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The digital divide concept recognizes that with the rapid pace of technological advancement, actors who lack access to digital infrastructure and the necessary knowledge may not have the opportunity to benefit from the opportunity that digital entrepreneurship offers. Online-exclusive ventures now constitute a growing proportion within the gross population of new ventures started up, especially in China. Digital entrepreneurship is viewed as the new vista where aspiring entrepreneurs are able to rapidly setup and test new business ideas, significantly reducing startup costs and the costs associated with startup failure. A key question for new entrepreneurs, therefore, is: what drives "success" in digital-only entrepreneurship, and are these drivers significantly different when compared to conventional or online-offline hybrid entrepreneurship? Here it is alleged that 'digital identity' plays a significant role in determining online-only start-up "success". Our aim in this paper is to identify the overlaps between 'identity' and 'digital entrepreneurship' literature to highlight how scholars in the area explain the digital identity formation process, and the manner in which it contributes to start-up success. We situate our paper in the Chinese national context; which represents a unique digital start-up ecosystem, with well-developed routes to business startup. Presented are outcomes from a systematic literature review encompassing 48 publications, including 12 pieces of indigenous Mandarin literature. We identify overarching themes, and how concepts in identity and digital entrepreneurship literature overlap, with a view to explaining the drivers of digital start-up "success", and as to how these might be further investigated using novel methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital divide concept recognizes that with the rapid pace of technological advancement, actors who lack access to digital infrastructure and the necessary knowledge may not have the opportunity to benefit from the opportunity that digital entrepreneurship offers. Online-exclusive ventures now constitute a growing proportion within the gross population of new ventures started up, especially in China. Digital entrepreneurship is viewed as the new vista where aspiring entrepreneurs are able to rapidly setup and test new business ideas, significantly reducing startup costs and the costs associated with startup failure. A key question for new entrepreneurs, therefore, is: what drives "success" in digital-only entrepreneurship, and are these drivers significantly different when compared to conventional or online-offline hybrid entrepreneurship? Here it is alleged that 'digital identity' plays a significant role in determining online-only start-up "success". Our aim in this paper is to identify the overlaps between 'identity' and 'digital entrepreneurship' literature to highlight how scholars in the area explain the digital identity formation process, and the manner in which it contributes to start-up success. We situate our paper in the Chinese national context; which represents a unique digital start-up ecosystem, with well-developed routes to business startup. Presented are outcomes from a systematic literature review encompassing 48 publications, including 12 pieces of indigenous Mandarin literature. We identify overarching themes, and how concepts in identity and digital entrepreneurship literature overlap, with a view to explaining the drivers of digital start-up "success", and as to how these might be further investigated using novel methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the national economy in China. However, the average life expectancy of Chinese SMEs is only 3.7 years with more than half of the SMEs failing to survive beyond their first five years. And in 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 has further aggravated the pressure among SMEs to survive. As a result of this pandemic, many Chinese SMEs struggled with their risk management approaches. Some had to lay off employees, cut salaries and even suspend operations in exchange for a chance of survival. The ongoing pandemic has raised many questions about the risk management strategies and the resilience of SMEs. Some researchers even questioned the effectiveness of some of these risk-management strategies. There is now a crucial need to understand the importance of effective risk management strategies so as to attain a competitive advantage in an unpredictable market. However, there are very limited studies that shed light on the risk management of Chinese SMEs, especially in the high-tech market and in the complex times of COVID-19. How do successful Chinese SMEs sustain and survive in such competition in the high-tech market? What strategies do they apply to manage risks and how effective are these strategies? How do they respond to changes in the market to retain and drive their organizational sustainability and survival? This paper explores some of these gaps by using case studies of 10 successful SMEs from the Chinese High-tech market. Using interviews with the founder-entrepreneurs from these SMEs, the paper discusses how these SMEs approach different risk management strategies including that of COVID-19. The paper will also explore the crucial role played by the founder-entrepreneurs in the decision-making process of risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates China's ambitious policy to build a solid foundation for the development of Artificial Intelligence and its applications, thus aspiring to become the world's premier innovation center by 2030. However, several challenges affect China's potential to enhance its capabilities and international competitiveness. The core theme of the study is to develop a better understanding of China's policy for the development of Artificial Intelligence, its implications and the factors affecting this policy. The methodology used quantitative approach to analyze the development in this sector, extract the most important factors affecting its policy and define the ecosystem framework. The paper also discusses China's development of robotics in a smart manufacturing ecosystem as a key policy element in achieving a competitive edge in this domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese merchant manuals emerged in the late Ming dynasty and became a valuable source of business education in imperial China. These manuals have been analysed by academics for a number of purposes including the technical side of merchant operations, charting commercial change in history and changes in merchant thought. However, they have not been analysed for their relevance to entrepreneurship education. This paper draws on translations of merchant manuals to explore their relevance for modern entrepreneurship education, with a particular focus on the late Ming dynasty manual Shanggu Xingmi (Solutions for Merchants) which was published in 1635. Although set within a Confucian value system, and focused on merchants (traders) not producers, the manuals address issues of importance to entrepreneurs operating a business within any context. Topics of importance include budget management, contractual relationships, market instability, staff management (including hiring, discipline and training), reputation (brand) management, risk management, timing of action, ethics and morality, avoiding temptation, and the importance of industry knowledge, or what Warren Buffett would call your 'circle of competence'. The paper finishes with a discussion on the relevance of this knowledge to modern texts on entrepreneurship and small business management. Despite the different in time epochs, many of the basics of business remain the same today. Hence, this paper asks if modern entrepreneurship education gives enough attention to the basics of business. This paper concludes by asking whether contemporary entrepreneurship education pays sufficient attention to contractual relationships, budget management, and the dangers and traps of unstable business environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge sharing (KS) is an effective strategy in building up competitive advantages for all types of organisations, especially in knowledge intensive organisations such as Software (SW) development organisations. KS encompasses all the interactive activities related with transferring and disseminating knowledge between individuals and groups within the organisation. However, KS success is very closely related with individuals' awareness of the benefits of these interactive sharing activities. This awareness is clearly linked with the professional experience of the individuals and this, in turn, seems to determine individuals' willingness and ability to explicitly express and share their experiences, practices and personal tacit knowledge associated with the process of working practice. Nevertheless, and despite a number of theoretical propositions found in the literature, there is a clear lack of implementation strategies and models to explain the relationship between awareness and motivation in facilitating KS in world of practice. This issue of applicability of theoretical propositions is now recognised as one of the fundamental and key issues in KS. In order to explain the relationship between individuals' awareness and motivation for KS, the research reported in this paper not only identified possible relationships but also established areas of convergence. The findings of this research show that the motivation for KS, a time consuming and demanding activity, is indeed related to the awareness of managers and developers of benefits associated with their professional practice. Practitioners shared their experiences and tacit knowledge with others, partly because it was required by their companies and but also because they have a sound awareness of the need to share knowledge both inside and outside their organisations. Finally, the paper proposes a theory that can be of use to both academics and practitioners involved in knowledge intensive organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, researchers suggest education can be transformed from a drain to a driver of economic growth where "human capital is duly recognized and respected" (Glazebrook & Song 2013; Altbach 2013). Since the curriculum taught in kindergarten through twelfth grade in China is highly standardized throughout the entire country, online supplement to this education should be possible. China's online learning platform for public school students should support the learning of these students, and provide 1) a supplement to students outside of class, 2) guidance for tutors who support the students outside of class, and 3) it should even provide supplemental materials for public school teachers to use if they choose. Improving the Chinese online teaching system in this way would also lower education costs while allowing learners to