Search results

Global climate change characterized by an increase in temperature has become the focus of attention all over the world. China is a sensitive and significant area of global climate change. This paper specifically aims to examine the association between agricultural productivity and the climate change by using China’s provincial agricultural input–output data from 2000 to 2019 and the climatic data of the ground meteorological stations.

The authors used the three-stage spatial Durbin model (SDM) model and entropy method for analysis of collected data; further, the authors also empirically tested the climate change marginal effect on agricultural productivity by using ordinary least square and SDM approaches.

The results revealed that climate change has a significant negative effect on agricultural productivity, which showed significance in robustness tests, including index replacement, quantile regression and tail reduction. The results of this study also indicated that by subdividing the climatic factors, annual precipitation had no significant impact on the growth of agricultural productivity; further, other climatic variables, including wind speed and temperature, had a substantial adverse effect on agricultural productivity. The heterogeneity test showed that climatic changes ominously hinder agricultural productivity growth only in the western region of China, and in the eastern and central regions, climate change had no effect.

The findings of this study highlight the importance of various social connections of farm households in designing policies to improve their responses to climate change and expand land productivity in different regions. The study also provides a hypothetical approach to prioritize developing regions that need proper attention to improve crop productivity.

The paper explores the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity by using the climatic data of China. Empirical evidence previously missing in the body of knowledge will support governments and researchers to establish a mechanism to improve climate change mitigation tools in China.

Shared decision making (SDM) prioritises joint deliberation between practitioner and service user, and a respect for service-users’ experiential knowledge, values and preferences. The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature pertaining to key stakeholders’ attitudes towards SDM in mental health. It examines whether perceived barriers and facilitators differ by group (e.g. service user, psychiatrist, nurse and social worker) and includes views of what facilitates and hinders the process for service users and practitioners.

This review adopts the principles of a qualitative research synthesis. A key word search of research published between 1990 and 2016 was undertaken. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies were included.

In total, 43 papers were included and several themes identified for service user and practitioner perspectives. Both practitioners and service users see SDM as an ethical imperative, and both groups highlight the need to be flexible in implementing SDM, suggesting it is context dependent. A range of challenges and barriers are presented by both practitioners and service users reflecting complex contextual and cultural features within which interactions in mental health take place. There were qualitative differences in what service users and practitioners describe as preventing or enabling SDM. The differences highlighted point towards different challenges and priorities in SDM for service users and practitioners.

The presentation of nuanced views and attitudes that practitioners and service users hold represent an important and under reported area and offer insight into the reasons for the gap between idealised policy and actual practice of SDM in mental health settings.

Companies operating on the internet need appropriate metrics to make strategic marketing decisions. This paper applies established qualitative research methods to the online environment to evaluate how web managers generate and incorporate web metrics to inform strategic marketing decisions.

Initial theories were developed using a comprehensive literature review as well as exploratory interviews with New Zealand companies. Applying a mixed methodology, the exploratory research used interviews to assess current practice within the industry, refine the research questions and set up the research design. An in‐depth case study in the USA evaluated best practices and highlighted issues that affect the use of web metrics. The main data collection utilized case studies to generate the in‐depth information necessary for theory building.

The exploratory results showed that companies currently measure web site performance and consumer behaviour online but are still uncertain how best to use those metrics to inform strategic marketing decisions. The in‐depth case study showed how web metrics can be used when sufficient resources are available and measuring performance is a priority. Owing to the initially recognized low level of web metrics use, the main research was expanded purposively to selected participants who make greater use of web metrics.

This paper applies traditional qualitative research methods to the online environment. Analysis of the case studies and continued research will address the research gap and provide recommendations to web managers as well as attempt to illustrate best practices, solutions to issues and industry benchmarks.

This paper aims to create a mapping of competitive advantage of nations (CAN) from research using some previous studies and recommend future research.

This paper applies a systematic literature review on the most recent studies of CAN. The research gap is analysed based on several categories: implication (strategy and policy, portrait); general characteristics (fundamental issues, indicators and patterns); solution methodology and strategic level (nation and industry). Then, the state-of-the-art analysis is used to develop future research.

The results of this study recommend future research of CAN based on the following CAN categories: implication (strategy and policy, portrait); general characteristics (fundamental issues, indicators and patterns); solution methodology and strategic level (nation and industry).

This literature review has important implications and gives direction for research and teaching, as well as for further investigation of CAN. The limitation lies in the classification of patterns, which requires further study to avoid the ambiguity of grouping.

This is the first literature review about CAN using categories. It is of value in building future research of CAN in different industries and nations.

This study investigates how the degree of internationalization (DOI) affects the financial performance of emerging market companies by making the distinction between export intensity and multinationality (i.e. foreign direct investment). The authors argue that the different DOI-performance patterns in the literature relate to different internationalization approaches, which are moderated in distinct ways by formal institutions in the home country.

Based on data of Brazilian firms in several industries and with different internationalization patterns including 100 exporting firms and 30 multinational companies with varying degrees of multinationality over a period of five consecutive years, the authors test their hypotheses using an unbalanced panel data with 346 firm-year observations. In order to test how the quality of formal institutions moderate the DOI-performance relationships, the authors estimate the changes in the slope of the regression line by adding and subtracting one standard deviation to the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) variables.

A positive and linear association between export intensity-performance (EI-P) highlights the location specific comparative advantages of exporting Brazilian firms, while the multinationality-performance (M-P) relationship points to a horizontal S-shape pattern which conforms to the theoretical assumptions of the three-stage internationalization process. Formal institutions moderate positively the EI-P relationship, but moderate negatively each of the three stages of the M-P relationship.

