Yongzhong Wu and Ping Ji
The purpose of this paper is to propose an effective and efficient solution method for the component allocation problem (CAP) in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, in order to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose an effective and efficient solution method for the component allocation problem (CAP) in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, in order to achieve high‐throughput rates of the PCB assembly lines.
Design/methodology/approach
The investigated CAP is intertwined with the machine optimization problems for each machine in the line because the latter determine the process time of each machine. In order to solve the CAP, a solution method, which integrates a meta‐heuristic (genetic algorithm) and a regression model is proposed.
Findings
It is found that the established regression model can estimate the process time of each machine accurately and efficiently. Experimental tests show that the proposed solution method can solve the CAP both effectively and efficiently.
Research limitations/implications
Although different regression models are required for different types of assembly machines, the proposed solution method can be adopted for solving the CAPs for assembly lines of any configuration, including a mixed‐vendor assembly line.
Practical implications
The solution method can ensure a high‐throughput rate of a PCB assembly line, and thus improve the production capacity without further investment on the expensive PCB assembly equipment.
Originality/value
The paper proposes an innovative solution method for the CAP in PCB assembly. The solution method integrates the meta‐heuristic method and the regression method, which has not been studied in the literature.
Details
Keywords
Yongzhong Wu, P. Ji and William Ho
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimization for a placement machine in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly when family setup strategy is adopted.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimization for a placement machine in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly when family setup strategy is adopted.
Design/methodology/approach
A complete mathematical model is developed for the integrated problem to optimize feeder arrangement and component placement sequences so as to minimize the makespan for a set of PCB batches. Owing to the complexity of the problem, a specific genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed.
Findings
The established model is able to find the minimal makespan for a set of PCB batches through determining the feeder arrangement and placement sequences. However, exact solutions to the problem are not practical due to the complexity. Experimental tests show that the proposed GA can solve the problem both effectively and efficiently.
Research limitations/implications
When a placement machine is set up for production of a set of PCB batches, the feeder arrangement of the machine together with the component placement sequencing for each PCB type should be solved simultaneously so as to minimize the overall makespan.
Practical implications
The paper investigates the optimization for PCB assembly with family setup strategy, which is adopted by many PCB manufacturers for reducing both setup costs and human errors.
Originality/value
The paper investigates the feeder arrangement and placement sequencing problems when family setup strategy is adopted, which has not been studied in the literature.
Details
Keywords
Mohsin Shafi, Yongzhong Yang, Zoya, Liu Junrong, Imran Ur Rahman and Hina Fatima
Though certain characteristics of micro-firms affect the likelihood of their participation in external relationships, how cooperation in craft enterprises differs from low and…
Abstract
Purpose
Though certain characteristics of micro-firms affect the likelihood of their participation in external relationships, how cooperation in craft enterprises differs from low and high-tech enterprises has not been investigated yet. Therefore, this study aims to fill the above gap in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a descriptive approach by extensively reviewing relevant literature to explore the unique characteristics and nature of micro-firm's co-operative behavior. The theoretical approach of this research is grounded in resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theories.
Findings
This study finds that handicraft micro-firms possess special and unique characteristics that differentiate them from low- and high-tech firms. Further, handicraft micro-firms' co-operative behavior also differs from other firms in terms of cooperation motives, breadth, depth and factors that inhibit or promote cooperation. Additionally, in small handicraft firms, the co-operation is more informal, personal and through social networks, whereas in the corporate sector, it is more formal, direct and through supply chains. This study also argues that contrary to handicraft and low-tech firms, high-tech firms are more likely to cooperate with external partners and invest heavily in R&D for new product development (often radical in nature).
Originality/value
This study enriches our understanding of handicraft micro-firms' special and unique characteristics that differentiate them from low- and high-tech micro-firms. This research also provides in-depth knowledge to understand the handicraft micro-firms’ co-operative behavior and how it differs from low- and high-tech firms.
Details
Keywords
Zhihong Li, Yongzhong Sha, Xuping Song, Kehu Yang, Kun ZHao, Zhixin Jiang and Qingxia Zhang
Risk perception is an essential factor affecting how individuals evaluate risk, make decisions and behave. The impact of risk perception on customer purchase behavior has been…
Abstract
Purpose
Risk perception is an essential factor affecting how individuals evaluate risk, make decisions and behave. The impact of risk perception on customer purchase behavior has been widely studied; however, the association has been debated. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between risk perception and customer purchase behavior and to examine factors that could moderate it.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted a meta-analysis of this relationship and examined factors that could moderate it. Six databases were comprehensively searched. Two reviewers independently selected the studies for inclusion, extracted data and assessed quality. Pearson's r was used as the effect estimate. A total of 33 studies were included in the meta-analysis.
