As brand equity (BE) is a valuable, but intangible, asset of any firm, understanding BE represents a primary task for many organizations. Factors that influence the development of BE are of inordinate academic and practical significance and a source of continuous investigation. While the current literature on social media communication (SMC) and BE provides a wealth of information, our study pioneers the most recent processes of mediation and moderation of electronic word-of-mouth and product involvement (PI) in BE research. Accordingly, the results of this work will likely become one of the key sources of information in sustainable marketing planning and in the development of strategies. To accomplish this goal, we assessed the structural relationships among SMC, electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), PI, and BE. A questionnaire survey was administered concerning consumer brands in China. In this survey, due to the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the questionnaire was distributed and collected via the internet. A total of 369 data sets were analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results of our investigation reveal that: (a) social media firm- and user-generated content have a positive impact on e-WOM, (b) social media firm- and user-generated content have a positive impact on BE, (c) e-WOM has a positive impact on BE and serves as an intermediary role between SMC and BE, and (d) PI exerts specific moderating effects between SMC and BE.

It is demonstrated that the subjective well-being (SWB) of older people greatly relies on their social participation. However, there are few studies on reciprocity beliefs as a mediating mechanism between social participation and SWB. In this study, 297 participants aged 60 and over in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, completed a questionnaire of social participation, reciprocity beliefs, and SWB. We used multiple linear regression and mediation analyses to verify the mediating effect of reciprocity beliefs. Results showed that social participation was positively relative to SWB and reciprocity beliefs, and reciprocity beliefs played an intermediary role in social participation and SWB. These findings suggest the importance of social participation for SWB, with reciprocity beliefs (behaviors) playing a positive mediating role, particularly in China. In conclusion, analysis of the mediating effect of reciprocity beliefs provides us with knowledge that could help in achieving a healthy old age. Additionally, this study opens up new perspectives of research.

The positive parenting styles and the self-esteem of the parents are two factors that affect Self-regulated learning (SRL). Moreover, the variable of self-esteem is influenced by the positive parenting styles. However, previous studies have investigated only the cross-sectional relationship between positive parenting styles and SRL and that between positive parenting styles and self-esteem. This study explored the relationship between positive parenting styles and self-regulated learning in Chinese adolescents and verified the mediating role of self-esteem in this relationship. The study used the panel data of 1180 1 adolescents (age, 10–15 years) from the 2014 China Family Panel Studies. The main variables were positive parenting styles, self-esteem, and SRL. The results showed that self-esteem plays a partial, but significant, mediating role in the relationship between parents’ positive parenting styles and adolescents’ SRL ability. This study emphasised that self-esteem is a variable that influences the SRL ability. The more active the parents are, the better the SRL ability of the adolescents is. Positive parenting styles have been proven to promote self-esteem development and can affect the SRL ability of adolescents.

Few studies have used China’s latest economic data to verify the interaction between coal price fluctuation and vegetable price fluctuation. Therefore, the sharing of existing knowledge in the academic community is mainly reflected in this paper, which explores the influence between coal prices and agricultural product prices for the first time. Further, it supplements the verification of the effective parameters of vegetable price fluctuation in academia. The current study investigates the relationship between coal prices (thermal coal price) and agricultural product prices (vegetable prices) in China from 2016 to 2021. It uses separate time-series models to verify the effect of China’s coal price fluctuation on the price of agricultural products and explores the effect of the coal price on the vegetables’ price trend. The results confirm that the thermal coal price significantly impacts and positively affects vegetable prices. There is also a linkage between the price of coal and the security of agricultural products. It might mainly be due to coal usage in various stages of the growing, storage, transportation, and distribution of agricultural products. Higher coal prices may lead to higher agricultural prices, threatening China’s coal-dominant energy structure. These higher coal prices will endanger domestic energy security and agricultural security. Finally, this study also suggests ways to manage the effect of increased coal prices on agricultural product prices and then puts forward policy suggestions.