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Article
Publication date: 15 October 2019

Jindi Fu, Rong-An Shang, Anand Jeyaraj, Yuan Sun and Feng Hu

Enterprise social media (ESM) usage has gained considerable momentum within organizations. The purpose of this paper is to seek a better understanding of ESM usage based on the…

1577

Abstract

Purpose

Enterprise social media (ESM) usage has gained considerable momentum within organizations. The purpose of this paper is to seek a better understanding of ESM usage based on the task environments and the technology affordances of ESM.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a survey consisting of 556 usable responses. Regression methods are applied to analyze the data.

Findings

This study finds strong support for the positive impact of task-technology fit on ESM usage. Considering separately, task equivocality had no impact; task interdependence had a negative effect on ESM usage; bridging social capital had a positive effect; and bonding social capital had a marginal impact on ESM usage.

Research limitations/implications

This research incorporated social capital into discussions of task-technology fit. A 2×2 matrix based on task equivocality and task interdependence was developed, which may be extended to other contexts or technologies.

Practical implications

ESM implementation should account for both task environments and the appropriate technology affordances. Individuals access bridging social capital to a greater extent than bonding social capital using ESM, and they do not use ESM when the task environments alone are considered.

Originality/value

This is an original study that considers task environments and technology affordances in the context of ESM usage. The findings offer valuable and timely contributions to both scholars and practitioners.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 33 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 April 2020

Hongxiu Li, Yong Liu, Chee-Wee Tan and Feng Hu

Building on the three-factor theory, this study aims to unravel how the role of hotel attributes such as basic, excitement and performance factors could differ in accordance with…

33346

Abstract

Purpose

Building on the three-factor theory, this study aims to unravel how the role of hotel attributes such as basic, excitement and performance factors could differ in accordance with different hotel star ratings and distinct customer segments.

Design/methodology/approach

This study explores the asymmetric effects of hotel attributes on customer satisfaction by extracting 412,784 consumer-generated reviews from TripAdvisor across different cities in China.

Findings

By taking into account the origins of customers and hotel star ratings, the study uncovers that guests’ expectations of hotel performance differ with respect to their origins (domestic and international guests) and the star ratings of the hotels being reviewed, thereby moderating the asymmetric impact of hotel attributes on customer satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The study compares and contrasts the determinants of customer satisfaction for domestic and international guests in the context of Chinese hotels. Care should still be exercised when generalizing the insights gleaned from this study to other contexts.

Practical implications

The findings from this study translate into actionable guidelines for hotel operators to make informed decisions regarding service improvement.

Originality/value

The study extends previous work by offering a deeper understanding of the asymmetric impact of hotel attributes on customer satisfaction. Specifically, this study provides a deep understanding of the different hotel attributes such as basic, performance and excitement factors in explaining customer satisfaction among different hotel customer segments. Findings from this study can not only inform hotel operators on the significance of various hotel attributes in determining customer satisfaction but also guide the formulation of business strategies to retain customers by inducing delight and not frustration.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 April 2019

Yuan Sun, Xinjie Zhou, Anand Jeyaraj, Rong-An Shang and Feng Hu

Enterprise social media platforms (ESMPs) are web 2.0-based computer media tools that facilitate knowledge sharing by employees. The purpose of this paper is to outline the…

3675

Abstract

Purpose

Enterprise social media platforms (ESMPs) are web 2.0-based computer media tools that facilitate knowledge sharing by employees. The purpose of this paper is to outline the potential of ESMPs in both enabling and hindering knowledge sharing from the perspective of affordances.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper which integrates the literature on ESMPs’ affordances and knowledge sharing.

Findings

This paper finds that prior research on affordances only considered artifacts without much attention on the role of individual goals and organizational context. ESMPs may both enable and hinder knowledge sharing by affording different user behaviors contingent on artifacts, individual goals and organizational context.

Practical implications

The results of the paper will help managers and ESMPs designers to better understand the potential of ESMPs and pay attention to the positive and negative impacts of ESMPs in the process of knowledge sharing.

