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This study aims to propose a set of institutional frameworks, as well as practical polices and steps, with a view to facilitating the establishment of a unified carbon trading market in China.

Based on existing empirical studies and reviews of the socioeconomic contexts, this study followed a qualitative approach consisting of secondary data collection and analysis, semi-structured interviews to collect primary data and comparative analysis.

The establishment of a national carbon trading market in China is a systemic and complex process which requires coordination among various concerned government agencies and supporting mechanisms. Currently, the development of a unified national carbon market has been impeded by the lack of coordination among local pilot programs, and there is no specific law passed by the People’s Congress or by its Standing Committee to regulate the emerging carbon trading market. It is of vital importance for China, in terms of both practical and strategic aspects, to take a gradualist approach in establishing laws and institutions to guide and support the development of its emerging carbon market.

This present study forms a part of a regional research project aiming to identify sound policy approaches for the establishment of a carbon trading market in China. Due to scope reasons, it focuses only on policy analysis and recommendations.

China’s emerging national carbon trading market has attracted much research attention. However, little has been done from the perspectives of legislations and policies.

This article is an editorial to JCHMSD's Volume 3, Issue 1 and aims to provide an overview to its selection of papers.

The article builds upon a previous editorial on the implementation of the new UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL). It discusses a research and training programme under development by the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research in Asia and the Pacific (WHITRAP) and Tongji University's Advanced Research Institute for Architecture and Urban Planning, in Shanghai, China, to help determining a strategy for the application of the HUL approach in China.

The HUL approach facilitates a structuring and priority setting of competing needs and demands for the integration of urban development and heritage management processes, which is perhaps most pressing in the current Chinese context of rapid and large‐scale urbanization. However, its precise meaning, and therefore its merit, is still poorly understood in China due to confusing conceptual foundations and interpretations, primarily related to the terminology of “cultural landscape”.

This research paper outlines a series of pertinent issues and questions as part of a critical path –a “road map”– for the application of the HUL approach, as promoted by UNESCO, in China and it outlines key areas for further research, in particular as concerns the development of a toolkit.

The aim of the present study was to gather and review all the important properties of the Sn–Ag–Cu (SAC) solder alloy. The SAC solder alloy has been proposed as the alternative solder to overcome the environmental concern of lead (Pb) solder. Many researchers have studied the SAC solder alloy and found that the properties such as melting temperature, wettability, microstructure and interfacial, together with mechanical properties, are better for the SAC solder than the tin – lead (SnPb) solders. Meanwhile, addition of various elements and nanoparticles seems to produce enhancement on the prior bulk solder alloy as well. These benefits suggest that the SAC solder alloy could be the next alternative solder for the electronic packaging industry. Although many studies have been conducted for this particular solder alloy, a compilation of all these properties regarding the SAC solder alloy is still not available for a review to say.

Soldering is identified as the metallurgical joining method in electronic packaging industry which uses filler metal, or well known as the solder, with a melting point < 425°C (Yoon et al., 2009; Ervina and Marini, 2012). The SAC solder has been developed by many methods and even alloying it with some elements to enhance its properties (Law et al., 2006; Tsao et al., 2010; Wang et al., 2002; Gain et al., 2011). The development toward miniaturization, meanwhile, requires much smaller solder joints and fine-pitch interconnections for microelectronic packaging in electronic devices which demand better solder joint reliability of SAC solder Although many studies have been done based on the SAC solder, a review based on the important characteristics and the fundamental factor involving the SAC solder is still not sufficient. Henceforth, this paper resolves in stating all its important properties based on the SAC solder including its alloying of elements and nanoparticles addition for further understanding.

Various Pb-free solders have been studied and investigated to overcome the health and environmental concern of the SnPb solder. In terms of the melting temperature, the SAC solder seems to possess a high melting temperature of 227°C than the Pb solder SnPb. Here, the melting temperature of this solder falls within the range of the average reflow temperature in the electronic packaging industry and would not really affect the process of connection. A good amendment here is, this melting temperature can actually be reduced by adding some element such as titanium and zinc. The addition of these elements tends to decrease the melting temperature of the SAC solder alloy to about 3°C. Adding nanoparticles, meanwhile, tend to increase the melting temperature slightly; nonetheless, this increment was not seemed to damage other devices due to the very slight increment and no drastic changes in the solidification temperature. Henceforth, this paper reviews all the properties of the Pb-free SAC solder system by how it is developed from overcoming environmental problem to achieving and sustaining as the viable candidate in the electronic packaging industry. The Pb-free SAC solder can be the alternative to all drawbacks that the traditional SnPb solder possesses and also an upcoming new invention for the future needs. Although many studies have been done in this particular solder, not much information is gathered in a review to give better understanding for SAC solder alloy. In that, this paper reviews and gathers the importance of this SAC solder in the electronic packaging industry and provides information for better knowledge.