fully enjoy the equal rights of learning without regard to geographic location and ability to hire a tutor. Considering these factors, to improve China's implementation of online learning, a concept of modular "teaching cells" is proposed, which are basic units of curriculum. Specifically, each teaching cell will consist of the four components of educational resources described, and promote connectivist learning as well as a high-quality personal learning environment (PLE). Each teaching cell would cover two subjects and contain these four resource categories (teaching materials, courseware, case studies and examinations). The teaching cell will be able to continually develop and evolve in response to student input, and will be reusable. The teaching cell concept itself has four specific features which will be described: openness, evolutionary development, intellectuality, and micromation. The purpose of this paper is to introduce and propose the "teaching cell" approach in providing an online supplement to China's public school education system. This paper reviews the literature on the subject, then defines a teaching cell, and describes four main features of a teaching cell. Finally, this paper recommends future research design considerations for exploring the use of teaching cells in online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper showcases a culturally sensitive mixed method research approach used to evaluate aspects of an international executive education program. The multi-million dollar program was delivered in Australia over a ten-year period to middle and senior managers from the Chinese up-stream oil and gas sector. The executive education program was a non-award but MBA level program that explored aspects of leading and managing within the Chinese oil and gas sector. Fundamentally, the study consisted of a quantitative survey followed by a focus group to investigate four aspects of the interest to the researchers: the participants perceptions of the effectiveness of the program; aspects of social capital support; industry-based human capital; and, the participants opinions about Chinese energy policy. The program was delivered in Australia over a ten-year period and during this time the Program Managers had provided formative and summative reports on each of the six- or three-month courses. This information along with anecdotal information from the Program Director provided an excellent starting point for the survey. Participants were asked to comment on four key areas of interest to the researchers including: their opinion of the effectiveness of the program; aspects of social capital support; industry-based human capital; and, their opinions about Chinese energy policy. An exploratory sequential mixed methods research design (Creswell and Plano Clark 2007) was employed. This paper focuses not on the responses of the participants but rather on the culturally sensitive, mixed-method approach that was adopted to the gather the data. In summary, we conducted an on-line survey and facilitated a focus group. However, we were conscious of the need to adapt our data gathering methods to ensure maximum responses that were insightful and robust. This approach was assisted by the diversity of our research team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores why the younger generation of the current Chinese emergent middle class engages in conspicuous consumption. It advances an argument that such collective behavior is not only attributable to the quest for social recognition and status, whereby they want to display their new social status by flaunting their wealth visibly, but also to the ruling Communist party's logic of governing. Using the Foucauldian concept of 'governmentality', this paper posits that consumerism is tacitly utilized by the authoritarian Chinese regime as a form of calculated 'pastoral' control to guide, from a distance without directly confronting this growing social force, the behaviour of the middle class away from citizen activism. It is premised on a socialist governmentality that stipulates that it is in the interest of the Chinese Party-state to exercise control and power over the people from within the individuals. Consequently, the emergent middle class is confronted with the pressure to navigate their own consumption patterns to align with the government's quasi-veiled preferences that citizenry should engage with materialist consumption rather than politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR) impact on China's technological innovation. It argues that developing OBOR economies can offer China solutions to the problems of overcapacity, and create more market opportunities for Chinese manufacturing industries; however, this alone does not suffice to stimulate China's technological innovation potential. In contrast, China's forecasted entry into the developed OBOR markets on a competitive basis will provide incentives to the Chinese government to further consolidate its 'entrepreneurial state' role, as has been undertaken in various past instances, among which, the innovative development of High Speed Trains is the most notable. For this to take place, China needs to consider the barriers impeding technological innovation and address them properly. This study endeavours at investigating how to benefit from China's OBOR initiative to promote innovation in Science & Technology. On conducting interviews with the industry experts and analyzing a technology innovation case study, a generic formula for innovation (specific to the Chinese context) was derived. This formula can be used as a guideline for technological innovation policies and regulations that can enhance the potential for China's competitive edge in the developed OBOR countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has been known as the paradise of counterfeit consumer products from designer clothes and luxury watches to music CDs and movie DVDs. In recent years, an emerging trend of bandit products ("Shanzhai" in Chinese) especially in the consumer electronics area indicates that there might be something more than just copying. There have been ongoing controversies about the legitimacy of the bandit gadgets. This paper explores the current phenomenon of prevailing bandit gadgets from a theoretical perspective. Drawing upon the theory of innovation and Resource-Based View, this research intends to answer the following questions: Can bandit gadgets be considered a form of innovation? Under what conditions can bandit gadgets be beneficial for the long-term performance of the SMEs in China? The paper consists of the following sections. The first section will introduce the background of the Shanzhai phenomenon. Literature on innovation and imitation will be reviewed and applied to the phenomenon of interest in the section that follows. The third section will discuss the relationship between intellectual property and the bandit gadgets. The paper concludes with an expectation of benefits and/or hindrance bandit gadgets may have on the long-term performance of SMEs in China and a discussion of future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An earlier study identified certain individual and structural attributes that are seemingly central to successful eLearning technology implementation in an educational context. This paper explores interactions between reported important parameters across three project stages: inception, design and development, and implementation and extension. These are the framework conditions for successful eLearning implementation, described in two broad categories: individual teacher attributes and structural connections. Beyond project completion, however, the challenge is in leveraging adoption to get wider diffusion of eLearning practice across the academic community. The paper is based on a case study of ten eLearning projects in a university based in Hong Kong. The paper provides some insights into the mechanics of adoption and diffusion, noting that certain teacher and structural characteristics appear to support adaptive change (uptake or adoption). These are described as necessary, but not sufficient by themselves to enable generative change (or diffusion). Consistent with other research, this study highlights that individual innovation by academic staff does not lead automatically to real educational progress. Individual efforts are random and not strategically focused. Other cultural and strategic connections are necessary and the findings from this study suggest a way to leverage classroom strategies to achieve wider diffusion. Perhaps, most importantly, there is need for a strategic focus to eLearning that would go beyond supporting individual teacher and classroom eLearning uptake to, for example, monitoring application in order to determine how eLearning produces value in University teaching and learning. Complementing this top-down evaluative approach, this study highlights a teacher and student-based strategy to leverage classroom innovation for wider diffusion. The strategy extends the considerable discussion in literature on a necessary shift by teachers from reproductive teaching to a more transformative approach involving two-way relational interactions. However, there is little conversation in literature on how students' can be actively involved in and even given partial control of the online learning environment. This latter idea has considerable traction because of the inherent familiarity of net generation students with technology and the range of online resources that are freely available. What are the organizational learning attributes that may enable this, so far, largely latent capability? This study suggests a 'pull-down' learning approach by students facilitated by necessary pedagogical change by teachers can help achieve deep change. As several cases illustrate, this approach offers a pathway around the problem of resources (money, time and skills), while being useful in terms of shaping learning outcomes for both simple and threshold (and abstract) concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An earlier study identified certain individual and structural attributes that are seemingly central to successful eLearning technology implementation in an educational context. This paper explores interactions between reported important parameters across three project stages: inception, design and development, and implementation and extension. These are the framework conditions for successful eLearning implementation, described in two broad categories: individual teacher attributes and structural connections. Beyond project completion, however, the challenge is in leveraging adoption to get wider diffusion of eLearning practice across the academic community. The paper is based on a case study of ten eLearning projects in a university based in Hong Kong. The paper provides some insights into the mechanics of adoption and diffusion, noting that certain teacher and