Search Results (35)

As a cornerstone of Chinese traditional culture, traditional Chinese opera encapsulates deep historical significance and embodies the national spirit, acting as a vital conduit for transmitting intangible cultural heritage. However, in today’s society, this art form confronts the challenge of becoming marginalized, underscoring the urgency for its revitalization and preservation. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach, integrating questionnaire surveys with semi-structured interviews, to explore how perceived value in opera culture shapes tourists’ behavioral intentions. Key findings include: (1) Emotional and socioeconomic perceived values significantly positively affect tourists’ intentions to revisit and recommend through the lens of cultural identity. (2) Conversely, aesthetic perceived value significantly negatively influences revisit intention when mediated by cultural identity but does not substantially impact word-of-mouth communication. These insights suggest that fostering emotional resonance and socioeconomic value perception among tourists is essential for positively strengthening their cultural identity and influencing their behavior. Additionally, there is a need to refine and enhance the aesthetic experience based on real-world encounters. Building on these conclusions, it is advised that opera troupes and tourist destinations innovate in presenting operas while the government bolsters policy support to boost market competitiveness and enrich audience experience design. In doing so, we can aid the rejuvenation of opera culture for the modern era. Full article

In order to realize the sustainable development of a regional economy, it is necessary to explore the main influencing factors and effective ways to enhance regional economic resilience. Among them, active entrepreneurship helps an economy and society to quickly reorganize and resume normal production and life after being affected by external shocks so as to reflect better regional economic resilience and sustainability. However, the existing research results lack a discussion of the path-dependent characteristics of regional economic resilience. At the same time, most of them focus on the external impact at the macro level, while ignoring the impact of heterogeneous entrepreneurship as a kind of social culture. Thus, based on the general equilibrium theory of imperfectly competitive markets, this paper constructs a theoretical model and empirically examines the mechanism of the impact of entrepreneurship on the regional economic resilience of Chinese provinces before and after the global financial crisis in 2008. The findings reveal that proactive entrepreneurship significantly boosts regional economic resilience. Moreover, the entrepreneurial spirit and innovative spirit in entrepreneurship have differentiated effects on the technological correlation degree and complexity degree used to measure evolutionary economic resilience, respectively. The research conclusions provide supporting evidence and a policy reference for government and society to promote the “mass entrepreneurship and innovation” strategy and enhance regional economic resilience. Full article

Due to the challenge of acquiring abundant labeled samples, semi-supervised change detection (SSCD) approaches are becoming increasingly popular in tackling CD tasks with limited labeled data. Despite their success, these methods tend to come with complex network architectures or cumbersome training procedures, which also ignore the domain gap between the labeled data and unlabeled data. Differently, we hypothesize that diverse perturbations are more favorable to exploit the potential of unlabeled data. In light of this spirit, we propose a novel SSCD approach based on Weak–strong Augmentation and Class-balanced Sampling (WACS-SemiCD). Specifically, we adopt a simple mean-teacher architecture to deal with labeled branch and unlabeled branch separately, where supervised learning is conducted on the labeled branch, while weak–strong consistency learning (e.g., sample perturbations’ consistency and feature perturbations’ consistency) is imposed for the unlabeled. To improve domain generalization capacity, an adaptive CutMix augmentation is proposed to inject the knowledge from the labeled data into the unlabeled data. A class-balanced sampling strategy is further introduced to mitigate class imbalance issues in CD. Particularly, our proposed WACS-SemiCD achieves competitive SSCD performance on three publicly available CD datasets under different labeled settings. Comprehensive experimental results and systematic analysis underscore the advantages and effectiveness of our proposed WACS-SemiCD. Full article