Findings
The results revealed a negative relationship between risk perception and customer purchase behavior. The geographical region, purchase channel and country development level affected the relationship. The correlation between perceived risk and purchase behavior in European consumers was the highest, followed by the correlation in American consumers; the weakest correlation was found in Asian consumers. For consumers in developed countries, perceived risk had a stronger negative influence on customer purchase behavior than that for consumers in developing countries. The perceived risk of online purchase channels had a stronger negative impact on customer purchase behavior than that of offline purchase channels.
Research limitations/implications
Risk perception is a useful context in which to explain barriers to customer purchase behavior. In addition, reducing consumers’ risk perception and perfecting the market transaction process with respect to buying behavior should be further studied.
Originality/value
The findings of this review indicate a direct negative relationship between risk perception and customer purchase behavior. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review is the first to meta-analytically summarize the impact of risk perception on customer purchase behavior in social sciences research, and it also illuminates new perspectives for future studies.
Details
Keywords
Qifeng Zhao and Yongzhong Wang
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the pay gap between the management and ordinary employees influence corporate technology innovation.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the pay gap between the management and ordinary employees influence corporate technology innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study built a tournament model based on inventor innovation and career promotion. In addition, the authors use IV-GMM estimation method to address the possible endogeneity issue in the regressions.
Findings
Based on the unbalanced panel data of patents and pay gap in 1,501 Chinese listed manufacturing firms during 2001-2015, this paper finds that the pay gap could lead inventor innovation and improve technology innovation. The pay gap could encourage corporate innovation significantly: 1 percent increase in pay gap may increase the number of patents by 2 percent in the next year. The pay gap between the management and ordinary employees facilitates corporate innovation via two possible channels. First, inventor innovation and career promotion. Inventors are selected into the management mainly based on their innovation output. The larger the pay gap, the more innovation incentives and patents would gain. Second, investment increase in technology innovation. The pay gap and more patents that inventors gain would increase the ratio of inventors promoted to the management, who tend to pour more resources into R&D activities and absorb more inventors to the management due to their sectionalism and R&D preference. The above two channels constitute a positive feedback mechanism among technology innovation, inventor promotion and increase in R&D investment.
Research limitations/implications
This paper highlights that pay gap between the management and ordinary employees is an important issue that could encourage corporate innovation. The conclusions imply that pay gap could encourage inventors to work hard and produce more patents, which could help them to enter into the management such as executives or directors.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the current literature by implying that pay gap could have positive effects on innovation through theoretical and empirical analysis. Also, this study finds that inventor promotion due to the pay gap is a critical channel to stimulate corporate technology innovation.
Details
Keywords
Yun Zhang, Zhihong Li, Yongzhong Sha and Kehu Yang
As two essential styles of firm decision-making, the relationships among effectuation logic, causation logic and firm performance are unclear. It is helpful to deepen the…
Abstract
Purpose
As two essential styles of firm decision-making, the relationships among effectuation logic, causation logic and firm performance are unclear. It is helpful to deepen the understanding of reasoning theory and the process of decision-making. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between effectuation logic, causation logic and firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on 31 independent empirical studies (including 11,600 samples) published by predecessors, meta-analysis is used to systematically integrate the impact of two decision-making styles on firm performance and explore the potential factors affecting their relationship.
Findings
The results show a positive correlation between two decision-making styles and firm performance and the influence of effectuation decision-making style in firm performance is slightly stronger. However, the application environment is different: in the emerging market, the causation decision-making style is more effective for firm performance management. When the firm chooses the effectuation decision-making style, it is more effective for performance management in the emerging market. In addition, the industry type, firm performance evaluation tools, national development level and firm scale and firm age can significantly moderate the impact of two decision-making styles on firm performance.
Research limitations/implications
Both decision-making logics are possible ways for firm to success. Still, the future needs to dig deeper into the black box that can unlock the decision-making styles to achieve firm performance or competitive advantage based on other factors of the decision-behavior-outcome business model, more longitudinal data and experiments.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the impact of decision-making styles (effectuation logic and causation logic) on firm performance using a meta-analysis.
Details
Keywords
Zhengqiao Liu, Yongzhong Jiang, Zhu Yao, Xiliang Liu, Li Zhao and Xianchun Zhang
Based on self-consistency theory and conservation of resource theory, this study aims to discuss the impact of career calling congruence on employees’ innovation performance (IP…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on self-consistency theory and conservation of resource theory, this study aims to discuss the impact of career calling congruence on employees’ innovation performance (IP) and analyzes the mediating effect of work passion [harmonious passion (HP) and obsessive passion (OP)].
Design/methodology/approach
To avoid serious common method biases, data in this paper were collected at three-wave. This paper investigated 381 employees to assess their career calling in time 1, measured their work passion in time 2 and assessed the IP of these employees in time 3. This paper also conducts confirmatory factor analysis, polynomial regression, response surface analysis, bootstrapping test and simple slope test to verify the research hypothesis in this paper.
