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1 – 10 of over 3000Evangelia Panagiotidou, Panos T. Chountalas, Anastasios Ι. Magoutas and Fotis C. Kitsios
This study aims to dissect the multifaceted impact of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, specifically within civil engineering testing and calibration laboratories. To achieve this, it…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to dissect the multifaceted impact of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, specifically within civil engineering testing and calibration laboratories. To achieve this, it intends to explore several key objectives: identifying the prominent benefits of accreditation to laboratory performance, understanding the advantages conferred through participation in proficiency testing schemes, assessing the role of accreditation in enhancing laboratory competitiveness, examining the primary challenges encountered during the accreditation process, investigating any discernible adverse effects of accreditation on laboratory performance and evaluating whether the financial cost of accreditation justifies the resultant profitability.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews with 23 industry professionals—including technical managers, quality managers, external auditors and clients. Thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke’s six-stage paradigm, was utilized to interpret the data, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the accreditation’s impact.
Findings
Findings reveal that accreditation significantly enhances operational processes, fosters quality awareness and facilitates continuous improvement, contributing to greater client satisfaction. In addition, standardized operations and rigorous quality controls further result in enhanced performance metrics, such as staff capability and measurement accuracy. However, the study also uncovers the challenges of accreditation, including high resource costs and bureaucratic hurdles that can inhibit innovation and slow routine operations. Importantly, the research underscores that the impact of accreditation on profitability is not universal, but contingent upon various factors like sector-specific regulations and market demand. The study also highlights sector-specific variations in the role of accreditation as a marketing tool and differing perceptions of its value among clients. It further emphasizes the psychological stress of high-stakes evaluations during audits.
Originality/value
This study represents the first in-depth investigation into the impact of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation on civil engineering testing and calibration laboratories, directly contributing to the enhancement of their quality and operational standards. Providing actionable insights for laboratories, it underscores the importance of weighing accreditation costs and benefits and the necessity for a tailored approach to the unique market and regulatory landscapes they operate in.
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Xiaofeng Yu, Yiqing Zhang and Xiaoxue Zhang
The main research problem is the relationship between the use motivation (UM) and use behavior (UB) of middle-aged and old short videos users and the difference of the influence…
Abstract
Purpose
The main research problem is the relationship between the use motivation (UM) and use behavior (UB) of middle-aged and old short videos users and the difference of the influence of the use motivation of middle-aged and old users, a special group, on the usage behavior is analyzed.
Design/methodology/approach
By means of a questionnaire survey and in-depth interview, the middle-aged and old-aged users' short video use motivation and behavior and their influence relationship are discussed.
Findings
It is found that information appeal is the main motivation of middle-aged and old-aged users to use short videos and users with different social attributes have differences in motivation and there is a significant relationship between motivation and behavior.
Originality/value
The research objective is middle-aged and elderly short video users. And how to promote the transformation of middle-aged and old-aged users' use mentality and record and create their unique bright spots in the big stage of short videos with a more active and independent attitude, is of unique significance not only to the users themselves but also to the media content of this era and the users' existence in the technological change.
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Xinhua Guan, Zhenxing Nie, Catheryn Khoo, Wentao Zhou and Yaoqi Li
This study aims to explore the connection between travel content consumption in social networks and social comparison, envy as well as travel intention. It analyzes whether…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the connection between travel content consumption in social networks and social comparison, envy as well as travel intention. It analyzes whether tourists’ travel intention is affected by travel content consumption in social networks, and more importantly, whether social comparison and envy play a mediating role in this process.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected through intercept in four popular tourist spots in Guangzhou and Zhuhai in South China. A self-administered questionnaire was used. A total of 400 participants were recruited, and 291 valid questionnaires were obtained. Bias-corrected nonparametric percentile bootstrap mediation variable test method was used to test hypotheses.
Findings
The study yielded three results. First, travel content consumption in the social networks positively influences travel intention. Second, travel content consumption in social networks indirectly affects travel intention through social comparison and envy. Third, the control variables, such as gender, age, education and income, mainly affect envy.
Originality/value
This study constructs a theoretical framework of stimulus–cognitive appraisal–emotion–behavioral responses. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study to reveal that the internal psychological mechanism of travel content consumption affects travel intention. It also discloses that envy of seemingly negative emotions can encourage positive behaviors in certain situations.
