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Article
Publication date: 6 March 2024

Xian Zheng, Xiao Hu, Chunlin Wu and Ju Bai

Although researchers have long recognized the importance of participating organizations’ (POs) relational behavior for mega construction projects (MCPs) performance, relational…

Abstract

Purpose

Although researchers have long recognized the importance of participating organizations’ (POs) relational behavior for mega construction projects (MCPs) performance, relational behavior may not be executed by POs without effective leadership from project owners. However, little is known about the mechanisms linking owners’ leadership styles to POs’ relational behavior. This study draws on full range leadership theory and role theory to examine the relationships between owners’ leadership styles (i.e. transformational and transactional) and relational behavior. POs’ role orientations (i.e. normative and economic) are considered as potential mediators.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 175 managers deeply involved in MCPs. Hierarchical regression model and bootstrapping methods were performed on the data to examine the direct effects of owners’ leadership on POs’ relational behavior and the mediating effects of POs’ role orientations.

Findings

The results revealed that both owners’ transformational and transactional leadership positively affect POs’ relational behavior, despite the former being higher than the latter, and indirectly influence relational behavior via POs’ normative and economic role orientation, respectively.

Practical implications

This study provides a clear picture of how owners’ leadership can motivate POs’ relational behavior to achieve high-quality inter-organizational relationships in MCPs. The findings can guide owners’ top manager selection by prioritizing those with transformational leadership, which is beneficial to achieving high-level relational behavior of POs. The results also imply that owners should pay greater attention to cultivating POs’ normative role orientation by encouraging teamwork and open communication to enhance their implementation of relational behavior.

Originality/value

Unlike previous research focusing more on intra-organizational leader–follower relationship within one PO, this study is one of the first to empirically confirm owners’ leadership as a critical antecedent of POs’ relational behavior, thus enhancing the theoretical understanding of inter-organizational relationship management in MCPs. Based on role theory, this study considers a novel organizational psychology mechanism, i.e. POs’ role orientations, as the mediator to unravel how owners’ leadership affects POs’ relational behavior, which was rarely invoked in MCP leadership literature.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2023

Xian Zheng, Jinchuan Huang and Ziqing Yuan

This study investigates whether and how place-based industrial relocation policy affects firm innovation.

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates whether and how place-based industrial relocation policy affects firm innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

By exploiting the establishment of China's National Industrial Relocation Demonstration Zones (NIRDZs) as a quasi-natural experiment in a difference-in-differences design, the authors examine the externalities of industrial policies that support sustainable development and growth from the perspectives of firms' patenting activities.

Findings

The study consistently finds that the NIRDZs policy significantly boosts local firm innovation, translating into a 60.46% increase in the patent applications of treated firms. The estimation results remain robust to a series of alternative specifications. Moreover, heterogeneity analysis suggests that the firms that benefited most were state-owned enterprises, firms with higher productivity, or firms in non-high-tech industries. Further, the authors find that the NIRDZs policy stimulates firm innovation mainly in the form of utility model patents, followed by designs and invention patents.

Research limitations/implications

The results provide suggestions and implications for policymakers to improve the efficiency of state-led industrial policies and avoid “government failure” in policy implementation.

Social implications

This study provides suggestions and implications for policymakers to improve the efficiency of state-led industrial policies and avoid “government failure” in the policy implementation.

Originality/value

This study fills the research gap by exploiting quasi-experiments to assess the effectiveness of state-led industrial policies for emerging economies. (2) The analysis sheds empirical light on how corporate innovation is motivated and financed by selective and functional industrial policies. (3) Theoretically, the results rationalize why state-led industrial relocation fuel innovation capabilities of localities from Marshall externalities and competition crowding-out effects.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2022

Xian Zheng, Jiawei Deng, Xiangnan Song, Meng Ye and Lan Luo

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and innovation are the two main approaches firms utilize to promote sustainable development. However, as yet, scholars have reached no…

Abstract

Purpose

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and innovation are the two main approaches firms utilize to promote sustainable development. However, as yet, scholars have reached no consensus regarding their precise impact on construction firm performance (CFP), hindering efforts to implement effective sustainable development strategies that improve CFP. In view that a simple linear relationship may not be sufficient to capture their precise pattern, this study aims to unveil the nonlinear impact of CSR and innovation on CFP, especially when construction firms take up a distinct competitive position.

Design/methodology/approach

This study first proposed four hypotheses to establish a new theoretical model by incorporating CSR, innovation, CFP and construction firms' competitive position (CFCP). Then the model was tested by using 292 annual observations collected from 75 construction firms in China. A multiple regression model analysis was carried out to analyze the survey data and validate the hypotheses.

Findings

The results reveal that both CSR and innovation have a U-shaped impact on the price-to-book ratio of a construction firm, a specific CFP measure. CFCP negatively moderates the U-shaped relationship between CSR and CFP, but positively moderates the U-shaped relationship between innovation and CFP.

