Chinese Information Technology Research Articles

Digital and Green Transitions and Automotive Industry Reconfiguration: Evidence From Japan and China

Digital and green transformations are causing a reconfiguration of the automotive industry. Exploring the factors that cause this is the first aim of this article. This is achieved by examining the evolving automotive industry in East Asia from three different perspectives, each of which offers insights into the implications of this reconfiguration for the states, industries, and companies involved. Having reviewed the debate on the role of institutions and factors affecting the global value chain (GVC) reconfiguration, a descriptive analysis of trends in the Japanese and Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) industries and the related dynamics of the traditional automotive value chain is conducted. An in-depth analysis of Toyota and Honda shows how partnerships with Chinese information and communications technology and NEV firms contribute to the greening and hence reconfiguration of their industry. This analysis provides insight into how the state’s “external” role in the process of GVC formation is being challenged by economic security vulnerabilities related to the emerging NEV industry, thereby inviting further discussion on new dimensions of state–business co-operation.

Enhancing organizational performance through knowledge-oriented leadership: the neglected role of employee creative work behavior and digital citizenship behavior in IT industry

PurposeDrawing upon Drucker’s theory of productivity, this study proposes to examine the relationship between knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) and knowledge worker performance (KWP) within the Chinese information technology (IT) industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, this study examines the direct connection between KWP and organizational performance (OP), as well as mediated via employee creative work behavior (ECWB), and digital citizenship behavior (DCB).Design/methodology/approachThe data for the research was collected from a sample size of 322 individuals working in the IT industry context in China, with varying levels of seniority (lower, middle and upper). The relationship was examined by employing Smart PLS 4 in a current study.FindingsThe study findings revealed a significant and conspicuous effect of KOL on KWP. The outcomes divulged the fact that KOL has a positive impact on the ECWB, and DCB improves the performance of knowledge workers, resulting in an overall augmentation in the organizational performance of the IT industry.Originality/valuePresently, there exist a scarcity of substantial empirical studies to thoroughly examine the influence of KOL, ECWB, DCB, KWP and OP in the domain of Chinese IT industry research, particularly in the setting of the pandemic. The study makes a substantial contribution to the extant literature on the topic via empirically examining the association among KOL, KWP and organizational performance, as well as evaluating the mediation mechanism of both employee creative work behavior and digital citizenship behavior.

Give full play to the overqualified individuals: Do job crafting and leader–member exchange matter?

Drawing upon psychological contract theory, this study investigated how and when perceived overqualification may affect employees’ creativity. Data were collected from 164 employees and their immediate supervisors in Chinese manufacturing, information technology (IT), and services companies (female = 53.05%; age range 31–50 years; bachelor’s degree = 70.73%) using a two-wave approach over one month. Results from hierarchical regression analysis and bootstrapping analysis indicated that self-perception of overqualification was associated with lower employee creativity via less job crafting. Furthermore, higher leader–member exchange accentuated the indirect effect of perceived overqualification on creativity via job crafting. These findings are consistent with psychological contract theory in that overqualified employees are aware of organisations’ failure to live up to the psychological contract. These findings imply a need for addressing organisational context factors to provide guidance for supporting employee job crafting across qualification levels.

East Meets West: The Rise of Chinese Information and Communication Technology Servicification in European Manufacturing

East Meets West: The Rise of Chinese Information and Communication Technology Servicification in European Manufacturing

Unpacking complementarity in innovation ecosystems: A configurational analysis of knowledge transfer for achieving breakthrough innovation

To achieve breakthrough innovation, firms often need to acquire complementary knowledge from cross-industry actors in the innovation ecosystem, where unique and supermodular complementarities make knowledge exchange essential for value co-creation. This study examines the impact of the acquisition of knowledge transfer on breakthrough innovation by considering the complementors of unique and supermodular complementarity. We draw on data from 51 firms in the Chinese information and communication technology sector and apply the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), in which we adopt factors on the complementor, relationship, and knowledge characteristics to determine the configurations that lead to firms' breakthrough innovation in the innovation ecosystem. The results show that several combinations of conditions drive firms' breakthrough innovation. Unique complementarities require conditions of explicit knowledge and cultural similarity within the realm of knowledge and complementors' characteristics. Conversely, supermodular complementarity underscores the importance of tacit knowledge, along with trust and tie strength within the characteristics of knowledge and relationships. Our study has practical and theoretical implications for complementors seeking breakthrough innovation in non-generic complementarities.

