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This study aims to examine the role of face consciousness, materialism and risk of embarrassment in determining consumer purchase intention toward counterfeit luxury brand. In addition, the authors explore boundary conditions of these relationships.

Study 1, a survey research (N = 321), examines the mediating role of risk of embarrassment between face consciousness on the purchase intention toward luxury counterfeits. Study 2 (N = 345), an experimental study, examines the moderating role of brand prominence of counterfeit (i.e. whether it contains prominent brand signals). Study 3 (N = 315) explores how the above-mentioned relationships are moderated by consumers’ moral rationalization (i.e. whether consumers seek rationalization when behaving unethically).

First, this research shows that risk of embarrassment mediates the negative relationship between face consciousness and Chinese consumers’ purchase intention toward luxury counterfeits, whereas this relationship was not found between materialism and counterfeit purchase intentions. Second, this negative mediating effect holds only when the counterfeit brand is highly prominent. Third, the mediating effect depends on consumers’ moral rationalization, with a positive impact on the purchase intention toward luxury counterfeits, regardless of brand prominence.

This study represents a preliminary inquiry into the dynamics between face consciousness and materialism in influencing Chinese consumers’ purchase intention toward counterfeit luxury products. Unlike their Western counterparts, whose materialistic views of possessions predict their counterfeit luxury consumption (Davidson et al., 2019), Chinese consumers are more likely to be driven by the social implications of counterfeit luxury to communicate a prestigious social image to others on account of genuine luxuries’ high social recognition.

While Chinese consumers are one of the most potent global luxury buyers, they are immersed in the world’s biggest counterfeit luxury market. By digging into the core value of Chinese consumers (i.e. face consciousness), this research provides a number of managerial implications for luxury goods companies to engage in international efforts to educate consumers against counterfeit luxury.

This study makes at least three contributions to the counterfeit consumption literature. First, this study represents a preliminary inquiry into the dynamics between face consciousness and materialism in influencing Chinese consumers’ purchase intention toward counterfeit luxury products. Second, this research identified the complex mechanism of face consciousness as an independent variable on consumers’ purchase intention toward luxury counterfeits. Finally, the authors examined the boundary conditions of brand prominence and consumers’ moral rationalization. The findings may help luxury brand managers identify strategies to discourage counterfeit consumption.

Despite the growing research regarding consumer luxury value perception and their influence on luxury consumption behavior in different cultural contexts, there is little research investigating the cultural variation toward luxury within different generations in a given society. The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationships among Confucian propriety, luxury value perception, and purchase intention of luxury brands, and especially how these relationships differ between young and older consumers in a Chinese context.

Data were collected through a questionnaire survey in China. A multi-group structural equation model was used to test the conceptual model and research hypotheses.

The results show that the effects of functional value and social value on purchase intention of luxury brands are stronger for older generations than younger ones, while the effects of self-identity and hedonic value on purchase intention are stronger for younger generations than older ones. The Confucian propriety relates positively to the functional value and social value; however, these effects are more salient for older consumers.

The results of this study reveal the evolution of luxury consumption values and behaviors of Chinese consumers, suggesting that marketers should no longer label Chinese luxury consumers with common behaviors. It is also recommended that marketers of luxury brands in China should adapt this shifting attitude and respond actively to the expectations of different generations.

This study examines the impact of narcissism on young luxury consumers' preferences for quiet versus loud luxury products in China and the United States. As young consumers are increasingly becoming the bedrock of global luxury growth, it is imperative for marketing researchers and practitioners to understand the psychological and social needs of these consumers.

A two-study examination of young Chinese and US luxury consumers suggests that the two types of narcissism influence luxury consumption in different ways. Study 1 is a survey of young Chinese consumers that examines how the impact of narcissism on luxury purchase is mediated by social attitude functions and moderated by social anxiety. Study 2 is an experiment conducted in both the United States and China that establishes the causal relationship between the different types of narcissism and purchase intention toward quiet versus loud luxury products.

