Search results
1 – 10 of 454Qingyu Zhang, Xiude Chen and Mei Cao
Previous studies demonstrate that market-oriented reform has contributed significantly to China's economic growth from the efficiency-based economic view. But some argue that…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous studies demonstrate that market-oriented reform has contributed significantly to China's economic growth from the efficiency-based economic view. But some argue that state-owned firms have access to policy information, scarce resources, and government support, and thus state-owned firms might foster innovation. This study tries to find out either market force or state ownership helps improve firms' R&D efficiency.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from China's high-tech industry, we employed the fixed-effect stochastic frontier model and the spatial panel Han-Philips linear dynamic regression model to investigate the relationship between market-oriented reform and the dynamic evolution of R&D efficiency in both temporal and spatial dimensions. Moreover, we examined whether the relationship is affected in a state-owned economy and an industry protection environment.
Findings
The results indicate the following: (1) the R&D efficiency of China's high-tech industry has improved steadily and has converged gradually across its regions during the market-oriented reform; (2) the marketization degree is positively correlated with R&D efficiency and its regional convergence; (3) the state-owned economy and industry protection have significantly weakened the ability of market forces to shape R&D efficiency — i.e. they reduce, rather than enhance, R&D efficiency.
Originality/value
This investigation helps understand the drivers of R&D efficiency in transition economies, and the findings are also helpful in defining the boundaries and constraints of market forces.
Details
Keywords
Qingyu Zhang, Mei Cao and William Doll
The uncertainties, ambiguities and unknown issues that characterize the beginning of a new product development project have led practitioners and scholars to coin the term “fuzzy…
Abstract
Purpose
The uncertainties, ambiguities and unknown issues that characterize the beginning of a new product development project have led practitioners and scholars to coin the term “fuzzy front end” to refer to this seminal stage. The causes of many product failures can be traced back to this fuzzy front end. Despite a growing realization of its importance, the meaning of the term “front-end fuzziness” itself remains vague. A theory-based framework is not available to guide thinking and research on this important topic. The purpose of this paper is to create a conceptual framework for fuzzy front end.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper applies Daft and Lengel’s (1986) theory of organizational information processing to create a framework for research on the fuzzy front end of product innovation. This framework is used to clarify the concept of front-end fuzziness and identify three sources of fuzziness in the project team’s task environment.
Findings
Contrary to the current literature, the authors argue that equivocality rather than uncertainty is the dominant cause of front-end fuzziness. This new conceptualization: appropriately broadens the concept of front-end fuzziness; identifies new problem areas; highlights the need for new solutions; and suggests the need to focus on team vision as a front-end deliverable.
Practical implications
The previous literature used a single uncertainty reduction rationale for integrative mechanisms. Thus, it did not consider that the implementation might change from front end to downstream. The dual theoretical rationale suggests that integrative mechanisms can be implemented differently to focus either on uncertainty or equivocality reduction. In the front end, equivocality is the dominant issue and mechanisms should be implemented in ways that create a rich channel to identify issues and share perspectives. In downstream activities where the dominant issue is uncertainty reduction, mechanisms might be implemented in ways that provide greater quantities of information on known issues.
Originality/value
This new conceptualization of front-end fuzziness provides a better theoretical rationale for how integrative mechanisms enable a project team to work through the fuzziness it faces, creating a clear team vision that guides its downstream efforts.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to find proper technological parameters of low-temperature joining technique by silver sintering to eventually use this technique for reliable electronic packaging.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to find proper technological parameters of low-temperature joining technique by silver sintering to eventually use this technique for reliable electronic packaging.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the literature and author’s own experience, the factors influencing the nanosized Ag particle sintering results were identified, and their significance was assessed.
Findings
It has been shown that some important technological parameters clearly influence the quality of the joints, and their choice is unambiguous, but the meaning of some parameters is dependent on other factors (interactions), and they should be selected experimentally.
Originality/value
The value of this research is that the importance of all technological factors was analyzed, which makes it easy to choose the technological procedures in the electronic packaging.
Details
Keywords
Bright Awuku, Eric Asa, Edmund Baffoe-Twum and Adikie Essegbey
Challenges associated with ensuring the accuracy and reliability of cost estimation of highway construction bid items are of significant interest to state highway transportation…
Abstract
Purpose
Challenges associated with ensuring the accuracy and reliability of cost estimation of highway construction bid items are of significant interest to state highway transportation agencies. Even with the existing research undertaken on the subject, the problem of inaccurate estimation of highway bid items still exists. This paper aims to assess the accuracy of the cost estimation methods employed in the selected studies to provide insights into how well they perform empirically. Additionally, this research seeks to identify, synthesize and assess the impact of the factors affecting highway unit prices because they affect the total cost of highway construction costs.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper systematically searched, selected and reviewed 105 papers from Scopus, Google Scholar, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Transportation Research Board (TRB) and Science Direct (SD) on conceptual cost estimation of highway bid items. This study used content and nonparametric statistical analyses to determine research trends, identify, categorize the factors influencing highway unit prices and assess the combined performance of conceptual cost prediction models.