Huawei's Corporate Strategy Based on SWOT Analysis

Huawei is a Chinese multinational telecommunications and information technology conglomerate that was established in 1987 and has its headquarters in Shenzhen. HUAWEI initially focused on the production of cell phone switches, However, since that time, it has broadened its scope of operations to encompass the development of telecom networks, the provision of equipment to enterprises, as well as consulting and operational services. The corporation was expected to have employed around 194,000 workers by the end of 2019. There are currently roughly 170 nations throughout the world in which HUAWEI offers their products and services. The mission of the company is to ensure that every person and organization in the world is digitally connected in order to realize the full potential of the company's vision. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Huawei's corporate strategy are examined in this article using a SWOT analysis. This article offers advice for Huawei's long-term growth as well as pertinent theoretical insights for the same class of private communication firms while undertaking strategic analysis and strategy optimization. This study concludes that Huawei's current successes are indissolubly related to the appropriate positioning of its corporate strategy.

Evaluation of Green Industry Innovation Efficiency Based on Three-Stage DEA Model: A Case Study of Chinese Information Technology Industry

The information technology industry as a new engine driving China’s economy has made more and more contributions to Chinese sustainable development. At present, it has overtaken real estate as the new cradle of Chinese billionaires. The information technology industry not only has its own characteristics of high economic, social benefits, and small impact on the ecological environment, but also can enable the green development of the economy and society. So it is the core industry to support the realization of the “double carbon” goal. This paper evaluated the innovation efficiency of 80 enterprises in the software and information technology service from 2017 to 2018 by constructing a three-stage DEA model. It puts forward countermeasures, which points out the direction for the development of environmental protection and green low-carbon industry. Empirical results show that environmental variables have different effects on innovation efficiency. After excluding the influence of environmental and random factors, the increase in innovation efficiency, while generally significant, is not high. Low innovation efficiency is caused by both pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency, especially pure technical efficiency. Enterprises’ adjusted scale returns are mostly increasing; the innovation investment scale is not optimal. Regional differences of enterprise innovation exist; the East and Midwest have obvious polarization both in quantity and quality. These results quantify the effect of the factors affecting enterprise innovation efficiency and put forward policies and suggestions for promoting the development of China’s information technology industry accordingly.

Research on the application of face recognition technology in Electronic Commerce

In recent years, with the continuous development and update of Chinese information technology, the Internet information technology has been applied in all walks of life, even appears in our medical career, military system, social enterprise and so on many professions, especially electronic commerce industry. In order to effectively ensure the security, reliability and substance of e-commerce technology, Internet information technicians adopt the scanning authentication method to authenticate the user identity and ensure the authenticity and effectiveness of the user identity. Because the face recognition system is through the computer to scan the face image, so as to identify the identity information, compared with the traditional means of identification, has a certain degree of security and reliability. This paper mainly analyzes and studies the specific application performance of face recognition technology in e-commerce industry.

How leader humor stimulates subordinate boundary-spanning behavior: A social information processing theory perspective.

Based on social information processing theory, we provide a novel theoretical account of how and when leader humor influences subordinate boundary-spanning behavior. We develop a moderated mediation model explicating the mechanism of psychological safety and the boundary condition of subordinate interpersonal influence. Using multiwave data, we tested our research hypotheses with a sample of 452 members from 140 teams in a Chinese information technology (IT) company. Results showed that leader humor positively affects subordinate boundary-spanning behavior via increased psychological safety. Moreover, this mediated effect is stronger when subordinates have high interpersonal influence. These findings offer theoretical and practical insights into boundary-spanning activities and leader humor, which we discuss.

