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To obtain an optimized microarc oxidation (MAO) coating on magnesium alloy from an environmentally‐friendly electrolyte free of Cr^6 + and PO₄³⁻ and to investigate the influence of oxidation potential on the morphology, composition, structure, and other properties such as micro‐hardness and corrosion resistance.

A constant potential regime was applied to produce the coatings and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscope, X‐ray diffraction, hardness testing and electrochemical methods were used to study coating properties.

The results clearly show that oxidation potential plays an important role in the formation of coating structure and properties. The MAO coating is smooth and white and consists of two layers. The external layer is loose and porous and enriched in Al and Si. Moreover, the content of Al and Si increase with operated potential. The inner layer is compact and the content of Al and Si are lower than are those of the external layer. The coating is composed of several phases: the main phase is MgAl₂O₄/MgO, and the minor phase is Al₂O₃/SiO₂ when the potential is higher. The micro‐hardness of the coating obtained a maximum at a potential of 45 V, as does the corrosion resistance.

This paper provides information relating to MAO technology and the morphology, structure and properties of MAO coatings.

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the multiple anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) in Taiwan and their conflict resolution. The birth of the Agency Against Corruption (AAC) in 2011 created the unintended consequence of sibling rivalry with the elder Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB).

A historical background of these agencies is discussed and followed by an analysis of the diversified conflicts among the prosecutor’s office, the AAC and the MJIB. The empirical sources of this study include 17 in-depth interviews with government officials both at ministerial level and field level, scholars and NGO representatives.

The redundancy of ACAs in Taiwan is a fact, which is extremely difficult to change in the foreseeable future in the light of current political and fiscal constraints. This paper concludes that the conflicts among multiple ACAs and their operational weaknesses will not fade away after a mere directive from their superior, the Ministry of Justice, unless genuine cooperation is put into place in various individual cases.

This paper provides a road-map for decision makers to improve collective anti-corruption performance. Taiwan’s AAC serves as the latest example testing the efficacy of the multiple specialized ACAs.

This pioneering study provides insights into Taiwan’s anti-corruption policy and practices. More investigative studies should be conducted on the effectiveness of multiple ACAs in other countries.

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to ascertain the levels of effectiveness of the anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) in China, Japan, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan; second, to explain why some of these ACAs are more effective than others; and third, to suggest some policy recommendations for addressing their limitations.

This paper relies on three well-known international indicators to assess the perceived extent of corruption in the five countries. Similarly, their quality of governance is assessed by their total percentile rank on the World Bank’s six governance indicators in 2013.

Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau is effective because of its government’s political will and favorable policy context. The Philippines and Taiwan rely on ineffective multiple ACAs, which are inadequately staffed and funded, and compete with each other for limited resources. China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection is ineffective because corrupt party members are disciplined and not prosecuted, and the political leaders use corruption as a weapon against their opponents. Japan’s weak political will is reflected in its reluctance to address its structural corruption. This paper concludes with policy recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of the ACAs in the five countries.

The comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the ACAs in the five Asian countries and the policy recommendations for addressing their limitations will be of interest to policy makers, scholars and anti-corruption practitioners.

The purpose of this study is to add insights into the business-to-business (B2B) branding literature by investigating the mechanism by which brand orientation affects relational performance in the B2B context.

A theory-based model is developed and tested using data collected from 201 Chinese B2B companies. Partial least squares analysis is used to test the hypotheses.

The results suggest that relationship commitment serves as an important means that translates a firm’s brand orientation into superior relational performance. Moreover, this positive effect is more prominent when the supplier is co-branding with its buyer. In addition, state-owned buyers are more inclined to develop affective commitment than calculative commitment when their suppliers are brand-oriented.

This study examines the research questions from only the buyer side. In addition, the causal interface of the results might be limited due to the cross-sectional nature of the data.

While brand orientation generally leads to enhanced relational performance, it depends on the buyer’s involvement in co-branding and its ownership structure.

This study is among the first to uncover the underlying mechanism by which brand orientation adds value to B2B relationships. The findings provide compelling insights for managers who are interested in promoting a brand orientation to improve relational performance within their organizations.

Deep excavation in soft clay often causes additional deformations to surroundings. Then, if deformations cannot be predicted reasonably, the adjacent buildings may be threatened by the deep excavation. Based on the good field observations from ten deep excavations in Hangzhou, this paper aims to thoroughly investigate the characteristics of wall deflections and ground settlements induced by deep excavations.

On the basis of good field observation of ten deep excavations, the performances of excavations, supported by contiguous pile in Hangzhou, were studied, and also compared with other case histories.

The maximum wall deflections (dhm) rang mostly from 0.7 to 1.2 per cent H_e, where He is the final excavation depth, larger than those in Taipei and Shanghai. The observed maximum ground settlement in the Hangzhou cases generally ranges from 0.2 to 0.8 per cent H_e. Then, the settlement influence zone extends to a distance of 2.0-4.0 H_e from the excavation. The relatively large movements and influence zones in Hangzhou may be attributed to low stability numbers, large excavation widths and the creep effect. The excavation width is justified to have a significant influence on the wall deflection. Therefore, to establish a semi-empirical formula for predicting the maximum wall deflection, it is necessary to include the factor of excavation width.

The relevant literature concentrated on the characteristics of deep excavations supported by the contiguous pile wall in Hangzhou soft clay can rarely be found. Based on the ten deep excavations with good field observation in Hangzhou, the characteristics of wall deflection and ground settlements were comprehensively studied for the first time, which can provide some theoretical support for similar projects.