Behavior In China Research Articles

Multisystemic Therapy for a Child in Difficult Circumstances With Disruptive Behavior in China: A Single-Case Design

Purpose: This study aims to address concerns about the ability of Chinese social workers to collaborate with multiple systems and effectively implement multisystemic therapy (MST), given their low professional status. Based on the first MST practice in Mainland China, the study evaluates the effectiveness of MST in addressing disruptive behaviors in a child in difficult circumstances (CDCs), assesses its fitness within the Chinese context, and explores strategies for social workers to collaborate within the contexts of the specialized protection system for CDCs and the establishment of social work service stations. Method: A single-case AB research design with repeated measures across multiple contexts was adopted. Results: The study suggests MST's potential effectiveness and cultural and political compatibility in China, and identifies three strategies for social workers to intervene across multiple systems. Conclusion: MST could be a valuable tool in social work practice with proper integration into local systems in China.

A comparative study on the physical fitness of college students from different grades and majors in Jiangxi province.

Research to date has not provided a clear understanding of how different grades and majors affect the physical fitness of college students. It is postulated that there are significant disparities in physical health among college students of different grades and majors. The purpose of this study was to evidence these health disparities and to engage in an extensive analysis and discussion thereof. A sample of 8,772 (2,404 boys and 6,368 girls) Chinese college students from freshman to junior years, aged 17-22, including 12 different majors in four colleges, were recruited in Jiangxi Province. All seven physical fitness indicators (body mass index (BMI), forced vital capacity, 50-m dash, standing long jump, sit and reach, upper body muscle strength, and endurance runs) were conducted for all participants. One-way ANOVA and LSD tests were conducted to compare the physical fitness scores of different grades in the same major. Independent sample t-tests were utilized to compare the differences in every physical fitness indicator for different majors. Pearson's correlations among 12 majors for every grade were conducted to study the significant corrections between the two physical fitness indicators. The body mass index (BMI) and physical fitness indicator (PFI) for college students of different grade were investigated using a nonlinear regression model. The current state of physical fitness among college students is concerning, as the majority of students were barely passing (with a passing rate of 75.3%). Specifically, junior students exhibited lower scores than freshman and sophomore students across all 12 majors. From freshman to junior year, majors of music (78.01±4.58), English (79.29±5.03), and education (76.26±4.81) had the highest scores, respectively, but major art consistently scored the lowest, which were 73.85±6.02, 74.97±5.53, and 72.59±4.84, respectively. Pairwise comparisons revealed more significant differences in individual physical fitness indicators among the three grades in humanities than in sciences. Pearson's correlations showed significant correlations among seven physical fitness indicators in all three grades. PFI had a parabolic trend with BMI both for boy and girl college students in Jiangxi province. The physical fitness indicators of college students in Jiangxi province significantly differed in grades and majors, showing undesirable phenomena. The physical fitness of senior and humanities major college students was much weaker and needs sufficient attention. The relationship between BMI and PFI presented an inverted "U"-shaped change characteristic. Continued nationwide interventions are needed to promote physical activity and other healthy lifestyle behaviors in China.

Identifying control factors of hydrological behavior through catchment classification in mainland China

Catchment classification based on hydrological similarity helps to understand the control factors of hydrological behavior. However, the relationship between hydrological behavior and its influencing factors has been unclear in mainland China because long-term and widely-distributed flow data is unavailable. Thus, this study intends to identify control factors of hydrological behavior in China’s basins by using classification. Gauged basins are clustered into several classes using the fuzzy c-means method based on flow signatures, which quantify catchment hydrological behavior. The classification and regression tree is employed to learn from cluster results and then obtain classes of basins without observed flow. Correlation methods are used to analyze the influence of basin signatures on flow signatures, while the difference significance test is applied to the hydrological behavior diversity between clusters from classification and regression tree. Results show that China’s basins are divided into five clusters, with low flow signatures more distinguishing classes than high flow signatures. It confirms that climate factors dominate hydrological behavior. However, soil is also an important control factor found in this study, which is rare in others. These findings help to understand hydrological behavior in China and reveal its control factors.

Factors Influencing Household Debt Structure under Various Credit Constraints

Household debt is a critical component of family financial management, especially considering the prevalence of credit constraints. This study investigates the determinants of Chinese household debt structure, focusing on the choice between formal and informal borrowing and the proportion of formal debt under different credit constraints. Data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) are analyzed using the bi-probit model. The results indicate that higher levels of household education and internet use significantly enhance the likelihood of accruing formal debt and weaken the tendency to engage in informal debt. This study innovatively employs the KZ index, traditionally used in corporate finance, to assess credit constraints at the household level. This new household credit constraint index demonstrates that the factors affecting the debt structure vary with the level of credit constraints, underscoring the complexity of household financial behaviors in China’s evolving credit landscape.