Originality/value

The paper derives a new categorization of affordances based on individual goals and organization context and portrays a model to describe how and when these affordances enable knowledge sharing through the development of transactive memory system and social capital and hinder knowledge sharing through overload, groupthink and privacy invasion.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 February 2022

Feng Hu, Rohit Trivedi and Thorsten Teichert

This study aims to explore how marketers can use text mining to analyze actors, actions and performance effects of service encounters by building on the role theory. This enables…

1080

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore how marketers can use text mining to analyze actors, actions and performance effects of service encounters by building on the role theory. This enables hotel managers to use introduced methodology to measure and monitor frontline employees’ role behavior and optimize their service.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors’ approach links text mining and importance-performance analysis with role theory’s conceptual foundations taking into account the hotel industry’s specifics to assess the effect of frontline hotel employees’ actions on consumer satisfaction and to derive specific management implications for the hospitality sector.

Findings

This study identifies different actors involved in hotel frontline interactions revealing distinct role behaviors that characterize consumers’ perspectives of service encounters with different role types associated with front-office employees. This research also identifies role performance related to role behavior to improve service encounters.

Practical implications

Customer–employee interactions can be assessed by user-generated contents (UGC). Performance evaluations relate to frontline employee roles associated with distinct role scripts, whereby different hotel segments require tailored role designs. Insights of this study can be used for service optimization, market positioning as well as for improving human resource management practices in the hotel industry.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the service encounter literature by applying role theory in the text mining of UGC to assess frontline employees as actors and the effects of their actions on service quality delivery.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 34 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 August 2021

Hailin Lu, Feng Hu, Qi Liu and Yihong Li

Copper-graphite (Cu/C) is a type of seal material that has been widely used in liquid rocket engines and with normal metal pairs, has a high wear rate under liquid oxygen…

233

Abstract

Purpose

Copper-graphite (Cu/C) is a type of seal material that has been widely used in liquid rocket engines and with normal metal pairs, has a high wear rate under liquid oxygen lubrication. In this study, bearing steel disks were subjected to a high-temperature oxidization and phosphating progress to create an oxidized tricresyl phosphating film (OTCP) film, using tricresyl phosphate (TCP) as the phosphating solvent. It is hoped that the surface wear rate and friction coefficient can be reduced by this method.

Design/methodology/approach

This study aim to form an anti-wear film on the surface of bearing steel, which can significantly improve the lubrication performance of Cu/C and bearing steel. The surfaces of bearing steel disks were dried to remove surface water and then put on a heating plate with a magnetic stirrer and a blue glazed oxide film obtained by heating the disks in the air at 200°C for 1 h. To create the OTCP film, bearing steel disks with a blue glazed oxide film were cleaned ultrasonically three times in ethanol and then placed in baths of TCP. After heating for 2 h at 120°C, excess TCP liquid was removed from the disks using ethanol, leaving an OTCP film on the disk surface.

Findings

It was found that steel coated with an OTCP film demonstrated better tribological performance (lower coefficient of fiction and wear rate) when pairing with Cu/C than either oxidized or untreated bearing steel. Additional chemical reactions occur when the oxide disk is immersed in TCP and the FePO4 film is formed after heating. Additionally, the OTCP film coated steel displayed good corrosion resistance, as confirmed by electrochemical corrosion tests. This finding demonstrates the potential for this process in the aerospace industry.

Originality/value

The preparation of OTCP films via high-temperature oxidization and phosphating of bearing steel was demonstrated, with the tribological properties of the OTCP film being investigated alongside those of the original surface and an oxidized film surface. The fabrication of OTCP films is easily scaled up and exhibits significant advantages as a new technology for applications in mechanical contact seal lubrication.

Details

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, vol. 73 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0036-8792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 June 2019

Zhen Shao

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of job autonomy on the relationship between direct supervisor’s transformational leadership behaviors and employees’…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of job autonomy on the relationship between direct supervisor’s transformational leadership behaviors and employees’ extended use of information technologies (IT). In addition, this study considers IT innovativeness as a significant moderator in the research model, in order to examine if the relative influences of leadership behaviors on IT extended use are contingent upon employees’ IT innovativeness.

