Alireza Aghakabiriha, Mohammad Reza Meigounpoory and Pantea Foroudi
Although many scholars have investigated different aspects of the notion of innovation ambidexterity, the conceptualization of examining this concept in a technological setting…
Abstract
Although many scholars have investigated different aspects of the notion of innovation ambidexterity, the conceptualization of examining this concept in a technological setting remained unclear, as no serious attempts have been made to figure out the core concept of innovation ambidexterity in a technological context, which is a critical concept for high-tech firms.
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Aleksandra Nikolić, Alen Mujčinović and Dušanka Bošković
Food fraud as intentional deception for economic gain relies on a low-tech food value chain, that applies a ‘paper-and-pencil approach’, unable to provide reliable and trusted…
Abstract
Food fraud as intentional deception for economic gain relies on a low-tech food value chain, that applies a ‘paper-and-pencil approach’, unable to provide reliable and trusted data about food products, accompanied processes/activities and actors involved. Such approach has created the information asymmetry that leads to erosion of stakeholders and consumers trust, which in turn discourages cooperation within the food chain by damaging its ability to decrease uncertainty and capability to provide authentic, nutritional, accessible and affordable food for all. Lack of holistic approach, focus on stand-alone measures, lack of proactive measures and undermined role of customers have been major factors behind weaknesses of current anti-fraud measures system. Thus, the process of strong and fast digitalisation enabled by the new emerging technology called Industry 4.0 is a way to provide a shift from food fraud detection to efficient prevention. Therefore, the objective of this chapter is to shed light on current challenges and opportunities associated with Industry 4.0 technology enablers' guardian role in food fraud prevention with the hope to inform future researchers, experts and decision-makers about opportunities opened up by transforming to new cyber-physical-social ecosystem, or better to say ‘self-thinking’ food value chain whose foundations are already under development. The systematic literature network analysis is applied to fulfil the stated objective. Digitalisation and Industry 4.0 can be used to develop a system that is cost effective and ensures data integrity and prevents tampering and single point failure through offering fault tolerance, immutability, trust, transparency and full traceability of the stored transaction records to all agri-food value chain partners. In addition, such approach lays a foundation for adopting new business models, strengthening food chain resilience, sustainability and innovation capacity.
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Researchers have shown increased interest in open innovation – that is, the inflow and outflow of ideas, or the collaborative efforts of innovating – while previous research on…
Abstract
Researchers have shown increased interest in open innovation – that is, the inflow and outflow of ideas, or the collaborative efforts of innovating – while previous research on acquisitions of innovative firms has foremost focused on the inflow only. Open innovation, however, introduces several new challenges related to acquisitions of such firms, not the least related to intellectual property rights and innovative skills that may be distributed among several parties. This paper explores what issues the literature on open innovation and acquisitions deals with related to acquisitions in open innovation environments.
A systematic literature review is conducted to achieve the purpose of the paper. Two main questions are addressed. First, how can acquisitions be understood in relation to open innovation? Second, what does the open innovation literature say on matters of distributed innovations in relation to acquisitions?
The paper concludes that there is a quite limited amount of research concerning itself with open innovation and acquisitions combined. Furthermore, acquisitions are for the most part seen as a means to reach innovation in transaction-based transfers between parties.
With acquisitions of innovative firms, in general, being seen as an important means to reach new ideas, while open innovation is on the rise, the juxtaposing of these phenomena would be of high practical and theoretical relevance to study further.
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This study aims to explore how earnings management techniques are affected by corporate financial debt risk (FDR), internal control (IC) effectiveness and CEO education.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how earnings management techniques are affected by corporate financial debt risk (FDR), internal control (IC) effectiveness and CEO education.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a sample from listed firms in China from 2010 to 2017, comprising different industries, including agriculture, forestry, livestock farming and fishing; mining; manufacturing; electric power, gas and water production and supply; construction; transport and storage; information technology; the real estate industry; social services; and communication and cultural. The regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. The two-stage least squares technique is used to check for endogeneity issues.
Findings
The study finds that firms are less likely to manage real earnings when they have more robust IC and FDR. Likewise, companies with weak ICs are more likely to manipulate real earnings. Besides, the study finds an influence of CEO education on the relationship between IC, FDR and real earnings management (REM). These results can be applied to the sectors in the sample covered by the research, and the authors do not overlook the energy industry sector for the importance of its role in the economy.
