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This study is based on the role congruity theory that examines the association between top management team (TMT) gender diversity and corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance.

This study uses data from the Taiwan Economic Journal database and the Market Observation Post System provided by the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The sample consists of 4,140 annual observations of Taiwanese-listed companies in the electronics industry from 2016–2020.

The results revealed that TMT gender diversity is positively associated with CSR performance, and TMT international experience strengthens the positive association between TMT gender diversity and CSR performance.

CSR is imperative. The TMT’s gender diversity aligns with current environmental trends and social expectations, driven for CSR implementation essential. This diverse configuration enables the TMTs to address corporate adaptability and maintain global competitiveness.

The findings contribute significantly to the literature on TMT gender diversity by extending the application of role congruity theory beyond individual to team-level contexts and across gender boundaries. By incorporating diverse capabilities such as international experience within TMTs, the authors identify key boundary conditions that foster CSR. This expansion not only aligns with practical realities but also opens new avenues for research into the dynamics of diverse management teams.

In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation and a heightened emphasis on library marketing. Special libraries, in particular, rely heavily on patrons for survival, often due to their private ownership and limited resources. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.

This paper examines the Taste Library, a special library in Hong Kong, and analyzes its current practices based on an interview with its founder, website content, and social media presence. The 7Ps Marketing Mix model is employed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the library's current market position.

The Taste Library's existing practices exhibit limitations in attracting young patrons. To address this issue, we propose marketing strategies focused on enhancing social network presence, offering digitized content, and engaging in school outreach.

By concentrating on youth marketing, this study offers valuable insights for special libraries in developing strategic plans for transitioning and maintaining sustainability.

Few studies concentrate on marketing small special libraries, particularly in the East, within today's digitized economy.

This study explores technology trends and challenges in the liner shipping industry through the lens of blockchain technology, addressing gaps in the literature with a comprehensive analysis. By examining blockchain applications in shipping and port contexts, the research fills a significant void, covering trend identification, legal considerations, and implementation challenges. This study extends to examining links between current blockchain projects, revealing trends and challenges in technology applications. The conclusion synthesizes implications and future trajectories of this transformative technology within the broader context of Industry 4.0, positioning this research at the forefront of advancements in maritime technology and supply chain management (SCM).

Despite the burgeoning popularity of virtual gifting in live streaming, research lacks an in-depth understanding of the drivers behind this behavior. Using para-social relationship (PSR), this study aims to capture viewers’ lively social feelings toward the streamer as the key factor leading to the purchase behavior of virtual gifts. It also aims to establish a theoretical link between PSR and viewers’ holistic experience in live streaming as captured by cognitive absorption and aims to investigates the role of technological features (i.e. viewer–streamer and viewer–viewer interactivity, streamer-level and viewer-level deep profiling and design aesthetics) in shaping viewers’ experience.

Based on 433 survey responses, this study employs a combination of structural equation modeling and neural networks to offer valuable insights into the relationships between the technological environment, viewer experience and viewer behavior.

Our results highlight the salience of PSR in promoting the purchase of virtual gifts through cognitive absorption and the importance of the technological environment in eliciting the viewer experience. This study sheds light on the development of PSR in a technological environment and its relationship with cognitive absorption.

By applying PSR to conceptualize viewers’ perceived connection with the streamer, this study extends the research on purchase behavior in the non-shopping context by providing an enlightened understanding of virtual gift purchase behavior in live streaming. Moreover, by theoretically linking PSR with cognitive absorption, virtual gift purchase and technological features of live streaming, it enriches the theory of PSR and bridges the gap between the design practice of supporting the IT infrastructure of live streaming and research.

Explore the impact of Party organization embedding on firm green governance.

The regression analysis method.

The findings show that Party organization embedding significantly enhances the green governance effects of firms, with this effect being more pronounced in environments with high-quality internal control. Moreover, the study reveals that Party organization embedding facilitates green governance through mechanisms such as reducing agency costs and optimizing management decisions. Agency costs have a negative transmission effect, while management decisions have a positive transmission effect, with the quality of internal control playing a crucial moderating role.