Building on an overarching framework that integrates both the narcissism literature and social attitude function theory, this study shows that overt narcissistic (vs. covert) consumers hold a value-expressive (vs. social-adjustive) attitude toward luxury products, which leads them to prefer quiet (vs. loud) luxury. In addition, higher levels of social anxiety enhance the mediating role of narcissistic consumers' social attitude functions.

This study advances understanding of young Chinese and US luxury consumers' narcissistic consumption patterns by proposing and empirically testing a novel research model that examines the mechanisms by which overt and covert narcissism leads to a different preference of quiet and loud luxury via the routes of different social attitude functions.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of high‐tech industry and the dynamics of technological learning, innovation, entrepreneurship in China through the telecom‐equipment industry.

The paper derives a number of research propositions from the literature and then uses four case studies to show how domestic firms narrow their technological gap in different stages of catch‐up and how these firms have been influenced by their innovation capabilities to catch up to the multinationals.

The major findings of the paper may be summarized as follows. First, the innovation capability and self‐developed technologies have been the key to leading domestic firms in catching‐up with the MNCs. Second, leading domestic firms mainly depend on in‐house R&D development, supplemented with external alliance to build their innovation capability. Third, there are two different catching‐up patterns in China's telecom‐equipment industry. One is “path‐following” catching‐up in global system for mobile communication driven by using new technology in low‐end market. The other is “leapfrogging” catching‐up in the development of phone digital switches and China's own 3G standard (time division – synchronous code division multiple access). However, it seems that the leapfrogging strategy will meet more challenges and problems than the path‐following strategy.

Based on the previous researches about technological learning, innovation and catch‐up in the newly industrializing economies, the paper provides a comprehensive elaboration in Chinese telecommunication industry by using case study approach in an original way.

In an integrated circuit (IC) substrate, more fillers, including talcum powder and aluminium hydroxide, are added, which leads to much higher rigidity and hardness compared with a traditional printed circuit board. However, the micro drilling of IC substrates is harder. This paper aims to test the drilling process of IC substrates to improve the drilling process and the micro hole quality.

Substrate drilling by a micro drill with 0.11-mm diameter was used under several drilling conditions. The influence of drilling conditions on the drilling process was observed. Drilling forces, drill wear and micro hole quality were also studied.

The deformation circle around holes, hole location accuracy, bugle hole and burrs were the major defects of micro holes that were observed during the drilling of the substrate. Reducing the drilling force and drill wear was the effective way to improve hole quality.

The technology and manufacturing of IC substrates has been little investigated. Research data on drilling IC substrates is lacking. The micro hole quality directly affects the reliability of IC substrates. Thus, improving the drilling technology of IC substrates is very important.

The aim of this exploratory study is to analyze if the most used factors related to the engaging interaction and long-term engagement with online applications can be applied to WhatsApp in a context of everyday life in Madrid and to investigate what parameters would best describe the engagement with WhatsApp in this context.

A qualitative method was employed to explore the cognitive, emotional and behavioral factors that mainly comprise the experience of a user with an online application, both at a point in time and over time. Data from 30 semi-structured interviews and questionnaires from six group chats were collected and analyzed. The sample was made up of people aged from 13 to 58 years old.

Findings suggest that the factors used in this study to evaluate long-term engagement and engaging interactions with WhatsApp are relevant, except for cognitive factors related to engaging interactions, indicating that the cognitive point of view is more difficult to apply in the engaging interaction analysis. Other attributes related to information retrieval are suggested, best suited to the informative use of this tool.

Long-term engagement studies are scarcer concerning Mobile Instant Messaging applications. Regarding engagement interaction, its analysis focusing on WhatsApp has not been approached. This study suggests the convenience of using parameters related to information to evaluate the engaging interaction, according to the informative use of the application.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an investment valuation model using the mezzanine debt mechanism based on blue bonds that explicitly allude to public–private partnerships (P3s) and project finance (PF). Additionally, this study proposes the financial captured value (FCV) theory for measuring how much financial value lenders may capture by becoming sponsors through financing of sustainable infrastructure systems (SIS).

The investment valuation model was validated through the Aguas Claras wastewater treatment plant as a case study.

