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1 – 10 of 66Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a conceptual framework to analyze how inter-organizational knowledge sharing facilitates enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a 2014 survey on 283 Chinese companies. Structural equation modeling was used to test the structural model of the framework.
Findings
The results of the study indicated that organizational preparedness (in terms of internal culture, organizational structure, availability of resources, and technological capabilities), positive benefits and costs perception, and external influences (in terms of environmental uncertainty, competitive pressure, and partner readiness) would facilitate inter-organizational knowledge sharing, which in turn, would enhance ERP implementation effectiveness.
Research limitations/implications
Convenience samples from an author’s MBA classes were used in the survey, and a single respondent from each organization answering all questions for such complicated issues also posed the risk of measurement bias and inaccuracy.
Practical implications
The study provided evidences to practitioners about how organizations should collaborate with supply chain partners at a full scale in knowledge generation, maintenance, dissemination, and application in order to enhance their effectiveness on ERP implementation.
Originality/value
ERP projects are predominately observed in existing research as internal initiatives that companies take independently within their own organizational boundaries. This study represents one of the early large-scale empirical efforts to investigate ERP implementation from an inter-firm supply chain collaboration perspective. Additional contribution includes some interesting empirical evidences on the current state of ERP utilization in the Chinese market.
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Abstract
Purpose
Currently, there is a dearth of research studies regarding macro analysis of the workforce productivity of the US construction industry. The purpose of this paper is to calculate the workforce productivity changes of the US construction industry from 2006 to 2016, with the number of laborers as input and value of construction industry as output.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study introduced the data envelopment analysis (DEA) based Malmquist productivity index model to measure the workforce productivity of the US construction industry from 2006 to 2016.
Findings
The results indicated that the workforce productivity of the US construction industry experienced a continuous decline, except for the increases from 2011 to 2013 and from 2014 to 2015. It was also shown that there were gaps in the workforce productivity development level among all states and nine regions in the US construction industry. Besides, the relationship between workforce productivity and four aspects, including real estate price, workforce, climate distribution and economic factors, was analyzed.
Research limitations/implications
The calculation of the productivity of the US construction industry is based on the premise that the external environment is fixed and unchanged from 2006 to 2016, but the multi-level DEA model for further calculation is required for obtaining more effective conclusions.
Social implications
This paper measures the workforce productivity of the US construction industry over the past 11 years, which added latest analysis and knowledge into the construction industry, providing decision-makers with advice and data support to formulate policies to improve workforce productivity.
Originality/value
This study provided both government decision-makers and industrial practitioners with important macro background environment information, which will facilitate the improvement of workforce productivity in the construction industry in different regions of the US.
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Liuyong Wang, Qi Wu, Ziming Song, Yue Li, Xuewen Li, Bing Tu and Yulong Li
This study aims to investigate the wetting behavior of AgCuTi and AgCu filler metals on selective laser melting (SLMed) Ti/TiB2, and to analyze the microstructure and fracture…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the wetting behavior of AgCuTi and AgCu filler metals on selective laser melting (SLMed) Ti/TiB2, and to analyze the microstructure and fracture characteristics of SLMed Ti/TiB2/AgCuTi or AgCu alloy/SLMed Ti/TiB2 brazed joints. The wetting behavior of AgCuTi and AgCu filler metals on the selective laser melted (SLMed) Ti/TiB2 has been studied. The analysis of microstructures and fracture characteristics in vacuum-brazed SLMed Ti/TiB2 substrate, using AgCuTi and AgCu filler metals, has been conducted to elucidate the influence of brazing temperature and alloy composition on the shear strength of the brazed joints.
Design/methodology/approach
Brazing SLMed-Ti/TiB2 in a vacuum using AgCuTi and AgCu filler metals, this study aims to explore the optimal parameters for brazed joints at various brazing temperatures (800°C−950°C).
