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This paper aims to propose a new adaptive strategy for two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear finite element (FE) analysis of the minimal surface problem (MSP) based on the element energy projection (EEP) technique.

By linearizing nonlinear problems into a series of linear problems via the Newton method, the EEP technique, which is an effective and reliable point-wise super-convergent displacement recovery strategy for linear FE analysis, can be directly incorporated into the solution procedure. Accordingly, a posteriori error estimate in maximum norm was established and an adaptive 2D nonlinear FE strategy of h-version mesh refinement was developed.

Three classical known surfaces, including a singularity problem, were analysed. Moreover, an example whose analytic solution is unavailable was considered and a comparison was made between present results and those computed by the MATLAB PDE toolbox. The results show that the adaptively-generated meshes reflect the difficulties inherent in the problems and the proposed adaptive analysis can produce FE solutions satisfying the user-preset error tolerance in maximum norm with a fair adaptive convergence rate.

The EEP technique for linear FE analysis was extended to the nonlinear procedure of MSP and can be expected to apply to other 2D nonlinear problems. The employment of the maximum norm makes point-wisely error control on the sought surfaces possible and makes the proposed method distinguished from other adaptive FE analyses.

This study aims to propose a general and efficient adaptive strategy with local mesh refinement for two-dimensional (2D) finite element (FE) analysis based on the element energy projection (EEP) technique.

In view of the inflexibility of the existing global dimension-by-dimension (D-by-D) recovery method via EEP technique, in which displacements are recovered through element strips, an improved element D-by-D recovery strategy was proposed, which enables the EEP recovery of super-convergent displacements to be implemented mostly on a single element. Accordingly, a posteriori error estimate in maximum norm was established and an EEP-based adaptive FE strategy of h-version with local mesh refinement was developed.

Representative numerical examples, including stress concentration and singularity problems, were analyzed; the results of which show that the adaptively generated meshes reasonably reflect the local difficulties inherent in the physical problems and the proposed adaptive analysis can produce FE displacement solutions satisfying the user-specified tolerances in maximum norm with an almost optimal adaptive convergence rate.

The proposed element D-by-D recovery method is a more efficient and flexible displacement recovery method, which is implemented mostly on a single element. The EEP-based adaptive FE analysis can produce displacement solutions satisfying the specified tolerances in maximum norm with an almost optimal convergence rate and thus can be expected to apply to other 2D problems.

This chapter focuses on the Chinese cross-border merger and acquisition (M&A) amid the rising trend of multinational companies from emerging economies. Based on a systematic review of published papers in top international business/strategy/organization journals on Chinese overseas M&A, we offer a tentative multilevel framework to consolidate the past achievement, consider contemporary debates, so as to direct future research efforts. We suggest that Chinese overseas M&A research should emphasize on a process perspective ranging from pre-acquisition to post-acquisition. In addition, qualitative research and methodological pluralism should be embraced to achieve this goal due to the nature of this emerging field of Chinese cross-border M&A. By allocating the extant literature into the multilevel framework, we articulate the demand and identify several potential topics for scholarly inquiry in the future in order to gain a nuanced understanding of this important phenomenon of Chinese cross-border M&A for both China and the rest of the world.

This chapter elaborates on entrepreneurship in developed and developing countries and focuses on the optimization of entrepreneurial activities. Various scenarios are considered: independent functioning of the market, integration in the form of reorganization (mergers and acquisitions), integration in the form of clustering, and integration in the form of innovational networks and technological parks. The optimal structure of the integration processes and best-case scenarios for its implementation to accelerate the rate and increase the quality of economic growth are substantiated. The potential for uptake of integration processes in stimulating economic growth through entrepreneurship is determined by the level of institutionalization in an economy. In developed countries, all forms of company integration are characterized by the high level of institutionalization, which allows for their effective use for economic growth. Independent companies, mergers, and acquisitions restrain economic growth and reduce its quality, while clusters, technological parks, and innovational networks accelerate the rate of economic growth and increase its quality. In developing countries, integration processes in entrepreneurship have a different influence on economic growth and require further institutionalization.