Design/methodology/approach

A field survey was conducted in China and empirical data were collected from 299 employees who use IT in support of daily work. Structural equation modeling technique was used to examine the research model and corresponding hypotheses.

Findings

The empirical results indicate that: three dimensions of transformational leadership, specifically interpersonal consideration, intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation, are significant antecedents of employees’ IT extended use; perceived job autonomy partially mediates the relationships between transformational leadership behaviors and IT extended use; and employees’ IT innovativeness positively moderates the effects of transformational leadership behaviors on IT extended use.

Practical implications

This study can provide first-line managers with a better understanding of how to stimulate employees to make an extended use of IT by granting them more freedom in job assignments. Furthermore, the managers also need attend to subordinates’ personal IT innovativeness when exhibiting transformational leadership behaviors.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the extant literature of IT extended use through the lens of transformational leadership and job characteristics theory. In particular, this study identifies the boundary condition of the proposed research model by uncovering the moderating effect of IT innovativeness between transformational leadership behaviors and IT extended use.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2019

Yuchuan Wu, Shengfeng Qi, Feng Hu, Shuangbao Ma, Wen Mao and Wei Li

In human action recognition based on wearable sensors, most previous studies have focused on a single type of sensor and single classifier. This study aims to use a wearable…

Abstract

Purpose

In human action recognition based on wearable sensors, most previous studies have focused on a single type of sensor and single classifier. This study aims to use a wearable sensor based on flexible sensors and a tri-axial accelerometer to collect action data of elderly people. It uses a statistical modeling approach based on the ensemble algorithm to classify actions and verify its validity.

Design/methodology/approach

Nine types of daily actions were collected by the wearable sensor device from a group of elderly volunteers, and the time-domain features of the action sequences were extracted. The dimensionality of the feature vectors was reduced by linear discriminant analysis. An ensemble learning method based on XGBoost was used to build a model of elderly action recognition. Its performance was compared with the action recognition rate of other algorithms based on the Boosting algorithm, and with the accuracy of single classifier models.

Findings

The effectiveness of the method was validated by three experiments. The results show that XGBoost is able to classify nine daily actions of the elderly and achieve an average recognition rate of 94.8 per cent, which is superior to single classifiers and to other ensemble algorithms.

Practical implications

The research could have important implications for health care, including the treatment and rehabilitation of the elderly, and the prevention of falls.

Originality/value

Instead of using a single type of sensor, this research used a wearable sensor to obtain daily action data of the elderly. The results show that, by using the appropriate method, the device can obtain detailed data of joint action at a low cost. Comparing differences in performance, it was concluded that XGBoost is the most suitable algorithm for building a model of elderly action recognition. This method, together with a wearable sensor, can provide key data and accurate feedback information to monitor the elderly in their rehabilitation activities.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 39 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2017

Chang-Guang Zhou, Yi Ou, Hu-Tian Feng and Zeng-Tao Chen

This paper aims to examine the precision loss of ball screw raceway under different operating conditions and geometry parameters.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the precision loss of ball screw raceway under different operating conditions and geometry parameters.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a new coefficient K’ introduced especially for ball screws to reflect the actual contact condition, the modified Archard theory is applied to ball screws to obtain wear volume of the ball-screw contacts. Thus, the axial precision loss can be defined as the ratio of the wear volume to the contact area. Meanwhile, a novel running bench and a precision-measuring system of ball screws are conducted. Precision variation is obtained and analyzed during the whole life running test, which agrees well with the theoretical values calculated in this paper.

Findings

For a given rotational speed, the increasing rate of the precision loss rate is high at low axial load and then becomes small with the increasing axial load, whereas for a given axial load, the precision loss rate is proportional to the rotational speed. Besides, the precision loss rate is reduced with the increasing contact angle between a ball and the screw raceway, and is proportional to the helix angle when the angle changes from 1 to 10 degrees.