This paper resolves in stating of all its important properties based on the SAC solder including its alloying of elements and nanoparticles addition for further understanding.

Course recommendations are important for improving learner satisfaction and reducing dropout rates on massive open online course (MOOC) platforms. This study aims to propose an interpretable method of analyzing students' learning behaviors and recommending MOOCs by integrating multiple data sources.

The study proposes a deep learning method of recommending MOOCs to students based on a multi-attention mechanism comprising learning records attention, word-level review attention, sentence-level review attention and course description attention. The proposed model is validated using real-world data consisting of the learning records of 6,628 students for 1,789 courses and 65,155 reviews.

The main contribution of this study is its exploration of multiple unstructured information using the proposed multi-attention network model. It provides an interpretable strategy for analyzing students' learning behaviors and conducting personalized MOOC recommendations.

The findings suggest that MOOC platforms must fully utilize the information implied in course reviews to extract personalized learning preferences.

This study is the first attempt to recommend MOOCs by exploring students' preferences in course reviews. The proposed multi-attention mechanism improves the interpretability of MOOC recommendations.

The purpose of this paper is to examine China’s stop-start adoption of fair value accounting (FVA) into its national accounting standards. The paper analyzes how FVA standards promoted by transnational organizations were eventually adopted in China despite its conservative accounting traditions.

The study uses archival records and an analytic framework adapted from the studies of social movements to identify the institutional factors that differ between China’ first unsuccessful attempt to adopt FVA and its second successful attempt.

Shared interests of elite national and international groups, creation of social infrastructure, marshaling of key resources, and specific actions to frame FVA standards are found to be crucial factors supporting FVA reform in China.

The study helps advance our understanding of dissemination of international accounting regulations in non-Western societies. The findings can help accounting standard setters to avoid costly failures.

The study provides a structured analysis of the propagation of global accounting regulations. It exposes the factors in the failure and success of FVA adoption in China.

The purpose of this study is to examine the extent and types of entrepreneurial competences among culturally different ethnic groups in Malaysia. Malaysia offers us a similar environment and ecosystem to make comparisons within a single context.

This paper surveyed 600 respondents – 200 Malaysian Chinese, 200 Malaysian Indians and 200 Malays – and collected data about the types of competencies and about self-reported growth as firm performance. The study used PLS-SEM for inferential testing and PLS-MGA to conduct multigroup analysis among the three ethnic groups and found considerable and interesting differences.

The results of the nuanced, fine-grained findings showed a distinctive distribution of competencies. This study investigates the analysis further to argue that there is an ethnic disposition to favour and value different competencies. Broadly, Malaysian Chinese have a commercial outlook which contrasts with the Malaysian emphasis on social values such as family. Malaysian Indians’ competencies are similar to Malaysian Chinese’s, but with more social value emphasised. This distribution impacts on firm performance with Malaysian Chinese firms faring economically better. However, this economic measure takes no account of social measures which may be an important determinant and motivation for some ethnic groups.

Theoretically, it becomes evident that one size does not fit all. In practice, different competencies are prioritised. Hence competencies appear to be culturally shaped. Culture influences what might be seen as very practical dimensions of entrepreneuring. From a practical perspective, those encouraging entrepreneurship should take such differences into account.

The study is original in comparing cultural effects on competencies and performance.

To determine the status of internet and e‐commerce adoption by the Taiwan semiconductor industry, the research is designed to help government and enterprise in formulating strategic plans and making resource allocation decisions.

Using the three‐level model of internet commerce adoption (MICA), a survey of 287 companies and web sites was designed. Semiconductor firms were placed into five categories: integrated circuit (IC) design, manufacturing, packaging, IC testing, and peripheral device manufacturing.

The MICA model shows the internet adoption ratio for semiconductor firms as 82.6 percent, significantly higher than the electronics and electrical machinery industry sector (56.5 percent). The IC manufacturing and packaging segment are in the processing stage, the final stage of development for the MICA model. One‐third of the IC testing industry segment falls into the provision stage, and 36.1 percent web sites are in the processing stage. The IC design and peripherals industrial segments are located in the provision stage.

