Search results

1 – 10 of 43
Article
Publication date: 6 July 2022

Malin Song, Xiaowei Ma, Xin Zhao and Liangliang Zhang

Logistics capability is an important enabler of supply chain resilience (SCR). However, few studies have analyzed the underlying influence mechanism of logistics capability on SCR…

2617

Abstract

Purpose

Logistics capability is an important enabler of supply chain resilience (SCR). However, few studies have analyzed the underlying influence mechanism of logistics capability on SCR in extreme conditions, such as those of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of the role of logistics capabilities in constituting a resilient supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon the dynamic capability perspective and contingency theory, the proposed conceptual framework aims to demonstrate the relationship between a firm's logistics capabilities and SCR. Furthermore, the conceptual framework is illustrated by empirical evidence from a case study of a Chinese manufacturing company, which focuses on extracting practical lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

The findings suggest that digitalization, innovativeness, and modularization comprise potential mediating pathways for firm logistics capability to affect SCR and government policies, risk management culture, trust and cooperation moderate the effect positively. The potential associations are identified and elucidated by detecting the corresponding strategies and practices of a Chinese manufacturer that performed well amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Practical implications

This study provides specific guidelines for logistics managers to enhance SCR during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeing SCR as a dynamic capability, the framework is also instructive for manufacturers, supply chain members, and policymakers to achieve the sustained competitive advantage of supply chains.

Originality/value

The findings expand the understanding of enhancing SCR in a logistics approach. The empirical validation of propositions in the case study reveals a new vista for research on SCR.

Details

The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 May 2021

Xiaowei Ma, Muhammad Shahbaz and Malin Song

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of the off-office audit of natural resource assets on the prevention and control of water pollution against a background of big…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of the off-office audit of natural resource assets on the prevention and control of water pollution against a background of big data using a differences-in-differences model.

Design/methodology/approach

This study constructs a differences-in-differences model to evaluate the policy effects of off-office audit based on panel data from 11 cities in Anhui Province, China, from 2011 to 2017, and analyzes the dynamic effect of the audit and intermediary effect of industrial structure.

Findings

The implementation of the audit system can effectively reduce water pollution. Dynamic effect analysis showed that the audit policy can not only improve the quality of water resources but can also have a cumulative effect over time. That is, the prevention and control effect on water pollution is getting stronger and stronger. The results of the robustness test verified the effectiveness of water pollution prevention and control. However, the results of the influence mechanism analysis showed that the mediating effect of the industrial structure was not obvious in the short term.

Practical implications

These findings shed light on the effect of the off-office audit of natural resource assets on the prevention and control of water pollution, and provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of relevant environmental policies. Furthermore, these findings show that the implementation of the audit system can effectively reduce water pollution, which has practical significance for the sustainable development of China's economy against the background of big data.

Originality/value

This study quantitatively analyzes the policy effect of off-office auditing from the perspective of water resources based on a big data background, which differs from the existing research that mainly focuses on basic theoretical analysis.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Executive summary
Publication date: 27 January 2020

CHINA: Political dynamics favour overreaction to virus

Details

DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-ES250276

ISSN: 2633-304X

Keywords

Geographic
Topical
Article
Publication date: 19 October 2018

Lei Zhu, Orhan Kara and Xiaowei Zhu

The purpose of this paper is to compare women entrepreneurship in China and Vietnam by examining the motivations, success factors and problems related to establishing women-owned…

1517

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare women entrepreneurship in China and Vietnam by examining the motivations, success factors and problems related to establishing women-owned businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample in this study consisted of 170 women entrepreneurs in Vietnam and 180 women entrepreneurs in China. The authors used the survey instrument developed by H.M. Chu (Chu and Katsioloudes 2001), which has been adopted in a number of small business studies since 2002. To determine whether there is a significant difference between the two countries regarding each factor of motivations, success factors and problems, the authors use the non-parametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

Findings

Women entrepreneurs are motived to earn more income in both China and Vietnam. Vietnamese businesswomen value intrinsic rewards such as gaining personal satisfaction and freedom. They also take business ownership as a way to reduce work–family conflict. Demonstrating the ability and gaining public recognition play a more important role when Chinese women entrepreneurs decide to establish their businesses. Both Chinese and Vietnamese women agree that good management skills are essential to achieve their goals. Women entrepreneurs in both countries share similar challenges, such as the inability to recruit and retain employees, severe competition, a weak economy and limited access to financial capital.