structural characteristics appear to support adaptive change (uptake or adoption). These are described as necessary, but not sufficient by themselves to enable generative change (or diffusion). Consistent with other research, this study highlights that individual innovation by academic staff does not lead automatically to real educational progress. Individual efforts are random and not strategically focused. Other cultural and strategic connections are necessary and the findings from this study suggest a way to leverage classroom strategies to achieve wider diffusion. Perhaps, most importantly, there is need for a strategic focus to eLearning that would go beyond supporting individual teacher and classroom eLearning uptake to, for example, monitoring application in order to determine how eLearning produces value in University teaching and learning. Complementing this top-down evaluative approach, this study highlights a teacher and student-based strategy to leverage classroom innovation for wider diffusion. The strategy extends the considerable discussion in literature on a necessary shift by teachers from reproductive teaching to a more transformative approach involving two-way relational interactions. However, there is little conversation in literature on how students' can be actively involved in and even given partial control of the online learning environment. This latter idea has considerable traction because of the inherent familiarity of net generation students with technology and the range of online resources that are freely available. What are the organisational learning attributes that may enable this, so far, largely latent capability? This study suggests a 'pull-down' learning approach by students facilitated by necessary pedagogical change by teachers can help achieve deep change. As several cases illustrate, this approach offers a pathway around the problem of resources (money, time and skills), while being useful in terms of shaping learning outcomes for both simple and threshold (and abstract) concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the past decade, a number of studies have analysed and investigated the aspects and potential applications of games-based learning. Educationalists and industrialists continue to explore it as it is perceived as a potentially beneficial supplementary learning mechanism, teaching and training approach and perfectly matches the determinants of intrinsic motivation. Previous studies indicate that games can promote learning and engage learning experiences compared with traditional methods, while one of the primary arguments against games-based learning focuses on a dearth of empirical evidence in particular a lack of Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) and longitudinal studies. The lack of empirical evidence in supporting the efficacy of games-based learning can be challenged as unsubstantiated optimism. This paper provides empirical evidence by reporting the results of a survey conducted at tertiary education institutions in China. The survey is conducted on the basis of a number of previous studies on the motivation of games-based learning. The survey reports on the evidence from the Chinese institutions where 346 undergraduate and postgraduate students completed the survey in March 2018 over a three-week period. Participants had positive attitude towards playing computer games for learning. The top motivations of playing computer game were: enjoyment, competition and relationships whereas the top motivation of playing games in education were: relaxation, leisure and pleasure. Respondents perceived that computer games could potentially provide the following skills: collaboration, problem-solving and analysis. The paper contributes to empirical evidence in games-based learning through a comprehensive quantitative analysis of data including gender, education, game platform and play types of game comparisons. The results were compared to similar studies conducted at different levels of education in different countries and provide a synthesis. The results will also provide insight into game design associated with the motivations for using GBL at tertiary education level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to propose a hybrid organization that acts as a network of innovation brokers which could enhance the access to new knowledge sources, into new markets and accelerate innovative activities of an economy as a whole. ENRICH is an initiative of EC's Horizon 2020 program that consists of three centres located in Brazil, China and the USA. Its objective is to spur innovative activities and enhance the cooperation in research, technology and entrepreneurship between European Union and the above countries. With the main approach of networking, ENRICH in Brazil, China and the USA aims to become the main hub and contact point of STI actors in the respective countries who wish to collaborate with the EU and vice versa. The paper is a contribution to the development of new business models as well as strategies that aim to effectively foster international collaboration on research, innovation and entrepreneurship. The insights of this article can be of relevance for policy makers that are looking to establish or foster international science, technology, and innovation ecosystems, as well as for academics who are interested in the transnational innovation ecosystems and strategic collaborations. The first and theoretical parts of this paper are based on library resources and recent academic articles. The second portion of the paper presents the European Union Horizon 2020 funded project ENRICH Centres as an example of the proposed hybrid organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participating in online social networks has already become part of internet users' life, which also influenced the interactive style of people tremendously. Therefore, building a relational network with customers through online social network to publicize Taiwanese products and brands has become a prime issue. Differentiating cultures in relational networks is a basic task for Taiwanese enterprises, thus Chinese guanxi theory should be applied on online social networks in Chinese cultural areas to help building up relational networks and strategies. This paper details our study findings, which indicate the attitude toward online social network advertisements has a significant impact on purchase intention; moreover, online social network has a significant impact on customer attitude towards social network advertising. Meanwhile, Chinese guanxi theory provides significant predictors of online social network advertisements and the attitude towards it. The result shows that after joining advertising in online social network, members pay more attention to the advertisements in online social network as well. There will also be discussions in this paper about the implications of the study and its contribution for both research and practice purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the available literature on Enterprise Systems (ES) is set in the context of (large) Western organizations, with an emphasis on the user perspective. The survey method is dominant in this literature, with a focus on what motivates a firm to implement ES and on the factors that are critical to implementation success. In the main such survey work treats ES implementation as an event with the analysis focused on input factors and outputs. In contrast, this paper presents a broader based examination of ES implementation in Chinese companies - in this case SMEs - by considering not only the user perspective but also those of the ES provider and the wider institutional setting. Additionally, the use of the case study method captures the dynamics of the implementation process and the changing relationships between the stakeholders. Both actor network theory and institutional theory inform the analysis. The findings are potentially significant and challenge user-centered theories of adoption. In the context of China the institutional influences are shown to be weaker than the government agencies intended or anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of various distances between home and host countries in shaping the decision of foreign direct investment. Using a panel dataset of Chinese firms which have invested in 43 countries and regions during 2003-2009, we show that institutional distance is favourable to Chinese investment, while economic and cultural distances negatively affect Chinese investment. Further, technology distance displays an inversed-U shape with Chinese investment. These findings point to the importance of going beyond firm boundary to consider various distances between home and host countries in making investment decisions. And these findings are helpful to Chinese business managers to make foreign investment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes have become a normal part of life in organisations. Employees' attitudes are considered an indicator of the future success of an organisation (Hurst 1995). This paper studies the connections between attitudes towards changes and organisational learning in Chinese and Turkish organisations. The paper starts with a theoretical framework for the study, including literature about attitudes towards changes and organisational learning. Special attention has been paid to institutional development in China and Turkey. This is followed by an empirical study of Chinese and Turkish organisations. The empirical study of Chinese organisations and the Turkish hotel industry indicated the importance of attitudes toward changes for organisational learning. The scales for the measurement of organisational learning and attitudes towards changes were designed according to the factor analysis. Attitudes towards change fall into two broad categories, which reflect the employees' feelings and dispositions with regard to interest in changes and their trust in change. Attitudes towards changes included trust in change and an interest in changes. These attitudes together predict almost half of organisational learning. The impact of socio-demographic characteristics was tested. Although socio-demographic characteristics differentiate in various respects, these do not play an important role in the prediction of organisational learning. When performing the regression analysis (dependent variable organisational learning) the Adjusted R Squares were .54 for the both samples, while after entering the socio-demographic characteristics it decreased in both the Turkish and Chinese samples. At the same time, generic characteristics (gender and age) and additionally, the education and type of contract do not predict organisational learning in this study. Significant differences emerged between the two countries. Attitudes towards changes are the main predictors of organisational learning in Turkey, and these predict a higher assessment of the organisational learning scale. In