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1 – 10 of 12Weili Teng, Chenwei Ma, Saeed Pahlevansharif and Jason James Turner
The purpose of this paper is, first, to examine student perspectives of their university experience in terms of the soft employability skills they develop; second, how prepared…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is, first, to examine student perspectives of their university experience in terms of the soft employability skills they develop; second, how prepared those students feel for the future employment market and finally investigate whether there are differences in perceptions between Chinese and Malaysian students given their different educational experience.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, 361 predominantly Chinese undergraduate students at two universities, one in China and the other in Malaysia completed the 15-item Goldsmiths soft skills inventory using an online survey.
Findings
The results, analysed using factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, indicated that the university curriculum develops student soft skills, particularly in the Malaysian university and supports the relationship between soft skill and student preparedness for employment. The results also indicate that compared with the respondents from the Chinese university, the Malaysian university respondents were more likely to be positive to statements concerning their respective university’s ability to develop their soft skills.
Research limitations/implications
Such findings have implications for education providers and business in that it is important for universities to embed soft skills into the curriculum in order to develop graduate work readiness.
Originality/value
What this research contributes is not only consolidation of existing research in the contemporary context of a disruptive jobs market, it takes research forward through analysing student perceptions from two universities, one in Malaysia and the other in China, of the skills they develop at university and the importance of soft skills to them and their perceptions of future employment and employability. Such research will provide insight, in particular, into the role of education providers, the phenomena of underemployment among graduates in China, and be of practical significance to employers and their perception that graduates lack the necessary soft skills for the workplace (Anonymous, 2017a; Stapleton, 2017; British Council, 2015; Chan, 2015).
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Yingli Li, Chenwei Wu, Yong Peng and Xudong Jiang
In order to investigate the vibration reduction properties of a three-dimensional elastic metastructure with spherical cavities at low frequencies.
Abstract
Purpose
In order to investigate the vibration reduction properties of a three-dimensional elastic metastructure with spherical cavities at low frequencies.
Design/methodology/approach
The bandgap characteristics of a three-dimensional elastic metastructure with spherical cavities are studied based on analytical and numerical approaches.
Findings
The results of both method revealed that the vibration of the vertexes masses is important for opening bandgaps. The fact that the big sphere cavity radius or short side length of the cube unit leads to a wider bandgap, is noteworthy.
Originality/value
This research provides theoretical guidance for realizing the vibration attenuation application of EMs in practical engineering.
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Changchun Xiang, Chenwei Li, Keke Wu and Lirong Long
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact on employee voice from formal vs informal sources of procedural justice: group responsiveness and interactional justice, and to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact on employee voice from formal vs informal sources of procedural justice: group responsiveness and interactional justice, and to test how this impact may vary according to employees’ traditionality.
Design/methodology/approach
Dyadic data were collected from 261 employees and their supervisors. Results of the analyses offered support for the hypothesized moderated mediation model where group responsiveness and interactional justice would influence employee voice through enhanced organization-based self-esteem, and where such influence would be moderated by traditionality.
Findings
The findings showed that when there was a high level of group responsiveness, low traditionalists spoke up more, but when there was a high level of interactional justice, high traditionalists spoke up more.
Originality/value
By adopting the group engagement model, this study presented an alternative to the conventional perspective from uncertainty management theory about justice and voice, and tended to the neglect of fairness as an antecedent of voice by investigating how employees’ engagement in voice can be affected by their experience with different sources of procedural fairness information.
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Wei Chen, Qiuju Zhang, Ye Yuan, Xiaoyan Chen and Qinghao He
Continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTPCs) with great mechanical properties and green recyclability have been widely used in aerospace, transportation, sports…
Abstract
Purpose
Continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTPCs) with great mechanical properties and green recyclability have been widely used in aerospace, transportation, sports and leisure products, etc. However, the conventional molding technologies of CFRTPCs, with high cost and low efficiency, limit the property design and broad application of composite materials. The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of the 3D printing process on the integrated rapid manufacturing of CFRTPCs.
Design/methodology/approach
Tensile and flexural simulations and tests were performed on CFRTPCs. The effect of key process parameters on mechanical properties and molding qualities was evaluated individually and mutually to optimize the printing process. The micro morphologies of tensile and flexural breakages of the printed CFRTPCs were observed and analyzed to study the failure mechanism.
