Most previous studies performed in Western social contexts have revealed that religion can influence an individual’s sense of happiness. Few studies have sought to clarify the influence of religion in a Chinese social context, however, and there has been no study specifically about the potential differences in the dichotomous social environments of urban and rural areas in China. Via the nationwide survey data of the 2007 Spiritual Life Study of Chinese Residents (SLSC), this study examines the association between religion and happiness among urban and rural residents of China. The results reveal that there is a generally positive association between religion and happiness among those with religious affiliations in China. Regardless of affiliation with Buddhism or Protestantism, there is a strong positive association among rural respondents, an insignificant association among urban respondents, and mixed results among town residents.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between proactive personality and career-related decision-making self-efficacy, with generative artificial intelligence acceptance serving as a mediating factor. Additionally, the study examined the moderating effect of innovation competencies on this mediation pathway, utilizing a moderated mediation framework. The study included 501 university students from Guangdong Province, China, who completed validated measures of proactive personality, career-related decision-making self-efficacy, generative artificial intelligence acceptance, and innovation competencies. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS (Version 26) and the PROCESS macro to evaluate mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation effects. Moreover, confirmatory factor analysis was performed using Amos (Version 28.0) to assess the validity of the measurement models. The results indicate that proactive personality exerts an indirect effect on career-related decision-making self-efficacy via generative artificial intelligence acceptance. The strength of this indirect effect was moderated by innovation competencies, indicating that the relationship is stronger at higher levels of innovation competencies. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between proactive personality and career-related decision-making self-efficacy, particularly within the context of technological adaptability.

Aim: This research explores how and why commuting stress influences Chinese nurses’ well‐being. Background: A daily work commute may result in a significant psychological risk factor that can lead to harmful physiological and mental health consequences. Emerging research indicates that nurses experience long‐lasting negative effects on their mental health, including burnout, due to the stress of a daily work commute. Methods: The study employed a cross‐sectional design involving 380 registered nurses from state‐owned hospitals in southern China. Hypotheses were tested using the PROCESS macro developed by Hayes [1]. Results: The stress of commuting indirectly influences nurses’ well‐being through increased emotional exhaustion. There is an interaction between commuting stress and nurses’ gender such that the indirect effect of commuting stress on well‐being is stronger for female nurses. Conclusions: The spillover effect of commuting stress in the nursing profession is often underestimated. However, this study underscores its significant impact on nurses’ emotional exhaustion and well‐being. The research findings emphasize that commuting stress contributes to emotional exhaustion and a decline in nurses’ well‐being. Implications for Nursing Management : Healthcare organizations should leverage these findings to reinforce the importance of self‐care for nurses and to provide nurses with resources to help decrease the potential negative outcomes of commuting stress. The study also shows that female nurses may experience a more pronounced association between commuting stress and emotional exhaustion. As such, healthcare organizations should develop gender‐specific interventions and support systems that address the unique challenges faced by female nurses in relation to commuting stress.

Purpose: Chinese Confucianism profoundly influences Chinese leadership styles and how employees perceive leadership behavior. This study investigates a moderated-mediation model that elucidates the processes linking differential leadership, employee dynamic capabilities, employee innovative behavior and power distance orientation in the Chinese managerial context. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a three-wave data collection approach involving multiple sources, collecting data from 409 employees in companies across six regions of China. Findings: The findings indicate positive relationships between differential leadership, employee dynamic capabilities and employee innovative behavior. Furthermore, power distance orientation positively moderates the relationship between differential leadership and employee innovative behavior. Originality/value: This study is among the first to explore these relationships in a Chinese management context. Moreover, the study focuses on dynamic capabilities at the employee level, a novel approach providing insight into the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which differential leadership influences employee innovation.

Purpose: Transformational leadership (TFL) has been identified by a number of studies as a positive force for business success. However, few studies have explicitly examined its influence on the cooperative employment relationship, such as frontline employees' voice in the workplace. Thus, this study conducts an empirical analysis of dual-level (i.e. group-focused and individual-focused) TFL and its effect on frontline employees' cooperative voice.Design/methodology/approach: This empirical study is based on data from a survey of 468 full-time frontline workers from 38 hotels in China.Findings: The empirical results revealed that both individual-level and group-level TFL are significantly associated with frontline employees' cooperative voice. Person–Organization value congruence and Person–Supervisor value congruence both act as mediators in the linkage between group-level TFL and employees' cooperative voice behaviors. The partial mediating role of Demand–Ability congruence on the relationship between individual-level TFL and cooperative voice is also established.Originality/value: First, this study investigates the dual-level effects of TFL on the cooperative voice behavior of frontline employees. Second, this study explores whether three dimensions of value congruence mediate the influence of TFL on the voice behaviors of employees.