Research limitations/implications

The rotational speed used in this experiment is low and the ball screw is of no-load type, although results calculated by the model and Wei’s model seem close when the axial load is high, whether the model built in the paper is applicable to the condition of high rotational speed and preload still needs to be verified in the future work.

Practical implications

This study provides an accurate model to predict the precision loss of the screw raceway and estimate the remaining life of ball screws, which is significant for better performance of ball screws as well as the computer numerical control machine tools.

Originality/value

Previous studies on the wear of ball screws mainly focused on the drag torque analysis and mechanical efficiency estimation, and the experiment to verify their theoretical analysis was almost all limited to the test of drag torque or axial rigidity, which is neither sufficient nor persuasive. However, in this paper, the authors proposed a comprehensive wear prediction model which combines the modified Archard wear theory, Hertz contact theory and kinematic theory of ball screws. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this kind of study has never been reported in the literature. In addition, for the lack of the test bench and high cost of the experiment, the whole life operation test, which is designed and conducted to confirm the model in this paper, has never been reported in literature either.

Details

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, vol. 69 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0036-8792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 February 2021

Yongxing Guo, Min Chen, Li Xiong, Xinglin Zhou and Cong Li

The purpose of this study is to present the state of the art for fiber Bragg grating (FBG) acceleration sensing technologies from two aspects: the principle of the measurement…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to present the state of the art for fiber Bragg grating (FBG) acceleration sensing technologies from two aspects: the principle of the measurement dimension and the principle of the sensing configuration. Some commercial sensors have also been introduced and future work in this field has also been discussed. This paper could provide an important reference for the research community.

Design/methodology/approach

This review is to present the state of the art for FBG acceleration sensing technologies from two aspects: the principle of the measurement dimension (one-dimension and multi-dimension) and the principle of the sensing configuration (beam type, radial vibration type, axial vibration type and other composite structures).

Findings

The current research on developing FBG acceleration sensors is mainly focused on the sensing method, the construction and design of the elastic structure and the design of a new information detection method. This paper hypothesizes that in the future, the following research trends will be strengthened: common single-mode fiber grating of the low cost and high utilization rate; high sensitivity and strength special fiber grating; multi-core fiber grating for measuring single-parameter multi-dimensional information or multi-parameter information; demodulating equipment of low cost, small volume and high sampling frequency.

Originality/value

The principle of the measurement dimension and principle of the sensing configuration for FBG acceleration sensors have been introduced, which could provide an important reference for the research community.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 41 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 September 2020

Hongyang Hu, Ming Feng and Tianming Ren

The purpose of this paper is to study the characteristics of gas foil conical bearings (GFCBs) considering the misalignment, the static and dynamic performances with different…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the characteristics of gas foil conical bearings (GFCBs) considering the misalignment, the static and dynamic performances with different misalignment cases were studied.

Design/methodology/approach

A test rig on the air compressor supported by GFCBs has been developed to measure the practicability. A nonlinear bump stiffness model and one-dimensional beam top foil stiffness model were used as a basis for the calculation of static and dynamic performance. The finite element method and finite difference method are adopted to solve the Reynolds equation and the film thickness equation coupled, in which different misalignment cases were considered by changing the film thickness.

Findings

The supporting performance of GFCB is excellent, and the film clearance plays a critical role. The misalignment effects depend on the assembled angle and the misalignment angle. The load capacity, friction torque, temperature of GFCB decrease when the misalignment assembled angle is between 120° and 240°, while the dynamic bearing stability is improved. The static and dynamic performances show the opposite law for the other assembled angles, and the misalignment effect is more dramatic when there is a larger misalignment angle. Moreover, the bearing and running parameters largely affect the bearing performance.

Originality/value

The present study focuses on the static and dynamic characteristics of GFCB and investigates the effects of misalignment on the bearing performance.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-04-2020-0117

Details

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, vol. 73 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0036-8792

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 3000