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1 – 10 of 998Xi Jin, Hui Xu, Qifeng Zhao, Hao Zeng, Bing Lin, Ying Xiao, Junlei Tang, Zhen Nie, Yan Yan, Zhigang Di and Rudong Zhou
This study aims to report the development and experimental evaluation of two kinds of PANI@semiconductor based photocathodic anti-corrosion coating, for application on stainless…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to report the development and experimental evaluation of two kinds of PANI@semiconductor based photocathodic anti-corrosion coating, for application on stainless steel substrates.
Design/methodology/approach
PANI was in situ chemical polymerized on TiO2 and BiVO4 particles, and FT-IR and SEM/EDS were used to understand the characteristics and elemental distribution of the composite particles. Composite coatings, which consisted of epoxy, PANI@TiO2 or PANI@BiVO4 and graphene, were prepared on the 304L stainless steel. Photoelectrochemical response measurement, electrochemical tests and immersion tests were used to assess the anti-corrosion performance of the prepared coatings in 45°C 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. And the corrosion protection mechanism was further explained by combining with surface observation.
Findings
The photoelectrochemical response tests revealed the good photocathodic effect of the coatings, and the reversible oxidation-reduction properties of PANI (pseudocapacitive effect) leading to the repeated usage of the coatings. Consequently, the anti-corrosion mechanism of the composite coating is attributed to the physical barrier effect of the coating, the anodic protection effect of PANI and the photocathodic and energy store effect.
Originality/value
These kind coatings could prevent corrosion from day to night for stainless steel, which has great engineering application prospects on stainless steel corrosion protection.
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Wei Xiong, Tingting Liu, Xu Zhao and Zihan Xiao
This paper explores the association between directors’ and officers’ liability insurance (D&O insurance) and management tone manipulation.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores the association between directors’ and officers’ liability insurance (D&O insurance) and management tone manipulation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses data from A-share listed non-financial companies from 2009 to 2021 as its sample for empirical tests. In addition, the study relies on text analysis and the construction of models to investigate the relationship between D&O insurance and management tone manipulation.
Findings
The authors find that the purchase of D&O insurance will lead to management tone manipulation in the “management discussion and analysis” part of companies’ annual reports, and operating risk and agent cost are the two paths for the effect. Further analysis shows that having a male CEO and employing high-quality auditors can weaken the positive impact of D&O insurance on tone manipulation.
Originality/value
This paper provides a new approach for studying the literature related to D&O insurance and management behavior, and the findings enrich our understanding of the influencing factors and the mechanism of management tone manipulation, thus revealing policy implications for further standardization of the terms and system of D&O insurance in China.
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Yanghao Zhu, Yunpeng Xu and Yannan Zhang
The relationship between perceived overqualification and knowledge sharing has always been a hot topic, but scholars have come to different conclusions on this issue. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
The relationship between perceived overqualification and knowledge sharing has always been a hot topic, but scholars have come to different conclusions on this issue. The purpose of this study is to integrate conflicting conclusions by considering the moderating role of rewards for knowledge sharing and the mediating role of intrinsic motivation in the relationship between perceived overqualification and knowledge sharing based on self-determination theory.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected three-wave survey data from 246 research and development employees in four companies in China.
Findings
The results showed that when rewards for knowledge sharing was higher, employees with perceived overqualification would have higher intrinsic motivation, which could promote their knowledge-sharing behavior. However, when rewards for knowledge sharing was lower, employees with perceived overqualification would have lower intrinsic motivation, thus inhibiting their knowledge-sharing behavior. This result supported the informational function rather than the controlling function of rewards for knowledge sharing.
Originality/value
By considering the important boundary condition of rewards for knowledge sharing, this study reconciles the contradictory conclusions on the relationship between perceived overqualification and knowledge-sharing behavior. At the same time, the authors tell organizations that they can increase the knowledge-sharing behavior of overqualified employees through rewards for knowledge sharing.
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Malihe Ashena and Ghazal Shahpari
Energy poverty presents substantial challenges for both developed and developing nations, with the latter experiencing more pronounced adverse effects due to issues related to the…
Abstract
Purpose
Energy poverty presents substantial challenges for both developed and developing nations, with the latter experiencing more pronounced adverse effects due to issues related to the provision and equitable access of energy resources. This study aims to provide a deep understanding of how financial development, economic complexity and government expenditures can impact energy poverty.
Design/methodology/approach
This research employs generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation on panel data to investigate the economic determinants of energy poverty in 31 developing countries from 2000 to 2020. For a comprehensive analysis, the proxies for energy poverty include access to electricity, access to clean fuels and energy consumption.
