Purpose: This study aims to offer insights regarding the impact of emotional conflict on innovation behavior. This study also explores the boundary conditions by examining the moderating effects of leader-member exchange (LMX) and team-member exchange (TMX) on the relationship between emotional conflict and innovation behavior.Design/methodology/approach: This study used a questionnaire survey to collect data in China. Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analysis. To test for inverted U-shaped relationship between emotional conflict and innovation behavior, the authors computed the squared term for emotional conflict. To investigate moderating roles of LMX and TMX, the authors carried out an interaction term between the main effect variables (emotional conflict and emotional conflict²) and the moderating variables (LMX and TMX).Findings: The empirical findings indicated that emotional conflict had an inverted U-shaped relationship with innovation behavior. Furthermore, LMX and TMX moderated the inverted U-shaped relationship between the emotional conflict and innovation behavior in such a way that the inverted U-shaped relationship was flatter in high-quality LMX and TMX than in low-quality LMX and TMX. That is to say, LMX and TMX may dampen the positive effects of lower levels of emotional conflict on innovation behavior; yet, it may also weaken the negative effects of higher levels of emotional conflict on innovation behavior.Research limitations/implications: This research can be extended in several ways. First, future research can investigate the impact mechanism of emotional conflict on innovation behavior. Second, future research can analyze other types of moderators at different levels. The last but not the least, future research can test the results using heterogeneous samples. Despite these potential limitations, this study provides an elaborate understanding of the conflict–creativity relationship by outlining the inverted U-shaped relationship between emotional conflict and innovation behavior under the LMX and TMX contexts, which can make important contributions to the conflict management literature.Practical implications: The findings of this study offer some guidance on how to stimulate innovation behavior through emotional conflict. It suggests that managers should maintain the emotional conflict at the moderate level. Furthermore, managers can strengthen the LMX and TMX to avoid the negative effects of high levels of emotional conflict, and several practices are provided as well.Originality/value: This study develops an exhaustive understanding of the conflict–creativity relationship by figuring the curvilinear relationship between emotional conflict and innovation behavior, which is the response to the call of Posthuma to focus on the outcomes of conflict management. The findings further provide an empirical evidence of the conceptual argument that the consequences of conflict depend on the situational context by pointing out the important contingency factors of LMX and TMX.

The catch-up of latecomer firms has been a topic of interest because it is closely related to the changes in industry leadership. The reason why some countries are more successful in catch-up is because of their increasing mastery of technology management (TM). Therefore, to ensure successful catch-up, it is imperative for latecomer firms to understand the TM practices and TM modes across national boundaries. This paper aims to reveal the differences in TM practices and TM modes between latecomer firms and forerunner firms. This paper collected data from Chinese firms and Korean firms as latecomers and forerunners, respectively, to examine the differences in TM practices and TM modes. The results show that latecomer firms place more emphasis on grasping the condition of firms’ equipment, understanding technology talents required by business, and completing files on technology information. While forerunner firms stress learning from other competitors, effective training, and constructing detailed technology information management system most. Furthermore, the relationship between TM and product innovation performance is more integrated for forerunner firms compared to latecomer firms. A key contribution of this paper is to reveal the differences in TM practices and TM modes between latecomer firms and forerunner firms, which enriches the catch-up literature from an international comparative perspective. As such, this paper is of great importance in broadening the understanding of how latecomer firms transform into global leaders.

Cultural tourism has emerged as a key factor in destination development, but moving from growth-oriented expansion to sustainability necessitates a better comprehension of the psychological processes influencing visitor involvement. Existing studies insufficiently integrate destination-level diversification with tourist psychological identity, particularly within emerging economies. Drawing on a diversified development framework, this study constructs a theoretical model linking economic, cultural, social, and environmental dimensions with tourist psychological identity and sustainable destination development. Questionnaire data from 300 respondents were analyzed using regression analysis to examine direct and indirect effects across influencing factors. Economic development (β = 0.45), government policy support (β = 0.23), and investment orientation (β = 0.32) significantly strengthen sustainable cultural tourism development. Cultural resources (β = 0.51), cultural exchange (β = 0.27), and creative industries (β = 0.18) also exhibit strong positive effects. Tourist psychological identity is shaped by personal economic status (β = 0.42), cultural experience (β = 0.33), and social recommendations (β = 0.35). Moreover, psychological identity exerts a substantial influence on sustainable development (β = 0.56), indicating a reinforcing mechanism between destination diversification and long-term sustainability. Findings demonstrate that diversified development pathways enhance both destination sustainability and tourists’ psychological attachment, offering actionable implications for destination marketing and management. This study contributes to shifting tourism development from a growth paradigm toward a sustainability paradigm, supporting SDGs 8, 11, and 12.

The deep integration of intelligent technology and the manufacturing industry is a crucial driving force for promoting green and low-carbon development, which is a key strategy for achieving sustainable development. Using panel data from 30 provinces in mainland China from 2010 to 2022, this study measures the level of intelligent development and the total factor carbon emission performance (TFCEP). Additionally, a mediating effect model is constructed to explore the impact of intelligent manufacturing (IM) on carbon emission performance (CEP) and its underlying mechanisms. The findings reveal that (1) the intellectualization of the manufacturing industry significantly enhances CEP, a conclusion that remains robust under various tests; (2) the impact of IM on CEP varies by regional geographical locations, the degree of economic agglomeration (EA), and whether the province is a low-carbon pilot area; and (3) the mechanism analysis indicates that IM improves CEP by promoting EA. Given that China is the world’s largest manufacturing country and the largest carbon emitter, analyzing the impact of its IM on CEP provides valuable theoretical insights and practical experiences for China and other manufacturing countries aiming to achieve a win–win situation of sustainable economic development and environmental improvement.

As AI technology continues to advance, the integration of AI and arts has become increasingly significant for countries aiming to become cultural powerhouses and develop robust digital strategies. Modern AI enhances artistic creation, personalized experiences, and accessibility. Therefore, it is necessary to study how AI and arts are currently being integrated. Utilizing text mining techniques, we analyze research papers on AI and art integration in China and Korea using ROST CM 6.0, identifying key trends and differences. Our findings reveal that China focuses on the digital inheritance and transformation of traditional culture in the context of modern AI technology, striving to establish cultural power. In contrast, Korea emphasizes legal rights and standardization in the integration of AI and art, with a strong focus on copyright protection. Future research should prioritize interdisciplinary approaches, examine AI art applications from a macroscopic perspective, and develop strategies for AI to inherit traditional art based on successful global examples. Additionally, ongoing discussions and research on copyright issues arising from AI art integration are essential.