Sustainability as an Ethical Aspect of the Theory-Practice Gap in Business Schools

This paper aims to reframe sustainability as an ethical aspect of the theory-practice gap in business and management education for sustainable development, which should be viewed as an integral part of knowledge produced and disseminated in business schools. The paper adopts a narrative approach to review the relevant literature on two streams of research, namely, the theory-practice gap and sustainability in reforming business schools. The synthesis and discussion of the existing literature suggest that while sustainability is frequently viewed with an ethical sentiment, the existing research overlooks its significance in bringing together knowledge and practice in business schools. This paper highlights the potential of sustainability as a theoretical lens in bridging the theory-practice gap in business schools; proposing to rethink the conceptual space that lies in ethics for further theoretical developments. The author urges business and management scholars to engage in burgeoning debates on business school reforms relating to the theory-practice gap and sustainability with an emphasis on ethics. The author contends that the neglected theoretical linkages between the theory-practice gap and sustainability provide fruitful directions for future research. Through a moral lens, business schools can move toward responsible management education for a more sustainable future

Mussel-Inspired Polyglycerol Coatings for Surface Modification with Tunable Architecture

Mussel-inspired coatings, known for their outstanding substrate-independent adhesive capabilities, have numerous potential applications in materials science and biomedical fields. To improve the understanding of how these polymers’ molecular structure and chemical composition affect their coating mechanisms and resulting coating properties, herein three mussel-inspired polymers are developed: dendritic polyglycerol with 40% catechol groups and 60% amines (dPG40), linear polyglycerol with 80% catechols and 20% amines (lPG80), and finally lPG40 with 40% catechols and 60% amines. After a series of characterizations, it is found that chemical surface modification with a monolayer coating can be easily achieved with lPG40, and that robust and well-defined nano- to micro-structural surface coatings are possible with lPG80 and dPG40. Tunable properties are found to include not only coating speed, but coating thickness, roughness, and surficial topography. This diverse suite of controllable attributes enables mussel-inspired polyglycerol (MiPG) coatings to satisfy a wide-range of applications on multiple material

A whole row automatic pick-up device using air force to blow out vegetable plug seedlings

Aim of study: To develop a whole row automatic pick-up device using air force to blow out plug seedlings, to avoid the damage to seedlings that the current way of seedling picking by needle insertion induces.Area of study: Jiangsu Province, China.Material and methods: We designed a pick-up device which mainly consists of a seedling transporting device, a seedling air loosening device, a seedling clamping device and an automatic control system. The damage rate of seedling was significantly reduced and the success rate of seedling picking was increased by using the new seedling air loosening method and the new designed end-effectors. A prototype of the new pick-up device was produced according to the calculation results, and the performance tests were arranged under actual production conditions in an indoor laboratory.Main results: The calculation showed that when the diameter of the blowhole in air nozzle is 3.5 mm, and the air pressure is between 0.146 MPa and 0.315 MPa, the seedlings can be blown out successfully. Besides, the clamping strain test showed that the new designed end-effector can meet the requirements of seedling picking. The orthogonal test showed that both the air pressure and water content significantly affected the success ratio. The success ratio reached 96.64% when air pressure was 0.4 MPa, water content was 55%-60% and airflow rate was 100%, what meets the current requirements of transplanting.Research highlights: This research can provide some references for the automatic transplanting technology

Same words, different worlds: Exploring differences in researcher and participant understandings of promise and obligation in the psychological contract

This paper addresses long-standing questions about promise and obligation, two of the key conceptual building blocks for psychological contract research, are conceptualized and operationalized: How do employees understand these concepts? Would their understandings be congruent with the researchers’ and how would this knowledge inform future psychological contract research? Drawing on interviews with Chinese workers from diverse backgrounds, our results suggest the concepts have distinct meanings for participants in terms of three criteria (defining characteristics, key features and manifestations in employment). We argue that promise and obligation are likely to serve different functions in employment relationship and have different meanings for researchers versus participants, and accordingly we highlight the challenges of using them to conceptualize and operationalize psychological contracts in China and beyond

Embedding Chinese Atypical Workers in the Indigenous ‘Unequal Pay for Equal Work’: Introduction and Implications

