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1 – 10 of 36
Article
Publication date: 9 April 2020

Xiaolei Zhang, Katalien Bollen and Martin Euwema

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relations between peacemaking at work and peacemaking at home. Peacemaking is defined as voluntarily helping behavior in interpersonal…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relations between peacemaking at work and peacemaking at home. Peacemaking is defined as voluntarily helping behavior in interpersonal conflict, by a person who has no formal authority over the conflicting parties, acts impartial and works with either one or more parties to solve the conflict constructively (Zhang et al., 2018).

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 639 participants engaged in a survey to measure their peacemaking behavior at work and at home. First, the peacemaking scale is validated using factor analysis. To test the hypotheses regression analysis is conducted.

Findings

Results show that peacemaking at work and at home are positively-related. Further, compared to peacemaking at work, people tend to be more often engaged in peacemaking at home; are more focused on settling the issues, provide more emotional support and use more humor, however, are less multi-partial.

Research limitations/implications

Although based on self-reports, the results regarding the positive relation between peacemaking at work and at home may be enlightening in human resource management such as personnel selection.

Originality/value

The study provides the first theory-based instrument to measure peacemaking as informal helping behavior in interpersonal conflict, at work and at home. Five components are measured, namely, peacemaking in general, multi-partiality, settlement-oriented, emotion-oriented and humorous peacemaking behaviors.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 31 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 September 2022

Xiaolei Zhang, Katalien Bollen, Kaiping Peng and Martin C. Euwema

This study aims to investigate the relationship between personality, gender and interpersonal peacemaking. Peacemaking is considered as voluntary behavior of team members to help…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the relationship between personality, gender and interpersonal peacemaking. Peacemaking is considered as voluntary behavior of team members to help conflicting peers in an impartial way, to find an amicable solution. This study tests the relation between the Big Five personality dimensions, gender and five different components of interpersonal peacemaking (general involvement in peacemaking, multipartiality, focus of finding solutions, emotional support and the use of humor).

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 503 participants filled out a survey assessing their personality and peacemaking behavior at work. To test the hypotheses, this study conducted structural equation modeling in AMOS 22.0.

Findings

In line with expectations, openness, extraversion and agreeableness related positively to most peacemaking components, while conscientiousness and neuroticism related negatively to the use of humor and peacemakers’ multipartiality, respectively; comparing men and women, women engage more often in peacemaking in general and in emotional support, and use less humor than men. Results also showed that these gender differences are partially mediated by agreeableness being higher for women.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies exploring the relationship between personality (Big Five), gender and different aspects of interpersonal peacemaking. Peacemaking is an important, however understudied, behavior in teams and part of OCB. The promotion of peacemaking contributes to team effectiveness.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 33 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 May 2022

Dongjun Lv, Xiaolei Zhang, Guocheng Gao, Jing Tang, Zilong Zhang, Yihui Liu, Ran Wang and LeiFang Liu

The purpose of this study was the preparation of a poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)-g-polyetheramine (SMA-g-PEA) hyperdispersant that reduces the viscosity of the system and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was the preparation of a poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)-g-polyetheramine (SMA-g-PEA) hyperdispersant that reduces the viscosity of the system and improves the colouring intensities of pigments.

Design/methodology/approach

PEA of specific quality was dissolved in propylene glycol methyl ether. SMA was then added according to the required mass ratio. The solution was refluxed for 10 h under a stream of protective N2. The prepared hyperdispersant was then characterised by Fourier-transform infrared, UV–visible and 1H NMR spectroscopies, gel-permeation chromatography and thermogravimetry.

Findings

PEA was successfully grafted onto the SMA polymer and the synthesised product was found to be thermally stable. The copolymer with a 6:1 mass ratio is the best dispersant and was used to disperse carbon black, phthalocyanine blue and permanent violet in water-based systems, which helps to improve the application performance of each pigment by reducing the viscosity of the system and improving the colouring intensity of the pigment. The water dispersion is stable and does not exhibit an increase in viscosity after seven days of oven aging at 50°C.