Is Guanxi critical to the job burnout of ITP and IS/IT users in Chinese society?

PurposeThe speedy development of information technology (IT) is indeed a significant issue to support the enterprises to spread their products and services to their customers. Although the adoption of IT in the enterprises can help employees' work, it will increase their work exhaustion and job burnout too.Design/methodology/approachThe survey data of this study was collected from Chinese IT personnel (ITP): 543 and Chinese information systems (IS)/IT users: 525, totaling 1,068 respondents.FindingsThe result shows that the influences of the organizational factors and guanxi on the work exhaustion are different between Chinese ITP and IS/IT users in the research model. Also the implications of the study are discussed and made some contribution to the research and management practice.Originality/valueBy comparison between the Chinese ITP and IS/IT users, this study shows that guanxi can be antecedent factor to some organizational factors, and the organizational factors guanxi have had a different effect on the work exhaustion of Chinese ITP and IS/IT users. Given that the critical successes to the organizations, management should focus on what direction to reduce Chinese ITP and IS/IT users work exhaustion.

The role of information and communication technologies in the training of music and pedagogical workers in the process of learning in PRC

The article deals with topical issues of the use of information and communication technologies in the process of learning in institutions of higher education in the People's Republic of China. The purpose of the article is to determine the role and significance of the use of information and communication technologies in the training of music-pedagogical workers in the process of education in the People's Republic of China.
 The regulatory documents of the People's Republic of China that determine the development and implementation of computer technologies in the educational process of higher education institutions were analyzed, in particular: "Action Plan for Informatization of Education 2.0" (2018), "Order on the Proper Organization and Management of Online Education in Colleges and Universities during pandemic period" (2020), "Specifications for the construction of digital campuses in colleges and universities (project) (2021), the national standard "Chinese Information Technology Coding Set" (2022), etc.
 The task of the action plan for the informatization of education in the country has been revealed. Based on the analysis of the scientific and pedagogical literature, the features and advantages of using the Internet+ technology were determined.
 The following modern models of teaching musical disciplines at the university using information and communication technologies are presented and characterized: "Musical catechism", "Musical micro-lessons", "Public open platform WeChat", "Mobile APPs".
 It was concluded that the use of modern information and communication technologies in the training of music and pedagogical workers in the process of education in the People's Republic of China contributes to the improvement of the quality of the process and results of education, the formation of information and communication competence among students, and readiness for the wide use of modern technologies in future professional activities. The prospects of further scientific research, which consist in the implementation of the experience of Chinese teachers regarding the formation of information and communication competence of future music and pedagogical workers in higher education institutions of Ukraine, have been determined.

How can digital collaboration capability boost service innovation? Evidence from the information technology industry

Digital collaboration capability, which refers to a company's ability to share and coordinate information with partners via digital channels, is one of the primary organizational capabilities that helps companies gain differentiation advantages. However, there is still no consensus on how companies should leverage digital collaboration capability to improve their services. To fill this gap, we develop a moderated mediation model from the perspective of absorptive capacity. Through the survey of 205 Chinese information technology (IT) companies, we find that potential absorptive capacity and realized absorptive capacity fully mediate the positive relationship between digital collaboration capability and service innovation, suggesting that digital collaboration capability can improve a company's services only when it is translated into absorptive capability. More interestingly, technological turbulence strengthens the mediation effect of absorptive capacity, implying that a high-level technical environment better facilitates companies to absorb information and knowledge from different digital channels and subsequently improves service innovation. We contribute to the existing digital innovation literature by articulating the moderated mediation mechanisms through which digital collaboration capability influences service innovation. Our study also provides managerial implications for companies on how to boost service innovation in the digital era.