Originality/value

This study goes beyond a simple linear view, instead of unveiling the nonlinear U-shaped effects of CSR and innovation on CFP that deepen the understanding of their complex relationships in the construction industry and makes construction firms aware that CSR and innovation can only improve performance if they reach a certain level. The moderating role of CFCP provides important implications for construction firms seeking to adopt appropriate competitive strategies related to social responsibility and innovation that both promote CFP and achieve sustainable development.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 31 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2021

Lan Luo, Limao Zhang, Xian Zheng and Guangdong Wu

This paper proposes a novel hybrid simulation approach that incorporates the structural equation model (SEM) and system dynamics (SD) to investigate the impacts of leadership…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper proposes a novel hybrid simulation approach that incorporates the structural equation model (SEM) and system dynamics (SD) to investigate the impacts of leadership dynamics on project performance under different scenarios.

Design/methodology/approach

SEM is used to identify and validate a correlation between leadership variables and project performance statically. On this basis, the SD model is constructed to depict a system model connecting the leadership and project performance. Different scenarios are simulated to dynamically model the variation in leadership on the evolution of project performance.

Findings

Results indicate that (1) leadership can be divided into personal ability, relationship atmosphere and organizational strategy in complex construction projects; (2) personal ability, relationship atmosphere and organizational strategy positively correlate with project performance over time; and (3) L1 (stress management ability), L7 (team building) and L17 (institution support) are the leading factors influencing project performance and should be paid more attention under limited resources.

Originality/value

This research contributes to (1) the state of the knowledge by proposing a hybrid methodology that can systematically model the impacts of leadership dynamics on project performance over time and (2) the state of the practice by gaining a better understanding of the strategy of resource distribution for enhancing project performance in complex construction projects.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2013

Eddie C.M. Hui, Pei‐hua Zhang and Xian Zheng

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze crucial facilities management (FM) service dimensions that affect customer satisfaction with regards to the shopping mall…

7624

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze crucial facilities management (FM) service dimensions that affect customer satisfaction with regards to the shopping mall sector, and provide useful implications for FM companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a five‐year longitudinal customer satisfaction survey conducted in five selected shopping malls in Hong Kong. The authors first use stepwise multiple regression method to estimate the relationship between overall customer satisfaction level and nine specific dimensions of FM service for each year, and then compare regression results of five years to identify crucial dimensions.

Findings

The research reveals that: management and maintenance of communal facilities is the most crucial dimension with regard to the overall customer satisfaction; the condition of a washroom is another important dimension for customer satisfaction; communication efficiency and efficacious promotion events are also important for maintaining customer satisfaction.

Originality/value

This paper presents a longitudinal quantitative survey regarding shopping mall FM service satisfaction and identifies several critical dimensions affecting customer satisfaction, which deliver useful information for FM managers who intend to fulfil customer expectations.

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2012

Eddie C.M. Hui, Xian Zheng and Wen‐juan Zuo

The purpose of this paper is to explore the long‐run relation and short‐run dynamic correlations between consumption expenditure and household wealth, namely housing wealth and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the long‐run relation and short‐run dynamic correlations between consumption expenditure and household wealth, namely housing wealth and stock wealth.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts aggregate time‐series data over the period of 1981Q1‐2010Q4 in Hong Kong. It employs the ARDL to cointegration procedure and the multivariate stochastic volatility (MSV) model to investigate the long‐run elasticity and dynamic correlations between aggregate consumption expenditure and household wealth indicators.

Findings

The results suggest that both housing wealth and stock wealth have significant effects on consumption expenditure after controlling for the aggregate income level. The long‐run elasticity of consumption expenditure with respect to housing wealth and stock wealth are 0.3877 and 0.1424 respectively, while the marginal propensity to consume for housing wealth and for stock wealth are 0.2159 and 0.0266 respectively. The dynamic correlation analysis implies that the decrease in housing and stock wealth may further depress consumer behavior and economic condition during the post‐financial crisis period.

Originality/value

This paper provides useful information with regard to the long‐run and dynamic relations between consumption and different types of wealth components.

Details

Property Management, vol. 30 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2013

De‐Xing Peng, Yuan Kang, ZhengXian Li and Shih‐Yen Chang

The purpose of this paper is to test the wear behavior of a carbon steel surface after cladding by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) method to enhance wear resistance.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the wear behavior of a carbon steel surface after cladding by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) method to enhance wear resistance.

Design/methodology/approach

The microstructures, chemical compositions, and wear characteristics of cladded surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX). A rotating‐type tribometer was used to evaluate the wear characteristics of cladded specimens under dry sliding conditions at room temperature. The dry sliding wear resistance of the coatings was tested as a function of applied load and sliding time, and wear mechanisms were elucidated by analyzing wear surfaces.

