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1 – 10 of 14
Article
Publication date: 1 August 2016

Miao Cui, Crystal Dong, Yuekun Liu and Shujuan Wang

An increasing number of Chinese enterprises are involved in cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As). However, few Chinese enterprises have achieved successful integration…

1760

Abstract

Purpose

An increasing number of Chinese enterprises are involved in cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As). However, few Chinese enterprises have achieved successful integration, which plays a critical role in enhancing performance. The important field of cultural integration is currently facing major challenges. To identify the reasons for these challenges, studies have analyzed why cultural integration succeeds or fails and have suggested that cultural differences between acquiring and acquired enterprises are the primary obstacles to cultural integration. However, it is unclear how success can be achieved. The paper aims to focus on cultural integration from the perspective of acculturation to describe the penetration of cultural elements in M&As.

Design/methodology/approach

In adopting acculturation as our theoretical lens, the authors use the case study method to answer the following research question: “how can the cultural integration of Chinese enterprises be successfully achieved?” Two typical cases are examined: Lenovo’s cultural integration with IBM’s personal computer (PC) division and Haier’s cultural integration with Sanyo home appliance. First, using the exploratory case study method, the Lenovo–IBM PC division case is analyzed. The characteristics and relationships between cultural environments, employee adoption methods and acculturation patterns are summarized to reveal a cultural integration path. Second, the Haier–Sanyo home appliance case is analyzed using the confirmative case study method to test the findings of the Lenovo–IBM PC division case.

Findings

The results indicate that it is critical to achieve a dynamic fit between cultural environments, employee adoption methods and acculturation patterns during each stage of cultural integration (exploration, experimentation, reinforcement and fixing). The three constructs of these stages reflect the following evolutionary paths: “isolate-introduce-learning-chance taking”, “detecting-icebreaking-interacting-remodeling” and “specialized sections-senior managers-managers-employees”.

Originality/value

These findings contribute to the development of cultural integration and acculturation theories and serve as a reference for Chinese enterprises wishing to implement cultural integration strategies.

Details

Nankai Business Review International, vol. 7 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8749

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 August 2014

Zhifeng Huang, Xiaoyang Ma, Zemin Qiao, Shujuan Wang and Xinli Jing

This paper aims to disclose the evolution of pendulum hardness of two-component acrylic polyurethane coatings during the cure process and attempts to describe the quantitative…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to disclose the evolution of pendulum hardness of two-component acrylic polyurethane coatings during the cure process and attempts to describe the quantitative relationship between pendulum hardness and curing time. These findings are helpful for the study of fast curing acrylic polyurethane coatings.

Design/methodology/approach

The pendulum hardness method was used to monitor the hardness of two-component acrylic polyurethane coatings during curing. The quantitative relationship between pendulum hardness and curing time can be obtained with Avrami equation.

Findings

The evolution of coating pendulum hardness can be divided into three stages. By using the Avrami equation that explained the influence of both the acid value and the curing temperature on the drying speed of hydroxyl acrylic resin, the evolution of coating pendulum hardness during curing can also be accurately described.

Research limitations/implications

It should be noted that the physical meaning of the Avrami exponent, n, is not yet clear.

Practical implications

The results are of great significance for the development of fast-curing hydroxyl-functional acrylic resins, with the potential to improve the drying speed of the coatings used in automotive refinish.

Originality/value

It is novel to divide the pendulum hardness into three stages, and, for the first time, the Avrami equation is utilized to describe the evolution of coating pendulum hardness during curing.

Details

Pigment & Resin Technology, vol. 43 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0369-9420

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 July 2023

Nicola Cobelli and Emanuele Blasioli

The purpose of this study is to introduce new tools to develop a more precise and focused bibliometric analysis on the field of digitalization in healthcare management…

1036

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to introduce new tools to develop a more precise and focused bibliometric analysis on the field of digitalization in healthcare management. Furthermore, this study aims to provide an overview of the existing resources in healthcare management and education and other developing interdisciplinary fields.

Design/methodology/approach

This work uses bibliometric analysis to conduct a comprehensive review to map the use of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) research models in healthcare academic studies. Bibliometric studies are considered an important tool to evaluate research studies and to gain a comprehensive view of the state of the art.

