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The timeliness and quality of information provided to board members are crucial for them to effectively monitor and advise a firm. This study examines the influence of board composition and structure on (1) the board’s actions to mitigate the information asymmetry problem by implementing enterprise information systems (EIS) and (2) the board of directors’ awareness of information asymmetry, their perception of its causes and their efforts to address it.

Our research employs a mixed-methods approach. First, using data from 115 publicly listed Chinese companies, we empirically assess the likelihood of top-level EIS modules adoption at the firm level. Subsequently, through 23 semi-structured interviews, we aim to gain deeper insights into the behavioral motivations behind directors’ attempts to reduce information asymmetry.

The study reveals that boards with a higher number of independent directors or with a strategy committee – indicative of a greater concern regarding information asymmetry problems – are more inclined to adopt top-level EIS modules. Additionally, we identify three primary sources of information asymmetry that directors consider significant in prompting the adoption of top-level EIS modules to alleviate perceived information asymmetry.

This study contributes to both the corporate governance and information systems literature. The implementation and utilization of EIS at the board level have not been extensively explored previously. Moreover, while the issue of information asymmetry at the board level is recognized as a critical governance challenge, the ways in which directors perceive and address this issue remain largely unknown. Our research seeks to illuminate this relatively less-explored area.

This study investigates the relationship between child gender and a CEO’s top management hiring decisions.

Hypotheses were tested using secondary data on 121 S&P 500 male CEOs, their children, and their top management teams.

Results indicate that child gender is associated with a male CEO’s TMT hiring decisions. Specifically, we find that male CEOs with only daughters were significantly more likely to hire women to their TMTs than male CEOs with only sons and those with both sons and daughters.

This study provides evidence for the roles of familiarity, learning, and empathy in reducing gender biases in selection decisions. Top management hiring decisions have wide implications for organizational settings in general and for the breaking of the glass ceiling in particular.

Reducing gender bias in top manager hiring decisions directly relates to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 of achieving gender equality as women are consistently under-represented at the top of organizations across the world.

By focusing on the hiring of top managers, this study includes hiring decisions that directly impact firm operations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between child gender and executive hiring decisions with a US S&P 500 sample.

Surface quality and porosity significantly influence the structural and functional properties of the final product. This study aims to establish and explain the underlying relationships among processing parameters, top surface roughness and porosity level in additively manufactured 316L stainless steel.

A systematic variation of printing process parameters was conducted to print cubic samples based on laser power, speed and their combinations of energy density. Melt pool morphologies and dimensions, surface roughness quantified by arithmetic mean height (Sa) and porosity levels were characterized via optical confocal microscopy.

The study reveals that the laser power required to achieve optimal top surface quality increases with the volumetric energy density (VED) levels. A smooth top surface (Sa < 15 µm) or a rough surface with humps at high VEDs (VED > 133.3 J/mm³) can serve as indicators for fully dense bulk samples, while rough top surfaces resulting from melt pool discontinuity correlate with high porosity levels. Under insufficient VED, melt pool discontinuity dominates the top surface. At high VEDs, surface quality improves with increased power as mitigation of melt pool discontinuity, followed by the deterioration with hump formation.

This study reveals and summarizes the formation mechanism of dominant features on top surface features and offers a potential method to predict the porosity by observing the top surface features with consideration of processing conditions.

This study focuses on the CFD numerical simulation and analysis of the vortex stacking problem at the top of the impeller of a high-speed fuel pump, mainly using LCS and entropy production theory to visualize the vortex at the top of the impeller as well as quantitatively analyzing the energy loss caused by the vortex at the top of the impeller. By combining the two methods, the two are well verified with each other that the stacking problem of the vortex at the top of the impeller and the location of the energy loss caused by the vortex are consistent with the vortex location. Such a method can reveal the problem of vortex buildup at the top of the lobe well, and provide a novel guidance idea for improving the performance of high-speed fuel pumps.

Based on CFD numerical simulation and analysis, this study mainly uses LCS and entropy production theory to visualize the top vortex of the impeller. Through the combination of the two methods, the accumulation problem of the top vortex of the impeller and the location of the energy loss caused by the vortex can be well revealed.

