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1 – 10 of 12Jiangnan Qiu, Wenjing Gu, Zhongming Ma, Yue You, Chengjie Cai and Meihui Zhang
In the extant research on online knowledge communities (OKCs), little attention has been paid to the influence of membership fluidity on the coevolution of the social and…
Abstract
Purpose
In the extant research on online knowledge communities (OKCs), little attention has been paid to the influence of membership fluidity on the coevolution of the social and knowledge systems. This article aims to fill this gap.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) framework, this paper constructs a simulation model to study the coevolution of these two systems under different levels of membership fluidity.
Findings
By analyzing the evolution of these systems with the vector autoregression (VAR) method, we find that social and knowledge systems become more orderly as the coevolution progresses. Furthermore, in communities with low membership fluidity, the microlevel of the social system (i.e. users) drives the coevolution, whereas in communities with high membership fluidity, the microlevel of the knowledge system (i.e. users' views) drives the coevolution.
Originality/value
This paper extends the application of the ASA framework and enriches the literature on membership fluidity of online communities and the literature on driving factors for coevolution of the social and knowledge systems in OKCs. On a practical level, our work suggests that community administrators should adopt different strategies for different membership fluidity to efficiently promote the coevolution of the social and knowledge systems in OKCs.
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Hong Zhang, Sheng Han, Wenjing Hu and Jiusheng Li
The purpose of this paper is to improve the properties of metal nanoparticles which are easy to agglomerate and hard to disperse evenly, thus limiting the application of metal…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to improve the properties of metal nanoparticles which are easy to agglomerate and hard to disperse evenly, thus limiting the application of metal nanoparticles in grease. A novel technology was proposed for modifying metal oxide to improve the dispersibility of nanoparticles.
Design/methodology/approach
SA-TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized using an in-situ esterification method followed by surface modification with stearic acid. The microstructure of the nanoparticles was characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and their thermal stability was evaluated by thermogravimetric analyzer. The tribological properties of the SA-TiO2 nanoparticles as additives in lithium grease were evaluated with a four-ball tester and TE77 reciprocating friction tester. The worn surfaces of the steel balls were investigated by EDS and XPS.
Findings
The prepared nanoparticles can be well dispersed in the lithium grease and possess much better tribological properties compared to traditional nanoparticles. The results indicated that the excellent tribological performance of SA-TiO2 was attributed to the chemical reaction film composing of Fe2O3, iron oxide and other organic compounds.
Originality/value
This paper provides a method to prevent the agglomeration of nano-TiO2 by surface modification with stearic acid. And the prepared nanoparticles can effectively improve the tribology performance of lithium grease.
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Jie Tang, Umair Akram and Wenjing Shi
Mobile Applications (App) privacy has become a prominent social problem. Compared with privacy concerns, this study examines a relatively novel concept of privacy fatigue and…
Abstract
Purpose
Mobile Applications (App) privacy has become a prominent social problem. Compared with privacy concerns, this study examines a relatively novel concept of privacy fatigue and explores its effect on the users’ intention to disclose their personal information via mobile Apps. In addition, the personality traits are proposed as antecedents that will induce the personal perception of privacy fatigue and privacy concerns differently.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 426 respondents. Structure equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings describe that App users’ intention toward personal information disclosure is determined by privacy fatigue and privacy concerns, but the former has a greater impact. With minor exceptions, the two factors are also influenced by different personality traits. Specifically, neuroticism has positive effects on privacy fatigue, but agreeableness and extraversion have presented the opposite results on the two variables.
Practical implications
This research is very scarce to examine the joint effects of privacy fatigue, privacy concerns and personality traits on App users’ disclosing intention. In doing so, these results will be of benefit to App providers and platform managers and can be the basis for a variety of follow-up studies.
Originality/value
While previous research just focuses on privacy concerns, this study explores the critical roles of privacy fatigue and opens up a new avenue of emotion-attitude analysis that can further increase the specificity and richness of users’ privacy research. Additionally, implications for personality traits as antecedents in the impact of App users’ privacy emotions and attitudes are discussed.
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Hongya Niu, Zhaoce Liu, Wei Hu, Wenjing Cheng, Mengren Li, Fanli Xue, Zhenxiao Wu, Jinxi Wang and Jingsen Fan
Severe airborne particulate pollution frequently occurs over the North China Plain (NCP) region in recent years. To better understand the characteristics of carbonaceous…
Abstract
Purpose
Severe airborne particulate pollution frequently occurs over the North China Plain (NCP) region in recent years. To better understand the characteristics of carbonaceous components in particulate matter (PM) over the NCP region.