Agglomeration economies and firm performance in Chinese cities: does CEO educational specialization matter

This paper examines how CEOs educational background affects the agglomeration economies–firm performance relationship based on the upper echelons theory. With a sample of Chinese software and information technology services public listed firms, it is found that CEO educational specialization helps firms to reap the benefits of agglomeration. Specifically, firms led by CEOs with science or engineering degrees benefit more from specialization externalities, while firms led by CEOs with business, economics or legal degrees enjoy more diversity externalities. This paper contributes to the specialization versus diversity debate by stating the importance of individual CEOs.

Physical Activity Level and Social-Ecological Influence Factors in Chinese Information Technology Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective Information technology (IT) population in China has expanded rapidly in recent decades, which has suffered severe health problems due to a lack of physical activity (PA). However, little is known about the influence and solutions of PA deficiency. The current research was designed to explore the associations between the amount of PA and potential influenced factors based on the social-ecological model (SEM) and thus to provide rationales for PA promotion. Method Six hundred and five IT professionals from five cities of China were surveyed in terms of PA in daily life as well as the potential PA influence factors based on SEM models that consisted of individual, interpersonal, environmental, and political levels in the current study. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the association of the potential PA influence factors and PA amount. Result About 54.7% of the sample did not fulfill the PA recommendation of 600 MET per week, and there are significant gender differences in PA participation. Factors related to the individual (self-efficacy and value recognition), interpersonal (social support), environmental (workplace and community environment), and polity-level factors (policy advocacy) were found to be significantly associated with Chinese IT professionals' participation in PA. Conclusion Numerous correlates from individual-level to political-level factors are all important predictors of PA. Exercise value recognition and self-efficacy accounted for much of the association. Environmental variables may further influence exercise behavior. Therefore, conducting intervention efforts for individual, interpersonal, environmental, and political change of Chinese IT professionals is recommended.

Corporate Governance Attributes and Accounting Conservatism: Evidence from China

Abstract The paper explores the association between corporate governance attributes and the extent of accounting conservatism apparent in Chinese listed companies’ financial reporting. The findings demonstrate that significant positive association exists between board independence, board size and accounting conservatism in Chinese information technology companies. Conversely, CEO duality, management shareholding and the shareholding ratio of the largest shareholder significantly negatively correlated with accounting conservatism. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is one of the first empirical papers revealing the evidence on the relationship between corporate governance attributes and accounting conservatism in China. Overall, the author’s findings match up with the assertion that accounting conservatism assists directors in reducing agency costs of firms.

Job Insecurity in the COVID-19 Pandemic on Counterproductive Work Behavior of Millennials: A Time-Lagged Mediated and Moderated Model.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the market environment for the information technology (IT) industry changed dramatically, presenting companies with numerous obstacles in day-to-day management activities and changing business needs. Previous studies found that job insecurity due to COVID-19 significantly impacted millennials. Our research explored the effect of job insecurity on counterproductive work behavior among millennial employees during the COVID-19 period, using moral disengagement as a mediating variable, and psychological capital and negative emotions as moderating variables. In this study, 298 employees working in Chinese IT companies completed the questionnaire survey. We collected data from employees over three different time intervals (baseline, three weeks later, and six weeks later) to mitigate the issues of common method bias and single-source data. We analyzed the collected data using SPSS25.0 and Amos24.0 for structural modeling. Our research results indicate that job insecurity is positively associated with counterproductive work behavior, and moral disengagement plays a mediating role. In addition, psychological capital moderates the relationship between job insecurity, moral disengagement, and counterproductive work behavior. Negative emotions also moderate the mediating effect of moral disengagement between job insecurity and CWB.