China, attitudes also predict organisational learning, but contrary to Turkey, these predict a lower level of assessment of the corresponding scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central to the agenda behind eLearning is change and importantly, when teachers are willing to adapt their approach, then technology can become a powerful instrument to enable student-centered teaching or facilitate an engaging learning environment. There is also a growing body of literature regarding the use of audio and video players for academic purposes and in examining various uses of podcasts, which involves audio or video broadcast files prepared for download onto a digital media player, studies suggest podcasting can make materials more accessible to a wider diversity of learners. Podcasting is a recent eLearning service provided by the University to support teaching staff. This paper describes the experience of creating and using podcasts to support student learning of land law for Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Laws (LLM) students in Hong Kong. The intention of this effort was to improve the teaching effect in a complex and theory intensive subject. Four different types of podcast were prepared, ranging from simply voice based podcasts to others embedded in PowerPoint slides and converted into flash files using 'Authorpoint'. This paper will discuss the motives prompting the implementation of podcasts, outline the utility to students, the teaching and learning implications for the teacher and summarise some reflections on how the podcast series could usefully be extended. A pilot survey and a series of follow-up focus groups indicate that podcasts are a useful teaching tool in class, as they spur student engagement by acting as a starting point for discussion and a structural mechanism to grasp essential concepts before attending class. Podcasts are also useful for revision, particularly in assisting students where the language of instruction is not their native tongue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common failing of eLearning instructional design is when online discussion learning activities devolve to become just a "public assignment": each student posts once and no peer interaction is achieved. This study shows how instructors can successfully design an eLearning environment to increase student engagement and achieve transactive communication, where a discussion develops as participants respond to teach other: giving feedback, taking positions, and bringing in evidence to socially negotiate new knowledge. Despite the widespread recognition of transactive communication as a goal of Computer-Mediated Conferencing (CMC), online discussions often merely consist of individual answers to a question posed, without any interaction (or even recognition) of the work of other students. A graphical depiction of this learning activity would look like a "lawn", with short individual blades of grass -- no branching, no vertical building, none of the "bushiness" of a highly transactive discussion. This paper develops new quantitative and qualitative ways to measure discussion transactivity, and examines the instructional design that supports and encourages this type of learning activity. This paper examines a case study of CMC transactivity at a university using 1-to-1 computer access (each student has a computer on their desk) in a blended teaching environment in Hong Kong. Four variables were examined for their effect on successful student engagement in online discussions: Teacher facilitation of social grouping of students Class time to initiate online discussion interaction Setting open-ended, challenging topic questions that encourage discussion and debate Assessment system that reinforces production and peer interaction The students in the case study used the Moodle eLearning environment, and English as the medium of instruction. The study took place in a tertiary institution with graduate students in the faculty of Education, using a blend of face-to-face and eLearning instructional methods. When the instructional environment was set up to support all four discussion design conditions, production and interactivity both increased dramatically and transactive CMC was achieved. The results of this study indicate that in order to achieve highly productive and transactive online discussions in a blended 1-to-1 teaching environment, instructors should incorporate a specific set of design conditions. When these instructional design conditions are successfully incorporated, the potential benefits of social constructivism as an instructional design paradigm can be realized within a blended educational environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the findings from a study of the learning experiences of Chinese adults on two e-learning programmes conducted in China, one a collaborative programme with Western institutions, the other developed entirely locally in China. Margaret Archer's approach to reflexivity (2007) informs the theoretical framework for this research in investigating the interaction between individual learners and their e-learning environment combined with their wider social cultural context. Qualitative data was collected in the two cases, with detailed accounts of learners' experiences obtained through interviews, digital audio diaries, informal discussions and reports. There were 336 participants in the field-work the data for which was collected in China between 2005-6. The findings identified the need for e-learning to be tailored to a specific cultural context. It is suggested that cultural influences on learning deserve to be more fully recognised when designing an e-learning course. An understanding of the social context in which the e-Learning takes place, in this case a Confucius Heritage Culture (Biggs and Watkins, 1996), is necessary. Where these Chinese adult students perceived that they had a degree of control over the learning process, including the access to appropriate tools, they created opportunities for dialogue, practice and reflection on knowledge. They adopted what could be termed an experiential approach to learning. The paper concludes by arguing for e-learning that includes more practical relevant and concrete tasks. These e-learners wanted to learn by doing to apply theory to authentic practice situations. The students in both case studies appreciated the opportunities to reflectively engage with knowledge in the company of others. They also wanted the learning experience to facilitate the achievement of 'Ren' - as balanced and trusting human relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the importance of the incubator managers for successful incubation has been widely discussed, there is little evidence on how the incubator managers leverage various resources contributing to incubation success. In order to fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the incubator managers act as the niche manager in the incubator context. Specifically, an evaluation is made to explore the influences of expectations, networks, and learning constructed by the incubator managers on the incubation performance. Using data of 189 national technology business incubators (NTBIs) from 2008 to 2012 in China, we find the venture capital obtained from private organizations performs better than the incubation fund which is mainly obtained from governments. While the internal network building has a great positive impact on incubation performance, the external network tends to act as "bad networks". Finally, the incubator managers are not always sufficient to offer support for technology breakthrough in Chinese NTBIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the KM area, numerous terms are frequently used. Among terms that have high significance for change in the knowledge structure, terms related to distribution or dispersion are common. Four of those terms are Knowledge Transfer (KT), Knowledge Sharing (KS), Knowledge Flow (KF), and Knowledge Barriers. Barriers come in many forms, ranging from strictly individual/personal barriers through group-related barriers, intra- and inter-organizational barriers, barriers related to national differences, as well as an array of technology-related barriers. Several authors have developed categories with the purpose to create a structure. However, these categories only focus on type of barrier. There is a lack of categorization that divides barriers due to their relative effect on the KT and KS or KF. The purpose is to present a refined categorization regarding factors that influence knowledge transfer, sharing, and flow and to show how previously identified barriers fit into this new categorization. This research has been carried out as a literature review. Previously identified influencing factors have been re-categorized. The research has resulted in a proposition of factors influencing knowledge dissemination and the following terms are suggested: (1) Facilitators (which denominate factors with positive influence), (2) Inhibitors (factors with negative influence) and (3) Obstacles (factors that obstruct knowledge dissemination, until certain conditions or levels are fulfilled). The proposed categorization is supported by descriptive examples taken from in-depth case studies of four multinational manufacturing companies with product development in Sweden and manufacturing in China The refined categorization will enable practitioners and academics alike to develop suitable tools to further enhance the collective (or individual) understanding of the mechanisms behind knowledge dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic researchers, game designers and educators are exploring game based learning (GBL) in order to facilitate diverse, playful, learning experiences in children. This shift from 'play and learning' to 'play as learning/learning as play', extends into my central concept of 'schools as interactive playgrounds'. Conventionally, the word 'playground' denotes a protected, enclosed space (indoors or outdoors) for children to indulge in various recreational activities. In contrast, I use the term 'playground' to signify a ground (foundation) created for play through play. Play is the highest level of child development (Froebel, 1887). A man is complete through play (Schiller, 1794). James Findley's (2008) elaborates "play as meta-intelligence: play not as a form of intelligence, but intelligence in all its forms". Games and play are mutually subordinate (Salen, Zimmerman; 2004). Researchers see a natural link between flow and games (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975b; Mitchell, 1990; Massimini et al., 1990; Sato, 1990 and Rathunde, 1990). Play as flow or optimal experience, is defined as a state wherein there is a harmonious synchronization and balance between an individual's high capabilities/energies and the high complexities of challenges faced by him/her while performing the task (Csikszentmihalyi, 1988). Flow is commonly associated with games, sports and learning (Csikszentmihalyi, 1988). My research focuses on the core concept 'schools as special (purified, simplified, progressive), social environments (Dewey, 1916) that act as a ground (foundation) for play (as meta-intelligence), through play (GBL). This paper outlines the theoretical rationale behind a doctoral research study currently in progress. My research focus in context to Hong Kong local primary education is: What forms of GBL can be manifested into the current classroom pedagogy to facilitate flow-like learning experiences in learners (ages 6-11), with their peers (co-learners) and instructors in school environments? What is the relationship between games; play; flow/experiences; motivation; enjoyment and learning? How can one effectively and efficiently measure flow in schools? