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Drawing upon the needs–supplies fit theory, this study aims to examine how the expected and perceived algorithmic autonomy support (AAS) influences platform workers’ work stress and incivility, with a focus on the moderating role of self-direction.

Using data collected from 422 platform workers in China through multiple waves, the model is tested through polynomial regression and response surface analysis.

The results indicate that a mismatch between expected and perceived AAS is associated with higher levels of incivility among platform workers, and this relationship is mediated by work stress. These findings are particularly salient when self-direction is emphasized.

This study suggests that a universally high level of AAS may not necessarily reduce workers’ stress and incivility. Instead, it is important for platforms to ensure that their workers’ expectations of autonomy support are met and for workers to be given the space to exercise self-direction.

Previous studies have highlighted the need to pay attention to workers in mobile and ambiguous environments, and this study adds to this literature by focusing specifically on platform organizations and workplaces. This study provides valuable insights into the relationship between AAS, work stress and platform workers’ incivility.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and address the energy efficiency prevalent within the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) countries, a diverse group that constitutes a significant portion of the global gross domestic product. By assessing energy efficiency, the study aims to inform strategies that foster sustainable economic growth and environmental sustainability within these nations.

This research uses a three-stage slacks-based measure data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) model, enhanced by stochastic frontier analysis (SFA), to assess the energy efficiency of CPTPP countries over the period from 2000 to 2015. The three-stage SBM-DEA model allows for a comprehensive analysis by first measuring energy efficiency, then adjusting for external environmental factors and statistical noise through SFA, and finally, reevaluating efficiency with adjusted inputs.

The analysis reveals significant disparities in energy efficiency among CPTPP nations, identifying both high-performing countries and those needing considerable improvements. Developed countries within the CPTPP generally exhibit higher energy efficiency levels, which can be attributed to their adoption of advanced technologies and strong policy frameworks. In contrast, developing nations demonstrate greater vulnerability to external environmental factors affecting their energy efficiency.

The research fills a gap in the literature by providing a nuanced and comprehensive evaluation of energy efficiency across a significant and economically diverse group of nations, offering valuable insights for sustainable development within the CPTPP framework.

Drawing on the tenets of institutional theory, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of Confucianism on technology for social good, while also considering the moderating influence of extrinsic informal institutions (foreign culture) and intrinsic formal institutions (property rights).

This study constructs a comprehensive database comprising 9,759 firm-year observations in China by using a sample of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2016 to 2020. Subsequently, the hypotheses are examined and confirmed, with the validity of the results being upheld even after conducting endogenous and robustness tests.

The findings of this study offer robust and consistent evidence supporting the notion that Confucianism positively affects technology for social good through both incentive effect and normative effect. Moreover, this positive influence is particularly prominent in organizations with limited exposure to foreign culture and in nonstate-owned enterprises.

The findings contribute to the literature by fostering a deep understanding of technology for social good and Confucianism research, and further provide a nuanced picture of the role of foreign culture and property rights in the process of technology for social good in China.

Financial misappropriation is a significant challenge to China’s innovation-driven growth model. This paper investigates the impact of regional-level financial misappropriation on innovation efficiency across 30 provinces and administrative municipalities in China.

The paper uses the Data Envelopment Analysis method to estimate the innovation efficiency at regional level, then, employs panel Tobit and indirect-transmission-channel models to analyze the direct and indirect impact of financial misappropriation on regional innovation efficiency in China.

The findings of the paper suggest that financial misappropriation significantly reduces regional innovation efficiency in China both directly and indirectly. Financial misappropriation hinders the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and, at the same time, it retards high-tech industrial development.

The research adopted the non-parametric approach over the parametric approach due to limitations of data availability. Both approaches have their own criticisms. However, the focus in this generates the efficiency scores that could be used for the analysis principal question of this research.

The results show if the innovation efficiency issues are not addressed at regional levels the national efficiency objecting may achieve suboptimal results.

The benefits of innovation may not flow on to regional economies creating social disparity.

