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The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the effects of institutional support on product and process innovation and firm performance and describe how dysfunctional competition influences relevant outcomes.

This study develops a research model based on institution-based view and tests it using structural equation modeling and empirical data collected from 300 manufacturers in China.

The results show that institutional support positively affects product and process innovation and firm performance. Both product and process innovation improve firm performance. The findings reveal that dysfunctional competition significantly reduces the positive effects of institutional support on product and process innovation but leaves the effects of institutional support and product and process innovation on firm performance unaffected.

This study contributes to innovation literature by providing insights into the impact of China’s institutional environment on manufacturing firms’ product and process innovation decisions. The findings also contribute to institution-based view literature by providing empirical evidence on the joint effects of institutional support and dysfunctional competition on product and process innovation and firm performance. This study can help manufacturers in China take advantage of institutional environment and adjust product and process innovation decisions accordingly.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This paper aims to theorize and examine how central cognition elaboration cue and peripheral cognition elaboration cue influence users’ health information sharing intention in Strong ties social media (STSM) in emerging markets.

This paper innovatively proposes two concepts of health information emotion and health information sharing value based on the in-depth observation of users’ social health behavior. We integrate Elaboration Likelihood Model, Media Richness Theory, Trust Theory and Regulatory Focus Theory to develop hypotheses and research models and lay emphasis on the study of health information emotion’s moderating effect. This paper conducts an empirical study by selecting 372 health information users of WeChat, a typical STSM, to verify the research model by structural equation model.

For the central route, individual motivation and health information richness positively influence health information sharing value. For peripheral route, health information source trust and health information recipient trust both positively influence the health information sharing attitude. Health information sharing value and sharing attitude can positively affect users’ health information sharing intention. In addition, health information positive emotion has significant moderating effect, while health information negative emotion does not have.

This study contributes to a comprehensive perspective for understanding users’ health information sharing intention in STSM in emerging markets, an important but understudied topic. The results can also give implications for researchers to explore users’ behavioral intention from the perspective of process-oriented persuasion and health information emotion’s moderating effect.

Additive manufacturing (AM), a method used in the nuclear, space and racing industries, allows the creation of customized titanium alloy scaffolds with highly defined external shape and internal structure using rapid prototyping as supporting external structures within which bone tissue can grow. AM allows porous tantalum parts with mechanical properties close to that of bone tissue to be obtained.

In this paper, porous tantalum structures with different scan distance were fabricated by AM using laser multi-layer micro-cladding.

Porous tantalum samples were tested for resistance to compressive force and used scanning electron microscope to reveal the morphology of before and after compressive tests. Their structure and mechanical properties of these porous Ta structures with porosity in the range of 35.48 to 50 per cent were investigated. The porous tantalum structures have comparable compressive strength 56 ∼ 480 MPa, and elastic modulus 2.8 ∼ 9.0GPa, which is very close to those of human spongy bone and compact bone.

This paper does not demonstrate the implant results.

It can be used as implant material for the repair bone.

It can be used for fabrication of other porous materials.

This paper system researched the scan distance on how to influence the mechanical properties of fabricated porous tantalum structures.

This study aims to empirically investigate the role of contracts in tacit knowledge acquisition in research and development (R&D) alliances. By combining the perspectives of sensemaking and transaction cost economics (TCE), this study proposes a model about the mechanisms through which shared goals and contract completeness jointly affect tacit knowledge acquisition.

This study adopted a quantitative design and used the questionnaire survey method to collect data. The authors finally collected data on 196 R&D alliance samples in China. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses.

There is strong empirical support that contract completeness has a positive effect on shared goals and that shared goals have a positive effect on tacit knowledge acquisition. Meanwhile, contract completeness weakens the positive effect of shared goals on tacit knowledge acquisition. Therefore, this study reveals that contract completeness has an inverted U-shaped effect on tacit knowledge acquisition.

The findings suggest that managers should consider both the psychological and rational effects of contract governance simultaneously, thus recognizing the importance of a moderate level of contract completeness for tacit knowledge acquisition in R&D alliances.

This study enhances the current understanding of contract governance by integrating the sensemaking and TCE perspectives. The findings provide a possible explanation of how contracts affect tacit knowledge acquisition in R&D alliances. The authors expand the research on contract governance and alliance knowledge acquisition by revealing the inverted U-shaped relationship between contract governance and tacit knowledge acquisition.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the joint effects of lead time, information sharing and the accounts receivable period on reverse factoring (RF) adoption from the suppliers’ perspective.

Supported by one of the largest commercial banks in China, survey data are collected from 424 Chinese manufacturing firms and analyzed using regression methods.

The results suggest that lead time positively affects suppliers’ RF adoption directly and indirectly through the accounts receivable period. Meanwhile, information sharing has a positive, direct and a negative, indirect influence on suppliers’ RF adoption.

The findings give suppliers and financial institutions a better understanding of how to leverage the benefits of RF.

This study aims to examine the joint effect of internal quality integration and product innovation on financial performance by considering the mediating roles of incremental and radical product innovation.

A theoretical framework was developed using the organizational capability view. Based on empirical survey data collected from 209 Chinese manufacturing firms, this research uses structural equation modeling and the bootstrapping method to test hypotheses.

The results show that internal quality integration positively impacts incremental and radical product innovation and financial performance. Further, incremental product innovation can promote radical product innovation. Both incremental and radical product innovation partially mediate the relationship between internal quality integration and financial performance.

The findings provide practical guidance for manufacturing companies to engage in quality integration and product innovation. Managers should encourage the internal functional departments to coordinate quality integration while promoting incremental and radical product innovation to occupy a larger market and achieve higher performance.

This research contributes to the literature in two ways. First, this study expands the theoretical research framework of the joint effects of quality integration and product innovation on financial performance. Second, through testing the mediating role of product innovation, this study provides empirical evidence for the intermediate role of internal quality integration for improving financial performance.

This study aims to examine the relationships between power, relationship commitment and customer integration by replicating and extending Zhao et al. (2008) in China and the USA.

This study collects data from 210 manufacturers in China and 202 manufacturers in the USA. In this study, structural equation modelling is used to analyse the data.

This study finds that normative relationship commitment is positively associated with customer integration and expert and referent power are positively associated with normative relationship commitment in China and the USA. Reward and coercive power are positively associated with instrumental relationship commitment in China, whereas referent power is negatively associated. Referent, legal legitimate and reward power are positively associated with instrumental relationship commitment in the USA, whereas expert and legitimate power are negatively associated.

This study provides empirical evidence on the distinct impacts of different bases of mediated and non-mediated power in China and the USA, contributing to the development of the power-relationship commitment theory. The findings also provide insights into where and when the theory applies. The results can provide guidelines for managers to adjust the use of power to improve relationship commitment and customer integration in China and the USA.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are critical for achieving a green economy. This study aims to empirically explore business associations’ impacts on SMEs’ green transformation in China.

This study uses a multiple-case study approach. The authors collect data from four Chinese business associations and their members.

This study finds that business associations promote SMEs’ green transformation by providing individual and collective services. SMEs conduct green transformation by developing a green mindset and adopting green operations. The results show that individual services directly enhance members’ green mindset and green operations. Collective services promote members’ green mindset and green operations both directly and indirectly by building relational capital.

This study contributes to the literature by revealing that business associations play critical roles in assisting SMEs’ green transformation. In addition, this study suggests that SMEs may adopt different practices compared with large companies. The findings enhance the current understanding of how SMEs conduct green transformation and how business associations assist SMEs.