Chao Ma, Chia-Huei Wu, (George) Zhen Xiong Chen, Xinhui Jiang and Wu Wei
The purpose of this paper is to build a moderate mediation model to delineate the effects of leader humility on employee constructive voice behavior based on conservation of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to build a moderate mediation model to delineate the effects of leader humility on employee constructive voice behavior based on conservation of resources theory and crossover of resources model. Specifically, when a leader behaves with humility, the followers will be more likely to feel they receive psychological resources from their interactions with the leader (i.e. relational energy), and thus engage in more constructive voice behavior. In addition, this energizing effect only occurs when the leader is perceived as having higher apparent sincerity by their subordinates.
Design/methodology/approach
The research hypotheses of this study were empirically tested using multi-timepoint and multi-source (i.e. supervisors and subordinates) survey data in China. Study 1, based on data from 449 subordinates and 88 immediate supervisors, was conducted to test the proposed mediation effect. Study 2, based on data from 185 subordinates and 50 immediate supervisors, was conducted to replicate the findings of Study 1 and test the integrated model.
Findings
The results of Study 1 support the proposed mediation effect that leader humility positively predicts followers’ constructive voice behavior via boosting followers’ relational energy. The results of Study 2 replicate the findings of Study 1 and further indicate that leader humility is only positively related to perceived relational energy when a leader is perceived as having higher apparent sincerity by their subordinates.
Practical implications
This paper provides detailed instructions for business practitioners. First, given that employee constructive voice behavior is related to employee relational energy and is beneficial to organizations, leaders are encouraged to behave with humility when interacting with their subordinates. Second, from the perspective of human resource management, well-designed training programs can be used to help leaders to develop leader humility. Third, the findings of this paper call attention to a potential risk for humble leaders. Organizations should educate leaders on the potential negative consequences of false humility and encourage leader humility that will appear in leaders’ sincerity.
Originality/value
Overall, drawing on conservation of resources theory and crossover of resources model, this paper reveals that boosting relational energy is a mechanism via which humble leaders can shape employees’ voice behavior. Second, by examining the moderation effect of apparent sincerity of leaders from followers’ perspective, this paper suggests an actor–recipient perspective to identify the boundaries of the energizing mechanism. Third, the findings of this paper add to the knowledge on voice research by highlighting an additional source of energy for employee constructive voice behavior.
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Chao Ma, (George) Zhen Xiong Chen and Xinhui Jiang
This paper aims to build a moderate mediation model to delineate when and how employee with perceived overqualification will exert extra effort and therefore engage in more…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to build a moderate mediation model to delineate when and how employee with perceived overqualification will exert extra effort and therefore engage in more altruistic helping behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
The research hypotheses were empirically tested using multitime and multisource survey data. Given the nested nature of data (i.e. 52 immediate supervisors rated 143 subordinates), multilevel structural equation modeling analyses within Mplus were conducted to test the proposed model.
Findings
The results support the proposed moderated mediation effect and indicate that perceived overqualification is positively related to extra effort on a condition that there is either strong desire for higher workplace status or more developmental job opportunities. The extra effort will subsequently lead to more altruistic helping behavior.
Practical implications
Based on the findings of this paper, human resource managers should consider the job applicant’s desire for workplace status and the organizational context the employer can provide when hiring overqualified employees. Second, organizations should carefully conduct job design to improve overqualified employees’ on-the-job developmental experiences. Third, training programs should be conducted to help satisfy needs and improve workplace status of overqualified employees, so that they can exert extra job effort and engage in pro-organizational behaviors.
Originality/value
Drawing on motivation–opportunity–ability theory, this paper extends the limited understanding of important boundary conditions under which perceived overqualification can be beneficial. The findings add to the knowledge on extant literature by identifying altruistic helping behavior as a new outcome of perceived overqualification.