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation is considered the key element to ensure sustainable growth and competitive advantages. The innovation performance of an organization determines not only the current value but the capability and strength for the future. Researches have shown a correlation between intellectual capital and innovation performance. In a knowledge economy, intellectual capital adds more value to an organization than tangible assets. It is defined as attributes of an organization and knowledge that can be converted into future value. Organization has unique and complex intellectual capital characteristic, making it difficult to be imitated. Merely increase intellectual capital cannot guarantee better innovation performance. It is important to identify the complexity of intellectual capital and the relationship among knowledge flow, intellectual capital and innovation performance. The objective of this paper is (1) to perform a study on intellectual capital and innovation performance with an innovative firm; (2) to demonstrate the complex intellectual capital characteristic and its relation to knowledge flow and innovation performance; and (3) to propose the use of complexity theory to be the method for future research. A survey was conducted with an R&D firm in Hong Kong. Partial Least Square analysis identified the intellectual capital measurements and the major factors contributing to innovation performance of the organization. It was observed that the R&D firm gained their innovation performance through human capital not directly but via structural and more importantly relational capital. The factors contributed to innovation performance in a non-linear nature and had interdependencies among themselves. In addition, a complex relationship between knowledge creation and knowledge sharing was observed with their impact to innovation performance. These findings prove that complexity study is appropriate and should be used for future research in intellectual capital and innovation, leveraging the existing quantitative and statistical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors propose knowledge asset management approaches to develop a meta-synthesis support system for the reuse of government information resources on city travel and traffic for Beijing City in China. An analysis of various existing surveys about reuse of government information resources for city travel and traffic in Beijing suggests the need for such a system. A critical review of other literature and of successful experiences in other countries suggests three further justifications for the development of such a system. Firstly, it is needed in conceptual frameworks for awareness of government information data resources in administration, economy, and legal right protection as knowledge asset. Secondly, it is needed in management frameworks for proper process control of the reuse of government information resources for value added in services innovation in general. Finally, it is needed in regulatory and standardized environments for accountability of stakeholders to maximized benefits to city travellers and to sustainable development of a low carbon economy. The creation and development of a meta-synthesis system is proposed, aiming at collaboration, optimization and innovation in the reuse of government information resources on city travel and traffic for Beijing through the creation of three integrated levels of knowledge asset management systems: a quality oriented standards system for knowledge asset value creation based on information collected at micro-level; a process oriented regulatory framework to encourage knowledge asset value sharing at meso-level; and a service-oriented licensing system for knowledge asset value addition through delivery and reuse at macro-level. The suggested knowledge asset management approaches would support the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of intelligent traffic administration, support good governance of value added services based on government information resources, and support intellectual activity around smart city travel and traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accompanied with the rapid development of technology, independent learning, especially in the format of multi-media, has inspired a great deal of enthusiasm and energy in academia over the past few decades. This is certainly the case in Hong Kong since the number of university students has continued to increase dramatically. One particular point that has placed Hong Kong in the spotlight is that there will soon be a complete switch from the previous 3-2-2-3 education curriculum to the 3-3-4 curriculum in 2012. Under this new system, university students will be required to spend four years rather than three to obtain an undergraduate degree. In response to this, Hong Kong teachers and administrators have been propelled to reconsider the role self-access centres should play in this situation. The eight tertiary institutions currently funded by the University Grants Committee have all been running language centre or self-access centre, sometimes both. The majority of these centres provide language learning resources and language support, some of them are directly under language centres. The Independent Learning Centre (ILC) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong is a special case. It serves more or less as a standalone unit, and there have been instructions from higher authorities to broaden its scope from language to subject-related matters. The ultimate goal is to create an online platform that contains comprehensive teaching/learning materials on various disciplines for students to study on their own. This paper uses the ILC as a point of investigation. Through discussing the challenges and difficulties it faces in the process of transition, this study explores the role self-access centres should play, including what is practical and reasonable, and what is theoretical and idealistic. It begins with a review of the concept of independent learning and the ideology behind it, followed by a discussion of autonomous learning in Hong Kong and the functioning of the self-access centres, proceeds with the challenges the ILC faces, and concludes with possible solutions to these challenges in the face of the upcoming four-year curriculum. It is hoped that this research can shed light on what independent learning means, if technology is the ultimate solution to budget strain, and how self-access centres should perhaps function with the benefits of students in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterprise Chief Information Officer (CIO) leadership role is constantly evolving due to the dynamically changing business environments. Most CIO leadership research to date has been centered on firms from developed markets; but little is known outside of China of their CIO leadership practices. With China's rapidly growing global stature accompanied by its unprecedented economic growth rates, competitive firms globally are seeking to understand and incorporate the "China factor" in their strategy renewal process. Understanding China's CIO leadership practices becomes an important requirement for business leaders, practicing CIOs and scholars alike. This paper addresses this knowledge gap. In particular, it seeks to investigate what is the evolutionary status and expected sustainable model of CIO leadership practices of Chinese firms as they strive to become globally competitive multinationals? We use qualitative case study approach to study seven prominent CIOs from firms in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, who have all been awarded China's top 10 CIOs or equivalent over the 2005-2010 periods. The Chinese firms are a mixture of listed state-owned and joint-venture (with foreign multinational) enterprises of varying sizes - all with globalization aspirations. The Hong Kong firms (listed) are already operating internationally. Each CIO was interviewed twice using semi-structured open questions. We find a hierarchical framework of three value-creation types of CIO leadership: type 1 is focused principally on managing and provisioning cost-effective and reliable information systems (IS) services to support business operations; type 2 is focused on both IS operational excellence and, particularly, business strategy formulation and business model design by leveraging IT to create the firm's competitive advantage; and type 3 (represented by all three Hong Kong CIO subjects) possesses type 2 attributes plus holding additional corporate responsibilities beyond IS - such as shared services, business innovation functions. Type 2 and type 3 CIOs have particularly strong business acumen and relationships. For example, the CIO of a state-owned financial services firm is actively engaging not only the CEO but also the board directors to "educate" these business leaders on the unique differentiation by IT in the firm's business model. Yet, the CIO of a wholesale/retail enterprise is focused on using IT to offer not only an operationally excellent business platform, but also to create differentiated value to maximize customer service experience. All Chinese CIOs studied are cognizant of the Chinese Communist Party philosophy as they build their social capital for business success. Type 3 CIOs play active corporate leadership role beyond IS - e.g. in merger and acquisition for international expansion. Both types 2 and 3 are adept to leading ambidextrously - exploiting current IS and corporate capabilities and exploring or innovating possible future business capabilities through creative use of IT to maximize value creation. Type 3 in addition contributes to the firm's agility by providing the capabilities to reconfigure knowledge and process assets in response to market changes. The three-tier framework represents a possible sustainable model for the evolution of China's CIO role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social capital is an important asset for multinational Firms. Relational capital acquisition, based on relationship marketing, has