Individual quality, insecure organizational attachment, and formalistic task completion: Social cognitive perspective.

Formalistic tasks are widely utilized in modern companies due to their ability to increase productivity and contribute to the achievement of corporate goals at a lower cost. However, these tasks are often meet with resistance from individuals because they do not provide direct short-term rewards for their efforts. Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study examined the influence of individual quality and organizational attachment on the completion of formalistic tasks. To address this, the study conducted a questionnaire survey to collect data from 602 Chinese respondents and built a structural equation model for data analysis. Through empirical research, the study confirmed the positive role of individual quality, including knowledge and personality, in the completion of formalistic tasks. Furthermore, the study proved that avoidant attachment could significantly weaken the effect of some components of individual quality on formalistic task completion. This paper is the first to reveal the influence of individual and environmental factors on individuals' completion of formalistic tasks, progressing from bottom to top. The implications of these results are discussed.

The impact of R&D effort on business model innovation: Evaluating chain mediation through collaboration breadth and depth.

Drawing on a novel theoretical framework, we explored the impact of research and development (R&D) effort on business model innovation via external collaboration breadth and collaboration depth in sequence. We empirically analyzed a sample of 94 Chinese innovative enterprises by applying hierarchical regression analysis and chain mediation analysis. The results indicate that R&D effort positively influences business model innovation. The influencing mechanism is that R&D effort positively affects external collaboration breadth, which in turn positively stimulates external collaboration depth, and ultimately benefits the implementation of business model innovation. Therefore, the breadth and depth of external collaboration play a chain-mediating role. The study develops a new framework for understanding the relationship between R&D effort, external collaboration, and business model innovation. It combines enterprises' internal behavior (R&D) and external behavior (collaboration) to establish an inside-out mechanism for predicting business model innovation. It enriches the theory of business model innovation. It also provides insights for managers and governments to optimize policies in innovation-driven development.

Exploring the impact of external collaboration on firm growth capability: the mediating roles of R&D efforts.

In today's business environment with high market turbulence, rapid technological change, and fierce competition, external collaboration and internal efforts in research and development (R&D) become equally important for firm growth. However, little is known about the effects of external collaboration on firm growth that generates along the path from outside to inside. Therefore, this study aims to explore the indirect effects of different types of external collaboration on firm growth capability via R&D efforts. It empirically analyzed a sample of 94 Chinese top-ranking innovative enterprises by applying hierarchical regression and mediation analysis. The results indicate that vertical collaboration, horizontal collaboration, and competitor collaboration are positively and directly related to the firm's R&D intensity, R&D human capital, and firm growth capability. Furthermore, the firm's R&D intensity and R&D human capital are positively and directly related to growth capability. The results of mediation analyses showed that R&D intensity mediated the relationship between external collaboration and firm growth capability. However, the results failed to support the mediating role of R&D human capital in the relationship between external collaboration and firm growth capability. This study enriches the literature on open innovation and organizational growth, and provides valuable insights for firm managers and policymakers.

The impact of consumer positive personality on the purchase behavior of smart products.

While the consumption of smart products is continuously increasing, it is essential to explore the trigger mechanism of consumer behavior in respect of smart product purchase. In this scenario, we aim to investigate the impact of consumers' positive personality on the purchase behavior. We constructed a structural equation model based on the partial least square method and tested our hypotheses on the basis of data analysis. The data were collected by conducting a survey of 326 Chinese consumers. We found two affecting paths from consumers' positive personality to smart product purchase. First, consumer knowledge promoted by positive personality raises purchase intention and, in turn, stimulates purchase behavior. Second, consumers' positive personality improves perceived income, which determines actual purchase behavior. This study deepens our understanding of the trigger mechanism of smart product purchase behavior and enriches the consumer behavior theory.

Relationship Between Knowledge Base and Innovation-Driven Growth: Moderated by Organizational Character.

Purpose: On the background of innovation-driven growth strategy of the Chinese government, this study aims to explore the impact of the knowledge base on innovation-driven growth of a firm, which is moderated by organizational character. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the data of 965 Chinese listed companies, some hypotheses were tested using the method of hierarchical regression analysis. Findings: Organizational growth relies on both technological and business model innovations and their interactive effect. Knowledge base, both breadth and depth, makes a positive impact on the innovation-driven growth of an enterprise. In the impacting mechanism, an explicit organizational character not only has direct positive effects on business model innovation, it also strengthens the effect of knowledge breadth on business model innovation. On the contrary, an implicit organizational character is not significantly related to innovation. Research limitations/implications: In order to achieve growth, enterprises are suggested to adopt such dual innovation strategy, led by technological innovation and supplemented with business model innovation, which is supported by the integrated management of intangible resources, deep and broad knowledge, and explicit organizational character. Originality/value: A new theoretical framework of organizational innovation-driven growth was proposed. The realization paths of innovation-driven growth were explored. The idea of collaborative governance between the knowledge base and organizational character was raised.

The Path to Innovation: The Antecedent Perspective of Intellectual Capital and Organizational Character.

