Showing papers by "Hong Kong Polytechnic University published in 1998"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a model of expatriates' decisions to quit their assignments, explicitly considering the role of adjustment, the project-based nature of international assignments, and the importance of several nonwork and family context factors in this withdrawal process.
Abstract: Integrating the expatriate adjustment and employee turnover literatures, we develop a model of expatriates' decisions to quit their assignments. This model explicitly considers the role of adjustment, the project-based nature of international assignments, and the importance of several nonwork and family context factors in this withdrawal process. We test this model with a sample of 452 expatriates and a matched subsample (providing multiple sources of data) of 224 expatriates and spouses, living in 45 countries. Consistent with domestic turnover research, multiple regression analyses indicated that the work-related factors of job satisfaction and organizational commitment were significant predictors of expatriate withdrawal cognitions. We also found support for the direct, indirect, and moderating influence of nonwork satisfaction and several family context variables (i.e., family responsibility, spouse adjustment, spouse overall satisfaction, and living conditions) on decisions of expatriates to quit their assignments. Implications for both organizational withdrawal and international HRM researchers and practitioners are discussed.
505 citations
TL;DR: Simulations performed using synthetic generated histograms and a real image show the speed advantage and the accuracy of the iterated version of the derived method for minimum cross entropy thresholding.
490 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the pattern of crack coalescence and strength of a sandstone-like material containing two parallel inclined frictional cracks under uniaxial compression, with changing values of inclination of preexisting cracks α, bridge angle β (inclination between the inner tips of the two existing cracks), and the frictional coefficient μ on the surfaces of the preexexisting cracks.
463 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a method based on modal strain energy is presented for locating damage in a structure, which makes use of the change of modal energy in each structural element before and after the occurrence of damage.
380 citations
TL;DR: An optimization model is developed to determine the joint optimal selection of these three important decision variables, with an objective of maximizing the average net profit in service industries where demands are sensitive to both price and delivery time.
313 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relationship between expected stock returns and market beta, book-to-market equity, and size in five Pacific-Basin emerging markets: Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between expected stock returns and market beta, book-to-market equity, and size in five Pacific-Basin emerging markets: Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand. In all the markets examined, the relationship between average stock return and market beta is weak. On the other hand, the book-to-market equity can explain the cross-sectional variation of expected stock returns in Hong Kong, Korea, and Malaysia, while the size effect is significant in all markets except Taiwan. Interestingly, the degree of the relation between average return and book-to-market equity coincides with the magnitude of the average book-to-market ratio in a country. We also find that large firms in Hong Kong and small firms in Korea have experienced higher returns in January. We argue that the different pattern of the `turn-of-the-year' effect between Hong Kong and Korea may be attributed to a different composition of investors. The majority of investors in Hong Kong are foreign institutional investors, while investors in Korea are mainly individuals.
257 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of replacing cement by fly ash and silica fume on strength, compressive stress-strain relationship, and fracture behavior of concrete were investigated, and it was found that fly ash substantially improved the post-peak compressive behavior, with a relatively smaller gradient in the descending part of the stressstrain curve.
239 citations
TL;DR: A new mathematical representation of linguistic concepts is presented and a novel uncertainty reasoning technology is proposed that not only serves as a foundation of linguistic control, but also integrating fuzziness and randomness in an inseparable way.
Abstract: The methodology of fuzzy reasoning has been shown to be very useful technology for modeling complex nonlinear systems However, the most commonly used method for reasoning with fuzzy systems models, the Mamdani-Zadeh paradigm, faces many criticisms, particularly from the probability community A new mathematical representation of linguistic concepts is presented in this paper With the new model of normal compatibility clouds and a virtual rule engine, a novel uncertainty reasoning technology is proposed It not only serves as a foundation of linguistic control, but also integrating fuzziness and randomness in an inseparable way A case study is given to clean up many doubts raised in the debate between fuzzy theory and probability theory researchers, and to give a good interpretation of the Mamdani-Zadeh operations for the defuzzification strategy as well The architecture of such a controller shows the advantages in hardware implementations
232 citations
TL;DR: According to these findings, disruption in the expression of these proteins in the brain is probably one of the important causes of the altered brain iron metabolism in age-related neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
230 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors suggest that a concurrent engineering approach in construction may significantly improve the way in which projects are procured, and propose a simple model demonstrating how concurrent engineering can contribute to project effectiveness.
