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1 – 10 of 158Zhaohong Lin and Zhe Zhao
The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively explore the dimensions of Chinese culture and further investigate the underlying mechanisms via which the Chinese culture, in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively explore the dimensions of Chinese culture and further investigate the underlying mechanisms via which the Chinese culture, in various dimensions, affect the overseas performance of Chinese multinational enterprises (CMNE) expatriates. Along with the awakening of China, not only CMNEs but also the Chinese culture have infiltrated the world market. The uniqueness of Chinese culture has attracted considerable attention of a majority of practitioners, while relevant research on how it affects CMNE expatriates’ performance sounds rare. In contrast to domestic employees, the performance of CMNE expatriates is more likely to be influenced by Chinese culture because of the potential cross-border cultural conflicts between the home and host countries. Additionally, the impact of Chinese culture on CMNE expatriates’ performance may vary according to different cultural dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach
Comparative case study is adopted for this research. After sufficient literature review and interviews with human resource (HR) staff, this paper structured the research, and then conducted 30 in-depth interviews with Chinese expatriates from both state-owned enterprises and private-owned enterprises.
Findings
This paper identifies that the Chinese culture do affect CMNE expatriates performance; however, the degree of its effect diversifies according to different cultural dimensions, namely, individual-level culture including Reniqng, Mianzi and social-level culture including power distance, Guanxi, Yinyang, Hexie and collectivism.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation of this study is that the sample is not big enough and empirical tests are needed to validate or refute the model. Nevertheless, due to the fact that it is still during the period of initial study, the conceptual development raised by this paper would help us to gain good insights from these important and unexplored areas of national culture, which is being thought to affect performance in CMNEs.
Practical implications
Through reviewing the relevant literature and deeply analyzing Chinese culture, this paper attempts to help young Chinese MNEs to build up and/or improve performance appraisal method and system according to the unique Chinese culture, and to supply a theoretical support for HR personnel to make related policies for the sake of improving expatriate performance overseas.
Social implications
This paper is the first attempt to dig and explore the whole picture, and refine the dimensions of Chinese culture from individual level and social level. It aims to lay a foundation for the research related to Chinese culture, and to some extent, supply a theoretical support to motivate more researchers to explore more ways to improve the performance of expatriates from young CMNEs.
Originality/value
This paper presents the whole frame of Chinese culture and from an integral Chinese perspective digs the Chinese cultural dimensions from individual level and social level for the first time. According to the social cognitive theory, this paper provides a firm foundation for scholars to understand Chinese culture as well as to analyze the related relationship with performance, and for CMNEs to develop and utilize the effect of national culture to improve the performance of expatriates overseas. So far, the research on Chinese culture and the effect of national culture overseas have not yet been well considered.
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Bo Zeng, Hongwei Liu, Hongzhou Song, Zhe Zhao, Shaowei Fan, Li Jiang, Yuan Liu, Zhiyuan Yu, Xiaorong Zhu, Jing Chen and Ting Zhang
The purpose of this paper is to design a multi-sensory anthropomorphic prosthetic hand and a grasping controller that can detect the slip and automatically adjust the grasping…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to design a multi-sensory anthropomorphic prosthetic hand and a grasping controller that can detect the slip and automatically adjust the grasping force to prevent the slip.
Design/methodology/approach
To improve the dexterity, sensing, controllability and practicability of a prosthetic hand, a modular and multi-sensory prosthetic hand was presented. In addition, a slip prevention control based on the tactile feedback was proposed to improve the grasp stability. The proposed controller identifies slippages through detecting the high-frequency vibration signal at the sliding surface in real time and the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) was used to extract the eigenvalues to identify slippages. Once the slip is detected, a direct-feedback method of adjusting the grasp force related with the sliding times was used to prevent it. Furthermore, the stiffness of different objects was estimated and used to improve the grasp force control. The performances of the stiffness estimation, slip detection and slip control are experimentally evaluated.
Findings
It was found from the experiment of stiffness estimation that the accuracy rate of identification of the hard metal bottle could reach to 90%, while the accuracy rate of identification of the plastic bottles could reach to 80%. There was a small misjudgment rate in the identification of hard and soft plastic bottles. The stiffness of soft plastic bottles, hard plastic bottles and metal bottles were 0.64 N/mm, 1.36 N/mm and 32.55 N/mm, respectively. The results of slip detection and control show that the proposed prosthetic hand with a slip prevention controller can fast and effectively detect and prevent the slip for different disturbances, which has a certain application prospect.
