Search results

This paper builds upon managerial discretion literature to study the relationship between foreign ownership and bribery intensity.

Building on World Bank’s data of 9,386 firms from 125 countries over the period 2006–2018, this paper uses Tobit regression, ordered probit and logit models to empirically test the hypotheses.

This paper finds that firms have higher bribery intensity when executives have a higher level of managerial discretion. Smaller firms with slack financial resources tend to bribe more when they face more government intervention, munificent and uncertain industrial environment.

Extant corruption literature has addressed the effects of external institutional settings and internal corporate governance on bribery offering among multinational enterprises (MNEs). How much, and under what condition do top executives matter in bribery activities are yet to be answered. This paper integrates the concept of managerial discretion with corruption and bribery literature and offers a potential answer to the above question. In addition, prior corruption and bribery literature have primarily studied bribery through either micro- or macro-level analysis. This paper adopts multiple-level of analyses and elucidates the foreign ownership and bribery relationship from the organizational and industrial levels.

As a strand in industrialization movement in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, prefabricated construction (PC) has gained widespread popularity due to high efficiency, energy saving, low environmental impacts, safety and other advantages of PC. Well-managed supply chain can further leverage the advantages of PC. However, there is a lack of more systematically overview of the prefabricated construction supply chain (PCSC). This paper aims to comb the current status and look into the future direction of PCSC by reviewing the existing research.

In total, 131 articles related to prefabricated construction supply chain management (PCSCM) from 2000 to 2022 have been collated to (1) conduct a bibliometric analysis by using VOSviewer, including the literature sources, keywords co-occurrence, co-authorships, authorship citation and country active in the field of PCSCM; (2) classify and summarize the status of research in PCSCM through qualitative discussion and (3) point out the future research directions.

In total, 131 articles are carried out for bibliometric analysis and in-depth qualitative discussion, the visualization maps and the main research themes in the field of PCSCM are obtained. The results show that supply chain intelligentization and informatization are hot topics. Finally, future research directions that should be paid attention to in the field of PCSCM are pointed out.

This study can help project managers understand the current status and problems of PCSC operations and provide a basis for future management decisions.

Compared with previous studies, this study adds the dimension of “article authorship” to the quantitative analysis and discusses the research themes in the field of PCSCM in a comprehensive manner. In addition, this paper deeply discusses the main research topics from both the specific contents and research methods adopted.

In the process of continuous casting and rolling of steel plate, due to the influence of rolling equipment and process, there are scratches, inclusions, patches, scabs and pitted surfaces on the surface of steel plate, which will not only affect the corrosion resistance, wear resistance and fatigue strength of steel plate but also may cause production accidents. Therefore, the detection of steel plate surface defect must be strengthened to ensure the production quality of steel plate and the smooth development of industrial construction.

(1) A steel plate surface defect detection technology based on small datasets is proposed, which can detect multiple surface defects and fill in the blank of scab defect detection. (2) A detection system based on intelligent recognition technology is built. The steel plate images are collected by the front-end monitoring device, then transmitted to the back-end monitoring center and processed by the embedded intelligent algorithms. (3) In order to reduce the impact of external light on the image, an improved Multi-Scale Retinex (MSR) enhancement algorithm based on adaptive weight calculation is proposed, which lays the foundation for subsequent object segmentation and feature extraction. (4) According to the different factors such as the cause and shape, the texture and shape features are combined to classify different defects on the steel plate surface. The defect classification model is constructed and the classification results are recorded and stored, which has certain application value in the field of steel plate surface defect detection. (5) The practicability and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by comparison with other methods, and the field running tests are conducted based on the equipment commissioning field of China Heavy Machinery Institute.

When applied to small dataset, the precision of the proposed method is 94.5% and the time is 23.7 ms. In order to compare with deep learning technology, after expanding the image dataset, the precision and detection time of this paper are 0.948 and 24.2 ms, respectively. The proposed method is superior to other traditional image processing and deep learning methods. And the field recognition precision is 91.7%.

In brief, the steel plate surface defect detection technology based on computer vision is effective, but the previous attempts and methods are not comprehensive and the accuracy and detection speed need to be improved. Therefore, a more practical and comprehensive technology is developed in this paper. The main contributions are as follows: (1) A steel plate surface defect detection technology based on small datasets is proposed, which can detect multiple surface defects and fill in the blank of scab defect detection. (2) A detection system based on intelligent recognition technology is built. The steel plate images are collected by the front-end monitoring device, then transmitted to the back-end monitoring center and processed by the embedded intelligent algorithms. (3) In order to reduce the impact of external light on the image, an improved MSR enhancement algorithm based on adaptive weight calculation is proposed, which lays the foundation for subsequent object segmentation and feature extraction. (4) According to the different factors such as the cause and shape, the texture and shape features are combined to classify different defects on the steel plate surface. The defect classification model is constructed and the classification results are recorded and stored, which has certain application value in the field of steel plate surface defect detection. (5) The practicability and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by comparison with other methods, and the field running tests are conducted based on the equipment commissioning field of China Heavy Machinery Institute.