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Keywords
- Social networks
- Content consumption
- Social comparison
- Envy
- Travel intention
- Cognitive appraisal theory of emotion
- Redes sociales
- consumo de contenido
- comparación social
- envidia
- intención de viaje
- teoría de evaluación cognitiva emocional
- 社交网络
- 内容消费
- 社会比较
- 嫉妒
- 旅游意向
- 情感认知评价理论
- Redes sociales
- Consumo de contenido
- Comparación social
- Envidia
- Intención de viaje
- Teoría de evaluación cognitiva emocional
Lijing Zhao, Phillip M. Jolly, Shuming Zhao and Hao Zeng
The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between team-level inclusive leadership perceptions, team thriving, and team proactivity as well as the moderating…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between team-level inclusive leadership perceptions, team thriving, and team proactivity as well as the moderating effect of team power distance on these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-wave survey study of 365 manufacturing employees comprising 85 teams in an organization in Eastern China was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings indicate that inclusive leadership stimulates collective thriving, which then promotes team proactivity. In addition, team power distance negatively moderates the relationship between inclusive leadership and collective thriving, as well as the indirect effect of inclusive leadership on team proactivity via collective thriving.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to investigate the effects of inclusive leadership at the team level, and answers recent calls to investigate the mechanisms linking leadership-related constructs to team-level proactivity. The authors also identify an important boundary condition to the effects of inclusive leadership in team power distance.
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Zhiqin Lu, Peng Li, Qinghai Li and Heng Zhang
This paper according to the logic of the “digital access divide--digital capability divide--digital outcome divide” aims to systematically discuss the impact of the digital divide…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper according to the logic of the “digital access divide--digital capability divide--digital outcome divide” aims to systematically discuss the impact of the digital divide on individual happiness in China, accounting for the variations that exist across different groups, as well as the corresponding mechanisms.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents cross-sectional analyses of the relationship between the digital divide and individual happiness in China. The analyses are based on data from the Chinese General Social Survey 2017, which academic institutions run on the Chinese Mainland. This database contains information on respondents' Internet access, skills and consequences of use, which can measure the digital divide of Chinese individuals at three levels.
Findings
First, individual happiness declined when they experienced the digital access divide in China. For the digital capability divide, the lower the usage skills, the more individual happiness declined. When analyzing the digital outcome divide, the greater the negative consequences, the more individual happiness declined. Second, the impacts of digital access, capability and outcome divide vary according to age, gender, education degrees, hukou, region and sub-dimensions. Third, the digital access and capability divide reduce individuals' happiness by lowering their self-rated social and economic status, whereas the digital outcome divide reduce individual happiness by lowering their fairness perception and social trust.
Originality/value
The authors believe that this is the first study to examine the impact and its variations among different groups of the three-level digital divide on individual happiness, as well as its mechanisms.
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Shiyan Lou, Junhao Wang, Yi Ting Zeng and Chun Cheong Fong
With the rapid development of the economy in China, the wealth of residents has continued to increase, and most families have gradually been aware of the importance of commercial…
Abstract
Purpose
With the rapid development of the economy in China, the wealth of residents has continued to increase, and most families have gradually been aware of the importance of commercial insurance. The family purchase of insurance in China was still not optimistic. Many scholars focus on wealth allocation, but the attention to the commercial insurance market was still less. Based on previous research studies, this study aims to investigate the impact of education and financial literacy on the commercial insurance purchase in China.
Design/methodology/approach
China Household Finance Survey data was used to investigate the purchase of commercial insurance in Mainland Chinese families. Factor analysis was used to construct financial literacy, and the education data were combined to analyze the commercial insurance purchase using the Probit model and the Tobit model. Finally, the contributions of education and financial literacy to commercial insurance purchases were analyzed.
Findings
Both education and financial literacy exerted a positive impact on the purchase of commercial insurance in China. Individual characteristics such as gender, age, marital status, risk attitude, purchase of social insurance and consultation with a financial advisor possessed significant effects; household factors like household size and assets, macro factors such as the density of financial institutions and the density of financial industry staff, and regional factors as local unemployment rate excreted influences on the commercial insurance purchase.
Originality/value
Based on the current economic development in China, this study investigated and expressed opinions on the public and insurance companies regarding commercial insurance purchases. It accentuated financial literacy and education as factors that facilitated commercial insurance development.
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Ming Yuan, Xuetong Wang, Ziyao Zhang, Han Lin and Mingchuan Yu
The deviant behavior (DB) of construction workers has always been a troubling event in project management. Although scholars continue to search for the main causes of this…
Abstract
Purpose
The deviant behavior (DB) of construction workers has always been a troubling event in project management. Although scholars continue to search for the main causes of this behavior to curb it at the source, the authors know less about the role and contribution of the team. This study aims to uncover the mechanisms and conditions under which collective moral judgment focus on self (CMJS) effectively enhances DB.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting Chinese construction enterprises as samples, a hierarchical linear model (HLM) is used to test the results of the hypothesis. Moderated mediating effects are used to analyze the potential mechanisms and boundary conditions of DB.
Findings
The results of the HLM analysis show that CMJS could directly and significantly induce DB, and moral disengagement (MD) plays a mediator role in this association. In addition, the positive relationship between MD and DB is stronger when performance-avoidance goal orientation (PaGO) or overqualification (Overq) is higher.
