Sectors In Taiwan Research Articles

Employee perspectives on effective crisis leadership skills in small and medium-sized enterprises

ABSTRACT Building on the 4Cs and five phases of crisis management and Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership model, this research aims to identify employees’ perspectives and expectations on crisis leadership characteristics and skills to lead organisations and decrease the disruptive effects of a black swan event. This exploratory research interviewed 43 small and medium-sized enterprise employees from wholesale and retail trade sectors in Taiwan and the U.S. and studied their expectations of effective crisis leadership. Using an inductive thematic analysis, this research identified eight themes for leaders to navigate and lead through crises and make positive changes. Personal qualities and abilities to excel are the top two themes mentioned by most of the interviewees. A follower-centred situational leadership that demonstrates positive personal qualities, focuses on employee safety, and assures job security and transparency can effectively lead the employees and organisation to overcome a crisis. The findings could be used for organisation leaders’ and HRD professionals’ practice as change agents and for future research in HRD theory and leadership.

Influence of COVID-19 on Taiwan’s manufacturing, procurement, and sales relationship

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan’s economic sectors have experienced a decline in activity. Addressing this situation effectively necessitates Taiwan to strategically align its transnational supply ecosystem with global consumption patterns, positioning itself as a crucial industrial collaborator for co-creation and shared prosperity. This study utilizes a comprehensive framework that encompasses manufacturing, procurement, and sales. Data related to Taiwan’s industries are collected through a questionnaire, and the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) multivariate statistical method is utilized for factor and path analyses to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on these industries. Based on the responses from the questionnaire, the dominant sectors in Taiwan’s industries are electronics/electrical machinery, accounting for around 40.84% of the industry, followed by metals/machinery at approximately 20.90%. Notably, specific aspects concerning manufacturing manpower, procurement and delivery processes, sales revenue, and product costs were reported as “somewhat serious” on average during the COVID-19 period. The results of this research indicate that manufacturing does not significantly influence sales. Additionally, there is a significant positive correlation between manufacturing and procurement. Given the unpredictable changes that companies and entire industries are currently facing, it is crucial to implement strategic measures. Because of COVID-19 influence, organizations, companies, and sectors have undergone significant transformation, necessitating the implementation of the necessary protections. In this situation, the concept of organizational resilience becomes crucial.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Needs in Health Care Sectors-A Critical Analysis of Social Innovation in the Health Sector in Taiwan.

Social innovation is often used as a mechanism to jump-start public-private partnerships to leverage resources to achieve social impact; the analysis of sustainability and the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) cannot be emphasized enough. Due to advances in the information and communication technology industry in Taiwan, this paper aims to explore whether these advancements drive CSR as a form of social innovation to meet health needs in Taiwan. This paper uses a case study to look at CSR programs in the health sector in Taiwan. Corporations with diverse missions and different CSR approaches that are available on the internet are selected. The analysis of the case study takes a qualitative, exploratory approach to shed light on current initiatives. The majority of CSR programs in Taiwan are private sector activities that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic; current CSR activities in Taiwan are driven by awards, public relations, and external interests. Corporations in Taiwan have the potential to address the health care gaps of urban-rural health utilization among Taiwanese indigenous communities. It is recommended for corporations to (1) develop partnerships with public health experts or to (2) employ CSR personnel with health care backgrounds who can navigate the intersection between health, business, and policies to develop CSR strategies. Further evaluation of the projects mentioned in this paper to assess the direct and indirect impact on health outcomes could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the field of CSR in the health sector in Taiwan.

