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The purpose of this paper is to study the dynamic behavior of complex-valued switched grey neural network models (SGNMs) with distributed delays when the system parameters and external input are grey numbers.

Firstly, by using the properties of grey matrix, M-matrix theory and Homeomorphic mapping, the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium point of the SGNMs were discussed. Secondly, by constructing a proper Lyapunov functional and using the average dwell time approach and inequality technique, the robust exponential stability of the SGNMs under restricted switching was studied. Finally, a numerical example is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed results.

Sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium point of the SGNMs have been established; sufficient conditions for guaranteeing the robust stability of the SGNMs under restricted switching have been obtained.

(1) Different from asymptotic stability, the exponential stability of SGNMs which include grey parameters and distributed time delays will be investigated in this paper, and the exponential convergence rate of the SGNMs can also be obtained; (2) the activation functions, self-feedback coefficients and interconnected matrices are with different forms in different subnetworks; and (3) the results obtained by LMIs approach are complicated, while the proposed sufficient conditions are straightforward, which are conducive to practical applications.

In order to further advance the research of social bots, based on the latest research trends and in line with international research frontiers, it is necessary to understand the global research situation in social bots.

Choosing Web of Science™ Core Collections as the data sources for searching social bots research literature, this paper visually analyzes the processed items and explores the overall research progress and trends of social bots from multiple perspectives of the characteristics of publication output, major academic communities and active research topics of social bots by the method of bibliometrics.

The findings offer insights into research trends pertaining to social bots and some of the gaps are also identified. It is recommended to further expand the research objects of social bots in the future, not only focus on Twitter platform and strengthen the research of social bot real-time detection methods and the discussion of the legal and ethical issues of social bots.

Most of the existing reviews are all for the detection methods and techniques of social bots. Unlike the above reviews, this study is a systematic literature review, through the method of quantitative analysis, comprehensively sort out the research output in social bots and shows the latest research trends in this area and suggests some research indirections that need to be focused in the future. The findings will provide references for subsequent scholars to research on social bots.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-06-2021-0336.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze why and when the future work self affects employee creativity.

Survey data were collected from 171 supervisor–employee dyads in four Chinese enterprises.

The results indicate that the future work self has a positive effect on employee creativity. Further, thriving at work mediates the links between the future work self and employee creativity. The authors also theorize that overall fairness moderates the positive effects of the future work self on thriving at work and employee creativity.

The study supports the self-determination perspective regarding the future work self and strengthens the application of this perspective in an effort to understand the relationship between the future work self and employee creativity.

This paper aims to develop a finite element analysis strategy, which is suitable for the analysis of progressive failure that occurs in pressure-dependent materials in practical engineering problems.

The numerical difficulties stemming from the strain-softening behaviour of the frictional material, which is represented by a non-associated Drucker–Prager material model, is tackled using the Cosserat continuum theory, while the mixed finite element formulation based on Hu–Washizu variational principle is adopted to allow the utilization of low-order finite elements.

The effectiveness and robustness of the low-order finite element are verified, and the simulation for a real-world landslide which occurred at the upstream side of Carsington embankment in Derbyshire reconfirms the advantages of the developed elastoplastic Cosserat continuum scheme in capturing the entire progressive failure process when the strain-softening and the non-associated plastic law are involved.

The permit of using low-order finite elements is of great importance to enhance computational efficiency for analysing large-scale engineering problems. The case study reconfirms the advantages of the developed elastoplastic Cosserat continuum scheme in capturing the entire progressive failure process when the strain-softening and the non-associated plastic law are involved.

A new reverse educing method (REM) is presented to estimate the vibrational stress on rotating aeroengine blades from the actual fracture section. This method does not conform to the traditional calculating method, but involves the reverse solution idea. The value of the crack propagation ratio da/dN can be obtained from the actual fracture section of the blade, and then the vibrational stress on rotating blades can be calculated through static computation, modal analysis and crack stress intensity factor calculation. The result is very significant for fault diagnosing and shooting of aeroengine blades.

Meaningful feedback at work signals effective performance management. Drawing on a new perspective of the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this paper aims to examine the mediating effect of relational energy in the relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and subordinates' task performance with the moderating role of learning demands.

Data from 230 supervisor-subordinate dyads were collected at two time points of four enterprises in China.

The results support the proposed mediation effect that supervisor developmental feedback positively predicts subordinates' task performance via boosting subordinates' relational energy. Furthermore, the results highlighted the moderating role of learning demands in the relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and subordinates' relational energy. The moderated–mediated relationship for subordinates' task performance was also supported.