The findings from this study provide critical insights that contribute to the ongoing debate on how formal institutions in the home country affect the DOI-performance relationship of emerging market companies (EMCs). However, the authors consider that it has limitations as they focused exclusively on formal institutions captured by governance institutions in the Brazilian context.

This study provides relevant insights to managers and policy makers. Findings reveal that strong formal institutions in the home country make it easier (cheaper) for EMCs to invest abroad, and, at the same time, increase the efficiency of exporting firms and positively influence financial performance. Moreover, results show that during downturns in their domestic markets, multinational EMCs outperform domestic firms. In that sense, while policy makers can promote the internationalization and competitiveness of EMCs by implementing more supportive formal institutions, managers should consider a proactive approach and invest abroad when conditions in the home country are favorable.

By making the distinction between export intensity and multinationality this study contributes to the literature on the DOI-performance of EMCs providing a more nuanced view on how formal institutions in the home country moderate the EI-P and M-P relationships in different ways.

The paper aims to examine the digital economy's influence on China's regional innovation and development. It focuses on direct effects and spatial spillover across regions, and the mediating role of human capital. This analysis is vital for policy and strategic planning in the digital era.

This study uses panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (2004–2019) and uses the entropy method to quantify the digital economy's development. It investigates its impact on regional innovation using a dynamic spatial Durbin model (SDM) and mediation effect model, assessing direct effects, spatial spillover and human capital's mediating role. Various control variables are included for comprehensive analysis.

Findings show the digital economy significantly boosts regional innovation, acting as a growth driver. However, impacts vary regionally, with the central region gaining more than the eastern and western areas. Spatial spillover effects are mixed, showing negative short-term and positive long-term impacts under different weight matrices. Human capital is crucial for fostering innovation through the digital economy.

The paper offers unique insights into the spatial dynamics of the digital economy's impact on regional innovation in China. It advances understanding of the digital economy's role in regional development using innovative methods like the entropy method and dynamic SDM. Highlighting human capital as a key mediating factor enriches discussions on digital economy strategies for regional innovation.

As an important engine of economic growth, the digital economy is bringing new opportunities for the promotion of entrepreneurship. However, key questions regarding the extent of the effect of the digital economy on entrepreneurship remain unanswered. This study examines how the digital economy influences entrepreneurship in China using provincial data from 2011–2020, applying convergence tests and spatial econometric models.

Based on theoretical analysis and using macro provincial data covering the period of 2011–2020, we adopt a diversified empirical analytical method and apply a combination of the convergence trend test, spatial auto correlation test, and spatial Durbin model to test the research hypotheses.

First, there is spatial correlation between the digital economy and entrepreneurship. Second, the overall trend of China’s digital economy shows s convergence, with the whole country and the eastern region showing absolute β convergence and the whole country as well as the central and western regions showing β conditional convergence. Third, the digital economy can significantly promote entrepreneurship and has spatial spillover effects. Moreover, higher education has a negative moderating effect on the process of digital economy empowering entrepreneurship.

Studying the spatially correlated impacts of the digital economy on entrepreneurship enhances our understanding of its contribution to economic growth. Policy-makers can use these findings to develop targeted digital infrastructure investments in lagging provinces, guide entrepreneurs to better grasp the opportunities of the digital economy, and provide support for innovation and entrepreneurship. The findings also could offer Chinese experience that can be used to guide developing countries in utilizing the digital economy to enable entrepreneurship.

This paper expands and enriches the analytical focus on digital economy-empowered entrepreneurship and complements the current theoretical research on the moderating effect of the digital economy in empowering entrepreneurship.

Implementing blockchain in sustainable development goals (SDGs) and environmental, social and governance (ESG)-aligned infrastructure development involves intricate strategic factors. Despite technological advancements, a significant research gap persists, particularly in emerging economies. This study aims to address the challenges related to SDGs and ESG objectives during infrastructure delivery remain problematic, identifying and evaluating critical strategic factors for successful blockchain implementation.

This study employs a three-stage methodology. Initially, 13 strategic factors are identified through a literature review and validated by conducting semi-structured interviews with six experts. In the second stage, the data were collected from nine additional experts. In the final stage, the collected data undergoes analysis using interpretive structural modeling (ISM)–cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC), aiming to identify and evaluate the independent and dependent powers of strategic factors driving blockchain implementation in infrastructure development for SDGs and ESG objectives.

The study’s findings highlight three significant independent factors crucial for successfully integrating blockchain technology (BT) into infrastructure development for SDGs and ESG goals: data security (F4), identity management (F8) and supply chain management (F7). The study unravels these factors, hierarchical relationships and dependencies by applying the MICMAC and ISM techniques, emphasizing their interconnectedness.

This study highlights critical strategic factors for successful blockchain integration in SDG and ESG-aligned infrastructure development, offering insights for policymakers and practitioners while emphasizing the importance of training and infrastructure support in advancing sustainable practices.

This paper reviews the various technologies available for rapid prototyping including stereolithography, selective laser sintering, laminated object manufacturing, fused deposition modelling, multi‐jet modelling, three‐dimensional printing. It also covers surface roughness considerations and mechanical properties including dimensional accuracy and compares costs of various systems and general trends in equipment performance.

As the globalization of business activities broadens and diversifies logistics operations, many logistics managers have found themselves challenged by extreme complexities and uncertainties. Consequently, planning and control of multinational firms (MNFs) have become onerous due to the multiplicity of international decision environments. Perhaps the most effective way of coping with such challenges is to utilize an integrated decision support system (IDSS) linking world‐wide communication and distribution networks among the parent company, its foreign business partners and third‐party logisticians. In response to such a need, provides important guidelines for the design and development of an integrated DSS that helps the multinational firm centrally to control and co‐ordinate international transfers.