Purpose: The high-speed growth of China's large-scale new economy indicates that innovation has become the most important economic growth pole. The study aims to explore the structure of the path to innovation, in which we focus on the mediating effect of organizational character. Design/methodology/approach: Considering the indigenous context of China's new economy, the study divides innovation into two types: technological innovation and business model innovation. Then, we build a path model to achieve the innovation by taking intellectual capital and organizational character as antecedents. Finally, a structural equation model is built to measure the path on the basis of sample data collected via a questionnaire survey. Findings: The results indicate that intellectual capital has a significant positive direct effect on technological innovation, but its direct effect on business model innovation is not significant. Organizational character not only mediates the relationship between the intellectual capital and technological innovation, but also plays a mediating role in the effect path from the intellectual capital to business model innovation. In addition, technological innovation has a positive impact on the business model innovation, and mediates the relationship between the intellectual capital and business model innovation. Originality/value: The study takes intellectual capital and organizational character as the common antecedents of innovation and breaks down the content of innovation research into technological innovation and business model innovation. Thus, it establishes a new theoretical analysis framework for dual innovation research and enriches the related theories. The framework would have stronger explanatory power for revealing the innovation strategy and behavior carried out by a large number of corporate organizations in China and the boom of new economy. Furthermore, it would lead enterprises to organize innovation activities more effectively and improve their innovation performances.

The Dimensions of Organizational Character and Its Impacts on Organizational Performance in Chinese Context.

As an organic entity, organizations are similar to humans, having unique organizational character which constitutes a source of competitive differentiation. This study aimed to explore the dimensions of organizational character and measure its impacts on organizational performance in a Chinese context. Since several previous studies have developed the definition and constitutions of organizational character in the context of developed countries such as America and England, this indigenous study provides new evidence from the perspective of an emerging economy. A research model using a qualitative analysis method was proposed to define the dimensions of organizational character. The connection between organizational character and organizational performance was empirically tested by a multi-ordered logit regression analysis with a survey of 205 observations in Chinese enterprises. The dimension of organizational character was finally extracted and summarized as six aspects including enterprise, conscientiousness, innovation, agreeableness, democracy, and Boy Scout. The results of the empirical analysis showed that the formation and cultivation of organizational character would directly improve an organizations' business performance as well as their growth potential. It is worth noting that a special part of organizational character, which may depend more on national culture or institutional background than organizational individuals, also has an impact on organizational performance. The findings can provide practical implications for Chinese companies and multinational companies that do or plan to do business in China. Entrepreneurs are suggested to make effective decisions on the cultivation of organizational character, since different types and specific levels of organizational character may have significantly different effects on organizational performance. This paper explored a novel theory to explain the antecedents of organizational performance, and could inspire scholars to expand the sources of organizational competitive advantage in the future.

Engineering of a Pichia pastoris expression system for high-level secretion of HSA/GH fusion protein.

Human serum albumin (HSA) and human growth hormone (hGH) fusion protein [HSA/GH] is a promising long-acting form of GH to treat GH deficiency. This study attempted to engineer a P. pastoris strain for high-level production of HSA/GH to be used in basic research and clinical application. Strains contained two, three, and seven copies of HSA/GH gene were screened by selecting against Zeocin resistance. The results revealed that introducing two to three copies of HSA/GH gene was sufficient to give a significant increase in secretion level, compared with one copy of HSA/GH gene. No significant differences were observed between two to three copies and seven copies. Co-expression with either one copy of exogenous ERO1 or PDI in a strain carrying multicopies of HSA/GH gene led to varying degrees of increase in HSA/GH secretion. The effect of introducing multicopies of PDI was similar to that of one copy of PDI, but introducing excess copies of ERO1 reduced HSA/GH secretion. Simultaneous co-expression with PDI and ERO1 was less effect than either PDI co-expression or ERO1 co-expression. A strain showing higher secretion level was successfully applied to large-scale fermentation with the productivity of 3-4 g/l.

The structure and stability of Si60 and Ge60 cages: a computational study.

Structural studies of fullerene-like Si(60) and Ge(60) cages using ab initio methods were augmented by density functional tight-binding molecular dynamics (DFTB-MD) simulations of finite temperature effects. Neither the perfect I(h) symmetry nor the distorted T(h) structures are true minima. The energies of both are high relative to distorted, lower symmetry minima, C(i) and T, respectively, which still preserve C(60)-type connectivity. Both Si(60) and Ge(60) favor C(i) symmetry cages in which Si and Ge vertexes exhibit either near-trigonal or pyramidal geometries. These structural variations imply significant reactivity differences between different positions. The small magnetic shielding effects (NICS) indicate that aromaticity is not important in these systems. The inorganic fullerene cages have lower stabilities compared with their carbon analogs. Si(60) is stable towards spontaneous disintegration up to 700 K according to DFTB-MD simulations, and thus has potential for experimental observation. In contrast, Ge(60) preserves its cage structure only up to 200 K.