Design/methodology/approach
PM samples were collected at a typical area affected by industrial emissions in Handan, in January 2016. The concentrations of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in PM of different size ranges (i.e. PM2.5, PM10 and TSP) were measured. The concentrations of secondary organic carbon (SOC) were estimated by the EC tracer method.
Findings
The results show that the concentration of OC ranged from 14.9 μg m−3 to 108.4 μg m−3, and that of EC ranged from 4.0 μg m−3 to 19.4μg m−3, when PM2.5 changed from 58.0μg m−3 to 251.1μg m−3 during haze days, and the carbonaceous aerosols most distributed in PM2.5 rather than large fraction. The concentrations of OC and EC PM2.5 correlated better (r = 0.7) than in PM2.5−10 and PM>10, implying that primary emissions were dominant sources of OC and EC in PM2.5. The mean ratios of OC/EC in PM2.5, PM2.5–10 and PM>10 were 4.4 ± 2.1, 3.6 ± 0.9 and 1.9 ± 0.7, respectively. Based on estimation, SOC accounted for 16.3%, 22.0% and 9.1% in PM2.5, PM2.5–10 and PM>10 respectively.
Originality/value
The ratio of SOC/OC (48.2%) in PM2.5 was higher in Handan than those (28%–32%) in other megacities, e.g. Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang in the NCP, suggesting that the formation of SOC contributed significantly to OC. The mean mass absorption efficiencies of EC (MACEC) in PM10 and TSP were 3.4 m2 g−1 (1.9–6.6 m2 g−1) and 2.9 m2 g−1 (1.6–5.6 m2 g−1), respectively, both of which had similar variation patterns to those of OC/EC and SOC/OC.
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Wenjing Chen, Bowen Zheng and Hefu Liu
Employee voice is crucial for organizations to identify problems and make timely adjustments. However, promoting voice in organizations is challenging. This study aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Employee voice is crucial for organizations to identify problems and make timely adjustments. However, promoting voice in organizations is challenging. This study aims to investigate how social media use (SMU) in the workplace affects employee voice by examining its intrinsic mechanisms and boundary conditions. Specifically, this study examines the mediating roles of social identifications and the moderating effects of job-social media fit on the relationship between SMU and social identifications.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted a survey of 348 employees in China.
Findings
First, SMU affects voice through social identifications. Second, distinct identifications have different effects on voice, such that organizational identification positively affects employee voice, while relational identification positively affects promotive voice and negatively affects prohibitive voice. Third, when social media is highly suitable for the job, the positive effect of work-related SMU on organizational identification is strengthened, while the positive effect of social-related SMU on organizational identification is weakened.
Originality/value
The results indicate that different identifications have distinct impacts on voice. Additionally, this study reveals a double-edged sword effect of SMU on voice through different social identifications. Further, job-social media fit moderates the relationship between SMU and social identifications. These findings have important implications for organizations adopting social media.
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Wenjing Li and Zhi Liu
In 2016, the Chinese central government decentralized the responsibilities of housing market regulation to the municipal level. This paper aims to assess whether the decentralized…
Abstract
Purpose
In 2016, the Chinese central government decentralized the responsibilities of housing market regulation to the municipal level. This paper aims to assess whether the decentralized market regulation is effective.
Design/methodology/approach
This study first investigates the fundamental drivers of urban housing prices in China. Taking into consideration the factors driving housing prices, the authors further investigate the effectiveness of decentralized housing market regulation by a pre- and post-policy comparison test using a panel data set of 35 major cities for the years from 2014 to 2019.
Findings
The results reveal heterogenous policy effects on housing price growth among cities with a one-year lag in effectiveness. With the decentralized housing market regulation, cities with fast price growth are incentivized to implement tightening measures, while cities with relatively low housing prices and slow price growth are more likely to do nothing or deregulate the markets. The findings indicate that the shift from a centralized housing market regulation to a decentralized one is more appropriate and effective for the individual cities.
Originality/value
Few policy evaluation studies have been done to examine the effects of decentralized housing market regulation on the performance of urban housing markets in China. The authors devise a methodology to conduct a policy evaluation that is important to inform public policy and decisions. This study helps enhance the understanding of the fundamental factors in China’s urban housing markets and the effectiveness of municipal government interventions.
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William D. Hunsaker and Wenjing Ding
The purpose of this study is to explore the role of employee flourishing as a mechanism to explain the relationship between workplace spirituality and employees' innovative work…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the role of employee flourishing as a mechanism to explain the relationship between workplace spirituality and employees' innovative work behavior (IWB). Furthermore, this study investigates how the relationship between workplace spirituality and innovative behavior is moderated by employees' perceived workplace satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression analysis, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 236 millennial workers in China's service and manufacturing industries.