Findings
The findings suggest that elevated brazing temperatures lead to a more extensive diffusion region in the joint as a result of the partial melting of the filler metal. The joint composition changes from distinct Ti2Cu layer/TiCu layer/filler metal to a-Ti (ss) + ß-Ti (ss)/TiCu. As the brazing temperature increases, the fracture mode shifts from brittle cleavage to ductile fracture, mainly attributed to a decrease in the CuTi within the brazed joint. This change in fracture behavior indicates an improvement in the ductility and toughness of the joint.
Originality/value
The originality of this study lies in the comprehensive analysis of the microstructure and shear strength of vacuum brazing SLMed Ti/TiB2 using AgCuTi and AgCu filler metals.
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Wei Lin, Xuewen Li, Bing Tu, Chaohua Zhang and Yulong Li
This study aims to analyze the wettability of the self-developed Sn–Bi–Zn solder and to conduct a series of analysis on the wetting kinetics, diffusion phenomenon and interfacial…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze the wettability of the self-developed Sn–Bi–Zn solder and to conduct a series of analysis on the wetting kinetics, diffusion phenomenon and interfacial reaction of Sn–Bi–Zn solder on Cu substrate.
Design/methodology/approach
The wetting kinetics, diffusion phenomenon and interfacial reaction of Sn–Bi–Zn solder on Cu substrate were analyzed by experiments. The interface was observed by scanning electron microscope to study the effect of Zn content on its interface.
Findings
With the increase in brazing temperature, the final spreading equivalent radius of the solder increases significantly, and the final contact angle of the solder decreases significantly. In addition, when the Zn content is 1%, the spreading effect of solder is the best, the equivalent radius is the largest and the contact angle is the smallest. According to the microstructural analysis, the thick intermetallic compounds layer of the Sn–15Bi–xZn solders on the Cu substrate can be effectively decreased by adding appropriate Zn content.
Originality/value
The wetting kinetics, diffusion phenomenon and interfacial reaction of Sn–15Bi–xZn solder on Cu substrate at different temperatures have not been studied yet.
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From the perspective of the economic theory of complementarity, the purpose of this paper is to examine how internal collaboration and external competencies would provoke and…
Abstract
Purpose
From the perspective of the economic theory of complementarity, the purpose of this paper is to examine how internal collaboration and external competencies would provoke and strengthen each other, and subsequently enhance organizational innovation capability.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey data were collected from 201 manufacturing firms and checked for common method variance, validity and reliability. Structural equation modeling was then used to test the hypothetical complementarity effect.
Findings
The results suggest that internal collaboration (as a manifestation of exploitative learning) and external competencies, which include supply network flexibility and supplier operational capabilities (as manifestation of exploratory learning), do in fact compensate for each other’s deficiencies. Complementary deployment of internal collaboration and external competencies enhances each other’s contribution to innovation capability. Practically, the study indicates that organizations should consider making concerted efforts to develop internal collaboration, supply network flexibility and supplier operational capability as a bundle.
Originality/value
Extensive discussions exist in the literature on exploration and exploitation being essential components of innovation and their conflicting impact on innovation efficiency and effectiveness. But how an organization should operationally develop supply chain competencies in order to maximize overall innovation capability still remains largely an unanswered question. The current study advances the research on the inter-relationships between exploration and exploitation by empirically demonstrating the complementary nature of internal collaboration and external competencies in developing sustainable innovation capabilities.
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Xi Zhang, Yihang Cheng, Juan Liu, Hongke Zhao, Dongming Xu and Yulong Li
Prosocial lending in online crowdfunding has flourished in recent years, and it has become a new way to fundraise for philanthropy. However, there is almost a 70% user attrition…
Abstract
Purpose
Prosocial lending in online crowdfunding has flourished in recent years, and it has become a new way to fundraise for philanthropy. However, there is almost a 70% user attrition rate in crowdfunding. The purpose of this study is to understand what the lender’s lending experience and social connection influence lender retention of online prosocial lending from a self-determination perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this research utilizes a quantifiable method for factors of the lender's lending experience and social connection. Additionally, the research constructs economic models to explore the impacts of these factors acting as the necessary conditions for basic psychological needs on lender retention, using a large-scale sample of over 380,000 lenders from Kiva.
