Abstract
Purpose
This study proposes a process for remanufacturing waste electrical and electronic equipment, and exporting part of the remanufactured products, which are processed in bonded port areas, to less developed countries by using a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC). The purpose of this paper is to verify the profitability of remanufacturing and to find conditions under which exporting remanufactured products can increase and maximize the home manufacturer’s total profit while performing his environmental responsibility.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use the CLSC approach to construct the model, which involves two different markets where a Stackelberg game exists. The study derives an equilibrium under which an optimal quantity for exporting increases and maximizes the home manufacturer’s profits.
Findings
The authors discuss the influences of seven factors, and three are determinant parameters on whether the home manufacturer should export its remanufactured products: the privileges of the bonded port area, the home market consumers’ green awareness, and the degree of competence in products in the foreign market. If the market conditions at home and abroad meet the requirements of these three determinant parameters, entering the foreign market can always help the home manufacturer make more profits regardless of whether its home market increases or decreases, how many used products can be collected, and whether the foreign local manufacturer is technically competitive.
Originality/value
The authors expand previous studies on CLSC by considering two different markets that allow the home manufacturer to either sell remanufactured products to the home market or export to the foreign market.
Details
Keywords
Dangshu Wang, Menghu Chang, Licong Zhao, Yuxuan Yang and Zhimin Guan
This study aims to regarding the application of traditional pulse frequency modulation control full-bridge LLC resonant converters in wide output voltage fields such as on-board…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to regarding the application of traditional pulse frequency modulation control full-bridge LLC resonant converters in wide output voltage fields such as on-board chargers, there are issues with wide frequency adjustment ranges and low conversion efficiency.
Design/methodology/approach
To address these issues, this paper proposes a fixed-frequency pulse width modulation (PWM) control strategy for a full-bridge LLC resonant converter, which adjusts the gain by adjusting the duty cycle of the switches. In the full-bridge LLC converter, the two switches of the lower bridge arm are controlled by a fixed-frequency and fixed duty cycle, with their switching frequency equal to the resonant frequency, whereas the two switches of the upper bridge arm are controlled by a fixed-frequency PWM to adjust the output voltage. The operation modes of the converter are analyzed in detail, and a mathematical model of the converter is established. The gain characteristics of the converter under the fixed-frequency PWM control strategy are deeply analyzed, and the conditions for implementing zero-voltage switching (ZVS) soft switching in the converter are also analyzed in detail. The use of fixed-frequency PWM control simplifies the design of resonant parameters, and the fixed-frequency control is conducive to the design of magnetic components.
Findings
According to the fixed-frequency PWM control strategy proposed in this paper, the correctness of the control strategy is verified through simulation and the development and testing of a 500-W experimental prototype. Test results show that the primary side switches of the converter achieve ZVS and the secondary side rectifier diodes achieve zero-current switching, effectively reducing the switching losses of the converter. In addition, the control strategy reduces the reactive circulating current of the converter, and the peak efficiency of the experimental prototype can reach 95.2%.
Originality/value
The feasibility of the fixed-frequency PWM control strategy was verified through experiments, which has significant implications for improving the efficiency of the converter and simplifying the design of resonant parameters and magnetic components in wide output voltage fields such as on-board chargers.
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Robert D. Pearce and Yuxuan Tang
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) performance and impact in contexts beyond their own internal objectives.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) performance and impact in contexts beyond their own internal objectives.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an “eclectic” paradigm and the range of motivations, the framework is designed around three layers of evaluation: “efficiency” as static optimisation, “growth and development” as the dynamics of change on a purely economic view; political/economic sphere in terms of the outcomes of “distribution”, and “sovereignty” on the more purely political concern of how MNEs may undermine countries’ policy independence.
Findings
MNE and national economies have to use current sources of competitiveness efficiently while addressing the necessity to reinforce and refocus them through time. Within these broad agendas, significant interactions and outcomes reflect a range of contingencies conditioned by both MNE objectives and hosts’ competitive status.
Originality/value
The paper concerns economics and MNE role in globalisation. The paper defines a framework of four generic evaluative issues of MNE performance, which subsume a wider range of important but more niche concerns.
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Guocheng Xiang, Jingjing Liu and Yuxuan Yang
The modernization of China’s economy is an integral part of Chinese-style modernization. According to the principle of unifying…
Abstract
Purpose
The modernization of China’s economy is an integral part of Chinese-style modernization. According to the principle of unifying theoretical, historical and practical logic, theoretically explaining the modernization of China’s economy is both a political necessity and a higher scientific requirement.
