Search results

Research on strategic alliances is concerned with two issues: continuation and reconfiguration. Building on prior research that examines the two issues separately, the paper studies them simultaneously. This paper aims to investigate how strategic alliances may exert the synergetic effect between dynamics and stability as well as to discuss the dynamic evolution process and influence factors of strategic alliances.

This paper describes the construction of a two-party evolutionary game model of alliance and partners. The model is used to analyze the evolution process of synergetic mechanism to determine when to terminate and when to continue with a partnership. Further, numerical simulation is used to quantify the results and to gain insight into the effects of various factors on the dynamic evolution of the synergetic mechanism.

This paper reveals several synergetic states of dynamics and stability in the alliances. The results show that synergy states are positively affected by the collaborative innovation benefits, alliance management capability, the intensity of intellectual property protection, liquidated damages and reputation losses, and negatively affected by the absorptive capacity of partners.

The study helps the alliance to achieve long-term development as well as to balance the paradoxical relationship. The results suggest that managers of strategic alliances should focus on building strong and long-term relationships in order to achieve high performance innovations. Managers should also pay close attention to their partners’ behaviors in previous alliances.

This paper provides new insights into the paradoxical relationship in alliance by revealing the evolution of synergetic mechanism between dynamics and stability. The results remind alliances to understand the relationship between dynamics and stability and to notice the influence factors of synergistic effects when they are making decisions.

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the image transfer and its effects on exhibitors’ behavioral intention. Specifically, the study attempted to examine the effect of mega business event image on destination and country image from exhibitors’ perspective and the effect of mega business event image on exhibitors’ behavioral intention toward the event.

The data for this study were collected through an on-site survey. Based on a sample of 393 respondents, structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses.

The results showed that business event image has a stronger effect on country image than on destination image; event image has a significant effect on exhibitor’s behavioral intention toward the event directly and indirectly through the mediating role of country image; and country image has a significant influence on destination image.

The event organizer should improve the exhibitor’s perceptions of the event experience from providing a clear and attractive theme for the target audiences; exhibiting the products with the most cutting-edge technologies and offering various opportunities for forums and promotions; and planning and organizing the event in every detail carefully including the facilities, layout of booths, ambience and other related services.

The study expands the event type to business events, explores the image transfer process between event, destination and country and examines the effects of such image transfer on the exhibitors’ behavioral intention. The results confirm the explanatory power of image transfer theory. Attribution theory and halo effect are viewed as the mechanisms of image transfer.

本研究的主要目的是考察形象迁移及其对参展商行为意向的影响。具体而言, 本研究（1）从参展商视角, 探讨大型商务活动形象对目的地和国家形象的影响; （2）探讨重大商务活动形象对参展商行为意向的影响。

本研究的数据通过现场调查收集, 基于393份问卷, 使用结构方程模型检验研究假设。

研究结果表明：（1）商务活动形象对国家形象的影响比对目的地形象的影响更大; （2）通过国家形象的中介作用, 大型商务活动形象直接或间接地影响了参展商的行为意图; （3）国家形象显著影响目的地形象。

活动组织者应从以下方面改善参展商对活动体验的认识：（1）提供清晰且有吸引力的主题; （2）展示具有最前沿技术的产品, 并提供各种论坛和促销机会; （3）认真, 细致地筹划和组织活动, 包括设施, 摊位布置, 氛围和其他相关服务。

本研究将活动类型延伸至商务活动, 探索活动、目的地和国家之间的形象迁移, 检验形象迁移对参展商行为意向的影响。结果证实了形象迁移理论的解释力。归因理论和晕轮效应是形象迁移的内在机制。

Transferencia de imágenes entre un megaevento empresarial, el destino y el país del alojamiento y sus efectos sobre la predisposición de los expositores hacía el evento

el objetivo principal de este estudio es investigar la transferencia de imágenes y sus efectos sobre la predisposición de los expositores. Específicamente, el estudio intentó examinar (1) el efecto de la imagen de megaevento de negocios en la imagen del destino y del país desde la perspectiva de los expositores y (2) el efecto de la imagen de megaevento de negocios en la predisposición de los expositores hacia el evento.

