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This chapter reviews three main issues in the interactions between air transport and high-speed rail (HSR) in China, namely the interaction between low-cost carriers (LCCs) and HSR, HSR speed effect on airlines, and airline–HSR integration. Studies on these three aspects of airline–HSR interactions have yet been well reviewed, and our chapter aims to fill in this gap. In this chapter, we comprehensively survey literature on the topics, especially studies on Chinese markets that have recently witnessed major HSR developments (and have planned further large-scale HSR expansion in the coming years). Our review shows that, first, compared to full-service carriers, LCCs face fiercer competition from HSR. However, the expansion of HSR network in China can be better coordinated with LCC development. Second, HSR speed exerts two countervailing effects on airline demand and price (the “travel-time” effect and “safety” effect, respectively). Specifically, an HSR speed reduction can have a positive effect on airlines due to longer HSR travel time, but a negative effect on airlines due to improved perception on HSR safety. Third, airline–HSR integration can be implemented through cooperation between airlines and HSR operators and through co-location of airports and HSR stations and can have important implications for intermodal transport and social welfare.

Many FDI studies focus on the advantages that businesses can gain through internationalization and internalization. More recent research has indicated that such traditional theories or perspectives may not sufficiently explain the subsequent success or failure of a firm’s operation in a foreign country, because the advantages gained through FDIs could be greatly affected by their strategic management in the host country environment. This study focused on the issue of a firm’s resources on its subsidiary’s competitiveness in a foreign country. A survey was undertaken in China. All companies participating in the study were small and medium‐sized Singapore‐China joint ventures and Singaporean wholly owned enterprises in China. The findings indicated that the variance in a firm’s performance in a foreign country can be largely explained by the six dimensions of firm resources: (1) technological resources, (2) owner/top manager’s managerial skills and capabilities, (3) employee’s Guanxi skills, (4) employee’s professional/technical knowledge, (5) the firm’s internal relationships and, (6) the firm’s external relationships. Among these six dimensions, employees’ professional knowledge and Guanxi skills, as well as a firm’s internal and external relationships, are significant predictors of Singaporean SMEs’ success in China.

In this chapter, we will review the history, deregulation, policy reforms, and airline consolidations and mergers of the Chinese airline industry. The measurement of airline competition in China’s domestic market will also be discussed. Although air deregulation is still ongoing, the Chinese airline industry has become a market-driven business subject to some mild regulations. Then, we will review the impressive development of the high-speed rail (HSR) network in China and its effects on the domestic civil aviation market. In general, previous studies have found that the introduction of HSR services has a significant negative impact on airfare and air travel demand in China. The rapidly expanding network of HSR has important policy implications for Chinese airlines.

The purpose of this study was to synthesize composite nanoparticles (TiO₂@SiO₂) via the chemical deposition method and investigate their efficacy as additives in polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) lubricating grease. The focus was on examining the frictional and conductive properties of the TiO₂@SiO₂ grease using a friction tester.

Composite nanoparticles (TiO₂@SiO₂) were synthesized using the chemical deposition method and incorporated into PTFE grease. Frictional and conductive properties were evaluated using a friction tester. Surface morphology and chemical composition of wear tracks were analyzed using scanning electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively.

Incorporating TiO₂@SiO₂ at a mass fraction of 1 Wt.% led to a significant reduction in friction coefficient and wear width. The wear depth exhibited a remarkable decrease of 260%, while the contact resistance reached its peak value. This improvement in tribological properties could be attributed to the presence of TiO₂@SiO₂, where TiO₂ served as the core and SiO₂ as the shell during the friction process. The high hardness of the SiO₂ shell contributed to enhanced load-bearing capacity. In addition, the exceptional insulation properties of SiO₂ demonstrated excellent electron-capturing capabilities, resulting in improved friction and insulation performance of the TiO₂@SiO₂ lubricating grease.

This study demonstrates the potential of TiO₂@SiO₂ composite nanoparticles as additives in lubricating greases, offering improved friction and insulation performance. The findings provide insights into the design of advanced lubricating materials with enhanced tribological properties and insulation capacity, contributing to the development of more efficient and durable lubrication systems.

This paper reports on a critical literature review, which aimed to identify, understand and qualify barriers that hinder the release of open government data (OGD) in China. Moreover, the purpose of this paper is to develop and propose a theoretical framework, which can be adopted as a basis for empirical investigation in the future, and to articulate mitigating strategies.

This study adopted an inductive qualitative approach, retrieving 42 academic articles from three main Chinese academic databases: CNKI, Wanfang and CQVIP. A thematic analysis approach was employed for the literature analysis.

The literature analysis pointed to 15 barriers to the release of OGD in China. Furthermore, the barriers emerged in the following three main themes: institutional barriers, data integrity and quality barriers, and user participation barriers.

This paper reports on one of the early research efforts into the problems of releasing OGD in China. Although this study focusses on Chinese context and issues, the findings and lessons learnt can be shared across international borders.

This paper aims to investigate the anti-biocorrosion performance and mechanism of the Cu-bearing carbon steel in the environment containing sulfate-reducing bacterial (SRB).

