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1 – 10 of over 13000This study attempts to explore how a cultural and creative firm's competitive advantages can be maintained through the accumulation of intellectual capital and entrepreneurial…
Abstract
Purpose
This study attempts to explore how a cultural and creative firm's competitive advantages can be maintained through the accumulation of intellectual capital and entrepreneurial orientation. Another goal of this study is to identify the different mechanisms of network ties to explore the interrelationships between organizational capital and competitive advantage in the context of Taiwan and China.
Design/methodology/approach
Study 1 and study 2 settings are applied, and 786 samples (i.e., 418 samples from Taiwan and 368 samples from China) are used to examine the proposed model.
Findings
Study 1 reveals that entrepreneurial orientation may influence the organization capital through human capital and social capital, which discloses the mutual relationships of intellectual capital. Further, the results of study 2 confirm the mediating role of intellectual capital that links the relationships between entrepreneurial orientation and competitive advantage. Specifically, this study also discovered that firms with more network or political ties (e.g. the Chinese samples) and business ties (e.g. the Taiwanese samples) tend to amplify the effects of organizational capital on competitive advantage.
Practical implications
According to our empirical results, cultural and creative managers should build a learning mechanism to encourage and develop entrepreneurial orientation and intellectual capital capacities and to provide means of understanding of customers' changing expectations. Hence, in enhancing entrepreneurial orientation and intellectual capital cultural and creative firms can develop a competitive advantage over competitors. Our findings also offer new insight to support further studies of the benefits of managerial ties for firms operating in Guanxi cultural settings in Chinese contexts.
Originality/value
Most previous studies on tourism strategies have disregarded the impacts and different roles of government (e.g. political ties) and business (e.g. business ties) forces on cultural and creative firms' competitive advantages, suggesting a need to address social network issues in response to dynamic tourism environments. Therefore, this study examines differences in network ties and the differences observed between China and Taiwan in the context of Chinese cultural and creative firms.
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Chang Liu, Shiwu Yang, Yixuan Yang, Hefei Cao and Shanghe Liu
In the continuous development of high-speed railways, ensuring the safety of the operation control system is crucial. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) faults in signaling…
Abstract
Purpose
In the continuous development of high-speed railways, ensuring the safety of the operation control system is crucial. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) faults in signaling equipment may cause transportation interruptions, delays and even threaten the safety of train operations. Exploring the impact of disturbances on signaling equipment and establishing evaluation methods for the correlation between EMI and safety is urgently needed.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper elaborates on the necessity and significance of studying the impact of EMI as an unavoidable and widespread risk factor in the external environment of high-speed railway operations and continuous development. The current status of research methods and achievements from the perspectives of standard systems, reliability analysis and safety assessment are examined layer by layer. Additionally, it provides prospects for innovative ideas for exploring the quantitative correlation between EMI and signaling safety.
Findings
Despite certain innovative achievements in both domestic and international standard systems and related research for ensuring and evaluating railway signaling safety, there’s a lack of quantitative and strategic research on the degradation of safety performance in signaling equipment due to EMI. A quantitative correlation between EMI and safety has yet to be established. On this basis, this paper proposes considerations for research methods pertaining to the correlation between EMI and safety.
Originality/value
This paper overviews a series of methods and outcomes derived from domestic and international studies regarding railway signaling safety, encompassing standard systems, reliability analysis and safety assessment. Recognizing the necessity for quantitatively describing and predicting the impact of EMI on high-speed railway signaling safety, an innovative approach using risk assessment techniques as a bridge to establish the correlation between EMI and signaling safety is proposed.
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Yahui Chen, Jianmin Zhang, Chang-E Liu, Tingting Liu and Wei He
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of intrinsic motivation and self-construal in explaining the relationship between work-related identity discrepancy and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of intrinsic motivation and self-construal in explaining the relationship between work-related identity discrepancy and employee innovation behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a survey of 637 respondents from 15 organizations in southern China, this study examines four hypotheses with regard to the relationship between work-related identity discrepancy and employee innovation behavior through hierarchical regression analysis.
