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The purpose of this research is to advise on UK construction delay strategies. Critical delay factors were identified and their interrelationships were explored; in addition, a predictive model was established upon the factors and interrelationships to calculate delay potentials.

The critical causes were identified by a literature review, verified by an open-ended questionnaire survey and then analysed with 299 samples returned from structured questionnaire surveys. The model consisted of factors screened out by Pearson product–moment correlational coefficient, constructed by a logical reasoning process and then quantified by conducting Bayesian belief networks parameter learning.

The technical aspect of construction project management was less critical while the managerial aspect became more emphasised. Project factors and client factors present relatively weak impact on construction delay, while contractor factors, contractual arrangement factors and distinctively interaction factors present relatively strong impact.

This research does not differentiate delay types, such as excusable vs non-excusable ones and compensable vs non-compensable ones. The model nodes have been tested to be critical to construction delay, but the model structure is mostly based on previous literature and logical deduction. Further research could be done to accommodate delay types and test the relationships.

This research updates critical delay factor list for the UK construction projects, suggesting general rules for resource allocation concerning delay avoidance. Besides, this research establishes a predictive model, assisting delay avoidance strategies on a case-by-case basis.

Time-cost trade-off is normal conduct in construction projects when projects are expectedly late for delivery. Existing research on time-cost trade-off strategic management mostly focused on the technical calculation towards the optimal combination of activities to be accelerated, while the managerial aspects are mostly neglected. This paper aims to understand the managerial efforts necessary to prepare construction projects ready for an upcoming trade-off implementation.

A preliminary list of critical factors was first identified from the literature and verified by a Delphi survey. Quantitative data was then collected by a questionnaire survey to first shortlist the preliminary factors and quantify the predictive model with different machine learning algorithms, i.e. k-nearest neighbours (kNN), radial basis function (RBF), multiplayer perceptron (MLP), multinomial logistic regression (MLR), naïve Bayes classifier (NBC) and Bayesian belief networks (BBNs).

The model's independent variable importance ranking revealed that the top challenges faced were the realism of contractual obligation, contractor planning and control and client management and monitoring. Among the tested machine learning algorithms, multilayer perceptron was demonstrated to be the most suitable in this case. This model accuracy reached 96.5% with the training dataset and 95.6% with an independent test dataset and could be used as the contingency approach for time-cost trade-offs.

The identified factor list contributed to the theoretical explanation of the failed implementation in general and practical managerial improvement to better avoid such failure. In addition, the established predictive model provided an ad-hoc early warning and diagnostic tool to better ensure time-cost implementation success.

This paper aims to devise a case-controlled method combined with Bradford Hill criteria for causal inference of contractual disputes in construction projects. It is a genuine attempt in a systematic method from research design to execution for causal issues where only observational data is available.

The authors located insufficient top management support as the putative pathogen of construction disputes based on a literature review, an interview and Delphi surveys. A questionnaire survey was then conducted to collect case-controlled data to ensure comparability, in which for each disputed project put in the experimental group, the authors sought for a dispute-free project of similar characteristics. The incidence rates of insufficient top management support in the experimental and control groups were then examined by Bradford Hill criteria as an alternative to the test of intervention effect.

The association of insufficient top management support and construction disputes was tested to conform with the Bradford Hill criteria with case-controlled data where applicable and logical deduction where statistical tests were not applicable. With a clear, positive, reasonable and statistically significant association, while excluding methodological biases, confounding and chance, the authors reached a causal verdict of insufficient top management support causing contractual disputes.

This paper supports the validity of applying a case-controlled method combined with Bradford Hill criteria in investigating causal issues in project management, especially the verdict of causal inference based on empirical data. In addition, the located root cause of contractual disputes could inform project management personnel with reasoned strategies for dispute avoidance.

Taking a dynamic endogenous perspective, this study aims to examine neglected endogeneity issues in the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and brand value and the relationship’s moderation by corporate governance.

The study uses the three-stage least squares (3SLS) method on 990 samples of the 110 most valuable listed companies published by the World Brand Lab for 2013–2021 to empirically test the two-way interactive endogenous relationship between CSR and brand value.