Most existing studies on firm green governance have focused on aspects such as the heterogeneity of management teams (Liu, 2019; Wu et al., 2019), executive green cognition (Fineman and Clarke, 1996; Huang and Wei, 2023), organizational structure and the involvement of controlling families (Bertrand and Schoar, 2006; Symeou et al., 2019), with limited attention to the unique role of Party organizations’ incentive and restraint mechanisms, supervisory power and management functions in firm green governance. Additionally, while scholars have examined the impact of political embedding in firms, including Party organization embedding as a specific form of political embedding, and find that it affects various aspects of business performance (Chang and Wong, 2004; Gu and Yang, 2023), governance quality (Li et al., 2020; Huang and Yang, 2024), agency costs (Qian, 2000; Wang and Ma, 2014), excessive management compensation (Chang and Wong, 2004; Chen et al., 2014), social externalities and audit needs (Faccio, 2006; Cheng, 2022), there is still insufficient discussion on how Party organization embedding promotes firm green governance. Particularly in the context of China’s unique system and using Chinese data, there is a need for more in-depth research on the impact of Party organization embedding on firm green governance. This paper addresses this research gap by empirical analysis.

Overall, this study has significant theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, it enriches the literature on Party organization embedding and firm green governance, filling a gap in the intersection research of firm governance and green governance. Practically, on the one hand, this paper’s findings demonstrate that the involvement of Party organizations in firm governance plays a significant role in enhancing green governance. This supports the modernization of firm governance in China, establishes a micro-level foundation for achieving the strategic goals of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” and offers empirically-backed insights into green transformation for policymakers. The research also provides practical policy recommendations for strengthening Party building efforts within firms and optimizing government-business relations, thereby facilitating the deep integration of Party building with business operations. On the other hand, this study highlights that the unique feature of China’s corporate governance system, Party organization embedding, can effectively enhance green governance. This offers empirical support for leveraging the strengths of China’s firm governance model and provides valuable governance strategies for firms in other countries and regions to improve their green governance practices.

This study’s social implications are significant as it highlights the broader societal benefits that arise from integrating Party organization involvement into firm governance structures, especially within the context of green governance. By improving the green governance practices of firms, Party organization embedding helps to address pressing environmental issues such as pollution, carbon emissions and resource depletion, which ultimately contributes to healthier living environments and a more sustainable society. The emphasis on green governance supports China’s national strategy for sustainable development and demonstrates a governance model that balances economic growth with environmental stewardship. Additionally, the study underscores the role of Party organizations in fostering social responsibility, equity and cohesion by ensuring that firm decision-making aligns with both economic and social welfare goals. This model of governance provides a framework that can serve as a reference for other countries and regions looking to enhance environmental protection efforts while maintaining social stability and economic progress.

This study offers original insights by exploring the distinctive role of Party organization embedding in enhancing firm green governance within the unique context of China’s political and economic systems. Unlike previous research, which has primarily focused on conventional governance structures, this paper delves into the underexplored area of how Party organizations influence firm-level green governance. By examining the direct and indirect effects of Party organization embedding, this study expands current understanding of corporate governance models that integrate political structures, providing a novel perspective on how firms can achieve both economic and environmental objectives. The findings not only contribute to the literature on green governance but also present a valuable model for emerging economies that are pursuing sustainable development. This research thus provides a meaningful addition to the dialogue on corporate governance innovation and environmental responsibility.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how different types of user experience in TikTok impact purchase intention via commitment to the influencer and commitment to the platform, with customer type included to determine moderating effects. Three types of user experience are considered: information experience, entertainment experience and parasocial-relationship-based experience.

This study collected 458 valid questionnaires from TikTok users, employing the structural equation modeling approach to examine the proposed research model.

Information experience, entertainment experience and parasocial-relationship-based experience are found to critically stimulate user commitment to the influencer and commitment to the platform, in turn driving TikTok-based purchase intention. Tests incorporating customer type reveal that commitment to the influencer more strongly influences the purchase intention of repeat customers, with commitment to the platform more likely to stimulate purchase intention among potential customers.

On a theoretical level, the paper is among the first to examine TikTok-based user purchase intention with customer type as a moderator. On a practical level, the results can guide marketers to effectively promote products using TikTok and inspire TikTok managers to develop customized strategies to stimulate initial and repeat sales.

TikTok is moving to the stage of commercialization and monetization by introducing e-commerce features. Although this move should cultivate particularly fertile ground for companies to sell products, TikTok user purchase behavior has yet to receive sufficient research attention, with little currently known about their purchase motivations. The current study uncovers the significant antecedents of users' purchase intention through TikTok, and further reveals the motivational differences among potential and repeat customers.

In recent decades, emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) have predominantly adopted a big step internationalization strategy to expand their business overseas. This study aims to examine the effect of big step internationalization on the speed of subsequent foreign direct investment (FDI) expansion for EMNEs. The authors also investigate the potential boundary conditions.

The authors use the random effects generalized least squares (GLS) regression following a hierarchical approach to analyze the panel data set conducted by a sample of publicly listed Chinese firms from 2001 to 2012.

