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The primary objective of introducing nonstate ownership into state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is to enhance corporate performance. This study explores how nonstate ownership affects corporate performance, emphasizing agency costs as the primary mechanism.

Using data from 2010 to 2019 for listed SOEs, the authors measure nonstate ownership based on shareholding ratios, control rights and shareholding–control matching. The authors also use fixed-effects and mediation-effects models, with agency costs as the primary mechanism.

Increased nonstate shareholding ratios, stronger control rights and improved shareholding–control matching promote SOE performance. Nonstate shareholding ratios boost performance through resource effects, while control rights and shareholding–control matching promote performance by mitigating agency costs. A heterogeneity analysis indicates stronger effects in local SOEs and highly marketized regions. Moreover, control rights and shareholding–control matching reinforce the positive impact of shareholding ratios on performance.

The mixed-ownership reform of Chinese SOEs aims to optimize shareholding and control structures between state and nonstate shareholders. Therefore, research on the impact of nonstate shareholding ratios, control rights and shareholding–control matching on corporate performance is highly pertinent. However, existing studies have focused on the effects of single factors on performance, without exploration of the economic implications of shareholding–control matching. This study not only prioritizes the optimization of shareholding and control structures but also underscores the importance of granting nonstate shareholders control rights proportionate to their shareholding, providing critical evidence of the value of improving SOEs' ownership structure.

Under the repeated action of the construction load, opening deformation and disturbed deformation occurred at the precast box culvert joints of the shield tunnel. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of construction vehicle loading on the mechanical deformation characteristics of the internal structure of a large-diameter shield tunnel during the entire construction period.

The structural response of the prefabricated internal structure under heavy construction vehicle loads at four different construction stages (prefabricated box culvert installation, curved lining cast-in-place, lane slab installation and pavement structure casting) was analyzed through field tests and ABAQUS (finite element analysis software) numerical simulation.

Heavy construction vehicles can cause significant mechanical impacts on the internal structure, as the construction phase progresses, the integrity of the internal structure with the tunnel section increases. The vertical and horizontal deformation of the internal structure is significantly reduced, and the overall stress level of the internal structure is reduced. The bolts connecting the precast box culvert have the maximum stress at the initial stage of construction, as the construction proceeds the stress distribution among the bolts gradually becomes uniform.

This study can provide a reference for the design model, theoretical analysis and construction technology of the internal structure during the construction of large-diameter tunnel projects.

This study aims to explore the relationship between promoter share pledging and the company’s dividend payout policy in India. Furthermore, this study also analyses the moderating impact of family involvement in business on the association between share pledging and dividend payout.

A sample of 236 companies from the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive (BSE) 500 Index (2014–2023) has been analysed through fixed-effects panel data regression. For additional testing, robustness checks include alternative measures of dividend payout and promoter share pledging, as well as alternative methodologies such as Bayesian regression. Lastly, to address potential endogeneity, instrumental variables with a two-stage least squares (IV-2SLS) methodology have been implemented.

Upholding the agency perspective, a significantly negative impact of promoter share pledging on corporate dividend payouts in India has been uncovered. Moreover, family involvement in business moderates this relationship, highlighting that the negative association between promoter share pledging and dividend payouts is more pronounced in family companies. The findings are consistent throughout the robustness testing.

The present study represents a pioneering endeavour to empirically analyse the link between promoter share pledging and dividend payouts in India. It enhances the theoretical underpinnings of the agency relationship, particularly by substantiating the existence of Type II agency conflicts between majority and minority shareholders. The findings of this research bear significant implications for investors, researchers and policymakers, particularly in light of the widespread prevalence of promoter-controlled entities in India.

It has been ten years since the policy was implemented, but the effect of the policy needs to be tested empirically. This paper aims to explore the mechanism of policy influence on regional innovation ability by measuring the effectiveness of policy by innovation ability indicators. Further, it reflects the problems in the process of the transformation and development of resource-based cities in recent years and points out the direction for the development of the cities in the future. In addition, this paper discusses the differences between regions and cities in China and seeks the path to narrow the gap.

This paper mainly uses the difference-in-difference method for the research. This study divided China’s resource-based cities and non-resource-based cities into experimental groups and control groups, and explored the effect of the transformation and development of resource-based cities and the changes of their innovation ability under the influence of the National Sustainable Development Plan for Resource-based Cities (NSDPRC). More carefully, this paper uses the fixed effects regression model, propensity score matching method, bootstrap method and other methods to improve the empirical results.

This paper finds that NSDPRC significantly improves the innovation ability of resource-based cities, although there is some lag in this effect. Research on the influence mechanism of policies shows that NSDPRC improves the marketization degree of resource-based cities and reduces the proportion of the secondary industry in such cities. Finally, the results of the heterogeneity analysis confirm that policies are more popular in western China and that resource-based cities in growth, maturity and decline are more vulnerable to policy influence. The development of policy effectiveness also requires the size of a city, and maintaining a healthy and reasonable scale is necessary for urban development.

