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The quantity of construction technology innovations in patent database grows at a high speed. More challenging technical problems require knowledge workers to make full use of the huge existing technology innovation knowledge base to propose new innovative solutions. Hence, it is critical to deliver the right knowledge to the right people at the right time. To improve innovation efficiency and effectiveness, this research explores the development of a new patent knowledge management system to satisfy the increasing demand of construction innovations.

TRIZ-based patent knowledge management system (TPKMS) development involves the integration of construction patent knowledge management, theory of inventive problem-solving (TRIZ) theory, database techniques and computer programing technology. The contradiction matrix in TRIZ theory serves as the patent knowledge extraction framework, while SQL Server 2000 database management system is employed to manage the extracted patent knowledge, TRIZ and user account information. Visual C++ 6.0 is adopted as the development tool.

The developed system to manage construction patent knowledge integrates TRIZ with the database design, enabling the system users to be more problem-focused, systematic and efficient. The system provides a heuristic environment to help improve the innovation effectiveness by motivating knowledge workers’ innovative thinking. Further development of the system is proposed in the context of the age of big data.

A new TRIZ-based patent knowledge management system for construction technology innovation was developed.

This paper aims to examine whether labour unions influence labour conflicts and this mechanism is different in China compared with other countries.

This paper uses the data from the China Employer–Employee Survey that interviewed 1,208 firms and 10,087 workers in 2016 as the measurement of variables, and it uses Logit regression model to do the empirical research.

Unions cannot significantly influence labour conflicts. More active unions and unions whose leaders are appointed by the firms’ management are associated with a higher incidence of labour conflicts.

This paper finds a new mechanism that explains the relationship between unions and labour conflicts. The existing literature states that unions may increase labour conflicts via “monopoly power” and may also mitigate labour conflicts via “voice mechanisms”. This paper’s findings show that the positive correlation between unions and labour conflicts may be explained by the lack of “voice mechanism” rather than “monopoly power”. The findings imply that labour unions should represent the interest of workers to mitigate the increasing labour conflicts.