los datos de este estudio se obtuvieron mediante una encuesta in situ. Sobre la base de una muestra de 393 encuestados, se utilizó el modelo de ecuaciones estructurales para probar las hipótesis propuestas.

los resultados mostraron que: (1) la imagen del megaevento tiene un efecto más fuerte en la imagen del país que en la del destino; (2) la imagen del evento tiene un efecto significativo directo e indirecto sobre la predisposición del expositor hacia el evento a través del papel mediador de la imagen del país; (3) la imagen del país tiene una influencia significativa en la imagen de destino.

el organizador del evento debe mejorar las percepciones del expositor sobre la experiencia del evento (1) proporcionando un tema claro y atractivo para el público objetivo; (2) exhibir los productos con las tecnologías más avanzadas y ofrecer diversas oportunidades para foros y promociones; y (3) planificar y organizar el evento cuidando los detalles, incluyendo las instalaciones, el diseño de las cabinas, el ambiente y otros servicios relacionados.

el estudio amplía el tipo de evento a eventos de negocios, explora el proceso de transferencia de imágenes entre evento, destino y país, y examina los efectos de dicha transferencia de imágenes en la predisposición de los expositors hacía el evento. Los resultados confirman el poder explicativo de la teoría de transferencia de imágenes. La teoría de la atribución y el efecto halo son vistos como los mecanismos de transferencia de imágenes.

As cyber-attacks continue to grow, organisations adopting the internet-of-things (IoT) have continued to react to security concerns that threaten their businesses within the current highly competitive environment. Many recorded industrial cyber-attacks have successfully beaten technical security solutions by exploiting human-factor vulnerabilities related to security knowledge and skills and manipulating human elements into inadvertently conveying access to critical industrial assets. Knowledge and skill capabilities contribute to human analytical proficiencies for enhanced cybersecurity readiness. Thus, a human-factored security endeavour is required to investigate the capabilities of the human constituents (workforce) to appropriately recognise and respond to cyber intrusion events within the industrial control system (ICS) environment.

A quantitative approach (statistical analysis) is adopted to provide an approach to quantify the potential cybersecurity capability aptitudes of industrial human actors, identify the least security-capable workforce in the operational domain with the greatest susceptibility likelihood to cyber-attacks (i.e. weakest link) and guide the enhancement of security assurance. To support these objectives, a Human-factored Cyber Security Capability Evaluation approach is presented using conceptual analysis techniques.

Using a test scenario, the approach demonstrates the capacity to proffer an efficient evaluation of workforce security knowledge and skills capabilities and the identification of weakest link in the workforce.

The approach can enable organisations to gain better workforce security perspectives like security-consciousness, alertness and response aptitudes, thus guiding organisations into adopting strategic means of appropriating security remediation outlines, scopes and resources without undue wastes or redundancies.

This paper demonstrates originality by providing a framework and computational approach for characterising and quantify human-factor security capabilities based on security knowledge and security skills. It also supports the identification of potential security weakest links amongst an evaluated industrial workforce (human agents), some key security susceptibility areas and relevant control interventions. The model and validation results demonstrate the application of action research. This paper demonstrates originality by illustrating how action research can be applied within socio-technical dimensions to solve recurrent and dynamic problems related to industrial environment cyber security improvement. It provides value by demonstrating how theoretical security knowledge (awareness) and practical security skills can help resolve cyber security response and control uncertainties within industrial organisations.

Describes a study that exploits the potential of fuzzy systems in construction through the development of a decision support system which is capable of handling fuzziness in the collaborative decision‐making process. The proposed system is intended to provide an objective and rational framework within which collaborative decisions can be made by virtual construction project teams. Given the often linguistic nature of the weightings ascribed by individual disciplines to decision criteria, the proposed system will utilise fuzzy systems theory to rank criteria and recommend an optimal decision alternative. Presents an example to illustrate how the proposed tool works.