been pursued in the West for decades. In Chinese societies, however, guanxi-based capital provides the competitive framework for business dealings for thousands of years. Recent studies suggest that cross-cultural issues have been put forward to explain the high failure rate among American firms doing business in China and vice versa. This study conceptualizes guanxi network driven in the Chinese cultures vs. relationship marketing driven in the American society as a governance mechanism to acquire relational capital and further to compete effectively in global markets. Guanxi, as a source of Chinese social capital, gives them a potential competitive advantage in global market while American relationship marketing tends to asses partnership's cost-benefits and may lead to potential disengagement. In Chinese cultures, building guanxi is usually considered the highest priority both in terms of importance and time sequences which in turn lead to business partners' weight on long-term social (non-economic) interaction and relationship utilization;, in Western relations, firms place greater emphasis on short-time economic gain through openness and agreements in their relational exchanges. At the end of paper, a comparative taxonomy of relational networks in two different cultural settings is concluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, start-ups have become a strong force promoting economic development and technology break through. Leadership is therefore critically important for these new ventures’ dynamic capability (DC), or the ability to adapt to the changing environment while seeking for development. This study aims to examine the impact of leadership on dynamic capabilities in start-ups. This is achieved through understanding 1) the leadership attributes and roles of Chinese entrepreneurs and the challenges they face and 2) how their leadership influences their strategies to deal with the challenges and maintain development. The study used the work by Gupta, MacMillan and Surie (2004) as a theoretical guidance and categorized leadership into 5 roles (i.e., framing the challenge, path clearing, building commitment, absorbing uncertainty, and specifying limits), with each role comprising 3 to 4 attributes. A total of 15 entrepreneurs representing different industries and from different cities in China were selected to participate in semi-structured interviews. Findings suggested that framing the challenge was a most popular leadership role possessed by the entrepreneurs in the study. In addition, different leadership roles have varied degree of influence on start-ups’ DC. Findings of this study have broad implications for theory, research, and practices. The use of the framework extended our understanding on the impact of leadership on dynamic capability among Chinese start-ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to explore how an entrepreneur seizes opportunities in different contexts over the course of time through the developmental phases of an enterprise. The investigation is about a Chinese entrepreneur who founded a feather processing firm in 1978 after the start of the economic reform in the country. A qualitative research approach was selected to guide the exploratory nature of the study. Relevant data have been collected from news reports, articles and books written about the entrepreneur and the case company. During the early phase of the firm's development, the entrepreneur depended heavily on political connections to search for and seize opportunities. Institutional actors, such as the local government and the central government, played the role of mediators by introducing the entrepreneur to the most important actors in the market and providing resources such as loans, land, labour, etc. The foundation of the company was not the result of the foresightedness of the entrepreneur but of the Chinese central government. Thus, we refer to this entrepreneurship as state-promoted entrepreneurship. The entrepreneur's relationship with the institutional actors was represented by patronage, privilege and protection. As time progressed, experience grew and institutional policies changed towards favouring foreign trade, the entrepreneur sought opportunities independently, occasionally bypassing the important institutional actors. We refer to such a phenomenon as "State-parenting entrepreneurship", which is similar to how parents raise their children in a protective environment during the early years and subsequently allow them, over time, to move on independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While several latecomer firms and countries successfully get near to the technological frontier as fast followers, they encounter significant challenges in trying to create and diffuse their own technology. This is particularly difficult in the case of systemic technologies subject to network effects, and leading to the diffusion of a dominant design. Public policies can be implemented to support domestic innovation, but face a tension between techno-nationalism and techno-globalism (and market considerations). A techno-nationalist approach promoting indigenous technologies may create isolating mechanisms that provide competitive advantage to domestic companies and help them to catch-up. However, international development of domestic companies is more likely to occur with products manufactured according to global dominant technologies and standards. In this paper, we analyse and discuss the indigenous innovation options for catching-up countries and latecomer firms. We consider a specific type of technology; mobile telecommunications technologies. These technologies are system-based and subject to dominant design effect, and tend to be increasingly global. They are also characterised by successive generations that may offer opportunities for catching up countries to reach the technological frontier. We focus on the case of China for three reasons. Firstly, there is a clear objective of technological catching-up in telecommunications and of reducing IPRs by developing domestic innovation capabilities. Secondly, the mere size of the market allows implementing policies which may be illusory in other markets. Thirdly, the telecommunications operators are controlled by the state and can be therefore powerful instruments for the Chinese government. We put a particular emphasis on the latest (4th) mobile generation. Relying mainly on the distinction between incremental, modular, architectural and radical innovation, by Henderson and Clark (1990), we suggest that modular innovation on a loosely coupled subsystem of a global dominant technology is a better option for systemic technologies, allowing to reconcile the otherwise antagonistic options of techno-nationalism and techno-globalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has become the core of enterprises’ adaptation, competition and development in an increasingly competitive environment. Scholars have begun to get interest in the origin of EO. However, existing research has not paid enough attention to the antecedents of EO, especially on the entrepreneurs’ individual level. EO is an important imprinting outcome of entrepreneurs on the organization and prior experience is the main source of entrepreneurs’ imprinting. We use listed companies in China GEM 2009-2017, empirically analyzing the influence of entrepreneurs’ prior experience on EO of start-ups from the perspective of imprint theory and the moderating role of opportunity innovativeness. The results show that the breadth of prior experience of entrepreneurs is positively related to EO, and the depth of prior experience is negatively related to EO. The results show that the stronger the opportunity innovation is, the greater the positive influence of breadth of prior experience on EO will be, and the greater the negative influence of the depth of prior experience will be. We studies the impact of the breadth and depth of prior experience of entrepreneurs on the formation of EO of new ventures under different opportunities, contributing to the research of EO. Secondly, we analyze the connotation and formation mechanism of EO from the perspective of imprinting, expanding the application of imprinting theory in organizational research. Thirdly, this study enriches empirical research on the relationship between prior experience and EO of new ventures. This study will help enhance entrepreneurs’ rational knowledge of prior experience in the process of entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-1990s, the Chinese government has used tourism as an important tool to stimulate consumption and expand domestic demand. By implementing a series of policies, the Chinese tourism industry has flourished. Meanwhile, along with structural societal changes, the growing middle class has become a leading force in tourism. The enthusiasm and purchasing power of this socioeconomic sector have made China the world's largest outbound tourism market and the top international tourism spender. The rise of the middle class and its leading role in growing tourism consumption has drawn academic attention. In the existing research, almost all scholars regard the middle class as an established and unchanging social stratum, studying its tourism demand and behavioral characteristics. However, the middle class is not a universally fixed concept. Due to social and historical constraints, as well as political, economic, and cultural differences, members of the Chinese middle class have exhibited some unique traits in tourism consumption not shared by their counterparts in other countries. This is due to the fact that the Chinese middle class is still in the initial stages of formation, and its class consciousness is rather vague. To members of this class, tourism is not only for leisure and recreation, but also an important and effective means for building social networks and displaying their social status. This study observed Sina Weibo (Weibo means "microblogging" in Mandarin, and Sina Weibo is a popular social media platform) users who showcase the demographic features of the Chinese middle class. First, this study used textual analysis of Sina Weibo to reveal tourist behavior in the process of people striving to become part of the middle class. In-depth, offline interviews were also conducted with Sina Weibo users. This study categorizes the contents and confirms the functions of middle-class Chinese tourists' identity construction through tourism. Finally, this study pinpoints their characteristics and offers some suggestions to improve the tourism industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of internet finance, innovative products of internet finance are showing the trend of diversity increasingly, and have become an essential part of daily life. The emergance of internet finance's innovative products and the innovation of instrument of payment particularly not only strengthen the products' liquidity, but also reduce