Findings

Although UTAUT dates to 2003, our bibliometric analysis reveals that only since 2016 has the model, together with UTAUT2 (2012), had relevant application in the literature. Nonetheless, studies have shown that UTAUT and UTAUT2 are particularly suitable for understanding the reasons that underlie the adoption and non-adoption choices of eHealth services. Further, this study highlights the lack of a multidisciplinary approach in the implementation of eHealth services. Equally significant is the fact that many studies have focused on the acceptance and the adoption of eHealth services by end users, whereas very few have focused on the level of acceptance of healthcare professionals.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to conduct a bibliometric analysis of technology acceptance and adoption by using advanced tools that were conceived specifically for this purpose. In addition, the examination was not limited to a certain era and aimed to give a worldwide overview of eHealth service acceptance and adoption.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 35 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 March 2021

Rongxing Duan, Shujuan Huang and Jiejun He

This paper aims to deal with the problems such as epistemic uncertainty, common cause failure (CCF) and dynamic fault behaviours that arise in complex systems and develop an…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to deal with the problems such as epistemic uncertainty, common cause failure (CCF) and dynamic fault behaviours that arise in complex systems and develop an effective fault diagnosis method to rapidly locate the fault when these systems fail.

Design/methodology/approach

First, a dynamic fault tree model is established to capture the dynamic failure behaviours and linguistic term sets are used to obtain the failure rate of components in complex systems to deal with the epistemic uncertainty. Second, a β factor model is used to construct a dynamic evidence network model to handle CCF and some parameters obtained by reliability analysis are used to build the fault diagnosis decision table. Finally, an improved Vlsekriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje algorithm is developed to obtain the optimal diagnosis sequence, which can locate the fault quickly, reduce the maintenance cost and improve the diagnosis efficiency.

Findings

In this paper, a new optimal fault diagnosis strategy of complex systems considering CCF under epistemic uncertainty is presented based on reliability analysis. Dynamic evidence network is easy to carry out the quantitative analysis of dynamic fault tree. The proposed diagnosis algorithm can determine the optimal fault diagnosis sequence of complex systems and prove that CCF should not be ignored in fault diagnosis.

Originality/value

The proposed method combines the reliability theory with multiple attribute decision-making methods to improve the diagnosis efficiency.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 38 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Xin Liang, Lin Xiu, Sibin Wu and Shujuan Zhang

Private firms in China are like the third child in a family, constantly struggling to establish their position in an environment favoring their state-owned and collective…

Abstract

Purpose

Private firms in China are like the third child in a family, constantly struggling to establish their position in an environment favoring their state-owned and collective siblings. The purpose of this paper is to discover some long-term-oriented legitimacy building strategies for private firms in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the effect of both internal and external institutional factors on long-term legitimacy for private enterprises. The authors integrate stakeholder perspective and institutional theory to provide a framework of building sustainable legitimacy.

Findings

The authors’ framework delineates that a private company can build sustainable legitimacy through catering long-term legitimacy conferring to constituents such as customers, social responsibility and patriotism in the external institutional environment.

Practical implications

The authors’ framework further indicates how private firms could leverage internal institutional environment through developing appropriate mission, culture, leadership and human resources practices in conformity to the demands of constituents for gaining long-term legitimacy.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to address the short-term nature of legitimacy building strategies proposed in the past literature. In addition, it is also the first attempt to explore the multiplicity in legitimacy in China in search of long-term legitimacy building approaches.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 November 2022

Xufeng Liang, Zhenhua Cai, Chunnian Zeng, Zixin Mu, Zifan Li, Fan Yang, Tingyang Chen, Shujuan Dong, Chunming Deng and Shaopeng Niu

The application of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) allows aero-engine blades to operate at higher temperatures with higher efficiency. The preparation of the TBCs increases the…

Abstract

Purpose

The application of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) allows aero-engine blades to operate at higher temperatures with higher efficiency. The preparation of the TBCs increases the surface roughness of the blade, which impacts the thermal cycle life and thermal insulation performance of the coating. To reduce the surface roughness of blades, particularly the blades with small size and complex curvature, this paper aims to propose a method for industrial robot polishing trajectory planning based on on-site measuring point cloud.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose an integrated robotic polishing trajectory planning method using point cloud processing technical. At first, the acquired point cloud is preprocessed, which includes filtering and plane segmentation algorithm, to extract the blade body point cloud. Then, the point cloud slicing algorithm and the intersection method are used to create a preliminary contact point set. Finally, the Douglas–Peucker algorithm and pose frame estimation are applied to extract the tool-tip positions and optimize the tool contact posture, respectively. The resultant trajectory is evaluated by simulation and experiment implementation.