Findings
The research findings confirmed that workplace spirituality positively predicted the innovative behavior of employees; furthermore, employee flourishing and workplace satisfaction mediated and moderated the relationship between workplace spirituality and employee innovation, respectively.
Practical implications
This study's findings suggest that workplace spirituality unlocks employees' innovative behavior through a heightened sense of flourishing and enhanced sense of workplace satisfaction. Organizations are advised to foster a climate conducive of workplace spirituality by developing mutually aligned values. Moreover, organizations are advised to train leaders on workplace spirituality dimensions and foster workplace practices that facilitate self-reflection, job crafting and team building, as a means of broadening employees' emotional states and workplace satisfaction.
Originality/value
Few studies have examined the mechanisms that shape employees' innovative behavior through workplace spirituality. This study fills several research gaps by extending the theoretical implications of workplace spirituality and employee flourishing, as demonstrated by the multi-faceted role these variables play in motivating employees' innovative behavior among Chinese millennials. Additionally, this study demonstrates that higher levels of workplace satisfaction contribute to higher levels of innovative behavior.
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Haiyan Deng and Ruifa Hu
The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese consumers’ attitudes toward genetically modified (GM) foods and the impact that consumers’ trust in different actors – GM…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese consumers’ attitudes toward genetically modified (GM) foods and the impact that consumers’ trust in different actors – GM scientists, non-GM scientists or individuals, the government and the media, has on their attitudes.
Design/methodology/approach
Consumers in Beijing were surveyed about their attitudes toward GM foods and their trust in different actors. The surveys were conducted from June to July of 2015. The sample size is 1,460 people. Given the potential endogeneity of trust variable, bivariate probit models are employed to estimate the impact of trust in different actors on consumers’ attitudes.
Findings
The results show that 55 percent of the Chinese consumers are opposed to GM foods and nearly 60 percent do not trust GM scientists. In total, 42 percent of Chinese consumers trust in the government and 39 percent trust the non-GM scientists or individuals. Around 35 percent of consumers believe the misinformation on GM technology that were provided by the media. Trust in the GM scientists and trust in the government have a significant positive impact on consumers’ acceptance of GM foods while trust in the non-GM scientists or individuals and believing the misinformation have a significant negative effect on the acceptance. Nearly 70 percent of Chinese consumers acquired information about GM food safety from the internet or via WeChat. Consumers who acquired GM technology information from the internet or via WeChat are less likely to embrace GM foods than those who obtain information from other sources.
Originality/value
Consumer trust plays a crucial role to accept biotech products in the market and it is crucial for producers, policy makers and consumers to have faith in new biotech products. The results of this study suggest that the government and GM scientists should make more effort to gain the trust and support of consumers, while the media should provide objective reports on GM products based on scientific evidence.
Min Zhang, Cheng Hu, Jingwei Gao and Peng Zheng
Suspension is a significantly important component for automotive and railway vehicles. Regenerative hydraulic-electric shock absorbers (RHSA) have been proposed for the purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Suspension is a significantly important component for automotive and railway vehicles. Regenerative hydraulic-electric shock absorbers (RHSA) have been proposed for the purpose of attenuating vibration of vehicle suspension, and also recover kinetic energy originated from vehicle vibration that is conventionally dissipated by hydraulic dampers. To advance the technology, the paper aims to present an RHSA system for heavy-duty and railway vehicles and create a dynamic modelling to discuss on the development process of RHSA model.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the development of RHSA dynamic model can be resolved into three stage models (an ideal one, a second one with an added accumulator and a third one that considers both accumulator and system losses) to comprehensively evaluate the RHSA's characterisation. Second, a prototype is fabricated for testing and the results meet desired agreements between simulation and measurement. Finally, the study of key parameters is carried out to investigate the influences of hydraulic-cylinder size, hydraulic-motor displacement and accumulator pre-charged pressure on the RHSA system.
Findings
The findings of sensitivity analysis indicate that the component design can satisfy the damping characteristics and power performance required for heavy-duty vehicle, freight wagon and typical passenger train. The results also show that reducing the losses is highly beneficial for saving suspension energy, improving system reliability and increasing power-conversion efficiency.
Originality/value
The paper presents a more detailed method for the development and analysis of a RHSA. Compared with the typical shock absorbers, RHSA can also recover the vibration energy dissipated by suspension.
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