Findings
The research results indicate that work-related identity discrepancy is negatively related to employee innovation behavior, but intrinsic motivation mediates their negative relationship, and self-construal moderates this mediating effect further. Specifically, the results demonstrate that perceiving work-related identity discrepancy can lower intrinsic motivation among employees with interdependent self-construal and subsequently reduce their innovation behavior.
Originality/value
Drawn on social cognitive theory, this study reveals the negative effect of work-related identity discrepancy on employee innovation behavior and the moderated mediation effect of intrinsic motivation and self-construal on the negative relationship. The finding expands existing literature on work-related identity discrepancy and employee innovation behavior.
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Zhongyuan Zhou, Ting (Tina) Li, Chang Liu, Yang Zhou, Ping Li and Si Wen
More people share their tourism experiences on social media today than in the past, and as a result, more people follow these posts in their trip planning. However, studies into…
Abstract
Purpose
More people share their tourism experiences on social media today than in the past, and as a result, more people follow these posts in their trip planning. However, studies into tourists' intention to follow such posts are scarce. Therefore, this study investigates the antecedents influencing social media users' intentions to follow tourism-related posts (TRPs) when planning their trips.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaires were collected from 402 social media users who had followed TRPs for their trip planning. Data were then analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and artificial neural networks.
Findings
The authors found that blogger–user fit and users' involvement with TRPs influenced behavior components (attitudes toward TRPs and intention to follow TRPs) via assessment components (bloggers' credibility and content quality), and the authors developed a framework to explain this relationship.
Originality/value
The findings advance prior studies by investigating (1) the antecedents of intention to follow TRPs when trip planning, (2) the two main social media elements – bloggers and posts – to understanding the role of social media on travel behavior and (3) involvement with TRPs and their impacts on travel behavior. This study contributes to the research on social media and tourism marketing and proposes practical indications for bloggers, social media platforms and destination marketing organizations.
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Chang Liu, Samad M.E. Sepasgozar, Sara Shirowzhan and Gelareh Mohammadi
The practice of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being promoted by technology developers. However, its adoption rate is still reported as low in the construction…
Abstract
Purpose
The practice of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being promoted by technology developers. However, its adoption rate is still reported as low in the construction industry due to a lack of expertise and the limited reliable applications for AI technology. Hence, this paper aims to present the detailed outcome of experimentations evaluating the applicability and the performance of AI object detection algorithms for construction modular object detection.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper provides a thorough evaluation of two deep learning algorithms for object detection, including the faster region-based convolutional neural network (faster RCNN) and single shot multi-box detector (SSD). Two types of metrics are also presented; first, the average recall and mean average precision by image pixels; second, the recall and precision by counting. To conduct the experiments using the selected algorithms, four infrastructure and building construction sites are chosen to collect the required data, including a total of 990 images of three different but common modular objects, including modular panels, safety barricades and site fences.
Findings
The results of the comprehensive evaluation of the algorithms show that the performance of faster RCNN and SSD depends on the context that detection occurs. Indeed, surrounding objects and the backgrounds of the objects affect the level of accuracy obtained from the AI analysis and may particularly effect precision and recall. The analysis of loss lines shows that the loss lines for selected objects depend on both their geometry and the image background. The results on selected objects show that faster RCNN offers higher accuracy than SSD for detection of selected objects.
Research limitations/implications
The results show that modular object detection is crucial in construction for the achievement of the required information for project quality and safety objectives. The detection process can significantly improve monitoring object installation progress in an accurate and machine-based manner avoiding human errors. The results of this paper are limited to three construction sites, but future investigations can cover more tasks or objects from different construction sites in a fully automated manner.
Originality/value
This paper’s originality lies in offering new AI applications in modular construction, using a large first-hand data set collected from three construction sites. Furthermore, the paper presents the scientific evaluation results of implementing recent object detection algorithms across a set of extended metrics using the original training and validation data sets to improve the generalisability of the experimentation. This paper also provides the practitioners and scholars with a workflow on AI applications in the modular context and the first-hand referencing data.