Findings

The experimental results revealed an excellent metallurgical bond between the composite coating and substrate. The coating was uniform, continuous, and almost defect‐free, and particles were evenly distributed throughout the cladding layer. Hardness was increased from 200 HV in the substrate to 650‐800 HV in the modified layer due to the presence of the hard TiC phase. The excellent wear resistance and very low load sensitivity observed in the dry sliding wear test of the intermetallic matrix composite coating were due to the high hardness of TiC and the strong atomic bonds of the intermetallic matrix.

Originality/value

The experiments in this study confirm that, by reducing friction and anti‐wear, the cladding layer prepared using the proposed methods can prolong machinery operating life.

Details

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, vol. 65 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0036-8792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 September 2010

Eddie Hui, Hui Wang and Xian Zheng

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the risk appetite in Hong Kong real estate and property security markets in the recent episode of global financial crisis.

1527

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the risk appetite in Hong Kong real estate and property security markets in the recent episode of global financial crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

An advanced methodology developed from the previous risk appetite measurement and Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation is used. Traditional research on risk appetite had never been applied to the real estate market before because no options underlying properties exist. However, this paper makes a contribution that in the absence of options, risk appetite indicators are derived for the real estate and property security markets.

Findings

The empirical results show that the risk appetite for the real estate market started to fall markedly in the third quarter of 2008, matching the very period of the Sub‐prime Mortgage Crisis in the USA. By contrast, those for the property security index were stabilizing in that period. This implies that investors' risk attitude to the real estate market differs from that to the property security market. Furthermore, the correlations between the index prices and the corresponding risk appetite in each market suggest that investors are “risk neutral” in the real estate market, while they are “risk lovers” in the property security market.

Originality/value

This paper, to the authors' best knowledge, is the first study to explore the risk appetite indicator in the real estate market, which could enable us to shed new light on the market price movement from the perspective of investors' market sentiment.

Details

Journal of Property Investment & Finance, vol. 28 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-578X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 April 2010

Eddie C.M. Hui and Xian Zheng

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze crucial variables of customer satisfaction towards residential facility management (FM) service, and to enable FM companies to…

4601

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze crucial variables of customer satisfaction towards residential facility management (FM) service, and to enable FM companies to deliver high quality services.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on a survey of customer satisfaction of one residential property in Hong Kong. FM service is divided into two interrelated clusters which are denoted by two latent variables, and then a specific structural equation model is developed for identifying and quantifying the influence of service and management quality on customer satisfaction and clarifying the causal relationships between these latent and observed variables.

Findings

The research reveals that: both service and management quality have significant positive effect on customer satisfaction, and the effect of service quality is larger than that of management quality when the indirect effect is taken into account; service quality is a crucial latent variable influencing customer satisfaction and it has a significant direct effect on management quality; how the individual observed variables work together to characterize the corresponding latent variables from an empirical point of view, and some key variables that should be focused on by facility managers in the housing sector are also identified.

Practical implications

Structural equation models are advocated for evaluating customer satisfaction in the housing property sector of facility management service. It can also be used in other sectors of facility management, such as office, retail property or some public property management like hospitals and schools. It has implications for facility management managers in how to improve residential customers' satisfaction level.

Originality/value

This paper presents a quantitative model of characterizing the degree of customer satisfaction.

Details

Facilities, vol. 28 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2023

Wenhong Luo and Nelson Graburn

China has been going through a “museum boom” paralleling the domestic tourism boom since 2000; such growth changed the cultural landscape; museums became a vital characteristic of…

Abstract

Purpose

China has been going through a “museum boom” paralleling the domestic tourism boom since 2000; such growth changed the cultural landscape; museums became a vital characteristic of some Chinese cities for both residents and tourists. Encouraged by this growth, the more ambitious “All-for-one Museum (全域博物馆)” was proposed. The physical boundary between museums and living spaces is infinite ambiguity, challenging the idea of museums as “heterotopias.” This study aims to explore the musealization of urban spaces in the context of anthropology and museology, scrutinizing the cultural-political intentions and meanings of these developments, and seeks to ignite further investigation into the reconstruction of historical imaginaries for tourists and urban populations across related disciplines.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines two cases in Chinese metropolises, Beijing and Shanghai, to illustrate this development of musealization, that is, how the cities actively leverage museological values and methods to connect with their past. In the Beijing case, the authors explore how the local government is leading the effort to musealize the city; in the Shanghai case, they will see how tourists, especially dweller-tourists, navigate through a curated past story in the city and connect their own experience, memory and identity with the place.

Findings

The all-for-one museum creates a museal layer projected onto the bigger urban space, even though the authenticity of the “past” is challenged by the modernization development of the city. The authors also find out that for some tourists (especially dweller-tourists), an existential sense of authenticity plays a more significant role as they not only seek to sightsee the past of the city but also to take part in its creation.

Originality/value

This paper discusses two kinds of musealization in cosmopolitan cities of Beijing and Shanghai: top-down and bottom-up. It approaches questions about the musealization of urban spaces from the perspectives of anthropology and museology, and discusses musealization in the specific historical context of China’s modernization process.

Details

International Journal of Tourism Cities, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-5607

Keywords

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