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1 – 10 of over 1000Hong Ju, Jiejing Chen, Can Sun and Yan Li
The purpose of this study is to perform quantum chemical calculations based on the DFT method on four bipyrazoles used as corrosion inhibitors for the plain carbon (“mild”) steel…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to perform quantum chemical calculations based on the DFT method on four bipyrazoles used as corrosion inhibitors for the plain carbon (“mild”) steel in acid media to determine the relationship between inhibition efficiency and the molecular structure of inhibitors.
Design/methodology/approach
Several quantum chemical parameters, such as the charge distribution, energy and distribution of highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, the absolute electronegativity (χ) values and the fraction of electrons (△N) transferring from inhibitors to the steel surface, were calculated and correlated with inhibition efficiencies.
Findings
The results showed that the inhibition efficiency of bipyrazole increased with the increasing in EHOMO, and the areas containing N atoms were the most probable sites to donate electrons for adsorbing the inhibitor molecules onto the metal surface.
Originality/value
It is a useful method to investigate the mechanisms of reaction by calculating the structure and electronic parameters, which can be obtained by means of theoretical quantum theory. Thus, the behavior and mechanism of the organic inhibitors can be obtained. Quantum chemical method can also be used to guide the selection and molecular design of inhibitors.
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Li Jianbiao, Liu Guilin and Ju Long
The purpose of this paper is to better depict the features of individual and group behaviors in sequential decisions under the effect of public belief drift.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to better depict the features of individual and group behaviors in sequential decisions under the effect of public belief drift.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors design a two‐shots game which is closer to decisions condition in the real market by using the method of experimental economics two shots game.
Findings
The experimental results show that information cascade occurs more frequently in the second stage and the decision accuracy is decreased. The conclusion may provide experimental evidence for the “Animal Spirits Theory” of Keynes. Additionally, decision‐maker ranking in the middle of the decision sequence systematically deviates from his/her private information in balance state.
Originality/value
As existing information cascade theory of one shot decision fails to describe the belief‐dependent mechanism, the authors design the multi‐shots information cascade experiment; in which every individual decision maker has more than one sequential decision chance on the same event.
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The present paper aims to question the rationale of paying a high remuneration to executives who are presiding over loss-making companies. The neoclassical wage model asserts that…
Abstract
Purpose
The present paper aims to question the rationale of paying a high remuneration to executives who are presiding over loss-making companies. The neoclassical wage model asserts that the remuneration of executive directors is positively related to their company’s financial performance. However, evidence suggests that executives can obtain a higher level of personal compensation regardless of how the company performs.
Design/methodology/approach
The relationship between executive remuneration and performance for viable but loss-making Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)-listed companies has been studied for 2009-2011. The paper examines the determinants of the level of executive remuneration as well as discerns the strength of the remuneration–performance relationship, both at the overall and across various board hierarchical levels, using the JM sensitivity and HL elasticity models.
Findings
Results for univariate and multivariate analyses highlight that both the remuneration–performance sensitivity and elasticity are weak. Further, factors such as ownership structure, risk and industry class moderate the remuneration–performance elasticity. It seems that it is only the lower rung of executive directors whose cash remuneration gets adversely affected with the performance of the company.
Originality/value
The paper offers valuable insight into the complexities relating to the remuneration performance relationship by putting forth a multi-theoretical perspective. The fact that executives are drawing a whopping remuneration while their companies continue to report disappointing results suggests that a catalytic role has to be played by the government so as to ensure that executive remuneration policies and practices are consistent with the company’s long-term objectives and control environment.
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Leo Yat Ming Sin and Suk‐ching Ho
Looks at consumer research in Greater China including Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Maps out the contributions within this area and guides future research. Examines the…
Abstract
Looks at consumer research in Greater China including Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Maps out the contributions within this area and guides future research. Examines the state of the art over the 1979‐97 period, with particular emphasis on the topics that have been researched, the extent of the theory development in the field and the methodologies used in conducting research. Uses content analysis to review 75 relevant articles. Suggests that, while a considerable breadth of topics have been researched, there remains much to be done, there is further room for theoretical development in Chinese consumer behaviour studies; and the methodologies used need improvement and further refinement.
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Christiane M. Herr and A. Scott Howe
Constrained by requirements of efficiency and economy as well as tight building regulations, Hong Kong's high-density residential architecture is very different from architectural…
Abstract
Constrained by requirements of efficiency and economy as well as tight building regulations, Hong Kong's high-density residential architecture is very different from architectural approaches that are typically taught in the architectural studio. This paper reports on a second year architectural studio project taught at The University of Hong Kong that uses the Open Building paradigm to integrate the constraints of a high-density environment, community considerations and building technology in the context of a mixed use programme to be constructed on small individual lots.