The main aim of this work is to design a model in which service quality receives satisfaction and trust and they have influence on happiness and loyalty.

A SEM-PLS model is designed to explain the happiness of athletes. This is tested through a survey of Spanish karate federates. The sample proposes 693 responses are collected.

The results indicate that service quality has a strong positive influence on satisfaction and trust, and it has an indirect influence on happiness and loyalty of the Spanish karate federates.

This article contributes to the literature increasing the knowledge of the variables that have positive influence, as antecedents of happiness and loyalty in karate federations.

The results of this study can help the decision-making of the governing boards of sports federations so they will be more aware of the strategies that promote the happiness and loyalty of the athlete.

One of the original contributions of this work is that the model shows the loyalty, happiness, trust and satisfaction as a result of quality services.

As an effective measure for reducing energy consumption and achieving carbon neutrality, prefabricated building projects (PBPs) have attracted considerable attention in China. Although the Chinese Government has vigorously promoted PBPs, neither developers nor consumers have high recognition of PBPs. This study aimed to explore the decision-making behaviour of governments, developers and consumers in promoting the development of prefabricated buildings in China and to better optimise the incentive strategies for prefabricated buildings in China.

Based on prospect and evolutionary game theories, an evolutionary game model of three stakeholders in the development of PBPs – government, developers and consumers – was constructed. Combined with the system dynamics theory, the incentive policy behaviour and influencing factors of the three parties in the evolutionary game model were analysed.

The results showed that the initial probability of the three parties affects the decision-making behaviour of each party and that of other stakeholders. Government subsidies to developers are more sensitive than developers themselves. There is a certain threshold for the scope of government subsidies to consumers, and exceeding this threshold does not promote the development of PBPs. Based on the results, policy recommendations to the government, developers and consumers were proposed to enhance PBP development.

This study provides suggestions for governments to formulate reasonable incentive policies for prefabricated buildings and a specific theoretical basis for the sound development of prefabricated buildings.

This research paper aims to investigate the critical factors influencing the live commerce industry and their implications for Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and brands.

The study comprehensively reviews previous research, develops relevant hypotheses and utilizes personal information from 66 anchors, along with data from 23,000 product links obtained from the backends of live commerce platforms.

The study emphasizes that KOLs with higher traffic significantly influence Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV). Intriguingly, KOLs with lower traffic levels exhibit a more pronounced effect on Return on Investment (ROI), highlighting their significance in driving profitability. Furthermore, the study explores the correlation between KOL hashtags and GMV/ROI and the intricate relationship between product types and KOL hashtags.

The findings significantly enhance the understanding of live shopping behavior and provide valuable insights for business management strategies. Practitioners can leverage this empirical evidence to make informed decisions, utilizing extensive data samples of KOLs and brands.

This research contributes unique insights into the live-streaming commerce industry using backend data from Live Streaming E-commerce platforms. The findings are more accurate based on market data than previous studies that relied on platform reviews or questionnaires. Additionally, this paper investigates the impact of KOLs on the performance of live e-commerce from three perspectives: GMV, ROI and hot-selling products.

In the context of Industry 4.0, intelligent construction technologies (ICT) represented by information technology and networking will undoubtedly provide new impetus to the development of the prefabricated building supply chain (PBSC), but they will also bring various potential risks. So far, there is a large lack of research on the comprehensive consideration of the risks associated with the intelligent transformation of PBSC based on the information sharing perspective, and the critical risks and interactions are still unclear, making it difficult to identify efficient risk mitigation strategies. Therefore, this paper aims to reveal the interactions between stakeholders and clarify the critical risk nodes and interactions in information sharing of PBSC (IS-PBSC), and propose targeted risk mitigation strategies.

Firstly, this paper creatively delineates the risks and critical stakeholders of IS-PBSC. Secondly, Data is collected through questionnaires to understand the degree of risks impact. Thirdly, with the help of NetMiner 4 software, social network analysis is conducted and IS-PBSC risk network is established to reveal critical risk nodes and interactions. Finally, further targeted discussion of critical risk nodes, the effectiveness and reasonableness of the risk mitigation strategies are proposed and verified through NetMiner 4 software simulation.

The results show that the critical risks cover the entire process of information sharing, with the lack of information management norms and other information assurance-related risks accounting for the largest proportion. In addition, the government dominates in risk control, followed by other stakeholders. The implementation of risk mitigation strategies is effective, with the overall network density reduced by 41.15% and network cohesion reduced by 24%.

In the context of Industry 4.0, ICT represented by information technology and networking will undoubtedly provide new impetus to the development of the PBSC, but they will also bring various potential risks. So far, there is a large lack of research on the comprehensive consideration of the risks associated with the intelligent transformation of PBSC based on the information sharing perspective, and the critical risks and interactions are still unclear, making it difficult to identify efficient risk mitigation strategies.