A paucity of studies has used a microfoundation lens to examine servitization processes in internationalized knowledge-intensive business service (KIBS) companies. The research aims to bridge this gap by considering knowledge sharing as a form of both codified knowledge and informal feedback knowledge; it also assesses whether the adoption of knowledge transfer and translation practices in a servitization process positively moderates the effect of knowledge transformation on knowledge sharing for internationalized KIBS companies.

By adopting a microfoundation lens, the research offers an empirical analysis to identify the relations between codified and tacit knowledge in servitization processes within internationalized KIBS companies. The study is based on 326 respondents from 30 KIBS companies. A multiple regression analysis was used for hypotheses testing.

The authors found significant relations among the use of electronic documents in the servitization process (formal codified knowledge), personal advice in servitization (informal feedback knowledge) and knowledge sharing in internationalized KIBS companies. Findings also support the indirect effect assumed in the hypothesis between knowledge transformation and knowledge sharing in internationalized KIBS companies, which is positively moderated by the adoption of cross-cultural knowledge practices in the servitization process.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research provides the first conceptual model of the use of a microfoundation lens to examine knowledge sharing in internationalized KIBS companies. The micro level features individual knowledge sharing in the servitization process, while the meso level focuses on knowledge transformation in KIBS companies and the adoption of knowledge transfer and translation practices in the servitization process.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on emerging market companies that internationalize into advanced economies by means of acquisitions and to investigate brand management during post-acquisition integration from a multi-level perspective and to identify how a brand management strategy can be constructed. It takes into account the influences of country-of-origin image, corporate brand and brand portfolio to obtain a granular view of post-acquisition brand management.

A multiple case study approach was adopted. By using case studies and storytelling qualitative research methods, the empirical setting was related to the acquisitions undertaken by Chinese companies in Germany.

The authors identified three mechanisms for brand management in the post-acquisition integration of emerging market companies – namely, transferring, dynamically redeploying and categorizing – that underpin the interconnection and combined influence of country-of-origin image at the national level, corporate brand at the organizational level and brand portfolio at the product level.

Brand has been viewed as a strategic asset in Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Brand management is a dynamic process that involves learning and interaction between the acquirer and target. The research offers a practical guideline for both acquirers and targets in managing brand in the context of acquisitions undertaken by emerging market companies in advanced economies.

The findings provide important insights into the brand management strategies adopted in Chinese cross-border M&As in particular, and emerging market companies venturing into advanced economies in general. The interlinking of country, company and product levels introduces new ideas to the brand literature related to acquisitions, and the setting of Chinese companies acquiring German ones constitutes an important contribution to the understanding of the different ways in which companies from emerging economies may pursue branding strategies in the context of cross-border M&As.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a nuanced understanding of international marketing agility by connecting organizational capability literature with that of standardization and adaptation. The focus of the research is to clarify whether managing the tension between product standardization and service customization generates an extra premium in international markets.

Two disaggregated Chinese data sets, the Annual Survey of Industrial Enterprises and the China Customs Database, are used for developing an econometric model. Export quality improvement is the outcome variable in reflecting the effect of international marketing agility on performance.

International marketing agility is reached through upstream FDI intensity, particularly in the context of service FDI. Manufacturing sectors with higher service intensity have more agility, being more likely to generate export quality.

This study makes three theoretical contributions by clarifying the concept of international marketing agility as an organizational capability generated by manufacturing standardization and service customization; investigating the influence of upstream FDI intensity for export quality while taking into account the industry contexts; and obtaining an enhanced understanding of the service intensity of manufacturing firms on export quality.

The authors offer a nuanced and contextualized understanding of international marketing agility and explore the complex relationships between FDI, service intensity and export quality.