First, the existing research on the development of resource-based cities is mainly from the perspective of economy and environment, but rarely from the perspective of innovation ability, and the index to measure urban development is relatively single. This paper will compensate for this deficiency. Second, different from the European and American countries that have basically completed the industrial transformation, the research on Chinese cities will provide a reference for the transformation of developing countries. Finally, from the perspective of resource endowment theory and innovation theory, this paper discusses the influence of SDPNRBC mechanism on the innovation ability improvement of resource-based cities, and further improves and enriches the theory.

The objective was to investigate the utility of cottonseed oil (CSO) as a raw material for the synthesis of CSO water-based alkyd resin. The synthesis involved the polymerization of CSO, trimethylolpropane, phthalic anhydride (PA) and trimellitic anhydride (TMA). The prepared resin coating material was subsequently applied to the surface of steel structure material.

This study aimed to synthesize water-based alkyd resins using CSO. Therefore, the alkyd resin was introduced with TMA containing carboxyl groups and neutralized with triethylamine (TEA) to form a water-soluble salt. Then, the esterification kinetics of CSO water-based alkyd resin were investigated, and finally, the basic properties of CSO water-based alkyd resin coating were evaluated.

It was demonstrated that CSO water-based alkyd resin exhibited excellent water solubility and that the esterification kinetic of the synthesis reaction could be described by a second-order reaction. The coating properties of the material were investigated and found to have good basic properties, with 40% resin addition having the best corrosion resistance. Consequently, it could be effectively applied to the surface of steel structural materials.

This study not only met the requirement of environmentally friendly development but also expanded the application of CSO through the synthesis of CSO water-based alkyd resin via alcoholysis. Compared to fatty acid process, the alcoholysis reduced the need for fatty acid pre-extraction, simplifying the alkyd resin synthesis process. Thus, economic costs are effectively reduced.

Research into older adults' use of social media remains limited. Driven by increasing digitalisation in China, the authors focus on Chinese older adults (aged 60–75)’ use of WeChat.

This study used a qualitative interpretive approach and interviewed Chinese older adults to uncover their social practices of WeChat use in everyday life.

By using social practice theory (SPT), the paper unfolds Chinese older adults' social practices of WeChat use in everyday life and reveals how they adopt and resist the drastic changes in Chinese society.

The study contributes to new understandings of SPT from technology use by emphasising the dynamic characteristics of its three elements. The authors synthesise both adoptions and resistance in SPT and highlight the importance of understanding three elements interdependently within specific contexts, which are conditioned by structure and agency.

Amidst the Industry 4.0 landscape, organizations are increasingly harnessing cutting-edge technologies and embracing digital change to fuel innovation. However, the full potential of innovation cannot be realized without organizational readiness. This study explores how various dimensions of organizational readiness and innovation influence digital change and firm performance.

Data were gathered via a survey of 303 managers from both state-owned and private-owned enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and analyzed utilizing partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM).

Organizational readiness positively influences both digital change and innovation. Additionally, innovation positively impacts digital change and mediates the relationship between organizational readiness and digital change. Furthermore, both innovation and digital change positively affect firm performance, whereas the control variable of ownership type has no significant correlation with firm performance. Finally, digital change mediates the relationship between innovation and firm performance.

This study contributes to the digital innovation literature by empirically testing the influence of organizational readiness on digital change and innovation within the context of Vietnam. By investigating whether innovation and digital change enhance firm performance, this study also addresses inconsistencies in the literature.

The few previous researches on the impact of calf compression garments (CG) on running performance while assessing physiological and perceptual factors. Therefore, this study investigated how the clothing pressure of two types of Calf CG, CG1 and CG2, affects muscle fatigue and activation during running.

Five healthy amateur runners(three female and two male)were recruited for a 30-min running trial. They wear a Calf CG on their right leg (CG group), but not on their left leg(CON group). After obtaining the clothing pressure of Calf CG on the gastrocnemius lateral head (GL), gastrocnemius medial head (GM) and tibialis anterior(TA) of the right leg, surface electromyography (sEMG)of four muscles of GL, GM, TA and rectus femoris (RF) of the left and right legs were measured during running, and heart rate, cardiopulmonary rate, and human RPE were also measured. Blood bleed oxygen before and after the running trial were measured. The root mean square (RMS) of the characteristic values was selected as an index for the analysis of sEMG signals, and the data were analyzed using statistical and computational methods.