Exploring the critical factors affecting the adoption of blockchain: Taiwan’s banking industry

As an emerging technology, blockchain has recently gained attention in both academic and economic fields, but its adoption is not yet widespread in the banking sector in Taiwan. As academics have paid scant attention to this topic, this study determines the critical factors affecting blockchain adoption from the organizational perspective in the banking industry. We propose hybrid methods to fill the gap in the literature. First, we apply the technology-organization-environment framework as the basis and combine relevant factors as a framework to identify the relevant evaluation factors. Second, we propose a hybrid method that integrates the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) with the evaluation based on distance from average solution (EDAS) approach and employs DEMATEL to measure the importance of the factors and alternatives to blockchain as ranked by the EDAS method. According to the ranking results, we identify the best preference among alternatives to blockchain. The results suggest that organizational and technological aspects are the main considerations to enhance and promote the effectiveness of blockchain adoption. This study suggests valuable strategies for stimulating blockchain adoption in the banking sector in Taiwan.

Well-being of migrant workers in Taiwan during COVID-19 pandemic: the role of perceived organisational support, employee resilience and ethical leadership

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how perceived organisational support (POS) enhances the well-being of migrant workers in Taiwan by strengthening their resilience. In addition, the moderating role of ethical leadership in this association was investigated based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory.Design/methodology/approach The data were gathered from migrant workers from Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines with structured questionnaires during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 420 samples were analysed by testing the mediation and moderation model.Findings The results showed a significant effect of POS on migrant workers' well-being in Taiwan through the mediating role of resilience. Moreover, ethical leadership moderated the effect of POS on employee resilience and work well-being.Research limitations/implications The sample was restricted to Southeast Asian migrant workers who were employed in industrial sectors in Taiwan. The study considered several demographic variables, including language proficiency, nationality and marital status, which could result in cultural and language biases. A cross-sectional design and self-reported data were utilised, which could potentially create common method variance biases and inflated correlations across the research variables.Practical implications The present study may be helpful to organisational leaders in the process of designing approaches for promoting a people-oriented and harmonious workplace. Employee well-being can be strengthened through employee resilience (individual factors), as well as POS and ethical leadership (organisational factors).Originality/value This study supports the use of COR theory in confirming POS as a resource that strengthens employees' resilience capabilities and work well-being. Employee resilience serves as a mediator of the relationship between POS and employee well-being. Ethical leadership serves as a moderator in strengthening the relationships between POS and employee resilience, as well as between POS and work well-being of migrant workers.

Sustainable environmental performance: The mediating role of green reputation in the choice of green marketing or green demarketing

AbstractGrowing concern for sustainability of the natural environment is rapidly transforming the competitive landscape and forcing firms to implement traditional green marketing, along with less conventional green demarketing. As green marketing strategies become increasingly important, firms need to adhere to environmental performance evaluation. In contrast, rather than encouraging greener consumption, green demarketing calls for decreased consumption overall. Despite its potential impact, comparative research on these two marketing strategies is limited. Moreover, green reputation is a decisive resource that is related to marketing strategy and environmental performance. Previous empirical research, however, has largely neglected the role of green reputation on marketing strategy for environmental performance relationships. A theoretical framework is used to identify a gap in the environmental management literature and future research directions, based on the respective effects of green marketing and green demarketing of a firm's environmental performance, and the mediating effect of green reputation to explain these relationships. Data was collected through a questionnaire‐based survey including 217 companies from manufacturing and service industry sectors in Taiwan. Structural equation model to examine hypotheses reveals that green marketing, green demarketing, and green reputation directly affect environmental performance. Further analysis finds that green reputation fully mediates the green marketing–environmental performance link and partially mediates the green demarketing–environmental performance link. This work is the first to empirically compare the effects of green marketing and green demarketing on environmental performance through green reputation.

Diversifying the transition to renewable energy in Taiwan

Diversifying the transition to renewable energy in Taiwan MMA Global Aqua discuss the transition from the traditional uses of oil and gas to renewable energy in Taiwan, describing the challenges, benefits and skills needed in the transition. The transition from the oil and gas industry to renewable energy in Taiwan presents both challenges and opportunities. On the challenge side, professionals must adapt to a different industry landscape, including new technologies and practices specific to renewable energy. They also need to understand the regulations and policies governing the renewables sector in Taiwan, which may differ significantly from those in the oil and gas industry. Additionally, the language barrier poses a significant obstacle, making effective communication and collaboration more challenging. However, amidst these challenges lie a number of opportunities.