Findings
In the career calling congruence case, employees’ HP, OP and IP are higher when both levels of serving oneself career calling and helping others career calling are high than when both are low; In the career calling incongruence case, employees’ HP, OP and IP are higher in the “low serving oneself and high helping others” case than in the “high serving oneself and low helping others” case; The more congruent the “serving oneself” and “helping others” career calling are, the higher the employees’ HP, OP and IP will be; and HP and OP mediate the relationship between career calling congruence and IP.
Originality/value
This study further clarifies the structure of career calling and find the positive effects of career calling on IP. The results present a deeper understanding of career calling and are universal applicable to the eastern culture context.
Details
Keywords
Yongzhong Jiang, Ying Guo, Xixi He and Xueli Chen
Intellectual capital is an essential intangible resource for enterprises, and different combinations of intellectual and environmental elements will produce different innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
Intellectual capital is an essential intangible resource for enterprises, and different combinations of intellectual and environmental elements will produce different innovation effects. This study aims to analyze the effects of different matching combinations of intellectual capital elements and environmental uncertainty elements of firms on improving ambidextrous innovation (exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation).
Design/methodology/approach
Based on data from 161 listed companies in China, we employ a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify the paths that effectively promote ambidextrous innovation in enterprises.
Findings
Through group analysis, we derived five realization paths of exploratory innovation and five of exploitative innovation respectively. We further find that among these innovation realization paths, human capital plays a more prominent role in facilitating exploitative innovation, while relational capital plays a more important role in realizing exploratory innovation.
Originality/value
This research not only significantly contributes to the theory of ambidextrous innovation, but also helps firms identify the multiple paths of realization that trigger high-exploratory and exploitative innovation, avoiding unnecessary waste caused by resource mismatch, and providing valuable insights for firms seeking to adopt an ambidextrous innovation strategy effectively.
Details
Keywords
Yongzhong Yang, Aixian Yu, JinJing Li, Mohsin Shafi and Muhammad Ashraf Fauzi
Gamification has emerged as a dynamic force in education, with increasing interest in its impact on college students' learning. Most previous research regards gamification as a…
Abstract
Purpose
Gamification has emerged as a dynamic force in education, with increasing interest in its impact on college students' learning. Most previous research regards gamification as a single element and only focuses on the cognitive level of gamification elements, lacking an overall exploration of the impact mechanism of gamification elements. Against the backdrop of virtual learning communities, we apply the cognition-affection-conation theory to examine the influence of various gamification elements on college students' online learning behaviors, examining both cognitive and affective pathways.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a predefined questionnaire from 11 Chinese virtual learning communities, with 587 respondents participating in the study. SmartPLS was employed to conduct a Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis of the research model and test the hypotheses.
Findings
Our findings reveal that immersion and achievement-oriented gamification elements positively impact learning behavior. Conversely, the social gamification element exhibits a negative influence due to social burnout within virtual learning communities. This study pioneers a model to understand the intricate influence mechanisms of gamification elements on college students' online learning behaviors. The model contributes to the enriched exploration and practical application of college students' learning behaviors in virtual learning communities.
Originality/value
Unlike previous studies that often treat gamification as a single element and focus solely on cognitive aspects, this research explores both cognitive and affective pathways using cognition-affection-conation theory. By examining the influence of various gamification elements on college students' online learning behaviors in virtual learning communities, this study provides nuanced insights. In particular, immersion and achievement-oriented gamification elements positively impact learning behavior, while social gamification elements have a negative influence due to social burnout. This comprehensive approach deepens our understanding of how gamification affects students' learning experiences, enriches knowledge, and provides practical insights for educators and instructional designers.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the Lp‐maximal regularity for the abstract incomplete second order problem.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the Lp‐maximal regularity for the abstract incomplete second order problem.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the paper gives the definition of the Lp‐maximal regularity for incomplete second‐order Cauchy problems and lists their basic properties based on Chill and Srivastava's recent work for completing second order problem. Second, the paper establishes its characterization by means of Fourier multiplier and the operator‐sum theorem. Finally, it considers an application to quasilinear systems by the regularity and linearization techniques.
Findings
Two criteria of Lp‐maximal regularity are obtained, and the existence of the local solution for the second order quasilinear problem is given. In addition, the connection on maximal regularity between second order problems with initial values and that with periodic problems is investigated. A perturbation result is given.
Originality/value
The maximal regularity is an important tool in the theory of non‐linear differential equations. The results obtained in this paper are universal because the operator is not necessarily the generator of a cosine operator function. Using this unifying approach it is possible to clarify the Lp‐maximal regularity and the existence of the solution for some systems described by partial differential equations, such as wave equations.