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The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relationships between acquirer size and performance outcomes of the different process of acquisition in the Chinese context and the moderating effect of political connections on the size-performance relationship.

Building upon agency theory, the paper examines the relationship between acquirer size and acquisition announcement returns to find whether the acquirer size effect exists in China. Moreover, the paper investigates whether large firms can perform better in the long run arising from scale economy. Finally, the paper examines the moderating effect of political connections on the size-performance relationship. Accounting for the complexity of political connections in China, the paper uses two methods to capture political connections.

The paper finds that acquirer size plays a significant negative role on announcement returns, suggesting that the acquirer size effect also exists in China. However, acquirer size has a significant positive impact on long-term performance, indicating that large acquirers perform better in the integration process. Although no evidence shows that political connections can bring some off-setting benefits to acquirer size effect argued by Humphery-Jenner and Powell (2014), political connections, indeed, have a positive effect on mergers and acquisitions (M&As) announcement returns.

The paper contributes to the corporate characteristic, political connections and M&A performance literature. Due to agency problem and scale economy, the effect of firm size on acquisition performance varies with the stage of M&A. Political connections can bring some benefits to M&A deals.

Green space is one of the main measures to alleviate urban heat islands (UHI). The transformation mechanism of daytime and nighttime scale sensitivity of vegetation coverage to reduce the UHI effect in a daily cycle has been unclear. As a result, we propose a scale sensitivity measurement algorithm to study the spatial and temporal response relationship between UHI and green coverage. Based on the scale theory of landscape ecology and the method of geostatistical analysis, we adopted ArcGIS, MATLAB, SPSS, and other data processing software as well as a large amount of measured and high-resolution satellite imagery data of Beijing and Tianjin to quantitatively study their spatial scale sensitivity and daily variation features of urban green spaces to reduce summer UHI. The results show that first, the green coverage rate and the UHI intensity experience positive and negative correlations during the daytime, and negative correlations at night. When the correlation coefficient is significant, there is a linear relationship between the UHI intensity and the core green rate. Second, the reduction of the UHI by green spaces displays spatial and temporal change scale sensitivity characteristics. The radius scale of daytime sensitivity is 15m, and the radius scale of nighttime sensitivity is 60m. The study's conclusion enriches the theoretical parameters of landscape ecological scales and patterns, and provides spatial and temporal scales for systematic planning of green space to reduce UHI.

The purpose of this paper is to find the problems in the establishment of Chinese digital publishing policies and regulations system.

The research is through analysis the digital publishing policies and regulations in China referring to digital publishing macro policies, e-book policies, digital music policies, network animated cartoon policies, network game policies, as well as through examining the legal system (law, administrative regulation, departmental rules, judicial interpretation) in China.

The paper concludes that the framework of this system should contain three layers, and Chinese digital publishing policies and regulations system will continue to be improved and digital publishing market will be standardized operation. The digital publishing industry policies, digital publishing resource policies, digital technology policies, copyright policies and personnel training policies need for further investigation and research.

Because of the coverage of digital publishing industry is so wide, the policies and regulations which the paper analyzed were not so comprehensive.

It can help the Chinese government make more comprehensive and rational policies and regulations for digital publishing industry and ensure the sustainable development of digital publishing industry.

The sound of digital publishing policies and regulations system could create a regular and healthful environment for social community participating spiritual creating and sharing.

The paper proposes that the government should first make clear the basic objectives of the digital publishing policies and regulations system in China and then determine the content of the system. It has a positive significance to promote the establishment the system of policies and regulations in China and can ensure the sustainable development of digital publishing industry.

Building information modeling (BIM) is a growing technology and methodology for project design in the construction industry. However, when the project design team designs with BIM in a free-form manner (without a qualified instructor), it is not clear how behavior or trust might develop among project team members, nor if there are variables that might influence the improvement of such collaboration.

A sample of 92 responses was obtained from managers of project design firms in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector. The questionnaire data were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

This paper provides an explanation, from a happiness management perspective, to reflect on the importance of establishing policies to enhance effective communication between project team members in BIM design, as it improves trust between team members and their collaborators, developing the overall satisfaction of all the agents involved in the project.

The researchers suggest that there is a gap in the literature on how effective communication influences the implementation of BIM methodology.

In this paper, the authors tested if promoting the workforce's happiness (through high performance work policies or HPWP) and well-being in European Public companies relates to their profitability (return on equity, ROE), market risk (beta) and stock price return. Also, the authors tested if investors have a performance benefit if they buy a portfolio screened with companies with HPWP.

The authors proxied the quality of the HPWP efforts in the first method with the Refinitiv workforce score. They used this data in an unbalanced panel of eastern, western, northern and southern Europe companies from 2011 to 2022. The panel data also included the ROE, the market risk (beta) and the stock price return of these companies. The authors estimated the corresponding regressions with the panel data and tested the relationship between the workforce score and these three variables. In a second method, they simulated the weekly performance of a portfolio that invested only in European companies with high standards in their HPWP and compared its performance against a conventional market portfolio (with no HPWP screening).

In the first method, the authors found no significant relationship between the workforce score and the ROE, beta, or stock price return in the panel regression, controlling for random effects. In the second one, they found no over or underperformance in the HPWP portfolio against the European market one in the second method.

The results suggest that there is no risk or cost for European Public companies and investors alike if they promote, with better HPWP, the happiness and well-being of their workforce. The findings suggest that if European companies promote HPWP, there will be no adverse impact on their profits, market risk, or stock price performance. Also, investors will not lose performance (against a conventional market portfolio) if they screen their portfolios with this type of workforce-friendly companies.