Design/methodology/approach
Following this evolutionary line – from modes of production to the general economic development mechanism and then to patterns of economic operation and development – this paper employs the principal contradiction analysis method to offer an interpretation of China’s economic modernization from the broad Marxist political economy perspective.
Findings
In economic terms, “get organized” primarily refers to the development and mutual promotion of team-based and market-based division of labor organizations, as discussed by Karl Marx. “Get organized” (specifically the development of team-based division of labor organizations) acts as the engine of China’s economic modernization and serves as the historical logical starting point. Division of labor is the theoretical logical starting point for interpreting China’s economic modernization. The two of them are congruent, achieving the unity of theoretical and historical logic at the starting point. The development and mutual promotion of these “two types of division of labor” inherently generate the general mechanism of economic development first comprehensively discussed by Marx and Friedrich Engels, which involves the division of labor development and market expansion accumulating cyclically and reinforcing each other. This mechanism drives both the high-speed and high-quality development of China’s economic modernization.
Originality/value
The broad Marxist political economy paradigm facilitates explaining China’s economic modernization theoretically, historically and practically with unified logic. “Get organized” serves as both the engine and the realization mechanism of this modernization, with the Communist Party of China (CPC) consistently being the core force of this organizational effort.
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Yuxuan Wu, Wenyuan Xu, Tianlai Yu and Yifan Wang
Polyurethane concrete (PUC), as a new type of steel bridge deck paving material, the bond-slip pattern at the interface with the steel plate is not yet clear. In this study, the…
Abstract
Purpose
Polyurethane concrete (PUC), as a new type of steel bridge deck paving material, the bond-slip pattern at the interface with the steel plate is not yet clear. In this study, the mechanical properties of the PUC and steel plate interface under the coupled action of temperature, normal force and tangential force were explored through shear tests and numerical simulations. An analytical model for bond-slip at the PUC/steel plate interface and a predictive model for the shear strength of the PUC/steel plate interface were developed.
Design/methodology/approach
The new shear test device designed in this paper overcomes the defect that the traditional oblique shear test cannot test the interface shear performance under the condition of fixed normal force. The universal testing machine (UTM) test machine was used to adjust the test temperature conditions. Combined with the results of the bond-slip test, the finite element simulation of the interface is completed by using the COHENSIVE unit to analyze the local stress distribution characteristics of the interface. The use of variance-based uncertainty analysis guaranteed the validity of the simulation.
Findings
The shear strength (τf) at the PUC-plate interface was negatively correlated with temperature while it was positively correlated with normal stress. The effect of temperature on the shear properties was more significant than that of normal stress. The slip corresponding to the maximum shear (D1) positively correlates with both temperature and normal stress. The interfacial shear ductility improves with increasing temperature.
Originality/value
Based on the PUC bond-slip measured curves, the relationship between bond stress and slip at different stages was analyzed, and the bond-slip analytical model at different stages was established; the model was defined by key parameters such as elastic ultimate shear stress τ0, peak stress τf and interface fracture energy Gf.
Details
Keywords
Shichang Liang, Rulan Li, Bin Lan, Yuxuan Chu, Min Zhang and Li Li
This study explores how chatbot gender and symbolic service recovery may improve the satisfaction of angry customers in the context of service failures. It provides a strategy for…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores how chatbot gender and symbolic service recovery may improve the satisfaction of angry customers in the context of service failures. It provides a strategy for companies to deploy chatbots effectively in customer anger.
Design/methodology/approach
This research relies upon a systematic literature review to propose three hypotheses, and we recruit 826 participants to examine the effect of chatbot gender on angry customers through one lab study and one field study.
Findings
This research shows that female chatbots are more likely to increase the satisfaction of angry customers than male chatbots in service failure scenarios. In addition, symbolic recovery (apology vs. appreciation) moderates the effect of chatbot gender on angry customers. Specifically, male (vs. female) chatbots are more effective in increasing the satisfaction of angry customers when using the apology method, whereas female (vs. male) chatbots are more effective when using the appreciation method.
Originality/value
The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence technology have significantly enhanced the effectiveness of chatbots as virtual agents in the field of interactive marketing. Previous research has concluded that chatbots can reduce negative customer feedback following a service failure. However, these studies have primarily focused on the level of chatbot anthropomorphism and the design of conversational texts, rather than the gender of chatbots. Therefore, this study aims to bridge that gap by examining the effect of chatbot gender on customer feedback, specifically focusing on angry customers following service failures.