194 citations
TL;DR: This paper showed that returns of B shares are correlated with those of A shares and that this correlation depends on the information transmission mechanism at work, and the pattern of the asymmetric cross-autocorrelation is robust to the inclusion of lagged realized returns and trading volumes.
Abstract: Listed companies in China, upon meeting certain requirements, can issue two types of shares: A shares and B shares. Local investors in China can only buy and sell A shares, while foreign investors can only buy and sell B shares. We argue that foreign investors may receive news about China faster than domestic Chinese investors because of information barriers in China. Since foreigners participate in the B-share market, the price movements of B shares should reflect the common information that the foreigners have. Rational A-share investors can therefore condition their trading decisions on the previous price movements of B shares. As a result, returns on B shares should lead the returns on A shares. Using daily prices of A and B shares, we demonstrate that returns of B shares are correlated with those of A shares and that this correlation depends on the information transmission mechanism at work. The pattern of the asymmetric cross-autocorrelation is robust to the inclusion of lagged realized returns and trading volumes.
TL;DR: In this article, a structured approach to managing maintenance performance developed from this premise is presented, where a balanced scorecard composed of key performance indicators (KPIs) is used to inform employees of the strategy pursued by the maintenance function and to track the effectiveness of action plans in meeting the strategic objectives.
Abstract: Performance of the maintenance function is typically measured for operational control purposes. Since maintenance also has a strategic dimension, its performance measurement system should be linked to the espoused strategy of the function in order to get the maximum impact. This paper presents a structured approach to managing maintenance performance developed from this premise. The measurement system features a balanced scorecard (BSC) composed of key performance indicators (KPIs). The BSC is used to inform employees of the strategy pursued by the maintenance function, and to track the effectiveness of action plans in meeting the strategic objectives. The various steps involved in the process are also discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relationship between market orientation and company performance and found that surveyed firms exhibited a much higher marketing orientation suggesting that it is possible to be effective at implementing the marketing function without possessing a market oriented organisational culture.
Abstract: Recent studies conducted in the USA and the UK have shown evidence of a relationship between market orientation and company performance. The overall aim of the research reported in this paper was to build on this limited body of literature by considering the evidence from another, non‐Western, business environment, namely Hong Kong. In addition, this study sought to clarify the distinction, not often made in the literature, between a market‐ and a marketing‐orientation. Data from 73 textiles and garments manufacturers were collected using an instrument based on Narver and Slater’s (1990) scale. Consistent with previous findings in Western cultures, the results of this study are suggestive of a relationship between market orientation and company performance. However, surveyed firms exhibited a much higher marketing orientation suggesting that it is possible to be effective at implementing the marketing function without possessing a market‐oriented organisational culture.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors attribute the trends to the globalization and deregulation of markets necessitated by fiscal, technological and managerial constraints, and illustrate the dilemma of importing construction services at the expense of the indigenous sectors of the developing countries.
Abstract: Recent developments in the construction sector in the Asian region demonstrate three trends: (1) larger private sector participation in infrastructure projects, (2) increasing vertical integration in the packaging of construction projects, and (3) increased foreign participation in domestic construction. This paper attributes the trends to the globalization and deregulation of markets necessitated by fiscal, technological and managerial constraints. Although these trends present intra-Asian opportunities, there are also areas of concern. The trends have helped polarize the financial and technical superiority of the developed countries and the corresponding inferiority of the developed countries in the region of the developing ones. In the long term, this gap could be filled through technology transfer. In the short term, however, there are concerns that imported construction services could grow at the expense of the indigenous sectors of the developing countries. This paper illustrates this dilemma with t...
TL;DR: Guanxi is a characteristic of Chinese culture and provides a starting point for understanding the Chinese negotiating style as mentioned in this paper, and the meaning of Guanxi can be used to differentiate between the characteristics of Chinese and Western negotiations in the marketing context.