Findings

The target points of trajectory are not evenly distributed on the blade surface but rather fluctuate with surface curvature. The simulated linear and orientation speeds of the robot end could be relatively steady over 98% of the total time within 20% reduction of the rest time. After polishing experiments, the coating roughness on the blade surface is reduced dramatically from Ra 7–8 µm to below Ra 1.0 µm. The removal of the TBCs is less than 100 mg, which is significantly less than the weight of the prepared coatings. The blade surface becomes smoothed to a mirror-like state.

Originality/value

The research on robotic polishing of aero-engine turbine blade TBCs is worthwhile. The real-time trajectory planning based on measuring point cloud can address the problem that there is no standard computer-aided drawing model and the geometry and size of the workpiece to be processed differ. The extraction and optimization of tool contact points based on point cloud features can enhance the smoothness of the robot movement, stability of the polishing speed and performance of the blade surface after polishing.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 50 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 February 2020

Bo Yang, Shujuan Ye and Mohammadreza Bandarchi

This paper tries to examine attitude toward knowledge sharing (KS) for improving the innovation in medical services. So, this paper aims to analyze the influence of information…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper tries to examine attitude toward knowledge sharing (KS) for improving the innovation in medical services. So, this paper aims to analyze the influence of information technology (IT), staff, hospital cultures and patients and their families on the attitude toward KS and also examine the influence of attitude toward KS on innovation in medical services.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presented a project plan that contains five research hypotheses, with attitude toward KS as a mediating construct. In this paper, Smart PLS 3.0 is implemented to study the calculation. The hypotheses are tested on data collected using structural equation modeling. Data was collected using questionnaires from a hospital in Iran. The statistical population of this research is unlimited. Through using the sample measurement method, the sample size for structural equations has come to be 384.

Findings

The results showed that all theories of the project are proved. Also, they indicated the importance of IT as an important factor in attitude toward KS and the latter's influence on the innovation in medical services. Furthermore, the attitude toward KS influences positively on innovation in medical services. As a general result, the managers of health organizations should empower employees to participate in decision-making and encourage them to resolve problems together and share medical information to promote innovation in medical services.

Research limitations/implications

This research must be carefully defined and accepted because the study information had special restrictions. At first, a prejudice was created, because the sample was self-selected. Second, the participants were living in Iran. There were different cultures and lifestyles among countries. Third, this research sample consisted only of hospital staff and managers. Moreover, little empirical research has been conducted on this topic in Iran. Iran’s culture is considerably different from Western culture, and it is unknown whether the same questionnaire that is used in the Iran context can be used in the Western context. In further studies, this research could be extended to contain other psychosocial elements that permit KS in institutions and increase innovation.

Practical implications

The medical industry is knowledge-intensive, remains a competitive advantage and accumulates knowledge, and the hospitals are the main subject. The role of this research according to providing a functional-theoretical plan enables authorities and practitioners to access thoughts about efficient stimulation attitude toward KS on innovation in medical services in the health sector. Also, the findings of this study at the same time are implemented to study relations between knowledge-sharing elements such as enablers, processes and firm innovation capability.

Originality/value

Modern study design enables the relations between IT and other influential elements on attitude toward KS and innovation in medical services to be analyzed. This design determines the coexistence of the participation and contest relations among participants, which is not studied in past researches. From a management point of view, this research determined various elements essential to a successful attitude toward KS and investigated the usage of these elements for improving innovation in medical services.

Details

VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, vol. 50 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5891

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2016

Yang Lu, Shujuan Yi, Yurong Liu and Yuling Ji

This paper aims to design a multi-layer convolutional neural network (CNN) to solve biomimetic robot path planning problem.