Practical implications
Due to the small size, low weight, high integration and modularity, the prosthetic hand is easily applied to upper-limb amputees. Meanwhile, the method of the slip prevention control can be used for upper-limb amputees to complete more tasks stably in daily lives.
Originality/value
A multi-sensory anthropomorphic prosthetic hand is designed, and a method of stable grasps control based on slip detection by a tactile sensor on the fingertip is proposed. The method combines the stiffness estimation of the object and the real-time slip detection based on DWT with the design of the proportion differentiation robust controller based on a disturbance observer and the force controller to achieve slip prevention and stable grasps. It is verified effectively by the experiments and is easy to be applied to commercial prostheses.
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Qingfeng Chen, Zhe Zhao, Wei Lan, Ruchang Zhang and Jiahai Liang
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been proved to be a significant type of non-coding RNAs related to various human diseases. This paper aims to identify the potential miRNA–disease…
Abstract
Purpose
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been proved to be a significant type of non-coding RNAs related to various human diseases. This paper aims to identify the potential miRNA–disease interactions.
Design/methodology/approach
A computational framework, MDIRM is presented to predict miRNAs-disease interactions. Unlike traditional approaches, the miRNA function similarity is calculated by miRNA–disease interactions. The k-mean method is further used to cluster miRNA similarity network. For miRNAs in the same cluster, their similarities are enhanced, as the miRNAs from the same cluster may be reliable. Further, the potential miRNA–disease association is predicted by using recommend method.
Findings
To evaluate the performance of our model, the fivefold cross validation is implemented to compare with two state-of-the-art methods. The experimental results indicate that MDIRM achieves an AUC of 0.926, which outperforms other methods.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a novel computational method for miRNA–disease interaction prediction based on recommend method. Identifying the relationship between miRNAs and diseases not only helps us better understand the disease occurrence and mechanism through the perspective of miRNA but also promotes disease diagnosis and treatment.
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The purpose of this paper in the editorial review of manuscripts to highlight the emergent aspects of original thinking that provide new perspectives on issues central to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper in the editorial review of manuscripts to highlight the emergent aspects of original thinking that provide new perspectives on issues central to management.
Design/methodology/approach
A synoptic perspective of a very broad range of topics covered in research by scholars is provided: education, corporate value, quality, corporate social responsibility, risk behavior, managing reputation, expatriation, growth and creativity. In this particular review, the editor emphasizes those facets of the paper that shed original, new light on management. Also, the areas where research provides a theoretical basis for consulting or managerial practice are highlighted to illustrate how research can be of practical relevance.
Findings
Some of the insights gained clearly indicate the importance of research. For example, tighter or more rigorous governmental regulations on food quality are unlikely to contribute to the enhancement of firms’ capability in improving food quality. The government needs to do much more than only regulate. Then, there is empirical reaffirmation that guan-xi with government matters: better the relationships, the higher corporate value but only if the firm is in private hands, not for state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Then, the Chinese local firms’ nexus with foreign, and international corporations influences their corporate social performance. Even more fascinating, a bank’s risk behavior is dependent on the structural composition of the board of directors. Indeed, research shows that a gender mix in fact lowers the propensity toward taking a high risk. Then, through reflecting upon their deep researches, the authors derive a theoretic framework for coping with reputation loss following a financial restatement. Here, authors showed SOEs to suffer much more in the event of restatement than the privately owned enterprises. Then, in a piece of innovative research of expatriation, authors relate a spectrum of the Chinese cultural values to performance. In a cross-country (civilization) study, the research motivation is: Whether SMEs in China, India and Pakistan are confronting the same environmental challenges? As expected, the answer would be yes in some aspects and no in others. This a significant finding, as the Chinese are raised on a milieu of suppressing one’s emotions: emotional expressiveness can contribute to creativity!
Originality/value
In this paper, the editor highlights some aspects on the original thinking of the authors within this issue of Chinese Management Studies. Also, the editor highlights on how research contained herein is contributing to managerial (consulting) practice.