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Zhenbo Zhang, Yuxuan Zhang and Mengfan Yan
This paper aims to explore the impact of product market competition (PMC) on companies’ investment in external auditing.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the impact of product market competition (PMC) on companies’ investment in external auditing.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper applies a conceptual framework derived from demand–supply analysis and a panel data set of 2,263 listed manufacturing companies in China covering the period 2012–2019. In the assessment of PMC, this study measures industry-level competition intensity and company-specific market power separately.
Findings
Industries appear to engage in a lower average level of external auditing if industrial competition intensity is either too high or too low. Similarly, companies spend less on external auditing if their market power is either too strong or too weak, and the company-level inverted U-shaped relationship is much more evident in industries with weak PMC.
Originality/value
This paper shows that a company’s external audit strategy is affected by the level of competition it faces in its market. The findings of this paper can improve the current linear PMC–auditing theoretical framework and provide insights into the strategic auditing of listed companies in China. The findings also have significant implications for policy recommendations regarding corporate governance and market scrutiny regulations.
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Keywords
Ran Li, Simin Wang, Zhe Sun, Aohai Zhang, Yuxuan Luo, Xingyi Peng and Chao Li
Depression has become one of the most serious and prevalent mental health problems worldwide. The rise and popularity of social networks such as microblogs provides a wealth of…
Abstract
Purpose
Depression has become one of the most serious and prevalent mental health problems worldwide. The rise and popularity of social networks such as microblogs provides a wealth of psychological data for early depression detection. Language use patterns reflect emotional states and psychological traits. Differences in language use between depressed and general users may help predict and diagnose early depression. Existing work focuses on depression detection using users' social textual emotion expressions, with less psychology-related knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, we propose an RNN-capsule-based depression detection method for microblog users that improves depression detection accuracy in social texts by combining textual emotional information with knowledge related to depression pathology. Specifically, we design a multi-classification RNN capsule that enhances emotion expression features in utterances and improves classification performance of depression-related emotional features. Based on user emotion annotations over time, we use integrated learning to detect depression in a user’s social text by combining the analysis results with components such as emotion change vector, emotion causality analysis, depression lexicon and the presence of surprising emotions.
Findings
In our experiments, we test the accuracy of RNN capsules for emotion classification tasks and then validate the effectiveness of different depression detection components. Finally, we achieved 83% depression detection accuracy on real datasets.
Originality/value
The paper overcomes the limitations of social text-based depression detection by incorporating more psychological background knowledge to enhance the early detection success rate of depression.
Details
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Xueyao Du, Junying Liu, Yuxuan Chen and Zhixiu Wang
This study examines whether and how the age-inverse relationship between the chief executive officer (CEO) and the top management team (TMT) affects corporate misconduct in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines whether and how the age-inverse relationship between the chief executive officer (CEO) and the top management team (TMT) affects corporate misconduct in China’s construction industry. Drawing on social identity theory, we propose that the age-inverse relationship in CEO–TMT may diminish their social identity and further decrease the likelihood of corporate misconduct in construction firms.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a longitudinal dataset of firms in China’s construction industry covering the years 2003 through 2021, this study adopted a logit regression model with fixed effects.
Findings
The results show that the age-inverse relationship in CEO–TMT is negatively related to corporate misconduct. Further investigations suggest that performance feedback moderates the relationship between the age-inverse relationship in CEO–TMT and corporate misconduct. Firms with an age-inverse relationship between CEOs and TMTs are more likely to engage in fraudulent behavior when performance is above aspirations and less likely to commit fraud when performance is below aspirations.
Research limitations/implications
The sample of this study is limited to China’s construction firms. Drawing on social identity theory, this study explores the relationship between the age-inverse relationship and corporate misconduct in China’s construction industry, which enriches the antecedents of corporate misconduct and contributes to CEO–TMT interface research within construction firms.
Practical implications
This study provides a guideline for construction firms on how to regulate and reduce misconduct. It will offer insights into human resource arrangements within the management of construction firms in an aging context.
Originality/value
Considering that few studies explore fraudulent behavior of construction companies at the upper echelon level, this study focuses on a novel and new antecedent (i.e. age-inverse relationship in CEO–TMT) and its boundary conditions. The findings extend the research on corporate misconduct and strategic leadership in the construction industry.