Findings
The findings suggest that while financial development cannot facilitate access to clean fuels in developing countries, it contributes to an increase in energy access and consumption. Another finding is that energy poverty can be alleviated by enhancing economic complexity since economic complexity can result in increased access to electricity and increased use of clean energy sources. Furthermore, the results underscore the pivotal role of government expenditures, surpassing the influence of financial development. In other words, government expenditures have the potential to significantly improve energy poverty across all three indices.
Originality/value
This is a pioneering research that seeks to examine some economic dynamics including, financial development and economic complexity on energy poverty and provide valuable guidance for policymakers aiming to promote sustainable energy development with respect to economic dynamics.
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Noor Fadzlina Mohd Fadhil, Say Yen Teoh, Leslie W. Young and Nilmini Wickramasinghe
This study investigated two key aspects: (1) how a hospital bundles limited resources for preventive care performance and (2) how to develop IS capabilities to enhance preventive…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigated two key aspects: (1) how a hospital bundles limited resources for preventive care performance and (2) how to develop IS capabilities to enhance preventive care performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study method was adopted to examine how a hospital integrates its limited resources which leads to the need for resource bundles and an understanding of IS capabilities development to understand how they contribute to the delivery of preventive care in a Malaysian hospital.
Findings
This research proposes a comprehensive framework outlining resource-bundling and IS capabilities development to improve preventive care.
Research limitations/implications
We acknowledge that the problem of transferring and generalizing results has been a common criticism of a single case study. However, our objective was to enhance the reader’s understanding by including compelling, detailed narratives demonstrating how our research results offer practical examples that can be generalized theoretically. The findings also apply to similar-sized public hospitals in Malaysia and other developing countries, facing challenges like resource constraints, HIS adoption levels, healthcare workforce shortages, cultural and linguistic diversity, bureaucratic hurdles, and specific patient demographics and health issues. Further, lessons from this context can be usefully applied to non-healthcare service sector domains.
Practical implications
This study provides a succinct strategy for enhancing preventive care in Malaysian public hospitals, focusing on system integration and alignment with hospital strategy, workforce diversity through recruitment and mentorship, and continuous training for health equity and inclusivity. This approach aims to improve resource efficiency, communication, cultural competence, and healthcare outcomes.
Social implications
Efficiently using limited resources through HIS investment is essential to improve preventive care and reduce chronic diseases, which cause approximately nine million deaths annually in Southeast Asia, according to WHO. This issue has significantly impacted the socioeconomic development of developing countries.
Originality/value
This research refines resource orchestration theory with new mechanisms for resource mobilization, extends IS literature by identifying how strategic bundling forms specialized healthcare IS capabilities, enriches preventive care literature through actionable resource-bundling activities, and adds to HIS literature by advocating for an integrated, preventive care focus from the alignment of HIS design, people and institutional policies to address concerns raised by other research regarding the utilization of HIS in improving the quality of preventive care.
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Lifu Li, Kyeong Kang and Yafei Feng
This paper aims to explore the effects of parents’ support factors on Chinese university students’ digital entrepreneurship motivation on live streaming platforms. Based on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the effects of parents’ support factors on Chinese university students’ digital entrepreneurship motivation on live streaming platforms. Based on the Social support theory, this study divides influencing factors into emotional, instrumental, informational and appraisal aspects. Meanwhile, considering the impact of China’s regional differences, the paper refers to the Regional difference theory and performs a multi-group analysis to assess the differences based on Chinese university students’ regional backgrounds.
Design/methodology/approach
By testing 556 samples based on the partial least squares path modelling and variance-based structural equation modelling, all support factors parents provide can stimulate Chinese university students’ digital entrepreneurship motivation.
Findings
Based on the multi-group comparison, parents’ informational support exerts a more substantial influence on the digital entrepreneurship motivation for university students from central and east regions rather than those from the western region, and parents’ instrumental support exerts a lower influence on digital entrepreneurship motivation for east university students than for west university students.
Originality/value
This paper applies the Social support theory as a theoretical framework to divide the impact factors, and it uses the Regional difference theory as a guide for the multi-group analysis of correlations, which is significant for online entrepreneurial motivation research and a better understanding of student groups. In addition to testing the hypotheses, the study also measures the importance–performance map analysis to explore additional findings of influencing factors and discuss managerial implications.
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Hua Pang, Enhui Zhou and Yi Xiao
In light of the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theoretical paradigm, this paper explores how information relevance and media richness affect social network exhaustion and…
Abstract
Purpose
In light of the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theoretical paradigm, this paper explores how information relevance and media richness affect social network exhaustion and, moreover, how social network exhaustion ultimately leads to health anxiety and COVID-19-related stress.
Design/methodology/approach
The conceptual model is explicitly analyzed and estimated by using data from 309 individuals of different ages in mainland China. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were utilized to validate the proposed hypotheses through the use of online data.