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Nizar Souiden, Riadh Ladhari and Liu Chang
The purpose of this paper is to examine ethnocentrism and animosity in a special context of two societies that share cultural, historical, ethnic and geographical characteristics…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine ethnocentrism and animosity in a special context of two societies that share cultural, historical, ethnic and geographical characteristics. In particular, it first investigates the relationships between Chinese ethnocentrism and animosity toward Taiwan, and then it examines the impact of these two factors on the Chinese perception of Taiwanese brand quality and their purchase intent.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a sample of 605 respondents from China, data were analyzed by structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results show that although Chinese animosity toward Taiwan is moderate, it is significantly driven by ethnocentrism, which has a significant and negative effect on willingness to buy, but not on the perception of Taiwanese brand quality. The Chinese animosity toward Taiwan, however, has negative and significant effects on their perception of Taiwanese brand quality and their intention of purchasing Taiwanese brands.
Research limitations/implications
The immense size of the country has impeded the representativeness of the authors’ sample and the generalizability of the results. Also, the study covers only one type of product.
Practical implications
Forming partnerships with local Chinese businesses and developing strong ties with local communities could be considered as a solution to minimize or circumvent the effect of animosity and might help foreign companies appear more “local.”
Originality/value
In contrast to past studies that investigated ethnocentrism and animosity in the context of countries presenting several differences (e.g. China vs USA), this study investigates the effect of ethnocentrism and animosity in the context of two countries (China and Taiwan) that share cultural, historical, ethnic and geographic characteristics. Despite the strong ties between the two countries, the Chinese have a certain animosity, though moderate, toward Taiwan and consequently are less inclined to buy Taiwanese brands. This implies that Chinese animosity toward a country may be toned down or pronounced, depending on whether they have strong or weak ties with that country.
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Qiang Sun, Quantong Jiang, Siwei Wu, Chang Liu, Heng Tang, L. Song, Hao Shi, Jizhou Duan and BaoRong Hou
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of ZnO on the structure and properties of micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coating on rare earth magnesium alloy under large…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of ZnO on the structure and properties of micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coating on rare earth magnesium alloy under large concentration gradient.
Design/methodology/approach
The macroscopic and microscopic morphology, thickness, surface roughness, chemical composition and structure of the coating were characterized by different characterization methods. The corrosion resistance of the film was studied by electrochemical and scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy. The results show that the addition of ZnO can significantly improve the compactness and corrosion resistance of the MAO coating, but the high concentration of ZnO will cause microcracks, which will reduce the corrosion resistance to a certain extent.
Findings
When the concentration of zinc oxide is 8 g/L, the compactness and corrosion resistance of the coating are the best, and the thickness of the coating is positively correlated with the concentration of ZnO.
Research limitations/implications
Too high concentration of ZnO reduces the performance of MAO coating.
Practical implications
The MAO coating prepared by adding ZnO has good corrosion resistance. Combined with organic coatings, it can be applied in corrosive marine environments, such as ship parts and hulls. To a certain extent, it can reduce the economic loss caused by corrosion.
Originality/value
The effect of ZnO on the corrosion resistance of MAO coating in electrolyte solution was studied systematically, and the conclusion was new to the common knowledge.
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Min Zhan, Yajun Dai, Chang Liu, Xiangyu Wang, Lang Li, Yongjie Liu, Chao He and Qingyuan Wang
The purpose of this paper is to determine (1) the relationship between microstructure and fatigue cracking behavior and (2) effect of rolling on the process of crack initiation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine (1) the relationship between microstructure and fatigue cracking behavior and (2) effect of rolling on the process of crack initiation and propagation in FeCrAl alloys.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative and quantitative fracture studies were performed using scanning electron microscopy and the non-contact optical measurement system (IFMG5).