Research limitations/implications
There are some limitations for the researcher when performing any research, and this study is no exception. Researchers are urged to take these circumstances into consideration when generalizing or comparing the results because the methods used to calculate the measurement variables in each study may differ somewhat from those used in other research. In addition, expanding the current research design to incorporate additional nations may be an area of interest for future research and could aid in evaluating the effects of nation-specific elements (such as inflation, culture, legal systems and political considerations) on the usefulness of IC and decreasing FDR. Second, the current study focuses on the impact of IC and FDR on REM; this paper does not dissect the “black box” of IC and consider how each element affects earnings management. Future research may need to focus specifically on how effective IC would affect earnings management and precisely what IC mechanisms would discourage the management of earnings.
Practical implications
Helping companies listed in China to make decisions and improve investors’ vision of the results of real companies’ businesses, as well as helping management to avoid falling into debt risk and the consequent effects and manipulation of earnings.
Originality/value
By highlighting the significance of IC and debt risk in enhancing information quality in China, the results contribute to the body of work examining the relationship between IC, FDR and REM. In addition, this study uses a CEO’s education to moderate this link.
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Dai Wen Yue, Gao Yi Ping, Zang Li, Yang Dong, Tian Wan Lu and Zhang Tai Bao
Details a new type of screwing mechanical hand which has been developed. There are three distinguishing features on the structures and functions of the mechanical hand: it can…
Abstract
Details a new type of screwing mechanical hand which has been developed. There are three distinguishing features on the structures and functions of the mechanical hand: it can perform both screwing and unscrewing automatically; it has no special driver for its finger grasp and release but adopts some specific mechanisms and structures for this process; and the preset screwing torque is used to control the release of the fingers. Describes the main parts and operating process of the hand; the structure and movements of the wrist and hand; and the principle behind the grasp and release mechanism.
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Xi Yang, Zhiyuan Zhou, Quanwu Zhao, Jackie (Jake) London and Guangzhu Tan
Service providers on highly competitive online outsourcing platforms employ various signals to entice buyers to make online purchases. One such signal—the solution…
Abstract
Purpose
Service providers on highly competitive online outsourcing platforms employ various signals to entice buyers to make online purchases. One such signal—the solution exemplars—attracts attention through depictions of exemplary prior work completed by the service providers. Unfortunately, it is not known the extent to which solution exemplar characteristics affect sales performance nor is it clear how such signals perform in the presence of complementary signals such as service provider expertise. This paper explores these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Extending signaling theory, the authors develop a model to explore the effects of solution exemplar characteristics (i.e. exemplar quantity, exemplar diversity and exemplar popularity) on sales performance under the moderating impact of service provider expertise. The authors test the model using proprietary data from ZBJ.com, a leading online outsourcing platform in China.
Findings
Exemplar quantity and exemplar popularity positively affect sales performance; exemplar diversity has no significant impact on sales performance and service provider expertise positively moderates the relationships between exemplar quantity, exemplar popularity and sales performance.
Originality/value
This work makes several significant contributions. First, the authors enrich the research on signals in online outsourcing by exploring the impact of solution exemplar characteristics on sales performance. Second, the authors analyze three solution exemplar characteristics: exemplar quantity, exemplar diversity and exemplar popularity. Third, this work shows that service provider expertise moderates the relationship between solution exemplar characteristics and sales performance. Important practical implications for both online outsourcing platforms and service providers are discussed.
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João Neves de Carvalho Santos, Manuel Portugal Ferreira and José Carlos Rodrigues
Research suggests that context matters for MNEs’ international business strategy. MNEs’ strategies vary when different intertwined contexts interact with each other. While…
Abstract
Research suggests that context matters for MNEs’ international business strategy. MNEs’ strategies vary when different intertwined contexts interact with each other. While International Business scholars understand well the influence of the institutional environments on firms’ international strategies and operations, some contextual differences are less understood as is the case involving African countries and firms. In this study we investigate how different institutional contexts and legitimacy challenges combine to impact ownership strategic choices of African firms in their cross-border acquisitions (CBAs). Specifically, we study the influence of the host country institutional development and two institutional dimension distances: administrative distance and knowledge distance. Methodologically, we use a sample of 314 CBAs made by acquirers from 24 African countries in 71 host countries worldwide to test a number of theoretically driven hypotheses. This study contributes to our understanding of how foreign investors from less institutionally developed countries that are more likely to face higher legitimacy barriers use ownership strategies to achieve legitimacy abroad.
