Yanfeng Liu

Introduction: Whether perceived involution pushes employees to work harder or to lie flat remains unresolved. Drawing on conservation of resources theory and labor alienation theory, this study proposes that perceived involution relates to lying flat through two opposing routes: a direct route that discourages withdrawal and an indirect route that encourages it through work alienation. We further examine whether personal relative deprivation strengthens the indirect route. Methods: Survey data were collected from 470 Chinese employees. Perceived involution was modeled as a second-order construct with four dimensions, and work alienation was assessed through powerlessness, meaninglessness, and self-estrangement. Structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect paths, and moderation analyses were used to test whether personal relative deprivation strengthens the relationships between the three alienation dimensions and lying flat. Results: After accounting for work alienation, perceived involution was negatively related to lying flat. It was positively related to lying flat indirectly through powerlessness, meaninglessness, and self-estrangement, and the total effect was positive. Meaninglessness carried the largest indirect effect. Personal relative deprivation strengthened the positive relationships of powerlessness, meaninglessness, and self-estrangement with lying flat. Discussion: Perceived involution may keep employees engaged while eroding their relationship with work. The findings combine a resource-protection account with an alienation account of lying flat and identify relative deprivation as a condition under which alienation is more likely to turn into withdrawal. Rather than relying on competitive pressure to sustain effort, organizations should attend to the meaning of work and to the perceived fairness of resource allocation.

The maritime and logistics sector is undergoing digital transformation, positioning digital logistics platforms (DLPs) as important tools for improving operational coordination, information visibility, and organizational performance (OP). However, prior studies have mainly examined platform adoption, digital capabilities, or macro-level performance outcomes, while paying insufficient attention to the micro-level cognitive and experiential mechanisms through which DLP innovation diffusion is translated into OP, particularly in the Chinese maritime logistics context. Grounded in an integrated framework combining the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) paradigm, Diffusion of Innovations Theory (IDT), and the Extended Technology Acceptance Model (ETAM), this study investigates how DLP innovation diffusion affects OP through perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), and flow experience (FE). Using survey data from 400 professionals in Chinese maritime and logistics enterprises and second-order structural equation modeling (SEM), the results show that DLPs’ innovation diffusion significantly enhances PU, PEOU, and FE. PU has the strongest standardized effect among the paths from DLPs’ innovation diffusion to the mediators (β = 0.779), whereas FE has the strongest direct effect on OP (β = 0.279) and the largest mediating effect. These findings clarify the cognitive–experiential pathway linking DLPs’ innovation diffusion to OP and inform DLPs’ implementation in maritime logistics.

Urban delivery demand continues to rise, intensifying last-mile logistics challenges and accelerating the transition from manual delivery to autonomous delivery robots (ADRs). This study investigates the behavioral mechanisms underlying consumers’ migration toward ADRs. Grounded in the socio-technical systems perspective, we integrate the Push–Pull–Mooring (PPM) model with Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to explain how technological and social stimuli shape switching and continuance intentions through cognitive and emotional pathways. Survey data from 786 Chinese consumers, analyzed using second-order structural equation modeling, support the proposed framework. The results indicate that dissatisfaction with manual delivery (push) and perceived benefits of ADRs (pull) significantly enhance both switching and continuance intentions. Outcome expectancy positively predicts switching intention but negatively predicts continuance intention. Technophobia reduces switching intention but does not significantly influence continuance. Moreover, social norms moderate key relationships, highlighting the role of external social influence in technology transition. This study extends PPM research into the smart logistics context, introduces socio-cognitive mechanisms into technology switching analysis, and conceptually distinguishes switching and continuance intentions as separate constructs. The findings offer practical guidance for ADR developers and policymakers by emphasizing strategies to reduce emotional resistance, enhance social endorsement, and promote the sustainable adoption of autonomous delivery technologies.