Research limitations/implications
The conditions and mechanisms that influence DB are not unique. Future study could examine the explanatory and weighting mechanisms of DB from other perspectives or to construct a framework and summarize the factors that may influence DB.
Practical implications
This study provides a rich theoretical basis for the prevention and correction of construction workers' DB in Chinese construction firms from the perspective of CMJS. In addition, objective moral judgments contribute to guiding employees' moral cognitive processes and positive work.
Originality/value
This study extends existing research on DB and advances the practical outcomes of construction project governance. It not only illustrates that CMJS has a direct impact on DB but also clarifies the mechanisms and conditions that predispose to the generation of DB, filling the research gap on construction workers' DB from cross-level mechanisms and also enriching the theoretical system for preventing this behavior.
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Shiyong Xu, Jia Yu and Jinyi Zhou
Drawing on the social cognitive model of career self-management (CSM model) and deep learning theory, the authors' study aims to investigate the effect of knowledge sharing on…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the social cognitive model of career self-management (CSM model) and deep learning theory, the authors' study aims to investigate the effect of knowledge sharing on career adaptability and explore how and when this effect occurs. The authors proposed a moderated sequential-mediation model linking knowledge sharing, knowledge depth, self-efficacy and career adaptability, moderated by reflective thinking.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a field survey involving 611 employees working in different enterprises in China to test the authors' predictions. For supplementary validation, the authors conducted a scenario-based experiment with a distinct sample of 148 employees from Chinese enterprises. The authors used hierarchical regression analysis, ANOVA analysis and moderated sequential-mediation analysis to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results indicated a positive effect of knowledge sharing on career adaptability, sequentially mediated through knowledge depth and self-efficacy. Additionally, reflective thinking strengthened the positive effect of knowledge sharing on knowledge depth and further moderated the sequential mediating effect.
Originality/value
Previous research has predominantly focused on the perspective that individuals act as “recipients” from the environment in developing career adaptability. Instead, the authors adopt a “giving” perspective by investigating the influence of knowledge sharing on career adaptability, which advances the existing knowledge on the predictors of career adaptability.
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Ning Sun, Yuhan Peng, Yingchen Lu, Wanting Liu and Zhenhua Zheng
This study aims to investigate the relationships between the perceived neighborhood walkable environment (PNWE), neighborhood interaction (NI) and residents’ mental health, with…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationships between the perceived neighborhood walkable environment (PNWE), neighborhood interaction (NI) and residents’ mental health, with a focus on examining differences among residents of different age groups.
Design/methodology/approach
Using an electronic survey questionnaire, data on PNWE, NI and mental health were collected from 1,159 residents across 205 communities in Shanghai, China. Our study utilized a structural equation modeling (SEM), employing the maximum likelihood estimation method. The structural equation model was fitted using the MPLUS software.
Findings
The mental health of young and middle-aged adults is generally poor, and they are at higher risk of depression than children and older adults. The effects of PNWE and NI on the mental health of residents varied among different age groups. As residents get older, their mental health is more affected by the PNWE. In addition, the influence of the PNWE on children and older adults’ mental health is direct and not mediated by NI. For young and middle-aged adults, the influence of the PNWE on their mental health needs to be mediated by NI.
Originality/value
This study marks the first examination of the relationship between PNWE, NI and mental health among different age groups of residents in China. The findings of this research can assist policymakers in gaining a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which PNWE affects mental health. Furthermore, it can contribute to the development of more targeted walkable environment designs aimed at enhancing mental health among various age groups.
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Yuyan Luo, Xiaojing Yu, Fei Xie, Zheng Yang and Jun Wang
The purpose is to provide decision support for tourists recommending scenic spots and corresponding suggestions for the management of scenic spots.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose is to provide decision support for tourists recommending scenic spots and corresponding suggestions for the management of scenic spots.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the Baidu index data generated, this paper analyzes the temporal and spatial characteristics of network attention of 5A scenic spots in Sichuan Province. The online comment data are used to build the assessment model of scenic spots based on network attention, and the comment information of tourists is mined and analyzed through statistical analysis. At the same time, the key attributes of scenic spots from the perspective of network attention are evaluated and analyzed by using the probabilistic linguistic term set. Finally, this paper further constructs a recommendation model based on the key attribute set of scenic spots.
Findings
This paper uses different types of tourism network information, integrates multi-types of data and methods, fully excavates the value information of tourism network information, constructs the research framework of “scenic spot assessment + scenic spot recommendation” from the perspective of network attention, analyzes the network attention characteristics of scenic spots, evaluates the performance of scenic spots, and implements scenic spot recommendation.
Originality/value
This paper integrates multi-source data and multidisciplinary theoretical methods to form a scenic spot research framework of “assessment + recommendation” from the perspective of network attention.
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