Business and Information Systems Research Centre (BISC)http://hdl.handle.net/10547/1322092024-03-29T09:45:32Z2024-03-29T09:45:32ZAgricultural information dissemination using ICTs: a review and analysis of information dissemination models in ChinaZhang, YunWang, LeiDuan, Yanqinghttp://hdl.handle.net/10547/6041882020-04-23T08:39:58Z2016-03-01T00:00:00ZAgricultural information dissemination using ICTs: a review and analysis of information dissemination models in China
Zhang, Yun; Wang, Lei; Duan, Yanqing
Over the last three decades, China’s agriculture sector has been transformed from the traditional to modern practice through the effective deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Information processing and dissemination have played a critical role in this transformation process. Many studies in relation to agriculture information services have been conducted in China, but few of them have attempted to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of different information dissemination models and their applications. This paper aims to review and identify the ICT based information dissemination models in China and to share the knowledge and experience in applying emerging ICTs in disseminating agriculture information to farmers and farm communities to improve productivity and economic, social and environmental sustainability. The paper reviews and analyzes the development stages of China’s agricultural information dissemination systems and different mechanisms for agricultural information service development and operations. Seven ICT-based information dissemination models are identified and discussed. Success cases are presented. The findings provide a useful direction for researchers and practitioners in developing future ICT based information dissemination systems. It is hoped that this paper will also help other developing countries to learn from China’s experience and best practice in their endeavor of applying emerging ICTs in agriculture information dissemination and knowledge transfer.
Open Access funded by China Agricultural University
2016-03-01T00:00:00ZLinking operations, marketing and environmental capabilities and diversification to hotel performance: a data envelopment analysis approachRamanathan, RamakrishnanRamanathan, UshaZhang, Yubohttp://hdl.handle.net/10547/6041652020-04-23T08:39:56Z2016-03-01T00:00:00ZLinking operations, marketing and environmental capabilities and diversification to hotel performance: a data envelopment analysis approach
Ramanathan, Ramakrishnan; Ramanathan, Usha; Zhang, Yubo
This study examines the impacts of marketing capability, operations capability, environmental capability and diversification strategy on performance of hotel industry in the UK. We conceptualize these impacts by drawing on the resource-based-view of a firm as the theoretical underpinning. We use the financial archival data and information obtained from websites. We use content analysis, regression analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Our results show that operations capability and environmental capability have significant positive effects on performance, marketing capability has a significant negative impact but diversification strategy does not impact on performance. Additionally, there is no evidence of the moderating effects of efficiency on these impacts. Our study suggests that hotel industry in the UK ought to focus on developing operations and environmental capabilities especially by exploiting the synergies between them but reduce excessive reliance on marketing. This paper makes two important contributions to the literature. First, it applies a framework linking the three capabilities (operations, marketing and environment) and diversification to the specific case of the hotel industry. Second, unlike similar previous studies, ours is the first to incorporate environmental capabilities in the analysis.
2016-03-01T00:00:00ZUnderstanding complexity: the curvilinear relationship between environmental performance and firm performanceRamanathan, Ramakrishnanhttp://hdl.handle.net/10547/6004372020-04-23T07:33:36Z2016-02-26T00:00:00ZUnderstanding complexity: the curvilinear relationship between environmental performance and firm performance
Ramanathan, Ramakrishnan
The nature of the relationship between environmental performance (EP) and firm performance (FP) of corporations is a long standing and contentious issue in the literature. This study is intended to advance this debate by arguing for the existence of curvilinear relationship and empirically testing the same using survey data on UK manufacturing firms. FP is captured in terms of growth in sales and market share. Our results show evidence for a quadratic relationship—as firms improve their EP, they seem to achieve much higher levels of FP. These results are consistent with the resource-based view of a firm; as firms engage in EP activities, they are able to gain inimitable knowledge that helps in further learning to further improve performance. Based on our results, we suggest that new studies focus on strategies to extend the period of increasing returns and maximizing the benefits of the positive association between EP and FP.
2016-02-26T00:00:00ZEnvironmental management practices and environmental performance: the roles of operations and marketing capabilitiesRamanathan, RamakrishnanYu, Wantaohttp://hdl.handle.net/10547/5951552020-04-23T07:33:25Z2016-01-01T00:00:00ZEnvironmental management practices and environmental performance: the roles of operations and marketing capabilities
Ramanathan, Ramakrishnan; Yu, Wantao
Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to provide an initial analysis of the roles of functional capabilities in adopting environmental management practices (EMP) and improving environmental performance from an organizational capability perspective. Design/methodology/approach – By combing survey data and archival data from 121 UK based manufacturing firms, this study explores the relationships among functional capabilities (marketing and operations), EMP and environmental performance. Findings – The results show that marketing and operations capabilities significantly affect EMP, which in turn leads to improved environmental performance. More specifically, this study finds that EMP fully mediates the relationship between marketing capability and environmental performance. Practical implications – The results of this study provide guidance for managers considering how to develop environmental capability in order to improve environmental performance. Originality/value – This study addresses a demonstrable gap in the existing literature that few empirical studies have explored the potential effects of functional capabilities on implementing EMP.
Article accepted with 12 month Open Access embargo
2016-01-01T00:00:00Z