This paper is the first of its nature empirically testing the direct and indirect effects of financial misappropriation on regional innovation efficiency in China by using regional financial corruption data of 30 Chinese provinces and administrative cities.

This chapter explores the multifaceted relationship between quantum computing (QC) and sustainability, with a focus on the Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimisation (QUBO) framework. The manuscript delves into the theoretical underpinnings of QUBO and its formulation as a quantum annealing problem, identifying the quantum principles that facilitate the resolution of such optimisation challenges. It offers a critical analysis of the suitability of QUBO for unconstrained problems and its efficacy in consistently locating the global minimum – a pivotal concern in optimisation tasks. Further, this study provides a nuanced discussion on the intersection of QC and sustainability. It delineates the types of optimisation problems within sustainability initiatives that are amenable to formulation as QUBO problems, while also highlighting sustainability challenges that elude the QUBO framework. It argues for the integration of quantum solutions into business operations, highlighting the potential for QC to play a transformative role in achieving sustainability objectives. The critique of the current hype surrounding QC provides a balanced viewpoint, ensuring a grounded approach to the adoption of quantum technologies in tackling pressing global issues.

As a contribution to the social ties and dynamic capabilities literature, the purpose of this study is to examine the boundary role of the industrial factors (competitive intensity, dependence on suppliers and demand uncertainty) on the relationship between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) social ties (business ties and political ties) and firm performance.

Data were collected from 1,077 SME top-level managers in Turkiye. The proposed model is analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) path modeling in SmartPLS 4.0 software.

The results elucidate how demand uncertainty serve to moderate the influence exerted by both business and political ties upon the performance of SMEs. However, the moderating effects of competitive intensity and dependence on suppliers, although initially hypothesized, were not found to have a significant impact on the relationships.

The relevance of social ties of SMEs may depend on the industrial factor. Although both political and business ties are effective on the customer side, these ties may become irrelevant when it comes to competition and supplier relations. In competitive SME settings, where businesses are vying for similar markets, the effectiveness of ties might be questionable. In such cases, SMEs might invest in building in-house capabilities and competencies, rather than relying on their relational networks.

This study contributes to the understanding of how relational networks, which are considered as dynamic managerial capabilities, impact SMEs performance. It also fills an important gap by testing the boundary role of industrial factors on this relationship. The empirical data is collected from the Turkish context, which is also an original aspect of the study, considering most of the social ties literature has a limited focus on a few contexts. The results also indicate new areas for discussion and exploration, indicating potential avenues for further research.

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and tone management in the annual report. This is based on the notion that managers, driven by personal interests, may use their ESG accomplishments by using an abnormal positive tone to enhance their reputation or career prospects.

Using panel data from Chinese listed companies from 2010 to 2022, this study first investigates the relationship between ESG performance and abnormal tone management. The study then uncovers this relationship is mediated through the mechanisms of equity-based incentive and analyst coverage. The conclusions of this paper hold even after a series of robustness tests, such as propensity score matching, Heckman two-stage method and two-stage least squares with instrumental variables.

This study finds a positive correlation between ESG performance and the presence of abnormal positive tone in annual reports. Furthermore, the mechanistic analysis reveals that managers in companies with strong ESG performance are motivated to use an overly positive tone, largely due to their vested interests in equity-based compensation. Moreover, in an effort to alleviate the pressure stemming from heightened financial analyst coverage and enhance the impression conveyed through analysts' reports, managers with superior ESG performance also tend to inflate the tone within their annual reports.

This study provides significant insights into the ongoing dialogue surrounding ESG-related equity incentives, which incentivize managerial manipulation of stock prices through the use of abnormal positive tone. The findings call upon investors to exercise greater vigilance in examining narrative information in annual reports, as abnormally positive tones may not always faithfully represent performance but rather reflect managerial self-interest.

There is an emphasis on the importance of robust oversight mechanisms within corporate governance bodies to curb the manipulation of tone for managers’ personal gain.