Practical implications

Given the nature of transitional economies in both countries, the government is required to improve the regulatory environment for protecting private sector employment and private property rights. Policies such as subsidies and tax incentives may assist the development of women enterprises. To support the sustainable growth of women businesses, it is suggested that the government should design effective programs that direct women entrepreneurs to move into high-growth or high-technology sectors. Training programs are also required to improve the knowledge and skills of women entrepreneurs. Making capital accessible to women is also important to stimulate entrepreneurial growth. As a further stimulus, governments should coordinate with financial institutions to provide low-cost loans or even venture capital to facilitate this process.

Originality/value

This study is among one of the first attempts to compare women entrepreneurship in the two transitional economies of Vietnam and China. It provides insight into motivations, success factors and problems that women entrepreneurs experienced by examining small business owners in Vietnam and China.

Details

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4604

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2023

Xiaowei Zhou, Yousong Wang, Yangbing Zhang and Fangfang Liu

In China, engineering insurance has been questioned as not being beneficial as expected. This paper seeks to further understand how China's engineering insurance industry…

Abstract

Purpose

In China, engineering insurance has been questioned as not being beneficial as expected. This paper seeks to further understand how China's engineering insurance industry functions and to provide a macro perspective explanation for engineering insurance's underdevelopment.

Design/methodology/approach

Three industrial organization hypotheses were extended to the engineering insurance context: structure conduct performance (SCP), relative market power (RMP) and efficiency structure (ES) hypotheses. This paper employed the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) bootstrap to test the hypotheses using panel data from 2008 to 2017.

Findings

The results suggest that the SCP paradigm is validated in China's engineering insurance market, indicating a concentrated market where the welfare of consumers (e.g. owners, contractors and designers) may be eroded. Several factors are identified to have significant impacts on engineering insurers' performance, such as the investment return, percentage of engineering business, the ratio of outstanding claims, the number of large contractors, market rivalry and entry barriers.

Originality/value

Despite the sheer size of China's construction industry and the urgent need to improve risk management, the insurance industry that serves construction firms engineering insurance is underdeveloped. Engineering insurance is yet to be understood from a macro perspective, which may reveal the underlying reasons for engineering insurance's underdevelopment. The industrial organization theories provided a theoretical framework to test the functioning of this specific industry. The disaggregated data (engineering line specific) is employed to ensure effective regulation and policymaking.

Details

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

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 December 2020

Shuqing Li, Li Ding, Xiaowei Ding, Huan Hu and Yu Zhang

With the continuous change of research contents and methods of intelligence science, its integration with other disciplines is also deepening. The purpose of this paper is to…

Abstract

Purpose

With the continuous change of research contents and methods of intelligence science, its integration with other disciplines is also deepening. The purpose of this paper is to further explore the interdisciplinary research characteristics of intelligence science in theoretical depth and application value.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper summarizes and explores in two aspects. The first is a large number of literature review, mainly combined with the historical characteristics of the development of intelligence science researches in China and international comparison. The second is to refine the discipline construction ideas suitable for the development of contemporary intelligence science.

Findings

From the perspective of the historical development of discipline relevance, the development characteristics and positioning of intelligence science in China are introduced, with the comparison of many disciplines including information technology, library science, information science, data science, management science and other disciplines. In order to better meet the practical needs of intelligence service in the new era, this paper mainly analyzes the construction method of intelligence science research system and the relocation of intelligence science research content.

Originality/value

This paper summarizes the historical characteristics and international comparison of the development of intelligence science in China. It proposes the development characteristics and orientation of intelligence science in China from the perspective of historical development of discipline relevance. It also proposes the discipline construction ideas suitable for the development of contemporary intelligence science.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 77 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 October 2003

Zhou Baiqing, Wang Xiaowei, Li Qin and Peng Yisheng

Corrosion of carbon steel and copper is a troublesome problem in low hardness cooling water systems. A new kind of water stabiliser containing hydroxy phosphonocarboxylic acid…

Abstract

Corrosion of carbon steel and copper is a troublesome problem in low hardness cooling water systems. A new kind of water stabiliser containing hydroxy phosphonocarboxylic acid, zinc salts and molybdate has been developed. Its performance has been proved by means of weight loss tests and a static state scale‐inhibiting test method. The mechanism was also studied using polarisation tests, scanning electron microscope examination and XPS analysis. The test results showed that the corrosion rate of carbon steel and copper could be reduced to 0.0136 and 0.0010 mm/a, respectively. A compact film containing P, Mo and Zn was formed on the surface of carbon steel, by means of which the steel was protected.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 50 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 21 October 2019