The new Silk Road provides cross-border-e-commerce firms with an opportunity to widen their markets. Under this circumstance, the preference recognition of countries and inventory allocation among overseas warehouses both become critical issues to solve. Three Chinese smartphone brands, including HTC, Huawei, and MI, are selected in this chapter for their relatively enormous sales. DHgate and AliExpress websites are chosen as platforms to analyze the sales for data availability. This chapter first depicts key features of the sales and then, based on which, divide countries into several groups according to their preference for phones by cluster analysis. Then, based on the results of cluster analysis, this chapter further models the inventory assignment among the seven major overseas warehouses that were built by AliExpress in 2015. The results show that the HTC seems to be pursuing the “high value with high price” strategy, while the other two companies seem to be pursuing a hybrid strategy of “low-price” strategy and “high value with low price” strategy. This chapter also provides an assignment pattern of inventory among the overseas warehouses based on the real data of sales and costs.

The strength and stiffness of steel deteriorate rapidly at elevated temperatures. Thus, the characteristics of steel structures exposed to fire have been concerned in recent years. Most studies on the fire response of steel structures were conducted at uniformly distributed temperatures. This study aims to evaluate the buckling capacity of steel H-beams subjected to different loading conditions under non-uniform heating.

A numerical investigation was conducted employing finite element analysis software, ABAQUS. A comparison between the numerical analysis results and the experimental data from previous studies was conducted to verify the beam model. Simply supported beams were loaded with several loading conditions including one end moment, end equal moments, uniformly distributed load and concentrated load at midspan. The effects of initial imperfections were considered. The buckling capacities of steel beams under fire using the existing fire design code and the previous study were also generated and compared.

The results showed that the length-to-height ratio and loading conditions have a great effect on the buckling resistance of steel beams under fire. The capacity of steel beams under non-uniform temperature distribution using the existing fire design code and the previous study can give unconservative values or too conservative values depending on loading conditions. The maximum differences of unconservative and conservative values are −44.5 and 129.2% for beams subjected to end equal moments and one end moment, respectively.

This study provides the buckling characteristics of steel beams under non-uniform temperature considering the influences of initial imperfections, length-to-height ratios, and loading conditions. This study will be beneficial for structural engineers in properly evaluating structures under non-uniform heating conditions.

The research question is how home country corruption and nationalism may affect operations of BRIC multinational enterprises. BRIC composition permits a comparison of two authoritarian regimes and two constitutional democracies. Each BRIC features a different combination of corruption and nationalism. The chapter adds South Africa information for two limited reasons. First, from 2010 South Africa is a member of the BRIC summit process. South Africa is an important entry point to Africa, for BRIC multinationals and particularly for China. Second, concerning corruption and nationalism South Africa is analytically useful as a control context that helps illustrate but does not appear to change highly exploratory BRIC findings.

The chapter draws on limited literature and information concerning corruption and nationalism in BRICs to suggest tentative possibilities. Transparency International provides bribe payers index estimates for 28 large economies, with important multinational enterprises, and corruption perceptions index estimates including those 28 countries. These estimates include the four BRICs and South Africa. The available sources suggest some suggested findings about varying impacts of home country corruption and nationalism on operations of BRIC multinationals.

China and Russia are authoritarian regimes in transition from central planning-oriented communist regimes. They are global military powers, expanding influence in their respective regions. Brazil, India, and South Africa are constitutional democracies. India, a nuclear-armed military power, seeks a regional leadership role in South Asia. Brazil and South Africa are key countries economically in their regions. BRIC multinationals are positioned between home country and host country conditions. Chinese and Russian multinationals may reflect a stronger nationalistic tendency due to home country regimes and ownership structure.

The chapter is an original but highly exploratory inquiry into impacts of corruption and nationalism on BRIC multinationals. Extant BRIC literature tends to understudy effects of home country corruption and nationalism on managerial mindset and incentives in either commercial or state-owned enterprises.