Workplace social media reduces staff turnover

Social media used inside organisations may help engage employees and increase staff retention, according to a paper in the International Journal of Applied Systemic Studies, which looked at this phenomenon in China. Employee engagement refers to a worker’s emotional and motivational connection with their organisation, the team explains, while retention is the organisation’s ability to keep employees and reduce staff turnover rates.

The researchers used a statistical method known as structural equation modelling to test the relationships between various factors. They considered whether an employee’s perception of technology affected their working relationship. Indeed, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness strengthened the impact of social media technology on engagement and retention.

The findings are particularly relevant to China, where social media platforms are important workplace communication channels. The distinctive cultural and regulatory environment there provided the researchers with a useful setting for studying digital employment practices.

Social media, the team points out, can facilitate communication, knowledge sharing, and recognition. It can thus help employees feel more connected to colleagues, their superiors, and the organisation in general. If this improves employee retention, then it has the benefit to the organisation of keeping hold of experienced and talented staff and reducing recruitment and training costs.

However, the study shows that introducing social media tools may not be sufficient for optimal employee engagement and retention. The team explains that organisations need to ensure employees find these tools easy to use and patently useful.

Liu, J. (2026) ‘Social media as a tool for employee engagement and retention: moderation of perceived ease of use and usefulness’, Int. J. Applied Systemic Studies, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp.220–236.

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The internet of bodies and cultural tourism

Research in the International Journal of Arts and Technology monitored electrical brain activity and heart rate in people watching patriotically themed Chinese films. They found that the main incidental music in such films can increase the positive emotional response and patriotic sentiment in the audience and at the same time reduce negative emotional responses.

The findings could be used by film-makers offering content in the context of tourism, specifically cultural tourism. Such insights have potential in boosting the impact of film-themed attractions, reconstructed locations, tourism and educational programmes. The researchers add that their approach essentially uses the “internet of bodies”, a human analogue of the “internet of things”, in which technologies collect and analyse data about human behaviour and physiological states. In the cultural tourism setting, this technology would combine information gathered while people watch films with data on their behaviour and interactions at related physical sites.

The extension into social media interactions might also be used to amplify emotional responses through discussion and engagement beyond the film itself.

The approach does raise ethical questions about how physiological and behavioural data should be collected and used when technologies designed to measure audience responses become part of cultural experiences. It might be that prior consent of audience members should be necessary before anyone is subsumed into an internet of bodies system, and individuals should have the ability to opt out.

Wen, L., Sun, W. and Ding, R. (2026) ‘Neuroscientific effects of main melody films on audience patriotic sentiment in the context of culture tourism integration: an IoB perspective’, Int. J. Arts and Technology, Vol. 16, No. 9, pp.45–64.

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International Journal of Intelligent Information and Database Systems is now an open access-only journal

Inderscience's Editorial Office is pleased to announce that the International Journal of Intelligent Information and Database Systems is now an Open Access-only journal. All accepted articles submitted from 24 August 2026 onwards will be Open Access, and will require an article processing charge of EUR €1700.

International Journal of International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies is now an open access-only journal

We are pleased to announce that the International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies is now an Open Access-only journal. All accepted articles submitted from 24 August 2026 onwards will be Open Access, and will require an article processing charge of EUR €1700.

Such a lovely place, but so many leave

Research published in the International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development analysed interviews with over 300 Chinese hotel interns to see how perceptions regarding hotel work affect whether graduates pursue a career in the industry or not. The findings suggest that negative perceptions do indeed deter graduate interns from pursuing hospitality as a career.

Fundamentally, the team found that occupational stigma, the belief that a profession has low status or is undesirable, was most associated with weaker professional identity. Those graduates with this perception generally did not choose hotel work as a career.

The findings highlight a significant recruitment problem for China’s hotel industry. Despite its reliance on a large and stable workforce, only an estimated 10 to 20 per cent of graduates in hospitality and tourism enter the sector. Moreover, internships, which are intended to provide graduates with practical experience early in their career, sometimes reinforce negative perceptions and lead to many graduates dropping out of the sector before they have even taken more than a few tentative steps on this career path.