(1) The CFD numerical simulation analysis of the high-speed fuel pump is carried out, and the test is conducted to verify the numerical simulation results. The inlet and outlet pressure difference? P is used as the validation index, and the error analysis shows that the error between numerical simulation and test results is within 10%, which meets our requirements. Therefore, we carry out the next analysis with the help of CFD numerical simulation. By analyzing the full working condition simulation, its inlet and outlet differential pressure? P and efficiency? Are evaluated. It is found that its differential pressure decreases with the flow rate and its efficiency reaches its maximum at Qv = 9.87 L/s with a maximum efficiency of 78.32%. (2) We used the LCS in the analysis of vortices at the top of the impeller blades of a high-speed fuel pump. One of the metrics used to describe the LCS in fluid dynamics is the FTLE. The high FTLE region represents the region with the highest and fastest particle trajectory stretching velocity in the fluid flow. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the FTLE field on the different height surfaces of the impeller on 25% Plane, 50% Plane, and 75% Plane, respectively. And a quarter turn of the rotor rotation was analyzed as a cycle divided into 8 moments. It is found that on 25% Plane, the vortex at the top of the lobe is not obvious, but there are high FTLE values on the shroud surface. On 50% Plane, the lobe top vortex is relatively obvious and the number of vortices is three. The vortex pattern remains stable with the rotating motion of the rotor. At 75% Plane, the lobe top vortex is more visible and its number of vortices increases to about 5 and the vortex morphology is relatively stable. The FTLE ridges visualize the vortex profile. This is a good guide for fluid dynamics analysis. (3) At the same time, we use the entropy production theory to quantitatively analyze the energy loss, and define the entropy production rate Ep. Through the entropy production analysis of the impeller shroud surface and the suction surface of the pressure surface of the blades at eight moments, we find that the areas of high energy loss are mainly concentrated in the leading and trailing edges of the blades as well as in the shroud surface close to the leading edge of the blades, and the value of the entropy production rate is up to 106 W/m3/K. The areas of high energy loss in the leading edge of the blades as well as the trailing edge show a curved arc, and the energy loss is decreasing as it moves away from the shroud surface and closer to the hub surface. The high energy loss areas at the leading and trailing edges of the blades are curved, and the energy loss decreases as they move away from the shroud surface and closer to the hub surface. The energy loss at the pressure surface of the blade is relatively small, about 5 × 105 W/m3/K, which is mainly concentrated near the leading edge of the blade near the shroud surface and the trailing edge of the blade near the hub surface. Such energy loss corresponds to the vortex LCS at the top of the impeller, and the two mirror each other.

This study focuses on the CFD numerical simulation and analysis of the vortex stacking problem at the top of the impeller of a high-speed fuel pump, mainly using LCS and entropy production theory to visualize the vortex at the top of the impeller as well as quantitatively analyzing the energy loss caused by the vortex at the top of the impeller. By combining the two methods, the two are well verified with each other that the stacking problem of the vortex at the top of the impeller and the location of the energy loss caused by the vortex are consistent with the vortex location. Such a method can reveal the problem of vortex buildup at the top of the lobe well, and provide a novel guidance idea for improving the performance of high-speed fuel pumps.

In this article, the authors examine the incidence of market orientation of Nigerian and Kenyan firms by focusing on the role of top managers. It is argued that top management’s emphasis on market orientation provides insight into how marginal conditions impact on the applicability of market orientation philosophy in sub‐Saharan African countries. The results suggest that although the level of top management’s emphasis on market orientation is only marginal in these countries, it is likely to increase with the perceived level of competition, the prevalence of a buyer’s market environment and the privatization of the firm. In addition, top managers’ emphasis on market orientation has the strongest influence on the development of market orientation after the presence of international firms and private firms. The results also suggest the importance of understanding the role of top managers in the development of market orientation in Nigeria, Kenya, and other sub‐Saharan African countries.