The findings indicate that implementing big step internationalization in the initial stages accelerates the speed of subsequent FDI expansion. Notably, the authors find that this effect is more pronounced for firms that opt for acquisitions as the entry mode in their first big step internationalization and possess a board of directors with strong political connections to their home country’s government. In contrast, the board of director’s international experience negatively moderates this effect.

This study provides insights into our scholarly and practical understanding of EMNEs’ big step internationalization and subsequent FDI expansion speed, which offers important implications for firms’ decision-makers and policymakers.

This study extends the internationalization theory, broadens the international business literature on the consequences of big step internationalization and deepens the theoretical and practical understanding of foreign expansion strategies in EMNEs.

Motivated by the significant role of uncertainty in affecting investment decisions and China's economic leadership in Asia, this paper investigates the predictive role of exposure to Chinese economic policy uncertainty at the individual stock level in large Asian markets.

We estimate the monthly uncertainty exposure (beta) for each stock and then employ the portfolio-level sorting analysis to investigate the relationship between the China’s uncertainty exposure and the future returns of major Asian markets over multiple trading horizons. The raw returns of the high-minus-low portfolios are then adjusted using conventional asset pricing models to investigate whether the relationship is explained by common risk factors. Finally, we check the robustness of the portfolio-level results through firm-level Fama and MacBeth (1973) regressions.

Applying portfolio-level sorting analysis, we reveal that exposure to Chinese uncertainty is negatively related to the future returns of large stocks over multiple trading horizons in Japan, Hong Kong and India. We discover this is unexplained by common risk factors, including market, size, value, profitability, investment and momentum, and is robust to the specification of stock-level Fama and MacBeth (1973) regressions.

Our analysis demonstrates the spillover effects of Chinese economic policy uncertainty across the region, provides evidence of China's emerging economic leadership, and offers trading strategies for managing uncertainty risks.

The findings of the study significantly improve our understanding of stock return predictability in Asian markets. Unlike previous studies, our results challenge the leading role of the US by providing a new intra-regional return predictor, namely, China’s uncertainty exposure. These results also evidence the continuing integration of the Asian economy and financial markets. However, contrary findings for some Asian markets point toward certain market-specific features. Compared with market-level research, our analysis provides deeper insights into the performance of individual stocks and is of particular importance to investors and other market participants.

Customer referral programs (CRPs) are popular; however, they often generate low referral rates. The authors propose that certain CRP referral tasks may hinder consumers’ referral likelihood. This study aims to explore the effects of referral tasks (communication content and approach) on customers’ referral likelihood on social platforms and the role of self-construal.

This study establishes a theoretical model based on online social platforms and conducts three scenario-based experiments. The authors obtain data from consumers on Sojump platform and test the hypotheses using analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis and mediation analysis in SPSS. The valid sample sizes for these three experiments are 288, 203 and 214, respectively.

Three experimental studies indicate that communication content and approach have a significant effect on referral likelihood. Furthermore, the effect of communication content on referral likelihood depends on the communication approach. Self-construal plays a moderating role in the effect of communication content and approach on perceived social costs.

CRPs typically involve tasks and rewards; consumers are asked to complete a referral task and then receive a reward. Both tasks and rewards can affect an individual’s willingness to participate; however, existing studies on CRP focus primarily on the reward component. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to systematically investigate the role of referral tasks (communication content and approach) in CRPs. The authors extend the related research by examining the impact of referral tasks on consumers’ willingness to recommend. In addition, this study introduces self-construal into CRPs research.

Through the theoretical lenses of media richness, perceived realism and customer engagement, this study aims to investigate the mechanisms that promote customer engagement in metaverse-mediated environments in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) context, as well as the impact of customer engagement on customers’ metaverse usage intensity and future visit intention.

A survey of customers who have experience with metaverse-mediated MICE activities was conducted. Data from 267 respondents were analysed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to test our research framework.

Media richness dimensions, including multiple cues, immediate feedback and personal focus, were found to enhance perceived metaverse realism, which in turn affects the dimensions of customer engagement, leading to customers’ metaverse usage intensity and future visit intention. The fsQCA analysis identifies three configurations that lead to high event visit intention.

This research helps developers and marketers better understand how rich media contents create realistic experiences in the metaverse, aiding them to devise strategies for customer engagement and improve resource allocation.

Despite its potentially revolutionary impacts, empirical studies on the mechanisms driving customer engagement in the metaverse and its effects are scarce. This study contributes by revealing the multiple-phase mechanism of the customer engagement journey in the metaverse-mediated MICE context. By expanding the media richness theory into this area, our study provides new insights by illustrating how media richness dimensions create multisensory experiences and real-time interactions, enhancing perceived metaverse realism and customer engagement. It also addresses the debate on whether metaverse-mediated events substitute or complement real-life events.