L. Jeremy Clegg, Hinrich Voss and Liang Chen

The acronym and neologism “VUCA” is employed by management and some scholars to denote the unpredictability of the modern world and its impact on business. The VUCA approach…

Abstract

The acronym and neologism “VUCA” is employed by management and some scholars to denote the unpredictability of the modern world and its impact on business. The VUCA approach suggests that a rational firm’s response should be to: protect against volatility by engineering-in redundancy and slack, gather information to reduce uncertainty, develop expertise to make complexity computable, and learn heuristically to reduce ambiguity. We combine a critical perspective on the VUCA approach with the global factory model, popularly used to describe the flexibility sought by advanced economy multinational enterprises (MNEs) within the global value chain. Both VUCA and the global factory would seem to account less well for the expansion of emerging multinational enterprise (EMNEs) abroad, particularly the preference for equity-based control and inflexibility when seeking strategic assets. Also, both approaches fail to incorporate behavioral principles toward risk. Using International Business theory, we propose a research agenda that may help to make VUCA more tractable, the global factory more useful, and the internationalization of EMNEs more comprehensible.

Details

International Business in a VUCA World: The Changing Role of States and Firms
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-256-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 May 2014

Feifei Wang, Tina J. Jayroe, Junping Qiu and Houqiang Yu

The purpose of this paper is to further explore the co-citation and bibliographic-coupling relationship among the core authors in the field of Chinese information science (IS), to…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to further explore the co-citation and bibliographic-coupling relationship among the core authors in the field of Chinese information science (IS), to expose research activity and author impact, and to make induction analyses about Chinese IS research patterns and theme evolution.

Design/methodology/approach

The research data include 8,567 papers and 70,947 cited articles in the IS field indexed by Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index from 2000 to 2009. Author co-citation analysis, author bibliographic-coupling analysis, social network analysis, and factor analysis were combined to explore co-citation and bibliographic-coupling relationships and to identify research groups and subjects.

Findings

Scholars with greatest impact are different from the most active scholars of Chinese IS; there is no uniform impact pattern forming since authors’ impact subjects are scattered and not steady; while authors’ research activities present higher independence and concentration, there is still no steady research pattern due to no deep research existing. Furthermore, Chinese IS studies can be delineated by: foundation or extension. The research subjects of these two parts, as well as their corresponding/contributing authors, are different under different views. The general research status of core authors is concentrated, while their impact is broad.

Originality/value

The combined use of some related methods could enrich the development and methodology research of the discipline, and the results establish a reference point on the development of IS research.

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2024

Xiaowei Yang, Haoyun Zhang and Zhiyong Huang

This study aims to introduce and prove the existence of negative rivalry in use, which should be an integral part of goods taxonomy, from the perspective of knowledge sharing and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to introduce and prove the existence of negative rivalry in use, which should be an integral part of goods taxonomy, from the perspective of knowledge sharing and further present the critical role of knowledge sharing in the digital economy era by reviewing the literature, theoretical analysis and real-world cases. It also aims to open a new door for re-recognizing knowledge sharing through an interdisciplinary framework.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proves the existence of negative rivalry through both theoretical analysis (4-E model) and real-world cases, especially the cases of Tesla and ChatGPT, and puts up new reasons for knowledge sharing in the era of digital economy through interdisciplinary methods.

Findings

The authors find out that there are many new phenomena beyond the spectrum of current goods taxonomy, especially beyond the priori understanding of rivalry in use. Digital platforms such as ChatGPT should have been “used up” in no time, for they have attracted so massive users according to (positive) rivalry in use, or should have been unchanged at most according to non-rivalry in use. But what we see is their rapid upgrading with the help of billions of users. The reason is that negative rivalry in use has completely been neglected. The authors find out that the process of knowledge sharing unveils the unrecognized attribute of rivalry in use, i.e. negative rivalry in use, which serves as the fundamental driving force of the breathtaking growth of all kinds of digital platforms.

Originality/value

This study originally put up a 4-E model of goods’ rivalry in use, the brand new term, i.e. negative rivalry in use, and proves its existence and working mechanism from the perspective of knowledge sharing. With the introduction of negative rivalry in use, the traditional four-type goods classification model is extended into a six-type model, which may be a sound marginal contribution, to the best of the authors’ knowledge. The study may reshape people’s mindsets on goods usage, especially knowledge management, into a more open-sharing model because it shows that there is very likely a positive-sum game instead of a zero- or negative-sum game for shared knowledge per se and its platform in the process of knowledge sharing in the era of digital economy.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

1 – 10 of 43