The objective hand evaluation of the top sheet materials used for disposable diapers has been investigated, with consideration given to aspects of both dermatitis and comfort. The objective hand evaluation system for men's suiting has been applied to assess the hand of top sheet nonwovens. The subjective hand of the top sheet nonwovens, separated from the disposable diaper product, was assessed by female students. It became clear that the hand of the top sheet nonwovens could be predicted by the equation developed for men's suiting, for which the calculated error was within the range of the standard deviation of the subjective hand value of each product. The correlations between the hand quality of the diaper and the mechanical properties of its top sheet nonwoven were also examined. The diapers with high total hand value (THV) of their top sheet nonwovens were estimated to have good hand under both dry and wet conditions.

Presents an original top management team‐based approach to management competences. Based on the results of a survey of thousands of top executives across Europe and many years of in‐depth consultancy and research with top executives, presents a practical guide to the key top management team competences identified by top executives as essential to success and to the impact of poor performance in these key competence areas. Additionally, presents the results in a cross‐cultural framework and outlines the need, in an international business environment, for a heightened understanding of the impact of cultural differences in management behaviour, performance, and expectations. Also considers the management development implications of the findings.

Drawing on media richness theory and a framework of interpersonal communication goals, this study investigates how and why the IT industry's top managers use communication media to achieve their interaction goals in e-leadership.

A qualitative research approach is applied to understand top managers' communication media use and interaction goals. The empirical data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 33 top managers from large IT companies and analysed using theory-guided thematic and ideal-type analyses.

Top managers were categorized into three types, based on their communication goals through face-to-face communication. Relationship-oriented top managers pursued relational and communal goals, whereas task-oriented ones wished to achieve instrumental and communal goals. Task- and relationship-oriented top managers pursued relational, instrumental, and communal goals. This study indicates that communal, instrumental, relational, and self-presentational goals influence managers' communication media selection.

This study brings new knowledge to the management communication research field. It expands the framework of interpersonal communication goals by identifying communal goals as a new category, in addition to existing instrumental, relational and self-presentational goals. This study suggests that media richness theory could be advanced by recognizing that a broader set of communication goals – including communal, instrumental, relational, and self-presentational – influences managers' communication media selection.

This study aimed to analyze top management commitment to business performance in the context of coffee processing firms in Guji Zone, Ethiopia.

The study was conducted on coffee processing firms in Guji Zone, Ethiopia, using a mixed approach with a descriptive and explanatory design. A systematic, simple random sampling technique was used to draw a sample. A total of 345 respondents were actively involved in the survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyze the data through SPSS-20.

The results indicate that members of top management in the sector were committed to promoting their business performance. The findings of the study also reveal that top management commitment has significant and positive effects on the overall business performance of coffee processing firms.

The study was limited to the coffee processing industry and generalization of the results to other sectors may be questionable. Similarly, the study was presented using primary data only. Thus, future researchers will be advised to strengthen their findings using the secondary data.

The study’s implications have contributed to theoretical, practical and managerial perspectives. The findings validate and refine existing theories, provide practical insights for coffee processing firms and offer guidance for managerial decision-making and leadership development.

Up to the time of the authors' literature review, no study with a similar topic on coffee processing firms in the Guji Zone was found and it is believed to be the first literature evidence for future researchers.

Top management support is recognized as the most critical factor for the success of large information system (IS) projects. However, getting this support is often difficult, because top management has multiple priorities and one has to compete with others to obtain such support. Political maneuvering is thus an integral and necessary part of the process of obtaining top management support. In this chapter the authors review current research on this topic and organize and synthesize our findings into a framework. The authors then propose four specific strategies which can be used to obtain top management support, including the following: (1) social capital, (2) social engagement, (3) rational persuasion, and (4) exchange strategies. While the authors argue that all four strategies should be applied, the specific circumstances in which they should be applied vary. A two-stage process is proposed that identifies the appropriate criteria for determining the most appropriate strategy. The criteria are: (1) the type of top management support needed (i.e., durable vs immediate) and (2) the level of top management-project team trust (i.e., high vs low).