The Non-Linear Relationship between Air Pollution, Labor Insurance and Productivity: Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines Approach

This study explores the non-linear relationship between air pollution, socio-economic factors, labor insurance, and labor productivity in the industrial sector in Taiwan. Using machine learning, specifically multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), provides an alternative approach to examining the impact of air pollution on labor productivity, apart from the traditional linear relationships and parametric methods employed in previous studies. Examining this topic is imperative for advancing the knowledge on the effects of air pollution on labor productivity and its association with labor insurance, employing a machine learning framework. The results reveal that air pollution, particularly PM10, has a negative impact on labor productivity. Lowering the PM10 level below 36.2 μg/m3 leads to an increase in marginal labor productivity. Additionally, the study identifies labor insurance as a significant factor in improving productivity, with a 9% increase in the total number of labor insurance holders resulting in a substantial 42.9% increase in productivity. Notably, a link between air pollution and insurance is observed, indicating that lower air pollution levels tend to be associated with higher labor insurance coverage. This research holds valuable implications for policymakers, businesses, and industries as it offers insights into improving labor productivity and promoting sustainable economic development.

Exploring crucial social media marketing factors for improving customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in bed and breakfast sectors in Taiwan

PurposeThe Bed and Breakfast (B&B) enterprises generally lack sufficient human resources and time to conduct research on important social media marketing factors for visitors’ satisfaction and visitors’ intentions. Therefore, this study aims to provide crucial social media marketing and factors and service quality elements for improving customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in B&B sectors. This study also provides some recommendations for attracting more visitors and increasing customer satisfaction and customer loyalty through social media.Design/methodology/approachFirst, social media marketing factors and service quality elements were identified through the systematic literature review. Then these identified factors and elements were used to design a survey questionnaire for collecting data. The research data included responses of 64 B&B enterprises and 625 customers. The collected data was analyzed by feature selection approaches including Decision Tree algorithm and Information Gain to identify the key factors for improving customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.FindingsThe findings of this study determined that featured choice is an important social media marketing factor, and assurance is the common service quality element for both B&B enterprises and their customers in terms of satisfaction and loyalty.Originality/valueThis study adds a value to the growing literature on customer satisfaction and loyalty in B&B sectors by exploring key social media marketing factors and service quality elements. The study reveals several implications for theories and practices. The findings hopefully help B&B enterprises better social media marketing with less workforce and budget.

Influence Factors of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Micro-Enterprises in the Cross-Border E-Commerce Platforms

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are frequently exposed to a variety of difficulties during global epidemic crises like coronavirus (COVID-19), which may even threaten their lives. The purpose of this study explores the influencing factors of Taiwan’s companies between small and medium-sized enterprises and micro-enterprises on the choice of the cross-border e-commerce platform. The findings are defined as taking into account small and medium-sized businesses and microenterprises when choosing cross-border e-commerce through a literature review and an examination of secondary data among the 10 participating businesses through interviews in various regions and business sectors in Taiwan. In this case we used study-based research, which included five small, medium-sized, and micro-enterprises, as well as five cross-border e-commerce projects and the company’s management senior officers. According to the study’s emphasis on the economic, social, technological, and legal aspects of various firms, these factors lead to a variety of decisions regarding the best cross-border e-commerce platform. The case study approach was utilized in this investigation to confirm the consideration of micro-and small-sized businesses that took part in cross-border e-commerce project counseling. This study summarizes five types of enterprises with different capabilities: product enhancement, marketing enhancement, cross-border potential, knowledge-based enhancement, and cross-border start-up. According to the results, it was found that different enterprise capabilities will affect the choice of cross-border e-commerce platforms. These five capabilities also have different types of consideration factors; among them, SMEs pay attention to marketing, pricing, market analysis, culture, customer service, payment, logistics, certification, taxation, etc. In addition to theoretical implications, this research also gives small and medium enterprises and micro-enterprises practice when choosing cross-border e-commerce platform, as well as suggestions for future research.