Abstract: Guanxi is the foundation of Chinese business negotiations. The paper explains the meaning of Guanxi and uses it to differentiate between the characteristics of Chinese and Western negotiations in the marketing context. Guanxi is a characteristic of Chinese culture and provides a starting point for understanding the Chinese negotiating style. Western cultures have inherently different characteristics. As culture is so important in the negotiation process, the paper also reviews the five dimensions of culture as outlined by Hofstede (1991) and places these in the Chinese context.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the discrepancy between the dimensionality inherent in the design of instruments measuring approaches to learning and that indicated by subsequent factor analyses, and concluded that approaches to learn are described better by a two-factor model than the three or four-factor ones on which the inventories are based.
Abstract: Background. A recent review of research into students' approaches to learning suggested there was good evidence of meaning and reproducing orientations to study. In the former the student seeks the underlying meaning in study material, while in the latter attention is directed towards reproducing the text itself. The most widely used inventories of learning approaches also include a factor for an achieving approach and one contains another factor too.
Aims. The study aimed to examine the discrepancy between the dimensionality inherent in the design of instruments measuring approaches to learning and that indicated by subsequent factor analyses.
Methods. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the dimensionality of approaches to learning. Seven models were fitted to parallel data sets from the Study and Learning Process Questionnaires.
Samples. The sample used for SPQ analysis was 4843 university students from Hong Kong universities. The LPQ data was drawn from a representative selection of 20 secondary schools in Hong Kong. The total number of usable questionnaires for the LPQ was 3254.
Results. For both sets of questionnaire data, the best fit was achieved by a model with two factors: meaning and reproducing orientation. The achieving motive and strategy subscales were significant indicators of both factors.
Conclusions. The results suggest that approaches to learning are described better by a two-factor model than the three- or four-factor ones on which the inventories are based.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the behavior of pedestrians in choosing between escalators and stairways in Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations during peak hours and found that pedestrians are more sensitive to the relative delays when using the vertical pedestrian facilities in the descending direction than in the ascending direction.
Abstract: Passenger demands on underground stations are always excessive and can cause severe congestion. The study of pedestrian behavior is particularly important in planning and design of the underground stations during peak hours. This paper reports an investigation on the behavior of pedestrians in choosing between escalators and stairways in Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations during peak hours. Time-lapse photography surveys were conducted in six selected MTR stations to collect the relevant data. The travel time functions of the vertical pedestrian facilities have been calibrated and are used for developing the pedestrian route choice model. Service levels have been defined for the vertical pedestrian facilities based upon the service levels defined by previous researchers. It was found that the stairway capacities in the ascending and descending directions in the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway stations are higher than in London Underground stations. It was also found that the pedestrians are more sensitive to the relative delays when using the vertical pedestrian facilities in the descending direction than in the ascending direction.
TL;DR: In this article, the wavelet transform and its derivative wavelet packet transform (WPT) have been applied successfully for signal processing in chemistry and more than 70 papers were published within the period from 1989 to 1997.
TL;DR: In this article, the success of the turning process depends on optimizing the machining parameters such as feed rate, depth of cut, tool rake angles, the cutting lubricants and the crystallographic orientation of the crystal being cut.
TL;DR: Results support this 3-way interaction in predicting job search behavior, physical health complaints, and counterproductive employee behavior and show the relationship between job satisfaction and negative outcomes was most strongly negative for high-PA individuals with longer tenure.
Abstract: In this study, the authors proposed and tested a 3-way interaction among positive affectivity (PA), job satisfaction, and tenure in predicting negative employee outcomes. Specifically, the authors predicted that the relationship between job satisfaction and negative outcomes would be stronger for high PAs and that this relationship would be more pronounced for longer tenured employees. Results support this 3-way interaction in predicting job search behavior, physical health complaints, and counterproductive employee behavior. In particular, the relationship between job satisfaction and negative outcomes was most strongly negative for high-PA individuals with longer tenure. The authors discuss the implications of these results and some directions for future research.
TL;DR: In this paper, a frequency domain method is developed to identify the model parameters from the experimental data of periodic vibration tests, and the accuracy of the parameter identification is verified by comparing the measured and identified harmonic components of the hysteric restoring force.