Originality/value

SMA-g-PEA water-based hyperdispersants were successfully synthesised. The prepared hyperdispersants help to improve the application performance of each studied pigment by reducing the viscosity of the system and improving the colouring intensity of the pigment.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 July 2020

Yongmu Jiang, Lu Yang and Zhang Xiaolei

With the development of social productive forces and the advancement of agricultural practices since the founding of New China, the connotation of agricultural modernization with…

1778

Abstract

Purpose

With the development of social productive forces and the advancement of agricultural practices since the founding of New China, the connotation of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics has undergone a process from formation to continuous expansion and deepening.

Design/methodology/approach

Its evolution can be roughly divided into four stages: the exploration stage, the formation stage, the establishment stage and the deepening stage. The historical evolution of the connotation of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics demonstrates four typical characteristics, namely increasingly scientific logical premise, continuously diversified orientations, increasingly improved core contents and progressively maturing strategies of development.

Findings

The achievements of agricultural modernization have laid a solid foundation for China's industrial modernization and the rapid development of the national economy. Meanwhile, the authors have identified through practical exploration a path of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics. In recent years, academic research on the connotation of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics has gradually heated up, and relevant achievements have emerged constantly.

Originality/value

The Communist Party of China (hereinafter “CPC”) has placed considerable emphasis on agricultural issues and has been committed to promoting agricultural modernization since the founding of New China. Through long-term persistence and unremitting efforts, China has made remarkable achievements in agricultural development: significantly improved agricultural production conditions and agricultural output capacity, constantly optimized agricultural structure and steadily increased the income of farmers.

Abstract

Details

The Savvy Investor's Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls, Frauds, and Scams
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78973-559-8

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2015

Britta Boyd, Susanne Royer, Rong Pei and Xiaolei Zhang

Knowledge often is the fundament for strategic competitive advantage. Thus, it is highly relevant to understand better how knowledge is transferred from one generation to the next…

2155

Abstract

Purpose

Knowledge often is the fundament for strategic competitive advantage. Thus, it is highly relevant to understand better how knowledge is transferred from one generation to the next in family businesses. The purpose of this paper is to link the competitive advantage realisation in family businesses to the success of transferring strategically valuable knowledge in different business environments to the next generation.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on the contingency model of family business succession (Royer et al., 2008) knowledge transfer in family businesses from different cultures is investigated in this paper. From a resource-oriented and transaction cost inspired perspective two family businesses with a similar industry background from China and Europe are compared regarding knowledge transfer in the context of family firm succession taking into account the respective transaction atmosphere.

Findings

Different successions for two long-lived family firms are illustrated in a systematic fashion: based on the theoretical elements suggested both cases are described to get insights into the usefulness of the theoretical reasoning developed. On the basis of these, the cases are compared with each other and conclusions for both cases are drawn. Implications for theory and practice as well as avenues for future research are sketched.

Originality/value

The focus of the current study is to gain more insight into long-lived family businesses by comparing two cases over a period of more than 200 years with regard to strategically relevant resources as well as the underlying transaction atmospheres. Implications for family firms depending on the resource types and transaction atmosphere are discussed.

Details

Journal of Family Business Management, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-6238

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 April 2009

Xiaolei Zhang, Chun‐Fai Law, Cho‐Li Wang and Francis C.M. Lau

The purpose of this paper is to envision the benefits of applying the Instant Messaging (IM) paradigm in pervasive computing environments. With IM in such an environment, all…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to envision the benefits of applying the Instant Messaging (IM) paradigm in pervasive computing environments. With IM in such an environment, all smart entities, human or not, can interact using IM as the unified interface. To realize this vision, the design of a Smart Instant Messaging (SIM) system is proposed, which features context‐aware presence management, user‐centric resource configuration, and adaptive grouping.

Design/methodology/approach

Three prototype versions of a client have been implemented and their performance in terms of memory usage and response time evaluated.

Findings

The SIM system was found to transcend current IM products by having new features including context‐aware presence management, user‐centric resource configuration, and adaptive grouping support.

Originality/value

The system described here extends the Jabber‐based IM framework and relies on an ontology‐based supporting middleware to handle the chore of retrieving and interpreting contextual information.