Based on the results of risk network visualization analysis, this paper proposes an ICT-based IS-PBSC mechanism that promotes the development of the integration of ICT and PBSC while safeguarding the benefits of various stakeholders.

Blockchain (BC) is a technological innovation that emphasizes the opposite paradigm compared to the available technology. This paradigm enables changing the firm’s business models (BMs) and has been elaborated by many experts. However, the discussion is scattered in various sources, particularly academic journals. This study aims to investigate the literature on the coexistence of BCs and BMs and depict the currently available situation that has not been discussed.

This study investigated articles focusing on the coexistence of BCs and BMs through heterogeneous academic databases, namely, Emerald, ProQuest, Taylor & Francis, ScienceDirect and Scopus. The systematic approach and development of inclusion criteria used in this study resulted in 52 key articles for further review. This systematic review followed the PRISMA framework and a timeframe between 2012 and 2022.

This study classifies literature based on specific themes, the integration of BC (interaction and evolution) and BM innovation (innovativeness, new value system and system logic), including the research design. As expected, the literature on BCs and BMs appears to be focused on particular themes since this topic appears to have grown. This study identifies gaps in the literature and describes future research to accommodate the study discrepancy.

The major limitation of this study is the research bias. Such a bias might occur due to the misinterpretations of researchers in this study. In the process of devising databases and keywords, this study identified the potential for misinterpretation. This study sought to use rigid protocols through a manual approach to mitigate the potential bias. A research bias also has the potential to arise in the literature classification. A literature categorization is performed back and forth, by referring to the theory or concept of a particular topic. The next limitation is limited access to scientific databases. This study drew upon several reputable scientific journal databases. However, the researcher considered the journal selection to be built upon a journal’s accessibility, multi-disciplinary nature and data size compared to other journals. It allows the analysis results to be biased, as they do not represent all available databases. However, the study used the available formal access to maintain the integrity of this research.

This study conducts a systematic review that discusses the coexistence of BCs and BMs. Furthermore, it provides a profound understanding of the discussion carried out through certain themes and the outlook for the future.

This paper aims to analyze practices, processes and outcomes related to construction supply chain management (CSCM) in Brazil to identify opportunities and direct actions and strategies to improve the Brazilian sector through blockchain technology (BT).

The study collected empirical data through semi-structured interviews with consumers and distributors to identify how the CSCM functions today. The interviews were structured and analyzed around the following topics: processes, digitalization, quality and weakness of the activities performed. The opportunities for using BT in CSCM were identified by crossing these results with evidence in the bibliography.

The study identified deficiencies, gaps and good practices applied to information management in the sector. Also, it analyzed the features, drivers and barriers of BT from a practical perspective. The findings suggested that BT is feasible and promising, reducing costs and enhancing process transparency. The need to overcome cultural and economic barriers is a challenging task.

This study brings a new perspective on using BT in CSCM, relating it to the demands and particularities of the construction sector in Brazil. The study identifies a limited panorama of chronic CSCM concerns, given BT’s infinite opportunities. And it motivates a gradual transition toward installing a new technological culture based on BT that focuses on priority care for the sector’s chronic deficiencies. The results can guide practical actions for the successful insertion of BT in the CSCM, laying the foundations for significant future research.

The construction industry faces public criticism for issues like wastefulness, inefficiency, slim profits, scheduling setbacks, budget overruns, quality concerns, trust deficits, transparency, coordination, communication and fraud. This paper aims to assess the nexus between barriers and drivers for adopting blockchain in construction and its impact on construction lifecycle.

A quantitative research approach was used to collect data using a well-structured questionnaire survey. The survey, which used snowball sampling, included 155 Nigerian construction experts that included architects, builders, quantity surveyors and engineers in the built environment. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), which allowed for a thorough evaluation of the proposed relationships as well as industry-specific insights.

The study's findings validate the conceptual framework established. The results indicate that implementing blockchain across all stages of construction projects has the potential to improve the construction process by 88.2% through its drivers. However, there were no significant relationships found between the barriers to adopting blockchain and the potential application areas in the construction lifecycle.

This research was carried out in the South-western which is one of the six geo-political zones/regions in Nigeria, using a cross-sectional survey method. The study did not investigate the interdependence of the identified categories of drivers and barriers, limiting a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics and interactions influencing blockchain adoption in construction. The study is expected to stimulate further exploration and generate new insights on how blockchain technology (BT) can influence various stages of the construction lifecycle.

The findings will be immensely beneficial to both professionals and practitioners in the Nigerian construction industry in learning about the potential of BT application in improving the construction lifecycle.

This paper developed and assessed a conceptual framework by investigating the interrelationships between the constructs. The findings have important implications for the construction industry, as they offer opportunities to improve the construction process and overall lifecycle. The findings are useful for researchers interested in the potential impact of BT on the construction lifecycle and its wider implications.