The purpose of this paper is to offer empirical evidence on whether and how the work experiences of employees in China influence their union-related attitudes and behaviours.

The authors developed a mediated moderation model to examine how job satisfaction and labour relations climate interactively affect union participation and whether union commitment mediates the interactive effects. A total of 585 employees from enterprises in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and Fujian province of China were surveyed to verify the model.

Job satisfaction was negatively related to union participation and union commitment. Labour relations climate moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and union participation; the relationship was negative and stronger when employees perceived an adverse, rather than a favourable, labour relations climate. Further, the interactive effect of job satisfaction and labour relations climate on union participation was partly mediated by union commitment.

By empirically examining employees’ attitudes and behaviours towards unions in the Chinese context, this study confirms that unions could provide employees with alternative work resources to cope with job dissatisfaction, even in a country where unions play a “transmission belt” role between employees and employers. This study adds value to the existing base of knowledge on union practice and labour relations construction, both inside and outside of China.

This paper aims to examine and compare extant literature on the application of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques in humanitarian operations (HOs) and humanitarian supply chains (HSCs). It identifies the status of existing research in the field and suggests a roadmap for academicians to undertake further research in HOs and HSCs using MCDM techniques.

The paper systematically reviews the research on MCDM applications in HO and HSC domains from 2011 to 2022, as the field gained traction post-2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami phenomena. In the first step, an exhaustive search for journal articles is conducted using 48 keyword searches. To ensure quality, only those articles published in journals featuring in the first quartile of the Scimago Journal Ranking were selected. A total of 103 peer-reviewed articles were selected for the review and then segregated into different categories for analysis.

The paper highlights insufficient high-quality research in HOs that utilizes MCDM methods. It proposes a roadmap for scholars to enhance the research outcomes by advocating adopting mixed methods. The analysis of various studies revealed a notable absence of contextual reference. A contextual mind map specific to HOs has been developed to assist future research endeavors. This resource can guide researchers in determining the appropriate contextual framework for their studies.

This paper will help practitioners understand the research carried out in the field. The aspiring researchers will identify the gap in the extant research and work on future research directions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first literature review on applying MCDM in HOs and HSCs. It summarises the current status and proposes future research directions.

The secondary phase decreased the corrosion resistance because of the segregation of Cr and Mo. Therefore, this paper aims to study the precipitation condition and the effect of secondary phase with volume fraction on corrosion behavior.

Secondary phase precipitated approximately from 375°C to 975°C because of saturated Cr and Mo at grain boundary by growth of austenite. Therefore, heat treatment from 800°C to 1,300°C was applied to start the precipitation of the secondary phase.

The secondary phase is precipitated at 1,020°C because of segregation by heterogeneous austenite. The growth of austenite at 1,000°C needs the time to saturate the Cr and Mo at grain boundary. When the volume fraction of austenite is 56 per cent (14 min at 1,000°C), the secondary phase is precipitated with grain boundary of austenite. The secondary phase increased the current density (corrosion rate) and decreased the passivation. That is checked to the critical pitting temperature (CPT) curves. The 1 per cent volume fraction of secondary phase decreased CPT to 60°C from 71°C.

The precipitation of secondary phase not wants anyone. Casted super-duplex stainless steel (SDSS) of big size precipitates the secondary phase. This study worked the precipitation condition and the suppression conditions of secondary phase.

Manufacturers need precipitation condition to make high-performance SDSS.

The corrosion resistance of SDSS is hard the optimization because SDSS is dual-phase stainless steel. The precipitation of the secondary phase must be controlled to optimize of the corrosion resistance of SDSS. Anyone not studied the precipitation condition of secondary phase and the effect of secondary phase with volume fraction on corrosion behavior of SDSS.

The growing literature does not highlight the impact of high-performance work systems (HPWSs) on employee psychological well-being. This study aimed to test this influence by exploring the mediation of psychosocial safety and the moderation of supervisor support to overcome knowledge gaps in optimizing productivity in an increasingly dynamic workplace.