TL;DR: A method of knowledge representation in KDD is developed which bridges the 2ap hetween quantitative and yualitatM knowledge, and uses virtual linguistic terms and cloud translortn.
Abstract: An impcn-tant issue in knowlcd2c discovery in databases (KDD) is to allow the discovered knowledge to be as close as possible to natural languages to satisly user needs with tractahility on one hand, and to offer KDD Systems rohustncss oil the other. At this junction. this palm descrihes a new concept of linguistic atoms with three di(,ital characteristics: expected value Ex, entropy En and deviation D. The mathematical description has effectively integrated the fuzziness and randomness of linguistic terms in a unified way. Based on this model, a method of knowledge representation in KDD is developed which bridges the 2ap hetween quantitative and yualitatM. knowledge. Mapping hetween quantities and qualities hecomes much easier and interchangeable. In order to discover generalized knowledge from a datahase, we nrty use virtual linguistic terms and cloud translortn.s for the auto-oeneration of concept hierarchies to attrihutes. Predictive data mining with the Cloud model is 2iven for implementation. This further illustrates the advantages of this linguistic model in KDD.
TL;DR: A review is presented of the existing finite element models developed from 1987 to 1996 for the biomechanics of lower-limb prostheses, finding that the predicted stresses were within the ranges measured, although one-to-one correspondence was difficult to achieve.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on emergent buying center networks in firms that recently have purchased an expensive, complex, technological product, and examine how a person's information control and i...
Abstract: The authors focus on emergent buying center networks in firms that recently have purchased an expensive, complex, technological product. The authors examine how a person's information control and i...
TL;DR: In this paper, a spin saturation transfer study and H/D exchange experiment with [(η5-C5H4(CH2)3NMe2H+)RuH(dppm)]BF4 revealed fast exchange, probably via a dihydrogen complex intermediate, between the hydride ligand and N−H.
TL;DR: In this paper, student perceptions of workload are hypothesised to be a function of class contact hours, independent study hours, English language ability, GPA and the students propensity to employ meaning or reproducing approaches to learning.
Abstract: Student perceptions of workload are hypothesised to be a function of class contact hours, independent study hours, English language ability, GPA and the students’ propensity to employ meaning or reproducing approaches to learning. Data on these variables were gathered from students in a mechanical engineering programme in a university. Models testing the interrelationship between these variables and perceived workload were found to have a good fit to the data by structural equation modelling. The direction of the relationship between perceived workload and reproducing approach was investigated by comparing alternative models which were both found to fit the data well. The models suggest a number of guidelines for curriculum designers if students are not to feel pressured by overloaded curricula. These include the greater impact of timetabled class hours as compared to independent study and the need to avoid contextual influences which might induce students to employ a reproducing approach to lear...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors have developed a dynamic simulation of a seawater-cooled chilling system controlled by an EMCS on-line control strategy, where the thermal, hydraulic, energy and control performances of the system are simulated.
TL;DR: It is proposed that process consent, the type of consent considered essential in qualitative research projects, is not only appropriate but necessary for mental health nursing practice.
Abstract: Informed consent, essentially a legal doctrine, is designed to protect the rights of patients. However, in an area of practice such as psychiatry, informed consent imposes many problems if one considers it to be a static process. In this paper we propose that process consent, the type of consent considered essential in qualitative research projects, is not only appropriate but necessary for mental health nursing practice. This type of consent is an ongoing consensual process that involves the nurse and patient in mutual decision making and ensures that the patient is kept informed at all stages of the treatment process. We have used neuroleptic medications as an example throughout the paper and have suggested that seeking informed consent should be added to the role of the nurse in the mental health setting.
TL;DR: In this paper, the usefulness of two alternative measures of performance, namely value added and abnormal economic earnings, was investigated, and it was shown that value added is a statistically significant variable; its explanatory power is higher than that of earnings.
Abstract: This paper investigates the usefulness of two alternative measures of performance: value added and abnormal economic earnings. Using earnings as the benchmark, firm value analysis, levels analysis, and changes analysis were performed to evaluate their explanatory power. Results show that value added is a statistically significant variable; its explanatory power is higher than that of earnings. Abnormal economic earnings, however, are not a significant variable.