Increase the scarce literature on the test of the workforce score with company profitability (ROE), stock market price variation and stock market risk level.

Lean and Six Sigma are the two most powerful methodologies for process improvement. They have been widely employed in manufacturing and healthcare industries to achieve substantial cost savings and quality improvement. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma for improving logistics operations.

A survey was conducted among 410 companies registered under the Singapore Logistics Association and returned 32 usable responses. χ²-tests were used to identify factors affecting the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma.

It was found that 37.5 per cent of respondents had implemented Lean and the majority of them had implemented Six Sigma together. All implementing companies reported varying degrees of cost savings and productivity improvements. Large logistics companies are more likely to implement Lean and Six Sigma. Companies with a higher service standard are more likely to implement Six Sigma.

The survey was limited to Singapore. Future studies should explore a broader geographical coverage and improve the response rate.

Lean and Six Sigma are applicable for improving logistics operations. Senior management must be committed to support an implementation. Effective training and communications are required for overcoming resistance to change and helping employees to understand improvement methodologies and initiatives.

This research is the very first survey study of Lean and Six Sigma in the logistics industry. It reveals similarities and differences in comparison with the implementation of these methodologies in the manufacturing industry. The findings offer valuable insights for improving logistics operations.

This paper aims to propose a robust and efficient method for vanishing point detection in unstructured road scenes.

The proposed method includes two main stages: drivable region estimation and vanishing point detection. In drivable region estimation stage, the road image is segmented into a set of patches; then the drivable region is estimated by the patch-wise manifold ranking. In vanishing point detection stage, the LSD method is used to extract the straight lines; then a series of principles are proposed to remove the noise lines. Finally, the vanishing point is detected by a novel voting strategy.

The proposed method is validated on various unstructured road images collected from the real world. It is more robust and more efficient than the state-of-the-art method and the other three recent methods. Experimental results demonstrate that the detected vanishing point is practical for vision-sensor-based navigation in complex unstructured road scenes.

This paper proposes a patch-wise manifold ranking method to estimate the drivable region that contains most of the informative clues for vanishing point detection. Based on the removal of the noise lines through a series of principles, a novel voting strategy is proposed to detect the vanishing point.

Due to fierce competition in the mobile retailing market, it is desirable to identify the success factors driving consumers to reuse a mobile shopping application. This research intends to develop a model for mobile shopping app success by integrating an e-commerce systems success (ESS) model and sales promotion benefits and parasocial interaction literatures.

302 useable online questionnaires were obtained. The data analysis was conducted using the structural equation modelling.

The results indicate the validity of the ESS model in predicting consumers' reuse intention of mobile shopping apps where three quality dimensions of system, information and service facilitate both perceived value and user satisfaction, which in turn generates reuse intention. Furthermore, savings and entertainment denoting the utilitarian and hedonic sales promotion benefits have positive impact on perceived value but have no influence on satisfaction. Parasocial intention between consumers and sellers facilitates both value perception and satisfaction.

This research contributes to the mobile retailing literature by identifying the success factors driving consumers' continuance intention of mobile shopping apps. Theoretically, it validates and extends the ESS model in mobile shopping app context by identifying savings, entertainment and parasocial interaction as additional success factors. Based on the findings, two approaches are proposed to suggest mobile retailers design a successful mobile shopping app.

The purpose of this study is to create a value variation measurement model to define the relationship among various roles in resource management within a service system; and divide value creation into two states (i.e. cocreation and codestruction) and use them as crucial indicators for value variation by adopting the service-dominant logic and using the Markov switching model.

This study proposed that variations in value are similar to changes in economy because both are abstract, indefinable and not easy to identify. Therefore, this study used the Markov switching model to define the state of value through value cocreation and codestruction; analyze value variations in a service system; and provide a numerical evaluation method by using the concept of probability to depict state transitions. In addition, open data from the Kaohsiung City Government’s 1999 call center were collected to address the aforementioned research objectives. The 1999 call center (service provider) offers citizens (customers) efficient consultant services to help them solve problems regarding the city government’s affairs or policies. Thus, this call center can be considered a complex service system.

This study revealed that the call center can utilize the analysis results of the Markov switching model on answer rates to predict service quality patterns. In addition, most first call resolution rates occurred under State 1 (value cocreation). To address problems caused by accidental or rare events, the call center should formulate policies to increase people and technical resources and improve service system effectiveness.

Enterprises currently focus on catering to customers’ needs and offering services through comprehensive service procedures to sustainably generate multiple values for customers, helping them to create values. Previous studies have mostly focused on analyzing the values of a service system and have failed to extensively explore actual value variations. Thus, the value variation measurement model proposed in the present study was able to analyze value variations of a set of call center data and illustrate value variations by using state transitions.

Defining key artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is especially fundamental because AI applications involve the development of multiple technical fields and have the potential to generate numerous business opportunities in the future. However, most related studies have examined patent grants granted by or patent applications filed to major patent offices; few studies have employed the perspective of standard-essential patents (SEPs) from a holistic technical view. In addition, because few studies have explored the status signals of countries in relation to SEPs, the present study integrated “country” into the model and determined differences among countries in terms of their technological focus.

In this study, through patent technological network analysis in various periods, the author not only observed the focus fields of AI-related SEPs but also examined temporal trends to determine technical development trends.

This study identified technologies that have been key players in the SEP network in recent years; these technologies were centered on electric digital data processing, recognition of data and transmission of digital information. Moreover, many of these technologies have been applied in areas such as management and commerce and radio navigation. Furthermore, the USA plays a crucial role in the global development of AI technical network.

This study constructs a technical network model to identify key technologies and trends that can serve as a reference for national research and development resource allocation.