The findings reveal that increasing investment in CSR increases brand value in the current period, which prompts companies to reduce investment in social responsibility, resulting in a decline in future brand value. Concerning the moderating effect of corporate governance variables, the size of the board of directors and the board’s proportion of independent directors positively regulate the relationship between CSR and brand value. By contrast, the proportion of executive shareholdings has a negative impact.

This study’s findings complement previous studies on endogeneity in the relationship between CSR and brand value, and enrich the literature on corporate governance, CSR and brand value as a whole. In addition, the study uses the 3SLS method, which avoids endogeneity problems and eliminates the one-sidedness of the subjective selection of instrumental variables.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the product type (hedonic product and utilitarian product) and reward type (hedonic gift and utilitarian gift) influence customer referral likelihood in referral reward program.

The authors test the effect of the product type and reward type on referral likelihood through two studies. Study 1 produces a 2 (product type: hedonic product and utilitarian product) × 2 (reward type: hedonic gift and utilitarian gift) factorial design to test H1, H2 and H3, that is, the effect of the product type and reward type on referral likelihood and their interaction effect. On the basis of study 1, study 2 will select different subjects, different products and different incentive allocation schemes to test H1, H2 and H3 again.

The results are as follow: first, the product type has significant influences on referral likelihood. Compared with a utilitarian product, customers are more likely to make referrals when consuming a hedonic product. Second, the product type and reward type have significant interactions to referral likelihood. When rewarded a hedonic gift, customers who consumed the hedonic product have great willing to make referrals; however, when rewarded the utilitarian gift, customer who consumed the utilitarian product have great willing to make referrals.

The authors’ findings contribute to the literature of consumers’ recommendation in the following aspects. First, from the perspective of enterprises which launch referral reward program, the present research demonstrates the product type (hedonic product and utilitarian product) and reward type (hedonic gift and utilitarian gift) influence customer referral likelihood. Previous studies discuss attributes of product that influence consumers’ referral likelihood, such as product sensitivity (Kornish and Li, 2010), product involvement (Zhu et al., 2011), brand strength (Ryu and Feick, 2007) and price (Xiao et al., 2011). However, few studies focus on the hedonic and utilitarian attributes of products and explore their impact on the willingness to recommend. This paper makes a useful supplement to the research gap. Most previous studies simply divide the type of reward into tangible and intangible (Shi and Wojnicki, 2007), cash and coupon (Wang, 2010) or cash and gift (Huang et al., 2013). This paper enriches the research on reward types and refines the types of gifts in a referral reward program. The present research divides the type of reward into hedonic gifts and utilitarian gifts, and applies benefit congruency frameworks (Chandon et al., 2000), attitude theory (Eagly and Chaiken, 1993) and over-justification effect (Deci and Ryan, 1985).

The study aims to offer a nuanced, fine-grained understanding of how the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWSs) and negative employee outcomes can be attenuated under self-sacrificial leadership (SSL).

Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to test the proposed multilevel model on a sample of 37 first-line managers (FLMs) and 209 employees working in a large Chinese company.

The results showed that HPWS is positively related to emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. Most conspicuously, the authors found that such adverse effects of HPWS are mitigated with a high level of SSL.

The dark side of HPWS can be alleviated if practitioners complement their practices with sufficient support for employees. Particularly, FLMs who exhibit subordinate-serving attitudes consider followers' well-being and provide them with resources can lessen the high pressure of HPWS in pursuit of performance enhancement.

Prior studies on the relationships between HPWS and employee outcomes have produced somewhat mixed results. This study extended the current discourse by explicating instead why HPWS could potentially impair employee outcomes and how the negative effects of HPWS can be mitigated under positive leader behaviors.

In the period of organizational change and transformation, the attitude of employees towards change has become a key factor in the success of organizational change. Based on the uncertainty management theory (UMT), the paper considers authentic leadership as an important antecedent of employee resistance to change and explores the mediating role of perceived uncertainty and the moderating role of uncertainty avoidance between authentic leadership and employee resistance to change.

The paper conducted a questionnaire survey study and a scenario experimental study. In study 1, the authors collected two stages of data from 256 employees in Central China, one month apart. In study 2, the authors designed a scenario experiment and invited 130 Chinese adults to participate.