The biocorrosion behavior of specimens with Cu concentration of 0 Wt.%, 0.1 Wt.%, 0.3 Wt.% and 0.6 Wt.% were investigated by immersion test in SRB solution. By examining the prepared cross-section of the biofilm using focused ion beam microscopy, SRB distribution, bacterial morphology, biofilm structure and composition were determined. The ion selectivity of the biofilm was also obtained by membrane potential measurement. Moreover, the anti-biocorrosion performance of the Cu-bearing carbon steel pipeline was tested in a shale gas field in Chongqing, China.

Both the results of the laboratory test and shale gas field test indicate that Cu-bearing carbon steel possesses obvious resistance to microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). The SRB, corrosion rate and pitting depth decreased dramatically with Cu concentration in the substrate. The local acidification caused by hydrolyze of ferric ion coming from SRB metabolism and furtherly aggravated by anion selectivity biofilm promoted the pitting corrosion. Anti-biocorrosion of Cu-bearing carbon steel was attributed to the accumulation of Cu compounds in the biofilm and the weaker anion selectivity of the biofilm. This research results provide an approach to the development of economical antibacterial metallic material.

MIC occurs extensively and has become one of the most frequent reasons for corrosion-induced failure in the oil and gas industry. In this study, Cu-bearing carbon steel was obtained by Cu addition in carbon steel and possessed excellent anti-biocorrosion property both in the laboratory and shale gas field. This study provides an approach to the development of an economical antibacterial carbon steel pipeline to resist MIC.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a research study that aims to establish a people capability framework to promote the sustainability agenda in facilities management (FM) practices.

Through a literature review, a range of factors relating to people capabilities in the context of sustainability endeavours is identified. A questionnaire survey of industry practitioners and statistical data analysis help prioritise these people capability factors and evaluate the role played by each factor in promoting sustainability in FM practices.

Twenty-three people capability factors are identified as significant to the promotion of sustainability measures in FM practices. Dealing with these factors effectively can provide a sound basis for equipping FM professionals with the necessary knowledge, information on training and educational needs and the right mindset to enhance the implementation of sustainability in FM practices.

The research shows the importance of capabilities and skills in the pursuit of sustainability in professional practice. In addition, it highlights specific areas for improvement in the FM sector.

The research links the importance of sustainability with the mindset and preparedness of FM practitioners. It emphasises people capabilities, in addition to technological advancement and financial implications, in the promotion of sustainability in the building industry.

Given that even modest increases in customer satisfaction and retention typically translate into significant gains in revenues and profits, many businesses are using the Internet to expand their reach, improve customer service and develop and maintain closer relationships with their customers. For example, customer relationship management (CRM) software enables marketers to offer online interactions that are customizable to the individual customer, allowing online marketers to better match their offerings and the online experience to consumers’ needs, wants and preferences, even in markets with millions of prospects and customers. Thus, a successful Web site can be instrumental in its impact on the marketing effectiveness of a firm and significantly add to the bottom line. Yet, in order to determine what constitutes a successful Web site, one must be able to understand how users perceive and utilize it. This paper presents the results of a survey conducted to assess consumer perceptions and preferences for commercial Web sites. To address the paucity of e‐commerce research undertaken in the Asia‐Pacific region, as compared to Western countries, the data were collected in Singapore. The attracting, informing, positioning, and delivering (AIPD) model provided the conceptual foundation for the research. Survey findings reveal that Singaporean consumers have distinct preferences when visiting commercial Web sites, ranking security and privacy as their most valued attributes, for example. In contrast, cross‐marketing, via banner advertising and affiliate programs, were least valued. Many other features of Web sites were evaluated. Managerial and research implications of the study are then discussed.

Grey modeling technique is an important element of grey system theory, and academic articles applied to agricultural science research have been published since 1985, proving the broad applicability and effectiveness of the technique from different aspects and providing a new means to solve agricultural science problems. The analysis of the connotation and trend of the application of grey modeling technique in agricultural science research contributes to the enrichment of grey technique and the development of agricultural science in multiple dimensions.

Based on the relevant literature selected from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Web of Science, SpiScholar and other databases in the past 37 years (1985–2021), this paper firstly applied the bibliometric method to quantitatively visualize and systematically analyze the trend of publication, productive author, productive institution, and highly cited literature. Then, the literature is combed by the application of different grey modeling techniques in agricultural science research, and the literature research progress is systematically analyzed.

The results show that grey model technology has broad prospects in the field of agricultural science research. Agricultural universities and research institutes are the main research forces in the application of grey model technology in agricultural science research, and have certain inheritance. The application of grey model technology in agricultural science research has wide applicability and precise practicability.

By analyzing and summarizing the application trend of grey model technology in agricultural science research, the research hotspot, research frontier and valuable research directions of grey model technology in agricultural science research can be more clearly grasped.

Forecasts of commodity prices are vital issues to market participants and policy makers. Those of corn are of no exception, considering its strategic importance. In the present study, the authors assess the forecast problem for the weekly wholesale price index of yellow corn in China during January 1, 2010–January 10, 2020 period.

The authors employ the nonlinear auto-regressive neural network as the forecast tool and evaluate forecast performance of different model settings over algorithms, delays, hidden neurons and data splitting ratios in arriving at the final model.

The final model is relatively simple and leads to accurate and stable results. Particularly, it generates relative root mean square errors of 1.05%, 1.08% and 1.03% for training, validation and testing, respectively.

Through the analysis, the study shows usefulness of the neural network technique for commodity price forecasts. The results might serve as technical forecasts on a standalone basis or be combined with other fundamental forecasts for perspectives of price trends and corresponding policy analysis.