This study involved 395 service employees in Indonesia. Data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro approach.

The research findings indicate that while HPWS are perceived as organizational investments by employees, they do not directly impact employees’ psychological well-being in the service sector in Indonesia. Despite previous literature suggesting a positive relationship, this study emphasizes the importance of considering factors such as psychosocial safety and supervisor support in influencing employee perceptions.

This study extends the existing literature on the mechanisms of HPWS in promoting psychological well-being in the workplace. Furthermore, Psychological safety has also been identified as a strategic approach to reduce workplace bullying.

Organizations should prioritize creating a work environment that considers psychosocial safety and provides adequate supervisor support to enhance employees’ psychological well-being. Understanding the unique needs and perceptions of employees, including factors such as age and gender, is crucial in designing effective HPWS that foster a positive workplace culture and mitigate potential negative impacts.

The authors seek to explore the not yet fully understood relationship between HPWS, psychosocial safety, and supervisor support in promoting employee psychological well-being. This research also provides a broader view of how to prevent employees from feeling pressured and stressed in the workplace.

The post-COVID-19 era is characterised in the professional field by a deterioration in the psychological health of employees and by “The Great Resignation”. These phenomena require managers to rethink both organisational and HR strategies to protect their workers’ health, to retain them in their job and, in fine, to ensure the sustainability of the organisation. However, studies have demonstrated that high performance work systems (HPWS), which are currently the dominant approach in human resource management, are related to an intensification of work and consequently a deterioration of employees’ health (conflicting outcomes perspective). At the same time, workers’ well-being has been shown to be associated with numerous organisational outcomes, such as individual performance. However, relatively few articles have investigated win–win organisational practices or programmes that promote the well-being and consequently performance of workers. These include virtuous organisational practices (VOPs), which specifically aim to enhance employees’ well-being, considered not as a means to an end, but as an end in itself (mutual gains perspective). This paper aims to develop the general hypothesis that VOPs could increase employees’ performance by protecting their health and thus offer an alternative to HPWS.

We review relevant current research on psychological well-being and work performance and present innovative systems of organisational practices such as VOPs that create psychologically healthy workplaces and enhance workers’ optimal functioning (well-being and performance).

Based on theoretical arguments and empirical studies, we hypothesise that alternative practices such as VOPs can increase employees’ performance while protecting their health and encouraging them to stay in the organisation.

After this review, we discuss future avenues for research to encourage the scientific community to test this hypothesis.

Finally, we make a number of specific recommendations about how to (1) appraise, design and implement VOPs, (2) enhance organisational communication and managerial adherence to VOPs, and (3) train managers in R.I.G.H.T leadership behaviours.

Presentation of an original approach in this research field: the VOPs.

The purpose of this research is to trace the evolution of the claims used for advertising food products in Italian magazines, by analysing the content and structure of the claims, the target audiences and the elements that have the greatest influence on the presence of the claims in food advertising.

On the basis of the research conducted by Pratt and Pratt (1995), revised and adapted to the Italian food context, the authors designed a matrix of 1,316 advertisements, which were selected based on the analysis of 67,340 advertisements and using the reference to the food sector as a discriminator. The advertisements were extrapolated from a sample of six Italian magazines, so as to determine the extent to which the various demographic groups in Italy are exposed to print advertising for food, beverages and food supplements. The authors examined the frequency of the relevant advertising forms over a period of four years, from January 2014 to December 2017.

The results revealed the main types of claims used in the four-year period, as well as the statistically significant differences between the different magazine panels, as concerns the frequency and the types of messages. Moreover, a strong relationship between the number of advertisements in the magazines and the time of the year was also ascertained, as well as significant gender variations.

This study introduces the trends and dynamics of the Italian printed advertising for food to the relevant scientific literature. The results yielded by this research have added further implications and contributions to the existing studies, as concerns claim diffusion based on type, gender and seasonality, and the authors also provide important insights to various socio-economical stakeholders.