This study enhances the theoretical foundation of ESG studies, offering a holistic perspective on the intricate interplay among ESG performance, managerial behavior and financial markets, with potential implications for researchers, investors and regulators.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of state capital participation (SCP) on the corporate environmental engagement (CEE) of privately controlled listed firms in China.

We use a sample of 20,133 firm-year observations from 2009 to 2021. We use three different measures to proxy corporate environmental engagement and two different measures to proxy for state capital participation. We employ a difference-in-difference regression model to estimate the effect of state capital participation on corporate environmental engagement.

Using a sample of 20,133 firm-year observations from 2009 to 2021, we find that SCP significantly increases corporate expenditure on environmental protection, corporate environmental performance and ESG ratings. Specifically, SCP increases environmental investment capacity and attracts more media coverage, online attention and analysts’ following, which leads to better environmental engagement. Further analyses show that after state shareholders exit privately controlled firms, CEE deteriorates, while private capital injection in state-owned firms has no significant impact on CEE. The positive effect of SCP is stronger in privately controlled firms with local government ownership, a larger number of state shareholders, longer state shareholder holding periods, those without politically connected managers and firms operating in heavy pollution industries. Lastly, we show that minority government ownership reduces firm-level toxic emissions and enhances financial performance.

We enrich the literature on the role of minority state ownership in corporate financial and environmental performance.

We enrich the literature on the role of minority state ownership in corporate financial and environmental performance. In light of the escalating environmental concerns and the growing emphasis on corporate environmental responsibility, this study highlights the beneficial role of minority government ownership in driving environmental performance. By providing resources and attracting external scrutiny, the government, as a minority shareholder, can significantly enhance the environmental engagement of privately controlled firms.

Building on the core concept of anthropomorphism and the empathy-helping theory, this research aims to examine how product anthropomorphism and buyer usage intentions affect sellers’ pricing in second-hand markets as well as explore the psychological dynamics underlying these effects.

To test the hypotheses, a series of four experiments were conducted. Studies 1a (n = 140) and 1b (n = 140) employed a one-factor (product anthropomorphism: yes vs no) between-subject design and used chi-square analysis. Study 2 (n = 145) and Study 3 (n = 162) employed a 2 (usage intention: protective vs destructive) × 2 (product anthropomorphism: yes vs no) between-subject design and used two-way ANOVA and moderated mediation analysis.

The study found that even when potential buyers with destructive (vs protective) usage intentions offer higher prices, sellers of anthropomorphized (vs non-anthropomorphized) products are less willing to choose them (Studies 1a and 1b). When potential buyers express destructive (vs protective) usage intentions, sellers of anthropomorphized (vs non-anthropomorphized) products are less willing to offer discounts (Study 2), and the lowest price they are willing to accept is higher (Study 3). The level of perceived capacity for pain mediates these effects (Study 3).

These findings offer insights into the application of product anthropomorphism strategies and the second-hand transactions of used anthropomorphized products.

Profitability is crucial for a company’s sustainability. This study aims to examine the influence of profitability and specific variables on the value of real estate companies in Indonesia.

The study uses a sample of 42 real estate companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2017 to 2023. A static panel regression approach was adopted, with the best model being the fixed effect model, verified through a robustness test.

The results indicate that the fixed effect model is the most effective in explaining firm value. Profitability, proxied by return on assets (ROAs), does not significantly impact firm value. This finding is confirmed by robustness tests using another profitability measure, return on equity (ROE). Additionally, company size negatively and significantly impacts firm value, while activity ratio and leverage have a positive and significant effect. Liquidity and company growth do not significantly affect firm value.

The research is limited to Indonesian real estate firms, cautioning against broad generalization to other countries or industries. The study could not demonstrate the influence of profitability on the value of real estate companies. Instead, firm value is influenced by company size, activity ratio and leverage.

Real estate firms should increase their activity, optimize funding and consider company size to enhance firm value.

This study contributes to the Indonesian real estate sector by revealing that profitability does not enhance firm value. Indonesian real estate companies generally have low profitability and firm value.