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Yang Liu, Mi Zhou and Quansheng Li
This paper explores how rural e-commerce drives consumption in both urban and rural residents; further, it presents evidence from the perspective of e-commerce penetration in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores how rural e-commerce drives consumption in both urban and rural residents; further, it presents evidence from the perspective of e-commerce penetration in rural areas and among farmers to assess the contribution of e-commerce to China’s economic strategy goal of fostering an economy driven by domestic demand.
Design/methodology/approach
Data of Taobao villages from 2014 to 2021 are matched with data on prefecture-level cities. A two-way fixed effect model, instrumental variable model and group comparison method are employed to explore the role and mechanism of e-commerce penetration in rural areas in stimulating residents’ consumption through consumption propensity, purchasing power and consumer population.
Findings
The findings confirm that e-commerce penetration of rural areas can stimulate residential consumption, and residents generally adhere to the consumption concept of “living within their means.” The driving effect on residents’ consumption is achieved by expanding the urban consumer population and improving the purchasing powers of both urban and rural residents. The spatial dispersion of e-commerce villages strengthens the positive impact of e-commerce penetration in rural areas on consumption; this strengthening is caused by the increasing consumer population of urban residents and the purchasing power of both urban and rural residents. The agriculture-oriented e-commerce penetration of rural areas negatively impacts residents’ consumption, consumption propensity and consumer population; however, industrial-oriented penetration positively affects residents’ consumption, consumption propensity, purchasing power and consumer population.
Originality/value
To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to analyze the role and mechanism of e-commerce penetration in rural areas in stimulating residents’ consumption through consumption propensity, purchasing power and consumer population. This study contributes to advancing e-commerce and consumer theory by exploring the realm of rural e-commerce while also presenting empirical evidence from China.
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Adilson Carlos Yoshikuni, Rajeev Dwivedi and Yogesh K. Dwivedi
The research aims to identify the impacts of strategic knowledge (SK) and information technology capabilities (ITC) on innovation ambidexterity (IAM) through business process…
Abstract
Purpose
The research aims to identify the impacts of strategic knowledge (SK) and information technology capabilities (ITC) on innovation ambidexterity (IAM) through business process performance (BPP).
Design/methodology/approach
The research framework is developed based on the theoretical grounding of resource orchestration (RO) (SK and ITC) impacts on IAM. The structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to test the research framework on a sample of 441 responses from Brazilian firms.
Findings
The results suggest that SK and ITC facilitate BPP, resulting in IAM. The findings also suggested differences in path coefficients in the SK and ITC of the business value generation process framework under environmental turbulence (ET). Finally, a strong SK of ITC is especially important in enabling BPP and IAM in large firms. Another case of most manufacturing and service firms demonstrated that both SK and ITC are essential to impacting IAM through BPP mediation.
Practical implications
The findings provide insight into how professionals can think and plan carefully to align SK and ITC for achieving balanced innovation and improving BPP in the dynamic business environment.
Originality/value
The study establishes a relationship between SK, ITC, BPP and IAM. The study developed novel constructs of SK and ITC and tested them, which gives new insight and links among the constructs.
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Rong Chen, Zang Li and Chao‐Hsien Chu
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the business potential of mobile video services in China via the case study of M‐Vzone.com. It answers two research questions: what are the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the business potential of mobile video services in China via the case study of M‐Vzone.com. It answers two research questions: what are the important factors that affect the adoption of mobile video services for individuals and enterprises? How much the value was added along the mobile video service chain and how were the benefits are realized?
Design/methodology/approach
Grounded in traditional technology adoption and information diffusion theories, the paper uses an exploratory research approach, including interviews and further analysis from published sources.
Findings
The authors' analysis suggests that three key factors contributed to the success of m‐commerce in the Chinese context: stronger customer relationship management; enhanced video/operation performance; and easier access to resources. From post‐investigation of the results, the authors also found that small‐ to mid‐sized Chinese owners showed a shift from an imitative to an incremental innovative mode of business thinking and practice.
Originality/value
This is the first study that examines mobile video commerce from a business and innovation perspective in China, to the best of the authors' knowledge. The paper investigates opinions from stakeholders directly involved in a mobile video web site and conducts a detailed analysis on the related value chain network. The findings will be of interest to decision makers in the mobile industry, especially those from small‐ to medium‐sized companies searching for an effective way toward service innovation. The paper can serve as a good foundation for future research into mobile service adoption and service innovation topics.