Informal Institutions and Environmental Quality: Exploring the Mediating Roles of Different Civic Pro-Environmental Behaviors in China

Informal Institutions and Environmental Quality: Exploring the Mediating Roles of Different Civic Pro-Environmental Behaviors in China

The impact of fiscal expenditure fluctuation on cost asymmetry: Evidence from China

AbstractThis study investigates the relationship between district government fiscal expenditure fluctuation and asymmetric cost behaviour in China. Using the unique manual data sets of Chinese A‐listed firms during the period 2003–2018, we find that cost stickiness is a pervasive phenomenon and that fiscal expenditure fluctuation positively affects cost stickiness. The results also demonstrate this effect is more pronounced when labour input is high and the size of the population is large. In addition, our further analysis indicates that higher social welfare incomes and the higher administrative level of a city can influence these results.

Evolutionary Game Analysis of Collaborative Prefabricated Buildings Development Behavior in China under Carbon Emissions Trading Schemes

Prefabricated buildings (PBs) are considered a green way to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in the construction industry due to their environmental and social benefits. However, PBs have obstacles such as high construction costs, immature technology, and insufficient policy incentives, and developers’ willingness to develop them needs to be higher. Therefore, it is necessary to explore how to motivate more developers to develop PBs. In this paper, we first discuss the impact of the carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS) on the construction industry and then consider the heterogeneity of construction developers, introduce a collaborative mechanism to establish a three-party evolutionary game model between the government and the heterogeneous developers, and explore the evolution of the three-party dynamic strategies through numerical simulation. The results show that developers’ initial development probability affects the system’s evolutionary trend, and the developer who obtains more low-carbon benefits plays a dominant role. Further analyses show that critical factors such as market profitability, synergistic benefits, and carbon tax price positively influence the development of PBs, and the influence of synergistic cooperation mechanisms should be especially emphasized. This study provides practical insights into the sustainable development of the construction industry and the government’s development of a suitable carbon portfolio policy for it. Including the construction industry in the ETS is recommended when carbon prices reach 110 RMB/t. At this point, the government can remove the subsidy for PBs, but the behaviors of the developers who participate in the ETS still need to be supervised.

Interest rate liberalization and household investment in China

In this study, we investigate the impact of interest rate liberalization on household investment behavior in China using data from the China Household Finance Survey from 2011 to 2019. We find that financial liberalization significantly increases the likelihood of households participating in financial markets and raises their holdings of riskier assets, driven by the wealth effect. This effect is more pronounced among higher-income, higher-asset, and better-educated households, without housing mortgages, as well as urban households. Our results highlight the importance of financial liberalization policies and provide new perspectives on the “limited participation puzzle” documented in emerging economies, where relatively few households actively invest in financial assets despite high expected returns. This study underscores how interest rate deregulation incentivizes household portfolio reallocation and promotes financial inclusion across socioeconomic groups.

Comparison of Two Controlled Trials Designed to Reduce Aggressive Behavior in China

Objective: This report describes the outcomes of two controlled trials of a social information-processing intervention, the Let's Be Friends (LBF) program, which was designed to reduce aggressive behavior in primary school children in rural China. Method: A blocked clusters design with random sampling was used in each trial. Combining the two trials and adjusting for differences between the studies, we estimated outcomes across all treated ( n = 698) and control ( n = 710) group children; additionally, we compared Trial 1 treated children with Trial 2 treated children. Results: Across the combined studies, significant differences on children's social skills and behavior favored the LBF condition. However, the outcomes for Trial 2 demonstrated less robust behavioral effects, suggesting that the program was weakened by pandemic-related implementation and measurement challenges. Conclusion: The LBF appears to strengthen the social competence of children in rural China. However, conducting school-based interventions during environmental disruptions requires alternative delivery and measurement strategies.

Exploring customer retention dynamics: A comparative investigation of factors affecting customer retention in the banking sector using mediation-moderation approach

The purpose of this research is to explore the impact of service quality, customer trust, and cultural disparities on customer satisfaction within the banking sector. Additionally, the study examined the mediating effect of customer satisfaction and the moderating effect of financial technology. Data for this investigation were gathered from customers utilizing services offered by public banks in Pakistan and China. The analysis was conducted using the Smart-PLS software, with 281 samples from Pakistan and 312 samples from China being included in the study. Results show that service quality, customer trust, and cultural differences positively affect customer satisfaction in the context of Pakistan and China. Results also reveal that service quality and customer trust have a positive effect on customer retention behavior in China, but customer trust has an insignificant impact on customer retention behavior in Pakistan. Analysis specifies that customer satisfaction positively mediated the relationship between service quality, customer trust, cultural differences, and customer retention behavior in Pakistan and China. More importantly, financial technology moderated the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention behavior, but it was insignificant in the context of China and Pakistan. The study seeks to provide significant insights for strategic decision-making and improve customer relationship management techniques in the dynamic field of financial services by including mediating and moderating elements.

Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Cultural Contexts: Fostering Pro-Environmental Behaviors in China's mainland and Hong Kong

Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Cultural Contexts: Fostering Pro-Environmental Behaviors in China's mainland and Hong Kong

Do corporate managers glean information from their stock prices? New evidence from China's strategic emerging industries

Strategic emerging industries (SEIs) have become the pillar industries in China. However, prior studies argue that the Chinese stock market fails to adequately support the development of SEIs by primarily considering its financing function while ignoring its market feedback role. Based on data from 2007 to 2020, our study fills this gap by examining whether managers of Chinese SEI firms glean information from stock prices to guide their investment decisions. We find a significantly positive relationship between stock price informativeness (proxied by the volume-synchronized probability of informed trading) and investment-to-price sensitivity in the SEI firms only, indicating that managers of the SEI firms exhibit prominent learning behaviors. We further reveal that high growth prospects and high sensitivity of corporate fundamentals to macroeconomic factors contribute to the learning behaviors in China's SEIs. Our study sheds light on the role of the Chinese stock market in supporting the SEIs' evolution.

Health or environment? How do motivations affect consumers' organic food purchasing behaviour in China?

PurposeEnvironmental and health concerns are considered the most significant motivations for organic food purchasing behaviour (OFP). This study focuses on the roles of health and environmental concerns in OFP in China, aiming to explore whether there are differences in the effects and mechanisms of these two concerns.Design/methodology/approachWe use the PLS-SEM to conduct empirical tests, drawing from survey data collected from 628 Chinese consumers.FindingsThe results showed that the OFP was influenced differently by health and environmental concerns. Specifically, the total effect of environmental concern on OFP outweighs that of health concern, whereas the opposite is true for direct impacts. Additionally, environmental and health concerns can influence OFP through attitude and subjective norms, although the specific mechanisms vary. Environmental concern affects OFP more through subjective norms, whereas health concern affects OFP mainly through attitude. Meanwhile, functional value quality was a significant moderator that enhanced the indirect effect of motivation on OFP.Originality/valueA theoretical framework is constructed to explore the role of two types of motivations in OFP within emerging economies like China, revealing their mechanism and interaction effect with functional values.

How urban–rural differences and ageing affect residents’ occupancy patterns – An empirical study based on China national time use survey

Occupancy behavior plays a crucial role in residential community planning, building design, and energy system optimization for sustainable development, particularly in the face of climate change. Research on residential occupancy behavior often lacks comprehensive empirical data and fails to account for the diversity of influencing factors such as demographic features and urban–rural distinctions. This study utilizes a national time-use survey to examine occupancy patterns in urban and rural households, aiming to identify key factors influencing these patterns. A K-shaped cluster analysis was applied to extract typical occupancy patterns for weekdays and weekends, with a subsequent comparison between urban and rural data. The study also analyzed the impact of demographic and social factors on total hours spent at home. The results indicate that urban residents tend to concentrate their occupancy on weekdays, while weekends show more dispersed patterns. Furthermore, time spent at home by urban residents is positively correlated with the age of family members and negatively correlated with working status and education level. Given the aging demographic, older urban families are likely to spend more time at home on weekdays. These findings contribute to a better understanding of residential occupancy behavior in China.

Higher Vocational Students’ Future Self-continuity and Sustainable Entrepreneurial Preparation Behavior in China: The Moderating Effect of Financial Literacy and Belief in a Just World

How to stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship among higher vocational students is ambiguous, and cognition is related to sustainable entrepreneurship. Therefore, based on a sample of 206 Chinese higher vocational students, this paper studies the relationship between Chinese higher vocational students’ future self-continuity and sustainable entrepreneurial preparation behaviors, as well as the facilitating effects of financial literacy and belief in a just world. The results confirm for the first time that Chinese higher vocational students’ future self-continuity is significantly and positively associated with sustainable entrepreneurial preparation behavior, and that financial literacy contributes significantly, while belief in a just world do not contribute. This suggests that Chinese higher vocational students need not only knowledge of their present and future selves but also the link between financial knowledge and skills to be able to adequately contribute to sustainable entrepreneurial preparedness.