Artificial Intelligence in Internet of Things System for Predicting Water Quality in Aquaculture Fishponds

Aquaculture has long been a critical economic sector in Taiwan. Since a key factor in aquaculture production efficiency is water quality, an effective means of monitoring the dissolved oxygen content (DOC) of aquaculture water is essential. This study developed an internet of things system for monitoring DOC by collecting essential data related to water quality. Artificial intelligence technology was used to construct a water quality prediction model for use in a complete system for managing water quality. Since aquaculture water quality depends on a continuous interaction among multiple factors, and the current state is correlated with the previous state, a model with time series is required. Therefore, this study used recurrent neural networks (RNNs) with sequential characteristics. Commonly used RNNs such as long short-term memory model and gated recurrent unit (GRU) model have a memory function that appropriately retains previous results for use in processing current results. To construct a suitable RNN model, this study used Taguchi method to optimize hyperparameters (including hidden layer neuron count, iteration count, batch size, learning rate, and dropout ratio). Additionally, optimization performance was also compared between 5-layer and 7-layer network architectures. The experimental results revealed that the 7-layer GRU was more suitable for the application considered in this study. The values obtained in tests of prediction performance were mean absolute percentage error of 3.7134%, root mean square error of 0.0638, and R-value of 0.9984. Therefore, the water quality management system developed in this study can quickly provide practitioners with highly accurate data, which is essential for a timely response to water quality issues. This study was performed in collaboration with the Taiwan Industrial Technology Research Institute and a local fishery company. Practical application of the system by the fishery company confirmed that the monitoring system is effective in improving the survival rate of farmed fish by providing data needed to maintain DOC higher than the standard value.

Does it take two to tango? The joint role of high-performance work systems and ethical leadership

Employees’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), influenced both by human resource management (HRM) and leadership, is vital for meeting non-standard and unpredictable customer demands in the service industry. Drawing on social exchange theory, substitute-for-leadership theory and information-processing perspective, this study addresses the question of how employees’ perceptions of high-performance work systems (HPWS) and ethical leadership interact to impact employees’ affective commitment and service-oriented OCB. We tested the theoretical model using a sample of 275 supervisor–subordinate dyads from chain store enterprises in the service sector in Taiwan. The proposed models were tested with hierarchical linear modeling and Monte Carlo simulation. We found that the presence of high ethical leadership weakens the positive effect of employees’ perceptions of HPWS. Furthermore, affective commitment mediates the interactive effect of employees’ perceptions of HPWS and ethical leadership on employee service-oriented OCB. In particular, the indirect effect is positive and significant when ethical leadership is low.

Development of smart aquaculture farm management system using IoT and AI-based surrogate models

Due to low labor participation by young adults and an aging agricultural population, Taiwan and the rest of the world are facing labor shortages in agriculture, which will affect aquaculture production. The proposed system is intended primarily for solving the problems faced by the aquaculture farming sector in Taiwan by designing a smart IoT-based fish monitoring and control system equipped with different IoT devices to enable real-time data collection; so that fishpond water-quality conditions and other system parameters can be readily monitored, adjusted, and assessed remotely. To predict the growth of the California Bass fish, this study also develops a deep learning model (DL) that correlates the different parameters of the smart aquaculture system. Bayesian optimization-based hyper-parameter tuning was employed to find the optimal DL model configuration to produce accurate predictions on the given experimental data set. The optimal model produces an R 2 value of 0.94 and a mean square error of 0.0015, demonstrating the applicability of the model to predict the desired output. Based on the results of the experiments, the DL model can be incorporated into the autonomous feeding system, reducing the amount of leftover feed. Thus, aquaculture based on the artificial intelligence of things (AIOT) can assist fish farmers in intelligently controlling and managing different fishpond equipment remotely and assist aquaculture operators in performing professional aquaculture, lowering the industry's entry barrier, and promoting aquaculture. • Developed an AIoT-based smart aquaculture farm management system that enables remote control and monitoring. • A DL model is developed to correlate the different parameters of a fish-feeding system and predict the growth of fish. • Bayesian optimization is utilized to find the most suitable DL model that will produce the highest R2 and mean square error.