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Saquib Rouf, Ankush Raina, Mir Irfan Ul Haq and Nida Naveed
The involvement of wear, friction and lubrication in engineering systems and industrial applications makes it imperative to study the various aspects of tribology in relation with…
Abstract
Purpose
The involvement of wear, friction and lubrication in engineering systems and industrial applications makes it imperative to study the various aspects of tribology in relation with advanced technologies and concepts. The concept of Industry 4.0 and its implementation further faces a lot of barriers, particularly in developing economies. Real-time and reliable data is an important enabler for the implementation of the concept of Industry 4.0. For availability of reliable and real-time data about various tribological systems is crucial in applying the various concepts of Industry 4.0. This paper aims to attempt to highlight the role of sensors related to friction, wear and lubrication in implementing Industry 4.0 in various tribology-related industries and equipment.
Design/methodology/approach
A through literature review has been done to study the interrelationships between the availability of tribology-related data and implementation of Industry 4.0 are also discussed. Relevant and recent research papers from prominent databases have been included. A detailed overview about the various types of sensors used in generating tribological data is also presented. Some studies related to the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are also included in the paper. A discussion on fault diagnosis and cyber physical systems in connection with tribology has also been included.
Findings
Industry 4.0 and tribology are interconnected through various means and the various pillars of Industry 4.0 such as big data, AI can effectively be implemented in various tribological systems. Data is an important parameter in the effective application of concepts of Industry 4.0 in the tribological environment. Sensors have a vital role to play in the implementation of Industry 4.0 in tribological systems. Determining the machine health, carrying out maintenance in off-shore and remote mechanical systems is possible by applying online-real-time data acquisition.
Originality/value
The paper tries to relate the pillars of Industry 4.0 with various aspects of tribology. The paper is a first of its kind wherein the interdisciplinary field of tribology has been linked with Industry 4.0. The paper also highlights the role of sensors in generating tribological data related to the critical parameters, such as wear rate, coefficient of friction, surface roughness which is critical in implementing the various pillars of Industry 4.0.
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Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to explore the spatial accessibility dynamics of urban parks and their driving forces from 1901 to 2010 in terms of the dynamic relationships between spatial morphology and road networks, taking Nanjing City as an example.
Design/methodology/approach
This study mapped and examined the spatiotemporal distribution of urban parks and road networks in four time points at Nanjing: the 1910s, 1930s, 1960s and 2010s, using the analysis methodology of spatial design network analysis, kernel density estimation and buffer analysis. Two approaches of spatial overlaying and data analysis were adopted to investigate the accessibility dynamics. The spatial overlaying compared the parks' layout and the road networks' core, subcore and noncore accessible areas; the data analysis clarified the average data on the city-wide and local scales of the road networks within the park buffer zone.
Findings
The analysis of the changing relationships between urban parks and the spatial morphology of road networks showed that the accessibility of urban parks has generally improved. This was influenced by six main factors: planning implementation, political policies, natural resources, historical heritage and cultural and economic levels.
Social implications
The results provide a reference for achieving spatial equity, improving urban park accessibility and supporting sustainable urban park planning.
Originality/value
An increasing number of studies have explored the spatial accessibility of urban parks through the relationships between their spatial distribution and road networks. However, few studies have investigated the dynamic changes in accessibility over time. Discussing parks' accessibility over relatively long-time scales has practical, innovative and theoretical values; because it can reveal correlational laws and internal influences not apparent in short term and provide reference and implications for parks' spatial equity.
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Liang Zhao and Zhe Sun
Despite the growing research exploring the possibility and feasibility of financing socially oriented projects through crowdfunding, relatively little research examines which…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the growing research exploring the possibility and feasibility of financing socially oriented projects through crowdfunding, relatively little research examines which crowdfunding model is better to serve such purpose. The purpose of this paper is to offer novel insights to mitigate this research gap.
Design/methodology/approach
A unique data set collected from the largest Chinese crowdfunding platform is used to test the hypotheses. To solve the perceived self-selection problem, the propensity score matching method is adopted in this paper. Based on this approach, the results of similar prosocial campaigns in two different models (pure donation and hybrid donation) are compared.
Findings
The empirical results show that the hybrid donation model is negatively associated with the status of success and the extent of success of prosocial campaigns. Specifically, compared to the pure donation model, hybrid donation model leads to a lower probability of success, fewer contributors, a lower funding amount and a lower completion ratio.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to a relatively understudied theme in crowdfunding, namely, donations. It does so by introducing the concepts of pure vs hybrid donation models and investigates the model selection problem in financing social projects through crowdfunding based on cognitive evaluation theory.