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Charlie C.L. Wang, Allan K.K. Chan and Zhen Xiong Chen
This study employed psychological variables such as consumer sentiment and attitude to debt as complementary measures to traditionally used consumer demographic or economic…
Abstract
This study employed psychological variables such as consumer sentiment and attitude to debt as complementary measures to traditionally used consumer demographic or economic variables in predicting housing purchase intention with a consumer sample in China. The result indicates that psychological factors add incremental explanatory and predictive power to traditionally used demographic variables. Results from discriminant analysis showed that, except for household income level, psychological factors were better than demographic variables in differentiating intenders from non‐intenders in China’s emerging property market. Conceptual contributions and managerial implications of the study are discussed.
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Cheng Lu Wang and Zhen Xiong Chen
Previous studies conducted in developed countries have demonstrated that ethnocentric consumers are more willing to buy domestic products. This study investigates the moderating…
Abstract
Previous studies conducted in developed countries have demonstrated that ethnocentric consumers are more willing to buy domestic products. This study investigates the moderating roles of quality judgment of domestic products and conspicuous consumption (CC) in the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and willingness to buy domestic products (WBD) in the context of a developing country, namely the People's Republic of China. The results support the hypothesis that the impact of ethnocentrism on consumer WBD tends to be weaker when consumers judge them as being of lower quality, or when consumers hold higher CC values. The conceptual and managerial implications for developing countries, including China, are discussed.
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Zhen Xiong Chen, Yizheng Shi and Da‐Hai Dong
The paper's aim is to investigate the antecedents and outcomes of the relationship between providers and consumers of a “high‐credence” service, in Hong Kong.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper's aim is to investigate the antecedents and outcomes of the relationship between providers and consumers of a “high‐credence” service, in Hong Kong.
Design/methodology/approach
A model of antecedents and outcomes was constructed. Relationship quality was conceptualized as the degree of trust in and satisfaction with the service provider. Data collected in face‐to‐face interviews with over 200 clients of 12 health‐care clinics questionnaire survey were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling, to test six hypotheses.
Findings
The findings support the hypotheses and show that the service providers' expertise, empathy, likeability, and communication effectiveness significantly influenced relationship quality, leading in turn to the likelihood of re‐patronage and word‐of‐mouth recommendation.
Research limitations/implications
The study suggests ways in which service providers can improve the quality of the customer relationship. Findings can be generalised only with caution, given the focus on health‐care delivery in a Chinese society. Future research could usefully investigate other high‐credence service sectors.
Originality/value
Empirical data have examined the association between four possible antecedents and relationship quality in a real‐world setting, and suggest practical actions for planners of customer relationship strategy in the high‐credence context.
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This paper studies how Chinese consumers respond to foreign goods in the post‐WTO era. Specifically, it examines brand sensitivity as a mediator and product cues as moderator of…
Abstract
This paper studies how Chinese consumers respond to foreign goods in the post‐WTO era. Specifically, it examines brand sensitivity as a mediator and product cues as moderator of purchase intention. Additionally, it examines consumer preferences for different products and consumption plans for the subsequent five years. The survey sample is drawn from a population of foreign product users from 34 cities in 18 provinces in China. Results provide evidence that brand sensitivity mediates the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and purchase intention; product cues moderate the effect of ethnocentrism on purchase intention. As the first study to link consumer ethnocentrism directly to brand sensitivity and purchase intention, this research provides some managerial implications. Global marketers can offset the negative effect of ethnocentrism by emphasizing brand image of its products, taking advantage of specific product cues, or by providing more comprehensive after‐sale service to reduce the perceived risk of purchasing imports. Also, price is still a hurdle that prevents Chinese consumers from mass consumption of foreign products. Global firms should not overestimate the purchasing power of Chinese consumers. This study represents a “snapshot” of Chinese consumers’ decision making at a time when their economic system is undergoing rapid change.