“Others' children are expendable.” Comparing childcare sector with health and long‐term sectors in Taiwan

AbstractThis article aims to untangle the puzzle of why the childcare sector often allocates the least of responsibility for care to the state in societies with Confucian social ethos compared with the healthcare and long‐term care sector. Using Taiwan as an illustrative case, the article offers an overview of the three care sectors and an in‐depth analysis of the development of the childcare sector. We argue that due to the diminished bureaucratic authority after the democratization process and the application of elder culture, the childcare sector is much less well‐developed than the other two sectors in Taiwan.

The growth effects of knowledge-based technological change on Taiwan’s industry: A comparison of R&D and education level

This paper employs data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist index (MI) to investigate the growth effects of knowledge-based technological change and technological efficiency change on the output of the industrial sector in Taiwan. The results reveal two main findings: First, due to the lack of knowledge-based scale efficiency, there is no improvement in knowledge-based technological efficiency during the period from 1997 to 2019. Although both the direction of the change in R&D expenditure per researcher and that in education spending time per worker can explain the knowledge-based technological efficiency change, the long-term average of the growth rate of technical efficiency change is negative; thus, the positive coefficient of the technical efficiency change to output growth still makes a negative contribution to the output growth. In other words, if the scale efficiency can be improved, the contribution of knowledge-based technological efficiency change to output growth can be reversed. Second, an increase in R&D expenditure per researcher is more important than an increase in education spending time per worker, especially in knowledge-based technological change. In addition, the results indicate that Taiwan’s economic growth driver mainly comes from technological change. The contribution of knowledge-based technological change to manufacturing output growth is close to 65%, especially in the last 20 years. Furthermore, both knowledge-based technological efficiency change and technological change have a positive and significant coefficient of output growth in the Taiwanese industry. Therefore, in addition to continuing to increase R&D to enhance the growth of technological change and facilitate the growth of output, if the contribution of technological efficiency change to output growth can be improved, Taiwan’s output growth will be more stable in the future. Overall, knowledge plays a key role in industrial growth and economic growth, and R&D promotes more direct growth than education in Taiwanese industry.

Residential and industrial electricity consumption in Taiwan: Weather or macroeconomic condition (or both)

This study investigates the evolution of electricity consumption across residential and industrial sectors in Taiwan. By applying the dynamic factor model, we classify the fluctuations in electricity consumption into aggregate, regional, and individual factors, which sheds light on the latent dynamics of the electricity market. The empirical result shows that around 73% of residential electricity consumption variations are explained by the aggregate and regional factors. Moreover, the aggregate factor contributes 79% to the industrial electricity consumption variation. Interestingly, this study finds a distinct pattern of latent aggregate factor development across the two sectors. Finally, this study finds that temperature change and business cycle indicator help to predict changes in common elements in the variations in residential and industrial electricity consumption based on the linear and non-linear Granger causality test. This finding suggests that the aggregate factor index, together with temperature change and business cycle indicators would be great indicators for monitoring electricity consumption in Taiwan.

Composing the same song: when and how high-performance work systems can stimulate proactive behavior

PurposeDrawing on signaling theory, the purpose of this study is to explore how high-performance work systems (HPWS) interact with leader–member exchange (LMX) to predict employees' proactive behavior and job engagement. Moreover, the present study also proposes the mediating role of job engagement in the interactive effects of HPWS and LMX quality on proactive behavior.Design/methodology/approachThe data of this study include 228 customer-contact employees and 44 store managers from chain store enterprises in the service sector in Taiwan. The proposed models were tested with hierarchical linear modeling and Monte Carlo simulation.FindingsThe results show a significant interactive effect of HPWS and LMX on job engagement and proactive behavior. In addition, job engagement serves as a vital mechanism linking the interactive effect of HPWS and LMX quality on proactive behavior.Originality/valueThis study uses signaling theory to unpack the question when and how HPWS can be more influential on employees' proactive behavior. In particular, the positive effect of HPWS on proactive behavior is more prominent only when employees enjoy high LMX quality with their respective line managers. In addition, the interactive effects of HPWS and LMX quality on proactive behavior are mediated by job engagement. The findings provide valuable theoretical and managerial contribution by integrating HRM and leadership research.

