per cent, respectively. It is concluded that this force sensor is compatible with MIS instruments and the ex-vivo experiment shows that the sensor can be used to perform tissue palpation during MIS procedures.
Originality/value
This paper is intended to address the significant role of force sensing and force feedback during MIS operations, and presents a new application of the resistive-based sensing method in MIS. A tripod structure is designed and a straightforward optimization method considering the sensitivity isotropy of the sensor is proposed to determine geometric parameters suited for the given external loads.
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Ni Xiong and Longzheng Du
This study examines whether Confucian culture can promote enterprise total factor productivity (TFP), and it also studies how transmission mechanism works on enterprise TFP.
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines whether Confucian culture can promote enterprise total factor productivity (TFP), and it also studies how transmission mechanism works on enterprise TFP.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the data of A-share listed companies on Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets from 2008 to 2019, this study measures the influence of Confucian culture on enterprise TFP by the number of Confucian academies and Confucian temples within three radius ranges of a company's registered address.
Findings
The empirical results show that Confucian culture has a positive effect on the enterprise TFP. The transmission mechanism test shows that Confucian culture can promote the TFP of Chinese enterprises through reducing agency cost, improving agency efficiency and enhancing innovation.
Practical implications
The findings in this study provide implications for policymakers, scholars and enterprises. The results show that Confucian culture can enhance the TFP of Chinese enterprises. Especially in emerging markets including China, the Confucian culture, as an informal institution, can effectively complement formal institutions, promoting enterprise TFP.
Originality/value
This study expands the literature on Confucian culture in two aspects: the influence of Confucian culture on TFP and its transmission mechanism. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to identify a link between Confucian culture and enterprise TFP.
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Dagula and Lily Kiminami
The purposes of this paper are to examine the actual conditions of the problems of poverty in rural areas in Inner Mongolia, to clarify the problems involved in the measure to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purposes of this paper are to examine the actual conditions of the problems of poverty in rural areas in Inner Mongolia, to clarify the problems involved in the measure to fight poverty through promotion of dairy farming and to propose policies for future measures to fight poverty.
Design/methodology/approach
Both quantitative and qualitative analyses are employed, such as the estimation of production functions of agriculture in Inner Mongolia over the period 1998‐2004, the interview analysis and questionnaire survey for case studies. The different roles that three models play in poverty reduction such as the government assistant dairy farming, the enterprise entry dairy farming, and the multiple management dairy farming are discussed.
Findings
The paper confirms the growth of the corporate‐participating dairy farming contributes significantly to the development of the regions. It also clarifies the problem of the government‐aided dairy farming with its low profitability caused by insufficient input of fodder and the necessity to select management policies according to the natural conditions and resources available in individual regions, such as a shift toward recycling‐oriented beef cattle management in multiple dairy farming.
Originality/value
The paper adds insight into the promotion of dairy farming and poverty reduction in Inner Mongolia.
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Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has become one of the most influential information sources for consumers' purchase decision-making. Based on construal-level theory and from the…
Abstract
Purpose
Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has become one of the most influential information sources for consumers' purchase decision-making. Based on construal-level theory and from the perspective of cognitive effort, this study investigated the effects of eWOM social media types and conflicting eWOM on consumers' purchase intentions and validated the mediation role of social psychological distance, perceived value, and perceived cognitive effort.
Design/methodology/approach
Two scenario-based experiments were conducted to validate the research model. Specifically, a 2 (eWOM social media type: strong-tie vs weak-tie) × 2 (conflicting eWOM: with vs without) between-subjects design was used. ANOVA, multiple regression analysis with PROCESS, and partial least squares (PLS) were employed to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results showed that eWOM social media types had significant effects on both social psychological distance and perceived value. The significant chain mediating effects of social psychological distance and perceived value between eWOM social media types and consumers' purchase intentions were found. In addition, conflicting eWOM had significant effects on both perceived value and perceived cognitive effort. Indirect effects of conflicting eWOM on purchase intention through perceived cognitive effort were discovered.