How does social media affect people’s consumer behavior in China? A quantitative model to reveal the relationships

In today’s interconnected world, the widespread impact of social media on consumer behavior has become a focus of attention for researchers, marketers, and businesses. The rapid development of digital technology, coupled with the widespread adoption of social media platforms, has changed the way individuals interact with brands, make purchasing decisions, and navigate consumer patterns. This article attempts to explore the multifaceted relationship between social media and consumer behavior, delving into the complexity of this dynamic interaction. The author chose the consumer group size, consumers’ interaction, professional level of opinion leaders, and activity level of opinion leaders are selected as independent variables, perceived risk, and perceived value as mediating variables, and purchasing behavior as dependent variables. The theoretical model of this research is constructed, and 10 research hypotheses are proposed. Through a questionnaire survey, 100 valid data were collected. SPSSAU24 was used for descriptive statistics, reliability, validity, and factor analysis to verify the reliability of the data while a quantitative influence model will be constructed to illustrate the interactivity. The investigation yielded the following conclusion. First, the consumer group size, consumer interactivity level, professional level of opinion leaders, and the activity level of opinion leaders positively affect the perceived value. Second, the consumer group size, consumer interactivity level, professional level of opinion, and the activity level of opinion leaders negatively affect the perceived risk. Third, perceived value has a positive relationship with purchasing behavior. Fourth, perceived risk has a negative relationship with purchasing behavior.

Factors influencing contractors' low-carbon construction behaviors in China: a LDA-DEMATEL-ISM approach.

Contractors' low-carbon construction behaviors (CLCB) are pivotal in advancing decarbonization during the construction phase. However, there exists a notable gap in the comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted factors and mechanisms influencing CLCB. Therefore, this study aims to systematically identify the factors influencing CLCB in China, examine the interrelationships among these factors, and pinpoint the key determinants. Based on topic modeling of Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), influencing factors are identified firstly from the pertinent literature. Subsequently, the causality degree and centrality degree between these factors are assessed by the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), followed by the establishment of a hierarchical structure using the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) method, culminating in the identification of pivotal factors. Findings reveal that (1) 21 influential factors influencing CLCB are identified. (2) "Incentive policies for relevant stakeholders" and "Low-carbon regulation and supervision" emerge as key influences. (3) CLCB should be guided by policy and subjective awareness, fortified by market and management support, underpinned by technology, and directly driven by economic considerations. This research furnishes valuable insights for promoting low-carbon development during the construction phase, thereby assisting the construction sector in achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality.

Mechanisms of Media Persuasion and Positive Internet Word-of-Mouth Driving Green Purchasing Behavior: Evidence from China

As environmental issues intensify, sustainability development is becoming mainstream, with environmental topics gaining increasing attention in the media and online. Shifting consumer behavior in China toward green purchasing is crucial for mitigating environmental pollution and achieving sustainable, low-carbon consumption. This study constructed a theoretical model combining media persuasion (MP) and positive internet word-of-mouth (PIM) with green purchasing behavior (GPB), based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) and persuasion theories, to explore consumer responses to environmental information campaigns. A total of 357 valid samples were collected through an online questionnaire survey and subjected to analysis using the structural equation model (SEM). The results indicate that MP, PIM, and environmental attitude (EA) significantly influence GPB. Specifically, EA partially mediates the relationship between MP, PIM, and GPB, while environmental knowledge (EK) negatively moderates the relationship between independent variables and EA. Additionally, EK moderates the mediating effect of EA. The findings highlight that the effective implementation of MPs and PIMs can facilitate the creation of positive EA, which stimulates consumer GPB. This is essential for promoting sustainable consumption. This research contributes to sustainability by providing insights and practical suggestions for developing green marketing strategies that support environmental goals.

Research on the Optimization of Anti-food Waste Behavior in China

Research on the Optimization of Anti-food Waste Behavior in China

Environmental Knowledge and Green Purchase Intention and Behavior in China: The Mediating Role of Moral Obligation

The increasing global focus on environmental sustainability has led to a growing emphasis on green purchase behavior. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is one of the classical theories used to understand individual green purchase behavior from the perspective of psychology. Data are collected through an online survey, and the structural equation modeling (SEM) method is employed for analysis. The research findings demonstrate that consumers’ green purchase intention and environmental knowledge significantly and positively influence green purchase behavior. Moreover, moral obligation plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between green purchase intention and green purchase behavior, as well as in the relationship between environmental knowledge and green purchase behavior. By incorporating moral obligation and environmental knowledge into the TPB framework, this study advances the theoretical understanding of the drivers of green purchase behavior. Furthermore, this study reveals that green purchase intention, compared to environmental knowledge, exerts a greater influence on promoting consumers’ green purchase behavior. This finding underscores the crucial role of consumers’ internal motivation in driving sustainable choice. This study offers valuable implications for the design of green marketing strategies and have the potential to promote environmentally sustainable consumption behavior, thereby contributing to the global sustainability efforts.