The study did find that vocational skills sometimes offset the stigma. Interns with additional skills were less affected by negative perceptions of the industry. This suggests that practical training and professional certification might boost confidence in hotel careers and improve professional identity in the sector.

Yu, F., Liu, L. and Zuo, Z. (2026) ‘Hotel interns’ career choice intentions from a high-versus-low climate changing region background’, Int. J. Environment and Sustainable Development, Vol. 25, No. 7, pp.64–83.

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Research pick: Lowering the scenic language barrier - "Multimedia artificial intelligence technology for accurate translation of scenic area public notices from Chinese to English in ecological translation studies"

A new artificial intelligence, or AI, translation model could improve the accuracy and cultural appropriateness of Chinese-English public signs in tourist attractions, according to research in the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management. The approach treats translation as more than a word-for-word conversion and combines machine translation with principles from eco-translatology in which language, culture, and social context are considered.

The researchers have incorporated these principles into a neural translation system based on transformer architecture, a widely used AI system for processing relationships between words in a sentence. The model thus uses cultural-language databases together with sentiment analysis. The latter uses a computer to assess the emotional or evaluative language in a piece of text. The system can then tweak the translation for linguistic, cultural, and communicative context.

In tests, the team reports an improvement over older approaches for cultural adaptability, fluency, and completeness. The findings suggest that translation systems designed for specific functions may be better suited to public-facing texts where a culturally inappropriate phrase might confuse visitors or change the intended message. The same system could support multilingual urban signs, heritage-site interpretation, and educational notices.

At this time, the model is limited to a single language pair and a corpus concentrated on Chinese scenic areas. However, the researchers plan to expand the training data and incorporate knowledge graphs, situational modelling, and causal reasoning to improve the system’s ability to be used in different cultures and settings. There is also the potential to improve the handling of historical references, deeper cultural meanings, and linguistic variation by developing deeper reasoning rather than relying on simple rules and templates.

Zhang, C. and Wang, Y. (2026) ‘Multimedia artificial intelligence technology for accurate translation of scenic area public notices from Chinese to English in ecological translation studies’, Int. J. Environmental Technology and Management, Vol. 29, No. 7, pp.1–22.

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Prof. Hai Zhao appointed as new Editor in Chief of International Journal of Signal and Imaging Systems Engineering

Prof. Hai Zhao from Northeastern University in China has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Signal and Imaging Systems Engineering.

Research pick: War! Not that it's good for - "World War II and its lasting legacy: an overview of socio-metabolic transition, environmental impacts and resource flows"

Research in the International Journal of Sustainable Development has looked at eight of the nations involved in the Second World War, both Allied and Axis countries, and shows how that period of history helped set societies on the path to the resource-intensive modern economies we have today. The research links wartime mobilisation to the period known as the Great Acceleration in energy use, material consumption, and ultimately detrimental environmental impact.

The study looks at societal change from before the war, 1935, to the post-war recovery period and the boomer years up to 1960. Demographics, economic activity, power supply, material and resource flow, and environmental impact are all examined. Three major consequences of WWII are seen. First, acceleration, in which existing trends become even more intense. Secondly, redirection where development shifts towards new technologies and the opening up of novel resources. Thirdly, reset, in which destruction or political upheaval changed the direction of nations from the paths there were on before the war.

The researchers use the term “socio-metabolic transition” to describe the various changes in power consumption and physical resources in society. By adopting this almost biological model, they were able to connect wartime production and resource mobilisation with institutional and technological changes that persisted long after 1945.

Abrari, L., Rezaei, N. and Linnanen, L. (2026) ‘World War II and its lasting legacy: an overview of socio-metabolic transition, environmental impacts and resource flows’, Int. J. Sustainable Development, Vol. 29, No. 5, pp.1–62.

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New Open Access article available: "Institutional quality and cash holdings: empirical evidence from an emerging market"

The following International Journal of Business Innovation and Research article, "Institutional quality and cash holdings: empirical evidence from an emerging market", is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Free Open Access issue published by International Journal of Systems, Control and Communications

The International Journal of Systems, Control and Communications has published an Open Access issue. All of the issue’s papers can be downloaded via the full-text links available here.