Details

International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-7371

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 July 2020

Xiaolei Jiao, Jinxiu Zhang, Hongchao Zhao and Yong Yan

Bellows-type fluid viscous damper can be used to isolate micro vibration in high-precision satellites. The conventional model cannot describe hydraulic stiffness in the medium…

Abstract

Purpose

Bellows-type fluid viscous damper can be used to isolate micro vibration in high-precision satellites. The conventional model cannot describe hydraulic stiffness in the medium- and high-frequency domain of this damper. A simplified analytical model needs to be established to analyze hydraulic stiffness of the damping element in this damper.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a bellows-type fluid viscous damper is researched, and a simplified model of the damping element in this damper is proposed. Based on this model, the hydraulic stiffness and damping of this damper in the medium- and high-frequency domains are studied, and a comparison is made between the analytical model and a finite element model to verify the analytical model.

Findings

The results show that when silicone oil has low viscosity, a model that considers the influence of the initial segment of the damping orifice is more reasonable. In the low-frequency domain, hydraulic stiffness increases quickly with frequency and remains stable when the frequency increases to a certain value; the stable stiffness can reach 106 N/m, which is much higher than the main stiffness. Excessive dynamic stiffness in the high-frequency domain will cause poor vibration isolation performance. Adding compensation bellows to the end of the original isolator may be an effective solution.

Practical implications

A model of the isolator containing the compensation bellows can be derived based on this analytical model. This research can also be used for dynamic modeling and vibration isolation performance analysis of a vibration isolation platform based on this bellows-type fluid viscous damper.

Originality/value

This paper proposed a simplified model of damping element in bellows-type fluid viscous damper, which can be used to analyze hydraulic stiffness in this damper and it was found that this damper showed stable hydraulic stiffness in the medium- and high-frequency domains.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 38 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 May 2019

Xiaomiao Niu, Hongyao Shen, Guanhua Xu, Linchu Zhang, Jianzhong Fu and Xiaolei Deng

Mg-Al powder mixture was used to manufacture Mg-Al alloy by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process. This study aims to investigate the influence of initial Al content and…

Abstract

Purpose

Mg-Al powder mixture was used to manufacture Mg-Al alloy by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process. This study aims to investigate the influence of initial Al content and processing parameters on the formability, microstructure and consequent mechanical properties of the laser powder bed fused (LPBFed) component.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, Al powder with different weight ratio ranged from 3 to 9 per cent was mixed with pure Mg powder, and the powder mixture was processed using different LPBF parameters. Microstructure and compressive properties of the LPBFed components were examined.

Findings

It was found that the presence of Al significantly modified the microstructure and improved the mechanical properties of the LPBFed components. Higher volume of ß-Al12Mg17 precipitates was produced at higher initial Al content and higher laser energy density. For this reason, the a-Mg was significantly refined and the compressive strength was improved. The highest yield compressive strength achieved was 279 MPa when using Mg-9 Wt. % Al mixture.

Originality/value

This work demonstrates that LPBF of Mg-Al powder mixture was a viable way to additively manufacture Mg-Al alloy. Both Al content and processing parameters can be modified to control the microstructure and mechanical properties of the LPBFed components.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 17 October 2022

Qianqian Li, Bo Zhang, Tao Yang, Qingwen Dai, Wei Huang and Xiaolei Wang

The purpose of this paper is to artificially construct a functional surface with self-propulsion flow characteristics for the directional transportation of propellant in surface…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to artificially construct a functional surface with self-propulsion flow characteristics for the directional transportation of propellant in surface tension tanks.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, a method to enhance the propulsion efficiency by using functional surfaces of self-propulsion performance was proposed. Superhydrophilic wedged-groove with the superhydrophobic background was fabricated and the self-propulsion capacity was verified.

Findings

It is found that the self-propulsion capacity is related to the divergence angle of the wedged-groove in the hydrophilic area, and the velocity of the droplets on the deflector plate is the largest with the divergence angle of 4°; the temperature gradient field formed by the condensing device at the nozzle can accelerate the droplet outflow from the tank.

Originality/value

Realization of this idea provides an accurate control strategy for the complex flow process of propellant in plate surface tension tanks, which could enhance the efficiency of the tension tank significantly.

Details

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing and Special Equipment, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2633-6596

Keywords

1 – 10 of 36