The employment relationships in the Chinese context have attracted increasing scholarly attention, especially after the last amendment of its labour law in 2008. Despite the growing scholarship studying various aspects of Chinese employment and practices, many indigenous employment phenomena remain veiled in the English literature. In this paper, we aim to make a preliminary attempt to bring to the fore an indigenous feature of the atypical workers in China, i.e., embedding these workers in the ‘unequal pay for equal work' phenomenon. The opportunities and challenges brought on to management scholars interested in doing future research in the Chinese context are discussed

A Resource-Based View on Sustaining Competitive Advantage: A Case Discussion

This paper discusses Apple Computer, Inc.'s (Apple) distinctive competencies in line with its competitive environment to identify its competitive advantage and its sustainability. We find that Apple's distinctive competencies lie with its innovative capabilities, proprietary ecosystems, and marketing. Given the highly competitive nature of Apple's competitive environment, we find it hard to sustain a competitive advantage with constant updates of internal resources. In light of these findings, we recommend Apple adopts a learning (knowledge-based) organization approach and positions itself for speedy innovation in order to consistently "shift the rules of the game”. In conclusion, the sustainability of its competitive advantage and superior performance would eventually rely on Apple's continuous endeavors to shape, mold or influence the future market and technological evolutions. This means it should focus its strategy and management on continuous improvements and innovations, i.e., change

A Case Study of Extraterritorial Application of the Japanese Antimonopoly Act

This paper discusses extraterritorial applications of the Japanese Antimonopoly Act through a well debated case over CRT TVs in 2016 in Japan involving multiple companies in several countries. The case is theoretically and practically significant because it was the first case in the world in which the ‘demand' side was united as a group to be considered under similar situations. By doing so, the scope of extraterritorial application of antitrust laws in countries involved is expected to be expanded. In other words, Japanese companies with bases and subsidiaries around the world will be able to file lawsuits in Japan regardless of which country is affected, and seek trials based on Japanese antitrust laws. Finally, we argue that, under the Japanese Antimonopoly Act, the effect doctrine is not yet the basis for officially judging related cases

The Pandemic and Higher Education: Learning and Reflection from the Experience of Chinese Higher Education

Twenty months have passed since China's first lockdown of Wuhan city. The Chinese higher education sector has withstood the challenges of the pandemic. This paper discusses the experience of the higher education sector in China, drawing primarily from the early period of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, we present a narrative of Chinese higher education managing some of the multifaceted challenges, which is pivotal to understanding its policies and practices during the early pandemic. In particular, this paper extends and provides further contexts to Ma et al. (2021) in better understanding their Chinese perspective, giving readers a fuller picture of the governance of Chinese higher education and some of its practical insights. It also provides some important lessons and reflections drawing from localised experiences, which provide important insights into the Chinese higher education policies and practices in response to the national crisis. In addition, we suggest further areas of research relating to the content of this paper, and finish this paper with a future picture of hope after the crisis

What Business Schools Can Do to Bridge the Theory-practice Gap: An Overview and Discussion

Aligning management knowledge and practice has become a ‘persistent and difficult problem' for management scholars and educators. In scholarship, more specifically, increasing attention is paid to a ‘gap' between theory and practice in many professional fields worldwide. In this paper, we aim to address the conceptual space between theory and practice in management education by providing an overview of relevant techniques and practices used by business schools, namely, collaborative research, MBA programmes, and ethical education. We further reflect on issues highlighted in this overview and discuss its wider implications for management teachers, scholars, and practitioners, shedding light on future empirical research

Chemical Approaches to Synthetic Drug Delivery Systems for Systemic Applications

Poor water solubility and low bioavailability of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are major causes of friction in the pharmaceutical industry and represent a formidable hurdle for pharmaceutical drug development. Drug delivery remains the major challenge for the application of new small-molecule drugs as well as biopharmaceuticals. The three challenges for synthetic delivery systems are: (i) controlling drug distribution and clearance in the blood; (ii) solubilizing poorly water-soluble agents, and (iii) selectively targeting specific tissues. Although several polymer-based systems have addressed the first two demands and have been translated into clinical practice, no targeted synthetic drug delivery system has reached the market. This Review is designed to provide a background on the challenges and requirements for the design and translation of new polymer-based delivery systems. This report will focus on chemical approaches to drug delivery for systemic applications