Following a series of short introductory exercises, the main studio assignment required groups of students to negotiate the design of individual projects and community areas within a given generic structural frame. Based on their individual design ideas and architectural programme, students developed a structural solution following a kit-of-parts approach. We describe the tasks and rule sets given as the studio framework and discuss students' response to this new type of architectural programme. Based on our experiences, we critically review initial studio settings, final outcomes and observations made during the teaching and learning process with regard to future implementations of similar open building studio projects.
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This article discusses the reasons and discourses adopted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (Hong Kong SAR Government), with Mr Tung Chee Hwa as the Chief…
Abstract
This article discusses the reasons and discourses adopted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (Hong Kong SAR Government), with Mr Tung Chee Hwa as the Chief Executive, in preparing young people to become more mature and responsible. In the Hong Kong context this means they should be willing to fulfil community obligations and opt for consultation rather than confrontation should individual or community rights be sought. Confucianism, named after Confucius (551‐479 BCE), has been and still is a vast and complicated system of philosophies, morals, rituals, and ideas, which for well over 2,000 years has informed and inspired the thinking and practice of countless people in Chinese societies and Asian countries in all important areas, including the economy and the polity (Tu, 1998a; Berthrong & Berthrong, 2000; Yao, 2002). Put simply, the goal of Confucian life is to create a peaceful world, with its ethical emphasis placed on the cultivation of the self and the promotion of harmonious and respectful relations with other people in different spheres of human activities.
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Catherine W. Ng, Macauly P.Y. Ng and Stephanie C.K. Tse
Conducts two studies, one among working women and one among the employed physically handicapped, to assess their feelings about the recent introduction of equal opportunity…
Abstract
Conducts two studies, one among working women and one among the employed physically handicapped, to assess their feelings about the recent introduction of equal opportunity legislation in Hong Kong. Provides some background statistics on Hong Kong and outlines the development of anti‐discrimination legislation. Asks 78 women and 10 physically handicapped people if they thought discrimination was serious in Hong Kong and if the anti‐discrimination legislation and the Equal Opportunities Commission were effective in combating discrimination. Describes the methodology used and discusses the results. Reveals that both groups surveyed were ambivalent about discrimination, stating that legislation enforces behavioural changes but that they are only skin deep. Points out also that it is difficult to quantify discriminatory practices. Notes similarities between east and west, particularly with research suggesting that the only way forward in promoting equality is to reduce status distinctions for everyone and to make organizations much more democratic.
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Sheng‐Ju Chan and Fang‐Min Chang
During the past two decades, China has been rapidly rising in nearly every aspect. With the growing prominence of economic prosperity in China, numerous multinational corporations…
Abstract
Purpose
During the past two decades, China has been rapidly rising in nearly every aspect. With the growing prominence of economic prosperity in China, numerous multinational corporations and companies across the globe have entered this vast market in order to benefit from this enlarging economy. This development also creates an emerging market in China to educate senior managers of these transnational firms in the form of cross‐border partnerships among regional universities. The EMBA programme, a more internationally oriented educational product, is thriving in the Greater China Area. This study aims to examine how universities in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are partnering with other institutions in order to deliver collaborative EMBA programmes for this educational market.
Design/methodology/approach
The article uses case study as research approach by selecting ten famous cross‐border EMBA programs from elite universities in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan for analysis.
Findings
The result shows that distinctive patterns of organisational behaviour are present in terms of how selective universities in Greater China organise their cross‐border EMBA programmes. By combining abundant academic resources with their partners, Chinese institutions aim to enhance their programme reputation and mainly serve the territorial needs of executive managers within China. Hong Kong, serving a bridging role, is inclined to cooperate with leading universities in Western countries and attract all kinds of students across the globe, including Chinese ones. Alternatively, Taiwanese universities cooperate with major universities or institutions in China in order to serve the needs of Taiwanese businessmen in China instead of Chinese nationals or foreign students. These different approaches indicate a labour division among universities in these three societies, with China targeting primarily the domestic market, Hong Kong aiming at the global market, and Taiwan seeking to serve its country's population.
Originality/value
The different approaches employed by universities reveal how neighbouring societies react to the rise of China respectively. The uneven division of universities among these three societies might to some extent reflect the concepts of “centre” and “periphery” developed by Philip G. Altbach.
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