Findings
The findings suggest that information relevance is negatively associated with social network exhaustion. In addition, social network exhaustion is a significant predictor of health anxiety and stress. Furthermore, information relevance and media richness can indirectly influence health anxiety and stress through the mediating effect of social network exhaustion.
Research limitations/implications
Theoretically, this paper verifies the causes and consequences of social network exhaustion during COVID-19, thus making a significant contribution to the theoretical construction and refinement of this emerging research area. Practically, the conceptual research model in this paper may provide inspiration for more investigators and scholars who are inclined to further explore the different dimensions of social network exhaustion by utilizing other variables.
Originality/value
Although social network exhaustion and its adverse consequences have become prevalent, relatively few empirical studies have addressed the deleterious effects of social network exhaustion on mobile social media users’ psychosocial well-being and mental health during the prolonged COVID-19. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications for the rational development and construction of mobile social technologies to cultivate proper health awareness and mindset during the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 epidemic.
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Matin Mohaghegh, Silvia Blasi, Ivan Russo and Benedetta Baldi
Drawing on resource orchestration theory, this paper aims to empirically investigate the relationships between digital transformation (DT), triple-A supply chain capabilities…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on resource orchestration theory, this paper aims to empirically investigate the relationships between digital transformation (DT), triple-A supply chain capabilities (i.e. agility, adaptability and alignment) and sustainable performance. The research focuses on the pharmaceutical industry, which best represents a business environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected at different echelons of a globally oriented pharmaceutical supply chain, with the focal company located in the Netherlands. Empirical data were analyzed with partial least squares – structural equation modelling.
Findings
The findings reveal that DT enhances the triple-A supply chain capabilities. Nevertheless, not all three capabilities are necessary to improve overall sustainable performance. The results highlight that, among the three, only supply chain agility and adaptability significantly mediate the relationship between DT and sustainable performance.
Originality/value
This research supports the literature affirming that not all the triple-A supply chain capabilities equally affect sustainable performance. Moreover, it deepens the understanding of how orchestrating the triple-A capabilities at a firm level fosters overall sustainable performance, facing resource scarcity and investments in DT.
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Steven J. Bickley, Ho Fai Chan, Bang Dao, Benno Torgler, Son Tran and Alexandra Zimbatu
This study aims to explore Augmented Language Models (ALMs) for synthetic data generation in services marketing and research. It evaluates ALMs' potential in mirroring human…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore Augmented Language Models (ALMs) for synthetic data generation in services marketing and research. It evaluates ALMs' potential in mirroring human responses and behaviors in service scenarios through comparative analysis with five empirical studies.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses ALM-based agents to conduct a comparative analysis, leveraging SurveyLM (Bickley et al., 2023) to generate synthetic responses to the scenario-based experiment in Söderlund and Oikarinen (2018) and four more recent studies from the Journal of Services Marketing. The main focus was to assess the alignment of ALM responses with original study manipulations and hypotheses.
Findings
Overall, our comparative analysis reveals both strengths and limitations of using synthetic agents to mimic human-based participants in services research. Specifically, the model struggled with scenarios requiring high levels of visual context, such as those involving images or physical settings, as in the Dootson et al. (2023) and Srivastava et al. (2022) studies. Conversely, studies like Tariq et al. (2023) showed better alignment, highlighting the model's effectiveness in more textually driven scenarios.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is among the first to systematically use ALMs in services marketing, providing new methods and insights for using synthetic data in service research. It underscores the challenges and potential of interpreting ALM versus human responses, marking a significant step in exploring AI capabilities in empirical research.
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The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect of clothing fabrics, sizes and air ventilation rate on the volume and thickness of the air gap under the air ventilation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect of clothing fabrics, sizes and air ventilation rate on the volume and thickness of the air gap under the air ventilation garments (AVGs).
Design/methodology/approach
The geometric models of the human body and clothing were obtained by using a 3D body scanner. Then the distribution of the volume and thickness of the air gap for four clothing fabrics and three air ventilation rates (0L/S, 12L/S and 20L/S) were calculated by Geomagic software. Finally, a more suitable fabric was selected from the analysis to compare the distribution of the air gap entrapped for four clothing sizes (S, M, L and XL) and the three air ventilation rates.
Findings
The results show that the influence of air ventilation rate on the air gap volume and thickness is more obvious than that of the clothing fabrics and sizes. The higher is the air ventilation rate, the thicker is the air gap entrapped, and more evenly distributed is the air gap. It can be seen that the thickness of the air gap in the chest does not change significantly with the changes of the air ventilation rates, clothing fabrics and sizes, while the air gap in the waist is affected significantly.
Originality/value
This research provides a better understanding of the distribution of the air gap entrapped in ventilated garments, which can help in designing the optimal air gap dimensions and thus provide a basis and a reference for the design of the AVGs.
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