Extant literature suggests that firms may gain legitimacy through imitation. But little known is about whom foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) will imitate, given that they have multiple social referents: home-country peers and host-country industry competitors. Drawing upon category theory, we develop a dynamic imitation model and explicate how MNEs’ categorization process is affected by social activism, which causes the shift from self-categorization to categorical imperative. We investigate this model in the context of MNE philanthropy and propose that the social movement (...) may delegitimize MNEs’ original self-category and change their imitation target. Using a hand-collected dataset of MNEs’ philanthropic donation for the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake in China, we find that MNEs imitate their home-country peers first but shift to host-country industry competitors after an online social movement. This is because the online social movement delegitimizes MNEs as a category and suggests host-country industry peers as the new model for comparison. Further, we find that liability of foreignness impedes whereas firm reputation facilitates an MNE’s adaptation after the online social movement. Our paper contributes to the literatures on MNEs’ imitation behavior and CSR in emerging market. We also contribute to category theory by integrating self-categorization and categorical imperative and highlighting the role of social movements. (shrink)

GIS is important equipment in the substation system in a complex microgrid network. Due to the long-term service in harsh operation environments, the electrical performance of GIS equipment will be seriously affected. Therefore, the regular maintenance of GIS equipment in the substation system is a routine task so as to ensure the normal operation of the microgrid networks. The traditional method relies on manual labor, where not only with the low operation efficiency but also regarding some maintenance, labors cannot reach (...) the inside of the GIS equipment, which seriously restricted the completion of GIS equipment maintenance operation. Based on the above analysis, a basic configuration of a GIS equipment maintenance robot with smart structure, convenient control, and stable motion characteristic has been proposed in this paper. Through the optimization design of the chassis adsorption system, the GIS inspection robot can achieve hanging and vertical adsorption inside the GIS equipment and some special motion status. In this way, the entire GIS equipment can be inspected without blind spots. Through establishing the mechanical model of the GIS inspection robot under the hanging and vertical motion state, the robustness and stability of the GIS inspection robot in the special status have been analyzed, and the corresponding GIS inspection robot robust stability motion control method has also been proposed. Finally, through the integrated design of mechanical system and hardware and software control system, the GIS inspection robot physical prototype system has been developed and the maintenance operation experiment has been carried out in Hunan Electric Power Company Maintenance Company through simulating the internal GIS equipment. The physical prototype can realize the basic movement and special movement in internal GIS equipment without any blind spots and complete the inspection task of GIS equipment operation; the movement of GIS robot is dexterous and stable in the whole operation process, which has strong robust stability. The research of GIS inspection robot in the complex microgrid networks has important theoretical significance and practical application value for the intelligent operation and maintenance management of substation system in complex microgrid networks. (shrink)