• Design and application of AI-based personalised learning evaluation systems: full-link optimisation from data collection to intelligent feedback
• Intelligent scheduling and optimisation system: a big data-cloud framework for adaptive urban traffic management

New Open Access article available: "Hybrid resilience in conflict zones: lessons from Aqaba port"

The following International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management article, "Hybrid resilience in conflict zones: lessons from Aqaba port", is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Research pick: Emergency AI hops to it - "Intelligent decision system for urban emergency management based on combined deep learning and optimisation algorithm"

A hybrid AI, artificial intelligence, system that models itself on grasshopper behaviour could be used to help with the allocation of medical resources, transport, and power during an urban emergency, according to research in the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management. Tests with the new hybrid model on historical emergency datasets show it to be highly effective

The team's LSTM-GOA system combines a long short-term memory neural network and the so-called grasshopper optimisation algorithm (GOA). LSTM is a machine-learning tool that can identify patterns in data as they change over time. GOA is an optimisation technique that searches for better solutions to complex problems based on how a swarm of grasshoppers forage and feed. In this hybrid approach, the GOA is used to tune the behaviour of the LSTM so that it makes better scheduling decisions in order to find the most appropriate solution.

The researchers compared the model with conventional rule-based approaches and other optimisation methods. The team was able to improve prediction accuracy for medical resource demand by almost 70 per cent. The system can respond to otherwise unpredictable spikes in demand following natural disasters, public health incidents, and major traffic accidents. Moreover, it can work with noisy or incomplete data sets.

The work points the way to the broad use of predictive AI in managing resources in an emergency. The team explains that city authorities could use historical data to anticipate pressures across several public services and adjust allocations accordingly. This would be more effective than relying on fixed rules or responding to changing demands after the fact.

Cai, X., Qiu, J., Cao, H., Wu, F. and Mei, X. (2026) ‘Intelligent decision system for urban emergency management based on combined deep learning and optimisation algorithm’, Int. J. Environmental Technology and Management, Vol. 29, No. 7, pp.59–85.

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New Open Access article available: "Development of the lean and green balanced scorecard performance management system in electronic component industry"

The following International Journal of Services and Operations Management article, "Development of the lean and green balanced scorecard performance management system in electronic component industry", is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

New Open Access article available: "Simulation enhanced early warning and intervention model for customer success in startups using value alignment"

The following International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling article, "Simulation enhanced early warning and intervention model for customer success in startups using value alignment", is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Research pick: Danger! High voltage - "Enabling holistic insulation monitoring in secondary AC protection circuits: a diagnostic algorithm"

A new diagnostic method could allow electricity substations to detect hidden insulation faults in relay-protection circuits earlier than conventional testing, according to research in the International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy.

The researchers have combined three measurements into a diagnostic model: zero-sequence current, an electrical signal indicating unintended current paths, waveform similarity, which compares measured current patterns with those expected under normal conditions, and third-harmonic content, a component of the electrical waveform that can reveal non-linear grounding faults.

In tests, they saw a 98.6 per cent detection rate for insulation faults and 94.3 per cent accuracy in locating multiple grounding points. Average diagnostic latency was less than 45 milliseconds, with a 1.5 per cent false-positive rate during normal operation. The team adds that the system can also detect insulation deterioration when resistance falls to between 50 and 100 kilohms. This offers an early warning sooner than conventional, offline methods, potentially allowing maintenance to be carried out before faults become critical.

A six-month pilot test at a 500-kilovolt substation in Nanjing with linked inspection robots demonstrated rapid communication between substation devices. Overall, the average fault-resolution time was reduced from more than four hours to just over one hour, and manual inspections were cut by 76 per cent.

Shi, H., You, H., Chen, X., Xu, S. and Chen, J. (2026) ‘Enabling holistic insulation monitoring in secondary AC protection circuits: a diagnostic algorithm’, Int. J. Energy Technology and Policy, Vol. 21, No. 5, pp.20–49.

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