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Stiffened plates have been widely used in civil, marine, aerospace engineering. As a kind of thin-walled structure operating in complex environment, stiffened plates mostly undergo a variety of dynamic loads, which may sometimes result in large-amplitude vibration. Additionally, initial stresses and geometric imperfections are widespread in this type of structure. Furthermore, it is universally known that initial stresses and geometric imperfections may affect mechanical behavior of structures severely, particularly in dynamic analysis. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to study the stress variation rule of a stiffened plate during large-amplitude vibration considering initial stresses and geometric imperfections.

The initial stresses are represented in the form of initial bending moments applying to the stiffened plate, while the initial geometric imperfections are considered by means of trigonometric series, and they are assumed existing in the plate along the z-direction exclusively. Then, the dynamic equilibrium equations of the stiffened plate are established using Lagrange’s equation as well as aforementioned conditions. The nonlinear differential equations of motion are simplified as a two-degree-of-freedom system by considering 1:2 and 1:3 internal resonances, respectively, and the multiscale method is applied to solve the equations.

The influence of initial stresses on the plate, stresses during internal resonance is remarkable, while that is moderate for initial geometric imperfections. (Upon considering the existence of initial stresses or geometric imperfections, the stresses of motivated modes are less than the primary mode for both and internal resonances). The influence of bidirectional initial stresses on the plate’s stresses during internal resonance is more remarkable than that of unidirectional initial stresses. The coupled vibration in 1%3A2 internal resonance is fiercer than that in internal resonance.

Stiffened plates are widely used in engineering structures. However, as a type of thin-walled structure, stiffened plates vibrate with large amplitude in most cases owning to their complicated operation circumstance. In addition, stiffened plates usually contain initial stresses and geometric imperfections, which may result in the variation of their mechanical behavior, especially dynamical behavior. Based on the above consideration, this paper studies the nonlinear dynamical behavior of stiffened plates with initial stresses and geometrical imperfections under different internal resonances, which is the originality of this work. Furthermore, the research findings can provide references for engineering design and application.

The purpose of this paper is to understand how digital technologies can help healthcare organisations and improve the exploration-exploitation paradox over time. The authors explore inputs, processes and outcomes of implementing digital transformation programs and advance four testable propositions.

The authors conducted multiple case studies with embedded units of analysis: digital transformation processes; hospitals; and regional healthcare systems. Primary sources come from 107 semi-structured interviews with key informants within 14 Italian hospitals between 2009 through 2011.

Three complementary paths emerge as fundamental to balance exploratory and exploitatory efforts in healthcare: assets digitalisation within hospitals; digitally based process integration; and disruptive decision-making through analytics. Intra- and inter-path characteristics are discussed to show how digital transformation can both move hospital within the exploration-exploitation space.

By its very nature, this study is exploratory. Notwithstanding the number of cases and interviews, its generalisability is limited.

Digital transformation programs are fundamental to resolve the tensions raised by the exploration-exploitation paradox. Their implementation leads to better performance (cost reductions, quality improvements). A framework is provided for practitioners to make better decisions.

This study sheds new light on how digital technologies are actually adopted and adapted in healthcare contexts. It does it by entailing a longitudinal perspective.

The purpose of the study was to analyse the impact of innovation ambidexterity represented by explorative and exploitative innovation capabilities and their combined effects on product innovation performance and to prove the mediating effect of decentralization.

The study uses partial least squares for structural equation models and SmartPLS version 3.3.1 on a sample of 174 Romanian medium- and large-sized firms from the IT industry to test six research hypotheses. To measure innovation ambidexterity, the orthogonal approach was used, conceptualizing innovation ambidexterity as a multidimensional, second-order construct composed of explorative and exploitative innovation capabilities. Innovation ambidexterity was conceptualized as a multiplicative term of both explorative and exploitative innovation capabilities.

The empirical results prove that innovation ambidexterity is positively correlated with product innovation performance, while decentralization is mediating the impact of innovation ambidexterity on product innovation performance in the IT industry.

The data was based on self-reported assessments of senior executives. While innovation ambidexterity may influence product innovation performance in the long term, such long-term effects are not assessed. Other studies found a moderating effect between centralization or decentralization and ambidexterity, while we found that it has a mediating effect.

In the context of innovation capability, the combination of explorative or exploitative capabilities may lead to a better synergy. Innovation ambidexterity influences product innovation performance through a synergistic effect, making the simultaneous combination of capabilities useful for firms willing to make efficient use of existing resources and make their capabilities mutually supportive. Moreover, for senior executives, the effects of decentralization as a mediator provide further incentive to include it in their development of firms' innovation capabilities.

This study extends findings of other studies by contributing to a deeper examination of the effects of decentralization, on innovation outcomes by focusing on a specific type of innovation, product innovation. Moreover, since innovation capability is often studied in small firms or in the manufacturing industry, this study contributes to the research on innovation capability and the consequences on innovation capability in the services sector and medium- and large-sized companies. By proving that decentralization mediates the effects of innovation ambidexterity on product innovation performance, it enables reconsideration of the organizational structure role in fostering innovation.

The Chinese housing market has witnessed rapid growth during the past decade and the significance of housing price forecasting has undoubtedly elevated, becoming an important issue to investors and policymakers. This study aims to examine neural networks (NNs) for office property price index forecasting from 10 major Chinese cities for July 2005–April 2021.

The authors aim at building simple and accurate NNs to contribute to pure technical forecasts of the Chinese office property market. To facilitate the analysis, the authors explore different model settings over algorithms, delays, hidden neurons and data-spitting ratios.