Originality/value
These results contribute to the eWOM literature by investigating the influences of eWOM social media types and conflicting eWOM on consumers' purchase intentions. They also contribute to construal-level theory by extending its applicability to the field of eWOM.
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This paper proposes that ethnic identity and identification in the modern nation-state is a process of dialogical interaction between self-perceived notions of identity and…
Abstract
This paper proposes that ethnic identity and identification in the modern nation-state is a process of dialogical interaction between self-perceived notions of identity and sociopolitical contexts, often defined by the state. Each example of ethnic identification has at least two levels of discourse, articulated internally and externally. As suggested by Bakhtin, whose study of Dostoevsky posed fundamental questions of self and society, identity and ideology: The endlessness of the external dialogue emerges here with the same mathematical clarity as does the endlessness of internal dialogue. … In Dostoevsky’s dialogues, collision and quarrelling occurs not between two integral monologic voices, but between two divided voices quarreling (one of those voices, at least, is divided). The open rejoinders of the one answer the hidden rejoinders of the other (Bakhtin, 1981 [1963], pp. 253, 254).
Jiang Zhao, Ksenia Gerasimova, Yala Peng and Jiping Sheng
The purpose of this paper is to discuss characteristics of organic food value chain governance and policy tools that can increase the supply of good quality of agri-products.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss characteristics of organic food value chain governance and policy tools that can increase the supply of good quality of agri-products.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper discusses a national organic food supply system in China, identifying the link between an organization form with a social confidence crisis and information asymmetry as the main challenges. It develops an analytical model of the market structure of organic certification based on the contract theory, which considers the certification incentive driven by both farmers and processors. Two cases of raw milk producers and processors provide empirical data.
Findings
The argument which is brought forward is that product information asymmetry together with strict requirement for ensuring organic food integrity brings the organic milk value chain into a highly integrated organization pattern. A tight value chain is effective in the governance of organic food supply chain under third party certification (TPC), while a loose value chain discourages producing organic products because of transaction costs. TPC is found to be a positively correlation with a tight value chain, but it brings high organizational cost and it raises cost for consumers.
Originality/value
This is the first paper discussing the governance of organic food value chain in Chinese milk industry.
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Xing Yan and Yaping Chang
Microblog has become an important tool of social marketing since 2010. Compared with traditional blog, microblog has several distinctive features, such as ease of use, viral…
Abstract
Purpose
Microblog has become an important tool of social marketing since 2010. Compared with traditional blog, microblog has several distinctive features, such as ease of use, viral transmission, high interactivity and real-time communication. Microblog provides a communication platform for companies and consumers; however, it challenges companies’ consumer-brand relationship management. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influencing mechanism of microblog interaction tactics on consumer-brand relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on grounded theory, 66 representative companies’ posts on Weibo are collected, with 1,395 company posts and 5,959 following posts. An influence mechanism model of company microblog interaction tactics on consumer-brand relationship is proposed, then the saturation level of this mechanism is tested.
Findings
Results show that: first, companies adopt two types of tactics in microblog interaction: social interaction and task-oriented interaction; second, microblog interaction arises consumers’ emotional response and cognition toward specific brand and eventually influences consumer-brand relationship. Consumers’ emotional response includes pleasure and arousal, brand cognition includes perceived quality, perceived relatedness with companies and brand resonance; third, the influence mechanism differs among different consumer knowledge level, industry and brand awareness.
Practical implications
This study provides insight into the use of microblog interaction tactics. Companies may cross-use social interaction and task-oriented interaction tactics to enhance consumer-brand relationship. Companies need to produce microblog content based on the interests of consumers and further establish and improve fan feedback mechanism.
Originality/value
This paper constructs a model of the influence of company microblog interaction tactics on consumers. This study finds that co-creation activities initiated by companies are the new tactics to attract consumers on microblog. The finding adds new knowledge to the literature of company consumer interaction and provides a theoretical basis for the practice of microblog marketing.