The results showed that the indexes of heart rate, blood oxygen, and RPE were significantly increased, indicating that the subjects had reached the fatigue level. The comparison of mean clothing pressure at GL, GM and TA locations reveals that the TA location consistently exhibits the highest pressure for both types of CG. When wearing CG1, the mean clothing pressure at the GL and GM test points is greater than that of CG2(CG1-GL = 0.2059 kPa > CG2-GL = 0.148 kPa; CG1-GM = 0.1633 kPa > CG2-GM = 0.127 kPa). This is attributed to the double-layered fabric on the sides of CG1, which precisely covers the GL and GM areas, thereby resulting in higher mean clothing pressure at these locations compared to CG2. Conversely, the mean clothing pressure at the TA location for CG1 is lower than that for CG2(CG1-TA = 0.3852 kPa < CG2-TA = 0.426 kPa). The pressure exerted by the CG1 on the lower limb test areas has both positive and negative effects, though neither are statistically significant. The pressure exerted by CG2 alleviates fatigue at the directly affected locations GL and GM, but exerts excessive pressure on TA, resulting in a negative effect. Additionally, CG2 pressure alleviates fatigue at the indirectly affected location RF on the same side. Based on the specific clothing pressure data, it is concluded that when the pressure at the GM location is 0.127 kPa, 30 min of running has a fatigue-relieving effect. However, the pressure should not be excessively high, at 0.1633 kPa it exhibits an insignificant adverse effect. At the TA location, a garment pressure mean between 0.3852 and 0.426 kPa does not alleviate fatigue after 30 min of running, and the negative effect becomes more pronounced as the pressure increases. The pressure exerted by the CG at GL, GM, TA and RF locations shows significant changes from the previous time period during the 15–18 min interval after running. Therefore, in the design of CG, attention should be paid to the changes in clothing pressure effects on muscles during this specific time period.

The few previous researches on the impact of calf compression garments (CG) on running performance while assessing physiological and perceptual factors. Therefore, this study investigated how the clothing pressure of two types of Calf CG, CG1 and CG2, affects muscle fatigue and activation during running.

Limited use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology on construction sites has restricted its value in the construction industry. To propel its widespread application, this paper explores the influencing factors and action paths of construction companies' IoT technology adoption behavior.

First, literature research, technology adoption theories, and semi-structured expert interviews were employed to build the adoption model. Second, a questionnaire survey was conducted among Chinese construction contractors to collect empirical data. Third, the structural equation model method and regression analysis were used to test the adoption model. Finally, the findings were further validated with interviews, case studies, and field observations.

External environmental pressure (EEP), perceived benefit (PB), top management support (TMS), company resource readiness (CRR), adoption intention (AI), and perceived compatibility (PCA) have a direct positive impact on adoption behavior (AB). In contrast, perceived cost (PC) and perceived complexity (PCL) exert a direct negative impact on AB. The EEP, PB, and PC are critical factors affecting AB, whereas AI is strongly affected by CRR and TMS. Besides, AI plays a part mediating role in the relationship between seven factors and AB. Company size and nature positively moderate AI's positive effect on AB.

This paper contributes to the knowledge of IoT technology adoption behavior in the construction sector by applying the technology adoption theories. Exploring the implementation barriers and drivers of IoT technology in construction sites from the perspective of organizational technology adoption behavior and introducing moderating variables to explain adoption behavior are innovations of this paper. The findings can help professionals better understand the IoT technology adoption barriers and enhance construction companies' adoption awareness, demand, and ability. This work also provides a reference for understanding the impact mechanism of the adoption behavior of other innovative technologies in construction.

To explore how the blockchain affects the pricing and financing decisions in a low-carbon platform supply chain.

Considering the dual roles of the e-commerce platform as a seller and an initiator, a typical game-theoretical method is applied to analyze the behavior of supply chain decision-makers and the impact of key variables on equilibriums.

When loan interest rates are symmetric, whether blockchain is used or not, the e-commerce platform financing mode will always produce higher wholesale price and unit carbon emission reduction, while the retail price is the opposite. Higher unit additional income brought by the blockchain can bring higher economic and environmental performances, and the e-commerce platform financing mode is superior to bank financing mode. The application of blockchain may cause the manufacturer to change his/her financing choice. For bank financing, with the increase of loan interest rates, the advantages brought by blockchain will gradually disappear, but this situation will not occur under e-commerce platform financing.

Blockchain is known for its information transparency properties and its ability to enhance user trust. However, the impacts of applying blockchain in a low-carbon platform supply chain with different financing options are not clear. The authors examine the manufacturer's strategic choices for platform financing and bank financing, whether to adopt blockchain, and the impact of these decisions on carbon emissions reduction, consumer surplus and social welfare. The research conclusion can provide reference for the operation and financing decisions of platform supply chain under the carbon reduction target in the digital economy era.