1046

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to design a multi-layer convolutional neural network (CNN) to solve biomimetic robot path planning problem.

Design/methodology/approach

At first, the convolution kernel with different scales can be obtained by using the sparse auto encoder training algorithm; the parameter of the hidden layer is a series of convolutional kernel, and the authors use these kernels to extract first-layer features. Then, the authors get the second-layer features through the max-pooling operators, which improve the invariance of the features. Finally, the authors use fully connected layers of neural networks to accomplish the path planning task.

Findings

The NAO biomimetic robot respond quickly and correctly to the dynamic environment. The simulation experiments show that the deep neural network outperforms in dynamic and static environment than the conventional method.

Originality/value

A new method of deep learning based biomimetic robot path planning is proposed. The authors designed a multi-layer CNN which includes max-pooling layer and convolutional kernel. Then, the first and second layers features can be extracted by these kernels. Finally, the authors use the sparse auto encoder training algorithm to train the CNN so as to accomplish the path planning task of NAO robot.

Details

Assembly Automation, vol. 36 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-5154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 November 2023

Alice J.M. Tan, Shujuan Xiao, Katie Kaiqi Jiang and Zitong Chen

This study aims to examine the relationship between employees’ psychological contract breach and two types of voice behavior based on the social exchange theory. Additionally, the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between employees’ psychological contract breach and two types of voice behavior based on the social exchange theory. Additionally, the study explores the role of globally responsible business leadership in buffering the negative impacts of psychological contract breach on voice.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data was collected from Chinese full-time employees and the final sample size is 337. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Findings indicate that psychological contract breach (PCB) has a positive and significant impact on employee aggressive voice behavior (AVB), while its relationship with constructive voice behavior (CVB) is not significant. Furthermore, globally responsible business leadership (GRBL) weakens the negative relationship between PCB and CVB, while strengthens the positive relationship between PCB and AVB.

Practical implications

The findings assist organizations in better recognizing the detrimental consequences of psychological contract breach. Second, the findings serve as a reminder to managers of the benefits of displaying globally responsible business leadership. Third, managers should recognize the complexities of globally responsible business leadership.

Originality/value

First, this study sheds new light on the impact of PCB on employees’ desirable and undesirable proactive behaviors by investigating how and when psychological contract breach affects two types of voice behavior. Second, the moderating role of GRBL further enriches our understanding of how to buffer negative effects of PCB and the desirable function of GRBL. Third, this study enriches the social exchange theory by investigating whether the leader−employee relationship will compensate for the failure of organization−employee relationship.

Details

Journal of Global Responsibility, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2041-2568

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 January 2020

Yining Zeng, Rongxing Duan, Shujuan Huang and Tao Feng

This paper aims to deal with the problems of failure dependence and common cause failure (CCF) that arise in reliability analysis of complex systems.

231

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to deal with the problems of failure dependence and common cause failure (CCF) that arise in reliability analysis of complex systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Firstly, a dynamic fault tree (DFT) is used to capture the dynamic failure behaviours and converted into an equivalent generalized stochastic petri net (GSPN) for quantitative analysis. Secondly, an efficient decomposition and aggregation (EDA) theory is combined with GSPN to deal with the CCF problem, which exists in redundant systems. Finally, Birnbaum importance measure (BIM) is calculated based on the EDA approach and GSPN model, and it is used to take decisions for system improvement and fault diagnosis.

Findings

In this paper, a new reliability evaluation method for dynamic systems subject to CCF is presented based on the DFT analysis and the GSPN model. The GSPN model is easy to capture dynamic failure behaviours of complex systems, and the movement of tokens in the GSPN model represent the changes in the state of the systems. The proposed method takes advantage of the GSPN model and incorporates the EDA method into the GSPN, which simplifies the reliability analysis process. Meanwhile, simulation results under different conditions show that CCF has made a considerable impact on reliability analysis for complex systems, which indicates that the CCF should not be ignored in reliability analysis.

Originality/value

The proposed method combines the EDA theory with the GSPN model to improve the efficiency of the reliability analysis.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 37 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

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