The authors find that authentic leadership can effectively reduce employee resistance to change by reducing employee perceived uncertainty. In addition, for individuals with a higher (vs lower) degree of uncertainty avoidance, the direct impact of authentic leadership on perceived uncertainty and the indirect impact of authentic leadership on resistance to change through perceived uncertainty are both stronger (vs lower).

The presented results reveal the mechanism between authentic leadership and employee resistance to change from cognitive perspective and depict an important step toward understanding how authentic leadership and employee uncertainty avoidance interact and how they interact with employee resistance to change.

Ti6Al4V is a widely used metal for biomedical application due to its excellent corrosion resistance, biocompatibility and mechanical strength. However, a coupling reaction of friction and corrosion is the critical reason for the failure of implants during the long-term service in human body, shortening the life expectancy and clinical efficacy of prosthesis. Hence, this study aims to find a feasible approach to modify the service performances of Ti6Al4V.

Selective laser melting (SLM), as one of the emerging metal-based additive manufacturing (AM) technologies is capable for fabricating patient-specific personalized customization of artificial prosthesis joints, owing to its high adaptability for complex structures. This study is concerned with the tribocorrosion behavior of SLM fabricated Ti6Al4V substrate enhanced by laser rescanning and graphene oxide (GO) mixing. The tribocorrosion tests were performed on a ball-on-plate configuration under the medium of simulated body fluid (SBF). Moreover, the surface morphologies, microstructures, microhardness and contact angle tests were used to further reveal the in-situ strengthening mechanism of GO/Ti6Al4V nanocomposites.

The results suggest that the strengthening method of GO mixing and laser rescanning shows its capability to enhance the wear resistance of Ti6Al4V by improving surface morphologies and promoting the generation of hard phases. The wear volume of R-GO/Ti6Al4V is 5.1 × 10⁻² mm³, which is 25.0% lower than that of pure SLM-produced Ti6Al4V. Moreover, a wear-accelerated corrosion of the Ti6Al4V occurs in SBF medium, leading to a drop in the open circuit potential (OCP), but R-GO/Ti6Al4V has the lowest tendency to corrosion. Compared to that of pure Ti6Al4V, the microhardness and contact angle of R-GO/Ti6Al4V were increased by 32.89% and 32.60%, respectively.

Previous investigations related to SLM of Ti6Al4V have focused on improving its density, friction and mechanical performances by process optimization or mixing reinforcement phase. The authors innovatively found that the combination of laser rescanning and GO mixing can synergistically enhance the tribocorrosion properties of titanium alloy, which is a feasible way to prolong the service lives of medical implants.

This study aims to investigate the process of developing loyalty in the Chinese mobile health community from the information seeking perspective.

A covariance-based structural equation model was developed to explore the mobile health community loyalty development process from information seeking perspective and tested with LISREL 9.30 for the 191 mobile health platform user samples.

The empirical results demonstrate that the information seeking perspective offers an interesting explanation for the mobile health community loyalty development process. All hypotheses in the proposed research model are supported except the relationship between privacy and trust. The two types of mobile health community loyalty—attitudal loyalty and behavioral loyalty are explained with 58 and 37% variance.

This paper has brought out the information seeking perspective in the loyalty formation process in mobile health community and identified several important constructs for this perspective for the loyalty formation process including information quality, communication with doctors and communication with patients.

Internet + and Electronic Business in China is a comprehensive resource that provides insight and analysis into E-commerce in China and how it has revolutionized and continues to revolutionize business and society. Split into four distinct sections, the book first lays out the theoretical foundations and fundamental concepts of E-Business before moving on to look at internet+ innovation models and their applications in different industries such as agriculture, finance and commerce. The book then provides a comprehensive analysis of E-business platforms and their applications in China before finishing with four comprehensive case studies of major E-business projects, providing readers with successful examples of implementing E-Business entrepreneurship projects.

Internet + and Electronic Business in China is a comprehensive resource that provides insights and analysis into how E-commerce has revolutionized and continues to revolutionize business and society in China.