Findings
The results proved that the suitable process parameters for great printing qualities and mechanical properties included the glass hot bed with the microporous and solid glue coatings at 60°C and the nozzle temperature at 295°C. The best parameters of the nozzle temperature, layer thickness, feed rate and printing speed for the best elastic modulus and tensile strength were 285°C, 0.5 mm, 6.5r/min and 500 mm/min, respectively, whereas those for the smallest sectional porosity were 305°C, 0.6 mm, 5.5r/min and 550 mm/min, respectively.
Originality/value
This work promises a significant contribution to the improvement of the printing quality and mechanical properties of 3D printed CFRTPCs parts by the optimization of 3D printing processes.
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Wen Pan, Liuyuan Sun, Li-yun Sun, Chenwei Li and Alicia S.M. Leung
Drawing on activation theory, this paper aims to examine the process through which abusive supervision influences job-oriented constructive deviance (JCD) in the hospitality…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on activation theory, this paper aims to examine the process through which abusive supervision influences job-oriented constructive deviance (JCD) in the hospitality industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Data are collected from 198 employees working with 34 supervisors, at three time points across four hotel groups in Macau. The instantaneous indirect effect and moderated curvilinear effect using established measures are tested.
Findings
First, abusive supervision was positively associated with hotel employees’ job dissatisfaction and their job dissatisfaction had an inverted curvilinear effect on JCD. Second, job dissatisfaction nonlinearly mediated the impact of abusive supervision on JCD. Third, high problem-focused coping decelerated the diminishing benefits of job dissatisfaction on JCD.
Practical implications
First, organizations should accept employees’ constructive deviance but suppress managers’ abusive supervision. Second, organizations need to improve employees’ problem-focused coping skills and channel job dissatisfaction into constructive and active behaviors.
Originality/value
Theoretically, the authors test a nonlinearly mediating and moderated curvilinear model and address the research concern on whether, why and how service employees decide to engage in positive deviant behaviors when encountering abusive supervision. Practically, the authors avoid concluding that moderate levels of abusive supervision can promote positive employee behaviors and refrain from justification of abusive supervision in the hospitality context.
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Xuexin Xu, Xiaodong Yang, Junhua Lu, Ji Lan, Tai-Quan Peng, Yingcai Wu and Wei Chen
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) create quasi-real social systems in which players can interact with one another, and quasi-real economic systems where…
Abstract
Purpose
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) create quasi-real social systems in which players can interact with one another, and quasi-real economic systems where players can consume and trade in-game items with virtual currency. The in-game currency price, an important indicator of a virtual economy, is highly contingent on players’ behavioral interaction in MMORPGs. The purpose of this paper is to adopt a network perspective to examine how topological characteristics of social networks in an MMORPG, namely, network externalities, density, and closure, would exert impacts on the in-game currency price.
Design/methodology/approach
Players’ behavioral data were collected from a popular MMORPG in China on a weekly basis for 52 weeks. With a time series analytical approach, the empirical model for the price function of in-game currency was estimated with vector autoregression.
Findings
The results show that the number of core avatars and network density are positively associated with in-game currency price, while network closure has a negative effect on in-game currency price. However, in-game currency price is found to have no significant relationship with the trade volume of the currency.
Originality/value
This study fills in an important research gap by investigating factors influencing the in-game currency price of MMORPGs from a network perspective, which contributes to the existing literature of network effects and advances our understanding about how players’ interaction will influence the dynamics of a virtual economy. The findings could offer useful insights for online game companies to better understand their players’ social interaction and consumption behavior.
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Chenwei Li, Keke Wu, Diane E. Johnson and Min Wu
The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of perceived procedural justice and interactional justice on the relationship between moral leadership and the four…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of perceived procedural justice and interactional justice on the relationship between moral leadership and the four psychological empowerment dimensions manifested in individuals' perceptions of meaning, competence, self‐determination, and impact.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 241 subordinates, who reported to 110 supervisors, were collected from clothing companies in southern mainland China. The subordinates responded to a self‐report survey, which consisted of the variables of interest. Because of the nature of nested data, hierarchical linear regression (HLM 6.0) was used for analysis.