Findings
The results show that the formation of facets, rough facets and parallel stripes in the crack initiation and early crack propagation zones are closely related to the sensitivity of crack behavior to the microstructure of the material. Besides, the rolling process has a significant influence on the small crack initiation and propagation behavior. Quantitative analysis demonstrates that the size of the stress intensity factor and plastic zone size in the rough zone is associated with the rolling process.
Originality/value
The findings of this study have the potential to enhance the understanding of the microstructural crack formation mechanisms in FeCrAl alloys and shed light on the impact of rolling on the long-term and ultra-long fatigue behavior of these alloys. This new knowledge is vital for improving manufacturing processes and ensuring the safety and reliability of FeCrAl alloys used in nuclear industry applications.
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Shijian Wang, Qiyuan He, Quanwei Liang, Jie Cui, Qing Jiang, Chang Liu, Chao He, Lang Li and Yao Chen
The study aims to examine the effect of inclusions and inherent microstructure on fatigue behavior of 34Cr2Ni2Mo steel.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to examine the effect of inclusions and inherent microstructure on fatigue behavior of 34Cr2Ni2Mo steel.
Design/methodology/approach
Fatigue behavior of 34Cr2Ni2Mo steel was investigated for up to 1E10 cycles.
Findings
Results showed that both inclusion and inherent microstructure have an influence on the crack initiation mechanism. Fatigue cracks mostly initiated from inclusions, whereas substrate-induced crack initiations were also observed. Fatigue life of inclusion-induced failures is mostly determined by the location of inclusions rather than the loading stress. The inherent microstructure seems to tolerate inclusions at a lower stress level in very high-cycle regime owing to the absence of internal inclusion-induced failure. For the substrate-induced crack initiations, high-density dislocations are found to be accumulated around the carbide particle-matrix interface, which may be the cause of crack initiation in the inherent structure due to strain localization.
Originality/value
The effect of inclusions and inherent microstructure on fatigue behavior of 34Cr2Ni2Mo steel up to 1E10 cycles.
Highlights
Fatigue failure occurs even at a lifetime of 5.76E9 cycles.
Surface inclusion induced premature failures.
Inherent microstructure tolerates inclusions at lower stress level.
Internal carbides promote substrate-induced crack initiations.
Fatigue failure occurs even at a lifetime of 5.76E9 cycles.
Surface inclusion induced premature failures.
Inherent microstructure tolerates inclusions at lower stress level.
Internal carbides promote substrate-induced crack initiations.
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Zilong Liu, Hongyan Liang and Chang Liu
In theory, the impact of debt liquidity risk (DLR) on the firm's future growth is ambiguous. This study aims to examine the empirical relationship between the DLR and firms'…
Abstract
Purpose
In theory, the impact of debt liquidity risk (DLR) on the firm's future growth is ambiguous. This study aims to examine the empirical relationship between the DLR and firms' growth rate using annual data for USA companies from 1976 to 2020.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the longitudinal nature of the data, the author uses OLS (ordinary least squares) regression methodology with fixed effects to control for unobserved characteristics that might affect the dependent variable. Instrument variable regression is also used to address the potential endogeneity problem.
Findings
The results show that firms having higher DLR, as proxied by more short-term debt, experience lower growth rate. An increase in firms' short-term debt decreases the firms' future growth rate as evidenced by lower assets, revenue and employee growth rate. Moreover, the authors' results show that small firms or firms with more investment opportunities grow fast if the firms take higher DLR. Finally, cyclical firms with higher DLR exhibit lower growth rate during the credit tighten period. The authors' results hold for both the pre-zero lower bound (ZLB) era and ZLB period.
Originality/value
To the authors' best knowledge, this is one of the earliest studies to carefully examine the effects of DLR on firms' growth rate. While prior research finds that firms with higher growth potential, measured by market-to-book (MTB) ratio, use more short-term debt, the authors' research directly addresses whether DLR affects firms' future growth rate. The authors’ findings also help explain why firms with high growth potential use more short-term debt.
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