Findings
The results indicate that, from the lender's lending experience aspect, the loan narratives with more profit language in the last lending and the failure of past participation are negatively related to lender retention. Regarding the lender's social connection aspect, their friends or small lending teams are positively related to lender retention, while whether they are invited and lending team size show negative influence. Furthermore, results indicate the moderating effects of the disclosure of lending motivation.
Originality/value
This research explores the mechanism of lender retention of online prosocial lending, providing a self-determination perspective about how previous experience influences long-term lending behavior. The study offers significant implications for the literature on online philanthropy, SDT and user retention of online platforms. At the same time, the study provides an understanding of the effects of different aspects of SDT.
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Wei Lin, Cheng Wang, Qingyi Zou, Min Lei and Yulong Li
This paper aims to conduct work to obtain high-quality brazed joint of YAG ceramic and kovar alloy.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to conduct work to obtain high-quality brazed joint of YAG ceramic and kovar alloy.
Design/methodology/approach
Wetting and spreading behavior of AgCuTi filler alloy on YAG ceramic and kovar alloy under vacuum (2∼3 × 10–4 Pa) and argon conditions was investigated and compared. Then, YAG ceramic was brazed to kovar alloy under a high vacuum of 2∼3 × 10–4 Pa; the influence of holding time on the interface structure of the joint was investigated.
Findings
The wettability of AgCuTi on YAG is poor in the argon atmosphere, the high oxygen content in the reaction layer hinders the formation of the TiY2O5 reaction layer, thereby impeding the wetting of AgCuTi on YAG; in the vacuum, a contact angle (?=16.6°) is obtained by wetting AgCuTi filler alloy on the YAG substrate; the microstructure of the YAG/AgCuTi/kovar brazed joint is characterized to be YAG/Y2O3/(Fe, Ni)Ti/Ag(s, s) + Cu(s, s)/Fe2Ti + Ni3Ti/Fe2Ti/kovar; at 870 °C for the holding time of 10 min, a (Fe, Ni) Ti layer of approximately 1.8 µm is formed on the YAG side.
Originality/value
Wetting and spreading behavior of the brazing filler alloy under different conditions and the influence of the holding time on the interface microstructure of the joint were studied to provide references for obtaining high-quality brazed joints.
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Yinglin Wang, Yulong Li and Jiaxin Zhuang
In order to make the construction industry develop in the direction of greening, this paper analyzes whether the application of intelligent technology in prefabricated buildings…
Abstract
Purpose
In order to make the construction industry develop in the direction of greening, this paper analyzes whether the application of intelligent technology in prefabricated buildings can achieve carbon emission reduction, starting from the problems of weak technology and insufficient encouragement policies in the prefabricated building industry. It also designs dynamic and adjustable incentives for the smart transformation of prefabricated buildings and makes recommendations to facilitate the transformation of assembly manufacturers into “smart factories”.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper takes the intelligent technology for carbon reduction, energy efficiency and policy design in the prefabricated buildings industry as the starting point. Based on in-depth expert interviews and questionnaire survey data, a linear multiple regression model is used to establish an association network of intelligent technology in the production and transportation, construction, operation and maintenance, demolition and scrapping stages. On this basis, an evolutionary game theory is used to construct a smart transformation and carbon reduction utility game model between the government and manufacturers, and relevant suggestions for smart empowerment of green construction development technology combinations and policy settings are proposed.
Findings
An assembly manufacturing plant with smart empowerment is an important way to achieve green and sustainable development in the construction industry. Among them, BIM and IoT have made a greater impact on carbon emission reduction of prefabricated buildings in all stages of the whole life cycle. The government’s proposed energy efficiency incentives and environmental tax amount will effectively increase companies' motivation for smart transformation of prefabricated buildings. However, when the environmental tax amount is low, the government should strengthen the regulation of the industry in order to increase the speed of smart transformation of assembly manufacturers. Therefore, a reasonable setting of the environmental tax rate and energy-saving incentives and flexible adjustment of the regulatory efforts can maximize the functional utility of the government in the process of smart transformation.