This study conducts a Critical Discourse Analysis of the masculinities of male characters in Doraemon, a famous Japanese manga series. It explores the masculinities in Doraemon from three perspectives by utilising the following Critical Discourse Analysis framework: text, process and society. Five male characters in Doraemon were selected as the main research objects. Firstly, the text analysis of the male characters in terms of their appearances, characteristics, behaviours and values reveals major masculine traits such as the maintenance of patriarchy, the pursuit and yearning for fame and fortune, competition and aggression. Analysing these masculinities can help remind audiences and consumers to be cautious about works that seemingly do not convey gender stereotypes to viewers. The process analysis identifies corresponding masculinities of the creator of Doraemon through his life experiences. Innovative spirit led him to create characters and manga that could both reflect and confront social reality and promote new gender concepts and ideas that were different from the mainstream at the time. The social analysis of Doraemon attributes the masculinities in the manga to Japanese culture, which has been deeply influenced by the culture of the salaryman, Confucianism, androcentrism and Bushido. For audiences in Japan, anime is a way of spreading and consolidating traditional Japanese cultural ideas, at the same time provoking reflection on whether these inherent gender roles are reasonable and should be perpetuated in the contemporary era. For audiences outside of Japan, this manga and cartoon is equivalent to a typical case of the export and recreation of Japanese culture to the world. This study conveys gender equality values, especially in children’s TV programmes. Full article

This study focuses on the R&D innovation drive mechanism of Chinese multinational companies. Using a grounded theory, five driving factors were identified: government support, entrepreneurial spirit, market competition, company profits, and the innovation environment of the host country. Dynamic Qualitative Comparative Analysis was then employed to assess the validity of these driving factors and determine their pathways of influence, leading to the establishment of a driving mechanism. Finally, structural equation modeling was used to explore the magnitude of the effects of these driving factors. Based on data analysis from Chinese A-share listed multinational companies from 2007 to 2022, it was found that entrepreneurial spirit serves as the core driving force, while government support and market competition act as mediating variables that significantly promote R&D innovation among Chinese multinational companies. However, company profits were found to have a negative impact. Additionally, the innovation environment of the host country plays a moderating role, enhancing the positive effects of government support and market competition on innovation. These findings emphasize the importance of the synergy between the internal and external resources for Chinese multinational companies, providing important insights for integrating global resources to enhance international competitiveness and innovation capabilities. Full article

This manuscript analyzes the issues presented in Executive Order 14036, which aimed to promote competition in the American economy, including specific directives for the alcohol industry. Specifically, this manuscript focuses on the issues regarding distilled spirits regulation and delves into the implications for the distilled spirits sector. The order addresses anti-competitive practices, encouraging regulatory bodies to review and revise existing policies that may hinder fair market practices. This paper explores these issues and provides a historical context of distilled spirits regulation in the United States, examining how past policies have shaped the current landscape. It analyzes the key provisions of Executive Order 14036, highlighting its potential to foster increased competition, innovation, and consumer choice within the distilled spirits market. Lastly, the article provides a call to action for policymakers, academia, and consumers which will aid distilled spirits producers in gaining parity with beer and wine producers. Full article

As a fundamental unit of sustainable economic development, corporate green development is significantly influenced by entrepreneurs’ spirit and new-quality productivity. Therefore, it is crucial to explore the intrinsic connections among entrepreneurs’ spirit, new-quality productivity, and corporate green development. This study leverages data from 17,079 A-share manufacturing companies from 2012 to 2022. It employs a dual-dimensional fixed-effects model to investigate the mechanisms, pathways, and effects of entrepreneurs’ spirit on corporate green development, with new-quality productivity serving as a mediating variable. The findings reveal that (1) stability tests using the IV method and Heckman’s two-step method indicate that entrepreneurs’ spirit significantly promotes corporate green development; (2) mediation-effect tests show that new-quality productivity partially mediates the relationship between entrepreneurs’ spirit and corporate green development; and (3) heterogeneity-effect tests demonstrate that the promoting effect of entrepreneurs’ spirit on corporate green development is more pronounced in large enterprises compared to small- and medium-sized enterprises, in eastern enterprises compared to those in central and western regions, and in less competitive enterprises compared to more competitive ones. These conclusions not only enrich the research on corporate green development but also aid in the formulation of corporate-green-development strategies, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development. Full article