Drawing on COR theory, this paper contributes to a complete understanding of how supervisor developmental feedback may support or build employees' relational energy, facilitating task performance and further exploring learning demands as a boundary condition of this indirect relationship.

The purpose of this paper is to conceptually distinguish between communal and exchange relationship schemata and analyze their dynamic interactions and transformations in multicultural contexts.

Drawing on theories of social capital, social exchange, networks and relational models, the authors propose a framework to conceptualize how the communal and exchange relationship schemata can be transformed, integrated and multiplied under contextual influences, especially in culturally complex settings faced by multinational organizations.

The authors elucidate the dynamic processes of schemata interactions and transformations in relationship management at interpersonal, interorganizational and national levels in a variety of intercultural contexts, including interactions between monoculturals from different cultures and interplay of cultures within biculturals and among multiculturals. The authors explain how schemata integration and fusion can provide competitive advantages in navigating multicultural relationships.

Systematic qualitative and quantitative studies are recommended to further test and refine the proposed ideas regarding the dynamic interactions and transformations of relationship schemata.

This paper presents implications for individuals, country managers and leaders who need to initiate and maintain relationships with culturally different others. The authors highlight the desirability of being aware of one's own relational schema, understanding others' schema, bridging the two schemata as well as fostering integration and fusion of the schemata.

The 2020 global pandemic and various social upheavals around the world highlight the urgency of finding effective mental models to manage relationships. The inclusive and adaptive ways of thinking about relationships can potentially facilitate harmonious connections and conflict resolution.

The authors conceptually disentangle two established relationship schemata and offer a model of their dynamic synergetic transformations.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the corporate capital structure stability of listed firms in China during the period 1990–2013.

The study uses panel data from a sample of 716 firms that have been listed in China for at least 15 years. A fixed-effects panel data regression model with time effects is used in the estimation.

The findings show that size, profitability and investment opportunities have a significant influence on capital structure, whereas the tangibility of assets is not found to be significant. Few industries show significance in explaining differences and variation in leverage ratios.

It is recommended by this study that corporate managers of listed firms in China should consider leverage ratios variation while choosing the capital structure.

This study can be helpful in assisting companies to make financing decisions and setting up strategies relevant in their growth and profitability. The study will also have a significant assistance to bring to light corporate issues to policy makers, especially in the areas of both equity and debt financing, particularly the bond market. To the society, this study will show the nature of Chinese-listed companies, and it can assist individual investors in making decisions regarding companies in which they hold investments and in making meaningful comparisons with other companies. The paper also aims at contributing to the existing literature on the empirical study on capital structure.

Leveraging information technology (IT) to improve the treatment and support of patients is a widely studied topic in healthcare. For chronic diseases, such as diabetes, the use of information technology is even more important since its effect extends from a clinic environment to patients’ daily life. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impacts of one widely adopted information technology, the mobile phone, on diabetes treatment, specifically on the complicated process of patients’ health, emotions and compliance.

We leverage a unique longitudinal dataset on diabetes patients’ health status in rural areas of China to study the problem. We also cross-link the dataset with mobile carrier data to further differentiate mobile phone use to phone calls and network use. To address the endogeneity concerns, we apply PSM and a series of instrument variables.

We identify clear evidence that mobile phone use can significantly improve patients’ emotions and compliance, where the effect is generally larger on patients in worse health conditions. While mobile phone calls clearly benefit diabetes patients, we do notice that mobile phone network use has a negative moderating effect with patients’ health condition on improving compliance.

This study not only enriches our theoretical understanding of the role of mobile phones in diabetes management, it also shows the economic benefit of promoting patients’ use of mobile phones, which should be considered by medical care providers and medical policymakers.

Most poverty research has explored monetary poverty. This chapter presents and analyzes the global multidimensional poverty index (MPI) estimations for China. Using China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we find China’s global MPI was 0.035 in 2010 and decreased significantly to 0.017 in 2014. The dimensional composition of MPI suggests that nutrition, education, safe drinking water, and cooking fuel contribute most to overall non-monetary poverty in China. Such analysis is also applied to subgroups, including geographic areas (rural/urban, east/central/west, provinces), as well as social characteristics such as gender of the household heads, age, education level, marital status, household size, migration status, ethnicity, and religion. We find the level and composition of poverty differs significantly across certain subgroups. We also find high levels of mismatch between monetary and multidimensional poverty at the household level, which highlights the importance of using both complementary measures to track progress in eradicating poverty.