This paper analyses wherever top executives were born and wherever they attended university to reveal regional groupings of the executives that form company culture and strategy in China and the mechanisms by which they affect corporate performance. It was found that the personal histories of top executives affect their decision-making orientation, and, in turn, company culture. The personal histories of executives and intra-regional, intra-provincial and intra-city links of corporate headquarters were obvious factors for executive selection. Distances were higher, and percentages of intra-regional links were lower for higher profit and growth companies. This shows that more competitive companies are more likely to hire executives who have lived in different regions or institutions in their lifetimes and university educations. The study concludes that Chinese firms’ key choices are influenced, in part, by external geographic factors way more advanced than the self-operation of individual enterprises.

The interest in using project management office (PMO) services in organizations to manage their construction projects is growing in light of rising economic, technological, and social developments based on their ability to achieve organizational goals while avoiding risks. Accordingly, organizations use PMO services to manage their technical and financial project issues to periodically evaluate PMO performance and services in a scientific, practical, and measurable way to ensure successful project path via PMO. Therefore, this research aims to develop a performance evaluation system that enables organizations to follow up and evaluate the PMO performance to ensure that PMO manages the organizations’ expectations and goals successfully according to certain quality, scope, and cost. The study builds on significant findings in PMO competence indexes as evaluation matrix, which includes five basic categories with 136 indexes covering the project life cycle. The matrix was developed based on literature analysis and supplemented with experts’ interviews in construction management. The developed robust competency-based index (RCI) for directive PMO supports the organizations to conduct client satisfaction, correction, or partial/total change of the PMO’s competence flow within five construction project life cycle and process, i.e. governance, portfolio, information, execution, and contract issues.

This study aims to explore the connotation of “Guanxi” within contemporary Chinese marketing channels and to construct and verify a global management model. The objective is to examine how instrumental and emotional dimensions of Guanxi influence enterprise operations and management processes. A hybrid research methodology combining qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed. In-depth interviews with 30 dealer executives provided qualitative insights, while a large-scale survey with 305 valid responses facilitated quantitative analysis. SPSS22.0 and LISREL8.8 were utilized for data analysis, including reliability, validity, hypothesis testing, and structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings reveal that Guanxi is multi-dimensional, comprising both instrumental and emotional components. Instrumental Guanxi includes factors such as status, prestige, credibility, and decision-making power, while emotional Guanxi encompasses trust, emotional connection, and mutual respect. Both dimensions significantly affect professionalism, shared values, contact frequency, and popularity within marketing channels. Hypothesis testing confirmed the significant relationships between these variables, except for the non-significant impact of popularity on instrumental Guanxi. The mediating effects of flexibility and supervision on the relationship between Guanxi and corporate performance were also significant, highlighting the mechanisms through which Guanxi influences organizational outcomes. Moderating effects of perceived internal incentive fairness and digital collaboration capabilities further amplify these relationships. Finaly, the study underscores the dual importance of strategic utility and emotional resonance in Guanxi, providing a robust model for understanding its impact on business management. These insights are valuable for both researchers and practitioners aiming to leverage Guanxi in enhancing organizational performance and relational strategies.

The scientific discourse on university towns (UT) has progressed for a long time, with a surge of interest in recent years. However, a global overview of the research conducted on this topic have yet to exist. This paper aims to re-examine the relationship between UT and urbanization in literature. Built environment and people are often the most talked aspects in UT literatures. The variety of definitions remains largely uncharted. Policies behind UT development are also rarely studied. This article used an R studio-based bibliometric literature review to synthesize findings from various scientific literature. Keywords related to university towns and urban were used in digital search engines to examine and analyse the literature. Results revealed a significant gap in scientific research on critical theoretical concepts that planners can use as a guide in creating, formulating, and evaluating UT, especially in developing countries. This study promotes simplification of existing literature by examining the impact of UT on the stakeholders involved.

The principal objective of this article is to gain insight into the biases that shape decision-making in contexts of risk and uncertainty, with a particular focus on the prospect theory and its relationship with individual confidence. A sample of 376 responses to a questionnaire that is a replication of the one originally devised by Kahneman and Tversky was subjected to analysis. Firstly, the aim is to compare the results obtained with the original study. Furthermore, the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) will be employed to ascertain whether behavioural biases are associated with cognitive abilities. Finally, in light of the significance and contemporary relevance of the concept of overconfidence, we propose a series of questions designed to assess it, with a view to comparing the various segments of respondents and gaining insight into the profile that reflects it. The sample of respondents is divided according to gender, age group, student status, professional status as a trader, status as an occasional investor, and status as a behavioural finance expert. It can be concluded that the majority of individuals display a profile of underconfidence, and that the hypotheses formulated by Kahneman and Tversky are generally corroborated. The low frequency of overconfident individuals suggests that the results are consistent with prospect theory in all segments, despite the opposite characteristics, given the choice of the less risk-averse alternative. These findings are useful for regulators to understand how biases affect financial decision making, and for the development of financial literacy policies in the education sector.

This study examines aggressive behavior among adolescents in school settings, focusing on its associations with mental health dimensions such as dysfunctional negative emotions and anxiety. A total of 403 adolescents (234 girls and 169 boys) aged 12 and 13 years participated in the study. Self-report questionnaires assessed aggressive tendencies and mental health symptoms, while demographic variables such as age and gender were also collected. Data analysis revealed a non-normal distribution, as determined by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests. Consequently, non-parametric statistical methods were employed, including the Spearman correlation coefficient to explore relationships between variables and the Mann-Whitney U test to analyze gender differences. The results demonstrated significant positive correlations between aggressive behavior and dysfunctional negative emotions (r = 0.191, p < 0.01) and between aggression and anxiety (r = 0.275, p < 0.01). Additionally, gender differences emerged, with females reporting higher levels of mental health symptoms than males (p < 0.05). These findings highlight the complex relationship between mental health challenges and aggression, emphasizing the significant roles of gender and emotional regulation in shaping these dynamics. The study calls for the development of tailored psychological interventions that not only address aggressive behaviors but also consider the unique mental health needs and emotional profiles of adolescents, ensuring a more personalized and effective approach to support their well-being.