The adaptability of learning styles to gamified learning models was explored to better understand the needs and advantages of students in different educational environments. Learning styles reflect the preferences and habits of each student, which are influenced by their upbringing and experienced educational methods. The findings of this study indicate variations in the adaptability of students with different learning styles in gamified learning models. For instance, active, intuitive, and visual learners generally are less suited to solitary learning modes as they prefer interactive and diversified learning approaches. Conversely, these students are better suited to competitive learning modes due to their competitive spirit and desire for challenges. Additionally, reflective, intuitive, intuitive, visual, sequential, and holistic learners are adaptable to collaborative learning modes, with visual learners being particularly adept at learning from others’ perspectives. These students enjoy collaborative efforts and tend to achieve better learning outcomes in such environments. Linguistic learners may be less inclined toward gamified learning with graphic user interfaces, as they gravitate toward language and text-based learning methods and have less interest in graphical interfaces. The results of this study underscore the significance of individual learning styles in gamified learning and guide educators and designers to create effective learning environments tailored to students’ needs and styles and enhance students’ motivation for and effectiveness in learning. This contributes to personalized education to ensure that each student can fully unleash their potential. Full article

The theme of adaptive reuse, of great topicality for those who deal with built heritage, has its roots in the recent past, dating back to the end of the last century, when the problem of reuse proved to be competitive, for economic and cultural reasons, with respect to total demolition and reconstruction. Since then, various disciplinary and methodological approaches have been confronted with theories and methods of intervention, on an ever-expanding cultural heritage. This article offers a research perspective, with application of a case study of particular relevance to the city of Genoa, Italy. Adaptive reuse, in the text, is specifically dedicated to religious and sacred heritage that has lost its original function but has retained material traces and intangible values. The methodological approach, shared by several European architectural schools, is multi-disciplinary in nature and stems from the need to preserve material traces but, at the same time, preserve the spirit of the place, according to what is defined by the international community. The methodology and results are applied to the enhancement and reuse work for the former Genoa University Library, formerly the church of the Genoese Jesuit College (17th century). Full article

Initiated by Vincent Lebbe in 1920, the Belgian Catholic project for Chinese students was a harbinger of inculturation. Contrary to the impression that the Catholic Church reacted slowly to the demand of indigenisation in the early twentieth century, this article demonstrates that a project specifically designed for Chinese students had already been prepared for this purpose back in Belgium. In other words, through the fostering of intercultural understanding and personal contacts between students abroad and home communities, the Belgian Catholic project became part of the Leuven school’s missiological initiative, which was meant to realise Church implantation in mission countries. In order to maximise the contacts between young Chinese intellectuals and the Belgian Catholic milieu, Lebbe and his associates strategically anchored their cause into the allocation of the Sino-Belgian Indemnity Scholarship, despite stiff competition. The Catholic efforts to encourage a sense of unity evoked sympathy in Belgian society towards China, and in time contributed to charitable support for war victims at the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War. Though originally driven by evangelical purposes and ideological challenges, the spirit of inculturation gave rise to an awareness of human solidarity, a legacy worthy of a true apostolate. Full article

Currently, the role of culture in urban competitiveness is becoming increasingly important. How historic cities identify and protect the spatial structures formed since ancient times, which are the carriers of urban culture, has become an important issue. Fuzhou was awarded the first Global Sustainable Development City in 2023, indicating that it has a set of sustainable models that can be promoted in various aspects, including cultural sustainable development models. As a traditional way to show the spirit of cities, cultural spaces in Fuzhou have existed for 2200 years, which helps us to conduct systematic research. This study explores the role of multiple actors in the preservation and development of urban cultural spaces, using Fuzhou, China, as a case study. Employing historical atlas translation to extract lists and locations of cultural spaces, and GIS technology to display spatial patterns, our research reveals distinctive spatial distribution characteristics of various cultural spaces and the urban structure shaped by diverse stakeholders’ needs. Our findings illustrate the background and distribution pattern of cultural space construction by multi-actors in different periods, offering references for maintaining contemporary urban spatial structure and insights into the sustainable preservation of urban cultural heritage. Full article

This essay focuses on the emotional and relational investments of scientists and others engaged in and supportive of genetic technologies used in conservation efforts, with particular attention to the different moral and religious imaginaries that fuel endeavors to save species threatened by climate change and extinction. I argue that two distinct visions and competing religious repertoires can be discerned in the secular landscape of genetic technologies deployed in coral restoration and de-extinction. Each endeavor brings forth its own forms of magic, myth- and meaning-making. At the heart of coral protection is the symbol of the holobiont, suggestive of cooperative endeavors, collective labor, networking, and distributed and embodied knowledge. Central to de-extinction imaginaries are motifs of individual competition, machine metaphors, “selfish” genetic components, and a spirit of entrepreneurial excitement and profiteering. The essay contrasts these two visions as competing accounts of relationality—or the lack thereof—and asks which religious and moral imaginaries we should embrace as we move into an era marked by intensified technological intervention and high-risk efforts to address the effects of climate change. I suggest that the values that drive de-extinction technologies are largely at odds with environmental and social goals of living well together, as humans and more-than-humans, in a present and future world transformed by climate change and species death. Full article