The authors reach a simple NN with three delays and three hidden neurons, which leads to stable performance of about 1.45% average relative root mean square error across the 10 cities for the training, validation and testing phases.

The results could be used on a standalone basis or combined with fundamental forecasts to form perspectives of office property price trends and conduct policy analysis.

Despite the theoretical assumption that balancing exploration and exploitation is important for long-term performance and survival, previous studies have provided few insights into these relationships because they have focused mainly on the short-term financial performance of organizations. In addition, balancing exploration and exploitation is a critical challenge for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that lack the resources, capabilities, and experience necessary to achieving ambidexterity. In this regards, this study empirically explores the relationship between the exploration–exploitation balance and SMEs’ longevity in order to address two important questions from the ambidexterity perspective: (1) How does the balance between exploration and exploitation influence organizational survival? (2) How is the appropriate balance between exploration and exploitation influenced by an organization’s internal and external contexts?

An analysis of 1981–2012 data from the Korean SMEs in IT industry reveals an inverted U-shaped curvilinear relationship between the extent of exploratory innovation and organizational longevity, providing support for the ambidexterity perspective. We further examine the moderating effects of financial slack and environmental dynamism on the relationship between exploratory innovation and organizational longevity. The results indicate that financial slack moderated the exploration–longevity relationship and call for a contingency approach for a better understanding of performance implications of the exploration–exploitation balance.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the longevity implications of exploitation and exploration. It examines the main effect of exploitation, the main effect of exploration, and the interaction effect of exploitation and exploration on organizational longevity.

This study employs Cox Proportional Hazard Model in analyzing 20-year data from the hard disk drive industry.

Exploitation, independent of exploration, has a positive impact on organizational longevity. Exploration, independent of exploitation, has a curvilinear impact on organizational longevity. Jointly, exploitation weakens the curvilinear relationship between exploration and organizational longevity.

This study challenges the dualistic view that exploitation is for “current viability” and exploration is for “future viability.” It suggests that firms need to actively engage in (instead of compromise) both exploitation and exploration in order to prolong their lifespan despite the counter force triggered by the negative dynamics between exploitation and exploration.

In order to prolong organizational longevity, firms need to fully engage in (but not compromise) their existing product-market domains, actively explore (but not over-explore) their new product-market domain, and to embrace (but not avoid) the tension between exploitation and exploration.

This study is one of the few that systematically and empirically examined the longevity implications of exploitation and exploration. It adds specificity and precision to the understanding of how exploitation and exploration, independently and jointly, affect organizational longevity.

This study aims to examine the drivers prompting business leaders to support corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in Brazil.

The research design selected is a qualitative exploratory multiple-case approach. Data were collected through 16 in-depth interviews with leaders of Brazilian companies.

Evidence is found that the main drivers prompting leaders to support CSR in Brazilian companies are linked to firm performance (economic opportunities and risk management) rather than ethical or external drivers (national policies and stakeholder pressure). In addition to this, the study identifies that for Brazilian business leaders, CSR practices have little to do with individual responsibility and personal fulfilment, but rather with a search for better overall effectiveness of the firm.

This study adds to a relevant and increasing body of literature on organisational behaviour from a societal perspective, offering an understanding of what catalyses organisations to engage in CSR practices.

The aim of this article is to investigate the determinants of the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging markets: evidence from Vietnam.

This article relies on the resource-based view to examine the factors affecting the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging markets. The method employed in the research is the generalized method of moments for testing hypotheses of data collected from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam in the period of 2013–2016.

The results show that factors such as the intensity of capital investment, age and size of the firm, labor productivity, foreign ownership, location, cost management effectiveness and export activities have a positive effect on the performance of Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises, while revenue growth rate, fixed assets and financial leverage tend to hinder their performance. This has brought important messages that the input markets and the business environment in emerging markets like Vietnam have not yet stimulated well-economic activities.

This study sheds light on a topic that has not been fully explored in small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging markets in general, and Vietnam in particular. Specifically, small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging markets reconfigure available resources and strengthen internal capabilities to overcome barriers of the shortages of strategic, rare and irreplaceable resources in order to improve their performance. This is a unique contribution to the existing literature and highlights the original value of this article.

This paper investigates the incentives to coffee farmers to participate in certification schemes that require improved agricultural practices.

The authors ran a choice experiment among 250 Brazilian coffee farmers in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The authors’ findings show that both cash and non-cash payments are likely to incentive farmers' participation in a certification scheme. Besides price premium, incentives as long-term contracts and provision of technical would encourage producers to adopt eco-certification schemes. Our results also suggest that non-cash payments may be appropriate substitutes to a price premium to some extent.

The large coffee producers are over-represented in our sample compared to the population of Brazilian coffee farms. However, it seems reasonable to focus on these producers, as they are usually the ones who individually adopt strategies, since small farmers are induced by collective strategies (e.g. cooperatives).

The result regarding technical assistance makes sense given that Brazilian farmers generally have poor access to rural extension services.

We contributed in the literature about adoption of sustainable agriculture practices analyzing the requirements and motivations for farmer participation in certification schemes. We also contribute private and public strategies to encourage the adoption of sustainable practices.

This study aims to make explicit fundamental challenges, which includes children with disabilities and special educational needs in education in China, Hong Kong, and Indonesia under the current conceptions of Inclusion and Education for All (EFA). Based on extensive research and staff development work in these places, this chapter argues for uniting the aims of inclusive education and EFA in order to realize the goal of EFA in all countries. Such a transformative agenda will require a new model of looking at difficulties in learning and the concept of diversity in education. Unless a conscious effort is made to move our thinking and planning from EFA to Inclusive EFA, we will not achieve true universal education.