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Douglas K. Peterson and Yuanyuan Xing
Managers need to be able to understand whether the constructs of organizational commitment apply cross culturally. This study adds to a growing knowledge base regarding…
Abstract
Managers need to be able to understand whether the constructs of organizational commitment apply cross culturally. This study adds to a growing knowledge base regarding organizational commitment internationally, and uses workers in government controlled, mixed economy, and privately owned businesses in China’s interior. The study uses questionnaires of antecedents of commitment and tests Mowday et al’s (1979) OCQ and Meyer and Allen’s (1991) ACS, NCS, CCS. While we were are able to verify some antecedent conditions surrounding Mowday et al (1979) and Meyer and Allen’s (1991) commitment measures, we discovered the conditions surrounding commitment in persons who live outside the commercial zones may be more complicated than theory predicts. Artifacts that may modify antecedent‐commitment main include culture, language, firm ownership/control, and expectations of workers moving from government employment more market based jobs. We suggest that more study is required in relationship to conceptual space, theory development, measurement, validation, and analysis in former centrally planned and communistic countries. As is usually true in China, things are not as straightforward or simple as they seem. This study seems to verify that sentiment.
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Jinming Zhen, Congcong Zhen, Min Yuan, Yingliang Liu, Li Wang, Lin Yuan, Yuhan Sun, Xinyue Zhang, Xiaoshu Yang and Haojian Huang
With the rapid development of the pipeline transportation and exploitation of mineral resources, it is urgent requirement for the high-performance polymer matrix composites with…
Abstract
Purpose
With the rapid development of the pipeline transportation and exploitation of mineral resources, it is urgent requirement for the high-performance polymer matrix composites with low friction and wear to meet the needs of solid material transportation. This paper aims to prepare high-performance ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) matrix composites and investigate the effect of service condition on frictional behavior for composite.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, UHMWPE matrix composites with different content of MoS2 were prepared and the tribological performance of the GCr15/composites friction pair in various sliding speeds (0.025–0.125 m/s) under dry friction conditions were studied by ball-on-disk tribology experiments.
Findings
Results show that the frictional behavior was shown to be sensitive to MoS2 concentration and sliding velocity. As the MoS2 content is 2 Wt.%, composites presented the best overall tribological performance. Besides, the friction coefficient fluctuates around 0.21 from 0.025 to 0.125 m/s sliding speed, while the wear rate increases gradually. Scanning electron microscopy images, energy-dispersive spectroscopy and Raman Spectrum analysis present that the main wear mechanisms were abrasive and fatigue wear.
Originality/value
The knowledge obtained herein will facilitate the design of UHMWPE matrix composites with promising self-lubrication performances which used in slag transport engineering field.
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Yaqi Zhao, Shengyue Hao, Zhen Chen, Xia Zhou, Lin Zhang and Zhaoyang Guo
Limited use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology on construction sites has restricted its value in the construction industry. To propel its widespread application, this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
Limited use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology on construction sites has restricted its value in the construction industry. To propel its widespread application, this paper explores the influencing factors and action paths of construction companies' IoT technology adoption behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
First, literature research, technology adoption theories, and semi-structured expert interviews were employed to build the adoption model. Second, a questionnaire survey was conducted among Chinese construction contractors to collect empirical data. Third, the structural equation model method and regression analysis were used to test the adoption model. Finally, the findings were further validated with interviews, case studies, and field observations.
Findings
External environmental pressure (EEP), perceived benefit (PB), top management support (TMS), company resource readiness (CRR), adoption intention (AI), and perceived compatibility (PCA) have a direct positive impact on adoption behavior (AB). In contrast, perceived cost (PC) and perceived complexity (PCL) exert a direct negative impact on AB. The EEP, PB, and PC are critical factors affecting AB, whereas AI is strongly affected by CRR and TMS. Besides, AI plays a part mediating role in the relationship between seven factors and AB. Company size and nature positively moderate AI's positive effect on AB.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the knowledge of IoT technology adoption behavior in the construction sector by applying the technology adoption theories. Exploring the implementation barriers and drivers of IoT technology in construction sites from the perspective of organizational technology adoption behavior and introducing moderating variables to explain adoption behavior are innovations of this paper. The findings can help professionals better understand the IoT technology adoption barriers and enhance construction companies' adoption awareness, demand, and ability. This work also provides a reference for understanding the impact mechanism of the adoption behavior of other innovative technologies in construction.