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Lei Wang, Yang Cai, Wei-Wei Wang, Run-Zhe Liu, Di Liu, Fu-Yun Zhao and Hanqing Wang
This paper aims to numerically investigate the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) convection heat transfer of nanofluid inside a differentially heated enclosure with various fin…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to numerically investigate the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) convection heat transfer of nanofluid inside a differentially heated enclosure with various fin morphologies.
Design/methodology/approach
The fluid flow within the cavity was governed by N-S equations while it within porous medium was solved by the non-Darcy model, called the Darcy–Forchheimer model based on representative element-averaging method. Empirical correlations from experimental data are used to evaluate the effective thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity. Relevant governing parameters, including thermal Rayleigh number (105-107), Hartmann number (0-50), Darcy number (10−6-10−1), thermal conductivity ratio of porous matrix (1-103), nanoparticles volume fraction (0-0.04) and topology designs of porous fins, are sensitively varied to identify their effects and roles on the fluid flow and heat transfer. Particularly, heatlines are used to investigate the mechanism of heat transport.
Findings
Numerical results demonstrate that the predictions of average Nusselt number are augmented by using more porous fins with high permeability, and this effect becomes opposite in tiny Darcy numbers. Particularly, for high Darcy and Rayleigh numbers, the shortest fins could achieve the best performance of heat transfer. In addition, the prediction of average Nusselt number reduces with an increase in Hartmann numbers. An optimal nanoparticles concentration also exists to maximize heat transfer enhancement. Finally, numerical correlations for the average Nusselt number were proposed as functions of these governing parameters.
Practical implications
Present work could benefit the thermal design of electronic cooling and thermal carriers in nanofluid engineering.
Social implications
Present work could benefit the thermal design of electronic cooling and thermal carriers in nanofluid engineering. In addition, optimum thermal removals could enhance the lifetime of electronics, therefore reducing the cost of energy and materials.
Originality/value
To the best knowledge of authors, there are not any studies considering the synergetic effects of porous fins on MHD convection of nanofluids. Present work could benefit the thermal design of electronic cooling and thermal carriers in nanofluid engineering.
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Zhe Sun, Liang Zhao, Hongji Wei, Xiaoming Wang and Rosanne Rosalie Riemersma
The study aims to examine the effects of guanxi and harmonious leadership on acquisition performance and the role of sociocultural integration as a mediating mechanism impacting…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to examine the effects of guanxi and harmonious leadership on acquisition performance and the role of sociocultural integration as a mediating mechanism impacting the above links, with a focus on Chinese cross-border acquisitions in The Netherlands.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through survey questionnaire with 91 respondents who work in Dutch-acquired companies. Regression analysis was used for exploring the relationship.
Findings
The study finds that both guanxi and harmonious leadership are positive to acquisition performance, and sociocultural integration represents a significant mediating mechanism by which guanxi and harmonious leadership can result in improved acquisition performance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to culture research by emphasizing the clarification of specific Chinese cultural values and cultural practices in cross-border acquisitions and examining the role of guanxi and harmonious leadership in acquisition performance. Meanwhile, this study helps to unveil Chinese cross-border acquisitions in The Netherlands by examining the mediating force – sociocultural integration.
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Zhe Sun and Liang Zhao
Building trust is critical in reverse mergers and acquisitions (M&As), attributed to the divergence of governance and culture between the East and the West. This paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Building trust is critical in reverse mergers and acquisitions (M&As), attributed to the divergence of governance and culture between the East and the West. This paper aims to explore the barriers and trust-building practices of Chinese managers in reverse M&As in developed countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The primary data set of this research contains case studies of two Chinese M&A deals and in-depth interviews with managers and advisories in the Netherlands.
Findings
This research finds that the divergences of decision-making structure, communication style and trust orientation generate barriers to the trust building in Chinese reverse M&As. The third-party advisory participation helps to build cognition-based trust of acquired company managers on Chinese acquiring company managers through providing information and explanation, fitting Chinese buyers in the Western M&A procedure and offering communication. It also helps to build affect-based trust through bridging the divergence of trust orientation and filling the cultural voids. Meanwhile, the invisible integration helps to build cognition-based trust through maintaining the core business, offering great help to acquired companies for their business expansion and selecting the business collaboration areas in the long term. It also helps to build affect-based trust through granting a high degree of governance independence and enabling a balanced status in acquired companies.
Originality/value
This research unveils the “black box” of Chinese reverse M&As from an inter-personal trust perspective and advances the nuanced understanding of trust and trust-building practices in Chinese reverse M&As. It also provides practical tools for both Chinese companies and acquired companies in developed countries.
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