The IC manufacturing segment is conducting more financial transactions than the other segments – a result that matches earlier research showing that larger companies are most likely to implement e‐business applications. Many enterprises in the industry are lagging with the adoption of the internet indicating a need for education and training.

This benchmark study provides a framework for evaluating the internet adoption status of semiconductor and other high technology firms. The MICA model is demonstrated to be suitable for evaluating the different stages of internet adoption.

Virtual worlds are a typical form of social network syndication. Although the future of the virtual world phenomenon seems bright, not all efforts have succeeded. Therefore knowing how to motivate users and keep them continually engaged and visiting is an important challenge for those who create and manage virtual world websites. This paper aims to address these issues.

The present study proposes a conceptual model from technological, entertainment and social perspectives to examine the determinants affecting users' intentions in their virtual worlds usage. Recognising that human behaviour varies according to different social roles, this study investigated four social roles (habitual, active, personal and lurker), and 729 valid data samples were collected from the Chinese virtual world, i‐Partment. Partial least square and multi‐group analysis were performed to measure the research model.

The results of this study indicate that ease of use, usefulness, social presence and enjoyment are important factors of virtual worlds usage. This study also confirms that social presence and enjoyment are influenced by platform‐based and sociability‐based interactive quality, with sociability‐based interactive quality having a much higher impact on social presence than platform‐based quality. Moreover the proposed model demonstrates different intensities of explanatory power for users' usage intentions according to four social roles, and the results of this study indicate different but insightful findings for each of the four social roles.

The virtual worlds practitioners should strive to launch creative and new recreational information or functions on a regular basis to make users' experiences enjoyable. In addition practitioners should initiate special activities or festivals to promote social interaction and devise rules to encourage users to spend more time on the virtual world websites. Moreover virtual world websites must be easy to use – with a user‐friendly interface, smooth moving lines and clear and understandable information – and provide useful functions.

This paper is one of the few studies that compares and analyses the behavioural models of different social roles, and suggests that virtual world website practitioners should make use of these findings and provide flexible services to fulfil different users' special needs.

Immersion is one of the key steps during the preparation of silane-based hybrid films, which has important effects on the performance of films after curing. In this paper, the formation process of Zr-doped silane film (i.e. the adsorption of silane and deposition of zirconium compounds) on carbon steel immersed in Zr(NO₃)₄/silane mixed solutions was investigated.

The method of in situ monitoring the open circuit potential of a two-electrode system, consisting of carbon steel and saturated calomel electrode, was used. The effects of immersion conditions (i.e. the concentration of Zr(NO₃)₄ and pH of Zr(NO₃)₄/silane mixed solution) on the open circuit potential were investigated in detail. Furthermore, the surface coverage rate of different cured films (i.e. Zr cured film, silane cured film and Zr/silane composite cured film) after curing on carbon steel was calculated according to the results of polarization curves. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to study the self-healing property of Zr-doped silane cured film.

The results indicate that in Zr(NO₃)₄/silane mixed solutions, most zirconium compounds deposit on the surface of carbon steel at the initial immersing stage, then the adsorption of silane on the residual surface of carbon steel dominates the following immersing stage. EIS results show that the Zr-doped cured film has improved self-healing property.

First, the method of in situ monitoring the open-circuit potential of two-electrode system was applied to investigate the deposition of Zr and the adsorption of silane on carbon steel immersed in Zr(NO₃)₄/silane mixed solutions. Second, the formation process of Zr-doped silane film was proposed.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between self-determined motivation and organizational commitment, with the mediating role of cross-cultural adjustment of low-skilled workers who come from an emerging economy working in a developed economy. This study also aims to determine the interaction effect between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on organizational commitment.

This study collects a sample data of 236 Vietnamese laborers in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze data and test hypotheses.

Results show that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are positively related to organizational commitment. Cross-cultural adjustment positively mediates the relationship between intrinsic motivation and organizational commitment and that between extrinsic motivation and organizational commitment. Furthermore, extrinsic motivation positively moderates the relationship between intrinsic motivation and organizational commitment.

This study helps to untangle the relationship between self-determined motivation and organizational commitment of low-skilled workers in an unfamiliar environment. Furthermore, this study also clarifies the mediating and moderating mechanisms of cross-cultural adjustment and extrinsic motivation in this relationship. The findings provide implications for researchers and managers to plan and implement policy and management systems that combine tangible and intangible incentives to motivate foreign workers and induce positive outcomes for companies in a new cultural context.