Research limitations/implications
This paper focuses on the impact of intelligent technologies on the overall carbon emissions of the industry and provides an evolutionary analysis of the strategic game between the government and assembly manufacturers, the main players in the smart transformation process of prefabricated buildings. However, smart technologies for different categories of assembly manufacturing plants and strategic options for a wider range of stakeholders have not been examined in depth.
Originality/value
Different from existing research, this study focuses on exploring the strategic game between the government and assembly manufacturers in the smart transformation of prefabricated buildings. It provides an innovative explanation of the connection between intelligent technology and carbon emissions. The study develops an evolutionary game model for both parties, addressing the research gap on the combined effects of policy incentives and intelligent technology on carbon reduction and efficiency improvement in the prefabricated buildings industry. This research not only offers practical reference for the government in designing incentive mechanisms and establishing regulatory systems but also provides feasible practical guidance for the smart transformation and carbon reduction efforts of assembly manufacturing plants.
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Yulong Li, Ziwen Yao, Jing Wu, Saixing Zeng and Guobin Wu
The numerous spoil grounds brought about by mega transportation infrastructure projects which can be influenced by the ecological environment. To achieve better management of…
Abstract
Purpose
The numerous spoil grounds brought about by mega transportation infrastructure projects which can be influenced by the ecological environment. To achieve better management of spoil grounds, this paper aims to assess their comprehensive risk levels and categorize them into different categories based on ecological environmental risks.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on analysis of the environmental characteristics of spoil grounds, this paper first comprehensively identified the ecological environmental risk factors and developed a risk assessment index system to quantitatively describe the comprehensive risk levels. Second, this paper proposed a comprehensive model to determine the risk assessment and categorization of spoil ground group in mega projects integrating improved projection pursuit clustering (PPC) method and K-means clustering algorithm. Finally, a case study of a spoil ground group (includes 50 spoil grounds) in a mega infrastructure project in western China is presented to demonstrate and validate the proposed method.
Findings
The results show that our proposed comprehensive model can efficiently assess and categorize the spoil grounds in the group based on their comprehensive ecological environmental risk. In addition, during the process of risk assessment and categorization of spoil grounds, it is necessary to distinguish between sensitive factors and nonsensitive factors. The differences between different categories of spoil grounds can be recognized based on nonsensitive factors, and high-risk spoil grounds which need to be focused more on can be identified according to sensitive factors.
Originality/value
This paper develops a comprehensive model of risk assessment and categorization of a group of spoil grounds based on their ecological environmental risks, which can provide a reference for the management of spoil grounds in mega projects.
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Chengjun Rong, Huaqi Lian and Yulong Li
Oil-free heat pumps that use the system refrigerant gases as lubricants are preferred for thermal management in future space applications. This study aims to numerically and…
Abstract
Purpose
Oil-free heat pumps that use the system refrigerant gases as lubricants are preferred for thermal management in future space applications. This study aims to numerically and experimentally investigate the static performance of externally pressurized thrust bearings lubricated with refrigerant gases.
Design/methodology/approach
The refrigerant gases R22, R410A and CO2 were chosen as the research objects, while N2 was used for comparison. Computational fluid dynamics was used to solve the full 3 D Navier–Stokes equations to determine the load capacity, static stiffness and static pressure distribution in the bearing film. The numerical results were experimentally verified.
Findings
The results showed that the refrigerant-gas-lubricated thrust bearings had a lower load capacity than the N2-lubricated bearings, but they presented a higher static stiffness when the bearing clearance was less than 9 µm. Compared with the N2-lubricated bearings, the optimal static stiffness of the R22- and CO2-lubricated bearings increased by more than 46% and more than 21%, respectively. The numerical and experimental results indicate that a small bearing clearance would be preferable when designing externally pressurized gas thrust bearings lubricated with the working medium of heat pump systems for space applications.
Originality/value
The findings of this study can serve as a basis for the further investigation of refrigerant gases as lubricants in heat pump systems, as well as for the future design of such gas bearings in heat pump systems for space applications.
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