transaction costs. Innovative products' diffusion of internet finance, as the effective approach of realizing the value, plays a significant role in the study of internet finance. This study, based on TAM (Technology acceptance model) and IDT (Innovation diffusion theory), builds the theoretical model for influencing factors of innovative products' diffusion of internet finance from the following aspects: innovative characteristics, consumer characteristics and diffusion channels, and takes the typical of innovative products of internet finance for instance- individual online bank, using SEM to fit for data and making empirical analysis. It turns out that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, network externalities, compatibility and perceived risk of innovative characteristics are closely related to consumers' attitude towards financial innovative products' utility; interpersonal influences of diffusion channels have positive correlation with consumers' usage behavior of financial innovative products; consumers' innovativeness of consumer characteristics and computer self-efficacy are closely related to consumers' usage behavior of financial innovative products; consumers' attitude towards financial innovative products' utility has positive impact on consumers' usage behavior of financial innovative products. Based on theoretical study and empirical analysis, this study sheds light on the promotion of innovative products of internet finance in China, from the following aspects: changing consumers' attitude towards usage, playing the role of products' externalities and compatibility and focusing on consumers' perceive factors.It has a great value and significance to promote the development of China's internet finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the construction of information increasingly deepening, both in the government and nongovernment institutions, information communication and coordination work is becoming increasingly important. In the rapid growth of big data era, the demand for an unprecedented expansion of statistical information, also enhances unceasingly. The need and require more from multi-angle, multi-facet on statistical work. The production and use of big data is gradually changing the traditional mode of the government statistical work. However, the existing statistical system is not sound and being inadequate investment at present, statistical accounting coverage rate is not high, as well as the lack of awareness of big data, leading to information security, digital divide, information islands, the abuse of power and many other issues. How to effectively use big data has become an urgent issue to government statistical agencies and academic research. Therefore, study on the issue Chinese national statistical system based on big data is of great significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years knowledge management (KM) importance has been recognised, but studies have focused on its impact in large, rather than in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs in China are now a major factor in the Chinese economy. Since 99.8% of Chinese enterprises are SMEs providing 75% of job opportunities, so KM's impact on them is important. The unique Chinese culture of Confucianism results in Chinese and Western people's perceptions of the world as different, which affects the ways that business is conducted. Some management practices (like social networks and oral agreements with employees or business partners) are unique to Chinese businesses. The concept of social capital in KM suggests that it can provide SMEs access to knowledge. Guanxi (the Chinese term for social networks with government officials, business partners, or employees) is part of an SME's intangible assets, which others cannot imitate. How these intangible assets are used by Chinese SME owners' is an essential component in their businesses' growth. Previous SME research suggests that most owners use traditional culture as informal KM, but they fail to pass this knowledge on to their employees. This case study provides an example of how an SME business has utilised Confucianism, as KM. This owner dedicates himself to traditional culture by adopting formal KM tools and techniques to bring this knowledge to his employees. Since establishing this, the firm has become the largest world supplier of steel shovels. Employee quality has improved and turnover is now very low. The owner has successfully shared, transferred, and applied this knowledge to the entire business. This case study shows that KM can bring benefits to both knowledge and labour-intensive SMEs, where employee quality and turnover have a direct impact on business operating costs. The case study explains why KM in Chinese SMEs is implemented only by the top level, rather than all levels. First, Chinese SME owners do not recognise that the assimilation of traditional culture is part of the firm's intangible assets. In SMEs, the degree of business owners' knowledge assimilation impacts on their intention to bring KM techniques into the businesses. Second, there is no transformation process to bring knowledge to the employees, since owners do not realise that KM is an intangible asset bringing benefit to their businesses. Consequently, knowledge sharing between owners and employees is very limited in Chinese SMEs, especially in the manufacturing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the global economic power reshuffles, mainland China stood as the world's biggest exporter in 2010, and has emerged as the second-largest economy in the world (CIA, 2010). In its transformation from a manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, how well a business manages its knowledge or utilizes its intellectual capital may be an important factor in determining a business' comparative advantage. Hence, the evaluation of the level of knowledge management ("KM") of a business may be helpful for business managers to improve business competitiveness. Rastogi (2000) considers KM as the foundation toward successful leveraging of intellectual capital ("IC"). If we take the view that knowledge forms the basis of IC, as in Ramezan (2011), then the level of knowledge utilization of an organization should be correlated with its level of intellectual capital. To test this empirically, a self-assessment on KM maturity level was used to gauge knowledge utilization of an organization, while Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC™) was used to assess the level of IC. The purpose of this research is to explore the presence of a relationship between KM maturity level and IC performance in listed companies in mainland China. In selecting companies representative of the economy in mainland China, the constituent companies of the CSI 100 (China Securities Index Co., Ltd.) were chosen. The Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC™) methodology was used to measure IC performance for its suitability in statistical analysis (Andriessen, 2004). VAIC™ of constituent companies of the CSI 100 was calculated by summing the totals of human capital efficiency, structural capital efficiency and capital employed efficiency. Questionnaires were collected to evaluate the level of KM in the surveyed organizations. The questionnaire was developed from the KM self-assessment framework proposed by Collison and Parcell (2004), and was used to measure the maturity level of KM. Overall, there were 26 questionnaires completed, which accounts for 25% of the sample. Finally, correlation analysis with SPSS was performed to examine if there is a correlation between IC and the maturity level of KM in the sampled companies in mainland China. The results showed that correlation between the two variables was not statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mental model is the internal representation of reality held by individuals. In a team, members continue interacting with each other, and shared knowledge is developed within the team. Tacit knowledge that is shared and related to teamwork can be regarded as a shared mental model (SMM). SMMs are recognised as some of the influential factors to team performance since they concern how a team views and acts on the world around it. A number of studies have pointed out that team members in high-performance teams share more similar SMM than average teams. This is worth further investigation since the teams that have been studied in the literature are mostly military teams and student teams. Moreover, some of the methodologies used did not address the collective nature of SMMs. This study explores the SMMs of eight Six Sigma project teams in an electronics factory in mainland China. Collective sensemaking workshops were organised for the eight teams and twelve themes relating to teamwork were generated. A relatedness analysis was then conducted to visualise the relationship between these themes. The results of this study are aligned with the major conclusions from the literature. It was also found that high performance teams perceived stronger interrelatedness between the concepts than average teams did. This study contributes to the SMM literature by giving additional insights and to the methodology aspect through the use of a collective sensemaking workshop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firstly, the multiple challenges with that the Chinese aerospace industry faced including the ranks of young, reduced product development cycles, and market competitive pressure were summarized. Knowledge management has become a priority. Currently, some problems are to be solved, including the more knowledge is accumulated, but the lower utilization and lower transparency of knowledge, and lack of knowledge sharing. Solutions to promote knowledge utility were presented that including strategic plan for knowledge management, the business knowledge services platform (KSP) and enterprises knowledge base systems. The connotation and outline of strategic plan for knowledge management in China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) were described. The knowledge services platform was represented in details, including knowledge expression and knowledge acquisition process, knowledge navigation methods based technical map. The construction of enterprises knowledge base systems was discussed. The application effect of KSP and knowledge base in China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology was points out, including knowledge accumulating and reasonable evaluation of knowledge contribution etc. Finally the future vision of KSP and application of KSP was provided, such as knowledge based engineering and tacit knowledge acquisition based on cooperation environment and knowledge based technological innovation etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For international companies based in countries with high wages and a limited national market, effective international relations are important. Two