The empirical results show that lenders may capture financial value by converting outstanding debt into equity shares throughout the operation and maintenance stage. Furthermore, case study results provide new insights into the implications of the debt–equity conversion ratio on the relationship between the sponsors’ internal rate of return and the FCV.

The most significant limitation is the lack of primary and secondary information on blue bonds. Thus, robust statistical analyses to contrast results were not possible.

Researchers and practising professionals can improve their understanding of how mezzanine debt, P3s and PF into an investment valuation model allows financing SIS using a non-conventional financial mechanism. The recommendations will benefit both the academia as well infrastructure industry in bridging the gap between design theory and practice.

Sustainability components have not been addressed explicitly or combined in the financing’s structuring. Therefore, the investment valuation model could be considered a novel methodology for decision making related to financing and investment of SIS.

The purpose of the study has been to fill the gap detected in the literature and to analyze whether the application of management of R&D in accordance with UNE 166002:2021 allows companies to obtain higher product innovation and better performance, specifically incremental and radical product innovations.

The population used in this study included Spanish manufacturing organizations that were active, had more than 50 employees according to the SABI. The information was collected through a structured questionnaire previously tested using a company specializing in the sector under the supervision of the authors. A total of 1,154 companies were randomly contacted in order to reach an acceptable number of 225 valid questionnaires. The data analysis has been carried out with structural equation methodology.

The results obtained with a sample of 225 companies show that the application of this standard for innovation management promotes the development of new products with incremental and radical changes, and improves business performance. It has also been found that incremental and radical product innovations mediate the relationship between this standard and performance.

Firstly, the survey is only addressed to the company's operations manager. Secondly, the sample used is cross-sectional, whereas innovation management implies a broad implementation process.

Managers must know that radical and incremental product innovation can improve the company's operational performance. And the most direct implication of this work is that, those companies that are committed to the development of innovations should seriously consider the application of the principles incorporated in Standard 166,002, as an instrument that improves the results of innovation in the organization. Since this SIMS promotes both types of innovations, it improves results directly and indirectly through these product innovations.

The existing literature indicates that no empirical study has focused on the benefits of this SIMSs for innovation and BP. This paper fills this gap detected in the literature and analyzes the results of the implementation of this standard on incremental and radical product innovations and business performance.

The paper focuses on the variables that help analyze peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms. It explores the characteristic factors of identifying problematic platforms, and designs a P2P platform risk early warning model.

With the help of web crawler software, this paper crawls the information of 1427 P2P platforms from the two largest third-party lending information platforms (i.e. P2Peye and WDZJ) in China. SPSS 22.0 was mainly used for basic descriptive statistical analysis, reliability and validity analysis, and regression analysis of the data. MPLUS 7.0 was used for confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation models analysis.

Based on the multi-dimensional information, this paper performs text mining to develop an investor sentiment index. This study shows that the characteristics of the platform (i.e. basic features, capital security, operations management, and social network) have a significant impact on identifying problematic platforms.

There are some limitations to this research. In the process of model construction, some external factors may be ignored, such as government policies. Future research will need to consider the impact of policy and other factors more comprehensively on P2P lending platform risk identification.

This study proposes an effective method for investors and regulators to identify the risk factors of P2P lending platforms. The research findings provide valuable insights for promoting government participation in platform management as well as a healthy development of the P2P lending industry.

The paper addresses the factors that influence platform risks to help analyze P2P lending platforms. Prior research has not explored how to identify problematic P2P lending platforms in-depth and is limited by only focusing on either soft information or hard information. It identifies the characteristic factors of identifying problematic platforms and designs a P2P platform risk early warning model.

This chapter investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic stimulus policies. Based on data from 156 economies, empirical results show that in the medium term, cumulative effect of COVID-19 pandemic is positively correlated with the economic stimulus policies but not in the short term. Heterogeneity tests show that while economic policies are used in developed economies more often, restrictive measures in developing countries are likely used as a substitution; deaths have a positive impact on economic stimulus policies but confirmed cases not. The results suggest that the pandemic may reinforce economic inequality due to potential stimulus policy capabilities, requiring international coordination and assistance to low-and-middle income countries in various aspects.