Findings
A fully mediated model of perceived justice was supported. Procedural justice and interactional justice were found to be differentially associated with the elements of psychological empowerment. Specifically, while perceived procedural justice accounted for more unique variance in the empowerment facets of meaning, competence, and impact, perceived interactional justice accounted for more unique variance in the facet of self‐determination.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by first examining the relationships among moral leadership, two types of perceived justice, and the four empowerment dimensions in the Chinese context. A detailed discussion of the implication for both researchers and practitioners is also provided.
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Raina M. Rutti, Jase R. Ramsey and Chenwei Li
The purpose of this paper is to understand how the individual difference of other orientation affects the rational calculation between team input and anticipated performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand how the individual difference of other orientation affects the rational calculation between team input and anticipated performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 222 junior and senior level undergraduate business students. Of those students, 176 chose to take a scheduled exam as a team endeavour. Individuals were the unit of analysis in order to determine the individuals' motivation for working in teams. Other orientation was measured using the Comparative Emphasis Scale (CES). Students were asked to report their anticipated exam grade and anticipated total team hours studied. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to determine the main effects and moderation.
Findings
Other orientation moderated the relationship between the decision to take an exam with a teammate and anticipated performance. Other orientation also moderated the relationship between the anticipated amount of effort studying and anticipated performance. In both situations, business students with higher levels of other orientation calculated the rational cost‐benefit relationship less than business students with lower levels of other orientation.
Practical implications
The findings will help educators and managers understand the process by which individuals prefer to work in teams and the perceptions of increased performance when working in a team.
Originality/value
The study extends the theoretical application of other orientation into the team performance context. The moderating effect of other orientation on the relationship between team input and performance has been studied for the first time and is documented in this paper.
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Haiyong Wu, Hui Huang and Xipeng Xu
The wear of an abrasive single-crystal diamond (SCD) grit affects the machining quality of the sapphire wafer. This paper aims to investigate the influence of crystallographic…
Abstract
Purpose
The wear of an abrasive single-crystal diamond (SCD) grit affects the machining quality of the sapphire wafer. This paper aims to investigate the influence of crystallographic orientation on the wear characteristics of SCD grit scratching on sapphire.
Design/methodology/approach
The wear characteristics of two SCD grits (SCD100 and SCD111) with different crystallographic orientations were systematically investigated. The wear mechanism involved in the scratching process was explored. The wear morphology, scratching forces and friction coefficient during the scratching process were measured and analyzed.
Findings
The experiment results show that the wear progress of the two SCD grits is obviously different. The wear resistance of SCD111 grit is greater than that of SCD100 grit in normal wear stage. However, the SCD100 grit could remove more sapphire material than SCD111 grit. The SCD grits mainly sustain extrusion stress and shear stress during scratching on sapphire. The crystallographic orientation of SCD grits plays a significant role in the wear progress during scratching on sapphire.
Originality/value
The results of the experimental studies could provide a theoretical foundation for improving the fabrication of abrasive diamond tools.
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Kevin S. Groves and Ann E. Feyerherm
Unprecedented transformations to the nature of work and organizations are compelling leadership and organization development scholars and practitioners to reexamine the relevance…
Abstract
Purpose
Unprecedented transformations to the nature of work and organizations are compelling leadership and organization development scholars and practitioners to reexamine the relevance and utility existing models of leadership potential. While there exist several published leadership potential models, the range and intensity of environmental forces fundamentally changing the nature of work and organizations demands a revision of leadership potential. The purpose of this study is to develop a leadership potential model that reflects the current and emerging nature of work and leadership challenges while also providing organizations a practical tool for talent review processes, succession planning and leadership development practices.
Design/methodology/approach
This article presents a field study consisting of semistructured interviews with 45 leaders engaged in a highly complex, volatile and uncertain industry: US healthcare.
Findings
Our results illustrate a dynamic two-dimensional model of leadership potential that comprises both cognitive (analytical aptitude and learning agility) and behavioral (people savvy and leadership capability) competencies operating across micro- and macro-levels of influence.
Practical implications
The article concludes with a series of recommendations for how leadership and organization development professionals, executive teams and boards may utilize the model for leader assessment and selection practices, talent review and succession planning and talent development initiatives.
Originality/value
The proposed model of leadership potential offers several advancements to the field's existing theoretical frameworks. The proposed model highlights the criticality of competencies aligned with the changing nature of work, including collaboration skills, divergent thinking, environmental scanning and evaluating data in ambiguous contexts. The model diverges from the existing theory by establishing leader drive as a motivation to serve others and initiate sustainable changes in business operations.
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