Findings
Findings from the trend analysis showed that between 1983 and 2019 North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East contributed the most to improving highway cost estimation research. Aggregating the quantitative results and weighting the findings using each study's sample size revealed that the average error between the actual and the estimated project costs of Monte-Carlo simulation models (5.49%) performed better compared to the Bayesian model (5.95%), support vector machines (6.03%), case-based reasoning (11.69%), artificial neural networks (12.62%) and regression models (13.96%). This paper identified 41 factors and was grouped into three categories, namely: (1) factors relating to project characteristics; (2) organizational factors and (3) estimate factors based on the common classification used in the selected papers. The mean ranking analysis showed that most of the selected papers used project-specific factors more when estimating highway construction bid items than the other factors.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by analyzing and comparing the performance of highway cost estimation models, identifying and categorizing a comprehensive list of cost drivers to stimulate future studies in improving highway construction cost estimates.
Details
Keywords
Qingyu Zhang and Mei Cao
In response to an increasingly global and competitive environment, the flexibility to adapt to changing market needs and develop innovative cross‐functional processes is…
Abstract
In response to an increasingly global and competitive environment, the flexibility to adapt to changing market needs and develop innovative cross‐functional processes is quintessential to success. Emphasizes that, in order to succeed in BPR, the firm must make the organizational structure change from a hierarchical to a flat form, management goals must change from being functional sub‐optimized to global‐optimization, process‐oriented measurement, and employees’ work must change from being fragmented to team‐oriented. It is important that the firm combine core business process reengineering and holistic outsourcing and rethink its business from an integrated, systematic “whole” and value chain viewpoint to beat competition with flexibility and innovation.
Details
Keywords
Qingyu Zhang, Mark A. Vonderembse and Mei Cao
To respond to increasing environmental uncertainty, manufacturers are enhancing flexible manufacturing competence (FMC) as a source of competitive advantage. This study aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
To respond to increasing environmental uncertainty, manufacturers are enhancing flexible manufacturing competence (FMC) as a source of competitive advantage. This study aims to extend research on FMC to its antecedent variables by investigating the impacts of advanced manufacturing technology and operations improvement practices (OIP) on FMC.
Design/methodology/approach
Using survey data from 273 manufacturing firms, this research tests additive, mediating, and moderating models that relate these variables.
Findings
Among three alternative models, the moderating model is best supported. The results indicate that advanced manufacturing technology has a stronger positive impact on FMC when OIP are effectively implemented than when they are not.
Research limitations/implications
The research focuses attention on the antecedent variables to production competence, rather than on the concept and positive performance effect of production competence.
Practical implications
For managers, the issue is not simply purchasing automation but developing OIP to effectively use advanced manufacturing technologies, thereby achieving the magnifying effects of human capital on FMC.
Originality/value
This paper investigates FMC and its antecedent variables by testing three alternative models, and it offers assistance to managers who are implementing advanced manufacturing technologies and OIP.
Details
Keywords
Qingyu Zhang, Jeen‐Su Lim and Mei Cao
This paper develops a conceptual framework that incorporates three innovation strategies and three learning activities through the mechanism of four conversion processes in new…
Abstract
This paper develops a conceptual framework that incorporates three innovation strategies and three learning activities through the mechanism of four conversion processes in new product development. Also included is the impact of the three learning activities on performance. The framework can provide a tool for systematically examining the effectiveness of product innovation efforts.
Details
Keywords
Mei Cao, Qingyu Zhang and John Seydel
To identify what constitutes web site quality or what makes a web site effective.
Abstract
Purpose
To identify what constitutes web site quality or what makes a web site effective.
Design/methodology/approach
This article examines and integrates four sets of factors that capture e‐commerce web site quality using an IS success model: system quality, information quality, service quality, and attractiveness. A questionnaire survey was conducted to verify the measures of web site quality. Based on TAM, a framework is also developed relating web site quality to customers' beliefs (perceived usefulness and ease of use), attitudes (preferences for the site), and intentions (to revisit the site).
Findings
A set of instruments of web site quality has been developed and empirically validated by factor analysis.
Research limitations/implications
The research is based on a sample of students browsing several book web sites and they may not sense the web site quality across different B2C commercial web sites such as music, computer, travel, clothes and flowers. Data in these domains should be collected in any future research to examine further the measures developed here.
Practical implications
Guidelines for web interface design are proposed.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils the identification of web site quality and the development and validation of its measures and offers a framework and practical guidelines for e‐commerce managers and web designers.
Details
Keywords
Yang Liu, Hao Zhang, Lingen Wang, Xuejun Fan, Guoqi Zhang and F. Sun
Crack and stress distribution on dies are key issues for the pressure-assisted sintering bonding of power modules. The purpose of this research is to build a relationship among…
Abstract
Purpose
Crack and stress distribution on dies are key issues for the pressure-assisted sintering bonding of power modules. The purpose of this research is to build a relationship among stress distributions, sintering sequences and sintering pressures during the sintering processes.
Design/methodology/approach
Three sintering sequences, S(a), S(b) and S(c), have been designed for the double-side assembly of power module in this paper. Experiments and finite element method (FEM) analysis are conducted to investigate the crack and stress distribution.
Findings
The sintering sequence had significant effects on the crack generation in the chips during the sintering process under 30-MPa pressure. The simulation results revealed that the module sintered by S(a) showed lower chip stress than those by the other two sintering sequences under 30 MPa. In contrast, the chip stress is the highest when the sintering sequence follows S(b). The simulation results explained the crack generation and prolongation in the experiments. S(a) was recommended as the best sintering sequence because of the lowest chip stress and highest yield rate.
Originality/value
This study investigated the stress distributions of the double-side sintered power modules under different sintering pressures. Based on the results of experiments and FEM analysis, the best sintering sequence design is provided under various sintering pressures.
Details