The Influence of Public Servants’ Perceived Formalism and Organizational Environmental Strategy on Green Behavior in the Workplace

This study explored the influence of public servants’ green attitude, green behavior intention, organization environmental strategy, green lifestyle, and formalism on green behavior. For Taiwan’s government agencies, environmental protection and sustainable development issues must be inculcated into government organizations and deeply ingrained into the mindset of civil servants. In particular, this research incorporates the concept of ‘formalism’ proposed by Riggs in administrative ecology. Exploration of the influence of civil servants’ cognition of formalism on green behavior has not been explored in any previous studies. This study collected 308 valid public servants who worked in the public sector in Taiwan and used Lisrel and SEM to justify the hypotheses explored. The results showed that civil servants’ green attitude positively affected green intention, as well as the fact that green behavior intention, organization environmental strategy, and green lifestyle positively affected green behavior. The current study also confirmed that formalism negatively affected green behavior. Formalism is considered to be an important attribute of developing administration, and it is also considered to be a resistance to the adoption of administrative innovation. This study first confirmed the negative impact of formalism on the green behavior of civil servants.

Clinical and epidemiological features in hospitalized young children with acute gastroenteritis in Taiwan: A multicentered surveillance through 2014–2017

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) remains a significant health issue in children. The worldwide evolution of pediatric AGE pathogens had been recorded since the introduction of rotavirus vaccine. Ten years after the rotavirus vaccine was introduced to the private sectors in Taiwan, a nationwide study was conducted to elucidate the epidemiological changes among major AGE pathogens. From January 2014 to December 2017, children younger than 5 years old, hospitalized with AGE at 10 hospitals across Taiwan were enrolled. Stool specimens were tested for Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Clostridiodes difficile, norovirus, and rotavirus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The epidemiological and clinical information was collected. Enteric pathogen were detected in 1983 (42.2%) of 4700 subjects, with Salmonella spp. (12.5%) being the leading cause of AGE, followed by norovirus (11.2%), rotavirus (8.7%), C. difficile (4.2%), Campylobacter spp. (1.0%), and a mixture of at least 2 of 5 above-mentioned pathogens (4.6%). The case distributions varied across different regions. In eastern Taiwan, rotavirus (21/131, 16.0%) remained the most common pathogen detected. The rotavirus vaccine uptake rate is significantly lower in patients with rotavirus AGE. Besides, rotavirus AGE frequently occurred in children with foreign parent(s), Taiwanese indigenous people, and those with the household monthly income<NT$ 60,000. Salmonella spp. and norovirus were two major pathogens of pediatric AGE in Taiwan during 2014-17. Providing low-to middle-income households with free rotavirus vaccine nationwide and an industry-led act to reduce salmonellosis should be considered by the authorities.

Role of the Retail Sector in Taiwanese Economy

The government-guided establishment and incubation of the retail sector in Taiwan has achieved striking success and generated high consumption. This success was even more striking because when the increase of consumption began, the country had not enough retail shopping centers and it was to accept some foreign retail investments. Originally there were no Taiwanese retail firms with deep technological roots and managerial skills. Yet government decision-makers recognized the challenges of upgrading the nation’s economy basing and formulating a strategy that entailed the creation of high-level economic growth which serve as vehicles to stimulate the consumption. Beyond a comprehensive review on Taiwan’s retail sector, the main objective is to analyse the role and the influence of the sector in the Taiwanese macroeconomy. The first issue is getting a picture in Asia (special in Asia – Pacific region) of retail trends. To examine this issue, the authors have done some comparisons between Asia and Europe and apart from the obvious similarities, number of significant differences have been found. The research objective is to provide an effective introduction to the business context of consumption in Taiwan.