central dimensions of a working relation are effective communication and knowledge sharing. The purpose of this article is to study the perceived effects of intra-organizational knowledge sharing from combinations of communication channels and knowledge carriers between R&D units in Sweden and manufacturing units in China, with the aim to propose suitable combinations of communication channels and knowledge carriers in order to create high-quality knowledge sharing for companies. In order to reach the aim, a web-based questionnaire was sent out to 45 Swedish engineering companies operating in China. In total 32 companies (71%) answered the questionnaire with complete answers received from 18 companies (40%). Results from the study show that knowledge sharing still is mainly performed by using physical knowledge carriers (such as drawings and prototypes) instead of digital ones. However, for the respondents who use digital knowledge carriers frequently (such as digital prototypes and common databases), the perceived knowledge quality is higher than for those who don't. The main barriers in knowledge sharing are perceived as language, time restraints and different knowledge levels between the knowledge-sharing parties. There is an indication that a more frequent use of communication channels has a negative effect on perceived knowledge sharing at the same time as cooperation is improved. Possible explanations are that there is information overload, that the perceived low level of knowledge sharing has triggered an increase in communication, and that social communication increases the perceived quality of cooperation but not knowledge sharing. Further investigations are necessary to clarify the causality. The main conclusions are: 1. Use of multiple communication channels improves the perceived quality of cooperation (but not knowledge sharing). 2. Use of IT-based knowledge carriers (digital prototypes, common databases and web-based solutions) enables both knowledge sharing and cooperation. However, IT-maturity and high acceptance of IT-based knowledge carriers need to be developed within the studied organizations.3. Use of digital prototypes should be complemented with reports when IT-maturity is low. 4. Frequent face-to-face meetings are important since they break down communication barriers and enable sharing of tacit knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the problems in Chinese enterprise technology innovation, a concept of smarter enterprise innovation network was proposed, which has three characteristics: (1) The value of knowledge, information for experts inside and outside enterprise, information of the market changes and user's demand are more insightfully perceived; (2) The information among the knowledge life cycle, internal and external enterprise knowledge, behavior of employee knowledge sharing and innovation activities, knowledge suppliers and demanders, knowledge and the innovation process are communicated much comprehensively; (3) Knowledge management system become more intelligent though building the dynamic relationship between the knowledge and persons, which means the more usage of the system, the smarter it would be. Implementation methods for the smarter enterprise innovation network were presented: (1) Managing, tracking and monitoring the life cycle of the knowledge: According to the knowledge application result, the appropriate incentives are given to knowledge contributors; Evaluation of knowledge and staffs is combined, so that the knowledge network will be more ordered, and people will take part in construction and evaluation of knowledge network much responsibly and actively;(2) Rely on public assessment of knowledge:organizing related staffs to vote some knowledge for a particular evaluation; knowledge evaluation based on Wikipedia (Wiki) model; evaluation knowledge based on behavior of knowledge application by staff; (3) Combining the knowledge evaluation with the daily use of knowledge. There are some problems need to pay attention to: scoring standards for the behaviors of daily knowledge application; knowledge evaluation strategy for some possible cheating behaviors; knowledge evaluation strategy for some possible negative behaviors. The system based on this concept has been partly applied in a certain research institute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information seeking behavior of a random sample of 40 Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) officers was investigated from the perspectives of: information seeking behavior; type of searching undertaken; level of sophistication of searching; ability to retrieve required information, and use of the HKPF Library (HKPFL). Frameworks such as: the information seeking process (Chowdhury 2004); the information management cycle (Choo, 1998); and the Information seeking of professionals model (Leckie, Pettigrew & Sylvain 1996), were applied. Data gathering methods included: survey; interview; observation; and case study. Results indicate that the respondents are not, overall, effective information seekers. The respondents generally apply simple retrieval techniques despite perceiving them to be less effective than more advanced techniques. The respondents were often unable to effectively frame simple enquiries. A novice member was less effective and slower at retrieving information than an experienced member, suggesting that transfer of organizational members' knowledge of information seeking to newer members could be valuable. The sampled HKPF members prefer using print materials to electronic materials or web pages, although these formats are also popular. 27 (67.5%) respondents visit the HKPFL two or less times per week, while 36 (90%) respondents visit the HKPFL website two or less times per week. Most respondents use the HKPFL for leisure rather than work related purposes, although this behavior is both position and department sensitive. Most respondents prefer to browse the collections on shelves and seek help from librarians instead of searching the library catalogue. Recommendations for improving HKPF members' information skills include: information literacy instruction for new recruits; promoting the HKPFL as an information hub; providing guides for use; and further developing the HKPFL to match members' information needs by improving collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this empirical study was to explore the moderating role of cultural distance on the relationship between knowledge transfer within MNCs and subsidiaries performance, using the IT industry in China as a study context. Data was collected through the implementation of a quantitative survey in China-based subsidiaries from 36 MNCs in the IT industry. The results, based on 1008 occurrences of knowledge transfer, across seven knowledge domains, to and from China-based subsidiaries, suggest that knowledge transfer is positively related to subsidiary performance. There is also an interactive effect on subsidiary performance between cultural distance, based on Hofstede (1993)'s cultural framework, and aggregate knowledge transfer within firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study based on the teaching and learning innovations implemented from January to April 2008 at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Intercultural awareness is one of the expected learning outcomes in the University. The Web 2.0 technology is a golden opportunity for students to reflect upon cultural issues. In this project, a group of 26 Chinese students from different disciplines who studied French as a third foreign language at different levels joined this course taught in English with the intention of learning more about the French culture. The objectives of the course were as follows: 1) make students reflect about their own cultural values which condition their mindset, 2) make students aware of cultural differences and difficulty to apprehend them, and 3) stimulate their analytical thinking and moderate their judgment. Interactive online strategies, such as discussion forums and blogs, were used to assist the course to achieve the above objectives. The technology facilitated discussions and the building of online communities. Students' online discussions with their peers engaged students in productive learning, provided the teachers with helpful feedback about students' grasp on the course content, and assisted the teachers in evaluating students' performance in learning. A framework with detailed instructions was given to students at the beginning of the course. This formative exercise was integrated into the course syllabus. Assessment methods were rethought; the role of teacher and students' learning habits definitely changed. Excerpts of students' contributions in forums and blogs could illustrate students' learning process in the acquisition of intercultural awareness and serve as evidence for community building as well as for pool of feedbacks for teachers. Lastly, students' final written evaluation feedbacks were compared with their online comments and change of behavior. Conclusions about effectiveness and efficiency of the practice were drawn and suggestions for improvement were made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In October 2008 the French Program of Linguistics and Modern Languages Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) launched an e-based group discussion project between their Advanced level French classes and French classes of a high school in Vienna, Austria. The project made use of the French Program e-learning platform built on Moodle. The platform was a student's reserved area and teachers in both regions agreed not to intervene in any of their students' online interactions. Common discussion topics were given one after another according to a common time table: each student first had to post a 200-250 words essay followed by one to three interactions. On students' side, the results of the first discussion topic showed very conventional writing with emphasis on grammar and syntax accuracy. However the results of the second and third discussion topics showed a clear evolution in both writing style and behavior: moving from very school-like, individualistic and dry style, essays and interactions to linguistically less prepared, more spontaneous, and group oriented communications. Such altruistic behavior moved from online to offline and became obvious in the relationship between students during and after class. On teachers' side, change in behavior was noticeable as well. They evolved from over-tutoring to under-tutoring in discussions 1 and 2 to finally finding the appropriate pace to meet their students' needs. Apart from illustrating with evidence the benefits in-class and beyond the classroom of an online cross cultural project, the authors would also like to report some of the challenges in administering the asynchronous interaction project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]