Purpose: This study aims to explore how errand delivery companies/platforms can retain professional errand gig workers. Design/methodology/approach: The research introduces a novel theoretical framework based on Psychological Contract Theory and Psychological Perception Theory, seeking to investigate how the psychological contract and perception in errand delivery gig work impact organizational identification and trust. Ultimately, this enhances task performance and career satisfaction to retain professional gig workers. Findings: The findings indicate that psychological contract fulfillment and perception significantly influence organizational identification and trust, subsequently improving task performance and career satisfaction, and contributing to the retention of professional gig workers. Specifically, psychological contract fulfillment emerges as the most crucial factor influencing organizational identification and trust. Organizational identification and career satisfaction are identified as the most significant factors influencing task performance and professional retention, respectively. Additionally, the length of work positively moderates the impact of career satisfaction on retaining professionals. Originality/value: This study provides a deeper theoretical understanding of gig worker retention issues. The recommended gig worker retention policies for errand delivery companies/platforms offer more precise employment relationship management strategies in response to the current social environment.

Global supply chains face unprecedented challenges from geopolitical conflicts, climate change, economic volatility, and technological disruptions, highlighting the critical role of supply chain resilience as a core strategy for firms to maintain stability and competitive advantage. Grounded in the resource-based view and dynamic capability theory, this study examines how supply chain capability—that is, entrepreneurial leadership, collaborative capability, and digital transformation—enhances resilience, which mediates its impact on performance. Using structural equation modeling on survey data from Chinese firms, we find that resilience, comprising absorptive, reactive, and recovery capability, significantly mediates the relationship between supply chain capability and performance. Environmental uncertainty moderates this relationship, particularly in highly uncertain contexts, where resilience becomes a key driver of competitive advantage. Theoretically, this study extends dynamic capability theory by disaggregating resilience and exploring its mediating role. Practically, it emphasizes strengthening entrepreneurial leadership, collaborative capability, and digital transformation to improve resilience and performance in uncertain environments.

The rapid growth of e-commerce and surges in shipment volumes have increased the pressure on transport systems, requiring innovations in collaborative logistics where consumers participate in dual roles as receivers and deliverers. However, existing research often addresses these roles in isolation, overlooking the flexibility with which users switch between them. Moreover, the literature has focused predominantly on monetary value in paid crowdsourced or social value in free social delivery, without fully exploring how users perceive value across both models. Addressing these gaps, this study profiles users of collaborative logistics services from both receiver and deliverer perspectives and examines their motivations in paid and unpaid delivery contexts. Based on survey data from 493 participants in Singapore, cluster analysis identified four distinct user segments: hesitators, potential customers, active users, and loyal advocates. The findings indicate that user preferences differ by role, with functional value prioritised in paid delivery and social value more prominent in free models. Free models attract a higher proportion of favourable users, highlighting the significance of non-monetary incentives. This study contributes to the literature by offering an integrated perspective on user roles and value perceptions and provides practical insights for developing more inclusive, community-oriented last-mile logistics solutions.

In the platform economy, customers are the primary interaction partners of gig workers, and their behaviors and attitudes significantly influence gig workers’ work experiences and behavioral responses. Based on the stressor–emotion model and social exchange theory, this paper systematically explores the formation mechanism of customer-directed counterproductive work behavior. This study employs structural equation modeling to analyze survey data collected from 385 registered gig workers on crowdsourced delivery platforms in China. The results indicate that customer injustice increases gig workers’ negative emotions, perceived organizational injustice, and customer-directed counterproductive work behavior while decreasing customer commitment. Furthermore, negative emotions, perceived organizational injustice, and customer commitment mediate the relationship between customer injustice and customer-directed counterproductive work behavior. Additionally, job demands act as a buffering mechanism in the occurrence of customer-directed counterproductive work behavior. This study is the first to systematically focus on customer-directed counterproductive work behavior among crowdsourced delivery gig workers, enriching the existing literature. The findings provide practical insights for crowdsourced delivery platforms, aiding in understanding gig workers’ work psychology and optimizing labor management strategies.