The popularity of sustainability as a research topic in different areas of organisational functioning is marked by the number of studies on the topic. Significantly less research is addressing the factors that fundamentally influence the functioning of organisations. Among these factors, this paper will review the criteria for sustainable leadership. Competition in the economy has made it necessary to build sustainability capabilities in all areas of business, of which the practice of sustainable leadership is a fundamental requirement for making strategic decisions. This paper aims to examine the thinking, leadership styles, and decisions of leaders of organisations in everyday practice based on the pyramid logic of sustainable leadership. In this research, structured interviews with managers of Hungarian (32) and Polish (28) organisations were evaluated using the ‘Voyant tools’ 2.6.9. software. The results show that there is a significant difference between the Hungarian and Polish leadership mindsets, with both samples only partially meeting the expectations of what can be considered a sustainable leadership style in the spirit of the ‘Honeybee’ approach. Out of the 14 basic elements of the pyramid, the leaders of both nations reach the desired level in five cases. This study provides useful lessons for SME managers in developing sustainability management practices. Full article

Background: Nowadays, as a result of globalization, markets are more competitive, and customers are more demanding. To respond to these challenges, organizations must develop mechanisms for continuous improvement in order to eliminate waste and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Thus, the present study carried out at an industrial unit responsible for the customization of cork stoppers for wines had as its main objectives to identify and eliminate or at least reduce waste; improve production and internal logistics flows; balance workloads; improve productivity; reduce lead time; motivate employees and promote the spirit of continuous improvement. Methods: The action-research methodology was used, whereby several cycles of data recovery and analysis, identification and implementation of opportunities for improvement, assessment and standardization were carried out. Therefore, the Total Flow Management (TFM) model was implemented, and several methods and tools were used, such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM), work measurement and 5S’s. Results: Several wastes and overloads were identified, and some actions were implemented, such as workload balancing, layout changes, implementation of visual management and supermarkets. That said, it was possible to reduce lead time by 4 days, improve productivity from 26.63 ML (a thousand cork stoppers)/h to 35.75 ML/h, and promote flexibility. In addition, employees were motivated, and a culture of continuous improvement was fostered. Conclusions: This project demonstrated that it is possible to implement improvement actions, with good results, without high investments, as well as motivating employees and taking advantage of their best capabilities. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the use of TFM can be very useful in continuous improvement, with evident improvements in production and internal logistics flows. So, this project demonstrated the practical implementation of TFM regarding basic reliability, production and internal logistics flow, and the simultaneous use of several methods and tools to implement continuous improvement. Thus, significant improvements were possible on the factory floor, as well as improving employee motivation their personal development and encouraging the focus on continuous improvement. Therefore, it responds to the gap identified in the literature. Full article

The craftsman spirit of employees has a direct impact on the core competitiveness of enterprises. As a popular talent development program, can mentorship help cultivate the craftsman spirit of employees? The purpose of this paper is to reveal the positive effect of mentoring on protégé craftsman spirit, as well as its mechanism. Based on mentoring theory, we explored the intermediary role of protégé deliberate practice and investigated the relevant boundary condition. Using a three-stage questionnaire survey, we collected data from employees in Chinese enterprises. Finally, 370 questionnaires were effectively obtained. We utilized data analysis software such as Mplus and SPSS to test the hypotheses. The empirical results showed that mentoring has a significant positive effect on protégé craftsman spirit. Deliberate practice of protégés mediates the relationship between mentoring and protégé craftsman spirit. Mentor advice-seeking behavior can reinforce the positive effect of mentoring on protégé deliberate practice and strengthen the mediating effect of deliberate practice between mentoring and craftsman spirit. In conclusion, we provide a theoretical explanation for mentoring to cultivate the craftsman spirit of employees, as well as relevant management insights for talent management practices within enterprises. Full article