Theoretical Perspectives in Strategy Assessment

To assess strategy, it is necessary to define the concept of strategy first. There exist many debates on how to define strategy at present. Usually scholars would like to address the following common propositions: first, strategy is the guideline that influences the overall situation; second, strategy is the means and approach to realize goals; third, the implementation of strategy must take strength and

How Unique is ′China Model′: A Review of Theoretical Perspectives on China′s Urbanization in Anglophone Literature

As a major aspect of the ′China Model′, urbanization in China is being heatedly discussed in the Anglophone literature in the last two decades. By considering China′s urbanization as a ′testing ground′ of ′western′ theories, these studies are important for the understanding of China′s ongoing urban restructuring and exchanging knowledge with ′western′ insights. Based on a survey of existing studies, this paper identifies various endogenous and exogenous concepts and explanations of China′s urbanization. It is suggested that China′s urbanization is mainly driven by a combination of political decentralization and neoliberalization with various forms of social stratification and mobility. However, it is argued that the distinctness of the ′China Model′, which is usually used to support the legitimacy of studies of China′s urbanization, has led to many controversial arguments and diminished the due contributions of Chinese scholars in the knowledge production of China′s urbanization. To consolidate the legitimacy of studies on China′s urbanization and enhance the roles of Chinese scholars, we suggest future studies to pay more attentions to the fundamental theories with looser constraints and ′true questions′ on China′s urbanization.

Learner Identity in Chinese as a Foreign/Second Language Education:A Critical Review

This paper reports the results of a review of 33 journal articles chosen from 87 empirical studies on learner identity in Chinese as a foreign/second language(CFL/CSL)education,published during the years 2005-2019.By analyzing the co-occurrence of keywords in these Social Science Citation Index(SSCI)journal articles,this review identifies the theoretical perspectives and topical trends of CFL/CSL education research on learner identity.The review shows that while such post-structuralist theories and notions as capital,identity and investment model have continued to play a predominant role in CFL/CSL identity research,interdisciplinary perspectives seem to also demonstrate their theoretical value and interpretive power.Furthermore,the review found that researchers explored a wide array of topical issues in relation to learner identity involved in the complex linguistic and social ecology of Chinese language learning.The review concludes with suggestions for future projects to consider that expand the thematic and theoretical scope by exploring intersections between different social categories and learner identities in societal contexts.

Breaking the energy density limit of Li NiO_(2):Li_(2)NiO_(3)or Li_(2)NiO_(2)?

The development of next-generation layered oxide cathodes for high-energy-density electrical vehicle Li-ion batteries(LIBs)is an urgent topic.The existing method is achieved by continuously increasing the Ni contents of Ni-based layered oxides,but it has been limited to LiNiO_(2).To break this limit and attain increased energy densities,a promising strategy,which involves the introduction of excess Li ions into transition metal(TM)layers to form Li-excess compounds Li_(2)MO_(3)(M is a TM cation),has attracted enormous interest recently.However,another strategy,which has been neglected in recent years,involves the insertion of an extra layer of Li ions between the TM and original Li layers to form Li_(2)MO_(2).In this study,typical reversible Li_(2)NiO_(3) and 1T-Li_(2)NiO_(2) were selected as two representative cathodes to break the limit of LiNiO_(2),thereby availing comprehensive comparison with LiNiO_(2) regarding their overall properties as cathodes from a theoretical perspective.Interestingly,dissimilar to the Ni^(3+)/Ni^(4+)monoelectron cationic redox associated with LiNiO_(2),a polaronic anionic redox reaction occurs in Li_(2)NiO_(3),while a reversible Ni^(2+)/Ni^(4+)double-electron redox reaction accompanied by insulator-metal transition occurs in Li_(2)NiO_(2).Owing to this double-electron cationic activity,Li_(2)NiO_(2) exhibits absolute advantages over the other two materials(LiNiO_(2) and Li_(2)NiO_(3))as cathodes for LIBs in terms of the capacity,energy density,electronic conductivity,and thermal stability,thus rendering it the most promising candidate for next-generation layered oxide cathodes with high energy densities to break the limit of LiNiO_(2).