Predicting information exposure and continuous consumption: self-level interest similarity, peer-level interest similarity and global popularity

PurposeThis study examines users' information selection strategy on knowledge-sharing platforms from the individual level, peer level and societal level. Though previous literature has explained these three levels separately, few have simultaneously examined their impacts and identified the dominant one according to their effect strengths. The study aims to fill this research gap of the competitions among different levels of information selection mechanisms. Besides, this study also proposes a three-step decision-tree approach to depict the consumption process, including the decision of first-time exposure, the decision of continuous consumption and the decision of feedback behavior participation.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzed a clickstream dataset of a Chinese information technology blogging site, CSDN.net. Employing a sequential logit model, it examined the impacts of self-level interest similarity, peer-level interest similarity and global popularity simultaneously on each turning point in the consumption process.FindingsThe authors’ findings indicate that self-level interest similarity is the most dominant factor influencing users to browse a knowledge-sharing blog, followed by peer-level interest similarity and then global popularity. All three mechanisms have consistent influences on decision-making in continuous information consumption. Surprisingly, the authors find self-level interest similarity negatively influences users to give feedback on knowledge-sharing blogs.Originality/valueThis paper fulfills the research gap of the dominance among three-levels of selection mechanisms. This study's findings not only could contribute to information consumption studies by providing theoretical insights on audience behavior patterns, but also help the industry advance its recommendation algorithm design and improve users' experience satisfaction.Peer review – The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-10-2020-0475

Self-regulation and social media addiction: A multi-wave data analysis in China

Based on social cognitive theory (SCT), the present study aimed to investigate the impact of social media addiction (SMA) on employee strain and task performance through work-technology conflict and self-esteem. Furthermore, this study hypothesizes that the moderating influence of self-regulation may buffer the impact of SMA on work-technology conflict and self-esteem. The final sample of this study was 282 employees of Chinese information technology companies from southwest China's Guizhou province. Results demonstrated that SMA significantly affects task performance via work-technology conflict and self-esteem. This study presents some distinctive results by showing that the mediating role of self-esteem is found to be insignificant in the association between SMA and strain. Self-regulation reduces the increased impact of SMA on work-technology conflict and self-esteem. Moreover, this study provides useful insights for practitioners, managers, and future researchers to understand the impact of SMA on employees' mental health and task performance.

The impact of IT governance wisdom on board decision-making: A perspective of the philosophy of The Art of War

Board decision-making is a complex process. It is represented by reasoning for choosing the most suitable alternative within a series of options for the operation of the corporation. In practice, strategic decision-making is an important function of the board of directors, especially in the information age. Although there are various determinants of the board for carrying out decision-making, there has been little research concerning the impact of information technology (IT) governance wisdom on board decision-making. This study seeks to investigate the origin of IT governance and analyze IT governance wisdom from the perspective of the philosophical thinking of The Art of War. The analysis indicates that the concept of IT governance must have been produced no earlier than the late 1990s, highly likely at the beginning of the 21st century. In addition, this study presents the results of qualitative field research of a Chinese information and communication technology (ICT) company which indicates that it has an important meaning in explaining IT governance wisdom might have a significant influence on board decision-making. In summary, the importance of information governance wisdom in the decision-making process of the board of directors is also a reflection of intelligent management while considering the interests of shareholders in the digital era.

A Study on the Relationship Between Technical Independent Directors and Enterprise Innovation Under Media Attention

Independent director system plays a unique role in increasing the diversity of board members and increasing a company's intellectual capital. Based on prospect theory and signal theory, the media can also be considered to change the reputation level of independent directors on the board of directors of listed companies by disclosing relevant information about them and company operations. Moreover the media attention can not only accelerate the dissemination and promotion of knowledge and information, but also weaken the competitiveness of companies, reduce the value of companies, and then weaken their enthusiasm to invest in innovative projects This paper takes listed companies in the Chinese information technology industry from 2012 to 2017 as the research object and uses the multiple linear regression method to model the relationship between technical independent directors and enterprise innovation under the attention of the media. It is found that the technical independent director plays a positive role in consulting, supervising and strategic decision-making, which can improve the company’s innovation performance. At the same time, media attention weakens the positive impact of technology independent directors on enterprise innovation. The outcomes improve our understanding of the role of media in enterprise innovation and provide a new perspective and reference value for the construction of independent director systems and enterprise innovation.